“I don’t know who you are, Lorelei Patio, but you’ve gotten off to the best start of any employee since I’ve been here. Don’t do anything to ruin it,” Michele said.
She had started to gather her things when a young man I recognized from his photo as Mr. Dolan’s son entered. To me, he looked as if he had just gotten out of bed. He paused, looked at the two of us, and smiled.
Wiping his long pecan-brown hair away from his eyes, he asked, “Who is this, Michele?”
“A possible replacement for me, Liam,” she replied.
“My father hired you to replace Michele?” he asked me, his smile widening.
Liam had his father’s eyes and was even more handsome—and not simply because he was younger. His features were perfect, like the face of a Greek statue where so much care was taken to keep everything in proportion. He had that unshaved look and was at least an inch taller than his father. Although not as athletically built, he was tight and slim. At the moment, his khaki shirt was opened low enough to show his chest hair and a gold Cuban-link necklace that looked at least fourteen-karat. I couldn’t help but be drawn to the sexual energy in his eyes. There was a sweet but strong masculine aura radiating from him. I could deny many things about myself, perhaps, but not the underlying lusts that shaped who and what we were. If we were to succeed for Daddy, we had to generate raw sexual energy as well as, if not better and stronger than, any other young woman. Liam looked like a young man who could comfortably satisfy my desire. His smile was awash in his self-confidence, and yet there was something boyish and innocent about him that kept him from appearing too arrogant. I could imagine him crying with grateful joy at the pleasure he would find in my kiss, my embrace, my ultimate act of love.
“He’s trying me out, yes,” I said.
“I wouldn’t have to try you out. I’d hire you immediately,” he said with a softness that helped me easily imagine his lips brushing my neck and following the line of my collarbone to the small of my throat until I gasped and he pressed his mouth to mine. I could feel a stirring under my breast when I imagined this. It was as if a sleeping serpent had slowly lifted its head and flicked its tongue to taste the raging desire that had come so close.
Neither of us shifted our gaze away from the other until we heard Mr. Dolan’s office door open. He stood there glaring out at his son. If anger could take the form of tears, he’d be drowning in them, I thought.
“Hey, Dad. Congratulations on your choice of secretary. Didn’t know you had such good taste anymore.”
“Never mind your stupid remarks, Liam. Why didn’t you tend to the Sheinman account? I had to send Michael over there this morning, and he had other things to do today that were equally important.”
“Oh, I had a bad night, Dad. Matter of fact, I just managed to get out of bed.”
“What for?” his father asked, backed up, and slammed the door.
Michele looked at me and continued to gather her things a little faster.
“You’d think
he’d be in a better mood after meeting you,” Liam told me. He didn’t look even slightly shaken by his father’s rage. “I know I am.”
I returned to the paperwork. I wasn’t looking to get into the middle of this, especially so soon. Fortunately, before he could say another word, the phone rang.
“Dolan Plumbing Supply, Mr. Dolan’s office,” I said. “One moment, please.”
I buzzed Ken Dolan.
“A Mr. Marcus on the line, Mr. Dolan. Okay.” I returned to the phone call. “Mr. Marcus, Mr. Dolan is in a meeting. Could he call you back in an hour or so? Yes, sir. I’ll make a note of it. Thank you.”
Michele smiled at me. Liam just stood there gaping as if I had accomplished some major feat. How bad were the other applicants? I wondered.
“You need anyone to show you around, you drop into my office,” Liam told me. “I’d better go see if Pam is still awake,” he told Michele. “My father deliberately assigned her to me. She’s a week away from social security, so he thought she would be safe.” He worked up a charming smile mainly for my benefit.
He waited for some reaction, but neither Michele nor I responded. We watched him go, and then she turned to me. “I hope you have a steady boyfriend, Lorelei, or he’ll hit on you until you see him in nightmares.”
“He’s not my type,” I said, even though the feelings I was sensing at the base of my stomach were telling me he was, as Ava would say, prime prey.
“What’s your type?” she asked with a skeptical smile. I knew she was thinking that I would be interested in the boss’s son for obvious reasons.
“Healthier.”
“Healthier?”
“In mind and body,” I said, and she laughed before looking at the door to be sure he was gone.
She turned back to me, looking more serious. “I’m sure you’ll get an earful from Mrs. Winston, but as you can see, Liam and his father are usually at the tip of double-edged swords. Liam dropped out of college last year before they threw him out. You might know already that Mr. Dolan’s wife ran off and left him with the children years ago.”
“Yes, Mrs. Winston did tell me that much.”