Pinky and the Beast
by
Ana Alexander
Copyright © 2019 by Ana Alexander
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Epilogue
Chapter 1
Sophie
„You are a strong, independent woman! You are brave. You are fierce. You are going to nail this interview! You will not get nervous. You will not start to babble and say stupid things.”
The woman I`m sharing an elevator with looks at me like I`m crazy and tries to get as far away as the steel box supported by cables will allow. I just smile at her.
„Sorry, I have an interview, and I`m a little nervous. I`m great at giving pep-talks, so I thought I`d give myself one.”
The woman rolls her eyes and proceeds to ignore me. I am unfortunately used to people acting like that. I have a love of boho-chic clothes, and my hair is currently a lovely shade of cotton candy pink, so I must look like a hippie compared to her all-business attire.
I`m interviewing for an assistant position today. I`ve worked as an assistant before, but it was for small start-up companies were the mood was relaxed, and my bosses were super laid back. My interview today is with Marshall Hoggins from Hoggins, Lance, and Jones, which is a law firm.
When the agency told me about this job, I told them that I didn`t think I was the right fit for an attorney, but they assured me that Hoggins was conducting the interview for one of his clients. They wouldn`t tell me who the client was, which had only picked my curiosity, but it also made me very nervous.
The elevator finally stops on the fifteenth floor, where my interview is supposed to take place.
„Wish me luck,” I tell the woman who is now playing with her phone in an effort to ignore the pink-haired odd-ball she`s been sharing an elevator with. She looks up from her phone long enough to give me another eye roll.
„You should be careful with that. I know a girl who`s eyes got stuck because she kept rolling them.”
That gets me another glare, but at least there`s no eye roll. Life is full of small victories.
I step off the elevator and find myself in an imposing-looking reception area. I walk to the front desk, where a friendly-looking blonde is busy typing on her computer.
„Hi, my name is Sophie Grant. I have an interview with mister Hoggins .”
She looks up from her computer, and even though her eyes go straight to my pink hair, her polite smile doesn't falter.
„Hello, miss Grant. I`ll let mister Hoggins know you`re here, won`t you please take a seat .”
I would much rather pace the reception area because I hate having to sit down when I`m nervous, but I don`t think that would look very professional, so I thank the friendly receptionist and take a seat on one of the comfy-looking chairs. Thankfully I don`t have to wait long before I`m being ushered in a large office.
It`s one of those offices that looks very old-school elegant with lots of heavy-looking furniture and an expensive-looking carpet. Behind an enormous mahogany desk, I see whom I presume to be the man I`m here to interview with.
Mister Hoggins is a short, chubby middle-aged man, and he looks like he`s on a steady diet of coffee and energy drinks.
„Miss Grant, hello. Sit, sit. Can I get you some coffee, tea, water?” He looks hipper as hell, but strangely enough, that helps me relax.
„Some water would be great, thank you.” I take a seat in one of the chairs that sit opposite his desk.
„Of course. Maisie, please get miss Grant some water and a coffee for me. Now, I was very pleased when the agency told me they were sending you today. Yes, yes, very pleased, indeed. I`m going to be honest with you, Sophie. Can I call you Sophie?”
„Of course. I prefer it, actually.”
„Well, Sophie, I`m in a bit of a pickle. My client, I can`t give you his name quite yet, needs a very special type of assistant. He has a problem, and he needs some special type of help to overcome it.”
Of course, it`s always something. I have the worst luck in the world when it comes to jobs, and it should come as no surprise that a position where the salary is double what I would typically earn would have a catch.
„What exactly are we talking about mister Hoggins? I`m going to go ahead and assume whatever these special needs are we aren`t talking about anything illegal or, uh, immoral.”
His chubby face getts alarmingly red, and he starts to shake his head.
„What, no! Of course not, my dear, nothing like that. My client had a terrible accident two months ago and was in a considerable amount of pain, so he was forced to take pain medicine. Very strong pain medicine. The kind you can only get if a doctor prescribes it to you.”
He looks at me meaningfully and seems pleased when I only nod, having understood where the story is going.
„Fortunately, my client saw the pain medicine was harming him, so he sought out help.”
I try to keep my face as neutral as possible.
„That`s great. Most people don`t realize what`s happening before it`s too late. What pain medicine was he on?”
„Fentanyl .”
„Wow, that`s some heavy stuff. His injury must have been severe.”
I know a lot about the subject because my mom is a doctor at one of the most sought-after drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers in Denver, which I`m guessing is the reason my agency picked me for this job.
„Yes, it was a very painful injury, and even though he tried very hard to deal with it without drugs, he couldn`t. I know I`m not giving you very much information, but before I go into detail, I need to know if you would be interested in the position he`s offering. I also need to tell you that you would have to live with
