CEO

chapter one

Chapter One

"But don't you dare let our best memories bring you sorrow,
Yesterday I saw a lion kiss a deer.
Turn the page, maybe we'll find a brand new ending,
Where we're dancing in our tears.
And God, tell us the reason youth is wasted on the young.
It's hunting season and the lambs are on the run,
We're searching for meaning.
But are we all lost stars trying to light up the dark?"
-Maroon 5, 'Lost Stars'

She hit the elevator button with a quivering finger making the button light up. Raven McQuincey stood nervously in the glass elevator, shifting her weight from her left foot to her right foot. Looking out the glass wall as the main lobby grew farther and farther away, she bit her lip nervously. Raven had waited anxiously for this day for the past three months after that phone call.
Laura-Anne Davey from Hastings Inc. had called Raven and told her about the job opening for being the CEO's PA because she somehow knew Raven had gotten laid off her job and couldn't find another. She eagerly accepted and the awaited for her appointment with Mr. Hasting.
Raven breathed in a large breathe when the elevator doors opened to reveal a blood red lobby decorated by black and white assets. Stepping out of the elevator, Raven made her way to the smooth black desk and behind it a blonde woman clicking away at her laptop.
"Excuse me," Raven said quietly and the woman's head popped up with a look of surprise, her painted-red lips curved into a warm smile.
"Hello, dear. I'm guessing you're," The young woman glanced down at her laptop screen, "Raven McQuiency?"
Raven nodded.
"Mr. Hasting will see you momentarily, you can have a seat over there, Raven." She smiled and motioned towards a seating area with elegant, black leather couches.
She walked over and carefully sat down, smoothing my soft, chocolate-colored hair. "How may people were asked to interview for the job?" Raven asked trying to make conversation while she awaited Mr. CEO to be ready.
"Only you," The secretary said,
Raven's caramel eyes widened, "You're kidding,"
She turned towards Raven with an amused expression, "I only called you, I would know if I asked anyone else." Ms. Davey sported an amused grin.
Raven flushed red, "Sorry, Ms. Davey."
Ms. Davey waved her hand, "Oh please, don't call me that, I'm only twenty-eight. Call me Laura."
Raven nodded again.
Just then, Laura's intercom rang, signaling someone was trying to reach her. Laura pressed down the button and a rough voice sounded through the fuzzy speaker. "Send her in."
Laura nodded at her as Raven got to her feet, pulling down my black pencil skirt and fixing her red blouse. The matching black heels clicked against the black, marble floor. Before Raven disappeared down the hall, Laura called for her. She turned to face her.
"Be careful of Mr. Hasting, he's very-demanding and blunt. Don't let him control you," She winked and turned back to what she was doing before.
Raven made her way down the hallway, the walls were lined with artwork and here and there, sculptors were set up. It completely fascinated Raven, being poor didn't allow you to see the upper-class's way of living, with priceless artifacts decorating their homes and workplaces while she could barely pay for a little bit of food and clothes for work.
Reaching a set of large oak doors, Raven was suddenly intimidated as she rapped softly on the doors. A low, husky voice answered only belonging to Mr. Hasting, "Come in,"
Taking in a deep breath, Raven opened the doors. A man was leaning over on his desk, pen flying roughly across the paper. "Sit." He barked and Raven quietly made her way over to the plush black chair sitting in front of the large oak desk.
Mr. Hasting sat up and Raven studied him. He was surprisingly young, hardly older than herself, he had to be twenty-five at the most. His dark brown hair-almost black-hair was messy probably from his tanned fingers constantly running through it. His emerald eyes pierced me with authority as he took off his thick-framed glasses and set them with an unnecessary roughness on the cluttered desktop. Raven sat up confidently, holding her own. "Name?" He asked sounding bored beyond belief.
"Raven McQuincey," I answered,
"Why are you here?" Mr. Hasting questioned.
Raven, having an extremely strong personality answered amused, "Because I was called here," She said in a matter-of-fact tone.
Mr. Hasting narrowed his eyes at her with a scowl, "I don't appriciate sarcasm Ms. McQuincey."
"I don't appreciate you trying to scare me Mr. Hasting because frankly, it's not working. If anything it's aggravating," Raven said bored. It was true, she's been through worse, so much worse. Sitting in front of Mr. Hasting was nothing compared to what she went through before.
He furrowed his brows infuriated, Raven could see it in his eyes. Mr. Hasting stood up and Raven glanced over his tall figure. He was big muscle-wise, not an ounce of fat hidden under his white dress shirt and navy blue pants. Raven started to get slightly nervous. "Ms. McQuincey, do you want this job?"
Raven sighed, "Yes," Not really want, she needed it.
"Then I'd suggest you stop being a smart ass and answer the questions seriously," He growled.
Raven stiffened her posture and glared as the CEO sat back down.
When Mr. Hasting settled back into his black office chair, he asked again, "Why are you here?"
"For a job," Raven said stiffly.
Mr. Hasting wrote something down.
"Why do you want this job?"
"Don't want, need." Raven said staring at the wall of books sat behind Mr. Hasting. She heard him pause his writing for a moment and she felt his eyes on her before he resumed writing.
In his rough tone, Mr. Hasting asked, "Are you upper-class?"
"I don't see how that matters or is any of your business," Raven retorted.
"Answer the question," He demanded.
Raven sighed, "No," She sounded slightly embarrassed. Raven shot her eyes toward Mr. Hasting as he shriveled his nose up in disgust. That's when Raven decided she had enough. She stood up abruptly, "I'm sorry I'm not a first-class douche bag like you but I have no choice. Do you think I want to barely be able to buy a decent amount of groceries? I can't help it." She angrily scribbled her email address and home number down on a post-it note off his desk, "That's for if you actually want a personal assistant and when you will not stick your nose in the air because of my ranking in society. I may be nothing, but that doesn't mean I don't deserve respect!" She spat at him and stalked out the door, "Goodbye, Mr.Hasting."
Raven left leaving Mr. Hasting stunned by her outburst.
She walked down the hall lividly. How could he be so disrespectful to her? What was his problem. She stalked by Laura's desk angrily as Laura called her, "Raven, what happened?" She said concerned but slightly amused, "You didn't kill him did you? I need this job you know," She joked.
Raven scoffed, "I may have stunned him by yelling at him but I didn't kill him...yet," She said in a deathly serious tone.
Laura shook her head in amusement, "I'm glad someone finally told him off,"
"He's such an asshole, how do you work for him?" Raven threw her arms in the air to get her point across.
Laura chuckled and smoothed her chin-length, blonde hair, "He never comes out here and we hardly speak." She shrugged.
"He's so infuriating! I'll just go get a job as a cashier at Whole Foods, I don't need to deal with him all day, I'll grow greys!" she yelled.
Laura laughed, "Thank you for telling him off, have fun at Whole Foods,"
"Oh I will, I don't have to flaunt this classy get-up." Raven shot a thumbs-up at Laura.
She shook her head amused and scribbled something down on an index card and handed it to me, "Here, call me whenever." She smiled and Raven smiled back, taking the card and placing it into her small purse.
"Thanks, Laura." Raven smiled, "I better go, have fun with dick wad in there."
Laura busted out laughing and waved at Raven as she made her way down the hallway and into the elevator.