Love's Deception

Chapter 3 - The Interview

Never trust anyone. That's something I've learned over the years and I've learned that many people think that about me. Like I've said before, when I joined the FBI, I lost friends. People lost their trust in me and believed that anything they did would be frowned upon since FBI agents are stereotyped as goody-two-shoes.

Of course, I'm always suspicious of others, but that doesn't mean I don't trust them. There were a few times in my life when I wasn't sure that I would succeed in a job as an FBI agent. But when I doubted myself, there was my dad who always made sure I didn't doubt myself for more than a minute. He always told me to trust him, and I did. Look where I am now.

I like to believe that you can trust people, I'm a trusting person. But not everyone views the world that way, especially the people who have reasons not to trust others. And since they can't trust you, that means you can't trust them. Because what's anything without trust?

****

I woke up this morning at 9am which is enjoyable for me since I usually have to be up early for work. I'm surprised I was even able to sleep this long, my mind woke me up at 3am and started to think about all the things that could go wrong on this assignment. Now since I've woken up, it feels like all my nerves that I was trying to contain just exploded and turned into jitters. I watch my chest moves up and down as I try to take deep breaths while laying in bed — it doesn't help me feel calmer.

I decide to just get up out of bed and take a shower. After that I grab a cup of coffee, add in vanilla flavoring and go to do something that I rarely do — watch TV and relax. My job always has me on my toes, leaving me little room to relax and then when I come home from work I'm exhausted and just go to bed, preparing to do it all over again the next day.

Drinking my coffee, I watch TV for an hour before I finally decide that I need to get ready for my 'interview'. There's no way I can wear my normal work clothes, which is typically just a black pantsuit. But, then what do I wear?

I walk back into the kitchen and open the file that Paige gave me yesterday. Inside it is a business card with Paige's name and phone number on it. I take out my phone and dial the number. Based on what I saw yesterday, Paige is very intelligent, resourceful, and also has an incredible fashion sense. Her work clothes are much more different than mine, so maybe she can help me figure out what to wear.

After the first ring I hear Paige's voice answer over the phone, "Agent Reed."

"Hi, Paige. This is Agent Warren," I think for a moment, "Sorry, you can just call me Ivy."

"Ivy! Are you ready for the interview today?"

I stand there in my kitchen and take a deep breath, but this time I start to feel more calm after I exhale. I look back down at the file with all of Jace Dyer's information in it. This is nothing I can't handle — I'm strong, good at my job and I can be deceptive.

"Mentally, yes. But, physically, no." I say, "What do I even wear to an interview like this? What screams 'I'm the right PA for you.'?"

Paige laughs at my curiosity and I feel myself frown. Paige says, "You just have to wear something professional, but also very attractive. You want to catch Mr. Dyer's attention so if you happen to see him or if he's interviewing you, he can't help but be interested in you."

I nod not realizing that Paige couldn't see me. My lips suddenly feel dry and I realize that my mouth has been hanging open for the past minute. I close my mouth and begin to thank Paige but then she cuts me off to talk.

"Listen, Ivy. I know you have way more experience and I'm just a junior agent, but you really need to make a good impression on Mr. Dyer. I believe that you can do this, and so does SSA Billings. Remember, you're not Ivy Warren anymore. You're Zoe Collins."