meets.”
“That’s for sure,” I said.
She gave me a knowing look. “If you’re thinking about hooking up with him, I should warn you that he’s very sweet and a great lover, but he’s a free spirit. Monogamy is not part of his personality. He wants to enjoy the buffet of life’s opportunities.”
That sounded like a direct quote. “Does that philosophy factor into his hiring practices?”
“Is that your way of asking if he sleeps with every woman he hires?”
I shrugged. “They all seem to be young and attractive.”
“And smart,” Danielle said. “There isn’t a woman here, whether it’s a secretary or an operative, who doesn’t have a degree or two under her garter belt.”
“They wear garter belts?”
She politely ignored my comment. “Sleeping with him won’t get you hired or get you promoted or get you any special treatment, beyond what he does for you in bed, of course, which is pretty exceptional.”
I raised an eyebrow. “So you give him two thumbs-up in the sack-a-roo.”
“If you get into bed with him, you won’t be sorry.”
“I’m not big on buffets. I always feel bloated afterwards,” I said. “But I appreciate the information. To be honest, I’m surprised by your candor.”
“Because I’m not shy about discussing sex?”
“Because you’re so open with intimate, and potentially unflattering, details about your boss with someone you just met,” I said. “Aren’t you being indiscreet?”
She smiled. “I’m an employee of Intertect but I am working for you and Mr. Monk now. You deserve my full honesty if we’re going to establish any kind of trust. And besides, Nick doesn’t mind my talking about his love life or I wouldn’t do it. He’s a very open guy.”
“In more ways than one,” I said.
“You don’t need to worry about me breaking any confidences as far as you and Mr. Monk are concerned,” she said. “My first loyalty now is to you both. Nick made that very clear and that’s fine with me. I consider it an honor to be working with you. I am a big admirer of your accomplishments.”
“You mean Mr. Monk’s,” I said, handing her the sheaf of completed forms.
“Mr. Monk couldn’t have done it without you,” she said. “Don’t sell yourself short.”
Just what I needed: advice on self-esteem from a twentysomething with a college degree and a body that could melt the statue of David. What did she know about insecurity?
Danielle went on to tell me that she was at our beck and call any hour of the day or night, seven days a week, for anything we might need.
In other words, I was getting my own Natalie.
I didn’t want her to run away screaming on day one, so I decided to give her a quick briefing on Monk’s phobias and his obsessive-compulsive disorder.
It turned out that she’d already studied up on his “special needs” and was not the least bit put off by them. She said that one of the reasons that Slade handpicked her to work with us was because of her psychological background.
Danielle went out to her desk, dropped my completed forms in her out-box, and wheeled in what looked like a rolling file drawer.
“What’s this?” I asked.
“Open cases for Mr. Monk to review,” she said. “Any insights he can give the detectives working on them would be welcomed. Or, if he likes, he can take over any of the cases himself.”
It looked like a huge amount of work, but considering what they were paying him, I couldn’t blame them for burying him in cases his first week.
Danielle wheeled the cart to the elevator and down to my car in the parking garage for me. Actually, she took it to a brand-new Lexus SUV parked next to my car.
The wheels of the cart collapsed like an ambulance gurney and it slid right into the back of the Lexus. She dangled a set of keys in front of me.
“This is your company car,” she said, dropping the keys into my hand. Then she offered me a credit card. “You can use this card for gasoline and any other
“That’s for sure,” I said.
She gave me a knowing look. “If you’re thinking about hooking up with him, I should warn you that he’s very sweet and a great lover, but he’s a free spirit. Monogamy is not part of his personality. He wants to enjoy the buffet of life’s opportunities.”
That sounded like a direct quote. “Does that philosophy factor into his hiring practices?”
“Is that your way of asking if he sleeps with every woman he hires?”
I shrugged. “They all seem to be young and attractive.”
“And smart,” Danielle said. “There isn’t a woman here, whether it’s a secretary or an operative, who doesn’t have a degree or two under her garter belt.”
“They wear garter belts?”
She politely ignored my comment. “Sleeping with him won’t get you hired or get you promoted or get you any special treatment, beyond what he does for you in bed, of course, which is pretty exceptional.”
I raised an eyebrow. “So you give him two thumbs-up in the sack-a-roo.”
“If you get into bed with him, you won’t be sorry.”
“I’m not big on buffets. I always feel bloated afterwards,” I said. “But I appreciate the information. To be honest, I’m surprised by your candor.”
“Because I’m not shy about discussing sex?”
“Because you’re so open with intimate, and potentially unflattering, details about your boss with someone you just met,” I said. “Aren’t you being indiscreet?”
She smiled. “I’m an employee of Intertect but I am working for you and Mr. Monk now. You deserve my full honesty if we’re going to establish any kind of trust. And besides, Nick doesn’t mind my talking about his love life or I wouldn’t do it. He’s a very open guy.”
“In more ways than one,” I said.
“You don’t need to worry about me breaking any confidences as far as you and Mr. Monk are concerned,” she said. “My first loyalty now is to you both. Nick made that very clear and that’s fine with me. I consider it an honor to be working with you. I am a big admirer of your accomplishments.”
“You mean Mr. Monk’s,” I said, handing her the sheaf of completed forms.
“Mr. Monk couldn’t have done it without you,” she said. “Don’t sell yourself short.”
Just what I needed: advice on self-esteem from a twentysomething with a college degree and a body that could melt the statue of David. What did she know about insecurity?
Danielle went on to tell me that she was at our beck and call any hour of the day or night, seven days a week, for anything we might need.
In other words, I was getting my own Natalie.
I didn’t want her to run away screaming on day one, so I decided to give her a quick briefing on Monk’s phobias and his obsessive-compulsive disorder.
It turned out that she’d already studied up on his “special needs” and was not the least bit put off by them. She said that one of the reasons that Slade handpicked her to work with us was because of her psychological background.
Danielle went out to her desk, dropped my completed forms in her out-box, and wheeled in what looked like a rolling file drawer.
“What’s this?” I asked.
“Open cases for Mr. Monk to review,” she said. “Any insights he can give the detectives working on them would be welcomed. Or, if he likes, he can take over any of the cases himself.”
It looked like a huge amount of work, but considering what they were paying him, I couldn’t blame them for burying him in cases his first week.
Danielle wheeled the cart to the elevator and down to my car in the parking garage for me. Actually, she took it to a brand-new Lexus SUV parked next to my car.
The wheels of the cart collapsed like an ambulance gurney and it slid right into the back of the Lexus. She dangled a set of keys in front of me.
“This is your company car,” she said, dropping the keys into my hand. Then she offered me a credit card. “You can use this card for gasoline and any other
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