Page 28 of Love Without Demands

Tony Moschella stood as soon as the elevator doors opened and thank god he had a smile on his face. “Lehra, come in and take a seat.”

Forcing my face to look pleasant and not panicked, I sat in the chair across from his desk. “Did I do something wrong?” I blurted, and Tony chuckled.

“Not at all. This is a good thing. At least I hope you’ll think it’s good.” He rounded the desk and leaned his butt against the edge, crossing his arms over his chest. Tony was a good-looking man in a dad kind of way, and he dressed the part of an executive assistant to a tee. His gray suit fit to perfection, and his salt-and-pepper hair was nicely styled.

“Okay, hit me with it.”

“I’m considering retirement.”

My heart sank. “Oh. That makes me sad, Tony. I’d miss seeing you all the time.”

“It’s not imminent, but maybe in a couple years. I called you up here because I wanted to see if you’d be interested in taking my job when I leave.”

If my eyes had popped out of my head and rolled across the floor, I wouldn’t have been surprised. “Me?” I stupidly pointed at myself with both thumbs, even though we were the only two people in the room.

“Yes you, Lehra. The benefits and pay are fantastic, and…” He dropped his voice and glanced at the closed door behind him, Auburn Bouvier’s private office. “Mr. Bouvier can be a difficult man, but recently, he’s been different. Much more pleasant.”

“Hmmm, I’ve noticed that too. He seems looser or something. More smiley.”

“I’ve put together some numbers for you,” Tony said, sliding a folder across the desk.

As soon as I opened it and saw the salary, my eyes were once again at risk of exiting my body. “Holy shit,” I breathed, and Tony chuckled.

“Yes, it’s very impressive. Not quite what I’m making now, but I’ve been here over a decade. I think this would be a good move for you, Lehra. A career and not just a job.”

And with this kind of money, I could afford a place in a nicer building. It wouldn’t happen right away, but eventually, right?

Looking up at him with a gigantic smile on my face, I slapped my palm against my leg. “Sign me up.”

“I was hoping you’d say that. I’ll talk to Bouvier about it, but I’m sure he would agree with me that you’d be the best fit. I wanted to see if you were even interested before I mentioned it to him.”

“I’m so excited about this, Tony,” I said, rising and giving him a big hug. “Thank you for thinking of me.”

He patted my back before I pulled away. “You’ll have to start training with me, the sooner the better. There’s a lot to learn.”

“Of course. Just let me know what I need to do.”

“There is something you can do for me today. I’ve got to look over this stuff the finance department sent up,” he said, tapping a knuckle on the top of an intimidating stack of papers on his desk. “But I’m also supposed to pick up the invitations for the staff Christmas party. Can you go get them for me?”

“Of course,” I said eagerly, and then my face fell when I wondered how I was going to carry boxes of invitations by myself. “I don’t have a car though. I ride the subway to work.”

“Cruz will drive you. Now look, I need you to look over the invitations and make sure everything is correct. They’ve sent me two proofs with Bouvier spelled wrong.” He rolled his eyes. “The last one they sent looked fine, but please check it over thoroughly for any errors before you accept them. Here’s the info.” I took the hot-pink sticky note he held up.

“Okay, I’m an excellent proofreader,” I assured him. “I used to charge three dollars a page to proof papers back in high school. I made a fortune off the football team.”

Tony laughed and patted my shoulder. “Very entrepreneurial of you. I’ll call Cruz and tell him to be waiting at the curb.”

“Hey, Lehra,” Cruz said, waiting beside the car to open the door for me. His dimples popped as his lips turned up at the corners. He really had the best smile.

“Hi, Cruz. Thanks for hauling me around today.”

“It’s my pleasure,” he said, flashing me a wink as I settled in the front seat.Jesus, why is he so damn cute?

I suddenly remembered that I had no idea where the printer was located.Great, Lehra. That would have been important information, don’t ya think?

“Do you happen to have the address?” I asked meekly when Cruz climbed in behind the wheel.

“Got it in the GPS already,” he assured me, pulling away from the curb.

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