Jasper's Claim | Book One

Eleven

Song: Losing my Religion ~ Boyce Avenue Cover

Demi walked into her office on Monday morning a little tired. She'd spent the entire weekend shuttling between her apartment and Will's who wanted to spend every available free moment with her now that she'd given him the time of day.

It was in moments like these that she remembered why she'd been single for so long, she hated the work that came along with dating.

Setting her bag down, she quickly checked her face in her compact mirror to make sure she was ready to face the world and then began making a to do list for the week.

She was early, she realized as her colleagues began to straggle in and the open office space slowly began to bustle with noise and activity.

She said hello to the few people who passed by her table and reluctantly began to make her first call for the day, Mr Mathers.

Two minutes and a proposed date for a meeting later, she ended the call with a sigh of relief. She decided to immediately inform her supervisor/manager to confirm the date.

She knocked tentatively on his office door. The office she'd soon be occupying if everything went according to plan and she closed the current audit exercise off without a hitch.

Mr Ronin was a man in his fifties who'd worked for the firm for twenty eight years. He was planning to move to another city with his wife to set up a small tax practice, something she also aspired to do someday, after gaining the requisite experience and finances.

Mr Ronin had been an excellent mentor for her and everyone loved him at the firm. Everyone also thought she was too young to be taking on his role, but he'd made a case for her with the senior partners which was why she was currently under observation. She certainly owed a lot to him and didn't plan on letting him down.

'Sir,' she called out tentatively after knocking for a bit without a response. She opened the door and scanned the room finally locating him at a corner of his office, standing in front of a steel cabinet and shuffling through papers.

He looked up at her intrusion and smiled.

'Ah, Demi Rose, come in, come in, I was about to send for you.'

'Oh?' Demi walked in and shut the door behind her, 'I'm sorry to barge in Sir, I knocked several times...'

'Oh that's okay, Demi Rose, I have an open door policy anyway. The door should probably have been open.'

He laughed heartily at his own joke before taking his seat and gesturing for her to take a seat as well.

Demi cleared her throat and began her update on the Mathers' audit. He listened, nodding at intervals until she was done.

'Very good,' he said checking through his calendar. 'I'll inform the senior partner on this case and have Justin get in touch with them once we come to an agreement.'

Demi frowned, 'Justin, Sir?' she asked confused.

'Yes Justin. We'll need you to bring him up to speed on this audit, while you direct your attention to another client.'

Demi was still confused. 'Sir, I'm sure I can manage to attend to other clients while still wrapping this up. It's no trouble...'

'Demi Rose.' Mr Ronin said firmly cutting her off, 'We know how hard you've worked on this, you will still act as audit manager as far as the audit in general is concerned, but you'll need to leave the running around to someone else.'

He smiled at her and continued, 'Just like I did with you. It's all part of leadership, you can't do everything alone...having said that, there is a new client who has specifically requested you to serve as an external consult to his finance team.

Apparently, his chief accountant has just resigned and he wants us to work in the capacity of management consultant to his finance team. He'll brief you on the details as soon as you get there. It's a huge account for Vanderbilt and a testament to your good work.'

'T-Thank you sir,' Demi said softly almost inaudibly. They'd asked for her specifically?

'This is a good thing Demi Rose,' Mr Ronin repeated upon seeing her confused expression.

'Yes Sir...of course, I just...I'm not sure that I've met this client before and why they would request for me...'

Mr Ronin gave a huge sigh, dragging his hands down his face, 'Demi Rose, if there's one thing I've learned, it's to never look a gift horse in the mouth. Besides, you must've met them sometime while you were on assignment in New York, that's where their headquarters is, if not, then let's say you made a good impression on someone and this account is as a result of a referral...either way, take the job, say thank you, and go do what you do best, a good job!'

Demi nodded, smiling now. 'Yes Sir.'

'Good,' he nodded curtly, leaning back in his seat, 'your flight ticket's been booked, you leave in an hour. '

                            ~~~

Three hours later found Demi back in New York and checked into l'hotel Maximillian.

She had rushed home soon after her briefing with Mr Ronin, to pack a travelling bag and called Sophie on the way to the airport to inform her of her impromptu trip promising to speak to her later in the evening.

Her fingers had hovered over her keypad for a few moments as she contemplated calling William, but she decided against it. What they had was still new and for whatever reason, she didn't feel obliged to inform him about her whereabouts.

After settling in, she dialled her office to inform them of her arrival before calling the contact person at the phoenix group with whom she'd been asked to liaise with.

The lady on the other end, Elizabeth, answered on the second ring and informed Demi, after all preliminary introductions, that a car would be sent over to pick her up from her hotel.

Demi's protests, assuring the lady that she could just call a cab and be there in no time, was met with insistence at having her picked up.

                            ~~~

The phoenix group headquarters was a large industrial building of steel and glass with an elegant interior design.

Demi was met at the reception after a few minutes by the lady she'd spoken with on the phone, she was ushered into an elevator that whisked them both to the third floor reception area and asked to wait while the CEO finished a conference call.

There was no reception desk here, just a couple of comfortable leather couches, a large but fluffy looking center rug with a round glass center table.

Demi pondered upon the fact that usually she would have met with someone from finance who would brief her on what was expected from her firm. She, however, understood that under the circumstances, in which their Chief Accountant had unceremoniously resigned, the owner of the company wanted to brief her personally.

'Mr Taylor will see you now,' Elizabeth said smiling at her.

Elizabeth was an amiable redhead who looked to be in her mid thirties and married, going by the wedding band on her ring finger.

She ushered Demi down a carpeted hallway, stopping at a large oak door at the end. She gave a cursory knock and opened the heavy door.

'Mr Taylor? Ms White.' she said politely, addressing the man who sat at the large polished mahogany desk.
'Thank you, Elizabeth. Please hold all my calls.'

Demi stiffened at the door, she knew that voice! Wasn't this the voice she'd fantasized about many a night since her last trip here?

'Yes Sir.' Elizabeth responded, ushering Demi in and shutting the door behind her.

Demi stood awkwardly for a few seconds, her eyes narrowed on the man across from her, her breathing escalating at the thought that this could be...it couldn't be...could it?

He finally set his pen aside and looked up from the sheaf of papers at his desk.

Demi gasped and stumbled backwards.

'Miss White, please, have a seat.'