Page 16 of The Fool
He runs a finger over his bottom lip while he silently assesses me. This time, I stare right back at him, refusing to back away from the intensity of his eyes on mine. This is a silent battle of wills, one I refuse to back down from, and he knows it.
“That will be all, Miss Summers,” he says blankly before effectively dismissing me by turning away to work on his laptop.
Taking that as my cue to go, I ungraciously shuffle out of the seat and walk slowly back to my original place. That was, without a doubt, one of the strangest conversations I’ve ever had with him. It’s also one of the longest conversations that didn’t involve some sort of insult or chastisement. I’m sure we still hate each other though.
Chapter 6
Bea
It’s Tuesday night, two days into our trip to one of the most fascinating cities in the world, steeped in history, fashion, and architecture, and all I can tell you is how thoroughly boring it’s been. Admittedly, we have been fortunate enough to pass by various famous landmarks, including Big Ben and Oxford Street, but only when on our way to business meetings. Other than that, there has been zero excitement.
The meetings themselves have been long and arduous, filled with nothing but facts and figures that would have most people falling asleep. I’m sure if it wasn’t for the fact that I’ve been taking minutes, as well as trying to figure out why Nathaniel Carter has been looking at me strangely (somewhere between sneering and curiosity), I’m sure I wouldn’t have survived them. We’ve risen early and finished late, with only cafeteria food in between. Bar the odd eyeballing, Nathaniel treats me no better than back at home. In fact, I’d go so far as to say he’s stepped his charming personality up a gear. Yesterday was perhaps the worst day of being Nathaniel’s PA to date. The bastard had a nice willing audience to perform for, and I was an active participant whether I wanted to be or not.
Let me set the scene; the first meeting had gone well as far as I could tell. The prospective buyer was impressed with what we had to offer and wanted to invest in one of our top packages. The second meeting of the day, however, reminded me just how little Nathaniel thinks of me. I had been typing up minutes while everything was, again, going sweetly for Nathaniel. He oozed charm and had people wrapped around his finger within minutes of meeting them.
The CEO of the company was a kindly, older gentleman, who could easily double up as Father Christmas if he really wanted to. He chuckled at each of Nathaniel’s office-appropriate jokes, winked at me with reassurance, and spoke to everyone with warmth and friendliness. It was actually one of the better meetings, purely because of this gentleman who was respectful to all who he came across. I could imagine him stopping off to feed the birds on his way home from work, tipping his hat to all who he came across, then quietly reading a battered copy of ‘Great Expectations’ by the fire with his evening glass of tipple.
The finance director, however, was more of a Nathaniel type, just in female form. She was stunningly beautiful and filthy rich from both the look and smell of her. If her fragrance wasn’t enough of a clue, then the fact she was covered in designer labels and spoke in a cliché, posh English accent, was certainly a big enough giveaway. It was far more prominent than Lily’s accent, as in it was most likely fake. This woman obviously attended a private school and only associated with like-minded people, i.e., those who think they are better and more deserving of their position in life. I accepted her completely ignoring my existence from the second we walked into the room. To be fair, after meeting her, I didn’t expect anything more. She openly gushed at Nathaniel and constantly flicked her hair, pursed her lips, and laughed far too enthusiastically at all of his semi-funny work jokes. It goes without saying that I instantly disliked her.
Halfway through the meeting, my laptop switched off by itself. Several expletives had whizzed though my mind all the while I pressed on the power button, only to have nothing happen. I then began looking around for a power cable, but when I did find it, and plugged it in, nothing changed. By this point, the attendees had noticed something was up and were looking at me for some sort of explanation.
“Is there a problem, Miss Summers?” Nathaniel asked curtly.
“The laptop seems to have stopped working,” I said, looking at him blankly. “The power cable isn’t doing anything; there must be something wrong with it.”
Miss Snooty Pants had laughed with condescension before looking at Nathaniel with a smug expression, her eyes bulging and her head subtly shaking, as if goading him to lose his shit with me. Nathaniel smiled a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. Instead, it told me I was about to feel his wrath in a chilling and humiliating way.
“What can I say? You just can’t get the staff these days.” He faked laughed, which only prompted bitch face to do the same. If I was brave enough, I would have loved to have slapped both of them around their smug faces.
“Iwould say you can’t get the technology,” the older gentleman laughed sympathetically, then gifted me with a reassuring wink.
“May I borrow some paper and a pen?” I asked with a shy smile toward the old man. “I can take minutes the old-fashioned way.”
“No point, Miss Summers,” Nathaniel said with a smell under his nose, “we have nearly finished the meeting, so you are excused.”
He stared at me until I packed up my things and left the room. Miss Up-Her-Own-Ass had smirked the entire time, just like the girls at school used to do whenever I happened to breathe the same air as them. This is when I finally went straight to the toilets and screamed at my reflection, along with a few choice words.
Luckily, I woke up today with a whole new outlook. I decided that this was his issue, not mine. I gave myself a stern pep talk in the bathroom mirror, put on a little more war paint than usual, and marched out with renewed determination.
By the time lunchtime approached, all had gone ok, even with Nathaniel and the snooty bitch from yesterday flirting up a storm. They were doing that annoying and rude habit of whispering to one another, followed by smug laughter, and winking.
We all sat for lunch together, the peasants and the big bosses, pretending that we all liked one another and weren’t feeling at all awkward. Fortunately, the kindly old CEO from yesterday, Mr Paul Chambers, was sitting next to me. Although he was our big target, and the one we needed to really impress to seal the contract, he put me at ease. I guess he felt like a parental figure to me - calm, reassuring, and caring. Not only that, but he spotted my well-read copy of ‘Volpone’ and began discussing Shakespeare with me, something I could actually talk about with enthusiasm.
“I especially like to watch such plays in the summer, when you can find performances in outside arenas, like old abbeys and castles. My wife and I enjoy taking a picnic and watching them in outdoor theatres. Beaulieu Abbey is one of our favorites.”
“Sounds amazing,” I reply, feeling genuinely enchanted by the picture he paints. “I would love to go and see a play while being surrounded by history.”
Alas, our conversation is cut short by the sound of loud, obnoxious laughter which is coming from the other end of our table.
“It is so very rare to find a good PA, isn’t it?” Bitch Face says, completely ignoring the fact that Sam and I are both within earshot. Actually, she’s probably saying itbecausewe’re within earshot, especially me. I can’t help but glance at Mr Chambers, feeling incredibly embarrassed and suddenly beneath him… beneath everyone. I remember this feeling well; I had hoped to never feel this way again.
“I disagree,” Nathaniel pipes in with a smirk, one that contradicts what he just said. “My previous PA was outstanding, he really was. Jack was punctual, efficient and knew every detail about my likes and dislikes. I was sad to see him go, to be honest, but I can hardly argue with my big brother if he decides he wants what I have. I suppose it was payback for my antics during childhood. I always wanted what he had, and I usually got it.”
“Oh, poor baby,” Bitch Face teases and laughs over his cutesy story, which only made him sound like a complete brat in my opinion. I notice both Nick and Sam looking uncomfortable, with Nick choosing not to engage.
“I also have to disagree with you,” Mr Chambers suddenly announces from my right. “I have a fantastic PA, couldn’t ask for anyone better.” He then turns to face me, giving me his full attention and looking so serious and respectful, I’m in danger of letting my mounting tears escape. “You remind me a lot of her. From what I’ve seen, Miss Summers, if you ever wish to relocate to London, please look me up and I will gladly give you a position. If there’s one thing I’ve learned over many years of experience in this profession, it’s to never let a good PA go. You are never as good without your PA.”
I have to smile at the old man for giving Nathaniel his polite version of the finger. Not only that, but as soon as he’s seen that I’ve been reassured, he turns back to face Nathaniel with a quirk of his eyebrow.