Page 13 of The Secretary Volume II

“We’ve been expecting you,” they say, almost in unison.

I take the only empty chair at the table.

The man at the head of the table, Warren Kline, CFO, steeples his fingers, his silver hair slicked back with mathematical precision.His suit is so crisp it might be bulletproof.

He slides a folder across the table.“We’ve heard such great things about you.”

I glance down.

It’s a dossier on me so comprehensive it includes my coffee order from three jobs ago.I wonder if they know about the parking ticket I contested in 2019.Probably.

“We have high expectations for this role,” says a woman to my right.Her lipstick is the exact shade of arterial blood.“Especially after recent… irregularities.”

Irregularities.

The word hangs in the air like cigarette smoke in a sealed room.

“Irregularities?”I repeat, trying to keep my voice steady.

Warren waves his hand dismissively.“Nothing to worry about.Just some unresolved matters left by your predecessor.”

The blood-lipped woman smiles.“We need someone who knows when to look closely and when to… not.”

Oh.

The subtext isn’t subtext at all.

I know what this is.I’m not an idiot.

They don’t want a secretary.They want a gatekeeper.

A convenient blind spot.

A controlled liability.

Fantastic.

But I need this job.Ireallyneed this job.

“Of course,” I say.“I’m very thorough.”

“Thorough is good,” says a bald man with eerily perfect teeth.“But flexible is better.”

The meeting drags on for forty-five excruciating minutes.They speak in corporate dialect, a language designed to communicate nothing while implying everything.By the end, my pen has carved “HELP ME” into my notepad.

“Now, considering Mr.Harrison’s schedule…” Andra says.

I’m all ears, but she watches me like she’s waiting for me to fail.She watches me like she already knows the outcome.

“You’ll be managing all of his communications,” Warren says, picking up where she left off.“His calendar, his travel, anything he requires while he’s working remotely.Which, as you’ll find, is most of the time.”

The blood-lipped woman smiles.“He’s very particular.”

I could bet money onparticularmeaningimpossible, but I nod anyway.

“You’ll also be handling sensitive materials, so discretion is key,” Warren continues.“Certain correspondences require a...selective touch.”

Selective.