Wilson's Hard Lesson

by K. Anderson

Still, as she was wandering around Wal-Mart later that morning, trying to find the best deals possible to save them money where she could, her mind wandered to what her mother had said and she began to think about what her old friends were up to these days and considering ringing one of them up to check in.

  She paid for her shopping then drove back home, unloading it all into the fridge, freezer and cupboards before sitting down and scrolling through her phone, hesitating over it.

  Her closest friend at college had been Chelsea.

  She bit her lip slightly as she found her number, then pressed call and held the phone to her ear.

  It had been about six months. That wasn’t too long. Maybe they could meet up and go for a coffee sometime. It wouldn’t take that long if she went in the afternoon and she could still be back to make her mother’s dinner. Maybe she could fit a social life into her draining schedule.

  “Hello,” the phone was picked up on the other end and she recognized Chelsea’s cheerful, singsong voice immediately.

  “Chelsea, hi…it’s Alexis.”

  There was a slight pause as if the name was taking a moment to register. It wouldn’t really surprise her if Chelsea couldn’t remember her. They’d been friendly, but never best friends or anything. Alexis hadn’t really made any best friends.

  “Alexis, wow, oh my gosh, I haven’t heard from you in ages.”

  “I know, sorry…I’m terrible at keeping in touch.”

  “Oh goodness, don’t worry, so am I, I’m awful.”

  “Have you kept in touch with anyone from college?”

  “Nope. None at all! Have you?”

  “No…So uh...what are you up to these days?”

  “Oh not much,” she answered casually.

  Alexis thought that meant she was potentially available to meet up, so went straight in with the next question. “Oh me neither…maybe we could hook up sometime and catch up.”

  “Yeah, that’d be nice,” said Chelsea. “When were you thinking?”

  “I don’t know really. I’m basically free most of the time. In between sort of…9 and 12…then 2 and 5...” That might change of course, if she got a job, which she was hoping she would do. “How about you?”

  “Well, I work six days a week and then I’m pretty busy in the evenings with my fiancé so it’s difficult…”

  Alexis frowned. That didn’t exactly sound like ‘not much’ to her.

  “…We’re planning our wedding,” Chelsea was still talking, and getting quite excited about it too. It was obviously a subject she was pretty passionate over. “I was thinking summer but he really wants fall.”

  “Wow, I…I didn’t know you were engaged.”

  “Yeah, gosh, he’s amazing, I’ll tell you all about him if we can find a time to meet up. Can I get back to you in about ten days?”

  “Uh…yeah, sure…”

  “Perfect. I’ll pencil that in the diary so I don’t forget. One second…”

  Alexis heard some shuffling around on the other end of the phone.

  “OK. Done. I’ll call you on the 22nd at about this same time, okay?”

  Alexis felt a tiny pang of jealousy over Chelsea and her perfect, hectic, busy life, with her diary and her fiancé and her six days a week job. She probably had a lot more money than Alexis and her mom had. And she managed to have a boyfriend and pencil in her old acquaintances for coffee.

  “Yeah, that’s okay,” she mumbled.

  “Great, sweetie, I’ve got to dash, got to get back to work. Have a great day.”

  “You too.”

  And that was that.

  Alexis wondered whether Chelsea actually would ring her in ten days’ time. She kind of wanted someone to go for coffee with now or at least in the next couple of days, not ages and ages away.

  She really hoped she’d have a job by then anyway.

  Everyone seemed to be moving on and getting on with their lives and doing well except for her. She was just…stuck. And broke.

  With a heavy sigh, she made some lunch for her mother and took it up to her, then sat downstairs again and pulled over the laptop, logging on to check her e-mail.

  She was trying her best not to get her hopes up. Although she really, really wanted a job…needed a job, she knew she’d most likely probably just end up disappointed, so there was no point getting all excited about it.

  After telling herself that and expecting nothing, her heart skipped a beat and nearly jumped out of her chest when she saw that she had, in fact, had a reply.

  It was only one reply, but it was a reply, and it was from one of the companies she had her eye on from the start. Briar Finance Inc.

  Ran by the handsome billionaire Briar brothers, it was one of the top companies in NYC and would definitely look good on her resume for future jobs if she managed to land some kind of placement there. She wasn’t hoping for much. In fact, it was probably a rejection e-mail, she told herself as she clicked on it, telling her she was under qualified to work there.

  But as she scanned her eyes through the words in disbelief, she realized it was quite the opposite. They were inviting her for an interview. An interview!

  She gave a squeal of excitement, then dashed upstairs to tell her mother.

  “Mom, Mom, I got an interview!”

  She’d told her about the e-mails that morning, so to have heard back from someone so quickly and to be asked for an interview at that was really promising.

  Her mom was overjoyed and even managed to sit up in bed and throw her arms around her, hugging her weakly and her eyes welling up a little.

  “I knew you would, sweetheart. Such a bright girl…they can’t resist you.”

  “Well, I haven’t got the job yet, mom, let’s not go celebrating too soon.”

  “Oh, don’t talk like that. You go in with confidence and charm and you’ll get it, don’t you worry.”

  But Alexis was worried, and it was difficult to keep her calm as the day of the interview soon approached.

  Chapter Three

  It had been years since she went into NYC, the two of them living in their small humble home on the north side of Jersey and rarely venturing across the state lines, and it felt pretty exciting to be back in the buzz and bustle of the city, gazing up at the tall buildings in awe and the busy streets full of people heading back and forth, taxis honking and cars rolling on past, the smells, sights and sounds filling her every senses as she walked with her cell phone out in her hand, using her mapping system to navigate to where Briar Finance Inc. was situated.

  She’d put on her smartest clothes. A freshly cleaned and ironed blouse with the top two buttons undone and revealing a small amount of cleavage. Her mother had advised her about that.

  “If you’re being interviewed by a man, make sure they can see a little bit of cleavage,” she’d said, causing her to blush profusely. “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about, it’s just using your own assets to your advantage. Everyone does it. Men shove socks down their pants sometimes.”

  Her mom still had the ability to make her smile, and to give her advice, even though she was sick, and Alexis had listened.

  She’d also worn a skirt that rose to just above her knee, and perhaps slightly higher when she sat down, with a set of tights and a pair of shoes with a very small heel. Nothing too extravagant and nothing that she wouldn’t be able to walk in.

  She’d looked herself in the mirror before leaving the house and had thought she looked very presentable, attractive but businesslike, which was exactly the impression she was trying to give.

  She also felt confident and comfortable in what she was wearing, which was always a big help when going into a strange new environment.

  As she arrived at the tall, imposing building home to Briar Finance Inc., she felt another pang of nerves and a flutter in her chest and stomach, making her slightly nauseous and sick for a moment before she got it under control and headed on inside. There was no going back now. She’d travelled all the way into the city
for the interview and she was here. She was just going to do her best. That was another thing her mother had told her.

  Just do your best and be yourself.

  She approached the desk in the lobby and made herself known to the receptionist, who checked her name and appointment time on the computer then invited her to take a seat on the plush leather couches.

  There was one other person waiting, although he was met by someone and taken up much sooner than she was, obviously for something else entirely. It appeared there was only one person being interviewed and that was her. Did that give her a better chance of getting the job? Maybe they were holding interviews on a different day, or just later on in the afternoon.

  She picked up one of the magazines that was on the glass table in front of her and flicked through, trying to pass the time and calm her nerves by focusing on something else.

  Soon though, the elevator doors pinged open and a young woman in her early thirties came out and smiled at her.

  “Alexis Drayton?”

  Alexis nodded and stood up.

  “Follow me. They’re ready for you now.”

  They? How many people would be interviewing her?

  Her anxiety levels increased again as she followed the woman through into the elevator and was taken up to the twenty second level.

  The doors pinged open once more and they were on a large, light and airy floor with large windows that had a wonderful view of the city and several desks spread around with people sat working on them, one or two of which glanced up and looked at her as she was led through the space towards a closed office door right at the end of the corridor with the name ‘B. Briar’ on the front.

  The woman knocked on the door for her and waited.

  “Come in,” came a voice from inside.

  Alexis looked at the woman for help, who gave her a small smile then turned the door handle and pushed it open for her. “Just go inside and close the door behind you.”

  “O-Okay,” she stammered, and managed to force a smile back before doing as she was asked, stepping inside the office and closing the door behind her.

  There was a large desk almost directly opposite the door and a couch to the right hand side underneath the window.

  It was a beautifully wood decorated room with the standard office furniture on the left hand side – drawers and filing cabinets etc. – and another chair set up opposite the desk itself, obviously for her to sit in.

  Behind the desk in a large black leather swivel chair was one of the Briar brothers. She wasn’t sure which one. She’d seen a picture of them once in a finance magazine, read some article about them. They both looked pretty similar and she couldn’t remember their names either, so she was glad when the man stood up and introduced himself, stretching out a thick, muscular arm to shake her hand.

  “Hi, I’m Bradley Briar.”

  If she remembered rightly, Bradley was the younger of the two, and he was incredibly good looking, although really, they both were.

  He had sparkling blue eyes that seemed to shimmer as he smiled and lovely light brown hair that looked incredibly soft to the touch, although obviously Alexis wasn’t about to reach out and start touching his hair. That would be rather inappropriate for an interview.

  Instead, she gave him a polite smile and reached out her hand to, to clasp with his.

  His fingers closed around her and they shook hands. He had a nice grip. Not so firm that it felt like he was about to break her bones, but not weak and pathetic either.

  “Nice to meet you,” she said quietly.

  Once the formalities were over, he retreated his hand and waved her to a seat.

  “It’s not often we get such pretty candidates coming for interview here,” he smiled and loosened his tie slightly with one hand, his eyes on the computer screen as he tapped the keyboard and brought up her resume. “And apparently very intelligent too. Attractive and intelligent, now that is a rarity.”

  Alexis felt herself blushing. Was it normal for the interviewer to call the candidates attractive? Was he flirting with her? Gosh, why would he do something like that? She wasn’t that attractive. He was far more attractive than she could ever be, she thought to herself as she played with her nails in her lap and wondered how she could respond to something like that appropriately.

  “Thank you,” was what she found herself saying.

  “Oh no, thank you…thank you for coming in…” He finally looked away from the computer and spun around slightly in his chair, his eyes now roaming up and down her body freely, his lips jerked up in a little smirk. “So…uh…you just graduated?”

  “Six months ago, yes.”

  “How did you find that experience?”

  “It was…good. I really enjoyed studying.”

  “I’m sure you’ll be studying a lot more here if you come to work for us…” His tongue came out and very quickly passed over his bottom lip. Alexis felt as though there was some kind of double meaning in what he’d just said, then she inwardly chastised herself for being so stupid. She was just reading too much into this. It was her nerves.

  “I’m sure I will,” she agreed with a nod.

  “What made you want to come and work for our company?” he asked her.

  “Well…” She took a moment to think before answering. She’d been prepared for questions like this. This was going a little more in the direction she expected now. “You’re one of the top companies in the city. You have an excellent reputation and I feel like it would be an excellent opportunity and that I’d learn a lot.” She was getting into the swing of her answer now and her confidence was starting to come back. “I know I’m probably not your most experienced candidate but I’m a very quick learner and I feel that – “

  “Oh, don’t sell yourself short,” he interrupted her with a small frown and a wave of his hand. “Just because you’re not as experienced as some others in the field of finance…I’m sure you’re experienced in…other fields.” Once again, he looked her up and down with his roaming, eager eyes and she felt as though he was flirting with her.

  “I suppose so,” she answered.

  “I’m sure you are. And I’m sure you’ll be a good asset to the company. You certainly have excellent qualifications....and I was talking to my brother about the need to take on more young people….to give people chances to prove themselves and give them a foot in the door, so to speak. Especially people like you.” He gave her a warm smile that sent a shiver down her spine. He had a really lovely smile. His teeth were white and sparkling and perfect.

  “Little warm in here, excuse me…” He shrugged his shoulders and took his jacket off, and she got a whiff of his aftershave wafting up his nostrils, as well as a good look at his muscular upper arms and well-toned, handsome body in that tight shirt of his.

  She felt her eyes lingering on him for longer than was appropriate and then quickly looked away, her cheeks burning, hoping that he hadn’t noticed.

  When she looked up at him again, he had that naughty kind of smirk on his face like he’d had before, and she couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

  The interview continued. He got back on track and began asking her the type of questions she expected again. Normal questions about why she enjoyed finance and why she was passionate about it, what she thought she could bring to the table, things like that. She answered as best she could, remembering what her mother told her about being confident and also being herself.

  On more than one occasion, however, she noticed Bradley’s eyes moving down from her face to her cleavage, and she could tell he was staring at her breasts rather than actually looking at her properly when she spoke. It reminded her of what her mother said, and she just hoped it was going in her advantage to show a little bit of cleavage. Was Bradley actually that interested in her, or was it just his male instincts kicking in and he couldn’t help himself? She didn’t really know much about that kind of thing. She was pretty inexperienced when it came to relationships and sex but even with her
innocence it became perfectly obvious what his intentions were at his next statement.

  “What I want to know, Alexis…may I call you Alexis?”

  “Yes,” she nodded.

  “What I want to know…” And at this point he sat back in his chair and took off his tie, then undid the top two buttons of his shirt. “What I want to know is…how much do you really want this job?”

  “Well, I…I really want it.”

  “Do you need it?”

  “I do.”

  “And how far would you be prepared to go…to get the job?” He smirked and looked her up and down, then swung his chair back a little and stretched out his legs.

  From her position sat opposite the desk, she could now see his crotch easily, and could also tell that he had a massive erection hidden inside the cloth of his suit pants.

  She couldn’t help but let out a little gasp.

  If it had been anyone else other than Bradley Briar, this whole thing would have seemed sleazy and wrong to her but...he was so gorgeous, charming and kind to her, and she actually really did need and want the job.

  He chuckled at her expression and gave her a warm smile. “There’s no need to be so shy, sweetheart…I’m not gonna bite. Unless you want me to.”

  “I…” She didn’t know what to say. What should she say in a situation like this? What was appropriate? She felt as though appropriateness had gone out the window long ago.

  “You’re beautiful, you know that?”

  “Th-thank you…”

  “Certainly the most beautiful girl I’ve ever interviewed…”

  “I bet you say that to all the girls you interview though,” she mumbled, smiling a little and biting coyly at her lip, her cheeks flushed and her eyes continually darting down to the bulge in his pants.

  “That’s the thing, I actually don’t. Only the attractive ones and…as I just said…you’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever interviewed…”

  Alexis wasn’t sure whether to believe him or not, but she was certainly very tempted to, and flattered. Even when she’d been at college, very few guys had shown an interest in her, perhaps because she’d been too focused on her studies to notice. Other girls had gotten themselves boyfriends or gone out and had one night stands after picking boys up in clubs, but Alexis had never been interested in things like that. She’d just kept her head down and gotten on with things. She’d had one boyfriend in her first year but that was about it, and that felt like a long time ago now. It had certainly been a long while since she’d had any sexual encounters of any kind and now here was handsome billionaire Bradley coming on to her, even getting a hard on over her. She was shocked, surprised, but also extremely excited.