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“Hmm?” She put hers down and folded her hands in her lap to give him her undivided, but he took up her hands in his and held them as firmly as he was able, considering his wounds.
“Will you marry me?”
“Miles,” she breathed. “The medication must be really heavy.” She made a show of checking his IV.
Miles laughed and nudged her with his knee. “I’m serious. You were with me through everything. No matter what, you’ve stood by my side. Let me make it worth it. Let me make you happy every day for the rest of our lives.”
Saundra leaned forward and kissed him. “Of course yes.”
He grinned and kissed her again. She leaned back and picked up her frozen yogurt again. “Now eat before it melts, dammit.”
He grinned and they did just that.
THE END
The Billionaire’s Assistant
Tallah walked casually through her home, her heels clacking against her hardwood floors with each step. It was a satisfying sound and filled her with confidence. She had plenty of time before her first shift started as the new executive assistance to one of the richest billionaires in the city. There was no need to rush through her morning.
She stood straight and proud in her kitchen as she watched her coffee brew. The black dress she had on accented against her deep mocha skin perfectly. Golden accents around the wrists and gold hoop earrings tied the outfit together perfectly. It wasn’t too much for an office, but let people know she was there to get shit done.
This was a major career move for her, and as cool and collected as she looked on the outside, inside she was burning with excitement. Just a year under his employ would open a hundred new doors for her. For the first time in her life, she was going to get out from under the thumb of doing barely enough to survive, and would actually reach the heights of living. It’s like that quote, “Money can’t buy happiness, but it can make you awfully comfortable while you’re being miserable.” She was finally going to get comfortable in her life.
Once the coffee was ready, Tallah took her time sipping its warmth and absorbing the calm moment. She’d need it to get her through the day. It was these little episodes of time frozen in her mind that got her through. When she was younger she had to deal with some heavy anxiety, but these calming exercises proved to be lifesavers.
When she finished, she hopped into her car and drove to her new job. Even with all of the leisure and taking her time doing things, she still arrived twenty minutes early. A woman from HR was there to meet her and let her into the building. A quick trip to the HR office got her a temporary badge and keys to Mr. Gilmore’s office as normally she’ll be arriving before him and will need access. Her official badge with her picture on it would arrive in the mail in a few days.
In the elevator on the ride up to his office, and where she’d be working, Tallah felt her heart begin to beat faster and faster in her chest. As they rose through the levels, her excitement rose with it. She closed her eyes and focused on her breathing. In her mind, she relived the experience with her coffee, sipping slowly, enjoying the warmth and the calmness of her kitchen. In a few moments she was calm again, and when the elevator dinged that it had reached her floor, she opened her long eyelashes and looked out at the office.
The reception area was impressive, like the lounge in one of those old style gentlemen clubs where old-timers sat around drinking brandy, smoking cigars, and talking about long dead philosophers. Leather couches and lounge chairs sat in strategically positioned placements throughout so that groups of visitors could sit near one another and talk. Tallah had never seen anything like it in her life. Would people coming to see Mr. Gilmore want to speak with one another?
The HR woman led her through the reception area and pointed out Tallah’s desk. “This is where you’ll be working most of the time. There is an intercom and integrated phone system. You’ll be taking Mr. Gilmore’s calls and transferring them where needed. The intercom system is tied directly from this phone to the phone in his office. It’s a private line and not connected to the rest of the phone system. Mr. Gilmore values discretion in all of his business dealings.”
“I understand,” Tallah said, though she didn’t understand at all. How was an intercom system going to help that?
Before she could think to ask, she was guided through to Mr. Gilmore’s actual office. The space was huge, and the vastness of it took her breath away. The ceiling must’ve been at least two extra stories tall. Floor to ceiling windows replaced all walls, the early morning sun steaming in from the east.
There, with his back to the door, stood Justin Gilmore looking out the window at the city below. Just looking at him made Tallah feel richer. Without even looking in their direction, Tallah could feel the confidence in him, the power. This was a self-made man, and it was impossible to not be impressed by that.
“Mr. Gilmore, your new assistant has arrived.”
He turned around and she saw him for the first time. Tallah’s heart stopped for just a blink, and she forgot to breathe. Sure she’d seen his pictures in the tabloids, the young hot rich man in the city, but to see his features in the flesh was something else altogether. A pronounced jaw was covered in a stylish layer of stubble. More than a 5 o’clock shadow but not quite a beard. Normally Tallah hated that look, but on him it was surprisingly power. Piercing blue eyes looked out from a deep, thoughtful brow. The gentle tan of his skin offset against his dirty blond hair well. His grey suit was clearly tailored just for him and fit as though he’d been born in it.
In those beautiful blue eyes he wore a look of mild surprise. Had he really not noticed them enter? Then again, in a place as big as this, she couldn’t really be so surprised. Mr. Gilmore checked his watch.
“So soon?” he asked. “Are you always so punctual?”
“Yes sir,” Tallah said and stepped forward with her hand outstretched.
Mr. Gilmore looked at her hand, cleared his throat, then looked back up to her. “Well, you’ve set the bar. Now let’s see if you can match it reliably.”
Tallah curled her fingers nearly into a fist and pulled her hand back. All of the pleasantness of the meeting had churned into a horrible awkward pit in her stomach. “Yes, well, I think you’ll be pleased with my performance. I set the bar high for myself and I always—“
“That’s wonderful. For now, let’s focus on the following.” With a pointed look to the HR woman he said, “I’m not to be disturbed before 8:30. For any reason.”
She tried to make some excuse, but when he looked away from her and back to Tallah, the HR woman silenced herself.
“My coffee,” he continued, now speaking directly to Talla, “is delivered to your desk at 8:55 every day. Your job is to be at your desk to receive it at that time. I do not care what else is going on in your day. You are at your desk to receive my coffee and bring it to me, here, on my desk. Immediately. Everything else can wait. Am I understood?”
