Chapter 2
Chapter Two
J ack
“I don’t give a shit, Robert. It’s not even Thanksgiving yet, so don’t give me that holiday bullshit. You have three days to sign that contract, or I’m pulling out and taking my money with me. Three days, Robert.” I ended the call and threw my phone on my desk.
“You were a little harsh, don’t you think?” my friend and V.P., Daniel, asked. “I mean, his wife is dying of cancer.”
“This is business, Daniel. His personal life shouldn’t affect his business decisions.”
“And Scrooge is back.” He grinned.
“What do you mean? He never left the building.” A smirk crossed my lips.
There was a light tap at the door.
“What is it?” I shouted.
When the door opened, Tristan popped his head in.
“Excuse me, Mr. Atlas? Your interviewee is here from the temp agency.”
“Name?” I asked.
“Sierra Knight.”
“Send her in.” I sighed.
“Can I sit in on this one?” Daniel asked.
“Sure.” I leaned back in my chair.
The door opened, and I sat up straight when a beautiful brunette, about five feet seven inches tall, walked in. My eyes quickly diverted to her coat and pants, which were completely filthy.
“Miss Knight.” I stood from my chair. “It is ‘Miss” correct?”
“Yes. You must be Mr. Atlas.”
“I am. And this is my colleague, Daniel Quinn. Please, have a seat.” I gestured. “Let me start by asking you a question. Are you homeless?”
“Excuse me?” She cocked her head and narrowed her eyes.
“Your clothes are—well, they’re filthy. Certainly not appropriate for an interview.”
“Compliments of a crazy cab driver. I didn’t have time to go home and change when Yvonne called and told me to get here ASAP.”
“Fair enough.” I stared at her.
She was beautiful—long, wavy, chestnut brown hair that cascaded over her shoulders, high cheekbones, and a delicate jawline I wanted to run my finger along. But the one thing that stood out about her was her crystal-clear blue eyes. The kind that would make any man do a doubletake.
“Why are you working for a temp agency?” I asked out of curiosity.
“I don’t have a choice at the moment. The company I worked for shut their doors a couple of months ago, and I haven’t been able to find a permanent job.”
“Which company was that?”
“Brandenburg Corporation.”
“Ah. Good old Brian. He couldn’t keep his hands out of the cookie jar.” I smirked. “Hundreds of people lost their jobs when he was sent to prison.”
“I know. Hence, the reason why I’m sitting in your office.”
I sensed a bit of an attitude and wouldn’t say I wasn’t turned on.
“You’re not planning any trips for the holidays, are you?” I asked. “Because if I were to hire you temporarily, I need you here.”
“Nope. No travel plans.” A small smile crossed her lips.
“This is a demanding job, Miss Knight. I expect my assistant to be available day and night, no matter what.”
“I can be available, Mr. Atlas.”
“Even if you have holiday parties to go to? Because I cannot have an assistant who doesn’t put her job first.”
“There will be no holiday parties. It’s not a problem.”
I inhaled a breath, leaned back in my chair, and placed my hands behind my head while I stared at her.
“I suppose Yvonne wouldn’t have sent you over unless you were qualified.”
“I’m qualified, Mr. Atlas.”
I picked up my phone and dialed Yvonne.
“Yvonne Michaels,” she answered.
“Yvonne, it’s Jack Atlas.”
“Hello, Mr. Atlas.”
“I wanted to let you know that I’ve decided to hire Miss Knight for the temporary assistant position.”
“Thank God.” She blew out a breath.
“Excuse me?” I spoke.
“That’s great news, Mr. Atlas. I’ll let her know.”
“No need. She’s sitting across from my desk as we speak.” I stared at Sierra.
“Excellent. If you need anything else, let me know.”
“Thanks, Yvonne.” I ended the call. “Phone number, Miss Knight.”
She rattled off her number while I entered it into my phone. I sent her a text.
“Now, you have my number. You are to answer when I call. If I text you, you will promptly reply, no matter the time.”
“Even if it’s the middle of the night?” she asked.
“Yes, even in the middle of the night. You are to be available to me 24/7. So, make that very clear to your boyfriend. If he has a problem, this will not work out.”
“I don’t have a boyfriend, Mr. Atlas, so that won’t be a problem.”
That was exactly what I wanted to hear.
“I’ll have Tristan show you around and expect you in the office tomorrow morning at seven a.m. Tristan,” I shouted.
The door opened, and he stepped in. “Yes, Mr. Atlas?”
“Show Miss Knight around. She’ll be starting tomorrow morning.”
“Great. Come on, Sierra.” He smiled.
Daniel narrowed his eyes at me after she walked out of the office.
“What?” I asked.
“I saw that look in your eye, Jack. Don’t even think about it.”
“She’s a temp. The rule doesn’t apply to temps.” A smirk crossed my lips.
“I love how you threw in the boyfriend thing. You just couldn’t help yourself, could you?”
“No, I couldn’t.” I smiled.