Page 11 of The Thorne at My Side
All the past speech writers or campaign managers I’ve met are old white guys so it’s interesting that Maggie Collins has made her way in this space. I guess with a female candidate it’s more likely. I don’t want that to sound misogynistic, it’s just how the world of politics works. It’s an old mens club.
Maybe Maggie is a college or law school friend of the senator’s. Maybe she pulled her up to the big leagues when she got the lead in the primaries. The poster says this event is co-hosted with a Sam Gibson, who I haven’t heard of, but I’d bet money he’s an old white guy.
It starts in a fewminutes so we head inside and I find a spot along the back wall. There is chatter throughout the room as the kids around the table settle in. I would not consider myself old by any stretch of the imagination but being in a room with 20 year olds makes me feel ancient. When the room quiets down, I look up from my phone.
My world stutters to a halt and proceeds like a stop motion film. I watch, unblinking, as the most beautiful woman I've ever seen strides into the room. Her blonde hair shines around her face like a halo and I am hypnotized by the movement of her hand as she tucks one loose strand behind her ear. The rest of her hair is pulled back at the base of her head. Sleek, proper, and super fucking sexy.
She bends slightly to set a stack of notepads on the table and I get a peek at the perfect bubble of her ass under the pair of wide leg pants that fall from her hips like a waterfall.
Her piercing blue eyes start to scan the room as she begins her presentation. I don't hear the words she's speaking, all I can focus on is the pink heart shape of her lips as they move. And I start to devise ways to taste them.
I subtly check that my suit is in place. A quick little tug on my shirt sleeve confirms that, yes, it is still tailored to perfection by the team at Hugo Boss themselves. I check that my shoes are scuff free and I pass my fingers over my mouth and jaw to make sure everything is in order. The final piece is adjusting my glasses on my face so she is in perfect focus.
It has been a long time since I’ve seen a woman I want to impress. She hasn’t paid me any extra attention, in fact she seems to be avoiding eye contact with me. I hope that means she is flustered by me.
On instinct I scan the room again to make sure that none of these dweeby post-teens pose an actual threat. None detected.They’re all wearing suits that are just a little too big or too small and their hair is a half inch on the long side. The young women in the room are glued to Maggie’s words and she seems to spare them a few more eye contact moments than the guys.
I am wholly focused on the visual of Maggie. I don’t process a word she says because I am thinking of the different ways I want to have her and where I would start. She seems like the type that likes to ride on top but I’d like to see her bent over with me holding her wrists behind her back.
"So, to answer your question, no, the Thorne announcement doesn’t worry me."
My attention snaps and I try to piece together what she might have been saying at the start of that sentence, or even if there was a question before it. The intern standing to my left, Matt,looks at me and I give a quick shake of my head. She didn't look at me when she called out Thorne so there's a chance she doesn't know who I am. My dad is still primarily the face of the company and since I've been focused on the AI Media project for the last three years I haven't been making appearances for the company besides at our private holiday parties and fundraisers.
"Thank you everyone for coming today, if you want to grab a business card on your way out you can email me and my team for anything. Networking is the way of the world in D.C. so it's best to start getting comfortable introducing yourself to strangers!"
She laughs a little and I feel the sound in my chest. It settles there and then slowly radiates through me like rays of sunshine.
The room starts to come back to life as twenty-somethings filter out, take cards, and shake her hand. I hang back to be one of the last ones out and hopefully catch a minute of her time so I can introduce myself. Not sure how I'll handle it when she learns my last name but I'll cross that bridge when I get there. I’m good in apinch.
"Oh that's really exciting," she says to Annabel who just said she's in the editorial division at Thorne for this semester. "News magazines and news production is serious and important work. It's wonderful to see that Thorne is also investing in people, not just algorithms."
I step up and Annabel gets the clue to leave. The stunning blonde turns her sapphire blue eyes at me and extends her hand.
"Maggie Collins, thanks for coming to the workshop."
"Hi Maggie, I'm Austin, thanks so much for putting it together."
We're the last two in the room so I step back as she starts to gather up her papers. "I noticed you weren't really engaged with the discussion today." She says as she stands back up and meets my eye.
"I'll admit I was more interested in the woman leading the discussion," I take a step forward, clearly on the prowl, and instead of flirting back or giving me bedroom eyes of her own, she pauses and then snorts out a laugh. I straighten and nervously rake my hand through my hair. That is not the reaction I was expecting and I’m unsure what to do next.
"Sorry. I'm sorry.” She says as she gathers herself. “That's just such an awful line!” She presses a hand into my chest as if to give my heart a condescending pat on the head. Instead of making me feel chastised, a current of electricity shoots through my body. I want to pile my own hand on top of it and trap her there to keep the energy flowing. “I run a successful political communications team and my looks aren't a part of that skill set. I'd much rather be known for my body of work."
"Fair enough," I smile as I stick a hand in my pocket. I hear her, I do, and if she caught the attention of my research team thenher body of work must be as impressive as her figure. "I do recall you saying you weren't worried about the Thorne announcement today, is that true?"
"Of course it's true. I know this is D.C. but I'm not in the habit of lying to a group of people. Sure it'll be an adjustment but there's no way a computer can replicate what I do."
I'll admit one of our selling points is the potential for staff reductions but when I'm staring in the face of a beautiful woman who might lose her job because of mine, it hits differently.
"Is there anything else? I need to get back to work," she says with a quick glance over my shoulder. I turn and the other woman from the presentation is standing behind me. Her eyes snap up to my face after clearly enjoying the fruits of leg day.
"Oh, no, I'm good. Thanks again," I pick up one of her business cards. It's thick with a QR code embossed on one side, her name clearly printed on the other. "These are nice."
I swipe the card against my palm and I take a step backwards towards the door. "Consider this goodbye for now." I say as I step past her coworker and out to the hallway where the interns are waiting for me.
We head back to the office where I'm able to put the beautiful blonde, Maggie Collins, out of my mind while I handle change orders and an afternoon stand-up meeting. However, she floats back into my thoughts as I step into the car on my way to the podcast recording.
As we pull into traffic I search her name in AI Media’s database and the first return is her headshot paired with an article written by TMC’s top competitor, The Chronicle.
