Brothers of Paradise Series

“Of course,” he says smoothly. “How lovely.”

He leaves the break room and I take a deep breath of relief. Another attack averted. If there’s one thing this firm has too much of, it’s self-importance and self-grandiosity. First, it had been Kelly, the receptionist, who looked surprised when I returned and said I was hired. Then it had been Christine, Rykers’ assistant, who had looked me over in clear disapproval. And now Kyle.

I put a bag of Earl Grey into my cup and close my eyes for a second, taking in the silence. It won’t be long until I have to go back to my desk and the jumbled mess that is Henry’s calendar.

Me, the least organized of people, had somehow been hired for a job where organization was key. Good going, Faye.

A deep voice cuts through my musings. “What are you doing?”

I blink my eyes open to see Henry himself standing in the entryway to the break room. “Imagining how nice an office could be without office politics.”

Henry frowns and heads to the coffee machine. “I’m not paying you to daydream.”

“No, that’s a bonus feature,” I say. “I run two-for-one specials at the end of the month, too.”

Nothing. Not a smile, not a twinkle in his eyes. He just turns the coffee machine off and motions for me to join him out of the break room. We walk toward the hallway in the back, the gateway to his giant office.

Several of the architects and consultants cast glances at us when we walk past. Henry doesn’t acknowledge anyone, back straight and head forward. Cold bastard.

He’s wearing a suit today, but without the jacket and tie. His sleeves are methodically folded up to his elbows, showing off his forearms, tanned and strong. I wonder how old he is. Mid-thirties, I think, though he carries himself like a man with a lifetime of experience. Some of the architects on the team must be older than him. It’s unusual.

“Gather your things, and then we’ll talk about your tasks here. Join me in my office as soon as you can.” He pauses, a hand on the oak door. “And I’d appreciate it if you upgrade into a model that gets me coffee.”

“I’ll work on that right away.”

He nods and disappears into his office, still without a smile on his face.

Damn.

The man was ice cold.

I’d arrived at work-I had a job!-that morning to find a fully prepared welcome kit for me. A keycard, a login to the computer system, and a new email address. The woman in HR gave me a sour look and muttered something about this going too fast. Maybe she’d had to work overtime to get the expedited details ready for me.

Henry had already been in the office when I arrived, despite me being early. And from the looks of the several coffee cups on his desk, he’d been there a while.

I grab my laptop and my notebook. Henry is sitting at his desk when I enter. It’s not the first time we’ve discussed business today, but it’s the first time we’re going to actively go through my tasks.

He nods at me when I come in but doesn’t look up from his screen. Well then. I take a seat opposite him and open my laptop. My list of questions is right there on the screen.

“Obvious things first,” he says, still looking at his screen. “There are trips booked. Go through everything and make sure transport and accommodation is arranged.”

“On it.” That one I’d already started with.

“Handle my invitations to events and the like. We’ll go through them once weekly.”

I type that down. “Noted.”

“Lunch and dinner reservations, catering for events, screening my calls. Accompanying me to meetings-sometimes I’ll want you there.” He looks up at me suddenly, eyes shockingly green. “You’re good at taking notes?”

“Yes.” I try not to be insulted by the basic question.

“Good. I’ll let you know regarding that. Coordinate work with the architect team, pass on designs to me. Keep a roster of all of our clients-I think Sara did that, who worked here before you… Maybe see if you can find it. She’d remind me of a client’s history and personal details before I met with them. That was useful.”

I take all of this down in my notes. “Sara did leave me some information, yes.”

I’d found a little cheat sheet from her. It contained a lot of good information, including some that felt… bizarre. She had written down exactly how Henry liked his lunch, and from which restaurants nearby. Don’t order a Reuben sandwich more than twice a week. Ask for the whole-wheat bread and absolutely no more than two pickles. Never order anything with sesame seeds. She’d underlined the word sesame. She’d included his shoe size and size in suits. Where he usually dropped off his dry cleaning. Frankly, her notes bordered on fearful or downright obsessive.

Is he that terrifying of a boss?

So far, he doesn’t scare me, even if I haven’t seen him smile once.

Even if the others in the office clearly keep their distance.

“You’re trained yourself, so I won’t go into the details of what I need building-wise. I trust you can catalogue blueprints and ensure my AutoCAD software is up to date with the company’s latest developments.”

Excitement itches in me at the suggestion. “I can, yes.”

“Email me if you have any questions.”

Even though I’m just sitting outside the door? That seems… excessive, but what do I know. I’ve never worked as an assistant, not to mention ever had one.

“All right.”

Henry turns back to his computer screen, and it’s clear I’ve been dismissed. I look down at the questions I’d scribbled in my notebook… and find that I can’t ask any of them. He’s basically told me to solve most of it on my own.

In the week since the interview, I’d googled everything there was to know about being an assistant. Tips and tricks, things to do and to not do. It seems like it’s all about anticipating his needs and reading his mind.

Well. It’s time I become a mind-reader, then.

It’s late when I leave the office that evening.

I’ve spent the entire day organizing his calendar-hello color-coding!-and going through every piece of information Sara left me. I also sent an email to the entire office to introduce myself and ask that all non-essential information be sent to me and not directly to Henry.

Two people out of twenty-seven had responded with a Hello! Welcome to the company!

It seemed like a great start.

I wait for the elevator and rub my neck, stiff from staring at a screen the whole day. My feet ache, too, from the heels. Turns out you lose the ability to walk in heels a whole day when you haven’t done it for weeks.

Christina stops beside me, Rykers’ assistant. Her features soften into a smile. “Good first day?”

“Yes. Although… it’s a lot.”

“It is,” she says with a laugh. “This firm is busy. It’s no place for slacking, trust me.”

“I believe you.” I resist the urge to release my hair from the tight ponytail. My head is killing me. “Have you worked for Rykers long?”Belonging to NôvelDrama.Org.

“Eight years. Nearly as long as they’ve had the firm.”