by Tyler Grey
“You’ll be meeting with the CEO of the company today. I told him you were here. He said to just give him five minutes. Coffee?” she asked in a way that made it seem like she really didn’t want to make me any. I almost said yes just to make her life more difficult, but shook my head. The last thing I needed was more caffeine.
“No, thank you, I’m fine,” I said with a smile as I took a seat to wait.
She scowled again and sat down in a huff.
A few minutes passed before she got up and motioned for me to follow her. She led me down a small passageway and held her hand for me to stop. She poked her head in and asked the CEO if it was okay to send me in.
“Send her in,” said a voice that seemed familiar.
She opened the door, and when I walked through, she closed it behind me and I could hear the clicking of her heels as she stormed off.
I was just about to offer the CEO a big smile when I saw who was standing in front of me. I frowned.
“Henry?” I asked in surprise. “What are you doing here?”
He laughed. “Is that any way to speak to the CEO?”
I had to resist the urge to open the door behind me and bolt out. Instead, I walked up towards his desk and frowned at him.
“You’re the CEO? You’re kidding, right? This is just your way of messing with me?”
“Take a seat.” He motioned to the chair in front of him and completely ignored my questions.
I stood my ground and shook my head. “Tell me what’s going on.”
“Come on, take a seat, then I’ll tell you. Coffee?”
“No thank you,” I said as I took a seat. I wasn’t sure why I was even listening to him. I was so annoyed by him that I could barely look at him. “Are you honestly the CEO? Or are you just here to mess with me until the real boss comes in?”
He chuckled. “I’m the CEO. I solemnly swear.”
“That you’re up to no good?”
“What?”
I sighed. “It’s a Harry Potter reference.”
“You’re a Harry Potter fan?”
“Isn’t everyone?”
He looked at me as if he were trying to figure something out, like I was a giant mystery that he couldn’t quite solve. “Interesting,” he said. “Very interesting.”
I groaned. “You’re such a pain. So, you’re the CEO. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“First, I figured you wouldn’t come in if you knew it was me. Second, I thought it would be fun.”
“Ah, I see. So this is some game to you? What did you want to do? Humiliate me?” I felt so angry. I could feel the heat rising to my face, but I didn’t care. What sort of a man did this kind of thing?
He shook his head. “No. It’s not a game. I mean, I thought it would be funny when you found out that I was the CEO, but it’s not a game. I did honestly want you to come in today to talk about the job. I swear.”
“You want me to work for you? Well, isn’t that sweet,” I said sarcastically.
“I mean it.”
“Or do you just feel sorry for me? Is this something my mom put you up to? Or have you been listening to her go on and on about how I don’t have a job, and you decided to swoop in and be the hero of the day? That’s it, isn’t it? You’re looking for brownie points. I don’t know why. It’s pretty obvious she’s smitten with you.
“Well, you might be able to fool her, but you can’t fool me. Just because we’re family now doesn’t mean that we have to like each other. It also doesn’t mean you should just give me a job out of pity. I can find another job. I’d far rather get a job based on my own merit than because someone felt sorry for me.”
I was just about to stand up when he stopped me. “Paisley, can you at least hear me out? Please.”
“Hear you out about what? This is so humiliating.”
He groaned. “I’m sorry. I’m honestly very sorry. I thought it would be funny. I guess I have my own sense of humor. I knew you’d get upset, but I thought it would be funnier than it was.
“But putting all of that aside, I can assure you that I really did look at your application. I am not the sort of person who hires someone out of pity. This company means the world to my father, and now to me. I wouldn’t hire you if I didn’t think you were any good. Before I got your application, I had three others to consider. Yours came out on top.”
“You’re lying. It’s not possible. I have no experience. Trust me, I’ve been turned down by enough places to know how important the experience part is.”
“How are you supposed to get experience if someone doesn’t give you a chance?” he said.
“Well, yeah, that’s what I said, too.”
“You answered the questions better than anyone else, and quite frankly, you seem to know what you’re talking about. You’re willing to learn, and you’re smart. There is always an element of chance when you hire someone, but I think you’d be great for the position. All jokes aside,” he said seriously.
“Well… You do sound sincere,” I said. “For the first time since I met you, might I add.”
Henry laughed. “I’m always sincere.”
“Hmm, the jury is out on that one,” I said.
“So, you’ll take the job?”
“I don’t know, Henry. I’m really not so sure it’s a good idea. Won’t it be a little odd?”
“Odd? Why?”
“Because of your father and my mother. I-”
“What has that got to do with anything?” he interrupted. “You need a job. I need an assistant. That’s all there really is to it. Our parents have nothing to do with this. I tell you what, why don’t you take the job and give it a month. If you don’t like it, you can move on from here, and I won’t hold it against you.”
“I…”
“You haven’t even heard the salary yet,” he said and scribbled an amount on a piece of paper and handed it to me.
I stared at the figure. It was far more than any of the other jobs I had applied for. “Seriously?” I asked.
He nodded. “Seriously. We believe in paying our staff well. It encourages them to work harder.”
I stared at the amount again. It was a lot of money. It would be stupid to turn down a job like this. I would be able to save quicker and get out of my mom’s house even sooner than I had anticipated. I didn’t want to work for Henry, but I did need a job, and it didn’t have to be forever. I would work for a few months while I kept my eye out for something else.
Finally, I sighed, stuffed the piece of paper into my purse, and nodded. I extended my hand and tried not to flinch as his hand touched mine.
“I accept.”
Chapter Eight
Henry
I smiled at Paisley. The amount I had shown her was a little higher than what I would usually have paid an assistant, but she didn’t need to know that. I knew money was the one thing that would make her change her mind. Not that she was money hungry, but I knew how much she wanted to move into her own place. The moment our hands touched, I was sure I saw her flinch, and I became even surer that she was interested in me. I grinned at her.
“Wonderful. Welcome on board. Is Thursday too early to start? I would’ve said tomorrow, but I want to get a few things in order first.”
She smiled, and for the first time since meeting her, the smile looked genuine. “Thursday is perfect. What do I need to know? Times? Dress code? Uh…anything else?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll get Jessica to email you today with all the details.”
“Jessica?”
“The receptionist. Didn’t she introduce herself?”
“Oh yeah, Jessica.” She chuckled at something I didn’t understand.
“What’s so funny?” I asked.
“Uh, I don’t mean to be the bearer of bad news, but I don’t think she’s the best person to have at the front desk. She wasn’t the friendliest person.”
I laughed at that. I already knew that Jessica was like that. She was very friendly to all the men that came b
y, and even friendly to some of the older women. But she hated young women, especially ones who were prettier than her.
“Don’t worry about her. She’ll warm up to you,” I said, even though I knew that it wasn’t true.
Paisley stood up. “Well, I’ll see you on Thursday then.”
I frowned. “Uh, won’t I see you tonight?”
“No, I’m going to my friend’s place for the night and will probably spend tomorrow with her, too.”
“Oh yeah? Tell me about this friend. What does she look like?” I teased.
“I’m out of here before I change my mind about this job,” she said and walked out the door. I could’ve sworn I saw a little smile playing on her face as she walked out, though.
As soon as she was gone, I phoned my father to tell him the good news. He was delighted and said he couldn’t wait to tell Myra. “Was she upset when she found out you were the CEO?”
I laughed. “Yeah, she was angry. She almost walked out.”
“Henry! You almost blew it.”
“Well, I didn’t. She took the job, didn’t she?”
“I suppose. Well, thanks, my boy. I do appreciate you doing this for me.”
“It’s okay; I could do with a bit more help at work, anyway. You know, since you left me and all.”
“Nonsense, you don’t need me there,” he said and refused to be a part of my teasing.
I shook my head. “Love you, Dad.”
“Love you, too, Henry.”
This was a side to me I generally didn’t like to show people. My father and I were very close, and I’d always enjoyed spending time with him. To the outside world, especially women, I liked to come across a bit more arrogant. I didn’t want them to see this softer side. My father always told me that I was being ridiculous, but I knew that he was exactly the same way.
He’d been ruthless in business, and many of the staff members had been frightened of him. He was never horrible to anyone, but he always made it clear that they should listen to what he had to say. Perhaps “frightened” wasn’t the right word. They “revered” him. Although, he had changed since meeting Myra. He’d turned into such a softie.
On Thursday, I got to work early. I was wondering if I would see Paisley in the morning, but she seemed to always find a way to ignore me. I wondered if she didn’t secretly keep food in her room, just so that she wouldn’t bump into me. I’d told her to only come in at ten that day, as I wanted to get everything in order for her. I said hello to Jessica as I arrived. She beamed at me and rushed over with another box of cookies for me.
“You’ve been baking again,” I said to her.
“I have. I thought you might like these ones. They’re peanut butter chocolate chip.”
“Oh wow. Sounds amazing. Thank you.”
“My pleasure. So, is that Paisley girl really starting today? I know it’s not really my place to say, but I didn’t like the look of her. Are you sure you don’t want to see one of the other options I had for you? I’m sure they could start immediately if you wanted. It’s not too late to change your mind and get the right person.”
“What exactly is wrong with Paisley?” I asked.
Jessica sighed. “She’s… Well… I don’t know. I just got a bad feeling about her.”
I chuckled. “Don’t worry, I think she’ll do fine. And, I would appreciate it if you showed her some kindness today. It’s never easy on your first day. Do you have all the paperwork I asked you to get for her?”
She nodded dejectedly. “Yeah, I have it all here.”
I took it from her and then looked up at her. Jessica was still standing there as if she were waiting for me to say something else to her.
“Uh, is everything okay?” I asked her.
“Oh, uh, I just wanted to see if you wanted anything. Anyone you need me to call? Or would you like some coffee? I can bring some to you now. I mean, I’m thinking of getting one for myself anyway.”
“I thought you only drank tea.”
“I do, but the coffee machine is right there.”
I smiled. “Well, coffee would be great. Thanks, Jessica.”
She rushed off, pleased to have something to do for me.
It was going to be fun having both her and Paisley in the office with me. The one went out of her way to avoid me, while the other went out of her way to see me. I could already tell that the two of them were never going to become friends. I wasn’t sure if Jessica even had any girlfriends, actually. I couldn’t feel sorry for her because she had bought that on herself. Couldn’t she see what a turn off all that jealousy was? She would actually be quite an attractive girl if she didn’t try so hard.
I pushed all thoughts of Jessica out of my head and thought instead of Paisley. She’d looked so pretty when she’d come into the interview. She was wearing a plain black dress, but it looked good on her. So far, I’d seen her in a variety of clothes. I’d even seen her ripped shorts with the delicious red underwear peeking out underneath. She looked good in everything she wore — although the shorts were by far my favorite.
It was hard not to think about what it was going to be like having her at work. At home, she ran away every time she saw me, but she wasn’t going to get the chance to avoid me here. I was obviously going to keep things professional…at least most of the time. Her lips were occupying my thoughts and kissing her was my new quest.
I heard Paisley talking to Jessica out in reception, and I decided to go in and save her. Poor Paisley. Jessica was not going to be kind to her. Perhaps I could be her knight in shining armor, I thought. I tried not to gasp when I walked out and saw her standing there. She looked beautiful. She was wearing tight black pants, a crisp white shirt, and heels. She was short, but her legs were slim and made her look taller than she really was. I liked that I still towered over her when she was wearing heels, and even though I wasn’t that tall myself. I wasn’t sure if I was just after the chase, or if I really did want her. Would I have felt this way if she had flirted back with me, or did I quite like the way she was resisting it? I couldn’t figure it out. All I knew, was that I was staring. I quickly blinked.
“Paisley! Welcome. Welcome. I hope Jessica has made you feel at home,” I said, even though I knew it wasn’t true.
“She’s been wonderful,” Paisley said sarcastically, and I could see Jessica scowl in return.
I tried not to laugh. This was going to be fun. “Well, come with me. I’ll show you to your desk.”
“I can show her,” Jessica said.
“No, best you stay here in case the phone rings or someone comes in. Don’t worry. I’ll show her.”
I took Paisley over to her new desk, and the moment we were out of earshot, I grinned at her. “So, how was Jessica when you walked in?” I whispered. Paisley’s desk was on the other side of the room, but Jessica could still see us.
“Charming. Seriously, why on earth did you hire someone like that? Is she ever nice?” she whispered back.
“Don’t worry about her,” I said. “Anyway, this is your new desk. If you need anything, please let me know. I have a compiled a list of everything you might need, and this booklet here also tells you all you need to know about the company. Of course, if you have any questions, please let me know. I’ll take you around to meet everyone in due time, but it’s always a bit overwhelming to do it on the first day. I’ll leave you for a while to go through everything. The passwords for the computer are all in this book, too. Just take your time to familiarize yourself with everything, and I’ll be back later.”
She looked at the book and smiled. “That sounds great. I can definitely do that.”
I smiled. “Good. Oh, and your first assignment for the day would be to make me a coffee. Actually, I’d like you to bring me one on the hour every hour. Not a minute before and not a minute too late. Got it?”
She narrowed her eyes and practically growled at me. “Are you seriously ordering me around on my first day? That’s not why I took this job, Henry. I will work
hard, and I will prove myself, and I certainly don’t mind making you coffee every day. But an order like that is completely insane, and I will not do it.” Her face had gone pink, and her eyes were twinkling in the light. Feisty.
I chuckled. “I’m just kidding. Goodness, you’re easy to rile up. I would never ask you to do something like that. Although, it would be nice.”
“Not going to happen.”
I laughed. “Okay, I’ll talk to you in a little while. Seriously though, call me if you need anything or if you have any questions. I really am here to help.”
I quickly walked away before she had the chance to say anything else. I could tell that she was annoyed, and I wondered if she would’ve spoken to me in that way if I wasn’t part of her family now. I had a feeling she would — she didn’t take any nonsense. Paisley thrilled me. I knew she was a good person, and I had heard how nicely she interacted with her mother and my father. I liked that she was nice, but wasn’t a pushover. I could feel myself getting excited.
I went back to my desk and tried not to think about her sitting there with those tight black jeans on. I had a plan, but I wasn’t going to launch into it on the first day. I would have to take things slow with her if I was going to win her over, and I was more than happy to take my time.
Chapter Nine
Paisley
I was surprised by the manual. They’d gone to a lot of trouble to put everything together, and it was nice to have everything there for me. I didn’t want to have to ask questions every few minutes, so it was good to have something to refer to. I spent some time going through and making notes of the parts that seemed the most important. Afterward, I switched on the computer and familiarized myself with the system.
I was glad that they didn’t bombard me with work straight away. I was more than happy to work hard, but I wanted the chance to get to know the place. Offices all had their own way of doing things, and it was going to take me some time to get used to it.