My face heats from her words and she laughs softly at the sight of my embarrassment. When we finally reach the back of the building, she lifts her arm, her hand balled into a fist to knock.
“Wait, just one second,” I cry.
She looks back over her shoulder, her brows lifted as she waits for me to say whatever it is I’m about to say, probably knowing that I’m going to stall, or at least try to. She doesn’t allow it though.
“You’re going to be fine. Come talk to me before you leave, I want to hear all about it.”
In the next moment, she knocks on the door and there’s nothing I can do about it. I hear his voice from the other side. It’s deep and smooth, like nothing I have ever heard before and suddenly, I understand exactly what Bethie was saying about feeling tingly in all the right places.
LANDRY
I haven’t conducted an interview in years. I’m not even sure that I remember how. Susan made it clear that she wanted this girl to get a job though, so I decided to just interview her myself. Even if the internship position isn’t for her, there is probably something uncomplicated in the mailroom that she can handle.
“Mr. Astor,” a woman’s voice calls from the other side of my door, accompanying a knock.
Glancing at my computer, I groan. Julie has taken her lunch, which is why she’s not out front to greet them and announce their presence so that I’m prepared.
“Come in,” I murmur.
The door slowly opens. I don’t look up, I need to finish reading over this contract. I’m hoping this interview will be short and sweet. Get this girl hired either as an intern or in the mailroom.
“Mr. Astor?” a soft voice murmurs as the door clicks closed.
Lifting my hand, I wave toward the chair. “Have a seat. I’ll be with you in just a moment.”
It only takes me a few minutes to finish the page. I mark a couple things that need to be changed by the attorney, then finally lift my gaze to meet with Helen Bradley’s daughter. When my eyes clash with green ones, my heart stops in my chest.
I’ve never seen a shade of green that color before, never realized that eyes could be that light green. Clearing my throat, I try not to shift in my seat, but it’s hard with the growing erection beneath my slacks.
“You must be Miss Bradley?” I ask.
She smiles softly, nodding as she tucks a piece of her hair behind her ear. She’s uneasy, unsure, and judging by the pink in her cheeks, she’s shy.
“Tennessee,” she says before she clears her throat. “Tennessee Bradley.”
Her accent is clear, she is definitely an Oklahoma native and I find it endearing and sweet. Perhaps it’s because I haven’t heard it from a woman without a slur in years. Perhaps it’s because she is endearing and sweet. She hasn’t been ruined by life yet.
“I was told you’d have a copy of my resume already?”
Smiling, I nod my head once. “I do. There’s not much there. Why don’t you tell me about yourself? Why do you think that you should be an intern for Astor Investment Banking?”
She’s quiet for a moment. I watch as her eyes move around quickly, her breathing becoming quick and she balls her hands into fists in her lap. Then she inhales a deep breath before letting it out and her gaze finds mine, focusing.
“After transferring from Arkansas back to Oklahoma, I decided to dive deep into finance. Numbers are my passion.”
She’s lying, but I can’t quite decide what about. The transcripts prove that she did indeed study business and finance, she also received great grades and graduated cum laude. It’s impressive, but she does lack extracurriculars that make a well-rounded candidate.
Nodding, I lean back in my chair. She’s beautiful, stunning really, but I don’t hire based on looks. She chews on the inside of her cheek, a tell of hers. She is also still holding her fisted hands in her lap, another tell.
“I’m not sure…”
“I’ll do anything,” she bursts out. “Whatever you have a position for, I’ll take it.”
“Why?”
She looks down at her lap, then lifts her eyes to meet mine. “I need this. I’ve been dreaming of working here for the past three years. There’s nowhere else. If I fail…”
Her words trail off as I hold my hand up. Her chest is rising and falling as fear and panic floods her entire body. She’s trembling