“Nine hundred and sixty-five dollars. Including tax.”
That heavy, dark eyebrow arched again. “For afrat party?”
Inside I cringed, but for some reason, my hands dug into my purse for my phone. Dean leaned over when I pulled up the picture, and I caught a hint of his cologne with my inhale.
He made a noise of approval. “I don’t know much about fashion,” he said, “but as far as dresses go, that’s a very nice one. And I imagine you’d look very nice in it.”
It was a harmless compliment, but his voice deepened as he said it. I tugged on the ends of my long, light hair. ‘Thank you’ would’ve been an appropriate response, but my vocal chords wouldn’t cooperate. I was too busy trying not to imagine Dean imagining me in that dress.
“I’m not sure how much Gary told you,” he said, “but my secretary, Grace, is out for her honeymoon. She’s very good at her job, and without her, my life feels a bit chaotic. I understand this is just a temp thing for you, however, I run a multi-million dollar business. While you’re here, you’re not Gary’s daughter. You’re my secretary. Can you handle that?”
“Yes, Dean.”
“Mr. Brittany,” he corrected immediately. “That’s what all my employees call me.”
“Yes, Mr. Brittany,” I said with a hint of a smile. I’d never addressed any of my parents’ friends that way. I doubted I’d be able to do it the entire week.
His eyes searched mine, and he cleared his throat. “Very good. You seem to take direction well. If that’s true, we should have no problems.”
“Consider me yours for the next five days,” I quipped. “I’ll take all the directions you give me.”
He hummed to himself, clasping his hands in his lap. “I’ll be paying you under the table, but as I told Gary, it will be generous. Just enough for you to get yourself that dress. But in exchange, I need your full attention this week. That means staying until the job is done. I requested my secretary not plan her wedding for this time of year, but clearly she did it anyway.”
I giggled into my hand, sure he’d meant it as a joke, but his expression didn’t change. I stopped and put it back in my lap.
He gestured behind me. “Grace left instructions at the desk for you. I’m not even sure what they are, but she should’ve outlined it all in the notes. You get one hour for lunch at noon, but other than that, you should be working on something at all times. If you need something to do, talk to June in reception. Try not to bother me unless it’s absolutely pressing.”
“Yes, sir,” I said, standing. His eyes scanned over my eggshell blouse and grey slacks. The pants hung from my hips since the store had sold out of my size. I hadn’t given it much thought at the time, but suddenly I wished I’d worn something a little more age appropriate.
“Where’d you get that outfit?” he asked.
“Um, Ann Taylor. I’ve never had an office job so I just—”
“No explanation necessary,” he said, rising with me. “June takes lunch orders. You’ll find my list of preferences in Grace’s notes. If I’m feeling like something specific, I’ll let you know. Otherwise choose from the list. You’re dismissed.”
I left the room with a dry throat. Walking into the office I’d felt apprehensive but easy. Suddenly my body was tight from his tone. His shift from my dad’s friend to my boss was palpable, and I wasn’t entirely sure who this man was. But Iwassure of one thing—I didnotwant to piss him off.
CHAPTER 2
It was almost seven o’clock when I arrived at my empty dorm with Chinese takeout. My friends would’ve been in Cabo San Lucas for over forty-eight hours now and drunk more than half that time. I sighed, stripping off my bland button-down blouse and tossing it on the floor. I’d just changed into my pajamas when my cell phone rang with my dad’s smiling picture.
“Hi, Dad.”
“Hey, Sunshine. How’d it go today?”
I shrugged. “Fine. It was mostly boring, mindless projects. I never realized Dean was so uptight, though.”
He chuckled lightly through the phone. “He takes business seriously. I doubt he’s too keen about employing an eighteen-year-old for the week. If I were anyone else, he wouldn’t have considered it.”
“Why not?” I asked, my shoulders straightening. Dean had seemed more bothered by my outfit than my age.
“That position is for a woman whose career is being a secretary. Not a kid trying to save a few bucks between classes.”
I sat at my desk, which doubled as a dining table, and picked at something invisible on its surface. “What could possibly be so hard about a secretarial job?”
“I wouldn’t worry about it too much, Alex.”
I pursed my lips. Mom and Dad expected me to go above and beyond in school and I’d always delivered. My first job shouldn’t be any different.
