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"We're ready, Aunty Zara," Charlotte says as she and Luke come out wearing jeans and sweaters.
"Great. Come on." I grab my keys and head toward the door. "We're going to take the subway. And remember, you guys have to be good once we get there. Okay?"
"Okay," they say, and I'm thankful for once that they're quiet and good as we walk to the subway.
The subway ride is also amazing, and I feel like everything truly is going my way. Maybe the universe is finally smiling at me. When we reach the Rosser International building, I step inside and head over to the front desk. "Hi. I have an interview with the HR department," I say, checking to ensure the kids are behaving.
"Take the elevator over there and go up to the fifteenth floor," the lady behind the desk says, and smiles at me. I look around for seats, but there are none. I can't leave the kids down here.
"Come on, guys." I lead them to the elevator with me. I'm hopeful that the HR office is large and has seats. "Remember," I say as we get into the elevator, "you have to be good. Okay?"
“Yes, Aunty Zara," Luke says, rolling his eyes. Charlotte yawns, and I hope that they'll behave for once in their lives. We get out on the fifteenth floor, and I follow the signs to the HR office. I'm grateful that there are some seats near the door, and I tell Luke and Charlotte to sit there before heading to the desk.
"Hi," I say. "My name is Zara Hathaway. I'm here for an interview."
"Oh, great. For the executive assistant position?" the lady asks me, and I nod. "Perfect. I'm going to have you follow me, and then Mr. Pruitt will be in shortly."
"Sounds good," I say. "Thank you." I look back at Charlotte and Luke, sitting quietly and looking at a magazine. I cross my fingers and hope they'll stay that quiet. I take a seat in the large conference room and wait patiently. I don't know who Mr. Pruitt is, but I hope he's a nice man. I hope he takes one look at me and thinks, oh, she'd make a great executive assistant. I need this position. I really, really, really need this position. I hear the door opening and look up expectantly, hopeful that this is when my life takes a turn for the better.
My heart sinks when I see Zeus standing there, and I can tell from the look on his face that he's just as shocked to see me.
"You," I say, pointing at him, all the color rushing from my face. The universe is not on my side. "What the hell are you doing here?" I groan as my heart races. He’s looking at me with narrowed eyes, not saying anything, and I’m starting to feel nervous. "I can’t believe it’s you."
14
Jackson
"You!" My heart thuds as I stare at Zara. Her hair is up in a bun, and she's staring at me with wide eyes, looking shocked. She shakes her head, and I still can't quite believe she's here in my conference room as my first interview of the day.
Is she crazy? Does she think I haven't caught on to her game and what she wants? Does she really think I’m going to hire her now? She’s obviously an awful investigative journalist.
My heart races as I stare at her kissable neck and her long, slender legs crossed and bouncing with anxiety. I want to walk over and pull her into me. I want to rip off her clothes and take her right here, but I'm not going to give her the satisfaction of knowing that I’m still attracted to her. Because as happy as I am to see her, I'm also pissed off. Really pissed off.
I am suspicious of what she's going to say now. Does she take me for a fool? "Why am I not surprised to see you?" I say as I step further into the room and sit in the oversized leather chair on the other side of the table from her.
"I don't know why you're not surprised to see me, but I'm very surprised to see you, Jackson Pruitt."
She says my name slowly and shakes her head as if she can’t believe it.
This act that she’s putting on in front of me is awful. I roll my eyes and then focus on her face with her wide eyes and shocked expression. She's rubbing her fingers together, and I can see her lower lip trembling. "Terrible acting, Zara. I'm afraid to tell you this, but you won’t get an Oscar anytime soon."
"What?" Her mouth remains open as she finishes the questioning word. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"The fact that you're pretending that you don't know that I'm Jackson Pruitt, the CFO of Rosser International and one of the richest men in the country."
"How was I supposed to know you are Jackson Pruitt?"
"You saw me with Ethan, you obviously knew who I was, and you obviously were trying to get a story about me, and…"
"What? Are you crazy? I didn't know your name was Jackson Pruitt. Like I said, I didn't know your name at all, and I didn't want to know your name. Why do you think I was calling you Zeus?"
"Like I just said, you're not getting an Oscar or a Golden Globe or a Tony or a SAG Award. You're totally overplaying this, Zara. You're not a good actress." I sneer as I give her a once-over. “Maybe you need to take more acting classes because you’re fooling no one.”
She looks left, then right, and shakes her head. "You know what? Whatever. You're not getting any Boss of the Year awards either, I'm sure."
"I'm fine with that." I chuckle and shake my head. I look into her big brown eyes. "I'm fine with the Lover of the Year award instead."
She pauses for a beat, throws her head back, and starts laughing. I frown as she laughs for what feels like ages.
