You call it madness, I call it love

Chapter 3 - Carol

The beautiful hazel blue colour seeped into her mind and unleashed a roaring wave of heat throughout her body. Carol had to hide a gasp as she suddenly felt all the air being pulled out of her lungs. She turned her head and looked at the screen. It just had to look real. Like she was actually doing something. Was he still looking?

Carol could have smacked herself in the face. What was she doing? He was her boss! Her head fell into her hands. It would not be possible to date her boss. He was probably just like the others. Just a pretty face.

- What's wrong? Numbers don't fit?

The voice scared her.

- Phille!

Philippa had rolled from her desk so quietly and was now sitting beside her with a light chuckle. Her red hair was up in a professional looking bun which mached perfect to her red drawn lips.

- No, I was just zoning out.

- Hmm. Don't let Mr. Blackburn see you doing that, especially in his first day.

Philippa was right as always, she couldn't let her new boss get under her skin like that on his first day.

- Yea well, then I better get back to it.

Philippa smirked and stroked Carol's shoulder on her way back to her own work.

Not soon after, another voice filled the room. It was serious and confident with a soothing touch.

- Can I have everyone's attention please?

Yet again Carol was now staring into his eyes. Her lips had a will of their own and she couldn't stop smiling.

- I would like to start by saying. Please call me Dean. I'd like us to be a team. Then to another thing. We have a big task ahead of us. You'll all be thoroughly informed about it later this week. Currently, I would like to see you all in my office one by one.

Oh no, would she have to be alone with him? Carol knew it would happen at some point, but not this soon.

The silence got infiltrated with a slight muttering, but that too was interrupted by Dean once again.

- Mrs. Comwell will come to you when it is your turn, but let's start with...

A short break followed and whether it was intended or not, it had Carol holding her breath in suspense.

- Carol Manilana

Her heart fluttered hearing him say her name. How childish was that? Childish or not, it was how she felt. It was only the first day, maybe it would fade away after a while. He was still just a pretty face. Carol stood up and walked towards Dean. Her eyes were locked on him and for every step she took it got a little harder to breathe. She followed behind him into his office and could barely understand how quickly it had transformed from her last boss's office to an empty room and now to a cosy and personal but, of course, professional looking workspace. Pictures of Dean and a dog had been placed on the desk and on the shelf was another picture of what seemed to be a family gathering with Dean, two elderly and 2 younger boys.

A classy laptop on the desk was accompanied by notebooks, pens and folders. On the bookshelf stood a printer with newly printed paper sheets on top. You could almost smell from where she sat. Carol was struck with curiosity. What would he be printing within the first few hours of his first day? Her contemplating thoughts didn't get free flow as Dean started talking again with his deep captivating voice.

- So, miss Maliana, I would like to ask a couple of questions to get to know everyone a bit.

Really? They had a huge assignment and he wanted to get to know people. Sure it is good to know who you are working with, but Carol didn't buy that for a second. He was assessing. Measuring. Which, of course, made her nervous. What was she being judged for and could she fail? Carol tried smiling and filled her lungs, however hard it was, with as much air as secretly as she could.

A smile appeared on her lips and she looked him straight in the eyes again.

- Okay, but if I'm to call you Dean, then please call me Carol.

- Alright Carol, as far as I can see, you've been here for 2 years.

- Yes I was lucky to get an internship here and I've been here since.

- So if I gave you a company to pursue, where would you start?

What kind of question was that? It only filled Carol's head with more questions but she tried to steer clear and remain calm and collected.

- I would start off by researching. If I didn't already know about the company, I would probably ask for a small team. Split up the coverage of the company and its current and potential reach. I would also do some research of their competition.

Carol had no idea if that was the answer he was looking for. It was the basics of her job, and he must already have known all of this.

- How would you research their potential reach?

- Depending on what kind of company it was and what their goals and current reach is and of their competitors. I would look to create a broader range by first looking at what they might be lacking. Structure, economy, quality, efficiency... Then I would meet with them and present my findings and try to create a developmental plan in close cooperation with them.

Carol had turned into an advertising robot and she had a hard time stopping. Dean's eyes had a glimpse of amusement as he silently listened to her. Carol suddenly felt a little ashamed, which didn't happen often.

- Very nice. Are you sure you've only been here for 2 years?

Carol smiled and looked down.

- Have you ever gotten a company?

- No, but I have been helping out many times.

- I see. But it sounds like you don't hate your job.

She laughed. It was true though. The salary wasn't exactly bad but she really loved what she was doing. After the first year, she had finally gotten into the routines and procedures, but more importantly, she felt like she really belonged there.