by Luke Steel
For some reason, hearing the gracious thank yous and sweet words between the two is rubbing me the wrong way. Probably because I can’t stop myself from sneaking looks over my shoulder at my new assistant’s, uh, ample assets and imagining a few right ways to rub—stop it! I haven’t known the woman ten minutes and my brain is in the gutter.
To her credit, Lucy ushers Jim out quickly and soon the office is quiet again, the mess at least contained. She hovers in the door, notebook in hand.
I let her stand there for a full minute before I pretend to notice her again.
“Sit down.” I gesture to the wingback chair opposite me. She perches at the end of the seat, looking tense but composed. I make a show of checking my watch. The first fifteen minutes of our meeting have been less than ideal.
She speaks first. “Mr. Breson, please let me say, I’m very sorry. Certainly not the way I’d hoped to introduce myself.”
Without acknowledging her apology, I look at my tablet and gesture with it. “I’m reviewing your resume.” This is true. Mrs. Talbot emailed it to me this morning as a parting gift. I look up at Lucy, wondering if she knows I had nothing to do with hiring her. I’m not going to give that bit of info away if I can help it.
Lucy sits a bit straighter in the chair, and once again, I have to fight to ignore the way that pushes out her breasts.
“Your education is exemplary. Credentials, excellent. I see here military service.” That surprises me.
“Yes, sir. Army. I was an interpreter.”
“It says here you speak five languages?”
“Six, if you count English,” she offers with a smile. When I don’t smile at her little joke, she says, “French, Spanish and Farsi and different forms of Arabic, sir.”
I drop the tablet to my knee and nail her with an impatient stare.
“I don’t need the ‘sirs’ Lucy. My name is Dominic.”
Lucy nods and says nothing.
“I don’t think I have to tell you that you have some very big shoes to fill.”
Lucy nods again, though this time she smiles as though the thought amuses her.
“You find that funny?” Before she can speak, I stretch my arms out on the couch. “There’s a standard of professionalism that I expect, and as you see from my schedule, I don’t have a lot of time. Which is why I don’t abide anyone wasting it. Be prompt, be ready. Be aware that ignorance will never be an excuse for why you haven’t done your job. There is no training period. Do you understand?”
“I do,” she says.
The light smile is gone, and Lucy Warner is sitting up ramrod straight at the edge of the chair. I can almost see her in uniform in my mind.
“Alright then. Have you been given what you need to begin today?”
“Yes,” she pauses. “I was told to share your agenda for the morning and then prep you for the conference call this afternoon. Everything is ready.”
“I don’t need to be ‘prepped,’ but that’s fine.” I stand and hold my arm out, indicating she can leave. “Then I have work to get to, and I know you do, too.” She stands and she’s wearing some kind of perfume that lingers in the air as she passes. It’s delicious. Annoyed again, I fire a parting shot. “Barring any more coffee fiascoes, we should get along fine.”
I see her wince and then nod as she heads out. “No more desks in your morning coffee. Got it.” I wait for her to close the door before I let myself smile.
That little flash of backbone is going to make me like her. Goddamnit.
Hard Boss on Amazon
Also by Luke Steel
Hard Boss
Hungry Boss
Dirty in Charge
