“About you writing those books. They were great. I actually have an alert set for when your new one comes out in a few months. How could you not tell me?”
“Oh.” I blush as I shrug. Concentrating on putting the strawberries on I don’t look up. “You really liked them?”
“I just said so. What are you doing working when you could be writing?”
I laugh. “I wish. I’m hardly burning up the best-seller list. It’s actually the main reason why I want to work for Leo. In only a few years, I can save up enough to write full-time. My publisher thinks if I can put out two or three books a year I could get to thirty or forty thousand a year, consistently.”
“You haven’t made that yet?”
“Not even close. Up to now, on all three books, I’ve only earned a little over twenty-eight thousand dollars in two years. That’s not enough to live off.”
“Twenty-eight thousand dollars in two years? Are you kidding me? I would have thought you made way more than that. I know you said you weren’t on the bestseller list, but you were for historical fiction for your second book for almost a month last year. That’s how I found your book. How have you made so little?”
“I only earn about three dollars from every book I sell. Actually, earning three dollars from each book is really good. Most writers only make about two dollars from every book. With my publisher being smaller there is less overhead to pass on bigger royalties to me. Then there’s the work that goes into writing them. With me working during the day and only able to write at night and on the weekends, it can take about three to four months to finish a book. So right now, I need to work.”
“I had no idea I guess I just always thought writers made a lot of money and it was really easy to write a book.”
“You aren’t the only reader I’ve heard that from. Only it’s not that simple.”
“Did you tell Leo about writing?”
“Yeah, I was sure it would come up in any report he had done of me.”
She nods, “It was on the second page. I made a few adjustments just to add information on Felix and when you got married that kind of thing.”
“How did you get a hold of the report before Leo?”
“This isn’t the first time Leo has run a background check through the security company instead of the one we use in HR. I told them that Leo ordered it for me, to deliver it to my office instead of his. I’ll go in early today and put it on the secretary’s desk. He’ll think she forgot to give it to him before she left yesterday. This is really simple Alexa, don’t make this harder than it has to be.”
“You’re not the one who has to work with him every day knowing you’re lying to him.”
“Maybe I don’t work with him every day, but I do have to work with him. If he ever found out about this, he’ll fire me then roast the shit out of my reputation. I’ll be lucky if I can find a job flipping burgers.” Our eyes meet, we both know we are taking a chance on what we’re doing. “I better go. Leo doesn’t usually get in until seven, but I don’t want to take any chances.”
“Bye.”
Once she’s gone I go back to eating, only the breakfast I normally love isn’t as appetizing as it usually is.
***
Leo
The elevator opens on my floor to Natalie. This elevator services twenty-five hundred square feet devoted to my personal space of the six thousand square feet floor. The twenty-five hundred square feet contains my office, a conference room, a small break room, two bathrooms, and my assistant’s desk.
The remaining square footage is where my executive team have their offices along with two other conference rooms, a break room, and two other bathrooms and a devoted elevator. It’s odd for her to be waiting for this elevator.
“What are you doing here?” A little after six, it’s almost two hours earlier than she’s normally in the office.
She is startled, “I was looking for you. I wanted to talk to you about the interview to see how it went. What did you think about Alexa?”
I was certain Natalie knew my hours, it’s an hour earlier than my normal time to be here. Even as I wonder about it, I cannot imagine she would be here for anything else. “You were right. I hired her. She starts on Monday, make sure everything is ready to go for her in the first hour. Contact her, tell her I start at seven and I want her to as well.”
“Yes, sir.” There is no gloating from her, surprising. “I’ll see to it now.”
My morning is a busy one, coming in early was an unexpected benefit. I’m beginning to wonder where Carol is when my cell phone rings. I’m not surprised to see it is Victoria. “Good morning Victoria. How are you doing today?”
“Don’t leave me in suspense, Leo. Did you hire her?”
“Victoria, I love the way you ask questions you already know the answer to. Yes, I hired her.”