Chapter - 9
The group of rich, self-proclaimed 'gardeners,' had ganged up on him, their bodies forming a tight circle around him. Ethan was outnumbered, almost ten to one. He instinctively braced himself for a fight. Was it the case of sour grapes?
But inside this building, what can they actually do? Adjusting his collar, he tried to keep his voice steady, "Is there something you guys want?"
One of the men, who looked in his early thirties, stepped forward. "Boy," the man began to speak, his voice low and authoritative, "Do you know who I am? Who we are? He asked, raising his eyebrow.
Ethan's eyes darted around the circle, not sure how to answer it.
"Listen to me, boy..." the man continued, closing the distance between them. He reached out and grabbed Ethan's palm.
Feeling the touch of the man, an involuntary shiver went down Ethan's spine
'No... Please don't... Not like this… I knew I was too pretty for this wretched world,' he cried out in the silence of his own head. He had seen too many of those guys, aiming for a hole in one.
Then he felt something slide into his palm. It was small, stiff, and rectangular. He slowly opened his eyes, his confusion overriding his fear.
He looked down and in his hand was a business card. Ethan looked and it read Damien White, General Manager, Crest Holdings Intl. He looked up at the man, who simply gave him a slick, reassuring wink.
Before he could process it, another card was pressed into his hand. And another. And another. In a matter of seconds, his palm was full of a dozen or so cards. And as he looked at them they were all either General managers, Operational managers, the finance guys, or the Sales head. Every one of them was among the senior or mid level of the management of big money making companies.
Yet all of them were here for a normal, low paying Public relations job? These guys were actually serious about the "Harem garden". They were just here to scout their next target.
When Damien looked at the confused and baffled expression on Ethan's face, he smiled.
"Look, boy," Damien spoke, slinging his heavy arm around Ethan's shoulders, "Everyone here is a big deal in their own field. We run things. So why do you think we are all here, sweating it out in this measly job interview?"
Ethan just raised his eyebrows, silently urging him to continue.
Damien's grin widened, "Girls, man... Girls. Why else?"
"All of us are here for the women. This company is a garden full of beautiful flowers, just waiting to be plucked."
Ethan already knew it, "So... what do you want from me?" he asked, his voice flat.
"What else?" Damien boomed, squeezing Ethan's shoulder, "We want you to be our inside man!"
"Hook us up! Introduce us to your lovely new colleagues as your 'close friends.' Bring them to the parties we throw. You will be our ambassador of fun!"
"And in exchange,"
Damien leaned in closer, "Anytime you are in trouble, if you have any problem at all."
"You just ring one of these numbers, and we will make it go away. Ain't that right, boys?"
"Yeah!"
"Absolutely, my man!"
"You got it!"
Those around Ethan were quick to agree with Damien.
"It's what we call Friends with Benefits,"Hearing that enthusiast group, Damien turned back to Ethan, his eyes gleaming with pride, "So, now where do you stand, MY BOY?"
Ethan looked at the dozen eager faces looking at him, "I don't think..." he started, there was reluctance in his voice.
"Hmmm?" Damien's smile tightened, and his fingers dug into Ethan's shoulder.
"... I have a reason to refuse such a generous offer," Ethan finished smoothly, his tone shifting to one of polite consideration. Refusing was not an option.
"I will try my best to be the ambassador."
"My man! My man!" Damien roared with laughter, patting him on the back, "Now that's what I am fuckin' talkin' about! I knew you were our guy."
"I knew we could count on you."
"Now give me your number, I am adding you to our group chat."
"It's 1701…"
"But what kind of group is it?" Ethan asked curiously.
"Ah, it's just a little club of ours, we call it 'The Lions' Den'"
"Now you better be useful, or else..." Damien let the threat hang in the air with a final, predatory smile.
"But what if I don't get the job? There's still the interview," Ethan pointed out.
"We will worry about that later. Now hurry up, or you are going to be late," After Damien had tapped Ethan's number into his phone, the guys around him made way for him.
As Ethan stepped out of the room, he saw one of the assistants waiting for him, her arms crossed.
"You are finally done making friends," she said, then turned to leave. "Let's go."
"I am sorry, I was..." Ethan wanted to explain, but stopped himself. How could he possibly explain what just happened?
But the assistant was well aware of everything. She glanced over her shoulder, "It's alright. It happens all the time," she said, "You couldn't have escaped from them any faster."
Hearing the assistant, Ethan could only smile in embarrassment. She most likely heard them. And she knew it all.
After that, Ethan followed her in silence down the hallway to another, smaller waiting room where Sarah, and that other girl were already seated.
"You will be called inside one by one," the assistant explained. "You can relax until then. Help yourselves to some drinks."
And then she left, and a moment later, a man arrived with a tray of iced tea and coffee.
"Sarah Allison," a voice called from a closed door. Sarah stood up, smoothed her skirt, and walked in.
She was gone for fifteen minutes. Then it was Emily's turn. Ethan was last. He sat in the silent room, the weight of the dozen business cards in his pocket feeling heavier than lead, his mind a battlefield of conflicting thoughts. The final barrier was just on the other side of that door.
After what felt like an eternity, the door opened. A calm, authoritative voice called out his name.
"Ethan."