Beauty Comes in More Sizes than Zero

Chapter 2

I was out to work bright and early the next morning, the sky darker than my cup of Turkish black coffee as I raced my car down the freeway. When I finally arrived at the office it was practically empty; no-one but my trusty assistant and a few of the first-year-associates roaming the halls.

"Kelly." My assistant Tracy called through the office intercom "Good morning! Just reminding you that Mr. Hamilton wants your report on his desk by four."

"The one about cost reductions?" I clarified, fishing through my bag for the manila envelope that held my report.

Tracy nodded her head, looking at me through the glass wall that separated my office from hers. "There's also a folder on your desk." She continued, "it's from Hamilton Junior; he says it's urgent."

I fished through my files, finding a simple black folder with the company's logo laying on the right side of my desk. Quickly, I flipped open the cover and found one folded paper laying within.

Meet me on the roof in five.

I smiled to myself as I closed the folder and tucked it into one of my drawers. Hamilton Junior, or Josh, was one of my closest friends – had been for a while. When we first met, three years prior, (when I had first started working at Hamilton and Co.) our relationship was purely professional, but over time we had formed a friendship – one that I held dearly to my heart.

I lifted myself up from my chair and straightened out my skirt. Quickly locking my computer screen before informing Tracy that I would be a couple minutes.

"Will you be available on your cell?" she asked, her voice shaky. Overall Tracy was a good assistant. She was kind, and efficient and neat. However, she was not confident, and tended to get extremely worried every-time I disappeared for anything more than a bathroom break.

"Of course I will be. And please, don't hesitate to call if you need me. Thanks for holding down the fort!"

Tracy nodded, subconsciously rolling her lips in and allowing a frown to form on her face. "No problem."

I grabbed the keys to my office and locked the door on my way out, racing past Tracy's desk with nothing more than another quick thank you. I exited the office and approached the elevators, pushing the call button as I listened to the main secretary rattle off dates to someone on the phone.

("The twenty-third or the thirty-first ma'am. I already told you that those are the only dates Mr. Raw has available this month.")

I heard the familiar 'ding' of the elevator before turning away from the annoyed administrator and climbing inside. Swiftly, I clicked the top floor and felt the smooth machine come to life and lift me up to my destination. Then, I climbed out and found the stairs – completing the final leg to my journey to the roof.

"Hey!" Josh said, turning around as I pushed open the heavy door. "What took you so long?"

I stepped out onto the gravel hesitantly, feeling the heel of my shoe sink in between the tiny rocks. "Not all of us are the boss's son Josh. Some of us have to show our faces around the office in the morning."

Josh stuck his tongue out at me, his eyes crinkling as a smile had taken over his soft features. "Such a hard life you lead."

I raised my hand to my forehead, leaning back as I let out a dramatic sigh. "You don't have to tell me twice..."

"So what did you want to see me for?" I asked once I had successfully made my way through the rocks and was comfortably seated on one of the make-shift chairs Josh and I had created. "Everything okay?"