you.”
He took a seat back in his chair. He scanned over the papers on his desk then looked at his computer monitor.
“I looked at everything you said to Estelle. I wasn’t there to hear it but I liked what she told me. You’re exactly what I’m looking for. I need people who are capable of giving me a different perspective on things. I need someone who’s fresh out of college with new ideas. I need someone who’s young. I need… Well, even just being a female is a refreshing change of pace.
“I know that Estelle told you exactly what you were getting into. Well, I’m here to tell you that she’s wrong. It’s even worse. These aren’t people you’re dealing with. They’re animals. They’re machines. These men you’re going to talk business with are robots capable of seeing things in their own way. You’ll be hard-pressed to try and sway their opinions. But I’m eager to see you try. It’s going to take all of your effort and a lot of hard work. This is not something you should take lightly. I’m talking about late nights at the office and taking your work home with you. There might even be times when you’ll have to work weekends, so you won’t have time to… indulge yourself.”
He stared hard at me. I swallowed then clenched my teeth. I didn’t know what to say. There was a seriousness in his face I hadn’t seen before. He may have been the same man I had sex with just a couple of nights ago but he didn’t look like it at this moment. The tension between us was different.
“Are you sure you want to work here, Alice?”
“Yes, I’m sure. I’ve waited my entire life for this opportunity. I’m willing to do whatever it takes.”
“Yes,” he sighed. “That’s what I expected you to say. Very well…”
He wrote down some notes on his paper.
“Come in tomorrow morning,” he said. “The first meeting is scheduled at seven sharp. You won’t have to do much. Just get a feel for things and see how everything works. You’ll get your first assignment and all of the details e-mailed to you. All of your contact information is correct?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Good. I’ll have someone get an office ready for you. Somewhere on the 89th floor with the other board members. The boardroom is also there. Feel free to look around if you have nothing else to do. It’s empty at the moment. If you have any other questions, speak to Estelle. Her office is on the 88th floor. The room she was using earlier was just for interviews. Do you have any other questions about your job, Alice?”
“No, but… I do have the job?”
“Yes.”
He stared at me from his desk. I looked back at him, still unsure of what to think or say. There was something else between us. I had sex with him a few days earlier and now he was my boss. I couldn’t just ignore it.
“Rafael—”
“Alice, you’re qualified for this job, right?”
“Yes, of course.”
“That’s why I hired you. That’s the only reason I hired you. You’re here to do a job and help Barnett Industries succeed and grow.”
I nodded to him.
“This is a business move. People might question my decisions. Don’t make them question this one. If you have no more business to discuss with me, then there’s nothing else for us to speak about. Agreed?”
“…Right. Of course. I… I understand completely.”
I nodded again then stood up from my chair. Even though we both knew what was obvious, I couldn’t say it out loud. He was right. Whatever happened between us was nothing more than two people looking for a good time. I couldn’t let how attracted I was to him physically stop me from doing my job to the best of my ability.
I turned my back to him and quickly left his office. As soon as I stepped outside, I sighed a deep breath. I got the job. I never imagined that I would be working for a man I had a one-night stand with just a few days ago but that didn’t matter. I couldn’t think any longer about the fling we had.
Chapter 8
I
He took a seat back in his chair. He scanned over the papers on his desk then looked at his computer monitor.
“I looked at everything you said to Estelle. I wasn’t there to hear it but I liked what she told me. You’re exactly what I’m looking for. I need people who are capable of giving me a different perspective on things. I need someone who’s fresh out of college with new ideas. I need someone who’s young. I need… Well, even just being a female is a refreshing change of pace.
“I know that Estelle told you exactly what you were getting into. Well, I’m here to tell you that she’s wrong. It’s even worse. These aren’t people you’re dealing with. They’re animals. They’re machines. These men you’re going to talk business with are robots capable of seeing things in their own way. You’ll be hard-pressed to try and sway their opinions. But I’m eager to see you try. It’s going to take all of your effort and a lot of hard work. This is not something you should take lightly. I’m talking about late nights at the office and taking your work home with you. There might even be times when you’ll have to work weekends, so you won’t have time to… indulge yourself.”
He stared hard at me. I swallowed then clenched my teeth. I didn’t know what to say. There was a seriousness in his face I hadn’t seen before. He may have been the same man I had sex with just a couple of nights ago but he didn’t look like it at this moment. The tension between us was different.
“Are you sure you want to work here, Alice?”
“Yes, I’m sure. I’ve waited my entire life for this opportunity. I’m willing to do whatever it takes.”
“Yes,” he sighed. “That’s what I expected you to say. Very well…”
He wrote down some notes on his paper.
“Come in tomorrow morning,” he said. “The first meeting is scheduled at seven sharp. You won’t have to do much. Just get a feel for things and see how everything works. You’ll get your first assignment and all of the details e-mailed to you. All of your contact information is correct?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Good. I’ll have someone get an office ready for you. Somewhere on the 89th floor with the other board members. The boardroom is also there. Feel free to look around if you have nothing else to do. It’s empty at the moment. If you have any other questions, speak to Estelle. Her office is on the 88th floor. The room she was using earlier was just for interviews. Do you have any other questions about your job, Alice?”
“No, but… I do have the job?”
“Yes.”
He stared at me from his desk. I looked back at him, still unsure of what to think or say. There was something else between us. I had sex with him a few days earlier and now he was my boss. I couldn’t just ignore it.
“Rafael—”
“Alice, you’re qualified for this job, right?”
“Yes, of course.”
“That’s why I hired you. That’s the only reason I hired you. You’re here to do a job and help Barnett Industries succeed and grow.”
I nodded to him.
“This is a business move. People might question my decisions. Don’t make them question this one. If you have no more business to discuss with me, then there’s nothing else for us to speak about. Agreed?”
“…Right. Of course. I… I understand completely.”
I nodded again then stood up from my chair. Even though we both knew what was obvious, I couldn’t say it out loud. He was right. Whatever happened between us was nothing more than two people looking for a good time. I couldn’t let how attracted I was to him physically stop me from doing my job to the best of my ability.
I turned my back to him and quickly left his office. As soon as I stepped outside, I sighed a deep breath. I got the job. I never imagined that I would be working for a man I had a one-night stand with just a few days ago but that didn’t matter. I couldn’t think any longer about the fling we had.
Chapter 8
I
Similar Books
