Just then the elevator chimed and in walked an older woman with smiling blue eyes. “You must be Amy. I’m sorry that I’m late. I got stuck behind an auto accident,” the woman said as she approached. “My name’s Esther and I will be working with you this week, getting you all trained to be on your own. Joseph called me and let me know he found my perfect replacement,” she said with humor in her voice.
Amy took a deep breath and felt some relief that the job really wasn’t just in her imagination.
“It’s so good to meet you Esther. I was a little nervous when Shelly said there was no job,” she finished, not even glancing at the secretary.
Esther looked over at the woman in question with disapproval. “She answers the phones here temporarily and didn’t know that I’m retiring. I’m sorry about any lack of communication,” she said. It was obvious there wasn’t any love lost between the two of them.
“Walk with me and I’ll show you your new office. You should love it but if you want to make any changes please feel free to do so. You’ll be spending many hours in there, as I’m sure Joseph already told you, so it needs to be comfortable for you.” They walked down the hallway and through a large oak doorway into a massive office. Was everything in the building done on a much grander scale than your average building? There were floor to ceiling windows against the back wall, letting the early morning light shine through. She was grateful for the natural light.
In the middle of the room was a huge three sided desk. On top of it sat a top of the line computer and an overflowing in and out box.
“Come in, come in. Have a seat. I’ll show you what you need to get started and before you know it you’ll be excellent on your own,” Esther said kindly.
The two women worked together the rest of the morning. Amy felt slightly overwhelmed, but she really enjoyed the company of Esther and was starting to pick up on some of the tasks they were doing. After lunch she felt comfortable enough to admit to Esther she really wasn’t qualified for the position, but she was a very fast learner and would study day and night to learn the systems.
Esther reassured her that Joseph had obviously seen something in her and he only hired the best.
“Esther, I need those Niles reports please and can you cancel my appointments for the rest of the day. My father needs me to come over to his place.” Amy glanced up as the most stunning man she’d ever seen walked through the door. He was looking down at a paper in his hand, which gave her time to secretly observe him from head to toe.
The first thing she noticed was his stature. He had to be at least six foot four with wide, strong looking shoulders. Lithe muscles could be perfectly seen, even through the obviously tailored business suit, which was dark and worked to clearly accentuate his golden tan. The outfit was complete with a loosened tie, making him look like he could’ve just stepped out of a photo shoot for GQ magazine.
His hair was dark brown and looked as if he’d been running his hand through it all morning. In the next moment he finally looked up and his deep azure blue eyes met her startled green ones.
“I’m sorry Esther, I didn’t know you had someone in here with you.”
“Hello, I’m Lucas Anderson,” he finished and held his hand out to her.
Lucas was known for his ability to read a person. It was how he was so successful in the corporate world. The woman seemed to be going through a myriad of emotions, from nervousness to desire and everything in between as she stared back at him. She was sparking his curiosity.
When she sat there in silence he raised his eyebrows at her questioningly. Her face turned a nice shade of red and then she finally broke eye contact.
She snapped out of her trance realizing that he was waiting for her to introduce herself so she stood up and gave him her hand, “Hello, I’m Amy Harper.” The moment her fingers touched his Lucas felt like a bolt of lightning went racing through their joined fingers, straight to his groin. She was beautiful, sure, but so were many other women he was in contact with each day. None of them had the power to electrify him with the mere touch of hands.
Lucas turned toward Esther, while releasing Amy’s hand at the same time. “When your guest leaves can you come into the office to take care of a few things,” he said and then turned away.
“Has your father not spoken with you yet Lucas?” Esther asked, stopping him.
“Talked to me about what?”
“I sent you my notice last month and told you your father would be hiring a new assistant for you,” she simply stated.
“I told you last month that I needed you to stay longer. I assumed the matter was settled,” he said a bit too harshly.
“Lucas, don’t you dare use that tone of voice with me. Don’t forget I’ve seen you running around in nothing but a diaper on. You knew that when your father retired I would be leaving as soon as you got settled in. I stayed on to make sure you had a smooth transition but now it’s my turn for retirement. I love this company but like your father sometimes it’s best to get on with things and bring in a new generation.”
“I’m sorry about the misunderstanding. Can you work one more month so I can find an appropriate replacement to take your position? I will double your salary since I know it’s an inconvenience to you,” he pleaded, trying to forget that Amy was even in the room.
“Your father already conducted the interviews and Amy’s your new assistant. I’ve been training her all morning and she’s doing a remarkable job,” she finished and patted Amy on the back.
Suddenly Amy had his undivided attention once again. The minute he turned those eyes back on her she felt her stomach drop. The man had enough heat packed in his eyes to be considered a fire hazard. She’d never reacted so strongly to a man before and wasn’t happy about the unfamiliar feelings flooding through her.
“I’ll speak to my father about this but I should’ve been informed about the interviews. Don’t get too comfortable in your new position Ms. Harper,” he spoke with the upmost authority, then stormed back through the doorway, shutting it a little bit harder than necessary.
“I thought he knew that I’d been hired. He didn’t even know you were leaving,” Amy said with apprehension in her voice. She could be losing her dream job before it had even started.
“Now don’t you worry about anything Amy, everything will be just fine.” They got absorbed in their work and the incident was placed on the back burner, still there, but put away for the moment.