My first interview wasn’t until nine. Normally I would have arrived at the office by seven. Today was different. I stayed up until midnight, catching up on all of the work that I missed while I was in Bar Harbor. I wanted to hold onto that last bit of vacation, so I took my time getting ready. Being the boss definitely had its perks.
I chose one of my favorite Italian suits to wear today. It was comfortable and that’s what I needed to get through all of these interviews.
On the way down to the lobby, I decided to treat myself to breakfast and I knew exactly where I wanted to go. While I enjoyed the fresh selections of food in Maine, I missed the typical New York staples in my diet. And the one at the top of my list was Beth’s Bakery.
My phone lit up with emails the second I stepped outside. My driver, Constantine, was standing by the car waiting for me. The cold breeze chilled me and I hustled to the car.
“Good morning, Constantine.”
He tipped his hat to me. “Hello, Mr. Carrington. I was surprised you wanted a later ride.”
I chuckled. “Let’s just say I’m still in vacation mode.” At least it still seemed like it to me even though I spent a majority of yesterday working. “I won’t be making it a habit, though.”
Constantine indicated for me to get in the car. “I wouldn’t dream of it, Sir.”
I was finishing up an email when the car slowed to a stop. I glanced up and saw the familiar blinking neon sign in the shape of a coffee cup.
Constantine had read my mine.
I clapped a hand on his shoulder. “You know me too well, my friend. Do you want anything?”
Constantine shook his head. “No thank you, Mr. Carrington.”
I got out of the car and stepped up to the curb. Other New Yorkers bundled in scarves and thick coats briskly walked on either side of the street headed to their own destinations.
The wind whipped around us, weaving in from between the buildings. I shivered and headed toward the bakery.
Inside, the blast of heat made my eyes water. I unbuttoned my coat and smoothed out my tie underneath. If I was in here too long, I knew I was going to start to sweat.
The line was almost to the door. I recognized a few of the regulars and nodded at one who made eye contact with me. An older gentleman who consistently ordered a dozen rainbow bagels each time I saw him in there.
If it was any other day, I might be annoyed with waiting. Today, I didn’t mind. I continued to work on my phone while I waited. Sandra didn’t call out sick today, but I doubted she was much better. Once the interviews were over, I would send her home for more rest. We were about to get busier with the Christmas charity coming up and I needed everyone healthy and able to work.
When I reached the counter, a familiar young woman took my order. I think her name was Amy.
“What can I get you?” When her eyes lifted to mine, she choked on the last word.
“Good morning,” I said. “I’ll have—”
“Sesame seed bagel with lox and cream cheese?” she interrupted, reciting my usual order.
I smiled at her and the tips of her ears turned bright red. “And two coffees.”
“Cream or sugar?” she asked.
I hated to admit that I liked the effect I had on her. I leaned against the counter, cutting the space between us in half. “One cream and one black.”
“One sec,” she said and crossed the space to the other counter where all the refrigerated items were. I moved to the side so another customer could order.
The next girl who took the woman behind me kept sneaking me glances. I smiled at her too. While making her order, she bumped her elbow into Amy. The two of them giggled and whispered to each other.
I was used to the looks women gave me. My expensive clothes and cars usually made heads turn. It made my life less complicated to go into a date not expecting anything long-term. I wasn’t looking for another wife. With the pressure off on the dating game, I was able to enjoy myself more. And I enjoyed being with women, all ages, shapes and sizes. Variety was the spice of life, and I wasn’t missing out. Not one damn bit.
After paying for my order, I thanked Amy and gave her a generous tip. She looked young. Probably in school, I liked to help where I could.
Outside, Constantine got out of the car when I approached it. He rubbed his hands together and blew into them. He managed to get to my side of the car before I could and opened the door.
I handed him a coffee.
“Thank you, Sir,” he said and held the cup between his hands for warmth.
I got into the car and opened up the paper bag immediately. The scent of the fresh bagel was delectable. I unwrapped my sandwich and I dug in. Even though I ate so much fresh seafood in Maine, the lox somehow tasted better here. I was home… thankfully.
MichaelThe traffic downtown was heavier at this hour, but I wasn’t in a rush. I still had plenty of time before the first interview. And I ate the bagel slower than normal to extend the experience.While driving around Bar Harbor, the people smiled and waved as you passed. In New York, everyone’s heads were down, focused on where they needed to go. The friendly faces were nice, but I felt more at ease with the scowling New Yorkers. This city was full of businessmen and no one bothered to notice another suit or luxury car.Even in the traffic, Constantine managed to get me to my building by eight-thirty.He opened the door for me as I was dusting bagel crumbs from my coat. I stood up and took my briefcase from him.“Have a great day, Constantine,” I said, adjusting my overcoat.“You too, Sir. Six o’clock pickup?”“Yes. I will have Sandra call you if that changes.”“Have a good day, Mr. Carrington.”I nodded and headed toward my building. Another perk of showing up later was less traff
RaineyI couldn’t stop staring at the gorgeous man walking away from me. That was Michael Carrington? My almost-future boss? I remember seeing a small picture of him in the article I read and he was classically handsome, but he was even more attractive in person. And genuinely nice. His dark hair barely touched his shoulders and it looked incredibly soft. His eyes were so blue, like the ocean. He had seriously lucked out in the genetics department.Hell. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to apply for the job. He was dreamy on a level I wasn’t used to contending with. He’d be professional, right? I wasn’t at all his type. I was homely. Comely. Just me. My thoughts shifted and I realized I’d pushed on his receptionist in front of him.How long had he been standing there listening to me? I tried to think about what I said to the poor woman that had to put up with me. I hoped I didn’t say anything rude. Although if I had been rude, I doubted he would have given me the interview. Why did he give
RaineyMy mouth dropped open as I looked down. He’d spilled his coffee all over my coat. The liquid moved down my chest and I knew it had soaked through my brand new white shirt.“If I could be even sorrier than I already was, I would be,” he said, equally as stunned.Shit! I had no time for this. I picked up the two last pieces of mail from the ground and headed for the doorway.“Here’s a napkin,” he said, fishing in his bag for one.“I have to go,” I said.“Are you sure?” he asked. “Again, I’m so, so sorry. I can pay for the dry cleaning.” He was sincere but I didn’t have the time to get his number for him to pay. I had to go if I was going to pay for anything in the future. “It’s fine. It was an accident.”I pushed through the door and the cold air stung at my already tearful eyes. I couldn’t believe this happened to me! And before an interview that could change me and Tanner’s life. I steadied my breath while keeping a brisk pace to the building. If I had been paying attention to
MichaelEvery ounce of relaxation my body felt after Bar Harbor had been completely obliterated after the three interviews that morning. I wanted to have hope that at least one of them would be qualified but I didn’t get that impression from them. The first two were kiss-asses and while I didn’t normally care for a stroke of my ego, I didn’t need that from an assistant. We were to be in close quarters with each other on a daily basis, so I needed to feel comfortable with them instead of hiring a yes-man.Admittedly, I had been slightly distracted during all three, constantly thinking of Rainey and our meeting earlier that morning. She was able to carry herself professionally with a determination I didn’t see in many women. She had something driving her and I wanted to know her motivation for this job. Coming down to the office to fight for an interview impressed the hell out of me.Though selfishly, I offered her the interview having no intention of hiring a woman as my assistant. At
MichaelI knew I wasn’t supposed to ask her age, but I didn’t intend on hiring a woman. If I offended her, she could drop out of the running herself.“How old are you?” I asked.She flinched and I had to hold back a smile. I wiped my hand over my mouth to erase it and waited for her answer. Watching her hesitation at revealing her age created a thrill inside of me. I casually leaned against the front of my desk thrumming my fingers on the surface, patiently waiting for her answer.“I’m twenty-nine,” she answered.I couldn’t help the surprise from my face. She barely looked twenty-five. There was no way in hell I should have asked her that, but I had to know. Would it come back to bite me in the ass? Maybe. “And you just graduated?”She let out an exasperated breath. “Yes. Are you set on repeat?”A bark of laughter spilled out of me. She was a little firecracker. I smiled broadly and straightened my spine, looking over her resume again. “Why did it take so long for you to get your degr
RaineyIt wasn’t until I was seated on the train, after going to the post office for the second time, that I finally felt like I could breathe. Even though the interview had been over for some time, I still felt the weight of it on my chest. The interview wasn’t like the rest. Mr. Carrington—Michael—made me nervous but not for the job. Would I be able to work for a man like that? He broke a lot of rules during the interview but it was also his company. Maybe he had offered me the interview because he pitied me. And then I was late, ruining his lunch plans. Which is probably why he asked me to lunch. He felt bad for me. I did mention school loans, was I his charity case?As the train started out of the station, I leaned my head against the cool glass. I wondered what happened with the other candidates. The woman I’d seen in the bathroom seemed very confident in her interview. Had he given her strange signals too, making her think that he wanted to sleep with her? It made sense. She was
RaineyI decided to start Tanner on his journey to becoming a chef by letting him stir the sauce for our pasta. He took the job seriously and didn’t move from his perch on the counter top. Normally I wouldn’t let him sit there but I wasn’t going to turn down his offer to help. Maybe when he was older, he would become a chef and cook something for me for a change. A woman could dream…While the water for the pasta was warming up to a boil, I called Tessa to tell her about my day.“Do you need me to come over with some wine?” my best friend asked. “You’re not that far away.”Tessa lived up the road from me for my entire life. She bought her childhood home when her parents retired to Florida. She was my rock in many situations even though at times we fought like sisters. I never missed out on having a sibling she was practically family.“That’s not even the worst of it,” I said, grabbing a box of angel hair pasta from the cabinet. I was only up to the part in the story where I was late f
MichaelEven though the sun was beating down on the green, there was a chill in the air that only the start of winter could bring. My curiosity about Sal Rossi got me out of bed that morning to meet with the possible new client. Even seeing him in person didn’t jog my memory. He was a normal looking forty-something-year-old guy with a spare tire around his waist. I rarely got involved on this level anymore, but this was a special circumstance. I had to get a feel for this guy and what plans he had cooking. Fredrick’s warning about speaking with Demetri made the meeting that much more important.We were on the fourth hole when Sal brought up his business. We’d talked the day before on the phone about the possibility of working together but he was very vague on the details. He seemed like a face-to-face business man and that was fine with me. Overall he seemed a bit old-school, I wasn’t a winter golfer so I assumed he wanted a place we’d be alone for this conversation. Though that made