Train Me Daddy

Still, Veronica couldn’t dwell on these thoughts, as she had to begin to mentally prepare for her interview. As the elevator headed up to the top floor, she focused her mind and went through all the possible questions he could ask her, and created a set of potential answers for them.

With another soft ding, the elevator doors opened, letting her out into a small foyer area, with a large reception desk and a row of soft chairs and a couch. Veronica felt a flutter of nerves as she approached the desk. As she drew nearer, the woman behind the desk, presumably Lynn, looked up and smiled at her.

“Good morning,” the woman, a brunette in her middle ages, smiled at her. “How can I help you?”

“Hello,” Veronica greeted her politely. “I’m Veronica Lawrence, I have a meeting with Mr. Davenport at nine.”

“Oh, o

f course,” Lynn gave her a smile. “You’re right on schedule. Mr. Davenport just got in. Let me tell him you’re here, and you can probably get started with your interview a little early. Just have a seat and I’ll be right back with you in just a moment.”

“Thank you,” Veronica smiled, a little surprised by the courtesy that the secretary had displayed. She took a seat on the edge of a nearby chair and took a breath to calm the nerves that had begun to flutter in her stomach. She wrung her hands a little on the edge of her briefcase and closed her eyes.

“Miss Lawrence?” Veronica heard Lynn’s voice, and she immediately looked up. “Mr. Davenport will see you now.”

Veronica gave her a nod and a smile, and she stood to approach the door.

She moved over to where Lynn stood, holding the door for her, a pleasant smile on her face.

“Just relax and stick to your guns,” Lynn advised her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Be yourself- if there’s one thing he can’t stand, its people trying to fake him out.”

Veronica blinked, more than a little surprised by genuineness that this complete stranger was displaying. It was altogether very comforting, and Veronica felt much more confident.

“Thank you so much,” Veronica said, her appreciation very evident in her tone.

“Of course,” Lynn smiled. “Ready?”

Veronica took another breath and then nodded. Lynn opened the door, and Veronica stepped inside.

Upon setting foot in the room, Veronica had to work hard to keep her jaw from dropping. She had heard of the illustrious Frank Davenport, and his intelligence and wit, but she had never had the pleasure of seeing the man in person.

The man was nothing short of absolutely gorgeous. Though he was approaching his middle ages, he had kept himself in fine shape, his perfectly tailored suit serving to display his broad, likely muscular physique. His skin was several shades darker than her own, and his nearly black eyes seemed to gleam with intelligence. His face was framed by a well-kept beard and his hair was artfully faded, with immaculate edges.

“Good morning Miss. Lawrence,” he greeted her, his voice rolling out smooth and low. “I see you are punctual- already a good first impression.”

Veronica nearly had to shake her head to refocus her mind. She was, after all, here for a professional interview on the recommendation of her boyfriend. She was certainly not here to ogle her potential employer.

“Thank you,” Veronica smiled, trying not to betray all her nerves, or the paths that her mind had taken.

“Please, have a seat,” Davenport gestured to one of the chairs in front of his desk, and she moved toward it, sitting down on the edge of the seat, and immediately reaching into her briefcase to pull out her resume.

“Oh I’m not really interested in going through any paperwork,” Davenport held up his hand, and Veronica blinked up at him. She sat back up in her seat and shifted a little uncomfortably. This interview was already taking a far different turn than what she had expected.

“It’s a little formal to call this an interview,” Davenport admitted with a shrug. “Honestly, I would have preferred to discuss all this over a coffee. Or maybe you’d like something stronger?”

Davenport gestured to a small stand beside his desk, on which was a variety of decanters filled with all manner of amber liquids.

“Coffee is fine,” Veronica spoke up, managing to keep her voice level in spite of her accelerating heartrate.

“Coffee suits me better in the morning as well,” Davenport shot her a blindingly white smile as he rose and crossed the office to a counter along one wall where a coffee maker was situated. She watched as he poured out two mugs, and brought them back over.

He placed them on the side table between the two chairs in front of his desk, and Veronica was more than a little surprised that instead of resuming his place behind his desk, he took up a place in the chair beside her. He sat back in the chair and picked up his mug, bringing it to his lips.

“Oh,” he said suddenly. “Do you take cream or sugar? I take mine black, so I just forgot to ask.”

“Both, actually,” Veronica said. She would have just taken it black, but she remembered what Lynn had said about trying to fake him out, so she decided to just be honest.

Davenport gave her a smile, and once again rose and crossed to a small cabinet, withdrawing a box of miniature coffee creamers and a box of sugar cubes. He set those, too, on the side table, as well as a mixing spoon.