The Edge of Intention

Sara sat in her home office staring out the window contemplating what she was going to do if she did not get a job soon. She was at the end of her cushion financially with little room to move. She had gone on countless interviews and nobody wanted her. She was fifty-one, divorced and had spent her life raising a family rather than building a career and it was coming back to haunt her. She had worked many jobs over the years just to help out but nothing that really helped build her resume. She had gone to college and stopped a semester short of graduating. A tear slid down her cheek as she contemplated suicide. Going to sleep certainly could not be any worse than this. Bill collectors were closing in and even if she worked her wages would most likely be attached. Most employers disliked that. She did not have enough money to file bankruptcy. She was feeling stuck with no end in sight.

The only way she could cut the sting of her situation was to write. And write and write and write until she fell asleep at her laptop. Another week slipped by and the phone finally rang.

"Hello?"

"May I speak with Sara Beckett please."

"This is Sara."

"Sara, this is Jane Reimer with Taylor Development, Inc."

"Hi."

"I would like to invite you to come in for an interview with our CEO Daniel Taylor."

"We have an opening today at 2:00 p.m. Is that a good time for you?"

"Yes. I will be there."

"Okay. See you then."

Sara hung up and fell into a chair flooded with relief. Now; what to wear. She did not have a professional wardrobe to speak of and what she had she would literally have to wear for a month straight until she could buy more. She would call her best friend Dana and ask to borrow something.

"Dana, you have to help me. I need professional clothing to go on an interview this afternoon."

"Sweetie I am not home! I won't be back until Wednesday."

"Okay. I will figure it out. I have to be there at 2:00 so I have to get going. Thank you anyway.

"Good luck! Bye. You got this Sara."

"I hope so. Bye. Love you."

She arrived at Taylor Development and was seated in the lobby. The receptionist was young and sparky. She was very friendly.

"Can I ask you something, Ma'am?"

"Sure." the receptionist replied.

"How come you did not apply for the position?"

She stared at Sara, wide eyed and said,

"Well...they require a person to know more than I do."

"Oh. Are they...is he a nice person to work for?"

The receptionist studied Sara, pursed her lips together and nodded her head thoughtfully and said,

"Yes..." and was about to continue but the door opened and Jane walked out.'

"Sara?"

Sara stood and shook her hand.

"I am Jane Reimer. Right this way please." As she walked by she looked at the receptionist who flashed her eyes at Sara while folding her lips as if to hold her breath.

They came to a set of double office doors and she opened one to let her pass through.

"Mr. Taylor will see you now."

And before Sara knew what hit her, she was standing inside the office door which had closed behind her staring at the man who would interview her. The office was large and surrounded by windows. There were two chairs in front of his desk which was across the room. He wore reading glasses and stared at his computer screen and never bothered to look at her. By the way he filled the chair and the space he was in she could tell he was on the taller side. He looked serious. He had dark hair cut short and spiked and golden brown eyes. If she had to come in here and be around him every day she wasn't sure she would survive the experience. He was the sexiest and most powerful man she had ever met. There was an air about him that let people know to stay back unless invited. His appearance was crisp. His starched white shirt and cufflinks scared the living shit out of her. And his Cologne was expensive. When he finally spoke, he never looked away from his computer and his words cut right through her.

"Are you going to stand there all day or are you going to get over here so we can get on with this interview?"

"Did you not want the interview?" she asked.

He looked up at her as if he were irritated. No not really. And especially not with someone like yourself who clearly hasn't taken her career seriously. How can I expect you to take my business seriously?

Sara felt her feet move but wasn't sure how it was happening. At some point he finally looked up and took off his glasses and made a painful assessment of her attire and appearance before settling his dark eyes on her face. This woman comes across as a girl. Not fifty something. She dresses like she is in mourning or hiding, I'm not sure which. Her only redeeming quality in her appearance are her eyes. They are as blue green as the ocean and beautiful. But she looks scared. Am I scaring her? Good. I don't need a damn assistant. She will only quit anyway by the looks of her resume.

"Sit" he motioned toward one of the chairs. She chose the one on the left; the farthest from him. He already did not like her and she could feel it. She hadn't even spoken one word yet.

"I want you...to tell me why I should hire you." and he sat stock still not saying another word waiting for her to speak.

She shifted in her chair uncomfortably.

"Well...I need a job. I will be here...every.."

"Not good enough. There are 200 applicants ahead of you who need a job and who would be here every day. What good is your attendance if, by the look of your resume, you quit in a year or two. Miss Beckett, I want to know why you stand out ahead of the rest."

After a very long silence she drew up enough courage to answer him.

"I don't. I'm sorry. This was a mistake." Sara got up to leave and he stood too.

"Sit! You are not going anywhere. I interrupted my day to see you and the least you can do is answer my questions! Now sit back down, Sara." She sat; shocked. She felt tears stinging the backs of her eyes and willed them away as her eyes darted anywhere but to him..

"I don't stand out, Sir. I worked only to help my family while I was raising children and focused on them. Not my career."

"That's better. Was that so hard?"

She shook her head no.

"I don't know what you are used to, Sara, but in this office, when I ask you a question, I expect a verbal response. Now; Was. That. So. Hard?"

"No, Sir."

"Good. Moving on. What skills do you possess?"

"Mr. Taylor, since you have so adeptly perused my resume enough to decide I am a quitter, you should already know what my skills are. I was very meticulous in listing them all. Sir."

He looked over the resume and back at her. Oh Miss Beckett, if you keep it up I will teach you the hard way to watch that razor sharp tongue of yours.

"Where do you see yourself in five years?"

His stare was killing her. She was terrified of his obvious disdain and harsh judgement.

"As a published author. Sir." Daniel looked over his glasses and could not have been more surprised.

"Excuse me? You're a writer?"

"Yes."

"What do you write?"

"Crime and Mysteries."

"I see. Well...there won't be much opportunity for you to write in this position, Sara. How can I be assured you won't be sitting around here daydreaming all day?"

"You can't. Because I most likely will be. But I will also do a good job for you."

This woman doesn't have a deceitful bone in her body. She is like a child. She has literally been under a banana leaf while the rest of the world has moved on. She seemed clueless about what to say and not say during a job interview. But interviews were not always a true measure of anyone's ability or performance.

"Let's hope I don't actually catch you at it."

"You won't, Sir.

His mouth dropped open. He wanted to laugh.

Did she really just insinuate she would be daydreaming on the sly whether he liked it or not. Oh Miss Beckett, I could teach you to concentrate and keep your mind on your tasks. A couple of stinging strikes with a belt would fix that.

"Do you want this job or not, Sara?"

"I do, yes. Very much."

He stared at her for a long time before finally dismissing her.

"Okay. We will call you within a few days and let you know one way or the other. Good day, Miss Beckett."

"Good day, Sir and thank you."

When Sara got to the other side of his office door she fled blinded by tears through the reception area. When she was in the comfort of her car she broke down and cried. As if that weren't bad enough, she looked up at the building and could see him staring down at her from his office window. She started her car and drove away to escape his dark gaze. That crazy man had her phone number and her address. Jane had been so nice. Where in the hell had he come from.

Jane walked into her brother's office and asked,

"So?"

"She will do. Call her back and offer her the position. But wait until Wednesday."

"Okay. Will do. Are you going to be nice to this one, Daniel?"

He waved her off and continued working.

"Daniel, why do you have to be so damn mean? What is your problem?!"

"My problem is having a pushy sister telling me how to spend my money to get an assistant that I do not want to pay for! Don't you have work to do?"

"Yes I do."

"Then get to it."

"Maybe if you weren't such an asshole, someone would actually marry you. This girl is cute and funny and will make a great assistant for you. Why do you have to be this way. Don't chase her off, Daniel."

She left the office but not without slamming the door as hard as she could.

Sara hid in her favorite restaurant with a book and buried herself and tried to chase the rejection and disdainful eyes of Mr. Taylor from her mind. She ordered her usual cup of tea and tuna on sourdough. Something had to work out. She would be fine. She could feel the chill drain from her limbs as she held her tea. It wasn't cold outside so the chill was coming from within and was left over from her interview with Iceman. Before Sara knew what happened the sun was setting and she was reading the last few paragraphs of her book. She had arrived at 3:30 and it was now 7. She headed for home to shower, write and go to bed. When she got there she finally pulled her phone out of her purse and saw that she had several text messages from Dana and four missed calls. One of them from Taylor Development. She listened to the voicemail and was shocked to hear it was from the receptionist.

"Hi Sara, this is Brandy with Taylor Development. Please keep this call confidential. I just wanted to finish telling you from this afternoon that Mr. Taylor seems mean at first but he is a wonderful boss if you can get through his rough exterior. Please just give him a chance. I hope if you are hired you will come back. You seem very nice."

Sara was hoping to avoid the company altogether from this day forward. But she listened to Brandy's message a few more times before deleting it. Brandy was forgetting that she had to be hired first. She couldn't come back uninvited.

Daniel stood in the shower staring off into space. Why did I have to be such an ass. Sara seemed like a nice enough woman. She will work out fine I am sure. Why do I feel so inclined to torment her? She is annoying. Too scared. Why? I do not have time for a woman who runs away from me crying all of the time. I need someone with a thick skin. Why did I settle on her? Because I am sick of the process of interviewing candidates. I made a snap decision because I want to look into those ocean blue green eyes every day even if to give her a hard time. Her clothes were hideous. I will send her home to change if she shows up in the office looking like that again. I could teach her how to dress and how to behave and work. She will learn to be disciplined working for me and it could turn her life around from the mess it is today. There is only one problem. She is as nervous as a cat and I am not about to back down. When pushed into a corner, the razor edge of Miss Beckett's tongue became exposed. Well, we will see how that works out for her. I am not about to put up with her snide undertones. Her address smelled like money. She wasn't too desperate. She couldn't be and still pay rent or a mortgage at the Kensington Flats. It was in a pretty affluent neighborhood in the suburbs. We will see how she does after a two day work week in my office.

Wednesday morning, Sara was in the kitchen making breakfast when the phone rang. It was 8:30 a.m. It was Jane.

"Good morning, Sara? This is Jane Reimer with Taylor Development."

"Good morning, Jane." Sara said, disappointment gripping her chest.

"Daniel would like to offer you the position. Are you still available?"

"He would? He seemed like he thought I wasn't really a good fit. But yes I am available."

"Well, that is Daniel. He can be a bit rough around the edges and at times old fashioned as a 1940 husband, but he has a heart of gold once you get past his tough exterior. I am delighted to have you aboard. I will see you tomorrow at 8:00 a.m. then?"

"Yes, Ma'am. I will be there."

"Okay. See you then. Bye now."

When Sara got to work the next day she waited in the lobby to meet with Jane. Brandy smiled warmly at her and welcomed her aboard. She was quite shaken when the doors to the Executive Suite on the left side of Brandy's desk opened and Daniel stood motioning with his hand for her to come in.

"It will be fine Sara. We are excited to have you aboard."

"Thank you." Sara replied not feeling one bit reassured. She would work primarily with Daniel behind closed doors and no one would be there to defend her or keep her company. She would occasionally make her way around the building as he needed things run around but she would primarily sit outside his door as the gatekeeper and assistant. She could not help the surge of depression that gripped her heart as he explained her duties and the rules. And there were many rules. When he was done explaining everything and was about to turn and walk back into his office he looked at her and asked,

"Miss Beckett, do you see how I am dressed?"

She took in his starched white shirt with cufflinks at the wrists and his tie and suit pants with a belt. His jacket was hanging in his office.

"Yes, Sir."

"Okay...so what is this?" as he used both hands to gesture up and down in the general direction of her body. She was mortified.

"It's all I have...right now...Sir."

Leaving her standing by her desk, he turned on his heel and walked into his office slamming the door.

Sara stood there in shock. As shame tinged her cheeks she began to feel another emotion rise in the back of her throat; rage.

She walked calmly to the door and opened it and slammed it behind her. Looking at him, she immediately wished she had thought it out before she barged in. He stood and leaned over his desk and into the phone and said,

"Brandy, keep my main entry locked and see that we are not disturbed and hold calls."

His eyes blazed as they bore into hers.

"What!" he demanded quietly.

"Why did you hire me? Why do you hate me? What the fuck is wrong with me that you have to be so damn rude to me?! I mean, according to you there were 200 more applicants standing in line behind me! Why did you choose me?"

"Enough!!" he barked.

"No! You are a rude bastard! I do not have money to dress the way you want me to right now but I will! But for now this will have to do or you can call one of the 200!" Daniel sauntered around the desk and strode calmly toward her. When he got to her he wrapped his large hand around her left forearm and walked her back to his desk. He leaned into her ear and spoke softly.

"You are going to learn, before this is over, that you are not running the show here. I don't know who in the hell you think you are to come in here and talk to me the way you have but you won't do it again." He did not offer her a chair. He walked her straight up to the desk and told her to bend over the desk. He removed his belt immediately.

"Sara, bend over that desk and don't make me ask you again."

Sara was terrified and would not immediately respond.

"What? No!" she exclaimed with a shaky voice as she realized what it was he was intending to do.

Daniel placed his hand in the small of her back and bent her over.

"Yes!"

The first sting of his belt came quickly across her backside and she jumped. The second came right after and then the third and fourth. He gave her six strikes with the belt and then stopped for a minute to talk to her.

"You will do as I say since I sign the paychecks in this building, do you understand?" When Sara didn't immediately answer he smacked her again.

"Yes!"

"Good." He continued giving her smacks and then stopped again to talk to her.

"You will not come in this office swearing or uninvited. Is that clear?"

"Yes!" Daniel continued to give her six more strikes with his belt until she was writhing in pain on his desk.

"And last, don't you ever come in her questioning my business or hiring practices. You do not have the right to do so. Is this also clear, Miss Beckett."

"Yes." she finally whispered. She looked up into his eyes wide eyed and completely innocent...or humbled. He wasn't sure which. Sara was wracked with sobs and her make up was destroyed. Shit. Something is wrong. This woman is at the end of her road. She is...broken. And I can see it! It's the way she is looking up at me. She is pleading somehow but I can't figure out how.

"Get to the bathroom and pull yourself together, Sara, and get to your desk and start work." She nodded and slowly turned away. She turned back to face him when she got to the door.

"Sir, if it is okay with you, I would like to go home."

"Absolutely not. You will stay until 5:00 p.m." Sara turned and walked out and closed the door quietly.

I don't trust you not to swallow a bottle of pills at this point or toss yourself over one of the balconies at Kensington Flats. Nope. You are staying here where I can keep an eye on you.

Daniel reached over the desk and picked up the phone and dialed Brandy.

"Under no circumstances is Miss Beckett to leave this building. Let me know immediately if she tries and keep my entrance locked. And keep this to yourself."

"You got it Mr. Taylor."

Sara was devastated. She could hardly concentrate. She was humiliated beyond words and there was no one she could talk to. Daniel gave her a half hour to get it together and called her desk and asked her to come back into his office.

"Please sit."

Sara sat in one of the chairs in front of his desk. She looked down at her hands because she could not bear to look at him after what had just happened.

"Sara, look at me."

Sara lifted her chin just enough to peek at him through her lashes. She was tugging at lip with her teeth. Shit. I just want to jump over this desk and hold her. Something terrible has happened to her. And not only the spanking I just gave her. There was something else that was very apparent however, he could not define what he was seeing.

You seem to be at some sort of crossroads I don't feel comfortable with."

"What do you mean?" she whispered. Sara thought this was what it looked like just before a person was fired. He stared at her a long moment and then asked,

"Did you bring lunch?"

"No."

"What did you plan to eat today?"

"I didn't."

"Get your jacket and purse. I am going to take you to lunch and we can talk more."

Sara grabbed only her purse because she did not have a jacket. They headed for the door and Daniel asked her,

"Don't you not have a jacket?" She looked up at him sideways and shook her head. "I can't hear you, Sara."