“Sorry about Opal, she’s nice once you leave her direct sight,” I said and Sascha giggled. I made a mental note to reprimand about her behavior later.
Once we were both back in the main entrance, we walked side-by-side towards the desk.
“As you already know, this will be your workspace. Get to know it.” I turned towards her and outstretched my hand for a handshake. There was her firm grip again.
“Thank you so much for today; I appreciate you showing me around and getting me familiar with the place.” Sascha stepped backward.
“You can have the rest of the afternoon off. Get a good night’s sleep.” Sascha smiled, a nervous perk to her smile, and waved goodbye to me. As she left the building, I snuck a peek at her ass. It was plump and firm, even through that skirt. I bet it would make a great sound when I smacked it. I sighed and leaned against the desk, taking out my cell phone from my pocket. I located the numbers of both Ryland and Carson and dialed a three-way call. Ryland answered first.
“Ian,” Ryland remarked.
“‘Hi’ is never your first option, is it?”
“What do you want?” There was Ryland’s short temper.
“Wait for Carson to get on the line first.” With that, I heard the phone hang up. I sighed, but with another click, the other line connected, and I could hear Carsons’ voice come through.
“Hello, Ian.”
“Hey, Carson. I’m going to put Ryland back on the line.” Once both of them connected, I readied the excellent news. “I think I found your new assistant.”
“You think, or you know?” Ryland asked.
“What’s she like?” Carson asked immediately after.
“Well, she’s no-nonsense, shy, and looks like a model.”
“I don’t see how her looks have anything to do with her quality of work at the industry.” Ryland scoffed.
“You already know about her quality of work, you read her resume,” I said, getting a little frustrated.
“We’ll see how she fares as Ryland’s assistant first.” Carson chuckled. Carson knew full well what kind of person Ryland was, and if Sascha could handle him, she could handle anything. “Is that all?”
“That’s all,” I answered, and heard someone hang up immediately afterward. “Carson, I’ll have all of her paperwork filed. She starts tomorrow.
“Perfect,” Carson said and hung up the phone. I was the last to hang up. Sascha was cute, smart, and had an impressive resume. If she could master all of our different personalities, she was going to last a long time.
Sascha
The commute back to my home was filled with questions, worry, and disbelief. To say I was disappointed with the progression of the day didn’t even scratch to surface. The day would have been an absolute disaster if it wasn’t for Ian. Since it wasn’t a far walk to the bus stop from Calliope Publishing, I decided not to take my car to the interview. Traffic near the Las Vegas strip was ridiculous, and parking would cost an arm and a leg.
Staring out the window as the bus drove on Dean Martin Dr, I saw the Shark Reef Aquarium, then the Luxor Hotel & Casino soon after. The sphinx statue stood tall against the hot, desert sun as if the city didn’t know it was November yet. Once the bus drove past the Bellagio Hotel, my eyes glazed over as they did in the elevator next to Ian. The smell of his cologne was intoxicating in that small, enclosed space. He smelled like cinnamon and mahogany. It was an earthy, welcoming and warm scent you could drift off too.
Ian was strong-looking, with blue eyes so deep I could swim in them. It was difficult to see how muscular he actually was in his suit, but I could guess he went to the gym often. Not only was he gorgeous, but his personality was unique, and he impressed me with his sense of humor. I couldn’t help but notice he was staring at me often, but I returned the favor by glancing at him from time to time. His smile – oh, god, his smile. It had a goofy, almost child-like quality to it. I wondered if he was the class clown in high school, or maybe with that body, the quarterback?
Coming back down to earth, I noticed that the bus was speeding across the Las Vegas Fairway, and was about to turn off into West Sahara Avenue, it wouldn’t take much time before I was home. With the roller coaster of emotions this day has put me through, I was excited to take my bike out, have dinner, and go to sleep.
With what was left of my ride, my mind went to the other two bosses I was going to be an executive assistant to. Who were they, and what were they like? Ian had briefly talked about Carson, and my first impression of him is he doesn’t mess around. Didn’t Ian say that an editor would be fired in the next few months to make room for me? Seemed like a scary thought, but I knew I could handle anything. I didn’t take all that time to get my degree in English while pulling long shifts as an intern for nothing. That junior editor’s position was going to be mine, come hell or high water.