CHAPTER 6
1141 Words
SARAH
I didn’t realize I was burning literal holes into the mystery man’s back until Esther snapped her fingers in front of my face.
“Earth to Sarah,” she said with a knowing smirk. “You look smitten.”
Smitten would be going too far, however, I’d say that the man was attractive.
Insanely attractive.
He was clad in a sky blue suit that looked expensive. A white shirt with the top two buttons undone was tucked in between his slacks, giving me a glimmer of his chest hair. His dark brown hair was disheveled and shaggy like he had run his fingers through them multiple times. He had a strong, chiseled chin with a jawline that was crafted by Zeus. Hell, his eyebrows were perfectly trimmed into curved arches, not a stray hair in sight.
You could tell he worked out. His bulging muscles were prominent even with his suit on and when he smirked at me, I thought I was going to pass out.
He looked and smelled like money.
‘’Who was that?”’ I whispered to Esther. She raised an eyebrow and removed her glasses.
“You mean you don’t know who he is?”
If I knew I wouldn’t be asking.
"I don't."
“You’re serious?” She asked, still in disbelief.
“Like a heart attack.”
“Are you sure you’re prepared for this interview because you have to be living under a rock if you don’t know that that man is the CEO of the company you’re applying to,” she squealed, like a fangirl who had just met her favourite k-pop idol. My eyes widened like saucers and my jaw slacked open.
The man that walked in with the swagger of Mick Jagger was my interviewer and potential boss?
“s**t,’’ I whispered.
So much for making a first impression.
“I still can’t believe you don’t know who Onyx Bradford is,” she continued. “He’s the owner of the biggest social media app in the world, appears on Forbes Billionaire’s list every year, and appears on business magazine covers at least once in two months. He’s so hot and accomplished. He’s every woman’s dream man.”
That’s not what I heard.
“Don’t you use Renegade or like the internet?”
“I do,” I confirmed. “I just don’t use the internet to Google the life history of people I don’t know.”
“Well you should know him because your interview is in roughly ten minutes,” she flips her hair to the side. “Word of advice, he can be irritable and grouchy so don’t annoy him. Also, make sure that you answer all his questions as honestly as possible and have your facts straight. He’ll know if you’re fabricating the truth.”
“Thank you.”
I was visibly shaking and she could see it. I had to do a couple of breathing exercises in my head so I wouldn’t embarrass myself by fainting on the polished tiles.
‘’I think it’s best you have a seat,’’ Esther suggested and she handed me a bottle of water. ‘’Drink that and cool down. Forget I even said anything.” She leaned in and whispered in my ear. “Don’t tell anyone I said anything or he’d probably cut my ear off.”
“Is he that bad?’’ I questioned.
“Not at all.” Her plastered smile, the same one she wore when Onyx Bradford appeared, told me that she meant the exact opposite of what she said. With a final nod, I made my way back to the sitting area which was pretty much cleared out seeing as everyone had been interviewed apart from myself and the guy seated across from me. Esther's words kept ringing in my ear as I rehearsed all the things I wanted to say. Of course, interviews could be unpredictable, but I had a game plan and I was going to stick by it.
I also didn't want to end up like Carrie. I don't know what he said to her but she left the building crying and telling the company to go "f**k itself."
She also said something along the lines of "Onyx Bradford is a dick."
I felt my phone buzz in my hand. The screen showed a text from my Aunt wishing me good luck with the smiley face emoji. That put a smile on my face and I send a quick thank you and closed the phone. My eyes moved to the glass doors, anticipating the return of Onyx Bradford.
I haven’t so much as looked at a man since I broke up with my ex-boyfriend, Peter, three years ago. It was a messy one and sadly, I was left with more scars that needed healing. Despite that, my eyes still worked and I appreciated God’s creation whenever I laid eyes on one.
He was one attractive tyrant.
“Get a grip, Sarah,” I cautioned myself. ‘’You literally just saw the guy.’’
As if he heard my thoughts, the double doors opened, and in walked Onyx Bradford but he wasn’t alone. Beside him was another man, similar in height and they were animatedly talking. The other man winked at Esther and a little bit of red-tinted her cheeks. That encounter earned both of them a glare from Onyx and a chuckle from me.
I didn’t realize I was staring at him so much till our eyes crossed paths again. It almost felt like a sin, looking at him, because he, well he looked like sin. No one should ever be allowed to look as good as he did. I diverted my gaze away from him quickly, not wanting to see his reaction, and looked at my phone like it was suddenly of interest to me. I could hear his footsteps and that of his companion as they drew closer, but I didn’t raise my head. I felt his stare on me for a fleeting second, but it was gone before I could react.
The elevator dinged and I waited till I could hear the metal doors close. Once it did, I released the breath I was holding and calmed my raging heart.
‘’That was something.’’
……………………………
Twenty minutes later, Shonda Wilkinson came in and announced that I was the next person to be interviewed. Still feeling nervous, I nodded lightly and made my way to the elevator, pressing the button to the top floor.
‘’Focus on the interview,’’ I said to myself. ‘’You’ve got this.”
Saying a silent prayer to the ones up above because I didn’t want to tank this, I smoothened my pants with my hands and re-tied my blonde hair with a band.
Breathe.
The elevator dinged and the metal doors opened.
‘’Showtime.’’
- Writer
