Page 2 of Undeniably His

“Yes.”

“Mr. Dawson isn’t like your current supervisor, Kyla, or even like Mark, the CFO. He’s not unkind, but he does have high expectations of his assistant. He won’t explain things a second time, he’ll want everything done exactly his way, and he does not give second chances. Do you understand?”

“I do,” Jane said.

“I think you’re too fragile to work for Mr. Dawson,” Maria said bluntly. “I think you could do well here, but I believe you would be better off staying in the finance department. There’s room for advancement there in a few years.”

“I appreciate the advice, but I’m tougher than I look,” Jane said.

“Are you?”

“I am,” Jane said with a confidence she didn’t feel. “If I don’t get the position, will it affect my current job in finance?”

“No,” Maria said.

“Then there’s no harm in interviewing, right?”

“No, there isn’t.” Maria eyed Jane’s cheap dress pants and shirt. “Well, if I can’t talk you out of it, I suggest you wear something more professional and,” she hesitated, “expensive. Perhaps something from one of our lines? That will go over well with Mr. Dawson.”

“Um, okay.” Jane smoothed her hand over her pants self-consciously as Maria stood.

“Excellent. You’ll be meeting with Mr. Dawson at eight-thirty sharp. Don’t be late, please. He abhors tardiness.”

“I won’t be late,” Jane said.

“Good. If you’ll excuse me, I have a conference call in three minutes.”

“Thank you, Maria.” Jane left Maria’s office, closing the door before leaning against the wall. Her heart was thudding, and she felt a little sick to her stomach. If the HR person suggested she not apply for the position, maybe she shouldn’t. Maria said that Mr. Dawson wasn’t unkind, but she knew the rumours circulating in the office. He was demanding, and sometimes he shouted. Embarrassingly enough, she wasn’t entirely sure she wouldn’t just burst into tears if he shouted at her. She was always so tired, and lack of sleep made her cry easily.

You won’t, Jane! You can do this. Don’t pussy out now - you need this job.

That was true. If she got this position, she might actually have enough money to rent a place that had working heat and didn’t have mold growing on the walls. Hell, she could actually buy some damn groceries.

Her stomach growled, and she hurried back to her desk. Feeling slightly guilty, she scarfed down the rest of the sandwich before clicking the link to the company’s website. She scanned the suits, choosing the lowest price option and studying the prices with dread. Even the cheapest suit was way above her budget.

She twisted her hair anxiously. Maria had suggested a suit from the Dawson line, but there was no way she could afford it. She’d have to stop at the thrift store tonight and see if she could find something that wasn’t too cheap looking.

* * *

“You missed the meeting, Amy.”

Luke entered his sister’s office and studied the bean bag chairs with distaste. “What happened to the leather chairs I ordered?”

“I hated them,” Amy said airily, studying the sketches before her. “They were super uncomfortable. Just try sitting in one of the bean bag chairs, Luke. You’ll love it.”

He sighed and kicked at one of the bean bags before leaning against the wall. “No thanks. You missed the meeting.”

“I didn’t miss the meeting,” Amy said with a grin. “I deliberately chose not to go.”

“Amy, it was important that you be there. The Board members get nervous when the lead designer doesn’t - ”

“The Board members don’t give a shit about me,” Amy said. “They just want to talk about the business and the new lines and how much money is coming through and blah, blah, blah. That’s your department, remember? I design the clothing, and you run the business.”

“You should still be there,” he said. “Half the Board members don’t even know what you look like. Christ, half the employees have no idea what you look like.”

“What for? So I can listen to them blather on about meaningless numbers? The company is doing well, and the new line is exploding off the shelves. That’s all I need to know. Besides, you know I like my anonymity. I work better when I’m not disturbed. Hey, what do you think of this?”

She showed him the sketch, and he studied the flowing skirt and the off-the-shoulder blouse. “It looks good but not marketable for us.”

Source: www.allfreenovel.com