I have only been sitting at my new desk for a matter of seconds before the phone rings like it is a conscious being, astutely aware that I am present and available. The surprise makes me gasp, hands flattening against the desktop like I'm bracing against an earthquake.
It rings again, and I just stare at it… wondering what to do. Laurel said to answer it—obviously I have to answer it. But what am I supposed to say? No one gave me these very obvious instructions. Why isn't there some kind of… of assistant instruction manual? Not that I would have had time to read it yet.
My mind flutters through these panicked thoughts at what must be close to the speed of light, because somehow I arrive at a solution and on the third ring quickly pick it up.
"Möbius Media, Alexander Möbius's office," I say with my most friendly and professional voice. It's amazing how convincing it sounds. I impress myself.
"Auraya, it's Lawson. Will you come to my office please?"
"Of course," I answer in the same tone and then wonder if I should just hang up or if I need to tell him I'll be there in a minute. Thankfully he hangs up first.
Did he arrange for this phone just so that he could call me himself? I stare at the receiver as I set it back in place and once again feel the sinking feeling… the trapped feeling… the feeling that I have tumbled into a place of being way over my head.
"Nice desk," Cricket chirps, arriving at my side and nodding approvingly. "How are you feeling about the new position?"
"I don't know," I glance nervously at the phone again.
"It's a step up." She gestures to the desk like it's not the exact same desk everyone else has.
"Is it?"
"Well, yeah. You don't have to worry about memorizing how everyone takes their coffee anymore. You are assistant to one of the COOs."
"Actually Laurel has informed me that I still need to worry about how everyone takes their coffees," I chuckle and get up, not wanting to keep Lawson waiting with whatever scandalous information he has to offer this time.
"No way, really?" Cricket frowns and looks over the short wall that separates me from everyone else in the larger work area. "How are you supposed to do this and do that?"
"I don't know, honestly. I guess I'll figure it out." I push my chair in. "Wait, did you say COO? I thought Dex was a Creative Director."
"Official title change. Everyone is talking about it this morning."
"What are they saying?" My thoughts trail to what Dex asked of me yesterday… to keep him updated on office gossip about him.
Cricket looks around again before leaning closer. "That it's weird how Mr. Möbius made sure to promote Dex to COO so quickly—and why? Obviously this illness is really serious to warrant that kind of drastic change. Not to mention the fact that there isn't a clear reason why the company would need two COOs. There's other stuff that people are saying, too, but the bottom line is that Dex obviously isn't just here in the office temporarily. So you might want to get comfortable as his assistant." She winks.
But I don't want to be his assistant for long… that's not what I was hired for!
Cricket must see this internal objection, because she squeezes my arm. "Don't worry. This will only be good for you. Regardless of what Laurel might try to tell you, it is a step up."
—----------
Lawson is still typing away when I seat myself across from him and wait patiently for him to finish. Finally he looks up and pushes the keyboard aside.
"We have a deadline."
He looks a bit like a deer in headlights.
"A deadline for what?" My eyes go wide like his.
He stands and walks around the chair, gripping the back of it and staring out at the rest of the office. You can see much of the larger work area where everyones' desks are from here, but there are short walls that run along the outside of it, creating at least somewhat of a barrier to keep everyone from having an unobstructed view of the executive offices. Otherwise it would very much be like Lawson was in a fish bowl. Other than it being really modern and beautiful, I don't know why the building was designed this way. There is very little privacy.
But perhaps that's the point… no privacy should be needed.
"My father promoted Dex to COO." A muscle works in his jaw.
"Oh…"
"You do understand how serious this is, right?" Lawson turns his nervous glare on me, and I start fidgeting being the recipient of it. "It could be the end of the company."
"Right, you said that yesterday."
"Well now it's even more serious," he adjusts his suit jacket and sits back down. "I expect daily reports of what you've found." He grabs one of his business cards that is displayed on the desk, flipping it over and scribbling on the back. "This is my personal cell number."
He slides it across the desk, and I stare at it. This was not the reason I imagined getting Lawson's number for the first time.
"Text is preferable. It's possible I will be tied up in meetings," he adds and glances out at the rest of the office again. "Put that in your pocket."
"I don't… I don't have a pocket," I look down at what I'm wearing… a knee length skirt and blouse. No pockets.
"Fine, just keep it out of sight. And don't give that number to anyone else."
"Of course not."
At that moment, Dex walks by the front of the office, and I quickly fold the business card into my hand. When Lawson sees his brother, he smiles. This time it's not quite as convincing as yesterday, and he doesn't bother to get up when Dex opens the door and leans in.
"You're stealing my assistant already?" Dex chuckles and looks at me. A rush of heat instantly consumes every cell in my body—no joke. If I'm not instantly blushing, it's a blessing.
"Not at all," Lawson gestures to me like I'm free for the taking. "We're done. I was just making sure she was clear on her responsibilities."
"I'm sure we can go over that." Dex comes more fully in and holds the door open whilst staring at me, then offers a polite smile.
I glance at Lawson who appears completely disinterested and a little annoyed as he focuses back on his computer screen, so I get up and walk through the door that Dex is holding open for me.
"I will be in my office in a minute. I just have to speak with Lawson first." Dex's tone changes when he's talking to me instead of his brother. It's gentle. But I try to shrug it off.
I can't get distracted. He may come to me in my dreams, but that's not reality. He is my boss… well, one of my bosses. And I can't confuse dreams with reality. Not when so much is on the line.