Page 2 of I Accidentally Hired a Shadow Walker
I’d gone through five assistants before I found her, and as far as I was concerned, I would never let her go.
“I’ve heard people talk about drinking bathwater, you know. It’s a popular saying, but never did I think someone would actually do that!” she gawked.
“You can get a man to do just about anything with the promise of pussy.” I tapped my chin. “Hell, you don’t even need to promise it. As long as he thinks there is a sliver of a chance you might one day spread those thighs, he will do anything. Men not even worthy of licking the sole of your shoe will lay their lives down for you.”
“You’re a badass!” She pointed at the cup. “But I have to know: was that really your bathwater?”
I laughed. “No, it wasn’t. It was dishwater from the kitchen. As if my bath water would ever be that murky! I’m pretty sure there were food bits floating around in there!”
“I dream of being like you one day.” Natalie beamed as she crossed the room, bringing papers and her trusty tablet with her.
“Stick around, and I’ll teach you all my ways.” I eyed the documents in her hand. “What do you have there?”
“The finalized contracts came in this morning.” She handed the papers to me. “I took the liberty of printing them out. I know how you like to review important documents in physical form first.”
“This is why I love you. You just get me!” I flipped through the pages and smiled as I recognized the well-placed tabs. She’d marked every point I’d highlighted in the previous copy.
“They made the amendments you requested and legal reviewed it. They said it’s good to sign as soon as you’re ready.” Natalie tapped the screen of her tablet.
“Thanks. I’ll look it over after the call.” One thing I wasn’t doing was signing any contract without reading it through.
“I can’t believe you’re going to be working on such an extensive project.” A wide smile spread across Natalie's round face. She had the kind of smile that made you stop and appreciate the moment. “I remember when you opened this place. I wasn’t old enough to work, but I hoped to be able to work for you one day, and now I get to be here to celebrate such a huge accomplishment!”
“There’s a solid six months of hard work ahead of us.” I smiled. “And if we do well, it’s going to open so many more contracts just like this. The rep already mentioned two other productions. There may be possible overlap at the end of this round.”
“We can do it with you as our leader!” She saluted me. “The new recruits are coming in, and we are right on track to have them complete their training just in time for the contract to kick off.”
“I appreciate the vote of confidence.” I took a deep breath. “As soon as this is done, we’ll have to get on top of ordering supplies and making sure our vendors can keep up with the demand. I also want to triple our on-hand supplies. New recruits always mean lost items. We don’t want to get caught with ourasses out. Look into secondary suppliers just in case. Those transmitters we got last time all burned out within three months. I don’t want that headache again.”
“Yes, ma’am.” She tapped the screen then looked at me again. “It’s time for your call. I’ll step out and give you some privacy.”
The call with the production team lasted exactly one hour as we reviewed the schedule and projected time consumption. This was the main reason I had to increase hiring. I couldn’t have my staff tied up on one contract. We also discussed the dates for the five special team meetings that would happen throughout the six-month contract. This would require increased security as the bigwigs came in for the meetings. They would each need coverage while in town. It seemed like overkill to me, but I wasn’t going to question the added income.
Just before the call ended, Von, the head of the production team, mentioned a launch party deal. Even though I felt like I could do a cartwheel, I kept it cool.
“That sounds like a wonderful opportunity. I look forward to this collaboration. Natalie will send over the start-up procedures once the contracts are executed by both parties.”
“Great, I look forward to it. We’ll get the contracts executed, and we’ll see you soon!” Von clapped, and the others on the call followed suit.
I kept a cool smile on my face until after the call ended and I fully closed the video chat app. As soon as I was sure it was closed, I clapped and stomped my feet under the desk in a quick praise dance.
After my solo celebration, I leaned back in my chair and reached out to the vines hanging from the planter above my head. I twisted the vine gently around my finger and smiled as the leaves perked up along the stretch of it.
An hour later, I finished reviewing the contract, opened the digital signature portal, and shot off my approval. Two minutes after that, someone knocked on my door.
“Come in,” I called out cheerfully.
Natalie entered with a cup in her hand that spelled disaster. It was black with a red rose vine on the side. Anytime there was a problem ready to blow up in my face, Natalie would appear with that cup filled with lavender and passionflower tea. The fragrance filled my office, and my breath caught in my throat.
She lowered the cup to the desk, locked eyes with me, and laid it on me. “Mitch just turned in his letter of resignation.”
“What?” I clutched the armrest of my chair.
“And he’s taking his original recruits with him.”
Natalie had ripped the Band-Aid off the same way she always did. I hated long drawn-out reveals. If it was bad news, just tell me! And she did—she dumped it on my lap in a blaze.
“Son of a bitch! I knew he was going to screw me over!”
