Kate Kaufmann listened to her editor’s nasally voice come through over the phone. She swiveled impatiently, sitting at her desk in the small studio apartment she called home. He was running his mouth, as per usual, reminding her that she had one month to get this job done.
“I don’t wanna hear anything about extensions either,” Peterson warned her. “If you can’t get this scoop, you’re out. After that fiasco with the Jamison Corporation, you’re lucky I’m willing to stick my neck out for you at all.”
Irritation made her head pound. “The facts were good on that one,” she argued for the hundredth time. “If my chickenshit source hadn’t been bought at the last second that would have been the story of a lifetime.”
Peterson huffed into the phone. “Well, he did. And that retraction cost us big time.”
“That won’t happen again. I’ve got an in this time. No source, just direct facts. I’ll expose the Blaine Corporation; you’ll get your story and I’ll get my Pulitzer.”
“What’s your in?” Peterson asked gruffly.
Kate smiled, feeling confident despite the pressure he was putting on her. “I’ve got a job as his personal assistant.”
Surprise coated her editor’s voice when he asked, “How the hell did you manage that?”
“I’ve got my connections,” she replied vaguely.
“Yeah, well, just make sure they don’t screw us this time.”
There was a click and the phone went dead. Now that she wasn’t arguing with her boss over whether or not this story would be the end of her career, some of her confidence faded. Kate was a good reporter. She knew how to write, how to wheedle information out of people, while simultaneously earning their trust.
No one could argue with her results, until that damn Jamison exposé. Though she had been right and her writing had been top notch, her source who had been a disgruntled worker within the company suddenly denied everything he had told her.
She didn’t have to ask what had happened. It didn’t surprise her in the least that he had been bought off with a rather sizeable paycheck. She wanted to push the matter and further expose the company by accusing them of bribery to boot, but the paper wouldn’t do it. They had taken a hit for her article and the company had insisted on a retraction. With no hard evidence now that the source was denying everything, they were left without a leg to stand on. And Kate was left in the doghouse.
Peterson was right about one thing: her job was on the line with this one.
* * *
Her day at work started at seven-thirty. A woman named Clarice Adams was showing her around the building and giving her the lowdown on what she would be doing for Mr. Blaine as his personal assistant. Kate wondered if she would have to deal with harassment or something along those lines. She was a fairly good looking woman and it wouldn’t be the first time it had happened.
Part of her hoped he would make a move on her. A sleazy scumbag would be a nice addition to her exposé.
She decided to see if Ms. Adams had had any run ins. The woman was beautiful, with blonde hair pulled into a ponytail that went down the middle of her back stopping just before her hips, which were slimmer than Kate’s, but went well with the woman’s tiny waist. If Mr. Blaine liked chasing tail, then it would be impossible not to go after this woman.
“How long have you worked here, Ms. Adams?” Kate asked, attempting to sound conversational.
The woman glanced over, her brown eyes making Kate think that the woman wasn’t a natural blonde. “About five years now,” she replied in that crisp voice of hers. She wasn’t rude, but she wasn’t exactly exuding friendliness either. “I’ve worked for Mr. Blaine since my internship in college.”
Yep. That sounded about right, fitting the sharp woman to a t.
“So you must really like it here to have stayed this long,” Kate prompted.
The woman stopped outside of a door—silver with molding that almost looked like glass—and spun on her gray heels to face Kate.
“I find it very stimulating.”
Stimulating. Kate thought about what kind of ‘stimulation’ she was getting from this place and wondered how best to approach the subject. As a reporter, Kate knew that the wrong question to the wrong person was as good as a solid door in your face.
“And the wages are generous,” Kate continued, smiling as though a simpleton merely happy with a paycheck above minimum wage. “Mr. Blaine seems like a good boss.”
––––––––
Clarice’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly, suggesting that there was something about Blaine being a good boss that Clarice didn’t like Kate talking about. Time to do some smooth back pedaling and emphasize the dumb broad routine.
“I’m really looking forward to working for him,” she said with that same stupid smile plastered on her face. “I’m really good at making coffee.”
What suspicion had taken hold in Clarice’s expression softened slightly, although not altogether fading. “Well,” she said dryly. “There will be some of that, but those won’t be your only tasks. You’ll also be required to answer phone calls and take messages for Mr. Blaine, usually only when he’s out of his office.” Her voice was quick, but insistent, as those these items were more than a job description, but a calling.
Kate was pretty sure being a secretary wasn’t a calling for anyone, regardless of whether he was a hot shot corporate CEO or not.
“There will be filing, taking memos, keeping his schedule, and fielding any persons that come to the office requesting to see him. Some will have appointments—some will not. It’s important to make sure no one disturbs Mr. Blaine without an invitation, understand?” Her eyes flashed accusingly, making her look older and dangerous.
Kate nodded quickly, feeling the intensity of the woman grow the more she talked about Mr. Blaine. Suddenly, it occurred to her that Clarice may have chosen to stay with the company for reasons not purely professional.
So maybe Kate’s sleazy boss angle could work out after all.
She would have to make notes, then just wait and see.
“Now,” Clarice continued, straightening her already perfectly pressed suit. “You will work primarily from here,” she said as she opened the door they had been standing in front of. They walked in, revealing a wide hallway that might as well been its own office. “That will be your desk.”
She waved her freshly manicured fingers towards a large desk shaped like a teardrop—stainless steel silver, of course—with what looked like a top of the line computer and a very comfortable chair.
“You are welcome to bring some personal items,” she told Kate evenly, but the way she said ‘personal items’ suggested that she didn’t care for them in an office setting. “They are to be tasteful, minimal, and arranged so as not to distract visitors or become hindrances for office duties.”
Kate cleared her throat, then smiled blandly. “Of course.”
“Through that door is Mr. Blaine’s office. You won’t spend much time in there,” Clarice said with only a hint of smugness. “However, on occasion he will ask for coffee, reports, or memos that require you to enter. Be sure you knock first. Always.”
Kate stared at the set of tall, intricately etched double doors. They followed that same silver theme that the whole place had going on, but they were carved into, displaying swirling designs. They were so thin and so light, because of the silver, that they didn’t come off as gaudy. Merely something interesting to see beneath the surface that came about only when you were looking carefully.
Beyond those doors was Kate’s goal. Of course, she would snoop around the files she would have access to and question other employees besides the strange, strict Ms. Adams, but Blaine’s office was her best bet for dirt.
Every company had some, especially the billion dollar ones, and they all kept the evidence close to the vest. But that was okay. Getting at that kind of secret information was Kate’s specialty.
“That’s about it, Ms. Kaufmann,” Clarice said, finishing their little tour. “Feel free to direct any of your questions to me—no need to bother Mr. Blaine.”
If the woman had been six foot two with bulging biceps, she would have made a great body guard.
“Thank you, I will,” Kate answered demurely.
When Clarice left, Kate took a seat behind her desk, getting acquainted with her computer and the phone system, which was a headset instead of a receiver.
It all seemed pretty straightforward. Now she just had to do her job well enough to not get fired before she got her story.
Oh, and not let anyone know she was an undercover reporter looking to take down one of the biggest corporations in the nation.
Instead of panicking or worrying over the pressures surrounding her, Kate smiled and leaned back in her chair. She lived for this.