Mr. Big Shot: An Enemies To Lovers Romance (Kinda Cocky Book 1), стр. 30
But, I had to knock twice again before he answered, “Come in, Karina.”
I opened the door. “Hey, hey. I’m back.”
He crooked his finger at me. “Shut the door behind you.”
I did as he asked before turning to face him.
“So, how do you feel about everything?” Zane asked.
I watched him stand from his desk before he buttoned his suit coat around his waist.
“I feel… good,” I said.
“Miss Dale is in the process of making you a company log-in for your computer. Once that’s up and running, we can get you settled in with your email and set up your profile however you’d like.”
I blinked. “Miss Dale?”
“Yeah, the woman in H.R. you just saw. Miss Dale.”
Ah. Right. “Yes. Sorry. She introduced herself as Ava. Excuse me. It’s been a bit of an overwhelming day.”
“I hope that’s not an accurate portrayal of how you work under pressure.”
My face fell. “No. It’s not.”
“Good. Follow me. I’ll walk you through the buttons on your phone as well as your intercom.”
“Are you always this demanding at work?”
“Stick around long enough, and you’ll find out.” He chuckled and grinned.
I wasn’t sure how to take his interactions, but I decided to brush them off. I ignored the alluring scent of his cologne as he walked past me, only to open the door he told me to close. Then, we made our way toward my desk. It was about twenty feet from his office, and there were three or four chairs that lined the hallway. Probably for people waiting for an appointment with him, I figured. But, they looked spic-and-span like they were never used.
So strange.
“This stainless steel-looking mound is your intercom. It goes two ways, but only connects to my office. Press the black button to speak, then release to hear my response.”
I nodded. “I can do that.”
“The phone over here is a bit more complicated, but some of the buttons are labeled. The top one is ‘hold.’ The second one down is to transfer to me. The third one down, entitled ‘The Man,’ is to transfer to Brenden.”
I lifted a brow. “I take it, he labeled that?”
“Don’t you know it. And then each button down after that are all of the department heads, starting from the main floor.”
“That will take some time to learn.” I wasn't really talking to him, but it came out anyway.
“If you want to label them, you can. I don’t know why my prior secretary didn't, seeing as she always transferred to the wrong department eighty percent of the time. You’ll find an outline of the buttons in a file folder once you can log-in called ‘Basic Information.’”
I nodded. “I can do that.”
His eyes shifted up to mine. “And one more thing.”
“Yes?”
He reached down and pulled out a drawer that looked to need a key to access it. “There’s a key to this drawer as well as a laptop in here. That’s your work laptop. Take it with you everywhere you go. When you work from home, you use that. It’ll take the same log-in credentials as your laptop here.”
“And the key goes to the lock on that drawer. Right?”
He closed the drawer. “Right.”
“Anything else?”
And like clockwork, the phone started ringing. To which Zane grinned at me. You know, before he turned to walk away.
“Be as polite as you can on the phone. But, between the hours of two and four, I don’t take calls,” he said over his shoulder.
I reached for the phone. “Noted.”
He poked his head quickly back out of his office door. “Oh! Also, we’re leaving for Hawaii in three days. I need you to check your email, cancel the reservation we currently have and book a new hotel from the four I’ve sent to your work email.”
I paused. “Wait, what?”
He peered over his shoulder. “The phone is still ringing.”
I picked it up mindlessly. “Stonewater Realty, this is Karina speaking. Mr. Hearthstone’s new secretary.”
He grinned before pointing back to my desk.
“Headset’s in the top drawer,” he mouthed.
And then he disappeared back into his office.
16
Zane
Three days later
Me: One last thing. Before you get to the airport, stop and pick us up a couple of coffees. Whatever you want, and a hot coffee with a shot of white chocolate for me. Thanks.
I set my phone down and turned my sights back to some last-minute work. My cab was due any minute at my place. It was almost time to head toward the airport. I had a lot of important projects in different stages of development in Hawaii, and I needed to make sure things went off without a hitch. A lot of issues regarding the set-up of our international hub hinged on me being able to make healthy and lasting relationships with others there. And that meant putting my best foot forward.
My phone dinged, and I picked it up to see a text response back from Karina.
Karina: Will do. Hungry, too?
I grinned as my fingers flew across the screen.
Me: Either one of those large cheese muffins or one of their breakfast wraps. Whichever looks fresher. And get yourself something, too. Use the company card.
Karina: Trust me, I wasn’t going to be using money from my savings account.
A horn honked outside, pulling me from my trance. So, I packed up my laptop and headed downstairs. I already had my bags set outside waiting for the cab. When I walked out, I noticed the driver was already carrying my suit bag to the yellow car. So, I picked up my to-go bag and my toiletries and made my way down the sidewalk.
“Want to stop anywhere else before the airport?” the driver asked.
I hoisted my things into the back. “Nope. Just the airport. We’re going to the private tarmac.”
“We’re about thirty-five minutes out. What time does your flight leave?”
I closed the trunk. “Whenever I get there.”
“Then, I won’t fret about traffic.”
I slipped into the back seat and stared out the window. My phone