"I'm sure you've heard the rumors, and I can tell you they are all true. I am not an easy person to work for, Ms. Stevens. I expect you to be available at all times day and night. My needs take priority over your own as well as anyone else's. Will that be a problem for you?"
"No, Ms. Collins. I understand completely."
"I have a half-dozen more qualified people sitting outside waiting to impress me, and yet in spite of your having only one recommendation from someone I trust, my gut tells me you value loyalty and loyalty is everything to me. Other than results, of course. If you don't produce results, your loyalty won't be enough to keep you around. So if you want the job it's yours. Whether or not you keep it is up to you."
"Yes. Yes, I very much want the job!"
"When can you start?"
"Immediately, if that's what you need."
"Good answer, Ms. Stevens. I think we're going to get along quite well."
"Yes, Ms. Collins."
"And since we'll be working closely together, I need people to think you and I are more friends than employer-employee so please call me Ventura."
The older woman paused then said, "And you don't mind if I call you Jordyn do you, Ms. Stevens?"
"No, of course not, Ms...I mean...Ventura."
Ventura Collins was in the Los Angeles area to publish her fifth book. Three of the first four had been bestsellers with the last one selling well over two million copies. Her personal assistant had unexpectedly quit after announcing she'd fallen in love and planned to get married, knowing it would cost her her job. Ventura was interviewing for the position and after seeing just three other people, she'd gone with her instincts and hired someone with no experience working with a celebrity author and hoped she wouldn't regret it.
"Very well then. You'll need to sign a non-disclosure agreement and your contract before we go any further. Once you've done that, take my iPad and copy my schedule onto yours. You will then be responsible for updating it and informing me of any and all changes. Also do the same with my contacts list, and do keep in mind the terms of the non-disclosure agreement. There are a lot of very important people in that list; people who would be extremely unhappy to learn their private information had been leaked. And I would be even more unhappy. Do I make myself perfectly clear, Jordyn?"
"Yes, Ventura," Jordyn replied.
"Make sure you do because if you leak their names or any personal information about them, you'll not only be fired, I will seek legal recourse."
Jordyn Stevens had just turned 35 and had worked as an executive assistant for a major law firm in Los Angeles for nearly ten years. No, she'd never worked for a celebrity before, but she'd gained an incredible amount of knowledge about how to keep busy, powerful people happy, and she could organize and keep a constantly-changing schedule as well as anyone.
Jordyn had read all the previously-published books Ventura Collins had written and had loved every one of them. Although she'd never tell a soul outside of her mother who lived in Portland, Oregon, she was a hopeless romantic at heart and Ventura's books spoke to a part of her that yearned to be filled.
She'd been deeply hurt just after graduating from the University of Oregon 13 years ago when the first and only man she'd truly loved and for whom she'd fallen hard, betrayed her and left her heartbroken just hours before their wedding. Grief stricken, she'd gone back home for nearly a year before finding the strength and resolve to get back in the saddle, as it were. Through a friend with whom she'd graduated, she found an inroad into her first job as an executive assistant in the Portland area, and from there worked her way up and into one of the most prestigious law firms in Los Angeles.
She was very well compensated for her skills and superb work, and she found herself loving the fast-paced, dynamically-fluid lives of rich and powerful people. In a way, it was an addiction and one she found very satisfying. So when another friend tipped her off that Ventura Collins was looking for a personal assistant, she forwarded her resume to her friend, who in turn, sent it to Ms. Collins. That had gotten her foot in the door while her excellent personal skills had gotten her the job. Her rather pleasing exterior hadn't hurt either, especially in a world where youth and beauty were so highly valued.
Yes, she was 35, but no one who didn't know her personally would ever guess her to be even close to that age. Her skin was flawless and there were still no creases around her eyes or even a hint of laugh lines around her mouth. She wore her naturally very blonde hair quite short, but it was the perfect look for the long-but-very-youthful looking face which sported a gorgeous smile and an even more beautiful pair of baby-blue eyes.
Financially, this new deal was more than satisfactory. Her already more than reasonable, six-figure salary would be increased an additional 35%, and she would have the opportunity to travel most of the country, as well as many of the major cities around the world. The only downside Jordyn could see was that it would be an even greater challenge to have any kind of a personal life, but that had pretty much been the case for as long as she could remember. And the sting of having been hurt so badly so long ago meant she was still gun shy about ever getting involved with anyone that seriously again.
It wasn't an issue of her not being able to attract men. Just the opposite was the case. Being the face of several very important attorneys allowed her to meet an endless number of highly successful men, and many of them had been being very good looking. She'd lost track of the times she'd been asked out or directly proposed by both single and married attorneys or the rich and famous clients they represented. She'd politely and professionally refused all offers from married men and selectively accepted those she found interesting among those who weren't.
Jordyn occasionally dated someone, but preferred casual hookups because that way, there was no chance of getting hurt. The one thing she never let happen was for things to get serious. Her fear of relationships aside, her job came first and as long as she could meet her physical needs, there was no reason to even consider getting serious let alone settling down.
And yet, at 35, she was, for the first time, beginning to experience what so many other women had described as the ticking of their biological clocks. Jordyn's had started making noise roughly a year ago and had only gotten louder since. Like any good professional, she'd learned to tune out the noise and focus on her job, catching a few stolen moments of pleasure when and where she could. For the time being, that was enough, but a nagging voice in the back of her mind warned it that might not always be the case.
Ventura planned to be in LA for nearly a month as she sought out a new publisher to begin promoting her latest book, Affairs of the Heart. Jordyn couldn't wait to devour every word of every page, living vicariously through another of Ventura's main female characters who, against all odds, would find love, happiness, and begin raising a family with a handsome, loving man.
Marriage and a family were out of the question for now, and the foreseeable future, as Jordyn knew she'd be very busy her last month in town and busier still once she started coordinating the many stops on Ventura's next book tour. Still, she hoped to find time for a little romance of her own or at least what passed for romance in her own very busy world before she left.
"Jordyn? Are you paying attention?"
She heard what sounded like a distant voice speaking to her and immediately said, "Oh. Yes. Of course, Ventura."
Jordyn smiled brightly to cover up the fact she'd been daydreaming for the briefest of moments.
"Then please have room service send up lunch. My daughter, Courtney, will be joining me, and I'd like you to meet her. You may also stay and have lunch with us—if you'd like. And none of that shitty diet Coke today. Make mine a regular—with ice."
Jordyn had learned long ago that a request was the same thing as an order so she understood she'd be staying to meet Ventura's daughter and for lunch. Actually eating, however, was her choice.
As was so often the case, Jordyn hadn't eaten a thing all day and was famished. She knew she could grab a quick bite while getting acquainted with Ventura's only child, Courtney Collins, who was a 22-year old recent graduate of Stanford University. Ventura had casually mentioned the only reason she hadn't gone to Harvard or Yale was her desire to closer to her doting mother, whom, according to Ventura, she adored.
Rumor had it that the only thing more important to Ventura Collins than money, fame, and power, was the well being of her little girl, who was a budding socialite in her own right. Jordyn had seen photos of her (not all of them had been flattering) in various gossip magazines which, unlike men and Playboy Magazine, she really did read for the articles. Having been an integral part of her former firm's defense of numerous rich and powerful clients in the entertainment industry, Jordyn had had to stay on top of 'who's who' and more importantly, what they were doing, and Courtney Collins was always doing something.
Those things included recently marching topless in support of breast feeding in public, leading protests for climate change and animal rights for PETA, and an arrest for drunk and disorderly conduct along with possession of cocaine and marijuana shortly after graduation.
Her public image aside, she was a stunningly beautiful girl with money, connections, and boundless energy—a potentially dangerous combination for someone that age to be sure.
Jordyn would withhold judgment until she knew for herself, but everything about Courtney Collins screamed trouble and high maintenance. In just a few minutes, Jordyn would be able to assess the younger woman's character for herself. But for now, her immediate concern was getting lunch to Ventura, itself no small task with her many dietary restrictions, not the least of which was being a diabetic who constantly craved and asked for sugar, something Jordyn was supposed to ensure she didn't get no matter how strongly she demanded it. Handling her new boss's first order for regular soda when drinking it was verboten, was the first of may challenges that lay ahead.
The food arrived just moments before a small entourage of people led by one Courtney Collins. She didn't so much as acknowledge Jordyn as she walked right past her into her mother's office.
While she hadn't said anything to Jordyn, she had glanced at her briefly and rolled her eyes.
Jordyn knew the look well. It said, "Another one of the little people unable to afford designer clothing."
Courtney was wearing a designer dress, carrying a designer bag, and wearing designer shoes. Jordyn knew who made each of those items and could afford to buy them, she just wouldn't be able to pay her rent or do other little things like...eat.
