“Actually, yes.” I ignored the way she’d said ‘generosity’ and opened my desk drawer. I pulled out her personnel file and set it on my desk. “I was looking at your employee contract and making sure it was up to date. You’re currently signed on for two more years. Is that still correct?”
“To the best of my knowledge.” She smiled. “That sounds about right.”
“So, nothing has changed and you’re quite happy working here?”
“Sure.” She looked away from me and cleared her throat. “Is that all you need from me, Mr. Leighton? I have tons of work to do today. We have that Somerstein meeting at noon.”
I picked up a pen and slid the contract across my desk. “I made a salary adjustment to the contract. If you initial it, it can be processed as early as this Friday.”
She picked up the paper and finally looked at me, her stunning hazel eyes meeting mine. “I um...Do you mind if I look at this later?”
“I do mind. Look at it right now.”
She parted her lips, but she didn’t say a word. She flipped through the papers, stopping at the salary page and her eyes widened.
“This is...” She blinked a few times. “This is quite an increase.”
“It is.” I narrowed my eyes. “I think you should sign it.”
“Wait a minute...You added a non-compete clause,” she said, reading softly. “I, Mya London, agree to remain at Leighton Publishing for a minimum of forty-eight months, and unless terminated, will never pursue any competing opportunities.”
“There’s a set of pens in front of you. I prefer black.”
She set the papers down and stepped back. “I need time to think about it.”
“What exactly do you need to think about?” I was beyond confused. “That offer is triple what you’re currently making, which is saying something since you’re currently making double what every other executive assistant here makes.”
“I guess I don’t like committing to something unless I’m one hundred percent sure that’ll at least be good and somewhat enjoyable for me.”
“It will definitely be more than ‘good’ and extremely enjoyable for you.”
“Are you referring to this job, Mr. Leighton?”
“What else would I be referring to?”
Silence.
“Um...” She cleared her throat, taking another small step back. “Surely you yourself don’t sign contracts after only reading them once.”
“I would if it was a contract like this.”
She muttered something under her breath I didn’t quite catch, and then my desk phone rang.
Keeping my eyes locked on hers, I answered it.
“Yes?” I said.
“Hey.” It was Brad. “Glad I caught you before the Somerstein meeting. I just got a call from Hilton Corporate and gave them your direct line, so try to be available for their questions in a few hours. I already told them Mya was amazing, but they need a second, more direct reference. They want details I don’t have, so try to be specific.”
“I’ll definitely do that.” I hung up, still looking at Mya. “So, how much time would you need to look over my proposal?”
“A couple months should be enough.”
“Months?” I clenched my jaw.
“Yes.” She glared at me. “Months. Working for you for an extended period of time is a lot to think about.”
Silence.
“Fine.” I picked up the papers and returned them to my drawer. “You can get the hell out of my office now.”
She shook her head and glanced down at my pants, blushing before leaving the room.
I sat back down in my chair and shook my head. I was confused and upset at the fact that she’d not only blatantly lied to my face, but she was also refusing to admit she was seeking other jobs. That, and she was still getting under my skin with her sexy bullshit.
Then again, if she wanted to play games, I could do the same...
THE EMAILS
Mya
Subject: The Ass-holery Report #235 (Can You Believe I’m Still Keeping Track of These?)
Today we’re supposed to go over the top literary fiction titles that will be rolled out in the Spring. I emailed him my top picks LAST WEEK but since he “doesn’t remember,” he asked me to RE-DO the entire 200-paged report in an hour. An hour!
Of course, I made way more than one copy of it, so I’m not really re-doing it, but fuck him.
Fuck him hard.
Your bestie,
Mya
PS—Is it sad that, ass-holeness aside, he still makes my panties wet more than once a week?
Subject: Re: The Ass-holery Report #235 (Can You Believe I’m Still Keeping Track of These?)
You mis-typed! We’re on ass-holery report #335, not #235! :) And BRAVO for making copies! Way to think smart!
Ugh, I can’t wait until you quit! I mean, wherever you end up next, you probably won’t get all those over the top benefits, but you won’t have to deal with him so that’s more than a fair trade-off.
Your bestie,
Amy
PS—No, but only because you’re still sadly single.
Subject: His cock has to be at least nine inches... (At least)
This is going to sound totally insane, but I swear this man was rock hard during my entire presentation today. Like, he had to be, and he had to know I was stealing glances of it because he sat in the back of the room, leaning back with his legs wide open, and he kept his eyes on me the entire time.