HANNAH
That voice. Again.
Suddenly her throat was dry, very dry.
She quickly turned her head to the person standing at the bar with wide eyes. How long had she been there listening to their conversation?
Carmen was absolutely stunning in her pantsuit, Jules hadn't lied. It had to have been tailored to her exact measurements, because it was a perfect fit, hugging her curves as if she had been born with it on.
In a very light, airy voice Hannah let out a small, "hi."
With a charming smile similar to a car salesman, Carmen said, "Miss Nelson."
So impeccably formal. It felt strange.
Hannah looked around and saw that no one else was with her. She came here alone. "Small world."
Carmen hummed as she took a sip of the water Rhonda offered her.
Rhonda's eyes darted from Carmen to Hannah before she winked. Hannah scrunched her face at her and waved her away. She didn't need this kind of torment.
What did she do to deserve this anyway? And, why the hell couldn't she function like a normal person. Have one night with someone and not have it implode around her. Is that so difficult to ask? The one time she fools around with a stranger, where she believed she would never see them again, they end up being her boss. And not even just the boss, she ends up being the boss of everybody - the boss' boss.
"Miss Nelson, I believe we need to have a chat."
Hannah nodded to the table she had all of her things strewn across, and Carmen followed. And she cocked her head at the sight. "Do you frequent bars in the middle of your work day often?"
Hannah chuckled slightly while she put the unnecessary items back into her bag. "Well, this is work. So, it's probably not what you're thinking."
"And what would I be thinking?"
"Well, it almost sounded like you thought I was drinking on the job." Hannah saw her eyes dart to the half full glass of sweet tea on the table. "Sweet tea."
Carmen raised an eyebrow.
"Honest. I don't generally day drink to begin with – at least not anymore. But, I mean if you don't believe me, go and ask Rhonda, or take a sip yourself." Hannah stuck a thumb out to point back at the bar where Rhonda was watching the two of them like a hawk. And, really, they've already done more than swap spit with one another, so tasting her drink wouldn't be too outrageous at this point.
Carmen didn't say anything. Her face was so hard to read, as if she had taken the time to learn how to mask her feelings.
"So," Hannah started, and Carmen turned to look at her. Her gaze made Hannah feel like every aspect of herself was being judged meticulously. From her hair, to her makeup, to her outfit, to how she was standing. "How come you are at a bar in the middle of the work day? "
Carmen lifted her chin. "Miss Nelson."
"You can call me Hannah."
"We are not on a first name basis." her voice was very low and raspy.
"O-okay." Hannah gave a quick nod. "Only a suggestion, for the simple fact that it reminds me of my mother. Not because I believe we are on a first name basis."
"No matter what you may think, my name is on all of the letterheads for this company and that will never change." Hannah frowned. "I will not have someone like you ruin my chances here - no matter if people have told me you are good at your job."
'Ruin my chances,' what does that even mean? "I'm sorry? What are we talking about exactly?"
"Let me make myself perfectly clear, Miss Nelson, as it seems you can't even follow a simple outline or direction-."
"Follow directions?" Hannah crossed her arms.
"I do not appreciate being cut off. But, as I said, you seem to have difficulty following any type of guidelines, so I am going to make my point very clear. Whatever happened at that wedding - didn't." Hannah's brow rose. "And if it is mentioned to anyone, I will report you. It won't be pretty, but it will be quick and efficient."
"Report me? What are you saying, that you're going to fire me?" God, she felt like all she kept doing was repeating Carmen's words in question format.
Hannah watched as Carmen took a long inhale before releasing the air. She probably realized the repetitive words being asked back at her. Another thing she most likely did not approve of either. "I will do what is necessary for the company. I will not have you in my way during this consolidation."
"Miss Mills, I don't know who you think I am, but- I..." Hannah couldn't find the words. There's no way she could lose this job. What would she do if she fired her on the spot?
"But what, Miss Nelson? Because we need to be completely honest here. If I would have known who you were and the job that you had, nothing would have happened."
She might be nervous, but she'd be damned if she would let her voice squeak. "Yeah. Neither of us knew who the other was. I get it, I work for you now. I see that we made a mistake."
"A mistake? It was a complete lack of judgment on your part."
"I- obviously. Wait, my part? Do you think that I go around sleeping with people, and having one night stands on a regular basis? I had no idea who you were." They were both adults. She made adult decisions every day. She was a mother for crying out loud. Making hard decisions was part of her repertoire by now.
Carmen raised a brow, testing her.
"You- you really think that I..."
"I don't presume to know anything about how you spend your time. But, if I learn that you use your body to scout talent or get promotions, I will personally see to it that it no longer continues. I see how that band is looking at you."
"What?" Hannah's voice rose a few octaves.
Carmen shot Hannah a look that said she didn't believe her one bit.
"I thought you said I was good at my job."
"I can't presume to know anything, Miss Nelson. Which is why I showed up unannounced. I wanted to get a clear picture of how you handle yourself at work."
Hannah's jaw dropped. She couldn't tell if she was about to cry from embarrassment or from anger. Maybe it was both. She always ended up crying when she was severely upset. It was a character flaw she hated about herself; always crying when she was angry or frustrated. The sad tears though, took a lot of convincing.
Never in her life had she been accused of sleeping her way to the top. Hell, she had never even been accused of sleeping around at all, not once in her life. Friends used to make fun of her for being such a habitual dater, always in relationships and never single long enough to have any fun and enjoy it.
She couldn't help it, she was always finding people that fit well with her.
"I've made revisions and have gone over every single position in this office. If you were smart, you would keep your head down and reread your job description. I have begun my shadowing portion, and will be going over all jobs here. Changes have and will continue to be made. So I suggest you pay attention and stay out of my way."
"Strictly business. Got it." Hannah said concisely. "Are we done here?" Carmen's brow flew up. "I have paperwork I need to give this band, and if I don't, I think the boss might find that a fireable offense." She was well aware that her facial expression was one that was not amused in the slightest.
Carmen smirked and Hannah couldn't tell if it was out of delight for pushing back, or that she would in fact find it a fireable offense if she were to walk out of the place that second. It was as if people traditionally backed down and refused to reflect that same attitude in return. They probably never even argued with her. Most likely backed down in submission. Hannah assumed people either fell to their knees before her in adoration or they cowered in fear. Neither of those options sounded pleasant right now.
This woman was infuriating. Cowering or groveling were things she refused to do for this woman.
Throwing out accusations left and right and Hannah looked into those green eyes and wanted to wipe off that smirk with her fist... or her mouth. God, how could she still want someone that she was so enraged with? Had it really been that long since she'd been with someone that she could overlook terrible personality flaws?
By some miracle, Almost Home started playing chords and testing the mics. If they would have taken even a minute longer, Hannah might have just grabbed her things and left, retreating out the door she came in. Leave them to find another talent scout. She wouldn't have cared if they had ended up with a competing label. She would have just left the whole place, just so she wouldn't have to have this chat with Carmen.
Another chord rang out through the speakers.
Hannah turned away as the band began to play their first song choice. She had a list of pros and cons that she would later take to the agent. It would trickle up the line of people that would eventually work with the band. Everyone would add or remove their thoughts. It was more of a list of improvements - a way to offer constructive criticism while also making sure they are aware of their key strengths.
Hannah could feel Carmen watching her every move. Studying her. She did her best to try and ignore what was happening, and she couldn't shake the feeling that Carmen could ultimately fire her. For all Hannah knew, Carmen could be watching and learning every position in the company to find weak points; make cuts when and where necessary.
When the band's set ended and they started to pack up, Hannah set down her pen and turned to the woman.
"Sorry." She said blandly.
"For what? You seemed really focused on work. I would never interrupt an employee with that much work ethic."
She couldn't tell, but it sounded like she had put more emphasis on the word employee instead of the potential complement. Was she trying to remind Hannah of her place? That she was beneath Carmen.
"Right. Yeah." Hannah reached into her bag to pull out a business card and a checklist for the band. It was a basic outline of their next steps to take before signing with the label.
Carmen opened and closed her mouth but didn't say anything.
It wasn't until after all of Hannah's things were away that she finally spoke up.
"So, what is it that you do?"
Hannah looked up and furrowed her brow. Did she not really know about the scope of this job?
"I'm sure it was in your welcome packet when you arrived." Hannah laughed nervously at her clear sarcasm. But when she looked up, Carmen's face wasn't laughing, she was serious. "Um," she tried to recover, "How about I just show you instead? Although, I'm pretty positive you already know and you're just trying to make me nervous by getting me to explain to the owner how their company works."
Hannah still couldn't figure out if this was a game Carmen was playing. Some type of Punk'd situation and a legal representative and member of HR were going to hop out of the shadows with her last paycheck. But, when Hannah took in the woman before her, head tilted just slightly, there was a certain level of curiosity about her. As if she were genuinely curious about Hannah's method of madness when it came to her job.
Whatever it was that was going on, she knew she couldn't just take it lying down. She had to make sure that she had at least some sense of job security. Although, looking at her in that pantsuit, Hannah was positive that if she had her lie down, she would let this woman do whatever she wanted.
Not the time, Hannah! She thought. Pull yourself together!
Carmen raised her brow and lifted her chin in what Hannah could only assume as surprise. The woman thought for a second.
"Truthfully, I don't generally get my hands dirty with this... side of the business."
Was that... was that an innuendo? She doesn't generally get her hands dirty with the actual work, or she doesn't get her hands dirty with the employees who work for her? Or was Carmen simply unaware of the suggestive word play?
She only looked at Hannah, so she cleared her throat, "Okay." Her gaze left her feeling nervous. "Alright well, follow me then. Shall we?"
To her credit, Carmen followed close behind but didn't say a word. She let Hannah do her job without any interjections.
The silence felt very heavy that Hannah, out of nerves, began to speak, "Alright, so when I first got this job, I was... well I was kind of awful. Not awful in terms of finding the talent - I was good at that - but in getting to them first before other labels. After a while, I made quite a few friends with the owners of the bars in the area. We tend to help each other out a bit." Hannah gestured back at Rhonda who was helping someone with their order. "Rhonda has helped me out a number of times, and I have always returned the favor." Hannah stopped and leaned in close to Carmen. "Don't tell anyone else, but she's kind of my favorite. Scratch that. Just don't tell her I said that. It'll go straight to her head."
In being so close, Hannah could smell her perfume and it brought back memories. Memories of when she had Carmen against the wooden wall of a barn in the shadows. When she was crying out and panting. It wasn't difficult to notice how rigid Carmen's body became from how close they were. Carmen's breaths were large and calculated.
Hannah took a step away.
"So, you scout for talent, and... Rhonda helps you with that?" Hannah again wondered if she was genuinely curious. Her tone still carried the essence of someone in charge, only with less ice, and she worried she had just gotten herself in trouble by over sharing.
"When I find talent, well, the good talent here, I make sure they sign up for a gig or two after they've been mainstream for a while. It lets them return to their roots and remember where they started. And in turn, it brings paying customers into the bar. It's a psychological thing for the artist and a profitable gain for the bar." Hannah pointed to the wall on their right. A long line of photos, some framed, some not, decorated a once bare wall. "There's a lot of history here.
Carmen looked closer to the photos. "Is that... you?"
Hannah nodded.
"You're in almost all of these photos." Carmen turned to inspect one. Her face drained of all emotion as she realized it was in fact Hannah next to the artists.
Hannah grinned genuinely and nodded. "Yeah, I helped sign most of them."
Hannah could tell that Carmen struggled to hide the shock on her face. Her mouth was slightly agape.
Hannah turned and left the woman at the photos along the wall. She did still have a job to do and she didn't want this band to walk away before she had a chance to set up a meeting with them. When she turned around, Carmen was looking at one photograph in particular. It was the same photo that sits on Hannah's mantle at home.
In the photo, a much smaller Lyvie on her hip, Hannah was standing next to Rhonda and one of the first bands she had ever gotten to sign. In truth, Hannah shouldn't have had Lyvie in a bar at all, but they had been off having a day at the park when Rhonda called her with news of a band she just had to come listen to. At some point, Lyvie had wormed her way out of Rhonda's grip in the middle of Hannah's speech to the band and came barreling up to them. If anyone asked, she would be honest. It was Lyvie that actually got the band to really agree.