Mr. Gonzalez Will See You Now

TINA

I stood right in front of the large building known as Gonzalez Industries. The black brass doors with Gonzalez labeled in gold stared right back at me. This was the moment I’ve been preparing for since I was discharged last night.

Bless Armando’s soul for footing the bills. I had been dreading being given a huge bill and having no way of paying it. The envelope that had been in my pocket would not have covered it.

Now that I think about it, that hospital was a damn rip-off. Who the hell bills someone that high for staying for a short time? I wasn’t even diagnosed with any form of illness. Well, I was glad that was out of the way.

For the second night in a row, I couldn’t sleep. This time instead of heartbreak, it was excitement and nerves that kept me up. Throughout the night I couldn’t think of anything else. I was going to be an employee of this prestigious company. My college friends would kill for this opportunity.

Assuming I actually got it.

Well, at least I was halfway there. If I could keep my temper in check and not let him get to me, that is. I couldn’t look too closely at him because he was so handsome that it was hard to think.

And I had this feeling that Alejandro would not be fair in his interview. His attitude at the hospital was a big hint.

I stared at the door, lost in thought. I heard someone clear their throat.

“You know the last time I checked, I don’t think a door will just open magically if you keep staring at it.”

I jumped up a bit and spun to my left.

A man dressed sharply in what looked like a security uniform stared at me curiously. I squinted my eyes at his uniform and saw a Gonzalez emblem on the upper left of his chest.

He must be here to tell me to move along. But he didn’t look aggressive. He had a gentle and yet bemused smile on his face. And then I realized how ridiculous I must have looked—standing on the road and staring at the door like a woman in a trance.

“Oh, sorry.” I laughed. “I’m here for an interview. Just got lost in thought for a moment. You know how it goes.”

I clutched my bag tighter.

“Ah.” He nodded in understanding. “Well, I think you should proceed. Unless you plan on interviewing yourself here.” He laughed again.

He pushed open the door.

“Right this way, Miss.” He gestured.

“Thank you.” I walked toward the door.

“Good luck.” I saw him give a thumbs-up before he closed the door. I felt myself shiver. I needed the luck. This was my last shot. I didn’t know what I was going to do if I couldn’t get this job.

I spotted the receptionist in the lobby. She was a pretty woman with ebony hair styled neatly in a bun, gray eyes behind perfectly designed spectacles, and a straight nose. She typed furiously on the computer.

I took a deep breath and advanced toward her.

She raised her head.

“Good morning, Miss Campbell.” She smiled to acknowledge me. I raised my eyebrows in surprise.

“How did you,” I began.

“Oh, Mr. Gonzalez already briefed me on your coming,” she replied. “One second, please.”

She picked up the phone beside the system and dialed it.

“Hello, sir,” she said. “Yes, she’s here… All right.”

She dropped the phone and turned to me. “Mr. Gonzalez would like to see you now,” she said.

“Thank you,” I replied.

“The turning on your left. The elevator is there. Last floor.” She pointed.

I nodded and made my way in that direction. I took another breath as I pressed the button and stepped in. The elevator hummed and rose, giving me time to assess my situation. I’d meant to ask her where the restroom was, so I could wash my hands and check my appearance. Had I seemed okay to her? Should I have expected that she’d know I was coming if she helped keep his calendar? I didn’t want to look like a moron.

The interview.

How was it going to go? Was he going to ask me something impertinent? Was he going to bait me with personal questions? Or probably, he was going to make things difficult by asking how I’d handle things that are not related to the résumé I submitted. I was getting agitated, just thinking about having to sit in a room alone with him. The intensity of his eye contact yesterday was almost unbearable, and I’d been thinking about his eyes a lot.

The elevator dinged and I stepped out. I walked toward the end of the passageway, stopping by a large crafted door with the golden words CEO crafted neatly above. What was it with this family and gold? Didn’t they know gold looked silly?

I took a deep breath and knocked.

“Come in,” I heard his muffled voice.

“This is it, Tina.” I counted to five, put a smile on my face, and walked in.

My eyes glazed over. This office was big enough to be a master bedroom. It was spacious enough to play tag.

It must have just been cleaned. The floors sparkled and the windows had a bluish hue in the glass. Either the architect was extraordinarily talented, or Alejandro had good taste.

Speak of the devil.

Alejandro was at his desk, typing and focused on his monitor. He had the stoic look on his face that I recalled from his TV appearances, and that magazine cover. The emotion he’d shown yesterday while talking to his father was gone.

“Have a seat, Miss Campbell.” His ever-mesmerizing accent decorated his words as he gestured to the seat in front of the desk, without sparing a glance at me.

Rude.

But I wouldn’t let a little rudeness get to me.

I sat down and that was when I noticed a goldfish at a smaller table by his left. The sheer presence of a goldfish made me relax. He couldn’t be that much of a monster if he liked having a goldfish for company. I smiled as the cute orange creature busied itself, swimming about.

“That’s Sebastian.” Alejandro’s gaze was still focused on his system.

Sebastian? Seriously? I nearly laughed, but I caught myself at the last minute, turning it into a cough instead.

“Is there something you find amusing, Miss Campbell?” he asked.

“No, that was a cough. Something was caught in my throat,” I said quickly.

His eyes narrowed. After a while, he looked at his watch and then stared at me.

“You arrived early,” he said. “A good sign of a diligent and determined person.”

I inwardly rolled my eyes.

“Now, I looked at your resume.” He cleared his throat. “You graduated with a GPA of 3.75 in public administration from an elite university. That is impressive.”

I was elated. This was going to be easier than I thought.

“But I will need more than that.”

My heart fell.

“Obviously, from your appearance and your résumé, you don’t seem like the typical beauty without brains.” He tapped his fingers on the table.

That son of a… Wait, did he just say I was beautiful?

I felt myself flush as I looked at his face. With his signature scrutinizing look, I couldn’t tell if he was trying to flatter me. Then again, why would he? He was a jerk at the hospital.

“Now I will need some details. I’ll want to know about your work experience.”

“Okay.” I folded my arms.

“Did you have a criminal record?” he asked, before I could speak to my work experience.

“No.” My eyes went wide.

“Are you a lesbian?”

My eyes went wider this time. What kind of messed-up questions were these? What did my sexual orientation have to do with getting this job?

“Hell no!” I snapped and his eyebrows raised. I realized my outburst and coughed awkwardly, staring at the table. I could feel his piercing gaze on me. After some seconds, I managed to look up at him.

His stoic demeanor was back, and he raised himself a bit on his seat.

“One final question,” he said. “Why should I hire you?”

My eyebrows furrowed. I stared into his eyes. They looked hypnotic. It was as if they compelled me to make an error.

No, I was going to win. I was going to get this job. I had a lot to lose.

“Because you should.” I smirked.

“Excuse me?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Mr. Gonzalez, I believe my credentials speak for me. If you read them as you truly said you did, then you would realize why the bank I walked in was able to gain more customers.”

Surprise was written clearly on his face. He wasn’t expecting me to stand up for myself. Good, I had him. My confidence rose, and I folded my arms, leaning back into my seat.

“Mr. Gonzalez,” I continued. “Don’t sell yourself short playing games with me. From your interviews I watched, I know you to be a smart person. I know you appreciate competency and efficiency. If you’re expecting me to grovel on the floor and beg, that’s not going to happen. But I can tell you I grew the customer base at my last employer by thirty-nine percent over twelve months, and the high-net-worth accounts were up over forty-five percent.”

As the surprise intensified on his face, I added another weapon to my arsenal. I couldn’t help it.

“Besides, if you don’t hire me, you’ll get off on the wrong foot with your father.” I grinned.

I saw his expression darken, and I shifted uncomfortably. Had I gone too far?

“Miss Campbell, are you trying to emotionally blackmail me?” He frowned.

“Not at all.” I shrugged. I probably had overstepped. But we’d met in my hospital room, and he was a billionaire. The playing field between us was not even.

His eyes zoned in on me. I swallowed a bit. I had put on a brave face, but deep within me was chaos.

Alejandro’s stony look made him seem unpredictable. I watched as he opened his lips to tell me our interview was done and my services would not be needed.

I braced myself.

“You’ve passed the interview. I’d like to extend you an offer of employment.”

“I’m sorry, what?” I blinked.

“You heard me.” He rolled his eyes. “I’ll put you in the marketing department. The role pays fifty dollars an hour and is working on weekdays only. See my secretary on your way out. She’ll need to get a picture of you for your ID card. Your first day will be tomorrow. Have a good day.”

“Thank you, sir.”

I stood up and headed toward the door. This was a dream. I couldn’t believe it. I got the job. Mrs. Jones was right. I’d found my silver lining.

“One more thing, Miss Campbell,” I heard Alejandro call as my hand reached the doorknob.

I stopped and turned around.

“I don’t condone lateness. You must be punctual.” He folded his arms. “The person whose post you’re taking over broke that rule. She was fired.”

I gulped, remembering how I’d been late twice recently at the bank. It was never my fault. Mike had dragged me to bed, and the landlady had talked my ear off. I wouldn’t let anything like that happen now.

“I’ll keep that in mind, sir.” I cleared my throat and turned around, reaching for the door again.

“Another thing.”

I froze where I stood and gritted my teeth in frustration.

“Yes?” I faked a smile as I turned around.

“Office romance is also not permitted.”

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Like I would date anyone right now. Not after dealing with the Mike saga.

“Noted,” I replied.

“You can go. I look forward to working with you.”

I nodded and stepped out of the room. Outside, I nearly leapt in joy. I stopped myself at the last moment for two reasons. He might hear me. And my heels weren’t exactly designed for jumping. But inside, I was celebrating.

Then I paused.

What the hell did he mean ~he looked forward to working with me~?