Page 1 of Not As Advertised

“Abbie, I can’t tell you how pleased I am that you applied for the executive assistant position.”

I nodded, trying to ignore my nerves that were wound so tightly they made me nauseous but failed miserably. Linda Davis, Appeal Media’s head HR manager, beamed at me as we walked toward the main elevators of our office building. But fake it till you make it was the motto of the day.

“I thought it was fabulous that you jumped on the opportunity in the all-hands meeting two weeks ago. I would have hated to see you miss this chance. Can you imagine?”

Yes, I’d imagined it. Missing this chance had been my exact plan.

I found myself in my current predicament by accident. Indie Layne, my best friend and also a colleague, and I had been sitting at the far end of the conference room during the monthly admin team meeting. I was just about to take a sip of my delicious iced coffee when Linda walked in to announce the new position. I’d pretended a sudden fascination with the lid of my cup. Avoiding eye contact was a great way to go unnoticed.

Indie had a different idea as she decided to offer me some not-so-subtle career encouragement in the form of a sharp elbow to the ribs just as I lifted my cup to take a sip. The shock nearly spilled my iced coffee all over the table. In my efforts to save it, I simultaneously scrambled to right the cup with one hand and made a “cheers” motion with the other.

Either way, Linda had interpreted my jumbled limb movements as interest. This tale of woe ends with me being voluntold into a brand-new job.

Having passed on several opportunities over the past few years, I couldn’t very well tell Linda the sudden commitment to my career progress had more to do with substandard reflexes than personal ambition.

I had no choice but to show management and HR my dedication to the company. Apparently, that meant showing a desire for career progression. Even if I actually felt no inkling of ambition other than to keep my paycheck.

Flash forward to this moment, and I was about to deal with a whole set of responsibilities I didn’t want.

The only thing I knew was that I wouldn’t be bringing any drinks, iced or otherwise, to future meetings lest I end up tendering my resignation.

Riding the elevator to the fifth floor, I was a bundle of nerves. But quitting to avoid meeting my new boss and learning a new role? That would have been a life-destroying decision.

Although my three years at Appeal Media may not have been the most thrilling, they certainly gave me the financial security I needed. The general admin team for the smaller accounts was low stress and predictable. My days were filled with mundane tasks like filing, copying materials for meetings, multiple coffee runs, and data entry.

My job had kept me from becoming financially destitute and therefore needing to return to my mother’s home in San Jose.Just the thought of having to move back there had a fresh pool of dread forming in my stomach.

When the elevator dinged to signal we’d reached our floor, Linda walked briskly toward the VP’s office. I followed with the reluctance of a teenager forced to go to the mall with her parents.

Gah. The closer I got to meeting my new boss, the more the feelings of worry mounted in my stomach. Change was my mortal enemy. Well, change, and buttons on pants, equally. It used up all my mental energy when I had to adapt to new demands.

This moment was no exception. My brain had convinced me that I was doomed to fail before I even started. It was going to be a nightmare. The whole company was going to realize how inept I was, and then I’d be back in my mother’s pearl-studded clutches.

My most intrusive thoughts were at it again, searing self-doubt into my consciousness.

Before I could calm down, Linda was knocking on the closed office door before us. I’d been so caught up in my nerves I hadn’t registered a single face or detail about my new work area on the walk from the elevator.

“Come in,” a low voice called from behind the door.

Facial features quickly rearranged to form an expression that hopefully appeared capable, I was as ready as I’d ever be to face my new boss.

As in, not ready whatsoever.

My body and mind, usually at war with each other, agreed for once. Both thought this was a big mistake.

When we entered the office, Aiden Sullivan was sitting behind his desk, head down. The only thing I’d known about him before this moment was his name. He scrolled through his phone. I realized he was on a call when another voice filled the room.

“Aiden. I wanted to let you know the status of the offer.”

“Quinn, tell me you have good news.”

Not being able to see his face kept me in a state of agonized suspense. Without seeing his expression, I had no idea what kind of person I was dealing with. The urge to fidget vibrated within me. Or maybe it was to run. Fleeing the scene sounded good right about now.

The parts of Mr. Sullivan I could see screamed luxury, from his dark hair styled artfully back to his crisp dress shirt, rolled at the elbow, that revealed toned forearms. The slightly informal impression his clothes gave off was contradicted by his firm tone of voice and confident posture.

“The deal is done. With the exception of whether the owners leave the furniture,” said the disembodied voice on the other end of the line.

“Unnecessary. Please state the property is to be empty. Anything else?”

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