Evan's POV
I stood up at my desk, ready to call my best friend Zack to meet up for lunch. We had been best friends since our high school days and all throughout the years at Harvard University where we received bachelors degrees in Marketing and Communications, and masters in Business Administration.
"Hi darling," a voice greeted as I was walking to my private elevator.
I turned around slowly, knowing who it was, and she immediately threw her arms around my neck and drew me in for a kiss.
I pulled away gently.
"What are you doing here?" I asked her. I wasn't expecting her and I hated it when people showed up uninvited.
"I wanted to surprise you and take you out to lunch." She was still cheerful.
How do I shut her down gently? I asked myself.
Julia Starlet was a twenty four year-old actress. Tall, slim, blonde and beautiful. I adored her bright brown eyes and the elegant way she wore her makeup. She was flawless but she was only a one night stand I met at one of my father's functions. And I had no true intentions of having anything solid with the types of women who appeared to be so easy to get into bed and always eager to spread their legs for a rich guy. For Pete's sake, the same night I met her was the same night I bedded her. She was like so many others but she was the reflection of myself and I wanted-- no, scratch that -- I needed to change my lifestyle. Eventually.
"Actually, I'm getting lunch with my best friend," I said, typing into my phone, responding to an email.
"Well, can I come along? And would you stop texting and pay attention to me?"
I heaved a sigh. She was already getting on my nerves.
"No." I retorted, walking into my elevator.
She followed me in.
"Evan. I want us to become exclusive. Lets make it official and become a real couple," she suggested with a smile.
My eyes moved from the phone and scanned her.
She must be out of her mind.
"No," I said again and turned my attention back to my email.
"So you think that you're going to sleep with me and dump me the next day like a piece of garbage? Who do you think you are?!" she roared before snatching the phone out my hands.
"What the hell! Give me back my phone."
"No! You're not breaking up with me!"
She threw the phone on the elevator floor and used her heels as a weapon of destruction, stomping repeatedly onto it until it was nothing but bits and pieces underneath her.
I looked at the woman acting like a crazy lunatic next to me. I chuckled and shook my head.
"Am I funny to you?" she asked, looking at me when she was through destroying my iPhone with the heel of her stiletto.
"Listen Julia, you're a nice girl, really, but I don't revolve around you. You were just a one time thing and I have zero intentions of taking you home to my family. Which basically means I have no intention of making you my girlfriend, fiancee, wife or even baby mama."
"But you sent me flowers."
She was about to cry. Her eyes welled up and she was getting red in the face like a steamed lobster.
"I always do that. That's how I say thank you and goodbye."
I exited my elevator and informed security to escort her off the premises. I was not in a mood for listening to any more tantrums from an emotional, wrecked woman.
I started my Bentley and drove to a nearby upscale restaurant where Zack was already waiting. We always met here whenever we decided to have lunch together and catch up on things.
"You look drained," he greeted, patting me on the back as I sat down at our table.
"You don't know the half of it, and I just had to deal with Julia."
"Julia?"
"Yeah. The movie actress I met at Dad's gala last Wednesday."
"Oh, well she wasn't so bad. She was very beautiful and seemed friendly and--"
"Easy." I finished for him.
He laughed. "Well, not everyone is the same. The lady who gives it on the first date could very well be wife material. I don't think that defines a woman," he said while opening the menu placed on the table in front of us.
"Well, I do. I wouldn't trust her if she spreads on the first night, bro. She knows nothing about me, not even my second name, but she's ready to sleep with me and you're saying she 'could be wife material'? No! I call it gold digging."
"Evan, you're twenty five. You're not getting any younger. When are you going to settle down and find the right woman?"
"Dude. Don't you start with me. Please leave those kind of lectures for my mom. She's the only one who always preaches to me about settling down. I'm not ready for all that yet. I know exactly when I will settle and what I'll settle for. I don't want a famous actress, models or anyone within those categories. I want normal."
We ordered our lunch and a bottle of red wine. After lunch I went back to my office and he went back to his. He also managed his father's firm but his dad was still CEO.
"Miss Blackman, order me a new iPhone and have it sent over to my office. Also, as you'll be starting as my new assistant, I want you to get all the secretarial resumees we have on file and bring them to my office."
The previous personal assistant I had I fired. She was unprofessional. One day she barged into my office, took off her bra and threw it at me like a stripper.
"Wanna have some fun boss?" she asked.
"Have some fun at a new job because you're fired!" I responded without even looking up at her.
All I heard was a low growl and her heels hitting the floor as she walked out my office.
Maybe she got the wrong impression when I told her I wanted her in my office right away. Hell, I was about to fire her anyway. She messed up my schedules the day before.
I hated employees who couldn't control themselves. I wasn't interested in any help of mine nor could I ever see myself being. I was the boss and my tolerance was very thin, the slightest sneezing could throw me way off.
"Yes sir," Miss Blackman responded and immediately went to pull out the cabinets in search of the applications.
I went into my office, closed the door behind me, and sat down in my comfortable office chair.
I gazed around and imagined how my father must have felt when he accomplished all of this. He was my role model and my mentor, that was one of the reasons why I never changed a thing in the office. Everything was the exact way he left it. His picture still hung on the wall. And the photograph with him in his clean white tuxedo, mom in her very beautiful wedding gown and Emily and I in our white baby suits in their arms, was on my desk, positioned at an angle that was visible for my eyes only. It was my favorite picture, though I couldn't remember that actual day-- I was barely five months old.
I raked my fingers through my hair as a knock came on the door.
"Come in Miss Blackman," I instructed.
I always knew it was her, she didn't have to call to inform me she was coming to my office like everyone else.
She opened the door and walked up to my desk. "I've found them."
"Okay," I replied and took the folder from her hands and placed it on my desk.
There were many applications. Hundreds, if not thousands, and I wanted the best of the best.
"Miss Blackman, transfer all the calls to my mailbox and join me in here so we can go through these together," I said, daring not to touch any application until I had help.
"Yes sir," she answered with a smile and withdrew quickly.
I liked that about Miss Blackman. She was always cheerful and up for any task or challenge I threw her way.
_______________
"This one is too shallow."" Too deep and egotistical."
"Too short."
"Too self expressive."
We looked through the applications for the remainder of the afternoon.
At the end, four applicants stood out.
"What's my schedule like tomorrow?" I asked her.
"There's a meeting you have with the investors at 11:00 a.m and the fifth level meeting at 2:00 p.m. You're free before and after the hours of those two meetings."
"Great, okay. Call in these applicants and inform them that they've been selected for an interview tomorrow at 8:00 a.m sharp. If they're not interested or they've already found another job, here are the others." I handed her three more applications I also found impressive, so I used them as a stand-by. Just in case.
"Okay. I'll get on it right away," she said.
I looked up at the wall clock in my office. She was already overtime. It was 4:30 p.m and she finished at 4:00 pm. I wanted to stop her, to tell her I'd do it myself, but she was already out the door making phone calls.
"Mr. Hollen, I've contacted the first four but two had already found other jobs, and the others are no longer interested since they're out of the country, so I've contacted the standbys."
"And?"
"They'll be coming in tomorrow at 8:00 a.m. Here are the names." She handed me a piece of paper. "Good afternoon sir," she said again and turned to leave.
"Thank you." I said and she turned back at me, smiled again and left.
Wow. She's amazing.
Jasmine's POV"Thank you." He'd said to me.Have you ever had that feeling where you feel like you're back in high school and your dreams were finally coming true because you were getting noticed by the popular guy, who also happens to be your crush?Well, that was what it felt like with Mr. Hollen; but I had to be very professional with and around him now that I was going to be working even closer to him and may have to accompany him to meetings and on business trips. I didn't know how I was going to contain and control myself, but I had to. Losing my job was not an option.I arrived at my apartment. I pushed the key into the lock and opened the door to find my mother sitting at the couch, reading one of those gossip magazines."Hi Mom," I greeted, shutting the door behind me and taking my handbag off my shoulder."Hi Jassy, how was your day?""It was great. My boss is promoting me to be his Personal Assi
Jasmine's POVMy sister and I waited for the midnight bus to take us back home. The night was still, calm and quiet. Well, at least that was what it felt like to me because I became numb."Your mother's health is at a critical stage. There's nothing more we can do unless she gets that lung transplant. Without it she'll only have three months to live, or less. I'm sorry."Those words were haunting me and hung on my shoulders like a piece of clothing I couldn't shake off. I had absolutely no idea on how I was going to be able to pay for my mother's lung transplant. The given total was over half a million dollars, and I wasn't sure what her Medicaid would cover. Regardless, I would have to hit the lottery to obtain that kind of money.I had to pay the bills and the rent at my apartment, support and provide for my sister's education, put food on the table and provided for myself as well. It was all too much. I didn't know what to do or where to turn t
Evan's POVI watched her standing at my desk in my office. I was antagonized by her behavior. She had already arrived late and when she eventually arrived I called her desk and she wasn't answering the line. I had to put an applicant in her place because Miss Blackman was nowhere to be found. She, of all people, should know better. I hated slackers and she was becoming one, which was very disappointing. She was one of the best employees I'd ever hired and I really didn't want to regret hiring her."Miss Blackman, what's the meaning of this?" I asked, referring to her absence a while ago from her desk.She hesitated to answer. I looked at her carefully and noticed her makeup had be smudged.She was crying. Maybe because of her mom. What's really wrong with her mom anyway?"I'm... very sorry Mr. Hollen," she stuttered and lowered her head in trepidation.She was trembling, sending all the signs of fear from being in such a po
Jasmine's POVOh my goodness, he actually fired her. He actually fired Miss Rhino, his COO and second in command. I counted my lucky stars that I hadn't been previously fired as well.After the meeting and the firing of Miss Rhino, I went back to my desk and found a tall, blonde haired woman standing there. She had bright blue eyes, cream skin and wore an expensive suit. She had to be one of Mr. Hollen's girlfriends because she was not wearing a company name tag or a badge. She was also too overly dressed to be an employee."Hello, can I help you?" I asked her."Yes. Is Evan in?" she asked.I knew Evan was Mr. Hollen's first name. His father and mother called all the time asking to speak to Evan-- their son."Yes he is, but he's not in his office. He should be here any minute now.""That's fine. I'll wait in his office.""No, you can't," I said."Excuse me?" she asked, turning around at m
Evan's POVAfter work, I went to a local pub to meet up with Zack. I desperately needed a drink to digest the unforeseen feelings and situations popping up in my life and in my mind-- Jessica Hills' return and an unexplained lustful feeling for my personal assistant."Well you look like hell," Zack greeted as I walked over to him."You have no idea man." I snatched the extra beer he held in his hand."What's going on?""Remember Jessica from high school?""Yeah, umm, her sister is Regina, right?""Right.""Well what about her? Isn't she in Canada?""No. She's back and wants us to reconnect.""Dude. No.""And that's not the half of it," I went on."What else?"I knew Zack and the way he can get when told new information about my personal life and affairs so I let it go.I heavily exhaled a breath and raked my hand through my hair. A beer wasn't cut
Jasmine's POVI received a phone call from my little sister right after I stepped out from my place of employment. She needed me to come get her and take her home from a bar-- she'd had a few drinks. And by a few drinks, I mean she'd been heavily drinking and now she was intoxicated.I found the bar after walking for half an hour. She was sitting at a table surrounded by beer bottles. Her eyes were slightly closed and she was holding onto a beer bottle like she was holding on for dear life.What the hell?"Zen, what are you doing?" I asked furiously, embarrassed to see her in such an unusual state."Hi *hiccup* Jassy," she answered."Come on, get up. I'm taking you home!""No, I'm not ready yet anymore. I need to finish drinking this beer.""What the hell are you doing Zenia?" I asked angrily."Drinking this beer. I just told you that. Duh!""Zenia, listen to me. You need to s
Jasmine's POVMonday came like a blur. It took everything in me to get over what happened between my boss and I Friday evening. I wished he would have at least listened to what I had to say.What did I expect? He was Evan Hollen. One of most powerful and successful twenty five year old males in all of America. People paid homage to this man-- loved by many, hated by few, but respected by everyone.I, on the other hand, was a mediocre black woman who could only afford an apartment and couldn't save her mother's life, now that she was depending on it.I heaved a frustrated sigh as I walked up to the elevator at my work place. I gathered myself together and erased my emotions and feelings. I had to act professional and forget about what happened with Mr. Hollen.I walked out of the elevator and slowly headed to my desk. Once there, I started my desktop computer and began checking emails so I could respond to them.The doors to
Evan's POVAs the clock struck twelve, I was out of my office and into my Lamborghini and driving towards my mansion. Apart from the mansions I owned in Paris, Italy, London, Indonesia, Canada and Bora Bora, I loved the one in Brooklyn the most. I never called it home though. To me, a home was having someone or a family to go to, and I didn't.Mom had already called me three times to ask if I was ready for the trip to the Cayman Islands.Jessica roamed around the house and I headed straight for my shower. I shampooed my hair, took a long shower, and changed into a simple T-shirt and pants with sneakers.Afterwards, I dropped Jessica off at her work place. She wanted me to be intimate with her but I wasn't into her like that anymore. The feelings had faded and I was only tolerating her presence to get rid of the feelings that were building for Jasmine.I did not want to be involved with any of my employees.As I arrived at my p