Page 6 of Miss Typed

“I guess first I should ask if you have a wife, girlfriend, or kids.”

“Why?” It came out sharper than intended, causing her to wince.

“Again, I’m not trying to get too personal, but I want to be aware of who to patch through immediately when it comes to them calling the office.”

That made sense. I throttled back on my defensiveness. “I have none of the above. And any personal callers wouldn’t ring my office. They’ll call my cell phone.”

“And your office hours?”

“I’m here by seven in the morning and normally leave about the same time each night.” The longer I worked, the better adept I became about not giving a damn about not having a personal life. I’d come to Dubai to escape the trappings of family obligations and overblown sympathy back home. However, I didn’t expect my staff to put in twelve-hour days. Dubai work hours were long enough. “You can choose which nine hours in that span you’d like to work and when to take your lunch.”

She let out a breath of relief.

My gaze flicked over to her left hand and saw no ring. But most likely a girl as beautiful as she was had a boyfriend she’d hurry to get home to each night.

“I’ll work eight to five, and take my lunch at noon. But I’m happy to stay later or adjust my hours if I need to.” She paused as if searching for a way to ask another question. “Do you anticipate having to work weekends?”

Weekends in Dubai were Friday and Saturday, which sometimes made it tough to stay in sync with the workweek in the States. “Do you have an issue working on weekends?”

I was too curious not to ask, and didn’t miss her hesitation. I’d always been good at reading people.

“I’m okay with working weekend days, but I’d prefer not to work Thursday or Friday nights.”

“Why?”

She appeared caught off guard by my question, mulling over her response before admitting, “I have a second job.”

I shouldn’t have been surprised. A lot of people came overseas to make as much money as possible. “Where?”

Her brows knit together. “I thought we weren’t sharing personal stuff. Please rest assured, my other employment understands this job comes first. But if I can give them advanced notice for coverage when I can’t show up, they appreciate the courtesy.”

Being caught up in my own request not to swap personal details annoyed me. “Most likely I won’t have anything over the weekends.”

She released a large breath. “Good. What about coffee preferences? Or your breakfast and lunch preferences?”

“Tom had you get his meals?”

“Every day. I don’t mind. You’re busy and billable.”

Often, I’d simply forget to eat during the course of the day. “I’m not picky, but I only need lunch during the day. I can get my own coffee, and I’ve normally eaten breakfast before I come in.”

I had a routine of going to the nearby gym in the mornings and then coming directly into my office to shower and change into my suit by seven. Having my own private bathroom in my office did have its advantages. Normally, I drank a protein shake before I left my apartment, ate a protein bar after the workout, and simply drank a lot of water through the day.

“What about dinner? Do you want me to grab you something before I leave each night?”

If I wasn’t eating with Reid, I normally got something from a box and heated it in the microwave, alone in my corporate apartment. “Dinner isn’t necessary.”

“How about granting me access to your email or calendar?”

“Calendar yes, email no.” Most of my correspondence was confidential and needed to stay that way.

“Okay.”

She appeared discouraged and probably wondered what exactly she was hired to do. That made two of us. Yet all directors at Delmont Security had assistants; therefore, I had one, too.

“Look. I’m new to this job and mostly self-sufficient. What I do is highly confidential, which is why I’m so protective of my emails. However, having someone outside of my door who will buzz me if someone is waiting, take my calls, and get me lunch while I’m too busy to leave my office is invaluable to me.”

She perked up a little. “Okay. I can definitely do those things. Any VIPs I should patch through no matter what?”