Chapter 2 – The Secretary

(Blake's POV)

My eyebrows knitted as I gazed at the woman in front of me. At first glance, I thought she was a lost university student or applicant. I had to be careful, though. This wasn't the first time Samantha experienced someone coming to her just to see him or get close to him. I made a quick look at the telephone at her table, thinking whether I should call security or not.

"I... I understand if you don't want to have the interview with me. I'll just tell Stella. I was late anyway," she stammered. "You.. you... you look busy,"

If I don't talk now, she would probably faint anytime soon.

I raise my hand, "No, it's okay." I looked at her again, and I was amazed she didn't recognize me.  I wasn't really busy. When I heard Samantha had to go because of an emergency at home, I told her to cancel all my appointments today. I was at her table because she forgot to hand me an urgent document I needed to review. I didn't expect it would take time to find it, and right now isn't the good time to ask her to email me the file.

"Sam, are you sure?" she asked, glancing at her watch.

'Sam?'

She really has no idea who I am. Curious about the interview, I smiled at her.

"I'm sorry it took a while to remember that interview, and yes... it'll be fine if you do it,"

"Thank you, Sam!" she said, heaving a sigh of relief. "Where can we do the interview? I really hope your boss won't mind," she looks at the glass door leading to my office.

It was too late for me to tell her I was not Samantha but her boss. From the way she looks at me, she really has no clue about me.

"Oh, my boss? He isn't here right now, so it's okay," I told her, and she seemed to believe me. I look around to find a place for us to do the interview. After lying to her, I can't invite her into my office.

"In the lounge? Is that okay?" I ask, looking at the sofa that I rarely sit. 

She nodded and walked there first, giving me the chance to have a good look at her back. I couldn't stop myself from staring at her. It seems Tara is not aware of how beautiful she is. Even in her effortless style, she is sexy.

Samantha would probably kill me tomorrow if she knew I pretended to be her. Tara doesn't know me, so it was easy to play the role. What she didn't know, and I wonder why she didn't know that Sam is not a guy. Samantha is also a beautiful woman like her, and that I am her beloved cousin, the only son and heir of the business tycoons, Steve and Thea Williamson, and renowned as the youngest billionaire in this country.

We sat on the sectional sofa, maybe just two feet apart.

"You're wet," I said, then pressing my lips to stop myself from laughing. It seemed to come out wrong from my mouth, but it usually arouses women, especially when I say it as I touch them.

She raised her eyebrows, then looked at her shoulder.

"Oh," she exclaimed, then shook her head. "No, it's fine. It's the weather," she explained, then pointing outside. "The weather is kinda crazy today," 

"Ah," Either she's a naive woman, or she was good at pretending.

I watched her as she opened the envelope. I am amused and excited at the same time to know what was inside that it needs to be securely taped.

She smiled apologetically at me.

"I was given an instruction," she explained while getting the cards inside the envelope, "I am not to reshuffle the cards. One question per card. Don't panic. Act professionally," she grinned, showing her pearl white teeth.

I chuckled.

"What, no recorder? No camera?" I ask, eyeing her curiously.

She shook her head. "She trusts my good memory," she said smiling, then tapping her forehead, "Photographic memory here," she joked.

I nodded and stared at her beautiful heart-shaped face.

She smiled anxiously at me. She breathed deeply and met my eyes. "Are you ready?"

"Are you ready?" I smirked as I repeated her question, "You look nervous, Tara,"

"This is my first time to do this," she smiled nervously, "Please, please, if I fainted, I'm giving you the permission to throw water at me," she tittered, making me burst into laughter.

She was about to talk when she was distracted by the sound. She panicked as she got her cellphone in the bag. She glanced and smiled at me as she reads the message before turning it into a silent mode.

"Sorry about that," she said, keeping the gadget inside her bag again.

"A Happy Working Song?" I ask, doubting myself if the person in front of me is not a woman but a child. Why would she have a Disney song as her alert tone?

"A Happy Working Song," she confirmed, looking proud at her ringtone, and then looked at the cards.

I have met a lot of beautiful women, and they would usually do everything they could just to get my attention. But this woman in front of me has never done a single reaction or at least an expression that would give me a hint.  She seemed to be in a hurry to finish the interview to get out of this place.

"Here it goes," she uttered and took the first card. The cards are upside down, so we both have no idea what's written in them.

She turned it up and read the first question.

"How can I call you?"

When I raised my eyebrows, she showed me the card. It was written on the first card.

"Blake,"

She raised her brows. I saw panic in her eyes. "What? You're not Sam?"

"Sam Blake Gomez, but call me Blake," I don't want her to remember me with my secretary's name. She seemed to accept it after looking at the name written on the envelope. S B G. Stella should have at least written Samantha's whole name, but here goes again my chance to continue lying to her. 

"Blake then," she said and then turned up another card. "How old are you?" she asks as she holds her pencil restlessly.

How old are you?" she continued.

"29. How about you, how old are you?" I wanted to know to make sure I wasn't talking to a high school student. She looked really young and innocent.

"22. How long have you been working with Mr. Williamson?" she asked, coming from another card.

That's a tough question. How long has Samantha been working for me? My eyes squinted as I tried to recall. She has been with me since I started my own business.

"Nine years? Ten? How about you, what do you do for a living?"

I peeked on her note. She wrote 'unsure'

"I'm an online tutor,"

I wondered because if she's mostly online, she should have seen me on the news, on social media. Unless she's not a follower of anything. She seemed to be getting annoyed with me but I ignored her and watched her, charmed by her constant knitting of eyebrows and twitching of lips, as she took the next card, and read it.

"Hobby?" A question from another card, but she didn't look at me this time.

"Diving. How about you?" 

"Sam..er... Blake, I'm sorry, but please stop asking me questions. It's making me uncomfortable," Her eyes are still on the card.

"Just asking, Tara," I said, shrugging. 

"Status?" 

"Single. How about you?"

This time she raised her head and had this dagger look on me. I chuckled as I raised my hand in surrender. Even when she looked mad, she is still beautiful.

There was a long note on the next card, and she read it to me. "Please answer the questions or statements honestly. All answers are considered confidential,"

"Really?" I doubted. Alongside my curiosity about her, at this moment, I am wondering what company she's connected with that she wanted to have an interview with Samantha.

"I was just reading it, Blake," she gave me a sullen look.

Feeling annoyed, she flips another card and reads the question without really understanding it.

"Have you ever had sex on the plane?"