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Damn it.
Not something he could afford—a distraction. He had too much work to get done.
Double damn. Perhaps hiring her had been a mistake. She would be a huge distraction. She had since the moment she sat down in front of his desk. Her blouse had pulled tight across her chest, revealing a nice set of breasts that made a man want to touch. He was thankful it only lasted a second before she settled into the chair, making her blouse loose again. He couldn’t believe he even noticed in the first place. He never noticed things like that.
He had to admit, his favorite part had been when she walked out. The way her ass swayed from side to side, her pants fitting snug. He never considered himself an ass man, but he had been tempted to stand up and follow her. To grab her from behind and squeeze. Thank heavens he stayed seated and hid the hard erection that formed from watching her walk away.
An erection, for God’s sake. At work.
He needed to keep his thoughts away from the bedroom. He didn’t have time for a woman. And he didn’t need to screw things up by sleeping with his secretary. Never had he stooped so low in his life. Things like that were despicable in his eyes. He wasn’t about to start now. Maybe none of that would matter. Could she last an hour with his high expectations?
To his surprise, she did more than he expected. She completed his long list he threw out to her in their initial meeting, not once needing to clarify anything. She returned a few phone calls that needed to be taken care of via the sticky notes posted on the computer screen on her desk. She also tackled the phone calls as they came in, learning quickly he didn’t want to be bothered by just anybody.
He knew he was abrupt—to most people if he was honest with himself. If he expected honesty with others, he had to be honest with himself as well. He didn’t have time for nonsense. Most of the calls he received were nonsense. He needed a secretary who would weed out the nonsense right away and take care of the problem. He had given her a small reprieve by explaining what calls he wanted to take and what calls should be directed to the office manager down the hallway. He had bigger things to deal with than what color he wanted the walls painted in the new building in Brooklyn. Paint them white, for all he cared. It was the structure, the magnificence of the building itself that made his heart soar.
An hour and a half into her probation period, he decided he liked her efficiency. He canceled the other three interviews he had lined up that afternoon. He was sick and tired of looking for a secretary—three long days of interviewing, coming up empty in each one. None of them spoke to him like Ms. Stileano had. By noon, he left for a lunch meeting and told her he’d be back by two. He told her to grab lunch and finish completing the memos he placed on her desk.
He knew it was a large stack he set forth for her to complete. But he was three days behind schedule. Three days without a secretary that too much work had piled up. He hated being behind, and he hated rushing even more. He liked everything to run smoothly. So far, she had proved to make things run very smoothly for him indeed.
Until he went to the filing cabinet in his office and couldn’t find the file he needed. Nothing was in its spot.
“Ms. Stileano, my office! Now!” He shuffled through the files, his irritation rising by the second. He glanced over to the door to see it closed. Where was she?
“Ms. Stileano!” Slowing down as his fingers ventured forward through each folder, he made sure to take his time so he wouldn’t miss the file he was looking for.
What was taking her? This was ridiculous.
“Ms. Stileano, I need you. Now!”
His fingers paused between the files. It couldn’t be. He blew out a deep breath, wondering how much nerve the woman actually had.
A kind please and thank you would go a long way. Just sayin’.
“Ms. Stileano, come here…please.”
No more than three seconds passed before the door opened and she walked in.
“Yes, Mr. Holloway. You needed me?”
“Were you standing outside the door waiting for me to say please?”
“Was it so difficult to use the word? I am a person with feelings. I may be your secretary, but I am not a doormat or a dog. I don’t jump at commands.”
He steeled his mind not to lash out. She was right. He could be more polite at times. But he needed this file, and he needed it now.
“Did you mess with my files?”
“Do you mean to ask if I organized them? Then, yes, I did mess with them. I completed everything you asked of me. I took a phone call from Mr. Shelburg, who needed some information on the Duncan building. I came in here to look for it, and let me tell you, your filing sense is atrocious. I almost didn’t find the damn thing. I had to apologize to Mr. Shelburg—multiple times—for keeping him on hold for so long. You weren’t back yet from your meeting, so I organized your filing cabinet for you.”
“But I can’t find anything now.”
“Could you seriously find anything before?”
He paused, not wanting to answer the question. Then, because he couldn’t stop himself, he said, “You swore again. Do we need a swear jar, Ms. Stileano?”
A tiny smirk appeared on her gorgeous face. “Maybe.”
He forced himself not to return a smile, smirk, or even a tiny grin, but damn, he wanted to.
