A Devil Boss

Chapter 7

The next day was just as busy as the days before, and Sera didn't know what to start with. On her desk were piles of documents.

Some of them were urgent, and Astarot needed them, so she first sorted them by priority and then got to work.

Fortunately, she had learned the ropes well, so the work went quickly from her hand, and with a folder in her hand, she went to Astarot's office after a short while and peeked in. His door was only ajar, so she didn't knock. "I have the important papers ready," she informed him before entering.

The latter beckoned her to come in. "I'd like to look at them with you."

Sera approached him and placed the folder on the table. She then opened it and pulled up the chair to sit down across from him. She was curious to see what he would say about it.

"Come around, or this will be very awkward for both of us," he said, rolling his chair a bit to the side.

Taking the chair, she came around to his side of the desk and settled down. It was the first time he had wanted to look at the documents with her.

These hadn't been all that easy either, and it was good that he seemed to be correcting them with her.

Sera began to explain to him what she had done, noticing that he was brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. It was probably in his way because Sera had leaned over.

In response, she smiled and gave him a quick sideways glance before continuing. Primarily to hide her bewilderment that he had caused with his gesture.

"You did really well," he finally commented. "Just as I thought you would. You're not only good-looking, but you've got a lot going for you."

Astonished, Sera cleared her throat. She hadn't expected this compliment, and she didn't know what to say other than, "Thank you." She was embarrassed. It was obvious.

Again Astarot brushed a strand behind her ears. "You learn very quickly," he said, and only a knock on the door helped Sera through her speechlessness.

Grateful that this awkward moment was interrupted, she quickly stood up as she saw a customer simply open the door and walk-in.

Astarot sighed. "I forgot all about that," he muttered. "Would you and get a coffee and some cake?"

"Of course," Sera murmured, leaving the two alone. The customer seemed to be very important, and he gesticulated quite a bit. Sera could tell before she closed the door behind her. His trumpet-like voice made her kind of uncomfortable even, but not everyone could be as quiet as a mouse.

In the office kitchen, she put on the coffee and chatted with Lisa, an employee, and Nicolas. Both were very nice, and they talked when they had time. Both were pretty funny, but they also took their jobs very seriously. Sera liked that. Besides, Nicolas seemed quite mischievous with his blond hair and blue eyes.

"Important visit again?" asked Nicolas. "Then we might as well eat the rest of the cake. So we can have some too," he laughed and winked at Sera.

Jokingly, Sera raised her finger. "Not until they have some," she said with a grin. Every once in a while, someone would bring a cake for everyone to help themselves to. But there was often some for the visitors, too.

As far as she knew, Astarot always ordered some when notable clients came. Actually, that should be her job, but she didn't know yet when a client was essential and when not.

It was sweet that he allowed her the time to get to know everything. Soon she would order the cakes herself so he would have less work. "We'll eat the rest, though. As far as I know, no other clients are coming today. Go ahead and get everything ready. I'll be right back," she said with a mischievous smile and put the coffee cups, plates, and sugar and milk on the tray and took that to Astarot's office.

Just as she was about to leave the room, Astarot informed her that she could take the rest of the day off but should accompany him again in the evening.

"Thank you, I will get the documents ready for you and then leave," she said with flushed cheeks. His compliment from earlier was still in her bones.

Together with Nicolas and Lisa, she ate the rest of the cake. While doing so, they drank coffee and had an excellent conversation. The atmosphere in Astarot's company was good, and it was fun to work here.

He seemed like a good boss, which reassured her. At first, she had thought he was teasing her, but that didn't seem to be the case. His reaction to her mishap in the elevator had not been so bad, in retrospect.

As she processed and sorted documents, she reflected that perhaps she had overreacted. But that was Sera's way. She didn't think she should apologize, either. Astarot had given her a second chance, and she had accepted it gratefully.

Besides, the client visits with him were insanely exciting. With his charm, he actually always got what he wanted. That was good, too, because it saved him a lot of time.

After Sera had finished the documents, she copied them as usual to file them. As she did so, she felt a brief pain when she cut her finger with the paper. "Oh no," she mumbled and passed out, has always had a weakness for seeing blood. Even if it was just a drop.