Chapter 3

Charlotte thought about this new twist, but only for a moment. She really wanted this job and to be his secretary. Every job has some part of it that isn’t as easy or as much fun as the rest. She thought to herself. And if he wanted her to schmooze the clients once in awhile, she could do that.

After all, it wasn’t like that was her whole job – he said it would only be an occasional thing. And in the meantime, she would have him all to herself! A hefty pay raise and benefit package, travel all over the country and to exotic overseas locations, and all the hot sex she could want! Who could turn that down!

“Yes, Mr. Atwood, I would love to come work for you as your secretary, your assistant, even your slut!” she said after a moment. “I don’t have a problem helping to ‘sell’ the company as you have described. And I know you will watch out for me, you have always looked out for us employees. That’s one reason why we all love it so much here.

“I remember when Janet in new accounts lost her apartment when her building caught fire. You put her up in a hotel at the company cost until her building was fixed and ready for her to move back in. And when I first came here, you gave me an advance on my first paycheck from your own pocket so I could get groceries and pay to have the utilities transferred to my new apartment. You have always looked out for us, Sir. You are a wonderful boss and a wonderful man,” Charlotte said.

“Well thank you, Miss Sintallie. I believe that in order to have a successful company you need to have employees who are enthusiastic about their work. A happy employee will try harder because he wants his company to grow and become even better.

“Many of the people here at Silver Hill Securities have worked for other agencies that didn’t treat their people well and now that they see how nice it is here they want to stay and they want the company to grow. They are happy so they do a better job for our clientele which makes them happy. They invest with us and they tell their friends and others about us so we get more business. Everyone wins – except for our competition!” he said.

“Yes, Sir,” she said.

“I will be going over your interview and your files along with the other girl who is vying for this position and will let you know by the end of the week who I have picked for this position. But I will tell you that you have impressed me here today and it will be a very hard decision.

“Both of you have done very well in this application process and I will have a lot to weigh to make my choice,” he said, getting up and walking her to the door. Charlotte headed for the elevator to go back downstairs to work again – hopefully one of the last times she would have to go back down to the second-floor secretarial pool.

It was three days later – that following Thursday – when Charlotte was busy with her work in the secretarial pool, that she got a call to go upstairs to see Mr. Atwood. This is it! she thought to herself as she made her way to the elevator to head upstairs. Her knees were weak and her heart raced as the elevator took her upstairs. She got off the elevator and walked rather unsteadily to the receptionist’s desk.

She was scared to death, this was her one chance to have her dream job and she knew that she was behind the ball in her application. Mr. Atwood had already said that the job entailed flirting and charming the clients.

She knew that she wasn’t as young and pretty as the other girl, Beverly. And she knew that Mr. Atwood was a businessman above all else and that he would want and need a qualified and skilled secretary. The position was an important one and she was just a simple secretary. Beverly had a degree in Business Management for Pete’s sake!

Still, she had beat out all the other girls and Mr. Atwood did say it would be a tough choice. She still had a chance...

She got off the elevator and walked rather unsteadily to the receptionist’s desk. “I-I’m here to see Mr. Atwood,” she said shakily.

“Yes ma’am, he is expecting you,” the girl said. Ma’am – that’s just great! she thought to herself, suddenly feeling very frumpy and old. Charlotte took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves and stepped into the office.

“Ahh, Miss Sintallie! Please come in and have a seat. I believe you know Miss Watkins here?” she said, waving to Beverly.

“Yes, we know each other, Sir. She works in a different department, but we know each other,” Charlotte said.

“Good. Now the reason I have called you both here this afternoon was to inform you that I have made my decision as to who I want to be my secretary and personal assistant. I must tell you that you both made the decision a very tough one – each of you brings quite a bit to the table and I had a lot to take into consideration.

I looked through your personnel files for work history your qualifications and time here at the company...”

Charlotte’s heart sunk – she was less qualified than Beverly but she had also been with the company a shorter time. Two strikes against her!

“then I looked at the notes I took during our meetings and how we related with each other. After all, if you and I can’t talk and get on the same page, none of this other stuff makes a bit of difference! We need to be able to work together, to think alike and to know each other and how we work,” he said.

The girls were sitting forward on their chairs at this point eagerly waiting – and hoping – their names would be the one he would pick. They shot a quick glance at each other.

“Okay, enough stalling. You want to know who got the position, I understand. Beverly, you are very qualified for the position and you have a Business Degree. I’m sure you would do wonderfully in this position as my secretary,” he said.

Charlotte moved to stand up and congratulate Beverly. “Hold on a moment, Miss Sintallie, I’m not quite finished. As I was saying, Beverly you are highly qualified for this position, there’s no disputing that.

“However, when you and I were talking I didn’t get the sympatico that I did with you Charlotte. You and I seemed like we thought alike and I felt that we were of one mind. And I need that kind of rapport with my personal assistant.

“The personal assistant part of the job is more important to me than the secretary part. Typing, filing, taking dictation – that stuff is fairly easy to do. But being able to anticipate and meet my other needs ... knowing my upcoming appointments, my favorite cigars, keeping the liquor cabinet stocked when I have clients over, making sure my clothes are clean and pressed, that sort of stuff is what I need more than anything.

“My head is always buzzing with financial things and what’s going on in the Stock Market. I often forget to even eat until I am forced to by hunger! So remembering to pick up my dry cleaning is way down on the list and I forget a lot of those little details. That’s why I need a personal assistant that thinks like I do and I felt that with you Charlotte.

“And so Charlotte, I am offering you the job, if you want it. Beverly, I’m sorry and I hope you will continue to do the same great job for the company you have been doing. I am going to offer you a raise in pay because of your exemplary work,” he said.

Both the girls stood up then and hugged each other. Charlotte was very restrained, even though she wanted to jump up and down and scream for joy, she maintained a calm, dignified outward appearance. Beverly was a gracious loser, shaking Charlotte’s hand and thanking Mr. Atwood for the opportunity before leaving to head back to her desk.

“Now, Miss Sintallie, you can return to your desk and finish out the day there, but tomorrow I want you to spend the morning clearing out your desk and move your things up here. Once you have brought everything upstairs and have had a chance to set your new desk up the way you like it, we will sit down and talk about your new duties and responsibilities. That way, come Monday morning, you can start as my new ‘Girl Friday’. How does that sound?” he asked.

“Mr. Atwood, that sounds wonderful. Thank you so much for giving me this chance, Sir. I promise you I will do my very best to be a good personal assistant and secretary to you. Please feel free to call me anytime day or night if I can be of service to you,” she said. She secretly hoped he would call on her soon and often to be “of service” to him!

The rest of that day was a fog to Charlotte. She managed to have just enough of a clear head to finish her work but her mind was constantly on what her new job would be like Monday morning.

Her friends and co-workers in the secretarial pool were all thrilled that one of their own had made it to the big time and was moving upstairs. They all gathered around her desk and gabbed and chattered as Charlotte told them about the interviews – what she could tell them at least!

“So what kinds of things are you going to do as Mr. Atwood’s personal assistant?” one of the girls asked.

“I’m not really sure just yet. He mentioned something about keeping his appointments straight, picking up his dry cleaning, making sure he ate, and things like that though,” she said. She didn’t go into detail about the sexual side of her job. She figured that was between her and Mr. Atwood.