Page 30 of Perfect Night
“Sure.”
They spent the next fifteen minutes going through different product profiles. They were all in property, but the target markets were different. Some were high-value homes, others commercial properties such as offices and retail parks. There was even a power station. Charlie gave his honest opinion about what he thought would work. He’d need more data and research to give a definitive proposal, but Candice had suggested he go with his gut. She glanced at her watch and put the portfolio away.
“I’ve heard enough. Charlie, I’d like to offer you a job.”
“What?” He wasn’t sure what to say. “As part of the social media team?”
She shook her head. “No, I want you to head up the team and build it from scratch.”
Charlie’s jaw hit the floor. She had to be taking the piss.
“But . . . but . . . I’ve never led a team before.”
“You’ve got the instinct for this stuff, Charlie. The rest you can learn as you go, with my help. I want you on my team. Look, I know it’s a lot to take in and I’m not gonna rush you.”
She stood up, opened her bag and pulled out a document, folded it up and handed it over to him.
“What’s this?”
“An offer. I had it prepared in case this chat went well. Just give it some thought over the weekend and call me on Monday. I’m happy to chat about it again. You can come in and meet some of the other people in the team before you decide. And, Charlie?”
He looked up at her from the document.
“That’s an opening offer. I would expect you to negotiate. Speak soon.”
And with that, she was gone.
Charlie opened the document and nearly fell off his seat. She was offering him a six-figure salary. That was four times what he was on now, and the benefits package was insane. There was even a bonus, something he’d never had in his current job. He just kept looking at the numbers, trying to get his head around it. He’d come into this meeting to be polite, and now he wasn’t sure what to do. His phone pinged.
Sebastian:Sorry to hassle you, but let me know about the food. I want to book us someplace special for our date xx.
Charlie read the message again and flashed with anger. This was all Sebastian’s doing. He wasn’t worth a six-figure salary. Candice was just the messenger and had been told to offer him the job. He’d obviously looked at Charlie and seen him as someone pathetic who couldn’t look after himself. Was the job even real, or did Sebastian just want Charlie in his office for whenever he was in town, like some well-paid booty call? Why was he even doing this? Charlie needed to have it out with him, but he needed to calm down first. He didn’t want to do it in a public place, so he had to speak to Sebastian before their date and, as intimidating as it felt, it was something he had to do in person.
CHAPTER 10
SEBASTIAN
It was only Thursday and Sebastian could barely concentrate. He was so excited about his date on Saturday. He wasn’t sure why he’d regressed into a teenage boy with raging hormones, but he was on board with it. There were many things they could do, but to be blunt, he just wanted to impress Charlie, and get that smile again.
Before all that, he had to deal with interviews for the general manager position. They had exciting expansion plans over the next few years and needed someone who could lead a company through rapid growth across new territories and still be an inspirational leader to the rest of the team. For Sebastian, he’d pick someone with leadership skills over technical ones any day, especially at this level. If a leader was confident enough in their team, and led them properly, they didn’t need to know everything. Sebastian had people working for him who knew parts of the business far better than he ever would, and he wasn’t threatened by it at all. The new GM needed to have a similar mindset.
The first interview of the day was a bust. A nice enough woman, but she didn’t come across as hungry, in the sense that she wouldn’t go above and beyond. To Sebastian, it wasn’t aboutworking excessive hours, but thinking beyond the here and now, with one eye always on the future.
Their second candidate was a guy called Ford Edwards. He was from the US but had been living in the UK for the past ten years. He’d built a solid reputation in the industry.
Sebastian was called to confirm Ford was waiting for him in the boardroom. The plan was for Sebastian to have these initial chats with the candidates put forward by the headhunter and, if suitable, Candice, Trent, and Colin would interview them. If the new GM was going to be their boss, involving the leadership team in the hiring process was essential.
Ford was looking out the window when Sebastian entered. The guy was stunningly good looking and looked like he’d walked off a Paris runway. It explained why the receptionist had been a little giggly when she’d called to say Ford was here.
“Mr Steele, good to meet you.”
“Call me Sebastian, please.”
They shook hands. Ford held intense eye contact. He had vivid green eyes, which Sebastian could hardly believe were real. He had a feeling this guy knew how good looking he was, and even though he had a wife and kids, he knew how to charm anyone – which could be a potential benefit, and a nightmare.
Sebastian gestured for him to sit and checked if he wanted anything to drink. He poured them both a water and started with some idle chitchat about the journey. Once they were settled, Sebastian dove straight in.
“Ford, tell me why you want this job.”
