How weird was this? She thought to herself as she parked four spots down from the door of 3CG. She checked her hair, pulled back on top, her make up- subtle gray eye shadow, dark brown mascara and eyeliner, peach blush, and soft pink tinted lip gloss, then her teeth. So far, so good. She climbed out of her car, and made her way to the door. There was one other car parked in front of the office, but she didn't recognize it. As she was reaching for the door knob, it blew open in her face. She froze instantly, and was face to face with Ashley.
"Good morning, Emma Jo! Did I startle you? I'm sorry," he said. "Come on in." He stepped out of the doorway and let her in.
"Thank you. Good morning, Ashley. Shall we begin?" He nodded, and they took their place behind the desk. An hour later, over the intercom, came a request.
"Ash? We need a Starbucks run. Can you go?" She recognized Taylor's voice immediately. Their cars weren't outside... She knew Ashley was watching her for her reaction.
"Tay, I'm a bit busy, but-" he waited, looking at Emma Jo.
"I can handle things for a half hour, taking messages isn't a difficult task,I'll be fine," she reassured him.
He pushed the button again. "Okay, text me what everyone wants. I'm on my way." He turned to Emma Jo. "You sure you'll be okay?"
She smiled in response. "I'll be fine." Just then, as if on cue, the phone rang. She smiled, then picked up the phone. "Good morning, 3CG Records, this is Emma Jo, how can I help you?" She noticed Ashley was hovering, hesitating, as she poised her fingers above the keyboard to type in a summary of the call. "Yes, yes sir. Alright Mr. Schwartzman, two o'clock next Thursday." Her fingers flew over the keys. "Yes sir. Thank you, sir. Mr. Schwartzman." She laughed into the phone. "All right, Robert, as you request. I will let them know. Thank you. Have a great day. Good bye." She disconnected the phone and continued typing for another couple seconds. Finishing, she turned to Ashley.
"Alright, well, I'll be back as soon as I can."
She smiled at him. "No rush." She opened Outlook, and typed in the To: box. As soon as she typed a T, Taylor's address popped up. She then began typing the note in the body of the message as Ashley left for Starbucks.
Mr. Hanson,
Mr. Robert Schwartzman called and left a message for you at 9:07 AM, saying that he was available to meet with you at two o'clock next Thursday.
She when into options and edited the signature.
Best Regards,
Emma Jo Heely
Administrative Assistant
3CG Records
She worked on a project she had been given while she waited for Ashley to return. Ten minutes later, she heard a voice coming from down the hall getting progressively louder that she recognized instantly.
"Yeah, just keep that beat looping, and keep recording!" He paused, then said, "So listen-" he stopped in his tracks as he appeared into the main reception area, eyes on Emma Jo. She smiled warmly. He was her personal favorite.
"Can I help you, Mr. Hanson?" She asked sweetly. He blinked twice, approached the high outside of the desk, folded his arms, leaned in slightly, and smiled his crooked smile.
"So listen. I appreciate your formality slash politeness, but really, I'd rather you not call me Mr. Hanson. Let's save that for my dad, when he comes around. Taylor is fine."
"Okay, my apologies, Taylor," she nodded.
"Not a problem. So your name is Emma Jo?"
"Yes."
"Why does that sound vaguely familiar to me?" He narrowed his eyes slightly and studied her face. "I'd remember you if I'd seen you."
Emma Jo glanced down and blushed slightly.
"Perhaps it's from your sister Jessica mentioning it occasionally? We're good friends," she offered.
"Yeah! You're that Emma Jo?!"
She smiled and nodded.
"So that makes you what- twenty two or so?" He smiled at her.
"Unfortunately not. I'm a bit older than she. I'm twenty six."
"You could pass for twenty one," he told her.
"Thank you kindly." She smiled. Wow his eyes were gorgeous up close. Hypnotizing, almost. Have to look away. She tore her eyes away from his and glanced at her computer screen. But like a magnet they drew her back.
"This is your first day and Ash's already leaving you alone?"
"Oh, I had almost a full day yesterday, and it went well. I'm confident enough to handle being alone for a bit."
"Jessica mentioned you were from the South. Where exacly?"
That's funny, and completely off topic. Alright, whatever. "Yes, I'm originally from East Texas, but I've lived in Dallas for the last couple of years, and now I'm here."
"Can I see you?"
Her eyebrows drew together in question.
"Come out from back there, with your Southern drawl," he said with a smile.
"As you wish," she said, then stood up and made her way around the desk. She could feel his eyes sweep over her until she stood next to him.
"Ash was right," he said so quietly she almost didn't hear him.
She suddenly became self-conscious standing there, with him obviously checking her out. His eyes finally came back to hers, alight with an appreciatve smile to match. He reached out his right hand, and instantly she took it carefully, and she knew curiosity was in her eyes. He then did something unexpected- he turned her in a slow circle. She knew what he was doing. It made her stomach tighten and the apex of her thighs wet. She was glad she'd worn her best skinny jeans, five inch stillettos and snug blue button down cotton t-shirt. He let go of her hand once he'd spun her around completely, so she returned to her seat, heart racing. She looked up at him through her lashes.
"Was there anything else I could help you with, Taylor?"
Just then, she heard his phone vibrate in his pocket it was that quiet. He glanced down for a minute.
"No, that's it. Thanks, Emma Jo. I look forward to working with you," he gave her a brilliant smile, and disappeared down the hall the way he had come.
Her hands shook as they typed, and not five minutes later, Ashley walked through the door carrying a tray of coffee. He smiled and nodded to Emma Jo as he passed, following where Taylor had just walked. He opened a thick wooden door and was greeted by a round of "heys!" He waited while the guys flocked around him, taking their coffees as he pointed them out. They took a moment to sip.
"Hey Ash. How's the new girl working out so far?" Taylor asked casually.
"New girl?" Zac and Isaac asked, surprised.
"Yeah. I got a message from her this morning from Robert about next Thursday. She was so formal!"
"Oh," Ashley laughed. "Yeah, that sounds like her. She's been great so far. Quick learner, polite, and the accent! Not to forget a real looker. If I was twenty years younger," he shook his head.
"Really? I have to see this," Zac said and set his coffee on the table next to him.
"No! Not right now Zac, later on," Ashley said, picking up his coffee and handing it back to him.
"Fine." Zac sulked into his coffee.
"I'm with Ash," Taylor said, jumping into the conversation. "If I wasn't married-"
"You saw her?!" Ashley exclaimed.
"Yeah. After I got the message, I went up there to tell her she didn't have to be so formal- she called me Mr. Hanson! I had to say something," he smiled at the small group of guys. "It makes me feel so old."
"So? What do you think?" Zac asked, looking at him expectantly.
"Definitely a ten-"
Zac, Isaac, and Bryan whistled.
"You don't ever rate a girl that Tay," Isaac pointed out.
"Damn!" Bryan exclaimed.
"So? What do you think!" Zac repeated.
"She has this hair- brunette ringletts down to her perfectly shaped ass, that you just want to run your finger through, 'cause you know how soft they'll be and how good they'll smell." He closed his eyes and imagined. After a pause, he opened his eyes and looked into everyone else's who was listening closely. "Her eyes are clear ocean blue with long thick lashes, her complextion a perfect peaches and cream, practically edible. Her lips are something I'm sure you could sink into. Her body- well, damn. She's small- shorter and thin, but amazingly curvy."
"And you know all this how?" Isaac asked, an eyebrow raised.
Taylor smiled sheepishly and blushed.
"What did you do?" Isaac dared to ask.
"Nothing! I just asked she stand up and turn around is all," he shrugged it off, like it wasn't a big deal.
"Wow," Zac said.
"You have to keep in mind guys, she came with high recommendation from your sister Jessica. They're like best friends," Ashley informed them.
"So that's how you found her then?" Zac asked.
"Pretty much. I'm sure Jess told her she was leaving and to send us her resume. We had a couple others come in, but besides for being the best looking- as a first impression of the label, of course- she was surprisingly the most qualified for the position also. So it's not just because she's beautiful." Ashley told them.
"Tell us about her," Bryan said, and sat down. One by one they sat, listening.
"From what I know, she's 26, came from Dallas, but grew up in east Texas. Graduated high school in oh two, worked for a while, and is going to school part time, with a focus in music production, an emphasis on theater."
"But Ash, is she a fan?" Everyone looked to Isaac, then back to Ashley, the most important question of all.
"Not like that. Maybe not at all. One of the questions I asked her were who were some of her favorite artists, and she named off more R&B, techo artists. Besides. She's friends with Jessi, and gave her good words. I doubt she'd keep up a charade for that long if there were other motives."
"Shit. If she did and approached me at a show, well, she'd be damn hard to turn down. Especially if she was in "concert attire", " Taylor said. "But I remember faces pretty well, and I'm sure I haven't seen her before. I have heard her name though. I think Jessi has mentioned her a couple times."
Ashley nodded. "That whole "Yes, sir", gets me every time. I had to ask her to call me Ashley after Mr. Greyson did the same thing," he smiled. "Speaking of which, I need to get back up there. It's her first full day and already she's been alone for almost half of it."
"And all hell hasn't broken loose," Bryan pointed out.
"Very true. I'll see you all later." Ashley went back up to the reception area. "How's it been?" He asked, sitting next to Emma Jo.
"Good, pretty slow. Received a call from a Mr. Salmeri regarding advertising, and I wasn't quite sure who to pass that on to." She slid a hand-written piece of paper towards him. She let him read it.
"Okay, this would go to Lisa, our ad rep."
They went through the three calls she'd had while he'd been back visiting, and she wondered if he'd talked to them. Probably. About her maybe? Hopefully.
Time passed, and later in the afternoon after her lunch, she'd gotten a bit of good news.
"If you bring in- if you have one- an mp3 player, or iPod or whatever, you can plug the cord into this port here on the tower and turn on the speakers like so-" he demonstrated with his iPhone, "you can listen to music while you sit up here. It can get pretty quiet. You'll notice that with musicians, especially ones you'll be dealing with around here, it's quiet in the morning, with only businesses calling. The afternoon all the artists will call because they'll be awake from sleeping until noon from the creative splurge they've had the night before. Musicians around here tend to lean towards night owlish."
She smiled and nodded, pleased she could have music. She would have loved to have music this morning. And she did notice that it was a little busier after her lunch break. With his music going, she minutely nodded her head to the beat of the songs he played, trying not to show prejudice to any particular song. She knew this was a test, and she would pass with flying colors. Of course their music would turn up eventually. And like with all the others, she nodded her head with the beat.
At ten to five, she began her new routine of closing up the front office.
"Alright Emma Jo, thanks for another good day. We appreciate what you're doing for us so far-"
"Hey Ash! Oh, sorry," Zac called, coming from her new favorite hallway. He stopped when he saw them standing by the door. He smiled apologetically.
"Excuse me, Emma Jo." She nodded and waited patiently as he turned to Zac. "What's up Zac?"
"Sorry, didn't mean to inturrupt. Ash, are you leaving?"
"Wasn't plannning on it, why?"
Zac's expression fell.
"You want me to leave?"
"And then come back. We need a Red Bull run." He grinned at him.
Ashley rolled his eyes. "Of course you do," he sighed.
"I can go, Red Bulls aren't too hard to screw up," Emma Jo volunteered, smiling at the two guys. She didn't think it was possible, but Zac's smile grew.
"Sweet!"
"Emma Jo, you don't have to. You're off the clock in three minutes. It takes at least ten round trip," Ashley pointed out.
"No worries, I understand when inspiration strikes."
"Okay-"
"Great! Can you please get two six-packs of the regular stuff?" Zac asked, interrupting Ashley. He took a couple steps across the room to them, and held out his right hand. "I'm Zac, by the way."
She shook it, and pretended not to notice his eyes sweeping over her. At least she wouldn't have to stand up this time. "Pleasure meeting you, I'm Emma Jo, and I'll be right back," she told him, then watched Zac turn and go back down the hall. She looked at Ashley. "When I get back, where should I bring them?"
"They'll probably be recording, so it'd be best to text them with the cell."
"Okay, I can do that."
"Thanks, Emma Jo. Keep the receipt and I'll add it to your check." She smiled, then began on her new task. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ashley sneak in behind another door she knew was his office. She climbed into her car and made her way to the nearest Quick Trip. Since she was here, she picked up a couple 20 oz. Cherry Dr. Peppers, a sandwich, custard filled eclaire, box of Chicken In A Biscuit crackers, and a king size Snickers. She paid, and made her way back to work. Hehe. Work. She unlocked the door and let herself in, and put the bag of Red Bulls on the counter, then made her way behind it to her desk. She picked up the cell, an iPhone of course, and found the texting app and pushed the Z, bringing up Zac's name. She typed- Zac, the Red Bulls you requested are on the front counter. Have a good evening! Emma Jo
Then she left before anyone could come get them, and headed back to her hotel room to narrow down her options for places to live.
Chapter Three