Page 17 of The Physical Attraction Seminar
“Not funny. I spent like five minutes looking for them this morning, and I couldn’t find them anywhere.” She slumps down into her seat and crosses her arms over her chest, accentuating her cleavage. “Wait. Why the hell are you carrying them around?”
“I needed a good luck charm for my presentation.”
“You’re so strange,” she quips with a laugh.
“You didn’t seem to have a problem with that last night.”
Lyla shakes her head, her wavy hair bouncing with the movement, and we both share a knowing smile.
I place the underwear on Elliot’s desk and lean back in his chair. There was no sense in having Lyla trek six blocks to the B.B.E. building for her interview only to turn right back around and come back here. Since I was already here for the presentation, Elliot graciously allowed me to borrow his office. I expected the interview to be short since Lyla was the only candidate.
Elliot spoke so highly of her that I never questioned whether I’d be offering her the job. This interview is more for HR formalities than anything else. If it was up to me, I would’ve just had her start on Monday.
I pause for a moment, racking my brain to recall if Elliot had ever mentioned her name. All I recall is the way he repeatedly referred to her as his assistant as if her identity was solely defined by that role. It’s possible he mentioned her name a few times, but in the midst of juggling this deal and my usual CEO duties, it probably slipped my mind.
I give her a long once-over, unable to get enough of the gorgeous girl in front of me. I never thought I’d see her again, but here she is, sitting right in front of me. “Hi, Lyla,” I say softly.
“Hi, Barrett.”
“What time did you leavethis morning?”
“Barrett…” Her words trail off, and she takes a deep, pained breath before closing her eyes.
“It’s okay, Lyla, I promise. I knew what I signed up for.” I give her a somber half-smile that she matches. “Can you answer one question for me, though?”
She nods, and I can sense her uncertainty based on the way she shifts in her seat.
“Did you really have no idea who I was last night?”
“I had no idea. I promise. I never would’ve… nothing would’ve ever happened between us if I knew who you were.”
When I hear the words spill from her lips, there’s a mix of relief and a faint tinge of sadness, knowing that last night could have never happened.
“I actually just found out about the merger yesterday,” she admits, her eyebrows furrowing as she speaks. “Elliot decided to hit me with a double whammy and break the news about today’s interview immediately after.”
“But… you’re his assistant. How did you not know about that acquisition? It’s been months in the making. If anyone were going to know about it, I’d expect it to be you.” I don’t want to accuse her of lying, but I find it hard to believe that she was in the dark about this.
“Elliot didn’t tell me about it, I swear. Ask him yourself.” She holds up her hands, palms open, in a gesture of innocence.
“He mentioned something yesterday as I was leaving about how I thought the deal wasn’t going to get finalized. I’m only speculating here, but I don’t think we wanted todisappoint anyone by going back on his word if the deal fell through. He didn’t come right out and say it, but he hinted that the terms of the deal were unusual, and I think he thought you all were going to back out at the last minute.”
Funny. I thought the same about him.
“I'm so stupid.” Lyla shakes her head from side to side. “I’ve only ever heard people refer to your company as B.B.E., and when I walked past your office this morning, I saw the sign on your wall with the logo. I knew the name sounded familiar, but I couldn’t figure out where I knew it from.”
“Elliot never mentioned my name?” I ask. I believe what she’s saying, but I need another round of shots before it will truly sink in.
“Yesterday, he only referred to you as ‘Banks,’ and the two of us…”
“… Didn’t share last names.” I finish the sentence for her with a huffed laugh. Who would’ve thought the rules of our agreement would backfire on us? “I’ve been so busy the last few days that your resume has been sitting on my desk collecting dust. I never got a chance to look at it, and when Elliot mentioned your name, I just…”
“… Forgot it.” Lyla lets out a deep belly laugh, clutching her stomach. I swear she mumbles something under her breath about pissing off the puppet in the sky that’s controlling her life, but I can’t quite make it out. “I can’t believe this is happening to me.”
“Some might say it’s fate.”
“Youmight say it’s fate,” she counters. “I’minclined to believe that this is just a remarkable coincidence. New York is a lot smaller than we think, after all.”
“Maybe you’re right.” I shrug it off. “Now, let’s talk about the executive assistant position.”
