A Shrew's Revenge

Chapter 7

Emma Davis sat looking through the resumes on her desk. There was three women already sitting in the lobby, waiting to be interviewed and typical. None of them really had any experience but all of them wanted to work with the dashing Brian Carlton.

Emma sighed. It was always a mess- He hired a personal assistant he liked to look at, and not one who was actually competent. And of course, Emma ended up picking up the slack.

Emma read through the resumes, Sales Associate at Sak's? She shook her head, looking at the women. They were are pretty, she wondered which one he would pick.

"Hi- I'm looking for Emma Davis." A soft voice interrupted Emma's train of thought. She turned, looking at the woman in front of her. Wow. She was quite gorgeous- auburn hair and big blue eyes... just his type.

"Hi there. Is this for the PA position?" Emma asked rolling her eyes as she took the resume from the girl's hand.

"Yes." She said. "and I also have this." Emma looked at the paper, it was a recommendation letter.

"Okay. Beatrice Kuhlmann, Well Ms. Kuhlmann, take a seat and I'll call you when it's your turn." Emma said, putting the papers aside.

Nora nodded, noting the hostility in the woman's voice and made her way over to a chair, opposite the other candidates. As she watched them, she wondered just how ridiculous she looked next to them.

Emma picked up the resume and took a quick look- Business school? That woman there went to business school... and she was applying for a PA position? She continued to read the resume, noting she had worked for two years with Stacey Martin, a well known heiress and business woman in New York. That was it. Her only work experience was with Stacey Martin.

Well, it certainly beat the other candidates. Emma looked at Beatrice, who looked nervous. How could a woman who looked like that be so nervous? The dress she had chosen obviously showed a level of confidence.

"Ms. Beatrice Kuhlmann, this way please." Emma said, taking her information and turning to the receptionist. "Wait 15 minutes, send these two girls home and leave the other on hold."

Nora stood up nervously and moved to towards Emma, who now signaled for her to follow her into an elevator, where they rode in silence. A few moments later, the elevator doors opened to the floor where Nora knew Brian's office was located. Emma snapped her fingers, demanding Nora's attention and led her to a desk at the far end. Nora looked around, noting it was behind a cubicle wall and unlike the others, it was large and more comfortable.

"Have a seat." Emma said, pointing to a chair on the other side of the desk.

"So, Beatrice- tell me about your time with Ms. Martin." Emma said, leaning back in her chair.

"Well, I was her personal assistant- ran errands, picking up and delivering documents, answering letters on her behalf and even some clerical work. I also answered calls for her when the secretaries were not available." Nora said, repeating exactly what Stacey told her to say.

"And tell me, why are you applying for a personal assistant position if you have a degree in business?" Emma said.

"Well, I'm not an heiress. When I graduated, I had zero prospects and I had heavy student debt. Stacey, Ms. Martin, helped me with a job to help me get my footing here in New York. After that, was over, I tried to find other work but again, no experience, no real connections, little prospects." Nora said, repeating another rehearsed speech.

Emma stared at her- aware at how everything in New York depended on who you knew.

"Emma." She heard a voice calling her. With a roll of her eyes, Emma got to her feet.

"One second." Emma said, moving past the cubicle. Nora was still. She had heard someone approaching behind her and was now aware of the conversation going on right next to her.

"Here- I need these faxed ASAP." Brian said, handing Emma some reports. Emma tried to hide her frustration- this was not her job. She needed to hire an assistant ASAP.

"Okay." she said, taking the stack of reports.

"How are the candidates looking?" Brian asked, suddenly noticing a young woman sitting at Emma's desk, her back towards him.

"Good. I'm actually in the middle of an interview now." Emma said, "So, excuse me."

Brian smiled. "Good, I'd love to meet the first Candidate." He said, going around Emma and walking to her seat, much to her chagrin.

"Hi, My name is Brian Carlton." He said, extending his hand to Nora as he sat. Nora stared at him wide eyed, afraid for a moment he recognized her.

Emma rolled her eyes, noticing immediately the interest in Beatrice. Great- the one decent candidate and he's going to have her playing footsie instead of actually working.

"Brian, this is Beatrice Kuhlmann, Beatrice, this is Mr. Carlton. If hired, you'd report directly to him." Emma said, letting out a sigh. Brian ignored Emma, staring directly at Beatrice. Wow- she was gorgeous. He watched her cross her legs nervously, such nicely shaped legs and fold her arms over her chest.

"Mr. Carlton." Nora said, trying to bring her voice down a bit to sound different.

"Brian, please." he said as she extended her hand and shook it. Brian noted how warm her hands were- she was nervous.

"Well, if you'll excuse me, I was just going to give Ms. Kuhlmann some information about the position." Emma said but Brian smiled even wider.

"That's okay. I've got a few minutes... Bea, is it okay if I call you Bea?" Brian said, rising to his feet.

"Actually, it's Beatrice." Nora said but he just laughed.

"Well, Bea, Let me show you around. After all, who better to tel you about the position than me?" Brian said, turning on his famous charm. Emma rolled her eyes, fully aware the matter had been removed from her hands. She looked at Beatrice, who strangely enough looked rather annoyed by Brian. A reaction she had never seen before from a woman.

"Ms. Davis and I were actually in the middle of-" Nora began, not wanting to be swept away.

"that's okay, Beatrice. Please, call me Emma. Brian, make sure to bring her back here in 10. I have other candidates waiting." Emma said coldly, turning back to her desk.

Brian stood, and moved away from the desk, motioning for Beatrice to follow. Emma looked up one last time, wondering how long this one would last when she thought... no, it couldn't be. Beatrice did not just roll her eyes at Brian when he wasn't looking, did she? Emma tried to contain a laugh. Could it be there was actually a woman out there who wouldn't swoon?

Nora followed Brian nervously as he pointed out the different areas on the floor, eventually making it to his office and pointing to the empty desk right in front of it.

"This is actually where you will sit." He said as he held open the door to his office for her.

"If I get the job." Nora said, not liking how friendly he was being. She was completely surprised by the difference in the way he treated Bea and the way he had treated her when she was Nora.

"Of course." He said with a grin, looking her over from head to toe as she walked in. Nora was still as Brian closed the door behind him.

"Come, have a seat." He said, motioning to the chairs in front of his desk. Slowly, Nora walked over, remembering what Stacey told her about not rushing. She sat at the edge of the chair, keeping her back straight and trying to hide the fact that her feet were killing her.

"So." he said, sitting in the chair next to her. Brian was still, leaning back and crossing one leg across the other as he watched her. "tell me about yourself."

Nora was still- suddenly conscious of his gaze. He really was looking all over, not bothering to hide it. She parted her lips a second, her nerves beginning to get the best of her.

"Well, There's not much to tell. I worked with Stacey Martin as her personal assistant for two years..." Nora began but Brian cut her off.

"No. I can see that on your resume, I want to know about you." He said, watching her. Brian had always hired pretty women, sometimes he pursued them, sometimes they pursued him but in the end, it was always a matter of time before they gave in.

"Like I said, there's not much to tell." Nora repeated coldly.

"How old are you?" He asked.

"24." She said simply, sticking as close as possible to the truth.

"And where do you live?" He continued.

"Brooklyn." She said.

"Did you grow up there?" He asked.

"Yes." She said. Brian stared at her, she seemed intent on keeping her answers short.

"What about a boyfriend?" he asked.

"That's really none of your business." Nora said, regretting it almost immediately. Brian chuckled, amused by her harsh frankness. That was certainly something that had never happened before.

"okay. Sorry- I was only trying to be friendly. Some other time then. What about after work, any other commitments? The job is full time, some overtime required." He said casually.

"None." She said, keeping her answers short once again.

Brian stared at Beatrice, trying to figure out if she was trying to be coy or if that was just how she was as a person. She was very attractive, he had to admit, and he knew he had the bad habit of hiring based on looks, which Emma hated but what he could tell from this girl's resume she was actually even over qualified.

"Are you from New York?" He asked.

"I am." She responded. Nora was trying to be calm but Brian was looking at her in a way that made her feel he did not believe she was who she said she was.

"Tell me about your upbringing." He said.

"My upbringing?" Nora asked, caught off guard.

"I was raised in New York, that ought to tell you more than you need to know." She said after thinking about it. Brian raised a brow- she was being purposely coy.

"I suppose so, I was also raised in New York." He said, wondering if she would ask him any questions but she didn't.

"Any questions for me?" He said after a few minutes.

"Hours?" she asked, guessing that would be a standard interview question.

"8:30 to 6:30 PM Monday through Thursday, hour lunch break, half a day on Fridays, some weekends." He said automatically. Nora nodded.

"Anything else?" She asked, thinking she should get back to Emma. Brian looked her over- such a prim and proper woman dressed up like some seductress. Who was she?

"No. Please go over to Emma, see if she had anything else to add. We will let you know." Brian said. Nora rose, extending her hand.

"It was good to meet you. Thank you." She said formally but Brian surprised her, taking her hand and leading her to the door. Nora hoped her fingers were not trembling but she guessed by his smile they were. Just as they reached the door of his office, Brian brought her fingers up to his lips and smiled. Nora felt her heart rate increase.

"Have a good day." He said, releasing her hand and holding the door open for her.

Emma watched as Beatrice exited the office and the door closed behind her. She was a bit stiff and walked back towards her with a flushed look on her face. Emma wondered if Brian had tried anything- that man was so bad.

"Beatrice, how'd it go?" Emma asked, signaling for her to take a seat. Nora sighed.

"Okay, I guess." Nora replied, trying to be calm.

"Does come off a bit strong, doesn't he?" Emma asked, suddenly feeling sorry for her.

"Yes, I suppose." Nora said. Just then the phone rang and Emma picked up.

"Hello? Yes. Yes. Yes. Already? Yes. Yes. I do. Yes, completely agree. Okay. Okay. Bye." Emma said, looking at Nora as she spoke.

"So..." Emma said, putting the receiver down and looking at her. "Mr. Carlton like you. He wants me to offer you the job."

Nora was still.

"and honestly, if this resume is true and the recommendation valid, I would be relieved to have you on board but... I feel like I should be honest." Emma said. Nora nodded.

"Please, I prefer for people to always be honest with me." Nora answered truthfully.

"Mr. Carlton is a good boss, fair and generous, sometimes kind of a prick but generally a good boss. As you may have also noticed, he's a bit of a lady's man. I've seen a lot of assistants come through those doors and, like you, they are all beautiful. I need you to tell me that regardless of what happens, you will always behave professionally- for both your sake and my own." Emma said. She was in a way worried- this girl seemed to be focused and disciplined, the last thing she needed was something to go wrong and get in the way of her ambitions.

Nora lifted her chin and took a deep breath. She hadn't expected such a warning.

"Ms. Davis- I promise you that my work will always be performed to the best of my ability- I will not allow any personal matters to affect me professionally." Nora said. Emma looked at her questioningly for a second before standing and extending her hand.

"Very good then. I'll see you here, tomorrow at 8:30 sharp." Emma said.