Chapter 3
Chapter Three
S ierra
I left his office with Tristan and let out a breath.
“He doesn’t seem bad,” I said, glancing at Tristan. “The way Yvonne talked, she made him out to be a monster.”
“Just do everything he asks, keep your mouth shut, and you’ll be fine. You seem like a nice girl, so I will warn you. I have a friend who works at the temp agency you’re with. She told me that the girls they wanted to send over refused.”
“Why?” My brows furrowed.
“Because Mr. Atlas is scary. He has a reputation, and people are afraid of him. Including the people who work for him. He’s especially worse around the holiday season. Do you see any Christmas decorations up?”
“No. But I’m sure I will soon enough.”
“No, you won’t. Mr. Atlas doesn’t like them and won’t let us decorate. Last year, a clerk worked here, and he fired her for bringing in one of those miniature trees. It was so cute with colored mini lights and bulbs. He picked it up from her desk, handed it to her, and told her she was fired. He is very anti-holiday and a Scrooge.”
“Why is he like that?” I asked out of curiosity.
“Nobody knows. I’ve worked here for five years, and we’ve never once had a Christmas party or anything. All I’m saying is don’t get on his bad side.”
“What happened to his last assistant?”
“Nobody knows. She was here on a Friday, and on Monday, she wasn’t.”
“There has to be rumors,” I said.
“No rumors. We'd all be fired if Mr. Atlas even caught wind of us talking about it. That man doesn’t play around.”
“And what is it you do around here?”
“I’m Mr. Quinn’s assistant.”
“Is he anti-holiday too?”
“No. Not at all. Every year, he writes me a personal check for a holiday bonus and tells me to keep it between ourselves. He’s a good man to work for.”
After showing me around, I left the building and headed home. Walking down the hall to my apartment, I saw a paper taped to the door. Pulling it off, I looked at it. It was an eviction notice.
“Shit.” I shook my head, went down to my landlord’s apartment, and knocked on his door. “Really, Mr. Joseph?” I cocked my head, holding up the paper.
“Sorry, Sierra. I’m still waiting on last month’s rent. You promised you’d have it. I don’t have a choice.”
“And I will. I just came from an interview and got the job. Just give me a couple of weeks. I promise I’ll get it to you. Please, Mr. Joseph. It’s not my fault the CEO of my former company embezzled millions, and they shut down. It’s brutal out there in this economy. But all is good now. I got a job that pays more than I was earning at my last job. I start tomorrow morning. If you don’t believe me, you can call my employer.”
He stared at me momentarily and then took the eviction notice from my hand and tore it up.
“Thank you, Mr. Joseph.” I hugged him.
“You better get that rent to me. You have one week, Sierra.”
“I will.”
Stepping inside my apartment, I set my purse down, grabbed a bottle of wine, and poured it into a glass. I was all set to call Yvonne after I left Atlas Enterprises to tell her I changed my mind and didn’t want the job until I came home and saw the eviction notice. There was no way I could work for Jack Atlas, not because of the rumors about his reputation. I could handle his grumpiness. What I didn’t think I could handle was seeing him all day, every day, because he was so damn sexy. The fantasies swirling in my head about him during my interview were too hot, causing me to keep my legs tightly crossed. His six-foot-three stature gave a commanding presence. His short, dark hair was neatly styled, just tousled enough to give an effortless look. The sharp angles of his jawline were accentuated by a subtle five o’clock shadow, giving him a rugged but polished edge. His broad shoulders filled out his shirt and suit coat perfectly. But his eyes stood out the most—a striking blue with such intensity that could send someone into a hypnotic state.
My phone rang, pulling me out of my Jack Atlas fantasy. Grabbing it from my purse, I saw Becca was Facetiming me.
“Hi,” I answered, tipping the glass to my lips.
“How did the interview go?”
“I got the job.”
“That’s great, Sierra. Congrats. When do you start?”
“Tomorrow morning. I also came home to an eviction notice.”
“Oh shit. Did you talk to Mr. Joseph?”
“Yeah. He’s giving me one more week to pay the rent.”
“I’m not sure you’ll get your first check next week.” Her face twisted.
“I know,” I said, sighing and pouring another glass of wine. “I’ll figure something out.”
“You know I’d lend it to you if I could.”
“I know.” I smiled.
“I have to go. My next client just walked in. I’ll talk to you later.”
When I opened my refrigerator, I stared at the carton of eggs, almond milk, expired yogurt, and two apples in a plastic bag.
“Shit,” I said.
I needed to go to the grocery store and take my pants and coat to the cleaners. Grabbing my other coat from the closet, I put it on with my tall black boots and headed out the door. When I exited my building, I saw snowflakes falling from the sky.
“Great,” I mumbled as I walked down the street to the cleaners.
“Sierra.” Mrs. Wong smiled.
“Hi, Mrs. Wong. I need these cleaned.” I set my coat and pants on the counter.
“They’ll be ready on Wednesday for you.”
“Thank you. I see you’ve already decorated for Christmas.” I stared at the decorated tree in the corner and the garland hanging from the ceiling all around the place.
“It’s that time of year again.” She smiled.
“Is it, though?” I cocked my head. “Thanksgiving is in two weeks. You don’t think it’s a little early to decorate?”
“Not at all. Look at the city.”
“Trust me. I have.” I sighed. “Thanks again, and I’ll see you on Wednesday.”
I arrived at my new place of employment at six fifty-five a.m. Why Jack Atlas had his employees start so early was beyond me. When I stepped out of the elevator, it was quiet—too quiet. Nobody was there, and I wondered what the hell was going on. Walking over to my desk, I sat down, removed my boots, and put on my heels.
“Good morning.” A voice from behind startled me.
Turning around, I saw Jack standing there with a smile, holding a cup of coffee.
“Good morning. Where is everyone?” I asked.
“They don’t start until eight o’clock. Grab yourself a cup of coffee and come into my office.”
“Okay.” I stood up from my chair and went to the kitchen area.
After pouring myself a coffee, I walked into Jack’s office and sat down.
“You look nice in clean clothes.” A smirk crossed his lips.
“Thanks, Mr. Atlas.”
“You can call me Jack. Here is the password to my schedule. It’s your job to keep it up-to-date. Also, I need you to contact these people and schedule meetings.” He handed me a white sheet of paper. “Go to your desk, get settled, and start working.”
I gave him a nod and a small smile as I stood from my chair, walked out of his office, and to my desk. As I was looking over Jack’s schedule, Tristan walked over.
“Morning. How’s your first day going?”
“Morning.” I smiled. “It’s good so far. Jack doesn’t seem as bad as you all make him out to be.”
“Just wait.” He smirked.