Amanda
Sharp walked down the street in her fancy, new red shoes. They cost a
bundle, but the young woman was determined to look her best at her
job interview. With a special spring in her step, she rounded the
corner and ran into a man. Knocked back a step, she stumbled. He
caught her by the elbows, setting her on her feet once more.
What
a nightmare!
Amanda thought. Now I'll be late
for my appointment.
The
man apologized and pulled the door open for her. He was really quite
handsome. Distracted by his good looks, she didn't pay careful
attention to where she was going. She caught the pocket of her jacket
on the door. It swung shut, hitting her big toe. Her foot exploded
with pain and she cursed inadvertently.
Worried
that she was seriously hurt, the man helped her to a chair. Once he
was assured she was alright, he excused himself.
"I
apologize, but I have an appointment in five minutes. Are you sure
you're okay?"
Amanda,
who was now surrounded by everyone in the office, told him she was
fine.
"I'll
check on you later," he promised. "I'll return after my
appointment."
Amanda
examined her beautiful new shoes after the man left. They were
scuffed and dirty. Fortunately, they had taken the impact, protecting
her foot, or she would have seriously injured her toe. Distressed,
she almost didn't hear when the receptionist called her name.
"Oh,
that's me," she said. "Sorry."
Walking
into the office, a familiar face greeted her. The man she'd collided
with stepped forward with a smile.
"Either
you need to be more careful or I do," he said with a grin.
"Congratulations. You're hired."
"You
don't want to read my resume? Ask questions?" Amanda was stunned
that she had the job so quickly.
"I
read it over on the way here. I learned everything I need to know
about you during our incident."
Amanda
blushed. "You learned that I'm easily distracted, clumsy and—"
"Curse
like a truck driver. Yes," he mused.
Amanda's
breath caught in her throat. He had the most stunning blue eyes she'd
ever seen. Surrounded by thick, black lashes, they gave him a dreamy,
sleepy look. She felt herself slipping and only by shear will did she
avoid falling into those bottomless blue depths.
"Please,
have a seat before I take you to the Personnel Office."
"You
don't call it Human Resources here?" Again, the man puzzled her.
He
chuckled, full lips forming an amused pout. "No. Why call it
something so silly? It's the Personnel Office and the lady in charge
is Personnel Manager. We don't have fancy titles here. I'm the boss,
the people out there are my employees and you'll be my secretary. How
does that sound?"
"Wonderful!"
Amanda kicked herself inwardly for sounding like such an excitable
little girl. Sure she was blushing, she ducked her head.
"Perhaps
I should introduce myself," her new boss said. "I'm Trent
Harmon." He held out his hand.
"The
Boss," she murmured, taking his hand.
"The
Boss," he repeated with a smirk. Tipping his head, he motioned
toward the door. "I'll escort you to Personnel. The hallways are
rather like a rabbit warren here. It's temporary digs until our
remodel on the second floor is finished."
"Are
you expanding?" She followed him, not feeling it was her place
to walk next to him.
"You
might call it that."
Trent
turned to face her, walking backward. The others in the office moved
to avoid him, some teasing him for not looking where he was going. He
took their jibes in good stride, smiling as he went.
"I
learned a long time ago that people work better when you give them
space. If they're squished in like sardines, allowed no privacy, they
are less productive. While we've been crammed in here, our efficiency
has dropped by five percent."
"Don't
you worry about them surfing the web, accessing porn?"
His
lips formed the amused pout once more. "Not really. We have a
very sophisticated internet alarm system. If someone tries to access
something they shouldn't, it goes off. I don't mind a few minutes of
surfing on their breaks, but they log that time. There are sites our
firewalls restrict, such as those known to harbor viruses."
"Like
porn."
He
chuckled again. "Yes. You seem very attached to that subject. Do
you, in fact, scan porn sites in your off time?" His sarcastic
tone held more than a hint of amusement.
They'd
reached the Personnel Office. Amanda realized she had no idea how
they'd gotten there. If she had to find her way back out, she'd get
irreparably lost.
"No,
of course not!" Her blush set her cheeks on fire.
Trent's
amusement didn't help. He knew he'd embarrassed her, but she'd set
herself up. Instead of shying away from it, she faced him boldly.
"No.
As a matter of fact, it was my former boss who used to do so. Then
he'd call me in for a meeting and have his screen tipped so I could
see it reflected in the window behind his desk or, if he felt really
naughty, directly from where I sat."
"What
a lecherous old cod," he said gruffly, frowning deeply as he
opened the door for her.
©
2019 Dellani Oakes
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