Shane's POV

She stood up when I said that. Here comes the sassy side.

"What the heck did you just say to me?!"

"I said you're fired from Primedia, Inc."

"You know what?! Take your jacket and leave me alone!! I can't stand you! I hate you! That means you straight-up lied to me! Why have a one-on-one chat with me only to fire me?! You are nothing but a heartless piece of ___________!! I ought to smack that smug grin off your face!! I thought you were an attractive man!! I take it back! Go to ___!!"

"Are you done?"

"Wait, she said I was attractive?"

"I am beyond done." She said as she started walking off.

"I fired you from Primedia Inc. because I wanted you to work for me at Landes Industries." She walked back over to the bench where we were sitting. "I'm listening."

"Remember when you told me that your strength was public speaking?"

"Well, yes, I do."

"You are the perfect person for this position. The only person higher than you will be me. Your title will be 'Assistant to the President.' I want you to represent me at some meetings. Sometimes I have too many meetings scheduled in one day. I have been looking for someone for a while but have not found the right person."

"But, why me? I am just a secretary. And I love doing that. It helps keep my sisters and me afloat and allows me to save money towards a new house."

"Mr. Anderson said you would be the perfect person for the job. He told me you led meetings before."

"Yeah, but that was for my fellow employees, not high-powered people. What if I mess up and you lose out on investment for your company?"

"Sit." I patted the empty spot next to me on the bench. "Listen, even I mess up at times. Nobody is perfect, Ms. Sanders. And I would never, ever leave you hanging. I really need someone to help me. Sometimes, I felt like I would have a mental breakdown."

"What will happen to me if I don't take it?"

"I already filled the secretary position. And, it is a surprise as to who accepted it. You said in your speech that Mr. Anderson had faith in you. Just in the little time that we met each other since that meeting a month ago, I have the same faith in you. Like Nike, the slogan says, 'Just do it.' We can even have a few practice sessions if you would like. So, what do you say?"

"If you put it that way, I would say yes. But I doubt you would hire me after what I just said to you. So, thank you for the opportunity. I'll just have to look for something else."

She started to leave, but I would not let her. I grabbed her hand and said, "I am not letting you get away from me that easily. That was my fault. I know you said that because you were upset. Heck, I probably would have said the same thing too. Let's start fresh and wipe the slate clean?"

"Sure. Thank you so much, Mr. Landes."

"You're welcome. Call me Shane. I know you drive, so there will be a parking space for you with your name on it near the building. When you come in on Monday, just let the receptionist know your name and ask for me. I will have quite a few surprises for you. And your salary will increase significantly."

"My sisters are going to be so excited! We are going to celebrate this for sure!!"

In a flash, Bliss pulled into a passionate kiss. She pulled away, embarrassed at what had just happened. This kiss is exactly what I dreamed it would be since the first day we met.

"Oh my goodness, please forgive me. I am so sorry I did that. I just got caught up in the excitement. I promise that I will never do that again."

"It is okay. Don't worry yourself."

"It will happen again - all in due time."

*************************

Narrator's POV

Bliss and Shane went back inside to enjoy the rest of the party. The group gave Mr. Anderson the gift they had for him.

Bliss apologized for running out of the party, but Mr. Anderson understood. He told her to keep in touch and congratulations on her new position. Her friends were happy for her too.

After the party, everyone made their way home to enjoy the rest of the weekend.

As promised, Bliss and her sisters went out to dinner to celebrate the good news.

Bliss spent Sunday shopping for new work outfits to suit her new position.

Mr. Landes may have faith in her, but that didn't stop her from being nervous. Her sisters told her, "Don't be nervous. We know you are going to be great. Mom and dad would be proud of you, Bliss. You got this."

She took those thoughts with her as she slowly fell asleep to start her new position as Mr. Landes' assistant.

****************************

Monday morning

Bliss POV

I was a nervous wreck. Today starts a new day, along with a new position and company.

After taking my shower and doing my daily routine, I put on my outfit for today. Nothing too fancy, but appropriate for work.

We each have our own vehicles - I have a navy blue Suburban. Jessica has a Jeep Cherokee, and Andrea has a Mercedes Benz GLC class truck.

I stopped at a Starbucks for a Cinnamon Dolce Latte with whipped cream - my absolute favorite drink in the world. Then, I made my way to Landes Industries.

Just as Mr. Landes said, I saw a parking space with my name on it near the entrance of the building.

"This building is fantastic."

I made my way toward the front entrance. I just stood there and admired it. Some of the employees walking towards the door looked me up and down. I did not care. He said he was the only one I had to answer to, so I did not pay them any mind.

In the lobby, Mr. Landes had 'Welcome Primedia Inc. to Landes Industries' with balloons surrounding the sign. He also had a sign that said, 'Welcome Ms. Bliss Sanders to Landes Industries.' He didn't have to make such a big deal over me.

I walked over to the receptionist's desk.

"Hi, my name is Bliss Sanders. I start working today with Mr. Landes."

"Hi, Ms. Sanders. It is nice to meet you. I'm Adrian, by the way. I'll call Mr. Landes to let him know you are here. And welcome to Landes Industries."

Ten minutes later, I saw Mr. Landes come through a pair of double doors and over to the receptionist's desk.

"Good morning, Ms. Sanders. Welcome to Landes Industries. How did you like it?"

"Thank you, Mr. Landes. But you didn't have to do that for me. I appreciate it."

Shane's POV

"Ms. Sanders, I need to talk to Adrian for a few minutes. You can wait for me at the double doors."

Bliss walked over to the double doors. I listen to a variety of music genres. Like that old school song from the Commodores says, "She's a Brick House."

"Shane, my boy, I see why you are attracted to her. She is perfect. Very well-mannered and polite. I can't wait to see the kids you both will have. I am so glad you finally got rid of Amy a year ago. "

"Baby steps, mum. Getting her independence wall down is the first thing. Then, dating and marriage. After that, then you can start planning for your grandchildren."

"Wait until your father and sisters meet her. I am going to call them now. Don't let you know who sneak in and take her away from you. I will hurt you if you do, understand?"

"Yes, mum. Alexander will not come anywhere near Bliss."

"Good. Now, go, show my future daughter-in-law around. Don't keep her waiting. Chop! Chop!"

My mum is something else. She had me give the regular receptionist the day off so that she could meet Bliss. So, I made my way over to where she was standing.

"Darn it. I hope you are not afraid of heights. Your office is adjacent to mine. It is on the 50th floor. There is an amazing view of Manhattan from your office."

"No, I'm not afraid of heights. I will be fine. I worked on the 50th floor in Manhattan with Mr. Anderson. Thanks for being so considerate."

"That's right. I totally forgot."

We went through the double doors and walked towards the elevators. While on the elevator, I wondered how Bliss got her name.

"If you don't mind me asking, how did your parents come to name you Bliss?"

"It is a funny story. I asked my mother the same question. She told me it was pure bliss and happiness when they had too much fun conceiving me. So, when they found out that they were having a baby girl, that is the name they agreed to call me."

I did chuckle from hearing her say that.

"Oh, before I forget, this is the elevator for everyone that works on the 50th floor."

"Ding."

The elevator door opened to another receptionist area. "I want to introduce you to Carly."

"Carly, this is Ms. Bliss Sanders. She is the new assistant I hired to help me."

"It's nice to meet you, Ms. Sanders. Welcome to Landes Industries."

She didn't know it, but Carly is my baby sister. Most of my family works at my company, except my older sister, Nina. I am the only boy in the family. One of the reasons why I am so successful is because of my family, along with my employees.

"Thank you, Carly. It is nice to meet you too. And you can call me Bliss."

I heard my father start walking toward Carly's desk. "I thought I heard your voice, Mr. Landes."

I asked my family to call me that because I wanted Bliss to get to know them before meeting them as my family. So, they agreed.

"Ms. Sanders, this is Brently. He is the CFO of the company."

"It's nice to meet you, Brently. Please call me Bliss."

He slyly gave me the thumbs up. I'm guessing mum called him like she said she would.

"I'll show you to your office so you can sign your contract, and I can go over a few things." So, we made our way to Bliss's office.

Bliss POV

"OH MY GOODNESS! This will be my office?! I love it!"

"If you lift the shades on those windows, there is a beautiful view of Manhattan."

"This is too much."

"If you don't like it, we can have it re-done."

"Oh no, I'm sorry. I absolutely love it! I hope I didn't sound ungrateful. Thank you so much, Mr. Landes."

The office had a mini kitchenette with a microwave, fridge, and Keurig coffee machine. I am in heaven with this office. I even have my own bathroom here. There was an ice maker and a water spigot on the refrigerator. And there was even a four-burner stove, dishwasher, and sink with a water hose.

"Please, call me Shane. And, this is surprise number one."

I walked over to the windows and pulled up the shades. Shane was right - it was a spectacular view. On the desk was the contract that I needed to sign. He wasn't kidding. There were so many additional perks listed in the contract. But when I got to the salary page, I started coughing. He came over and started patting my back.

"Are you okay, Ms. Sanders?"

"Please call me Bliss. I am fine. I was just wondering if this salary is correct. That is a lot of money for me to attend meetings. Plus, a signing bonus of $20k?"

"Yes, it is. You have no idea how much I appreciate you assisting me with meetings. I wanted to show how much I appreciate you accepting the position. And, as I said, I am the only one above you in the company. There are some other things that I want to slowly turn over to you - such as approving payroll, etc."

I thought what I was making at Primedia Inc. was way too much. Mr. Anderson paid me $60k a year as a secretary. Mr. Landes - Shane tripled it. I signed the contract, and he signed it, also. My salary will be more than enough to help my sisters and me.

"Are you ready for more surprises?"

"First, I need a drink of water." So, I walked over to the refrigerator. There was a welcome package on the counter that consisted of a mug, k-cups for the Keurig machine, and many other things for the kitchenette. I grabbed the cup and got myself some water.

"Okay. Now I am ready." So we exited my office.

"First, I want to show you my office."

His office is beautiful too. "Wow, your office has amazing views of Manhattan also."

"It really does. If you ever need me, knock on the door. And I will help you until you feel comfortable attending a meeting on your own. Let's head back to the reception area on the first floor."

"Sure." We took the private elevator down to the first floor. We saw Adrian, so I waved to her.

"Mr. Landes - Shane, why are we going outside?"

"See those vehicles over to the right of the building?"

"Yes, I do." There was an Audi Q7, a Mercedes Benz GLS class, a Range Rover Velar, Infiniti QX80, a Cadillac Escalade, a Porsche Cayenne, and a GMC Yukon Denali. I started coughing again. So, I took a sip of my water.

"Bliss, are you okay?"

"Just nervous about what you are going to say next."

"I had several dealerships send over their 2018 models. Whichever two you would like, they are yours."

"Shane, there is no way possible I could pay you back for these vehicles. They are top-of-the-line SUVs."

"Don't worry about paying me back because you don't have to. For meetings, you can use one of the company limos."

Oh my gosh, this man will give me a heart attack. First the salary, now this? They are all vehicles that I dream of driving. It is going to be hard to choose. "What is going to happen to my Suburban?"

"You can keep that too. Seriously, I am eternally grateful for you helping me. Please, for me, pick which two you would like?"

"I would like the Range Rover Velar and the Infiniti QX80. I am speechless. I promise I will not let you down. You have done so much for me. I really appreciate it. Can I ask you something? A guy often buys a girl a really nice gift, but there is a hidden meaning behind it. Are you going to ask me for sex or something because I will march right over to my truck and leave?"

I can be blunt sometimes, but he gives me a massive pay raise and two luxury SUVs. What kind of man does that?

"No, I would never ask you for anything like that. I only ask that you do your job, and I have no doubt you will."

"Thank you, Shane. Really, this day has been awesome so far."

"There are more surprises I have for you. Let's go back inside."

If the pay raise, beautiful office, and luxury SUVs are the first surprises, what in the world does he have next?

***********************

Thank you all for reading chapter 3.

The outfit is courtesy of PNG Tree - ©pngtree.com/ pallavidownloads27.

The office building is courtesy of Can Stock Photos - © Can Stock Photo / MikLavv.

The reception area picture is courtesy of Can Stock Photos - © Can Stock Photo / reticent.

Bliss's office is courtesy of Can Stock Photos - © Can Stock Photo / wxin.

Shane's office is courtesy of Can Stock Photos - © Can Stock Photo / archideaphoto.

And thank you all for the votes and comments. 😘