Kalie Parton looked over the ad one more time.

This is it, now of never. Kalie thought to herself. At 21 years old and a college student a UCLA Kalie needed a job. Badly. So badly that if she didn’t find one soon, and really soon she was going to be evicted from her apartment. So she was going to try to get a job as a secretary. There was just one itsy bisty problem. Kalie didn’t know the first thing about being a secretary. But by golly she was going to learn, and learn fast!

That was all well and good Kalie thought a half and hour later sitting in her car looking up towards the gigantic building that was Williamer Bocter. Once she’d made it there all her confidence had fallen down the drain. Kalie would have loved to start up her car and speed away as fast as possible, but she needed this job.

Kalie walked up the stairs to the building telling herself over and over again that everything was going to be okey dokey. But again that left the moment she opened the doors to see a very manly-looking woman behind a desk.

"May I help you Ma’am?" the lady- or maybe man- asked in an icily polite voice. Kalie squared her shoulders and said in what she hoped was a confident voice.

"Yes, I’m hear to see a Mr. Bocter, Adrian Bocter." Kalie almost laughed out right at the way she worded herself. She sounded like she was looking for Bond, James Bond. But she was able to stop the giggles. The manly lady looked sternly at her then bent her head to see if she was on the list. "Name?"

"Huh, oh, my name is Kalie Parton."

It took Mr. Lady exactly two minutes to decide that yes, she was on the list.

"Okay you may go up and see him now." She voiced with obvious reluctance.

Kalie walked over to the elevator with as much confidence as she could muster. The interview hadn’t even started an already she was failing miserably!

Kalie road the elevator up to the 5th floor by herself. Once she got to his private floor she was sweating lightly on her upper lip. As she stepped off she rubbed it off and looked around her surroundings. There were only two rooms on this floor, a waiting area and his office. All you could see walking in was the waiting room, but it wasn’t a bad sight by any means. Well it could do with a splash of color. The room was decorated in white, and beige, and a big brown desk where hopefully she would soon be sitting at.

Kalie walked to the door that stood behind the secretary desk and softly knocked on the door.

"Come in," came a gruff, somewhat muffled answer. Kalie opened the door then wished she hadn’t. Why was God doing this to her. The one time she really needed to make a good impression on someone he happens to be the most devastatingly handsome man she has ever set eyes on before. Kalie realized that her mouth was hanging open and promptly shut it. She walked forward and reached her hand out with a warm, sincere smile on her face. "Hello, Mr. Bocter, My name is Kalie Parton I’m here for the secretary job."

"Yes Ms. Parton I know why you are here." Adrian snapped a line forming over his brows. Oh this is just going great, next on my list I should run headfirst as fast as I can into a brick wall. Kalie thought to herself. " Yes of course, well I just want to start this interview off with the fact that I am a very hard worker, and if by some chance I don’t know how to do something." Okay very big chance, Kalie thought. " I’m a very fast learner and I’ll figure it out very quick." Kalie finished the speech with an imaginary pat on the back.

"Yes, well now I have a few questions for you, have you ever typed before?"

"Sure have, sir" Oh boy, well it wasn’t really a lie she had typed back in her high school keyboarding class, and so what if she only passed with a D.

Adrian looked mildly surprised but continued on. " Have you ever had jobs with the position of secretary?"

" Of course, everyone!" Kalie beamed at him. Inside she was meshed with guilt; sure her jobs had, had position of secretary she just hadn’t been that person.

" You look no older than 12 years old how many jobs could you have had?" Adrian asked not even trying to hide his skepticism. So Kalie listed off a number of jobs.

" That’s quite a lot of jobs to have gone through being of age only 21."

" Well I suppose but I also moved three times from the time I’d turned 18 so I couldn’t stay with any of the jobs super long. But never did I leave them in the lurch, once I even stayed for two weeks while my family moved just so that they wouldn’t be short." Kalie hoped that would make him have more faith in her. And for once it had been the whole truth. " And though it still isn’t a very long time I was with each job for at least 10 months." Kalie assured him.

Adrian looked her over once then started reading through her file. Kalie was glad because she wasn’t sure how mush longer she was going to be able to hold out on those ice blue eyes of his. Plus it gave her more chance to check him out.

Kalie would guess he was 6’3 lightweight. And he looked good, and by good Kalie thought if you touched him you might burn, good. With his somewhat shaggy black hair and ruggedly beautiful face he didn’t look like the kind of guy who wore, a suit and tie, no he looked like the kind of guy who roped steers! Kalie looked away, it was amazing, just looking at him stole her breath away!

"And your references, they’ll speak highly of you?" He asked out of no where looking up in time to see her jump a ghost of a smile on his lips.

"Oh they sure will!" Kalie replied, dazed, and confused that just a small, maybe not even smile could turn her heart over.

"Well Kalie it looks like you’ve got yourself a job." Came the monotonic reply.

"You mean I got it!" Kalie practically screamed as she shot out of her chair. Adrian chuckled. " You sound shocked." He observed dryly. Kalie could feel her face turning pink. " I am I thought you’d have all these better, more experienced people." Kalie replied honestly.

"Well I think you’re the most qualified because you're in college and I know it’s tough to get by even if you do have a job." He answered matter-of-factly. Kalie beamed and grabbed his hand giving it a hearty shake.

"Oh thank you, thank you, I promise you won’t regret this!" Kalie sang happily.

"When can you start?"
" Oh right away if that’s alright with you." Kalie said, her happiness dimmed by the distance back in his eyes, the smile swept off his face. He nodded his head abruptly.

Kalie practically pranced out of his office and sat down in her new chair and started to type in some notes, slowly but surely she got through them one by one. By four o’clock she was so far behind that she decided to stay late thankful that Mr. Bocter had had a meeting all day and couldn’t see how slow she was.

Kalie come into work the next day with blue bags under her eyes. The first thing she did was grab some coffee. As she sat there drinking the cup with a look of pure ecstasy on her face a voice asked out of no where. "Late night, or are you just not a morning person?" Kalie was taken by surprise and she almost spilled her coffee. His deep voice for some odd reason soothed her tired body.

" Very long night, I’m sorry if I look awful I promise it won’t happen again I was just so excited about my job I couldn’t sleep last night." Kalie said looking up at him with a big smile on her face. It was kind of the truth again, she was excited about her job but that’s not what kept her up. She'd taken her laptop home and finished all the letters for Mr. Bocter and when that was done- which she thought smugly to herself that she finished pretty darn fast- she hadn't been able to get Mr. Bocter out of her mind. His face, his voice, God even his walk simply fascinated her! He chuckled, a sound that Kalie knew she would never get tired of hearing.

"Don’t sweat Kalie, I’m not your keeper, stay up as late as you want, as long as it doesn’t interfere with your work." He assured her. Kalie smiled up at him, really up she thought to herself, being only 5’3 Adrian was a full foot taller than she was.

Adrian frowned then turned to his office and shut her out, both literally and figuratively, Kalie thought sadly.

Kalie worked nonstop through her letters until 4 o’clock rolled around. She smiled in happy surprise to see that she wasn’t very far behind at all. She speed through the other documents then started to close for the day. She was just about to leave when Adrian’s door opened. He saw her and frowned, "What are you doing here?" he growled. Kalie couldn’t blame him, at least from the looks of things. His hair was sticking up at spiky ends, something that looked surprisingly sexy on him. And his shirt was rumpled and he had bigger bags then Kalie had under his eyes.

Kalie realized he asked her a question. "Oh well I hadn’t quite finished so I thought I’d stay a little later and finish, I was just on my way out." Kalie tried to assure him.

"Dammit Kalie I’m not going to kill you if you don’t finish on time!" He practically screamed.

Kalie never one to fight, put a light, teasing smile on her face and said gently. "No, I guess not, you’ll only do that when I do finish my work on time." Slowly but surely Adrian did smile, and what a smile it was with perfect white teeth. " Your right I’m sorry, look since your already here why don’t I treat you out to dinner." Adrian said, and to Kalie amusement he looked relatively uncomfortable. "Well God, you worked late you deserve it." He finished gruffly.

Kalie smiled a real, true smile. She was amazed at how happy she was that he had asked her to din with him. She was very tempted to jump up and down and scream out "YES!" but she was luckily able to contain herself. Instead she just nodded her head, albeit still smiling like an idiot and probably giving herself away!

Adrian grabbed her elbow and led the way out of the building. As they reached the garage, set up in the basement of the building, Kalie remembered she didn’t have any money with her. " Oh jeez, Mr. Bocter I’m afraid I can’t come, I don’t have any money with me." Kalie said very much aware that her face was a lit with a deep color pink.

Adrian stopped, turned her around and grabbed her by the shoulders so she was forced to look him in the eyes." For one, call my Adrian, I’m only seven years your senior, hardly an old man, and secondly, what kind of man do you take me for with or without money I was buying!" Adrian fumed.

Kalie ducked her head in embarrassment. "Oh jeez, I’m sorry I wasn’t thinking, please don’t be angry." But that only made him scowl more, to her regret. He abruptly turned still holding Kalie so forcing her stumbling body with him towards his red Corvette. "Get in." was his cryptic answer. Kalie mutely followed his instructions.

The ride to the restaurant was a disturbingly quiet ride, Kalie thought gloomily.

Kalie almost started laughing when she found out where he was taking her though, a McDonalds! Fascinating, a millionaire that prefers McDonalds to ritzy, glamorous restaurants, who'd a thought. Not that I’m complaining she thought excitedly, she loved fast food joints. She took a quick peep at Adrian to see him looking at her with amusement, by the curve on his lips and the crinkles by his eyes!

This time she laughed out right and to her amazement so did he. God, I bet he’s broken more than his share of hearts she thought and turned to see him looking at her and as if he could read her mind he winked at her!

" I didn’t take you for a McDonald’s fan." He smiled- if you could call it that.

" Well you know what they say about assuming."

They walked in quickly ordered and sat down at a booth that was sticky and had salt on the table, though not easily recognized because the table too was white. But to her amazement it didn’t seem to bother Adrian at all.

Kalie smiled, he wanted to look, and seem like the big corporate boss, but deep down he was just like her, just like every other guy his age.

Adrian saw her smile and frowned. "What." He practically barked. Kalie looked up at him with innocent, wide green, gray eyes. "What do you mean?" she asked. He made a growling sound low in his voice, which suited his look perfectly.

" You’re smiling funny." He said pointing his finger at her mouth. Kalie laughed and knew at that moment that she wanted to get to know Adrian more, much more.

The next day Kalie spent an extra half-hour working on her make- up. She put her long dark brown hair up in some fancy twist on top her head. She put on a deep maroon suit, knowing it looked good with her olive complexion.

After McDonalds last night he had dropped her off at home and declined the offer for coffee. Kalie knew it would take some time but she was determined to make Adrian hers.

When she got to work, she smiled at the finishes she had made in the waiting room. The big beige couch that sat to the left of her desk and just in front of the little coffee room had bright red pillows on either end. The two over stuffed ivory chairs on either side of the couch also had bright red pillows. And on the shelf upon the window to the left of the couch sported two bright blue vases with Daisy’s inside them. And the break room behind the, as Kalie liked to call the 'living room', had bight green, blue, red, and yellow mugs! And a big portrait of a couple kids playing at the beach above the refrigerator. There was no theme to the room at all, which just gave it more appeal.

As she headed for her already cluttered desk she noticed that Adrian door was already closed. That could mean one of two things. A, he was already having a bad day and didn’t want to be disturbed, in which case Kalie had then wasted that half and hour trying to look beautiful for him. Or B, he had an early client and of course didn’t want to be disturbed. Kalie wished desperately for the latter. But as time went and his door remained closed she started to give up hope.

She was just about to leave for her lunch break when his door suddenly opened and he walked out holding a document in one hand, and shaking the other with an overweight balding man, whom was sweating profusely.

"Thanks, Mr. Bocter, I’ll be seeing you soon." He said as he walked to the elevator not noticing Kalie. " No problem, George. Yes we’ll have lunch, I’ll set up an appointment." Adrian said, smiling fondly at the old man.

YEAH! Kalie cheered on the inside. Adrian definitely looked happy. As the man left Kalie turned to get her purse and leave. Just as the elevator chimed, Adrian stuck his head out his door. "Kalie can I see you for a moment." He said. Kalie smiled and nodded her head.

Once she was seated Adrian began. "That was a very good, old friend of mine. He came to ask for a loan for a big party he was giving for some art thing or another." Adrian started.

Kalie sat there quietly not quite sure why he was telling her this, surely he didn’t think she needed to know about his private affairs, she thought bemused.

" Well anyway, since I offered the loan he gave my tickets to go. It would be very rude not to go, and he gave me two. Well you see I have no use for two so I was thinking if you had no prior engagements you could come with me." He said very calmly and matter-of-factly. But a light dusting a pink that rose on his cheekbones betrayed him.

Not that Kalie would have said no for the world, this was perfect. He would see her all fancied up. And maybe that would start to get the ball rolling. She smiled and graciously nodded her head. " I would love very much to go with you, when is it?"

Now he looked really uncomfortable. He cleared he throat.

" That’s just it, its two days from now."

" Oh, well okay." She answered, mentally kicking herself. Why don’t you just write clear across the sky that you have no life she reprimanded herself. At least you could have waited- or pretended –to think to see if you had things to do.

But in the end it didn’t matter because Adrian graced her with one of his rare, slow, oh so sexy smiles that made her fingers itch to run across he lines of his mouth!

" Great, thanks so much, I hate going to functions by myself." He answered vaguely.

Kalie smiled, though he hadn’t meant to Adrian had just shared a part of himself to her, that she was certain most others didn’t know. Heck, Adrian probably didn’t even know.

He was afraid of being alone.

Kalie was afraid she was falling in love him!