His on Demand Read online

  This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

  HIS ON DEMAND

  First edition. January 28, 2018.

  Copyright © 2018 Fiona Murphy.

  Written by Fiona Murphy.

  Table of Contents

  Copyright Page

  His on Demand

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

  6

  7

  8

  9

  10

  11

  12

  13

  14

  15

  16

  17

  18

  19

  20

  21

  22

  23

  24

  25

  26

  27

  28

  29

  Special Thanks to Prudence Day

  For being the best fucking beta reader I have ever had. I loved Alexa and Leo's story already, you helped me give the story they deserved.

  To Alexa S.

  Writing is such a lonely road to walk, it means so much to know there is someone who cares whether you're even on the road or not.

  His on Demand

  Fiona Murphy

  Published by Fiona Murphy, 2018.

  1

  She blinks slowly up at me through lenses so thick they make my eyes hurt just looking at them. I fight to hold on to my temper. Carol is the only assistant who will put up with me. I cannot lose my shit on her. "Natalie hasn't called today, she sent an email. I forwarded you the email."

  I count to three. "I know that. Ten minutes ago, I asked you to call Natalie and once she is on the line to put her through to me. Did you call her?"

  Her double blink tells me the answer. I go back to my office before I start yelling. Sonofabitch. Natalie is hiding from me. She has been hiding from me for two fucking days.

  My phone is in my hand when it beeps before Carol comes through the intercom. "Natalie is here to see you. Are you available?"

  I don't bother counting as I snarl, "Yes, damn it."

  Natalie knocks lightly as she opens the door. She is timid, clenching files in her hand tight enough they are bending. "I have four candidates, sir. One of them, I know is everything you're looking for."

  I put my hand out for them. "Top file is Alexandra Clark, she prefers to be called Alexa. She's been the personal assistant for the vice-president of Miller Investments for over five years. She worked her way up starting as a temp in the mailroom eight years ago after earning a business degree from the University of Illinois in Chicago.

  “Alexa is very happily married, for only two years. So they are still in the honeymoon period. Her husband works in IT for a small start-up, he works a lot and doesn't mind her working her own long hours. Alexa is intelligent, hardworking, and has exceptional organizational skills. The references I've called love her.”

  Looking through her file, I am impressed with the determination that propelled her from the mailroom. A marriage certificate is the last thing in the file, Natalie is exceptionally thorough with this one. Felix Maine, she kept her last name. Interesting. Until I see a picture of her badge clipped to the file. She is young. Her eyes defiant, her chin is up, yet there’s a vulnerability to her she can’t hide. She has a heart-shaped face, a small chin with rounded cheeks. Her large blue eyes are a surprise considering her mousy brown hair. Too bad, she was perfect until I saw her picture.

  "How old is she?"

  "Thirty-one."

  The vulnerability is real. I dismiss her. She’s too soft to endure my temper and demanding nature. Before the first week was over, I would have her in tears. I shake my head, putting her at the bottom. “Next."

  Natalie is staring at me in surprise, “Sir—”

  I shake my head. I do not explain my decisions. “Next.”

  Her mouth thin, she nods. "Her name is Katherine White, a graduate of Duke. At fifty-seven with a long career as a secretary to a CFA, she knows her stuff. For seven years she ran the office on her own."

  Her file is boring. "What do her references say?"

  Natalie sighs, I look up. She looks tired, excellent. I want proof she is working her ass off on this. Today she is in full makeup. Usually, she doesn’t bother. Her hair is in the thin braids she gets every few months. I prefer her hair natural and would like to say so. However, one thing I have learned is to never have an opinion on a woman's hair.

  Her eyes do not meet mine.

  Fuck.

  "She can be seen as rough but—"

  She goes to the bottom of the pile. "Next."

  I open the file as Natalie starts talking. “Anna Temple, a graduate of Barnard—"

  “Jesus, Natalie. Class of nineteen sixty-four? How is she not already dead?” I fling the file at her in annoyance. Then open the next one.

  She thinks I miss her flipping me off, I see it. I choose to let it go. "Harry Blaine he's a recent grad of Wharton for his masters, undergraduate from Northwestern. He's been interning over at the commodities building. He has positive remarks from pretty much everyone."

  Scanning the file, he has a weak showing in math. How the fuck can you go into the financial industry with a weak showing in math? Then I see it on his transcript. A notation so small if you blink you’ll miss it. It means his professor thinks one of his papers was plagiarized only could not verify it, so the student redid it with a reduced grade.

  I flick the file off my desk. “This is bullshit, Natalie.”

  She flinches as I raise my voice, frustration rising within me.

  “None of these people are what I’m looking for.”

  “Sir, with the extremely lawsuit vulnerable demand you set to have either a woman who was happily married or over the age of fifty or a man who wasn’t gay, Alexa Clark is exactly what you are looking for. Ms. Clark is not going to strip and lay across your desk. I’ve never met someone as happily married as she is. Her experience and references are better than the last six candidates. Frankly, if you don’t at least interview her, then I’m giving notice now to save us both time.” Normally soft brown eyes are hard as they meet mine.

  Fuck. I pull out the woman’s file again. Were it not for the bullshit I have been going through with the other personal assistants since Victoria retired Alexa Clark would be my number one pick without hesitation. “Fine. Get her in here today.”

  “Yes, sir.” Her relief is clear as she walks out.

  I keep the woman’s file open in front of me. A quick call to Diego Valdez, the head of the only security company I trust, ends with his promise to have me everything on Alexandra Clark by the end of the day. Reading off everything he asks for, I find myself staring at the small picture at the back of the file. She is pretty enough, if unmemorable.

  Seeing the way she was forced to keep waitressing while she worked at Miller Investments until three years ago angers me. She has been underpaid for years, her yearly pay is less than the quarterly bonus her boss gets. If I hire her, she’ll be making ninety thousand a year as my personal assistant, a forty percent increase in her pay, not including the bonuses I pay out quarterly.

  I value my employees and make sure they know it. The salaries from top to bottom in my company are at a rate of thirty percent higher than any other financial firm in the industry. I believe in my people sharing in what they helped make possible.

  Diego will get me facts, I want more. I make another call. “Leo, Ria was just telling me a few days ago I needed to invite you over for dinner again. Can we pretend I called you and you’re calling me back now?”

  Shaking my head, I stifle a chuckle at the pleading. I never thought there would
come a day when the Dragon of Chicago would be concerned about upsetting the small slip of a woman he is married to. It wasn’t even as if Ria would throw a fit. I have never heard her raise her voice in the six years I have known her since she and Drake were married. While I have seen her angry, it’s rare. She is sweet-natured and calm yet at the same time bold enough to handle Drake, which is why she is one of the few women I genuinely like and respect.

  “Tell Ria whatever makes you happy. Even though I’m sure she knows when you’re lying.”

  “Yeah, every time. She’s got me down. When can you come over?”

  I look through my calendar, “This week, I’m busy. Does next Friday work for you?

  “Yeah, Christina has a violin recital that night, but it’s at six. After that, she’s going over to a friend’s house for a sleepover. Since Christina is going to a sleepover, Griffin has to go to one as well. I know you’ll be disappointed not to have the twins there. You’ll come over at eight and dinner at eight thirty?”

  “That’s fine. They have managed to grow on me, it will be an oddly quiet evening. Now that you have saved your ass from getting chewed out I need some information.”

  Even with his retirement from the financial industry Drake maintained strong connections within the world he grew up in. His father, grandfather, and great-grandfather having owned and run one of the most prestigious boutique brokerage firms in Chicago. With his easy charm, he was well-liked and respected by those he knew as well as those he did not. For me, people tend to get nervous and clam up out of fear. I prefer the fear over being liked, so I do nothing to change it. I have come to depend on Drake’s ability to collect information.

  “What’s up?”

  “Do you know anything about Michael Lynch and or Alexa Clark over at Miller Investments? I know Miller isn’t the best place for employees, I’ve gotten several of their people all the way up to the top applying with me in the past. I’m looking at Alexa Clark as a new personal assistant.”

  “Damn man, another personal assistant? You are too damn pretty for your own good. Ria loves the stories. What did the latest one do?”

  Rolling my eyes, I am annoyed at the humor he finds in my personal assistant predicament. “The usual, she dropped enough innuendo I was choking on it. After I ignored her telling me she was not wearing panties she decided to show me.”

  A snort of laughter.

  “When I had enough and dragged my head of HR up to talk to her, we walked in to find her naked on my desk. Since she was so fucking immodest, I threw her out of my office without her clothes. Last I heard, she rode the elevator down two floors and walked through human resources naked.”

  The idiot is laughing like a fucking hyena. I hope he chokes. “Leo, you are one mean sonofabitch.”

  “So I’ve been told many times before. Do you know anything about Michael Lynch or Alexa Clark?”

  “Hire her now if she managed to put with him for longer than five minutes. Lynch has paid out more money in sexual harassment and assault cases than the NBA. I have no idea how Ernest Lynch, one of the nicest men I’ve ever met raised such a scumbag.

  “Alexa, I’ve only met her once. It was at a dinner, we chatted. She seemed nice, a little shy, pretty in a modest way. Ernest spoke highly of her, called her a treasure. The best secretary he’d ever had, trustworthy and a hard worker. He said she was extremely intelligent that she should be doing more than setting appointments and creating reports. If you don’t hire her, let me know. Alexa’s the kind of assistant I know two people who are looking right now would want.”

  Reviewing her file, the same remarks are on the reference checks Natalie already completed. I look at the marriage certificate and wonder where Natalie got it. It’s smudged, something about it looks off, maybe it was a fax. “I am looking through her file now. From everything here, it would appear she is the one.”

  “Good, the never-ending search for a replacement to Victoria is due to be up. I’ll see you Friday.”

  I end the call. My email indicator goes off. I have managed to accrue three urgent emails in six minutes. Setting Alexa’s file aside, I focus on work.

  2

  It's quiet in the office, then again, it’s just after nine in the morning. Mikey loathed the time before noon the way cats loathed baths. He only came in before noon if there was a meeting that he didn’t schedule he needed to attend. When my cell phone rings, my heart starts pounding.

  It’s Natalie. "Yeah."

  "Leo wants to interview you today. What time can you be here?"

  Crap, my stomach twists at the idea of actually going through with it. It’s one thing to discuss over more vodka than tonic and too much pizza, something completely different without the alcoholic haze of justification. He'll know.

  "Alexa? This will work, I made up a fake marriage certificate and a Facebook page for Felix. Don't freak out. He wants to believe it. Think of it, two years of putting up with Mikey is two years too many. On top of that, you’ll have the kind of salary that will have your condo paid off in a few years not decades."

  Don’t freak out, yeah right. "Okay, since today is Wednesday it's golfing day for Mikey. There’s nothing on his calendar. He might not even come in. I never know with him though. How late can you schedule me?"

  "Usually Leo prefers seven."

  "Seven is perfect. I can run home to change. Can you give me his old assistant's phone number?"

  "Okay, seven it is. Victoria's info? Um, I don’t know that's losing my job territory. Hold on, she's on Facebook right now, let me message her."

  I can't stop myself from looking around to make sure no one can hear me which is stupid considering I'm in the quietest area. Mikey made sure he was out of the middle of the action, the better for people not to see how little he worked.

  "Okay, Victoria's cool with it. Here's her number. Why do you want to talk to her?

  "Because I want to. I'm not a hundred percent sure I'm taking the job." The office phone rings. "My work line is ringing, I have to go. I'll talk to you later."

  "Michael Lynch's office, how may I help you?"

  "Alexa, I'm not going to be in today, something came up. That something would be my cock and my wife being out of town. Party at Mikey's place. Want to come over, chubby?"

  "I'll note it. Anything else today, sir?"

  "Nah, you enjoy the office being as empty as your life, you frigid bitch."

  I don’t even blink, I’ve become so used to his insults it doesn’t really register. Mikey being out of the office changes my plans for the better. I dial the number for Victoria.

  "Hello?"

  "Hi, my name is Alexa Clark. I'm interviewing with Leandros Kaplan today for your former position. I was hoping to find out more about him and what the position will really entail from you. May I take you to lunch?"

  Laughter, light and throaty comes through. "Sounds marvelous, dear."

  "Great.” I exhale in relief. “Where would you like to go? My boss has standing reservations at Porters I can make use of. It's also early enough I'm sure I can get us a table anywhere."

  "My goodness, I haven't been to Porters in ages. I was going to suggest a diner around the corner, but if Porters is on offer, then I accept. I lunch early. Will eleven suit you?"

  "Eleven will be great. I'll see you there." Hanging up, I feel better about how warm she seemed.

  I call Porters to confirm the reservation for eleven. That settled I fire up my computer then begin the most important part, finding out everything I can about Leandros Kaplan.

  Well over an hour later I come to the conclusion I’m completely in over my head. If it’s possible Leandros Kaplan, the new lion of Wall Street is even scarier than I thought he would be. While I knew of him and some of his story, my knowledge barely scratched the surface of who he is. The man is completely ruthless and cold-blooded, and the thing that made him most scary was he not only admitted to it, he was proud of it.

  For a brief minute, I consider canceling. Th
is is nuts, completely nuts to think I can pull off lying to Leandros Kaplan. It’s crazy, what’s even crazier is my now growing fascination to know even more about him. I’m not sure, but I think it’s the same morbid fascination that leads people to swim with sharks.

  Stop being so fanciful, I chide as I shut down my computer with a few strokes. It won’t hurt just to meet him, there is nothing that says I have to take the job. He might not even offer it to me. I pull out the engagement ring and wedding band that had been my mother’s. Slowly, I slide them on. They are tight, but not uncomfortable. It feels wrong to use them to lie. I try not to think about it as I grab my purse and leave.

  ***

  When I get to Porters, I’m horrified to find out Victoria has been seated even though I’m almost ten minutes early. The hostess assures me Victoria wasn’t upset I wasn’t here yet, she wanted to put in an order for a chocolate soufflé for dessert. I breathe a sigh of relief, besides their reputation for the best steaks in the city a huge draw for Porters is their amazing chocolate soufflé.

  Victoria smiles widely as I’m seated. With her long black hair heavy with grey in a bun, small, slightly round frame, and black silk shawl over her shoulders I’m reminded of a kindly Italian grandmother. Her bright brown eyes, sharp and knowing hint she’s nimble of mind, if not body.

  “Hello, thank you for agreeing to meet with me. I really appreciate you taking the time out of your day.”

  “Oh, no, thank you for the invitation. It’s lovely getting out of the house. I’m not nearly as busy as I hoped I would be in my retirement. I’m happy to help Leandros in finding a suitable replacement for me. The poor dear, I feel awful it’s taken more than two years and seven different people to find you. Then again, I’m of the firm mind everything happens for a reason, maybe the reason is Leo needed to be reminded things of value don’t always come with a price tag. Tell me, my dear, what is it you were hoping to learn from me today?”

  She doesn’t waste a minute, straight into it. “I—well, I’m not sure exactly. I had an idea and a list of questions but now...”

  “My, my, someone has been web sleuthing and uncovered more than they wanted. Can of worms, my dear, all that nonsense on Leo. He’s much more than a few paragraphs someone tossed onto a page.”