"There are plenty of people here that we could get involved right away,” I explained.
"This expansion is too important to have any sort of delay. Natalie is somewhat aware of it. She could at least get going, even if she doesn't intend to make this a career,” Ryan prattled on.
I scanned the table at my brothers hoping they would support me, but clearly they didn't care one way or the other.
"Gran put us in charge of each of our departments because we are the best at what we do. I am the head of marketing in this company and I would hope that you would all trust me that Natalie is not the best choice for this job."
"You just want to fuck her, don't you?" Noah finally spoke from his end of the table. “Not that I blame you, she’s hot.”
I shot him a deadly glare. Even though he wasn't wrong.
"Of course, the business has a rule about no fucking the staff, so if that's the case then he can't hire Natalie because if he did, then he couldn’t sleep with her."
Although I didn't like that logic very much. He wasn't wrong, and if it helped me get my way, I would go w
ith it. I wouldn’t admit it out loud, but I did give a curt nod.
"Then again, that didn't stop Ryan from fucking his assistant, so maybe the rules are more like guidelines,” Noah finished.
I glared at him, hating that he was always such a smartass.
"I wish you'd grow up," I said to him. Regathering my thoughts, I decided to go with a new tactic before my other brother started asking me if I really did want to fuck Natalie. "The thing is, hiring Natalie would look like we weren’t fair in our hiring practices. It would look like nepotism."
Noah let out a loud laugh. "Look around brother. We are all here because of nepotism."
Dammit. Of course, he was right. We were all in our positions at the company because our grandmother had put us in them.
Not one to give up, I continued on. "She's only family by marriage. She's Ryan's sister-in-law."
Ryan's eyes darkened. "That makes her family."
The tension between Ryan and I grew tighter, thicker, but as I looked at my other brothers, they remained indifferent.
Ryan sat back and his shoulders relaxed a little bit as he rolled them. "Listen, it is your department. You do have to make the decision. All I ask is that you interview her."
"Why? Will your wife withhold bedroom games if I don't?" I knew it was an asshole thing to say but I was feeling ganged up on. I felt like he deserved it.
"No, because Kellie is a nice person, unlike some people at this table. But it is true that Natalie is family and the one thing that has always been important in this company is family. So, give her a fucking chance and if she doesn't work out, fine. But give her the chance." Ryan stood. “Now I have other work to do." He strode toward the door. My other brothers shrugged and stood to follow him out.
As Ryan reached the door he turned back and said, "And if that thing about you wanting to fuck her is true, don’t.”
So that's how a couple days later I was waiting at my desk for Natalie to show up for an interview. When my secretary intercomed me to tell me that Natalie was here, I stood straightening my tie and my jacket as I reminded myself that I didn't actually have to hire her. I only had to interview her.
I came around my desk so that I could greet her when she came in. The door opened and she stepped in, and immediately I wished I'd stayed behind my desk as all the blood in my body ran straight down to my groin. She had been a looker in Thailand, but now standing with me alone in my office, she was even more stunning than I remembered.
Her dress was classically cut, but it still had all the wild colors she was known for. Her soft curls were combed in a way that made me think of 1950s pinup girls. Like Marilyn Monroe but with lavender hair instead of platinum blonde.
She plastered on a smile and extended her hand. "Hello Hunter, I'm not sure if you remember me. I'm Natalie Nichols."
"Yes, I remember you." I had a moment to worry that my tone sounded more lecherous than friendly. I thrust out my hand to shake hers. Her hand was small compared to mine, and warm and soft, and again I had sensations in places that I shouldn't have been having them. So, I extracted my hand and motioned for her to sit as I quickly went behind my desk and sat in my chair.
"Why don't you tell me a little bit about what interests you in this job." It wasn't my usual lead off question, but I figured if I was right, and this wasn't really a career move for her, it would give me a chance to eliminate her.
She sported a small smirk on her face but then answered, "I like telling stories with art."
I sat back intrigued by that idea. Indeed, marketing was partly storytelling, as well as persuasive, psychological manipulation. But what better way to target heartstrings or to access people's innermost wants and needs, than through a story.
We chatted a bit longer and then I decided we should get down to the brass tacks. How would she do with this campaign that Ryan insisted needed to be the best of all time? I pulled out the mock-ups that Liz and her team had already prepared for the European expansion, and handed them to Natalie.