“Better commentary than Dan Rather,” she muttered, as she glanced down, watching her e-mail download. She leaned back against the cushions, then decided to lie down full length and balance the laptop on her stomach.

She let her eyes scan down the listings, and her eyes brightened a little when Tropical Storm 65

she saw Kerry’s name listed.

“Probably wants to say no thanks,” Dar murmured after a moment’s reflection. “After she slept on it.” For a moment, her mouse hovered over the entry, then finally she clicked on the mail, feeling an odd dryness in her mouth as she waited for the contents to appear in her preview pane.

Sent by: Kerry Stuart

Subject: Assistant’s Job

Time: 1:01 AM

Hi.

I know you’re thinking “what is this crazy woman

doing, sending mail at one AM after a day like today?”

Well, I didn’t start out to do that. I took a shower, and got changed, and fluffed up my pillows, and answered the two frantic messages on my machine because people saw my car towed back here, and then I was laying there figuring this sleep thing wasn’t going to be a problem.

But I kind of got to thinking, that there was

something I hadn’t done, and it kept bugging me and bugging me until I just gave up and figured out what it was.

It was deciding what I wanted to do, as in, with my life at this point, and I know you’re probably sitting there reading this thinking I’ve flipped my lid, but…I haven’t.

I decided if you were serious about that assistant job of yours, then I was going to apply for it. I know there are probably ten thousand other people more

qualified, but I have this crazy idea that maybe I can find better ways for people to do things, so that it’s not so brutal, and it doesn’t hurt people inside just to do business.

That’s pretty naïve sounding. I sound like some

Midwestern rube just out of certification school, don’t I? Yikes.

So anyway, what I did was logon, and I found that

posting of yours, and I submitted a formal request for consideration. I also attached my résumé, like it said.

Though figuring out where to click in that CAS

application is a real pain in the neck, you know? I feel better now, and I think I’ll be able to sleep.

I know I don’t have much of a chance at it. It’s so weird to think that I was cursing your name before dinner time, and hoping I get to work for you at midnight.

If you can squeeze me back into my old job, though, that would be fantastic. Monday is going to be really crazy, and there’s one thing I forgot to thank you for—

and that was the severance packages. It changes firing someone from a hateful sentence, to what I can present as a good chance for change, so that these people can find something else, without having the pressure of bills 66 Melissa Good hanging over their heads. You don’t know now much that means, especially since four of the people have school age children who were covered under the insurance.

Thank you, Dar. I really mean that.

Have a great weekend.

Kerry

Dar felt a grin coming on, and she let it, as she read the mail twice over.

Then she very deliberately logged into her CAS session and reviewed her work list. An eyebrow went up when she saw the thirty or so responses, and she scanned the names. All qualified, pretty much. Most junior, but a few senior account managers, with lots of experience in what she did. Several candidates, in fact, were already assistants to other VPs. Good, solid employees, with stable backgrounds and excellent references.

She clicked on Kerry’s submission and reviewed it. Absolutely no experience in any facet of what she did. Absolutely no experience in multiple markets, no experience overseas, no experience in corporate takeovers. She had absolutely nothing in her favor, in fact, except for guts, and brains, and a beautiful smile.

A reckless, piratical gleam entered Dar’s blue eyes. It was so easy. Two clicks and an F3 submit key. “Oh look.” Dar did it before she could stop and think better of anything. “I just hired an assistant.” She took a deep breath.

“Isn’t technology wonderful?”

She almost felt lightheaded. Making decisions was second nature to her, but she knew this one was different. Mariana was going to kill her. Company regulations stipulated that she had to interview and evaluate each candidate, and produce written documentation to back up her choice. Hell with it. She clicked over to mail.

Sent by: Dar Roberts

Subject: New Assistant

Mari—

Just hired Kerry Stuart from the Associated

Synergenics account as my assistant. Please process her paperwork. I figured it would be easier on you since she’s technically an outside candidate—you can hire and transition her all at once.

Bring her in as a 10, standard package, the works.

I’ll send her over to fill out forms some time next week.

I know everyone will bitch. Just tell them manager’s discretion, and they can see me personally if they have a problem.

Dar

A loophole. Dar loved loopholes. Bringing in Kerry as an outside posting would circumvent most of the hysteria, and she could just ignore the rest.

Mariana was used to that anyway, manager’s discretion was a watchword in the company. A lot of the rules were left deliberately vague, and you had to take responsibility for what you decided.


Tropical Storm 67

Dar always had. Even when the decisions had turned out wrong, she still refused to hide behind anyone, and took the brunt of the blame on her own shoulders. It was the one thing that kept everyone at bay, even those people who hated her…and there were a lot of those. She’d made a lot of enemies and few friends in her years at the company, but it was the one thing that everyone respected her for. When Dar Roberts made a decision, she stood behind it, one hundred percent.

With a grin, she rubbed her hands together, then took a long drink of her chocolate milk before she started typing.

Sent by: Dar Roberts

Subject: re: Assistant’s Job

Kerry,

Got your note.

Attached to this e-mail you’ll find corporate

policies and procedures, including the dress code. You might want to take a look at that. Jeans are not allowed during normal business hours.

I estimate it should take about a week to get the

paperwork completed, and that will give you a chance to settle your current assignment. Call me if you have any questions.

Dar

With a sense of inevitability, she hit Send. She still had some doubts, still had some questions as to whether she was doing the right thing for Kerry, but it was done. Time would tell if this was a good decision, or one of the ones she lived to regret.

With a sigh, she wriggled into a more comfortable position and allowed her attention to be distracted by Space Ghost strangling something with tentacles on the screen. “I love a good violent cartoon,” she commented to the empty condo.

The words echoed off the walls, and she turned the sound up a little, a faint grin twitching at her lips as her thoughts drifted, the fingers of her right hand flexing slowly against the couch’s soft leather.

“SO, WHAT HAPPENED?” the tall, dark-skinned man asked, his eyes on the broken window.

“Um, a rock,” Kerry muttered. “Must have…fallen off the highway overpass, or something.”

Brown eyes gave her a disbelieving stare. “C’mon, honey, you got to give me something better than that.” Jerry wagged a finger at her. “You have a new boyfriend, maybe? You get in a, how you call, a fight?”

Kerry laughed softly. “Uh, no. No, no new boyfriend. I…” She glanced around. “Jerry, I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Some guys just decided to take a crack at the car. I got away.” She made a face. “I don’t want to make a big deal about it. I didn’t see them, so…”

“Ah hah.” Jerry waggled his fingers at her. “I got you. No problem.” He 68 Melissa Good studied the car. “Sixty dollars.”

“Great.” Kerry smiled and handed over the keys. “You’re a lifesaver.”

“Cherry, I hope.” The man laughed. “My favorite flavor.” He patted her on the shoulder. “Hey, did you get cut?” He lifted her hand and studied it.

“Looks like you hit something.”

“Um…” Kerry ran her fingers through her hair. “An accident.”

Jerry looked at her, serious now. He tipped her chin up so she had to look him in the eye. “Girlfriend, are you in trouble?”

“No.” She shook her head positively. “I almost was, last night…but someone showed up, and chased the guys off, and I was fine, really. They even gave me a ride back here.”

“Mmm-hmm…was he nice? Was he a gentleman?” Jerry inquired.

Kerry bit off a grin. “He was a she.” Her eyes twinkled a little. “And she…was wonderful.”

“Ahhh…okay.” The mechanic chuckled. “I’ll finish this probably tonight, maybe tomorrow, okay?”

She nodded. “Great.”

Colleen came up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, girl.”

Kerry turned and smiled. “Hey, listen, thanks for calling to check on me last night. Sorry I gave you a scare yesterday.” She motioned towards the door to her apartment. “Come on inside, it’s wet out here.”

The redhead followed her, closing the door behind them, and moving quickly across to where Kerry was stacking printouts she no longer needed on her desk. “So, now tell me everything.” Her voice was eager. “I could have killed you last night. Five words and you’re gone.”