Page 23 of Taken By My Grumpy Pakhan

At least till I’ve proved myself and earned my place like every other person on this floor.

The beeper on my table turned green, indicating someone had entered the office. The walls were thick, but I wouldn’t miss the soft timbre if I lost my hearing.

I straightened, arranging my journal, pen, highlighter and sticky note into a neat stack. I wasn’t sure if the excitement coursing through me was from the adrenaline of starting a new job or the man who was sitting next door.

Whatever the cause, I was choosing to focus on the former. I loved my job and it didn’t matter who my boss was, I would be just as excited for a new opportunity.

I slapped on my signature receptionist smile and walked out the door.

Kazimir was seated behind his desk in an all-black ensemble and missing a tie as usual. His hair was tousled in a way that looked careless and intentional all the same, and across the table was Nikolai Archibald, the COO.

“Good morning, sir.” I almost regretted alerting him of my presence the moment his eyes landed on me.

His eyes darkened, trailing a burning path from my legs, lingering briefly on my boobs before settling on my face.

I was on the verge of evaporation when he finally spoke.

“Genevieve. How do you like your new office?”

“It’s very comfortable. Thank you, sir.” His lips gave a slight twitch, but he didn’t say anything.

“This the new PA?” Nikolai asked, saving me from a moment of awkward silence.

“Good morning. I’m Genevieve Sinclair."

His eyes twinkled. “Genevieve. You must’ve made quite the impression.” His attention shifted to Kazimir, who was currently flipping through the file on his table. “My friend was a bona fide believer of personal assistants being a waste of space and money in the presence of a secretary.”

His honey-brown eyes returned to me, still carrying the playful spark. “I’m glad to know he had a change of mind.”

“Thank you,” I replied, not giving away the way his remark affected me. “I’ll make sure he has no regrets.”

A megawatt smile lit up his features. “I know you will.”

With Kazimir’s attention on his files and Nikolai reaching out for the second stack, I figured I’d been dismissed for the moment.

“I’ll be inside if you need me.”

Kazimir gave no reply, but Nikolai nodded with a smile.

I turned, the excitement from earlier giving room to her less interesting sister, deflation.

The walk back to my office felt like a glorified walk of shame with my senses painfully aware of tiny laser balls glued to my ass. I was suddenly grateful I had ditched Anna's advice to wear a pencil skirt in favour of an A-line office dress.

I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding the moment I was safely on the other side of my door, feeling my body relax in the absence of his all-consuming presence.

It’s okay, Gen. He has always been cold and distant. This is probably how he related with personal workers and lack of preferential treatment was good. Do not overthink it.

But ten minutes passed and the telecom on my desk was yet to beep. I refreshed my email, looking out for any information I missed, but the only new message was from the local gym in my area.

I turned on the laptop, going over the schedule the secretary sent me and the one I found earlier.

Today was essentially blank, but Caroline, the secretary, had requested that I be on standby as he might have something for me when he arrived.

Muted laughter floated into my office through the little openings in the door and I waited. Caroline had said he had a meeting for 10:00 a.m. It was almost eleven and for some reason, he was yet to call me in.

Thirty minutes passed and nothing happened. I was growing bored and close to pulling my hair out.

Anna's comment resurfaced with a bitter aftertaste this time.