WAKING UP WITH THE CEO

“Where are you, Elaine?” Annalise said slowly, looking outside the window. She then turned and started gazing around the room. Being part of a shiny, rich, boring crowd such as this one wasn’t the way Annalise hoped to spend her evening. She always hated participating in social events, but most of the time, they were solid gold occasions for someone in her line of work. However, this fundraiser was a bit different from the usual ones she’d attended. And she knew exactly why it was important to take one for the team. Lance Hamilton was there! The new ‘King of Los Angeles’ was the main attraction of the event. Annalise was standing way back, near one of the large windows of the ballroom, sipping white wine and observing him thoroughly, gazing away every time Lance would look in her direction, trying not to show him how impatient she was to deliver the decisive pitch and start working for him. Being an AE, an advertising executive, was all Annalise had ever wanted. She absolutely loved her job, from the first interview with a potential client straight to the final result. And landing a challenging account like “HL Sportswear” was the absolute dream of every single AE in the States. She knew there were two advertising agencies on his short list: “S&W Advertising”, the one Annalise was working for, and “Empire Promotion”, their sworn ‘enemy’. So, it was imperative for Annalise to get the job. Not only for the work itself, but also for the fame, the prestige. Even if Helena Christiansen, the boss of “Empire Promotion”, spent every single moment of the party near Lance, buttering him up, laughing at every joke, and talking quite loudly about everything, Annalise knew she was still very much ahead in the race. “Go on and laugh, Helena dearest!” Annalise whispered. “Let’s see who is going to have the last laugh,” she added with satisfaction and took a small sip of wine. Annalise placed the glass on one of the tables and kept her attention focused on Lance. Even in his slight discomfort, he was acting with ease, making small talk, smiling, showing interest in the conversations but always very casually, throwing a glance in her direction. Ever since she met him, a couple of weeks ago, Lance Hamilton kept tormenting her brain day in and day out, with his dark brown eyes, his perfectly shaped body, and his breathtaking smile. All her dreams were haunted by this man. Tall, strong, gorgeous, and intelligent, Lance was the CEO of “Hamilton Inc.” and the actual ‘father’ of “HL Sportswear”, a branch that was designing and selling sports items all over the United States. He was heir to billions and a billionaire in his own right, the most eligible bachelor in the country, and one of the youngest CEOs in the States. During his years at Harvard, he was the captain of the Men’s Swimming and Diving Team, the captain of the Men’s Rowing Team, and the captain of the Debating Team. Annalise hadn’t been surprised to find out that Lance graduated as valedictorian. Accomplished, sharp, rich, stunning, powerful… The perfect combo! Lance Hamilton was all that and more… almost too perfect to be real. Yet, he was real, and he was standing in the same room with her, only a few feet away. And that evening, in particular, he was smoking hot. She could still remember their first meeting, in his office. So sure of himself, so eloquent… so gorgeous. During the meeting, they exchanged a few glances, and, for a very brief moment, Annalise found herself thinking ‘What if…’ But the moment she left his office, she canceled every single ‘what if’ from her brain. Lance Hamilton was the ‘media sweetheart’, and since her experience with the media wasn’t all that great, Annalise knew she had to keep their relationship absolutely professional. Getting involved with Lance wasn’t an option! Okay, she wanted him, like every woman in this room, but he would remain a dream, a fantasy. All she wanted from him was a shot at “HL Sportswear”, and she was going to get it, fair and square. Going to bed with the CEO of the company in exchange for a sure job was out of the question. ‘Girl… Quit watching Lance Hamilton like he’s the only man in the world,’ Annalise said to herself and shifted her gaze towards other people in the room. ‘Stop with this nonsense and focus on your mission!’ “Hi, Anna. God, I’m finally here… The traffic was hell…” Annalise turned and saw Elaine Styles, her boss and mentor. She was already holding a glass of wine in her hand. The smile on her boss’s lips was telling Annalise how much fun she was already having. Elaine was cut to work this kind of crowd. More than her. “Hi, boss!” she replied, smiling. “Yep, pure hell. It took me forever to arrive here…” “Did I miss something?” Elaine asked, gazing around. “Not much… Just the warm-up lap,” Annalise answered. “Listen, I know you hate these events, but this time you had to be present. Oh, here’s Lance Hamilton… And he’s under siege! Maybe you should get there and see what is going on…” she said, sipping from her wine. “No need, Elaine. He will come to me.” “Are you sure? Maybe taking the first step and…” Elaine stopped talking. “Ding, dong! The b***h is here!” she added and pursed her lips. “I thought she would unleash one of her dogs not be here in person…” Her face went from pale to red to blue in a matter of seconds. Seeing Helena Christiansen had that effect on her boss. There was so much bad blood between the two women, long before Annalise arrived at “S&W Advertising”. “Two days ago, she was in Paris with her latest ‘victim’…” “As you can see, now she’s right over there, alone… doing some useless shmoozing,” Annalise replied in a simple tone. “That conniving tramp! She’s up to something, Anna! I know she is…” Elaine went on, trying to calm down. “Isn’t she always?” Annalise questioned her. “Let her think she’s going to get the gig.”