writeoutsidethebox-blog1

[writeoutsidethebox-blog1]

Ch 1: The Assistant

"Good morning Ms. Harris," the secretary greeted from her desk.

"Shannon," Autumn replied, heels clicking on the tile as she walked down the hall to her office. Sinking into the plush leather chair, she pulled a MacBook Air from her bag and set it on the desk. Meetings. Lunch. More meetings. Product testing, the Editor in Chief thought, scrolling through the day's schedule. Reaching for her coffee, she found nothing but air. No assistant, no coffee, she mused, remembering the previous one had quit last week.

"Shannon?" she called.

"Yes?" the secretary answered, cracking open the door.

"Did you hire a new assistant yet?"

"Yes I did, he should be-"

"Good morning Ms. Harris, your coffee," a young man purred, walking into the office and setting a cup down on her desk.

"And what would that be?" she replied, eyeing it suspiciously.

"A four shot skim milk latte with two pumps of hazelnut syrup from the place down the road." He grinned cheekily.

"Not to shabby," the editor said, taking a small sip and glancing at her secretary. "Does the assistant have a name?"

"Oh! I'm sorry, this is Connor Williams."

"Thank you Shannon."

"Of course," she said, waving politely as she shut the door behind her.

"Has Shannon given you the run-down yet?" The woman asked, scanning her emails.

"Sort of?" She glanced up.

"What does 'sort of' mean?"

"She briefly went over daily routines, then sent me for coffee." Autumn nodded, going back to her computer.

"So you know coffee, how about breakfast?" she asked.

"Something about croissants?"

"Yes. Fresh croissants from a bakery near the coffee shop, and a bowl of strawberries. Get a dozen, I have one or two and the rest go in the break room. You know where that is right?"

"No."

"It's past Shannon's desk and down the hall to your left."

"Good to know." He smiled sheepishly, looking down at his oxford clad feet.

"Daily activities include coffee and breakfast that should be on my desk when I arrive or soon after. I get here around 7:45. As my assistant I expect you to keep track of my schedule and notify me fifteen minutes before. Please go over the day's events when you bring me my coffee. You will accompany me most places unless I tell you not to. Saturday's are usually errands, and Sundays you have off unless there is an emergency. The rest is simply what I need day to day," she explained.

"Alright. Do you need me to do anything right now?"

"Breakfast, and please get my schedule from Shannon. She's been keeping track since the last assistant quit."

"Okay, I'll be back soon. I charge the company card I was given, right?"

"Yes. Thank you."

"No problem Ms. Harris," he said, turning to leave. The door clicked closed, and Autumn collapsed into her chair. It will be a long day, she thought, taking a sip of her coffee. Silence settled over the room as she replied to more emails, the keyboard clicking softly.

"Hmm." She tapped her fingers thoughtfully, staring at the blank screen.

A knock rang out, disrupting her concentration. "Ms. Harris?"

She sighed. "Come in."

"Am I interrupting?" he asked shyly, setting a croissant on the edge of the desk.

"A little," she admitted, reaching for the pastry. "But that's okay, I need a break."

Sitting back, she took a bite, relishing in the airy texture. Light and fluffy, with just the right amount of butter. Autumn looked expectantly at her assistant, who stared right back, bag of croissants still clutched in his hand.

"Well," she prompted. "Schedule?"

"Oh, right," he said, rooting through his pockets. Coming up with a rumpled piece of paper, he read aloud, "At 9:30 you have a meeting with the publishers, 11:00 you meet with the editors to approve final drafts, 12:30 is lunch, then you're free until 3:00 for product testing." She sighed. It was going to be a long day.

-

"Shit." Autumn looked up from the article she was reading, scanning the room for her assistant.

"What?" he asked, looking up from the papers he was filing.

"I forgot to get my dry cleaning and I need that shirt for a business dinner tonight."

He stood, setting the pile on the floor next to the lone filing cabinet. "I can go get it for you."

"Um," she hesitated. The editor didn't like other people handling her clothes, especially someone she had yet to form an opinion of.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, confused.

"No, it's just-"

"She's a control freak," one of the editors finished, smirking from the open door.

"Carlos," she groaned, shooing him with a flick of her hand.

"Oh come on, lighten up. Everyone in the office knows, never mind you assistant," he insisted, grinning.

"In my defense, I just started today," Connor cut in, looking between the two.

"Enough," the editor in chief hissed, effectively silencing the other two. "Carlos, if I remember correctly, you have a manuscript due tomorrow that will be on my desk at 9AM if you want to keep your ass in that nice leather chair."

"I'm going, I'm going," he insisted, turning to leave.

"Who's that?" Connor asked, watching him go.

"One of the magazine article editors, he's damn good at his job but has a habit of missing deadlines. He acts like an asshole but he's got a big heart."

"Sounds like you're fond of him," he replied, a twinge of jealousy in his tone.

"Anyway," Autumn said, ignoring it. She shook her head, what reason would he have to be jealous? "The cleaners are on W 26th Street, just tell them you're picking up for Autumn Harris. Charge the company card. It should be a couple blouses, a pencil skirt, a little black dress, and an evening gown. I need you back here to file so go quickly."

"Alright, I'll be back," he said, setting the papers on her desk.

"Be safe, it's icy out there," she called, glancing up at the man.

"Don't worry, I will."

-

"I swear to god if that manuscript is not on my desk at 9AM tomorrow-"

"I promise it will be!" he sang, running out the meeting room door. The editor in chief sighed, rubbing her temples. She could already feel a headache coming on.

"And the rest of you know what you're doing?" She looked around, eyeing each of them as they nodded, shuffling papers back into their piles.

"On my desk by 4:30 please, I want to read them over before submitting tomorrow morning. That's all for today, nice work everyone." The woman sighed, gathering her things before moving from the conference room back to her office. Connor looked up from his filing, flashing her a smile.

"Hi," he greeted. "How was the meeting?"

"It was fine, I have a headache though, and it's not even 1:00PM."

"Want me to get you some ibuprofen with lunch?" He stood, neatly stacking the papers yet to be filed on the floor.

"Yes please, I'd like a grilled chicken sandwich with avocado, mozzarella, tomatoes, and spiced mayonnaise on a ciabatta roll. Just go to the cafe downstairs and ask for a chicken sandwich for me, they'll know how to make it. I'd like a side salad too, and a green juice. Your meals are covered by the company, so feel free to take a break and eat downstairs. You're also welcome to eat up here with me if you like."

"Okay, I think I'll bring it up here if that's alright," he glanced over, unsure.

"Perfectly fine."

-

"You can set those down on the table over there," Autumn said, setting her book down.

"Are you sure? I can file while I eat," he replied.

"Nonsense, I was always taught to break for meals, no matter how busy I was. Plus, we can get to know each other a little better." She made her way to the table in the corner of the spacious office, sinking into one of the chairs. Gesturing to the chair across from her, Autumn looked on expectantly as her assistant sat down.

"So," she said, picking up her sandwich. "Where are you from?"

"The suburbs, Evanston specifically. And you?" He took a bite of his pizza.

"Arlington Heights, nowhere terribly interesting. Not compared to the city at least."

"Do you ever miss it?" he asked, looking out the window at the city, buildings glistening in the afternoon sun.

"Sometimes," she answered. "There was this one Asian marketplace my mom would always take us to on the weekends if we were good. We'd get to have lunch in the food court and pick out a treat at the little bakery. She'd get groceries for the week while we looked at the bookstore. It was nice."

He smiled softly, "Sounds like it."

"So what brought you here? Working for me I mean."

"Well, I just finished my Master's in Communication over at UIC and I needed a better job than waiting tables at the Italian place off the Godfrey Hotel. I made great tips, but I needed something a little more... professional."

Autumn snorted. "Nothing says professional like personal assistant."

"Hey, it looks better than serving food to snobby rich people."

"This is true." She laughed, taking another bite of her sandwich.

"Plus, magazines are a form of communication. You're shaping people's minds and opinions through words and images. It's pretty cool if you think about it."

"Huh." They ate the rest of the meal in silence, only interrupted by the occasional comment.

-

"Okay, I'm done with filing. I still have a pile of folders that didn't fit in the drawer though," Connor called from across the room, shutting the filing cabinet.

"Alright, well that's good enough for today. I'll order new ones, those are getting old anyways. You can get your stuff and walk out with me, I still have a few things to go over with you before tomorrow," Autumn said, putting her laptop back in her bag, and grabbing her phone off the desk. She exited her office, Connor following dutifully.

"See you tomorrow Shannon," she called, waving as she went by the secretary's desk.

"Goodbye Ms. Harris."

-

Her heels clicked on the concrete as they crossed the parking garage. "So make sure you have my coffee on my desk by 8:00, but 7:45 is better because that's when I get in usually. Whether you'll be free after you leave the office depends on the night, sometimes I'll need you to run errands. I think that's it. Oh! And I need your phone number," she handed him a matte black iPhone into which he quickly typed his number.

"That's my cell, my apartment doesn't have a landline so I'll make sure I'm paying attention if you text," he replied, handing it back.

"Perfect. This is me, I'll text if I need anything and I'll see you tomorrow?" She stopped in front of a sleek black BMW, turning to look at her assistant.

"Of course."

"Good," she opened the door, tossing her bag in the passenger seat. "I assume you know how to get home from here?"

"Yep I'll be fine," Connor said, running a hand through his hair. She gave him a wave, starting the car and zooming off.

"Wow."