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I take a breath, trying to get the courage up to explain the way I feel. “Emery, I don’t know if I can give you what you’re looking for. My BookChat channel is about something I’ve spent my entire life learning about. I’ve read hundreds, if not thousands, of books, and I’m tuned into the reading culture. I probably haven’t even seen the products you’re wanting me to build campaigns for.”
He leans forward, and after a quick glance at the blind-covered windows, he gets an intensity in his eyes that I’ve never seen in another man. Like a mask has been pulled away from him and I’m seeing the man behind the act for the first time. Emery’s smile fades into seriousness.
“Then learn about the products, Madison. Learn about the business and do it quickly. This position is for an intern, not a full employee. Prove that you can be as valuable as every other employee that I hand-picked, and your career will never have a low spot. Fuck it up, and you’ll be stuck working for a regional firm selling overpriced booty shorts at the mall.”
There’s a knock on the door, and the mask slides over Emery’s face again as he goes back to his original position, a smile on his face. “Just a second,” he says as he stands up.
When he opens the door, Sandy is holding a folded black skirt. Her expression is still as neutral as it was earlier, but she glances at me as she hands the skirt to Emery. And the corner of her lip pulls up just a touch, and then it’s gone.
“Thank you, Sandy. I’m sure our newest intern will be happy to leave the office with a little more clothing than she walked in with.”
Sandy says nothing and walks back to her post at the reception desk. Emery doesn’t bother to lock the door before sitting back in his place. He slides the skirt across the desk to me.
“Be here at eight o’clock on Monday morning. Don’t be late and maybe stand a little further away from elevator doors.”
I pause, almost saying what’s on my mind.But I didn’t even interview. And what if I don’t want the job?
Emery puts the papers back in the file folder before sliding them back into the desk drawer as I sit silently in shock. What am I supposed to say?
“Is there a problem?” he asks.
“I just… I don’t know if I can do the job. I went to school for data analysis, not coming up with ads or scripts. I feel like I’m very unqualified for this position.”
He stands up and looks down at me sitting in his coat. “That’s okay. Everyone I hire is unqualified. The ones that stick are the ones that become qualified. The ones that never figure it out don’t last very long. Good luck!”
He turns toward the door, not expecting me to respond, and as he walks, he says, “Get dressed, and I’ll see you on Monday. I can’t wait to see what the ChitChat famous, BookDragonMaddie, does with our products.”
Then he walks out the door and shuts it behind him. My heart sinks. This was not how today was supposed to be. I got the job, but I don’t even think I can do it. I look at the skirt and remember I’m sitting in the chair in my granny panties.
Tessa’s going to have a field day with this train wreck in the making.
Chapter 2
Emery
When I was a kid, I fantasized about women like the model sitting next to me. Perfect hourglasses with legs that go for days. This one’s name is Sasha. Or maybe it’s Sarah? Or was it Sandy? I don’t know, and it really doesn’t matter.
“Who decided to go to a jazz club?” Dante asks a little louder than appropriate. “There has to be somewhere with a better vibe than this tonight.”
“I like jazz,” Noah says without looking at any of us, his eyes on the stage.
“No, you don’t. Nobody actually likes jazz. It’s just one of those things people say to make them sound cultured.” Dante’s dismissal of Noah is typical. I’m pretty positive that he was told from a young age that women are attracted to assholes, and he took it to heart.
Sasha, or whatever her name is, runs her hand over my thigh, her long manicured nails digging into the cashmere of my suit as she smiles at me. “Do you like jazz, Emery?” she asks in that breathy voice that’s obviously practiced. I don’t know who told the world that it’s sexy to talk like that, but they obviously didn’t ask my opinion.
“I don’t mind it, but it’s not my favorite,” I say with the practiced smile on my face. “And you?”
“I love it. It’s like looking at a sculpture and seeing the artist as much as the art. You can feel the emotions of the music even though there aren’t any words. It’s an experience.”
Right. And Sasha is interested in me for my personality rather than my money or good looks. I’m sure she’s a wonderful girl, but I’ve spent the last twelve years with women like her, and there are puddles with more depth.
“That’s a perfect way of describing it,” Noah says as he finally turns away from the stage and picks up his glass of wine. “How’d the interview with the new intern go?”
Noah and I run Aspire. He’s in charge of interacting with our clients and running the numbers while I’m in charge of the actual operations and marketing. Basically, I deal with the product, and he deals with making sure we have people to sell the product to.
Dante’s a different part of it. Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he’s the reason Aspire even exists. Noah and I came from normal middle-class families, and without Dante’s money, we’d be working for marketing agencies instead of owning one.
“It was weird. Our new intern wears granny panties.”
