Next Stop: Love (4 page)

“You don’t know that,” I broke in.

“But those are the qualities that are important to my old man, and if I tell him that you’ve got what it takes, he’ll hire you.”

I blinked at him uncertainly. “Listen . . . I don’t think my working for you is such a good idea.”

Now his expression was one of genuine surprise. “Why not?”

“Um . . .” I laughed awkwardly. “Maybe because we didn’t exactly get off to a promising start in terms of building a professional relationship?”

“I don’t see a problem there. As my assistant, I expect you to demonstrate reliability and initiative and be able to work under pressure,” he told me. “What happened outside these walls has no bearing on any of that.”

“But . . . I called you an asshole,” I persisted. I simply could not understand why he was so set on hiring me. Was it revenge? Was he planning on making my life as his personal assistant a living hell? I wouldn’t have put it past him.

“No hard feelings, and I wasn’t your boss yet then,” he said with a grin.

“I’m not so sure.” I lowered my eyes and made a face.

“You realize I’m practically begging you to work for me here? This is seriously embarrassing.”

I couldn’t help laughing. It really was bizarre . . . and that was exactly why I felt like I had to turn him down.

When I still didn’t respond, he pushed a several-page document across the table toward me. “That’s your contract. Sign it and work for me,” he pleaded, as he laid the pen beside it.

“Mr. Marcs,” I protested uncertainly.

“Luca, call me Luca,” he suggested.

Well, there was
no way
I was going to do that. “I think I’d better go now,” I announced as I stood.

“Have you even looked at the contract?” he asked, holding it out to me.

I sat back down with a barely audible sigh and let my eyes wander disinterestedly over the page. Then I nearly choked. “You . . . you want to hire me as your executive assistant?” I sputtered in astonishment, turning the page to check the salary. Five hundred euros a month extra—after taxes!—on top of what was already excellent compensation. Unbelievable.

“You’ll enjoy a number of benefits as my assistant. You’ll be receiving an above-average salary as an employee of the largest event company in Berlin. Plus, you’ll be able to get into pretty much any club or event you like. And our employees enjoy plenty of other perks. Think you’d be able to handle all that?”

My eyes slid from the contract to his face. I still couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Sure, except . . . what’s the catch?”

My question earned me a nod of recognition, which I found a little insulting. What, he thought I would be so dazzled by the salary that I wouldn’t even read the fine print? “You’ll be on call at all times, and you might have to accompany me on business lunches or dinners, although that probably won’t happen very often. And, of course, you’ll have to maintain confidentiality when it comes to me and the company.”

“Well.” I thumbed through the contract. “I’m afraid I’ll have to read this through carefully before I make any decisions. I want to be sure not to miss any of the fine print.”

He was in no way offended and gave me a cheeky grin that was completely out of place in a job interview. “But Ms. Neumann, surely you’re not accusing me of foisting slave contracts on our employees?”

The next words came out of my mouth before I could stop myself. “Well, from what I’ve experienced so far, I wouldn’t put anything past you.” As soon as I’d said it, I wanted to clamp my hand over my mouth, but he didn’t seem the least bit insulted. Did this guy take anything to heart? I laid the contract on the table. “You see? That’s exactly what I mean. I just can’t work for you and act like—”

I broke off mid-sentence when his father came back into the room. Seeing that I had risen to my feet, he asked, “Is the discussion already over?”

I was about to tell him that I wouldn’t be working for either of them when Luca said, “I’ve offered her the job as my executive assistant. You know I need a replacement.”

The elder Marcs raised his eyebrows and glanced from me to his son. “Your executive assistant?” he asked as he shut the door. There was little enthusiasm in his voice. “Don’t you want to find someone with more . . . experience for that position?”

I raised my eyebrows, too. Just what was that supposed to mean?

“Ms. Neumann is highly qualified; you said so yourself,” Luca responded with a gesture in my direction. His father turned to look at me, and as I met his doubting gaze, I felt like I was back at home with my mother. She’d always given me that exact same look whenever she questioned my abilities. But I wasn’t under her thumb anymore, and it was time for me to prove it to myself and the rest of the world.

“I’m confident that I’d be able to handle the requirements of the job, and I’m looking forward to demonstrating that to your son,” I blurted out, pulling the contract toward me. Even to my own ears, my voice sounded too strident. I glanced over at Luca, who had a surprised look in his eyes as he shrugged innocently in his father’s direction. I signed the contract and handed it back to him. He signed as well and then held it up to show his father, who still didn’t look convinced, but that only made me even more determined to prove myself to him. I wasn’t going to let trivialities like the ones on the train stop me. I was enough of an adult to deal with the situation, especially if Luca could do the same.

“Do you have any other questions?” Luca asked as he rose from his chair.

“No,” I said, picking up my copy of the contract.

“Then I’ll walk you to the elevator. You start tomorrow at eight.”

I nodded and put on my jacket, then bade the elder Marcs good-bye and followed Luca out. When we emerged from the office, all the other applicants were already gone, and I wondered which ones had gotten jobs, or if any at all had made the final cut. I still couldn’t believe that I was his executive assistant now, with that unbelievable salary. But I was also smart enough to know that it wasn’t going to be easy, that I would have to earn every penny of it. After all, I didn’t know what had happened to the woman before me, but there was probably a reason that he’d been looking for a new assistant.

“Your father doesn’t seem too sure about me.” The words slipped out of my mouth as we approached the elevators, and I immediately bit down hard on my lip.
Is that really something you should discuss with your supervisor?
I scolded myself. I had to stop treating him like he was just a guy I knew, because he wasn’t. He was my boss now, not some hot, arrogant bastard in a suit, riding the train—well, he was still hot, but now he was even more taboo than before. He was a forbidden zone.

To my amazement, though, he was totally unfazed, and I wondered whether he was also having a hard time maintaining professional distance, or if he just didn’t want to. “Don’t take it personally,” he said, looking a little embarrassed. “Actually, he doesn’t trust anyone . . . even me.”

“Oh, okay,” I said, because I didn’t know how else to respond, and because I wanted to drop the subject as quickly as possible. How his father acted was none of my business, and I certainly didn’t want to know about Luca’s family affairs.

When the elevator was two floors away, he said, “Be here an hour early tomorrow so that Aileen can show you your desk and get you the remaining paperwork.”

“Aileen?” I repeated in surprise.

“We all call each other by our first names here, except when my dad is around.” He smiled. The elevator doors opened, revealing the brown-haired man from before—Mike, I remembered. He was carrying a heavy leather briefcase, and his attentive gaze was fixed on me.

“Mike, may I introduce my new assistant, Sophia?” Luca said, gesturing to me.

A hint of a smile appeared on Mike’s face as he stepped out of the elevator and shook my hand. “We meet again so soon. I wish I could congratulate you, but you’ve just signed a deal with the Devil. My sympathies,” he joked.

Luca rolled his eyes. “Very funny, Mike. Better hurry, my father’s waiting for you.”

Mike nodded and waved good-bye to me before hurrying into the office we had just exited.

“Well, then, Sophia, welcome to Marcs Entertainment,” Luca said as I got into the elevator. “And here’s to a successful partnership.”

“Thanks,” I replied, and then he leaned into the elevator and pushed the button for me, although I was perfectly capable of doing it myself. Just before the doors closed, I saw him wink shamelessly. Or maybe I just imagined it. Anyway, my stomach responded with a nervous flutter, and one thing became clear to me: this man was a hunter, and I was heading straight into his trap.

THE USUAL INSANITY

“Well, if that doesn’t smell like trouble, I don’t know what does,” Lisa declared when I’d finished telling her the story. Of course she’d wanted to hear all about my interview, but she obviously hadn’t expected any of what happened.

“You think? Actually, I don’t see a problem with it, because I can’t stand the guy, anyway. If he pressures me at all, at least I can report him,” I replied breezily as I seasoned the salad with olive oil and salt. Except who was I actually trying to convince here? If one little wink from him was enough to give me butterflies, what would happen if he actually touched me?

“Sure, honey. I don’t want to offend you, but men like that are just drawn to you. They’re the poor little moths and you’re the flame, only you always end up the unfortunate one.”

I froze in place for a moment, then turned to face her. “You know, I really appreciate your advice, but can you please shut up? You’re not exactly saying anything constructive.”

She shrugged, unconcerned. “Fine, I won’t say a word. I just wanted to be sensible about it.”

I turned back to the salad, and Lisa returned to the hot skillet. “Leave that to me,” I said. “Trust me, I’ve learned from my mistakes; I’m not about to make the same ones again.”

We set the table, dished out our chicken and salad, and sat down to eat a late lunch. Lisa really did have a nice apartment. Three rooms, 925 square feet, mostly white IKEA furniture, and a Chartreux named Khasi. Khasi’s gray fur was cuddly soft and had a bluish shimmer in the sunlight. He was a stately cat and hardly ever passed up the chance to put himself center stage. Now, for example, he was enthroned atop his cat tree, gazing down at us imperiously, making sure nothing escaped his attention. He reminded me a lot of Lucifer, the tomcat in
Cinderella
, except Khasi was cuddlier and liked me pretty well.

I’d always wanted a pet, a dog particularly. But my mom couldn’t stand animals—just like she couldn’t stand cackling women, crowded supermarkets, men with glasses, amusement parks, girls wearing tight clothing, and many, many other things. Actually, she couldn’t stand anything or anyone, except maybe herself. Seriously, if I’d gone through life with her worldview, I’d have thrown myself off a bridge a long time ago.

After lunch, we loaded the dishes into the dishwasher, and then I started unpacking and settling into my new room. I’d shipped the entire contents of my closet, and I’d done the same with my papers, books, and other smaller items, until finally I’d left behind an empty room for my mother to discover. She hadn’t noticed any of the progress toward my secret relocation because she hardly ever went into my room, anyway. Sad, wasn’t it? No mother who had a healthy relationship with her daughter would fail to notice that she was moving out. But we hadn’t had a healthy relationship in a long time.

Once I’d made all the necessary preparations, I’d planned my escape for an evening I knew she would be spending with friends. Although “friends” was really stretching it—as soon as the three of them parted company, they started bad-mouthing one another. Why did they keep getting together, anyway? Probably nobody else could stand being around them, so they’d developed a kind of forced friendship.

It was cowardly of me to disappear into the night with no warning, but my mother was so well known that she had connections everywhere, including the local police. She was a demon who ruled our village behind the scenes, and if I’d given her advance notice, she would have somehow stopped me or sabotaged my plans. So I’d had no other choice. All I’d left her was a note, but I knew that she wouldn’t waste any tears on me—if anything, she’d throw a tantrum. She hadn’t tried to call me yet, either, although she must have discovered my absence. After all, this was supposed to have been my first day at the law firm, and she generally dragged me to such appointments herself. But that was how she was: stubborn and dictatorial.

She probably thought that I was just going through a rebellious phase and would come back eventually. So it would be another few weeks before she realized the gravity of the situation and contacted me. In my note, I hadn’t told her where I’d gone, but she’d find out sooner or later through her network. Oh, how I would love to hear her attempts to explain my disappearance to the neighbors. She’d never forgive me for this, but that didn’t matter. I had a few things I’d never forgive her for, either.

Even though Lisa still wanted to celebrate, I was just too tired, so we ordered Chinese for dinner, and then I went to bed. I had no idea what awaited me the following day, so I wanted to be relaxed, and for that I needed plenty of sleep. Well, actually, I did know—I mean, I’d obviously read up on secretaries and their areas of responsibility. My number-one job was to be there for my boss and act as his right hand. I was responsible for receiving his clients, making calls in his name, screening unimportant calls, planning business trips and meetings, taking care of his written correspondence, and handling his e-mail. It was an interesting and varied job—just not necessarily one I should be doing for Luca. But I needed the money, and if anything struck me as less than kosher, I could always quit.

I was an hour early the next day, just as Luca had told me to be. At the reception desk, I received a key card, giving me access to every department, along with a list of passwords for my computer. Then I went up to the fourth floor, where Aileen, who had come in early to help me settle in, showed me my desk.

“I don’t know how you managed to get the job as his executive assistant,” she murmured an hour later. “A few of us have been lusting after this job for years now.” She sounded neither begrudging nor envious, though. It was just a statement of fact.

“Why are you telling me this?” I asked.

She glanced around the room, although we were practically alone. Two men were just coming out of the elevator, and a housekeeper was vacuuming Luca’s office; otherwise, the floor was deserted, and the other secretaries’ desks were all still empty. “Because it’ll rankle a couple of them, so don’t be surprised if they act bitchy toward you,” she explained.

“Oh, great.” I sighed. “So my first day of work hasn’t even really started, and I’ve already made enemies.”

She smiled sympathetically. “Don’t worry, as long as I’ve got you under my wing, they’ll leave you alone. I’ve got seniority here, so they respect me.” Seniority? I regarded Aileen more closely. She couldn’t have been older than forty. Fiery-red hair, dark eye makeup, cherry-red lipstick, and a tattoo snaking along her neck. Not necessarily a look I’d have expected in an office environment. Seeing the way my eyes lingered on her tattoo, she said, “Over the years you come to earn a degree of respect around here, along with a certain amount of freedom. But I won’t ever make it to executive assistant, not with the way I look.” She gestured to the tattoo. There was still no hint of resentment in her voice—it sounded more like she’d come to terms with the situation long ago and was satisfied with her position.

“Luca’s got something against tattoos?” I asked.

She shook her head. “Luca doesn’t, but his father does, and as long as his father’s still running the show, Luca has to play by his old-fashioned rules. And a tattooed woman accompanying them to important meetings is definitely against the rules.”

“You mean Luca himself is a lot more relaxed about it?” I inquired. I was definitely interested in learning more about him as a person. Possibly even a bit
too
interested. On the other hand, I was his assistant now, so that was part of the job, right?

“Oh, totally relaxed. When the old man goes on business trips, we don’t have to wear skirts, and sometimes Luca even lets us come in jeans. Plus, he buys pizza for the whole department once a month.” Now her voice had taken on a fawning note. “Man, if I were fifteen years younger, I would have jumped that guy a long time ago.” She gave me an exaggerated wink, which I immediately loved her for.

“So his employees like him,” I concluded. Hardly imaginable somehow, considering what a dick he’d been on the train.

“Like him? Girl, we love him! Luca is the funniest, nicest boss you can possibly imagine, and you’ve seen how hot he is. We’re all going to kiss the sky when Daddy finally retires. But he won’t give up the reins that easily, as stubborn as he is . . . And now you’d better start working on Luca’s in-box. He really doesn’t like to come in and find it already bursting with unimportant messages.” She sat down next to me.

Somehow I found the idea of poking around in his in-box absurd. I mean, I knew that being his assistant would mean a certain degree of involvement with his personal life, and I would probably end up learning things I didn’t want to know at all . . . but reading his e-mail?

Aileen remained at my side the entire time, showing me which messages were important, which I could delete immediately, and which I could save for later. I took a ton of notes as we worked, and when my phone rang, she answered it and showed me where and how to take messages.

One by one, the other secretaries arrived and welcomed me to their little group. They couldn’t have been more different. Bianca, the short brunette, had a sleepy look to her and sipped her coffee listlessly. Anne and Samantha, who seemed slightly hyper, giggled quietly to themselves.

And then there was Mary, the tall blonde who sized me up coolly, which suggested she might be one of the resentful ones. “Where did you work before?” she inquired, turning toward me as she let herself sink magisterially into her chair.

“Nowhere. I’m fresh out of school,” I told her, whereupon the other women immediately gave me their full attention.

“Business communications and administration?” Mary probably assumed I was talking about secretary school.

“More like a law degree,” I replied, causing her to raise one perfectly plucked eyebrow. There was a hint of acknowledgment in her expression, but mostly it was one of disapproval.

Aileen, on the other hand, seemed impressed. “Hear, hear! Our first grad student. Now I know why he picked you.”

Mary threw her a harsh look and began chewing on a ballpoint pen in an unladylike way. She had her blouse unbuttoned low enough to put her plump, pushed-up bosom on display, and whether it was real or not, it was definitely an eye-catcher. She wore sheer black stockings and high heels, and she’d probably spent hours in front of the mirror doing her elaborate makeup.

I, meanwhile, was walking around in a less spectacular getup. Obviously, I wore a blouse and a skirt as well, but my pumps had a comfortable heel on them, and all I had on my face was a little mascara and a glob of concealer to cover up a zit. I liked my natural look. I didn’t want to be arrogant, but I bet that I looked fresher without makeup than Mary did.

“So how does one go from law student to secretary?” She made no effort to sound friendly, but I was familiar with people like her and knew how to deal with them. There was always someone who thought they were better than everyone, whether it was in appearance or intelligence. At school, people were arrogant about how smart they were, and here, with Mary, it was about her looks. And I had to admit that she really did look smoking hot—she was probably the sexiest woman in the whole building. But what good had that done her? She still wasn’t Luca’s assistant. Okay, maybe that was mean of me, but a little schadenfreude was fine now and then, and this chick had it coming.

“I don’t know; it just appealed to me.” I shrugged. It was the absolute truth. After I’d decided to leave my mother’s house, I’d applied to pretty much every job out there, as long as they were in Berlin. And Marcs Entertainment had simply been the first company to write me back. Admittedly, at first I hadn’t cared one way or another who took me, but once I’d seen the location and the fantastic salary, I’d really wanted to work here.

“And then you decided to apply here?” she pressed on. “Just like that?”

I clicked my tongue in annoyance. Her interrogation was starting to wear on my nerves, especially because she wasn’t even trying to hide her disdain. “And my efforts were obviously fruitful,” I replied. With that, I rotated pointedly around to face my screen, thus turning my back on her.

Aileen poked me in the side and winked appreciatively—apparently she couldn’t stand Mary, either.

At nine sharp, the office was suddenly packed and busy; telephones rang, people hurried around, secretaries whispered to each other, and someone got into or out of an elevator every minute. Aileen explained which offices were on the fourth floor and which of my fellow secretaries worked for whom. Bianca worked for the head of finance; Anne, for the press secretary; Samantha, for the head of the fashion department; Mary, for the head of HR; and Aileen, for Mike, the nice guy from the elevator, who was our IT manager and a good friend of Luca’s.

Luca stepped into the office at half past nine, and before I’d even noticed him, the atmosphere in the room changed. The other secretaries quickly fixed their hair and sat up straighter in their chairs, and everyone’s eyes seemed glued to the heir apparent as though they were hypnotized. I admit, with his dark-gray suit and deliberate stubble, he really was hot, but there was also such a thing as overdoing it. At any rate, I merely said hello politely. I had to give it to him, though: he greeted not only me but also all the other secretaries, and in an extremely charming way. A murmur seemed to ripple through the room after he passed; when he shut his office door behind him, the spell was broken, and everyone went back to work.