The rest of the afternoon had passed quickly, the office becoming darker as the employees—one by one—went home. I wanted to stay longer today because first impressions mattered, and if he saw me giving my best on my very first day, he would definitely respect me and my capabilities more.
I was left all alone in the dark office when his secretary finally left. Just as I was typing one more document, my phone rang.
“Yes?” I answered.
“Madison, come to my office,” Grant said.
I glanced at him, finding him seated at his desk and looking back to me. He was smiling slightly, and my heartbeat quickened.
“Right away, boss.”
I got up, fixed my skirt, and went to his office. I was fully aware we were all alone, and somehow, that made me feel on edge.
“How can I help you?” I asked politely when I entered his office and took the usual seat, returning his unblinking, intense gaze. Why was he looking at me like that?
“I wanted to tell you that I managed to land a meeting with the client. They are interested in what we have to offer and would like to hear more.”
“Oh, amazing. That’s great news.” So he had made the call because of the information I gave him. He did trust me. That was a huge win.
“Yes. And it’s all thanks to you.”
I felt my cheeks heating, and I fought to maintain our eye contact. “Please, I didn’t do much—”
“On contrary, Madison, you did a lot. Actually, I’m so impressed with you. This is your first day, but you were able to do such a good job. Not many people are as capable as you are, so you can pat yourself on the back for your successful start.”
I returned his smile, feeling relieved that he felt this way about my work.
“Thank you. I hope to be of help much more.”
“Actually, that is what I expect from you. It’s going to take a lot of prep work to make the meeting a success, so I need your help with this.”
“Of course. What do you need me to do?”
“For a start, we need to investigate about them more. We also have to work on that marketing technique. If we manage to agree on our mutual interests, we could land them for sure.”
I nodded. “Yes, Grant. I will consult several marketing contacts I have and see what they have to say about this. I think their skills would be valuable at this point.”
He didn’t take his eyes of me. He looked like he was going to eat me alive any second. Stop your wild imagination, Madison. There was no way he would want me in that way, right?
“That’s a great idea, Madison. Therefore, I need you to stay here longer than we previously discussed about during the interview, if that is okay with you?
Really? I couldn’t believe this! This was great!
“Yes. Of course, anything for the company,” I replied with a bit more enthusiasm in my voice than I’d intended. His eyes lit and his lips turned into a beautiful smile. His smile was to die for.
“Are you sure? I’ m talking about the long nights in the office and a lot of hard work.”
“I am completely sure. I want to help in any way I can, so count me in.”
He was reclined in his chair, his arms leaning against the arm rests of his chair, and he kept looking at me without blinking. My mouth became dry, and I licked my lips, trying to relieve this tension.
“Thank you. I appreciate your willingness. Now, I think I should reward you for such a good work,” he said and got up. I looked at him in surprise. A reward?
“What do you mean, boss?”
“Let’s have a drink together. I think we should relax a bit and celebrate a bit. After all, we did a lot of work and we deserve some break.”
Drink together? Now, this was something I didn’t expect at all, but I could get on board.