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She stood outside the conference room, trying to catch her breath back as she thought over what had just happened. They had sat and talked about the Heracia’s. Surely, not her Heracia’s? The thought sent a shiver down her spine and made her want to scratch away her now tingling skin.
Of course, she couldn’t get away from them completely, she knew that. The Heracia’s ran a top PR firm, as well as running their own organised crime scheme. And now, they were in town, and maybe soon, at work.
Her palms were beginning to sweat as the images of all the people she had ‘taken care of’ danced around her mind, taunting her and warning her; you’ll get what you deserve, they chimed. She forced herself to walk from the door and down the hallway, her feet sounding heavier than usual on the oak panelling. Taking the stairs, she almost felt relaxed as the cool breeze of the stone stairwell hit her hot face, cooling here emotions.
She was just letting herself get carried away, that was all. She walked steadily down the stone steps and released a gentle sigh of relief as she began to hear the sounds of the offices below. The whirring of the fax machine and the whine of the paper shredder set her mind at ease as she reached her level and swung the door open. Of course the Heracia’s weren’t here; they were safely in her past.
“Paige,” came an exasperated voice, “tell me you didn’t drop the coffee everywhere?” Paige glanced around with a sheepish smile, pulling her hair back and lassoing it with her elastic band.
“Uh. No?” She cringed at the look on Phillip’s face. “Look, it just slipped, okay? Now, I have to go and do that proofreading,” she added, in a last ditch attempt to escape his scowl.
Back at her desk, she pulled a pile of sheets from her drawer and began to read, her face setting into a look of concentration as her eyes scanned the page lazily.
“Reading my stuff, huh?”
Paige looked up with a slight sigh, meeting the gaze of the male stood before her, Frank. His sandy blonde hair and pale blue eyes made him a hit in the office, but Paige just thought he was a pain. It was a love-hate relationship.
“Oh, it’s yours? No wonder there are so many mistakes.” To emphasise her point, she picked a red pen from her desk and began to cross out and add words to the piece, a look of sincerity plastered over her face.
“I only do that so you have a job,” he shot back, resting his hands on the edge of her desk and arching an ever quizzical eyebrow.
“Okay, that’s it. What do you want?” Paige surrendered and threw her papers down, looking up at him with the calm expression you would wear for the impatient five year old.
“That’s more like it,” he grinned, then settled himself into a nearby seat, running a hand through his hair and yawning lazily, “I need you to cover for me, tomorrow.”
Paige studied him for a long minute, a blank expression curtaining her face as she checked to see if he was joking. When she realised he wasn’t, she burst out laughing, her eyes lighting up as she doubled over against her desk.
“What?” Frank blinked, watching in bewilderment as Paige regained her calm and ruffled her bangs from her eyes.
“Cover for you?” Paige leant back in her chair and grinned at him.
“Yes, cover for me. I’ve been asked to two different press conferences and Phillip won’t let me drop out of both. Look, all I’m asking is for you to go to one for me.” He inched forward on his seat and peered at her almost pleadingly. “When have you ever dropped out on the chance to go and sit and drink champagne, while scribbling endless drawl onto your notepad?”
Paige pondered over this, flicking through her schedule idly while he waited for her to make up her mind. Taking her red pen, she scribbled in her un-readable handwriting; “Press Conference – Wednesday”.
“Alright then I suppose I will, although you’ll have to do something for me in return.” Paige smiled and dumped the papers onto his lap, stretching her arms and legs out. “Okay, so what’s this conference for?”
“New business plan,” Frank groaned as he lifted the papers from his lap, “The Heracia’s are preparing a presentation for the business meeting and want to give the media a chance to see the new plans.”
Paige stopped dead and stared at him blankly. Frank got up and winked at her in thanks, before wandering off. Her voice had left her completely as she deflated back into her chair.
The Heracia’s are back in town.
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