“Just stop,” I say in a gritty tone again. “You can’t do that around here. You can’t say these things because we’ll get—"
“Caught?” She finishes my sentence for me. “Don’t worry, I really am here to work, Brad. My dad created this internship for me, didn’t he tell you? And you’re my new boss.”
Now, I’m really dumbstruck.
“He didn’t,” I say in a low tone. “He wouldn’t.”
“He did and he would,” she confirms with a sassy smile. “Joseph’s been talking about me interning here for a couple months, and I happened to have an opening in my schedule, so it worked out. I’m even getting class credit, believe it or not! But my father said you’re the best and if I was going to learn about politics and political life, then he wanted me working under you exclusively.”
Oh shit. What the fuck? My head spins as I try to grapple with this new development. Joseph wants me to be his daughter’s boss and mentor, and to work with her on a daily basis? Fuck, I can’t do this. It’s even worse because I can’t find the strength to stay away from Katy, nor to resist her feminine wiles. I’ve already taken her so many times that we never sleep at night, and she visibly limps when she makes her way to school. In fact, even now, my sordid thoughts won’t stop. But I force myself to focus because this is my job on the line. If she’s really here to work, then that’s what I need to do as well.
“Listen,” Katy says, dropping the smirk. “I don’t think my dad left you out of the loop on purpose, and I’ll work hard while I’m here, I promise. I really thought this was an attractive opportunity.”
I stare at her.
“Really?” I ask dryly with an arched eyebrow. “Is your major political science?”
She has the grace to blush then.
“Not exactly,” she admits. “I was thinking of doing art or maybe even creative writing, but it’s fine. I’m interested in political science and I’ve always wanted to better understand what my dad does. Just give me instructions,” she says smartly.
With that, I feel myself giving in.
“Okay. Your dad’s in Albany right now, and I’ll catch up with him on this internship when he gets back but for now, let’s get you set up with a computer at least. You ready?”
For a moment, the pretty blonde just stares at me, but then she stands up, straightens her skirt, and salutes smartly. “Sounds good, Mr. Landon. I’m at your service.”
I have to laugh as I open the door, and we walk together down the hallway leading away from my office. There’s a small cubicle area in the corner already set up with a desk and computer, so I gesture to the space with a wry smile.
“Make yourself at home,” is my invitation.
Katy’s dismayed by the drab grey walls and the corporate furniture, but then she straightens and sits down.
“We’ll have to get you some office supplies, and obviously, you need a password to log-in, but just keep busy for a little while as I look that stuff up. Have you talked with HR yet?”
She shakes her head, biting her lip.
“No, not yet.”
I nod.
“Okay, we’ll have to do that too. In the meantime, just check in with Tammy to see if she’s got the latest edition of the employee manual, and I’ll be back with your first assignment in a short while.”
Katy nods, looking a little gray.
“Should I come let you know when I’m done with my new hire paperwork?”
“No, it’s fine. I’ll be back soon enough, so just sit tight. Thanks.” With that, I stride away before she can ask any more questions, which is a good thing because my head’s still spinning from this turn of events. The woman whom I find utterly irresistible is now also going to be my intern. Fuck my life, how did this happen?
But I know how it happened. Joseph dotes on his daughter, and I’m sure Katy engineered it all. She probably spun a little tale about her getting work experience on her resume, and her dad was all too happy to oblige.
But now, I have a problem on my hands. Striding back into my office I shut the door behind me with a firm thud and then let out a huge exhale. Fuck fuck fuck. I don’t have a clue how I’m going to survive this goddamn internship without getting myself fired, but somehow, we’re going to have to muddle through. How did I end up with temptation surrounding me? All I can hope is that I make it out of this situation in one piece.
7
Katy
Working with Brad this last week has been more difficult than I expected. It isn’t the work part because that’s actually really great. I love getting to see the behind the scenes stuff at my dad’s office, and many of the issues and projects on the table are really interesting and complex.