Page 7 of A Bossy Roommate

Gretchen shows me the important office spaces, like the break room and bathroom. She also explains that Legacy ownsthe building from the 8th to the 12th floor and that I will rarely, if ever, have to visit any other floor than the one we’re on.

“Simple enough to follow,” she says.

“And zero danger of getting lost—hopefully,” I joke, and her laughter joins with mine.

“That’s the other assistants. I’ll introduce you later.” Gretchen waves back to two women as we pass through conference rooms and the sales floor. “You’ll soon notice we assistants always stick together. If something comes up, we try to cover each other’s shifts to keep things running smoothly. But otherwise, we exclusively work for the managers we’re assigned to. This will be your desk…”

We step through a modern glass door. It’s sleek and framed with brushed steel.

The sign reads:

Carter Bancroft

Chief Operating Officer

Huh,Carter?

Just like the first name of my one-night stand.

Except his last name was Donovan. Weird and also a twisted little joke from the universe. I hope that name isn’t going to haunt me from now on like the memories of his touch will.

The glass door leads into a small lobby separate from everything else. In the middle of the room is a large mahogany half-moon desk. It doesn’t face the open doorway, but rather a closed wooden door and three modern and comfortable-looking chairs.

“Whoa,” I say when we approach. “This is the biggest desk I’ve ever worked at. And I get this space to myself?”

Gretchen nods with a smile. “It’s great, isn’t it? Please sit down. It gives you some semblance of privacy, which you’ll need when managing Mr. Bancroft’s appointments and meetings. His office is right through these doors.” Gretchen points to the big, closed mahogany double doors across from us, then leans in and lowers her voice. “He likes things done in a very specific way, so you need to be on your toes…believe it or not, he’s still using a small black book to keep track of his appointments, just like in the old ages. Luckily, the board stepped in and compelled him to embrace the efficiency of our new cutting-edge system…but I’ll let him tell you himself.”

“When will I get to meet him?” I sit down at the desk, sinking back into the high, comfortable office chair. There’s a brand-new computer with two wide-screen monitors and a sleek black phone.

Gretchen adjusts her glasses and checks her tablet for the time. “Mr. Bancroft is in a staff meeting with the other managers right now, but they should be wrapping up soon. So, anyway, here is a folder with your login for the computer and the applications.”

She spends the next few minutes walking me through the basics and showing me where to pull up the training videos I need to review. Being well versed in computers, familiarizing myself with all the programs I have to access is a breeze. Once she’s satisfied I have retained everything, she gives me a warm smile.

“You’re going to do great,” she says. “Honestly, once you get the hang of things and know what he expects from you, it’s fairly straightforward.”

“Thanks for showing me the ropes.”

“My pleasure. If you need help”—she points out the glass door to another one right across the hall—“I’m right through there. You can always wave me over. Or try the new in-house instant messenger, and I’ll pop by.”

“Ahem.”

I hear a man clear his throat behind Gretchen.

She turns around. “Oh! Good morning, Mr. Bancroft. I was just getting your new assistant acquainted with our system.”

The man steps around Gretchen.

I get up.

When I see the face of the well-groomed man, I nearly pass out.

Tall.

Six foot two.

Dark hair.

It’shim. It’s my one-night stand from last night!Carter.

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