“He should dress better, if he’s representing the CEO,” Kylie said flatly.
Nat flinched. His work clothes had come from a thrift store near the apartment. His friends had chipped in to help buy them; like Nat, they had spent most of their allowances on things for their babies.
So the clothes didn’t fit right, but they were all Nat had.
“I’ll leave it up to Mr. B to make staffing decisions,” Hubrie said breezily. He grasped Nat’s elbow and tugged him away. “See you around, Kylie.”
Nat hurried to match Hubrie’s pace.
“Don’t put any weight in that,” Hubrie muttered when they were further away. “You’re a better fit for the position.”
“Okay,” Nat said uncertainly.
Shelby, on the other hand, was happy to see him.
“You were a surprise, but I’m glad Mr. B is getting more help,” she said brightly. “Here are your keys, and also your staff pass. Tell us if you need more accommodations for Wanda—a list of examples can be found in the document we emailed you last week.”
“Thanks,” Nat said, relieved.
“Most people around here are good eggs,” Hubrie said as they left, linking his arm with Nat’s. “If Kylie gives you trouble, tell me or Hell Master.”
“Okay,” Nat said.
After a short trip to IT, they were back on Duke’s floor, at Nat’s huge new desk.
“It’s so big,” Nat blurted. Then he realized what he’d just said. “Crap. Pretend I said something else.”
Hubrie snickered. “Feel free to tell Hell Master that.”
Heat crept up Nat’s cheeks. Hubrie grinned and helped with the rest of Nat’s laptop and phone setup. He ducked into Duke’s office for a bit, too. Then he stepped out and showed Nat how to use the scheduling app on his work-issued phone.
When Duke’s calendar appeared on his screen, he blinked several times. Several colorful appointments had beencrammedinto Duke’s week. There were slots going all the way to 1AM, and some days began as early as 4AM. “That... That’s his schedule?”
Hubrie smirked. “Yup. Don’t worry, we don’t expect you to keep those hours. Just make sure everything runs smoothly.”
He set Nat up with some reading material and easy tasks. Then he waved and left.
It was suddenly quiet in the office, without Hubrie around.
Nat looked down at Wanda, who was grabbing the papers on his desk so she could fling them around.
“Wanda!” Nat yelped.
The office door opened. Duke stepped out—he was wearing a different suit today, a beautiful navy outfit that hugged his body perfectly.
Nat’s heart thumped. He shot to his feet and hurriedly freed the papers from Wanda’s hands. “Um, hi.”
Then he winced. No one greeted their boss like that!
“Do you want me to call you Hell Master, too?” Nat added.
Duke snorted. “I wish Hubrie wouldstopcalling me that, but we’ve known each other long enough that he doesn’t care.”
“Oh.”
“Did Hubrie give you all the information you need?”
“He gave me some tasks to work on.” Nat waved his phone with its screen still lit up. “I’m going to learn all of this.”
