Page 11 of Faking It With My New Boss

As the elevator lifted, I looked over at her.

“You see, if you don't push that button, the doors stay open,” I said.

Courtney gritted her teeth, but her eyes focused directly in front of her. My comment obviously aggravated her, which kind of amused me. Actually, it definitely amused me. She had been so sure of herself and almost defiant during our first encounter. It was good to be able to ruffle her up a little bit.

We rode the rest of the way up to the office floor in silence, and when the doors slid back open, she walked out without even acknowledging me. I was perfectly fine getting a chance to watch her walk away. I couldn't help but admire the way her pencil skirt molded to every curve of her body and how her tasteful, yet somehow sexy heels exaggerated the sway of her gait.

It made me think about my lack of a love life.

My lack of a serious one, anyway. I wasn't the type to settle into serious relationships. I didn't have the time to deal with meeting women and getting to know them enough to want anything serious with them. Besides, I liked keeping things interesting by changing them up. I met women, had fun with them for a while, then moved on. It was the way I had always been. It didn't bother me. But there were definitely people in my life who had an issue with how I conducted myself and my lack of a permanent partner.

I walked into my office and stopped short. Almost as if my thoughts had conjured him, my grandfather sat in the chair at my desk. He didn't notice me, so I walked back out of the office and went to the receptionist.

“How long has he been here?” I asked.

“He was waiting in the lobby when I got here,” she said.

I gave a single nod. “Fantastic.” I looked back over at the office, then at her. “Any idea why he's here?”

She shook her head. “No. He just said he wanted to talk to you.”

“Perfect.”

I walked back into the office and my grandfather turned around to look at me. His stare was instantly disapproving and I knew he was silently judging everything I was doing, from the fact that I was wearing my gym clothes to the horror of drinking coffee out of a disposable cup.

“That's how you choose to be seen in an office? It's not very professional,” he sneered.

Apparently, his judgment wasn't all that silent.

“I go to the gym in the mornings, Grandfather. It helps me to stay in shape and keeps my mind clear. I would think that you would appreciate me watching over my health,” I said. “We wouldn't want me to suffer from any serious health problems, would we?”

It was somewhat of a low blow, but I wasn't feeling particularly warm and fuzzy about seeing my grandfather. Especially not having him pop up in my office first thing in the morning so I didn't even have a chance to prepare myself for it.

“The least you could do would be to change clothes before you come into the office,” he said. “Don't you want to exude an image of being in control?”

“I think that's exactly what I'm doing by wearing this,” I said, holding my arms out to my sides to indicate my shorts and t-shirt. “I'm in control of how I want to run my day and how I take care of myself. Maybe this way people will know I am going to be in charge for a long time.”

“That's actually why I came to speak with you,” he said.

A cold feeling rolled down my spine. Not that I thought this was a social visit or he wanted to swing by and check in on his beloved grandson or anything, but that made me feel like this was a more serious moment than I originally thought.

“Give me a moment to get changed,” I said.

I went into the bathroom and took a shower, put on the suit I always had waiting for me, and walked back into the office. He looked even more disgusted than he had when I first came in. I sat down at the desk and folded my hands in front of me as I stared at him with anticipation.

“You are in a very important position as head of this company,” he said. “And with that come certain responsibilities. It may not be the popular or accepted thing to say these days, but your personal life has a tremendous impact on how you are seen professionally. What you do outside of this office does reflect on the company itself and on your ability to run it properly.”

“What are you getting at, exactly?” I asked, even though I felt like I already knew. It wouldn't be the first time I heard it.

“You aren't married, Bryan. And you are well beyond the age where it is expected that you would have found someone and established yourself. People expect to be able to look at the head of a company and see a man that they can trust and depend on.”

“And my marital status dictates that?” I asked.

“Yes,” Grandfather said. “Perhaps you don't like to hear it, but you are seen as a playboy with an unstable reputation. That's not what people want to see as the head of a company. Not being married gives off the impression of being unreliable, undependable, and immature. I don't like having to defend you to members of the board and other important people in our social and professional circles.

I don't feel I need to remind you that I am still the majority stockholder of the company. Which means I continue to wield power, even if I am officially retired.”

“You don't feel the need to remind me, and yet you just did,” I said.

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