Exactly an hour. That's the time Hailey needed to get from her office, through oxford street, to The Tea House, where she had agreed to see her friends, eat her already pre - ordered lunch, engage in a 5 minute small talk, pay her part of the bill and rush back to the office.
It was madness, she knew that but it was also necessary . Seeing her friends even for half an hour kept her sane for the rest of the week. So she didn't complain.
" Hailey !" Her friends called as they saw her entering, making her way to the little table by the window.
With a loud sigh Hailey let her bag fall on the floor and gave her friends a quick kiss on the cheek before she grabbed her phone and put it on the table.
" You made it." Kate smiled, clapping her hands in delight, " we haven't seen you in months."
Rachel rolled her eyes at the brunette : " you are exaggerating ... I saw her four hours ago."
Hailey didn't miss the sarcasm in her voice but she refused to respond : " It's nice to see you too...Hey, what is this ?" She suddenly asked , pointing at the red drink in front of her.
" Bloody Mary, of course." Chloé grinned, " I thought you could use one."
" It's barely noon."
" And your point is ? Look I have one too ...it's delicious."
" Chloé..." Hailey started but she quickly closed her mouth again as her friend started waving her finger at her.
" No, I don't want to hear it ,drink your Bloody Mary."
" Alright then...mom." Hailey answered, taking a sip from her drink. Chloé was always the one who took the lead and certainly not someone you could win an argument from.
" I have an hour ...so spill, what did I miss ?"
Rachel shrugged a little as she put her drink down, " nothing much actually , I still despise my job. Work is just so ...ugh !"
" You really need to live a little. Before you know it you will be an old, boring woman with cats everywhere." Kate shouted, shaking her head in the process.
" Me ? What about her ? " She nodded at Hailey, " Hailey is even worse than me !"
" True, but she has a higher purpose."
" So do I, I want to get that promotion."
" Oh please," Kate said impatiently, " and then what ? Let's just pretend you will get that promotion ...from there on you can kiss your free life goodbye. You will be locked away in a smelly office, glued to your phone, going through the same routine. Every. Single. Day. "
" You are exaggerating . We will talk when I'm the personal assistant of John Walker, and enjoying my new luxurious lifestyle." Rachel grinned, taking a sip from her cocktail.
" You do know you will be working for a complete jerk, right ?"
" I happen to like working for him."
Kate looked at her friend from across the table and raised her eyebrows, " but you just said ... Oh never mind, you're a hopeless cause. I will just turn my attention to Hailey."
" Don't even think about it." Hailey warned.
" But..."
" No, I don't want to discuss my work. I'm on my break and I want to enjoy it. So, no work talk."
"Fine." Kate gave in, tapping her fingers against her glass, " I guess that I will have to rescue this conversation. I met a man last week."
" You did ?" Chloé asked curiously, leaning in a bit closer to her friend. " Do tell."
Hailey smiled warmly as she saw how Kate's face completely lit up when she mentioned her meeting with a mysterious man.
" Well, he came to my photo gallery. He wanted something unique for his place, so it is safe to say that he took precious time in his search."
" And that's why you need an assistant to guide you through that process." Rachel mentioned.
Kate shook her head slightly, " if you want to waste away in that job of yours, fine by me...but hush now; I'm telling a story. Now, where was I ? "
" He was searching for something unique."
" Ah yes... well let's just say that he was trying his very best to make me understand that he was available."
" And ? Did something happen ?" Hailey asked eagerly. Nowadays the men in her life were ... well let's just say they were nonexistent, that's why the stories of Kate were a nice replacement for her lousy love life.
" I gave him my card, and he told me he will be back on Friday to make a final decision. And of course I will make sure to look fabulous . Maybe we will go for a drink afterwards to celebrate his new acquisition."
" With acquisition do you mean the photograph or yourself ?" Chloé asked amused.
" Both." Kate lifted her glass to her lips and took a few sips from her drink.
" Well since we are sharing our good news, I have something to tell you." Chloé paused for a moment, trying to build up some expectation. " I found a publisher for my book!"
"Oh Chloé ! That is fantastic news !" Hailey cried out as she threw her arms around her friend's neck.
" Congrats !" Rachel smiled, " don't forget about us when you are as rich and famous as J.K. Rowling."
" Don't get overexcited. I just found a publisher. There is a good chance that my book will be a big disappointment."
" Come on, we all know that you have a talent so don't try to downplay yourself. In fact I will be the first in line to buy your book." Kate said encouragingly.
" Right after me of course."
" Hailey, Kate ... You guys are amazing and you are right I just need to have faith."
A small cough was to be heard and Chloé started to laugh : " you too, Rach."
And they all started laughing.
" Who ordered the Caesar Salad ?" A perky waitress , who had appeared at their table, asked .
Chloé and Kate both raised their hands. Rachel took the Club Sandwich and Hailey had ordered the Mexican Salad.
" You know Hailey, I was thinking... a friend of mine, who lives in Yorkshire, is coming to visit. It's been so long since I've seen him and so we decided to have a little dinner." Rachel started to explain. " You should come. I believe he is still single."
" Are you trying to play match-maker ?" Hailey asked suspiciously, putting a piece of chicken in her mouth as she looked at her friend.
" Would that be so terrible ?"
Before Hailey could even respond Kate started to give a little speech.
" Don't be so negative. There is nothing wrong with a blind date, and so what if you'll have a bad night. We all have one sometimes, right ? Besides it's not like you'd be happier on your own at home."
" No, but I have lots of important things to do at work. I heard that ..." For the second time that day, Hailey didn't get the chance to finish her sentence as her Blackberry interrupted the conversation. Without even looking at it, she knew that her lunch break was over.
" Ann- Marie ?" Chloé asked, afraid.
She nodded in response and quickly answered her phone. After a brief moment, Hailey grabbed her bag and pushed her chair backwards.
" There is an emergency at the office. I am so sorry but I have to go. I promise I will make it up to you... Someday."
" Don't worry about it. " Chloé said, " go ! Or you'll be late."
Ann – Marie was the director of Vocal Music Records, a company that delivered personal assistants, publicity and much more to artists.
In a short period of time , the Vocal Music Records had become a notable name in the acting and music industry.
Working for this company meant one thing ... chances.
Ann – Marie was sitting in her large office. The room was not hard to describe; everything was white : the desk, the chairs, the drawers, the curtains, the laptop ... everything.
The only thing that gave a little colour to the room were the orange orchids, which were placed neatly on the window shelf.
And then there was Ann – Marie. A middle-aged woman with a perfect posture, she held her head high, and pronounced chin proudly forward, in a very natural manner. She had the long, graceful fingers of a pianist , covered with one single ring.
Her chocolate brown hair was pulled back in an elegant knot, loose enough to look casual.
She wasn't smiling.
" You are late."
" I am so sorry Ann –Marie. I was trying to get here as fast as I could but the traffic was horrendous. I didn't even ..."
Ann-Marie interrupted her mid-sentence and spoke slowly : " and you didn't even bring my coffee. I must say Hailey that I am slightly disappointed in you."
" I can't recall that you requested a coffee." Hailey stammered, already regretting her words as they left her mouth.
" I'm not particularly interested in hearing your excuses. I expect something like this will never happen again, do I make myself clear ?"
Hailey faintly nodded her head. She could feel how Ann – Marie's eyes roamed over her entire body and every part of her body ignited.
Working for Ann- Marie didn't only create chances, it also created an environment of intimidation.
Just when Hailey thought her entire body would go up in flames, a small cough was to be heard.
" Now, the reason I brought you here is quite simple. As you know we were negotiating with a new client. It was not as easy as I thought it was going to be but I am pleased to announce that Vocal Music Records has officially become partners with a highly successful band."
" That is wonderful news, Ann-Marie. What do I need to do ? Plan an official meeting ? Send out an announcement?"
Hailey watched how her boss rose from her seat, and walked directly to the little table that was standing in the middle of the room.
Ann-Marie grabbed a few papers and started to look through them, an annoyed expression graced her features .
" If you had let me finish, you would have known I don' need a meeting or an announcement."
" You don't ?" Hailey managed to say , although in the back of her head she knew how wrong it was to question Ann-Marie , " I mean of course you don't, I ..."
" Enough." Once again she cut her off mid-sentence. " Do I need to listen to your nonsense much longer or do you want to know why you are here?"
" Uhm ... I want to know why I am here."
A small smile graced Ann-Marie's lips as she walked away from the little table and made her way back to her chair.
Once she sat down, she spoke again : " I want you to become the personal assistant of this band."
Time stood still.
This couldn't be real, she must be dreaming ...did she need to pinch herself ?
" Hailey ?"
Hailey blinked a few times before she finally looked up: " me ? Personal assistant ? "
" Did I speak Chinese ?"
" No no no, This is just so ... I mean thank you so much for this opportunity . I won't let you down I promise."
Ann – Marie vaguely nodded as she folded her hand under her chin : " in order not to disappoint me, don't you think it would be good for you to know which band you will be working for ?"
In all her joy, Hailey could have slapped herself for forgetting to ask such crucial knowledge. She had already opened her mouth to utter some sort of apology, but Ann-Marie slowly rose her hand; indicating her not to speak.
" You will be the personal assistant of the band McFly. Tomorrow there will be a meeting to discuss some formalities. So I suggest you do some research tonight so that you don't make a fool of yourself."
" McFly ?" Hailey muttered, astonished.
" I will see you tomorrow, nine p.m. sharp."
And with that the conversation was over.
Here we go my first attempt in writing a McFly fanfiction. We will meet the boys in the next chapter :)
Many thanks to my beta WisteriaBlossom1992.
Let me know what you think !