The Reluctant Assistant - Book One

Trouble Part 6

After work, Raymond stopped at Asuka's for coffee. He was sitting staring miserably at his cup while she closed up shop. "Why do you do it?" he asked as she sat down.

"This?" she gestured around the shop. "This is better that running an empire, where you can't make any decisions on your own, you can't just change. That's why I do it. Here, I'm free to be me, even if the family disagrees." she smiled. "But I'm sure you're not here to talk about my life decisions are you?"

"I don't think he's going to stay." was all Jackson said, taking a gulp of his coffee.

"The assistant? Why do you say that?" she prodded.

"He's not biting. I've done everything to try and steer him away from quitting, but he seems to be one step ahead of me! And now all those assholes from every company in the city is courting him." he was suddenly angry. "I've seen what they are offering him, it's disgusting." he snorted.

"Disgusting... because he isn't worth it?"

"Are you out of your mind?!" he exclaimed. "He's worth ten times what they are offering!"

"And you've matched their offers?" she inquired.

"And then some! God, at this stage I'd offer him half my inheritance to stay." he sighed. "Even my mother would kill me if he left." he suppressed a shiver. His mother was not someone to toy with.

 "For an assistant he sounds more and more impressive. You should bring him round again."

"Maybe you can talk to him!" he looked up at her with a smile. "I'm sure as an outside third party, a mediator as such, you'd be able to convince him to stay with me!"

"I don't think that's what mediator mean. Basically you just want me to brown nose, so you get the prize." she snorted in disgust.

"Come on, what am I supposed to do? I can't live without him!" he was miserable again.

"You sound like a love sick puppy. Are you sure you're not in love with him, and now that other dogs are sniffing around, you want to start pissing all over the place?" she joked.

"It's not like that." he frowned at her. "Cook is special."

"I give up!" she threw her hands in the air. "You just said he's your life and basically you can't live without him, because he is special. Just admit that you love him already!" she snapped. "This relationship is not healthy."

"Shut up! I didn't come here for your cookies and a sermon. "But you may be on to something!" his expression suddenly cleared. "Maybe Cook's in love with me and can't stand to be around me anymore." he snapped his fingers, as if it was a revelation. "Maybe I should show him that I'm cool if he's in love with me.

"Jesus Jack. You're the worst." she shook her head at him. "How is it that everything always comes to revolving around you?" she asked incredulously. 

"Just get me something to take to him. The cookies you gave last time didn't work. They must not have been nice!" he laughed at her, receiving a slap on the head.

"Hey, watch the merchandise! All of this perfection is hard to replace!" she just rolled her eyes at him and went to the back of the shop to get him what he wanted.

--

It was Glenn's first day at the office and he looked nervous. Raymond quickly set him at ease.

"For now, you'll mainly be assisting me, until you're used to everything." he smiled at Glenn. Handing him two boxes of files, he said, "You can go through these today and tomorrow I'll give you the rest."