My hand is curled around the knob when he speaks.
“You win.”
I freeze.
“Eighty. Final offer.”
My breath whooshes out. Slowly I ease my grip. Eighty thousand dollars. In only a few months, I’d be able to claw my way out of the pit I’m in. I could afford a car that’s a little newer, bring my student loan payments current, catch up on my rent. Maybe even pick up the tab at the next five-dollar rosé happy hour.
Is the money worth it? “What’s the catch?”
He shrugs. “None.”
Since I’m across the penthouse, I can’t read his eyes.
“What does this job really entail?” I’ve seen his assistants—ragged, burned out, gone in weeks. “What happened to your last assistant?”
“Didn’t meet performance standards.”
An HR-safe answer. What else do I expect?
“If I agree, I want a contract.” Have I lost my mind? Then I shake my head. How is that a question? I’m still standing here. Of course I’ve lost my mind. “In writing.”
His jaw tightens. A flicker of something that might be irritation or perhaps a grudging respect crosses his face. “What are your terms?”
“Weekly paychecks.”
“Done.”
“Immediate health care.”
“Done.”
“Fully paid by the company.”
He reaches for his coffee and studies me above the rim. “That’s?—”
“A perk that upper management and C-Suiters receive.”
“You’ve done your homework.”
At some point, I’d known his company as well as he had. Maybe better. “Which is part of the reason you want me to work for you. Isn’t it?”
“You’re bold, Seraphina.” He sets his coffee cup down without taking a drink. The clink echoes in the quiet.
“I’d want a clear outline of my responsibilities.” I know what he’d expected from his previous assistants, and that led to serious cases of burnout.
“Nothing you can’t manage.”
Arrange his schedule, run interference, dissect analytics, travel. High stakes, long hours, an unrelenting bosshole who is notoriously difficult to please.
“Shall we hammer out the details?”
His phone rings, and after checking the display, he excuses himself to answer.
Instead of staying in the penthouse, he stalks to the patio and goes outside. Humid Gulf air swamps into the room.
And the scent of coffee is still oh-so tempting.
