two

"I give up!" I groaned, annoyed by my fruitless search for meaningful employment, or any employment for that matter. By this point, I didn't even care.

After two full weeks of searching, I'd managed to secure myself a job at a scrappy little café, which I had honestly only accepted as a worst-case-scenario safety-net.

One (dare I say) 'benefit' of the situation was that we'd been able to set ourselves up quite nicely in our apartment in our ample free time. The space wasn't quite finished yet, but the major furniture pieces; a couch that doubled as a king bed, a coffee table, a small dining table and a couple of chairs; had been added, and a TV mounted on the wall. Becca had also insisted on us getting a number of plants. Yep, real plants. I was much more keen on the plastic stuff that I couldn't be responsible for killing, but she assured me that she would keep them going strong and I could simply enjoy them as a sort of decoration. Perhaps my favourite part of the place was the little polaroid wall we'd created, with picture we had taken of friends and family before we'd left. It was a simple reminder of home, which I definitely appreciated.

We'd also eventually managed to eradicate the musty smell which had originally overwhelmed our senses. The apartment now smelt like coffee, due to the sheer number of them I'd consumed to help me get through the never-ending job hunt.

I'd tried everything. Although I was highly qualified in business marketing and design, I'd now widened my searches so much that I was getting suggestions that weren't even business-related. I still dreamed of working as a marketing director, or something along those lines, but with my extremely limited industry experience, it was looking as though my only option would be to get a random position in a random company, then work my way up.

As I scrolled through potential companies, the names all started to blur. Gavin Incorporated. Grey's Industries. Giovanni and Co., and the roles themselves ranged from personal assistant to IT support. Nothing really jumped out at me, and I was literally going insane.

There was, however, another way. Or at least someone I could call to give me some guidance. My boyfriend Mason was a businessman himself. It was actually the reason we'd met; he was a guest lecturer at my university for a semester, a real life example of how people could quickly make a name for themselves in the business world, as he'd graduated just a year before that. He had a lot of contacts. And although I would never use him to get myself work, I could at least give him a list of options and hear what he had to say.

"What's up, baby," his smooth voice spoke through my phone. God I missed him, and had to remind myself that in just four weeks I would be seeing him again.

I explained the situation, listing the names of some companies, and the roles that they were offering. So far, none of the options were really appealing to him either.

"Ummm," I scrolled further down on my laptop. "There are a couple of positions that look alright at this place called Gray's Cons-"

"No." He cut me off firmly, before I could even finish telling him the name of the company. "Don't even go there."

"What's wrong with them?" I questioned him curiously. I loved hearing about the beef between businesses. We'd even learnt about business rivalry at university, like it was a legit unit with a written exam.

"The company's a major rival of ours, offers the same services and everything," he explained. "And the boss is a dick."

Now that he mentioned it, the name did ring a bell. From what I'd seen in numerous gossip columns, Mr Gray was a royal ass (and proud of it, too).

"Someone's jealous," I joked, but it wasn't received as well as I had intended, Mason hardly reacting on the other end.

"Seriously, Al. Just don't mess with them," he warned. "All the other options you've mentioned were fine."

'That's funny,' I thought to myself. They hadn't seemed like good options until a seemingly worse one had been presented.

I ended the call shortly after, scrolling back up to the top of the page. I decided that the best port of call would be to send my CV off to all the companies (minus the forbidden), giving myself the best chance of getting a positive response from someone. I slowly made my way down the list, growing increasingly bored with every application that I made. Once they'd all been sent off, I shut my laptop dramatically, letting the business gods have their way. I would check back on my emails in a couple of days, but refused to even think about work until then.

Sighing loudly, I walked over to the kitchenette to make myself another coffee.

"I know the feeling," Becca groaned from where she was sitting on the couch, phone in hand.

"Still no luck for you either?"

"Nada," she replied. Her work was even harder to find than mine. She was a self-published author, working mainly in freelance journalism while she tried to grow her following.

"You'll get there, Becs," I tried to offer some sort of encouragement, but ended up sounding completely defeated. "Somehow, we will both get there."

———

Opening up my laptop late on Wednesday night, I was completely overjoyed to see that nine new emails had entered my inbox. As promised, I'd not once touched my laptop in the last forty-eight hours since I sent in the applications. The simple fact that someone had even bothered to read them was enough to give me at least a glimmer of hope.

I started from the top of my inbox;

RE: Application for IT Support Services

Scanning through the contents of the email, I was honestly relieved when I saw the words 'we regret to inform you'. This was perhaps the furthest from my dream job of all the positions I'd applied for.

However, as I continued down the emails, that phrase became a common theme;

'We regret to inform you'

'We regret to inform you'

'We regret to inform you'

.. and so on, and so forth.

I had just two more to go through, and could see my chances slipping further away with every rejection I received.

As had become expected, the next email also politely informed me of my failure as a human being, in a much more euphemistic manner of course. I was honestly pretty bummed about it too; it had been one of the few that I actually could see myself enjoying.

Without much thought, I clicked on the final email, scanning the text for those fateful words. But I didn't find them. Instead, when I reached the bottom, I found a simple link titled 'schedule your interview'. I could hardly believe it. This was my first hint of success.

Scrolling back up to the top of the email, I had a quick check of the company name and the position title. I hadn't even bothered to do that before, as I assumed that this would be just another painful rejection.

My whole body froze.

From: Gray's Consulting

To: Ally Carson

RE: Application for Personal Assistant

Shit.

I swore I hadn't sent off any applications to Gray's Consulting, for any of their advertised roles. The only explanation I could come up with was that my fatigue had gotten the better of me and I had accidentally applied to their first listing, before seeing their name on the next and closing off.

I had no idea what I was going to do. My first thought was to delete the email and forget about the offer. It would be going against my boyfriend, and there would definitely be guilt involved with that. But in the back of my mind, I knew from what Mason had told me that the company was a renowned multinational, and that being associated with them, even for a short period of time, was guaranteed to set me up with a myriad of opportunities in the future.

I decided that instead of making any rash decisions, I would wait a couple more days to see if I received any other responses. I also hoped that with time, I would gain some much needed clarity on the matter, because god knew I needed it.

———

The first person to greet me as I entered through the revolving doors of the intimidating complex was a pretty girl with gorgeous brown hair, and equally stunning brown eyes. She had a genuine smile on her face, as though she was actually happy to see me, despite our stranger status.

"Welcome to Gray's Consulting," her voice was warm and welcoming. "I'm Bella. How can I help you this morning?"

"Hi," I smiled back, attempting to reciprocate her energy despite the crazy number of butterflies that currently occupied my stomach. "I'm actually here for an interview?"

Yep, you heard correctly. I had actually been stupid enough to book in, despite my boyfriend's wishes and my better judgement. You couldn't really blame me; I was completely desperate after receiving seven more notices of rejections. The moment I'd finished scanning that seventh email, I had impulsively clicked the forbidden link and scheduled the interview for the next day

"Oh perfect!" She clicked around on her computer for a moment. "Ally Carson, I presume?"

After receiving my confirmation, she made a quick call, informing the person on the other end of my arrival.

"He's ready for you on floor twenty-five. Third door on the left."

Riding up the elevator was literally one of the longest thirty seconds of my life. I'm not sure whether it was the recognition that this interview could be my last hope of getting a job, or the fact that I was about to meet the only employer that my boyfriend back at home had forbidden me from getting involved with. Either way, the weight of the situation seemed to be causing the elevator to take its sweet time.

The elevator dinged softly as I reached my destination, the twenty-fifth floor of the seventy-five-storey complex. I followed the directions Bella had given me, locating the office without too much hassle. I took a deep breath, taking a moment to regain some composure before knocking gently on the door, waiting for a response.

I had seen this man before. Everyone had. He was splashed over every reputable (and irreputable) media network in every country that had connection. I therefore had a very clear idea of what I'd be met with; the dark hair, dangerous eyes, and the jawline that could (and had) cut every weak woman's heart. So you could imagine my surprise when I opened the office door to a middle-aged, red-headed man, with a full face and a bit of a tummy.

He glanced up at me from where he was seated behind his desk, releasing a sort of sigh of relief. At least that's what it seemed to resemble. I had also let out a similar breath, realising that I wouldn't have to face the notorious Tyler Gray just yet.

"Ally, is it?" He spoke quickly, sounding about as nervous as I felt.

"That's me!" I offered a smile, still standing rather awkwardly by the door.

"Oh, please take a seat." he gestured towards the leather armchair that faced his own. "I'm Mr Henries."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sir," I politely replied, taking a seat and crossing my legs, resting my paperwork on my lap.

"The pleasure is all mine," he gave a hint of a smile, pausing for a few seconds. "We're just waiting for our other guest to arr-"

Mr Henries was cut off as the office door opened behind me, revealing the most devilishly handsome man I'd ever had the honour of laying my eyes upon. Ok, maybe that was an exaggeration, but let's just say that the photos I'd seen of him definitely didn't do him justice.

"Mr Gray," the red-headed man stood from his seat, almost bowing in recognition of his boss.

I also stood, completely awestruck. Everything about the guy demanded respect.

"Mr Henries," even his voice screamed authority. "Miss Carson."

I almost died right there and then. The man knew my name, and as he'd said it, I'd gotten my first glimpse of eye contact with him, causing my breathing to hitch. His eyes were even more dangerous than I had imagined.

"Mr Gray," I nodded my head in acknowledgement, my shaky voice barely comprehendible. His eyes widened ever so slightly, to the point that I wondered if it was just in my head. Maybe he hadn't expected my Australian Accent.

As we all sat down, he was still holding eye contact, almost daring me to be the first to look away.

"Please begin, Mr Henries," his eyes remained locked on mine as he spoke. "Believe it or not, I don't have all day."

Mr Henries shuffled through the papers on his desk in my peripherals, clearing his throat before beginning the friendly interrogation.

"Did anyone in particular recommend this company to you?"

I finally moved my focus from Mr Gray, noticing him smirking out of the corner of my eye. He had won, and he knew it.

"Ah.. no sir.." I internally smacked myself at my obvious lack of confidence. I cleared my throat, attempting to appear more poised as I provided some generic explanation which complemented the company's 'international reputation'.

I certainly refrained from mentioning the fact that a certain boyfriend of mine had banned me from walking through the two front doors.

"I see that your CV doesn't mention any previous industry experience," he commented, pausing for long enough to make me question whether he wanted me to respond or not.

"Yes, that is correct," I replied, although it hadn't really been pitched as a question. "However, what I lack in experience, I make up for in passion and dedication, not to mention my extensive qualification."

I know I was talking myself up, but heck, there had to be some benefit to completing six years of business school.

The interview continued without any major hiccups. Mr Henries seemed relatively impressed, and Mr Gray hardly made a noise. He would occasionally jot down a note on his notepad, as he assessed the friendly red-head.

"Well, Miss Carson," Mr Henries had referred to me as this from the moment that his superior had entered the room. "I think that's everything that I wanted to ask you."

It had felt like an eternity, and no matter the result, I was just glad it was over.

"We actually have a number of Personal Assistant vacancies in the company, and I believe that you are very capable of fulfilling one of those positions. We will need to have a series of discussions as a company to decide which you are bes-"

"She'll work for me." Mr Gray spoke up for the first time since our brief introductions, taking both Mr Henries and I by complete surprise.

"Well I guess that's settled then," Mr Henries  regained composure, his boss's words of course overrode whatever he had to say. "Shall we go through the contract now? Or will you need some time to consider the offer?"

With the spotlight on me, I decided that there was only one thing to do. I turned my gaze to the intimidating figure of Mr Gray, who's attention was already set in my direction. Was this what I wanted? Was the risk worth taking?

"I'll take it," I spoke to Mr Henries, with my eyes still firm on Mr Gray. Something flashed in his before he stood abruptly and made his way towards the door.

"Mr Henries, I will hold a meeting with you this afternoon to discuss your results," he informed his nervous employee. "And Miss Carson," he turned his attention back to me, "I will be seeing you on monday."

Before I was able to respond, he had disappeared out the door, leaving me and Mr Henries to recover from whatever had just happened. I really had no idea what I'd just gotten myself into. All I knew was that I now had the only job in the country that my boyfriend had forbidden me from having. And he was never going to find out.