After interviewing for a job at Aurora Unlimited Inc., Abby lands her dream job as an executive assistant to billionaire entrepreneur Nikolaus Boulgetti. Nikolaus is not your average playboy because he knows that mistakes happen, just look at his four-time divorced father. Nikolaus has been around the block and he knows what women see when they look at him, so it is refreshing when Abigail Norton interviews for the assistant position. She is clean cut and a tad on the heavy side, but very respectful and gives great insight. She's not his type so Nikolaus feels safe, but what happens when Nikolaus gets to know the woman underneath the skin? What happens when he wants more than an assistant in his life?
You have one new message marked urgent. I sighed. I had just logged in to my computer in the company finance and accounting department when I saw the email flagged with a red exclamation mark. It was from the HR department and my hands began to sweat. After working for Aurora Unlimited Inc. for the last four years as the executive assistant to Mr. Hancock, the CFO, I was vying like a lot other employees for the coveted position of working with Mr. Nikolaus Boulgetti. His personal assistant got to go on company paid business trips and made enough money to rent one of the luxury apartments in upper Manhattan. I didn't care about the apartment or the money really, I made plenty as Mr. Hancock's assistant, but I did want to travel.
This job had long hours and tedious amounts of work, but it was fast paced and I was never bored which was a good thing because I was slightly ADD. My mind really did wander off topic if I was distracted for longer than five minutes. Eventually I always came back to the task at hand, but sometimes it bit me in the ass.
The email blinked at me, but I refused to ruin my morning by reading a rejection letter right away, so I checked every other email I had before locking my computer screen and heading to the break room for a cup of coffee. I needed something strong before I gave in to the heady feeling of elation, or the rocky depression of rejection. Only in New York could there be a Starbucks on every other corner on the street, and for the office that meant a steady influx of fresh brew all day long.
Cynthia DeLounge was the out going exec. assistant and everyone knew through the grapevine that Mr. Boulgetti was getting rid of her because she had tried one too many times to over extend her bounds as personal assistant by acting like the girlfriend that Mr. Boulgetti didn't want. Rumor had it that she had went with him to Switzerland during one of his visits with his banker cousin to their family chalet and she had tried to seduce him while he was intoxicated. Long story short, he wasn't intoxicated, but she was. He had immediately taken his private jet back to New York and she was left riding coach the next day. The notice for applicants for a new assistant went up the day she arrived back in New York.
So here I was, coffee cup in hand, staring at the email from HR hoping that I had gotten a chance at the dream job. Seduction and I didn't go hand-in-hand. Actually, for a twenty-four year old I was behind the times. Don't get me wrong, I love the idea about romance and falling in love, and having mind blowing sex, but I have never had mind blowing sex so I'm not quite sure if it really exists. I mean I've read about it in romance novels, but I don't have any personal experience. Quite frankly I believe the romance novels lie about sex. From my personal experience, that one time when I lost my virginity, it was not anything like the books at all! I remember pain and then it was over before I knew it. I felt cheated and then I realized it wasn't worth the hype. I stopped dating after that experience because I didn't want to have to go through with the discomfort with every boyfriend that I had. I have no plans of seducing Mr. Boulgetti, so I hope that I get a chance to show him my excellent resume and get a shot at this job.
DeLounge was what society would have called a classic beauty; blonde, slim, and tall. I'm medium height, fat, and brunette. Don't get me wrong, I'm cute, but not what you would find in a fashion magazine. The weight came on after I had gotten sick from trying birth control; that was a nightmare. Depression had made things worse and now I was sitting at around 210 at 5'7". Honestly with my resume and experience and the whole non-seduction/atypical body type this job could be in the bag.
I opened the email.
Dear Ms. Norton,
Your resume has been forwarded to Mr. Boulgetti for review and a face-to-face interview has been set for this morning at 10 a.m. Please arrive to your appoint and check in with Sarah, the temporary assistant, at 9:55 a.m.
Thank you,
Human Resources
Panic flooded through my system. This morning at 10 a.m. was too soon. Frantically I glanced at the clock and realized that I had less than 20 minutes to get my files together and book it to the top floor to make my interview. Damn it! I should have read that stupid email as soon I got into the office. Grabbing my laptop, cell phone, and pen and notepad, I locked my computer and booked it for the elevators on the other side of the building. Luckily I made it just enough time to catch a open door and I hopped in and tried to calm my breathing.
Sweat had formed around the edges of my hair and I found myself trying to replay typical questions that Boulgetti might ask me during the interview. By the time I had reached the 36th floor, the elevator was empty and my breathing had returned to normal. The doors dinged and I hopped out and made my way to Sarah's desk.
"Good morning, my name is Abigail Norton; I have an appointment with Mr. Boulgetti at 10."
Sarah gave me the once over and immediately recognized that I was not a threat. She seemed to relax, and I think that she may have thought that she could keep the position if Mr. Boulgetti couldn't find a decent replacement. She had on a tight pencil skirt and a flowing, sheer cream blouse with shiny blown out strawberry blonde hair. I ran a hand over my curls and took a deep breath. Boulgetti needed to see me as an asset, not a distraction. I straighten my shoulders.
"Mr. Boulgetti, your 10 o'clock is here."
"Send her in, Sarah."
His voice was stern and it sounded a bit annoyed. Oh goodness, how many people have been up here this morning? He was probably in a foul mood. I took a deep breath and turned the door knob and entered his office.
Now I'm no stranger to luxury, but I quickly learned a lesson in the decorations and tastes of billionaires. The office was richly appointed with dark, mahogany flooring and his desk was mahogany as well, polished to a bright hue. He had a few bonsai trees in the corners and a beautiful cream chaise to the right of the doorway. There was a three dimensional painting of a sakura tree in bloom with the petals falling and swirling in the wind hanging above the chaise. To the left was a real marble fireplace and a small bar. The bar was stocked with every alcohol that I have never had the pleasure of drinking, and the miniature fridge had sandwiches, sparkling bottles of water, and fresh fruit. There was a door in the far left corner and I'm sure Mr. Boulgetti used that for when he stayed over night. It was known that there was a separate apartment adjacent to his office so that he didn't have to leave the office if he was really busy.
I stared out of his bay windows, looking straight into the heart of Manhattan. A clearing of a throat brought me back to reality.
"Good morning. Please have a seat er.. Miss or Misses?"
"Miss, sir."
"Ms. Norton. So, I have looked over your resume and I have talked to Bill Hancock and he highly recommends you to the position. As you know the job will be more demanding than the position that you held with Bill. You will be required to work when I work and there will be a lot of travel. Will this be a problem for you?"
"No, sir. I have no problem with travel and I am looking for a challenge in my career. I want to learn more about the company and expand my horizon."
He looked at me for a moment as if he were sizing me up. He seemed to be taking his time and I could suddenly feel sweat pooling under my shirt. I gripped my bottom lip with my teeth and waited.
"I need you to be able to start immediately. I have a conference to attend to in three weeks and I need you to be spun up by then. How do you feel about that?"
"That's perfectly fine, sir. I can move my desk today."
"Good, good," he murmured and opened his desk and took out a key. He placed the key on the desk in front of me and I immediately picked it up.
"That key is to open this office if I need you to get things for me when I'm gone. Your compensation and benefits will be discussed by HR."
He stood as he said these last words and I rose on instinct as well. A hand reached out across that desk and for a moment I hesitated and I saw his eyes narrow searching my face. I placed my hand in his and felt how cool the skin felt compared to my hot, sweaty digits. His grip was firm and I straightened my back and gripped his hand back. He seemed to be amused and he smirked.
"Welcome aboard Ms. Norton."
"Thank you, sir," I smiled and let out the breath that I was holding.