Falling For The Double Face CEO

I’m going to be so late! I was stuck on the highway in traffic. Most the time traffic is a breeze, but today it is just not moving. “Damn it!” I hit the stearing wheel. I hate being late. My boss also hates when I’m late. So I figure it is best I give him a call. “Preston Enterprise, Jill speaking how may I direct your call?” “Jill, hey it is Gina, I’m stuck on I4 and traffic is not moving.” I tell her. “Yeah, you are like the 4th call about this, I guess there was an accident and traffic is all screwed up now. Just get here as soon as you can.” She says. “Thanks, I will.” I say as I hang up. I started at Preston Enterprise about a year ago and work the switch board. Sometimes I also work the front desk, but mostly I’m in switchboard connecting the calls to different offices. The job is boring but pays well and helps me get my foot in the door at the company as well. I went to school for merchandising and I love to be a buyer for Preston Enterprise. They own a large Department store along with smaller boutiques here in the state of Florida. I just need to wait for the opening. Part the reason there is no openings yet is because of the CEO, Zane Preston. He likes to hand pick the merchandisers for his stores and he has a strict protocol for them. He only wants the best and he doesn’t believe in having open interviews. For him, the opportunity just comes to you. He sees something in you and give you a series of tasks and if you blow his mind you get to be part of his crew. In the year I have been here, I have yet to get his attention. They claim he knows everyone’s resume. So he had to know I went to school for merchandising. “Finally!” I yell out when I see traffic starts to move. I get to the parking garage across the street from where I work. I park the car and hurry to this little coffee shop that us right next to the office building. “Mario! 911 and I’m already late because of an accident on I4!” I tell the man behind the counter. “Gina, Mario has got you, no sweat. If your boss gives you issue, you tell him Mario said back off!” He laughs. Mario is the coffee shop owner. He is this jovial Greek man. If he likes you, he treats you like you are his family. That is how Mario is with me. He likes to say I am his Italian daughter and insists I come to his house for family dinners on Sundays. I always politely refuse him, and I feel guilty after I do, that on Mondays, I always bring him my homemade pizzelles. I think he like the pizzelles better then my company anyway. Without fail every Friday he asks me to come over for Sunday dinner. Mario hands me my latte, he knows what I like, I give him my money and bid him goodbye and go into the building next door to start work. Jill sees me and says “Thank god your here. I been doing double duty with the front desk, so you have angry people on hold.” She says. “Blame I4 and the i***t drivers.” I tell her as I put the latte down and put on the little headphones I need to wear. She wasn’t kidding, every call I picked up was someone mad because they were on hold. The morning was rough with the angry calls I put through. So when 11am came around I was so happy to get a break from the yelling. “Before you go on 15 minute break, I got a email from Mr Preston, I guess you put a call through to him that should not have gone through.” Jill says. “I only recall one call for him directly and was a woman who called him Zane and she was insistent.” I tell her. “Yeah, apparently she is or now is an ex, I’m not sure. But, he wanted me to relay that his ex is not to be put through to his office.” Jill says. “How am I supposed to know who is an ex and who isn’t when I never even seen him?” I ask Jill. Jill shakes her head and says “I know, I’m just a messenger here.” Problem with Zane Preston, he never shows his face down here. Only the ones that work with him directly even know what he looks like. Rumor is he likes being a mystery to his employees that way he can see their true potentials and see who really is a worker when the boss isn’t around. Anyone in this building could be him, you just don’t know it. It could be really Jill for all I know.