Page 4 of Second Chance at Love (Chance At Love Duet 1)

Chapter Two

Three days after my Starbucks rendezvous with Betty, I stood in front of the W&W building in downtown Washington, D.C. A woman came out of the building in an expensive, crisp dress suit, and I had the distinct feeling I did not belong here. I looked down to my plain black skirt, and my plain white blouse with a plain black pair of heels.I definitely do not belong here!This morning, my daughter told me I look like a teacher, for Pete’s sake. I stare at myself in the reflective window of the building. My dark brown hair up in a professional twist, my neutral make-up highlighting my high cheekbones and whiskey brown eyes. My petite frame made me look slim thanks to the fit of the white blouse and shirt, and my usual five-five height was given an extra two inches thanks to the heels.

I wanted to turn around, but thoughts of my mortgage payment, utility bills, and groceries to be bought kept me going. I was flat broke, and this was the only lead at the moment. I felt so nervous because it felt I was hanging by a thread, ready to lose everything. I had no other leads for possible jobs. That made this interview all the more important to me.

I took a deep breath and entered the lobby of the large building. The lobby was elegant, marble everywhere. I approached the man at the large desk who looked at me like he knew I was an outsider. I definitely felt like I did not belong here.

“Can I help you?”

My throat was dry. My heartbeat was ringing in my ears with anxiety, but I still forced a reply. “I’m here to see Mr. Kristoff Baldwin. I have an appointment. My name is Genevieve Rose.” My voice shook like an intern. My heartbeat was ringing in my ears.Gees, you’d think I never had a job!

He looked at his monitor and nodded at me before pointing to a notepad. “Sure, Miss,” he replied. “Just sign in here and take the elevator to the fiftieth floor.”

I signed my name on the notepad with a slightly shaking hand.

I smiled and thanked him, walking over to the elevators, trying to walk with the confidence I did not feel at all. Once I exited at the appropriate floor, I saw five other women waiting in leather chairs. They were drop dead gorgeous, and much younger than me. It took everything I had not to turn around and leave.

I walked over to the woman sitting at the desk and cleared my throat, praying I would not get sick.

“Hi.” My voice was raspy. I cleared my throat and tried again. “I’m here to interview for the position?”

I didn’t mean it to sound like a question but with my anxiety made me sound like an imbecile. I sounded like I am not even sure if I have an interview for the position. My problem was that I felt inadequate to be an administrative assistant, hence I felt like a fraud even having this interview.

“Your name please.” The woman didn’t seem to notice my faults.

“Genevieve Rose.”

She looked at her computer and nodded.

“Please have a seat till I call you.”

I nodded and went to one of the empty chairs. I sat down stiffly and risked a glance again to the other women waiting for the interview.Bad move! Such a bad move!

I felt panic rising through me. This is surely going to end up bad, humiliating. And I did not need a lesson in humility. I’d had plenty of it.

These women were dressed like they came off a runway and had boatloads of money. I wondered why they even wanted to work. They all looked like they were at least ten years younger than me, and I highly doubted they had to juggle three kids.

God, my girls!I couldn’t just give up. I had just as much of a chance of getting the job as these gorgeous women sitting here. Or at least that was what I wanted to believe.

Losing their dad over a year ago was hard on them. It was hard on all of us! I couldn’t lose our home too. I worked so hard to get it, and it was all slipping through my hands. My husband would surely have gotten a kick out of the predicament I found myself in.

I was so wrapped up in my thoughts, I didn’t realize all the women waiting for an interview had already cleared out. I looked up at the lady that took my name and noticed she was staring at me.

“Go on in,” she said. I had a bad feeling she probably said it a couple of times before I finally heard her.

I passed her desk and went towards the door that could have led only to one office.

I put my hand on the cool handle and took a deep breath before I pushed the door open. The office in front of me was large, not like any office I had ever seen before. Windows covered the entire outside wall from ceiling to floor, showing the beautiful weather and the city beyond. There was a large, round table off to the right and a couch with a coffee table on the left side of the office. In front of me, a huge executive desk dominated the space.

A man stood up as I approached, and I felt like someone pulled a rug from underneath my feet. Or punched me in the stomach.Holy crap!The man was hot… gorgeous. For once, Betty got it right!

An expensive, surely custom-made suit, covered his muscular body, which appeared to be rock solid.He must look good in his swim shorts, I thought lasciviously. I forced myself to stop staring at his body and look at his face. His features were strong, impressionable. He had dark hair, with just a hint of silver on the sides. His eyes were green, hooded like he was in the middle of ecstasy. His jaw was strong, and those lips of his…oh my gosh, they were made for kissing. He smiled, stretching those kissable lips to reveal a perfect set of teeth, but the smile didn’t quite reach those haunting green eyes.

He moved with confidence, power oozing off his body. If Betty wasn’t so sure, I would have never believed he was forty-five with the way he looked. He looked no more than thirty-five tops. The man was ten years older than me, but he sure as hell looked to be in better shape than me.

“Genevieve?” he asked, his green gaze intense on me. His voice was deep, sexy like he was talking to a lover after an intense fuck.

This is not good, I thought to myself. I could barely breathe.I need to turn around and go.

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