Meetingpub (4 page)

Unlike
last time, when my interview was held on the thirty-second floor,
this time I was required to rocket all the way up to the top of the
building. Luckily, the elevator ride was so smooth I could barely
feel it. Usually, elevators in buildings that tall made me ill with
motion sickness since they moved quickly. To be honest, being up that
high made me uncomfortable, but I tried not to think about it.

When
the door opened, the first thing that I noticed was that the walkway
leading to a large set of double doors was lined with desks manned by
blonde bombshells. It seemed like each one was prettier than the
next. They smiled at me politely as I passed, though I knew their
eyes were scrutinizing everything about me.

“
Are
you here to interview with Mr. Kemble?” one of the women asked.
Her honey blonde hair was pulled up into a tight bun. I could tell by
the way she spoke that she was no bimbo.

“
I'm
here to interview,” I said, though I hadn't known I would be
interviewing with Jack Kemble himself. This was where my hopes got
dashed. My dark-brown hair should kill his interest in me instantly,
if what Mandy had said was true about him only hiring blondes. From
the looks of the top-floor staff, she'd been right on the mark.

The
woman picked up the receiver on her desk and dialed in a number. “Mr.
Kemble, there's a woman here to see you. She said she has an
interview with you.” When she hung up the phone, she gave me a
courteous nod. “Mr. Kemble will see you now.”

“
Thank
you,” I replied, unsure of whether to be nervous or not give a
crap. This had all been a waste of my time, so why should I care. As
soon as Jack Kemble laid eyes on me, he'd be every bit as dismissive
as the man who interviewed me before; I just knew it.

The
woman gestured to the double doors, and I walked forward, curling my
hand around the handle before tugging it open. Taking a deep breath,
I stepped inside, closing the door behind myself. It wasn't until my
eyes met the man on the other side of the desk that my breath hitched
in surprise.

“
Jim?”
I asked with a curious smile.

The
man stood, beaming a grin as he extended his hand, urging me to step
forward and take it. This time, Jim's handshake was firm, more
professional than casual.

“
Jim
is a moniker I use in public so people won't know who I really am.
Please forgive me. My real name is Jack Kemble, and I'm the CEO of
Syngex Incorporated.”

I
was at a loss for words. Part of me was happy to see this man again,
but the other part was horribly disappointed, now knowing who and
what he really was. This kind person, who had gone downstairs to aid
me in my time of need, was a womanizer.

“
I'm
shocked, to say the least,” I finally muttered.

“
I
figured you would be.” Jack sat back down, gesturing toward the
chair on the other side of his desk. “Now, if I remember
correctly, you were looking for a job.”

“
Yes,”
I replied, rounding the chair to sit in it.

“
I
had some time to look over your resume. It appears you have mostly
restaurant experience. What do you know about working in an office?”

“
Nothing
really.” The room was suddenly hot, though I was sure that it
was just me. My mind was still mulling over how the polite man who
had helped with my flat tire was now sitting before me, interviewing
me for a job. It seemed so surreal.

“
It's
not a very difficult job. All you'd have to do is run errands for me,
accompany me on business trips when required, make my coffee in the
morning, and take a few phone calls.”

“
So,
I'd be like one of the girls out there.” I pointed over my
shoulder.

“
Yes
and no. I'm looking for more of a personal assistant, someone to stay
by my side and tend to my needs as they arise.”

If
that didn't sound cryptic and sexual, I don't know what else could. I
hadn't been inside his office for more than five minutes, and I
already didn't like where this was going. This guy was a different
version of Eric, and I didn't want him to feel entitled to my body
because he was helping me out. Still, I was in a very desperate
situation.

“
It
doesn't seem that difficult,” I said, swallowing my pride. If
all else failed, I could quit and call my parents. There were always
choices, but I needed to test my opportunities first.

“
Well,
it's not always a cake walk, but I wouldn't call it a very hard job.
Plus, it comes with lots of perks. You'll get to drive in fancy cars,
stay at nice hotels, and experience things you probably wouldn't be
able to anywhere else.”

“
And
the pay?” I cut straight to the point.

“
Considering
your unstable job history, I'll start you out at nine dollars per
hour. If you can make it past three months, I'll raise you to eleven.
I know it might not sound like much, but you'll get bonuses along the
way. If the company is doing well, I give out a Christmas bonus of
between five hundred and two thousand dollars, depending on the
prosperity of the company for the year. I also give three weeks of
paid vacation once you've been on with Syngex for a year, as well as
one week of paid sick leave. And of course, all of your benefits will
be paid for.”

“
Sounds
good to me. So, are you offering me the job?” I asked, hopeful.

Jack
leaned back in his seat, a sly grin playing across that perfect face
of his, as if he knew he had me right where he wanted me. “It's
yours if you want it, Miss Strayer.”

“
When
can I start, Mister Kemble?”

“
How
about on Monday at eight o'clock?”

“
Sounds
good.”

“
Well
then, if you don't have any questions for me, I believe this
concludes our business.”

“
I
can't think of anything right now.”

Jack
stood, rounding his desk to walk me to the door. My body tensed as he
placed a hand on the small of my back. His touch sent an electric
current through me, though I couldn't tell if it was from discomfort
or excitement.

I
bit my tongue all the way to the elevator, a nervous habit I had
picked up as a child. The blonde women followed me with their eyes,
probably assuming I hadn't gotten the job. Little did they know that
I was now the black sheep of the group. Or the brown sheep, depending
on how you looked at it.

When
I got home, I waited anxiously to tell Mandy about my exciting day.
She looked drained when she walked through the door after another
long day of school and work.

“
Guess
what,” I said, bouncing lightly on our sofa as I watched Mandy
cross the room to put her tote bag down.

“
You
got a job,” she replied, taking the fun out of it.

“
Yup.”

“
Dog
groomers?” she asked with a disappointing lack of enthusiasm. I
wrote it off to her being tired.

“
Nope.”

Mandy
paused. “Syngex?”

“
Yup.”

“
Really?”
Now there was excitement in her voice. She turned to me, leaning
against the table.

“
I
was interviewed by Mister Jack Kemble himself.” I beamed.

“
You're
kidding.”

“
Nope.
And guess what else.”

“
What?”

“
That
guy Jim I told you about who came to my rescue when I had a flat was
actually Jack Kemble in disguise.”

“
Ha!
I told you he was attractive.”

“
I
know, right. I feel like an idiot now. If I looked up his picture
like you told me to, I would have known.”

“
You
still might not have recognized him. What are the odds of running
into Jack Kemble on the street?”

“
Well,
I didn't actually run into him, per se.”

“
True.
Who'd have thought he'd come all the way downstairs just to help you
change a tire? I know the man does a lot of charity work, but still.”

That
was something I hadn't known about him. Maybe I should do my
homework. Perhaps Jack Kembe wasn't as bad as Mandy had initially
made him out to be.

“
Were
there a lot of blondes on his floor?” she asked.

“
Yeah.
It was weird. They were all blonde, and all gorgeous.”

“
He'll
probably want you to dye your hair blonde.”

“
Ew.
Why?”

“
Because
he likes blondes.”

“
Pfft.
He hired me like this; he can deal with me being a brunette.”

“
He's
your boss now. You can't have that attitude,” she chastised me.

“
Isn't
there some law against making employees change their physical
appearance?”

“
Not
that I know of. If it's legal to enforce a dress code, then I imagine
it would be legal to ask an employee to change their hair color.”

“
That's
just stupid,” I muttered.

“
Stupid
or not, you're going to have to do what he wants.”

“
What
if he wants to have sex?” I smirked.

Mandy
shrugged. “There is a law against that. But come on, it's Jack
Kemble. Who wouldn't want to sleep with him?”

I
wouldn't. Not because I didn't find him attractive, but because I
didn't want to be a notch on his bedpost. For all that I knew, the
girls in his office were named Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and so on.
Being a sex vending machine for my boss didn't sound appealing at
all. I would have to find some way to avoid it, if it ever came to
that.

“
I'll
worry about that when it happens,” I said.

“
I
want details when it does.”

My
eyes rolled involuntarily. It wasn't something I felt like discussing
any further. “There are more important things to talk about.”

“
Like
what?”

“
Like
if you're going to let me stay now. The job pays nine dollars per
hour, and I'll get a raise to eleven dollars in three months. That's
more than enough to cover my share of rent.”

Her
face sulked back into a serious expression. “When's your first
paycheck?”

“
I
don't know. I forgot to ask.”

She
thought for a moment. “Well, I could pay your half this time
around, but you'd have to promise to pay me back. I'd be pulling out
of my savings to do it.” Mandy seemed apprehensive, and I could
tell she didn't believe she'd ever see the money again.

“
I'd
really appreciate it. I promise I won't screw this up.”

“
Please,
don't make me regret this.”

The
weekend went by rather quickly. With each passing day, my excitement
for starting the new job waned, turning to dread. On Sunday night, my
mind swam with everything that could possibly go wrong. What if I
hated the job? What if Jack Kemble tried to force himself on me? What
if I refused? What if I didn't get along with the blonde girls? What
if they were all bitches? So many what ifs filling me with a negative
perspective of the day to come. I just knew I would screw this up as
I had every other job before—just knew it.