It was actually very inviting. There was a huge fireplace that was crackling at the moment and a country theme to it. There were several comfortable chairs near the fire and a floor to ceiling bookcase lining one huge wall. She wandered over to the bookcase and found some of her favorite titles on it.
She caught herself just in time, before grabbing one of the copies off the shelf. She could imagine herself curled up on the sofa, by the fire, reading until she fell asleep. That sounded just about perfect right then.
Joseph sat down in one of the chairs near the fireplace and waited for her to look around. She finally remembered where she was and came to sit by him. The door opened again and Lucas walked in. Her eyes drank him up before she could stop herself.
She wouldn’t fall for her boss. She repeated that to herself that about ten times. She finally gained the willpower to look away and focused on Joseph. She was very unnerved by the power Lucas had over her. She would certainly not let him know he could bring her to her knees easily with one more touch.
“Amy, we like to take care of our employees. Our philosophy is that if you treat your employees well then they will remain happy in their job and therefore be happier in their lives. It all comes around full circle. A happy employee equals happy clients,” Joseph began.
“I’m very happy in my job sir. I know that I’m struggling a bit with the computer system but if you just give me a little bit more time I’ll have it down. I’m more than willing to work weekends and stay late so I’m not using your time while learning the system,” Amy started defending her job skills immediately.
“You’re doing an amazing job dear. I have no complaints with how your work performance is going. Esther and Lucas have both said you are a real asset to the team. This conversation is not about any work problems,” he comforted her.
Amy took a deep breath of relief.
“I brought you in here to let you know about your benefits while working for the company. You have been with us three months already and you’re a valued employee,” he said Amy had been worried that she may be losing her job but he only wanted to talk about her benefits. She was so excited she almost jumped up and hugged him. The relief coursing through her at not only not having her job in jeopardy but getting her benefits was making it hard for her to stand still.
“Mr. Anderson, thank you so much for your confidence in me. It truly means a lot. I promise to not let you down and I’ll still be spending all of my extra time to make sure I’m giving you a hundred percent. This is the best job I could’ve ever hoped to get, especially right out of college,” she said with real gratitude.
Joseph chuckled at the gratitude in her voice. “Amy, you’re a breath of fresh air, but wouldn’t you like to hear about your benefits before thanking me so much?” he asked.
“Yes, of course sir,” she said.
“You know that officially I’m retired now and my son runs the company. He’s doing a damn fine job of it but he asked me from the beginning if I would still handle all the personnel type issues.
He has a lot on his plate already and this is something I truly enjoy, as he knows well.”
“Our company takes great pride in offering more benefits than your average corporation. I don’t disclose this to new hires because, first of all I want them to take the position because they want to work here and second of all, if that employee doesn’t work out then no harm caused,” he continued on.
“We take care of all employees, from the top of the chain of command all the way to the bottom.
Our executive positions get a few added bonuses though, which is what you are Amy. You work for the president of the company and therefore we want to make sure you’re extra taken care of.” Amy was a little bit confused as he continued talking. What could they possibly give her that was better than medical benefits? She had no idea.
“First of all you’ll receive a company car. Lucas will take you down to the dealership to pick it out tomorrow. Esther’s favorite was always the Mercedes LX but you can choose what fits you best. You’ll be doing a lot of driving for us and we want you to enjoy the ride,” he smiled.
She got a car! She was so excited. She couldn’t believe she got a company car. Did she get to take it home with her? She wanted to ask but was afraid that it would sound bad. Her forehead wrinkled a little bit as she was warring with herself on whether she should ask that or not.
“This will be your vehicle for personal use as well,” he said as if reading her mind. “Unless there are performance issues with the vehicle, we trade them in every two years. Safety’s a huge concern of ours and we don’t want you breaking down on the side of the road somewhere,” he added.
Was this company for real? She’d never heard of a business being so good to its employees. She would treat the vehicle like it was a newborn baby. She knew from her interview she was expected to do a lot of errands but hadn’t really thought about how she was supposed to get from point a to point b. She was glad they were providing the transportation because some of the things she was transporting were too risky to take a chance on the subway with.
“Here’s your new telephone,” he said handing it over to her with a piece of paper. “Your number’s on it. You have unlimited minutes so you may also use this as your personal cell and can turn off your other one. Communication’s key to a good business and we need to be able to reach each other at all times, well that’s except nighttime when work should be the last thing on anybody’s mind,” he added with a laugh. “However, unfortunately in the corporate world, time is forgotten and there will be some very late nights and long weekends,” he added sympathetically.
She already knew that as he’d told her all about what was going to be expected of her in the job interview. She had no issues with working hard. She would’ve been willing to do it without all the added benefits but with them there was nothing she wouldn’t do for the company.
“My dearest wife threw a couple of my company phones out into the lake when we were on vacation. She always told me that there was a time for work and then a time to relax.” He added.
Amy already thought the world of his wife. That statement made her like the woman even more.
“Of course you’ll have the finest medical insurance, which starts on Monday and all the other policies, which I’ve listed here. You can read through them later. They will help you to fall asleep,” he again chuckled.
“Now for the biggest benefit, which I think is fitting considering your current situation, which Lucas has filled me in on.” He added without any condemnation in his voice. “All of our executive officers are offered housing. We have a terrific apartment building that’s reserved for our company personnel and visiting businessmen and woman. We do a lot of work with people overseas and have found that they far prefer these apartments to a hotel.”
“There’s low rent and all utilities are included with that. Several of our board members stay in the complex for years while saving up and then buying homes. There’s no time limit on how long you stay. It’s yours for the duration of the job. If you’re out on sick leave the apartment’s still yours. I want you to feel completely at home and safe in your new place.” She had a feeling he knew a little bit about her past. Of course he would know about her past.
She figured he did extensive background checks on people he had working for his company, especially at such a high level.
“Your new apartment will be ready to move into by Monday. We had to do some painting and cleanup as that’s where Esther was living for quite some time,” he added. “I think you’ll find it very comfortable. It’s already furnished but Lucas will take you out tomorrow and you can pick your own decorations. Your things have already been moved in, except for a few clothes, which are sitting over by the door for you to use tomorrow.”
“Well, that takes care of the business. Do you have any questions for me?” he finished.
Amy was stunned. She didn’t know what to say. She had her own apartment. Her own apartment! It was even furnished. She would have few bills. Could this really be happening to her? She was so excited she forgot who she was for a moment and jumped up, throwing her arms around Joseph. “Thank you so much,” she cried with enthusiasm.
Amy suddenly realized what she’d done and how unprofessional it was of her and leapt back.
“I’m sorry about that Mr. Anderson. That was completely unprofessional. It’s just that I never imagined any of those things could be a part of a job and…” suddenly she choked up and couldn’t speak.
Joseph rose from the couch and pulled her into a hug. “It’s alright dear. I never turn down a hug.
You’re a good person and highly intelligent. You earned all that you’re receiving. Don’t forget that young lady.” He patted her back and then pulled away.
“As for this weekend, I understand that you don’t have a place to stay so I would like to offer you the guest house here on the property. Now don’t shake your head at me. We enjoy having people stay there. That’s why it’s called a guest house. There’s no need for you to go stay in some hotel,” he said, sounding like his son, leaving no room for argument.
“You look as if you’re about to fall over so I’ll have Lucas walk you out there. I noticed that you were eyeing the books. Would you like to take one with you to read this evening?” he offered.
Amy knew that there was no point in arguing with the man, she would lose anyway.
“That would be great Mr. Anderson,” she simply replied.
Amy couldn’t speak anymore or she was going to burst into tears. She’d never had anyone do so much for her. She’d never had someone have so much faith in her, or show so much caring. It was amazing how wonderful the family was. She understood why they’d been given so much.
They deserved everything they’d been given because they gave back tenfold. She couldn’t believe how lucky she’d been to become involved with the company. She would most definitely deal with her attraction to her boss and she would try and not be so hostile towards him.
She knew there was no way they could be a couple, he was way out of her league and she didn’t want to sleep with him and then lose everything, so she would just have to make sure that he understood they were simply employee and employer.
Amy went to the shelf and grabbed the book she’d been eyeing earlier. She couldn’t wait to get lost in the story. She was already picturing herself in the fantasy world.
“Thanks again Mr. Anderson. You really have been too good to me. I hope that I don’t let you down,” she said.
“You’ll be just great. I have a feeling we’re all going to be working together for many years to come,” he replied. He then turned and left the room. Suddenly, the once comfortable room seemed smaller than a closet with Lucas and her left all alone.
Chapter Four
Lucas watched the entire transaction between Amy and his father. He’d waited to see that look of greed in her eyes that all women usually got around his family when money was brought up.
