When Empires Fall (9 page)

“This is your desk, and Grant’s office is right through that door.” Linc pointed at the closed door to the left of her desk, which had an embossed gold plaque naming it as the office of
Grant W. Vasser, General Manager
.

“Is he here yet?” She asked, chewing her bottom lip nervously.

“He’s been here since six this morning.”

Her eyebrows raised incredulously. “Is that normal?”

“When you’re Grant Vasser, it is.” Linc shrugged, his face brightening with a grin as he shifted to face her directly. “You should join me for a drink later. If you’ve never been,
Amoureux
serves a mean martini. I could give you the lowdown on all of your new coworkers, who to avoid and who to suck up to, let you in on some juicy Vasser family secrets over dessert, then amuse you over another drink with childhood tales of me escaping my driver and wreaking havoc on the poor, unsuspecting citizens of New York. Did I mention that you look stunning in that blouse?”

Quinn blinked, realizing he had just, as smooth as butter, asked her out after having known her only five minutes. It took all the control she had not to laugh hysterically at him.

“You are a shameless flirt, Linc Vasser.”

He chuckled, keeping the mood light and casual. “I am when I want to be.”

Despite the obvious come-on, she still found his charm appealing. Maybe it was because she tended to be a pretty straightforward, shoot-from-the-hip kind of person herself, and seeing the same in him made her feel more comfortable than annoyed. She could handle men like him, and had done so many times.

“I think the two of us will work better as friends.”

“Suit yourself.” He smiled to show there were no hard feelings, and she felt she liked him a lot more for it. “Anyway, I’ll let him know you’re here.”

He left her standing just inside the little office alcove as he swung open his brother’s office door without even knocking, poking his head in. “Hey buddy, your new secretary’s here.”

Then he swung back out of the room and patted Quinn companionably on the shoulder, his eyes meeting hers pointedly. “Don’t let his sourness dampen that smile of yours, Quinn. It’s too pretty to waste.”

That same smile faltered as he swept past her and jogged towards an open elevator that a maid had just entered. He waved to her with a grin as the doors began to close, and she attempted one back in return. Then he was gone.

Unsettled by his comment, she turned back around and with a jolt spotted a much different man standing before her, just outside his office door.

He was taller than Linc, and a bit leaner in his trim, professional looking black suit and crisp, no nonsense gray diamond tie. His features resembled Linc’s in that they were sharp and European, with dark brows and defined cheekbones, but the similarity ended there. His hair was a darker brown, and a bit shorter, in a cut that was both trim and professional. Where Linc’s eyes had been a warm, cheery blue, this man’s were a rich, dark amber, and were sharply honed in on her in quiet assessment. His face was slightly longer than his brother’s, with a faintly dimpled chin and firm mouth that, from the faint frown lines on his face, rarely if ever smiled.

Serious. Yes, she could see now why Linc had chosen that particular adjective to describe his brother. In fact, she bet if she looked up the dictionary definition of the word, there would be a small picture of him right beside it. Go figure.

“Hi, I’m Quinn.” She smiled warmly, reaching out to shake hands with him, praying to God her palm wasn’t sweaty from nerves. For some reason, she had a feeling he wouldn’t like that.

He accepted her hand briefly, firmly, then released it. “Right. What is your last name?”

“Taylor. Quinn Taylor.” She nodded, though she had no idea why. He was already making her incredibly nervous, which was saying something since she was normally such a people person and could handle just about anybody. But there was something much different about him, though she couldn’t put her finger on what it was. All she knew for certain was that simply being in his presence was incredibly disarming.

“Alright. Miss Taylor, this is where you will report to every morning at nine o’clock sharp. I am in the office every day at six, so if you’re late I will notice.” He turned to face the desk, reaching over to grab a stack of papers that were sitting there. “I need you to…please tell me you know how to use a computer and a phone? If you don’t then there is no point in continuing this conversation.”

Surprise hit her first before her temper did, her cheeks flushing with it. “What century do you think this is? Of course I do.”

The vaguely irritated look on his face at her words had her cursing herself silently and promptly shoving her foot in her mouth. “I’m sorry, that was rude. Yes, I know how to use a computer and a phone.”

He stared at her critically as he handed her the paperwork. “Good. I need you to mark these invoices as paid in the computer. Then, if you open the Word document marked ‘daily’ on the desktop, you’ll find a list of daily duties for you to accomplish on top of answering and transferring calls to me. If you have any important questions, I’ll be in my office.”

He started towards his office door, but before he could disappear inside she called out to him.

“You didn’t tell me your name, but your brother said it was Grant. I need to know what I should call you.”

He looked back at her, mildly annoyed. “Call me Mr. Vasser.”

With that, he shut himself inside of his office, leaving her standing in limbo in the little room, wondering what in the hell just happened.

That had to have been the briefest, least interactive and least exciting introduction she had ever been a part of. It had been as though he was so pressed for time that he did not find giving her even five minutes worth the trouble. Instead, she apparently had a Word file with instructions to decipher, which she was certain she could make do with, but still…never in her life had she met someone so eager to end a conversation before it had even begun.

Releasing a long breath, she rounded her new desk and stored her purse beneath it, trying not to judge him too harshly. Maybe today was just an off day for him and he really was busy. It was only fair of her to give him the benefit of the doubt, even if Linc’s words kept sneaking back in to trouble her.

As she took a seat at her new desk chair, she glanced around at the little space, with its neutral beige paint, small pastoral paintings, and two glass walls with an open doorway that gave a view of the waiting area. It was nice, as far as offices went. And it was quiet as a tomb.

Across the hall was the other glass walled office alcove just like hers, but whoever usually sat there wasn’t in. With a quiet sigh, she turned to the sleek desktop computer before her and logged on, hunting for that Word document he had mentioned.

God help her, she was going to do well here. She had to, really. She had pretty much run out of options, and she needed to cement a good relationship with Mr. Vasser if she ever hoped to be transferred into the food and beverage department of the hotel. Her future was riding on her working relationship with this one man, who already clearly didn’t like her.

I’ll just have to change that, Quinn told herself confidently. With a little bit of charm, a warm smile, and a proven work ethic, surely he would come around in time and see just how valuable she was. Yes, it had to work, even with him. She had to believe that.

Hours later, when it was time for her to leave for the day, Quinn packed up her things and shut down her computer, stretching her arms behind her head with a soft groan. She had managed to complete her entire list of duties, field a few phone calls, and enjoy another brief visit from Linc when he came by at lunchtime to check on her. All in all, it had been a pretty good first day.

But what struck her as extremely odd was that her new boss had not left his office once during the day, nor had he even gone out for lunch. He had had a few visitors for meetings, including Marshall and the hotel’s accountant, Roger, but he had never left the room.

And he was still in there, even though it was six o’clock in the evening. That’s twelve long hours, she thought dully as she shook her head, slipping into her coat. The man was clearly the definition of a workaholic. Might as well put his face next to that word in the dictionary, too.

Figuring she should at least let him know she was leaving, she gathered up her purse and walked up to his door, her hand raised to knock. She paused and eyed the gold plaque curiously, an odd feeling coursing through her as she read his name. It was a strange kind of uneasiness, but not altogether uncomfortable. More of a curiosity, a natural intrigue, to learn more. Just what was it like to be him? To be an heir to this great empire?

She knocked politely, then pushed open the door when she heard him call her in. She poked her head in and spotted him seated at his desk, immersed in a pile of paperwork with a cup of coffee at his side.

When he didn’t glance up at her, she cleared her throat and spoke anyway, her eyes quickly taking in the décor of his office while he wasn’t looking. Traditional and masculine, with modern touches. What an interesting, yet complex, mix.

“I just wanted to let you know that I’m leaving for the day,” Quinn said evenly, admiring now the countless portraits and photographs he had cluttering his walls. Family man, through and through, she thought with an approving smile. Interesting…

When he spoke, her eyes jolted back to him, though he had yet to look up from his work. “Thank you, Miss Taylor. See you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow.” She watched him for a brief moment, wondering how he could work such long hours and still be sane. Deciding it wasn’t for her to understand, she bowed out of the office and quietly shut the door behind her.

Grant looked up the moment the door clicked shut, his eyes struggling to focus. He’d been staring at the contract for the new swimming pool for the last hour, and must have lost track of time. He probably should have at least looked up at her when he had said goodbye, he realized, scowling to himself. She must think him incredibly rude.

What did that matter, though? He argued with himself. He wasn’t here to be her friend, but her boss. And he hadn’t been
technically
impolite to her. Or had he? Sometimes it was just so hard to tell when his brusque nature offended others. But then again, if she couldn’t handle it, then she had no business working for him. He was the way he was, and it had suited him just fine in life so far. Even if the weight he put on himself was starting to wear him down.

Sometimes it seemed as though the hours and the days just blurred together. He had been pushing himself too hard for too long, and it was starting to take its toll. Seeking relief, he reached for his coffee mug and took a generous sip, hoping it would kick in. He still had so much to do…

And on top of all of it was this new secretary. Miss Quinn Taylor. Or was it Mrs.? He hadn’t bothered to even ask her, he had just assumed.

Good job, Grant, he grunted as he rubbed his face in his hands, feeling foolish. He had barely spoken twenty words to her before trumping off into his office to be a hermit for the day. Not that that was unusual, he reminded himself. He just wasn’t much of a people person, preferring being alone to mindless chatter. Who needed small talk when there were more important things to do?

But she certainly hadn’t deserved his callousness. She seemed polite enough, and, thank God, a quick learner without the need for his constant attention.

He should really try and be more cordial with her, despite how hard it was for him to adjust to meeting new people, much less working with them. What was the worst that could happen, anyway? He had liked his last secretary well enough, so there was no reason not to try and have a good relationship with this one.

Though something about her, and he still couldn’t figure out just what it was, had caught him the second she had turned around, her face lit with that smile of hers. It had been like being caught in headlights, blinded by a brilliance that seemed oddly natural and comforting. If he had been extraordinarily curt and callous with her, it had been for no reason other than that he’d been flustered and disarmed by her, leaving him with no other option than to retreat. How else could he explain it? She had not been at all what he had been expecting.

And to top it all off, it had been
Linc
who had made her smile that way, while all he had been able to do was insult her in more ways than one. If it hadn’t been so typical, he might have been troubled by it. But he knew what he was, and he knew what his brother was. Linc possessed all of the charm, humor and empathy that Grant had never been able to tap into. It was no wonder she would smile for Linc, everyone did.

Forcing the thoughts from his mind, he dove back into the paperwork, knowing that if he didn’t do it, it wouldn’t get done. Maybe he wasn’t very charming or funny, but he
was
motivated, determined, and diligent, and work had and always would be the most important thing in his life. Maybe he would die alone, but at least he would have risen to the top of the pile and accomplished greatness.

A couple of hours later, he finalized the last of it and glanced down at his watch. Eight o’clock, on the nose.