Kindling Flames—Gathering Tinder (2 page)

“Oh, and there was a vase next to it.”

His eyes lifted at this unexpected answer. “A vase?” he asked.

“Yes, it was about six inches tall with a square, fluted opening at the top.” Vicky described the trinket as best she could remember. “Brown. Very pretty. It had some kind of beaded thing around the neck.”

Darien lifted an eyebrow at how well the girl remembered the details of the items on the desk. He wasn’t surprised Marianna had left the knickknack when she had packed her things away. She hadn’t liked the present very much when he gave it to her. Darien read the words he had written and drew a line through them. ‘Only sees the obvious’ definitely did not describe someone who noticed the little vase next to that elaborate fish bowl.

“Very well, Miss Westernly.” He closed the file and slipped it into his desk drawer. Pulling a black messenger bag from under his desk, he stood up. “We’ll see how it works out.” Darien noticed the sigh of relief that issued from her, but she still managed to keep the emotion from her face. He stepped around the desk and held the leather bag out to her.

Vicky took it gingerly from his hand.

“This contains my entire life. It’ll be your job to keep up with everything.” Reaching into his pocket, Darien pulled out a phone for his new personal assistant. “Here. Keep this with you. If it rings, day or night, answer it. You’re on salary now, so you work when I tell you to.”

The young woman nodded, taking the phone from her new boss.

“The desk and computer in the other room are yours. The password’s in the bag. Feel free to change it to whatever you like.”

Vicky’s eyes widened a little as she took in what he said.

“You’re here to keep my life in order,” he continued. “Get your work done, and any free time is yours to do with as you please. However, I don’t want you to think this means your job will be easy. I’m a very busy man.”

He paused for a moment to let Vicky process this information. “Be here at seven. We stay till we’re done. There will be some weekends, but I’ll let you know in advance so you can make arrangements. If there are any problems, bring them straight to me. Otherwise, do what I say when I say it. Oh, and if you don’t already have a passport, get one. Is that clear?”

“Yes, sir,” Vicky started.

“Ritter,” Darien corrected her.

“Yes, Mr. Ritter,” she quickly restated. “I’ll do my best.”

Darien took a moment to actually look at the well-dressed woman standing in front of him. He had glanced her over as soon as she came in, but now, he really studied her. She had a shapely face and lightly done makeup. Her eyes were the grayish-blue of a rainy sky, and her dark blonde hair was twisted up and held by a pin to the back of her head. He guessed it would fall well past her shoulders if he yanked the pin from it. Long and lean for her height of around 5’4”, she wasn’t what he would call beautiful, but she was well built and could turn heads in the right outfit. Overall, a pleasant girl to look at. Darien nodded his approval.

She stood in front of him and waited until he was done.

“If you have any questions, please let me know.” Darien dismissed her and returned to his chair.

Vicky clutched her new possessions as she waited for him to notice her again.

He turned questioning eyes up to the woman he had expected to leave. “Was there something else?” he asked, slightly annoyed she hadn’t left to settle in.

Vicky nodded. “Where’s the charger?”

Darien gave her a strange look, not comprehending the question.

Vicky held up the phone. “The charger.”

Enlightenment crossed his face as he realized his omission. He reached down to the power strip under his desk to pull the cord out and wadded it up. “Here.” Darien handed the wire to her.

Vicky took it with a very polite ‘thank you’ and turned to go to her new desk.

He watched the door close behind the woman he’d just entrusted his human life with. Maybe she wasn’t going to be worthless after all.

***

Vicky closed the door behind her and took a deep breath to clear out the terror haunting her. When the temp agency sent her for the assistant’s position at Ritter Enterprises, she hadn’t expected it to be with the main man himself. Anyone in the business world could tell you that Darien Ritter was the CEO and owner of a worldwide shipping company. He had inherited the firm when his father, Michael Ritter, had died suddenly in a plane crash. Darien was the epitome of wealth and power, a philanthropist known for backing small businesses that piqued his interest, and was high on the list of Forbes’ most eligible bachelors. He stood six feet tall at around 180 pounds of solid muscle, with rich, brown hair, and the most beautiful green eyes Vicky had ever seen. What the magazines failed to mention was his voice. It was like black velvet—commanding, almost tangible, yet it warmed her to her toes. Vicky drew another deep, calming breath and took the leather bag to her new desk.

Noting the comfort of the expensive leather chair, Vicky turned her mind to the job she was hired for. A thorough investigation of the leather satchel left her slightly stunned. In addition to the day planner, address book, and notepad she had expected, there was also an account ledger, a checkbook, and two wallets. She knew the man was rich, but the balance in his bank ledger nearly caused her heart palpitations. And what man needed seven different credit cards? The part that really blew her mind was the thick wad of cash she’d discovered in the second wallet. Who trusted someone they’d just met with nearly four thousand dollars? She had stashed the money back in the bag as quickly as she could. The last thing she found was a large key ring. It looked to be a set of master keys to everything the man owned, but none of them were marked as to where they went. Vicky packed everything neatly back into the bag and stowed it under the desk.

It was stunning to see how much of Darien’s life she had been entrusted with. As if making sure he was where he needed to be wasn’t a big enough responsibility, she was also expected to take care of his personal expenses. Vicky sighed heavily, pulled the computer over, and flipped the top open. When she entered the password she had found in the notebook, she was greeted by the ugliest picture of a cat in a tutu that she had ever seen. Obviously, his last assistant had no taste at all. She switched the wallpaper to a stock picture of Stonehenge, cleared out the remnants of the last user, and changed the password to something she could easily remember. A quick search revealed several files holding the information from the credit cards and an electronic copy of the checking ledger from her bag. She looked over the files and decided there was something she could already do.

Vicky pulled out the leather-bound ledger and updated its electronic twin. Next, she pulled out the credit card receipts that had been tucked into the back of one of the wallets. Those files were also behind, so she sorted out the receipts and logged them.

Once finished, she mulled over what to do with the stack of papers. She looked through the desk drawers, but found no answers. Plucking up her courage, she did the only thing she could think of—go ask.

***

“Come in,” Darien called to the tentative knock at his door. What could his new assistant want? Vicky stepped into the room and approached his desk. He kind of liked that the girl was a little afraid of him. It was a nice change from the last two temps that had annoyed him by spending every moment they could with him. The last one had even propositioned him before he had sent her packing.

“Sorry for disturbing you, Mr. Ritter, but what do I do with these?” The young woman held the stack of receipts out for him to see.

“There are some files on the computer where they’ll need to be logged,” Darien explained.

Vicky tilted her head and looked at him. “What do I do with them after that? Is there a folder somewhere where you keep them, or do they just get tossed?”

Darien looked at his new assistant, surprised to learn she had already jumped into her job with both feet. “We keep them until the bill comes in.” He pointed to a short cabinet in the corner of his office. “File them over there for now. They’ll get pulled out and shredded once the bill is paid.”

Vicky thanked him for the help and quickly sorted the slips into the files before turning to leave. Pausing at the door, she turned back to the man watching her.

“It’s almost lunchtime. Did you need anything to eat?”

Darien was staggered at the woman’s consideration. Marianna use to remind him to eat, but the last three temps hadn’t. He quickly recovered from his surprise and answered, “I’m fine, thank you, but you’re welcome to take an hour for lunch. There’s a café on the fifth floor.”

Vicky nodded her understanding and turned to go.

“Miss Westernly…”

She stopped and looked back.

“Thank you.”

Vicky smiled brightly at him and slipped from the room.

Darien was shocked again by her response. He had to change his view of this young woman. Her face lit up when she smiled, making her amazingly beautiful. How had he missed that during the time she had been in his office?

***

At twelve thirty, Darien decided to go get some coffee. He didn’t need to eat like a normal person, and the caffeine did nothing for him, but he still loved his coffees.

He slipped from his office to get a caramel macchiato from the café downstairs. The sight of his new assistant at her desk, munching half a sandwich and playing Minesweeper, stopped him in his tracks.

Vicky looked up from her meager meal and entertainment to find her new boss staring at her. She swallowed the bite of sandwich that had just gone dry in her mouth and dropped the rest so it was hidden behind her desk. “Is there something I can do for you, Mr. Ritter?” she asked, in the best professional voice she could muster with sandwich crumbs spread across her lap.

Darien considered her for a moment. “I did say you could take the lunch hour to get something at the café?” He was sure he had made himself clear.

Vicky raised the sandwich up to show him. “I didn’t know what to expect, so I brought something from home,” she admitted shyly.

Darien chuckled to himself. Glancing over the meal she brought, his eyes caught on the little fruits on her desk. “What’s that?” Darien pointed at what looked like wrinkly, mini oranges.

Vicky looked where he was pointing and set her sandwich down. “They’re clementines.” Picking up one of the citrus fruits, she split open the peel to reveal the cute, little pieces inside, and held the whole thing out for him to take.

Darien pulled one of the slices out and slipped it into his mouth. His eyes lit up at the burst of juice that was close to an orange, yet not quite the same. “Oh wow,” he exclaimed.

Vicky smiled at his reaction.

Darien popped a second piece into his mouth before realizing he was eating his new assistant’s lunch. “I’m sorry.” He tried to give the unfinished clementine back to her, but she waved it away with a smile.

“I have more, enjoy it.” Vicky felt a little more relaxed at seeing the great man that terrified her act just as human as the next guy.

“Thank you.” Darien accepted the gift and paused for a moment. “I’m heading down to get some coffee. Would you like to join me, Miss Westernly?”

Vicky jumped at the opportunity to learn more about the man she would be working for. She quickly packed her lunch away and stuck it in the top drawer of the desk. Pushing the laptop closed, she picked up the bag she had been charged with.

Darien smiled to himself as he watched the protective way Vicky slipped the bag over her shoulder so she could easily carry it without losing it.

Munching on the clementine, he led Vicky through the building, pointing out things she would need to know. Whenever someone spoke to him or waved, Darien told Vicky their name and what they did in the company. By the time they reached the fifth floor café, Vicky’s head was spinning with the sheer quantity of information he had thrown at her. The locations and their functions were easy, but the names and faces he paraded past her were just too much to handle in one go. Darien ended the tour by stepping up to the counter at the café.

“The usual, Mr. Ritter?” asked the barista, smiling at the handsome CEO.

“Make it two, please, Sue,” he answered the spunky girl. “This is my new personal assistant, Miss Victoria Westernly.” Darien presented Vicky for Sue to look over.

Vicky considered the petite woman with short, orangish-brown hair. She was sure the cute girl couldn’t be more the eighteen or nineteen.

“It’s nice to meet you, Miss Westernly.” Sue smiled warmly at Vicky as she retrieved the things to make the coffees.

Vicky returned the smile and the greeting.

When finished, Sue placed the drinks in Darien’s hands. “Here you go, Mr. Ritter.”

“Thank you very much, Sue.” Darien started to leave.

Vicky stood there, gaping at him. “It was a pleasure to meet you,” she called to the girl behind the counter as she rushed to catch up with her new boss.

Sipping on his drink, Darien held one of the coffees out so Vicky could take it. She looked at the cup before sipping on it gingerly to find it was delicious.

“I own this building and everything in it, so I don’t pay for anything at the café,” Darien explained to his companion. “And since you are now my personal assistant, you don’t, either.” He hadn’t extended this privilege to the previous temps. She hadn’t even been there for a full day, and Vicky had already exceeded his expectations. “If anyone says anything to you about it, let me know. I’ll take care of it. Understand?” He gave the wide-eyed woman walking next to him a pointed look.