Not confused anymore, Glen felt that he might have been wrong and thought his secretary looked very cute worrying about a review he never implemented and decided to amuse himself a bit, at her expense because he was still sore about his missed opportunity yesterday. This was especially since she went out with Ericson on a date that should have been his. “Oh, well, I didn’t even think of that.”
“Yes.” Catherine smiled.
Glen couldn’t deal with her smile, it was so inviting and pleasant, “Well, I usually do those as things go along. Well, why don’t you take a seat? I actually have a lot of questions.” Glen opened his file cabinet and pulled out a very old questionnaire his father made all the employees do a while back, something about personality testing, he remembered correctly. “Please fill this out and get it back to me within an hour.”
Glen knew the test took almost three hours for most people, but it took him only two when his father made him do that insane test. There was no way Catherine would have it done within an hour, he thought as Catherine took the enormous packet and left his office.
As Catherine was walking out, she almost wanted to weigh the packet. It was huge, how in the world was she going to do this in an hour? Was he nuts? Catherine straightened her spine and told herself, she would get it done and be able to keep her job. She sat down at her desk and looked at her watch to time herself. On question one hundred seventeen out of three hundred, almost fifty minutes past and would hope for the best. This was impossible, she decided. But, she would finish as much as she could before the hour past. Catherine put down her pen as her watched buzzed an hour and realized she was only on question one forty and walked into Serentini’s office. She walked all the way over to the desk, “Mr. Serentini?”
Serentini was so engrossed in work, he barely looked up. “Yes, Miss Richmond?”
She decided to give him a piece of her mind because this test was unfair and Catherine knew it, “I only got up to question one forty, I’m sorry. You know what, I’m not sorry. I know I failed, but the test is impossible to finish so quickly. I think this is even some kind of personality test. How does that fit in to a review? Oh, and it is ridiculous to only give a person an hour. I think it is damn good I even got up to where I did!”
“Miss Richmond, what are you talking about?”
“The review!”
He forgot he was having her take that stupid test. He scolded himself for not stopping her sooner, what was wrong with him? “I’m sorry, Miss Richmond. I actually didn’t mean for it to get this far.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Well, it was just a joke, a cruel one at that because I didn’t stop you within five minutes. In truth, I never give reviews, never have either. I just tell new employees that; if I didn’t like you, I would have gotten rid of you within a week. Everything is really great. You shouldn’t worry so much.”
A mountain of worry was lifted off her shoulders but at the same time, Catherine started getting upset, “Are you telling me that I just spent the past hour worrying and flying through that thing for nothing?”
“I’m really very sorry.” He was looking at Catherine thinking how good she looked and moved to the other side of the desk.
She looked right into his gorgeous eyes, “That was cruel of you.” But, she couldn’t help feeling tingles through her body because of their proximity.
As he stood up and came within one foot of Catherine, he couldn’t resist kissing her. At first contact, the heat rose in Catherine veins. It was hard and determined. It felt so good and Catherine couldn’t help pulling him closer. She could feel a thickness between her legs and slightly moaned. Glen seized the opportunity and plunged his tongue into her mouth. The kiss felt so good and Glen couldn’t deny his immediate reaction but Glen pulled back once he realized everything was going on because of Ericson. He liked Catherine, but hated Ericson and didn’t want to be involved with Catherine after him. “I’m sorry. Let’s pretend that never happened.”
“What?” Catherine didn’t understand but realized Mr. Serentini was probably right not to get into a relationship at work. She lowered her eyes, disappointed. “All right. Just don’t make me do fake reviews again.”
“No, I assure you, your job is perfectly secure. Now is there anything else? I’m sorry Miss Richmond, I just have a lot of work to do today and it will be a busy day. I hope you don’t expect to go out with Ericson everyday, because I certainly can’t give you off again early today or any other day in the immediate future.”
Half laughing Catherine said, “But, I didn’t go out with him yesterday and I don’t even plan to.”
Glen couldn’t help looking happy and at the same time disappointed with himself for making assumptions. Hadn’t he been hearing not to make assumptions his whole life? He decided not to show Catherine how stupid he felt, “Oh, well, good. But, don’t get used to those early days, there won’t be many like it.” Glen looked up at Catherine, she did look good. Then Glen realized he needed to be concentrating on work and not on her so he looked back down and added, “I have work to do.”
“Yes, sir. Thank you.”
She was half way out his office when Glen added quietly, “No thanks necessary, you deserve it.”
Catherine walked out of his office and once at her desk collapsed on her chair. She was thinking to herself, Thank God she didn’t have to worry about the review anymore, but it was evil of him to trick her. Oh well, at least he had a sense of humor, even if it was at her expense today. Catherine just started to get through some of her mess of a desk and was thinking at least the rest of the day would be worry free or so she thought until the time Adam Ericson walked off the elevator around noon. There was still a pile of paperwork on Catherine’s desk and she knew there was no time to even talk to anyone who wasn’t here to see Mr. Serentini and knew he did not have an appointment. But for formality, she said, “Good morning Mr. Ericson, do you have an appointment?”
“Not today.” He slyly smiled at her.
“Then is there something I can do for you?”
“How about lunch?”
Not looking up from her desk, Catherine told him, “No, can’t, too much work, but thanks anyways.”
“I bet I can convince you,” he said and sat on the only space on her desk without paperwork covering it.
Standing up, Catherine told him, “No you cannot. Can you please get off of my desk; I really have a lot of work to finish up.”
Unbeknownst to them, Mr. Serentini was slowly walking down the hallway with a client to see him out. Glen was just coming into earshot when he heard, “No, you won’t. You are coming to lunch with me, even if I have to carry you into that elevator myself.”
She was stunned, “Excuse me?”
“You heard me sugar cakes, let’s go.”
“What did you call me?”
“Would you rather hot buns?”
Getting angrier and angrier, she maintained what was left of her composure and answered, “No, I wouldn’t. Please leave.”
“I don’t think so hot cakes. That is unless you come with me.”
Glen had enough. Even though he was with an important client, he excused himself and left the client standing in the hallway. “Ericson, leave Miss Richmond alone, she has work to do.”
“This isn’t your business Serentini.”
“Damn right it is. Now get out before I fire you.”
“I know my rights, you can’t fire me.”
“Want to bet? Consider yourself fired.” With that Glen closed the distance between them and threw him into the elevator. As the doors closed Glen turned to find himself faced with a wide eyed secretary as well as a staring client. “Excuse my behavior, Mr. Briam, but that was something I needed to take care of for the past while.”
“It’s not a problem. Remember, I married my secretary and I can see you are following in my same footsteps.”
To save face, Glen just said, “I’ll see you at the next meeting.” Mr. Briam w
alked into the elevator and left. Glen turned to Catherine, who was blushing from the comments just made and said, “I hope you didn’t like Ericson too much.”
“No, I didn’t. Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.” Glen said as he walked back into his office half proud of the event and half wondering what he was thinking and what made his client make that comment.
After a few moments, Catherine decided to go into Mr. Serentini’s office with some more coffee, even though it was after noon. It was just a reason to see her boss. Maybe she would get him lunch if he would comply. She walked down the hall. Catherine remembered to stand up tall and entered his office.
She called his name half way to the desk, “Mr. Serentini?”
The last thing Glen wanted was an interruption. He was too busy trying to place together what happened in his mind. “Yes, Miss Richmond?”
“I wanted to really thank you so much. It was very—” pausing to look for the right word in her head, “—gallant, what you did. Thank you very much. I brought you coffee,” she stated as she took a seat on one of the chairs. Catherine usually only sat down in his office when she was taking dictation.
“I told you not to mention it, there is no problem.”
A bit shyly, she asked, “I was wondering if perhaps you would want something to eat.”
“Miss Richmond, you out of all people should know I don’t have time today. Given the fact that I just made a fool of myself in from of Mr. Briam, I think I need to do some damage control.”
“I really don’t think he minded. He seemed like a very sweet man to me.”
“Sweet? Well, perhaps not the words I would choose, tiger in business might be one. Now, I really do need to do some work.”
Catherine thought that at least she tried and went back to her desk wondering just what went wrong.
Glen stayed in his office for the rest of the day trying first to sort out what just happened and when he had gotten to be jealous about someone he never had a relationship with. Even most of those women, he never got jealous over. But, then he had to admit to himself how good Catherine looked and how she made him feel, so he tried not to think about it. When his mind was exhausted from that, he tried to sort out the mess on his desk. But, still wasn’t even able to focus.
Catherine, herself, did the same sort of wondering as she was trying to figure out the mess of work her boss had given her. But, once every so often Catherine did think of how great her boss looked as he threw Ericson in the elevator. It was a sight to see, especially since Mr. Serentini barely showed any emotion.
Chapter 6
Over the next two months Catherine thought constantly about her boss, especially the deception she was putting on him. She still never got a single thing back from her family’s law firm in Europe or her family themselves. After all, it had so far been four months working with Mr. Glen Serentini, five months working at the company, and one month to go on her Uncle’s twisted little game. Maybe it was time she stopped waiting for a response.
Over the past four months since the party everything had been going alright, except perhaps the little incident with Mr. Ericson. But, since that day Catherine had been avoiding Glen as much as she possibly could considering she already felt guilty enough for making him loose his cool and confused enough about the kiss they shared. But, since that day it also seemed to her that Glen was doing the same thing. But, she also knew he was doing a lot of work. It seemed amazing to Catherine that someone could do as much work as he did. Especially someone that had absolutely no circles under his eyes and was so undyingly gorgeous. She wondered if he ever went out and knew if gotten the chance most of the girls in and out of the office would jump at the chance to accompany him.
Every morning since Catherine started working for Mr. Serentini when she came in it looked as if Mr. Serentini had been there for hours and whenever she left it looked as if he was due to stay a long while more. One particular morning as she brought in his coffee he asked her to call him Glen, apparently he thought they had become close working together. But, she could never call him by his first name because she thought it was improper. Her mother raised her to treat people with respect and even if Glen wasn’t her boss, he deserved that respect for being an amazing type of person. In her eyes, he was perfect, well, extremely close to it.
Only one thing bothered her about Mr. Serentini and it was a perfectly reasonable complaint. How anyone could be so neat in his own office and make a huge mess of hers, Catherine would never know. It’s not like she was doing nothing all day and had time to reorganize her office again and again. After all, there were dozens of meetings and people that came in and out of the office that Catherine needed to take note of as well much more she had to do every day. She kept everything in specific places because to find and organize everything over and over again would be endless. But, more and more it seemed to her that she was organizing everything each day and right as everything was in its proper spot, she would have to start over again. First, the books were out of order, then the papers, then just about everything else. She thought many times about showing Mr. Serentini the system she worked out to keep everything organized and maybe that would keep him from messing with her system and throwing things about, at least it looked like everything was thrown to her. But, she has just been avoiding anything to do with him except when he needed her for something in the office. All in all, everything was working out. But, she was just having trouble with the constant change in paperwork and organization. So, Catherine decided today would be the day. After putting it off forever, she needed to talk to Mr. Serentini about organization, specifically with her papers and her office. His office was clean, why shouldn’t hers be? So, maybe she was just focusing on this because of the neat freak she grew up to be. Oh well, she would tell him today.
Catherine walked into the lobby, the same as any other day. She crossed the lobby, said hello to the guard Ernie, and stepped into the elevator. Catherine liked Ernie, he was a sweet old man with three kids that adored him and always had a nice thing to say to any person that came into the building. When she stepped out of the elevator Mr. Serentini was already in his office. She could tell because outside, her office was disheveled, as usual in the morning, which frustrated her to no end. Catherine threw on a pot of coffee and dropped her bag into the file cabinet which she locked promptly. Then, decided if she was going to have some peace and organization in the last month of working for Mr. Serentini she would have to get this confrontation over with.
Catherine decided not to wait on the coffee and just went down the hall and knocked on the large office doors at the back of the corridor and walked into the office. “Mr. Serentini?”
Glen was buried under a pile of paperwork and was duly surprised and curious Catherine was in his office because she never came near him unless she had coffee or was called in, “Yes?”
“Well, I was wondering if you would come with me for a moment.”
Glen would normally be upset with being disturbed but curiosity took a hold of him and he decided see what she wanted. “Sure.”
Both walked down the hall together. Glen was a pace behind Catherine when she blurted out, “What is this?” as they looked at her desk and the surrounding space.
Glen was particularly confused at that moment but indulged her, “Your desk?”
“Yes, but can you see it?”
“Well, no.”
“Why can’t you see it?”
Glen thought it was rather obvious, but told her, “Because there is paper on it.”
“Why is there paper on it?”
Right then it dawned on him what was going on. He knew he pulled everything out of the file cabinets but it was only because he had to find something important. “Oh, well, I guess because this morning when I was trying to find one of the files I gave you to retype and wanted to change it…”
“Yes!”
“I see, you’re upset because I disorganized your desk.” Then it dawned
on him, why should he be guilty, it was her fault for not showing him where to find things. After all, Mrs. Upman always kept things a certain way and he had no trouble with that. “Well, if I knew where everything was, I would be able to put things back or find things when I need them, instead of looking for an hour. Do you know how long it took me to find the file?”
“Alright, this is going to be your first lesson.”
Glen was now visibly upset. “Excuse me?”
“Well, you just said you wanted to know where everything was and how I organize it. I’m going to tell you right now. Sit down.” Mr. Serentini looked at his secretary with a mix of skepticism and anger. She simply told him, “You can sit in my chair.”
Glen was not sure she liked this side of Catherine, ordering him about. But, she looked so radiant and gorgeous when upset and she was so obviously mad. So, he couldn’t help obliging by letting the ordering slide and sat in the chair. “Alright.”
Catherine explained everything and how it worked but the whole time Glen wasn’t sure he heard a thing. Yes, he was listening but he didn’t comprehend anything. Every time Catherine reached up to get something, her blazer would rise and Glen would think about what was beneath. Glen realized these were bad thoughts. Well, not bad, just thoughts he shouldn’t have. Every time she bent down Glen couldn’t stop looking up her long legs to the tops of them and simply wondering. Usually he was very controlled. What was going on? But, Glen reminded himself he did not have any time for a serious girl and knew Catherine was one, but still couldn’t stop thinking about her. She looked at him as if she expected a response so Glen said, “Thanks” and just dumbfoundedly walked back into his office. Exasperated, Catherine went back to cleaning her office. She wondered if he was even listening. But, she did swear if she had to organize her desk one more time… After about ten minutes the coffee machine beeped, Catherine made the coffee the way Mr. Serentini liked it, and carried it into his office as usual. But, this time, she put it down with a thud on his desk and started out of the office.
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