How to Train Your Secretary (Closed for Paulsjunk and minxwife)

[minxwife]

How to Train Your Secretary (closed for lovingfingers)

Veronica loved her job. Or at least, she thought she did. She had only started at McGowan & Co Lawyers six months previously and had been finding it difficult to adjust to lawyer hours and their commitments.

She was a secretary to Elliot, one of the senior partners in the firm and while he was nice, he was also a tough man. Veronica tried hard daily to do the right thing, but she couldn’t keep up as well as she thought she could. She had all but lied on her resume and somehow managed to get her way through the multiple interview process.

It was 10am Tuesday morning and after a disastrous start to the day, she hoped today would only get better. On her way to pick up Elliot’s dry cleaning and coffee, the sky opened up and she was drenched through. Back in the office she had a scowl on her face and the other secretaries were ignoring her. She was pretty sure they didn’t like her, she was the youngest secretary there, fresh out of university and some world travel.

Veronica looked at the picture of Jason on her desk and twisted her engagement ring around her finger. She hated that it was so small. He was a starving artist that didn’t want to work. Planning their wedding had been a stressful task and she brought that to work with her.

While zoned out, she didn’t realise the phone on her desk was ringing until it stopped and the intercom buzzed. She froze.

“Ronnie, please step into my office.”

 

[PaulsJunk]

Elliot had been mulling over whether to fire Veronica for the last several weeks. *He was confident that he had ample cause. *Her phone skills were terrible, she rarely got to the office on a timely basis, and she was organizationally inept. *But he hated to do it because, deep down, he was a softy. *In 20 years as a lawyer, he had fired only one staff member, and that was an easy case, due to her alcohol and drug issues. *So in Ronnie's case, he had resolved to give her a warning about improving her job experience and see where it went from there. *He was staring at his computer terminal when she came into his office and didn't immediately look up. *"Veronica, we need to discuss your job performance."

And then he looked up. *"Jesus, Ronnie you're soaked. *Get to the bathroom and clean youself up. *We can speak afterwards."

 

[PaulsJunk]

Ronnie scurried out of the office and into the women's room. *She hadnt had time to dry herself off, already having been an hour late that morning. *When she entered and looked in the mirror she gasped. *Her hair was a tangled mess, her mascara had run down her face, but worst of all, her silk blouse had completely soaked through and become transparent, revealing the lace bra underneath. *She tried her best to clean herself up and then panicked when she thought about returning to Elliot's office in a near pornographic top. *So she did the only thing she could think of, she put her drenched raincoat on and returned to his office.

"Close the door Veronica.". Elliot instructed. *She feared for the worst, he usually called her Ronnie, but he was using a much more formal voice. *She sat down across from him, the vast expanse of his mahogany "power desk" in between them. *It gave her the feeling that he was about a foot higher than she was, staring down at her from his executive chair.

 

[PaulsJunk]

"I am concerned about some areas where you have got to demonstrate improvement," he started. *She was freezing cold in his office and impulsively shuddered, wrapping the raincoat more fully around her as she did so. *It was just a split second, but Elliot's eyes moved ever so quickly from hers, down to her chest, and then back again. *And when their eyes met again, he blushed. *Both of them knew what was underneath her raincoat, and the awkwardness of the moment was intense. *For the next five minutes, he uncharacteristically stammered about "targeted areas for improvement" and "meeting heightened expectations." And she attempted to pay attention, trying to avoid direct eye contact and yet appear attentive. *Then he dismissed her from the office and on her way out the door he added "Oh Ronnie, you might want to run home and change. *You can come back after lunch."

After she left the office, Elliot exhaled deeply and leaned over his desk. *There were perspiration stains under each of his armpits.

 

[minxwife]

Veronica grabbed her bag and walked out of the office, trying to hide the tears welling up in her soft, brown eyes. Why didn't Elliot like her? She thought she was getting better but just felt like he was going to fire her. Performance managing her like that.

Still pouting, she made her way out of the large glass revolving doors and into the bustling street. She would never get home and back in time now, so decided to travel to her favourite inner city boutique. She cheekily hailed down Elliot's driver, Joe and had him drive her. She liked to make small chat, but today she thought if she opened her mouth that she would cry.

When they arrived at the clothing store, she asked the driver to stick around. She entered Estella's and went straight to the sale rack. She flipped through the clothes until she found a black wrap top in her size. The change rooms were full, so she pulled off her top and tried it on there in front of the saleswoman. Fit like a glove. She had the assistant ring it up while she wore it. Tucked her ruined shirt into her handbag and started making her way back to the car.

"Joe, can you take me to Elliot's favourite coffee shop?" she asked. They made their way back towards to the offices and Veronica exited the car. She ordered regular coffee for herself and Joe, adding milk and sugar while she waited for Elliot's order. Slow drip Italian espresso in an extra large paper cup, with a shot of hazelnut syrup and a dollop of soy froth on top. She tipped the barista and juggled the coffees out of the door, smiling at the harried mother who opened it for her.

She took a coffee to Joe and thanked him for his trouble, opting to walk the two blocks to work. The sun was coming out now, and she felt a little better as the rays hit her. Entering work again, she was buzzed into the offices by the scowling receptionist who reminded her to take her security pass with her next time she left. Oops, it was on her desk like always.

Getting back to her desk, Veronica dropped her bag on her chair, smoothed down her skirt and walked into Elliot's office with the two coffees. He was on the phone, but nodded at her. She leant over to place it in front of him and as she did, her top gaped open unbeknown to her and Elliot copped an eyeful.

She took a seat and waited for him to finish on his call. When he hung up, she smiled sadly at him. "I've been trying so hard to do my job, I don't know if I need more training, or if the workload is too much for me, but please, don't fire me. I really like working with you, I mean, with the company. Is there anything we can work out, please?" Stammers turned to pleading and her cheeks flushed as she stared up at her boss.

 

[PaulsJunk]

For the second time that day, Elliot had received more than a glimpse of Ronnie's breasts and it stirred him. *She had cleavage to die for, and it was the physical attribute for which he had the greatest weakness.

**"Ronnie, i don't intend to fire you," he began. *"I am just trying to identify areas where you simply have to improve." He proceeded to explain that they should come in over the weekend to get the files and caseload more organized. Both of them agreed to come in the following morning, a Saturday. *And as she left his office, Elliot shouted out to her "Oh Ronnie, you can dress casual for weekend duty."

 

[minxwife]

Veronica groaned. She was meant to go to Jason's art exhibition on the west side to support his new work tomorrow. She hoped he would forgive her for bailing but she needed this job. She sent a text to Jason apologising because she didn't have the energy to argue over the phone. The message was marked as read but he wasn't responding. Nothing like a moody artist to bring her mood down.

The next morning she turned up to work wearing skin tight jeans, a white knit sweater which accentuated her breasts and black ankle boots. Her light brown hair hung in loose curls around her shoulders. She finished off her look with no makeup except for a little mascara and some sheer pink lip gloss.

She had bought breakfast and coffee for Elliot, she knew he didn't eat properly ever since his wife had died. She gathered a notepad and a couple of pens as she made her way into his office where he had been for the last hour.

"Good morning Elliot," she said in the best fake happiest voice she could muster. She placed his hot meal and coffee in front of him and sat opposite him at his desk. "What do you need me to do today?"

 

[PaulsJunk]

Elliot barely recognized the woman sitting in front of him, she was generally attractive during the workdays at the office, but in her casual clothes, she was smokin! *And for the third time, he found himself struggling between keeping his eyes from focusing on her chest, in that white sweater, rather than her eyes.

He explained that the files in his office needed to be weeded out to make room for more recent cases. *And as he worked at his desk, she spent the rest of the morning going back and forth from his office carrying files, leaning over file drawers, crouching to access the lowest drawers. *At one point, as he looked up, she was crouched down, her ass facing him, with the top of her thong peeking over her jeans.

Her activity was turning him on. He developed a hard-on in his jeans that, he was afraid, would be readily obvious to her if he stood up so he stayed seated behind his desk. He became more and more puzzled about how to interact with her. Since his wife,Paige, had died nearly a decade earlier, he had barely looked at other women. But Ronnie was stirring up feelings ---and even erections for God's sake--- that he hadn't felt for years.

 

[PaulsJunk]

He asked her to run out and get lunch. But he wasn't even hungry. He just wanted to get her out temporarily because his cock was so physically uncomfortable in his jeans. That's how much of an effect she had on him. And while she ran out for lunch, he ran to the men's room and jacked off in a stall. For goodness sakes was he in high school again? All the time thinking about her thong, her bra from the day before, and those luscious lips in her pink lipstick.

 

[minxwife]

Veronica took Elliot's credit card to pay for lunch, she walked to the local Chinese restaurant and bought as much as she could carry. While she waited, she tried to call Jason, but it kept going to voicemail. That was odd, he always picked up on the first ring.

She was upset now, he never gave her the cold shoulder. She sat and read a magazine, her mind going to Jason. She'd have to make it up to him tonight, although she couldn't remember where her key to his apartment was.

"Veronica!" yelled the elderly lady at the counter. She collected the food and a couple of cans of soft drink and made her way back to work. She remembered her pass this time, and juggling bags and cans, she entered the building.

She went back into Elliot's office, but he was nowhere to be found. She dumped lunch on the desk and felt her pocket vibrating. "Jason? I'm so sorry, when- what time do you want me to come round tonight? Oh, sorry, Mum. Yeah Jason is upset with me. At work. Big case coming up. Being performance managed. I know, but I need this job! I really like it. Okay, okay, I will. I promise! Give Dad, Michelle, Tom and Barry a kiss from me, bye."

Elliot walked back in to the office just as Veronica hung up with her mother. He didn't look happy, she knew how he felt about her using her mobile in business hours.

"I brought lunch," she offered meekly, the food in a haphazard pile on his desk, some of it about to spill on a case file.

 

[lovingfingers]

The following monday saw Elliott in court, his leanly muscled frame in a dark, tailored suit. At 6'3", his auburn hair brushed back, he cut a formidable figure. He pressed that and his natural charm to his advantage. The arguments he laid out, bolstered by the cases Ronnie had researched for him, were sufficient to sway the jury in his favor. As they exited the court, his client pounded his back and told him to go celebrate, on him.

Elliot agreed and escorted Ronnie back to his car. As she entered the passenger side, he watched her skirt slide up her legs. He inhaled softly, then went to his side of the car. As they drove, he explained, "when a client says celebrate, it is an insult to decline."

He drove to his favorite date restaurant, an elegant bistro with a killer bar. They exited the car and he offered his arm to her as they walked to the entrance. He held the door for her as they entered. The maitre de recognized him and escorted them to the bar. Eliot held her chair, his eyes wandering over her moving body. He sat and ordered asmokeless Manhattan, then looked at Ronnie, "what would you like?"

 

[minxwife]

Veronica sat on the bar stool and stretched her legs. She could feel Elliot’s eyes on her as she looked at the wine list. “A glass of the 2010 South Australian Shiraz please,” she offered with a smile to Elliot who passed her order to the bartender.

She finally felt a little more at ease around her boss, this last week had been something different. She was tired and Elliot had snapped at her a few times on Saturday after lunch.

“I like this restaurant, I don’t think I’ve even heard about it before?” She looked around at the rich wooden panelling and muted colour scheme throughout the restaurant and noticed it was full of couples, the corporate type. She felt a little out of place, underdressed in her black skirt and maroon shirt, which was a little inappropriate for court that day. That’s why she’d been getting the stares.

Their drinks arrived and Veronica took a large sip and checked her phone. Still no word from Jason. Why wasn’t he answering her? Was he still upset about her bailing on his art show? Elliot tapped her on the shoulder and frowned. She was on her phone again!

 

[lovingfingers]

Elliot took a sip of his drink, and tapped his companion on the shoulder, "something or someone so important that you can't take a break to celebrate?"

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he realized that he was asking what her relationship status was. And now that he had done it, he further realized that he did want to know.

He looked at her face and saw a bit of tension there, not what he wanted at a time like this. He softened his tone a bit, asking, "everything ok?"

 

[minxwife]

Veronica sighed. "It's Jason. He got pissed that I had to work on the weekend and I missed his show. He won't call or text me back and I've lost the key to his apartment so I can't go see him. Why are all guys such jerks?"

She twisted her engagement ring around on her finger before pulling it off and putting it on the bar in between her and Elliot. "I think things are over. I just wish he had the decency to reply and tell me that was the case."

She finished her drink and waived the bartender over for another glass of wine. It was probably not a good idea to get drunk in front of her boss but at that moment in time she really didn't care.

 

[lovingfingers]

Elliot listened quietly as Veronica vented. Engaged? She was engaged? Clearly, he hadn't noticed the small ring on her finger, which she now was taking off. Opportunity was knocking, hard.

He waited until she had her next glass, then commented, "guys are jerks because woman let them get away with it."

She gave him a look, so he continued, "he's giving you the silent treatment, knowing you will be glued to your phone. If you want my advice, turn the phone off and have a good evening. Don't answer if he calls. make him come to you."

He took a sip of his drink and finished, "if he doesn't, you have your answer. And frankly, I think you could do a lot better. Men don't play games."

He finished his drink and looked at her, "so, how about dinner? It is very good here."

 

[minxwife]

Veronica nodded, her head feeling cloudy. She followed the maitre d and Elliot to a table in front of a bay window. She allowed herself to be seated by Elliot and placed the napkin across her lap.

She picked up the menu and ordered another wine before looking at Elliot. "I thought Jason was the one. He promised me he'd find a job and we could start planning our wedding. I haven't asked much from him, but he resents that I work for a law firm. He hates that I earn more than him. He hates that I dress well. The one time I have put in additional hours at work and he goes off the deep end!"

Veronica clenched her jaw and looked down at the menu. "What's good? I'm not even hungry, but if your client is paying for lunch, I should get something." The words on the page started swimming in front of her eyes. "Elliot, can you please order me the coq au vin and a bottle of wine?"

She could feel Elliot watching her with concern but she kept her eyes downcast, focusing on the patterns the flickering tea-light candle was projecting on the table.

 

[lovingfingers]

He raised an eyebrow as she asked for more wine. His assistant was going on a bender... He then remembered some of his own drinking bouts following breakups, and could hardly blame her. He patted her hand, "We all make mistakes. I have. It hurts, but I can assure you its not the end of the world."

The waiter appeared with her wine and Elliot ordered for both of them. He lingered a bit longer than he needed to, his eyes roaming over Veronica. When he finally left, Elliot said quietly, "I think our waiter is hot for you."

He took a sip of his drink, "and I am sure he is not alone."

 

[minxwife]

Veronica flushed. She wasn't sure if it was the wine or the compliment Elliot had paid her. She reached for the bottle to pour herself a glass and in doing so, popped open the top of her shirt, exposing an expensive black lace bra. In her haste to drink away her feelings, she didn't even notice.

"Elliot," she continued, "guys don't look at me like that. They see my engagement ring and it's like kryptonite. They run. Far. But, anyway. I -" Veronica trailed off, looking out the window. There was Jason across the road, holding a blonde girl tight and kissing her.

She burst into tears, not even caring that she was causing a scene. Why would he do that? She'd been so good to him all these years, and he had already found someone else?

 

[lovingfingers]

He was only partly surprised by her tears. He followed her eyes out the window and espied the pair across the street. From what little he knew, it had to be her now ex-fiancé. I rested his hand on top of hers until she glanced at him. "I'm sorry," he said simply.

They looked at each other for a time, then he noticed Jason and blonde heading for the front door of the restaurant. He looked at Veronica, and a wicked grin appeared on his face, "Dry your tears. Time for some payback."

She looked at him a little confused as he shifted seats, settling down next to her. He put his arm around the back of her chair as he saw them enter. He bent his head towards Veronica, his eyes drinking in her exposed cleavage and lacy bra, "kiss me."

He pulled her to him and pressed his lips to hers. The first moment, her lips were relaxed, then slowly returned his kiss.

 

[minxwife]

Veronica was confused. 48 hours ago she was pretty sure Elliot hated her. Now here he was kissing her, helping her out of a sticky situation. At first she was a little shocked by the kiss, after all this was her boss!

Too late, the alcohol started talking and she kissed Elliot back as hard as she could, her tongue dancing in his mouth and her hand on cheek while she allowed him to hold her close. This was definitely not the way she envisioned her Monday panning out.

Elliot must have moved his arm, because it grazed softly on her breast. The alcohol had made her skin sensitive to the touch and she gasped, allowing her to fuel more fire into the kiss. She was enjoying herself immensely when she heard her name.

"Veronica? I was right. You're not working closely with this guy. You're sleeping with him, aren't you?" Jason and his blonde had stopped in front of their table. Veronica opened her eyes and anger flashed in them. She was angry with him and his false accusation did nothing to alleviate her emotions.

"Keep walking, Jason. You started this game. I'm ending it. Now. Take your blonde and take your ring. Things are over between us. I'd say do not contact me ever again, but we both know that's one of your strong suits of yours." She threw the ring at Jason and turned to Elliot.

"Do you want to get out of here? I can't believe what trash they let in sometimes." She got up to leave, spun around and crashed into the waiter that Elliot had claimed had been looking at her. Food went flying everywhere and she was covered in sauce and bits of lunch. She ran out, embarrasssd and leaving her bag behind. Elliot and Jason both stared after her.

 

[lovingfingers]

Elliot recovered quickly, thinking to himself that that was not how he had envisioned things turning out. He focussed first on the waiter, apologizing and asking for the same dishes to be prepared, to go. He reached down to the floor and picked up the ring that Veronica had thrown at Jason. He looked at it dismissively, then handed it to the blonde, "I suppose this is yours now, for what little its worth."

Elliot took the bottle of wine and poured himself a glass. Jason started to say something when the maitre de arrived, asking if there was a problem. "No," Elliot ventured mildly, "I think they were just leaving."

Jayson again began to say something when the maitre de's assistant arrived, towering above the younger man and giving him a look that suggested unpleasantness would not be tolerated. They left.

Elliot thanked his friend and waited for their lunch. He texted Veronica, "Please wait by my car. I will have our lunch presently."

 

[minxwife]

Veronica was leaning against Elliot’s car, feeling calmer but still tipsy. There was food in her hair and her shirt was stained. She had wiped the mascara tracks from her cheeks and was chewing nervously on her bottom lip.

Get it together, Veronica, she thought. Getting drunk and making a scene in public, and kissing your boss? What has gotten into your head? She started imagining the lecture awaiting her from Elliot. She could probably kiss her job goodbye as well.

She saw Elliot’s text and was confused. Our lunch? Did that mean he wasn’t upset? She sighed and waited, folding her arms in front of her chest.

Elliot walked towards her with the waiter behind him holding cardboard boxes. Veronica ran to Elliot and threw herself into his arms. Staff etiquette be damned, she needed to be held and didn’t care if she was being inappropriate.

 

[lovingfingers]

For the second time in an hour, she completely surprised him, but it was a good surprise as he folded his arms around her and felt her body press against his. He would have happily remained in her embrace, but was aware of the waiter standing behind him. He kissed the top of her head and parted long enough to tip the man generously and take their food.

He unlocked the car, and looking at the food in her hair, told her he couldn't take her back to the office. He suggested going back to her place, so she could shower and change.

 

[minxwife]

The car ride back to Veronica's condo was in uncomfortable silence. She stared out the window and ignored Elliot's continued attempts to make conversation. A headache had kicked in and she was ready to go sleep. They pulled up in front of Veronica's house.

"Thank you for the ride, Elliot. I need to go take a shower and lie down." The lawyer insisted on walking her up to her front door. He held her lunch and walked with her, a protective hand on her lower back.

She took the box from Elliot and thanked him again for his help. She knew it was time to go make a cup of tea and call her mother as well. She needed to talk to someone. Elliot was unfortunately insisting he help her in and calm her down.

 

[lovingfingers]

She kept thanking him and trying to brush him off, but it was clear to him that she was more intoxicated than she realized. She fumbled with the key to her condo, but finally unlocked the door and went in. He followed her, carrying her bag and lunch boxes.

"OK," he said kindly, "Now that I have you safely home, I will put these in the frig and see myself out."

Without waiting for approval, he walked to the kitchen and put the boxes away. She would enjoy this later. He came back in the living room to see still standing there. "Need help?" he asked.