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Inside is another foyer similar to the one I just left. Only this one has a few waiting chairs that are more like thrones, a coffee table with some scattered magazines a top, and a coffee and water station.
“Welcome, my dear.” A little old lady stands from behind her desk. “You must be Miss Johnson. My name is June. I am Mr. Judge’s secretary.” I smile for real this time, feeling relieved all of a sudden to hear a friendly tone. Standing no more than five feet tall, she moves slowly around her desk to greet me. Dressed neatly in what can only be described as nineteen-seventy office attire, her smile is infectious.
“Nice to meet you, June,” I reply, feeling a little less anxious now but also a lot more confused. June is not what I was expecting at all. It strikes me as odd, actually. I’d expected another Amy, if I’m honest.
June walks over to a large set of wooden panel doors. I say walk, but it’s more like a waddle. I smirk in amusement. She’s cute in a grandma kind of way.
“Mr. Judge is expecting you.”
I steady myself, taking in a long deep breath before opening the door. I panic the moment it opens, and I see Roman look up from his laptop. Oh shit. Was I meant to knock? I should have knocked.
“You showed up.” Roman smirks, standing up from his desk, fastening the button on his jacket, and checking his watch. “And on time too.”
I swallow back the urge to be rude and try to hide my discomfort with an awkward smile. “I honor my obligations.”
“That’s an interesting way of putting it,” he replies with a curious stare as he walks around to the front of his desk and then leans against it, arms folded over his chest. God, I have to concentrate on breathing when I look at him. His light grey suit accentuates his broad shoulders and brightens his features. He looks clean and sharp and so unbelievably hot. There’s not even a slight dusting of whiskers on his face. He’s so clean I can smell him from across the room. That masculine, crisp, and addictive scent that is so distinctly him.
“So, how exactly does this work?” I ask abruptly, suddenly feeling a wave of confidence. Roman is an intimidating man, yet I don’t feel uncomfortable or unsafe around him. Something in his divine brown eyes makes me lose all my worries. He’s like sugar. I know it’s not good for me, but it's enticing and irresistible. He smiles, creating the most charming creases on his face.
“You will work for me as my personal assistant. Your wages will act as your debt repayments. It shouldn’t take you too long.”
“Define personal assistant.” I narrow my eyes at him. He better not be thinking I’ll sleep with him to pay off Austin’s debt. I will not lower myself to that. If I have to work three jobs, seven days a week for the rest of my life, I would. I’d find a way to pay him, but I’m not sleeping with him!
Roman’s lips curl up at the ends as if he is reading my thoughts. “You will run errands for me, assist my secretary June, and attend to anything else that arises.”
“Arises? “I repeat his last word, and I don’t know why, but my eyes shoot straight to his crotch.
Roman clears his throat, startling me. I immediately look back up at him to find him smiling snugly. Heat prickles my cheeks with embarrassment. Great, now he thinks I want to sleep with him. Honestly, I knew this day was not going to go well, but I didn’t expect to be escorted out of the building for being a perve.
“Arises as in, unexpected, or unplanned changes that may come up that I will need assistance with,” he clarifies, and I feel stupid that he even had to explain himself. I look at the carpet, the wall-to-floor window, and the artwork behind his desk. I look at anything and everything but him.
“I don’t have a desk for you yet, but I’ll get that organized. In the meantime, you can sit with June.”
All I can do at this point is nod. Every time I've opened my mouth so far, I’ve said or asked something stupid.
“So, we need to do something about this.” Roman looks me up and down, then points to my shoes.
“It is all I had. I’m sorry.” I shrug, then want to kick myself for apologizing. We both know that I should not be here. I may as well have a sign above my head that says poverty-stricken loser.
“Well, I can’t have you walking around my office looking like you just stepped out of a thrift store. We have very prestigious clients and this...” He points again at me. “This is not appropriate.”
Wow. Like I didn’t feel enough like shit. I’ve never felt more inferior and indignant than I do right now. I lower my head, swallowing back the thick hot tears that want to stain his ugly rich carpet.
“Here.” Roman passes me a Platinum American Express card. “Take this and go buy yourself some suitable office attire.”
I raise my eyebrows at him. “How do you know I won’t just take it and run? Surely, you don’t trust me with this?”
He smiles, looking intrigued. “You turned up this morning, didn’t you?”
I look at him almost bewildered, taken aback by his trust in me. However, I’m also embarrassed that he, not only is allowing me to pay my brother's debt off, but now is paying for my clothes to do so. He steps towards me, takes my hand, and places the card in it, closing my fingers around it while I just stand there like a frozen mute.
“There is a store just a block from here called Kavari. I’ll call Danielle, the store manager, and make sure she takes care of you.”
I lower my head as he steps away and returns to his seat. He begins typing something on his laptop, and I just stand there watching him. Then he stops and looks up at me, cocking his head to the side. “Do you need a map?”
Horrified and embarrassed, I shake my head and quickly turn on my toes, leaving his office as fast as I can. When I make it to Kavari and ask for Danielle, the lady looks down at me, her nose stuck in the air. It’s ridiculously clear I have never stepped foot in a store of this calibre.
“Oh, dear God.” The lady frowns. “Mr. Judge didn’t exaggerate.”
