The Clandestine Assistant

2. Grow up

I paced around my office ignoring the phone ringing on my desk. It hadn’t stopped since I got there this morning. I couldn’t believe she didn’t come in to work today. I walked out of my office door and down the Hallway to Sherry's office, our HR lady. I knocked on the door and heard, come in, from inside. As I walked in, she stood up. "Mr. Dalton what can I do for you?"

"Sherry I have told you a million times, you've known me since I was five, please just call me Eli."

Sherry nodded. "What can I do for you?"

"My assistant didn’t come in to work today, can you please round up someone to take over for the day please?"

Sherry smirked, nodding her head. "Yes I will send someone over."

"Thank you." I walked back to my office and sat down at his desk, letting out a sigh as the phone just kept ringing. A knock came on the door. "Come in."

A young blond woman walked in. "Mr. Dalton, Sherry sent me to be your assistant for today."

I nodded and stood up. Walking to the door.  "Yes." I put my hand on the small of her back and guided her to the desk just outside my office. She was very pretty, just the type of girl I liked to have as my assistant. "Sit at this desk, and for starters answer that phone."

"Yes sir." She sat down, picked up the phone. She looked up as I walked back towards my office. "My name is."

I waved my hand back and forth above my shoulder. "It doesn’t matter, you'll only be here one day." I closed the door behind me.

She rolled her eyes and answered the phone. "Mr. Dalton's office how can I help you today?"

I sat back down at my desk and took a deep breath. Finally the phone had stopped ringing, and I could think. I pulled up the latest companies we were working with, to see what progress had been made. Scrolling through over the next few hours, taking notes, and making plans,  until my office door opened. I was ready to cuss out whoever had the audacity to walk in unannounced. "Mom, what are you doing here?"

"So nice to see you Mom, I love you mom." She replied.

I smiled and stood up. "Sorry I am just stressed." I pulled her into a hug. "I love you mom, what can I do for you today?"

"Stressed huh? Could that have anything to do with the fact that Sarah is sitting at your assistants desk, instead of Candace?"

"Maybe." I shrugged.

"You slept with her didn’t you?" My mother shook her head.

"What? She came on to me."

She rolled her eyes. "You are impossible. That is you fifth assistant in seven months."

"I can’t help that the ladies find me attractive mom." I smirked and sat down on the couch, leaning back, propping my feet up on the coffee table.

She walked over and pushed my feet off. "You promised you would take this seriously."

I shook my head. "I am taking it seriously. The buisness is doing good right?"

"Well that is debatable, but sleeping with every assistant you have is not professional.  Quit hiring these floozies, and hire someone who actually knows what they are doing!" She snapped.

"How did you even know Candance wasn't…" I shook my head. "Sherry, I should have known."

"Of course she called me, she is worried about you too. You're getting reputation you know? People are calling you a player."

I laughed. "I don’t care, these women want something they're never going to get from me, so I use them instead."

There was a knock on the door, and then Candace burst in. "How dare you!"

"Woah, woah, woah!" I jumped up. "First you're late, then you burst in and yell at me?" 

"You!" She shook her head. "You have some nerve. With my sister are you kidding me?" Candace replied, taking her shoe off and throwing it at me.

Sarah burst in. "I'm sorry sir, she got past me."

"Call security." I snapped.

Candace took the other shoe off and threw it. I dodged it just before it my head head. "Your son is a pig. What kind of mother must you have been to rai….."

"Hey don't talk about my mom." I walked towards her, when security walked in and grabbed her.

"We’ll escort her out sir." One of the men said.

Sarah ran over and grabbed her shoes of the floor. "I'm sorry sir." She bowed down, then ran out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Mom stood up. "That was really classy Eli."

"Mom I didn’t know she would come up in here like that."

"Did you really sleep with her sister?"

I rubbed the back of my neck.

Mom sighed. "We put you in charge because you said you were ready. This is not how you were raised." She started walking towards the door. "Hire a professional for crying out loud." She opened the door and walked out.

I shook my head and ran after her, catching at the Elevator. "Mom I'm sorry. I really didn’t think she was that crazy."

"Eli I love you, but you need to grow up!" She shook her head. "You know what? I will hire your next assistant. I will have Sherry set up interviews for the day after tomorrow." She turned and looked at Sarah. "Sarah can you assist my i***t son for a few more days?"

Sarah nodded. "Yes Mrs. Dalton."

"Thank you." The elevator door opened and she stepped in. "Your father is not going to be happy to hear about this. Come to dinner tonight."

I held my hand to the elevator door. "Mom I had plans with Sterling tonight."

"I don't care, cancel them."

I nodded. "Ok see you tonight." I let go of the elevator door as it closed.

I walked back towards my office, my fill in assistant busy typing on her computer. "No more letting people burst into my office!" I shook my head and shut my office door, sitting down to get back to work. Hours later there was a knock on the door, and then it opened. My best friend Sterling walked in. "So I hear you have had a pretty exciting day." He sat at the chair in front of my desk.

"Oh yeah? How did you hear that?"

"Oh I don’t know, every single person I passed on the way up was talking about it. Did she really throw her shoe at you?"

I closed my computer. "Both."

Sterling laughed. "You sure know how to pick them."

"I miss read her crazy meter ok?"

"Man, any girl would be pissed after you slept with their sister. That's just cold."

I stood up and walked to a closet door,  opened it and took out my suit jacket putting it on, fixing the collar. "Yeah, might have crossed a line there."

"Ya think? So what are we getting into tonight?"

"Sorry I forgot to call you, mom showed up today. She was here when Candance burst in."

Sterling's mouth opened wide. "Oh man, did she lose it?"

"Not really, you know how she is. She just had that, I'm so disappointed in you, look on her face. She told me to grow up. But now I have to go to dinner over there. You should go with me."

Sterling laughed. "No thank you. Your dad is going to rip you a knew one, I don’t want to take a chance at being roped into that one."

We walked out of the office. "Be here at nine AM tomorrow." I said to the assistant, as we walked by.

"Yes sir." She replied.

"Have a good night Sarah." Sterling smiled.

Sarah smiled and nodded back. "You too Sterling."

We walked to the elevator, Sterling shook his head and laughed. "What?" Eli asked.

"Nothing." Sterling replied. They rode down to the parking garage.

"I will call you and meet up, if I get done early enough." I informed him, as he unlocked his car.

Sterling chucked. "Good luck with that!" He got into his car, parked next to mine, and pulled off.

I sat down in the car and sighed. "I've really done it this time." I checked the rear view mirror, and pulled out. Another dinner where he will tell me what a disappointment I am. I shook my head, as I hit the steering wheel, picturing that look dad always gave me.