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Sweet Secretary

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Episode 2

It was seven in the evening and the famous meeting hadn't ended. What should I do? Wait for him? Leave? Run home!

I leaned against the glass wall and let out a sigh. My first day had been quite confusing.

I got a call from Jessica.

“How are you, Julen?” she asks.

“I'm fine. It's my time to leave, but he's still in his meeting. What do I do? Do I leave?”

“No, don't go. Wait for him to come out.”

“Were you able to clarify that I am not his secretary?”

“Not yet. Well, he didn't give me a chance.”

“Oh! Don’t tell me that. So tomorrow I will continue to be his secretary.”

“I hope to solve this. Let me see what I can do tomorrow.”

“Okay, Jessi.”

“Tell me.”

“I am a data entry clerk and database handler. I hope to finish my internship with the position I entered with.”

“Sure.”

We ended the call. I put my phone in my pants pocket. I took out a bag of chips that I had stored in my briefcase.

I heard the door open. Many executives started coming out. I tried to fix my posture.

“It's time to go,” my boss stopped next to me.

“Sure.”

His face became interesting, he seemed to sniff the air. He turned his gaze to me.

“Were you eating Cheetos?”

“Yes. Do you want some?” And I wasn't ashamed to take out the bag and offer it to him.

His gaze did not radiate any emotion. Did he dislike my good generosity?

“No thanks. We will go to the office.”

“Go back to the office? But…”

“Carlos is waiting in the car. We have to hurry.”

He began to walk with his innate authority.

“Christian. Wait.”

He stopped dead in his tracks.

“What did you call me?” He frowned.

“Christian.”

“And why do you call me that?”

“Well, that's your name.”

He narrowed his eyes a bit.

“Who are you?” he asked.

“I’m Julen.”

His lips curved into an odious smile.

“I don't mean your name. Tell me who you are to call me that?”

“Well, so far, I'm an employee at your company.”

“An employee.”

“Yes. Exactly.”

“Since when do employees call their bosses by their first names?”

His words threw me off a lot. What the hell was wrong with him? The guy had an annoyed face, his gaze was very firm, and his temperament seemed like an asshole to me.

“Well. I'm sorry that bothers you. In many places the work environment is very pleasant and bosses tend to be less sensitive on issues like that.”

He came a little closer to me.

“Do you think I'm sensitive?”

“I think so. Besides, I'm not working anymore. I can call you by your name.”

“Not working? You think I…”

“They hired me on a ten in the morning to seven at night schedule. It's seven-thirty and I'm still with you. I should start counting that as overtime.” I smiled.

Because really, I wasn't afraid to be honest with him.

“Do you want me to fire you? Because really, being my secretary is…”

“Fire me if you want. The truth is I wasn't hired to replace your former secretary. I don't even know why the hell you thought I was her replacement.”

My words left him very shocked, I noticed it on his face.

“Are you…?”

“Fire me. There’s no problem.” I smiled broadly. “I am not qualified to fill the position of your secretary.”

His eyes focused on mine; It never crossed my mind that my words were challenging Christian's ego.

“Where do you live?” He came closer to me and put his hand in the bag of Cheetos. He put one in his mouth.

“I live by Camino Real.”

“Are you going to take a taxi?”

“Yes.”

...🍬🍬🍬...

It's ten in the morning and I'm arriving at my office. I'm a data entry clerk again! Danny Ocean sings Dembow at full blast through my headphones.

I turn on my computer. I left my things on my desk and just when I'm about to sit down, my cell phone starts to vibrate.

“Hello?”

“Where are you?” The tone of his voice scares me.

“Who is this?”

“Haven't you registered my number?”

“Well, I don't remember you asking me to add your number and I don't know who you are either.”

I hang up the call. Who the hell was that? Two minutes passed and the door to my office opened. His eyes focused on me.

“Why haven't you registered my number?” he demanded.

Was he really here?

“You never gave it to me.”

He frowned.

“Anyway. I want you to register it. Okay?"

“That’s not how you ask for things,” I say fearlessly.

He leaned against my desk and moved a little closer to me. He looked very authoritarian from where I was sitting.

“Do you have a hard time obeying your boss?”

“I thought you fired me.”

He smiled slightly, as if I was annoying him.

“Yes. I fired you as a data entry clerk. I decided that I want to hire you as my secretary.”

“But…”

“This office will no longer be yours. I came for you. I will take you to your new work area.”

Was this really happening to me?

“I don't want to be your secretary, in my contract…”

“I'll pay you double what your contract states.”

Pay me money? That’s great! Actually, for being an intern, they didn't pay me.

“Why do you want me to be your secretary? I thought you would be upset with me about yesterday.”

“Yes you made me angry. But, I like how you treated me. You are not afraid of me!”

I laughed slightly.

“I’m really not afraid of you. But I don't feel like working as a secretary. I don't want to end up being your slave.”

“My slave? I don’t see you as a slave.”

“If you want a new secretary, I can inform my school. There are people who studied to be…”

“Come with me! Please!”

That was very unexpected. Hearing him say “please”.

...🍬🍬🍬...

My new office was smaller than the old one, in fact, it wasn't an office as such. My desk was right outside the front office, where Christian used to be.

“Can you come to my office?” Christian had called me on the phone.

It didn't take me long.

“How can I help you?” I asked cheerfully.

“You sounded so polite.”

“It's just that if I don't, then I feel like I'm hurting your ego.” I laughed slightly.

“You are very direct with your words. I like that.”

“I…”

“What's on my schedule today?”

“Meeting at one in the afternoon with Carlos Mayers. Dinner with Juliana Betancourt at six in the evening and…”

“I need you to get me a bouquet of flowers for Juliana Betancourt. Schedule an appointment with my mother this weekend and schedule an appointment with my lawyer to restrict my ex-wife.”

“Okay. Anything else?” I made eye contact with him.

“Why do you have a lollipop in your mouth while you're talking to me?”

I smiled.

“Do you want one? I always carry candy with me,” and very casually, I pulled a Tutsi Pop out of my pocket and tossed it to him.

His hands caught it in the air.

“What was that?” he asked, taken aback.

“To sweeten your day. Rumors in your company say that you tend to be very bitter.”

“Bitter? I don’t…”

“I'm going. I will begin my tasks for today. If you need anything, call my cell phone, I'll put on my headphones and I won't hear you if you talk to me normally.”

I smiled and walked away.

I sat at my desk and began to investigate.

The minutes flew by quickly and although now I didn't have privacy like in my old office, at least no one dared to bother me. I was googling flower shop locations and suddenly, at twelve o'clock sharp, I noticed that Erick was looking at me from afar.

I smiled and gave him the peace sign with my right hand. He returned my greeting.

My cell phone started ringing seconds later. It was an unknown number.

“Hello?”

“How is your day going? It’s Erick.”

“How did you get my number?”

“It's in the company directory. You appear as Julen, personal secretary to the executive director.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Sounds good as I appear.”

We made eye contact from afar.

“Shall we have lunch together today? I’ll buy fried chicken.”

“Sure. My lunch break is at two.”

“Perfect. I'll pick you up.”

Pick me up? What’s up with that!

“See you in the cafeteria.”

...🍬🍬🍬...

It’s two twenty. The meeting still isn't over and I'm already hungry. What should I do? If I don’t take my lunch break, I won’t have a chance to eat later.

It takes me ten minutes to get to the cafeteria.

“I'm starving!” is the first thing I say when I get to the table.

Erick, Jessica, and Kevin are sitting eating.

“Thank you!”

“How are you doing? I see you survived your first day,” Kevin says.

I took a plate and pulled a drumstick out of the KFC bucket.

“It wasn’t bad. Christian is very intense but I am learning to deal with him.”

I put on some hot sauce and just as I take my first bite, my cell phone starts ringing. It’s Christian.

“Hello?”

“Where are you?”

“In the cafeteria, I came to…”

“I'll wait for you in the lobby in three minutes.”