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I shake my head, my words caught in my throat.
“Great, go ahead and step into my office and I’ll be right back. Cyrus, I’ll be on the lookout for your email; don’t make me call you for it,” she says, her back already toward us as she walks down the hall.
I stand nervously, unsure if I should step into her office or say something when Cyrus steps closer to me, his spicy cologne hitting my nostrils, causing me to groan internally.
The last thing I need to fuel my forbidden professor fantasies is to know how damn sexy he smells.
“You’re more than capable to handle this position, Presley. I hope you know that.”
I nod my head, not in agreement but because I’m unsure what to say. I glance down at my feet and see his hand jut out, one finger touching my chin so slightly I think for a second that I imagine it. I jerk my head upward and look at him.
“Don’t overthink it in there. You’ll be fine, kid. Don’t forget to show that backbone.” He gives me a wink, then turns around and nonchalantly walks toward the elevators.
Kid? An image of Han Solo saying it snarkily to Luke Skywalker causes my nose to wrinkle.
My stomach does that flip thing but not in excitement, more like humiliation. Suddenly that little fantasy in my head that he was flirting with me fizzles out. This man sees me as an innocent little fawn, all wobbly-legged as she tries to navigate her new life.
“Focus on the interview,” I say to myself as I march into her office. The last thing I need to be worried about is if my professor has the hots for me or not. Not only is that highly unethical, but I’m pretty sure he could get fired and Lisa could blacklist my name all over Chicago.
“Sorry for the wait,” Lisa says, interrupting my thoughts. “Okay, let’s jump into it.”
She spends the next twenty minutes discussing the position, explaining the responsibilities that it would entail.
“That all sounds extremely doable and honestly, very similar to what I was doing at Lighthouse, only on a much smaller scale and with lesser-known clients. I’m extremely detail-oriented and I can juggle a lot, even though I’m still in school. My class load is light this last semester and I managed much more working almost thirty hours a week previously. I did bring a copy of my resume if you’d like to see it.”
I open my tablet and hand it over to her. She places her glasses on the tip of her nose and reads over it before handing it back to me. She slowly removes her glasses, folding them in her hands as lowers them to rest on the desk. My nerves are on edge; I can’t tell what she’s about to say, but it’s not at all what I expected.
“Look, it’s completely unorthodox and not part of my practice at all to do this, but if I offered you the job right now, would you take it?”
My mouth feels like it’s full of sand. I feel my eyes almost jump out of their sockets.
“Yes!” I say enthusiastically.
“Great, then it’s yours.” She stands and holds out her hand again. I shake it firmly, a smile stretching so widely across my face I feel it reach the corners of my eyes.
“If you can, head down to floor seven where HR is located. You can start paperwork and email over a copy of your school schedule so we can work around it. They’ll also have the pay outlined down there; if it’s not to your liking, we can renegotiate.”
“I—uh, I’m sorry I’m speechless. I was just grateful for the chance to interview with you. I don’t think I actually expected this.”
She smiles genuinely. “Thank Cyrus. He spoke very highly of you. Oh, speaking of, that’s the account you’ll be managing. I, of course, will be on it as well, signing off on everything, but you’ll basically be his case manager, day-to-day babysitter if you will.”
“Oh.” I can feel my face grow pale.
“Is that okay?” she asks, her eyebrow hooking upward.
“Yes, of course. Of course. Thanks again, so much. I’ll email over my schedule as soon as I’m done with HR.”
I smile and practically run to the elevator. My legs shake as I step in and the doors close behind me.
I can’t tell if it’s pure excitement for the job or nervous that I just signed up to work side by side with Cyrus Gates. Then the mortification sets in as I remember the childish email I sent him earlier like a giddy schoolgirl.
Maybe I’ll get lucky and this elevator will plummet to the basement, saving me the embarrassment of having to see him face-to-face in class tomorrow. I pinch my eyes closed tightly, shaking my head as if it will loosen the thought and tumble from my brain. I want to focus on the pure elation that is radiating through my body right now.
I spend the next hour with Marquis, the head of HR, as he gives me a brief tour of the building, shows me where my desk will be, and assists me in working with IT to set up my new work profile and get started on the paperwork.
“We offer full benefits to anyone who works over twenty hours a week so you’ll be receiving an email from me with the links to set that up if you want to sign up as well as a monthly membership to any gym, yoga, or Pilates studio of your choosing.”
“Seriously?” I’m taken aback at the generosity of the company.
