by Suzanne Hart
Clark Webber? The founder and CEO of the company? Was she kidding me?
Michelle stood by me, with that look in her eyes which said she was waiting for me to step into the elevator. When I did, she didn’t follow me in.
“Mr. Webber is waiting for you in his office. He wanted to interview you himself. Don’t be nervous, he’s not as scary as you imagine him to be.”
Michelle was still smiling, and now she leaned in to press the top button on the board.
“But…” I began to say but the elevator doors were closing already.
I stood with my mouth hanging open, at a total loss for words. Nobody had given me any evidence that I would be interviewed by Mr. Webber, himself. I thought I was prepared for this interview…but I was prepared for a meeting with HR. Not the CEO of the company himself!
I felt like this dream was quickly turning into a nightmare. Why were they doing this to me? I was a nobody in the advertisement industry.
I believed in myself, of course, and I knew I had talent. But I had never been given a chance like this before. This was beginning to feel like some cruel twisted joke.
The elevator doors opened and with shaking legs, I stepped out into a long and empty hallway.
The door to an office at the end of the hallway opened all of a sudden, and a man appeared. I was walking towards him, my heels clicking against the pristine white marble floor.
He remained standing there, not saying a word or making a movement. He had his hands in the pockets of his pants. The closer I walked towards him, the clearer it became who he was.
He was in a luxurious looking steel-gray tailored suit. His shirt was white, and his tie was a silk navy. It matched his deep navy eyes. His hair was dark and slick, brushed back fashionably but a curl fell over his forehead handsomely.
I’d seen a few images of Clark Webber before, in articles and interviews and I knew he was a good-looking man. But nothing could have prepared me for the real deal. He had an electric presence in real life.
I slowed my pace as I stepped towards him, still confused, now a little scared. He was a tall man with broad shoulders and a lithe muscular body. The way he was staring at me now did not have an ounce of friendliness to it. This was nothing like the interview I’d imagined it to be.
I stopped in front of him, my purse and portfolio swinging from my arms.
“Mr. Webber,” I said, struggling to stretch my hand out towards him. But he didn’t offer to shake my hand. Instead, he whipped around and walked into his office.
“Hello, Tessa, you better come in,” he said.
I could feel my whole body charged up as I walked behind him. The door of the office seemed to shut behind me of its own accord.
I was now standing in the middle of a plush office. Glass walls everywhere, so that for a few moments I felt like I was floating in the air, above the busy city below us.
Clark Webber walked up to his desk and turned to me again. I couldn’t help but notice the waves of attraction coursing through me already. Was it his British accent? His deep voice? Or the way he was looking at me?
“I’m glad to finally meet you, Tessa. Please sit down,” he said.
4
Clark
Tessa was standing across the room, and she looked confused and nearly afraid to step any closer.
I wasn’t sure what I was expecting her to look like, I hadn’t really thought about her features. But I wasn’t expecting this.
From the moment I watched her step out of the elevator, even from the distance of the hallway; I could see that she was beautiful. There was a softness to her, a delicate ensemble of features made up her face. Her hair was a gentle chestnut color, tightly curled, which she left open around her shoulders. Her eyes were green but tender.
She had put in some effort into her clothing for this interview. Her tight black pencil skirt hugged her petite frame. But even from where I was standing, I could sense that she had a delicious butt. She’d tucked her white blouse into her skirt, and it stretched over her breasts. I could sense they would fit perfectly in my hands.
“Finally meet me?” She spoke, snapping me out of my wandering thoughts. I realized I’d been staring too hard at her.
“Please sit down, Tessa,” I suggested, but she remained standing.
“Like I told Ms. Non, Michelle…I’m really grateful for this opportunity. But I’m sorry, I’m really confused. Do we know each other from somewhere?” She asked.
I was conscious of this happening. Of her recognizing me, or at least connecting the dots. That could blow this whole thing over. I needed to gently ease her into the situation…make her see how my plan was going to benefit us both.
“No, we have never met before. I’ve just been hearing lots of good things about you. About your work,” I said.
I sat down in my chair, taking the lead as Tessa watched me intently. Suspiciously.
Eventually, when we’d glared at each other enough, she took the chair across from my desk.
“You’ve heard about me?” She asked, in disbelief.
I flipped open the file that Michelle had prepared for me.
“It says here that you were involved in the Superfigs campaign,” I said, flicking through the pages. Tessa gulped, then nodded her head.
“Well, kind of, yes. I was on the team that was involved in the campaign. I don’t want to mislead you into believing that whole thing was my idea,” she said.
I watched the way her eyes sparkled, how she played nervously with her fingers on her lap. There was no denying that Tessa was a beautiful woman. I just wished I wasn’t attracted to her.
“I didn’t expect you to be, but you are exactly the kind of person we are looking to hire for our offices here. Young, with fresh ideas and some substantial experience of working on real ad campaigns,” I explained.
Tessa had her head held high. Slowly, I could see the color was returning to her cheeks. She was gaining confidence as I spoke. She was beginning to believe in herself and in the purpose of this interview.
“I have my portfolio here if you’d like to look at it,” she spoke up. I nodded and she opened up her portfolio, which contained pages after pages of campaign ideas and copy.
When I reached for it, our fingers brushed and when I looked up, I saw that Tessa’s cheeks were flushed. I couldn’t help but stare at her every chance I got, even though I knew I needed to stay away from her. There was no point complicating matters even more.
I looked through her portfolio. Some of the stuff in there was pretty good. I wasn’t expecting her to actually be any good at this. That wasn’t what her purpose to me was. So, when I flicked through the pages and saw some excellent copy, I must have looked surprised.
“I can’t tell if you’re impressed by them, or horrified!” She exclaimed.
Our eyes met again and now I saw there was a soft smile on her face.
“I would have to have very poor taste and judgment to be horrified by your portfolio, Tessa,” I told her and she bit down on her lip.
“I can take you through a few of the campaigns I’ve worked on, give you a sense of my style,” she continued, but I interrupted her.
“Why don’t you tell me why I should hire you. How much exactly do you want this job?”
She breathed in deeply and licked her lips.
“I’ve aspired to work in this agency since I started working in this industry. I want to do good work, meaningful work. I don’t just want to keep writing useless copy for the next soda brand. I want to work on projects such as Save the Oceans and for other causes I believe in. Working here, at Soar, will give me the opportunity to work on projects like these.”
Tessa was speaking passionately, and I knew I’d made the right judgment call. I had a pretty good idea that she would want this job. I just needed her to admit it.
“Good,” I said and weaved my fingers together on my desk.
Tessa looked flushed again, she was looking at me intently for a reaction to her s
peech.
“Well, Tessa, I think you do deserve a position at this agency. I want to give you the job.”
She couldn’t help but smile, and I realized that I liked to see her smile. It warmed my soul.
“But there is something I want from you,” I added.
Tessa tried to stifle her smile and she nodded her head.
“You can be rest assured of my work ethic. I’m willing to put in the effort, the long hours…” Her voice trailed and I interrupted her again.
“This has nothing to do with work, Tessa,” I stated.
She clamped her mouth shut, crossing her eyes in confusion again.
“I believe we have a mutual acquaintance. Gordon,” I said.
5
Tessa
Gordon. I hadn’t heard that name in over a year. I couldn’t imagine that Clark Webber was talking about the same Gordon. That couldn’t be possible!
I was staring at him, like I’d seen a ghost. Clark ran a hand through his thick dark hair and sat back in his chair.
“I can see that you’re in shock,” he remarked. There was a mocking smirk on his face, like he was enjoying my discomfort for some reason.
“I don’t understand what this is about,” I stated and he nodded.
“I can clarify it for you. You know who I’m talking about,” he said and I shook my head.
“You’re talking about someone called Gordon. Yes, I do know a Gordon…or rather, did know him, but I’m sure it’s not the same person,” I said.
I couldn’t make sense of this. What did any of this have to do with Gordon…the man I knew a year ago, but it felt like a lifetime away. And what did any Gordon have to do with a job at this agency?
Clark sighed.
“It is the same person,” he said, and there was a firm conviction in his voice.
“Gordon John?” I asked, arching my brows. Clark smiled.
“Gordon John Webber, yes,” he replied.
I shifted in my chair, trying to meet his glacial blue eyes, but I could feel a piercing pain in the pit of my stomach.
“I don’t know a Gordon John Webber,” I said.
“It is the same person, Tessa, trust me,” he remarked.
I squinted my eyes, glaring at him.
“What…no…I would have known; his name was Gordon John!”
Clark sighed again, like he was beginning to lose his patience with me.
“You never stopped to think that was a strange full name for a man? But then, I’m guessing you didn’t think anything. He had you completely fooled and eating out of the palm of his hand,” Clark continued.
I could feel my cheeks were flushed, the back of my neck was burning up. I had no idea what he was talking about, but I couldn’t just sit here and listen to him!
“I should leave,” I said and started collecting the portfolio off his desk.
“I’d advise you against it, Tessa,” he spoke in a low soft voice. I refused to look at him. I knew this was too good to be true!
“I don’t need your advice. I can’t be here. You’ve got the wrong girl, whatever it is that you want!” I snapped.
I was about to stand up, but Clark looked at me sternly.
“What exactly did he tell you, Tessa? What did my brother tell you?”
The wind seemed to leave my chest. Did he really want me to believe that he was Gordon’s brother? I couldn’t stand up. It was like my limbs were all frozen to the spot.
I’d worked so hard, for the past year, trying to move on—trying to forget about Gordon and my broken heart. Why were we talking about him now? I couldn’t understand it.
“What do you want from me?” I asked.
Clark clenched his jaw, then I watched as he slipped his phone out of the pocket of his pants. He tapped it a few times and then turned the screen at me.
I couldn’t speak, my eyes were riveted to the screen. I couldn’t look away either. It was Gordon’s face staring back at me. With his dirty blond hair and that winning smile. He looked like he had quite the tan now, and had his arm around a blond woman. Someone I had never seen before.
Clark pulled the phone away from me.
“So, now that we’ve established we’re both talking about the same person, can we have a real conversation?” He asked.
I gulped, my throat had gone dry. Seeing Gordon’s picture again had made me feel weak. Like an entire year’s worth of building my self-confidence had been reduced to nothing again.
“What do you want to talk about? Why am I here?” I asked, my voice was sizzling. I could hear it as well.
Clark looked at me, almost sympathetically now.
“Why don’t you start by telling me what he told you about himself,” he suggested.
I didn’t want to talk about Gordon…why was I being interrogated like this?
I tried to hold back the tears. This was supposed to be a job interview. This evening was supposed to change my life!
“Are you…are you really his brother?” I asked and Clark shrugged his shoulders.
“Of all the things I have control over in my life, Gordon is not one of them. Yes, he is my brother—I just don’t know if I consider myself lucky for that,” he replied.
Now that I looked at him, after having looked at Gordon’s picture…I could see the faint possibilities of a similarity. They had the same eyes maybe…or was it the chin? Whatever brotherly facial similarities they had, they weren’t too obvious. They didn’t look alike, and Clark definitely did not present himself the same way either.
Gordon was friendly and instantly charming and full of good humor. Clark appeared to be stuffy, arrogant and like he was constantly angry about something.
“What do you want from me?” I asked him again.
“Tell me about him. What did he tell you?” He countered. I looked down at my lap. Those tears were threatening to return again, and I felt like this time I wouldn’t have any control over them.
“Tessa, I need you to tell me what he told you.” I heard Clark say. I looked up at him, my eyes were pooling with water.
“He told me he didn’t have a family. He told me he was alone, he didn’t have a home, that he was a wildlife photographer,” I blurted.
Clark clenched his jaw and shook his head.
“Well, he lied about everything,” he answered.
6
Clark
I had my suspicions that Gordon would have made up a lot of lies, I expected that of him. I knew my brother well, but I couldn’t claim that I approved of him.
Tessa was sitting across from me, shaking her head in disbelief.
“What do you mean he lied about everything?” She asked and I smirked at her. How hard was I going to have to work, to make her see what I saw in my brother?
“Well, he told you he didn’t have a family. And here I am, his brother, in the flesh,” I replied.
Tessa snapped her face away from me.
“And what about the wildlife photography?” She asked. She didn’t want to meet my eyes.
“He owns a fancy camera, sure. Which I paid for…but I don’t know of any photography expeditions that he’s undertaken,” I answered. I could see Tessa’s face in profile now. The sharpness of her nose, the delicate curves of her rosy glossy mouth. For a moment, I felt a new kind of rage against Gordon. He’d exploited her, he’d lied to her and used her.
But then I reminded myself that I shouldn’t get emotionally attached to this. I already had too much on my plate to handle.
“Why was he really in America?” Tessa asked.
“What did he tell you?” I said and she finally looked at me again. Her eyes were glistening with emotion. Was she about to cry? I wasn’t sure if I would be able to handle that. I couldn’t even stand to see my son crying.
“He said he was working on a project, with a wildlife conservation group,” Tessa explained. I couldn’t help but laugh aloud at that. Then I drew in a breath.
“Gordon has never worked a day in his life. L
uckily for him, he has an older brother who has been willing, until now, to pay for everything. I bought him a flat in London, I paid for his expensive hobbies and his lifestyle,” I told her.
I’d made my first million when I was twenty-seven. Gordon was just twenty then and I spoilt him.
“So, what was he really doing here?” Tessa asked and I noticed her lips were quivering. I shrugged.
“I can’t tell you that for certain. Gordon told me he was going to go to America for a few months, travel around, explore the country. I didn’t ask him questions. I just gave him the money he wanted,” I told her.
A single fat tear rolled down her cheek, and she looked down at her lap, embarrassed.
“I met him at a bar. He was so…charming and convincing about everything,” she said and I clenched my jaw. I knew exactly what she was talking about. I’d seen my brother in action several times. Tessa looked up at me and there was a renewed fire in her eyes.
“I f…fell for him. I bought everything he told me. I thought he really liked me. He wanted to see me all the time, spend time with me…”
I stared at her as she spoke. I knew that it hurt her to talk about him. There was no fun in this for me. I didn’t want to put Tessa through the ache of talking about the man who broke her heart.
“We spent eight months together. I even asked him to move in with me, and he did. He said he was going to permanently move to America. That he didn’t have anything to return to in London anyway,” she continued.
“And how did it end?” I asked and she glared at me, her nostrils were flared. This was an emotional rollercoaster for her, and at the end of it—I knew she was going to blame me for it.
“He disappeared. One morning, I woke up and saw all his stuff was gone from my apartment. He’d left me a note saying he had to go to Brazil, for some photography project. He said he wanted to stay with me, build a life with me…but he couldn’t. He didn’t want to be tied down.”
Tessa looked away, trying to hold back the tears. I wanted to reach over and hold her. I didn’t want her to cry. The fact that Gordon had made her feel this way…this perfect delicate beauty…it enraged me. It made me hate him even more.