"Good." It was the first smile of his that she had seen today and it thrilled her, although it was brief. "You'll take it down to personnel later today. Fourth floor. I will take you on a tour of the building myself before lunch and get you acquainted with most of the staff."
Heidi looked over her shoulder, noting that he had closed the door. "On this floor... who else is up here?"
"No one." He tented his fingers. "There is a board room down the hall, and several other offices, although they are for training and meeting purposes and are unoccupied most of the time."
"We're the only ones up here, then?" She felt her heart skipping in her chest.
He nodded. "I like my privacy."
She watched as he leaned forward in his chair, shrugging his shoulders out of his suit coat. He held it up carefully, nodding to her. "Hang this up in the wardrobe, Heidi."
She came around the desk to retrieve it, letting her fingers linger over his a little longer than normal. The look in his eyes said he noticed.
"I like to be comfortable in the office," he explained as she opened the wardrobe door and took out a wooden hanger. "So I keep several changes of clothes here."
Noting the myriad colors and fabrics of suits and sweaters hanging in the closet, she slipped the suit coat in on the end, next to a large, thick, grey zippered bag similar to the one she had carried in from his car on that first day. It seemed a million years ago, somehow, but her bottom clenched at the sight of it.
"Oh, and those are for you." He leaned forward. "You're a size five, aren't you?"
Heidi stared at him. "Yes."
"Appearances are important." He stood and came around the desk. "You are the first thing people will see when they step off that elevator, and I want you to make the best possible first impression you can." He sighed as he fingered the ends of her still-damp, flattened hair. "So, we'll start with the clothes. Take those home with you tonight."
"That's... very generous of you." Heidi looked from him to the grey bag, now feeling like a little kid at Christmas, waiting for morning.
"No." She saw his jaw tighten. "You will have a great deal expected of you here, Heidi. This isn't an easy job, nor is it a free ride. Do you understand that?"#p#分页标题#e#
"Yes." She swallowed and gave him a nod. "Sir."
"No." He smiled then, shaking his head, his eyes moving down her damp blouse. "You don't understand... yet... but you will.”
His cryptic words actually gave her goose bumps and she hugged her arms across her chest, feeling the heat of his big body standing next to hers. He seemed to understand her body language, but he didn't back off. Instead, he moved a little closer, making her tilt her chin way up to meet his gaze.
"Let's get you acquainted with some of your job description, shall we?"
By four-thirty, Heidi was ready to collapse. She sat in her chair, staring at the computer screen swimming in front of her eyes and rubbing her toes on the carpet. Her heels were under her desk somewhere because her feet were killing her. She hadn't realized how hard it was going to be to keep up with him all day long. It seemed like the man never stopped.
Of course, that wasn't entirely true. They had a nice lunch on the top floor, where there was a restaurant that had a view of the entire city. She still had some of her shrimp scampi in the little refrigerator down the hall to eat for a yummy dinner tonight. And he was quiet now, for the most part, doing something in his office, the door slightly ajar. She could hear him humming.
She had found herself longing for Ty and Lenny and even the girls throughout the day, just to be out on the beach and in the sunshine. There weren't even any windows here in the reception area—she had to look through Mr. Kaiser's door to see the daylight. It was just the newness of it all, and she was sure she would get used to it. Considering the job paid three times what her last position did—and apparently came with free designer clothing—she wasn't going to complain.
But she wondered about the last secretary, the one he had spoken of. Had she quit? Been fired? Heidi found a black silk scarf tucked way back in the top drawer of her desk that smelled like Chanel No. 5 with the monogram "M" and knew it must be hers. She was sure that there had been something between her and Mr. Kaiser—just from the funny look she got from the woman in personnel when she handed in her paperwork.
"Heidi?" he called and she jumped, her heart racing.
"Coming, Mr. Kaiser." She slipped her feet back into her heels and made her way toward his office. She stopped in the doorway, seeing him standing by the window, his hands clasped behind his back. "Yes, sir?"