“Go ahead, Nicco.” Mrs. Reddick flapped her hands like a bald eagle taking flight. “She’s all yours.”
Leaning forward in his chair, his eyes zeroing in on hers, he was nothing like the sly, flirtatious guy who’d hit on her two days earlier. “Why do you want to work for Morretti Inc.?”
Because I’m an out-of-work single mom, and kids are expensive! Unsure of what to say, Jariah racked her mind for a suitable answer, one that would paint her in a favorable light. Over the past three weeks she’d been on so many interviews it was hard to keep the companies straight, and though she tried, Jariah couldn’t remember anything remarkable about Morretti Inc. But she couldn’t tell the boss’s son that, so she said the first thing that came to mind.
“This is not only a fine opportunity for personal growth and professional advancement, but Morretti Inc. is a place where I feel I can make a difference.” Hearing the nervous quiver in her voice, Jariah paused to take a deep breath. “As an account manager, well versed in finance, book keeping and stock and investment options, I see this position as a perfect fit for me. Because I have excellent time management skills, I’m able to accomplish a lot in a limited amount of time and I have always led by example.”
“Is your significant other supportive of your career ambitions?”
Jariah frowned, and noticed that Mrs. Reddick raised her eyebrows, too. What an odd question. Is that his way of asking me if I have a boyfriend? She expected Mrs. Reddick to come to her rescue, but when the HR director didn’t, Jariah had no choice but to respond. “I’m single,” she said brightly, though she wanted to kick Nicco in the shin for digging around in her personal life. “My daughter is my number one priority right now.”
“Do you have any qualms about working at a male-dominated company?”
“Absolutely not. To be honest, I get along better with men than I do with women.” The second the words left her mouth Jariah regretted them, but to her surprise, Nicco grinned. He looked amused.
“Do you have any questions for me before we conclude today’s interview?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact I do.” Jariah held his gaze. For some odd reason seeing the puzzled expression on his face bolstered her courage. “What makes Morretti Inc. different? What sets your company apart from the competition?”
Nicco gave her a long, searching look. “That’s a great question, Ms. Brooks.”
You impressed the boss’s son. You go girl!
“Morretti Inc. has been the leader in the shipping industry for over fifty years, and since expanding our services in the nineties we’re increased our profits by 16 percent. In addition to our shipping, moving and security divisions, we also own condominium properties, car dealerships and a wildly successful restaurant franchise. Have you heard of Dolce Vita?”
Yes, but it’s too expensive for my tastes. “Yes, of course. It’s a celebrity hotspot, and one of my favorite Italian restaurants in Miami.”
Jariah fidgeted with her fingers and shifted uncomfortably in her chair. Lying didn’t sit well with her. It troubled her conscience, made her feel like a fraud but she felt compelled to tell Nicco Morretti what he wanted to hear. The interview was going well, better than she’d expected, and she didn’t want to do anything to turn him off. “Can you tell me about your employee development program?”
Mrs. Reddick spoke up. “We have a mandatory, one-week training session for all new employees, monthly webinars and workshops and a tuition reimbursement program for all full-time employees enrolled in university classes.”
“That’s impressive,” Jariah said, meaning every word. “When will you make a decision about the account manager position?”
“By Wednesday.” Mrs. Reddick closed her file folder. “Do you have any other questions?”
Shaking her head, Jariah picked her purse up off the floor and stood to her feet. “Thank you for taking time out of your very busy schedule to meet with me this morning.”
“No, thank you for coming.” Nicco stood and gestured to the door. “I’ll walk you out.”
“That won’t be necessary. I remember the way.”
“If you insist.”
“I do.”
Stepping forward, Jariah took the hand Nicco offered, and gave it a firm shake. Ignoring the warmth of his touch, she strode through the conference room door with her shoulders squared and her head held high.
* * *
Staring through the glass window, Nicco watched Jariah walk down the hallway with the grace of a woman twice her age. Her sleeveless dress, which clung to each sinuous curve of her body, made Nicco wonder if she’d ever been a model. He imagined her naked, with nothing on but her red patent leather pumps, and all but exploded in his boxers.
Jariah Brooks is all wrong for you. His conscience pointed out. She has a kid, man trouble, and a serious attitude problem, remember? Nicco did, but that didn’t stop him from wanting her. Intelligent, assertive women turned him on, and he enjoyed Jariah’s strong personality and the way she stood up to him. She was definitely a looker, and he liked that she was single...and available.
“What do you think?”
Remembering that he wasn’t alone and that Mrs. Reddick was standing beside him, watching him like a hawk, he turned away from the window and shook off his thoughts. “I think Ms. Brooks would be a great addition to our accounting department, don’t you?”
“No, I don’t.”
“You don’t?” Nicco heard the surprise in his voice and coughed to clear his throat. After leaving Javalicious on Friday, Nicco had told himself to forget about Jariah, but the message had failed to reach his brain. All weekend, he’d thought of her and nothing else. Running into her at his office had been a stroke of good luck, and after sitting in on her interview, Nicco was even more intrigued by the single mom with the keen mind and stellar résumé. “I was impressed by her answers and the questions she asked.”
“Ms. Brooks is articulate, and obviously intelligent, but I don’t want to hire anyone who may cause trouble or disrupt the harmony within the accounting department—”
“And you think Ms. Brooks is trouble?”
Mrs. Reddick shoved her papers back into her manila file folder. “I can’t say for sure, but I’d rather not take the chance. And besides, she’s a single mother.”
“What does that have to do with her ability to do the job?”
“In my thirty years of experience in HR, I’ve found single moms to be unreliable, undependable, and often too distracted by personal issues to effectively do their job.”
“That sounds like discrimination, Mrs. Reddick.”
“It’s called selective hiring.”
Her words troubled him, but Nicco decided not to argue with Mrs. Reddick. The HR director was new to Morrretti Inc., but his father trusted her wholeheartedly, and he didn’t want to say anything to ruffle her feathers. “You’re the expert. Do what you think is best,” he said with a shrug of his shoulders. “Have you hired a new executive assistant for me?”
“Unfortunately, none of the men I’ve interviewed yesterday were up to snuff.”
Stunned, Nicco stared wide-eyed at the HR director. Was Mrs. Reddick off her rocker? What would ever possess her to hire a dude to be his right hand? “Come again?”
“In light of what happened with Ms. O’Conner, your father thought it was best I hire a male assistant to work alongside you, and I agreed.”
“I