Mr. Big Shot: An Enemies To Lovers Romance (Kinda Cocky Book 1), стр. 26

“Are you wondering if our past actions are going to affect my employment here?”

Blunt. But I liked that.

“Among other things,” I said.

She licked her lips. “Understandable.”

“Before we continue, I want to say that I know what it feels like to need a fresh start. I know how much something like that can mean to someone. So, from this point on, I’ll be treating you as if we haven’t met before.”

She smiled. “I’d like that.”

My eyes flickered to the picture on my desk. To the woman that had been with me every day since the inception of that journey. She smiled at me from the picture, her blonde hair cascading well past her shoulders. Her brown eyes twinkled back at me with a thirst for life that I knew I’d never forget. Her smile would never cease to warm my heart.

I need a fresh start, too.

I cleared my throat. “Your resume is impressive. You handled a great deal of responsibility outside of H.R. duties in your old position.”

Karina nodded. “Yes, I did. I was always working overtime or staying late. If things needed to be done, I made sure they got done.”

“Were you ever paid for that overtime?”

She paused. “I’m not sure I can talk about that.”

“The company’s long since dissolved. You can, now. At least, it’s more socially appropriate now.”

She drew in a deep breath. “Well, then, no. I wasn’t.”

“Why not?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“Well, the first thing I want you to know is that, here, you're paid for any overtime you might accrue. Time and a half, actually. But, this job comes with a lot of overtime. There are expectations beyond the required forty full-time hours for this job. It’s simply the nature of the business.”

She sat taller. “I understand completely.”

“Are you willing to take on a job like that?”

She nodded. “The hours don’t sound much different than my other job, to be honest.”

“Good. Next question. Do you have an updated passport?”

She tried not to twist her face in confusion. “A what?”

“An updated passport. One you can travel with.”

She shrugged. “I mean, I’d have to check the date on it. I haven’t really touched my passport since a trip I took to Romania back in college.”

I furrowed my brow. “You took a trip to Romania in college?”

“I did, yes.”

“What in the world was in Romania for a college student?”

She grinned. “Is this pertinent to my interview?”

“To my curiosity, yes. Which, right now, is pertinent to your interview.”

She took in a deep breath. “Fair enough. I took an obscure language class in basic Romanian at the college I attended. At the end of the year was a rigorous test. But, the teacher gave us the option of traveling with her to Romania for a week. We had to speak as much of the basic language as we could while we were there. We were supposed to speak well enough to get around and communicate.”

“In place of the exam.”

Karina nodded. “Yep. In place of the exam. My parents thought it was a good idea, so we made a deal. They footed half of the trip, and I took out a broad spectrum student loan to cover the other half.”

I was impressed and a little jealous. “Sounds like an interesting college you attended?”

“Yes, it was a local college. I didn't go off somewhere like Roxy or Kelly.”

I shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. You wanted to get educated, so you got educated. That says something about your character. And your work ethic.”

“Though, if you're going to test me on something, consider sending me to Italy. Or Spain. I’ve always wanted to visit Spain.”

“Noted.” I chuckled.

She shook her head. “Anyway. My apologies. I have a tendency to go off on tangents.”

“No apologies necessary. Though I have one more question for you.”

Karina placed her hands in her lap. “Shoot.”

“It says here you're looking for eight weeks of paid leave. I can’t give you that right off the bat.”

She twisted her lips in disappointment. “Oh?”

I shook my head. “Nope. I can give you four, and we can work from there. But, this kind of paid leave usually comes with a diminished salary of some sort. Which I assume you wouldn’t want to take.”

“Well, instead of assuming, why don’t you pose the question to me?”

I drew in a deep breath. “Would you prefer the paid vacation, or--?”

“Four weeks of paid vacation is just fine.”

I grinned. “Great.”

The woman was impressive. And she obviously fit in with her surroundings. She was easy to talk to and easy to get along with. I needed those kinds of qualities in a secretary. But, our history kept me on a leash. I was treading into dangerous territory. I knew that. I mean, she wouldn't be the first secretary I’d ever hired that had a crush on me. However, she’d be the first secretary I’d hire whose naked body I had also seen.

In all reality, it would be a great distraction if she kept wearing those damn pencil skirts.

“Do you have any work pants?” I asked.

She furrowed her brow. “What?”

“Work pants. Do you own them?”

She blinked. “Uh, yeah? Why?”

“Wear those more often. Brenden has a habit of staring at the secretaries. And while I get on him as much as possible, the last thing I want is for him to make you uncomfortable.”

“Sounds like I should be prepared to visit your H.R. Department regularly.” She smirked.

“Or, you can simply tell me what he’s doing, and I can punch him in the nose.”

She barked with laughter. “Can I watch?”

I smiled. “If you work hard enough, sure. I’ll let you watch.”

I liked her, and not simply because she was beautiful. She was intelligent, witty, and she seemed like the kind of person that didn’t take anyone’s shit. I’d need that with some of the people that called the office regularly. I needed a secretary with a backbone. She had a great degree, and judging by her resume, she excelled in school. And obviously, she was open to learning new things.

Romania. Huh.

“So…?” Karina