****
The eighteenth hole couldn’t come fast enough. I had to make an excuse about a meeting at the office to Sal so I could be back in time to see Rainey. I’d told Sandra that Rainey said she was available at a moment’s notice so when she called this morning about filling in her paperwork, I made sure Sandra had her in the office at eleven. Making the appointment with Sal early in the morning had been perfect. The course had been devoid of other golfers so we could be in and out of the meeting. After discussing specifics about the deal, Sal didn’t delay in completing the round of golf.
It was close to eleven-thirty when Constantine dropped me off in front of my building.
I strode through the lobby and onto the elevator. I hoped I wasn’t too late. There wasn’t much paperwork to be done, only an application and a few contracts.
The elevator doors opened on my floor and I blinked in surprise when I saw Rainey standing there.
She moved aside, to let me off. “Good morning, Mr. Carrington.”
“Michael, please,” I said. “Now that we’re working together, let’s dispense with the pleasantries.”
“Michael,” she said. “I hope you have a good day. Sandra said I should wait to hear back from her about my start date.”
She started for the elevator and I cleared my throat. She turned and raised an eyebrow.
“You’re starting today,” I said. I wanted to get her acquainted as soon as possible. She’d need to learn how I liked things and what better time than the present.
“Oh,” she said. She straddled the threshold of the elevator, one foot in and the other one out.
“Is there a problem with that?” She did say she’d be available at a moment’s notice.
“No,” she said, coming into the office. “I’m at your disposal.”
My stomach growled and I had an idea. She couldn’t refuse my lunch invitation now. The elevator doors were closing behind her and I stepped forward, placing my hand between them.
Good thing I wasn’t facing her so I could hide my smirk. Rainey at my disposal? I liked the sound of that.
“Good,” I said. “Let’s go.”
We got into the elevator together and when the doors closed, she moved to the back of the small space. “Where are we going?”
“I’m taking you to lunch.” I chuckled. “And this time you can’t refuse your boss.”
Rainey avoided my eyes. I didn’t push her about turning me down yesterday. In fact, she probably wouldn’t have got the job if she did go with me. I had asked her out to get to know her better but not as my assistant. Her professionalism had made her refuse me and that mixed with her strong interview and impressive resume made her the right choice for me. She was on my mind all day so when Sandra asked me about the interviews, I made a hasty decision to hire Rainey. Worst case scenario was that I fired her if she didn’t live up to her potential. It was a gut decision and I hoped I didn’t regret it.
Even though Constantine was available for me at all times, I decided not to use him to bring us to lunch. Tavern Black was two blocks from my building. And we were early enough to get a table before the lunch rush.
“It’s not far from here, are you okay with walking?” I asked Rainey.
“Sure,” she said quickly. She wrapped a scarf around her neck and shoved her hands into a pair of gloves.
Even wearing heels, she was able to keep up with my pace. When we arrived, I held the door open for her and allowed her into the tavern first. The historical building had been one of my favorite places to frequent throughout the years. The interior always made me think I was stepping back to a simpler time.
“Wow,” Rainey said, looking around. “This place is really nice.”
I requested a table in the back so we would have minimal interruptions. After the eager waiter took our drink orders. Rainey ordered a water but I got a bottle of champagne to commemorate the occasion.
“How did you find this place?” Rainey asked.
“I fell in love with this city’s historic structures and for years I’ve kept an eye out for them. When I moved my offices downtown, I scouted the area and found this place. I knew I had to be close to it. As a way to hold onto my roots.”
“That’s nice,” she said.
The waiter came back with our drinks and poured champagne into two flutes.
“Oh, no thank you,” Rainey said holding her hand up to the drink as if there was poison inside.
“Do you not drink?” I asked.
“Not during the day.”
“It’s one glass,” I pressed. “To celebrate your new job. My treat. Don’t make me drink this two hundred dollar bottle all by myself.”
Her eyebrows shot up and she took the glass.
We clinked them together and each took a sip. I hadn’t had champagne in a while, the one I chose was light and refreshing. Perfect to pair with my meal.
“Speaking of roots,” I said, getting back to our conversation. “Where do you live?”
“Outside of the City. A quick train ride in, though.”
She was being vague on purpose. Even in the interview, she was hesitant to discuss her personal life. If we were going to be working together, I wanted to know more about what made her tick. I could easily look at her application but that felt sneaky. I wanted her to open up to me.
Rainey licked her lips while she concentrated on the menu. “I’ll just get an appetizer. I had a big breakfast.”
I read the unease in her eyes. “That’s fine, but I want to let you know any meal you share with me or anyone at the company is paid through me.”
Relief spread across her face and she reviewed the menu again.
“Do you like oysters?” I asked.
She licked her lips again. How had I not noticed that nervous habit of hers the day before? Unless she hadn’t been nervous at all until now.
“I’ve never tried them,” she said.
I closed the menu and signaled the waiter. “I’ll get some for the table. You have to try them here. The best I’ve ever tasted.”
We placed our full orders with the waiter. Rainey decided on the tortiglioni with lemon sauce. It was still the cheapest dish on the menu but one of my favorites as well. I went with the sea bass, still feeling in a seafood mood since Maine.
“I wasn’t trying to be rude yesterday,” Rainey said after the waiter left.
“You were rude?”
“I didn’t think it was appropriate to go to lunch with you after the interview. I didn’t want you to think…” she trailed off.
“What didn’t you want me to think?”
Those honey-brown eyes bored into mine. “I’m not desperate.”
“I didn’t think you were.”
She shook her head. “I thought if I accepted then it would seem like I was. Normally after an interview, that’s it. I was thrown off I guess.”
I chuckled. “As my assistant, I wanted to get to know you to see if we’d work well together. Sometimes lunch is just lunch.”
She nodded and smiled. “I know that now. I tend to be very focused on my work and I hope you can respect that.”
“Oh, I do. I worked my ass off my entire life to get to this position in life. And as your boss, I can conduct business any damned where I please. So you better get used to dining with me on a regular basis.”
Rainey lost her smile but her eyes were still locked on mine.