Chapter 6 #2
What the fuck was going on? I looked down at the resume in front of me and jumped to the work experience section. Was I missing something? He had no experience in hotel management. I handed the resume to Joel, but Joel simply set it down on the table. I don’t think he even bothered to look at it.
“Tell us about yourself, Cash,” I said as my elbows rested on the leather armrests.
“Sure, my full name is Cashman Montgomery Jameson the fifth. I’m twenty-four years old. I have two older brothers and an older sister. I attended UCLA and earned a degree in economics. I started law school at UCLA and finished my first year there this past May.”
Good, he’s not a box of rocks.
“Are you studying to go into the law or criminal justice field?” I asked.
He shook his head and looked down at the table for a brief moment. “No, sir. Law school isn’t for me.”
All I heard was the title “sir.” Nothing after that word registered in my head.
I didn’t bother looking at Joel. I knew he heard that word loud and clear and was allowing it to run like wildfire through his mind, just as I was.
I was sure his use of that word was meant out of respect, but I liked to think he used it for another reason.
The mere thought of him using it in a submissive role caused my dick to harden.
I tried to drag my attention out of the bedroom, or a private cabana, and was able to muster up a respectable comment. “I imagine attending college didn’t leave you with a lot of spare time for work.”
Cash shook his head, and I was pretty sure I saw doubt flash in his eyes. He probably knew he wasn’t right for the job. I pulled his resume back over and found the single job he’d worked.
“What did you do when you worked at Jameson Law Office of Indianapolis? Is that family owned?” I asked.
“Yes, sir. My grandfather started the firm, and practically my entire family works there. I worked there during the summers since I was eighteen, and did small office jobs like filing things and pulling files and creating basic contact sheets for the clients.”
“Have you ever had a customer complaining to you about something? Or have you had to resolve an issue for a customer?” I asked.
He shook his head. “No, sir.”
“What was the toughest part of your job at the law office?” I asked. Cash’s eyes moved from side to side while he was thinking. “Or what did you like the least?” I added.
“The toughest part was dealing with my family.”
Interesting.
“This job requires a lot of customer facing attention. You’d be fielding customer requests and sometimes complaints. We have a lot of candidates with experience in the field or with hotel administration degrees,” I said as gently as possible.
“Yes, sir. I understand.”
Up to this point Joel had been quiet, but suddenly asked a question of sorts. And it was an odd one at that. It was more of a directive than a question, and one that I’d never heard him ask a job candidate.
“Tell us who Cash Jameson is.”
Cash seemed equally confused but tried to be professional and entertain the question, though he seemed unsure of how to answer.
After a few moments of silence, Joel gestured toward the resume that sat on the table in front of me.
“You’ve told us nothing about who Cash is.
” Joel paused and then added, “I want to know who he is. What makes him tick? What drives Cash? All we know is your name and other basics that we could have pulled up on you simply by checking social media or other online searches.” As the crimson deepened on Cash’s face, Joel paused and tilted his head slightly to the side and asked, “So, who is Cash Jameson?”
Cash looked down at the table, and his eyes rapidly shifted from side to side as his brain hurried to come up with an answer to Joel’s question.
With narrowed eyebrows, he finally lifted his eyes from the table, slowly looked at the resume, then at Joel.
His expression was one of shock. Not shocked that he was asked the question, but because he didn’t have an answer to the question.
“I … I don’t know,” Cash’s voice wasn’t much more than a whisper. “I’m sorry,” he added.
“Nothing to be sorry about, Cash.” Joel stood, but kept his eyes on Cash.
“You’re a young man, and answers to that question will come to you in time.
It was a pleasure meeting you today,” Joel said as he stretched his arm across the table and shook Cash’s hand again. “Thank you for meeting me,” Cash said.
“Come on, Cash, I’ll walk you out,” I said before making eye contact with Joel again. For once, his expression was hard to read, but I would definitely be picking his brain after I saw Cash out.
As Cash and I walked toward the lobby, I could tell by his quiet demeanor that he wasn’t as confident now as he had been when we walked to the conference room.
It was awkward, and I hated this part of interviews.
Usually the person will become extra talkative and try to get a sense of my opinion regarding their chance at getting the job or find out when we’ll have a decision made.
But not Cash. The only sound coming from him was the noise of the fabric that his twill pants made as he walked.
“I hope you enjoy the rest of your time in Lake Tahoe,” I said as we neared the lobby.
“Thanks.”
“Make sure you get out and enjoy some of the weather and recreation while you’re here.”
We came to a stop in the lobby near the sliding Equinox door, and he turned to face me.
When I looked into his eyes, his sexy gaze just about set me on fire right there.
I felt the need to continue the conversation so I could simply see his mouth and lips move one more time.
As the door slid open and the blaring sunlight smacked me in the face, I gestured to the outside and said, “Take in some of those trees and leaves you like so much.”
Cash turned his head to look outside as the corners of his mouth faintly turned upward.
While the sunlight drenched his face, I focused on the hint of dark stubble that outlined his jawline.
At that moment, I wanted nothing more than to take a fistful of his hair in my hand and hold his head still while I ran my tongue up and down that stubbly jaw.
“I will,” he said. As we shook hands one last time, he said, “Thank you for the interview and your time. Please tell Mr. Stafford that I appreciated his time as well.”
“The pleasure was ours, Cash.”
I watched him walk through the sliding door and didn’t move my feet until the door closed. I exhaled the breath that l had been holding as Cash walked away from me. I scrubbed my hand over my face and then headed to Joel’s office.