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"I know," I said. "He really is. He makes me happy, and he's really thoughtful and..."
"Well, there have to be some bad parts, right?" Molly said, sticking her tongue out at me. "I mean, he's not perfect. Don't make me hate you that much."
"Oh he's not perfect." I laughed. "He likes to leave the toilet seat up and sometimes wet."
"Ew," Molly groaned.
"I know. And I have to keep telling him, 'You live with a woman now.' So there's that."
"Okay. Yeah, that would get on my nerves," Molly said.
"Yeah, it does get me quite frustrated, but this is something new for both of us, so I'm hoping he starts remembering"—I laughed—"though I have a feeling he might not because you know men."
"Yep. Unless it's going to lead to sex, they conveniently like to forget a lot." She grinned.
"Too true. So how's it been with you and Travis?"
"I haven't seen him," she said. "I actually was surprised about that, but maybe he's ignoring me or whatever." She made a face. "And to think I was concerned that HR would want to get me fired because I was sleeping with the CEO when all along he wasn't interested anyway." I highly doubted that. I'd seen the way they'd acted at the party, but I didn't want to say anything. It wasn't like I knew Travis, and well, he was my boss as well now, and I didn't want to go sticking my nose in where it didn't belong. "Oh shoot," Molly said, "we've only got five more minutes till the end of break. I didn't even get a coffee or snacks or anything."
"I know. We were too busy talking," I said. "Next break, let's make sure we get our coffees and snacks and then talk."
"Sounds good to me." She nodded as we turned around and made our way back to the conference room.
"Welcome back, everyone," the HR lady beamed. "And congratulations. Everyone was on time. That's what I like to see. So we're actually going to have the CEO of the company himself, Travis Covington, coming in in a couple of minutes to welcome you to the company and the program. I'm sure this will be very exciting for you all. This is going to be such a wonderful experience for everyone here. You're all very lucky to be working under Travis. He is probably one of the brightest, best minds in finance today. I mean, I'm sure I don't have to sing his praises to everyone here. I'm sure you all did your research before you got the job." She paused and looked over at the door. "And, well, here he is. Mr. Covington, thank you for joining us."
"Hi, Bailey. Thank you for having me talk this afternoon." He walked into the room, looked around with a wide smile, then nodded. I gazed at him, admiring how handsome and dapper he looked in his navy-blue suit with his dark hair and piercing blue eyes. He really was super attractive. I looked over at Molly, who was looking down at the table, scribbling something on a piece of paper, and I smiled to myself. I had a feeling there was something she wasn't telling me about their time together, but I wasn't going to push it. I sat back as Travis walked to the front of the room.
"So good afternoon, everyone. As I'm sure you all know, I'm Travis Covington, the CEO. I’m really pleased that you have all decided to accept a spot in our new two-year program. As I'm sure many of you are aware, our program has previously just been an apprenticeship where you are mentored by different members of the organization. However, you will now be an assistant to some of the top hedge fund managers, and one of you will also be my assistant. I wasn't here this morning, but I have looked over everybody's résumé. And to say I’m impressed is an understatement. We have several Wharton MBAs, some Harvard MBAs. We have a couple of doctorates here. I see an MPhil from Oxford University." He smiled. "We even have a couple of you who have done previous stints on Wall Street. I believe you, John, used to work for Goldman Sachs?"
"Yes, Mr. Covington."
"And you had quite a high position, I believe."
"I did, sir. However, this company is the best. And even if I'm just in an apprenticeship program, I know it would take me further."
"Further than Goldman Sachs?" I whispered under my breath to Molly. Her eyes were wide.
"Harvard MBAs?" she said. "Shit, I don't know about you, but I should not be in this room."
I giggled. "Trust me, girl, I don't think I should be in this room either." I pressed my lips together as I realized that Travis was staring directly at me. Oh shit. I didn't want to get into trouble right away.
"How about we go around the room and introduce ourselves? I'd like to get to know you as people and not just your résumés." He laughed. "You'll soon realize that in the world of finance, it's not just about the numbers. It's also about the human connections, how at ease we're able to make people, and how trustworthy we seem. And there will often be times when you will have to spend time with your clients, be it at breakfast, lunch, or dinner, on the golf course, or in a club. You never know. What is important, though, is that you are genuine. What is important is that you engage in activities that you truly enjoy because the clients will see that. And you, we'll start with you." He looked over at Molly, and she swallowed hard.
"Hi, I'm Molly." She licked her lips and looked around the room. "I mean, everyone knows that, I guess. I'm Molly Malone, not to be mistaken with Molly Malone, the Irish girl who's in the famous song Molly Malone, but..." She paused. "I mean, some of you might know the song. It starts like in Dublin's fair city where the..."
"You can continue, Ms. Malone."
"All right. Thank you, Mr. Covington. I mean Travis. I mean..." She pressed down on her lower lips.
"Breathe, Molly," I said under my breath. "Breathe."
She gave me a thankful smile. "So I'm Molly. This is actually my first foray into finance, but I think I will do amazing because I’m a people person, and I know how to flirt and laugh. And I could be a bit of an actress and..." She bit down on her lower lip. "I really enjoy the lottery and Sudoku, and there are a lot of numbers involved there and, well..." I could see her face turning red, and my heart was breaking for her. This was going absolutely horribly. And then there was a knock on the door. "Thank God for that," she said. Foster was standing there.
"Hi. Sorry I'm late. I was told that I should be a part of the meeting."
Travis looked up and nodded. "Hey, Foster. Sure. Come in. Miss Malone here was just telling us about her experience and why she's a good fit for the company." He pressed his lips together. "Not that we've yet heard exactly what makes her a good fit."
"I was just getting to that, Travis. You don't have to be such a..." Molly realized she'd spoken out loud. Everyone gasped in the room. Even the HR lady looked shocked. "Um, I could be a comedian at times too," Molly said quickly. I daren't look at her. I didn't want anyone to think I condoned what she was saying.
