by Kylie Parker
“Sir,” Stephanie said. “In all honesty, I’m just glad to be here.”
He smiled at her and laughed.
“You know, you can call me Chris,” he said, his voice softer. “I’m starting to feel old with all these titles like ‘sir’ and ‘Senator” being thrown around. I guess some people really get off on that, but not me. You call me Chris, and I’ll call you Stephanie, alright?”
“Alright,” Stephanie accepted, though hesitantly. It seemed he could sense her apprehension, and he moved his hand across the table to take hers.
“You’ll get used to it,” he said encouragingly his voice hushed, and his blue eyes sincere. “I promise.”
Stephanie felt a brief stirring of emotion, and it alarmed her. She had always known Chris Skii was an attractive man, but she didn’t think she would fall under his spell quite so soon. She gave him a small smile and withdrew her hand from under his, making a mental note to really be on her guard.
“Okay,” Chris leaned back and clapped his hands together. “First task: I need this stack to be shredded, and this stack to be copied, ten of each paper. Go!”
He gave her a broad smile as he finished his instructions, and just like that, Stephanie began her first day of work. All day she ran about, doing various tasks such as making copies and shredding papers. Chris had her attend a meeting with him, and she couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed simply by the quantity of notes that she took.
After the meeting, they went back to their office, and Stephanie barely managed to keep up with Chris as he drilled her over what happened in the meeting, and what she had taken from it. She was obviously flustered, and she hastily tried to keep up with his questions, flipping through her notepad furiously with each question he sent her way. He seemed to vaguely enjoy watching her flounder.
“This is how it’s going to be,” he said, an edge of humor in his voice. “You’d better get used to it.”
Stephanie frowned slightly. She had known this job wasn’t going to be easy, but she would still need time to really get the hang of things. After all, it was still only her first day. When the day was finally over, and Chris had gone home, she spent a few minutes organizing the office before leaving herself.
Stephanie dragged herself out of the office and took the metro home. She immediately collapsed onto her couch in her small apartment, allowing her eyes to close. She kicked off her shoes and stretched out her toes, glad to not be running around between a dozen different offices. After she had recuperated for a while, she set about making herself a dinner of salad and bread.
By the time she finished eating, she felt much refreshed, and she was able to look back on her day with much more optimism and enthusiasm. Of course, she had felt overwhelmed, but she was always overwhelmed by new things. She was more than grateful that she had been granted such an incredible opportunity so early in her career, and she was determined to do everything in her power to impress the people she worked for.
With that mentality, Stephanie cleaned up the mess she had made from making dinner and brought order to her slightly disheveled home before retiring for the night.
The next morning, Stephanie was awoken by her alarm, and she immediately dressed in a pair of shorts and a racer top, ready for her morning run. She loved the sounds of the city rushing past her as she pounded the sidewalk, getting her energy levels boosted for the day.
When she returned home, she stripped out of her sweaty clothes and took a shower, then dried her hair and put on her makeup. She elected a pair of gray slacks and a white blouse to wear to work, along with a pair of black flats. That way, she would be more able to run about on various errands. When she was finally dressed and satisfied with her appearance, she made her way out of her apartment and to the subway station to take the metro to work.
Stephanie was greeted by a few familiar faces as she entered the office, and she offered a kind smile to everyone that she saw. She held on to the hopes that soon, she would be accepted here as a familiar part of the office life, and people would be more welcome. For now, though, all she could do was be kind and wait for them to respond how they would.
Stephanie unlocked the door to Chris’s office and moved inside the door. She started the coffee machine and waited patiently for Chris to arrive so that they could begin yet another day at the office. When he finally did, arrive, though, the sight was not what she had expected to see.
Her employer looked as though he had been hit by a bus. He had dark circles under his eyes, and his blonde hair was disheveled at best. He had a layer of stubble on his cheeks and jaw as if he had forgotten to change that morning. He looked over at Stephanie, his blue eyes dull, and she frowned in concern.
“Sir?” she took a tentative step toward him. “Are you alright?”
“Yeah, yeah,” he waved her off, his tone distant. “Coffee?”
Stephanie nodded and immediately moved to pour him a cup, fixing it the way he liked it as he moved toward his desk. When he was seated, she put the cup down in front of him. He took a long drag from the cup and then sighed. She could see his eyes gaining more focus. Stephanie vaguely noticed that he was wearing the same clothes that he had worn the previous day. Stephanie caught eyes with him, and she blushed as she realized that he was watching her take in his appearance.
“I had a busy night,” he said with a wry smile.
Stephanie said nothing.
“Can you drive?” he asked her.
“Yes,” Stephanie answered hesitantly, not sure where he was going. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys, tossing them to her. Stephanie, fortunately, had the presence of mind to snatch them out of the air as they flew toward her.
“Take my car,” he said. “Go to my place. My address will be marked as ‘home’ under the navigator. Look around until you find my closet, and bring me a new suit and shirt, and a pair of boxers and a white t-shirt. My closet is very organized; you’ll be able to find everything without a problem. Then, go to my bathroom and get my toothbrush, toothpaste, and a towel. Got all that?”
Stephanie’s mind had been momentarily suspended when he has asked her to take his car.
“Sir, I’m not sure this is the best idea…” she said, reluctant to actually go to his home.
“Stephanie, this is exactly the sort of thing a personal assistant does,” he said slowly, and she could tell he was taking great pains to be patient with her. “The longer you spend here, the more you will realize that your job isn’t strictly limited to the office. This seems a little weird for you now, but believe me, when I say that personal assistants are known to do much stranger things for their bosses. Now, please, go get the things I told you.”
Chapter Three
Chris looked up at her, and unwavering demand in his eyes. Stephanie nervously clutched his keys in her hands for a moment, the turned and left the office, headed for the parking garage. Once there, she hit the unlock button on the key fob and listened to hear where the car was located. Fortunately, it was not parked far from the entrance of the building, and she did not have a hard time finding it.
The car was a beautiful burgundy, Mercedes. She marveled at it for a moment before she unlocked the driver door. She got in the car and was taken aback by all the various technology of the car, complete with a screen and navigation system. It came to life as she pressed the button to start the car. True to his word, a button appeared that said ‘home’, and she pressed it.
A voice sounded in the car and began to give her directions. So, she did as it instructed, and she soon found herself heading out of the confines of the city. After about a ten minute drive she pulled up to a nearly palatial home. As she pulled up in the driveway, the door to the garage immediately began to slide open; she was able to pull in and park.
She got out of the car and looked down at the set of keys she had been given. She found one that resembled a house key and tried it on the lock of the door that led inside from the garage. She was relieved when it turned in the sl
ot, and the door opened for her.
Stephanie nearly gasped at the incredible kitchen that was revealed to her. It was immense, with granite table tops and all the best appliances, and a large island in the middle. Her mouth watered at the thought of cooking in a kitchen like this. She shook her head and focused on her task.
After a few minutes of wandering through the home, she came upon a room that she was fairly certain was the bedroom. It boasted a large bed with cream colored bedding, neatly made up. The room was large and had a set of doors that led out onto a balcony. She once again focused on her task, and she moved over to sliding mirror door that she presumed was the closet.
Upon opening it, Stephanie was once again bewildered. The closet was perfectly organized, with an array of suits hung up on one rack. On an array of platforms below were a collection of shirts, and she blushed to see a similar collection of boxer briefs. She selected a simple blue suit and a white shirt, along with a t-shirt and a pair of the boxer briefs, as he had instructed her.
Stephanie closed the closet after collecting those items and set the stack of clothes on the bed before moving to another door in the room. Just as she suspected, it opened up into an amazing bathroom. The floor was tile, and there was both a Jacuzzi style tub and a large standing shower with glass walls. On one wall, there was a built in shelf, and on it, there was arranged a wide array of towels and all manner of other body care and styling products. She glanced over at the granite-topped sink, and easily found his toothbrush and toothpaste.
Stephanie took one last longing look around the room before collecting a towel, his toothbrush, and his toothpaste. She made sure all the lights were off before she left the room, then returned to the bedroom to pick up his clothing. When she had gathered that, she took a final look around, making sure she had not forgotten anything, before she turned off the light and left.
She made her way back through Chris’s home and out to the garage. She unlocked the car and the garage door immediately began to open for her once more. She carefully laid out all his clothes and personal items on the back seat, then took up her place in the driver’s seat. She carefully backed out of the garage and watched the garage door close as soon as she was fully out. Then. She headed back toward the office.
Once there, she parked in the same spot that she had previously vacated. She picked up Chris’s clothes, and arranged them carefully in her arms, then made her way back into the office. She expected some strange looks from the other people there, buts he was relieved when people took no real notice of her at all. She arrived at the office door and opened it.
Upon entering, she saw Chris seated at his desk, chewing on a pen as his eyes traveled over a stack of papers. His brows were furrowed, and his hand was running through his already messy hair. He looked up at her as she entered, and she saw his expression relax.
“You’re back,” he said simply, a smile spreading out over his face.
Stephanie nodded and moved to hand him his things, which he easily took from her.
“I’m just going to step into the bathroom,” Chris nodded toward a door on one side of the office. “I’ll get freshened up, and then I have something important to talk with you about. Until then, go ahead and make yourself some coffee, I know you didn’t get a chance to have any before I sent you off this morning.”
With that, Chris left her and moved toward the bathroom of the office. Stephanie knew that the office was really quite extravagant, complete with a shower. She had no idea how long it would be before he was finished cleaning himself up, so she took his suggestion and made herself a cup of coffee.
She had only just finished the large mug when Chris stepped out of the bathroom. She couldn’t help that her jaw dropped a bit as she saw him. His blonde hair was slightly dark from its dampness, and he had neglected to put on his over shirt or jacket over his t-shirt yet, being clad only in a white t-shirt that clung tightly to his still-damp frame and his blue suit pants.
Stephanie watched as he pulled the shirt on and buttoned it up, stuffing it into his pants, and then moving to button his cuffs. Her heart pounded a little in her chest to see that his jaw still bore a layer of stubble. She could smell the scent of body wash wafting off of him, and she felt her body shiver involuntarily at the scent. He looked over at her and gave her a smirk, and Stephanie blushed furiously.
“That’s much better,” Chris sighed as he put on the coat of his suit. “Now, where were we?”
Stephanie blinked a few times to clear her head before she pulled her chair over to sit in front of his desk.
“You said you needed to speak to me about something important,” she reminded him.
“That’s right!” he said with a clap. “But first- tell me what you thought about my house.”
Stephanie frowned in some confusion.
“Your house?” she cocked an eyebrow.
“Yes,” he nodded, somewhat eagerly. “Did you like it? Did you get a chance to look around at all?”
Stephanie was not sure how she should answer this question, so she decided to simply be honest.
“Well, I had to go through your kitchen,” she said slowly. “And I thought that was immaculate. Then I just went into the bedroom, which was enormous, and I was just shocked by how organized your closet is. And your bathroom is absolutely unbelievable.”
“Isn’t it, though?” Chris moved, leaning back in his chair and cupping his hands behind his head. “I had it custom built according to my own design.”
“It really is a wonderful home,” Stephanie said. She was somewhat confused by the course that their conversation had taken.
“Well,” Chris said. “I have to confess, my purpose in having you go over there was twofold. Of course, I needed my clothes so I could freshen up a little. I had a long night, and I didn’t get the chance to go home before I had to get here and personally handle some things. But, I also just wanted to introduce you to my estate.”
Stephanie once again frowned slightly as he spoke, still lost as to where this was going.
“Let me tell you why,” he went on, and he leaned across the desk, his expression eager. “I want to host a party for my campaign team, and everyone here in the office. And the trouble with throwing parties is that you have to plan them. Usually, I would just do it myself, but lately, I’ve been trying to sort out the larger problems of this mess of a country. So, you see my dilemma.”
Stephanie nodded, and she was beginning to see where she fit into all this.
“What I want from you,” Chris went on. “Is to take care of the planning of the party while I take care of things around here. Don’t worry; I’ve gotten by without an assistant before. I didn’t burn the place down before, and I won’t burn it down now.”
Chris shot her a smile, and Stephanie couldn’t help the way her heart pounded in her chest at his teasing glance.
“I think this will be a great way to really introduce you to everyone on my team and in the office,” he explained further. “And what better way to make a name for yourself than by throwing a huge party?”
Stephanie let her mind turn at the notion of this idea. She had never really planned a party before, but she figured it couldn’t be any harder than planning anything else. She had always been extremely organized, and she was sure that she could accomplish this feat just like she would accomplish any other.
“What are the stipulations of the party?” she asked, taking out her phone to take notes over his requests.
“I want there to be plenty of food, and plenty of drinks,” he said.
“Any particular kind?” Stephanie asked.
“Surprise me,” Chris smirked at her from across the table.
“You want this to be a…” Stephanie searched for the best word. “Classy affair, right?”
“You could say that,” he said. “But maybe more casual classy. We’re trying to loosen up, not get uptight in a different venue, you know.”
Stephanie nodded, her mind already running thro
ugh several different ideas.
“What’s the budget for the party?” Stephanie asked, and Chris laughed heartily, taking her somewhat by surprise.
“Money is not an object for me at all,” he said as he relaxed a bit from his laughter. “You can use as much as you think is best. Just make this the most exciting event of the year.”
“Yes sir,” Stephanie said.
“Great,” Chris smiled widely. “I want it to be held this coming Saturday night.”
Chapter Four
Stephanie’s face fell.
“That doesn’t leave us with much time,” she said, feeling a bit more pressure.
“I know,” Chris sighed. “That’s why I’m letting you spend all your time from here on planning it. You can work here in the office, of course. And you can go over to my place whenever it’s necessary. In fact, here’s a set of keys for you.”
Stephanie once again reacted quickly as he tossed her a set of keys on a ring. She noticed that there was a key fob on it, but not to the Mercedes she had driven earlier, but to a Bentley. She looked down at it with a frown of confusion and then back up at Chris.
“You don’t have a car, right?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
“No,” Stephanie confessed, feeling somewhat embarrassed at the fact.
“Well, I picked this one up for you,” he said as though he had just bought her a bottle of water. “I’m going to need you to run errands for me quite a lot, and I can’t always have you borrowing my own car, now can I?”
“Oh no, I can’t accept this,” Stephanie said, shaking her head. “That’s too much; I couldn’t possibly…”
“Stephanie,” he said firmly, his tone dropping deeper and more commanding. “Do you want to keep this job?”
Stephanie felt her stomach clench at the low threat in his voice, and a slight desperation at the idea that her job was being put into question just now.