"Shit, shit, shit." I cursed under my breath as I dialed Quin's number, waiting for her to pick.
I was currently in the bathroom, after that bloody awkward introduction. I tried to act as composed as possible before I excused myself, stating how urgently I needed to use the bathroom.
I was able to find my way to the women's restroom and I made sure I was the only one in there before proceeding to call Quincy.
She finally picked up, "Maddy? Aren't you supposed to be at wor-"
"Shit, Quincy, it's him." I cut her off in a state of panic. "Fuck. He's the one. H-He's my boss."
"Hold on, Maddy, slow down." She said, sounding confused. "Who is him? Who's your boss?'
"The man from the club." I informed her in a literal frenzy. "He's the CEO, William Torres."
"What?!" Quincy exclaimed in shock.
Oh, God.
"Wait, wait," Quincy spoke again, her tone laced with confusion. "I don't understand. How is it possible that you didn't recognize him from the club?"
"Because I didn't know he was the fucking CEO of the company I was about to start working for, of course." I placed a hand on my forehead. "Hell, I didn't even know I was going to be working for the CEO at all. The job description was simply personal secretary for top executives. And I knew the CEO's name was William Torres, I just had no idea what he looked like because he keeps such a low profile and literally has no social media presence."
"Shit." Quincy cursed under her breath.
"This is bad." I said, rubbing my temples. "This is really bad. You should've seen the look on his face, Quincy. What if he fires me? I-I can't lose this job before I've even gotten the chance to start. I've already quit my job at the bar. I need this job. I-I can't-"
"Maddy, I'm gonna need you to breathe." She said somewhat soothingly. "Just calm your nerves, okay? Everything is gonna be fine. If he tries to have you fired, just find a way to talk him into changing his mind."
I tried to let out calm and steady breaths, "Okay. Okay."
"You've got this, Maddy." She encouraged. "Just try your best and don't let them see you sweat."
I finally exhaled a steady breath, "Thank you, Quin. Really."
"Anytime, Mads."
"Alright." I said. "I better get back and try to save my job before they start to wonder why I haven't come back yet."
"Alright, good luck babe."
Then she hung up.
Taking one look at my reflection in the mirror, I quickly gathered myself and ran a smoothing hand down my dress. Straightening my posture, I let out one last deep breath before walking out of the bathroom in confident strides.
I was able to locate where we all previously stood but it seemed like Mrs. Thornsmith and Mr. Torres had already dispersed into their various positions. No surprise there, did I really expect them to just stand there waiting for me to return the entire time?
Feeling a little lost, I asked some random person for directions to Mr. Torres' office to which I was kindly given. Following those directions, I found myself standing in front of a door which had his name and position on it.
Mr. William Toress.
CEO.
I walked in to see that it was clearly a secretary office. It was quite spacious and aesthetically satisfying. His office connected this one and I wasted no time in moving over to his office door, taking a moment to gather myself.
I gave the door three gentle knocks and waited for him to say that it was okay to come in. After waiting for what seemed like over two minutes, I knocked gently on the door again and just walked in this time.
My eyes immediately landed on him as I closed the door behind me. He was sitting on his office chair facing his computer, like he was busy doing something on it.
His office was huge and breathtakingly beautiful. Although it had no form of personal touches, like portraits on his desk or awards and certifications stacked up, it was still a stunning blend of interior with materials of obvious high end quality.
His eyes stayed fixed on his computer when he said, "Who said you could come in?"
"Um, I knocked a few times and you didn't say anything." I said in response. "I just thought-"
"Well, you thought wrong." He cut me off abruptly. "Never walk into my office like that again."
Well, crap.
"Okay." I nodded. "Noted, sir."
It was crazy.
At the club, all he did was stare at me and now, it seemed like he was prepared to hold a full blown conversation with me without so much as sparing me a glance.
He leisurely picked up a file from his desk and began to skim through the pages.
"Madelyn Clarke." My name rolled out of his mouth like he was familiar with it, like they'd been on his lips before.
I didn't say anything.
I just stood there, watching him in silence as he looked through my file.
My heart was beating so fast against my chest at the fear that he would say he can't let me work for him for obvious reasons.
Holding no particular facial expression, he placed my file back on his table and started typing on his keyboard, "Alright, let's get started then."
My eyes almost bulged out of my head, "Wait, so you're not going to fire me?"
"Whatever for?" He asked nonchalantly, his fingers still clicking on the keys of his keyboard.
"Well, for one, I've seen your penis." I almost snickered at my own joke.
His typing action on his keyboard ceased and he looked up at me for what might have been the first time since I stepped foot in his office.
The small smile lingering on my face from the joke I had just made as an attempt to lighten the air disappeared the moment his eyes locked with mine. I immediately regretted saying that.
Mr. Torres slid his chair backwards and stood to his feet, running a hand down his suit jacket before walking over, in long effortless strides, to where I stood.
He was barely inches away from me when his eyes pierced into mine and he said, "Nothing, Madelyn, absolutely nothing should ever make you think that you can speak to me like that. Do you understand me?"
As much as the deep, low and assertive tone of his voice was almost making me shake in my heels, I tried my best not to shy away from his gaze, "Yes, sir."
"The 'situation' we have at hand hovers over us both." He stated. "It is entirely unprofessional and the natural thing for me to do would be to fire you. Especially, after that nonsense that just came out of your mouth."
"I'm sorry I said that." I quickly apologized. "It was a careless joke and I will never say anything like that again. I-I promise I can ignore whatever happened between us and be as professional as I am required to be."
He didn't say anything; he just stayed looking at me with quirked eyebrows and a clenched jaw.
"But, if genuinely, you feel like it would be a problem, maybe I can speak to Mrs. Thornsmith about swapping me with one of the others so I can be assigned to someone else." I suggested.
He cocked his head to the side.
"I've already attempted that option. That's not how it works." He said to me. "So, it's either I fire you or we simply ignore it. I don't have time to find a new secretary and for some reason, Mrs. Thornsmith seems to believe you'd be perfect for this position."
"And she's absolutely right, sir." I nodded. "I-I literally cannot lose this job."
His eyes remained fixed on mine for what felt like minutes before he said;
"Alright then. I'm sure you already know that your office is the one connecting mine. My schedules, documents, contacts and office number would be emailed to you. You are to familiarize yourself with the names and faces of executives, board members and investors I'd have dealings with."
I felt my heart leap in my chest.
I could feel myself heave out the biggest internal sigh of relief.
"This job will require a lot of your time and dedication." He went on. "Half-assing will not be tolerated. You must be punctual every day and you must be available every time I need you. You shall be my side for various events and meetings. You must have a thorough understanding of the company. And you may be required to accompany me on certain business trips."
I nodded.
"I do not tolerate incompetence." He stated. "One slip up, Ms. Clarke, and I will not hesitate to fire you from this job you have stated you cannot lose. Have I made myself clear?"
Dear God.
Why did it feel like I was selling my soul to the devil himself?
He was right about one thing though.
I really couldn't afford to lose this job for anything.
Which was why I held my head high as I said, "Crystal, sir."