Misadventures with the Boss (Misadventures #12)(14)

In spite of my words, I had no intention of keeping her on. It would be an untenable situation during a time where I needed to focus most on my business. Still, I had a mountain of shit to get through this week, and there was no way I was going to be able to replace her quickly. In fact, judging by Sally’s tone the last time we talked, I was fairly certain it was going to be a real bitch trying to get her to find me more applicants. Until I was able to do that and get someone else in place—preferably someone old with warts and facial hair—I would find Piper another position in the company.

One that wasn’t directly under me.

Even that thought sent another rush of blood to my cock. I blew out a sigh.

It was all going to work out fine. It was only for a few days. We’d get through it, and in the end, she’d still have a job. And me?

I’d be a free man again. Free to walk the halls without adjusting my suit jacket in an attempt to cover my raging hard-on.

Heading from my office, I noticed as each of my employees turned to nod and greet me. In my peripheral vision, I saw Piper grin at each of them, offering a little wave. I didn’t bother to stop and introduce her. She wouldn’t be here long enough to make friends. Instead, I slowed to a stop by her desk.

“This is you. You’ll find what you need in the manual. The directives should be clear and to the point, but if you have questions…”

I trailed off, because frankly, I didn’t care if she had questions. All I wanted was for her to be able to muddle through well enough to take even a little heat off me and keep me organized until someone more appropriate took her place.

I gestured to a black binder on her desk and then slipped into my office and closed the door, careful to make sure she’d taken her seat before making my way to my own desk. As usual, papers littered the surface, and I groaned as I opened my email to find a shit ton of new messages, each more important or serious than the last.

With the merger approaching, we had to ensure that every last one of the commercial listings we were acquiring was fit to come on board with us. We needed nothing but homers here, properties we could move quickly and sell at a premium. Which, in addition to being a major pain in the ass in general, meant that I was hearing from lawyers and accountants on a near constant basis these days.

My calendar, too, was covered with Post-it notes and crossed-out reminders in so many colors and handwritings that I couldn’t be sure what was important and what wasn’t.

Sighing, I glanced at the clock, pressed the buzzer, and waited for Piper to answer.

“How can I help you, Mr. Dane?”

“Coffee, please. I take it—”

“Black,” she finished. “All in the manual. I’m a fast reader. I’ll have it for you right away.”

I blinked but then released the intercom button and focused back on my messages. Within a matter of two minutes, there was a soft knock and then the door swung open, revealing Piper holding my favorite mug and walking slowly toward my desk.

“Here we go, and—” She gasped as she set down my coffee and then pressed a hand to her mouth, her beautiful eyes wide with dismay.

She pulled her hand from her mouth and cleared her throat. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be quite so dramatic, but…is this how your office always looks?”

She squinted at my multicolored Post-its and the utter chaos of my desk.

“Is there a problem?” I asked.

“It’s just…how do you work like this?” She poked a faded Post-it whose words weren’t even visible anymore.

“There’s a system,” I said coolly. There wasn’t, but I wasn’t about to let her walk in and start judging me. Who worked for whom here? “I figure it out.”

“And what exactly is the system?” she asked, the doubt plain on her face.

“I figure it out.” I shrugged. It hadn’t always been this way. In fact, before my long-term assistant Imelda had retired, things had been shipshape all the time. Once she’d retired, though, I just hadn’t been able to find anyone to replace her, and things had devolved.

Now, as I glanced around me, really seeing it for the first time, I barely suppressed the urge to wince. I could see that it might look a little overwhelming from the outside looking in.

My gaze took in the walls with notes taped to them.

Fuck, who was I kidding? It was like A Beautiful Mind up in here.

Still, something about the horror on Piper’s face made me bristle, so I stood my ground.

“Eventually, as my assistant, you’d be responsible for getting this all digitized and keeping me on track.”

“Of course,” she said with a nod, her gaze flitting around the space like she was already mentally tidying up. “Well, you have a meeting in the conference room in five minutes. I’ve set up the projector and the computer in there, so you should be all set for the presentation.”

“You did all that already?”

“Well, what else was I going to do while the coffee brewed?” She shrugged. “Do you mind if I work on your calendar a little while you’re gone?”

“Knock yourself out,” I said. Then I collected my papers and made my way to the meeting.

The presentation was short and sweet—just an update on where we stood in terms of the upcoming merger and a few housekeeping notes on the properties the company had acquired in the past few months. It was all straight and to the point, and by the time my coffee was finished, it was over.