“If I’m not going to be working for you, then maybe you and I could go to dinner sometime?” Kara exclaimed. “You know, because there wouldn’t be any sort of reason that we couldn’t. No professional conflicts or anything.”
I stared at her, not even sure how to counter that. Finally, I just shook my head. “I have your number,” I told her. “I’ll call you when I’m free.” She beamed at that, as though she had just won a prize. I was never going to call her, but crazy as she seemed to be, I had no idea what she would do if I told her that to her face.
I ushered her out of the office and then beckoned at Erin.
She came into my office looking puzzled. “Are you all right? You look pale.”
“I’m starting to get a migraine,” I told her. “Cancel the rest of this afternoon’s interviews. I don’t want to be disturbed by anyone.”
Erin frowned. “Are you sure?” she asked. “There’s only one more interview today.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m sure,” I told her. She shouldn’t have questioned my decision to begin with, but I didn’t have it in me to rebuke her just then or remind her of her place. I certainly wasn’t going to fire her, not if it meant I had to interview for a new assistant as well as a new business advisor.
But Erin continued to linger. “I don’t know exactly what you’re looking for in an advisor, but this woman seems like she might have potential,” she said. “She got here twenty minutes early, and she’s been waiting patiently. We chatted a little, and I don’t think she’s here just to meet you; I think she actually wants this job.”
I stared at Erin, not sure whether to be frustrated that she would step so far out of line or amused that she, too, realized that most of these women weren’t here for the job but rather to meet me. She thought this last candidate had potential, though, did she?
I went over to my desk and flipped through the file on Abby. Her resume wasn’t particularly impressive. She’d worked for some decent companies in the industry, but all of her positions had been relatively short-term. That wasn’t necessarily negative, but I was looking for someone who would stick by my side for the long run. Seeing how these interviews were going now, I really hoped to never be in this position again.
But on the other hand, maybe she was just looking for the right position and hadn’t found it yet. I wouldn’t know that until I interviewed her.
I wondered if there was a reason why she wasn’t “just here to meet me.” Maybe she was ugly. Maybe she was desperate for a job since it had been almost a month since she quit her previous one. Or maybe she was just the kind of woman who really didn’t care about the celebrity gossip.
I snorted quietly. I wasn’t sure that kind of woman actually existed, so it was probably one of the former. But either ugly or desperate, I didn’t really care at this point, as long as I knew she could do her job well. And Erin seemed to think she had potential.
“All right, send her in,” I finally conceded with a sigh. I sat behind my desk, rubbing at my temples. This was the final interview of the day, at least. Unfortunately, I had another seven interviews scheduled for the following day, plus a meeting with one of our oldest clients.
Erin slipped out, and a couple of moments later, there was a light knock at the door, followed by the entrance of the latest applicant. I stared at her, hoping my surprise, and lust, didn’t show in my face. She was definitely not ugly.
Her black suit was cut to accentuate her curves, but it was the bright blonde hair and arresting green eyes that captured my attention first. She had an adorable sprinkling of freckles across her nose, and there was clear determination in her eyes. Maybe Erin was right.
I let my eyes trail down her body, taking in her round breasts where they were visibly peeking out of her cherry-red top. She had a narrow waist and wide hips, and I had a sudden image in my head of stripping her down and running my hands down her body. I shook that thought away for now, but I couldn’t help thinking that maybe if she didn’t have potential as my advisor, I could at least take her to dinner. It might not be the most professional thing to do, but hey, no one thought of me as the most professional of guys anyway.
She raised an eyebrow at me, and I realized that I had been staring at her for a second too long. But rather than do what most girls would have done in her position, tossing her hair and flirting with me, she seemed impatient to get on with the interview. It made me wonder about her. I had never met a woman who was so blatantly uninterested in me before.
I sort of liked the idea of a challenge.
“I stood and introduced myself. “I’m Daniel McGregor,” I managed to say, and then felt like an idiot. Of course she knew who I was or she wouldn’t be here for the interview. I stopped myself from smacking my forehead and gestured at the chair across the desk from me. “Would you like to have a seat and we can get this interview underway?”
She nodded at me and sat down, primly folding her hands. For a long moment, we just stared at each other in silence, her waiting for me to begin the interview and me, for once, scrambling to keep up with someone else.
Chapter 6
Abby
I WAS SURPRISED TO get called in for an interview with McGregor on Wednesday, less than twenty-four hours after I had submitted my application for the financial advisor position at the company. But I was even more surprised to be shown into Daniel McGregor’s office. The place was every bit as sleek and sophisticated as I might have expected. McGregor himself sat there waiting for me, and I could tell from the way he looked over my body that he wasn’t really looking for an advisor. No, he was looking for an office fuck. Or at least for some eye candy.
I felt my lips tighten with disapproval, but I tried to keep my expression as neutral as I could. Get through the interview, at least. Then I could tell Leanne all about what an ass the CEO of McGregor Enterprises really was.
He was attractive himself, I had to give him that. Even more so in person than in any of the photos I had ever seen. Intimidating, too, when he turned those piercing blue eyes on me. But I couldn’t help thinking of what a spoiled brat he must be to work with. I suddenly doubted he had ever made a single business decision for himself. No, he was just a figurehead, and as everyone knew, all he really cared about were the latest clubs and his one-night stands.
Yet, he had the nicest office in the whole building, probably, with an incredible view out over the city, and I could see what must be a no-doubt expensive watch peeking out from the cuff of his tailored suit.
If all he was looking for in an advisor was someone attractive that he could sleep with while the rest of his employees weren’t looking, I wondered who it was who really made the business decisions for him. But I pushed that thought aside. It didn’t really matter, one way or the other. I was never going to come to work for a man like this.
I took a seat, returning his hungry look with a cool glance of my own. But still, he hesitated before starting the interview. I was beginning to wonder if this silence of his was some sort of new interview tactic that he was trying out. What was he waiting for me to say?
I could see where such a tactic might give him a lot of insight into the kind of person I was, though. I bet most women would bend over backward trying just to please him. But I wasn’t about to do that. I waited another beat and then cleared my throat. “So how’s your day going?” I asked.