***
Celine Powell was thrilled at being selected as a temporary employee. The company hired only from within…each year a number of locals was hand selected for temporary hire and regular hires were added from this select group. At the end of the calendar year, all temps who had not been picked for regular hire were given a severance package and let go. Celine’s hourly pay rate was more than double what she could have made anywhere else in the county, given her education and training. One of her greatest desires in life was to get a regular job here, and get that parking permit that would allow her to park inside the main gate and park amidst the brand new Beemers and Audis and C-Class Mercedes.
She worked as a receptionist, though she had completed a certification program for executive secretaries that had required a Bachelor’s Degree to even enter. Celine was certain that she had been selected for the receptionist’s job because of her looks rather than her accomplishments, but it really didn’t bother her…she was making more money than any of her friends from college.
Celine’s hair was a bright natural blonde, wavy and hanging past her shoulders in a gorgeous cloud. Her smooth complexion, chiseled features, and violet eyes would have guaranteed she got second looks from guys, even if they hadn’t topped a slender figure with largish breasts, trim waist, and endless legs. She had always been meticulous in her dressing habits, investing in high quality clothes and concentrating on quality rather than quantity…she was expert at mixing and matching her clothes and accessories so that no one really knew how little she had to wear. Celine was rudely shocked when the elegant director of human resources called her into the HR office after she had only been there three weeks.
Sylvia Henderson was a slender, beautiful woman who was wearing more money in clothing on her model’s frame than Celine’s father had ever made in a years. Normally, as Director of HR, Sylvia would have nothing to do with hiring one of the temps to a permanent position, but this position was unique, and Sylvia made certain that Celine was aware of that fact as soon as she was seated in the office. Sylvia explained that she had been selected originally because of her impeccable academic record. “Your background has been thoroughly investigated and you have been selected for the next step in the process of replacing one of the most sensitive positions this company has to offer,” Sylvia told her. “The job is unusual, incredibly demanding, and will require many nights away from home. It is a salaried position, so there is no overtime.” Sylvia paused for a moment to see if this last had given Celine any second thoughts. She waited for a moment to see if Celine had any questions or reservations. Sylvia made a note that Celine was poised, curious, and not prone to making snap decisions until she had all the facts. The young woman was certainly shaping up to be a great candidate. “Have you got a current passport?” Sylvia asked.
Celine shook her head no, wrestling with her growing excitement at the prospects of the job she might be offered. Sylvia asked her about foreign languages (Celine spoke fluent Spanish because her family had employed the same Mexican woman as a housekeeper for the last twenty six years, and she had studied and mastered French while she studied for her degree in Liberal Arts at Florida State University.) When Sylvia finished the interview, she gave no indication if or when Celine would be called for a second interview.
Two weeks passed without any word at all regarding her interview. Celine was wondering about how she had done late one afternoon of the third week since the interview when the front glass doors of the building slammed open hard enough to make the glass shiver in its frame. A breathtakingly sexy man strode through the door speaking a mile a minute to a harried looking man
Rebecca Hamilton, Conner Kressley