by Paige Cooper
A shake of my head was all I allowed myself before I grabbed the first file and began to input the case data. I moved quickly, scanning and typing the information in.
I figured the easiest way to move through the list would be to get each item done one by one. The only issue I really had was the phone. It seemed to ring every five minutes, and I had to stop what I was doing and answer it.
None of the calls were urgent or pressing, and by the end of the first hour, I had a stack of messages to give Mark and had managed to scan through 15 files. Not all of the scans were brilliant, and some of the images were a bit dark when they came through into the system. I chewed my lip as I noticed the small mistakes I’d made along the way.
Hopefully, he wouldn’t notice, and I could fix it tomorrow before it was brought to Mark’s attention. A knot formed in my stomach as I thought about the additional workload he would surely dump on my plate the next day. Would I even have time to come back to these files and fix them?
I scribbled a reminder on a sticky note and stuck it on the computer screen. Even if I had to stay an hour later to fix these goof-ups, I would, but I needed to meet his insane deadline.
A kind face approached my desk, but the phone rang before the strange woman could say anything. I smiled apologetically.
“Mark Allen’s office at Allen Brothers Legal, how can I help you?” I trilled sweetly into the phone, managing a calm I didn’t feel on the outside.
The person on the other end of the line rattled off a quick list of concerns that Mark needed to look at for one of his cases. That meant more work on my shoulders.
I scribbled another message, thanked the caller, and hung up the phone. The smile on my face began to cut into my cheeks, and I breathed a sigh of relief when I was able to drop the act.
“Wow, you’re still here.” The strange woman smiled at me as she spoke.
I might have been offended by her words, but I’d met Mark. Most secretaries would run the other direction from a boss like him. I wished my bank account gave me the self-respect to be able to do the same.
Unfortunately, it didn’t, and I had to take it as it came.
“Surprisingly, yes. I’m as shocked as the rest of you, probably.” I shrugged and pulled up the next load of files that needed to be scanned and typed up.
“I’m Abigail, but everyone calls me Abby. I’m John’s secretary. I’ve had to temp for Mark a few times, and let me tell you, you have all our admiration that you’ve made it this far.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Nicole,” I said, looking up from my screen and taking a five-minute breather from the workload Mark had piled onto me.
“He has a brooding personality. Troubled and stormy. Almost like there's something he needs to prove, though I don’t think anyone’s ever been hard on him,” Abby speculated as she leaned over my desk and peeked at the files I was in the middle of uploading.
Abby’s eyes were genuine as she spoke, and I felt a warmth in her personality. I shook my head at the thought of such a bright person working under Mark’s stormy presence.
“He’s interesting… I’ll give you that much.” A grim laugh escaped my throat, and I bit down on my lip.
I didn’t want to get caught talking crap about my boss on day one. I didn’t even know Abby.
“We’re going for lunch, a few of the other admin staff and me. Did you want to join us?” Abby shone a bright smile at me, and I couldn’t help but give her a grin back.
A look at my computer quickly knocked the smile off my face as I realized the time. “God, it’s lunchtime already?” My stomach growled a proclamation that it was hungry, and I blushed furiously.
Abby stood, waiting for my answer. I quickly calculated whether I could afford lunch with my new colleagues—both time-wise and money-wise.
Perhaps if I worked a bit faster, I could slip away for thirty minutes, but the decimal point in my bank account told me that a lunch out was not in the cards.
“I’m sorry, I can’t go out today. Too much to do and it’s my first day on the job. Maybe next time?” I forced my lips to curve up in a smile, ignoring the crestfallen feeling that settled into my chest.
The tuna mayo sandwich I packed earlier would have to get me through the rest of the day.
“I sincerely hope there is a next time. It’d be nice to get to know the woman who’s survived this long with Mark Allen.” Abby winked at me as she turned on her heels and walked off.
She was tall and impossibly beautiful. Her blonde hair shimmered in her wake, and I found myself staring after her as she left. Was everybody in this office glamorous and kind?
Well, everybody except Mark Allen, the grinch himself.
A soft sigh escaped my lips as I thought about the mountain of work still ahead of me. My sad tuna sandwich accompanied me as I finished off the last of the files. There were spelling errors, and a few scanned pages weren’t clear in the system, but those were easy fixes.
A hidden closet on the floor produced a few empty boxes and I stacked the files in them, leaving the ones I needed to fix on top with a sticky note on each one. It was the best I could do.
I grabbed a few starved bites of my sandwich and set my sights on the next task. Before long, the rumbles of my stomach were forgotten as I buried myself in legal loopholes and insurance claims.
Mark’s cases varied, but he seemed particularly akin to helping the underdogs win their cases. Peter Daniels had been hit by an oncoming truck that had driven into the wrong lane. He was minimally insured, but it was clear the truck company was at fault.
They’d handed it over to their insurance, fighting tooth and nail to misalign Daniels' character and get out of paying the money entitled to him.
It made me feel like maybe there was a good side to Mark, after all. Nobody fought these cases merely for the win. He had to believe in justice and deliver that conviction in front of a jury.
With that positive outlook on my new boss, I settled in for the long haul. He never emerged from his office once, and I wondered if he was head-down on this case, as well.
Nothing went in or out during lunch, and I didn't want to disturb him. I figured if he wanted to hear from me, he would call me into his office.
My back hurt as I hunched over my desk, poring over legalese and hoping against hope that Mark would be pleased with the completion of his impossible list.
I stretched and rolled my shoulders, giving myself a small break as I typed up the last memorandum he needed to look at regarding the case. The insurance company barely had a leg to stand on. Still, they were trying to argue that Daniels had been intoxicated at the time of the accident, which meant there could potentially be a loophole.
I put on the finishing touches and hit the print button. That should be everything. There were a few typing errors and things I could fix in the morning, but at least his list from hell was done.
The sound of the printer whirred behind me as I glanced up at the clock. 4:58 pm. Thank God!
I’d finished in the nick of time, and before I knew it, I’d be curled up on my couch with the cheap bottle of wine that sat on my counter half-finished. I argued that I deserved a glass—or three—of wine after a day like today.
I skimmed the document, skipping over the errors and highlighting the critical parts for Mark’s case.
With a skip in my step, I made my way to his office. It was a minute to five now, and I wanted to see the look on his face when he realized I had managed to accomplish everything he’d asked me to do.
“What do you want?” Mark grunted as I entered his office. The curtain was still open, and the afternoon light came pouring into the room.
Mark was hunched over his desk, reading a file. He didn’t even bother to glance up when he realized I was in here. I held in the head shake and tut. I wanted to teach him how to treat other people, but that probably wasn’t in my job description, and he would be the first to point that out.
“I finished everything you asked me to do.
I have a few documents and files here I’m sure you’ll need. I highlighted the most important loopholes the insurance company might try to use to turn the case on its head,” I said quickly. I slipped the papers onto his desk and took a step back. Nervous anxiety settled in my stomach as I watched him.
I didn’t know why, but I wanted him to tell me I had done a good job. I’d never looked for praise from anyone before because I was confident in my abilities. Still, I wanted Mark to recognize everything I was able to get done.
Finally, he snapped his head up and gave me a cursory glance.
A shiver ran down my spine as his steel-gray eyes met mine for a second. His hair fell over his forehead, and the desire to brush it back crept over me again. I kept my hands neatly held behind my back instead, forcing myself to stay present.
Mark’s gaze quickly focused on the paperwork I’d left in front of him. I expected to see the same surprised and irritated expression he had thrown me this morning when he’d realized he couldn’t complain about his coffee.
Instead, a smug smile crossed his lips as he sat up and leaned against the back of his chair. He flipped through the pages I had given him and then threw them in the trashcan next to his desk.
“This simply isn’t good enough. There are so many typing errors in these papers. You do understand that part of this job is perfection, right? You’ll be handling super-sensitive case information, and errors like this are never acceptable.” He narrowed his eyes at me, but the grim smile on his face told me he took satisfaction from this moment.
“I’m sorry—simple errors, I was trying to get your list done,” I tried standing up for myself, but he cut me off.
“Ah, save your sorries for someone who cares. Your orders were clear. You obviously can’t handle the workload or the sensitive nature of this job. I cannot have someone in this office who makes such egregious mistakes. This won’t work out, I’m afraid. You’re fired.”
I stood back a second, tears welling in my eyes. Had he really just fired me after all that?
I stared at him, willing the tears back down. I could cry later, but right now, this smug ass needed to know how he treated people wasn’t okay.
Mark waved me off. The self-congratulatory look on his face burned my blood. I wanted to put him in his place and argue with him, but what was the point?
Mark didn’t want me here from the get-go. That was obvious. He had wanted to fire me from the moment I had stepped foot inside this building. It was better to leave now with no fuss and with my dignity intact.
I turned on my heels, not giving him the pleasure of seeing the annoyance on my face. Men like this would fall sooner or later.
I stalked out of his office and grabbed my purse, pulling my sticky notes and lists for the day off the desk. Thankfully, I hadn’t brought anything to make the desk mine yet. Part of me had known this was too good to be true.
I knew I didn’t want to deal with someone like Mark day in and day out, so maybe this was a good thing. Being fired wasn’t the worst thing in the world.
I’d get my old boss to send me another recommendation elsewhere. He’d definitely write something up in my favor. After all, he’d sung my praises to John and David Allen, possibly the only two good Allen brothers in existence.
I threw my middle finger up at his glass door since his blinds were still down and jerked my shoulders up. I wasn’t going to let some asshole like Mark Allen get me down.
No, the status of my bank account did that for me already. Worry burned in the back of my mind. How was I going to pay rent if I didn’t find another job?
This had all been a massive waste of my time.
I held my head high as I packed up the files on my desk. I wanted to leave them right there and let it all go, but something inside me wouldn’t allow it. If I dropped the ball on this work, it wouldn’t be Mark that suffered, but the company—and the clients.
I held back the tears that pooled in my eyes. I wouldn’t cry until it was safe to do so. I didn’t want anyone thinking Mark had gotten to me.
I grabbed the heavy boxes and my list of notes, making my way over to Ella. I’d tell her everything that needed to get done and see where I could hand my stuff in after being fired.
After that, I’d go home, pour a glass of wine, and have a nice big cry.
Chapter 4: Mark
S weat dripped down my brow and I ramped up the speed on the treadmill. I needed to run to work out all the frustrations this office brought me.
I turned my focus ahead, watching as the office staff prepared to leave for the end of the day. Once the clock hit five, most of the building's employees filed out. Not me, though. I had another three hours of work ahead of me, and now I had to do all the extra work Nicole was supposed to take care of.
I shook my head. Finding people to do stuff for you was impossible. One of the many reasons I didn’t want a secretary. If I did it myself, it would get done right the first time.
The music in the gym beat low, but it raised my pulse and got me excited to push my limits, to burn off the stress of dealing with my brothers’ meddling. I wished they would learn to leave things well enough alone.
No one else was in the gym right now, which was how I liked it. I wasn’t sure if it was because they didn’t like the office gym or if they were intimidated by me, but I rarely found myself in here with anyone else.
In my busy life, there was no time to pack up and go to an external gym, so it was helpful to have the company gym for a quick workout or to blow off steam. It held all the essentials. The treadmills were lined up against most of the glass windows, and they looked out into the corridor. I found it funny when people buried their heads down as they scurried along the halls. It was like they found it embarrassing to see people working out.
The left side of the gym, which also looked out into the corridor, had weight lifting machines and different weights. There were a few other machines in the back of the gym for cardio and strength training, as well. In the very back, a doorway led to the showers the staff could use, but I preferred the private shower in the bathroom attached to my office.
I liked my privacy. I hated sharing space. Probably one of the many reasons I enjoyed working out in the gym alone.
I ran harder, hoping that the irritation coursing through my body would seep out into the machine beneath my feet. I was tired of feeling like I was constantly fighting people in this office.
Once again, despite my very loud and well-known wishes, my brothers had procured a secretary I didn’t want. I found that they were simply distractions. Especially ones who looked as good as Nicole. They could have found me an ugly secretary somewhere. I still would have fired them, but maybe they would have lasted longer than eight hours.
Every time my brothers hired me a new secretary, it took my focus off my work. It didn’t matter how I explained it to them. They were absolute in their resolve that I needed someone.
I could admit that it made some things easier, but not everything. The few times that Abigail Helios stood in as a temp were okay. Not great, not excellent. Okay.
She made terrible coffee, but she made up for that with her strong typing skills. I’d been under the wire and had asked John if he wouldn’t mind letting me borrow her for the day.
“This is why you need a secretary of your own,” he’d told me.
I scoffed. I didn’t need a person permanently stationed outside my office. I simply needed a little extra help every now and then. Every person in this world was guilty of that.
I didn’t hear the gym door opening over the sound of the music and my shoes hitting the treadmill. A hand waved to my side, catching my attention. I lowered the pace of the machine, not coming to a complete stop, and craned my neck to see who was trying to talk to me.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Allen, I—”
I sighed heavily, barely concealing my frustration with Arthur Dwight. He was the company’s head of IT, but you wouldn’t know it if you looked at him. Arthur stood in
front of me with his unkempt mess of golden-brown hair, a baggy black shirt with some abstract logo on it, and a pair of faded jeans. Could he put in any less effort?
I’d tried to implement a dress code in the IT department, but so far, it hadn’t stuck, and I didn’t really have the time to fight that battle with my heavy caseload.
“Spit it out, Arthur,” I growled, wiping the sweat off my brow. I was eager to get back to my workout. I hadn’t exercised away all the frustration yet; it was brimming under my skin, threatening to spill out.
Arthur let out a whine as he opened his mouth. He blushed pink with embarrassment before clearing his throat and shoving some papers in my face.
“I’m sorry. There are some computers scheduled for clean up and inspections tomorrow, and we need you to sign off on it so that we can get to work. Also, according to HR, we are supposed to set your new secretary up with a company phone and make sure she understands the company network policy, so we need your signature on those papers, too,” Arthur squeaked out hurriedly.
To Arthur’s credit, his back remained straight, and he never flinched or wavered once when he spoke to me—even if his voice was the same pitch as a mouse’s.
“You don’t need to worry about the secretary, she won’t be joining us here. Let me sign off on the computer upgrades.” I waved my hand as if to brush off the presence Nicole had cast over the office.
“Are you sure? John told me that I was to get her set up and personally seen to,” Arthur argued, but I was in no mood.
“Was she my brother’s secretary or mine? I fired her. She is no longer an employee at this firm, and unless you want to follow her out the door, I suggest you drop the topic.” I glowered heavily at Arthur before turning my attention back to the papers I had snatched from his hands.
I signed quickly, crumpling up the pages with Nicole’s name on them and pushing the rest back into Arthur’s hands.
He didn’t say anything but rushed out of the gym the minute I handed him the papers. He left the crumpled ones on the floor where I’d dropped them. At least someone around here listened to me.
