"Vance, can you stop staring at me like a circus freak?"
He'd been doing it for the last hour or so and it was starting to get incredibly annoying. And it wasn't like I did anything to really warrant the staring. He just couldn't believe how the meeting with the executives went down. The more I sat on our return flight, the more I couldn't believe it myself.
Blake, Arthur, and Vance had been negotiating with the tech firm's CEO William and his son Parker for well over three hours without even getting close to a deal. They had exhausted all their usual methods of negotiation and offered all they thought they could, but William wouldn't budge. He stood firm against the AdVanceMent elite and refused the merger under Arthur's terms.
We were about to leave without the sale and await the inevitable stock dip after the holiday weekend, when an idea came spilling from my mouth. I couldn't believe I had spoken out of turn and was already beginning to apologize when William insisted I continued to elaborate.
It was really quite a simple plan that circulated around the advertisement idea I had envisioned when I read their file, which was to keep the company family focused and to have that be the selling point. William was immediately sold on the idea and addressed me for much of the remaining meeting.
I had never made a business deal before and didn't know how to proceed. Arthur backed everything I proposed without hesitation. Blake gave me a continuous encouraging smile, which helped my confidence boost tremendously. Vance just sat befuddled, confused as to how an assistant with virtually no business experience could secure a deal that they could not.
"I'm sorry, I'm just waiting for you to sprout wings and start sucking the life from people. Be careful, Blake. She might be sucking all your talent out of your dick."
Blake was lost in his book, and made no effort to look at Vance when he spoke.
"She's got a college degree and a good head on her shoulders. She's not a vampire, Vance. And if that were the case, I guess you have completely lost your touch for business on Friday when you slept with her because, let's face it; you didn't have much talent for business to begin with."
I couldn't suppress my snicker at Vance's expense. He glared at me like a pissed off child. It made me laugh harder.
To be honest, this whole deal had me giddy. My confidence was soaring after the meeting and I knew this would be a great resume booster. I had no intention of being an assistant forever, but I lacked the experience to get a good job. Now, I was going to be working closely with the CEO of my company, as well Xcel's CEO, on the acquisition. William also asked that I lead the advertising campaign personally, which was a career dream come true.
I was pulled from my thoughts when Arthur returned from the cockpit.
"Spectacular work, Kaitlin. I am thoroughly impressed with your ability to assess companies and develop business strategies. You have a natural talent for this line of work."
"Thank you sir."
"As for you Blake, thank you for finding this lovely woman." Blake nodded in approval, and then smiled at me in admiration.
"And Vance," he turned towards his son. Vance sat upright, waiting for his praise. "Thank you for being a waste of space on this trip. You could've at least won the damn golf game for us."
Blake and I did our best to hide our laughter.
"Love you too, dad."
Arthur smiled and reached over to pat his son on the shoulder. His relationship with Vance was loving, but humorous.
"When we land, Blake, please go to the office to return the files to their proper place before heading home for the night. I will see you all bright and early tomorrow."
Arthur turned to head back to the cockpit, but stopped upon remembering something.
"Kaitlin, I almost forgot. You and I have a lunch meeting tomorrow with the renovation team. They want to discuss the design of your office."
I looked at him, puzzled.
"But I don't have an office."
"As the head of our advertising department, you do."
***
Blake and I had reached his office several hours later. I was still in shock over the news Arthur had delivered to me on the plane. I was to be the new director of advertising. I couldn't believe it. All from one deal, I had secured my dream job. I had to pinch myself a few times just to be sure I wasn't dreaming. It was unreal.
Blake looked at me when we entered his office. He saw I was still in shock from the plane ride.
"Kaitlin, why is it so unbelievable for you? You earned this promotion. You should be ecstatic."
"Believe me, I am. It's just, people work their entire lives in the industry and never get this position. Do you really think it's a good fit?"
Blake let out a light hearted chuckle.
"Arthur is a fantastic judge of talent in this business. That's why he has been so successful. He surrounds himself with only the best in the industry and nothing less. He wouldn't have promoted you to the position if he didn't feel you were up to it, no matter how much I begged."
He was right. Arthur was an intelligent man and he wouldn't jeopardize his company making stupid decisions. It was still difficult to wrap my head around. I had worked for over six years to build my reputation and learn from the best and now, I was going to lead an entire department. It's just a lot to wrap my head around in a short time.
Blake could sense what last inkling of doubt I had. He moved from the file cabinet to his desk, which I was standing next to. He rested his hands on my shoulders and bent to look into my eyes.
"You're truly a magnificent woman, Kaitlin. You single handedly saved that deal. I'd say that's pretty impressive and worthy of a promotion. Don't doubt yourself."
I smiled back at him as the last shred of doubt and disbelief ran from my mind. Leave it Blake to make my world perfect again. He gave me a quick kiss on the head before returning to the file cabinet.
As I stood there waiting for him to finish, a new concern arose in my mind.
"So, now that I've been promoted, what are you going to do about an assistant?"
