the job.”
She pushes her glasses up the bridge of her nose. “What kind of red flag are we talking about?”
“I’m his fifth assistant this year.”
“Fifth?” She questions. “He’s gone through four assistants in one year?”
Scratching my chin, I realize just how bad that sounds. “He fired the last one right in front of me.”
Reaching across the table, Arietta pours what’s left of the wine in the bottle into my glass. “Drink up, Maren. Your new boss sounds worse than mine.”
Chapter 4
Maren
Dropping Dudley off at doggy daycare was harder than I thought it would be.
It wasn’t because I got all teary-eyed at the prospect of not seeing him again until tonight. One of the caregivers at the center decided that I should be welcomed into her world with a hug, followed by a quick trip down her memory lane of pets.
I sat next to her with Dudley in my lap as she scrolled through hundreds of pictures of two Dalmatians that she had saved on her phone.
After twenty minutes, I finally told her that I had to meet with my new boss. She scurried away with Dudley tucked under her arm. Her promise that he’d enjoy himself wasn’t necessary.
I could tell he was happy to be there based on how hard he was wagging his little tail.
I take a breath as I ride the elevator up to the floor that houses Morgan Sports Management.
I’m not officially an employee yet.
A delivery person dropped off the contract this morning, just as Arietta was leaving for work. She asked if I was ready to sign it, but I told her that I needed to talk to Keats first.
I have questions that I want answers to before I agree to be his executive assistant.
Skimming my hand over the skirt of the simple black dress I’m wearing, I try to shake off the anxiety I’m feeling. It’s been sitting on my shoulders since my dad tried to call me an hour ago.
I won’t lie to either of my parents. I’m their only child, and even though they’ve used their wealth to open doors for me, they expect me to be a thoughtful, compassionate, and honest person.
Telling them that I landed this job will make them both happy, but I need to be sure that I’m not making a mistake before I do that. I hope that talking to Keats will help put my fears to rest.
This isn’t my dream job, but if I accept it, I’d like to keep it longer than the last four people who worked as Keats Morgan’s assistant.
***
I step off the elevator and into the middle of what I can only call a team meeting .
Keats is standing on the desk that’s right outside his office door. If that’s my future desk, I’m going to use a portion of my monthly expense budget to buy disinfecting wipes to clean the entire surface. The shoes on his feet are expensive, but I have no idea where the hell they’ve been.
I glance to my left and then the right. People have gathered around. I can’t spot one without a wide grin on their face as Keats addresses them.
“Remember what I always say.” He drops his hands to his hips. “Quitters never do anything worth talking about, so don’t be a goddamn quitter.”
The room erupts in laughter.
Several voices all call out the same thing in unison. “You swore.”
Keats raises a hand in the air. “I know. I owe a hundred to the fund.”
“A hundred times eight.” A female voice rises above the noise. “We all heard it, so you owe for every single one of us.”
“Eight hundred dollars?” Keats shakes his head. “Sh…shish kabob on a skewer.”
I crack a smile when I hear laughter roll through the room again.
Keats smiles too, and it’s glorious. The man is strikingly handsome with his hair slicked back into place today. He’s wearing a charcoal three-piece suit with a white shirt and a gray silk tie.
The grin on his face widens when his eyes lock on mine as he scans the room.
As much as I try to erase the smile on my face, I can’t. I toss him an awkward wave, and he reciprocates with a nod.
“I think I have a meeting,” he announces to the crowd. “Get your asses back to work.”
“That’s another eight hundred bucks.” A man’s voice bellows over all the others trying to convey the same point.
“Nine hundred,” Keats corrects him with his gaze still pinned to my face. “I owe an extra hundred. Maren