And Tuesday raced into Wednesday; the staff doubled in size over night, moving into a bigger suite on a higher floor. Ian took meetings and looked at contracts and weighed options. His staff brought him facts and figures, suggestions and ideas. By the time 5 PM rolled around Ian was exhausted, but exhilarated.
He spent the night looking over more contracts, demographics and ratings. He took notes, and forced him self to watch an episode of “Sebastian Manor”. He got on the Internet and read fan pages. He perused websites on Hollywood, pleased that most of the buzz about HRT seemed positive.
He sat on his back porch by the pool and distracted himself with conversations with Reece and Kellen, who came over when Ralphie suddenly appeared by the pool again. He chatted with Saxon on the phone, fine tuning details of Sunday night and then hauled him self up to bed, falling asleep surrounded by even more contracts, spread sheets and spec-scripts.
First thing Thursday morning, Ian said good morning to portraits that stared at him from the foyer of the lobby, asked the man behind the desk about his grandchildren as he signed in for the day, and dashed in the elevator just as the door was closing.
“Running a little behind schedule are we?” Came the knowing nasal tone in the other corner of the little box.
“Good morning, Kent.” Ian said as he hit the floor button. It lit up. “Crap.” He hit a second button.
“Can’t remember where you’re going, dear?” The wee little man tittered.
Ian turned to him and smiled. “I’ll have to stop and think for a few days before I hit that button. They’ve moved my office to a different floor. I’m so used to hitting ‘4’ by rote.”
Kent looked at the higher number. “Closer to the top, I see.”
“Much harder crash to the bottom.” Ian said with little emotion, just a fact.
“Yes.” They remained silent for a moment. “I don’t like you.” Simon Kent decided to announce.
“Don’t really care.” Ian said back.
The doors to his floor opened. The put his hand on the doors to hold them open, and turned to Kent. “I am truly sorry that you seem to think that I’m out to do whatever it is you seem positive I’m doing, but if you think the fact that one of the popular kids on the playground doesn’t like me is going to make me cry and stay off the monkey bars you’ve made a big mistake.”
Kent thought a moment. “Duly noted.”
“Look, in a few minutes, my team will have it’s morning power meeting. Why don’t you come join us? We could use the input of someone who’s been around awhile and would be able to give us a perspective that we probably haven’t thought of.”
The man smiled. “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer?”
“Kent, do you think I consider you my enemy?”
He grin got larger, “I would if I were you.”
Ian shook his finger at him releasing the elevator doors. “If I considered you my enemy, that would mean I acknowledge your right to exist in the universe...dear.”
The elevator doors shut on the shocked face on the little man in the little box.
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