Deceiving Her Boss
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ONE Allie Mitchell was having a typical Monday. Too bad that it was actually a Thursday, she thought as she looked down at the tear in her jacket. She had torn it on a piece of metal in the parking garage that morning, and it had given before she had a chance to notice that the fabric was caught. Good thing it was on a side seam, she thought. Barely noticeable to anyone but her. But it just seemed to top off everything else that was going wrong that day. She had started the day with a cold shower, noting that she should call the plumber about the hot water heater before her friend Anna got back from a business trip this weekend. She then dropped her hideous pancake makeup on the bathroom floor and made a huge mess on the tile. While rushing around the kitchen, she had spilled coffee all over her sleeve, forcing a quick change of her outfit. And then her car's maintenance light came on when she started it that morning. All in all, not a good start to the day. So when she received her boss' summons to his office as soon as she got in that morning, she assumed that it would be more bad news. Stowing her lunch in the small refrigerator in the company break room, she slipped into the ladies' room to fix her jacket with a safety pin, and to check that her makeup was intact. She looked terrible, she thought as she gazed at her reflection in the mirror. But that was intentional. She had gotten this job because her boss had wanted a matronly-looking woman who had no physical appeal whatsoever. When Allie had heard about the job from a good friend of hers in HR, she had jumped at the opportunity. But her friend had warned her that it would be a hard position for her to get. "Why? I'm completely qualified, and I would give away all of my worldly riches for a chance to work for Sean Greyson. He's a legend in the business world." "Your worldly riches wouldn't mean much to the man," Debra had laughed. "A used Honda and a small apartment with a few antiques is probably pocket change to him. But here's the thing...." Debra went on to explain that Sean Greyson's three previous secretaries, each with impeccable credentials, had all taken the position in hopes that they could seduce their rich, handsome, and successful boss into a relationship. Mr. Greyson was tired of the game. He just wanted someone to do the work, do it well, and leave him the hell alone. "So how will he weed out candidates? Do I need to wear a fake wedding band or something?" "No, one of his previous secretaries was married. Didn't make much of a difference to her. I guess she was prepared to trade up. I think your best bet is to downplay your physical attributes, and to play up your strengths." "Meaning?" "Wear nothing sexy or revealing to the interview. Pull your hair back into a bun or a pony tail. No makeup, or maybe something that actually looks bad on you. I can get you in the door to see him, Allie, but you're going to need to sell him on who you are. So be studious, serious... quiet. You're one of the most kind-hearted people I know, but just don't let him see the social side of you until later. Let him think he's hiring a repressed librarian." So Allie had gone to her interview in an ill-fitting suit with a blouse in a color that didn't suit her, and had done what she could with some old stage makeup that a friend had given her. She had been quiet and serious, and kept her personality hidden. And it had landed her the job. But unfortunately, one year later, she was still trapped in the old and poorly fitted suits, and wearing ugly makeup. At times, she considered slowly phasing out the old clothes and starting to wear outfits that fit her better, both in size and personality, but she knew that her boss trusted her and was happy with her work, and she really saw no reason to rock the boat. The one time she did her hair differently, he had looked at her long and hard, and she had panicked. The next day, it was back in a neat bun. With one last look in the mirror, Allie left the ladies room, went back to her desk to pick up her notebook and appointment book, and headed toward Mr. Greyson's office. The door opened just as she reached it, and Sean Greyson stood in the doorway to usher her in. Tall, with an impressive air of authority about him, he intimidated Allie without even trying. It didn't help that he was so handsome, she thought. His dark hair was turning grey around the temples, but that only seemed to add to his distinguished appearance. His eyes were a unique shade of green that seemed to change with his mood. Right now, he was completely focused on business. "Come on in, Allie," he said, as he turned back toward his desk and motioned to one of the chairs in front of it. "Sit down, and let's get through the planning for the Montreal trip. Did you book everything?" he asked, sitting back down behind the desk and pulling his planning book toward him. "Yes, sir. You are in the same suite as last time, and your flight leaves on Thursday morning at 7:00. You return on Saturday morning on a 10:15 flight, so you'll be able to attend the dinner on Friday night." "Is Joe available?" "Yes. He'll meet you at the airport and will be available to drive you anywhere for the next 48 hours without any problem. He said to let you know that he's found a new lunch place for you." Sean nodded, and then quickly moved on. "And you have a full meeting schedule for me, I assume." "Yes, sir. It's all in your Outlook calendar, so you have it on your Blackberry. Most of the meetings are scheduled to give you a bit of time in between them in case you are running late or want to check messages, but your Friday morning is booked fairly solidly. I had trouble fitting everything since Charles wanted a 10:00 that day. But take a look, and if there is anything you want me to change, I'm happy to do so." "Great. Thanks, Allie. The only other thing I need you to do for me this morning is to order flowers for Maureen. You have her information, correct?" "Yes sir, I do. What would you like the card to say?" "Just sign my name." Allie nodded and made a note to herself. She never knew if the plain signature was an apology, a thank you, or a farewell. Sean always took care of making sure that the women he dated knew where they stood at each phase of their relationship, so she never needed to get too involved. She just needed to choose an arrangement, and she generally chose different colored roses for different women. To her, the rose was a cliché, and trying to mix any other flower in just seemed too personal. So she stuck with roses, and so far, she'd managed without confusing any of the women. "Anything else sir?" "What are you working on this morning?" he asked. "I'm typing up some letters for you to sign, returning e-mails asking for appointments, and generally just making sure that everything is in order before you go. Is there anything else you need me to concentrate on?" Sean shook his head. "No. I just need to finalize the Robertson contract by the end of the day. If I need anything else, I'll let you know." He stood then, intending to walk out behind Allie to go see the firm's lawyer about the Robertson deal, and waited as she stood and gathered her things. Allie turned to go, remembering at the last moment her appointment book that she had left on one of Sean's chairs. She turned abruptly to go back for it, forgetting that Sean was directly behind her until it was too late. She careened into him, losing her footing, and falling directly into his arms. He caught her easily, and set her upright, but held her arms loosely with his hands as he looked carefully into her face. "Are you all right?" he asked. Allie just nodded her head. "I'm fine, and I'm very sorry. I left my appointment book..." she started to explain, but her voice died off as she looked up into the green eyes of her boss. His expression was one of concern, but Allie felt his hands slowly moving along her arms, almost caressing her through the thick material of her suit jacket. She doubted that he even knew what he was doing, but it was doing very interesting things to her own equilibrium. Pulling deliberately away, she moved back toward where she had been sitting and picked up her book. "Sorry about that," she said quietly as she reached the door again, book held in front of her like a shield. "I'll get out of your way now. And I'll try not to run you over in the future," she added, trying to keep things light.