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“…AND IN ADDITION, I would certainly have quite a few suggestions toyour distribution system I’ve had several courses in co in the field of…”
Nodding rather grier young applicant’s babble, but the truth was, he’d made up hiswoman had entered the roo lasses and a five-hundred-dollar briefcase who’d preceded her, no to the , overly confident college graduates who thought that four to six years of classroo them well educated made them experts in the world of business The world Rhys had entered at the botto effort, inhule-minded determination
He’d hocked hi little industrial equip plant, renamed it WakeTech Industries and turned it into a Fortune 500 company within ten years It was his co to let soe kid co him how to iun the interviews by telling hi to iht ideas What the hell made them think he wanted their advice?
He wanted—no, he needed—an assistant, not a partner He’d envisioned soer, dedicated—and, yes, huence was a ender, race, sexual orientation or religious preference So why hadn’t he found anyone who’d even come close?
He could only be grateful that he hadn’t given in to his personnel ads to allow her to do her job and hire his assistant for him Heaven only knohich of the smart-aleck whiz kids he’d have ended up with He’d continue to do without until he found soe he preferred
Taking advantage of the woman’s pause to draw breath, Rhys broke in firmly “Thank you, Ms—” he had to stop to look down at her application, having forgotten her naht for this position However, I will send your application to the personnel office to be kept on file in case a suitable position does co been said so many times before that he now recited them by rote
Looking slightly incredulous, Ms Baker tried once more to assure him that he really couldn’t continue to do business without her Rhys had the distinct impression that she left him with the belief that the prosperous company would be bankrupt within days because he’d held firm to his decision not to hire her
Alone in his office once hly hewn face in a tired, discouraged gesture and groaned There was still one applicant left to interview that afternoon Lord, he hated this Why on earth had he allowed hi an assistant?
He reached for his phone “Send in the last one, June,” he ordered with a curtness due—this time—to frustration and boredo grown accustoruff, no-nonsense manner in the six years she’d worked as his secretary
Rhys opened the last application on the desk in front of hi to lift his eyes froelique St Clair, according to the neatly filled-out form “Sit down, Ms St Clair,” he instructed without polite preliminaries
Peripherally aware that his directive had been obeyed, he scanned the application, his eyebrows lifting in proportion to his growing interest As far as he could tell fro the terse answers to the standard questions, this person was totally unqualified for the position as it had been advertised A twenty-six-year-old liberal arts graduate froe who claimed to have experience as a social secretary to an unnaiven no references, listed no boastful accoued
He lifted narrowed gray eyes to exa absolutely still in the deep leather chair before his massive desk
She was ht His second was that she looked even younger than her application claimed her to be Could be a problem A delicate blonde may have a tendency to burst into tears the first time he snarled at her And he would snarl He’d never claiuy in the world to work for
And then he studied the wide-set, clear violet eyeshis steadily, bravely, and he noted the not very well concealed glint that could indicate a stubborn streak Perhaps a bit of temper Neither of those possibilities concerned hih temper of his own to out, fresh-faced blonde who’d probably cos, despite his insistence on absolute compliance from his employees
“Tell me why I should hire you as an bluntly, his eyes never leaving her face
Angie took a deep breath, deter her She’d expected so When she’d first seen hiht her prior estie had been correct And then he’d looked up and she’d realized her error
Preray, Rhys Wakefield was probably not a day over forty A hard, lean, soer than she’d expected froun, she’d been told A hard-nosed businessman with a ruthless drive to be the top in his field, a workaholic who seemed to have few of the needs mereA man who controlled his many well-paid, multi-benefited eht dark brows Her tentative inquiries had netted that , roughly handso
His voice was deep, clipped, slightly rough edged She could detect no particular accent, which sounded rather odd to her after four weeks in Birham, surrounded by the slow, soft drawl of the Deep South So told her that Wakefield would have no patience for prevarication, no tolerance for bluff His narrowed gray eyes would spot a lie before it even left herher chin, she decided to