My father was of German descent and my mother was an immigrant from Panama. They had 3 children. Troy, the oldest, Regina, a year younger than him, and me, Victor. I was born 6 years after my sister, and I always suspected I was an accident...
Being the youngest, I was spoiled from day one. My older sister was like a mini-mother to me. As a kid, I looked like my classmates, except my skin was darker than most.
When I turned 13, my growth spurt began, and in my senior year in high school I was already 6'0", 170 pounds. I liked swimming and was the top free-style swimmer in school. Rigorous training shaped my muscles. My face changed a lot too. My sister, who used to call me 'little brother,' started calling me 'Mr. Stud.'
My success with girls was the envy of my friends. They pretended to joke about it, but I saw their eyes following me walking by with frequently changing hot girls.
My 18th birthday happened on the first day of my senior year. Ten months later, I already had sex with 3 girls, yet my experience was fairly limited. In addition to playing with tits and rare oral, it was mostly missionary or doggy-style positions in the car or a dark corner in the park.
My scores at school were reasonable, nothing more. The average was B. Except for sports, I was the faster typist in class, likely due to the constant phone messages I sent to my girlfriends.
My average performance could have been a big hurdle if I was keen on going to a highly-sought-after profession in a lucrative college. However, I had no clue what I wanted to be in life! My parents and older sister tried to direct me to different professions, but neither one was interesting enough.
Toward the end of the year, I made up my mind. I'd take a year off studying, find a temporary job, and hopefully know better how to continue. I started looking online for job seeker sites. Most ads demanded higher education, certain skills, or a couple of years experience. Not having any of the above prevented me from applying. I continued searching, and one day I noticed an ad for an assistant to a clothing factory boss. The requirements included high motivation, hard work, occasionally unusual hours, and frequent travels to places where their merchandise was sold. The ad was vague, and it was obvious the boss left himself a lot of room to select a candidate based on the interview. For 2 weeks, I didn't see anything else I could apply to, so I called the office. The receptionist did not ask questions or refer me to anybody but gave me a date and time for an interview.
...
I thought being clean shaven and nicely dressed would show respect, and likely increase my chances, but I wasn't sure what to expect during the interview. As I entered the large office, I saw an older woman in her 50s sitting behind a large mahogany desk. She smiled, pointed to the chair, and said, "I assume you are Victor. My name is Helen Cronin. I own this firm. My former assistant quit a week ago to take care of his sick mother. I cannot function optimally without an assistant. You read the ad I placed, so, are you ready for the job?"
"Ma'am, I took a year off of my studies to decide what profession I wanted to follow. During that time, I plan to work hard and help in any way I can."
She stared at me, "In the ad I did not mention specific tasks on purpose. I require absolute commitment. If you are not ready because your time is limited or you have other plans, let me know now, and you can leave."
"Mrs. Cronin, I have no other obligations that would tie me or limit my time. I am basically a free bird."
She smiled, "The next question may sound intrusive, but I must know the answer in advance. Do you have a girlfriend, and if the answer is yes, how often you see her these days?"
"I started going out with a girl my age about 2 months ago, and lately I see her every weekend."
"Well, remember I travel by plane or car often, and occasionally the trip lasts more than a week."
"I do not see it as an obstacle. I am sure she'll understand."
"Victor, you are probably 18 years old, I'd say around 6'0" tall, and quite handsome. But everything I just said refers to your look. Please tell me a little about yourself."
"I'll be 19 in several months. As I said, after finishing high school, I chose to work for a year and decide later how to continue."
"Can you type?"
I grinned, "I may not know much in certain areas, including the clothing business, but I can type faster than most people I know."
Her eyes inspected me behind her silver-frame glasses, "Victor, before you, I interviewed 4 other candidates. I have a hunch we'll be a good team, so I'll offer you the job. The first few days you'll spend learning about our company. You'll have a small office next to mine, and you'll always sit there when I am around. I may ask you to help me carry stuff, deliver or bring me packages, and accompany me each time I go on a business trip. I'll try to give you a 24 hours notice before any planned trip. I'd like you to start as soon as possible, even tomorrow if you can. And just so we understand each other, you'll do for me ANYTHING I want, am I correct?"
"I'll do everything you wish, as long as it is legal. And if it is OK with you, I'd like to start Monday."
...
Monday morning, I arrived at 8 am and brought donuts for everybody, trying to make good first impression. The 5 young girls giggled. They inspected me, thinking I did not notice. Was it because I was new at the place? Because I was the only male? I wasn't sure, but I let it go. I'd have enough time to know them better.
Helen entered the door at 8:30. She looked stern, even crabby. I hoped she wouldn't turn up to be the boss from hell like Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada. I let her settle down for a couple of minutes and knocked on her door.
"Victor, common in." How did she know it was me?...
"Mrs. Cronin, would you like coffee or tea? There are also donuts if you are interested."
She smiled, "Coffee will be fine with a touch of milk and a Splenda. I do not eat donuts. At my age, I need to keep an eye on my figure."
She removed her coat and I glanced at her. She looked good for her age. A few wrinkles were seen under her eyes. However, her face was almost pretty, and the short, dirty-blond hair gave her a noble appearance. Her conservative suit hid a lot of details but she wasn't too fat or too skinny.
"Ma'am, it's none of my business, but from the look of you, diet shouldn't be a concern."
She laughed, "Victor, it is your first day so I'll explain to you some of the rules. First, my name is Helen. Unless we have outsiders around, I'd rather you call me by my first name. Second, if you do not want to get in trouble, be extra careful when you mention weight around women. This is a sensitive issue for most of us."
I raised my hand, "I promise to never again mention your figure looks great in this suit."
She gave me a strange look, "Honey, you are playing with fire, and this is your first day... I want you to take 3 packages to VIP clients in town. You drop them in their offices, and if somebody asks questions, just tell them to call me. By the way, in 3 days we fly to San Francisco for a couple of days. I have to meet a group of designers for the next year's fashion. Talk to Ronda about buying plane tickets and reserve 2 rooms at The Grand Hyatt."
I drove to the 3 offices and left the packages there. When they noticed Helen's name, they just said, "Thank you and say hello."
Ronda worked with Helen for 5 years and was familiar with her wishes. Helen liked to fly United or Delta. She had frequent flyer account with both. Her favorite hotel chains were Hyatt and Wyndham. She preferred vegan foods but would eat chicken or fish on occasion. The first day passed fast. After making the deliveries, Ronda briefed me about the office, telling me it was the main office. The company had 3 other offices in different cities.
The following 2 days I continued distributing a few more packages and started answering Helen's phone calls.
One evening I called Barbara, my girlfriend, to go out. She was busy helping her cousin prepare for her wedding. We agreed to meet when I returned from San Francisco.
