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Back in the office, employees had already heard about my foul mood and were scurrying this way and that, trying make sure their work was done, and trying to stay out of my way.
I called Sue, my office manager, into my office.
“Sir?” She asked meekly as she peeked in through the door.
I slammed my fist on my stately, polished-cedar desk. “I need a new assistant now. Right now.”
“Sir, we’re having a hard time getting new applicants from the temp agency. I think word is getting around-”
“What, that I’m a bear to work for?” Sue caught the joke and laughed a little. “Don’t they know how great I am when everybody’s doing what they’re supposed to?” That was true. I was gruff and short-tempered, but I took care of my people. The temp agency wasn’t just any company; they were the highest-end agency in the state, gathering up the world’s highest-quality talent in areas such as administration, supply chain, and manufacturing. At least, they were supposed to be. Lately, they’d been letting me down.
“I know that, sir. I know how fair and kind you are. It’s just…”
“Just what?”
“You never give anyone a chance. They make one mistake and you jump down their throats. Next thing you know they’re crying and running for the door, then you turn into an ogre and take it out on the rest of us.” She ducked a bit behind the door, waiting for me to shift into a savage beast and start roaring. Sue had been with me for a long time, though. I needed to listen to her opinion for once. I sat back in my luxe leather chair and stroked my clean-shaven skin, fresh with aftershave.
“Know what? You’re right, Sue. What we need is a someone with thick skin. Elephant hide.”
Sue winced. “That wasn’t exactly what I meant.”
“Latriiiice!” I yelled. The head of my HR department, Latrice, bounded through my office door immediately, hands on her knees as she leaned forward and panted from running at top speed.
“What can I do for you, sir?”
“We need to try a different tactic to find me the right assistant. I need somebody who’s talented, but also has gonads of steel. Somebody who can handle me.” Latrice and Sue exchanged a look, and I wondered if they were thinking this wasn’t the best way to go about finding someone new. Tough shit. They were wrong and I was right.
Latrice nodded. “I’ll get one right away, Sir.” The two of them backed out of my door, closing it quietly. The perfect applicant should walk in within the hour.
Forty-five minutes later, Sue and Latrice were back.
“We found an executive assistant willing to try the job, Sir. They assured us that he’s the best. They also assured us that, uh,” Latrice gulped, “That he’s the toughest they have.”
“What are you waiting for? Send them in.” Sue held the door open and waved her hand to get the person to come forward.
Into my office walked the tiniest little omega, with the biggest possible attitude. His chin was in the air and he looked me right in the eye. His defiant stare went straight to my groin.
I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my desk, interlacing my fingers. I looked him up and down, meaning to intimidate him, but I couldn’t stop myself from taking in the silhouette of his body.
“Who are you?”
“I’m Bobby. Who areyou?” He was short, he was femme, and he wasn’t having any of my bullshit. Sue and Latrice noticed the look on my face.
“We’ll just leave you both to it,” Latrice said, and the both of them scampered out of there.
I leaned forward a little more. “I’m your new boss, so you’re gonna want to get that through your head right now.”
He made a point of looking me up and down slowly, too. “Noted.”
“You’re to get to work right away. I have a log of what I’m doing every fifteen minutes of my workday. Your first task is to prepare a report with spreadsheets and charts showing how I spend my time, and making suggestions for more efficiency. Got it?”
“Got it.” He was still standing there when I was done explaining, an expectant look on his face.
I rolled my eyes. “Well? What are you waiting for, pig shifters to fly? I thought they told me you were the best, yet here you are, looking clueless. Am I gonna have to tell you every little thing? Hold your hand? You won’t last long here if I do, you know that, right? Get to work.” I waved a hand, but he was still standing there, staring a hole into me, completely unimpressed. His intense gaze was unnerving, and I was never unnerved. It also made me horny.
Bobby threw out a hip and tilted his head. “How can I file the report if you haven’t given me the data?”
He had me there. I tried to bluff, though. “What is this, nineteen ninety-nine? Are you waiting for a hard copy, because we don’t do those in the new millennium.”
