Please read Chapters 1 & 2 to follow the flow of this unfolding story
*
By the time Monday morning rolled around, Kirk had narrowed his choices down to two -- Carmina and another candidate. Given his flubbed previous hire, the more experienced second candidate was the "safe" bet. He was leaning in her direction but opted to concentrate on his presentation first and make a decision afterward.
The presentation went exceptionally well with kudos from all around. However, the chairman's effusive comments were both striking and out of character for "The Robot" as he was referred to out of earshot.
"That was probably the best presentation I've ever seen! Your numbers were good, you ran 19 ½ minutes, using videos was a nice touch and, by the way, thanks for using colors that I could read!"
With his praise still ringing in his ears, Kirk stopped and chatted with the VP of HR before returning to his office. He informed him that Carmina was his choice and asked him to notify her at once in hopes she could start work tomorrow.
With two major issues behind, he decided to catch up on emails. He did a quick scan of the "SENDER" column to pick out the items that needed immediate attention. With those addressed, Kirk turned to the rest. He noticed one from Carmina but, curiously, not one from her leading competitor. Carmina's read:
Dear Kirk,
I so appreciate your taking the time to interview me. Even more so I appreciate the opportunity that I had to work with you over the weekend. I hope the presentation went well.
Because I know that you have better qualified candidates to become your assistant, I wonder if you would be kind enough to provide me a reference. Any positive feedback you might consider passing along to the temp agency would be most helpful when they have another fill-in assignment available.
It was a real pleasure to have met you and I wish you great success!
Sincerely,
Carmina
Kirk chuckled "Boy won't she be surprised when she hears from HR!"
He turned his attention to several other items that had been left unattended and ate lunch at his desk to prepare for a couple of conference calls in the afternoon. He made good headway, survived the sometimes rambling calls and allowed himself a brief "mini mental vacation". He pushed his chair away from the desk, took a few deep meditative breaths and allowed his mind to float on a sea of nothingness. His break was soon interrupted by the phone. It was the HR VP advising that Carmina had some questions before completing her paperwork.
"Would it be OK if I bring her down to your office now?"
"Of course!" pulling his chair from its reclining position and awaited their arrival. A soft knock on the door announced their presence.
"Please come in Carmina and thanks Jed!"
She was pensive at first but positively beamed as Kirk gestured her towards a seat at his work table and greeted her - "Welcome aboard!"
"Thank you! Those are just the words I wanted to hear! I've been pinching myself all day after getting the call!"
"Its very real so you need not pinch yourself anymore."
"With all the other better qualified candidates, I was SURE that you'd hire one of them! I honestly didn't expect an offer and let myself be a bit playful both Friday and Sunday. Far too playful! Can I ask why you picked me?"
"Oh that's easy! There were three things actually. First, there was your work. You did a great job on my presentation with little direction."
"Thank you!"
"Second, you demonstrated how observant you are. I wouldn't have known about the chairman's color blindness or the market research videos you suggested. I only wish you could have heard his praise personally!"
"Great! I tried to talk the exec I was temping for to use videos and change color schemes but he wasn't up for trying anything new."
"Third, you let me see the real you instead of tiptoeing around on egg shells!"
At that comment, she winced at bit. "I was hoping we could chat about that because I'm afraid I let you see more of the
real me
than probably was appropriate!"
Catching her drift, Kirk chuckled.
"I was sure I wouldn't get an offer from you knowing you had better candidates. Because you identified me by my legs on Friday, I decided to give you a good view of them in the parking lot knowing that I'd probably never see you again."
"I wasn't sure quite what to make of the show but it did reaffirm that you have some awesome legs!"
"Thank you, I think, but ..."
"Oh?"
"Showing off my legs on Friday was one thing but then there's Sunday. KNOWING I wouldn't get a job offer, I decided to offer to help with your presentation to get a good referral from you. Then, things sorta got out of control."
"Oh?"
"As I typed your presentation, I was impressed by your choice of words. Then I heard you deliver them. -- Oh, my goodness!"
"Your words ... your mannerisms ... your melodious voice and to be honest, the way your awesome physique looked in your outfit, I couldn't contain myself! I probably needed to listen more and leer ... ah, er ... look less!"
"Then I felt your soft full lips when I dropped you off at home. I almost begged you to drag me inside and ravish me! I waaaay overstepped professional bounds and I apologize."
"That could probably be said of both of us! Look you'll have to admit that the circumstances were most unusual. We were both lightly dressed due to the weather and hadn't expected to see each other. And besides, despite what HR guidelines say, we're human and humans (at least living ones) have very real reactions to the opposite sex!"
"I just didn't want to leave any false impressions."
"No, your impressions were very real!"
She blushed brightly "I fretted all weekend about certain impressions I left in the boardroom!"
"Not to worry, I'm pretty observant too so the tabletops were cleaned and polished this morning!"
"Now I'm doubly embarrassed! That has NEVER happened before! First my eyes wandered, my mind followed and I ... I just couldn't hold back! Stammering to find her words, I had a ... err ... ahh ... an uncontrollable visceral reaction!"
"Again, not to worry, its unlikely to ever happen again. I have a fiancé and you're happily married. I just hope your hubby didn't catch me leering at you!"
"Him?" chuckling "The only thing he said was 'Did you see the guns on that guy!? I'll bet they're sixteen or seventeen inches!' Was he right?"
"Right about ...? Oh, let's just avoid discussing anything that requires a tape measure!"
After a shared laugh, she said "I just have one more question -- a very important one to me."
"Please ask."
"Can we, after the events of the weekend, work together as two professionals without any expectations of anything personal?"
"Absolutely! Besides our having our own relationships, even a hint of me having an affair with a married direct report, of a different race to boot, could ruin my career."
"I am so glad to hear you say that. I think we can make a great team! And ..., can we make one small exception to our rules?"
"And what would that be?"
"Is it OK if I give you a discreet 'Good Luck!' peck and you give me one in return to say 'Thank you!' when I've done a good job? That's showing professional appreciation, not a sexual come on."
Kirk reflected on the possible implications -- "OK, deal!"
With the air cleared, they planned the next day from the time of her arrival to what he hoped to accomplish. She left smiling broadly after a half hour chat to complete her paperwork.
Over the next year, Kirk could not have asked for a better assistant. Her work was top notch. She managed his schedule despite the numerous changes and emergencies plus efficiently managed both his business and personal travel. She contributed heavily to his quick promotions to Sr. VP and then Exec VP.
They enjoyed friendly banter when they were alone including an occasional quip.