by J. P. Comeau
Well, she had many needs I knew I could fulfill. But that was beside the point.
“So, let’s say I offered you the job. When could you start?” I asked.
She shrugged. “As soon as you needed me to, I suppose.”
I peeked down at her resume. “You put your starting rate at fifteen bucks an hour. Does that still hold true?”
She nodded. “I can do as low as fourteen, but anything below that isn’t worth the time away from my daughter for me.”
“Good. It’s good to have lines and stick to them. Have you given any thought to the kind of vacation time you might want?”
“I have actually, yes.”
My eyes held hers. “All right. What were you thinking?”
“Are we speaking hypothetically still?”
I shrugged. “Does it matter?”
Her gaze dropped down my body before she cleared her throat. “I’d ask for three weeks of paid vacation and one week of unpaid medical leave for fifteen bucks an hour. And if for some reason that pay is too much, I’d be willing to negotiate more paid time off and more medical leave in exchange for the dropped hourly rate.”
Wow, what shitty jobs she’s had. “How about this: you won’t be an hourly employee, you’ll be salaried. And for a secretary that I’m going to run as much as I’ll run you, the starting salary I offer for a full-time position such as the one you’re interviewing for is seventy-thousand a year, plus end-of-the-year bonuses depending on productivity levels. You’d have your choice of three top-tier health insurance programs which you and your daughter would be covered under, and you’d also get a work laptop as well as a work phone. I’ll give you fifteen business days of vacation, five business days of unpaid medical leave, all of which will reset yearly.”
She swallowed hard. “Are we speaking hypothetically still?”
I smirked. “No. We aren’t.”
Her face paled. “Oh.”
“So? How does all of that sound?”
Then, after a few beats of silence, she stood to her feet and offered me her hand. “It sounds like you have a deal if you’re offering me the job.”
And before I could catch my breath, I stood to my feet and shook her hand. “Congratulations, Miss Popovich.”
I felt the urge to tug her in for an extravagant kiss, but I resisted the pull. We shook hands for a bit longer than necessary, but when she dropped my hand, it ripped me out of my trance.
So, I made my way for my office door with her in tow behind me.
“You’ll start your training this coming Monday. You’ll train for two days, from ten to two, then Wednesday will be your first full day. I’ll have a packet ready for you with all of your health insurance information as well as our formal workplace booklet. By Wednesday, I’ll have you set up with your work laptop and phone. Any questions?”
I opened my office door and turned around to find her smiling up at me. “No, no questions at all.”
I nodded. “Wonderful. You can leave the same way you came, and I’ll see you at ten o’clock Monday morning.”
“I look forward to working together, Mr. Cataline.”
And as her thick, mouth-watering hips swayed with every step she took toward the elevator, I smiled to myself.
At least I have this luscious lady within arm’s reach now.
6
Leslie
I stood at my front door, unable to move. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. I didn’t know whether to smile or frown. And for fuck’s sake, I had no damn clue whether or not I should have accepted that job. But, I needed the paycheck badly, especially since it was such a good one, too.
“Leslie?”
I heard the door open, and I sure as hell heard Suri’s voice. But I couldn’t move. I was so stunned I didn’t even remember the drive home or getting out of my car to come to the front porch. I didn’t remember any stoplights or stop signs. I didn’t remember walking to my car after the interview. Hell, I didn’t even remember shedding the tears that made my neck feel damp.
I didn’t come to until I felt Suri’s hand in mine as she stepped out onto the porch.
“Rori’s napping. Why don’t we sit down, yeah?” she asked softly.
I nodded mindlessly. “Yeah, sounds good.”
I felt my ass touch against a chair, and I leaned heavily against the cushioned back. I knew I needed to speak with Suri, but my tongue couldn’t seem to form the letters to the words swirling around in my head. The raking of plastic against concrete sounded before I looked up from my feet and found my best friend staring back at me with concern wafting behind her eyes.
And when my lips finally moved, the words followed in a seemingly unfashionable manner that painted a picture of just how bad this was. “I fucked my boss, Suri.”
She blinked. “You mean… instead of… interviewing?”
I swallowed hard. “The night you want details about. Remember?”
Her jaw fell open. “Wait, the guy you went home with from the bar the other night is now your boss?”
“Yeah.”
“So, he interviewed you and gave you the job anyway?”
I paused. “Yeah.”
She puffed her cheeks out with a sigh. “He probably wants to fuck you again, then. Did you take the job he offered?”
I swallowed hard. “He offered me seventy grand a year, salary. For starters, Suri. What the hell do you think I did?”
She grinned. “Now she’s coming back. Like fucking smelling salts after a good faint.”
I shook the cobwebs out of my brain. “My God, what in the world am I going to do?”
“I mean, we could celebrate.”
I groaned. “Celebrate my fucking my boss?”
She giggled. “No, you idiot. Celebrate you getting a job.”
I froze. “Holy shit, I got the job.”
“You got the damn job, Leslie. Seventy grand a year, health insurance, yes?”
I smiled softly. “Health insurance, yearly bonuses, and weeks—not days—of paid vacation.”
Suri leaped to her feet. “Woohoo! My best friend just found herself a big-girl job, you guys! Yeah!”
Then, as I laughed at her antics, she scooted her chair even closer to me before sitting on the edge of it. “Now, you need to tell me about this night that you two shared.”
I rolled my eyes. “It doesn’t seem nearly as palatable now.”
She swatted at my knee. “I don’t care! Girl, let me live through you. Was he kind?”
I thought back to the night we shared together. “Yeah, he was kind. If a bit pompous.”
“Was he any good?”
I grinned. “Oh, yeah. He was fantastic.”
She squealed. “Ah! I’m so jealous. Okay, okay, okay. Did he kick you out? Or did you leave of your own volition?”
My guilt settled in a bit. “He fell asleep beside me pretty much right after, so I just got up and left.”
She bobbed her head from side-to-side. “Not the best that he falls asleep right after, but he works hard, right?”
I blinked. “Yeah. I’d say since he owns and operates the business that just hired me. I’d say he’s kind of busy.”
She clapped her hands. “You might just make it out of this life alive and in one piece.”
I furrowed my brow. “I’m not following.”
“Girl, are you crazy? Did you like spending time with him?”
I saw where she was going with it. “No.”
She sighed. “Come on, Leslie. Live a little with your life.”
I stood to my feet and pointed at her. “I’m not pursuing my fucking boss simply because he’s a good lay.”
She shot to her feet. “But, those are the best guys to pursue! Come on, Leslie. Have a little fun.”
I charged through the front door of my home. “I’ve had enough fun in my life. Fun is how I got Aurora. I’m good in terms of fun.”
She huffed. “You’re no fun anymore.”
I murmured to myself. “K
ids will do that to you.”
“You know what you need?” she asked as she followed me inside.
I lowered my voice since Aurora was napping. “A nice glass of wine in the shape of an entire bottle?”
She snickered as she closed the front door. “No, stupid. You need Guadalupe.”
I reached for a regular glass. “Am I supposed to know this person?”
Suri stood behind me as I poured the wine. “She’s a wonderful friend I made right after I graduated from college. She gave me this job at a spa she owns, and she sort of helped guide me through life until I nailed the teaching job I have now. I think you could do with a bit of Guadalupe in your life.”
I shrugged. “As long as I can have my wine. Want some?”
“Are you using a coffee tumbler to drink it?”
I peered over my shoulder. “Wine, or no?”
She shook her head. “Nah, I’m good.”
I turned back to my glass. “More for me, then.”
Suri got on the phone with whoever the hell this person was, and I flopped onto the couch with my glass. The rest of the day sort of passed in a blur, with Aurora curled up against me watching cartoons on a re-run on Hulu. I kissed the top of her head every so often, and she’d burrow next to me, reminding me exactly why I was about to endure this professional hell. But eventually, a soft knock came at my door, and I thought Suri was going to lose her head.
“It’s her! She’s here! Guadalupe, I’m coming!”
I scoffed. “Not like she’s Michael Jackson.”
Suri popped her head around the corner. “I heard that. You sit right there; she’ll come to you.”
I held up my glass that was almost drained of wine. “Sure thing.”
Aurora looked up at me. “Mommy, who’s here?”
I peered down at my curious daughter. “Someone that means a lot to Auntie Suri, so you be nice, okay?”
She nodded. “Can I keep watching TV?”
I kissed her forehead. “Of course, you can. I’ll even watch it with you; how’s that sound?”
She beamed with pride. “That sounds good.”
I winked. “Good.”
Suri singsonged as she came into the room. “Guess who brought pizza?”
Aurora leaped off the couch. “Pizza?”
My head fell back against the couch cushions. “That snuggle didn’t last long.”
Suri ignored my quip. “Guadalupe, this is my best friend, Leslie. Leslie, this is Guadalupe.”
I held up my wine glass again. “Set the pizza anywhere, and hello.”
Suri swatted the back of my head. “Get up and hold out your hand, you doofus.”
I got to my feet and glared at her. “I’m not the one who asked to have company over. Remember that.”
Suri giggled. “She’s a hoot, isn’t she?”
But, this Guadalupe woman didn’t seem impressed. “That bad, huh?”
I blinked. “What’s that bad?”
Suri sighed. “She thinks it’s that bad. But it’s not that bad.”
I held out my arms. “What’s not that bad?”
Aurora scooped up a piece of pizza. “Mom, can you get me a plate?”
I didn’t even look at her. “Just eat it off the empty cardboard top. Sorry, what’s not that bad?”
Then, Guadalupe came to stand beside me. “Suri says you’ve found your alto, oscuro, y guapo, but you are uncertain where to go from here.”
I cocked my head. “Suri?”
She scurried up to my side. “Yeah?”
I slowly looked over at her. “Am I having a stroke? What did she just say?”
Suri smiled from ear to ear. “I told her that you’d found your tall, dark, and handsome man that you seemed to enjoy, but you won’t do anything about it.”
I threw my hands into the air. “Because he’s my boss, Suri!”
Aurora shoved pizza into her face. “No yelling, Mommy. That’s not nice.”
I clenched my teeth together. “I’m sorry. I’m not sure what my best friend has ingested to make her hallucinate such a thing, but I can assure you—”
This Guadalupe woman held up her hand, silencing my words before she sat down. I furrowed my brow tightly as she sat on the edge of an oversized chair that faced the television that I fell asleep in more than my bed. She offered for me to sit like I wasn’t in my own damn home, but for some reason, I obliged and sat down anyway. And after draining the rest of my wine, I crossed my legs so I could settle in for whatever insanity Suri had signed me up for tonight.
“So,” Guadalupe finally said, “you slept with your boss before you knew your boss might be your boss.”
I licked my lips. “Can we keep this down? My daughter is kind of over—”
I looked toward the pizza, but I didn’t see Aurora. And when I heard giggling filtering down the steps, I knew she had gone upstairs to play.
“Maybe not, then,” I murmured.
Suri leaned into my ear. “I put her in your room so she could watch more cartoons while we talked.”
Yet another thing I didn’t witness due to my dazed mind. “I don’t know whether to thank you or slap you.”
Guadalupe grinned. “Did you take the job?”
I shrugged. “I need the money, so yeah.”
“And did he make the interview weird at all?”
I thought back on it and… “Honestly? No. He seemed to be very concerned about making sure I had everything I needed from his job offer.”
Suri snickered. “No man does that with a new employee unless he cares.”
I ignored her quip. “Are you here to try to convince me that I need to date my boss?”
Guadalupe shook her head. “No. I’m here to convince you that, sometimes, life works in very weird ways, and the bosses who care about us are the ones we need to keep around.”
I leaned against the couch. “If the only thing he cares about is getting laid, I might not be at this job long.”
Guadalupe turned toward me. “Did he give off the impression that he only cares about that?”
I blinked. “No.”
“Did he speak with you inappropriately at all?”
I paused. “Actually, no. He didn’t. He’s… assertive. Abrasive, maybe. But, he never talked himself into disrespectful territory. If anything, he tried to make the interview less awkward.”
“So, maybe what you’re saying about him is what you’re concerned about when it comes to yourself.”
Her words struck me hard, and I found that they had a comforting presence. I saw—and felt—why Suri took to this woman. Why she seemed to garner such faith and strength from her. She kind of reminded me of a wise old grandmother, with a home where everyone was welcomed no matter their walk of life.
I heard something sliding across the coffee table at me, and it ripped me from my trance. And when I looked down, I found a string of numbers on it.
“What’s that?” I asked.
Guadalupe giggled. “It’s my phone number. Use it if you ever need it. Sometimes, we need an unbiased voice in our ear to tell us what we can’t see because of our own emotions and trials and tribulations. But, promise me one thing.”
I picked up her number. “Shoot.”
“If this man is your alto, oscuro, y guapo, don’t let him pass you by. Even if it feels weird or awkward, don’t let him get away.”
Then, Suri whispered into my ear, “Your tall, dark, and handsome.”
I snorted. “Yeah, right. Okay. Sure.”
Guadalupe cocked an eyebrow. “Promise me.”
I turned to murmur at Suri. “You know I wrote off men after what happened with Aurora’s father, right?”
“Just promise.” Suri pinched my side.
I hissed with pain before I plastered on my best smile. “I very much so promise.”
Guadalupe shook her head with a smile on her face. “I know you might think you’re just fine without a man in your life, but I promise you, having a man in your life doesn�
�t make you weak, which is why it’s important to have the right man in your life.”
“Preach,” Suri said.
I stood to my feet. “I promise that, if something does end up happening, I’ll try to let it ride instead of kicking him in the balls. That sound good?”
Guadalupe stood with me. “Good enough for me.”
And when she extended her hand to shake on it, I slipped my palm against hers, knowing damn good and well I’d never have to cash in on this insane, tumultuous, ridiculous promise.
7
Trey
I stood by Leslie’s new desk, perched right outside my office, as the elevator doors dinged open. I heard her heels first, plucking against the carpet as she strode down the hallway. With her black pencil skirt clinging to her hips and her ruffled blouse attempting—and failing—to detract from her prominent bosom echoed sentiments of a phrase that had rattled around in my mind for days.
It was a big mistake to hire her.
Somehow she looked even sexier than the last time I’d seen her. With her perched outside my office in those fucking tight-ass clothes of hers, I knew I was in for multiple practices of the idea of self-control. Nevertheless, I was determined to make this as professional of a setting as possible for her.
So, I forced myself not to drink her body in with my eyes. “Good morning, Leslie.”
She set her stuff down on top of the desk. “Good morning, Mr. Cataline.”
I almost growled at the sound of my name on the tip of her tongue. “I was able to pull some strings and get you all set up with your technology. You’ll be able to take this laptop home with you regularly, which will enable you to work from your house if your daughter is ever sick. Or, if there’s a teacher workday at school or something and you don’t have a babysitter.”
She sipped her coffee. “I appreciate that. Thank you so much.”
I pointed at the headset. “I’ve also got you one of these to use with your phone. My last secretary loved having one because she didn’t constantly have to keep propping the phone against her shoulder that way. And right there, in the middle, is your work phone. I haven’t set it up, but the number is written down on the back. Only use it for work phone calls. My home number, cell number, and office number are already pre-programmed into it. You can also sync it with your laptop so our schedules can be seen across the board.”