Free The Interview: Office Party #1 by Andie Devaux Page A

noticed the woman walking beside him. Being that unobservant wasn’t likely to get her the job, for crying out loud.
    So embarrassing.
    “Miss Wilson?” His gaze swept over her, evaluating, but his expression didn’t reveal a thing.
    She gave him a quick nod, unable to find her voice.
    “This way.” Briskly, he turned from her and headed down the hall, not bothering to turn and make sure she followed.
    Rushing after him, she tried to clear her thoughts. This job wasn’t optional—she needed it. Get your brain together, Faith .
    His office was huge, with tall ceilings, decorated in a very masculine manner with dark, oversized furnishings. The desk stood in the middle of the room, facing the door. If it had been her office, she would have faced it toward the amazing view of Lake Michigan. Floor-to-ceiling windows revealed the dark water below.
    Breathtaking.
    “You like the view.”
    It hadn’t sounded like a question, but she answered him anyway. “It’s incredible. I’m surprised you don’t turn your desk to face it.”
    A hint of a smile touched his lips, and a surge of elation hit her. She’d amused him, and the man didn’t smile much. She didn’t have a lot of money to bet right now, but she’d have bet it all on that fact.
    “I like to look at pretty things,” he conceded, eyes still locked on her. “But beautiful things can be distracting, if you allow them to be.” He gestured for her to sit on one of the guest chairs in front of the desk.
    Heat snaked up her neck to touch her cheeks. The man wasn’t just talking about the view, and if she wasn’t mistaken, a bit of mischief danced in in eyes.
    Before she could think of a way out of the awkward conversation, he continued. “So, Miss Wilson. You recently graduated college?”
    “That’s right. Four months ago.”
    “And you heard about this job…how?”
    She grimaced, having dreaded this question. He wasn’t going to like her response. The job hadn’t been advertised in any papers, nor had it even been mentioned on the company’s website. But she’d promised she wouldn’t tell where she got the company’s fax number, nor where she got the—rather limited—details about the job. But she’d planned for this. Word about jobs got out no matter how tightly companies kept the lid on a search, so she’d be vague and hopefully he’d move on.
    “I heard about it through the grapevine,” she said, finally. “Can you tell me more about—”
    “That’s impossible, Miss Wilson. This job wasn’t public knowledge. No grapevines carry word of our positions—and applying is by invite only. My personal invite. In fact, it’s only my curiosity that got you this interview. Our applicants are usually carefully screened before they set foot in our offices.”
    She bit her lip. It felt like his gaze could bore its way through her eyes and reveal her thoughts. But she’d given her word not to say where she’d gotten the fax number, and she wouldn’t break it.
    “Fine,” he said when the silence grew long. “Thank you for coming in, Miss Wilson.” He stood and tossed what must have been her résumé onto a stack of papers on one corner of the desk.
    “That’s it?” she asked, aghast.
    “That’s it. I don’t hire people I can’t trust. And my curiosity has been sated.” He clicked a button on his office phone. “Please come and show Miss Wilson out, Tara.”
    Desperate, she stood but didn’t move toward the door. “I gave my word not to reveal my source, Mr. Lawrence. And I don’t break my word. I would think that would count for something. At least enough to make me worthy of a full interview.”
    He blinked at her. “You sound angry.”
    Angry? Heck yes she was. But she wasn’t about to admit that at a job interview. “I’m willing to fight for what I want, and I want this job.”
    “You know nothing about this job.” Of that, he sounded confident.
    “I know enough to see this is a professional place. Enough to see you