Mr. Lawson's Assistant

Chapter 1

I walked briskly down the street, checking my watch as I hurried along the sidewalk of the busy city streets. Glancing down at my outfit, I sighed, not particularly fond of the boring grey suit I had on.
I was wearing the nicest- well, the only suit I had.
Today, I was on my way to an important job interview, and I was running behind. Checking the time again, I sped up my pace, thanking God that I hadn't worn heels today.
*
As I approached my destination, my nerves grew. I knew that Mr. Lawson, the owner of the Lawson company would likely not be the one interviewing me today, but I was determined to treat it as if he was.
I needed this job, and I needed the pay.
Lawson's business company needed a new personal assistant, to work along side the head of the company. From what I'd heard, Mr. Lawson was a peach.
Stopping impatiently at the crosswalk, I glanced up at the semi-skyscraper in front of me, checking my watch again. The red hand on the pedestrian stop light flickered to the white man, and I flooded across the street with the rest of the people.
I had six minutes to spare.
Stepping up to the glass doors of the shining building, I inhaled and grabbed the handle.
Walking into the entrance room and stopping in front of the secretary's desk, I cocked an eyebrow at the sideways glare the woman gave me.
"Can I help you?" She raised her eyebrows, looking me up and down twice.
May I...
I mentally corrected.
"I'm here for an interview. The assistant position with the Lawson company manager." I nodded, and she let out a squeaky sigh.
"Can I suggest that you try a few buildings down, I know that the jewlry store is hiring..." she looked me over once more, and my temper flared.
"I don't know," I crossed my arms, "can you?" I met her gaze evenly, plastering a sweet smile on my face.
That stunned her in to silence, and I glanced down at her computer screen with pursed lips.
"I'll show myself in."
She narrowed her eyes, ignoring my comment, and bending over to pick up her ringing phone.
Letting out a breath, I walked to the elevator and pressed the up-facing arrow. The door opened immediately, welcoming me with a cheery ding.
Turning around to press the shining number 12, I was startled when a man quickly approached the closing doors and thrust out his hand to stop them from closing. The elevator doors paused and retreated, opening the entrance to the first level so the man could join me inside the small space.
He walked through the elevator doors as if he owned the place, and the moment he laid eyes on me, a smooth smile graced his lips, emphasizing his handsome dimples. He was tall. Taller than the average man, and he wore a perfectly tailored suit with a crisp, baby blue tie around the front of his collar. The tie, ironic as it was, matched his cunning blue eyes in an almost perfect harmony. I also took note of his rich, blonde hair.
While I assessed him, he did the same for me, and the elevator doors closed, bringing a small silence between us. "Floor number?" I broke the silence, seeing that he was watching me curiously.
"The same as yours." He leaned comfortably back against the golden elevator wall, his eyes leaving me only for a moment, to check the button. Raising my eyebrows, I inhaled and glanced down at my watch. "Late for something?" He asked, and I flicked my eyes over to him.
"Not yet."
He chuckled at that, and I observed his features more carefully. His jawline, nose, and cheekbones were well-defined and sharp, adding to his cutting look. He was more attractive than many men I'd seen, but he struck me as slightly arrogant and very aloof.
Easy Oana, you haven't even spoken a full two sentences with him!
My conscience chided me, and I cut off my thoughts as the elevator rolled to a stop. The ding alerted me that we were allowed to get off, and after checking the floor number on the screen above the door, I stepped forward.
"It was good to meet you-" The blonde man started, standing to his full height, and looking down at me with a half smile, "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name?" He asked, and I politely took another step away from him.
"Not to be rude, but I wasn't throwing it." I said, looking him in the eyes. With that, I stepped out of the elevator and towards the office door that I was sure was for the assistants. There were at least five other women sitting inside. Stopping at the glass door, and chancing a glance back, I saw the blonde man enter an office off to the right of the room I was entering. Shaking my head, I left the handsome man behind in my thoughts and took a seat with the rest of the women. Just as I did so, the first woman's name was called out, and she hurriedly stood up from her chair, scraping it against the floor, and clumsily moving to follow the lady who had called her name. I was a good three or four years younger than the other women in the room, but I knew that luckily age wasn't a defining factor for this job.
You could be thought to be inexperienced.
My mind snipped, but I turned off that thought immediately. I needed to think positively. At that moment, the first woman came walking out of the office, her face not eluding to whether or not she had done well in the interview or not. 
"Oana Atkins?" The prim, red-haired secretary called, stressing my name in the wrong spot.
It sounded like 'ooo-ana'.
Ignoring her mistake, I stood with a small smile, and followed her into the hallway. She took three turns, alternating left and right, before we came to the office door.
Mr. Lawson jr.
It read, and I frowned. I thought the company had hired someone to do the interview.
I guess they had, but it happened to be their son. The woman looked me over once, before reaching for the door. As she ushered me inside, she whispered a quiet 'good luck' and offered me a smile. I stepped inside the door, and glanced directly across the office to my left to see a large polished desk. The man behind the desk wasn't facing me, but as the door closed, he spoke.
"Oana Atkins..." He began, turning to face me. I almost grimaced when I saw the blonde man from the elevator. "Lovely name." He raised his eyebrows, and I felt increasingly more uncomfortable in his line of sight. Though his eyes were a gentle baby blue, they were piercing.
"Thank you, sir." I answered, bringing a tight smirk to his lips.
"Amy!" His sudden rise in tone caused me to inhale sharply. But I was more concerned that he was calling the woman back to take me away. The secretary came through the door immediately, as if she had been listening outside, and glanced to me. Facing her boss, she cocked her head and raised her eyebrows.
"Yes, Mr. Lawson?"
Awaiting instructions, she stood there in silence, as Mr. Lawson fiddled with the blue file he held in his hands. I assumed it was mine.
"Amy, please release the other women, and show Miss Atkins to her new office." He directed to the woman, and I didn't miss her bulging eyes as she mumbled a 'yes sir'. Gaping at the man, I stared at him in shock, speechless. Amy trotted out of the room, and he turned his attention back to me. I easily caught the flash of satisfaction that crossed his features.
"You start tomorrow at 9:00 am, sharp." He told me, but I didn't move. He hadn't even interviewed me! Was this some sort of joke?
"W-what?" I stuttered, and he raised an eyebrow.
"Did you not understand me Miss Atkins?" He questioned, clasping his hands in front of him on his desk.
"No- I mean yes, I did, but no I-" I stopped, seeing him draw his lips into a line at my rambling. "Is this a joke?" I burst, and I saw a hint of amusement flicker through his eyes.
"First of all, Miss Atkins, stuttering is unprofessional." He said calmly, and I took a small step back.
"Excuse me?" I said, crossing my arms and staring at him.
He's messing with me.
"Second of all," He met my gaze evenly, and quite seriously, "respectful speech, and timely arrival to work are expected." He finished, holding my stare. I narrowed my eyes, but he just looked across his desk at me with a limited expression on his face.
"Welcome to L.C."