Page 11 of Corrupt Game

Uninterested in the files or information on the others, I hit the intercom button.

“Kathy, will you please send in the first person?”

The next hour combined all the high points of boredom and predictability as woman after woman traipsed in and out of my office. Similar body language to showcase any physical asset they had.

And the answers to my questions…

“Why do you want this job? How would you benefit the company?” Each question and answer took only minutes.

Their answers were variations on the same response to the questions I asked. Nothing original.

“It would be an honor to work with you.”

“The perfect opportunity.”

Blah, blah, blah.

Colette wouldn’t have those same problems. She was fresh, wide-eyed and passionate.

She had managed to fill my thoughts to the point that I couldn’t get her out of my mind. All I could see were Colette’s dark brown eyes and long, fluttering lashes as she tried to hide her face in the elevator.

So, I used the same spiel over and over again.

“I’m sorry that we won’t be able to use you at this time. Thank you for applying,” I repeated to each applicant as I escorted them to the large doors. “Check back with us later to see if we have any other openings available.”

How had she caught my attention? What was it about her that made her different or stand out from all those other women?

I wanted to see her again, speak with her, and see if she lived up to the image in my head. My hard-won control evaporated. I’d opened the door for the next applicant when I heard her voice.

“That’s your highest dream or goal? To work for some overbearing prick that doesn’t care about you?” Her words were spoken from the heart, as if she knew all about men who were pricks only looking for one thing.

I was familiar with women feeling like that from mismatched expectations. It was why I did such a thorough vetting process. I didn’t want any woman to feel taken advantage of or mistreated if she signed the contract for this job.

It made life simpler when everyone knew what was required of them. In exchange for loyalty and quick responses to my orders, I took a personal approach to each of my employees’ lives, making sure not only were they well taken care of financially, but that their home lives and families didn’t suffer because they worked for me.

No more waiting. “Ms. DeLandro, would you step into my office?”

She jumped, those remarkable eyes meeting mine, her shock that I already knew her name plain to see. She would just have to get used to the fact that I was one step ahead of the rest of the world.

The other women who had been ahead of her shifted in readiness to protest, but I simply glared at them until they stopped. I didn’t like being questioned or whined at.

After our run-in on the elevator, she’d unbuttoned the top button on her blouse. It was a maneuver that drew attention toall of her curves while showing off her best assets and appearing businesslike at the same time.

Certain that she was the one I’d been looking for, I was tempted to just tell the receptionist to send all the rest of them home.

But I needed to make sure that she was a willing participant before giving her the position.

The list of questions I had asked the other applicants had only been three. For her, I’d managed to add quite a few that would have normally been asked in a second interview to determine compatibility.

“You have no other ties? No boyfriends? Anything that would hinder you from working for me?” Irritation and jealousy surged through me at the thought of her having a boyfriend or lover. I didn’t want anyone else’s hands on her. Only mine.

“No, no boyfriends.”

“Well, you appear to be in good health. Are there any reasons I shouldn’t hire you?”

Her brows raised in surprise at the question. She paused for a moment before saying, “No, there aren’t many reasons you shouldn’t hire me. Or at least none that I know of.”

Her expression and words felt honest, but her moment of hesitation gave me a prick of unease. I would have to remember that possible deception.

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