The ingredients in her creation don’t sound appetizing, but I did skip breakfast to get to my first conference call on time.
Maybe it tastes better than it looks… or smells?
I take a sip, and Katja nods encouragingly.
Ughh….no.
The drink burns sourly on my tongue and has a nasty tinge to it. I force myself to swallow, while my natural instinct is to spray the disgusting stuff on Katja’s cotton shirt. After ensuring that my stomach obeys and accepts the unwelcome treat, I shove the glass away. “Mhmm, interesting. Remind me again why I should be drinking it?”
Katja points at my face, and her lips purse into an isn’t-it-obvious frown. “It helps with hangovers. Lord knows you need it.”
Last night I attended a client’s corporate event instead of going out with Pete. But I only had tonic water, so Katja’s insinuations are entirely off.
I adjust my reclined posture into a straight-backed, I’m-still-the-boss-here pose. “I don’t have a hangover, Katja. I don’t spend every night clubbing and having fun, you know.”
Katja lifts a brow but doesn’t add a word.
It shouldn’t surprise me that she doubts my statement. I do have a bit of a reputation, after all. And the call from Claudia must have increased Katja’s assumption about my private life.
I decide to set the record straight. I need her to know that her joke wasn’t appreciated.
“Katja,” I pronounce her name with a hint of emphasis, “the next time you pass on a call to me, I’d like the name of the caller spelled out correctly. Agreed?”
“Agreed.” Katja brushes a speck of non-existent dust from her high-waist plaid pants. “Even better if you stop entrusting me with your shady affairs.”
“There’s nothing shady in what I ask of you. Any woman who calls me at that phone number, including Claudia, is phone stalking me. Your task is only to reiterate the message I’ve already personally given them, which is that I’m unavailable for their calls.”
Katja pulls her nose into a grimace of disgust. “Yes, but your flings don’t get that I’m only an innocent go-between. Last week, one of your women told me to go squat on a cactus.”
“That must have been Jennifer,” I chuckle.
Jennifer and I went on a few dates before I decided to call it off. She has a penchant for picturesque expressions to voice her discontent. I had my taste of it when I told her we should stop seeing each other.
“Jennifer, Claudia, Cynthia…whatever their names, the end result is the same. These poor, silly girls—”
I hold up my hand.
My secretary is approaching my level of tolerance for her well-meaning but gratuitous comments.
“The women I date know what they are getting into. I always tell them in crystal clear terms what they can expect from me, right out of the gates.”
I never lie—not at work and not in my private life.
Still, women always hope I’m joking when I say I’m not a relationship guy.
Katja shakes her head disapprovingly. “This attitude will make you lonely, Devon. It’s not worth it.”
Katja has no idea about the benefits of my lifestyle. Living as I do has way more advantages and definitely fewer disadvantages than being a boyfriend. Boyfriends can be betrayed. Casual companions cannot.
Besides, I’ve had my share of serious feelings for a woman already and that relationship almost ate me alive. As the memory of my ex threatens to reach the threshold of my consciousness, I shove it back where it belongs.
I don’t need to dwell on the past. I’m finally in a good place. One that’s filled with fun, pleasure, and lightness.
And the occasional phone call I have to dismiss.
“Katja, approving my choices doesn’t belong to your job description. What does, is answering my calls the way I ask you to.”
My secretary has the patience of an elephant and the verbal delicacy of a bulldozer. If she comes at me long enough with her arguments, she might succeed at making me feel guilty about how I live my life.
Instead of her usual narrowed glare, Katja wiggles her eyebrows at me. “Only for today. Soon your new PA can handle your personal calls.”
My eyes snap to the calendar that stands on my desk.
Crud! I forgot that the interns are being interviewed today.
“Are the candidates here already?”
Katja nods. “I believe they’re downstairs with Sarah as we speak. All seven of them.”
“Seven? That will take my whole morning,” I grumble.
“Aren’t you delegating to Sarah? She’s doing the selection for the other intern positions. She’s good at identifying suitable people and has more time to spare than you do.”
I need the extra-workload from these interviews like a deaf person needs a new stereo, but I don’t have a choice. “No, I can’t let anyone else pick my assistant this time. I don’t want another Hayley fiasco.”
Katja’s eyes widen. She clicks her tongue in two rapid shots that sound like a gun being cocked, then bobs her head. “Ah, of course.”
I lock my screen and stand. “I’ll go and greet the candidates.”
Katja points at my drink. “Won’t you finish that first?”
“No, I’ll save it for later. I might get thirsty after the interviews…” Or perhaps I’ll pour it on the giant rubber plant in front of my window. It seems to like my secretary’s culinary creations way more than I do. It’s been sprouting new leaves since I started to water it with my smoothies.
We walk out of my office, and I head straight for the elevator.
While I wait, I calculate how much time I’ll have left to do some actual work before Pete and I have to go and get my sister. Ellie wanted to join us for dinner, but we have to pick her up from her health center, adding an extra fifteen minutes to our drive downtown.
The elevator arrives, and I enter.
I lean back against one of the large mirrors and close my eyes. I massage the tender spot between my eyebrows.
I hope at least one of the seven applicants will fulfill my expectations and
