On the run

Four

That prick on Saturday night is lucky this didn't bruise. I'd have hunted him down and broken his legs if it had. I'd sat for an hour with a bag of peas over my cheek, flipping through an old magazine I had laying around that I must have read a million times by now.

I dropped my bag down to the floor, kicking it under my desk. I've never been late. But today, for some reason, my car started playing up and I had to get a neighbour to jump start me which caused a major delay I didn't usually account for. I wasn't massively late. 5 or so minutes but it didn't look great on big god boss' first day. If he was looking for a reason to sack me off, I'd just handed it to him on a platter.

My phone buzzed on the desk and I picked up the headset immediately.

"Hello?"

"Penny wasn't it?"

"Um, yeah."

"Can you come in here please?"

"Yeah sure." I put the phone down, laying my forehead on the desk and exhaling before standing up. Great way to start the week. Where was James anyway? He wouldn't have noticed me not being here. He said he was going to be here this week whilst, shit. What was his name? FUCK.

I knocked on the door, trying to frame myself, hold it together. It's fine. This is what your savings are for Pops. For emergencies like this. The door pulled open, Mr. God boss looking at me like I'd irritated him already.

"Why are you knocking?"

"I uh-"

"I asked you to come in, so you come in." He stood to the side, gesturing for me to enter the office. The second the door closed; he wandered around to sit down in his chair. He shuffled through the papers scattered around his desk, scribbling with his pen all over them before raising an eyebrow. "Are you just going to stand there like a chunk of marble?"

I don't think I'd ever sat in here. Not even for a second. James gave me my instructions and I'd leave to do whatever. My interview was in one of the small meeting rooms. I didn't have a need to sit in here. Ever. So now I was being told to, I feel like I'd forgotten how to sit. Or act human. God. Get yourself together woman. I pushed myself forward, sliding into one of the chairs opposite him with the same amount of grace as a baby giraffe. All legs and no idea how to use them.

"So, what do you do here Penny?" He turned the papers over, gathering them in one pile and I tried to not think about the fact I'd seen my name circled in them all. "It is Penny right? James called you about 5 different names."

"It's Penny." I nodded.

"Short for Penelope?" I nodded again. Okay stop, he's going to think you're the Churchill dog. "Do you prefer Penny? Or was that just-"

"I prefer Penny."

"Okay. Penny it is." He noted it down. "James gave me a list of things you do on the daily but to be honest, I don't know why you've been doing them when they were his job."

"That's what I'm here for." I shrugged. "Keep whoever I'm told to organised and their life on track. If that's sending flowers wherever or sorting their emails out then that's what I need to do."

"How does the day normally go for you?"

"I uh, get here between 8 and half past, check all the emails, check stock around the office, order anything we need-"

"Paper and things?"

"Paper, toiletries, things for the kitchen. Anything." He nodded, jotting it down on the paper. "Then I'll uh, check James' meetings for the day and make my plan. Depending on what's going on depends on where I need to be but generally I sit in on all the meetings and take minutes, keep on top on the whole office's filing so it's right and following all the right regulations, sort all the department problems before they get to him, usual PA stuff."

"You've been greeting visitors, making drinks?"

"Yeah."

"But we have a receptionist?"

"Alice is usually handling things for the sales team." He nodded and there was a long silence as he looked over the list of things on the paper before him and sighed, dropping his pen to the desk, and looking up at me.

"I'm gonna be honest with you Penny," Here we go. "I know I'm going to need a PA here. It's a lot to manage and stay on top of, the meetings and clients and the different departments and everything. I could do it; it'll just be easier with a PA and by the looks of things you're more than capable. But I do want to look at your job description because you are doing way too much for a PA. You're doing a receptionist job and an office managers job and that's what I pay those people for." He turned over the paper and sat back. "And you're not getting paid anywhere near enough for the work you are doing. Especially when you've been here as long as you have and you've never had a pay rise."

"I don't exactly have the experience to get more." I laughed but his eyes shot up, brows lowering in such away I felt like I was going to throw up with anxiety.

"3 years is experience Penny. Plenty experience." I didn't move. Terrified of making the wrong one. He'd been great so far. I don't know. Having someone new around made me exceptionally nervous. Worrying about who he knew and who they knew and if anyone he'd bring into the office would get news back where I didn't want it to go. "You're very quiet." Still nothing. "I watched you in that meeting on Friday, everyone was talking to someone but you. I caught Anna quickly before she left and she said you don't talk to anyone unless you have to for your job." I hesitated but nodded twice. Slowly. Like I didn't want him to know the answer. "Why?"

"I'm here to do a job. I don't see the need in anyone knowing my personal life." He sat forward. "It's not like there's much to tell."

"Everyone has something to tell."

"I don't."

"Not even a pet goldfish?" I shook my head. "No friends? Family?" No. "No one? You don't have a single person outside of here?"

"I have people, I'd just rather keep them away from the workplace." Lie. "Their stories aren't exactly work friendly." Truth. He nodded, like he was accepting that as my answer but he continued staring at me like he was trying to suss me out.

"I need you available 24-7."

"What?"

"As my PA. I need you available at the other end of the phone for any emergencies. Like needing to change meetings or if I need to take an immediate flight. Will that be a problem?" Yes. A huge one. I can't be on my phone at the bar. Or when I walk home. That's like 8 hours 6 days a week. Mr god boss was a pain in my arse already.

"No." He nodded once, holding his hand out towards the door and I stood up, a lot easier than I had getting into the chair.

"I've sent you an email whilst I was waiting for you to show up, my contact details are on there and a list of things I need from you every day before the rest of team starts. You need to be here at 8 from now on. I don't tolerate lateness."

Oh, fuck off. Mr god boss is a knob. Mr knobhead God boss. Bit long. I'll have to find him another nickname.