Chapter 1 #2
“Okay. Ahh, she’s gonna be mad at me.” He paced the room now, raking a hand through his dark hair.
“How about this? Declan is here for a short time. That’s how he likes it.
He’s not the type to linger. He’ll be gone as soon as my cyber hack issue is resolved.
I’d say he’ll be gone inside of three months.
” He was mostly talking to himself now. I could almost see the wheels in his head turning.
“Our record is a month.” Casey gave him a one-shoulder shrug.
“Good. Because my clients are losing their shit over this.” He turned to me both eyebrows raised as if he had had the best idea ever.
“You’re hired. I’m promoting you to Declan’s executive admin.
Perfect. By the time Louisa finds out you’re here, you’ll be on your way out.
If she’s pissed, it won’t be for long. But if your plan works and you become friends…
well, she’ll be thanking me.” He adjusted his belt in a way that had me thinking he already had a list of the many ways he was going to accept his wife’s gratitude for bringing her closer to her half-sister.
I had to admit, I didn’t exactly like this plan.
But I did appreciate that he was willing to give me a shot.
Even if I would be nowhere near the programming team, I would still be associated with the great Declan Winston Noble.
Okay, so the universe hadn’t delivered on what I wanted, but it did find me a job.
I had my foot in the door. I could figure out the details of a more permanent position that actually utilized my skills later.
“I’ll take it.” I stepped forward before Casey had a chance to shut down this crazy idea.
“Great. I’ll leave you two to work out the details.” He took out his phone and glared at the screen. “Shit. I gotta go. Welcome to Windsor Financial Holdings.” He nodded on his way out.
“I’m going to pretend the owner of the company didn’t just come in and hijack my interview, then offer you a job that requires not only a meticulous set of skills but also strict professionalism.” She strode behind her desk and started typing on her laptop, cheeks flushed.
“I’m sorry. I should’ve told you about my connection to Mr. Windsor.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“You don’t think I can do this.” I approached her desk, already regretting this plan to get close to Louisa.
“It’s not that.” She hovered her fingers over the keyboard and tapped a key with a perfectly manicured nail while she eyed me up and down.
“I’m obviously not going to go against the owner’s wishes, so yes, you’re hired.
And I will do everything I can to ensure you succeed in your new role.
But there are a few things you need to know about Mr. Noble. Have a seat.”
I sat across from her. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach because I couldn’t wait to meet my new boss. I started to ask when I would actually get to see the fixer in person, but Casey raised her hand and stopped me in my tracks.
“You’ve read the tabloids, I assume.” She cocked an eyebrow.
“Yes.” All. Of. Them. Including the ones that always showed him with a different hot blonde hanging from his arm, sometimes even two.
“Don’t believe everything you read. Yeah, Declan plays hard.
But that’s because he works hard. And I mean that.
When he’s in town, he’s in the office by seven.
That means your butt needs to be in your chair no later than six thirty.
He prefers pencils, not pens. Yes, you will be sharpening his pencils.
He takes his coffee black. I will leave you with a list of lunch items that will need to be delivered to his desk no later than one, but not before noon. ”
I sat there for a good twenty minutes with my mouth slack while Casey went through all the things Mr. Noble preferred—a schedule printed on a A5 paper, an essential oil diffuser with exactly three drops of each, wild orange, peppermint, and lavender to help with his mood and focus, a black coffee with lion’s mane.
I wrote it all down on my phone, putting in parenthesis Google coffee with lion’s mane.
But later Casey explained lion’s mane was just a type of mushroom.
I didn’t ask why. The more details Casey added to the long list, the more I was convinced Declan Winston Noble was a total bastard—a beautiful bastard—but a bastard, nonetheless.
“And one last piece of advice that’s not admin related.
Women flock to Declan because of his looks and money, sure.
But once you meet him, you’ll see it’s more about his energy than anything else.
” Her features softened, and I got the impression that maybe Casey also had a huge crush on her boss.
Something I could totally relate to. She cleared her throat.
“Do you want to know how I’ve managed to stay on his team for so long? ”
I had read that Declan got the job done because he expected the best from his employees. When he saw employees didn’t deliver, he had no qualms firing them on the spot. According to the company’s website, Casey had been with Declan since he started his IT company over ten years ago.
“Please. I love advice.”
“Our relationship is strictly professional. There will be no late dinners after work, or googly eyes, or any kind of ridiculous flirting. He hates all that. Anyone who works for him is expected to do just that…work. Work hard, be a professional, show him you know your shit—because you do—and you’ll land not just the position you really want, but also his respect. ”
“That’s all I want.” I beamed at her, trying to keep my cool by not bouncing on my toes. “I’m the most professional person you’ll ever meet. I promise. You’ll see.”
“Then welcome to Noble IT Consulting.” She offered me her hand, and I shook it.