Chapter 1

Ashley Roberts was the youngest and newest secretary in the realty firm, having recently been hired from a training program the firm ran. A young, eager, 21 year old, she was just getting started on a promising new career with the Denver real estate firm.

She had been a wonderful student and had done everything asked of her and then some. She never refused an assignment, and no task was too large or too small for her to give her complete attention to. As a result of her hard work and dedication, her mentor in the program had given her his highest recommendations for hiring her full time.

Ashley had been working as the receptionist for close to seven months. She also helped out as the assistant to one of the firm’s hardest-working realtors, a part of her job she really loved. She paid close attention and asked a lot of questions. Her goal was to move from the realtor’s assistant to being an full-fledged realtor herself.

One day, she found out that one of the other realtors was about to quit and relocate to another firm, several states away. This was her chance! She went home that night excited and on edge – she was going to talk to Mr. Thornbeck, head of the firm, and see what he thought about her taking the position. But that would have to wait. It was Thursday and Mr. Thornbeck was away on business and wouldn’t be back until Monday.

It would be a long weekend for Ashley. She had worked hard and long for an opportunity like this. She had taken the needed classes and was just waiting for her certification test and her license that would make her qualified for a realtor job.

For the next four days, she was wired – she couldn’t stop thinking about how she would approach Mr. Thornbeck, and she couldn’t sleep at night. She went over her speech to him, trying to cover every conceivable argument and excuse he may come up with. She was too young – there were others equally as young in other firms all over town. She was too inexperienced – she had earned her license and passed all the classes. She went over every detail and rehearsed her responses. She really wanted this position.

Finally, Monday morning came and with it, her chance to talk with Mr. Thornbeck. Ashley decided that she would go straight to Mr. Thornbeck’s office and talk to him about the upcoming opening. She stayed at work as lunchtime approached and waited until all the other employees left for lunch.

She knew that Mr. Thornbeck usually ate his lunch in his office answering the phones and getting some work done while everyone was out and he had some quiet time. She spent a few more minutes collecting her thoughts and phrases for her conversation with the boss.

Mr. Thornbeck was a fair, but serious man and he always meant business. He had built his company from the ground up and was not prone to rash or impulsive decisions. So she would have to be rather persuasive if she wanted to be promoted to the position of realtor. When she was sure they were completely alone, she approached Mr. Thornbeck’s office door, pausing a moment before knocking softly on the heavy door.

“Come on in, it’s open,” she heard his deep, masculine voice and she meekly opened the door.

Mr. Thornbeck was sitting at his large ornate desk shuffling some papers and documents, his desktop unusually crowded with files and paperwork. He looked up as she stepped inside and closed the door behind her.

“Hello, Miss Roberts. Please, come on in. Why aren’t you at lunch?” he asked.

“Well, Sir, I wanted to talk to you about something,” she said.

“What can I help you with?” he asked, setting the papers down on the desk. Ashley slowly approached his desk. She sat down in the chair in front of it, not waiting for the offer to take a seat.

“Mr. Thornbeck, I wanted to talk to you about Bob’s leaving and the vacancy that he will leave in our company,” Ashley said.

“I see. What exactly do you want to talk about?” Mr. Thornbeck asked.

“Mr. Thornbeck, I love my position as receptionist and I love being Susan’s assistant, but I feel now that I can handle being a realtor myself,” Ashley said, afraid she may have been too bold.

“You mean you want to fill Bob’s position as a realtor?” Mr. Thornbeck asked although he already understood what Ashley was driving at.

“Well, I was going to place an ad in the paper calling for applicants to send in their resumes,” he said.

“But, Sir, I’ve always wanted to have a job like this,” Ashley said, imagining how happy she would be if she could get that job.

“Well, I don’t know ... it’s a lot of responsibility and besides you don’t have any real field experience. I mean, you’re fine as a receptionist or as an assistant for Susan, but I am afraid you’re not ready to handle big matters by yourself,” Mr. Thornbeck said in a gentle voice.

“I know I’m young and you don’t think I’m experienced enough, but I learn fast and I love my profession. I would do anything to become a realtor here with the company,” Ashley said, sounding desperate. She didn’t want to continue working as an assistant anymore ... she wanted to move up the corporate ladder and become a fully licensed and practicing realtor. She just wanted this job and she was going to do all she could to get it. But it seemed that he was reluctant to give her the job.

“Well, it’s a rather stressful job, you know Ashley. An assistant isn’t responsible for anything, he just handles minor issues and if something goes wrong, the realtor is to blame,” Mr. Thornbeck said, “Also as a receptionist you are geting paid a fixed salary. My realtors work on commission. Which means if they don’t sell, they don’t get paid.

“However, I’ll tell you what ... I will think about it, but you must remember that this is my company and I have worked hard to make it what it is. My realtors are accountable to me and that means that whoever fills this position will have to be on really good terms with me, as well,” he added and smiled.

“Well, I deal with people very well. I am very patient and hard-working, as you know, Mr. Thornbeck,” Ashley said, with hope in her voice.

“I am aware of your work, Ashley, and I am impressed. But I’m not convinced yet that you have the skills to make the sale.”

Ashley knew that Mr. Thornbeck was sitting and waiting for something, but he didn’t know for what exactly. She looked at him, her eyes telling him everything before he even asked the question: “Yes, I’m ready. I’m ready for anything.” Ashley was ready to let him take her right here in his office. They were alone in the office for now, but there was no telling for how long. She had to make her move quickly or she might miss her chance!

Ashley had dressed that day especially for this meeting. Normally, she dressed a lot more conservatively, but she knew that she was going to be talking to her boss and that she would have to sell herself. This might be her only chance at a job like this and she was going to pull out all the stops to get it! She had chosen a black silk blouse with ivory buttons and an immodestly short cream-colored mini-skirt that was so tight that she was afraid her goosebumps would show through!

She got up from her seat and walked around his desk, pulling his chair out and turning it a bit. She stood there in front of him and unbuttoned the front of her blouse slowly, one button at a time, as she watched him looking at her. After unfastening the front of her blouse, she pulled the edges apart and revealed her black lace bra.