by Iona Rose
“Blair, I want you to meet our CEO, and the co-founder of FireEye, Grady Abbott.”
I turn towards the woman behind him… and my heart stops in my chest.
Allen continues speaking but I swear that I cannot hear a single word of what he is saying and I am sure that she is in the exact same state.
Her eyes are wide, her lips slightly parted and her complexion deathly pale.
“Grady... Grady?”
It is a few seconds more before it registers that he is calling out to me. I drag my gaze away from hers and rest it on Allen.
“This is Blair Tatum,” he says. “We’ve just had a great interview and I’m sure that she’ll be the perfect replacement as your assistant.”
I set my pen down and take a deep breath. “Blair, would you excuse us?” I ask without even turning to her.
“Um, sure,” she nods and turns around to hurry away. She however moves too quickly and as a result her leg tangles with the other. This causes her to fall to the ground.
Seeing this, my heart lurches in concern.
“Oh God,” Allen says as her knees connect with the floor. He hurries over to help her.
I’m automatically out of my seat to do the same when I see that I am not needed. I settle back into my chair and try to remove the concern away from my face as he gently helps her back up.
“I’m alright,” she says. “Thank you. I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Allen says and soon she’s back on her feet. She walks out of the office, this time a bit more slowly but her knees are still very visibly wobbly.
I don’t blame her. I myself feel a bit jarred after seeing her, but luckily for me my current seated position does well to keep my appearance calm.
The moment she leaves the office Allen turns to me. “Would it have killed you to be a bit warmer to her?”
I don’t even try refining my response, “Yes, it would have.”
That stops him for a moment, but he soon recovers. He moves towards me and begins to make a case for her. “I’m not going to let you reject her,” he says. “I’ve already offered her the sun and the moon and I’ll be damned if you make me look like a fool by refusing her.”
“I’m not going to accept her,” I say. “Give her a check and apologize for wasting her time. You can go as high as five thousand. Tell her that the position has already been filled.”
The usual care free air about him immediately disappears. His gaze hardens and his brows crease in annoyance.
It’s rare for him to be this offended and I am not particularly pleased that I’m the cause of his annoyance, but this is a more complicated situation than he will ever know.
“Why?” he asks. “You haven’t even asked for her resume.” He flings the folder to my table.
Even after it lands, I don’t even spare it a single look. “I don’t want to work with a woman,” I reply calmly. “Especially one as attractive as she is. It’ll be too distracting.”
He considers my response for a moment.
I wait for him to accept it.
His smirk returns to his face.
I begin to breathe easy, but then the next words that come out of his mouth are not what I expect at all.
“That’s exactly one of the reasons why I’m hiring her. As your best friend, I have been concerned about your abject state of solitude and your unhealthy obsession with work. Therefore, I am taking it upon myself to—?”
“Allen, I’m not joking with you.” I’ve run out of patience. “Send her away and that’s final.” I return my gaze to my desktop’s screen and get back to work. Or at least I try my best to. It is definitely impossible to concentrate especially when I feel his glare on me, but I ignore it all.
This entire situation has shocked me and I need quite a while alone to process what has just transpired. I don’t much believe in fate or coincidence but this is most definitely one sick twist that I want nothing to do with it.
Chapter Ten
Blair
I’m panicking.
I try to listen to what they might be saying outside the door but I can’t hear a single word. It’s as though in the space of a single minute I’ve been taken to Heaven and then cruelly kicked back down to the ground. I don’t understand this fucking joke.
He is the CEO of FireEye?
Him? The man that had fucked me senseless, barely two nights prior? I’ve been so focused on the CFO Allen, that I didn’t even bother doing any research on the CEO. I had expected an entry level position in one of their departments, but instead Allen has offered me what I am certain is one of the most prized positions across the company.
To become the personal assistant of Grady Abbott, a man whom I have heard mentioned over and over again amongst other industry professionals for his sheer genius and business acumen, is not a casual opportunity. He has however kept such a low profile that very few are aware of what he looks like. I should have done my research before this damn interview and I would have been able to find some information about him despite the fact that the majority of FireEye’s publicity is handled by their PR officer along with the CFO, Allen.
Grady Abbott was rumored to be more focused and concerned with the development of the company’s products.
His name should have struck some sort of chord with me at the bar, but I had been out of my mind with lust at the time and now here I am about to lose a position that I would probably never have obtained ordinarily. My hands are trembling and my heart is racing, so I fish my phone out of my purse to call Layne.
Tears sting my eyes, and by the time she picks up my voice is now shaky, “Layne,” I say.
She immediately knows that something is wrong. After a quick, scattered explanation of the situation, she goes silent for a little while. “Did you know who he was before you slept with him?” she asks.
“Of course not,” I almost squeal out in my defense.
“Hmm,” she says. “I’m just trying to see if this is some sort of orchestration by them.”
“I don’t think so,” I reply. “It’s just my cursed, twisted fate.”
“You weren’t cursing your fate on Saturday when you picked him up from the bar.”
“He picked me up,” I retort, “and why the fuck do I have to suffer for what I did outside of work?”
“Exactly,” she says. “Exactly. You deserve this job and you’ve earned it. So don’t you dare allow him to take it from you.”
“That’s the thing,” I mutter. “I don’t know if I’ve earned it or if I’m even qualified. This is a job anyone with more working experience than me would kill to get.”
“If you’re not qualified for it then why were you hired?”
“The CFO and I clicked over burritos at the job fair, and I think I mentioned my experience with creating the development kit that my internship company packaged and sold as a defense solution against app attacks. I even forgot about that because he so casually slipped the inquiry into our conversation, but apparently my answer impressed him and made quite the impression.”
I moved to grab my hair in frustration when I recall that it’s in a very delicate chignon, so I restrain myself just in time. The last thing I need right now is to go back into the office again looking crazy. “Layne, what the hell am I going to do?”
“Blair, listen to me very carefully,” she says. “You might not believe that you’re qualified for this job and nothing I say is going to help you change that perception. But what I need to know is whether you’re certain of this opportunity. Is it as special as you claim it is?”
“Of course it is!” I exclaim. “This is the fucking position of the century- to learn directly from Abbott. I’m prepared to work my fucking ass off. Having him anywhere on my resume automatically puts me above seventy percent of the entire industry.”
“Okay,” she says. “Now go in there and tell him that and demand your job. The CFO has already offered you the position right?”
“Yes he did but—“
/> “Did you accept it?” She cut me off.
“Of course but—“
“Then it’s binding. A contract has been established between you two even if it’s a verbal one, so he is obligated to offer you the job. Tell Abbey or whatever his name is that you will sue him for wrongful termination if he fires you or refuses to give you the position solely based on your personal affairs beyond the workplace.”
For the first few seconds after her statement, I’m speechless. Thereafter, I have only one word as a response: “ What?”
“Suits. Season two, the sucker punch episode. I watched it last week and this moronic CEO put up his company as collateral during a poker game in Atlantic City.”
I am even more confused. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“The TV show- Suits. The one about the lawyers, Harvey and Mike.”
“Ah,” I say. “Why the hell are you bringing that up?”
“You’re not listening to me! An offer was made and you accepted it. You’re already under a contract of employment even though at this point, it is verbal and no one can break it without reason. If he does, you can sue him.”
I finally understand what she is talking about. “Are you telling me to threaten to sue him if he doesn’t hire me?”
“Exactly,” she says.
I pull the phone away from my ear and stare at it. I don’t know what to feel or think but before I can decide how to respond, the door is pulled open. My heart slams against my chest as I spin around.
Thankfully, it’s not Grady but Allen that has come out.
I don’t like the look of disappointment on his face but at this point, anything is better than seeing Grady.
“Blair,” he begins. “I apologize for… that. Your boss can be a bit... difficult to relate with sometimes. He’s just informed me of his preference for someone a bit more experienced so I’m going to have to reassign you to a different position in the company.”
Immediately I feel relief, but then Layne’s words come to mind. I’m however, too shaken right now by everything to muster up such courage. “Okay.”
“Alright, let me escort you out,” he says. “I kind of had only this position in mind for you, so I’m going to need some time to speak to human resources to get you set up with something else. I’ll give you a call the moment we’re ready for you.”
I realize then that I am going to walk out of here today without the job that I actually want, only to be reassigned to something mediocre later on.
I turn to leave in dejection, but then once again Layne’s advice comes to mind. Why should I be judged for something that happened in my personal life, and at the time had no connection whatsoever to my professional activities?
I stop in my tracks and so does Allen. “Can you give me a few minutes?” I ask. “I want to speak to him.”
Surprise fleets across his face. “Uh, I don’t think that is a good idea.”
“Neither do I,” I say nervously, and turn around before my brain can talk me into reason. I knock on his door but I am too nervous to wait for a response so I just walk in and make sure to shut it behind me. The last thing I want is for Allen to hear anything that I’m going to say.
Mr. CEO lifts his head at my entrance and fuck, he is intimidating. His hooded gaze watches me but his face is completely expressionless so I have no idea what is going through his mind. I take a step forward and then another knowing that my mouth will not work the way it is supposed to unless I am directly in front of him.
He straightens to watch my approach.
I pray for my knees not to give out.
“I didn't give you permission to come in,” he says.
I stop in my tracks. “I know,” I reply. “I just wanted to say something to you.”
“Go ahead.”
I refuse to think. “I’m going to sue you,” I say.
Now, there’s finally an expression on his face.
It is confusion, and I am quite certain that the exact same one is on mine. This is definitely not the way I wanted to start but it is quite apparent now that I just really want to get to the point before he throws me out. With that threat, I’m pretty sure any chance of working here is lost, so I just throw caution to the wind and say exactly what I want to.
“Excuse me?”
“If you fire me, I’m going to sue you for wrongful termination.”
He leans back into his chair, and his hands slowly fold across his chest. “What contract?” he asks.
It almost seems like he is enjoying this and it terrifies me even further. I can’t even look him in the eye. “I-it w-was verbal,” I reply. “Allen - the CFO offered me the position as your assistant and I accepted it. So the agreement has been created.”
“Really?” he says. “Well, I’m not aware of that. As far as I know what you were called in for today was an interview. For a contract of employment to be established and binding, we have to extend a formal written agreement to you, which you then have to accept and sign. So tell me Miss Tatum, on what grounds exactly is your accusation of wrongful termination going to be based on?”
In that moment, I curse Layne. I’ve never watched the episode of that show, so I don’t have a clue as to what I am talking about, and she didn’t give me enough details that would help me to formulate some sort of comeback. The best I can do now is to finish strong even though every word out of my mouth is borderline moronic. So I square my shoulders and lift my chin for my grand finale, “That’s all I have to say. A verbal offer was made and accepted and the cameras in the conference room can prove this. By the time those records are subpoenaed and shown, then I'll be able to establish all the grounds that I need.”
“The camera in our conference room doesn’t work,” he says.
My gaze meets his in shock. I am a bit surprised though to see that his eyes are sparkling, and a ghost of a smile is tugging at the corners of his lips.
“That can’t be right,” I say.
Now, his smile breaks free. “Really? How so? Because if I say the camera in the conference room is broken then it is, and if I say that it is not, then that will be the case. This, Blair, is my turf and I call the shots here.”
This, I think as I watch his face brighten up. This right here is the sinfully haughty and massively appealing demeanor of his that made me offer myself to him on a silver platter during the weekend. Suddenly, recollections of him pounding his hips into me flashed before my mind, and the sexual pangs that ensue feels like several severe kicks in the gut.
I don’t know how to respond to him anymore so I turn around to take my leave. I have finally lost. This whole situation is a bust and I am ready to save myself from the shame before it kills me.
“Can you really work with me?” he asks. “After last weekend?”
He hits a nerve and I turn back around. “Last weekend has absolutely nothing to do with today! That was personal and I didn’t know who you were. This is my professional life.”
He remains calm despite my explosion. “That’s why I’m asking you. Can you separate the two?”
“Of course I can,” I reply.
Silence.
“Then you’re hired. Relay my decision to Allen and tell him to instruct you on all you need to know. Please shut the door on your way out.” He returns his attention to the documents on his desk.
My knees wobble from the shock. Before I can fall again, I force the strength back to my frame and immediately turn around. I want to express some form of gratitude but I can’t muster up a single word or thought for that matter, so I just walk out of the office and shut the door behind me.
Allen is outside the office and speaking to a woman in a corduroy pant suit. The moment they see that I have emerged, they both come over to me.
“Blair, this is Monica Herring, our head of HR. She is going to be assisting me in reassigning you. Monica, this is Blair Tatum.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she says.
I reply in kind, befor
e turning to Allen. “He says I’m hired,” I tell him. “So I don’t think there will be a need to reassign me.”
Both of them go silent at my statement.
“What?” Allen asks while looking stunned. “He changed his mind?”
I nod and hope to God, he doesn’t find out the backstory behind all of this.
Allen inhales deeply and then releases a deep, and heavy breath. “Monica, please orientate Miss Tatum. I’ll speak to Grady.” With that, he returns to Abbott’s office.
While trying to control my nervousness, I go along with Monica.
Chapter Eleven
Blair
There is a sudden commotion in the cafeteria. I look up from my simple but tasty meal of grilled rockfish and pecan dumplings to search for the source and my gaze meets a man with a small toddler strapped to his torso. The baby is giggling with excitement, it’s stubby arms and legs outstretched to receive all the attention that is coming her way from the myriad of employees, most of which are female, that are gathered to welcome them.
Her father is none other than the affable CFO, Allen, whom I’ve become quite fond of, and who is very clearly enjoying the attention even more than the toddler is. I want to go over and give my greetings, but I am still somewhat of a strange presence amongst the sea of employees. So I glue my butt to my seat, continue with my meal and remain content with just watching from afar.
A message arrives on my phone, so I turn my attention to the screen to see that it is from Jodie.
It’s about her escapades at the diner she works in, and at the picture of the stranger’s Ferrari that she went home with the previous night, my heart nearly jumps out of my chest.
You got in a freaking stranger’s car and went home with him? I texted
You’re one to talk, she texts back.
I’m immediately reminded of the dilemma I’m in with my new boss who by the way, hasn’t spoken a word to me in the week that I have been working here. Touché, I reply with a sullen face just as a deep but breezy voice sounds behind me. I turn to see the highly esteemed CFO Allen, arrive at my table with his toddler and I immediately rise to my feet. He has two packed lunches in hand, and to my surprise pulls out the chair in front of me to take a seat.