Well, would you look at that, another update in less than 24 hours...whaaaat?1?!
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Oh god, holy shit, oh my fucken goodness, here she is again, sitting in my boardroom being interviewed for one of the most important positions in my company. How in the world did this happen? DESTINY, is the only thing that pops up in my brain right now... oh no, not back to that DESTINY bullshit again. I mean I hate the idea but it has such a pull towards me and it's as if I think about it subconsciously and that's why the world around me reacts to it, who knows. I'm not my usual confident self right now, my body is loose, my palms are starting to sweat, my heart is beating faster than normal but I still put on a poker face and try my best to act professional, like a CEO and not some lovestruck puppy. But I can't help it, she looks amazingly beautiful just like the first and last time I saw her. She's wearing a navy blue blazer with a black V neck top along with form fitting black ankle pants, blonde hair curled to just below her shoulder, she looks professional but yet so god damn sexy. How can someone like her, so damn beautiful be seating with me in my boardroom?
"Damnit Eliza, focus" as I give myself an internal talk. I can't be thinking about her that way. This is work, work comes first, work is everything, work trumps EVERYTHING and ANYTHING. I can't let a beautiful creature like Arizona throw me off my game. Clearing my throat, I hit the call button on our conference call telephone and buzz Jo in.
"Can you have someone clean that up please, sorry it just slipped".
"Yes boss, right to it, by the way would you like another coffee"
"No I'm good, I'll just have water, thanks"
"Miss Robbins, can I get you any coffee, tea, juice, water? Jo asks politely
"I'll have water, thanks Jo" turning to her side giving Jo a smile and she catches me looking at her.
I quickly remove my eyes from her and turn to the folder in front of me that has her resume and portfolio and I swear I feel sweat trickle down my temple.
Needing to get this interview going, my COO, Rachel who is literally my right hand person in the company starts off with, "So Miss Robbins, thank you for taking your time out and meeting with us again, I believe you have already met with some of us (yeah no fucken kidding) in your previous rounds of interviews. You're lucky as we've narrowed down our candidates to the top 3, you've obviously made the cut, we've liked what you have to offer so far but this is a position that is critical to the success of Minnick Inc, we hire only the best and the brightest and you have come highly recommended. Not only do we function as a business unit and professionals but we are like a family here. Miss Minnick here" as Rachel turns to me and the entire team looks my way, looking up I give them all a smile and turn to Arizona and nod my head with a poker face but internally smiling like a goof "...has built one of the most successful startups in Silicon Valley under the Minnick Inc umbrella that cuts across, media/publishing, digital advertising and ecommerce, 3 frontiers we believe is the wave of the future in this digitally savvy world. She's built it into a company and culture where people do want to come into work everyday because they have a sense of purpose and genuinely enjoy what they do and not to mention she takes good care of us as well. As you know we're looking to round out our executive team by finding the best CMO that there is and will take our brand recognition to the next level amongst other things that they will have to do. Usually the executive group interview is the last interview before we make a final decision on who we would like to bring on board. With that being said, I'll leave it up to my colleagues and Miss Minnick here to start off with the questions."
"Thank You Rachel" as I give her a nod and I take over the reigns.
"So Miss Robbins, you've come highly recommended by Richard Webber who is an investor and board member of Minnick Inc, how do you know Richard?
"Richard has been a mentor of mine since I started my career and has helped guide me to where I am today in my professional career and I'm immensely grateful to him. Along the years he has also become a good friend of mine outside of work"
"I see" trying to hold a poker face but internally I'm like a duck peddling under water trying to contain my nerves with Ari… I mean Arizona sitting right in front of me.
"So what made you apply for this position and why do you think you would be a perfect fit for this job?"
"Well to be honest, I only did it at the request of Richard, he has been begging me to interview for this position as he thinks I would be the most valuable to you (yeah no kidding) and your team and this company overall as he knows me very well and knows what I'm capable of and has a vested interest in your company" she spits with a smile and perkiness that goes with that beautiful face. " I am happy with where I'm at right now, the company takes good care of me and I love what I do, working in the Virtual reality space. However one thing that has helped me in my career and also personally is to always keep an open mind and explore opportunities because you never know where it might lead you. While I wouldn't say that I am actively looking for a new job as I am always being heavily recruited from different companies and could pick anyone to my choosing, I chose to interview here because I believe in Richard, I believe in what your company does, I've heard of your brands and I've actually consumed news from your media site and have used your company's advertising platform. What Miss Minnick..." as soon as I hear my name fall from her mouth I swear I felt my heart stop "... has built here is tremendous, and from what I've seen around the office and just meeting some of you, is that this is a place that not only values money and revenue but also respects its people, customers and works hard to stay ahead of innovation, those things are all quite attractive to me…" no fucken way, did she say attractive to me, I mean I know she's talking about my company and what I've built but why do I have a feeling she's also talking about me personally?
Well that was a good answer and as the interview goes on and the other executives chime in, I can't help but gloat by being an absolute BOSS in here and having a hand over Arizona. I'm in control, I'm in charge, I'm regaining my confidence back, not only because I have this beauty back in my life but because I'm excited about my company and where it's headed, falling into a bit of a trance as I just listen in on the interview and all the questions being thrown at Arizona and how she's handling it expertly impresses me. She is impressive, who am I kidding, I mean just look at her resume, Facebook, Microsoft and the CMO of a multimillion dollar venture funded startup, all at the age of 28, now that is impressive. It's been almost an hour and this conversation has turned from a formal interview process into one that seems like where work friends have turned an evening into a beer session minus the beer. They seem to be loving Arizona, we like to have fun, we goof around as well but we know when not to cross the line. I've always told my staff to do whatever they want, enjoy work and have fun but if ever there was a time they had to second guess their words or actions, always and I mean ALWAYS err on the side of professionalism even though your colleagues are your friends. I've always maintained this rule along with a few others and it's served me well so far.
I've gotten a few more questions in with her as well, some hard hitting, deeply analytical questions that deals with psychology, behavior, audience, demographics, data, design, business philosophy and how it all plays into marketing and growing the brand along with the company. While I may have been giddy and made myself look like a fool a few times with my slip ups that garnered me incredulous looks from my colleagues, I am still able to turn around moments where I completely zone out and am in business mode and I usually have a poker face on where you cannot read absolutely any of my emotions or what I'm thinking. I can come of as mean and scary looking but that's only because when I zone out, I concentrate like no other with furrowed brows , it's been a habit of mine for years. But that's my game face.
We've been in this interview for about an hour and a half and we've exchanged glances and looks more than a few times. I've had thoughts race back to that steamy night in London where we fucked for hours and screamed each other's name. I'm a hot mess right now but I'm hiding my emotions really well. You could never guess what is going on with me. I've alway maintained an outward presence of calm, confidence and cool. On one hand my heart is racing and on the other hand my mind is racing and thinking about business.
Looking up at the clock it's almost 6pm.
"So, I think we're pretty much done here with the executive interview" turning to my colleagues, "did any of you have any other questions for Arizona ?" Seeing that no one has any further questions "Well we can call it a day and please send me your interview notes and we can deliberate tomorrow morning on all the candidates"
Turning to Arizona and touching her arm to gain her attention, "Arizona, I'm not sure if Miranda or Rachel mentioned to you but I usually have a one on one meetings with the candidates themselves after the executive meeting"
"Yes, they actually did" she says with a smile.
"Great"
"Well why don't we go to my office and we can continue this there"
"Sure, lead the way"
"Follow me" giving her a smile and a slight borderline wink as I walk out of the boardroom and towards my office with so much sass and confidence which I don't know where it came from.
"Holy Shit"
"Is everything okay Miss Robbins" as I turn to her trying to figure out where that came from.
"Your office…" she says with her mouth left open.
"My office what Miss Robbins?" I ask with a raised eyebrow.
"Y - Yu- You have an incredible office, I've never seen anything like this, I mean the views from here are just incredible, the terrace, floor to ceiling windows, the huge amount of space and the decor"
"Yeah" I mutter under my breath as I leave my folder and pen on my desk.
"Wow, just WOW"
"Well I'm glad you like my office Miss Robbins"
"Can we drop the formalities and calling me Miss Robbins, Arizona is fine"
Raising an eyebrow " if that's what you prefer or is it Ari?
I see that she freezes with her chest heaved up as she takes a slight breath and holds it for a few seconds as I call her "Ari"
Hearing my cell buzzing, I see that it's on of my most important clients calling and I have to take this call, answering the call, I ask my client to give me a minute.
"Arizona, I have to take this call, I'm not sure how long this could take, it could be 10 minutes or it could turn into a 30 minute call, if you like you can either wait here or we can reschedule this".
"Oh no, no no, I'll wait for you, it's no problem, really"
"Thanks"
"Is it ok if I go wait for you on the terrace?"
"Oh yes, please feel free to sit, lounge or stand anywhere you like in here, also there is a fridge to your right if you would like to help yourself to some snacks and drinks, please make yourself comfortable"
Giving me a nod, I see that she grabs a bottle of kombucha and heads out to the terrace.
Arizona's POV
Oh my god! Oh my fucken god! I just interviewed with Eliza Minnick, THE CEO and CHAIRWOMAN of Minnick Inc and the lady I've been having thoughts about for the past few weeks. The lady that I fucked soo good while on my London trip…
How did I not make out that Liza was Eliza as in Eliza fucken Minnick?
Gosh I feel so stupid now.
Shit it was her that gave that keynote speech in London and I literally insulted her right to her face, calling her a "stuckup startup millionaire who flaunts her wealth". She is far from that. I swear my big mouth can get me in trouble sometimes but I gotta blame that on the drinks I was having at the bar... But why didn't she say anything?
Boy oh boy, so the lady that I fucked all night long in London and left hanging without giving her my number is THE Eliza Minnick the young 30 year old Multi Gazillionaire that has an empire and the world at her feet, splashed all over magazine covers and the hottest bachelorette in San Francisco and Silicon Valley. Shit, why didn't I connect the dots?
I so regretted the morning when I left her room, ideally I would have spent the morning cuddling with her or just having more sex, I mean it was incredible. It's something I haven't forgotten, it's consumed my mind, I know I was playing a little hard to get here and there but it was really stupid. I knew I liked her the moment I saw her at Mr Smith's rooftop bar. We've been playing this game called DESTINY and here we are. I mean this is a sign from the universe that maybe we are meant to be. Be friends, be colleagues, lovers? Who knows? But you can't just keep on running into someone like this all the time. I feel like it's as if the world is pushing us together.
I totally played it cool in that interview in there but internally I was dying a slow death. I mean I had thoughts running everywhere, I'm surprised that I even got through that and the fact that I'm standing just right outside of her office is astonishing.. I couldn't get a good read on Eliza's emotions or thoughts, I didn't know if I should have acknowledged that I had met her previously or just totally ignored that and acted professionally. Or if I was supposed to be nice and friendly to her or if I was going to keep all things business like. I think I did a good job in there being both friendly, charming and professional but I wouldn't know until I talk to Liza, I mean Eliza as in Eliza freaken Minnick! I'm not going to lie, she looks hot in her jeans and black blazer, I've had a few dirty thoughts run through my mind during the interview and I swear there were moments when I just wanted to jump her bones. She is a total BAWSE as is an absolute BOSS who commands respects, I mean just the way her colleagues dispersed and took their seats when she entered the room was impressive, her smooth confidence and the ability parlay her vision of the company to her team and the person being interviewed and taking charge is so fucken hot. To me there is nothing sexier than a woman who takes charge of her life, commands respect, is intelligent, works hard and earns her own life, is kind and most importantly has a big heart. Eliza has all of that and more. I mean take away Eliza Minnick for a sec, I saw all of that in LIZA the beautiful brunette I met at the club.
As I stand here on her rooftop office terrace taking in the beautiful view it has to offer, I can't help but feel so stupid and small right now. I mean not only did I insult her right to her face but also left her hanging. I wonder what she thinks of me.
Taking a sip of my kombucha, I turn my gaze into Eliza's office and I can see she is pacing back and forth with hand gestures all over the place.
She seems so down to earth for someone with so much wealth. I mean there's something different about her, like when I first saw her I fell for her demeanor, her beauty. She has this soothing smooth confidence about her, there is just something so damn sexy about her and that's why I went back to her room that one night in London as I couldn't get her out of my mind.
Plus she knows how to charm the hell out of a lady.
I mean do I wanna work for her now? I don't know how she is professionally? Is she a good boss that takes care of her people or is she one of those manipulative, old school businesswoman that yells at you. From what I've gathered so far from interviewing, she seems to be good and takes care of her people, but that's how they all are in the beginning to lure you in. I mean to be honest I really don't need this job, I am happily employed at the startup I'm working at and I already have the CMO position with a great salary and a company that works in Virtual Reality, something I've gained a liking for. I only came in for an interview since Richard who has been a mentor to me since the beginning of my career encouraged me have an open mind, I mean I didn't have to apply for the job, I was just granted the interview since I was highly recommended and have an impeccable resume.
I started my career off at Facebook and worked in their marketing team, helping it grow its user base internationally, I was so young, I didn't know what I was doing but I loved the thrill and hustle of a startup. I was lucky enough to get a job there as it's competitive, I also lucked out because I joined before its IPO and had stock options in the company. Being that young and having all that stock option meant I could be financially secure and not have to worry about money. After it's IPO I exercised at least half my stock options which netted me about a million dollars and being 25 with a million dollars was amazing. But because of my work and the notoriety I gained from my accomplishments at FB, I was heavily recruited by other tech giants. Wanting a change and to get out of the Bay Area and Silicon Valley itself, I opted to go work for Microsoft in Seattle becoming one of their youngest marketing managers working alongside their advertising sales department at 26. It takes years to reach where I did with Microsoft but I guess my work and the recommendation of my peers spoke for itself and boy was I rewarded with a nice paycheck, benefits and an amazing house that came courtesy of the company. Having worked at a startup and a big corporation like Microsoft is a huge culture shock, growing tired of the bureaucracies, I was itching to get back into the world of startups. Having a late night conversation with a friend of mine, he mentioned that there was an opening for a CMO position at a VR startup that had just raised $10 Million in financing and desperately needed a CMO to take it to new heights and help it gain visibility in the marketplace. That's how I landed back in SF and my current job.
I really gotta figure out how I wanna take this with Eliza, sure I'm here for an interview and I want to be as respectful and professional as possible. I'm starting to get a little nervous as I see Eliza walking towards me, my heart's starting to race and the woman that I've been thinking about for the past 3 weeks who has haunted my thoughts every waking second is mere inches away…
Looking her way, I notice a smile appear on my face and just stand there for a few seconds admiring this brunette. I was already in awe of her when I met her but knowing who she is and what she's accomplished is even more awe-inspiring.
"Hiiiii…." I say with a flirtatious smile but trying not to be too obvious.
"Hiiiii back atcha"
"Sooo…" fuck I really don't know where I'm going with this.
"Soooo" she mirrors me right back.
We stand there looking like two high school teenagers that just kissed for the first time and are too embarrassed to face each other now.
"So let me make this easy for you" Eliza speaks first…
I like how she takes charge and command. Leadership… she is a boss afterall.
"Did you just want to stick to our final one on one interview with me and keep it professional or do you want to turn back into Ari and Liza for a minute and just talk as friends ? "
Breathing a sigh of relief, I thank my lucky stars that she's making this a little easier because I had absolutely no idea how I wanted to go about this especially after I insulted her.
"Oh thank god, can we please be Ari and Liza for a minute" giving her a relieved smile and she smiles right back at me.
Moving closer to her, I touch her forearm and she looks at me surprised
"I'm sorry"
Giving me a confused look "For"
"Well so many things, for starters, calling you a stuckup millionaire, I honestly had no idea that it was you that was giving the keynote speech and I shouldn't have made that comment, that was unlike me"
"That's ok, I'm a big girl, I can take it" oh my, I'm about to melt into a poodle, how can she be so charming and caring at the same time.
" … and second, I know that was kinda mean of me leaving in the morning and not giving you my number. At the time I thought it was fun but looking back and realizing how much I craved, you, how much I wanted to see you again, how much I just wanted to talk to you and just be with you was a really dumb thing to do". I'm kinda shocked at my confession but there's something about Liza, I mean Eliza that just settles me, calms me and makes me comfortable around her.
"Well, if I'm being honest with you Ari, more than anything you leaving me in the morning and without your phone number hurt more than calling me a stuckup millionaire" she gives me a sad smile and drops her gaze.
I pull her in a little closer to me and the closeness relaxes me and all sense of being here for an interview and being a professional has left my mind and body for now.
"I'm sorry, so sorry" I say just above a whisper
"You know I've actually really missed you, the past 3 weeks hasn't been the same, you've consumed my mind. I've been desperately trying to run into you or find you somehow, someway but I didn't know anything about you except that you lived in San Francisco and your name was Ari, I mean how much searching and stalking could I do with that?"
"So you wanted to stalk me"
"Well when I've spent the most incredible night with the most beautiful woman in the world, of course I'd want to get to know her even more, so I'd have to stalk you"
"Never lose your charm, Liza, never." I say as I pull her into an embrace.
Pulling back Liza looks at me… "You know, I didn't know what that night meant to you, if it was just a one night stand and a good fuck or if you wanted more, I mean we had sex, we talked, we cuddled, we ate, we drank and just had an overall amazing time but when the morning came I couldn't help but feel that you didn't want more, especially the way you left.
"That's not true, of course I want something more with you Liza, I always did but playing this stupid game got in the way I guess. Also just an fyi, the reason I left at 6 in the morning was because I had a flight to catch at 9am back to the States and I had to be at the airport if not April would have killed me, I would have liked nothing more than to have had morning cuddles with you and peppered your beautiful face with kisses"
"Ha nice save Ari"
"It's the truth".
We stand there for a few seconds surrounded by the beauty of San Francisco and gaze lovingly into each other's eyes.
"Wow, who would have thought that we'd meet again huh" I say as I try to get a conversation going again.
"DESTINY" she says with a shrug and a smile "But honestly this DESTINY thing is becoming far too real for me and it's kinda creepy, I just meant it as a joke that Friday night."
Right now I want nothing more to take her and kiss her damn face off and maybe take her against that big desk that she has in her office. I need some sort of contact or reassurance from her, she's become a little distant and I can understand why but that doesn't mean I like it. She's moved to the edge of the terrace and stands there looking at the view in front of us. I stand right next to her, our bodies touching and we share a moment of silence, it's not awkward or weird or anything, it's actually much needed to acknowledge everything that has happened and to take it in. Feeling like I've had more than enough silence and all that escapes my throat is
"Lizaaaa"
as I wrap an arm around her waist and use my other hand to pull away a stray hair from her face and tuck it behind her ear. I'm using all my courage and confidence in the world to make a move on this beautiful woman considering I just interviewed with her for a possible job and I sure as hell could use all of it right about now. But nothing else matters to me more than reconnecting with Liza and feeling her touch against me. Fuck the job, I don't need it, I'm happily employed, I'd rather take her out and date and fuck her all night long then have to act professionally around her.
I rest my forehead against her and our lips are mere inches away from each other. I know she wants to kiss me but she isn't going to, it's upto me.
"I've missed you" I say in the most sultry soft voice as I can possibly conjure up.
I run my thumb against her bottom lip and she closes her eyes and relaxes a little, taking that as a sign, I attach my lips to hers and I literally feel sparks course through my body and butterflies in my stomach and I swear I'm about to cry.
How I would have lost this woman but somehow, someway the universe decided to bring us back… DESTINY I guess.
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