Falling, Falling, and Fallen

LINA

“I am so sorry, sir! I had no idea who you were, or I would have never acted so unprofessionally!” I apologized repeatedly.

Adam suddenly stopped, and I walked straight into his solid back, nearly falling over. He turned around, grinning. “You British folk tend to apologize for anything and everything, don’t you?” He stood there with his arms folded.

“Sorry,” I mumbled again, embarrassed. He took my elbow and led me to a room where the other applicants were waiting.

Adam Blackwood had walked me into a room full of people, and they all looked up. I received venomous glares from the women while Adam was getting undressed with their eyes. Great! No chance of making friends here.

“Here you go. I hope to see you soon, Lina,” he said, giving me a flirty smile.

“Thank you again, Mr. Blackwood. And I’m really sorry about earlier,” I said, looking down at my feet, blushing bright red.

“Ah, don’t worry about it! I’m glad it happened. And please, call me Adam.” He gave me a final wink before turning into an office.

Waving goodbye, I sat next to a woman fixing her hair in a compact mirror. “Hi, I’m Lina,” I said, giving her a big smile.

Without looking up, she replied, “I don’t care.”

“Okay,” I muttered. “So, are you here for the secretarial role?” I asked, still smiling.

She looked frustrated, closed her compact mirror, and turned to me. “Look, let me be clear. I don’t care who you are or why you’re here. All I know is you’re not going to be here for long. You know how I know that?”

“Umm…”

“You walked in looking like you just grabbed your clothes from a charity shop. You’re currently empty-handed, which suggests you have no evidence of your achievements—in other words, it seems like you have none. Your appearance and lack of preparation don’t exactly scream ‘qualified candidate’.”

She looked down at my shoes and then back at me. “Primark?” she sneered, her tone dripping with disdain.

I looked down at my shoes, trying to hide them under the seat. “So why don’t you do us both a favor and not start a conversation that holds no interest for me? Okay? Thanks.” She looked away, opened her compact, and continued fixing her hair. Wow.

“Crystal Diamond,” someone called out. Miss Vanity closed her compact, got up, pulled her skirt down, and sauntered away.

“Crystal? Sounds like a stripper’s name,” I muttered under my breath. I watched her walk into the room, feeling my leg start to shake with nerves.

After only five minutes, the door burst open again and Crystal came tearing back out, hiding her face in her hands and audibly sobbing. I felt nerves rise in my chest. Was Aaron Blackwood really that bad?

“Lina Reign.” Ruby Red poked her head into the room.

I stood up, and she looked me up and down before walking away, expecting me to follow. I gulped, fixed my skirt and hair, walked over to the door.

Before entering the room, Ruby Red stopped and turned to me. “Passport, proof of address, and the information sheet you filled out earlier. I need to make copies for our records.”

I handed over my documentation and followed her into the office. Ruby Red sat in the corner with a laptop, presumably typing away.

The door shut behind me, and I jumped. A deep voice with an American accent spoke from behind me. “Sit down, Miss Reign.”

I turned around to see a figure in the shadows. He was tall and built. “I told you to sit down, not turn around,” he snapped.

I immediately took a seat and just stared at the empty desk before me.

The deep voice spoke again, “We’ve been looking at your CV, and it states you have many years of experience in different areas but started a degree in mathematics and didn’t finish it. You shouldn’t have been given this interview then.”

Taking a deep breath, I replied, “Working has never been a problem for me. I’ve always valued experience, and the experience I’ve gained has helped me in other jobs. Unfortunately, due to personal circumstances, I couldn’t finish my degree but hoped to complete it while working here.”

“Miss Reign, this isn’t a part-time job you come to on weekends. It’s a full-time job with long hours, including weekends. How could you possibly find time to finish your degree?”

I was starting to feel hot, and my throat was getting dry with nervousness. I tried to clear it. “I... um...”

I felt strong hands settle on my shoulders and warm breath on the back of my neck, sending a shiver down my spine. The woodsy cologne he wore smelled divine, a blend of cedar and pine with a hint of something musky and intoxicating. The scent wrapped around me, filling my nostrils and making my head spin.

My skin tingled where his fingers pressed, and my heart pounded in my chest. All I could think about were those strong hands and the tantalizing aroma. My senses were under siege, each one overwhelmed by the intensity of the moment. I felt utterly powerless to resist it.

Suddenly, he removed his hands, and an unexpected wave of emptiness washed over me. For a fleeting moment, all I wanted was to feel his touch again, to have those strong hands grounding me. I cringed inwardly at my own desperation, embarrassed by how much I longed for something so minor yet so intensely comforting.

He was tall, probably six foot two or taller, with dark hair and broad shoulders. He looked magnificent, and I couldn’t look away.

“Tell me something, Miss Reign. Why would you be a better candidate for this role than those in the other room? Assistants often move up in the company, so we require a degree. Why should I choose you?”

His voice was rough, deep, and mesmerizing. I was frozen. “Miss Reign?”

He turned his head slightly, revealing the chiseled definition of his jaw. That brief glimpse was enough for me to conclude that this man was exceptionally handsome.

“Miss Reign! Are you listening?!”

I snapped out of my daze. “Umm, of course. Sorry, what was your question?”

He turned back to face the window. “Let’s add a terrible listener to the list of faults. Such incompetence.”

That definitely snapped me out of my haze. “Excuse me, did you just call me incompetent?”

“Yes. You have no degree, you don’t listen well, and you look like a little girl who just finished school, not someone applying to a multibillion-dollar company.”

Now I was pissed! “I may not have a degree, but I have experience in various companies that have taught me as much as a degree would! I am capable, organized, and trustworthy. If you think I’m below you because my education isn’t up to your standards, then I pity you, sir. There is nothing more valuable than experience! I may not look like I belong here, but my work ethic will show that I do.”

By the time I finished, I was breathing heavily and glaring at him.

Still looking out the window, he calmly spoke, “You done?”

Calming down, I replied, “Yes, I am.”

He finally turned around, and I stopped breathing.