“You're late. Your first day and you're late. I would have thought you’d be twenty minutes early. That's what I expect.”
He was tall and dark, and she noticed his nose had been broken at one point. It wasn't crooked, but it was flatter than most men's. She hadn't met him at the interview; he'd asked his personnel department to choose a few suitable candidates. He'd taken two things into consideration when hiring her. First, what the personnel department had to say, and second, the way she looked in the photo of her they gave him.
“Sorry,” she said.
“That's your desk out in the small office. You don't come in here unless I call you. Is that clear?”
“Yes.”
“And you're working hours are twenty-four seven.”
“Sorry?”
“You are to be available any time, day or night, when I need you. I operate an international business.” He sat on the edge of his desk and looked at her tanned legs. “Calls come in at all times of the day and night. It will happen that I call you in the middle of the night and ask you to come in. The world never sleeps, and neither will you when I need you. Clear?”
“Yes, it's clear.” Be professional and do as he requests. After a few weeks, you'll have more control over him, she thought.
“Good. Today you're going to spend the rest of the day with Jean from personnel. She's going to show you how we do things around here. I like things done my way. I expect a lot from my employees; that's why they are well paid. They also respect me.” He turned and looked out the window. “This is a special view. You can see the ocean and a lot of LA. I earned this view with my own sweat. Nobody will ever take it away from me. If you work hard for me, you will get a lot of rewards as well.”
Avaline remembered what Penny had said about there being some hard people in the big wide world. If she was right, he was surely one of them. “I'll do my very best to do a good job,” she said.
“You can start with your timekeeping then, can't you?” he said harshly. “Tell Jean to bring you back up to my office at 5 p.m. You'll find her one floor below, room 365.”
Avaline felt like she'd just been grilled by an army officer. Nobody had ever set out so many rules for her.
At 5 p.m. she stood in Colten's office and waited until he'd finished his telephone call.
“That's all I can pay, Jim. It's a fair price. Look at the place; it's almost derelict.” Without another word on his end, he put the phone down and clapped his hands together. “Another great deal done. Making money is all about purchasing at the lowest price possible.” Avaline nodded. “One compliment I do have for you is how nice you look,” he said. She was wearing a short black skirt, black pantyhose, and a blue blouse. “You look very businesslike, and your hair and makeup are perfect.”
She hated being judged by a man in such a way. He'd appraised her like a farmer would appraise a prize bull. But she was going to be professional. “Thank you,” she said.
“Party time. The day's for working and the evening’s for enjoyment. Come with me; I'm going to introduce you to the gang.”
*****
When they arrived at the Hopeless Sinner, a bar, restaurant, and health club, Avaline could hear the beat of loud music from outside. Colten got out of the Rolls and opened her door. When she got out, he was careful to note how shapely her legs were as they slid from the leather seat.
“This is our playground, the Hopeless Sinner. I own it, and a guy called Tony Jameson runs it for me.”
They had stopped close to the waterfront. It was a curious building that Avaline would never have thought he owned. Built of wood, it looked like an Austrian log cabin. There was a veranda at the front and a large neon sign on the roof advertising the best fish in town.
“Tony, this is Avaline, my new PA. Whenever she wants to come here with her friends, you look after her and put whatever they have on my tab. Okay?”
Tony was a young man of around twenty-five, tall and thin and Hispanic looking. “Sure, boss. Do you want the usual this evening?” Colten nodded.
“Remember that, Avaline. Bring your friends here whenever you want. Now let me show you around.”
They were standing in the bar area. In front of the bar, which extended down the side of the interior, there were wooden tables and chairs. She followed him through a door and into the restaurant area.
“Wow. This is pretty special,” she said.
“Yes. All the furniture was imported from Indonesia especially. The palm trees are from Egypt. We tried to get a real nice colonial look.”
“Well you succeeded. It's really atmospheric.” Avaline imagined herself transported back to the days of the British in India.