Claire paused outside the opaque frosted entrance doors of Forrest Financial to take a steadying breath and ready herself. She was there to solicit a donation from the company's owner to the Green Trust, the charity she represented. Claire had met with well to do financial people to ask for donations before but she was yet to get used to the brusque condescending way that most of them spoke to people like her.
It took a certain kind of personality to be able to confidently ask a financially successful person to part with a large amount of money simply because it was for a good cause. Claire didn't have that kind of personality so she needed to think through what she was going to say so that she felt prepared and composed.
She looked over her clothes one final time but she didn't have any real concerns about her appearance. Claire was dressed in a slim fitting dark grey pant suit that displayed her figure well but wasn't attention seeking. She was wearing a pair of heels but they were quite low and sensible. With her shoulder length blonde hair done up in loose bun, Claire thought she looked professional and someone to be taken seriously.
Her job for the Green Trust was meant to be a stepping stone to getting some experience in management of non-government organisations. So far it hadn't been as enriching as she hoped. Claire had mostly only gotten experience in how to try and deal with demanding affluent people and not just the potential donors that she visited. There were quite a few people from well to do families who didn't really need to work but were looking for something to fill their time or add to their resume. The current director of the Green Trust was an exception, Elizabeth Chambers had been a highly successful business woman even if that business had originally been her father's.
Despite some frustrations with aspects of her job, Claire quite liked working at the Green Trust. It helped that she actually agreed with the work the charity did and had seen that the money received was mostly going toward its charitable work. The charity was very well run and Claire hoped that her mindset and hard work would get her noticed.
Claire was determined to show that she could succeed. She mentally went over her pitch about the importance of the Green Trust's conservation work and how a donation would greatly help.
Her thoughts flashed to one of her 'colleagues', Becky. She was beautiful but in a very obvious and deliberate way. Becky was one of the ones working for something to do though she didn't really care for the work at all, treating her job like a popularity game. They normally didn't talk to each other but when Becky heard that Claire would be going to Forrest Financial she made the effort to approach Claire. Becky stopped her in a hall at the office and right from the start had radiated disdain. Without any kind of greeting, Becky just came right out and asked if Claire would be going to Forrest Financial. When Claire said yes, Becky looked her up and down judgmentally. She then declared that since she had failed with Forrest Financial previously she doubted Claire would do any better. Without letting Claire respond, Becky walked away.
Remembering that encounter brought a flash of anger that banished any remaining nerves but wasn't particularly helpful for giving her a calm demeanour. Another steadying breath helped Claire release her irritation.
When she felt reasonably composed, Claire put on a confident expression and entered the office. At the front desk she saw a pretty young woman with a dusky complexion. The receptionist smiled in greeting when she noticed Claire. "Welcome to Forrest Financial, how can I help you?"
Claire returned her smile. "Hi. My name is Claire Dwyer, I'm here on behalf of the Green Trust, I believe I have an appointment to meet with Mr Forrest."
The receptionist's eyes went down to her computer screen and she studied it for a moment. "Yes, I see it here. I'll call him and let him know you're here." She picked up her phone and hit a button. "Hi Alex. I have Ms Claire Dwyer here for a meeting with you."
Claire heard an unintelligible response from the phone and the receptionist nodded slightly. "I'll let her know."
She hung up the phone and looked up at Claire. "Mr Forrest will be ready to see you shortly. Can I get you something to drink, coffee, water?"
"No, I'm fine. Thank you though."
Claire went to sit down but someone emerged from the passageway to the office area and began to approach her. He looked to be maybe a few years older than her and was dressed in a two piece navy suit with a crisp white shirt but no tie. As he got closer Claire saw that he was a good bit taller than her even in her low heels.
His facial features showed some apparent east asian background but Claire certainly couldn't guess what that might be. It added a certain flair to his already handsome face. Seeing him head on, Claire noted that he had quite a well built body. She briefly had the absurd thought that Mr Forrest had sent this man out to greet her in order to distract her from the purpose of their meeting.
The good looking man stopped at about an arms length from her and nodded his head in acknowledgement. "Ms Dwyer?"
She nodded in return "Yes."
"I'm Alex Forrest. Would you like to follow me to my office and we can go over what you're here to discuss."
Claire did her best to hide her surprise that the man in front of her was apparently the owner of this company. She nodded her agreement and smiled. "Thank you for agreeing to meet with me."
As Alex led Claire through a small office area with a few people scattered around, she thought over the details her boss Ms Chambers had given her for this assignment. Nothing she could remember from that conversation indicated that Mr Forrest was somewhat young. She conceded that it wasn't really important to know but she would have liked some kind of warning. Her approach to asking for the donation wouldn't change but she wondered whether Mr Forrest being younger would make him more or less receptive to making a donation.
They reached a room that was walled on the interior with frosted windows. Mr Forrest opened the door for Claire and she hoped the courtesy he had shown to her so far was a good sign. She smiled and thanked him before entering the room.
The office was nothing special, it was like a lot of other offices Claire had seen. There was a desk with dual computer screens, a keyboard and various bits of stationery scattered across it. On the wall there were two framed degrees and in the corner facing the desk was a large television.
Mr Forrest gestured toward the chair sitting in front of the desk. "Please take a seat Ms Dwyer."
"Please call me Claire."
He smiled as he moved around behind the desk and his seat. "And you can call me Alex."
There was a small pause as they each sized up the person opposite. Claire collected her thoughts and started her spiel about the good work her charity did. While she was speaking Alex appeared to be listening with interest. His eyes were focused on her and Claire was quite aware of his attention. He wasn't leering at her so it didn't make her uncomfortable. Claire finished her pitch and asked if Alex would be interested in providing substantial support to the charity. He sat back and thought for a second, a consolatory smile appeared on his face and Claire knew that he was going to say no.
