Page 5 of Perfect Night
“Great. We’ve made two offers and have three options for the last role. I wanna think about it over the weekend.”
“Are you feeling okay?” asked Sebastian. “You’re taking time to reflect?”
“What can I say, boss man? You must have taught me something in the last two months.”
They all laughed. It was amazing how they’d come together as a leadership team so quickly, having only opened the London office three months ago. That was why it was essential he got the general manager hire right. He couldn’t have someone come in and disrupt things. Startups were tough and often failed. The UK and Europe enterprise had the backing of a billion-dollar business behind it, but it had to stand on its own. If it wasn’t turning a profit within two years, Sebastian would pull the plug. He would make tough decisions if he had to.
The meeting carried on for the next forty minutes as they went through other hiring matters, operational issues and the clients they already had on board due to them having prior relationships in the US. It was new business, which was what the marketing campaign would support, and that social media strategy was one of the most creative things Sebastian had ever seen. If they had to find another marketing consultancy, itwould set them back weeks, but Sebastian wouldn’t work with a company which exploited their staff. It went against everything he stood for.
He wrapped up the meeting and said he’d see them in a couple of weeks, even though there’d be Zoom calls during the week. It wasn’t the same. When they were together, they could share things as they came up, not at a prearranged time. Sebastian was all in favour of hybrid working, but found with startups it could be a hinderance. The rest of the team headed home, and he made his way back to his office to pack up.
His phone rang with a video call from Bex. He sat down on the sofa in his office before answering. The screen filled with the excited faces of his two nieces, Hayley and Jessica. Twins ran in the family.
“Hello, my angels.”
“Uncle Sebastian!” they cried in unison.
“When you coming home?” asked Jessica.
“I’ll be home on Sunday.”
“Will you come and see us?”
“Of course.”
“Have you got us a present?”
“Jessica!” scolded Bex, as she took the phone from them and appeared on screen. “How’s it going, baby brother?”
He rolled his eyes. She was twenty minutes older than him and there hadn’t been a day in his life when she hadn’t reminded him. Unlike Sebastian, who had bulked up in school by playing American football, his sister had been a swimmer and maintained a lean figure.
“I’m looking forward to getting home. It’s been an eventful week, but in a good way. I’m getting too old for all this travelling. We need that GM, so I don’t need to keep doing all this back-and-forth.”
“Well, we don’t want another situation like what happened with the LA office, do we?”
Sebastian groaned, running his hand over his face. He didn’t want to be reminded of the disaster they’d had with the LA office. He’d had to spend months there fixing it.
“What are you up to tonight?” she asked.
“I’m meeting Patrick tomorrow, so I’ll take it easy at the hotel. Indulge in some room service. I’ve had enough dinners out this week.”
“When did you last get laid?”
“Rebecca!” he whispered, horrified.
“Relax, they aren’t in the room. So, answer the question.”
Sebastian thought for a second.
“If you’re thinking about it,” she said, “it’s been too long. Be old-fashioned and head to a bar tonight. See if you can pick up a treat. It’ll relax you for the flight. We don’t want grumpy Sebastian here for Sunday dinner.”
“Why are you so obsessed with my sex life?”
“Well, we can talk about mine if you prefer? Martin did just buy a new –”
“Absolutely not. Please do not finish that sentence.”
“This is why you’re still a Brit at heart. You’re a massive prude.”
