Chapter 2 - Secretary Competition

The next day, I found myself standing in front of the new CEO, and I couldn’t help but stare at him. It wasn’t because he was devastatingly handsome - I mean, he was. My god, he looked like he came straight out of an article entitled “The Top Ten Hottest Men God Has Made in the History of Ever.” No…it was because I couldn’t shake how familiar he seemed to me. I was standing in a line with some of the top talent in the general affairs department of the company. The new CEO - Logan, he insisted we call him - had requested interviewing the best of the best to hire as his assistant. Luckily that list included me. Maybe I wouldn’t have to move after all. I wasn’t confident very often in my life, but at work? I knew I was damn good at my job. Somehow, unfortunately, Elena was also in that lineup. “Good morning,” Logan said, a cold, serious look on his face. I had only seen him a few times in the office, but cold and serious seemed to be the only look he had. “You all know why you’re here,” Logan continued. “Please introduce yourselves and tell me about some of the things you’ve accomplished while working here. We’ll start with you,” he pointed to the man on the opposite end of the line of me, Gary. As the first candidate introduced himself to Logan, Elena was busy finding just the right pose to make her cleavage as prominent as it could be in her skimpy little red dress. If she jutted her chest out any more she’d start poking people’s eyes out. I smoothed my skirt with my hands. I couldn’t deny that I was a little uneasy about my more professional attire: blazer, skirt, black-rimmed glasses. Men often preferred Elena’s sexy attire to my low-key wardrobe, and it was no secret she received many opportunities over me because of it. After Gary finished his introduction, Elena stood as tall and sultry as could and opened her mouth to start hers. But before she could even say a word, Logan held up a hand to stop her. He addressed her: “You are no longer a candidate for this position.” Elena’s face and chest dropped. A stunned silence filled the room. No one else dared to even breathe. After picking my jaw up off the ground, I fought to hide the smile that was forming on my lips as Elena, who I imagine had never been turned down by a man in her life, looked at the rest of us in shock. Tears began to well in her eyes. “But…I…you…,” she stammered. “Sir, we haven’t even had a conversation yet, this isn’t fair!” I stifled a laugh. I had never seen Elena lose it like this before. She was normally so cool and collected. This was fantastic. Logan ignored her. “Can anyone tell her why she’s been eliminated so quickly?” He asked the rest of us. Oh, I knew why. And I couldn’t wait to rub it in her face. “You’re wearing a ring on your left hand,” I said, still fighting that smile. Logan held up his hand to show everyone the ring. “Very good. You’re smart. One point for you,” he said to me. His words said he was impressed, but his face never wavered from that cold, serious expression. He then looked at Elena. “I’m a married man. As a secretary, you shouldn’t try to be overly familiar with your married boss. It’s incredibly unprofessional.” Elena, looking confused and upset over what had just transpired, slumped her shoulders forward and crossed her arms in front of her chest. My guess was that this approach of hers had never not worked for her. I had never seen her look so defeated. I could not wait to run and tell Maria about it as soon as this initial interview was over. Logan turned to me, skipping over the two colleagues that stood between Elena and me. “Please, tell me a little about yourself,” he said. The candidates that he passed over shot me dirty looks, but I ignored them. They couldn’t bring me down off of the cloud I was on. “My name is Hazel,” I smiled at him. I gave him a brief list of the accomplishments and honors I had achieved in the years I had been with the company. As I rattled off my list, his expression made me uneasy. It still hadn’t changed from the cold, serious look his face had held the moment he became our new CEO. I could not read him at all. Was he impressed? Bored? I guess only time would tell. After I finished, he gave a small nod and said, “I will give the remaining four of you all a two-week assessment period, after which I will select the candidate I feel is best suited to be my secretary.” The colleague to my right, Ethan, spoke up immediately. “What will our first assessment entail?” I wanted to roll my eyes. I knew his question was just an attempt to show off how eager and effective he could be as a worker. I liked Ethan well enough, but he definitely was quite the show boat. I was not the only one annoyed by his question. Logan for the first time changed his expression: he frowned at Ethan. “I didn’t schedule a Q&A session here.” He glanced down at his watch. “But how about this. Each of you will help me plan my first official date with my wife.” My fellow candidates and I exchanged confused glances. A first date…with his wife? I looked back at Logan, and confusion turned to shock. Was that a smile I saw creeping in at the edge of lips? “Well, you have your first assignment. I suggest you get to work,” Logan nodded at us and left the room. As soon as the door shut behind him, Elena scoffed. “I cannot believe that man is married. All anyone talks about is how he is the epitome of eligible bachelors. He’s like, the diamond bachelor. He could have any and every woman he wanted and he settled for just one? I don’t buy it. Something weird is going on here.” This time, I didn’t have to hide my smile. She was spiraling and it was glorious. She caught the look on my face and glared at me. “Nice shit-eating grin, Hazel. I wouldn’t get too cocky too soon if I were you. I hear that you have some trouble holding onto the few men you do manage to briefly impress.” My smile faded as quickly as it had popped up. “Speaking of…what happened during that sudden leave of absence recently? I heard you went off on a romantic getaway to Vegas, but I haven’t seen or heard anything about it since. Why is that?” She smirked at me. All eyes in the room were suddenly on me. My face burned and all the good I felt from Elena’s dismissal from the competition melted away. The Vegas trip… Oh god, does she know?