揙h, nothing. Just that I抦 confident you抮e better with big decisions than with words. We hope, anyway, am I right??I shrug, winking at the other women in the room. 揧ou抮e a little late with the Poe jokes, by the way. The guy who came in second place in that poetry contest swore that it was rigged for me because I抦 very, very distantly related to the Poe. Nah, dude, sorry. He just lost. I told him to his face to get over it and he didn抰 like that. Some boys are just sore losers when they don抰 get their way and never take the hint.?
Burns?eyes become brush fires.
Ida notices his death stare and looks back at him, until he notices her and straightens up, leaning back in his seat with a shoulder roll and flex of his arms.
God. It抯 almost obscene how he moves.
I hate that he抯 chiseled梠ne more ridiculous thing that makes him a perfect fit for the royal title I kindly bestowed on him梐nd he probably uses his good looks to push people around.
揥ell, congratulations. That抯 a real accomplishment for someone so young,?Ida says.
I nod. 揟hanks. It came with a scholarship in the arts at a public university of my choice. All of my professors agreed I could sling words well enough, and since I started with a lemonade stand, copywriting just made sense.?
揧ou can write copy anywhere,?Burns grumbles. 揥hy here? Why Haughty But Nice out of dozens of other companies in this city that would be thrilled to have you??
Ugh.
Now that I know he runs the place, I抦 not sure I want to work here. But I do like holding my own in this interview.
Just suffer through the next hour. Get out of here. Let the chips fall where they may.
揥ell, Haughty But Nice sells an upscale product without being over the top. It抯 the kind of style I appreciate,?I say. 揑 also love that it was started by a busy mom, and the marketing you抳e been putting out lately has been pretty eye-catching. You produce innovative copy. I抦 a creative at heart more than anything else. I抣l be an asset here, but I抣l learn a lot along the way, I抦 sure. A challenge keeps things interesting.?
The women smile, impressed with my generous, easygoing answer.
Ogreman frowns, of course.
Obviously because he knows I nailed it.
Nothing I said was kissing up or untrue. It was all genuine梐t least, it was when I first walked in here with answers to questions like that drafted in my mind.
揥e asked about the florist project because it抯 the closest to what you抣l be doing here,?he says coldly. 揥e抮e preparing a major launch for a brand-new line of luxury wedding attire, and our current copywriters already have dedicated projects. We need fresh blood. Think you can handle that??
Weddings?
My whole body stiffens.
I detest them.
They抮e sentimental fluff designed to keep a sixty-billion-dollar sham industry alive. Plus, there抯 always a risk your personal investment becomes a catastrophic loss when the groom runs off with his secretary梠r you know, a bandmate條eaving you with nothing but your tears.
My face must give me away.
揗iss Poe? Is wedding content going to be a problem??he asks, snapping his fingers to draw me out of my trance. 揝urely, being a Poe doesn抰 mean you抮e stuck writing about dreary dungeons and atrocious maniacs, right??
I keep my face stern and meet his eyes.
揑 like writing about the beating hearts of the men I bury under my floorboards only occasionally.?I cock my head while the women around us snicker. 揑t抯 no problem at all. I can write about anything as the depth of my portfolio shows.?
揤ery original, Poe,?he throws back.
揘ot even close. I抳e been collecting bad Poe jokes for twenty-four years. Unless you抳e been writing them that long, you don抰 have one I haven抰 heard.?
揝orry, but I have to ask… Do you guys know each other??Anna looks at me.
Oh, crap. Did I come on too strong?
I stop and stare like I抦 caught in the headlights.
揥e抳e met,?the suit answers for me. 揑t抯 becoming a regular occurrence in the morning coffee line. If I抎 known it was her, I could have saved us a lot of trouble,?he adds under his breath.
揟rouble??Ida asks.
I smile at her even though I抦 breaking inside.
If this is how it抯 going down, I抎 might as well get the last word in.
揌e means that this whole interview is just a formality, right? He抯 already made up his mind,?I venture.
揑抦 sure he doesn抰 mean that at all. Do you, Mr. Burns??Ida asks. When he doesn抰 answer for a few seconds, she looks at him and bites her lip. 揙ff-record reminder, it would be highly improper for a publicly traded company to make hiring decisions outside of the structured interview process.?
Hot Shrek shakes his head and looks over my resum?
揘o decisions made and no objections lodged. Not yet. I抦 still eager to find out what Miss Poe can do for us and why she抯 the best person for this job. Since the next questions are softballs, I won抰 risk any personal bias clouding the hiring. I抣l step out and leave you fine ladies to the assessing,?he says, sliding out of his seat.
Without a single look back, he抯 out the door, moving his hands to his throat like he抯 adjusting his tie梠r making a cross like he抯 warding off a vampire.
Jesus. What was that?
Lucy rolls her eyes, slurping her coffee. 揘ice save, bossman. Now, Miss Poe, can you tell us what you think your greatest strength is??
I spend the next half hour fielding their questions, talking about my experience, thinking more and more about my potential boss and his rancid attitude. His absence almost makes it worse. I抎 rather dance with rabid wolves.
But I survive the final battery of questions, and I抎 like to think I impressed them. At the end, they fall silent.
I guess it抯 over. Time to go home.
As I抦 dreaming of tasting the freedom that抯 outside the door and wondering if any new jobs have been posted online today, a male voice growls over my shoulder.
揟he new wedding line is crucial. You抣l be reporting directly to me even while you抮e technically working under Miss Patel. A little spine goes a long way, and yours is made of diamond. Don抰 make me regret this.?
Regret it? Regret what? Did I get the job?
What the actual hell?
The idea of working for this guy feels terrifying.
I抦 too stunned to even muster a thanks.
But he stares at me, expectant. Like I抦 supposed to fall down and hug his leg. Genuflect. Kiss his ring. Kiss his梬hatever.
揑抦 hired then??I ask softly. I need to hear it from the horse抯 mouth.
Those bottomless honey-brown eyes drop from my face to my lips.
Just like the day he tried to bribe my cinnamon roll away. And just like that first ugly morning, that gaze on my lips makes me tingle.
No, no, no, and no.
He抯 a professional ass in a tie and apparently my new boss.
He shrugs. 揘o point in wasting more time pretending it抯 not a done deal. Are there any last-minute objections??
He waits while heads shake around the room. I抦 glued to my seat in awe at how utterly ballsy and open he is.
揋ood. We抣l have your background check by the end of the day. Barring any surprises, you can start ASAP. Always remember you can leave just as easily as you came, so don抰 get cocky,?he says.
揥ell, okay. We just need to hammer out the details,?Ida says.
揥hy don抰 you get the paperwork? We can take care of it right now,?Burns tells her.
揝top by when you抮e done and I抣l introduce you to the team,?Anna says cheerfully.
揟hat抯 great. Thank you,?I say numbly, my mind whirling with a tornado of thoughts.