Page 18 of Rude Boss' Secret Baby
She shrugged. “As soon as you needed me to, I suppose.”
I peeked down at her resume. “You put your starting rate at fifteen bucks an hour. Does that still hold true?”
She nodded. “I can do as low as fourteen, but anything below that isn’t worth the time away from my daughter for me.”
“Good. It’s good to have lines and stick to them. Have you given any thought to the kind of vacation time you might want?”
“I have actually, yes.”
My eyes held hers. “All right. What were you thinking?”
“Are we speaking hypothetically still?”
I shrugged. “Does it matter?”
Her gaze dropped down my body before she cleared her throat. “I’d ask for three weeks of paid vacation and one week of unpaid medical leave for fifteen bucks an hour. And if for some reason that pay is too much, I’d be willing to negotiate more paid time off and more medical leave in exchange for the dropped hourly rate.”
Wow, what shitty jobs she’s had.“How about this: you won’t be an hourly employee, you’ll be salaried. And for a secretary that I’m going to run as much as I’ll run you, the starting salary I offer for a full-time position such as the one you’re interviewing for is seventy-thousand a year, plus end-of-the-year bonuses depending on productivity levels. You’d have your choice of three top-tier health insurance programs which you and your daughter would be covered under, and you’d also get a work laptop as well as a work phone. I’ll give you fifteen business days of vacation, five business days of unpaid medical leave, all of which will reset yearly.”
She swallowed hard. “Are we speaking hypothetically still?”
I smirked. “No. We aren’t.”
Her face paled. “Oh.”
“So? How does all of that sound?”
Then, after a few beats of silence, she stood to her feet and offered me her hand. “It sounds like you have a deal if you’re offering me the job.”
And before I could catch my breath, I stood to my feet and shook her hand. “Congratulations, Miss Popovich.”
I felt the urge to tug her in for an extravagant kiss, but I resisted the pull. We shook hands for a bit longer than necessary, but when she dropped my hand, it ripped me out of my trance.
So, I made my way for my office door with her in tow behind me.
“You’ll start your training this coming Monday. You’ll train for two days, from ten to two, then Wednesday will be your first full day. I’ll have a packet ready for you with all of your health insurance information as well as our formal workplace booklet. By Wednesday, I’ll have you set up with your work laptop and phone. Any questions?”
I opened my office door and turned around to find her smiling up at me. “No, no questions at all.”
I nodded. “Wonderful. You can leave the same way you came, and I’ll see you at ten o’clock Monday morning.”
“I look forward to working together, Mr. Cataline.”
And as her thick, mouth-watering hips swayed with every step she took toward the elevator, I smiled to myself.
At least I have this luscious lady within arm’s reach now.
6
Leslie
Istood at my front door, unable to move. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. I didn’t know whether to smile or frown. And for fuck’s sake, I had no damn clue whether or not I should have accepted that job. But, I needed the paycheck badly, especially since it was such a good one, too.
“Leslie?”
I heard the door open, and I sure as hell heard Suri’s voice. But I couldn’t move. I was so stunned I didn’t even remember the drive home or getting out of my car to come to the front porch. I didn’t remember any stoplights or stop signs. I didn’t remember walking to my car after the interview. Hell, I didn’t even remember shedding the tears that made my neck feel damp.
I didn’t come to until I felt Suri’s hand in mine as she stepped out onto the porch.
