****
The traffic downtown was heavier at this hour, but I wasn’t in a rush. I still had plenty of time before the first interview. And I ate the bagel slower than normal to extend the experience.
While driving around Bar Harbor, the people smiled and waved as you passed. In New York, everyone’s heads were down, focused on where they needed to go. The friendly faces were nice, but I felt more at ease with the scowling New Yorkers. This city was full of businessmen and no one bothered to notice another suit or luxury car.
Even in the traffic, Constantine managed to get me to my building by eight-thirty.
He opened the door for me as I was dusting bagel crumbs from my coat. I stood up and took my briefcase from him.
“Have a great day, Constantine,” I said, adjusting my overcoat.
“You too, Sir. Six o’clock pickup?”
“Yes. I will have Sandra call you if that changes.”
“Have a good day, Mr. Carrington.”
I nodded and headed toward my building. Another perk of showing up later was less traffic getting to my office. The skyscraper had many offices on the dozens of floors. Usually around eight in the morning, the line to pack in the elevators was quite long and tedious.
With barely anyone in the lobby, I’d be able to zip up to my office in no time. Today was shaping up to be a really good first day back. I couldn’t wait for the interviews to be over, though, then I’d be able to close my office door and get back to reality.
A woman’s voice carried through the mostly empty space. She was easy to spot, leaning against the white marble information desk, her black suit a blemish against the normally pristine surface. I normally would have passed by without notice, but when she said my name my ears perked up. Jacqueline, like all of our receptionists, were trained to keep guests at a minimum in my office. Unexpected visitors weren’t conducive to productivity.
The woman’s voice was stern but not rude. And if she had something to do with my business, I wanted to hear about it. I stopped and placed my briefcase down on one of the waiting chairs. I took my phone from my pocket and pretended to read it while I eavesdropped.
“If I could speak with him for a few minutes. I was told to call the office for an appointment but when I did no one answered. So I assumed I had the interview. I came all the way down here. The least Mr. Carrington can do is speak with me.”
I glanced over my shoulder. Even with her serious expression, she was gorgeous. My body reacted violently to everything about her. Was she interested in the job? Some part of me hoped like hell that was the case. I almost felt bad for Jacqueline being at the brunt of that look. Though I was curious how things would turn out.
“Mrs—”
“I’m not a missus. Call me Rainey.”
Rainey? An interesting name. And for some reason, I liked that she wasn’t married. Now, hopefully she would be interested in the job, and I could slid in and offer her a drink or a long night of hearing her whimper my name.
“Rainey,” Jacqueline said. “I wasn’t informed about you and it's my job to be informed of guests arriving for Mr. Carrington and all of the other tenants here. I’m sorry but I can’t help you.”
Jacqueline started typing on the computer again but the pretty woman didn’t budge.
“Listen,” Rainey said in a lower voice. “I just want to put my name in for the position. I’m not asking you to give me the job. All you have to do is call upstairs to his secretary and get my name on the list. It’s that simple.”
Jacqueline stopped typing and looked at Rainey, her expression stern.
“The phone is right there. It will take you two seconds. Besides, there’s no one else here.” The woman pleaded in a way that didn’t sound like begging. I was enjoying myself far too much. My eyes moved across her figure as my cock grew thick and hard. She had curves in all the right places, and although her hair looked as if she’d done it on the ride over, I liked it. A lot. I could almost imagine slipping my hands into it and letting the soft locks wrap around my fingers as I made love to her.
Rainey turned around to showcase her point, pulling me from my reverie. Thankfully I was hidden from their view or Jacqueline would have recognized me.
“Fine,” Jacqueline said, picking up the phone receiver. “But after I call and you’re refused entrance you have to leave.”
Jacqueline picked up the phone and dialed up to my office. We both knew that Sandra was my gatekeeper and she didn’t give in to anyone. The no guests rule was one of the few that I enforced with an iron fist. I’d fired Sandra’s predecessor for breaking it. And I hated firing just as much as interviewing. But that was business. I didn’t get to the top by being a nice guy.
“Hi Sandra, this is Jacqueline. I have a Miss Rainey—”
“Foster,” Rainey supplied.
With Rainey distracted, I sneaked another glance her way. She was eager and smiling thinking she had won the situation. I felt bad for her since I knew her hopes were about to be crushed by my secretary.
“Foster,” Jacqueline continued. “She said she’s supposed to interview with Mr. Carrington today.” A pause. “Yes, that’s what I told her. She’s being very…persistent.” Another pause. “Alright. Bye.” She hung up the phone. “They don’t have your name on the list.”
I expected Rainey to be upset and give up, but she surprised me by pressing harder on Jacqueline. “I don’t think you tried hard enough. Let me call up there and speak with Mr. Carrington. I’m sure if he heard me out then he’d be willing to grant me the interview. Like I said, I’ve come all the way down here…”
Jacqueline was holding her own. “Ms. Foster. You need to leave or I’m going to call security.”
Rainey’s pleading broke me. I walked over to the desk to take over the situation.
Jacqueline’s eyes widened when she saw me. “Mr. Carrington,” she said. “I didn’t realize you were standing there. What can I do for you?”
I held up a hand to her. “I’ll handle this.” I reached out my hand to Rainey. “Hi, I’m Michael Carrington.”
Rainey blinked a few times and then took my hand. She had a solid handshake for a woman. When her eyes met mine, I was slightly taken aback. They were golden brown and sexy as hell. This woman would likely be my undoing, but that only reinforced my desire to know her in some capacity. Fredrick always said I was a masochist.
“Mr. Carrington. I’m here about the open position. I have my resume right here.” She started to open her bag.
“That won’t be necessary,” I said. The defeat in her eyes made me correct myself. “Right now, I mean. You’re not on my schedule for today so I’ll have to fit you in.” I opened my calendar on my phone. Sandra had given me two hours for lunch, from eleven-thirty to one-thirty. I usually worked through lunches but I could squeeze another interview in. At least I’d have another chance to have Rainey in my presence.
“Thank you so much,” Rainey said. “I really appreciate this.”
Her voice caused a shiver to run down my spine. She wasn’t trying to be seductive at all, but fuck me if she ever decided to. She’d win, hands down.
I quickly jotted her name down for eleven-thirty. Sandra would see the change any second now, though I know she wouldn’t say anything to me about the phone call from Jacqueline. I made all the final decisions, even if she performed the proper procedure for guests.
“Come back here for an eleven-thirty interview,” I said to Rainey.
“I will. You won’t regret this. I promise.”
“I better not,” I said and shook her hand again. This time I noticed the smoothness of her skin. Images of us together burst across my mind, and I had to stop myself from telling her just how beautiful she was. A woman like her knew she was beautiful. Or did she?
I bid her goodbye and headed for the elevators. I checked my phone again. I wasn’t going to have much time to prepare for the first interview. I smiled to myself, thinking of Rainey’s persistence. There was something unique about her. The friendly feeling of Bar Harbor still thrived within me. If it had been any other day, she wouldn’t have been so lucky.
My resolve to be kind mixed with the intrigue of wanting deeper relationships would have melted away. New York had a way of doing that to people.
Yet another reason why I loved the city so much.
It saved me from myself.