CHAPTER 15
Kenzie
I stepped into the lobby of Ricardo de Lugo, more impressed by the imposing lobby than I wanted to admit to myself. Always made a strong first impression, I guessed.
“Hi. I’m here to see Mr. Bello. Can you direct me to his office?”
The pert, smiling girl seated behind the information desk looked happy to help me. Beneath the mile-high letters above her head, announcing to the world that we stood inside the headquarters of the one and only Ricardo de Lugo, she looked tiny.
“Your name, please?”
“Kenzie Olson.” She tapped away on her keyboard, then her smile widened. I hadn’t thought it possible.
“Miss Olson, Jack will show you the way. He’s the older fellow by the elevators.” She extended an arm in his direction.
Sure enough, he was an older fellow. Probably a retired cop, I guessed, working a cushy security detail.
“Jack?” I smiled. “I’m here to see Mr. Bello.”
“Right this way.” He swiped a key card across a panel beside a set of elevator doors. I noticed, on looking around, that the doors sat slightly separate from those of the other six cars.
A private floor? But of course. He couldn’t have every Tom, Dick, and Harry off the street walking into his office. He was King of the World, after all.
I’d practiced my speech the entire way over in the cab, and was ready to hurl it in his face the moment we were alone. I would really lay into him.
Who did he think he was? What gave him the right to make decisions for me? And what made him think I even wanted to work for him?
He wasn’t the only fish in the sea, after all. There were plenty of media agencies in the city, more cropping up all the time, in fact. I could go to any one of them and never see him again if I felt like it.
And I did feel like it, since he had shown me his true colors by quitting my job for me. The jerk. If he was willing to go that far, what wouldn’t he do? The audacity!
My heart pounded so hard I looked down to find the gold cross I wore on a chain around my neck moving slightly in time. I took a deep breath, telling myself to chill out.
“Nervous, Miss?”
I smiled at the grandfatherly man beside me who escorted me into the elevator and used his key card once again to select the floor. There was only one button on the panel, I noticed. “Maybe a little.”
“Mr. Bello’s bark is worse than his bite,” he confided. I chuckled.
“I know—we’re acquainted. Loosely, anyway.” I bit my lip, considering asking him a question. “Do you know him? Is he good to work for?”
“Let me tell you: I’m making more now, in my retirement, than I made by the time I left the force. And that’s after retiring as a captain, when I got maybe six, seven raises over the years. I get more vacation time, better benefits—better benefits! Can you imagine?” He laughed. “I thought I had it good before.”
So I was right about the ex-cop. “That’s good to hear. I’m sure you deserve it, especially after your years of service.”
“You’re very kind, Miss. I wouldn’t be worried about him as an employer. He’s very fair.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
But it wasn’t like I planned to work for him. Did I?
A quarter of a million dollars a year. God, that was a lot of money. Goodbye, college loan debt. Goodbye, credit card payments. Goodbye, cramped apartment, even if I loved my roommates. It was almost too good to be true.
And if it seemed too good to be true, it probably was. I thought I’d be wise to keep that in mind.
The doors opened. I gulped. “You’ll be just fine,” Jack assured me. I wished I believed him. I also sort of wished he was my grandfather. He might be able to tell me what to do once I’d had my say with Aaron. As much as I resented what he had done—and hated him for treating me like a child to be spoken for—I couldn’t deny wanting the job.
He had me there.
A young woman with a long, blonde ponytail perched high on her head beamed when she saw me step off the elevator. I could hardly pay attention to her while being so overwhelmed by my surroundings.
The top floor of the building was all dark cherry hardwood, cream walls, warm lighting. It was tasteful and oozed class and money. A far cry from the Berber carpeting and cheap cubicles I was used to seeing on the “executive” floor back at Madison Media Group.
And Reed thought he was so high-end.
“You must be Kenzie. Boy, am I glad to see you.” I pulled my attention away from the décor and focused on the girl in front of me. She was petite, perky, and looked to be around fifteen but was probably closer to my age. In her couture, she reminded me of a little girl playing dress-up with Mommy’s clothes.
“Yes, that’s me. Kenzie Olson.” I extended my hand.
“I’m Jeanine, Mr. Bello’s assistant.”
“Oh, poor thing.” The words slipped out before I could stop myself, and I gasped a little at my bluntness. What a great first impression.
Jeanine only chuckled. “I can see you’ve met him already. It’s really not that bad, once you get to know his little quirks.”
“Quirks.” That was a name for it. I held my tongue, at least, unwilling to make an even bigger fool of myself.
I didn’t know what Jeanine knew about me, if anything. Tipping my hand, letting her know we had a history—even a limited one—wouldn’t be my best bet. I wondered what she would say if she knew how he’d quit my job for me—if she didn’t already know. I felt distinctly uncomfortable when the thought crossed my mind.
If she knew, she didn’t give any indication. “Well, Kenzie. Let’s get started. I think you’re going to love your office.” Jeanine took off down the hall.
I suspected she wanted me to follow and I moved quickly not to get left behind.
Her quick way of speaking and walking had to be a reflection of the culture around the office, I guessed. I’d noticed already that Aaron wasn’t loquacious when a few words would suffice. He probably didn’t suffer idle chitchat.
My new office. The words sank in as Jeanine led me toward it. He had already given me an office, the smug bastard. I couldn’t believe the level of gall the man possessed. We hadn’t even discussed the offer yet.
Then I walked into the room designated as my office, and my eyes nearly popped out of my head. A large corner office. Windows on two sides, extending from wall to wall.
I was sure it had to be a dream.
“What do you think?” Jeanine asked. “The only thing Mr. Bello asks is that his employees don’t add too much stuff to their space. Photos on the desk, the credenza, that’s fine. A plant or two. But nothing on the walls, and no additional furniture that hasn’t been pre-approved. You’ll find a guide outlining all of this on your desktop.”
“My desktop?” As I spoke, my eyes fell upon the top-of-the-line laptop on the desk. It looked brand new.
“Yes, our IT department has you all set up on the system. You’ll find a file on your desktop containing your account information—login, new email address, that sort of thing. We only ask that you change the passwords as soon as you first log in, and keep them confidential, of course. Then delete the file with the old passwords.”
“Of course.” My head spun. I couldn’t believe the ball was already in motion without my having said a word. While it was amazing—beyond amazing—to see such a gorgeous office with such a heart-stopping view, I felt uncomfortable. As though my life had been decided for me. Not many things annoyed me as much as having my decisions made for me.
“I have a few things to take care of right now, so I’ll leave you. Please, make yourself at home, check out your new computer, review the information I put together for you. An employee handbook, that sort of thing. And don’t hesitate to come out and see me if you have any questions. You can call me, too. Extension two-twenty.”
“Thank you,” I said, giving her a distracted smile. She closed the door behind her when she left, leaving me feeling utterly helpless and completely out of my league.
What was this all about?
I turned a slow, wide-eyed circle, taking it all in. My office. I’d had an office before, sure, but it might as well have been a janitor’s closet compared to what Aaron offered. Hell, it might have been an actual closet at one time. Windowless, cheerless.
I went to the window, looking out at Manhattan. My heart swelled with awe. My office. My view.
Did I want it?
My heart screamed YES, in capital letters. With fireworks and glitter.
My brain told another story.
There was no way he’d give me such a dream job without an ulterior motive.
I wasn’t naïve. He’d expect something in return.
I wondered what it would be. Sex? I’d have given him sex without the job. I already had. Would accepting the position with that as the condition make me a whore?
I chewed my bottom lip, suddenly seeing the New York landscape in a different light. How many other women out there found themselves in my position? How many of them would accept the job without a second thought? And how hard would they laugh at me if they knew I wasted time thinking it over?
I sat behind the desk I tried hard not to think of as “my” desk, running my hands over the wood, appreciating the ergonomic construction of the leather chair. True to her word, Jeanine had already loaded up the laptop with information I would need. I logged into the company email account, surprised to find several unread messages already waiting for me.
What the hell was going on? Had he told the entire company that I would be starting here today? I’d known some ballsy men in my time, but he took the cake.
It was tempting. Entirely too enticing, just like the man who’d made the offer. I realized my whole speech, so full of fire and passion, was gone. I’d forgotten it the minute I saw my office.
Was I that easily swayed?
It wasn’t just the office, the creature comforts, even the money—though the money didn’t hurt.
It was knowing my coworkers would hold me in a position of respect. I wasn’t even sure what I’d do at Ricardo de Lugo, but if it warranted a corner office on the same floor as the company’s owner, it had to be something special.
For once, I’d get respect. I might even be regarded on the same level as my male coworkers—what a refreshing thought.
Hadn’t Aaron expressed disgust at my description of the way Reed treated me? Or was I only remembering the conversation the way I wanted to? I couldn’t honestly remember if he’d said anything about it at all, or if he’d given me any indication of where he sat on the subject of men and women being treated as equals in the workplace. How could I be sure that a quarter million wasn’t less than my male counterparts made?
It was all too much to take in at once. I knew I’d need time to absorb the situation. In the meantime, I waited for Aaron to come to me. I wouldn’t go to him. I still had my pride, even if his offer had me right where he’d wanted me all along.