the drive or the fortitude to see it through.
But he had to give points for determination here.
“Fine. You start now. Impress me, and I’ll consider letting you stay. Go talk to Ms. Campbell about what you need to know for the rest of the day to keep me up to date, and have her call down to IT to have them bring a company laptop up for you to use this afternoon. There’s an empty office next door.”
The empty office was, in fact, where a PA was supposed to work from, but he’d never had one so he’d never used it. There was a desk in it, at least. The rest could be added when he’d made his decision on who to hire. Tomorrow was his last interview for this batch, after all, and he wasn’t going to cancel it just because Mr. Blake was being allowed an afternoon to prove himself.
“Yes, Mr. Reid. Thank you for the chance. You won’t regret it, I promise.” Alex’s new probationary personal assistant nearly bolted from his seat. At least he was quick about taking action on Alex’s orders. An instant later, the door closed behind him.
Alex turned his attention to his own tasks.
An hour later, an email popped up on his phone. Alex opened it, and looked down at the subject with raised eyebrows.
From: Caleb Blake
To: Alex Reid
Subject: Summary of Client Portfolio Changes for the week of 8/16-8/23
Mr. Reid,
Here’s the summary you requested.
Caleb
It seemed Mr. Blake wasn’t entirely useless, at least, though the use of his first name to sign the email was a little too familiar for Alex’s tastes. He clicked the attachment and scanned through the file, which all seemed to be in order.
At 7:30, Alex looked up from his tablet and tipped his head from side to side to stretch the cramped muscles in his neck. Most of the work force would have gone home by now, but he hadn’t heard a thing from Mr. Blake since the email half an hour ago. Not even a question about whether he could leave with the rest of them, which he would have expected. He stood, grateful for the chance to move around after sitting for so long at his desk, and crossed to the door that opened between his office and the personal assistant’s. The next room was empty.
Alex stood for a moment, staring at the desk where he had expected to find Mr. Blake sitting. There was no sign of him, or of the company laptop he had been loaned. Alex’s jaw tightened. It seemed the probationary offer had been as bad an idea as anyone he’d bothered to ask would have undoubtedly told him that it was going to be. Mr. Blake had not, obviously, needed the job quite as much as he’d made out. Or he hadn’t needed it as badly as he’d decided he needed the several hundred in easy cash the laptop would net him. Alex supposed he should have seen it coming.
He’d brought it entirely on himself; the company would easily survive the loss of a single laptop. Alex could afford to replace the laptop from his own salary. Better that the tendency for theft had come out during the probation than after he’d decided to hire the man on for real, at least.
From: Alex Reid
To: Caleb Blake
Subject: I Hope This Is Already Assumed
Mr. Blake,
I assume you have already come to this conclusion yourself, but we will not be asking you back for any further work, probationary or otherwise. Do not set foot on the premises of Reid Enterprises again, or I will have you arrested for trespass and theft. Similarly, if I see one word of this in the media, I will be forced to take action. Believe me when I say you do not want me to do that.
Enjoy the laptop.
Mr. Reid, CEO Reid Enterprises
Chapter 12
The sound of the intercom buzzing to life pulled Alex out of the whirl of numbers he was currently contemplating, and he lifted his head.
“Mr. Reid?”
He reached out and pressed the button that would allow him to answer the request for his attention. “Yes, Ms. Campbell?”
“Your five o’ clock appointment is here. A Miss Lily
But he had to give points for determination here.
“Fine. You start now. Impress me, and I’ll consider letting you stay. Go talk to Ms. Campbell about what you need to know for the rest of the day to keep me up to date, and have her call down to IT to have them bring a company laptop up for you to use this afternoon. There’s an empty office next door.”
The empty office was, in fact, where a PA was supposed to work from, but he’d never had one so he’d never used it. There was a desk in it, at least. The rest could be added when he’d made his decision on who to hire. Tomorrow was his last interview for this batch, after all, and he wasn’t going to cancel it just because Mr. Blake was being allowed an afternoon to prove himself.
“Yes, Mr. Reid. Thank you for the chance. You won’t regret it, I promise.” Alex’s new probationary personal assistant nearly bolted from his seat. At least he was quick about taking action on Alex’s orders. An instant later, the door closed behind him.
Alex turned his attention to his own tasks.
An hour later, an email popped up on his phone. Alex opened it, and looked down at the subject with raised eyebrows.
From: Caleb Blake
To: Alex Reid
Subject: Summary of Client Portfolio Changes for the week of 8/16-8/23
Mr. Reid,
Here’s the summary you requested.
Caleb
It seemed Mr. Blake wasn’t entirely useless, at least, though the use of his first name to sign the email was a little too familiar for Alex’s tastes. He clicked the attachment and scanned through the file, which all seemed to be in order.
At 7:30, Alex looked up from his tablet and tipped his head from side to side to stretch the cramped muscles in his neck. Most of the work force would have gone home by now, but he hadn’t heard a thing from Mr. Blake since the email half an hour ago. Not even a question about whether he could leave with the rest of them, which he would have expected. He stood, grateful for the chance to move around after sitting for so long at his desk, and crossed to the door that opened between his office and the personal assistant’s. The next room was empty.
Alex stood for a moment, staring at the desk where he had expected to find Mr. Blake sitting. There was no sign of him, or of the company laptop he had been loaned. Alex’s jaw tightened. It seemed the probationary offer had been as bad an idea as anyone he’d bothered to ask would have undoubtedly told him that it was going to be. Mr. Blake had not, obviously, needed the job quite as much as he’d made out. Or he hadn’t needed it as badly as he’d decided he needed the several hundred in easy cash the laptop would net him. Alex supposed he should have seen it coming.
He’d brought it entirely on himself; the company would easily survive the loss of a single laptop. Alex could afford to replace the laptop from his own salary. Better that the tendency for theft had come out during the probation than after he’d decided to hire the man on for real, at least.
From: Alex Reid
To: Caleb Blake
Subject: I Hope This Is Already Assumed
Mr. Blake,
I assume you have already come to this conclusion yourself, but we will not be asking you back for any further work, probationary or otherwise. Do not set foot on the premises of Reid Enterprises again, or I will have you arrested for trespass and theft. Similarly, if I see one word of this in the media, I will be forced to take action. Believe me when I say you do not want me to do that.
Enjoy the laptop.
Mr. Reid, CEO Reid Enterprises
Chapter 12
The sound of the intercom buzzing to life pulled Alex out of the whirl of numbers he was currently contemplating, and he lifted his head.
“Mr. Reid?”
He reached out and pressed the button that would allow him to answer the request for his attention. “Yes, Ms. Campbell?”
“Your five o’ clock appointment is here. A Miss Lily
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