Chapter 19

**James pov**

James is having a day from hell. Brittany, his secretary, caught some bug the day before and couldn't come to the office. Not that he would have allowed it. Even he is not that much of an asshole. First, Brittany, his right hand, who could solve any of his problems with her magic wand is down.

Second, Melinda, his other and only remaining secretary, felt contractions early in the morning and had to be rushed to the hospital. Thankfully, they were Braxton Hicks contractions. However, the doctor advised me to take it lightly for a few days. And he agreed with him. He offered her full-paid maternity leave a month before this. But Melinda remained stubborn and rejected his offer based on her getting bored sitting idle at her home. Now, he didn't give her a choice. She will either take the leave willingly or he would order the security to bar her from the premises. Melinda, knowing her boss's wrath, took the smarter choice.

However, now James is left with no secretary. Though the trio of them work like a well-oiled machine, he decided he must hire someone temporarily for Melinda's position. That was another headache he is not looking forward to. He was hoping Brittany will be better by then and will handle the interviews. Until then, he needs someone to do some menial work.

So, he contacted the temp agency to send someone for a week. Who lasted one hour! Then he contacted another agency. He lasted 30 minutes. Then another...then another. By the time lunch rolled around, he had rejected five people and left with only one temp agency who was willing to spare a secretary. James doesn't think he is a difficult boss.

Only, they all make the same mistakes. They are either (2 women and one man) flirting with him or being money-hungry sycophants so that they can boast to their friends that they are friends with the "James McKenzie". All he needed was a work-minded secretary who does the job. Is that too much to ask for? Obviously, it is. He couldn't wait for Brittany to come back.

In the meanwhile, he asked the only left temp agency to send their member. He hoped she was better than others. She isn't. James deduced that fact within ten minutes of meeting her.

Melanie Jackson came into his office wearing a shirt so tight, he feared the buttons might pop if she took any deep breaths. He deduced she must have stolen it from her niece. And the skirt, he would have talked about it if there was any. She looked like a poster child of the stripper community. Not that he has anything bad to say about them. Hell! he saw strippers wearing more than what she wore in a strip club.

He seriously wished then he didn't fire the previous one. At least, that guy was not wearing a skirt that could pass as a belt in some regions and asking the dumbest stupid questions.

Melanie is doing both of them and slowly but surely raising his anger. Unfortunately, he couldn't do anything about it today.

"Do you want me to do you, sir? I mean, what do you want me to do sir? I can do anything. ANYTHING. I'm flexible like that", Melanie asked as a way of greeting once she sauntered into his office.

Another one. Great! Where do these girls pop out from? Is there any bimbo making factory he isn't aware of? They are like heads of the hydra.

"No. You don't need to do me. All you need to do for now is sort my emails and send the important ones to me through the company server. You might find the password to the server and my email information in Brittany's desk", James bit out frustration mounting his veins.

After ten minutes, she popped through the door and asked her second question.

"How to connect to the server sir?", she asked, dragging "sir" huskily. No doubt she meant it some other way.

James snapped the pencil in his hand before answering her, "First, stop with "sir", before she could embark on "James", he continued, "Call me Mr. McKenzie. Second, I asked you to check the mails ten minutes ago", James said while checking his watch, "what were you doing till now if you couldn't connect?"

"I was googling it?", she said as if she was questioning it herself.

"You tried to Google using my credentials? Are you- ", James took a long breath to diffuse some of the tension before continuing, "you don't search Google by typing login information! Forget it. Here, I will connect it for you", James stood from his desk and went to Brittany's desk as Melanie followed him at a slower pace enjoying the view.

James quickly typed the essential credentials while standing and connected with the server from Brittany's desktop. Melanie tried to peek from his shoulders to check what he was doing. James didn't give a fuck! She will be gone by the end of the day. So he didn't bother explaining it to her. James quickly opened the outlook to connect to his mail account.

"I don't have any mail account in the outlook Mr. McKenzie", Melanie chimed behind him. James tried hard not to pinch his nose in frustration.

"I know", James gritted out. "I'm connecting my account, so that you may screen the mails and send the important ones to me. Only the important ones. Not the ones you may think important. Understand?", James didn't wait for her reply and went back into his office controlling the urge to bang the door behind him.

This time it took her one hour to ask another question.

"I don't know how to use the coffee machine, Mr. McKenzie. Do you like to show me please!", she purred the last word dragging it to its utmost capacity.

James rubbed his forehead trying to dispel the upcoming headache. He wished he could throw her from this building.

"Use the one from the downstairs cafeteria, Ms. Jackson. I believe that is simple enough to learn", James controlled his urge to snap at her.

"How many breaks can I take Mr. McKenzie? I'm starving. I'm so hungry I can swallow anything!", Melanie said after another hour.

"You just had your break Ms. Jackson", James spelled each word out with great patience.

"If I work longer than a day will you hire me permanently Mr. McKenzie? I might be handy", Melanie persisted not easily deterred by his snappish responses.

"You have to work to question Ms. Jackson. Are you doing that?", James raised his eyebrow in an inquiry. Thankfully, Melanie left him alone for two more hours after that.

James is at the tethers of his patience. He might literally pull his hair out or fire her if she asks another dumb question.

"Mr. McKenzie, some guy called to ask you something. He said he is from the media. What shall I tell him?", Melanie sounded excited asking him.

"Tell him, I'm unattainable", James snapped at her.

"But why?", Melanie questioned him, feeling confused about why he is not jumping up and down to get the media's attention.

That's it! James strolled out of his office before he could kill her. He walked out of the building before 5 pm. A first for James. Even Tank looked surprised when he came downstairs. James hoped with all his might for Brittany's bug to disappear by tomorrow. Otherwise, he is afraid he will be going to jail for committing murder.