Molten Chocolate - Chapter #2 - Free To Read

Evan’s POV

I stood up at my desk, ready to call my best friend, Zack, to meet up for lunch. We had been best friends since our high school days and all throughout the years at Harvard University where we both mastered Business Administration and Management, Marketing, Accounts, and Communication. The requirements for being and becoming CEO’s.

“Hi darling,” a voice greeted me as I was walking to my private elevator. I turned around slowly, knowing who it was, and she immediately threw her arms around my neck and drew me in for a kiss.

I pulled away gently.

“What are you doing here?” I asked her. I wasn’t expecting her and I hated it when people showed up on me unwelcome.

“I wanted to surprise you and take you out to lunch.” She was still cheerful.

How do I shut her down gently? I asked myself.

Julia Starlet was a twenty-four-year-old female actress. Tall, slim, blonde, and beautiful to look at. I adored her bright brown eyes and the elegant way she applied her makeup. She was flawless but she was only a one-night stand I met at one of my father’s functions and I had no true intentions of having anything solid with those types of women who appeared to be so easy to get into bed and always eager to spread their legs for a rich guy.

For Pete’s sake, the same night I met her, was the same night I ‘bedded’ her. She was like so many others, but I had come to a realization about myself, and I wanted—no, scratch that—I NEEDED to change my lifestyle. Eventually.

“Actually, I’m getting lunch with my best friend,” I said, typing into my phone, and responding to an email.

“Well, can I come along? Would you stop texting and pay attention to me?”

I heaved a sigh. She was already starting to irritate me.

“No.” I retorted, walking into my elevator. She followed me in.

“Evan. I want us to become exclusive. Let’s make it official and become a real couple,” she suggested with a smile.

My eyes shifted from the phone and scanned her.

She must be out of her mind.

"No,” I said again and turned my attention back to my email.

"So, you think you can sleep with me and then just toss me aside like a piece of garbage? Who do you think you are?!" She roared at me before snatching the phone out of my hands.

“What the hell! Give me back my phone.”

“No! You’re not breaking up with me!”

She threw the phone onto the elevator's floor and used her heels as a weapon of destruction, repeatedly stomping on it until it was nothing but bits and pieces underneath her. I watched the woman acting like a crazy lunatic next to me.

I chuckled and shook my head.

“Am I funny to you?” she asked, looking at me when she was done destroying my iPhone with the heels of her stiletto.

“Listen, Julia, you’re a nice girl, really, but mylife doesn’t revolve around you. You were just a one-time thing and I have zero intentions of taking you home to my family. This basically means I have no intention of making you my girlfriend, fiancée, wife, and baby mother.”

“But you sent me flowers.”

She was about to cry. Her eyes welled up and she was getting red in the face like a steamed lobster.

“I always do that. That’s how I say thank you and goodbye.”

I exited the elevator and informed security to escort her off the premises. I had no intention of dealing with any more tantrums from an emotionally wrecked woman.

I started my Bentley and drove to a nearby but illustrious restaurant where my best friend Zack was already waiting. We always met here whenever we decided to have lunch together and catch up on things.

“You look drained,” he greeted, patting me on the back as I sat down at our table.

“You don’t know the half of it and I just had to deal with Julia.”

“Julia?”

“Yeah. The movie actress I met at Dad’s gala last Wednesday.”

“Oh well, she wasn’t so bad. She was very beautiful and seemed friendly and...”

“Easy.” I finished for him.

He laughed.

“Well, not everyone is the same. The lady who gives it on the first date could very well be the wife material. I don’t think that defines a woman,” he put in his two cents while opening the menu that was placed on the table in front of us.

“Well, I do. I wouldn’t trust her if she spreads on the first night, bro. She knows nothing about me, not even my second name, but she’s ready to sleep with me. And you’re saying she 'could be wife material’? No! I call it gold digging.”

“Evan, you’re twenty-five. You’re not getting any younger. When are you going to settle down and find the right woman?”

“Dude... Don’t you start with me... Please reserve those kinds of lectures for my mom. She's the only one who always preaches about it. I'm not ready for all that just yet. I know exactly when I will settle down and what I'll settle for. I don't want a famous actress, model, or anyone within those categories. I want someone normal."

We ordered our lunch and a bottle of mild alcoholic beverages. After lunch, I went back to my office and he went back to his. He also managed his father’s firm but his dad was still CEO.

“Miss Blackman, order me a new iPhone and have it sent over to my office. Also, you’ll be starting as my new assistant, so I want you to get all the secretarial applications and bring them to my office,” I demanded to my secretary who was acting as my personal assistant as well since I fired the previous one.

The one I had fired was unprofessional for barging into my office, taking off her bra, and tossing it at me like a stripper.

"Want to have some fun, boss?" she asked.

"Have some fun at your new job because you're fired!" I responded without even looking up at her.

All I heard was a low growl and the sound of her heels hitting the floor as she walked out of my office.

Maybe she got the wrong impression when I told her I wanted her in my office right away. Hell, I was about to fire her anyway. She messed up my schedule the day before. I hated employees who couldn’t control themselves. I wasn't interested in any assistance, nor could I ever envision myself needing it. I was the boss, and my tolerance was extremely low; even the slightest disturbance could easily throw me off.

“Yes sir,” Miss Blackman responded and immediately went to pull out the cabinets in search of the applications.

I went into my office, closed the door behind me, and sat down in my comfortable office chair. I gazed around and imagined how my father must have felt when he accomplished all of this. He was my role model and my mentor, that was one of the reasons why I never changed a thing in the office. Everything was the exact way he left it and his office was now my office. His picture still hung on the wall. And the photograph, with him in his clean white tuxedo, mom in her very beautiful wedding gown, and Emily and I in our white baby suits in their arms, was on my desk, positioned at an angle that was visible to my eyes only. It was my favorite picture, although I couldn’t remember that actual day, I was barely five months old.

I raked my fingers through my hair as a knock came on the door.

“Come in Miss. Blackman,” I instructed.

I always knew it was her, she didn’t have to call to inform me she was coming to my office like what she had to do for everyone else.

She opened the door and walked up to my desk.

“I’ve found them.”

“Okay,” I replied and took the folder from her hands, and placed it on my desk. There were many applications. Hundreds if not thousands and I wanted the best of the best.

“Miss Blackman, transfer all the calls to my extensions and join me in here so we can go through these together,” I said, daring not to touch the application until I had help.

“Yes sir,” she answered with a smile and withdrew quickly.

I liked that about Miss. Blackman. She was always cheerful and up for any task and challenges I threw her way.

“This one is too shallow.”

" Too deep and egotistic.”

“Too short.”

“Too self-expressive.”

We looked through the applications for the remainder of the afternoon.

In the end, four applicants stood out.

“What’s my schedule like tomorrow?” I asked her.

“There’s a meeting you have with the investors at 11:00 am and the fifth level meeting at 2:00 pm. You’re free before and after the hours of these two meetings.”

“Great, okay. Call in these applicants and inform them that they’ve been selected for an interview tomorrow at 8:00a.m sharp. If they’re not interested or they’ve already found another job, here are the others.” I handed her three more applications which I also found impressive so I used them as a stand-by. Just in case.

“Okay. I’ll get on it right away,” she said.

I looked up at the wall clock in my office. She was already overtime. It was 4:30 p.m. and she finished at 4:00 p.m. I wanted to stop her to tell her I’ll do it myself but she was already out the door, making phone calls.

“Mr. Hollen, I’ve contacted the first four but two have already found another job and are no longer interested since they’re out of the country so I’ve contacted the standbys.”

“And?”

“They’ll be coming in tomorrow at 8:00 a.m. Here are the names.” She handed me a piece of paper, “Good afternoon sir,” she said again and turned to leave.

“Thank you,” I said and she turned back at me, smiled again, and left.

Wow. She’s amazing.