Page 9 of Irresistible Temptation
“Yeah. I assume she wanted to make a good impression.”
“Boy, did she.” Will chuckled.
I chuckled along with him. “She’s a ten, man. Clothed. Unclothed. I’ve never seen an accountant look like that.”
“Did you tell her you tuned in this morning?”
“Not outright, but it was fun to see her squirm when I danced around the topic.”
“What are you going to do?”
“About?”
“A naked live-streamer working at your company…” replied Will, sitting back in his chair and studying me. “Might not be the best look on your first day taking over.”
I pondered about it for a second. I hadn’t even thought of that. What my employees do in their free time is their business. Then again, what they did was also a reflection of me. My empire. There were around a quarter of a million people who watched, and probably more now that the video was most likely floating around the internet somewhere. Still, it had been an accident…
“I don’t know,” I mused, running a finger under my chin as I ran through the different scenarios playing out before me. “I don’t really like firing people on my first day…”
A bald-faced lie.
“Oh suuuure,” said Will sarcastically. “They don’t call you the ‘hatchet man’ for nothing.”
I shot him a look, to which he put his hands up in defense.
“Your call,” he said. “Hey, do you have time for breakfast before the madness begins? I’m starved.”
I glanced at the time on my phone. “We could order in,” I suggested. I didn’t want to leave the office when the rest of the employees were supposed to be there in less than an hour.
I picked up my phone and called the breakfast place on the corner, placing an order for scrambled eggs, bacon, biscuits and gravy, and a side of pancakes. As soon as I hung up, the phone trilled loudly. I stared at it like it was some sort of foreign thing, and Will looked on amused as I debated answering. This was so unprofessional for a CEO of a major company—companies—to be answering his own phone.
“Brandfield Enterprises,” I answered in the chirpiest mutter I could muster.
I sighed in frustration as a telemarketer began pitching to me about faster internet. I hung up without a word, but then the phone rang again. I picked it up more hastily this time, barking “Brandfield Enterprises” into the mouthpiece. Will stifled a laugh. Whoever was on the other line must have been turned off by my greeting, that they hung up almost immediately. I sighed and placed the phone back on the desk, willing it to stay silent.
“I don’t think answering phones is your forte,” said Will, biting back a smile.
“It’s not myjob,” I said pointedly.
“Looks like you’re going to need to hire a new assistant. And fast.”
I pressed at my temples. Going through interviews and résumés was the last thing I had time for today, or any other day. I could pawn it off on Human Resources, but they hardly got anything right. Not when it came to finding me an assistant. Iwas particular about who worked for me. They needed to be up to the challenge. Clearly, they failed with this last assistant. And the one before that…
“You know anyone?” I asked desperately.
“Who will put up withyou?”asked Will with a small laugh.
I gave him the second vulgar gesture of the day. A record for it not being 8 a.m. yet.
“Hey, I have an idea…” he said, a sly smile slowly spreading across his lips.
“What?” I asked, not sure I wanted to hear what his mind had drummed up.
“You could hire that girl, Juliet, to be your assistant.”
Chapter 5
Juliet
