Read Just One Night. Part 3 for Free Online Page A

answer.”
    She bites her lip and stares at the carpet.
    “Are you ill?” I set my papers down on the desktop. I wasn’t joking about my oriental rug before. If she takes another step inside my office as an ill person and manages to ruin my carpet, I will terminate her without a second thought.
    “No. I’m just wondering … if you are. Not feeling well, I mean.” She pushes the door open a bit more and puts a leg inside.
    “Tut tut … stop right there.” I hold up a hand. “What are you about, then? I’m busy here and feeling just fine, thank you for your concern, but you can go back to your desk now.”
    Oblivious to my stop signal, she continues to work her way into my office. Now her entire head is inside and her outrageously pink suit is as well. Whoever it is who convinced this poor woman that pink is the new black should be taken outdoors and flogged.
    “It’s just that … it’s eight o’clock, and usually by now you’ve sent me ten messages and emails and given me five different things to do.” She takes a sprig of hair in her finger and begins winding it round and round. “I’ve made a paperclip chain that’s about five feet long.”
    I blink a few times with purpose, hoping the effort will both calm me and assist me with understanding her frivolity. Unfortunately, it does not appear to be working.
    “Are you asking for sick leave?”
    She frowns. “No. Why would you think that?”
    “I assumed you were educating me on the nuances of your treatment plan. Are paperclip chains some sort of therapy for a mental illness you failed to disclose on your CV?”
    “No,” she smiles and comes into the room completely, shutting the door behind her. “You’re so silly. I’m just bored, Mr. Stratford. You haven’t given me anything to do today. It’s Monday. We have a whole week ahead of us. There’s got to be something you need help with.”
    I roll my eyes heavenward for a moment, hoping someone up there will help me. I’m so distracted by the idea of angels sending me signals that my mouth gets ahead of my brain. “What you can do is practice your computer hacking skills, as I believe I will be needing them shortly.”
    Her jaw drops open in a very unladylike fashion and her complexion turns pale. “Are you serious?”
    I wave her off, embarrassed that she’s caught me dreaming aloud. It appears as if I’m falling apart. First, I make the decidedly stupid decision to have sexual intercourse in the middle of a public club, and then I nearly suggest to my assistant that she hack into a computer to save my sorry arse … the assistant who tangles her hair in baskets and makes very long paperclip chains. Perhaps I do need a doctor.
    “No, of course I’m not serious. I don’t mean to be rude, but would you mind please going away? Far away? I’m very busy right now. Make another paperclip chain if you must, but don’t interrupt me again unless someone is bleeding from an artery.”
    She backs up until her heels hit the wall behind her, next to my door. “Sir, I’m going to call your father and ask him what to do.”
    I stand abruptly and point my pen at her. “You will do no such thing.” I’ve spoken with quite a bit more force than I meant to. Taking a deep breath, I smooth down the front of my tie and my ruffled emotions.
    “Sir?” She shrinks down to two-thirds her normal size. It’s quite impressive, actually, how much air she’s able to hold inside her body.
    “This is none of his business,” I clarify in a much calmer tone. “If you have a question, you come to me. You work for me, not him.”
    “Of course, sir. I wasn’t saying …”
    I have no interest in hearing the rest of her drivel. I sit down and pick up my papers once more. “Run along, then. Get to work. Surely you can keep yourself busy for the morning until I’m ready to speak with you again.”
    “Yes, of course. I can do that, no problem at all. Just let me know if you need anything. I’ll be right