Chapter 8
”Holy freaking shit.” To say that I was freaking dazed as I walked out of his office was an understatement. Not only was I dazed, but I was also sure that for a moment back there, I had been genuinely scared for my life because what the fuck was wrong with him? The girls had warned me, of course, of how he was, but this was beyond it. I was almost ready to do anything now to look up his asshole because I was sure I”d find a huge freaking stick lodged in there. He couldn’t be real, and he also couldn’t be the same man who had approached me last night in my distressed state and so kindly offered his help. Had that just been him seeing a business opportunity and taking it? I wouldn’t be surprised if this was the case, especially given how successful he was at such a young age. Maybe he truly was a piranha in all ramifications like the girls had very clearly pointed out and desperately tried to convince me of.
However, given what I had just experienced, I was sure that they had under-communicated his lunacy. I almost felt cheated now because how the fuck was I supposed to deal with this? Standing at my desk and with his cup in hand, I shut my eyes and tried to control my already spiraling emotions because, once again, holy freaking shit. I felt a sense of doom as though, and with my eyes wide open, I had jumped from the frying pan straight into the fire. All I could think of now was rectifying my ways. It wasn’t too late. His firm had contacted me much more quickly than I could have ever imagined, so I had actually already been at my old job before I had gotten the call. So, I had to feign sickness much to the annoyance of my boss at that point. I had less than zero fucks to give and was looking forward to the great future I had been sure that I would have, and so I walked out. However, I had to consider now very seriously the possibility of tucking my very long and crushed tail between my legs and returning to beg for my old job and annoying boss back. Sure, he was the absolute worst, but this one right now was very clearly a lunatic.
But then, perhaps I would be safer with him? I couldn’t help but wonder. I mean, so far, he just seemed to not want to be distracted or bothered by me in any way, and although the way he communicated this was a bit jarring, I had to ask myself if this truly wasn’t better than being sexually harassed. Plus, of course, all his corrections and admonishments came at once; this was literally the first time meeting him. Surely, and after I complied as requested, he would soon run out of them and behave like a normal human being, right? Right? My mind was spinning, and so were my emotions, so when I suddenly heard the knock on the door and the subsequent voice, I was nearly startled out of my body.
”Hey,” the soft, kind voice came, and my head snapped up. I nearly let go of his cup as a result, but thankfully my reflexes were sharp, and I was able to save the cup in time.
”Oh, great catch,” she said, and after I had managed to calm my thundering and panicking heart, I finally looked up to see who had stopped by. It was a gorgeous girl, the same height as me more or less, and blonde. She had soft peach lips, had on a wonderful dark dress, and strappy heels. Truly, the marketing firm I had worked at had some fashionistas, but this freaking firm was on another level. I also noted she had quite the cleavage action going on. I mean, it wasn’t enough to stop traffic, but it was very obvious to anyone who looked that she was a bloody attractive woman.
”Hi,” I said as she came over to me with her hand offered. I immediately set the cup down and accepted her handshake. ”I”m Hannah,” I introduced myself. ”Nice to meet you.”
We kept smiling at each other, and it was more than awkward, to say the least since I wasn”t exactly sure what was happening. More than just paying a visit, it seemed that she was checking me out, and it made me even more curious as to who she was.
“You are –” I asked, needing her to leave now so I could get to work before I earned the record of the quickest hire and fire in history.
”Oh, I”m sorry, I’m Sandra,” she said. “I was just so fucking blown away. I mean, you”re gorgeous.”
”Ah,” I said, my entire face flushing and my entire body warming up. I”d heard that all my life, but for some reason, no matter who said it, it always felt as though I was receiving the compliment on behalf of someone else. Because I knew me and my messy self, when I didn’t put in any effort to look presentable, I just couldn’t accept this. Major imposter syndrome.
”Thank you,” I said. ”You”re even more gorgeous,” I returned the compliment and she smiled.
I started to feel quite uncomfortable, though, because there we were, two women at the top law firm in the city, and all we could talk about was being gorgeous. It was quite embarrassing, and it made me shudder to think of the possibility that anyone was overhearing us.
”I work for the second partner,” she said. ”Named partner,” she clarified. ”Wilson.”
”Ah, alright, that”s great.”
”Yeah,” she nodded. ”So, in a way, we’re the top two secretaries of the firm. My boss is the managing partner.”
”Higher than my boss, right?” I asked, unable to keep from gloating because that ass of a man deserved in some way or another to not be first.
”Yeah,” she replied. ”But by choice, he doesn”t like to manage people very much. He’d much rather be busy with legal business. He even tries his hardest to avoid clients.”
I was a bit surprised by how much she knew until I remembered that her boss probably didn”t change secretaries like tampons.
”Yeah,” I nodded. ”Thanks.”
”For what?” she asked.
”For the information. I”m incredibly new, so I think I”m going to need all the help possible to adjust as quickly as possible.”
”Right,” she said.
”Um, I”m going to go find the kitchen now. He wants a refill of his coffee.”
”Sure,” she said and waited till I was at the door. ”Don”t go to the normal kitchen though,” she said, and I screeched to a halt.
”Normal kitchen, what does that mean?” I asked.
”There are two types of kitchens here,” she oh so graciously explained.
”Oh okay,” I replied. ”Two kinds. How come?”
”Come along, I”ll show you,” she says. ”One is for the junior partners and associates and paralegals and secretaries and whatnot, and the other is for the management, aka the senior partners.”
”Okay,” I nodded. This made sense.
”They’re both on the same floor since we have both senior partners and a few other junior partners on this floor, but extreme ends. Your boss is management, so we’ll be going all the way to that end to get his coffee.”
”Do you know what he likes?” she asked.
”No,” I replied, my heart sinking as I stared into the empty cup. There were, of course, coffee stains all around, but I could not in my wildest dreams figure out what it was. The best thing to do, and in order to avoid any mistakes, was to ask the other girls, but I looked back sadly at my desk, realizing that I had left my phone.
”Do you know what he likes?” I asked Sandra. ”Have you worked here long?”
”Four years this summer,” she replied, and I nodded, impressed. With the humongous salary I was offered, I truly hoped that this would be me as well because I wasn’t willing to go somewhere else and take a pay cut.
I stopped then in my tracks, realizing that I had almost forgotten about his nasty behavior but for the instant forty percent increase in pay from what I had been paid at the marketing agency, I was forced to consider that maybe, just maybe, his temper wasn’t all bad.
”Here we are,” she said as we arrived at the glass-doored kitchen. She held the door open for me, and immensely appreciative, I headed in.
Just like everything else in this firm, every nook and cranny smelled of unimaginable wealth. Sleek, clean, state-of-the-art contemporary. It was beyond gorgeous.
”Alright, his coffee should be here. Black for sure, because he’s that kind of guy.”
”Um, do you have any-” I started to ask but was cut short because she was suddenly looking at her watch.
”I have to run now; my boss needs me.”
”Of course,” I jumped, immensely grateful for the help she had given me thus far. Even her company in this crowd and maze of a firm was a huge relief and had done wonders in deactivating my flight mode.
”Thank you,” I said, and she sent me her beautiful smile.
”For nothing. Just let me know if you need any further help or directions. Find a paralegal to get close to so you can handle his requests promptly. I recommend Stacy. She’s the only one of the lot that”s not a complete pain in the ass.”
I knew very little of what she was talking about, but I noted the name Stacy and also noted the fact that I would most definitely be staying up all night to begin my emergency lessons on all that it took to be a secretary at a law firm. I also wished the other girls would help me out, so I couldn”t wait to return to my desk, but given that I had already been away from it for the last twenty minutes at least, I had no doubt that I was going to get a loaded gun in my direction once again for being so slow. I looked through the shelves and was overwhelmed by the variety of coffees I saw and picked what seemed like the most expensive.
It was instant, thank God, even though beans were available to grind. So, I made it quickly and put them all up on a tray. And just in case he needed some cream or sugar, which I was sure would do his black personality some good, I added some and was soon on my way back to his office.