Chapter 150: You Got the Job
Amelia, a beautiful, curvy, chocolate-skinned woman from the company, was standing by the security desk. Matt handed her back her identity card and she went to sit in the cluster of comfortable chairs in the middle. I checked my phone; I still had twenty minutes before everyone was supposed to be here. I gestured for her to come over. I knew her name, but decided not to look her up on social media. They’d passed a background check, and their references were excellent.
“Hi, I’m Amelia,” I said, extending my hand. She smiled, almost as if relieved it was me, and stood up 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 was wearing a form-fitting dress that flowed into a fiery pink skirt with a pair of strappy heels. I loved the way her hair fell straight down her back to her waist—absolutely perfect, in my opinion. I also loved the bright pops of color in her outfit and her muted, almost natural makeup.
“You look amazing, by the way. I love how the colors complement each other beautifully,” I said, and her smile widened, some of the nervous tension she’d been displaying easing.
“Thank you. I wasn’t sure about the vibe here, but when I saw you come in, I was relieved. I have seen a lot of the same type of 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 literally everything. I knew we would get along great, and a part of me wanted to just send the other two candidates home, but I couldn’t play favorites. I promised myself I would give each of them a fair shot.
Amaka is a local, even though she attended one of the best universities. She moved back to this city three months ago to stay close to her mother, who was sick with cancer. She had a pretty successful career as a plus-size model and used it to cover her education fees, but now, with her mother’s illness, she needed a more steady income.
“Plus-size modeling isn’t big here, so when I saw this opening, I jumped at the opportunity. I have worked as a personal assistant for a few fashion designers and a couple of photographers in the last six years, in between modeling contracts, so I was grateful my experience and my degree would give me a chance,” she explained after I asked her what made her apply here.
“Well, your references spoke highly of you, but I need someone who doesn’t need me to hold their hand, especially since for the first six months, I will be in Australia. I need someone who can take initiative and get the job done while I’m away.” She nodded, soaking up everything I told her.
I glanced at my watch; twenty minutes had passed, and we needed to go back downstairs. When we got to the lobby, no one else was there. I told her to say hello 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 will need you to work closely with him while I am away. So it will be imperative that the two of you get along,” I said, sitting next to her, and she nodded.
Or rather, the architect, in all his silver-fox glory, walked in. She glanced over at where I was looking, and it didn’t escape my notice, either, the way her thighs pressed together. I stood up, extending my hand to him; his devilish smile lit up his face.
“Hello, Amelia. It is a pleasure to see you again,” he said, leaning down to kiss me on both cheeks. (He and his brother met him in England, and it surprised me; they knew a lot of 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 has decided to personally spearhead this project for me.”
When Jonny’s eyes met hers, I knew for a fact there was some history. His smile broadened as he shook her hand, which I noticed was trembling slightly. I would have to pull her aside to make sure it wasn’t a bad interaction they’d had in the past.
“Hi, Amaka,” he mumbled her name; his tone sounded like pure silk.
She bit her lip at his words. They had been together, I was sure of it. She must be around my age, and this man could be old enough to be her father, but I wasn’t mad about 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 stayed 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, and I had fast-clicking heels following—
“Wait, does that mean I got the job?” she asked in a hushed whisper when she caught up with me. I grinned at her and handed her the tablet that was 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 at her; I may be happier about it than she is.
“We will talk about all the details when Jonny leaves,” I whispered, and she nodded again, dabbing the corner of her eyes with a finger.
Jonny stepped into the elevator behind us, purposefully standing next to her. I watched as his eyes roamed down her body slowly and then hardened; I hoped he could focus today.
The next two hours, Jonny and Amaka were nothing but professional, the spell seeming to release them as they worked with me to get started on the groundwork of this project. When he left, almost reluctantly handing her his card for business reasons—which I almost snorted at—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 and set the tablet down, taking 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 so much 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 new 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 get 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 this 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 again, her eyes growing distant. I gaped at her in surprise.