by Tamie Dearen
“Mr. Grant, you’re overqualified for this position, and frankly it would be a waste of my time and resources to hire you as an executive assistant. But I’ve seen enough to predict you’ll do well in CMA.”
“Thank you, sir! Wow! This is the best day of my life!” He pumped Gherring’s hand a few more times before allowing Katie to direct him to the personnel department.
The afternoon continued, until Gherring had dispensed with the last resume on his stack. He sat back in his chair and steepled his fingers on his chest.
“Ah, Ms. Carson. It seems we’ve come to the end of our possible candidates, and none of them are suitable for the position. Perhaps we should table our efforts until after the wedding. Although, I would say Ms. Jones could be a perfect fit for Climbing High.”
“There’s one more applicant.” Katie handed him a single sheet of paper.
“I don’t have time to interview another applicant.” He refused to accept the paper from her hand. “We’ll have to reschedule for another day. It’s already five o’clock.” He scowled and began to pack his briefcase.
“This one came from out of state. And she’s been waiting for her turn since one-thirty. You’ll simply have to stay and do the interview now.”
“Fine!” he growled. “But I’m going to have a cup of coffee, first.”
“But, she’s been waiting all afternoon,” Katie objected.
“Ms. Carson, a cup of coffee, if you please. With the mood I’m in right now, she won’t want to meet me until I’ve had a cup of coffee.” He glared at her until she placed the paper on his desk and moved to pour him a cup of coffee. He felt the blood throbbing in his head again. The ibuprofens had obviously worn off.
Unbidden, his eyes roved to the sheet of paper lying in front of him. Surely, this was a joke. The resume had more personal information than work experience. It was an older woman, according to the birthdate, forty-five years of age. Her education consisted of a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry. And she currently resided in Weatherford, Texas.
He smiled to himself. This would be fast and easy, and she’d be on her way back to Texas. And then he’d convince Katie to remain as his assistant. He had this under control.
Chapter Four
“Open the door, Ms. Carson. But, I’ll call her in.” Gherring decided he would make quick work of intimidating this woman, thus putting an end to this interview and this interminable day.
“Ms. Best!” he called out, in his most authoritative voice. Then he picked up a file and pretended to study it carefully, while ignoring her presence as he had all the others. There followed several minutes of tedious silence, during which time Katie refilled his coffee cup. The applicant was so quiet he wasn’t certain she’d even entered the room. But he resisted the temptation to lift his eyes from the reading material on his desk.
He heard Katie say, “May I offer you some refreshments, Ms. Best? Coffee? Tea? Water?”
Oh, no. He didn’t want the woman to be comfortable. He wanted this interview to end quickly. He frowned at Katie.
“That won’t be necessary, Ms. Carson. Please, leave us alone.”
“Yes, Mr. Gherring,” Katie murmured, turning to leave the office. He knew she would leave the door open for propriety, but the woman would feel more unsettled if she was alone in his presence. He still refused to make eye contact with the applicant, but his side vision told him she remained standing.
“Wait,” the woman spoke in a sharp tone. “Uhmm... Ms. Carson? Please wait. Yes, thank you. I would love some water.”
His eyes flew up. The woman had countermanded his orders. Albeit, in a captivating Southern accent, she had nonetheless spurned his authority with her words. She stood with her back to him in defiance, waiting for Katie to respond. He took the opportunity to peruse her form. She was tall and slender, with thick brown hair. Her clothes weren’t very impressive, but she had a nice pair of legs. Runner’s calves he surmised. To his surprise, he felt a bit of attraction. But he couldn’t let that stop him from putting her in her place.
Katie was still standing by the door, frozen in place. She was probably waiting for him to erupt. But he held his temper back, as he spoke in a sarcastic tone.
“Well, Ms. Carson, what are you waiting for? Please retrieve some water at once for our honored patron, Ms. Pest.”
The woman swirled around quickly and spoke with an acid tongue, while her body trembled with fury.
“My name is Anne Best. And I can see this interview is a waste of my time and a waste of your resources. Sorry to have inconvenienced you.”
But when she locked eyes with him, his heart lurched in his chest. The woman was glorious in her anger. Her large, chocolate-brown eyes flashing passionately, while a few unruly brown locks escaped from their confining barrette to frame her face. She had a small, pert nose with high cheekbones. Her beauty was natural. He could detect little in the way of makeup, as opposed to the perfectly powdered, flawless faces of the previous applicants. He found himself studying her lips, and wondering if they were as soft and pliant as they appeared. He also wondered if she would kiss as passionately as she’d defended her name.
Suddenly, her entire demeanor changed. She began to blink at tears, mumbling, “Sorry. It was a mistake to come.” Before he realized what was happening, she was trying to push past Katie. She was leaving. Before he’d even had a chance to talk to her.
“Wait!” he called out. Still she continued her retreat. He was moving toward her now. He had to stop her. He summoned all of his authority and placed it in his voice, “I said, wait!” This time she hesitated, and he reached her just as she looked over her shoulder.
“Please.” Now he softened his tone. “I meant to say, please wait.” He touched her elbow to guide her back into the room. His hand felt sparks where their skin met. He resisted the urge to pull her into his arms and hold her against him. He felt the need to comfort her, repenting of his efforts to cow her into submission.
“Please, Ms. Best, would you come back and sit down? I’ve obviously started off on the wrong foot with you. I’ve given you a bad impression.”
He led her to sit down in front of the desk and motioned for Katie to bring water. Feeling satisfied he was back in control of the situation, he said, “And you’ve given me an interesting impression as well.”
She flashed a grateful smile at Katie as she took the proffered water in trembling hands. He found himself jealous the smile wasn’t directed at him. He tried to analyze her behavior. There was only one explanation. She didn’t recognize him. She didn’t realize she was interviewing with Steven Gherring. He hid his delight at the thought. It would be fun to watch her face when she realized who he was.
“Shall we begin again?” he said. “Do you know who I am, Ms. Best? Let me introduce myself. I’m Steven Gherring. I’ll be interviewing you today for the position of my personal executive assistant.”
He waited for the information to sink in. But instead of the surprise and embarrassment he expected to see on her face, her expression was blank. She gave him a fake smile and stuck out her hand.
“Pleased to meet you Mr. Gherring. My name is Anne Best.”
He was confounded by her response. “Perhaps you’ve heard my name before,” he suggested. But she denied his claim with a shake of her head. “Well, I’m sure you know of my company, Gherring Inc.?”
“Do y’all make car parts?”
“No. I’m afraid not. We’re an international trade company with holdings...” His voice trailed off as realization flooded his consciousness. “You mean you really have no idea who I am? No idea at all?” He noticed Katie standing near the coffee pot, struggling to control her mirth.
“Well, no. I’m sorry. The recruiter just said y’all were in the Town Center Economic Tower, on the top floor.”
“Yes,” said Gherring with exasperation. “That’s because we, or I, own the tower. I’m the chairman of Gherring Inc.”
It was preposterous. Amazing, but prepost
erous. This woman who’d somehow captivated his interest in a matter of minutes had no earthly idea who he was. The one time when he would have been glad to use his fame to secure her attention, his notoriety had no effect whatsoever. He’d never felt so powerless.
“Nice to meet you, again, Mr. Gherring.” She smiled sardonically. “You’ve probably heard of me as well. Anne Best? Sole owner of a twenty five hundred square foot home in Weatherford, Texas?”
He closed his slack jaw with effort. For the first time in his life, he had no idea how to proceed. “You’re not what I expected, Ms. Best.”
“Neither are you, Mr. Gherring.” She clapped her hand over her mouth. He watched as a myriad of emotions flashed across her face. When two bright red spots appeared on her cheeks, she grabbed her glass and gulped the water so rapidly she began to choke.
“Are you alright, Ms. Best?” He thought to pound her on the back, but decided she might run away again if he attempted to touch her.
She nodded furiously, while obviously trying to regain her composure.
Gherring picked up the paper Katie had presented him before the interview. “Let’s talk about your qualifications for this job. You have a B.A. in Chemistry, and you worked part time as a travel agent. Hmmm….”
He stared at her resume. Then he flipped the single page over to see the blank backside.
“You don’t seem to have any actual experience as a personal executive assistant. Am I missing something, Ms. Best?”
Her eyes flashed with anger again and she propped her hands on her hips. He’d seen that look on Gram’s face before, but no one else had dared to look at him like that.
“Well, if a personal executive assistant is someone who organizes someone’s life and work, acquires all the needed tools and supplies, keeps the person’s schedule, finds calm in the midst of chaos, and works countless hours in a thankless job... What you really need is a mother, and I have twenty-three years of experience!”
A painful silence fell on the room. He contemplated the woman, Anne Best, who sat a few feet away from him. He was at a loss. What was he supposed to do about her? She really had no qualifications for the job. But if he didn’t hire her, she would walk out of the office, fly back to Texas, and he would never see her again. Something told him he would regret it for the rest of his life if he let her go.
Finally, he broke the silence. “Well, Ms. Best…” He spoke in a deliberate voice, but he couldn’t quite hide the hint of a smile. “You make an interesting argument. Perhaps you’re just what I need. It might be an absolute disaster. But somehow, I think I’d always wonder what would’ve happened if I didn’t give you a try.”
He warmed at the thought of having her near him every day. She would be tempting and trying, complicated and obstinate, sweet and gentle, alluring and aloof. Anne Best would be many things, but she would not be boring.
“You’ll begin in two weeks on Monday at eight a.m. sharp. There will be a three-month trial period. Please talk to Ms. Carson about the details. Thank you.”
He immediately turned his attention to his laptop, pretending to read and answer emails. He maintained a calm, unperturbed appearance, even as he felt his heart racing. He felt… What was it? He felt challenged. He felt anticipation. He felt alive.
From the corner of his eye he saw her stand up. She remained standing in front of the desk, as if she were waiting for him to change his mind. After several moments, he looked up, his eyes locked with hers in a powerful, magnetic gaze. He stood up unhurriedly, moving carefully so as not to frighten her. He leaned across the desk and reached out to touch her hand. He felt the sizzle of her touch deep inside.
“Did you want to say something else, Ms. Best?” He bit his lip to stop himself from laughing at her startled expression.
She jerked her hand away as if it’d been burned. “No... Just... thank you. You won’t regret it!” She backed away awkwardly before bolting from the room.
“I hope you’re right,” he murmured, watching her fleeing form.
Katie stared at him, her mouth agape.
“What? I hired someone. Are you happy?”
“Yes, Mr. Gherring. Astonished, but happy,” she said, as a huge smile slid onto her face. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to speak to your new personal executive assistant before the clock strikes twelve and her carriage turns into a pumpkin.”
Chapter Five
“I’ve reserved the ballroom for the International Gala,” said Katie as they reviewed their progress on Tuesday morning. “And I reserved a bank of rooms at the Hyatt.”
“And the conference rooms?” asked Gherring.
“We have conference rooms for large presentations on Thursday and Friday. But I’m assuming you’ll have your meetings here earlier in the week. That’s what you’ve always done before.”
“We did?” He was so distracted. His concentration had been shot ever since the interview with Anne Best. He kept replaying the episode over in his mind. Remembering the thrill of the confrontation. Reliving the spark of her touch.
“Yes, we did. I can’t believe you don’t remember.”
“Okay. But we might want to reserve one larger conference room for Tuesday and Wednesday, depending on what our attendance is. How’s it looking?”
“Early reservations are up twenty percent from last year, so...”
“Right. Better to have the space reserved. We can always cancel if we need to. Now about flight reservations...”
“You know, Ms. Best will be taking over some of these responsibilities. She’ll be here a week before the International Business Conference. And I’m going to be out several days the week of the conference.”
He swallowed hard. He’d second-guessed himself multiple times about hiring Anne Best as his executive assistant. It was such an irrational choice. He’d never done anything so spontaneous where business was concerned. He always planned and calculated, carefully considering all of his options. Yet, he’d made this hiring decision based on his feelings rather than his intellect. And later, he realized he didn’t even know if she was single. Her resume indicated she had two grown daughters, but it didn’t mention a husband. He assumed she was divorced, but he didn’t know for sure.
“Where did you make arrangements for Ms. Best to live?” he asked, attempting to keep a casual tone in his voice.
“I assumed you’d provide the apartment as part of the package like you normally do for new employees who move from out of town. Was that correct?”
“Yes, of course. Especially since we have her on a trial basis.”
Katie narrowed her eyes. “Wait a minute... You’re not planning to let her go after three months and try to get me back again, are you? Because I won’t do it.”
“No, no,” he said impatiently. “I just wondered about her apartment.”
“There’s a studio apartment available in my building. I assumed you’d want her there, since it’s close to work.”
“But, will a studio be big enough? I mean, will she have any family living with her?”
“No, her children are grown,” Katie said. “That was on her resume.”
“Yes, but if she had a spouse, they would probably need a one bedroom instead of a studio,” he reasoned.
Katie gave him a half-smile. “She doesn’t have a spouse. She’s a widow.”
“Good,” said Gherring. Then he realized what he’d said. “I mean... good that a studio will be big enough for her, not good that her husband is dead.” Katie cocked an eyebrow, but said nothing. He blundered on. “When did he die? Do we know?”
“No.” Katie grinned. “We don’t know when her husband died. Do you want me to call and ask her?”
“No,” he spat. “Of course not. I just wondered if... if she might need counseling or something, you know, if it hasn’t been long. We have insurance that covers that sort of thing, don’t we?”
“I really don’t know,” said Katie, shaking her head, her expression baffled.
He wav
ed his hand, with irritation. “Anyway, I’ve been wanting to remodel that studio. It really needs updating. I think I’ll put her at the West Fifty-Seventh location for now.”
“You want her in your apartment building? But, it’s a lot farther away from Gherring Inc.”
“Just until we get the other studio remodeled. Bring in the architect we used on the East End project and have him put together a proposal.”
“Okay,” she said her voice full of confusion. “Do you want him to do the guest apartments as well?”
“Yes, sure.” His mind was already spinning. He hadn’t really intended to remodel the studio, although it was probably a good idea. But he felt Anne needed someone to watch over her when she moved to New York City. She was obviously innocent and unsophisticated. New York could be a dangerous place to live. No, she wouldn’t be safe living all alone in the other building. At the West Fifty-Seventh location, he could keep an eye on her and make sure she didn’t get into trouble. And she’d be none the wiser. It really had nothing to do with wanting to be close to her. After all, he barely knew her. And she really wasn’t his type.
Another thought occurred to him. “Do you think Ms. Best can handle this job?”
Katie laughed. “It’s kind of late to ask me that question. But, yes. I think she can handle it. It’s not brain surgery. The most important thing is to be able to put up with your moods.”
“I don’t have moods, Ms. Carson.” He realized Katie was getting more and more outspoken as the time came for her to leave her position at Gherring Inc. She sounded almost as feisty as Anne Best. He liked feisty, but he’d need to be careful to nip that attitude in the bud. He couldn’t have his personal executive assistant being too rebellious.
“Sorry,” she said with a sweet voice. “Wrong word choice. You don’t have moods. You have varying amounts of tolerance for whatever doesn’t go exactly as you planned.”