“Ugh, Sasha, you lucky bitch!” Jessica says, bouncing through the doorway.
I laugh. “Dramatic much?”
“What? I’m not being dramatic. I mean, look at this office!” She does a twirl, her hands hitting the wall.
My office is so small Jessica’s attempt at showing off only shows how cramped it is.
“Yeah, so glam,” I droll.
My over-excitable co-worker drops into the sole visitor chair. “Okay, so it’s small. But you have a window! They could have easily stuck you out there in cubicle land.” She uses her thumb to gesture out the door.
Cubicle land is currently empty of residents, but she’s absolutely right. I’m here as a short-term consultant and in the past that has rarely meant privacy. They could have stuck me in some temporary space, and I wouldn’t have complained. The fact that I got an office… With a desk. And a chair. And a closing door. And a flipping window. Is nothing short of amazing.
The building we’re currently sitting in is slated to open to the public next month. I’ve seen movers walking through the halls all day, carrying in furniture and boxes. The north corner of the building, where we are, houses the new headquarters for Mazzanti Enterprises. M.E. is an international corporation specializing in entertainment, real estate, security, and more that I’m still getting a grasp on.
Along with boasting the company’s new HQ, the new building houses a high-end hotel, three restaurants, several floors of commercial rental space, and a mini convention center. It’s impressive, high-end, and now – when M.E. wants to host an event – they can do the entire thing in-house.
The rest of employees will start to move in over the next few days. I was lucky to snag early access to get myself set up. Since I’m here as a public relations consultant, I’m stationed on the floor with M.E.’s own PR team. Some of them are new and some are employees that are moving here from other locations. I’ve had a chance to meet them all over Skype, so it should be a smooth transition for all of us.
Located downtown Minneapolis, my real office isn’t far from here. But, other than me, no one from our firm – Minnesota Relations – will be working out of the Mazzanti building. Even before we officially landed the job, Cheryl knew she wanted me on this project. I’ve worked with some tough clients before and this project is going to be an up-hill battle.
The trip to Vegas last month was actually my introduction to Mazzanti Enterprises. The hotel we had stayed at is owned by the group and it started to give me an idea as to the type of money M.E. has to play with. But we didn’t just go to Sin City to sight see. We went to get an understanding of how Mazzanti Enterprises runs and the challenges we’ll face.
“Seriously though, have you seen him yet? Mr. Sin?” Jessica wiggles her eyebrows and looks out into the hallway, like she might spot the man in question.
I roll my eyes. “It’s just a stupid nickname. It doesn’t mean that he’s hot, or sinfully delicious, or whatever ridiculous image is bouncing around in that head of yours.”
“Oh, come on. He has to be hot,” Jessica counters.
“Why? Because he’s rich? Have you taken a look at the Forbes list recently? Take the actors off and you’re left with a bunch of overweight, balding, misogynist assholes. Even if he’s decent looking, with a name like Mr. Sin, and a mobster family background, he’s definitely going to be trouble. Not to mention the fact that no single person needs such an ungodly amount of money. It’s disgusting.” I slump back in my chair. “This is going to be a PR nightmare.”
“Then it’s a good thing they hired the best PR agent in the whole damn city.” Jessica batts her lashes at me while she says this.
“Flattery will get you everywhere,” I chuckle. Jessica’s so damn peppy I can’t even fake a frown. “I don’t want to sound ungrateful for the visit, but what are you doing here?”
“Technically, I’m not here. If the boss lady asks, you never saw me.” Jessica winks as she stands. “I had to run over to see one of my clients, so I took a slight detour on the way back to check out your new digs. But if I want to get on the road before traffic hits, I gotta run.”
“Copy that. I never saw you.” I grin as I stand. Cheryl’s a good boss, but she can be a stickler for the rules. “I’ll walk your imaginary butt down to the lobby. It’d be good to stretch my legs a bit.”
Since there’s no one really in the office yet, I could’ve gotten away with wearing non-work clothes. But since I wanted to look decent in case I did run into anybody, I chose my favorite short sleeved black jersey dress. It’s knee length, stretchy, flattering, and comfortable. Perfect for a day of sitting at my new desk.
Jessica claps her hands. “Maybe we’ll run into Mr. Sin!”
I push her out the door. “The meeting tomorrow morning is the big reveal. There’s no way he’ll mess up the surprise by wandering around the building today.”
Jessica hums her agreement as we walk down the long hallway leading to the elevators. “I still can’t believe that they’ve kept this guy under wraps all these years. Like way under wraps. He runs the whole freaking company, and we don’t even have a freaking name! I mean we know he’s a part of the family, but that’s it.” Jessica says family with emphasis.
It’s not a secret that the Mazzantis got their fame and fortune through nefarious means. They’re well known in the world of organized crime, adding a whole new level to the word family. And a whole different complication to the public’s perception.
I sigh. “Story is that the business is completely legal now. And as far as I can tell, that’s true. So as long as Mr. Sin isn’t some giant sleaze ball, we might have a chance at pulling this off.”
Jessica throws her head back laughing. “Oh my god, Sasha. Only you would still use the term sleaze ball.”
Jessica’s laugh makes me grin. I’m used to working on site, but I’ll miss seeing her in the office.
I pat her shoulder as we approach the elevators. “Please feel free to secretly stop by as often as you want.”
