Chapter 1
Sally Yates, 24, looked at her belongings all packed up. She was getting ready to leave her home. She had just landed a job at McComb Industries in New York City. It was a huge step in her life. Leaving the comfort of Nebraska for the hustle and bustle of the big city was a huge step and one she was very excited about.
Up until this point her life had been fairly boring. In high school, she had been a student who had forgone all the activities. Instead she had chosen to make herself smarter and study while the other kids had focused on becoming cheerleaders and anything else that would make them popular among the crowd.
There were times she had regretted her choices, but right now as she waited to go to the airport, this was not one of them.
But even then, there were still many things to be happy about. She had won a scholarship to Kearny State and without it, she would never been able to attend college. Unfortunately, her parents were poor and struggling to keep their farm going.
This was one of the reasons why she decided to focus on her studies instead of planning to work with her parents on the farm, and all of her hard work paid off when she had received the letter telling her she had gotten a full ride scholarship at the University.
Sally discovered that college life was more distracting than high school had ever been. Many of her friends had tried to talk her into attending parties at the sororities and fraternities on campus. She hadn’t turned all the invitations down, but when her grades had begun to slide downward, she had started to refocus again in hopes of graduating near the top of her class.
She had been hoping to land a job at McComb industries in either the marketing department or something else. Somewhere she would be able to show her knowledge and work her way up the corporate ladder.
Sally had sent her resume out to Silas McComb and had been shocked when she received a reply back from the man himself.
Dear Ms. Yates,
I would like to interview you for a position in my company. Your grades in school and your current work position show that you are a talented person. My company would like to fly you out to New York, and you will have an interview with me on May 2nd. We will provide a place for you to stay while you are in town for the interview as well.
Silas McComb
She had done a dance of delight when she had gotten the letter. She now had a chance to meet the most brilliant man in the world, the man she’d had a crush on from age 16. Her hopes were to get the job, and maybe possibly catch his eyes. However, her delight was dashed slightly as she thought of his wife, and the fact that she had morals.
***
Her first trip to New York had excited her, but made her nervous as well. The atmosphere of the big city was a lot different from the laid back atmosphere of Kearney, Nebraska.
When she had her interview with Silas she had been extremely nervous as well as excited about the possible opportunity to work in a company ran by a man who she had admired for many years.
Meeting him in person had been offsetting for a bit. He was much more charismatic in person than he was in his videos. She could feel his excitement at his work as they talked, and it made her long to win the position even more.
“Tell me Sally why should I hire you to work at McComb Industries?” Silas had asked.
“I am a hard worker, and I learn quickly. I think I would be a very reliable member of the team and would give my 110% at this company.” Sally said with confidence.
“Sally I’m impressed by your schooling, tell me what was your favorite course?” Silas had questioned.
“Well, I liked many of them, but if I had to pick just one class, I would have to say graphic design class. I loved the chance to be creative with the computer and I learned a lot about working with many programs.” Sally had said.
“Hmm, okay. Sally where do you see yourself in 5 years?” He had asked next.
Her immediate thought had been, in your arms, but she couldn’t very well say that. “I hope to still be working at McComb Industries in more of a leadership role, taking the company’s success to an international scale.”
“Alright, well I’ll be getting back with you. I want to thank you for coming out to visit me. I hope the rest of your stay in New York is pleasant.” Silas had ended the conversation and interview.
Sally was sure she had blown it but tried her best not to think about it for the rest of the evening.
***
Two days later, Sally received an offer from McComb Industries. They had hired her as Silas’ Executive Assistant. Even though it wasn’t the position she was hoping to get, she was glad that it gave her the foot in the door and work hard to move her way up in the company. She was also happy about the opportunity to get out of Nebraska and work for this man who she found not only interesting but quite attractive. Silas had been so personable during that first interview she had found herself wanting to get to know him better.
But Sally knew that Silas wasn’t looking for anything more than an Assistant. After all he was married to a very beautiful woman. Sally had seen their pictures in some business articles and the couple had always looked happy.
Her mind still liked to play through fantasies where Silas would come to her and sweep her off of her feet; telling her she was beautiful and that he wanted her.
She sighed one last time and looked around the little apartment she had lived in the last two years. “Goodbye Nebraska, New York here I come!” She walked out the door, carrying her one suitcase and backpack. Her new life was awaiting her.