Chapter 6
Chapter Six
Genevieve
Anna materialized at my door, two steaming mugs in hand. “Let me get this straight, you’re his personal assistant?” she asked, stepping into the room. “How did that happen?”
I plucked a mug from her and took a long-needed sip. “Remember I told you he said I was welcome to my previous job?”
“Uh-huh,” she nodded, making herself comfortable on the heaps of clothes covering my bed.
“Well, by the time I got back, there was a new receptionist.” I shifted the dress draped over my side table to place my mug.
My entire wardrobe was on trial. “I was going to leave quietly, I mean, the man already cleared my debt, that was more than enough, but I ran into him on my way out and he said he was in need of an assistant.”
“Just like that?”
“Just like that,” I affirmed.
Her lips curled into the habitual I-don’t-trust-this curve I was accustomed to. “No interviews, qualifications…?”
“Nope.” I reached for another sip. Anna was right to be suspicious. Hell, I'd be lying if I said I wasn’t myself, given everything that unfolded in the past weeks.
If it weren’t for the new keycard with the bold executive stamp staring back at me, I’d be convinced my mind was playing tricks on me.
“You definitely got him,” she finally concluded.
“Got who?”
“Kazimir. He’s pussy-whipped."
Hot liquid caught in my throat, coming up violently.
“Anna!” I choked out, setting my cup aside.
“What?” She shrugged. “The man cleared your debt, returned you to his office in a more personal position with a salary four times your previous one. If that didn’t scream pussy-whipped, I don’t know what does.”
“It’s not that personal. Plus, I have an office of my own.”
“Which can only be accessed from his office,” she argued, and suddenly, she paused. Her lips widened and her brows wriggled as she lifted her eyes to mine. “He’s totally fucking you in there.”
“Anna!” I could only utter a word of reprimand without giving up the unwelcome thrill that skittered down my spine. “This conversation is over. I’m going to get dressed and so will you. The rent won’t pay itself.”
“The black chiffon shirt and the pencil skirt.” She pointed at the outfit I’d been contemplating, lifting herself off my bed and surprisingly dropping the topic. “It’s professional, classy and accessible in case of—”
Yup. Definitely spoke too soon.
“Get out!” I covered my ears and let my scream drown out the rest of her comment.
Her laughter echoed throughout the house, lingering even after she left the room.
My vanity mirror reflected a shade of red that would make a tomato jealous.
Anna and I were polar opposites. While she was spontaneous, bubbly and full of life, I was a creature of habit with a terrible caffeine addiction.
I absolutely hated how loud she was when we were assigned the same room in our freshman year, but as time went on, I was in awe of how she balanced everything. And when the first year ended, she flirted with the dean and got us another room together, and we’ve been joined at the hip ever since.
She brought an odd calm to my overly noisy and erratic mind.
I made sure the spaces were tidy, everything was up to date, and she made sure I didn’t spiral into oblivion. The perfect symbiotic relationship that had somehow turned into a sisterhood.
“Make sure you wear the pumps I got you for your birthday,” Anna’s voice returned with more glee. “Makes your butt look nice.”
I didn’t bother dignifying her advice with a response as I entered the bathroom to clean up.
An hour later, I was on the executive floor, speaking to the secretary and trying to get the hang of my new role before Kazimir arrived, but Anna’s comment lingered in my mind.
When it was time to return to my office, I couldn’t bring myself to look at the giant, polished oak table taking up the middle of Kazimir’s office without my stomach doing that thing.
Sometimes I really hated how easily ideas implanted into my head and how visual my brain got.
Thankfully, the to-do list on my work laptop was the perfect distraction.
The work turned out easier than I’d anticipated.
After I left Kazimir at the office yesterday, I’d spent what was left of my day at the nearby café researching and downloading everything I could find on being a PA, and spent the night following through a four-hour-long YouTube crash course titled “A PA so good your boss forgets how to function without you.”
It was a better alternative to the seven-to-twelve-hour-long videos on the same topic, but it was the title that drew me in.
It was wishful thinking, but the thought of Kazimir depending on me to run his empire felt oddly fulfilling, and that brought me to the decision I’d been toying with all night.
I wanted to earn this. I wanted to keep this job because I was good at it, and I wanted him to know that.
The sex was earth-shattering and I’ll be damned if I said the mere thought of it didn’t give me butterflies, but my image and integrity were important to me. I didn’t want to become the girl who fucked her way to the top.
And I didn’t want Kazimir to keep me around as an accessible pussy on the go.
I only had sex with him because I was convinced it was the last time I’d be seeing him, and now that it had changed and I was back to working under him, it was important to me that he respected me for the work I did and not the way I moaned his name.
It was on that hill that I’d decided to keep him at arm's length and to make sure our relationship was strictly professional on every front.
At least till I’ve proved myself and earned my place like every other person on this floor.
The beeper on my table turned green, indicating someone had entered the office. The walls were thick, but I wouldn’t miss the soft timbre if I lost my hearing.
I straightened, arranging my journal, pen, highlighter and sticky note into a neat stack. I wasn’t sure if the excitement coursing through me was from the adrenaline of starting a new job or the man who was sitting next door.
Whatever the cause, I was choosing to focus on the former. I loved my job and it didn’t matter who my boss was, I would be just as excited for a new opportunity.
I slapped on my signature receptionist smile and walked out the door.
Kazimir was seated behind his desk in an all-black ensemble and missing a tie as usual. His hair was tousled in a way that looked careless and intentional all the same, and across the table was Nikolai Archibald, the COO.
“Good morning, sir.” I almost regretted alerting him of my presence the moment his eyes landed on me.
His eyes darkened, trailing a burning path from my legs, lingering briefly on my boobs before settling on my face.
I was on the verge of evaporation when he finally spoke.
“Genevieve. How do you like your new office?”
“It’s very comfortable. Thank you, sir.” His lips gave a slight twitch, but he didn’t say anything.
“This the new PA?” Nikolai asked, saving me from a moment of awkward silence.
“Good morning. I’m Genevieve Sinclair."
His eyes twinkled. “Genevieve. You must’ve made quite the impression.” His attention shifted to Kazimir, who was currently flipping through the file on his table. “My friend was a bona fide believer of personal assistants being a waste of space and money in the presence of a secretary.”
His honey-brown eyes returned to me, still carrying the playful spark. “I’m glad to know he had a change of mind.”
“Thank you,” I replied, not giving away the way his remark affected me. “I’ll make sure he has no regrets.”
A megawatt smile lit up his features. “I know you will.”
With Kazimir’s attention on his files and Nikolai reaching out for the second stack, I figured I’d been dismissed for the moment.
“I’ll be inside if you need me.”
Kazimir gave no reply, but Nikolai nodded with a smile.
I turned, the excitement from earlier giving room to her less interesting sister, deflation.
The walk back to my office felt like a glorified walk of shame with my senses painfully aware of tiny laser balls glued to my ass. I was suddenly grateful I had ditched Anna's advice to wear a pencil skirt in favour of an A-line office dress.
I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding the moment I was safely on the other side of my door, feeling my body relax in the absence of his all-consuming presence.
It’s okay, Gen. He has always been cold and distant. This is probably how he related with personal workers and lack of preferential treatment was good. Do not overthink it.
But ten minutes passed and the telecom on my desk was yet to beep. I refreshed my email, looking out for any information I missed, but the only new message was from the local gym in my area.
I turned on the laptop, going over the schedule the secretary sent me and the one I found earlier.
Today was essentially blank, but Caroline, the secretary, had requested that I be on standby as he might have something for me when he arrived.
Muted laughter floated into my office through the little openings in the door and I waited. Caroline had said he had a meeting for 10:00 a.m. It was almost eleven and for some reason, he was yet to call me in.
Thirty minutes passed and nothing happened. I was growing bored and close to pulling my hair out.
Anna's comment resurfaced with a bitter aftertaste this time.
There was no history of a past personal assistant, only a secretary. What if he actually did give me this job to be able to fuck me on his ginormous table with no intention for me to do any work?
My chest tightened at the thought. While I bore the blame for throwing myself at him, there was no way I was letting him turn me into his office whore. The only reason I kissed him was because I thought I was dying. I swear, I'm not the type of woman who tries to throw herself at her boss.
An hour rolled by and the only notification I got was Caroline’s update on the meeting. He called her in from the end of the hall while I was here all along? Just as my mind was wandering, the intercom rang.
I clicked the glowing button. “Genevieve Sinclair here.”
“Come to my office.”