Although she's somewhat dull to look at, she's always impeccably dressed. She straightens her skirt while she waits for me to answer her question. Always so eager to please.
"No, thank you, Ms. Hanson. I just want to take my time to read Tony’s report so that I'm prepared for my meeting this afternoon.”
She nods and turns around to leave the office.
"Oh, by the way, Ms. Hanson. Did you talk to this young biologist, what's her name… Do we have something about her background?”
I have a feeling that our meeting this afternoon is going to be a complete waste of time. But hey, I owe the Dean a favor. And who knows, I might need his help some other time.
"Yes, sir, everything looks just like we expected. She'll be here as we agreed – and I went over the terms with her when I had her on the phone. She didn't seem to mind the bonus."
Good.
"What was she like?" I'm curious. "I mean, did she sound nerdy?"
Mindy giggles. "I'm not really sure what nerdy sounds like, sir. I don't know. She sounded more… young."
I knew it. Oh well. It's just an hour of my life, and then I’ll move on.
"Thank you, Ms. Hanson. That'll be all for now."
She turns around and leaves my office.
I flick the pages of the report. "Building a wildlife preservation park - a business case" by Tony Ramón. Before I start going into details, I go straight to the conclusion. "Based on the evidence presented in this report, the project may be finalized within 12 months, provided there are no major unexpected obstructions, e.g. financial recession, force majeure, etc. It should be noted that the above report has been prepared without consideration for possible financial gains. As such, the project is considered a philanthropic one and therefore excluded the usual financial procedures."
12 months. Sounds like a long time, but considering the fact that I don't even know which country I want to build the park in, it isn't too bad. I want to be involved firsthand in the project, so I guess I’m looking at a decent amount of traveling over the next year. It'll do me good.
I look at the clock on the wall. 1:35 p.m. Gives me less than half an hour to go through the rest of the report. I lean back and start reading.
"Mr. Durst, your guest has arrived. May I show her in?"
My God, is it 2 o’clock already? Well… I'm ready. I didn't make it all the way through the report, but I read enough to know that Tony has understood exactly what I want with the park. I push the intercom button again.
"Thank you, Ms. Hanson. Give me five minutes to get ready, and then show her in, please."
I get up, straighten my jacket and check out myself in the mirror. Dammit. I need a haircut. I'll make sure to remind Ms. Hanson to set up an appointment for me. I reach to my pocket and pull out my breath spray. Two squirts and I'm ready to take the meeting. I walk towards the door, but even before I get there, Ms. Hanson knocks on the door and opens it.
"Mr. Durst, please meet Ms. Emma Brown."
She takes a step back, and in walks Ms. Brown. I study her and take in that hazel hair of hers that drapes over a light blue shirt. A black leather skirt clings to her lean thighs. Simple, classic, not much make up. Nothing like the women who usually knock on my door.
"Welcome, Ms. Brown. My name is Blake Durst."
My gaze wanders across her nice tits. Then back to her flushed face.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Durst. Thank you for inviting me." She reaches out her hand to shake mine. Her eyes flare as they take in every inch of me. I guess I am different from what she had expected.
"Sure, you're very welcome, Ms. Brown, I say.”Please, have a seat." I snatch the report from my desk and sit down together with Ms. Brown at the conference table. God, it's been too long since I was in my 20s. There have been many attractive women in my life, but all very different from this one. It doesn’t look like she’s put a lot of effort into making herself look pretty for today. Her outfit is plain, and that beautiful hair of hers has got a wild look to it. Still, I can't erase a feeling of goosebumps.
"So, Ms. Brown, I understand you recently graduated from college?" I drum a finger on the report, somewhat impatiently waiting for her to answer. I have shit to do.
"Yes, sir, that is correct. I brought you my diploma, and here is my dissertation paper, too. I major in wildlife biology. I understand that you are looking into building a wildlife preservation park?" She's breathing in long, slow breaths like she doesn't want to be here. I get it. I don't want her to be here either.
"That's good. Do you have any experience in project management? I mean, I don't expect you to have had a full-time position with project management, but I've recently interviewed other fresh out of college candidates who have done project management in their spare time." She chews on her plump red lips but doesn’t say anything.
"Nothing? Not even from involvement in political organizations? School projects? Youth clubs?"
Her eyes hold mine for several moments. Then she replies.
"No, sir. I don't have any practical experience with project management."
Her face pales.
"Ms. Brown, do you realize that this position involves a great deal of project management?" I'm direct, I know. But I don't have time for this shit. She swallows hard.
"Yes, sir. I do realize. I cannot offer you any practical experience in project management. But I can offer you an insane drive to succeed. I have worked my ass off to get here, pardon my French. It wasn't exactly written in the stars that I was to get my college degree. Not everyone is born with that type of privilege!" Her eyes widen.
Apparently, she's even more surprised than me by her own directness. I watch her with lowered lids, assessing.
"That's rather… bold, Ms. Brown." I hadn't expected her to be tough, but it rather intrigues me. Who is this girl? "Please, go on."
Red spots appear on her neck, and she gives me half a smile.
"As I said, I worked hard to make it through college. There is nothing in this world I love more than animals. I would love to dedicate my life to building something that would help protect threatened animals. I have the expertise to find out what is best for them, and I have every minute in the world available to make this project a success. And you're right. I don't have any experience in project management. But I will guarantee you that I can become your most dedicated, most loyal, and most hard-working employee, if only you will let me."
I feel a brush of excitement rising inside me. She's got balls, and I like it.
"You're very convincing, Ms. Brown. I'll have to think about it. Dean Montgomery speaks very highly of you, but I have to be honest. You are very young and also very inexperienced. To be frank, I think I can find lots of hungry project managers to run this project. The question is, why should I choose you?"
She arches an eyebrow. This girl is feisty, and that just might work to my advantage. I'm not looking for a pleaser. I'm looking for someone who can make this project a success.
"Well, Mr. Durst, I can't tell you why you should choose me. Choose me if you want to. But I can say this: before I came here, I went on your website to read about your company. I read about your background, about the history of the company. Your grandfather must've been one of the most decent businessmen I've ever heard about. The way he cared for your workers and for giving back to society is truly special. If in any way he has passed on his values to you and this organization, I can't think of any other employer I'd rather work for. Obviously, the rest is up to you.”