My Pregnant Stepsister

To put it lightly, she had a reputation for getting around. It was alleged that that was how she had risen so high within the company, higher than her education and work performance would imply.

I made it a point not to give life to any rumors, to be my own judge of people. But, the evidence seemed pretty overwhelming. She certainly acted the part. Her attitude, her tone, the way she dressed, it all supported the story. I had once heard her described as being fiercely attractive, and while I certainly never looked at her that way, I could see the point. Tori was very attractive, but in a way that you could just tell she was not exactly the... purest... of women. She was attractive, with an impressive body, and she dressed in a manner to encourage these rumors. As much as I hated to give life to those nasty rumors, the stories seemed to be true.

But in a sense, it didn't really matter what I thought. My executives seemed to believe the story, and while it had never been explicitly said, it was heavily implied that a woman of Tori's reputation would never be allowed to rise any further in this company. They would be happy to have her just be gone, but they didn't have any grounds to get rid of her. So, while this hire was entirely up to me, I could feel the pressure on my shoulders to not hire Tori.

Not that she would be hired anyway; I try to be as open-minded as possible, but her resume just did not compare to the other applicants. And plus, I wanted someone on my side who shared my value system, who felt the same way about how to conduct business. I took pride in doing business the right way. I didn't feel the need to use any dirty business strategies or underhanded tactics to get things done. Sure, some of those bad things may give you a short-term benefit, but in the long term, the house of cards constructed by bad business would collapse. I was positive of that. The people who did business that way never thought of the long-term implications of their actions.

I was happy to give Tori a chance, but she would have to plead a pretty convincing case for her to have a shot. I had never interviewed her, so I didn't know exactly what to expect from her or what she was capable of, but if she wanted this job, she would have to earn it.

I always liked to take a few minutes to clear my head before an interview. I stopped thinking about Tori, about the job, and decided to just take in things for a few moments.

Inside Joshua's Office

I turned around and took in my office, and even that filled me with pride. At times, it felt like I was still an unsure teenager in grown-up clothes, but whenever I sat in my office and took it in, I felt like I belonged. Yes, I belonged. My dad is the CEO.

Everything in my office was there for practicality. Some people liked to have fancy trinkets or impressive tech, but I simply wanted stuff that worked, that made my life easier. I had two computers, one that I did my work on and a spare one that was hooked up to a projector for whenever someone needed computer access or needed to give a presentation. The far wall was left blank, no decorations, where the image could be projected. I was always a bit scattered, so I had a few piles of papers on my desk, but I knew where everything was.

My desk was made of a dark, heavy wood, and although at first I thought it was a bit much, I had to eventually admit that it was pretty cool. It really cemented my role in the company in my own mind, and it really cemented that I had made it. This was the type of desk a grown-up, professional businessman had, and it was my desk. It was great.

I didn't have too many personal items. I had a couch along the side wall for when I was hosting some people or when I just needed to relax for a few minutes. I did have a flat-screen TV, but I would try to keep its use to a minimum, mainly keeping the news or the weather on. The only other real prominent personal items were the pictures on my desk of my wife, Quinn.

My eyes fell to one of the pictures, looking at my wife's smiling face, as if she was looking at me, giving me strength after a long and busy week. I rubbed my eyes and glanced at the clock. I loved my work, I would never complain, but it had been a long week, and I was exhausted. I had done a lot of traveling lately, and because of that, I was playing catch-up. That, on top of doing all these interviews, it had worn me out. And plus, it had kept me away from Quinn.

Knowing I had a few minutes before the interview was set to begin, I pulled my phone from the pocket of my suit jacket and pulled up some pictures of me and Quinn. I know it sounds dorky and cheesy, but I couldn't get enough of just looking at her. Seeing someone so pretty, with such an infectious smile.

I was looking at a picture of us standing together outside of a nice older movie theater downtown, my arm around her. Her brilliant smile let me know that she was as happy with me as I was with her. I admired her again, her silky blonde hair, her slim, fit body. She is such an amazing, impressive woman, and I couldn't imagine loving anyone as much as I loved her now.

For a moment, I was overtaken with an almost overwhelming affection for the woman I married. I was again reminded of my current situation and the plans we had for this weekend, and as much as I loved interviewing and this whole process, at this moment, it was the last place I wanted to be. I couldn't wait to leave, to just be around Quinn.

The Interview Begins

A knock at the door caused me to jump. I pocketed my phone and stood up as one of the women from HR poked her head in my office.

"Hey, Joshua," Lucy said, "Miss, um... Miss Krez..." she began, glancing down at her file, struggling with the name.

"Miss Tori Kryselneski," I finished for her, stepping around my desk, straightening my suit coat.

"Yes, Miss Kryselneski is here for her interview," Lucy said, thankful for my help.

"Send her in," I replied with a smile. "And you can head out, Lucy. I'll finish up here." Lucy smiled and thanked me, before stepping aside. From behind her entered Tori, stepping past the HR woman to enter the office.

"You might be the first person to pronounce my last name correctly," Tori began with a smile. "I'm impressed."

"Hey, I do my research, too," I said with a smile, moving towards her.

She certainly looked the part of an executive assistant. Despite the fact that she had to know she wasn't nearly as qualified as some of the other candidates, it was clear she was taking this interview seriously, which I was impressed with. She was dressed meticulously and styled, without overdoing it. I had to admit, despite everything that was said about her, I couldn't help but be struck by how stunning she truly was.

As I shook her hand, she smiled at me, showcasing her full, glossy lips. Her eyes met mine, and her striking eyes and dark eyeliner held my gaze for a moment too long. I pulled my hand from hers and guided her towards the chair across from me. Her outfit seemed perfectly fitted to her—a nice-looking business suit.

The slim jacket was fitted well to her upper half, and her knee-length black skirt clung to her legs and rear. She had on black tights and high heels, all in black, professional, but attractive. She slid her leather portfolio down onto the heavy wood table, and as she did, I noticed the silky, white blouse under her jacket, a few buttons near the top undone, not to an indecent level, mind you, but enough to show off the smooth skin of her upper chest. And, she wore a small, dangling necklace, the ornament nestled in the hint of smooth cleavage left exposed by the slightly unbuttoned blouse.

And although the blouse looked expensive and professional, it was clear from the color contrast that she was wearing a red lace bra beneath the silky white top. I didn't leer at her or anything like that. I just noted it, as I would with any other applicant. Because one of the big things about an interview is how the applicant presents themselves. It tells you a lot. And her look was telling me that while she was trying to come across as professional, she wasn't afraid to use her obvious appeal to her advantage.

As she moved to her chair, I watched her eyes scan the room, gaining a sense of where everything was. Her eyes hung on the couch along the far wall for a few moments before she took her seat, sitting up straight, pushing out her chest ever so slightly.