Kissing Mr. Bradley

Chapter 8

A few weeks had passed.

I was beginning to prove myself to be an efficient part of Bradley & Sons. In the past week I had accompanied Ethan on several property showings since the Humphrey's. I sold mansions and large stretches of land to wealthy prospects like the Crenshaw's and the Mulholland's who wished to work with me again in the near future. I sold homes without negotiating and this made Ethan at his happiest. Everything seemed to be going well until the unexpected conference meeting.

It was after work hours when Ethan called his agents to the conference room for a quick meeting. I had a feeling it was about the suspicious threats against successful businesses around the city. The threat broke every late night news headline and it was beginning to spread like wildfire. Businesses were being temporarily shut down and the personal information of some of the most prosperous businessmen and women were leaked for all to access. Some even went into hiding for their own protection and safety.

In the conference room, several conversations were happening all at once over the topic. The voices blurred together, making it difficult to decipher the truth from a rumor and there were more questions than answers.

I spotted Ezra and Bronwyn. They were standing close by, observing the room and staying to themselves.

When Ethan walked in with his security on hand, the entire room fell silent. The whispers died down and Ethan took to the podium with Ezra and Bronwyn standing on either side of him. If I admired anything about the Bradley's, it would be the fact that they always stuck together, no matter what.

Ethan took the first few minutes to address a few of his agents and their accomplishments in the past week. When Ethan mentioned my name, I wasn't expecting the acknowledgement and neither did the Bradley twins. Ezra clapped, applauding me for a job well done at selling properties while Bronwyn pretended to care.

"Ms. Hastings has one of the best streaks right now," Ethan informed everyone. "I'm glad she was willing to take a chance with Bradley & Sons. Let's keep the numbers going."

A round of applause filled the space. Bronwyn gave in to the pressure. In a cold and condescending way, she showed her acceptance of my work with a few slow claps.

"Thank you," I mouthed to Ethan.

Ethan became serious again and so did the atmosphere of the conference room. Even Maudie stood near the door with a worried look as she bit her fingernails. She was already so skittish about the Bradley events I could only imagine how she was feeling at the moment about the business.

"As you know," Ethan started. "Our business is in a dire situation."

He used certain keywords that brought a great deal of anxiety to everyone. There were a few gasps and several exasperated sighs as he spoke.

Threat. Anonymous. Crime.

The words were scary and uncomfortable but Ethan didn't spare us the details.

One of the agents spoke up. "What can we do to protect ourselves, boss?"

"Right now," Ethan said, choosing his words wisely. "Secure all emails and passwords to your personal accounts, bank accounts and any vital piece of information that needs to be protected. I will take care of the rest."

"What about our home addresses?" another agent added. "We can't just get up and leave. Some of us have families here, Mr. Bradley. If these people find out where we live..."

Ethan held up his hands in defense. "We're taking extreme precautions," he said. "The last thing I want is to jeopardize the safety of our families."

The agent continued. "This is our family you're talking about!" he shouted. "These people have access to our kids' schools and our livelihood. I don't want my wife to live in fear every time she steps out of the house. The only reasonable plan is to relocate and I can't do that!"

"No one has to uproot their lives," Ezra stepped in. "Luckily, it hasn't gotten to that point. Let's not get ahead of ourselves here."

"Who is behind all of this?" someone else asked. "Do you know?"

"I wish I knew," Ethan replied. "All we can do is protect ourselves and this business in the best possible way."

An uproar of questions filled the room. When Ethan became overwhelmed, he stepped down from the podium and Ezra took over.

I followed Ethan back to his office.

He stood by the window with both hands in the pockets of his slacks. I stood beside him, watching life continue below us.

"It's a nice view, isn't it?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yes it is."

"Enjoy the moment, Ms. Hastings."

I didn't know how to enjoy the moment when there was so much happening at the workplace.

"Thank you for accepting me here," I said. "It feels nice to be seen for my work."

"You sold a house to the Humphrey's," he reminded me. "You made it seem too easy."

"I'm sure it was the unexpected price cut," I told him. "Sorry again about that."

He shrugged. "I have bigger things to worry about."

We stayed where we were for quite some time until the agents began filing out of the conference room.

"I will see you tomorrow," I said quickly.

Ethan took my arm, pulling me back to his side.

"Hold on," he said. "I want to ask you something."

He took a moment to himself. He processed in his mind what he was going to ask me. A series of questions raced through my own mind and I wondered what more he wanted to say.

He began to talk about the property showing with the Humphrey's and continued praising my work on selling the home as if I hadn't heard it enough times already, despite disregarding his wishes to not get involved with his clients.

"I get it," I said. "I'll continue to stay behind the scenes."

"Oh, no," he stopped me. "What you did was brave. You were willing to take a risk."

His words were very telling and I wondered if a possible promotion was closer than I thought. I tried not to get my hopes up, just in case it turned out to be the complete opposite.

"That's good," I said. "I will take more risks in the future."

"The Humphrey's asked about you," he continued. "I'm meeting them for dinner tonight. Would you care to join us?"

"I'll have to check my schedule," I replied. "Is there anything else you want to ask me?"

He fixed his tie. "Actually, there is."

I knew it. I thought.

"Oh," I responded.

"I know I'm being forward," he continued. "And I really hope I don't wake up tomorrow morning and regret this but I'd like to promote you."

Jackpot!

"Are you serious?"

"You proved to be beneficial to the business, Saffron," he said. "If you're still interested in the position of a personal assistant, just say the word."

The excitement grew inside of me.

"I am interested."

I shook his hand and it was gentle this time. He held my hand in his as if I was fragile and stared down at me with soft eyes.

"You definitely earned it," he said. "Congratulations."

I was still holding onto his hand.

I quickly slipped it out of his and let it drop to my side.

Ethan put his hands back in his pockets.

"Thank you, Mr. Bradley," I said. "I better let Maudie know that today will be my last day behind the desk."

"Very well," he called out as I turned to leave. "I'm looking forward to working with you, Ms. Hastings. I'm sure we'll make a great team."