I nodded to her, untucking one of my hands from my slack pockets to shake her hand. She positioned her hand awkwardly like she wanted me to kiss it rather than shake it. I cleared my throat and pulled my hand away.
“I just wanted to check-in and see how you were doing,” I said. That wasn’t exactly the truth. I just wanted to see if the interns were working and not slacking off. I was a college kid once. Some of them slacked off terribly. Others were some of the hardest workers I had ever come across.
Sara tilted her head at me in a coy manner.
“Oh, how sweet of you. Can I say that it’s a true honor to work under you?” she told me.
I tucked my hands back into the pockets of my black slacks. I had been complimented more times than I could count since I started Ashland Consulting, but I still wasn’t the best at accepting compliments, especially if I was also being flirted with. I was a busy man. When it came to my casual dates, I was direct and to the point about what I wanted. I preferred the women to be the same way.
“Well, I hope you learn a lot during this internship,” I said, ignoring her flirt. I had no interest in dating an intern. Right now, I had no interest in dating anyone. I had a little fun with women I met around the city, but those were fleeting moments that only lasted a night. That was good enough for me. I had other things to worry about besides extravagant dates and empty gestures.
Sara subtly bit her bottom lip as she smiled at me. “I feel like I can learn a lot from you,” she replied.
Did this girl have any shame? I was her boss’s boss. I had grown tired of this one-sided flirt fest.
“Brittany will teach you plenty. I’ll let you get back to work,” I said with a tone of finality. I turned and strode away from her office, letting out a breath. It wasn’t like I went out of my way to be rude, but I couldn’t count how many conversations I had to force my way out of every day. I only had so much time, and I didn’t want to waste too many minutes in a conversation that wasn’t important.
I almost blew past the next intern’s office, but I stopped right in the doorway at the sight of the dark-haired intern from yesterday. She was the clumsy one who spilled coffee all down the front of my shirt. I was going to let yesterday go, but the sight of her flipping through a textbook instead of working like she was supposed to be doing aggravated me once more. She just couldn’t stop stepping on my toes.
“I didn’t realize that this was a library or a classroom,” I commented as I walked into her office. I had already forgotten her name, but I didn’t forget her face. Her lips were full, almost naturally pouty. Her green eyes were a pale shade, while her hair was pure black. Even beyond the desk, I could tell she was curvy in all the right places. If only she didn’t insist on getting on my nerves.
She looked up at me with wide eyes at first, taking in my presence. Her expression then shifted, and I swore that it almost looked pointed, like she was annoyed by me!
“Brittany said I could study once I finished my report,” she replied in an even voice.
I stared down at her as I approached her desk. I nearly laughed at how she was arguing with me. Yesterday, she didn’t have a hint of attitude. Now, this intern was staring me down. Where did she get the nerve from?
“What report?” I asked her, wanting to know what she was supposed to be working on. I doubted that she managed to throw together a high-quality report already. She probably had a test tomorrow, so she scraped something together in an hour this morning after Brittany gave her the assignment.
“We had to answer some prompts about marking strategies and scenarios regarding the company,” she replied, holding my gaze. She didn’t look at me with the same dazzle in her eyes like Sara did. Deep down, I liked that.
I didn’t like being propped up on a pedestal all the time. I could recognize that I had great achievements and success, but I wasn’t someone to worship. I wasn’t even sure if I was someone that anyone should even look up to. I was a guy that made his dream come true. That happened every single day. People could find someone else to be inspired by.
“Let me see your report,” I told her.
She blinked at me a few times before reaching into her bag next to her desk. She pulled out a few sheets of paper stapled together and set them on the desk in front of her.