He nodded.He half-turned towards it as if he instinctively knew I was telling him to go.He turned back at the last second.I held back a groan.Was I always going to be surrounded by incompetence?
“I just wanted to say hello,” he said.“And see if you needed anything.Other than the coffee, obviously.I saw Fernando outside and he let me know how you take it.I hope I’ve got it right.”
He seemed to be waiting for something.I had no time for pleasantries.This was getting annoying.
What was he waiting for?Approval?
I picked up the coffee and took a sip.It was far too hot.
“It’s fine,” I told him.I managed somehow not to react to my burnt tongue.I could barely even tell how it tasted.Keaton didn’t need to know that.I just needed him gone.“It’s Keaton?”
“Yes, sir,” he said with a beam.
Subtext rolled through my head.A belated thought hit me.He was very familiar with the use of Fernando’s name.The way Fernando had handed the coffee to a newcomer was also suspicious.“You know Fernando?”
He blinked as if surprised.“Um, yes.He’s the one who told me about the job opening, actually.He’s dating my sister.”A pause.Keaton flushed red.“I didn’t ask him to, you know, rig the process or anything.I didn’t even tell him I was coming in for my interview today.I promise!And I didn’t get any inside information from him or anything – I went through the process just the same as everyone else – I –”
I waved a hand.“Okay.”I didn’t need to hear his rambling explanations.He talked far too much.
What I really needed was him out of my office.He was too distracting.This contract wasn’t going to go over itself.
He also didn’t seem to remember who I was.I would be happy to keep it that way.It would be unfortunate if this was the quickest walkout in the history of the company.
Especially given that he was so cute.
There was a pause.I looked up from the contract again.Keaton was still standing in front of me.Hesitant.Expectant.
“You can go,” I clarified.
He turned to go.A second later he turned back with a question on his face.
“To your desk,” I added.“Not home.”
He nodded with a grateful smile and stalked out of the room.
I watched him walk through the doors.He paused and turned back.He must have understood the meaning of my nod as he closed them behind him.
So he wasn’t fully incompetent.At least there was that.
I waited until they were completely shut to slump back in my chair.
Keaton Dunbar.So that was his name.I’d never known it.
I couldn’t think about this right now.There was work to be done.Frivolity could wait until tonight when I got home.Or possibly the early hours of tomorrow.Whatever time I finally had a moment to my own thoughts.
The longer I sat here thinking about it, the later that would be.
I was drowning in all this paper.No doubt some lawyer on the other side had wanted this to be the case.I wasn’t going to let us be tricked by my own stubbornness.I needed another pair of eyes on this one.
I punched two buttons on my desk phone and picked up the receiver.It took only a moment to connect.
“Ace?”I said his name before he could greet me.
“How do you like your new secretary?”he asked.No ‘sir’.He had always been irreverent.
I grunted low in my throat.No need to offer any opinions just yet.Keaton was cute but that was all I knew about him.He still had the potential to turn out to be the worst secretary in the world.
“Come to my office,” I told him.I paused a moment before realizing clarification would be better.“It’s about the Angus deal.”
