personal

I gave my name to the hostess and then motioned for Ginny to go ahead of me as she led us to our table. As we weaved across the crowded restaurant, my phone buzzed in the pocket of my dark jeans and I fished it out, frowning at the name on the screen.

Austin, the bar manager of all my restaurants, and one of my longtime business partners. He wasn't supposed to be back in town from vacation until tomorrow, so his call caught me off guard. We reached the table and I held up my phone for Ginny to see.

"Austin, one of my partners," I explained. The look of understanding crossed her face as she nodded and waved a hand. "I'll just be a minute."

"Take your time," Ginny responded absently, her eyes already scanning the wine list on the table.

I smiled and shook my head as a turned away from her to answer the call.

"Austin, hey man, what's up?"

"She left me, man."

I paused, not breathing, listening to the voice on the other end. When he spoke again, it sounded strained and thick with emotion.

"I can't believe she's really gone."

Labored breathing accompanied this vague, melodramatic explanation, and I rolled my eyes.

"Austin." I snapped, my voice level but firm. I heard a sharp intake of breath on the other line.

"Yeah man?" A sniffle.

"Snap the fuck out of it."

"Huh?" Another sniffle.

"I said snap. the. fuck. out. of. it. dude, you weren't even dating Alissa. You got like three messages from a Tinder match and ended up overly attached as usual. Did you ever even meet her in person?" I knew I was being harsh, but sometimes Austin needed a little tough love. I usually had more time to walk him through the rough patches with a little more tact, but today --I stole a glance over my shoulder at our table where Virginia was sitting perfectly still, watching me like a cat--I had more important things to do. Things that would benefit the whole business.

"We were planning to meet next weekend!" Austin whined, but I could hear his voice already lightening. He was a great guy with a big heart and lots of passion, but it caused his flair for the dramatic to dominate at times.

"Yeah, but don't forget who you're meeting this weekend," I said, glancing at Virginia again. She was watching me with cat like eyes.

He chuckled once, his hearty laughter quickly overshadowing the blues he had been singing just a moment before. "Yeah I know man you're right. So you really think this one could work out?"

"I don't know yet man, but I'm about to figure it out. I'll see you then." I laughed and hung up the phone, making my way back to the table where Virginia was patiently waiting, still watching me as I sat down across from her.

With a smirk she asked, "If I take this challenging position, will I be expected to walk your partners through their breakups as well?"

Her question surprised me. I hadn't realized she could hear me, and I wasn't prepared to respond to it.

"Ahh..." I began, considering it fully before firing off an answer. I decided to go with honesty. If she wasn't into the position, she should have the option to walk away early.

"Honestly, yes. I think of my partners like family. The three guys I work with have been with me for years. They've invested in this business, made sacrifices to help it grow and move forward. We understand each other. When we need something we help each other out however possible. If you accept this position you'll be my assistant, my shadow at times, and yes, theirs as well when needed. Anything one of the partners, myself included, should need at any given time, is your responsibility. And you will do your best to accommodate."

She absorbed the information and pursed her lips before responding. The waiter brought a bottle of Pinot Noir and poured two glasses before taking our order and disappearing again.

"Continue," she prompted. I dove in.

"We will, of course, work out the schedule once all four partners are together, probably next week sometime. You'll be meeting two of them this weekend, actually. You'll be expected to be flexible, but maintain a schedule that the five of us work from to maximize publicity and the image we want to portray." I paused again, letting her think. Her galaxy swirling eyes roamed my face, silently asking questions my soul could only answer.

"And what image, exactly, do you want to portray?" She sipped her wine again as she leaned against the seat, regarding me with something between amusement and genuine interest.

I plunged ahead, divulging everything in one breath. "None of the four of us have time for a relationship. We neither want nor need a romantic relationship." I took a gulp of wine to moisten my suddenly dry mouth before I hurried on. "What we do need, is the image of being involved with a woman in public appearances."

She drummed her fingers on the table slowly.

"What do you think, Virginia?" I prompted quietly, surprised to find myself anxious for her response; desperate to hear it be positive. But I needed to gauge how she felt about things so far before we continued.

I watched intently as she took a small sip of the wine, swallowed, then took a larger sip, sighing in pleasure as she swallowed a second time. She set her glass on the table and leveled me with that stare again as she began to speak.

"I think you've got my attention, Derek," she began, leaning forward over the table, her eyes sparkling. "I did a little research on you before coming to this interview, too. I know you're the youngest restaurateur in the city to keep a business afloat for more than three years. I know your restaurants and hotels are already the leading tourist attractions in town, and your  brand basically sells itself. You have incredibly low employee turnover, thanks to competitive salaries and bonuses along with a great work environment.

"You and your posse of equally young business partners have been on the cover of fourteen newspapers, five statewide magazines, television interviews, radio features and one national magazine, along with countless online outlets: blogs, periodicals, social media, documentaries," she ticked them off on her long, slender fingers as she named my accomplishments.

"You've already got it all, it seems. So when I took this interview I was wondering, what can I possibly offer that you don't already have taken care of?" She leaned forwards as she spoke, her chest straining against the fabric of her dress.  "But now it makes sense. Society needs to see balance in your lives. A softer side." She was all business as she spoke.

I listened intently, letting her talk about me as I basked in the glow of my own accomplishments. She was partially wrong, actually. I desperately needed a personal assistant to help with running my business. The guys and I were always so busy with those magazine and social media appearances she was talking about. We were constantly growing our brand and acquiring new properties.

I needed someone who could handle my businesses and my customer base, while also giving the softer side she had described as well. Since none of us had time for a relationship with our schedules, the idea of a shared "personal assistant" was born.

And I knew that was also exactly why this job was so alluring to Virginia Sullivan. She had no idea what to expect, but she was willing to learn, and after growing up in the industry and devoting her life to service for several years, I knew she was itching for something different, but that she could be confident at.

"Would you like to find out for yourself, Virginia?" I asked lazily, leaning back and draping an arm over my chair, letting the question hover between us, trumping all the other questions both of us had left unanswered. "I can assure you that Galloway Incorporated is nothing like the service industry you're used to." At that moment I moved my leg under the small bistro table and my knee pushed between hers accidentally. I cringed, thinking I may have offended her, but she didn't jerk away. Instead, her back straightened and goosebumps rose on her arms, and when her eyes met mine again they were dark, swirling storms of blue fire.

"That sounds like exactly what I'm looking for," she confirmed, pushing one of her legs forward to caress my thigh with hers briefly before she adjusted her seat and broke contact. I still wasn't sure if it was on purpose or not, but I didn't care. Until a nagging voice in the back of my mind made me question her instincts and integrity. How much did she really know about me and my business? And how much would she actually want to be a part of?

"Naturally you'll be required to sign non-disclosure agreements about the business you are privy to," I began, but Ginny waved her hand again as she raised her glass and took another swing of wine.

"Of course, Derek. I wouldn't dream of selling or divulging your secrets..." she hesitated and dipped her head minutely, her eyelashes brushing her cheekbones again, "any secrets you may have." As she finished speaking her face darkened with a light blush which she hid behind another gulp of wine.