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  “Good morning, sir. The usual?” a young bright-eyed barista inquired of Jim. I could tell she found him every bit as attractive as I did, if not more. It made me feel special to be by his side, even if it was only for the few minutes that we'd be sharing coffee.

  “Yes, Lynn. And I'd like a coffee for this young lady as well.” Jim glanced at me.

  “And what will you have?” The barista's eyes darkened with jealousy, though it was so slight only a woman would have noticed.

  “I'll have what he's having,” I replied nervously.

  “Two caramel macchiatos with an added shot of espresso, coming up,” she said before running his card and then sending us off to wait.

  It wasn't until we had our coffees and were seated that Jim took off his sunglasses, revealing pale blue eyes that I was afraid to look into. He was definitely more attractive than I had imagined. No wonder the barista was so eager to please him. What woman wouldn't be?

  “So.” I stirred my coffee, avoiding Jim's gaze. “What do you do over at Syngex that allows you to rescue damsels in distress whenever the mood suits you?”

  He chortled. “I work on mergers and acquisitions, as well as other stuff.”

  “Sounds important.”

  “It is. The business would fall apart without me.”

  “Impressive,” I tried to feign interest. “How long have you worked there?”

  “A long time. It's the only job I've ever had. That's enough about me though, let's talk about you. Are you from around here?”

  “Yup. Born and raised. My life isn't too interesting though.”

  “Why do you say that?” He smiled up at me, and I felt my pulse quicken as our eyes met.

  “I um . . . don't go out much. I mean, I can't really afford to.” My nerves were getting the better of me, quickly rendering me speechless.

  “A lot of people are going through hard times right now. How long have you been looking for a job?”

  “A while. I'm actually probably going to lose my apartment if I don't get one soon. I have a roommate, but she's tired of flipping my portion of the rent, which is understandable.”

  “That's unfortunate. I would think a bright beautiful girl like you would be able to get a job just about anywhere.”

  My cheeks flushed at the compliment. “You haven't seen my resume,” I laughed uncomfortably.

  “Do you have it on you? I could give it a look over if you want and tell you how to improve it. I'm pretty good at that sort of thing.”

  “I appreciate it, but you've helped me enough. Besides, I'm not sure you could work it over to make it look better.”

  “What makes you say that?”

  “Well, I'm kind of a job hopper. I don't stick around at the same place for too long.”

  “Why not?”

  I took a long sip of coffee, tasting the sweetness of the caramel. It felt odd disclosing so much to a stranger, but I figured it was the least I could do. Besides, it would keep the flow of conversation going, and the longer the conversation lasted, the longer I'd get to bask in Jim's presence. “I tend to run my mouth and get fired,” I confessed, which was met with a guffaw of amusement.

  “So you're very opinionated, I take it?”

  “I suppose. I just don't like to take crap from people, and most employers treat their employees like crap.”

  “It's not like that at Syngex. They do their best to treat people fairly.”

  “If you say so.”

  “If you'd like, I can put in a good word for you,” he offered.

  “A novel full of good words probably couldn't make that guy change his mind about me. I'm pretty sure it was a no-go, but if you feel like doing yet another good deed for the day, then by all means.”

  “I think I shall.” Jim's grin was absolutely captivating, lighting up the room.

  We made small talk, though it mostly revolved around me, for the little that I had to say. It was the longest coffee break in the history of coffee breaks, and I worried that he would get in trouble for being out of the office for so long. Jim didn't seem to care though, laughing and smiling and talking as if his job didn't even matter.

  All good things have to come to an end though, and eventually our coffees were drained and the conversation had run out. I walked by Jim's side back to my car and was admittedly disappointed when he didn't ask for my number. Usually, if a guy was interested in you, this was the point where he tried to find some way to keep in contact. There was no such request though, and I felt my heart drop to the pit of my stomach, wondering if I had screwed this up too.

  With a polite smile, I thanked Jim again before watching him jog up the steps to the Syngex building and disappear inside. That was it. My excitement for the day was over, and it was time to return to the harsh reality that my life was completely up in the air.

  When I got home, I thought about telling Mandy what had happened. A coffee date with a mysterious handsome stranger would probably sound more like goofing off to her than serious job hunting though, so I decided it was better not to mention it.

  The week dialed down toward the end of the month, and I began packing my things. Though Mandy and I never spoke about it, there was a silent understanding between us that I had to go. I had screwed up one too many times to stick around and burden her further.

  A few days before the end of the month, I gave Eric a phone call. Between him and my parents, he was the lesser of the two evils. At least if I couldn't come up with rent, I could pay my part with sex. It wasn't something I ever wanted to have to do, but I couldn't face the non-stop degradation that I was sure I would get from my parents if I came home. I was a complete failure to them, and they enjoyed reminding me of it daily, as if saying it repeatedly would somehow change me into a different person.

  “Hey Jenny,” Eric greeted me when he answered the phone, always excited to hear my voice on the other end of the line.

  “Hey Eric.” I did my best not to sound completely depressed. If he thought that I didn't actually want to move in with him, he probably wouldn't allow it. It was time to put my acting skills on overdrive.

  “What are you up to?”

  “Packing.”

  “For what? Going on vacation?”

  “Nope. Moving.”

  “Moving?” Eric's voice was alarmed. “Where?”

  “Back in with my parents unless I can find somewhere else to stay by the end of the month.”

  “Back to Chicago?”

  “Mhm.”

  “But that's so far away. What happened to you living with Mandy?”

  “She's tired of waiting for me to get back up on my feet. Finding a job is hard though, with the economy and my track record and all.”

  “Yeah,” he hesitated. “Well, you could stay here if you wanted . . . until you get back up on your feet, that is.”

  Yes. I knew it. “You really wouldn't mind?”

  “Of course not. I'd love to have you around. This place gets lonely.”

  “I really appreciate it.”

  “So, um, when can we get you moved?”

  “I'd like to stick around here until the end of the month, if possible. I still have some packing to do.” The truth was that I wanted to avoid living with Eric for as long as possible. As soon as I moved in with him, life would be one big ball of awkward sexual tension.

  “Alright. Just let me know when, so I can take off of work.”

  “How about we move me over the weekend? That way, you won't have to take off from work.”

  “Do you think Mandy would let you stay the few extra days?”

  “I'm sure that as long as she knows I'm leaving she'll be fine with it.” While Mandy might not be happy about my over-staying, I knew she was good enough of a friend to tolerate it.

  “Sounds like a plan then.” I could hear Eric fighting to keep the excitement from his voice.

  After I got off the phone, I went to tell Mandy. She was fine with me staying the few extra days, which I was thankful for. There
really wasn't anything she could have done about it anyway though.

  For the next few days, I laid around the apartment, packing here and there and watching television the rest of the time. There wasn't much else to do since the job search was over. My mind kept going back and forth over whether I had made the right decision by calling Eric and manipulating him into inviting me to move in with him. The more I thought about it, the worse it seemed. Even if I did sleep with Eric, there was only a matter of time before I screwed that up too and ended up out on the street again. Maybe it would have been better if I had just called my parents. It wasn't too late to change my mind, was it?

  On Thursday, I got a phone call from an unknown number. Not thinking much of it, I answered and was surprised to find that it was Syngex inviting me for a second interview. My heart leaped with joy.

  “God bless you, Jim,” I whispered after ending the call, jumping up and down with excitement. If I could nail this second interview, then I wouldn't have to move out, and all of my troubles could go away. With that in mind, I decided to do whatever it took to land the job.

  That night, I told the story of my meeting with Jim to Mandy. Since I now had a second interview, it wouldn't seem like I had wasted my time by going out for coffee with him. I made sure to describe him in detail, gushing about his attractiveness.

  “Did you see a ring on his finger?” Mandy asked, her enthusiasm higher than normal, though I knew it was because of the second interview and not because of my awesome coffee date.

  “Nope.”

  “Did you even look, Miss Unobservant?” she teased.

  “Of course I did. There are a lot of things I miss, but that isn't one of them.” I smirked. “If I get this job, that means I'll get to see him again.”

  “Well, don't go turning this into a way to get a date. Work relationships almost never work out. If you see him, you should just thank him for helping you get the interview and then go about your business.”

  “But what if I don't get the job?” I gave her a sly grin.

  “Don't even joke like that.” Mandy shook her head, sighing. “You need this job more than you need a warm body to sleep by.”

  “I know. I was just joking.” I tried not to get agitated by her seriousness. “So, what if I do get this job? What does it mean for our living arrangement?”

  “Well, you only paid part of last month's rent, and even if you get this job, you won't be able to pay any of this month's rent. I'm still not sure this is going to work,” she said, and I knew exactly what she was thinking. Even if I got this job, it would only be a matter of days or weeks before I ran my mouth, got fired, and was out looking for another one. Mandy wasn't stupid.

  “Please, Amanda. I promise if I get this job, I'll keep it no matter what. I don't want to go live with Eric. I've really done a lot of thinking about this.”

  “I don't know, Jen. My dad is riding my ass to get you moved out. I don't think I can dissuade him any longer.”

  “Please. Please. Please. Please. Please.” I clasped my hands together, begging. “I promise I won't screw up again. Just give me this last chance. Talk to him. Tell him that if I quit this job or get fired, you won't even have to ask me to move out. I'll do it on my own, on the very same day. I promise. I really really need this last chance. You're my only hope.”

  I could see the pain in her expression. She hated it when I got like this. Hell, I hated it when I got like this, but it was the only way I could make Mandy cave, with begging and a pouty lip and puppy-dog eyes.

  “We'll see,” she said finally. “But first you'll have to get the job. There's no point in talking to my father until then.”

  “Alright.” I nodded, hopeful.

  “Research the company before you go in.” She stood and pointed at me.

  “Fine. Fine.”

  Before I went to bed, I flipped on the computer to do a bit of research on Syngex. The company was founded by John Kemble Senior and had been around since eighteen-seventy five. It was the parent company to multiple business ventures, from shipping to energy production to manufacturing. By the time I got down to the bottom of the first page, I was bored to tears. Who really cared about this stuff? It wasn't like I needed to know the history of the company to do the job.

  As I drifted off to sleep, all I could think about was how this was my last chance. If I didn't get and keep this job, my life would be taking a dramatic turn. Perhaps living with Eric wouldn't be as bad as I thought. Maybe I was just turning a mole hill into a mountain, as I often did with other things. The truth though was that I didn't want to find out if I was right or not. I had to make this work.

  The next morning, I got up bright and early to make sure I looked absolutely perfect for my interview. My long brown hair was slightly curled into a stylish do that hung loosely over my shoulders. This time, I wore a black pencil skirt with a white blouse, making sure that both were tight enough to accentuate my better features. If I couldn't win the interviewer with my words, then maybe I could sway him with my body. It was a degrading thing to think, but I would use whatever I had to work with to get this job. Today was swim or sink.

  I held my head up high as I walked into the Syngex building, wondering if I'd be lucky enough to have a chance meeting with Jim, my knight in sexy business attire. It was a nice thought, but I couldn't let my mind be distracted for too long. The building was absolutely massive, seventy-nine stories tall, to be exact. Odds were, Jim and I would never cross paths again.

  Unlike last time, when my interview was held on the thirty-second floor, this time I was required to rocket all the way up to the top of the building. Luckily, the elevator ride was so smooth I could barely feel it. Usually, elevators in buildings that tall made me ill with motion sickness since they moved quickly. To be honest, being up that high made me uncomfortable, but I tried not to think about it.

  When the door opened, the first thing that I noticed was that the walkway leading to a large set of double doors was lined with desks manned by blonde bombshells. It seemed like each one was prettier than the next. They smiled at me politely as I passed, though I knew their eyes were scrutinizing everything about me.

  “Are you here to interview with Mr. Kemble?” one of the women asked. Her honey blonde hair was pulled up into a tight bun. I could tell by the way she spoke that she was no bimbo.

  “I'm here to interview,” I said, though I hadn't known I would be interviewing with Jack Kemble himself. This was where my hopes got dashed. My dark-brown hair should kill his interest in me instantly, if what Mandy had said was true about him only hiring blondes. From the looks of the top-floor staff, she'd been right on the mark.

  The woman picked up the receiver on her desk and dialed in a number. “Mr. Kemble, there's a woman here to see you. She said she has an interview with you.” When she hung up the phone, she gave me a courteous nod. “Mr. Kemble will see you now.”

  “Thank you,” I replied, unsure of whether to be nervous or not give a crap. This had all been a waste of my time, so why should I care. As soon as Jack Kemble laid eyes on me, he'd be every bit as dismissive as the man who interviewed me before; I just knew it.

  The woman gestured to the double doors, and I walked forward, curling my hand around the handle before tugging it open. Taking a deep breath, I stepped inside, closing the door behind myself. It wasn't until my eyes met the man on the other side of the desk that my breath hitched in surprise.

  “Jim?” I asked with a curious smile.

  The man stood, beaming a grin as he extended his hand, urging me to step forward and take it. This time, Jim's handshake was firm, more professional than casual.

  “Jim is a moniker I use in public so people won't know who I really am. Please forgive me. My real name is Jack Kemble, and I'm the CEO of Syngex Incorporated.”

  I was at a loss for words. Part of me was happy to see this man again, but the other part was horribly disappointed, now knowing who and what he really was. This kind person, who had gone do
wnstairs to aid me in my time of need, was a womanizer.

  “I'm shocked, to say the least,” I finally muttered.

  “I figured you would be.” Jack sat back down, gesturing toward the chair on the other side of his desk. “Now, if I remember correctly, you were looking for a job.”

  “Yes,” I replied, rounding the chair to sit in it.

  “I had some time to look over your resume. It appears you have mostly restaurant experience. What do you know about working in an office?”

  “Nothing really.” The room was suddenly hot, though I was sure that it was just me. My mind was still mulling over how the polite man who had helped with my flat tire was now sitting before me, interviewing me for a job. It seemed so surreal.

  “It's not a very difficult job. All you'd have to do is run errands for me, accompany me on business trips when required, make my coffee in the morning, and take a few phone calls.”

  “So, I'd be like one of the girls out there.” I pointed over my shoulder.

  “Yes and no. I'm looking for more of a personal assistant, someone to stay by my side and tend to my needs as they arise.”

  If that didn't sound cryptic and sexual, I don't know what else could. I hadn't been inside his office for more than five minutes, and I already didn't like where this was going. This guy was a different version of Eric, and I didn't want him to feel entitled to my body because he was helping me out. Still, I was in a very desperate situation.

  “It doesn't seem that difficult,” I said, swallowing my pride. If all else failed, I could quit and call my parents. There were always choices, but I needed to test my opportunities first.

  “Well, it's not always a cake walk, but I wouldn't call it a very hard job. Plus, it comes with lots of perks. You'll get to drive in fancy cars, stay at nice hotels, and experience things you probably wouldn't be able to anywhere else.”

  “And the pay?” I cut straight to the point.

  “Considering your unstable job history, I'll start you out at nine dollars per hour. If you can make it past three months, I'll raise you to eleven. I know it might not sound like much, but you'll get bonuses along the way. If the company is doing well, I give out a Christmas bonus of between five hundred and two thousand dollars, depending on the prosperity of the company for the year. I also give three weeks of paid vacation once you've been on with Syngex for a year, as well as one week of paid sick leave. And of course, all of your benefits will be paid for.”