Loving the Russian

Chapter 1.

Of course, I was thrilled to be called back for a second interview. From what I understood of the position I'd been trying to retain at Zaos Holdings, Inc. it would open up a lot of doors if not a lifelong position. And I needed that.

The position was for a Personal Assistant for one of the board executives. Apparently, it was someone pretty high up because they required a drug test, a background check, and you had to be fluent in Russian. I was fluent in Russian; in fact I had lived in St. Petersburgh for one year in college. My mother was full Russian and met my father while going to school in England. They then ended up in New York, where I was raised. I grew up speaking it with my mother, so it only made since that I'd study Russian in high school and college.

I never thought it would be the reason I got a job.

Walking through the lobby of the Zaos Holdings, I noticed that there were no other women waiting in the lobby. Had I been the only one called back?

"Ms. Grace?" The dark haired receptionist asked. I met her eyes and gave her a nod accompanied by a small smile. "Please, take a seat. I'll let them know you're here."

"Thank you." I replied kindly before nervously taking a seat in one of the chairs.

I was wearing a black pencil skirt that stopped just below the knee with a red blouse and black blazer. On my feet were a pair of nude pumps, turning my 5'8 into a 6' My long blonde hair was in a neat half up do, framing my light blue eyes and high cheek bones. I didn't have to wait long before a man came down one of the hallways. He was taller than me with greying dark hair and a tough demeanor.

"Ms. Grace, I'm Nikolai Zaostrovsky." I knew that meant he was part of the family who owned the company. I also noticed his Russian accent. "If you'd follow me?"

After shaking his hand, I followed him back down the hall towards two large metal double doors. He stepped in first, holding the door open for me, and motioned for me to enter. When I did so, I noticed we were in a massive corner office with a view overlooking Manhattan through floor to ceiling windows and sharp black marble flooring. In the middle of the room was a small sitting section with a coffee table and two black leather chairs on either side with a modern light fixture hanging directly above it. Further past that, closer to the windows, was the desk. It was absolutely stunning, but I didn't get a chance to really take it in as the man behind the desk stood to his feet.

I knew who he was by his straight nose, high cheek bones, brown eyes and greying black hair. He was Kazimir Zaostrovsky, the owner and CEO of Zaos Holdings. He was also much taller than me, probably around 6'3" and had an incredibly intimidating manner about him.

"Florence, this is my cousin, Kazimir Zaostrovsky. Cousin, this is Ms. Florence Grace."

Kazimir came around the desk and walked towards where we stood. When he reached us, he looked down at me and offered his hand which I quickly took.

"Tak ty govorish' po russki?" He asked me if I spoke Russian, obviously doubtful of my application.

"Da, beglo. YA napolovinu russkiy iz Sankt-Peterburga." Letting the words flow off my lips effortlessly and confidently, I told him how I was half Russian from St. Petersburgh. This caused him to smirk.

"Then it looks like we are off to a good start. Please, take a seat."

His voice was slightly raspy, and the accent was strong, though not as much so as his cousin's. We walked back to the desk where he took his respected spot while Nikolai and I took the chairs opposite of him.

"Ms. Grace, before I offer you the job, I want to you know exactly what it entails." He held my eyes for a moment, as if to get a point across. Nervously, I gave him a small nod and he continued. "The position is for my personal assistant."

I definitely wasn't expecting that, and I don't think I was mentally prepared to be the assistant of one of the richest Russians in the world. It was even more responsibility than what I had previously assumed.

"You will live at my estate and travel when I travel. That includes you managing my schedule, my calendar, my meetings, my flights, and so forth. It's a full-time position." His left brow raised slightly to get the point across. This was literally going to become my life. "The salary is $200,000. Food, clothing, housing and travel expenses will all be taken care of."

"How does that sound?" Nikolai asked.

I was thankful that he spoke up as it allowed me to look away from Kazimir's deep stare. It was as if the man could see into your soul.

"It sounds like an amazing opportunity but I feel like there must be some kind of catch."

Kazimir smirked and nodded once. "There is a fine detailed contract we must go over that states you are required to stay in the position for at least three years. I'm sure you understand, I can't be replacing assistants every so often."

"And days off?"

"Sundays, when we are in the country until 8 pm when we brief for the following week"

"The Saturday evening between the 3rd and 7th of June, I need that off."

"That's a very specific date." His tone was borderline accusing but I could tell he just wanted details. I was quickly realizing that this man didn't like secrets.

"That's the day my parents celebrate their birthdays."

"Of course." He looked to Nikolai. "Add that to the contract."

The older cousin nodded and jotted it down. "There is also the matter of the None Disclosure Agreement." Nikolai threw in. "This keeps you from speaking about the insides of the family."

"Of course, I understand that be needed." Taking a deep breath, my eyes fell back to Kazimir's. He was watching me, expecting me to quit before I even took the position. But he was wrong if he thought I was going to turn it down. "So, when do I move in?"

"I like her, cousin." Nikolai clapped, standing up. "Let's start the contract."

The next hour was filled by going over every line of the contract, one at a time, in fine detail. Nothing was missed. Nothing was skipped over. It held the basics about the way the company was ran, what was expected of me and how I needed to keep my mouth shut. When that hour was over, Nikolai handed me what would have looked to be a flat black box in a large square shape.

"Open it." Kazimir instructed. So, I did as I was told.

Inside the box I found the newest model of the iPhone, a new Mac book pro, and a new iPad. There was also a hard cover binder. Opening it, I saw that it had all the contacts for the people I would need on the regular. This included but was not limited to, household staff, the company board members, the private airline he flew through and more. There was also notes about how things were to be done and his schedule for the next two weeks.

"You're to move in this weekend and you're first official day will be Monday. My men will come to collect you and your belongings Sunday, mid-morning. That gives you the day to get settled and then on Monday, we have our first day together."

As I looked down at the box in my lap, this suddenly became very real. Not only did I just get a position that girls would kill for, it also paid more than I could dream, and I was guaranteed to have for three years as long as I didn't screw anything up to badly. Which I wouldn't. I was incredibly organized, and I had a feeling that was going to be vital.