(Mr Knowles is Mr Gray)
‘Are you here for the interview?'
'Y.... yeah'
‘Goodluck then. I hope your pretty face works in your favour', he laughed nervously, ‘That came out wrong didn't it??'.
‘Ohhh you're fine'
‘Well then', he nodded and stretched forth his right hand, ‘Jacob Hempstead. Internal relations manager....in other words I work here so no pressure'.
Kathleen forced an awkward smile, ‘I'm Kathleen....Kathleen Turner but I go by Kathy or at least that's what people call me'.
‘Nice to meet you Kathy and good luck with the interview. You're going to need it and take it as a tip—Mr Gray loves a good resumé'. He smiled and walked away.
Kathleen wasn't sure why he was giving her such a tip but she appreciated it nonetheless. He was really lanky with frizzy blonde hair and nerdy glasses, he was handsome and charming too but she'd had her fair share of charming men—she had a one night stand with one of them and was abandoned in a hotel suite.
Taking a deep breath she walked into the building, arriving just in time for the interview as she was just one out of the three candidates waiting patiently for their turn. Suddenly a woman bursted out the door wailing like a little child, with her hands clutching her file and purse as she bolted into the elevator immediately. Kathleen was bamboozled as Jacob's heads up was starting to come into understanding now, she'd had her fair share of worse bosses so she hoped the so called Mr Gray wasn't too much of a hassle.
‘Ohhh he's a mean one I heard'. One of the interviewees whispered to her like she could read her mind or something.
Her brows perked feigning ignorance, ‘Who's mean??'.
‘Grayson Hunter', the interviewee responded, ‘I heard he fired his former assistant just because she sneezed in an investor's meeting.....rumor says she called in sick but he refuses to let her stay home'.
‘If he's so horrible then why are you here then??'. Kathleen asked, genuinely curious and at the same time annoyed by this new piece of information. For once in her life she wanted the odds to work in her favor and not give her a shitty employer.
‘Ooh the pay's good. If I'm going to be working for a monster the salary might as well be worth it. I've got seven kids to feed you know'. The lady responded and moved forward as the other candidate was called into the office.
Kathleen frowned at her mention of seven kids, her experience living in a foster home was enough to tell that the stranger's home wasn't one of good call. However she shrugged the thought off, maybe not all big families were as traumatic as hers were.....not all of them had terrible humans as parents as well.
She took a deep breath and took Jacob Hempstead's tip into account, the CEO loved a good resumé and a good resumé was what she had. She graduated with honors from a nice university, managed to bag her masters and the only thing pulling her down was her criminal record—her spending half of her teenage years in juvenile prison for a heinous crime until she was exonerated.
‘Okay Kathleen you can do this'. She whispered to herself as the last candidate except her walked into the CEO's office, a smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she could already smell herself getting the job already. There's no way he wouldn't hire her, she had incredible work ethic and very good experience, all she prayed for was for her criminal past to be kept in the shadows.
Half an hour later the lady with seven kids walked out with devastation written all over her face, her lips trembled as her hands began shaking with fear. Kathleen rose to her feet to help but she wasn't taking any of it, wishing her good luck as she walked away briskly and muttering curse words under her breath.
Maybe he really was a monster, Kathleen thought, but she'd dealt with monsters a lot of times, patting her shoulder with reassurance, if he was a monster then she was going to be a monster's assistant. Taking a deep breath and adjusting her shirt, she strode towards the glass door and opened it...here we go, she thought to herself as she walked inside.
Mr Grayson Hunter, the CEO was standing just by the office window admiring the morning view and something about him just seemed familiar, certainly he wasn't....no there wasn't a way it could be the same person, she thought to herself, ‘Sit down Miss......'
‘Kathleen sir....my name's Kathleen Turner'.
Grayson heard the beautiful silky voice from behind him and felt his heart freeze for a second, transfixed on the spot and unable to turn around as he just couldn't face the truth....God he wished it wasn't true, he prayed to whatever supreme being that lived up in the clouds for Kathleen Turner....he hoped she wasn't the same beautiful, charismatic and amazing woman he met yesterday and had the most wonderful sex of his life.
Not even the greatest of prayers could prepare Kathleen for who she saw, she felt her world shift as her heart stopped beating for a moment. Surely it wasn't him, was he?? he definitely had the same height, the same beautiful eyes, the same hair only now it was professional and certainly the same Richard Swanson watch she saw yesterday.
Mathew Knowles was Grayson Hunter!!, she couldn't believe it! the bastard lied to her after charming her, taking her to his bed and making her feel like a wonderful woman which she hadn't felt in weeks! then he left her alone in a big hotel room, without a goodbye and now what?! he's her boss to be?. The universe certainly had a way of toying with her feelings, but this was just downright cruel.
‘Are you just going to stand there Miss Kathleen??'. He finally broke the silence without a speck of recognition in his eyes. All she heard in her head was, run away Kathy....you don't deserve this.
Instead she gulped hard and took a seat, ‘Sorry sir...I....I...I was just taken aback for a moment...you remind me of someone'.
His brows perked up, ‘I'm pretty sure you're mistaken. Explain to me why you should have this job Miss Kathleen...you have two minutes'.
Doesn't he recognize me?? she asked herself in absolute disarray, he certainly didn't look like he knew her, no sense of emotion whatsoever. This left her mute for a moment as she pondered over what in the world was going on, Grayson Hunter however wasn't having any of it.
‘Miss Kathleen if you're not interested in the job then you might as well—'
‘No sir!', she cut him off in a bid of protest, ‘I...I...I have an impeccable resumé which you can see here', she pushed her file forward on the table towards him, ‘I also have an incredible work ethic and—'.
‘A lot of people have had much better resumés than yours, certainly you don't expect me to be impressed do you??'. He interrupted and with every urge in her veins, she was ready to slam his head right on the glass table.
Certainly Mathew Knowles was way different from the man standing right in front of her, Grayson Hunter was a dick....just like other men but he was a special kind of asshole, he was the kind of asshole that had sex with her and abandoned her like a cheap slut in a hotel with two hundred bucks.
But she needed this job, she needed this job more than anything even if Grayson Hunter was acting like he didn't know her, ‘I graduated from a good university, I have my masters and if you would look at my resumé you would know I have great work experience Mr Grayson'.
She was actually amazing, he thought, other women would've sparked and he wished his scary demeanor would send her away but she persevered, she was calm with a smile on her face that was clearly cracking at the corners. He sighed and took a look at her resumé—she certainly wasn't lying, it was impressive which made her all the more endearing but he couldn't help but wonder why she would apply for the measly job of a personal Assistant....she had all the qualifications and more to be a General manager.
‘Your resumé is impressive Miss Turner and I don't say that very often, but that's not the case here'. He said.
‘What is the case Mr Grayson?'.
‘Are you quick on your feet?'.
‘Yes sir'
‘Can you make good coffee?'
‘The best of the best sir'
‘Can you withstand emotional abuse??'.
‘I have been abused all my life. It's not a problem sir'.
Grayson wasn't sure by what she meant being abused all her life but something in his heart knew it wasn't just emotional, so he cleared his throat and closed her file, ‘I expect you to start on Monday. Dress appropriately and be here 7am sharp with my coffee and a bright smile on your face before I get here....if I get to work before you, you're getting fired'.
‘Thank you sir!'. She responded with excitement as she rose to her feet, she was doomed working with a man she'd slept with but she was Kathleen Turner....a beater of all odds.
Grayson watched her walk towards the door and God she was really beautiful, even more beautiful in the daylight and he wished she could walk away faster so he couldn't finally breathe, but then she paused and turned around, ‘Mr Grayson??'.
‘Yes Miss Turner??'.
‘Did you...did you by any chance go to the club yesterday??'.
‘That's an absurd question Miss Turner. Please leave now'.
(All men suck!!)‘All men suck!', Kathleen could feel the tears brewing in her eyes as she plopped down on Gloria's couch, sipping a cup of coffee as she was ready to tell her best friend how embarrassing her interview went.Gloria sighed deeply, ‘I can't believe he lied to you like that'.’Ohh he didn't just lie', Kathleen hissed, ‘He acted like he didn't even know me. Like I was charmed by this man Lorie, for the first time since a few hours ago I had a glimmer of hope....only for me to be abandoned at an hotel with two hundred bucks like I'm some cheap hooker'.She was bitter, she was bitter and angry to the point where she felt like she would start crying. For the first time in her life someone made her feel so cheap that it hurt her ego, he stared right into her eyes and denied ever knowing her even after making her feel like she was special the night before—but who was she kidding anyway? a man like Grayson Hunter didn't go for the likes of her....poor and in debt.Gloria could
(The first day is always the worst day)Grayson knew he was in for a long ride when he spotted Kathleen standing right in front of the door with a cup of coffee ready for him. She was even more beautiful than the last time he saw her, her pencil skirt accentuated her curves and the green blouse with a little flower by the side just made his mouth water—the winning part was her hair, long, lustrous, shimmering and he knew she came from a line with good genes.With a hard lump formed in his throat he walks towards her and the plastered smile on her face threw him off guard for a moment, ignoring her greeting, ‘Where's my coffee??'.‘With no cream and two cubes of sugar as you requested sir'. She responded still with a smile which he was starting to find annoying. Honestly she didn't seem to be as shocked as she was two days before—a part of him found her determination impressive.His brows morphed into a frown as he took a sip, then it changed into a scowl, ‘Follow me into my office Mis
(In a monster's hole)For the rest of the week Kathleen had made a total of twenty-five coffees, thrown out ten packs of doughnuts which she didn't throw out of course but kept safely in Ophelia's cubicle, and had been yelled at thirty eight times over the darndest things.If his coffee wasn't hot she got yelled at, if it was too hot she got yelled at, if it was warm she also got yelled at for it not being too hot. He was at his worst after fighting with board members and she was at the receiving end of it, getting yelled at for even the paperweight not being placed correctly on the table.She was exhausted and not only was she exhausted, she was mentally and emotionally drained. There were a lot of times where she wanted to quit, slam his head against the wall like she always dreamed off and walk away in the most powerful stride ever.... but here she was, on her lunch break, in the employee lounge, eaten a stale macaroni salad given to her by Nana willow with the most depressing expr
(I hate my boss)Grayson was taken aback, he was expecting something else but certainly not her using the bathroom to defecate. It was already embarrassing as it is and he could see her eyes glistening with tears,no one wants to be in her kind of situation so she was dismissed with the wave of a hand to make light of it.Kathleen nipped on her bottom lip as she walked out of the office—the cowardly voice peered it's ugly head out urging her to quit, to walk away without paying her shame any glance but she was broke....she was out of groceries and hasn't had water in her apartment for a week. All she needed was a fat avaricious paycheck as compensation for her woes.The hours went by quickly and she wasn't yelled at or called in by Mr Grayson, which was a miracle as she couldn't bear looking him in the eye after knowing she had clogged one of his toilets. Her work hours was finally over when she was called in, rolling her eyes she walked into the office and noticed he took his jacket o
(Criminal)‘Hey you look tired'. Jacob walks up to Kathleen's desk the next morning with two cups of coffee in his hands.Stretching her arm as she was just interrupted from her open-eyed slumber, she yawned loudly, ‘Yeah I had a rough night'. By a rough night she meant having to iron out two extremely difficult suits, with so much tremble to not burn the delicate material that it was, go through a huge file case and was up until 3am having to figure out her outfit for work tomorrow..... yeah she had a rough night.‘Well you're in for a treat', Jacob smiled, ‘The coffee shop right across are having a party so I got us free coffee and a cream cheese bagel to go with it. Ophelia mentioned you've been eating bagels a lot'.Kathleen's cheese rose with color of embarrassment as it was the pure truth—she'd been eating bagels a lot for lunch as it was the only thing she could get, by that she meant the free box of bagels she in a dumpster near a Costco supermarket. It wasn't expired and unop
(Back to the roots)‘Hello Miss Turner'.Kathleen was puzzled, gobsmacked to say the least. Her boss was standing right in front of her! it wasn't a dream, nor a prank, neither a simulation of some sort which she prayed for it to be.... Grayson Hunter was standing right in front of her—in her apartment building—while she was wearing the most atrocious looking flip-flops worn out sweatshirt....he was standing in front of her!.I hope he didn't hear it, she thought as she blinked endlessly until she could muster up the courage to speak, ‘Wh... what brings you here sir?'.‘You', he responded, ‘I came here for you'.Now Kathleen wasn't sure by what he meant, coming here for her could mean a lot of things and she hoped it wasn't the latter she thought of, ‘Uhhh you came here for me??'.‘Yes', he nodded, ‘I need you to get dressed and meet me outside immediately. No questions asked Miss Turner'.‘I don't work outside work hours s—'‘I'll pay you extra so are you coming down or not??'.mHe
(What is wrong with Mr Grayson??)‘Mr Grayson!!!'. She screamed at the top of her lungs in sheer disbelief of what just transpired right in front of her.‘Fuck!'. The punched man got up after a few minutes of being disheveled, ‘You're gonna pay for that man!'.‘Maybe take your time and listen. Then you'll be able to hear the concept of consent when it happens...if a woman doesn't want you just move on'. Grayson said calmly and walked away grabbing Kathleen's hand along.She remained mute as they walked out of the building, dazed and torn between feelings as she couldn't understand why he would hit someone for her—this was the same man who treated her like crap for the last two weeks after denying her existence on the spot and now he's fighting for her like he was her boyfriend.She gulped hard when she got into his car, without his driver when they both drove off and could feel the tension brewing between the both of them, she had to tread lightly use her words with caution or else it
(Work Husband)Kathleen returned twenty minutes later with the bottle of vinegar and frowned deeply catching her boss from the corner of her eye throwing it into the bin....there was absolutely no reason for him to send her on such a useless errand, it was all the more frustrating not knowing why he would do such a think in the first place.She sighed deeply returning back to work only for Jacob to return after a while and handed her a neck massager since she complained about how sore she was—he was a charming human, super sweet and really considerate but his gestures were just getting a little too much in her opinion, hence why Ophelia called him her work husband.It wasn't a secret about Jacob liking her and she wished she could reciprocate the feeling but her past relationships were nothing to write home about—her ex boyfriend was a married man, her one night stand happened to be her boss who didn't recognize her for some reason so there was no saying what could happen this time ar