Chapter 150: You Got the Job

Amelia, a beautiful, curvy, chocolate-skinned woman, stood by the security desk. Matt handed her back her identity card and she moved to the comfortable chairs in the middle of the room. I checked my phone; I still had twenty minutes before everyone was supposed to be here. I gestured for her to come over. I decided not to look up her name; I'd already done a background check, and her references were excellent.

“Hi, I’m Amelia,” I said, extending my hand. She smiled, almost relieved it was me, and stood to shake my hand.

“I am Amala Opi. It is nice to meet you,” she responded.

She was a bit shorter than me, even in stilettos, and wore a form-fitting dress that flowed into a fiery pink skirt with a pair of strappy heels. I loved her style—straight and down to her waist, absolutely perfect. I adored her bright pops of color and her muted, almost natural makeup. Her hair…

“You look amazing, by the way. I love the outfit; the colors complement you beautifully,” I said, and her smile widened, some of her nervous tension easing.

“Thank you. I wasn’t sure about the vibe here, but when I saw you come in, I was relieved. I’ve seen a lot of the same muted outfits, and I didn’t want to stick out,” she said in a hushed tone.

We chatted, attracting a curious look from Matt. He smirked when our eyes met, and I knew he’d been told to keep an eye on me.

“Come on, let’s grab breakfast while we wait for the others,” I said, looking at my watch.

We had twenty minutes before we were supposed to meet in the lobby. She nodded, and we headed to the elevator. Over the next fifteen minutes, we talked about everything. I knew we’d get along great, and part of me wanted to just send the other two candidates home, but I couldn’t play favorites. I’d promised myself I’d give each of them a fair shot.

Amaka is local, although she attended one of the best universities. She moved back to this city three months ago to be closer to her mother, who was sick with cancer. She had a successful career as a plus-size model, which she used to fund her education. Now, with her mother’s illness, she needed a more steady income.

“Plus-size modeling is big here, so when I saw this opening, I jumped at the opportunity. I’ve worked as a personal assistant for several fashion designers and a couple of photographers over the last six years, between modeling contracts. I was grateful my experience and my degree would give me a chance,” she explained after I asked what made her apply.

“Well, your references spoke highly of you, but I need someone who doesn’t need me to hold their hand, especially since I’ll be in Australia for the first six months. I need someone who can take initiative and get the job done while I’m away.” She nodded, absorbing everything I said.

I glanced at my watch; twenty minutes had passed, and we needed to go back downstairs. When we reached the lobby, no one else was there. I signaled to Matt.

“Are any of my other potential assistants here?” I asked.

“No, ma’am,” he replied and nodded.

If they weren’t here in the next ten minutes, I would be forced to give the job to Amaka Ogu, which I wouldn’t be too sad about. I headed back to her.

“Before the architect arrives, I’ll need you to work closely with him while I’m away. So it’s imperative that the two of you get along,” I said, sitting next to her, and she nodded.

Then, the architect, in all his silver-fox glory, walked in. She glanced over at him, and the recognition in her eyes, as well as the way her thighs pressed together, didn’t escape me. I stood up, extending my hand to him. His devilish smile lit up his face.

“Amelia. It’s a pleasure to see you again,” he said, leaning down to kiss my cheek. (He and his brother met him in England, and it surprised me; they knew many people from out of the country and in this city as well.)

“Hi, Jonny. It is great to see you again. This is my new assistant, Amaka Ogu. She will be working closely with you while I am overseas with Justin and Donald. Amaka, this is Jonny; he’s decided to personally spearhead this project for me.”

When Jonny’s eyes met Amaka’s, I knew there was history between them. His hand, which I noticed was trembling slightly, met hers. I would have to pull her aside later to make sure there hadn’t been any bad interactions in the past.

“Hi, Amaka,” he mumbled her name; his voice sounded like pure silk.

She bit her lip at his words. They had slept together; I was sure of it. She must be around my age, and he could be old enough to be her father, but I wasn't bothered by it.

“Who would have known our paths would cross again after all these years,” he purred, his accent thickening.

“M-Mr. Jonny,” she stammered.

“I would never have thought it would,” she said softly.

I stood there as their hands remained connected and they stared at each other. I love a good romance, especially the long-lost-lover kind.

“Well, it looks like my other two candidates won’t be getting the job. I don’t tolerate tardiness. Let’s head to the fifth floor, and we can get started,” I said, turning towards the elevator. I heard the fast click of her heels following.

“Wait, does that mean I got the job?” she asked in a hushed whisper as she caught up with me. I grinned and handed her the tablets I’d stashed in my bag.

“If you want it, that’s it,” I said, and her beautiful eyes glistened with unshed tears as she nodded quickly. I smiled; I might be even happier about this than she is.

“We will talk about all the details when Jonny leaves,” I whispered, and she nodded again, dabbing the corners of her eyes.

Jonny stepped into the elevator behind us, purposefully standing next to her. I watched as his eyes roamed down her body slowly, then cleared. I hope he can focus today.

The next two hours, Jonny and Amaka were nothing but professional, the spell between them seemingly broken as they worked with me to begin the groundwork of this project. When he left, almost reluctantly handing her his card for “business reasons,” which made me almost snort, I turned to her, eager for details.

“Oh my goodness, Amaka. You have to spill the beans about what that was all about,” I said. She blushed, set the tablet down, and took a deep breath.

“Just after my sophomore year of college, I spent the summer in Ogume working as the assistant to the creative director of May & Bare. Even in a busy company like that, there was a lot of leisure time, so I would go out and explore. I love music, so I went to an opera house. It wasn’t the most expensive or glorious one, but it was known for its up-and-coming artists. Well, when I got there, apparently it was sold out for the night, and I was devastated to the point of literal tears. It was silly, I know, but I had been so excited to experience opera, and my silly self didn’t think to buy a ticket online. Anyway, Jonny was walking up as I was trying to hail a taxi but failing. He offered to help but saw me crying and asked what was wrong.” She looked up at me.

“I told him everything, and a silly little smile crossed his face. He invited me to his box as his guest and told me a woman as beautiful as I am should have everything she could ever want.” She paused, her eyes growing distant. I gaped at her in surprise.