Mr. Arrogant: A Billionaire Romance (4 page)

He could see all the merit of finding women outside of the office, as his father had requested, however, and on that point he would acquiesce to his father’s request.

Chapter2

At ten in the morning on the following day, Naomi was sitting in a reception area on the twenty seventh floor of the Cross Corp building. Her heart was beating swiftly and her mind was whirring with the possibilities of what may come, but she was calm and collected on the outside, and she knew that was what mattered most of all.

She had opted to wear a dark pinstriped skirt and jacket with a light blouse beneath the jacket, low heels, and her mother’s pearl necklace. She had slipped in the pearl earrings that her parents had given her for her sweet sixteen birthday, and they matched the necklace almost perfectly. Her makeup was light, her hair was pulled up into a twist at the back of her head, and on her wrist, and her watch told her that she was fifteen minutes early to the interview. She looked classy and put together, and she knew it. It instilled her with some confidence, but not enough to truly ease the butterflies that were fluttering wildly in her stomach.

Just as the clock began to chime ten times, an older woman walked out to her, extending her hand and inclining her head slightly. She was slightly heavyset and had a sway to her whole body as she moved. Her hair was silvery white and her eyes were blue, but were obscured behind thick glasses. She was dressed nicely, but simply, and Naomi admired the woman’s short haircut that was styled in a cute and bold fashion; it reminded her of Andrea.

“Good morning, dear, you must be Naomi Bradshaw. I’m Helen Klein. It’s so nice to meet you.” She extended her hand to Naomi and Naomi took it and rose to her feet with a wide smile on her face.

“Good morning, Ms. Klein, it’s really nice to meet you as well.” She returned pleasantly. The butterflies in her stomach continued to zip around erratically. She noted that Ms. Klein had a firm but friendly handshake and she knew in the first few minutes of speaking with her as they walked into the meeting room that she liked her. She was anxious in every part of her that Ms. Klein would like her as well.

The meeting room was like the building and the elevator and the waiting room; spacious and large. There was an oval table that filled most of the room, and it was surrounded by a couple of dozen chairs. They sat together at one end of it and faced one another. Ms. Klein set a tablet on the table and ran her finger over it, reading over what Naomi was sure was her resume.

She waited patiently and quietly as Ms. Klein reviewed it for a few long moments, and then the woman looked up at her and smiled. She asked Naomi questions about her education and her work history and she asked her about why she wanted to work with Cross Corp.

Naomi felt as though it was less of an interview and much more of a conversation with a friend that she was just getting to know. Ms. Klein asked her if she had any questions about the benefits or the position, and she asked what she felt she needed to in order to give herself a good base of information about the job. Ms. Klein seemed impressed with the questions that she asked and when they were done with them, Ms. Klein smiled genuinely at her.

“I was given authority to hire whomever I felt was best qualified for the position, and Naomi, I really have to tell you that I feel as though you are the best person for this job. It is my pleasure to offer it to you today. It is yours if you would like it.” Ms. Klein said happily.

Naomi felt all of the butterflies in her suddenly come to an immediate stop and somehow it felt like they all fell right through her to the ground below. She stared at the other woman and tried to convince her lungs to take in air. After a few long moments, she was able to take a deep breath and smile and the shock began to wear off. She was going to work at Cross Corp. She had gotten the job.

Elation flowed through her like a running river coursing in her every vein. She had done it, and all the while that she was filling out paperwork and doing her orientation, she could only think of her parents and how proud and happy they would have been for her as she reached her goals. In her mind’s eye she saw their smiling faces and she knew they would have supported her in her decision to work at Cross Corp. They would have told her that she had earned it, and that she deserved all of the good that she got.

Her hiring paperwork finished and her whirring thoughts and mind beginning to finally settle, she realized that she hadn’t asked one considerably important question. She looked at Ms. Klein with a wide smile.

“Who is it that I’ve been hired for? Whose administrative assistant will I be?” she wondered hopefully. In all of the research that she had done, she had been able to get to know many of the people in the top ranks of the corporation for whom she might be hired to assist. There were some she truly hoped that she would be working for, and there were some who she honestly hoped that she would not get, but in all the excitement of her new hire, she had forgotten to ask.

She had shared with Ms. Klein all of the research that she had done on the company, and so it was with a knowing eye that Ms. Klein looked at her with what could only be called a poker face, and said in a professional voice that she had not used since she introduced herself to Naomi, “You will be working for Jonathon Cross as his personal administrative assistant.”

It was clear by the look on Ms. Klein’s face that she was curious to know just how familiar Naomi was with Jonathon Cross and his reputation. It was clear by the expression on Naomi’s face that she was distinctly clear with Jonathon Cross and his reputation.

She was stunned when the name left Ms. Klein’s lips. Jonathon Cross. She would be working directly beneath Jonathon Cross. The very idea of it made her stomach turn. He was someone she hadn’t expected to be working for at all. The possibility of her ever even associating with him had never crossed her mind.

Naomi was more familiar with Jonathon Cross’s reputation and lifestyle than she was any other member of the staff whom she had researched, and it was not because she did any research on him. It was because he was so often in the news for having said or done something appalling or arrogant, and for always being out with different women and never having a serious relationship.

In the business world, he was the black sheep; he was renowned for his cold as steel and razor-sharp  business sense, but he was also notorious for his unforgiving mouth, his cold shoulder, and his history of sleeping with women who worked for him; usually ending with disastrous results. She could not believe that he was going to be her boss. It was the worst possible scenario at the best possible company.

Revolted though she was at the idea of working for a man like him, she could not say no to the opportunity to work at his company, and she considered that it may be possible for her to change her position to another executive; something she hoped that she could do in a very short amount of time.

She called the law firm where she had been offered the other job interview and advised them that she had accepted the job at the corporation. Then she called Andrea, and Andrea picked up her phone almost right away.

“Well?” she asked excitedly, “Did you get it? What happened? How did it go?” Andrea asked impatiently.

Naomi laughed. “Hang on! I’ll tell you everything. It’s both good and bad.” She began.

“Good and bad? How is it good and bad? I thought this was your dream job!” Andrea asked in confusion.

“Well,” sighed Naomi, “I got the job, which was fantastic. The woman who offered it to me gave it to me right there as soon as the interview was done! I was so excited! I’ve spent the rest of my day filling out paperwork and doing orientation. It’s actually really exciting.”

Andrea paused a moment. “Well, what is the bad part? How could there be any bad part at all?” she asked in confusion.

“Are you sitting down?” Naomi asked, lowering her voice as she looked around herself in the break room to make sure that no one else was there.

“Oh gosh, this sounds serious. Okay. I’m sitting. What is it?” she asked with trepidation.

“My boss is Jonathon Cross.” Naomi moaned dejectedly.

There was silence for a moment on the other end of the line. Naomi knew that Andrea knew exactly who Jonathon Cross was, and everything that he did.

“Well yeah, he owns the company with his father… so he’d be your boss. He’s everyone’s boss there.” Andrea said with a little hesitation, obviously lost on the point that Naomi was trying to make.

“No, Andy…. He’s my boss. I’m his personal administrative assistant. I’m working directly for him,” she said in a low tone.

There was a long moment of silence again, and then a deep groan. “Oh you must be kidding me. That’s horrible! I’m so sorry!”

Naomi knew that Andrea would feel just the same way that she did about it, and that at least was some small comfort. “I couldn’t believe it when I heard it. I almost wanted to ask if there was anyone else in the whole company who I could work for instead, but then I didn’t. I knew I’d have to just deal with it until I can switch to someone else,” she admitted sadly.

Andrea gave another disgruntled moan. “Well… you just be careful. He has a terrible reputation with the ladies who work for him, or under him, and I mean directly under him.”

Naomi frowned and sank down in her chair slightly. “I know. I’m going to be careful. You know better than anyone that I’m here for the job and not for any other reason. I don’t care what he says or does; I’m only here to work in a business capacity and not that I expect him to come after me, but if he does he’s going to find out really fast that I’m not the kind of girl he usually has as his admin.”

Andrea sounded relieved. “I’m so glad that you said that! I was worried for a minute. Not about you, of course, but definitely about him! You just keep your eyes peeled and watch out for him. Oh…. And congratulations again on the job! I think…” she trailed off and then laughed a little and Naomi laughed with her and before too long they were talking about other things and Jonathon Cross was no longer on their minds.

Naomi finished all of her initial sign-up work and then Ms. Klein pursed her lips and walked them to the   elevator that would take them to the floor where Jonathon’s office was. Neither one of them said a word during the entire ride up in the elevator.

As she watched the floor numbers above her head light up and grow dim one by one, as they passed them all, she began to feel more and more anxious and self-conscious. She knew she had been given the position because she was qualified for it, but there was some small concern that perhaps Mr. Cross had instructed that women with a certain type of look was who he wanted to hire.

She had no idea if she was hired for that reason or for any other. One thing that she did know was that she had no interest in any kind of extra-work relationship with him, and she was going to make that very clear to him, right from the start.

As Ms. Klein and Naomi were riding up in the elevator, Jonathon Cross was walking through the open office center where many of the women in the office worked at their desks. As he passed by, many of them eyed him seductively, smiling and turning in their chairs, showing their crossed legs, waving at him with their fingers, and asking him how he was and if there was anything at all that they could do for him.

It was pleasant to him that he was treated with so much deference, and he knew in his heart of hearts that the deference was solely due to his position and to his looks, and in no part due to his character, but he loved it all the same. He had grown accustomed to it before his first week was even finished at the company, and the longer he had been there, the more it had become commonplace.

So many of the women there were crushing on him and spoiling him, talking to him and flirting with him, even though he had the reputation for being arrogant and cold. They all seemed to think that he was distant and aloof and that somehow each one of them would be the one to change him.

It was the adoration of the women in the office that made it so easy for him to be indiscreet with them, taking them out on dates, or even sometimes just taking them into his office and closing the door behind them. He never went after any of them, he just let them come after him, and they did, in droves.

He would take a few of them up on their interests in him, and then he would move on to others, and there was a trail of aching, longing, broken hearts in the office that cut quite a swath through the staff pool.

He waved at a couple of the women that he had been flirting heavily with most recently, and then he stepped into his office to see Ms. Klein standing there waiting for him, and beside her was a woman he had never seen before.

He glanced over her once, letting his eyes move over the curves of her body-hugging   pinstripe suit and skirt, down her long slender legs to her high heels, and back up to her stunning sky blue eyes again. How unusual it was, he thought, to see a dark skinned woman such as she was, with such light blue eyes. She was breathtaking.

Jonathon gave her his trademark crooked smile and a small dimple showed up in his right cheek as he walked toward them. He held out his hand to her, and the woman took it. “Hi, I’m Jonathon Cross.” He spoke with a suave tone and a confident air.

Ms. Klein cleared her throat as she looked at him, almost scolding him silently with her strict gaze. “Mr. Cross, this is your new administrative assistant, Naomi Bradshaw.” She spoke sharply and clearly, introducing them. Naomi held out her hand and lifted her chin, determined to make a good impression without giving him any modicum of an inclination that she was going to be anything but professional and polite to him; and even that was at best.