by Amy Brent
“Okay,” I nod.
“But I am definitely ready to work with you, Ryan.”
“Awesome.” I stand up, and she stands up as well. I get another shot of her perfect slim and trim body, like a living doll.
“I can’t even express to you how excited I am,” she bubbles over.
I smile.
“Follow me.”
“Okay.”
I lead her out of the office and over to the desk. I set the papers down at the front and pull the chair out for her. My assistants and paralegals stares at us - well at Jasmina.
Her demeanor seems to completely change into an serious and hard worker.
“This is your desk, “I say.
“Alright. I got that much already.”
“I had Beatrice leave on the computer a series of instructions with her daily tasks and what is expected of you now, and how you should do everything.”
My new secretary sits down at the desk. She looks like she belongs there.
“Let me just look and make sure I can pull it up.”
Her slender hands type quickly on the computer. Her small shoulders bend forward closer to the monitor, I watch her soft breasts press against the desk. She opens up a file on the computer.
“Is this it? “
I bend forward and quickly read the word document she has found. Beatrice left a long list of instructions.
“Yup.”
“Perfect.” The confident look that appears in her eyes, turns me on.
“Why don’t you spend the next few hours going over everything?”
“Okay,” she starts to read through the paperwork. Why don’t I fill this all out and get it to you then?”
“Sure, yeah. That works for me.”
She nods and pulls out a pen.
“I got it.”
“Think of the job as the face of the firm. When people walk in, you are the first thing they will see.”
“Is my face an issue?” she laughs.
“No, no. That’s not what I meant...you are; you are perfect...I mean-”
“I was joking, Ryan.” She reaches for a pen and begins to softly chew on it. Her full lips wrap around the pen and start to suck on it. I close my eyes and look away.
“I’ll be in my office. Just get situated.”
“Is that all you have to say?” she asks, suddenly, cocking her head and peering at me.
“Yes…” I respond cautiously.
“Well, what about the training and all of that?”
I take a deep breath. I wasn’t completely sure. Beatrice had just done everything; the job wasn't something I worried about too much.
“Go over what Beatrice, the old secretary typed up, and then if you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask. Okay?
She nods her head. Her hair brushes against her shoulder.
“Get that paperwork filled out, read through the file, and that’s what we will focus on today. Tomorrow, I think we can do more of a feel for your typical day.”
“Great.”
She spins in the chair and starts to fill everything out. I realize that I am still just standing there, staring at her. I turn and see a few of my associates staring at me. I smile briefly and then look back at Jasmina.
I should probably make an announcement. Just so that they know. I clear my throat and move forward toward the desks. I have five people working under me, not including Jasmina.
“Can I please have everyone's attention.”
The loud business of work and low chatter drops to a standstill. Their eyes peer directly me and then at Jasmina.
“This is Jasmina. She is our new secretary now, so let’s make sure to treat her with the respect she deserves.”
They smile and nod, saying hello. Jasmina is very graceful. She stands and bows her head thanking everyone. She sits back down and returns to work. The noise of work in the room resumes. Phones ring and people talk.
I walk back into my office and begin work on a large contract one of my paralegals wrote up for a client. My head switches to lawyer mode, and I start my job. The time starts to fly by as I cut away at the long and heavy paper. I'm gonna need a few cups of coffee before I even get close to finishing this monster of a legal document. I wipe my face and glance at clock. It's been about two hours. I should really stop looking at the clock; that always makes time go by so much slower.
I wonder how Jasmina is doing with all of that reading?
I crane my neck from behind the large computer desk and spy out the window. I look straight at a view of Kevin’s ass.
What is he doing?
I crane my neck even further and see Jasmina smiling. She starts giggling about something he says. I shake my head. I should have known he would try and go after her. It hasn’t even been a full day, and she is being hit on. I stop and contemplate my thoughts. Why is that an issue? They are both young and Kevin is a great kid. If anything, I should encourage them to date one another. Jasmina can use a man in her life, now that she is all on her own. But I know that is not how I really feel. I don’t like the way he leans over the desk and peers down her shirt. Kevin would never be able to keep up with Jasmina; she is far above in maturity. I clench my jaw and stand up.
I fling the door open and walk out toward the desk. Jasmina and Kevin look at me.
“How’s it going, Jasmina?”
“Good. I’m half way through. Beatrice was very thorough. I think with a little bit of practice I should be able to get to the hang of working here.”
“That is great news.” I face Kevin. “What are you doing, Kevin?”
“I thought I would come say hi to Jasmina,” he stammers, taking a step back.
“Okay, well - I just read through the contract you sent me last night.”
“And?” There is a nervousness in his eyes.
“It’s good. Good job. Let’s keep it that way without any more slacking off.”
Kevin’s face turns a bright shade of red. He looks at Jasmina and then back at me.
“Right. I will.”
“Excellent.”
I watch as he saunters back to his desk in the corner.
“He’s nice,” Jasmina says. She slides back into her seat. The leather of the seat sticks to the back of her bare legs.
“Well, let me know if he bothers you anymore.”
“He wasn’t bothering me,” she whispers.
“Maybe not yet, but someone as ho-beautiful as you are needs to be careful. These guys aren’t the best kind when it comes to woman. They're all just a bunch of players.”
“I think I can handle myself.”
“I know; I just don’t want them thinking it's okay to hit on you.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that.” Jasmina throws her hands in the hair in a carefree manner.
“Alright. I keep forgetting that you can take care of yourself.”
“Well, stop forgetting. I am a big girl now with big girl needs.”
Her eyes hold mine for a long moment. I swallow and quickly turn around. Did I make a mistake by hiring her today?
Chapter 7
Inside of the small coffee shop Mr. Coffee, I sit in the corner. Soft French music plays over the speakers. It's a woman singing softly over some piano and accordion. I don’t know. I’m not the one who speaks French, Ryan is. And it is way too early in the morning to pretend that we are in fact in France right about now.
I am meeting with Ryan and Mark, but of course they are late, and I am early. I suppose I am the only one who understands that being on time is still important. They both have forgotten that one rule. Back in college, there were too many times, I had to bail them out during class because they slacked off so much.
The line at the counter is steadily growing as people come into receive their caffeine fix. I was never one for fancy little shops; any old coffee place is fine with me, but Ryan went to Europe about eight years ago for the first time, and ever since then, he has become some connoisseur
of nicer things. I don’t get it, but Mark seems to enjoy it as well. Whenever we go out, I’m fine with drinking a bud light, while they will spend almost an hour in picking at what IPAs, how many stouts, how it was aged. Who has time to fret over how they are going to get hammered?
We haven't gone out in a while. These past four or five years have changed us. Especially, Mark becoming as well-known as he is in the medical community. His head is even larger. We are getting older now. God, I feel so old, and going out and drinking is still fun, but it's not happening every Friday like it used too. That’s for sure.
When we were Jasmina’s age, we were always going out and getting wild. Now, we are meeting for coffee. For Coffee? That’s fucking ridiculous. I’d prefer we would all play golf or something, but Mark hates it. He gets way to angry and screams. There have been several occurrences of him throwing his golf club at others, resulting in us being banned or removed from the course. Mark has always had a ballistic temper. I can’t even fathom how Jasmina lasted as long in that house as she did.
Oh, Jasmina. My thoughts shift to her. I wonder how she is doing now that she is all moved in. I should stop by and see her.
“Hey, buddy!” Ryan shouts over the music and other people enthusiastically. I turn around in the seat and see him and Mark walking through the doors.
“It’s about time,” I stand up.
“Did you order us coffee?” Mark asks, looking at the clear table in front of me with a sheer look of disdain. I pause look down then back up at Ryan and Mark.
“I thought I would wait. I had no idea what time you were actually going to be arriving, and I didn’t want to order it and then have it get cold.”
Mark frowns, but Ryan claps his hands fast and rubs them together.
“No, problem. Let’s order now.”
We get up and stand in line of the cafe. Mark adjusts his weight from foot to foot.
“My stocks went up this weeks.”
We reach the counter and take our orders. My stock went down and I really don’t feel like talking about how much money I just lost the last few days. The barista makes the coffee, and we head back to our seats. I take a long sip of the hot steaming coffee. It burns my lips.
“Ryan, are still seeing Viviane?” Mark asks. I notice the expression on Ryan’s face slightly shift.
“No. She was too much work.”
“They all are,” Mark sighs.
“Isn’t that the truth,” Ryan adds on. “She was just interested in having a sugar daddy.”
“Well, what’s wrong with that? As long as she lets you fuck her?”
Mark had such a different view of looking at things, and it is never really that good. He was not the same guy I remember from college. He leans forward and brushes at his sweater, plucking a hair off from the shoulder.
“Try having a daughter. It’s like being tied down, except she doesn’t put out.”
“Jasmina is a great girl,” Ryan defends. “You should be proud.”
Mark shakes his head.
“You don’t understand, Ryan. I spent all this time and money on her to watch her decide to become an artist.”
“She is an amazing painter. Her work really could take off,” I chime in. Mark needs to realize his daughter's potential. If he offered her support then she would be unstoppable.
“She needs a job that will take off,” Mark pauses. “I don’t want to make this morning about Jasmina. I haven't even heard from her in about a week and half. She is stupid and needs to become smart. I refuse to keep feeding her the idea that what she is doing is okay.”
“Well, she’s gotten a job,” Ryan says instantly.
“Oh?”
“She’s my new secretary.”
Mark narrows his eyes and chews on his bottom lip. We watch as he processes the information. The French music has turned to something Italian. At least, I am cultured enough to hear the difference.
‘And how is she doing?”
“She’s been working for me for two days, and has surprisingly picked everything up very well.”
“That is a shock.”
“She’s a really smart girl, Mark.”
“You would have no idea that she came from you,” I add in. Ryan and I both laugh. Mark smiles slightly.
“Right, because I am pretty stupid, being a leading surgeon.”
“Oh come on, lighten up,” I lean back in the seat. “You are so uptight all the time.”
“You don’t understand the stress I am under,” he snaps under his breath, glaring at me.
“And that’s exactly why you need to relax.”
“When was the last time you had a vacation?” Ryan asks, smoothly. Mark takes a breath and calms himself down. His temper is something else.
“I’m not sure, it’s been a while.”
“Same,” I say. “Our jobs aren't as flexible as yours, Ryan.”
“So, what you are saying is that I am the smartest guy here.” Ryan flashes that smile that causes jurors to trust him undoubtedly and laughs. Mark and I shake our heads.
“No, what we are saying though, is that our jobs require us to save people's lives.”
Ryan furrows his eyebrows.
“Christian, please enlighten us on how being an orthodontist saves people?”
“Um, without teeth people can’t eat,” I respond quickly. We break out into a burst of laughter. Mark’s hand lands on the table. I suddenly feel a pang of guilt for being so attracted to Jasmina when I helped move her in. It was as if I went behind Mark’s back by helping her move in. That is the job of a boyfriend or father, not her father’s friend. But it didn’t stop there. I wanted to be around to see her move her perfect body in that empty apartment. I twist the coffee mug in my hand. It would probably be best if I don’t say anything. I have no clue how Mark will react, but if he found out, would he be mad that I never said anything to him about helping her? Maybe I should say something.
“So, I -”
Mark’s phone rings loudly. He reaches into his pocket and pulls it out.
“This is Mark.” There is a long pause. “Mmhmm. Alright that’s fine. What time did you say. And it's today? Who told you? Okay. Okay. I can come in early. Please ask Johnson to aid in the prep. Great. Bye.” Mark stands up abruptly. “We’ve had some surgery complications arise. I’m gonna have to go in early and take care of somethings.”
“Maybe you should try and retire?” Ryan shouts at Mark, as the surgeon opens the door. Mark gives Ryan the bird through the window and gets inside of the car.
“It’s crazy to think that guy saves people's lives,” Ryan sighs.
“I know.” I finish off my coffee and throw the empty cup into the trash. “He can save other people’s lives, but not his own.”
“What?”
“I don’t know. Mark’s has some serious issues.”
“Specially, when it comes to his daughter. Well, I guess, I should go too.”
“Tell, Jaz, I say hi, and that I am sorry she has to work for you.”
“Oh, I will.”
Mark stands up, and I follow him out of the cafe and into our cars.
“I’ll stop by the office sometime soon to have lunch with you and Jaz.”
“She’d love that,” Ryan says.
“Alright, see you later.”
I arrive at my dentistry practice. A large sign of a tooth is painted on the door. I remember being a kid and hating the dentist and now I am one.
“Good morning, Dr. Sorin,” Anna greets in her sing songy voice. I smile at the warm older woman. I could have had Jasmina work here with her. But that might have been too close to medical for her. She might not have wanted it. But it would have been nice to have her sitting behind the desk waiting for me. Her bright blue eyes sparkling. If she was working for me than I wouldn’t have to worry about her so much. I’m sure Ryan is paying her well and making sure she adjusts easily.
Ryan can sometimes b
e aloof though and is not a very good teacher. Jasmina is a capable, smart girl. She will be fine. No, she will be better than fine. Anything she puts her mind too goes well. I lean over the desk and look at the computer.
“When’s the first appointment?” I ask.
“Gracie and Martin have cleanings around nine this morning.” I nod, tapping my fingers against the desk. Gracie and Martin are my dental hygienists. “And you have a root canal to do for nine-thirty.”
“Thanks, Anna.”
“You are very welcome. Are you feeling alright, Dr. Sorin?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Why? Do I seem off?”
“No. I wouldn’t say off, just distracted.”
“Oh,” I raise my eyebrows. “Interesting.”
“It’s probably just the summer heat. When things start to get hot outside it affects us.”
“You think so?” I ask, raising my eyebrows. The old woman nods assertively.
“Oh yeah, makes everyone all hot and moody.”
“Is this proven or just a theory.”
She shrugs.
“I’m not sure, but I always find it to be true, every summer. How about you tell me? You are the doctor.”