On the Accidental Wings of Dragons (Dragons of Eternity Book 1) (18 page)

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At twelve thirty, Darien decided to go get some coffee. He didn’t need to eat like a normal person, and the caffeine did nothing for him, but he still loved his coffees.

He slipped from his office to get a caramel macchiato from the café downstairs. The sight of his new assistant at her desk, munching half a sandwich and playing Minesweeper, stopped him in his tracks.

Vicky looked up from her meager meal and entertainment to find her new boss staring at her. She swallowed the bite of sandwich that had just gone dry in her mouth and dropped the rest so it was hidden behind her desk. “Is there something I can do for you, Mr. Ritter?” she asked, in the best professional voice she could muster with sandwich crumbs spread across her lap.

Darien considered her for a moment. “I did say you could take the lunch hour to get something at the café?” He was sure he had made himself clear.

Vicky raised the sandwich up to show him. “I didn’t know what to expect, so I brought something from home,” she admitted shyly.

Darien chuckled to himself. Glancing over the meal she brought, his eyes caught on the little fruits on her desk. “What’s that?” Darien pointed at what looked like wrinkly, mini oranges.

Vicky looked where he was pointing and set her sandwich down. “They’re clementines.” Picking up one of the citrus fruits, she split open the peel to reveal the cute, little pieces inside, and held the whole thing out for him to take.

Darien pulled one of the slices out and slipped it into his mouth. His eyes lit up at the burst of juice that was close to an orange, yet not quite the same. “Oh wow,” he exclaimed.

Vicky smiled at his reaction.

Darien popped a second piece into his mouth before realizing he was eating his new assistant’s lunch. “I’m sorry.” He tried to give the unfinished clementine back to her, but she waved it away with a smile.

“I have more, enjoy it.” Vicky felt a little more relaxed at seeing the great man that terrified her act just as human as the next guy.

“Thank you.” Darien accepted the gift and paused for a moment. “I’m heading down to get some coffee. Would you like to join me, Miss Westernly?”

Vicky jumped at the opportunity to learn more about the man she would be working for. She quickly packed her lunch away and stuck it in the top drawer of the desk. Pushing the laptop closed, she picked up the bag she had been charged with.

Darien smiled to himself as he watched the protective way Vicky slipped the bag over her shoulder so she could easily carry it without losing it.

Munching on the clementine, he led Vicky through the building, pointing out things she would need to know. Whenever someone spoke to him or waved, Darien told Vicky their name and what they did in the company. By the time they reached the fifth floor café, Vicky’s head was spinning with the sheer quantity of information he had thrown at her. The locations and their functions were easy, but the names and faces he paraded past her were just too much to handle in one go. Darien ended the tour by stepping up to the counter at the café.

“The usual, Mr. Ritter?” asked the barista, smiling at the handsome CEO.

“Make it two, please, Sue,” he answered the spunky girl. “This is my new personal assistant, Miss Victoria Westernly.” Darien presented Vicky for Sue to look over.

Vicky considered the petite woman with short, orangish-brown hair. She was sure the cute girl couldn’t be more the eighteen or nineteen.

“It’s nice to meet you, Miss Westernly.” Sue smiled warmly at Vicky as she retrieved the things to make the coffees.

Vicky returned the smile and the greeting.

When finished, Sue placed the drinks in Darien’s hands. “Here you go, Mr. Ritter.”

“Thank you very much, Sue.” Darien started to leave.

Vicky stood there, gaping at him. “It was a pleasure to meet you,” she called to the girl behind the counter as she rushed to catch up with her new boss.

Sipping on his drink, Darien held one of the coffees out so Vicky could take it. She looked at the cup before sipping on it gingerly to find it was delicious.

“I own this building and everything in it, so I don’t pay for anything at the café,” Darien explained to his companion. “And since you are now my personal assistant, you don’t, either.” He hadn’t extended this privilege to the previous temps. She hadn’t even been there for a full day, and Vicky had already exceeded his expectations. “If anyone says anything to you about it, let me know. I’ll take care of it. Understand?” He gave the wide-eyed woman walking next to him a pointed look.

“Yes, Mr. Ritter.” It was the only response she could give the powerful man, and the only one he would have accepted.

“So what do I have scheduled for the day?” Darien asked, wanting to see how well his new assistant had done her homework.

Vicky proceeded to rattle off the list of meetings that filled the rest of the afternoon without having to pull out the planner. He smiled into his coffee. This woman looked to be exactly what he needed to take Marianna’s place. And to think, this was the first time she’d ever worked as a PA.

Darien left Vicky at her desk and went back into his office to finish preparing for his meetings.

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