Page 5 of Pure Abandon

“So glad to have you on board.” Erik stands and gives me a congratulatory handshake.

“Welcome to the team, Kathryn.” Gretchen is equally enthused.

“Kat, please call me Kat.” I return their handshakes, making sure to keep them firm.

“Welcome, Kat,” Heather says as if she’s sucking on a sour candy. Heather’s welcome is the least… welcoming. Even when I interviewed a few weeks ago, she was the least receptive to me. I have to remember to ask Malory what that’s all about.

Erik Marks is the president and my new boss. He has long black hair and a black goatee. His wardrobe is equally devoid of color, from his T-shirt to his jeans and boots. The look is more biker chic than art house sophisticate. As casual as he looks, I can only assume he’s in head to toe Armani. And he has a wedding ring on his finger. I bet his wife is equally as fashion forward.

Gretchen and Heather are another story. Gretchen, as I recall from my interview, is a bit, shall we say, high strung. In professional attire and a tight updo, I can tell she has never missed a day of work in her life and crosses every T and dots every I. Heather is about ten years younger than Gretchen, about my age, but is wearing far less clothing—a lot less, actually—yet looks presentable for the office. I suspect her purple chiffon dress is really a shirt. At least her black leather knee-high boots cover up some of what is being revealed.

As the five of us exchange pleasantries, the rest of the staff files in. The entire staff consists of thirty-seven people. Less than I thought. I don’t know their names or titles but vow to remember them all by the end of the week.

Erik starts the meeting by welcoming me to the team. I gracefully rise from my chair with embarrassment. I feel my ears starting to turn red.

“We are particularly excited to have Kat on board because of her expertise in site surveys and logistics, which will come in handy for our next project. We will be covering a charity event right here in New York City that will be broadcasted on network Labor Day weekend. The airtime has already been bought. Now we just have to fill it. It’s a quick turnaround, but I know this team can do it.”

There is a buzz of excitement in the room before Erik continues. “There will be seven headliners who will be performing at David Geffen Hall in Lincoln Center.

“It’s an integrated project with the Asher Family. All proceeds go to fund music programs around the country. This is a New York event, but we’re representing the entire country here.”

As Erik runs down the list of events, I learn what everyone around the table does.

Gretchen will be the liaison between us and the various record labels we have a partnership with. Most importantly, she is in charge of booking the musical guests. Alan, a tall, thin man with a goatee and button-down flannel, runs the camera crew. Chet, with his wide steroid-looking frame, is the lighting director, and Kal, who is sitting in the corner, not at the table, runs audio. Each has a team of people they manage.

Our stage manager, Richard, is a frail-looking man, while our head writer, Harvey, is a heavy-set gentleman wearing a brown sweater. “Heavy Harvey” is how I’ll remember him. The director, Seamus, will lead the technical team from an offsite control room. Erik is the executive producer, and Malory will be serving as senior producer, which means I will report directly to them.

“Kat, you will be working alongside Heather on full-scale production, making sure the tech team, set designers, talent… everyone is on schedule, budget, and check scripts.”

Heather’s grimace is obvious from across the room. For a pretty girl, she looks unattractive when she frowns, something I can tell she does a lot.

I turn to Malory. “Is this going to be a problem?”

“Of course. When isn’t there a little office drama?” Malory whispers, with a laugh, into my ear.

An hour later, the meeting is over. Malory and I rise from our chairs and make our way back down the hallway, turning into a room diagonal from the conference room.

“And, this is your office.”

My office?

Shocked, I wasn’t expecting to have a space of my own. It’s not very big. Then again, it’s more than I expected. To the right is a sleek, rectangular glass desk with an iMac, Avaya phone system, and the most delicious-looking black Herman Miller chair.

Yes, I have a thing for office furniture.

In front of the desk is a charcoal-colored club chair, while mahogany filing cabinets line the wall behind. Crisp white walls offset the dark furniture. The space is modern and chic, bare but beautiful.

In my excitement, I leap to the wall of glass at the far end of the room. “I can see the Empire State Building from here!” The view is slightly obstructed with other buildings, but I can see it nonetheless.

“Only the best. Erik insisted on it,” Malory says, walking in behind with her Blackberry in hand.

I raise a brow. “Insisted?”

“Everyone is a vital member of the team. It was part of the character of the company Erik didn’t want to lose when he sold to Asher Industries.” Malory props herself against the desk. “Speak of the devil…”

“Hey, can I come in?” I hear Erik’s voice coming from the doorway. “Again, I really want to welcome you to the team. It’s a pleasure to have you here. You’ll fit in great.”

It takes everything I have to turn my gaze away from the stunning Manhattan view. “Thank you, Erik. I can’t wait to get started. Everyone here seems great.” Giddiness swims through my veins.