Love’n’Lust

“Belle!” Brie called out, holding up a phone. Belle turned towards the sound of her name, waiting for Brie to cross the road and reach her. Curious, she wondered why her cousin was calling her.

“You forgot your phone,” Brie finally reached Belle, heavily panting.

“Oh my goodness, thank you,” Belle said, taking the phone and sliding it into her purse. She had been in a rush when she left their apartment, almost late for her first day as an intern at the Crisp-tv media house. After receiving a reply to her email last night, she had been informed that she needed to start work this morning.

“No thanks, you owe me one. I rushed through all those flights of stairs and across here, not just for a ‘thanks’,” Brie said, catching her breath.

“Are you serious?” Belle giggled.

“Don’t mind me. I just wanted to make sure I could reach you and see how your first day at work is going,” Brie said, laughing.

“My bus is here,” Belle waved at Brie.

“Good luck today!” Brie yelled, even though she knew her cousin might not hear her through the glass.

…

“Excuse me?” Belle stopped a man passing by as she entered the building. “Good morning, I’m new here, and…”

“New?” the man interrupted.

“Yes, I’m one of the new interns.”

“Then you shouldn’t be here. You should be on the first floor, helping the junior editors.”

“Thank you.”

“Yeah, welcome,” the man replied before walking away. Belle hurriedly made her way to the elevator.

When Belle arrived on the first floor, it was bustling with activity. Glass cubicles separated the mini-offices of the junior editors, and she could easily spot the interns running around, fetching things like water, coffee, and papers for the editors. Taking a deep breath, she realized this wasn’t quite what she had expected. She had hoped to assist with news printing or working on articles, not just running errands.

“You!” someone pointed at Belle, noticing she was standing idly.

“Me?”

“Yes, come here,” the person called, and Belle walked over.

“Yes?”

“I need you to take these stairs. Once you’re upstairs, there are three doors leading to our senior editors’ offices. Knock and walk into the second one. She needs an assistant right now.”

“But I’m not an assistant, I’m an intern, a new intern,” Belle clarified.

“Doesn’t matter. You’ll still be able to help her. Hurry up, she’s waiting,” the person responded before walking away.

Following the instructions, Belle hurried up the stairs and stood in front of the second office door. Gathering her composure, she knocked and heard a woman’s voice inviting her in.

“Good morning,” Belle greeted as she entered.

“Finally, what took him so long to find me someone?” the woman exclaimed, finishing the water that was previously on her neatly arranged desk. The desk had just a laptop and a few papers on it, suggesting that she had been working.

“Help me,” the woman smiled, handing Belle the plastic cup.

“Should I get more water?” Belle asked.

“Oh no, no, no. Just keep it on the dispenser,” the woman replied.

As Belle went to follow her instructions, she noticed a pile of papers on a smaller desk in the office, neatly arranged.

“What do I do now, Miss?” Belle asked politely.

“Mrs. Johnson, actually. But you could call me Laura,” the woman corrected her.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Mrs. Johnson,” Belle apologized.

“Don’t apologize. It was an honest mistake,” Laura smiled. “So, I’m going to be needing your help more often than you think. We’re going to need to set up an office here for you.” Belle looked around at the decently-sized office.

“I’m just an intern,” Belle said, feeling the need to clarify.

“Well, congratulations, honey. You’ve just been promoted. From now on, you’re my assistant, okay?” Laura said with a nod.

“Okay,” Belle nodded, her face lighting up with a genuine smile.

“We’ll share this office. I just need you to go through some of these papers and…” Laura paused, more focused on Belle than she was before. “Oh. My. God.”

“Is there a problem?” Belle asked, concerned, as her boss’s expression changed.

“No, no problem. This is good news,” Laura replied, excitement filling her voice.

“Good news?” Belle inquired.

“Yes, finally,” Laura said, her excitement growing.

“Finally, what?”

Laura’s expression turned sour. “I can’t interview him in my condition.”

“Condition?” Belle questioned again.

Her boss; Laura stood up from where she sat and saw that she was pregnant with a protruding stomach. She saw her go to the office bathroom and spit into the sink.

“I’m pregnant and I sometimes feel like throwing up and it’s okay for me to keep on working because my bathroom is just right there.” Laura pointed to the bathroom. “But I can’t go to the bathroom whenever I want if I’m in the middle of an interview with Mr Larkson, can I?”

“Mr. Larkson? Who is that?”

“You don’t know who Mr Larkson is?” Laura asked, surprised.

“No?”

“Mr. Larkson is a well-known figure, both here in City S and on a global scale. He’s a billionaire with a remarkable reputation,” Laura explained.

Belle’s eyes widened with understanding. “Oh, THE Mr. Larkson! I’ve heard about him, especially that he dislikes having his picture taken.”

Laura nodded, clearly impressed. “Yes, that’s him. I’ve been trying to arrange an interview with him for a long time, and now that he finally agreed, I find myself heavily pregnant.”

Belle looked apologetic. “I’m sorry to hear that, Laura. Is there any way you can send someone else to represent you? Given your condition, it might be challenging to handle the interview.”

Laura’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Belle, you just came up with a brilliant idea! I could indeed send someone to conduct the interview on my behalf. And luckily, you are here to help me with that.”

A smile spread across Belle’s face. “I’m glad I could be of assistance, Laura.” She didn’t understand what Laura meant by her last sentence till she spoke again.

Laura continued typing on her laptop, thinking through the logistics. “Belle, have you ever conducted an interview before?”

Belle felt a mix of surprise and excitement. “Me? Conduct an interview? I haven’t done it before, but I’ve always imagined how I would handle such a situation in my head.”

Laura looked at Belle, a glimmer of confidence and trust in her eyes. “How would you like to interview Mr. Larkson?”,