“Is that so?”
She nodded, holding Bear close to her chest with her other hand.
“Okay.” He picked her up and held her against his side. “Can we walk Tara to the elevator first?”
“Yeah.” She smiled and leaned against his chest.
He walked me to the private elevator and kissed my forehead before hitting the down button.
“I’m thinking about sleeping in Monday,” I said, stepping onto the car. “I wonder if my boss will understand.”
“He won’t.”
“I’ll see him at noon.”
“He’ll see you at seven.”
Twenty-Two
Preston
On Monday morning, Cynthia walked into my private bedroom suite with a box of coloring books.
“I can’t thank you enough for giving me a chance to do something new here, Mr. Parker,” she said. “I still can’t believe Miss Lauren recommended me to you. I thought she hated me.”
“Why would she hate you?”
“She never told you what I—” She cleared her throat, not finishing that sentence. “I have no idea.” She set down the box, and I adjusted Violet’s blanket as she slept.
“I’ll be in my office if you need me,” I said. “I’m still going to check on her every hour or so until I trust you, or until we find a permanent nanny. Clear?”
“Clear.” She lowered her voice. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep up the ruse that she’s your niece and not your secret love child. Her eyes give the whole thing away.”
I shook my head, not bothering to respond to that. I watched Violet sleep for a few minutes before walking to my office.
When I arrived, I saw that my Colombian coffee was waiting for me, my short list and schedule were in perfect order, and I knew right then and there that my next assistant would never be as good as Tara.
Nowhere near as memorable either.
An intern walked into my office with a plate of breakfast, her arms trembling with every step she took.
“Is there anything else I can get for you this morning?” She set down the tray.
“Why are you shaking?”
“It’s my first day, sir,” she said. “I’ve heard that you’re Satan reincarnated and that working for you is like hell on earth, so I want to ensure that I’m making a good impression.”
I blinked.
“I’ve also heard that you fire people on the spot, and I really need to keep this job.”
“You can leave my office now.”
“Okay, wait.” Her face turned red. “The truth is, I dropped your pepper bagel, but it was only on the floor for five seconds. I picked it right back up and wiped it off with my shirt.”
“What?”
She stepped back, damn near hyperventilating, and left.
Before I could even begin to process what the hell she’d done to my bagel, Tara walked into my office, wobbling slightly in her heels. My cock immediately hardened.
“Good morning, Mr. Parker.”
“Tara.”
She blushed. “Mr. Parker, I have two nanny interviews scheduled for this afternoon and an interview with my potential replacement this morning.” She walked over to my desk and picked up the pepper bagel, tossing it into the trash and replacing it with a plain one. “You need to take a call with the branding department at two, a Skype meeting with George from his China tour at four …”
I stared at her lips as she spoke, only halfway paying attention to what she was saying.
“You also need to make sure that you’ve signed off on my recommendation letter to the companies I’ll be applying to in the coming days.”
“I didn’t write your recommendation letter yet.”
“And since I don’t trust you to do it any time soon, I wrote it myself.” She smiled. “I emailed it to you, and all you have to do is sign it.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“You promised.”
“Did I?”
“Yes.” She narrowed her eyes at me. “Yes, you did, and I expect your signature in my inbox within the next hour.”
“I’ll send it in two.”
“Do you need anything else from me?”
“Your mouth would be nice.”
“I’m not having sex with you at work.”
“The walls are soundproof.” I tapped my fingers against the desk. “You know that because you had them re-enforced.”
“I did that so I wouldn’t have to hear you calling me from your office anymore.”
“Is that a ‘no’ to your mouth?”
“It’s an, I’ll see you this afternoon.”
Twenty-Three
Tara
I sipped my coffee and winced as I leaned back in my chair. Every muscle in my body was sore from the weekend, and I was struggling to focus on my work. I was also struggling to process the glimpses of Preston’s softer side, everything from the way he redressed me after sex at the gala, to the way he talked to Violet, was making me wonder if we could pursue something together once I left his company.
It’s just the sex talking, Tara. He’s still an ass. Don’t fall for it.
As I was flipping through a stack of resumes for his next assistant, he sent me his signature on the recommendation letter. Smiling, I started to tell him, ‘Thank you’, but he sent me another email right after.
* * *
Subject: Your Replacement
How far are you into this search? (Is this current interview some type of joke?)
Preston Parker,
CEO & Owner of Parker International
* * *
Subject: Re: Your Replacement
I have ten more applicants to screen and sixty new resumes to read today. (Not at all. She’s a Harvard grad with B-level experience. Why?)
Tara Lauren,
Executive Assistant to Preston Parker,
CEO & Owner of Parker International
* * *
Subject: Re: Re: Your Replacement
If the resumes you’re reviewing aren’t half as impressive as yours, don’t bother screening them. (She just asked me why I don’t want to be more like the “much better” Hilton Hotels. Please get her the hell out of my office. Now.)
Preston Parker,
CEO & Owner of Parker International
* * *
I laughed and put on my heels before walking to his office.
“I think you could truly benefit from doing a few things the Hilton way.” The woman was still talking. “I mean they have an app where guests can make reservations from their phones, and their logo makes you feel right at home. If I was your EA—and I should be—I’d make those two things my top goals.”
Preston glared at her and tapped his fingers against the desk, the vein in his neck swelling with every word she said.
“I’m sorry to interrupt,” I said, making her turn around. “Mr. Parker, there’s something urgent you need to attend to, so you’ll have to cut this interview with Miss Proby short.”