Seducing Daddy's Boss Page 2

  You could say I’m lucky, but I’ve worked hard for what I have. Dad made sure of that—he’s big into the work ethic. I have a sleek new Jaguar, a beautiful home in the hills and all the trappings of success I could ever want, but they’re just things. It would be nice to have someone to share it all with one day. For now, I bury myself in my work, but this whole not having an assistant thing is getting old quickly, and it’s only been a few weeks. The temp agency keeps sending people who are more trouble than they’re worth, or else they quit after the first day, and the applicants are mostly cringe-worthy. I need a break. I just need to find one smart, organized individual with a good head on their shoulders to help me out. Is that so much to ask?

  Currently, apparently, it is. Right now, my desk is covered in a slew of paperwork as I try to prioritize what I need to do today. There are contracts waiting to be signed, phone calls to make to our international clients and meetings to set up with some high-profile potential customers—and that’s just scratching the surface. Bonnie on the front desk is doing her best to take some of the load off me while running the Reception desk, and the secretaries in other departments are helping out too, but they can only get through so much for me without affecting their own schedules. I need my own assistant badly to handle all this stuff… and I need one quick.

  As I flick through a stack of papers searching for the Hughes contract, I hear a knock on my open door. I look up and see Walt Black, a long-time employee from the IT department, waiting patiently for permission to enter.

  “Hey, Walt. Come on in. What can I do for you this morning?” I ask.

  “Good morning, Mr. Stevenson,” Walt says. “Sorry to trouble you. I can see you’re busy, but I only need a moment of your time.” He glances at my desk and his eyes widen when he sees the total mess I’m in.

  “Don’t worry, I’m never too busy for you guys and I’ve told you before, it’s Griff. Drop the Mr. Stevenson stuff, okay? I’m not my dad. Now, what’s on your mind?” I ask.

  “Yes, Mr. Stev—, I mean, Griff, and we appreciate that. You’re a good man, just like your dad.” Walt clears his throat and seems a little uncomfortable. He’s so not used to addressing the CEO of the company by his first name, but he continues. “Anyway, I saw on the noticeboard that you’re looking to hire and was wondering how it was going with finding a new assistant. My daughter recently came home. She has experience as a manager and she has a Bachelor’s degree.”

  “Great! Well, send her in,” I say quickly. “As you can see, I could sure use someone like her right away.”

  “Well, I keep mentioning it to her as I think it would be right up her street,” Walt says, “but she’s a prideful little thing. Wants to do everything on her own and in her own way, but I’ll keep working at it.”

  I recognize the trait immediately. “I totally get that. I was just the same, still am to some degree. Nothing wrong with that, and thanks, Walt. I’ll let you know if the position gets filled in the meantime, though somehow I don’t see that happening anytime soon.”

  “Appreciate it,” he says then Walt bows out with a wave and I return to the paper mountain on my desk to look for that darn Hughes contract that I need to sign today.

  * * *

  It takes him almost a week, but finally, Walt comes through with his daughter’s resumé. No photo, but I scan through it and her credentials look impressive. She could be just what I need. I asked Bonnie yesterday to get ahold of Walt to ask her in asap and she came back to me within a few minutes to tell me to expect her for an interview this morning. I worked late and left the place in the same mess so now I’m frantically tidying up the office before she arrives. I have a sense that this girl’s going to be the perfect fit and I don’t want to scare her off before she even starts if it looks like a bomb went off on my desk. Going back to square one looking for some permanent help is not an option.

  Once everything is presentable, I stand back and admire my efforts for a few minutes. Yep, it’s back to looking just like the old man had it when this office was his. A clear desk, apart from what I need for the interview, and everything in its place. Well, in reality, everything swept from the desk and stuffed into drawers, cupboards and any available space I could find for now.

  I make fresh coffee and start preparing a sales report that ordinarily my assistant would run. Normally, it’s the interviewee who’s nervous before an interview, but right now it’s me that’s hoping Walt’s daughter will be the answer to all my prayers. It sure would be nice to have some real help around here. Before I can even get into the report, there’s a soft rap on the door and Bonnie pops her head inside.

  “Griff, you’re 11 AM interview candidate is here—fifteen minutes early, I might add.”

  “That’s a damn good sign,” I say with a grin.

  “I couldn’t agree more.” Bonnie’s enthusiasm is palpable. Another good sign, I hope.

  “Okay, I’m not quite ready to see her. Would you mind asking her to wait a few minutes while I finish up what I’m doing? Ask her to grab a coffee or something.”

  “Sure thing,” Bonnie says as she returns to the front office.

  I know I’m not going to have time to concentrate on the report, so I tuck it away in a drawer and get up from my desk and turn to the window behind me. Looking out on the lake, I finish my coffee then straighten my shirt and tie. I make my way to my office door and open it. Bonnie comes in to check I’m ready for the interview and I give her a list of client meetings to set up for the following week.

  As she leaves, I step into the doorway and I’m taken aback by what I see. When Walt said his daughter, I never imagined she would be this sexy young woman who’s walking toward me. Her curves are in all the right places. She’s pretty, but not fake about it. It’s when she smiles that something inside me twists up. It takes everything I have in me to stop my jaw dropping, snap out of it and offer her a handshake.

  “Julia, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Griff Stevenson,” I manage to say.

  She grabs my hand to shake it, and for a moment it feels like the world stops. A current seems to flow from her to me and I wonder for a second if she feels it, too. Her expression makes me think she does, but she quickly switches gears and responds in a thoroughly professional manner.

  Throughout the entire interview I try to focus, but it’s hard— and it’s not the only thing that’s hard. Part of the reason I can’t concentrate, but somehow, I make it through, asking all the right questions and land myself a new executive assistant.

  I’m questioning myself that maybe I hired Julia because I’m attracted to her, but I dispel those thoughts, quickly justifying my decision as I am— in desperate need of help, and I do feel like she’s perfect for the job, based on her experience. Being around her all day, five days a week will be a nice benefit to my work environment. I know nothing will happen between us since she can’t be older than her early twenties, after all. And with looks like that, she must have her hands full with guys her own age. She’s not going to look twice at a man in his mid-thirties.

  Only time will tell if my decision is the right one. Meanwhile, I need to get my mind off her and get back to work. At least I’ll try to, but Julia’s smile continues to invade my mind and the reaction I have to her, and to her touch, has surprised me. I shake my head to clear my thoughts.

  Just my luck that the first woman to really strike my interest in so long is not only too young for me, but a long-time employee’s daughter, too. Not to mention the fact that she’s my employee now. It’s a good thing I know better, or this could easily have sexual harassment suit written all over it and I can’t imagine that going down well with the clients. Better watch your step, Griff.

  Chapter Three

  Julia

  Dad’s worked here for a long time as a technician in the IT department—must be getting on for ten years. It isn’t my first time walking through the door, but there’s certainly a much different feel now I’m grown and here for a job of my ow
n. Nothing inside is any different than I remember, yet somehow, it’s slightly more intimidating today. Maybe it’s just my nerves that makes everything feels more intense than usual.

  Bonnie, the receptionist, recognizes me right away. “As I live and breathe! Julia, look how you’ve grown!” Exactly what my grandma says every time I see her, I think to myself, though a slightly younger lady. She’s always been a warm, kind character whenever I’ve met her and I guess it has been a few years since we last met.

  “Hi, Bonnie,” I say with a smile. “It’s so nice to see you again.”

  “It’s nice to see you, too!” Bonnie gushes. “Walt… I mean your dad told me you were coming in, but with all the bragging he does about you, he’s never said what a beautiful woman you’ve turned into.”

  I blush. “Thank you, Bonnie, and yeah, that would be kinda weird if he did,” I chuckle.

  She laughs with me and must sense my discomfort because she changes gears and checks a diary on the desk in front of her before looking back at me. “Mr. Stevenson is running a little late. He’s been without an assistant for weeks now and he’s in desperate need of a new one so I do hope you’re what he’s looking for. It’ll be fun having you around here.”

  “I’ll take a seat and wait. It’s no problem at all,” I assure her.

  “Wonderful!” She beams at me. Bonnie has a look in her eye I can’t quite put my finger on, much less understand. “Help yourself to coffee and I’ll let you know when he’s ready to see you.”

  I don’t want to risk spilling coffee on my clothes, so I politely decline and take one of the plush, leather chairs in the waiting area of Stevenson Industries. It’s a large open space with a wide corridor leading off to the various offices and work areas. Instead of taking out my phone to check Facebook as I usually would—I don’t think it sets a good pre-interview impression—I study the area around me. The décor is natural with some abstract artwork on two of the walls and the illuminated company sign is set high above the reception desk that fronts the executive offices.

  I’ve barely sat down when a door behind Bonnie opens, and she immediately gets up and goes inside. I hear low voices, then she comes out with a big smile on her face.

  “Julia. Mr. Stevenson is ready to see you now.”

  “Thank you, Bonnie,” I say and move toward the office. As I close in on the doorway a man suddenly fills it and takes me by surprise when he holds out his hand to greet me.

  “Julia, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Griff Stevenson.”

  Griff? Griff Stevenson? The Mr. Stevenson I remember as the owner of the company was old. Like, really old. This man, this Griff? He’s not that old at all. He’s tall, extremely handsome… and obviously works out. I feel myself staring at him as I shake his hand and feel a warm shiver run through me as we touch. Weird. I manage to snap myself out of it long enough to make a coherent response.

  “The pleasure is all mine, Mr. Stevenson,” I manage to say, unsure of where the words come from. “Thank you very much for seeing me this morning.”

  “Let’s dispense with the formalities, shall we? Please, call me Griff. Won’t you come in?”

  I step inside his office and look around while he closes the door behind me. The ceiling must be twelve feet high and the walls are clad in beautiful light oak panels. Griff moves silently around a modern oak desk, devoid of anything but a file, a phone and a single picture frame. Jeez, is this guy OCD or what? I think to myself. It’s set in front of a floor-to-ceiling window overlooking a lake in the company grounds and I thank whatever ingrained sense of professionalism I have left within me for keeping my composure. The interview starts with small talk and Griff does a great job of putting me at ease before the normal questions about my employment history. It continues in the same vein—that is, my mouth automatically creates professional and courteous responses while my mind continues to run on overdrive. I can’t help noticing Mr. Stevenson doesn’t wear a wedding band or have any family pictures on his desk, other than one of two young kids. Something about the manly scent he exudes has my legs crossing more than once. I know the reaction is unlike me, but there’s just something about him. He’s older than me for sure, and just enough to be intriguing… intriguing, and sexy as fuck.

  “You’d be able to start right away?” he asks me.

  “I could begin today if you’d like,” I offer without thinking. I’m forcing myself to stop daydreaming and pay more attention to his questions.

  Griff laughs. It’s a sound that doesn’t help my attention span. “How about tomorrow, though I appreciate your eagerness.”

  “Yeah, sorry if that came across as needy, but I’ve been a little stir-crazy lately,” I confess. “I like to keep busy.”

  “I respect that,” Griff smiles. “I guess the only thing we have left to discuss is your salary. I’ll be honest, you’re slightly over-qualified, but qualifications aren’t everything for this job and with your sparkling personality, I think you’ll be a good fit here.”

  “Thank you,” I reply with a smile and feel my cheeks go red.

  “You’re welcome.” Griff picks up the file from the desk and studies it. “The pay grade for this position is supposed to start at thirty-five thousand a year…” His voice trails off so I give him a moment—I don’t want to interrupt his thought process. “However, I’m willing to start you at forty thousand because of your degree and previous managerial experience. You’ll have a ninety-day probationary period before any of your paid time off or benefits kick in, and you’ll be eligible for another raise one full year after the probationary period is over if you do well. Would that be acceptable to you?”

  Forty grand a year? Benefits? Hell, yeah that’s acceptable. I felt my eyes widen on hearing his offer, but luckily, he was still looking at the file and I manage to reign in my excitement while I answer so I don’t blow it. “That sounds fair to me,” I say pragmatically.

  “Wonderful.” Griff grins, and my stomach flutters at the sight of those perfect pearly white teeth. “Well, I guess we’ll see you at eight-thirty tomorrow morning. I won’t be here myself as I’m seeing clients in Seattle, but Bonnie will take care of you.” He stands and sticks his hand out to me across the desk.

  I look into his eyes and shake it. Again, that weird shiver like electricity is present. “I look forward to it. Enjoy the rest of your day, Griff.”

  “You too, Julia,” he says as I make my way out the door. “Thanks for stopping by.”

  “No problem. Thanks for seeing me,” I say and make my exit.

  Bonnie’s smile goes from ear to ear. “How’d it go?” she asks.

  I return her smile. “Very well, thanks. Seems I’ll be seeing you tomorrow morning.”

  “Oh, that’s wonderful! I’m so happy for you!” she says. “Wait until your father hears. He’s going to be so proud. Do you want to see him before you leave?”

  “Oh, I wouldn’t want to interrupt him if he’s busy,” I say, unsure.

  “Nonsense, it won’t kill the man to take a break. There’s not much he stops working for, but you’re surely the exception, especially with your good news. C’mon, I’ll take you to him.” Bonnie hoists herself up from her seat and waves me along the corridor.

  Outside, it’s shaped up to be a nice day and I follow Bonnie through several doors until she taps on my dad’s shoulder as he peers into the guts of some piece of electronic equipment.

  He jumps a little at her touch and turns around. “Julia! What a nice surprise. Thanks for bringing her down, Bonnie. Love your new hairstyle, by the way. It really suits you.”

  Bonnie looks down and blushes, raising a hand to her hair. If I didn’t know better, I’d say she has a bit of a crush on my dad. “You’re welcome, Walt. It’s been so nice to see Julia again. I can’t believe how much she’s grown since I last saw her. I’ll let her fill you in while you show her out. I have to get back to the front desk,” Bonnie says and takes off.

  Dad calls across to one of his col
leagues. “I’m going to take my break now, Charlie. Can you hold the fort for a few minutes while I talk to my daughter? I won’t be long.”

  Charlie spins around on his chair. “That’s your daughter? Hello, Julia,” he says with a smile. “I feel I practically know you even though we’ve never met. Your dad here is forever talking about you. It’s nice to finally put a face to the name.”

  “Hey, Charlie. Good to meet you too, and I hope it’s all been good things you’ve heard about me,” I say with a smile.

  Before he can answer, Dad interrupts. “Well, now you’re all introduced, can I take a few minutes and have that chat with my daughter? My precious break time is ticking away here,” he says with a smile.

  “Sorry, Walt. Sure thing, buddy. Take all the time you need. It’s kinda quiet at the minute anyway. Nice to meet you, Julia. Look after the old fella.”

  “Nice to meet you too, and I will,” I reply.

  “Let’s go out to the lake where we can talk in peace,” Dad says and leads me through a door to the outside. “That’s much better. So, how’d it go?” he asks as we walk the short distance to a bench by the lake.

  I try to keep a straight face to build the suspense, but it’s no use. The broadening smile that creeps across my face tells him all he needs to know.

  “That’s fantastic news! When do you start?” he says and pulls me into a big hug.

  “Tomorrow morning,” I say, “bright and early.”

  “Wonderful. We can ride together if you’d like.”

  “That would be great. I’d love that, Dad and thanks so much for setting this up for me. I really appreciate it. I’m going to get home now. I have to sew my pants or I’ll have nothing to wear for work tomorrow.”