Dashiell Fonteneau was not a tool.
“I’d be honored to hear an offer. What would my title be?”
“CEO.”
Dash wasn’t sure he’d heard right. He squinted his eyes. “CEO?’
“That’s right. And there might be a signing bonus.” Zane wiggled his eyebrows.
“How is that possible? There’s Grey. And you.”
“Grey wants to spend half the year in Hawaii playing golf and half the year at Pebble Beach playing golf.” Dash gestured at Zane. “Me?” He chuckled and shook his head. “I’m management material. Not CEO material.”
“I might disagree.”
“Most importantly, I’m dad material. I’m going to be home for dinner every night. I’m going to be there for throwing baseballs or dance recitals. Whatever life brings. I’m there. Not here.”
Dash nodded slowly. “I get it. When is Adelaide due?”
“Valentines.”
“Aquarius.”
Zane gaped. “Wow. I wasn’t expecting you to know that. I didn’t know that. What does it mean?”
Dash searched his memory and found that he did know a little. “Um. Charming. Good-natured. Social. From the standpoint of a parent, he or she could be a handful. They like their freedom and independence.”
Zane knew he was wearing a goofy grin, but didn’t care. “All of that sounds okay with me.”
“You’re right. You are dad material. Are you religious?”
Zane shook his head. “We belong to the episcopal church, but we don’t go often. Christmas Eve. If we’re not in Aspen. Or London.” When Dash didn’t say more on the subject, Zane said, “So. Be thinking about what you’d like done with the office.” He snapped his fingers. “Oh. And I have a bevy of candidates for the position of executive assistant lined up for you to interview, starting tomorrow at nine.”
Dash narrowed his eyes. “How is that possible? I just now said I’d consider the job.”
“You keep saying, ‘How is that possible?’ Because the world is filled with magic.”
“I don’t believe in magic.”
“Alright. How about this? I’m an optimist.”
“I buy that. Why did you call them a bevy?”
Zane chuckled. “You’ll see.”
Dash narrowed his eyes. “I’m not hiring anybody not qualified, Zane. I don’t work that way.”
“Ooh. You’re an ethics man. Good. Scandal always costs money. And of course not! There’s not a soul on the list without a knock-your-socks-off resume.”
“What am I offering this knock-your-socks-off person who’s going to be so amazing that I will get to go to some baseball games?”
Zane barked out a laugh. “Well, I think an assistant like that deserves the very best. Don’t you?”
“Yes. So what am I authorized to offer?”
“Look. Formally you’re going to be hired by Grey. But between you and me, the CEO can offer whatever he wants to offer. If you want to offer an Audi company car and a condo, go ahead. That’s going to be quite a jump from industry standard, but it’s your admin.”
“Why is it that you’re not worried about turning your future over to me? Just like that?”
Zane smiled and shook his head. “It’s foolproof. I’ve already got enough in trust to take care of Adelaide and me and educate however many offspring are in our future. You’ll just be working on money for the grandchildren.”
“So where does my assistant office?”
“You can knock out all these walls and start over if you want. But right now, through that door.”
“Knock out walls huh? You may be kidding, but I do want glass between my assistant and me.”
“Whatever. We’ll put you in some temporary offices while you build what you want.”
CHAPTER Nine
“What did you think of the first four?” Zane asked as he plopped down in the ancient leather chair in Dash’s office.
Dash narrowed his eyes. “There weren’t any candidates who aren’t beautiful women? I’m not here for a fuck festival.”
Zane muttered something.
“What was that?” Dash challenged.
“Just saying that if you can get a qualified person who is also good to look at, what’s the harm?”
“That how your wife feels?”
Zane pursed his lips. “Have you met my assistant? She was born the same week this business was founded.”
Dash laughed out loud.
Zane tried to remember if he’d heard Dash laugh since the ‘thing’. He hadn’t. It was good. He glanced at his watch. “You’ve got three more after lunch. You want to go out?”
“Do I have time?”
“You’re the man. Clock runs on your time.”
“If you don’t stop saying crap like that, it’s going to go to my head.”
The afternoon went much the same. Every prospective EA was beautiful and in her late twenties. The parade looked more like a casting call than a job interview.
They were just old enough to have the experience necessary to prepare them for reporting directly to the head of a large company. Every resume was stellar, beyond reproach.
It seemed clear to Dash that Zane thought of himself as a dating service.
Speaking of the devil, Zane popped his head in the door. “Any luck?”
“A lot of qualified candidates. Nobody who seemed just right.”
Zane snorted. “Okay, goldilocks. Got one more.”
Dash swiveled around in his chair and sighed deeply, thinking that interviewing people for the position of assistant had to be the worst thing about the job.
When the last candidate entered and Zane pulled the door closed, Dash wasn’t visible. He was facing away toward the window, the top of his executive chair an inch above his head.
A tentative voice said, “Mr. Fonteneau?”
He swiveled around to see the latest beauty. This one was a brunette with strikingly pale green eyes. He held out his hand.
“You brought a resume?”
“Yes.” She walked forward quickly and placed it in his hand.
As his eyes scanned her, he had the thought that Susie in reception could learn a lesson or two about how to dress from… He looked down at the resume in front of him.
“Ms. Fortis.” He motioned to the chair. She looked it over then sat.
“Have a family?”
“No. Just me.”
“Well.” Dash set the resume down and leaned back. “Assistants at this level without family commitments are both unusual and quite valuable, as you can imagine.”
After considering that for a moment, she nodded, “Yes. I suppose I can see that. So does that mean I have the job?” She smiled.
He was caught so completely off guard by the brazenness of that question that he laughed out loud then said, “We’ll see. Do you live nearby?”
“Yes. City Park West.”
Dash looked confused at first. “Oh.” He waved vaguely toward the southeast. “You mean Uptown.”
“That’s right. A duplex. I have the upstairs of one of those old creaky prewar houses.”
“I like the old houses, too.” He smiled. “Creaks and all. It was smart of you to get the upstairs. Make them listen to you walking about and not the other way around.”
She smiled politely.
He glanced down at the resume, “I’m not prying into your personal life. Well, I am, but I have legitimate reasons for doing it. I’m asking because you’re more likely to make it to work on snow days if you live close by.”
“I have a four-wheel drive. I’ll make it to work if you do.”
He laughed at that and stopped as it registered that she’d made him laugh twice. Since he’d awakened as a fully grown man with no past, laughter had been hard to come by. An assistant who could make him laugh was worth her weight in gold.
“You’re hired. What do you want?”
She looked so stunned at that proclamation. That made him laugh as well. Three la
ughs in five minutes. He’d give her anything she wanted.
Not knowing what to make of Dash, she said, “If you’re not joking…”
“I’m not. I’d never joke about somebody’s job. That would be mean.”
She nodded. “I agree. I also… Is it a trick question? Is there a right answer and a wrong answer? Aren’t you going to check my references?”
He grinned. “References are b.s. Nobody will take the legal risk of telling the truth anymore so it’s all theater. Besides I’m a fairly good judge of people.
“As to whether there’s a right or wrong answer, if you ask for seven figures, I’m probably going to say no.”
Her eyes went as wide as saucers. “You’re probably going to say no?”
The way she emphasized ‘probably’ made him laugh again. She was delightful and he liked the way her mouth moved when she talked. He couldn’t wait to hear what she was going to ask for.
“One…” She began slowly. When he didn’t change expression even a tiny little bit, she edited her ask. “Two hundred thousand dollars?” She said it as slowly as if she was expecting the ceiling to open up and douse her with green thanks-for-playing slime at any second.
“Done,” he said. “What else?”
It wouldn’t have occurred to Dash to use a hiring event as an opportunity to play fairy godmother, but damn if it wasn’t fun.
She was looking around like she thought she might be dreaming. Or like she might think…
“Are there cameras?”
“Cameras?”
“Yes. Is this one of those shows where they punk poor innocent, unsuspecting fools who just need a job and make them look like idiots?”
He shook his head. “No cameras. You just happened to be in the right place at the right time.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Just in case you’re really serious, I have to get this on the record.”
“Shoot.”
“I do administrative work and I do it well. I do not give happy ending massages.”
Dash barked out another laugh at that. She wasn’t just funny, but full of surprises.
“Don’t worry, Roewynn. There’ll be no chasing you around desks.”
“I didn’t mean to offend, Mr. Fonteneau.”
“Dash.”
“Dash?”
“Yes. It’s short for Dashiell. Now that we’re clear about the hands off policy. What else do you want besides two hundred thousand dollars?”
She sat up a little straighter as it began to dawn on her that what she was experiencing was real. “Reasonable hours?”
“What does that mean to you?”
“Leave by six.”
“Occasionally we might be conducting weekend business with people from out of town. I might need you.”
She nodded. “Last minute? Or with notice?”
“I’m going to be honest. I’m as new to this job as you are. Well, I guess I have,” he looked at his watch, “seven hours on you.”
She smiled. “Really?”
He returned her smile. “Yes. The point is I can’t tell you exactly what to expect because I don’t know yet. I’m willing to pay extra for flexibility. After we’ve done this for a while, if you feel the need to renegotiate, the door will always be open.”
“That seems more than reasonable, Mr… Dash.”
“So what else?”
“Um, health?”
“Yes.”
“401k?”
“Yes.”
She saw no reason to stop as long as the answers were yes. “Clothing allowance.”
By his hesitation she knew she’d hit the wall.
“Your attire today would be appropriate anywhere. And there may be times when you’ll want to dress like this, but most of the time casual will do.” She nodded. “In light of that, how much clothing allowance seems fair?”
The way she smiled at that question, he might have raided his trust fund so that she could buy Cherry Creek Mall.
“Never mind,” he said. “I’ll arrange for you to have an account at Nordstrom so that it’s a business expense. If you go over three thousand dollars in a month, they will call me for approval.”
She was dumbfounded by his generosity. When she’d walked in the door, she was thinking that it would be a dream to get the job and be offered seventy-five thousand dollars.
“We’re going to want to outfit you with your preference of devices and software. Whatever you need to keep up with me so I don’t have to.”
“Yes, sir.”
“We will pay for your phone. Do you want to keep the one you have or get a new one?”
“Get a new one?”
“You’re learning. Tonight make a list. This is kind of a pioneer situation. Since nobody has held this job before you, you’re trail blazing.” He looked around. “I’m going to tear all this out and redo. So we’re going to be in temporary quarters for a while.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I’d like to tell you when and how often payroll is done, but…” he chuckled, “I don’t know. Just a minute.” He texted Zane. “Welcome to Fonteneau Food Services, Roewynn. I hope you’ll be happy here.”
She smiled. “Then your wish is granted because I’m already ecstatic.”
Zane poked his head in.
“Zane. This is Roewynn, my new assistant.” Zane nodded and smiled. Of course he’d already met her. “How and when do we pay?”
“First and sixteenth. If the date falls on a weekend, we pay the Friday before.”
“Good enough. I want Roewynn to be able to outfit herself with whatever devices she wants. How’s the best way to do that?”
“She can go over to Micro Center and give them a list of what she wants. I’ll send somebody over to pick it up,” Zane said.
“And I am going to take your suggestion. I’m going to tear this space out and start over,” Dash said.
“Well, that wasn’t exactly a suggestion. More like an option.”
“Find us a temporary office. Get me a designer and a contractor who work fast.”
“Wow. It didn’t take long for you to catch on to the bossy thing.”
Dash chuckled. “Comes naturally, I guess.”
Dash parked his car at his building, but didn’t immediately go up to the penthouse. He first walked over to 16th Street and got Noodle House take out. Every day it seemed he was able to move about in public with fewer curious looks, but the cashier did say, “Hey. You’re mystery man.”
With a smile that didn’t nearly reach his eyes, Dash said, “Yeah. That’s me.” Then he took his plastic sack, and walked back to his place, dreading every step.
As if clairvoyant, he knew already that it was going to be his new routine. Days of distraction. Work. Zane. Maybe the EA would cause him to laugh now and then. But then there would be the nights.
Alone in the huge penthouse that seemed silent even if he had the TV blaring and empty even if he was there. As soon as he entered the penthouse that thing would come back. That feeling that he was missing something as essential as lungs or heart.
It wasn’t the kind of thing he would tell anyone. Not Dr. Parsighian. Not Zane. Not anyone. He knew they would just stare. Perhaps they’d be sympathetic.
Probably they’d be sympathetic. But they wouldn’t know what to say or do any more than he did.
So he’d try to keep his mind on whatever TV thing tried to grab his interest. Then he’d go to bed and lie on his side looking out the window at the eastern view of the city. Lights going on for miles and miles. Lights that twinkled like no place on earth because of the particular atmospheric conditions of high altitude and dry air.
Night after night he stared at the lights wishing with all his might that sleep would take him and give him a short respite from the horrible feeling. The feeling that you get when you realize you’ve taken the wrong turn, gone far out of your way and are now going to miss something crucial. The wedding. The funeral. The graduation.
He didn’t dare sta
rt drinking after work because he had the good sense to know that could be the slipperiest and steepest of slopes in his case. So he chose to tough it out. Go it alone. And he prayed to the episcopal god he probably once worshipped that it would end.
He also knew mornings would be much better. He could busy himself with grooming tasks then grab a bagel and coffee on the way to work. Once at work, he’d probably be able to keep the ‘thing’ at bay. Especially when Roewynn was around.
Dash thought back to her interview. He hadn’t felt the ‘thing’ when she was there. Hmmm. Interesting.
Roewynn was standing at the entrance to Micro Center when it opened. Gathering that cash flow was not a problem for Fonteneau Food Services, she compiled a list of devices and, with the help of an expert, software that would enable her to do the work of three executive assistants. With ease. Or so the MC employee said.
That was a big plus because she suspected that Dash Fonteneau was a force who would require mega organization and concentrated capability. She took a deep breath, repeated a mantra, and reassured herself that she was up for the task. For two hundred thousand dollars plus clothes, she could do all that and be his bodyguard. At least she’d try.
That internal dialogue made her giggle out loud, which then caused the sales clerk to look up. “Pardon?”
“Oh.” Remembering that people could hear sounds made by her vocal cords, she said, “Nothing. Please continue.”
When the invoice was complete, she took it and said, “Someone will call to pay within the hour. Someone else will come pick up and will present this invoice. There won’t be any problems. Right?”
“No, ma’am. There won’t be any problems. I’m leaving all this in a basket in customer service and letting them know about the arrangements.”
“Very good,” she said and left with a smile.
When she reached the office, she climbed the stairs rather than taking the ancient and, perhaps, suspect elevator. Returning to the room where she’d been offered and accepted the job of a lifetime she found Dash engaged in conversation. He looked up when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye and saw her standing in the doorway.
Witch Wants Forever Page 9
