Chapter 2-
He wakes in his king sized bed to his alarm going off, he groans thinking there aren't enough hours in the day for sleep. Daryl shuts his alarm off and heads straight to his kitchen to his coffee machine, he cant start his day without coffee, and today of all days he was going to need it. Today was the day he finds out whether he gets the life changing account he's been chasing in work for the past month. He normally sells stuff like sports equipment and beer but this new job he wants is selling diamonds, where the real money is. He doesn't do it for the money, although it helps, but it will give him a big career boost if and when he gets it. He loves his job as an advertising executive, its one of the few things in life he loves and is actually good at. Its rare when he can say that he's happy and he can honestly say that working at Mullins advertising, the top advertising company in New York, makes him truly happy. He feels needed there, feels like what he does matters and that he's accomplishing something in his life he never thought he could.
As he gets ready for work he thinks of how he's come to be where he is today, and its all thanks to his adoptive parents, Dale and Irma Horvath. He thinks about them everyday, always saying that he'll take time out of his busy schedule and fly to Georgia to visit his mom and dad who he hasn't seen in over a year. He feels terrible whenever he thinks about it, I mean its the least he can do to visit considering they took him and his brother Merle in when they were only young boys. After his real mom burned their house down with her in it when he was only six, Merle told him that they had nothing left to stick around for now, that their abusive father would wale on them extra hard now that mama wasn't around to help them. Him and Merle survived off the land, scavenging, hunting and living in the woods for a good while before it started to take its toll on them, they were only boys after all. Dale stumbled across them in the woods, stick thin, dirty, and feral. They deny all knowledge of their past life, deciding that Dale and Irma were good people after a few months of convincing on Irma's part, they didn't need to know the horrible things Daryl and Merle have been through.
Irma welcomed them into her old, large plantation home with open arms, with no children of her own she was overjoyed by their presence. Merle decides when he turns eighteen that he wanted to join the army much to the dismay of their parents, they were terrified and proud at the same time. Daryl was hurt he would want to leave him but understood his reasoning... he wanted to make something of himself and for Daryl. Daryl has always known what he wanted to do with his life the day he entered his new home. He stepped into the living room dragging dirt behind him to find a fairly large t.v, he was mesmerized by all the different adverts and shows that were playing. Of course he already knew what a television was but he was never aloud to touch or look at it, his father's pride and joy. If he so much as glanced in its direction his father would chase him from the cabin with his leather belt. So finally being able to see what goes on in that box of magic was eye opening, from that day on he vowed he would be the person to make those wonderful pictures on the screen. He would make something of himself...for himself, for Merle.
His parents put him through school, made sure he went to college, told him that his life was in his own hands, if he wanted his dream job he would have to work hard for it, nothing in life comes free or easy. But they always made sure to tell him no matter what job he got or where he ended up in life, they would always be there...back home in Georgia, proud to call him son.
He smiles sadly as he leaves his building, getting on his bike for the ride to work. He parks outside his work building and runs into his two co-workers, Lori Grimes and Andrea Harrison. Two of the most backstabbing, twofaced women he knows... although he wouldn't say that to his best friend Rick Grimes, ex-husband to Lori the cheating skank Grimes. Rick is still on ok terms with Lori for their two kids so he wasn't gonna bad mouth her, around Rick anyways.
"Well good morning Daryl, you're looking very handsome today, isn't Daryl looking handsome today Andrea?" Lori says a bit too happily. She's up to something.
"Oh he looks good enough to eat." Andrea appraises, licking her lips at him.
"What the fuck has y'all in a good humour? Finally find a couple idiots who'd stick their dicks in your toxic swamp for pussies?" Daryl says smugly to two scowling women.
"Actually, we're on our way to a meeting with Carol Peletier... she's the editor of..."
"I know who she is." Daryl cuts in over Lori.
"And here's me thinking you live under a rock." Andrea says, looking a little impressed.
Daryl scowls at that and turns to enter the building, he's not gonna let these bitches ruin the day when all his hard work will finally pay off.
"You have a nice day Daryl!" Lori calls after him smugly.
That was weird, usually they would be throwing insults left right and centre before they let him get on with his day, bitches are trying to get under his skin, acting all smug like they know something he doesn't. He makes it to his office that he shares with his two work colleagues Colin and the new intern Zach at their computers, they immediately stand up from their desks to make their way over to his desk where he sits down. Colin has been Daryl's friend since moving to New York about fifteen years ago, at first he couldn't understand a thing he was saying when he spoke in his Irish accent but now, not only could he understand him...he could speak some basic words in Gaelic which got him a lot more attention from the ladies. Zach has only been with them for six months so of course he was their 'Go get it' boy, bringing coffee and whatever their minds could cook up. Colin told Zach on his very first day to go to the pharmacy on the corner of their street to get a pack of tampons and a chocolate bar for his girlfriend. Zach laughed thinking he was joking... which he was, but Colin looked at him deadly serious and said, "Do I look like 'm fuckin' takin' the piss?" They all still joke and laugh about the day when Zach came back red faced to hand Colin his goods.
They both look nervously at him now, looking around the room while shifting from foot to foot.
"Tell 'm." Colin says, giving a wide eyed Zach a shove in his direction.
"You tell him." Zach argues, taking a step back from the desk he was shoved into.
Daryl looked on as Colin and Zach bickered back and forth, as they were about to decide who would tell Daryl with a game of rock, paper, scissors, Daryl finally cut in.
"Jus' fuckin' spit it out!" Daryl growls, getting the attention of a few people outside his office too.
Colin sighs, rubbing a hand over his face, "Don' kill the messenger alrigh'...Mullins gave the De'Laure gig t' Grimes and Harrison dis mornin'."
Daryl abruptly stands from his chair, knocking it back loudly against the floor. So that's why they were acting weirdly nice to him this morning.
"No fuckin' way! That's my pitch, I was the one who told Mullins the De'Laure's were looking for a new head, what the fuck is he playin' at givin' those clueless bitches my gig?!" He yells, pacing the room like a caged animal.
Zach looks scared and heads back to his desk as Colin tries to calm his friend down.
"We sell sports shite mate, not fancy jewellery...tha's Lori and Andrea's field. Douglas has a meeting with them tonight at 'The Palace' to seal the deal."
Daryl stops suddenly and looks thoughtfully at Colin.
"There ain't no way I'm gettin' pushed out of my pitch." Daryl says, smiling at Colin.
"It's already done Dar, there's nuth'n ye can do." Colin says, confused by his friends sudden good mood.
"Imma be at that meeting tonight and convince Douglas to give the pitch to me, this is my big break...'m not givin' up without a fight."
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Beth leaves the meeting deep in thought, she nearly barrels into the back of Carol standing with two well dressed women. The first thing she notices was how gorgeous they both were, one blonde, the other brunette, looking at her with huge smiles plastered on their faces.
"Sorry...excuse me." Beth says, about to walk around them until Carol stops her in her tracks.
"Ladies, let me introduce you to Beth Greene, Beth, this is Lori Grimes and Andrea Harrison of Mullins advertising."
Beth sees Rosita and Tara scurry off in the opposite direction as she shakes both their hands in greeting.
"So this is the infamous Beth Greene, I just love your articles. I tried the 'How to Feng Shui your home in an hour', it actually worked, my apartment looks amazing thanks to you." Lori compliments.
Before Beth can say anything, Carol beats her to it.
"She's actually working on a new project now called how to lose a guy in ten days. She's going to get with a man and drive him away using all the classic mistakes women make." Carol says proudly, laughing loudly with Lori and Andrea.
"Wow, how needlessly vicious of you." Andrea says, looking impressed.
Beth just smiles along with them, she doesn't think its something to be laughing about but plays along anyway.
"Alright well get a move on Beth, it's not going to write itself." Carol says dismissively, waving her off.
"It was nice to meet you." Beth says to the two women before heading back to her office.
It was later on that night when Beth found herself in a short black dress. Rosita insisted if she was going to land a man tonight, she had to look the part. Rosita was curling her hair as Tara sat bored in the corner, hair and makeup wasn't something that interested her in the slightest.
"Rosie, come on! I need a drink, her hair is perfect... lets go already!" Tara complains.
"Alright, alright, I'm done." Rosita says, stepping back to look at her handy work. "You are one hot mama Beth, men are going to go crazy when they see you."
Beth stands to look at herself in the full length mirror and holy god was she not kidding.
"Oh my...I look.."
"Like every mans wet dream." Tara interrupts, staring at her from head to toe.
They all laugh as they gather their coats and clutch bags, walking outside to hail a cab, Beth feels her nervousness kick in. She's been hit on plenty of times before on her nights out with the girls but has never initiated it herself, she's not even sure she's good at picking up strange men at bars. She knows this thing might lead to sex and that scares her more than anything. She's not a virgin, she lost her virtue to a guy who's name she cant remember her first drunken night in New York. She was so drunk, he was cute and she was feeling lonely and vulnerable. That night is the biggest regret of her life, she hasn't slept with anyone since. Safe to say her first night living on her own was a complete and utter disaster.
"So, where to?" Beth asks Rosita, jumping in the back of a cab with her friends.
Rosita smiles devilishly, "We're going to 'The Palace' ladies, where the big boys play."
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Daryl sits at a reserved table in his best suit, sipping on a beer while he waits for his party to arrive. He looks around the crowded room at all the women and wonders which one he's going to take home tonight. He doesn't take women home every night, maybe once a week when he has an itch that needs to be scratched. He makes sure never to have the same woman twice, never exchange numbers, never let her stay the night and have an awkward encounter the next morning, and most importantly, never...NEVER hold their hand. Hand holding seemed almost as intimate as saying those three words he has never said to a woman before, or to anyone for that matter.
"I didn't know you got an invite to this meeting Daryl." Lori's voice is like nails on a chalkboard to him at this stage.
Daryl stands up to shake hands with a confused looking Douglas Mullins, his boss and his ticket to higher status in their business.
"Yeah but I should have been, it was my tip that De'Laure was looking for a new head for his campaign." Daryl explains as everyone takes their seats.
"And we appreciate that Daryl, you're my best employee. You sell sports merchandise better than anyone in the business, but Lori and Andrea sell luxury better than anyone we have." Douglas explains while ordering drinks for the table.
Lori and Andrea look at him smugly. Bitches are not going to take this away from him.
"Ya said it yourself Doug, I'm the best you got...I can sell anything ya throw at me, I can sell better than anyone in the business, I jus' need that chance." Daryl pleads his case.
"You don't know the first thing about what women want or need. Selling a diamond to a woman is like making her fall in love, she has to feel desired, giddy,... desperate." Andrea says while pushing her tits out towards Douglas. Yeah...desperate.
"The skills required to market diamonds are the same as those needed to make a woman fall in love, and you cant honestly say that you've ever been in love or have a woman be in love with you. We all know what your reputation around town is, never being with the same woman for more than a night." Lori snipes, taking a large gulp of wine.
Daryl had no room to argue his case because she was right, no woman had ever been in love with him, he never gives them a chance to get that close. He doesn't get a chance to try and argue before Andrea is throwing in her two cents.
"If you cant make a woman fall for you then you definitely cant make her fall in love with the diamonds you plan on selling her." Andrea says, still slutting all over Douglas.
"They do make a good point Daryl." Douglas says, staring down Andrea's dress at her tits.
Her tits or her argument make a good point, he wants to say but bites his tongue. He doesn't know if its his anger, his desperation, or the fact that he just wants to prove them wrong when he blurts out his next words.
"I could make any woman fall in love with me, I jus' didn't want to or feel the need to...till now." He says angrily, pissed off that they were calling him out on his lack of know how in the love department...and more pissed off that they were right.
Douglas looks at him confused, "What do you mean?"
Daryl isn't sure if what he's about to say will change his bosses mind but he has to try.
"I mean, what if I can prove to you that I can make a woman fall for me? Will that prove to you that I can sell diamonds?" Daryl asks, trying to act confident.
Douglas looks at him intrigued and smiles, "Yes, but you'll have to prove yourself a week from Sunday at the De'Laure's gala ball. If you bring a woman who is truly in love with you by then...you can have the pitch." Douglas says to a stunned Daryl.
Ten days was an impossible amount of time to get a woman to fall for him, but he wouldn't back down, he can do this...he will do this.
"Douglas! You cant be serious?! You already promised this to me and Lori!" Andrea shouts angrily.
"Now Andrea, lets not be spoil sports. I think this is a great idea." Lori says with a glint of mischief in her eyes.
Andrea looks at her confused and still seething.
"But I think its only fair if we get to pick the lucky woman, just so we know you wont cheat and hire some whore to pretend she's in love with you." Lori says, looking behind him while she spoke.
"That's fair." Douglas agrees.
Shit, this sneaky bitch was gonna pick the ugliest ass woman in the bar. He was proved right when Andrea pointed excitedly to a woman who was as butch as he is with less hair then he has.
"Somehow I don't think she's into men... com'on ladies, play nice." Daryl says, feeling anxious now.
"No you're right...how bout her?" Lori asks, smiling widely over his shoulder.
He turns in his seat and looks at a crowd of woman, "Who?" Daryl asks curiously.
"Blonde hair, pretty smile." Lori says.
That is all the explanation he needs because the only blonde with a pretty smile he could see was the most beautiful woman he has ever laid eyes on. It couldn't possibly be her, Lori wouldn't be that kind or stupid to pick the prettiest girl in the bar for him. He turns his head to Lori confused, she confirms her pick by commenting how well his mystery woman looks in that little black dress. He cant believe it, so he asks again.
"Her? You pick her right there?" Daryl asks, pointing to the girl in question.
"Yep,...her." Lori says, looking to Andrea as she confirms. Both woman smile smugly at each other, acting like they've just handed him a mount Everest to climb.
Daryl looks back to the blonde woman who was still smiling and talking happily to two women. He was transfixed, she really was a sight for soar eyes, her smile was contagious and he found himself smiling goofily at her. Suddenly, the blondes eyes were locked on his and it was like his whole body came alive in an instant. He realises he's still smiling like an idiot at her and feels his ears heat with embarrassment but finds he cant take his eyes off of her. Blondie smiles shyly back at him...and he knows. He knows he's hooked just as much as she is.
I just have to say a huge congratulation to Emily Kinney aka Beth Greene for her Saturn nomination for best supporting actress. So proud and well deserved, fingers and toes crossed that she wins! :) x