Riding with the Bad Boy (A Dark Motorcycle Club Romance) (8 page)

I
took
a deep breath because I wasn’t just doing this for the job. I was doing it for my life.

“
A
va Jacobs
, nice to meet you. As you know, this position would require cultural and historical sensitivity. You would be in charge with direct analysis of the cultural relevancy of many areas, but also with our military, as you are aware, we do most of our business with.”

“
I
’ve had
many international courses on just those things, and I can assure you. I take them seriously.”

“
W
e also provide
technology to many of the police forces trained by the military. So it is important that you be able to converse and communicate effectively.”

A
nother voice rose up
, the man from the end of the row looked my resume over. “Your language skills are impeccable, and I have to be honest, being proficient in Arabic is a huge reason to bring you on board. Not to mention your references, as I am sure you know, your international relations professor spoke highly of you. Do you feel confident you can perform the duties as they are presented to you?”

M
y heart raced
, this was a textbook question, one I was prepared for, but it made my heart stop. This was happening. It was actually happening, and it seemed like they were asking me this as only a formality.

D
id
I get the job before I even walked in the door?

“
I
do
. My internship with G&K two summers ago speaks well for my ability to work in and around your company. I already feel comfortable in it, and I know that I can work well within it. G& K Technology works closely with many different corporations, as well as multiple militaries, and I have knowledge of it. I do not come as a blank slate, but rather, someone with working knowledge of the company”

H
e nodded
, and then turned to another member, the one next to him.

“
M
s. Jacobs
, you look great on paper, but what about you, personally, would add to our company?” The voice that asked was on the end, a very prominent, very exact looking woman.

T
he kind
that never seemed to get along with me.

“
I
come bringing
a multitude of perspectives, from my heritage, my experiences studying abroad, as well as my ability to really understand the mentality of those in the military.”

“
O
h
? You have family in the military?” She asked, suddenly interested.

“
M
y brother is a sergeant
, and that allows me to really understand how men in the field are challenged, and how G& K Technology has made that challenge easier. My language capabilities speak for themselves, but I feel that all together, I am a great candidate for the position.”

T
he stern woman
just looked her nose down at me. “Look, Ms. Jacobs. We normally hold open interviews like this for straight out of college kids, and to be honest, it is usually a wash for us. Nothing really gained, sure we pick up the occasional hopeful along the way, but really, we expect to find nothing. Experience for the students who are interviewing is enough for Mr. Gilmore to want to do them.”

T
he kinder woman spoke up
, “But you, we knew we were going to take you as soon as we saw your resume, and your previous experience. We just had to make sure you were real.”

T
he first woman
, the one who escorted her finally admitted,

“Well, that and the boss told us he wanted you, with out a doubt. And that means he must really, really, want you. We don’t question that. When can you start?”

“
I
have
to put in notice at my job, Ms…” It was a small job, doing secretarial work for the a local law office, something I did part time since college, they deserved at least that much.

“
J
ust call me Maria
. Don’t worry about that, we’ll contact them. I am sure they will be amenable to letting you go early. How about starting Monday? That way we can get you familiarized the the office, and right into the boss’s hands.”

“
W
ho will
I be working for?” I asked, curious as to whom she meant when she said “boss”.

“
T
he CEO of G
& K Technology , Mr. Gilmore.”

“
E
xcuse me
?” I asked looking around nervously.

“
D
on’t
you want the job, Ms. Jacobs?”

I
’d read
about C. T. Gilmore, on several occasions, first when I was working as an intern for them, and then again when I was getting ready for my interview. I didn’t know much, couldn’t even find a picture from all my research. Just that he was a young inheritor of the business after his Uncle passed away.

S
uddenly I felt nervous
.

“
I
thought
I would be working with other analysts?” I asked, the idea of working so closely with the CEO had me seriously nervous.

“
N
ormally you would be
, but Mr. Gilmore is looking for a personal assistant with the capabilities of being an analyst. He needs a right hand person to help him in his meetings, with his negotiations, things that are a bit more sensitive and urgent.” Maria smiled at me while the other two, the man and the stern faced woman, looked at me with contempt. “He wants you, and that is all that matters.”

M
e
? Why me? What had I ever done to earn his attention?

***

D
ean

I
should have gone
into that room instead of watching from the one way window in the other office. But I installed it for a reason. I didn’t want the candidates that I thought were special, the ones I wanted to interview myself, be put in a situation that would make them overwhelmingly nervous.

A
nd I could tell
by the way she looked at me, that without ever knowing I was the CEO, she would have been completely nervous that the man who “saved the day” was watching her.

T
he one who
stole her broken shoes.

I
smiled
and looked over at them in the trash. I wasn’t about to let her walk in them. So I texted Maria and let her know under no circumstances to pay attention to her barefoot state. It wouldn’t be fair.

I
t wouldn’t change
who she was. A beautiful, intelligent woman interviewing for a job.

E
ven if it
wasn’t the job she put in for.

S
omething about her
, about the way she looked at me. She was a strong resilient woman. I’d looked at her files; I normally did before I hired them. At least the ones right out of college. It was a personal hobby of mine. Chose one or two young kids, put them in.

A
va was
the most impressive I’d ever seen.

N
ow
, looking at her through that glass, I could see why.

S
he didn’t let
anything stop her. Not her fears, not her circumstances.

A
good choice
.

I
made a good choice
.

S
o why was
I sitting there thinking about the way her lips looked when she answered the questions, instead of her answers?

I
fidgeted
. For so long the only thing I had been passionate about was business. Women came and went, but I never felt this way when I looked at a woman, at least, not for a very long time.

A
va
? She was different. I could tell. Just by looking at her.

***

A
va

I
stumbled
out of the interview room and down the stairs, all barefooted, and star struck.

T
hey wanted me
, they hired me! I start in three days. All these thoughts were racing through my head, but most prominently, the question of “why” was going through it as well.

I
couldn’t believe
they would hire me, I was barely out of college, I had little experience, and certainly there was someone better, more qualified to work along side the CEO of the company.

I
t seemed like too much
, too fast.

W
ithout thinking
I walked down the stairs, and outside. Shit, I had no shoes. I was going to have to get someone to come and pick me up.

“
E
xcuse me
, Miss?” A deep voice interjected into my thoughts, making me look around for someone else. Someone that wasn’t me. He couldn’t have been addressing me.

B
ut he was
.

I
turned
to see a rather dapper looking man staring at me. “Are you Ms. Jacobs.”

“I am…”

“
Y
es
, I’ve been told to get the car for you, and give you a lift home. Something about improper footwear?”

He didn’t seem to care, not really, about the state of my feet, that passive look never once left his face let me know that he was just doing his job. Servants didn’t exist in my word, I mean, I knew about them, but I never really thought about them. It was all so new to me.

H
e handed
me a card that had G&K Technology logo on it. “I’m from the company, Miss.”

D
amn
, someone had a car brought around for me. “Oh, okay, thank you.” Rather than look a gift horse in the mouth I got into my chariot and did what any woman in my position would do.

I
immediately dialed Madison
.

“
G
irl
, guess who did the impossible and landed a dream job.”

“
W
hat is the salary
?”

“
M
ore than I
’m willing to tell you.” A grin spread across my face. No way I was going to let her know anything other than that I got the job.

“
T
hat’s so awesome
!!! I’m sorry, I didn’t think they would hire you. I just wanted to prepare you for disappointment, that way you wouldn’t get your hopes up.”

“
T
here were actually
a lot of women in the company, a few who interviewed me.” I was nervous about it too. All those articles in college talked about how women were not earning as much, getting as many jobs, or as many interviews. Especially with the economy the way it was.

“
N
ice
, the glass ceiling still exists though,” Madison added, not letting me have my own thoughts, “but I am glad to see that G&K is different.”

“
I
sure hope it is
,” I admitted, finally letting my hopes take off with me.

I
beat the odds
.

***

D
ean

F
inally
. A moment I can get out of the office.

I
parked
my car at the edge of the forest and looked out over it. It called me to it on a regularly basis. Sometimes daily.

I
loved the forest
. The country side. The mountains. It was too much to remain cooped up in that old office. Especially when it wasn’t me. Not really.

I
inherited a dynasty
, but at heart I was just a man. The son of a poor single mother who happened to have one night with a billionaire that resulted in me.

His only heir.

H
e didn’t even know
I existed until he got sick, and searched me out.

H
ell
, I didn’t know who he was until then.

I
missed the farm
, the forest. All those hikes as a kid.

A
s soon as
the cool air hit mailings I breathed it in deep.

It felt damn good.

B
efore I knew
it I was stripping out of my clothing piece by piece, leaving them in car while I changed into something more suitable for my walk.

W
hile I was trying
to get the office off my mind, my thoughts flashed to her. Ava. I pushed it aside and focused on the trees around me