4)... I found it!

James

We will be interviewing this Elly Sanders this morning, I have read and reread her resume and presentation...she has intrigued me so much that I am almost looking forward to meeting her.

I hope that she is really up to the task and that I will not be disappointed after what I read.

Since I want to attend the interview this time, given the 8 assistants I had to kick out...I have to dress casual so that I look like a newbie learning the job and don't attract too much attention.

I want to see if he knows me and see what his reaction is.

I slip into a smart blue polo shirt, with light gray classic pants and plain suede loafers.

Arriving at the office I see Alan flustered....

"What's going on Alan?"

"Oh good morning James! It's 1 hour until my interview with Ms. Sanders, I must admit I'm a little nervous!" said Alan smiling.

I had never seen him like that for an interview, he must have really believed in this possible candidate.

"Okay, let's have some coffee in the meantime," I say.

"Boss it's strange to see you in casual clothes in the office."

"Well I want to look like a novice employee so I can evaluate this candidate, I want to see if she knows me and how she reacts"

We'll see how it will be, I'm tired of having women who at interviews sell themselves well and then as soon as they see me they start acting like dead cats and then realize their goal was to hit on me. I need someone serious and dedicated to the job....

I start checking some paperwork on my desk as I drink my coffee when I hear a knock at the door and Lucy's head pops up... "Good morning president! Are you still sure you want to attend the 10 o'clock interview?"

I look at her raising an eyebrow and reply, "Of course! I said that this time I want to see for myself the possible candidate, so that I can rule her out right away in case she recognizes me...I don't want to have any more dead cats in my office!"

Lucy gave a wide grin...well she was always smiling, a lady in her late 50s, chubby, always with her short hair pulled back into a small bun and her flamboyant and peculiar necklaces, she has been working for me now for more than 10 years and is among the dearest people I have within my company.

"Well then president, I think we should go, Miss Sanders has arrived and is waiting for us in the meeting room."

Arrived?! I snap to my feet, look at my watch...it's already 10 o'clock!

*******

Alan

I am hopeful for this candidate, her resume is not bad, but her presentation left me bashful and at the end of the reading made me smile....

James and I have been friends since middle school, I suffered with him, the loss of his father and later his mother, I supported him with his efforts to open this company, with his studies, with his money and with his dreams. We are very close, almost brothers ... of course in the company I have to call him president, but in private he is always 'my brother' James.

I followed all his love affairs. At first he was certainly having fun, like any guy who at 25 is a business owner and has a lot...a lot of money....but then he saw that women were starting to use him, they wanted to be involved with his name and even more with his wallet. Fortunately, he was not someone who ended up in the tabloids or you found his pictures everywhere, but his name was very well known as the most coveted bachelor in Manhattan....

He decided that he would never date again until he found the right woman! But by then it had been two years since he had thrown himself headlong into his work without looking for a woman...and his routine phrase was "I'm not a man who can be handled easily, I get possessive with what's mine, I'm stubborn and when a woman sees this she runs away from a possible stable relationship...unless I dump her because she's only interested in my bank account."

I mean, I would have liked to see my best friend finally with a sweetheart...and see him complete.

And this Sanders...I don't know why but she gave me this idea...she could be the person we had been waiting for for a long time, so I was nervous and wanted to meet her as soon as possible.

*******

James

We walked out of my office to head into the meeting room.

"Take care, Alan, Lucy...you absolutely must not say that this interview is for the search for my personal assistant until the interview is over and remember, I do not exist once you enter the room...I must look like a new employee listening to learn "

I repeat to him in a low voice the reminder we had already talked about in the past few days.

Lucy opens the door and enters waving, followed by Alan introducing himself to the new candidate and finally me closing the door behind me.

As I lay my gaze on that girl, on her stunning physique, on those slender hands, on that fleshy mouth and those eyes....those eyes...my breathing stops for a moment, not realizing that I have kept my gaze on her longer than I should. I just nod at her without introducing myself.

I sit past Alan and slightly behind him so as to be inconspicuous, as if the only reason for my presence is to listen but meanwhile I have a good view.

The interview begins, Lucy asks well-focused questions, Alan often trolling for her true intentions, but I notice that this girl is not looking at me, she is focused on answering and explaining how much she cares about getting in here and what her goals are just as particular as her presentation.

She has a determination in her eyes, in that look, that reminds me of myself when I gave everything to open this company. I am enraptured by her sky-blue eyes and her firmness in speaking.

The interview ends, too soon for me, I wish I could have listened to her more.

Lucy gets up and explains that in a few days she will have the outcome of her interview and tells the girl the position sought for which she has been applying. At those words I see the girl's eyes widen, letting me know that she didn't expect this-'Great, she didn't come for me, she didn't come to be my assistant.'

They shake hands and she walks out of the room....I can't take my eyes off her as I see her heading for the elevators.

Silently I head for my office with one thought in my head....

"I found her."