Picture This (Niall Horan Trilogy)

-Words linger, but memories stay forever [Chapter 80]

Ashley's POV:

I guess the job is okay. It definitely isn’t boring. There is always something going wrong or someone didn’t have the right resources or some brat was stressing about the intern getting the wrong type of coffee from the Starbucks down the road. I had only been here an hour and there had already been a miscalculation on the cargo export on this season’s jeans, a materiel lack in ‘coral sunset’ for the new scarves and somebody didn’t tell Paul that Micha wasn’t going to be in this morning so the accounting wouldn’t get done until at least two this afternoon, when the cheques had to be sent off by one fifty eight, life is tight.

 I had been summoned to use my organisation skills for all three of these problematic events. Emailing the delivery company about the 32’ leg jeans, I didn’t know how exactly know how to phrase an e-mail to the delivery company. I mean they’re not exactly the poshest of the poshest are they? Neither are they the type you endure in upsetting, since without them, as Paul clearly informed me, there would be ‘no colour in the name ColorfulSecrets&Co’ oh the shame. Making a detour down three flights of stairs and two corridors involving two left and one right I was shipped to the material room to collect more ‘Coral Sunset’ for Jess who had spent all morning improvising with ‘Coral Sunset tinge’ instead.  For the third event I had to ring around to Tiffany (a rather bratty 22 year old who was on the other side of the building and refused to make the trip) to get her to pass the message to Shannon (the poor intern who sits next to her) to contact John to bring him from his coffee break to cover for Micha. Full of action.

I had done a full four hours when the speaker’s over-head beckoned me to the manager’s office. Getting a lot of sympathetic and eye-rolling glances I made my way through the aisles of desks and proceeded to politely knock on the door clearly labelled John Kennings ColorfulSecrets&Co and I was giving a surprising warm welcome.

“Ashley dah-ling. Do have a seat ma’ dear.”

With Justin it wasn’t as clear. But I was pretty sure, with his tight fitting pink t-shirt, white scarf and Gok Wan representing hair style he swung for the same team as me too. Not that I have anything against homosexuals, I mean the fashion industry is crawling with them and quite frankly I think they’re very interesting people to have a conversation with.

Smiling I did as instructed taking a seat in the white leather chair by his oak desk, it was comfy.

“How are you liking it so far? It is purely fab-u-lous, yes?”

“Oh it’s lovely. Full of action.”

I commented he nodded smiling.

“Ah yes, action, drama… passion! Never a dull moment when I’m in charge ma’ dear, never a dull moment.”

“Of course.”

“I like you, you know.” He said crossing his legs so his foot was resting on his knee creating a kind of right angle. He clasped his hands together as he leant back in his seat brushing his fingertips against each other. “You’ve that kind of young, bright pa-zaz about you! You know? In fact I think that’s just what your team needed to be honest…Just between you and me lovely but…” He said leaning forward and changing his voice to an almost whisper. “They’re all a bit business heavy in there, they think they’re the big shit yeah, but they’re not. You are, there’s only one boss man standing in your way lovely and that’s me. Just because you’re young don’t let them boss you around, you have the gift ma’ dear, the gift I tell you.”

I’m getting the sense that this guy is maybe a bit off his rocker. But maybe, that’s the best way to be and I don’t think he would really mind if I told him right now but I kept my quiet simply smiling at him as he continued to inspect me and my body language. He pushed his again, Gok representing glasses, further up his nose and leant forward closer to me again.