Writing Cinderella
2. office disruptions
"Simon, what the hell is going on?"
They were the only words I could carefully manage to speak as I was being dragged throughout the office building of Weekly Cinderella; a journalism group which specialized in gossip and lifestyle stories. Around town, after starting from very small roots - the company had set itself after years and years of hard labor and knockbacks as one of the best in the business. 96 weekly magazine publications, a 24/7 updated website and more employees that Apple based in the Los Angeles office, I was unsure why my boss had made a big fuss over coming to get me so that we could have a chat about 'work'. That's all that he'd given me so far - I guess it was hard for one journalist to outsmart another.
"Simon, please... stop, just tell me what's going on?", I asked again, my shoulders tired from being hauled half way across town. "Simon.. Simon... Carver!"
Simon stopped and turned to look at me over his shoulder with a distaste in his doe coloured eyes which I knew was due to the fact that I referred to him by his last name. We had worked together for close to 3 years now; he was the only person in the company who had faith in me when I started as a subordinate proof-reader in the editing rooms and sure enough, as time progressed I flew through the ranks to now comfortably hold a junior journalists position which was at the envy of a lot of older workers who felt it was unfair I move up the ranks so quickly.
Hearing a female voice shriek out from behind the administration doors, Simon finally let go of me and we both ran towards the front desk to be surprised as we saw a security guard carry out in his arms an employee who I recognized but didn't know the name off looking both pale and faint.
"Is she alright?", Simon asked pushing some of the girls hair out of her face as she lay limp.
"She'll be fine", we heard a voice from behind the reception desk speak up, "And as will the rest of them."
"The rest of them?", Simon stuttered, "You mean there's more?"
"Two or three hundred at least. I'm sorry Mr Carver, but I told you earlier, I don't think you did a good job at keeping your celebrity guest a secret."
"Celebrity guest?", I asked raising an eyebrow.
Who on earth was capable of causing women to faint and stay back after work for a viewing? Office hours were 8am to 6pm. By now everyone should have been well off home. Not bothering to look in my direction, Simon muttered something about sitting tight and not moving anywhere before he wandered off in a direction away from his usual morning stroll to his office. Rolling my eyes, I rubbed my wrist tenderly before moving up towards my shoulders and rolling my head around in a small circle to try and loosen up.
"I can't believe he actually went to your place to get you..."
"Huh?"
My questionable response seemed to only make Denim, the receptionist for Weekly Cinderella laugh before she folded her arms in front of her at her desk and looked over at me, "I guess he thought you'd say to the job straight away when you heard the news."
"What news?", I questioned quietly, walking over to talk to the girl. She was a few years my senior and held an aura of professionalism about herself in a way which I couldn't even begin to describe. I always thought, with how she knew the company worked and her moral code and ethic that if the CEO was to ever pass away, Denim would be a great replacement for the job. She knew everyone and treated them kindly, never turned away from a job and previous to her secretary gig, worked as the lifestyle and family products editing manager. Although I found it odd that she'd want to or be happy to sit behind a desk all day and answer phones, I felt it wasn't in my right to ask her why she seemed to prefer this over anything else the company would offer her.
"Mr Carver didn't tell you?", Demin asked with a curious look on her face. I shook my head quietly from side to side and sighed heavily before she offered me a cold glass of water and asked if I'd like to take a seat.
"No I'll be right...", I forced a half smile.
"Are you sure?", she asked, rubbing small circles on my back as she placed the water down in front of me. "It seems like you might have quite a long night."
"A long night?"
"Katerina ---", I heard my name a snapped my head in the direction it was coming from to see Mr Carver changed from the clothes he was wearing to a more formal business suit as he played with his cufflinks before calling me over with a come-hither motion, "Follow me."
"Good luck!", was all that Denim was able to whisper before I trudged off, following my boss like an obedient canine. Through a double set of glass doors and pushing through a large crowd of 20 and 30 something year old women, Mr Carver escorted me into the boardroom where it seemed for some time, people had been waiting for us.
"Ms Wilkinson, if you could take a seat", a rather stern looking brunette woman asked as I quickly obeyed and slumped into a comfortable looking leather armchair. I'd never been in this office before, it was strictly for senior executives and broadcast journalists so I pondered over the thought for a moment before I had fingers snapped in front of my face bringing me back to reality.
"She's a bit slow...", the brunette harshly muttered, "Simon, are you sure she's the best you've got?"
"Absolutely", Simon responded, "She's interviewed and written about David Bowie, Madonna, Prince Charles, Aretha Franklin. Don't let her looks fool you; Katerina here is much more professional and career orientated than she can let on."
"Okay let's get started. Katerina, I'd like you sign here, here, here, here again on the dotted line and an initial here..."
"Wait, I'm sorry--", I stammered, pushing down on the papers that the brunette was waving in front of my face, "I never caught you name."
Taken aback, the brunette stood straight and pursed her lips, "Veronica", she spoke quickly and with purpose, "Veronica Maine. Media and publicity stakeholder for Dune Records."
"Okay", I acknowledged shaking the hand she slowly extended to me firmly, "Now that we have formalities out of the way, Ms Maine, do you mind explaining to me what I'm signing?"
"A confidentiality agreement Ms Wilkinson, you must understand, although you'll be conducting an interview, my clients creative means and integrity must be upheld."
"Your client?", I raised an eyebrow whilst glancing around the room, "About from the two of us, some security guards and Simon I don't see anyone else--."
Just as I was about to finish my sentence I felt something grab at my ankle and with a knee jerking reaction I fell hard back into my seat causing it to topple over and having myself land callously against the floor after I let out a squeal.
"Ha...", I heard maliciously before a figure stepped over me, offering out their hand, "You seem like you're going to be fun."
Not bothering to ask questions or argue with now not only a sore wrist, sore shoulder and sore head; I took the offered hand and was quickly pulled up onto my feet to stand face to face staring into the most brilliant baby blue eyes I'd ever seen. Slightly breathless and licking my lower lip nervously, I went to reach up and push some hair behind my ears before I stopped, feeling gentle fingers do the action I was wishing to for me.
"You know there's no need to stare sugar, if you like what you see we could always head back to my hotel room after this meeting."
"Tomlinson please... just.. both of you take a seat."
That's when it all started to make sense. Why there were screaming and fainting girls at the office, why Simon had come to collect me from home and not wait for a phone call, why Denim wished me luck and why there was so much security around the building for a Wednesday afternoon. Louis Tomlinson was in the Weekly Cinderella offices - music idol, heartthrob, sports talent; the kind of guy women wanted and men wanted to be. He was standing in front of me, had just tucked hair behind my ear and had offered to take me back to his hotel room after this meeting was over.
"I feel sick..."
They were the only words I could carefully manage to speak as I was being dragged throughout the office building of Weekly Cinderella; a journalism group which specialized in gossip and lifestyle stories. Around town, after starting from very small roots - the company had set itself after years and years of hard labor and knockbacks as one of the best in the business. 96 weekly magazine publications, a 24/7 updated website and more employees that Apple based in the Los Angeles office, I was unsure why my boss had made a big fuss over coming to get me so that we could have a chat about 'work'. That's all that he'd given me so far - I guess it was hard for one journalist to outsmart another.
"Simon, please... stop, just tell me what's going on?", I asked again, my shoulders tired from being hauled half way across town. "Simon.. Simon... Carver!"
Simon stopped and turned to look at me over his shoulder with a distaste in his doe coloured eyes which I knew was due to the fact that I referred to him by his last name. We had worked together for close to 3 years now; he was the only person in the company who had faith in me when I started as a subordinate proof-reader in the editing rooms and sure enough, as time progressed I flew through the ranks to now comfortably hold a junior journalists position which was at the envy of a lot of older workers who felt it was unfair I move up the ranks so quickly.
Hearing a female voice shriek out from behind the administration doors, Simon finally let go of me and we both ran towards the front desk to be surprised as we saw a security guard carry out in his arms an employee who I recognized but didn't know the name off looking both pale and faint.
"Is she alright?", Simon asked pushing some of the girls hair out of her face as she lay limp.
"She'll be fine", we heard a voice from behind the reception desk speak up, "And as will the rest of them."
"The rest of them?", Simon stuttered, "You mean there's more?"
"Two or three hundred at least. I'm sorry Mr Carver, but I told you earlier, I don't think you did a good job at keeping your celebrity guest a secret."
"Celebrity guest?", I asked raising an eyebrow.
Who on earth was capable of causing women to faint and stay back after work for a viewing? Office hours were 8am to 6pm. By now everyone should have been well off home. Not bothering to look in my direction, Simon muttered something about sitting tight and not moving anywhere before he wandered off in a direction away from his usual morning stroll to his office. Rolling my eyes, I rubbed my wrist tenderly before moving up towards my shoulders and rolling my head around in a small circle to try and loosen up.
"I can't believe he actually went to your place to get you..."
"Huh?"
My questionable response seemed to only make Denim, the receptionist for Weekly Cinderella laugh before she folded her arms in front of her at her desk and looked over at me, "I guess he thought you'd say to the job straight away when you heard the news."
"What news?", I questioned quietly, walking over to talk to the girl. She was a few years my senior and held an aura of professionalism about herself in a way which I couldn't even begin to describe. I always thought, with how she knew the company worked and her moral code and ethic that if the CEO was to ever pass away, Denim would be a great replacement for the job. She knew everyone and treated them kindly, never turned away from a job and previous to her secretary gig, worked as the lifestyle and family products editing manager. Although I found it odd that she'd want to or be happy to sit behind a desk all day and answer phones, I felt it wasn't in my right to ask her why she seemed to prefer this over anything else the company would offer her.
"Mr Carver didn't tell you?", Demin asked with a curious look on her face. I shook my head quietly from side to side and sighed heavily before she offered me a cold glass of water and asked if I'd like to take a seat.
"No I'll be right...", I forced a half smile.
"Are you sure?", she asked, rubbing small circles on my back as she placed the water down in front of me. "It seems like you might have quite a long night."
"A long night?"
"Katerina ---", I heard my name a snapped my head in the direction it was coming from to see Mr Carver changed from the clothes he was wearing to a more formal business suit as he played with his cufflinks before calling me over with a come-hither motion, "Follow me."
"Good luck!", was all that Denim was able to whisper before I trudged off, following my boss like an obedient canine. Through a double set of glass doors and pushing through a large crowd of 20 and 30 something year old women, Mr Carver escorted me into the boardroom where it seemed for some time, people had been waiting for us.
"Ms Wilkinson, if you could take a seat", a rather stern looking brunette woman asked as I quickly obeyed and slumped into a comfortable looking leather armchair. I'd never been in this office before, it was strictly for senior executives and broadcast journalists so I pondered over the thought for a moment before I had fingers snapped in front of my face bringing me back to reality.
"She's a bit slow...", the brunette harshly muttered, "Simon, are you sure she's the best you've got?"
"Absolutely", Simon responded, "She's interviewed and written about David Bowie, Madonna, Prince Charles, Aretha Franklin. Don't let her looks fool you; Katerina here is much more professional and career orientated than she can let on."
"Okay let's get started. Katerina, I'd like you sign here, here, here, here again on the dotted line and an initial here..."
"Wait, I'm sorry--", I stammered, pushing down on the papers that the brunette was waving in front of my face, "I never caught you name."
Taken aback, the brunette stood straight and pursed her lips, "Veronica", she spoke quickly and with purpose, "Veronica Maine. Media and publicity stakeholder for Dune Records."
"Okay", I acknowledged shaking the hand she slowly extended to me firmly, "Now that we have formalities out of the way, Ms Maine, do you mind explaining to me what I'm signing?"
"A confidentiality agreement Ms Wilkinson, you must understand, although you'll be conducting an interview, my clients creative means and integrity must be upheld."
"Your client?", I raised an eyebrow whilst glancing around the room, "About from the two of us, some security guards and Simon I don't see anyone else--."
Just as I was about to finish my sentence I felt something grab at my ankle and with a knee jerking reaction I fell hard back into my seat causing it to topple over and having myself land callously against the floor after I let out a squeal.
"Ha...", I heard maliciously before a figure stepped over me, offering out their hand, "You seem like you're going to be fun."
Not bothering to ask questions or argue with now not only a sore wrist, sore shoulder and sore head; I took the offered hand and was quickly pulled up onto my feet to stand face to face staring into the most brilliant baby blue eyes I'd ever seen. Slightly breathless and licking my lower lip nervously, I went to reach up and push some hair behind my ears before I stopped, feeling gentle fingers do the action I was wishing to for me.
"You know there's no need to stare sugar, if you like what you see we could always head back to my hotel room after this meeting."
"Tomlinson please... just.. both of you take a seat."
That's when it all started to make sense. Why there were screaming and fainting girls at the office, why Simon had come to collect me from home and not wait for a phone call, why Denim wished me luck and why there was so much security around the building for a Wednesday afternoon. Louis Tomlinson was in the Weekly Cinderella offices - music idol, heartthrob, sports talent; the kind of guy women wanted and men wanted to be. He was standing in front of me, had just tucked hair behind my ear and had offered to take me back to his hotel room after this meeting was over.
"I feel sick..."
Notes
:) thank you to everyone who's subscribed already! i can't believe it with so little views x
hope you're enjoying the story so far and if you're keen on this go check out my other the forged fiance :) xx
@XKALEIGHSTYLES57X
you are seriously too sweet! i'm glad you're enjoying it :)
1/7/16