1 Playboy CEO

She shifted between the soles of her feet, her smile brilliant as she made a show of being the nervously excited newcomer. The assistant that led her through the building shared a commiserating smile with her. "You'll do fine, Miss Barrett," he whispered to reassure her.

She nodded in answer and bit her lip, lowering her head as to appear bashful from being caught. His eyes lingered for a moment longer before he went back to his running commentary. The man continued to demonstrate different difficulties that might arise in the office to a bemused Naomi Barrett. It was a little strange for her to watch his avid gestures and imagine a photocopy machine getting broken from what she could only assume was a brutal blow, but what confused her more was that he thought she didn't already know. His boyish charm and genuine smile made it hard to dislike him, so she didn't hold it against him. She was new to the company, but still.

Naomi had already worked in an office in some capacity for two years, including but not limited to a short stint as a secretary. She had the credentials and the work experience to show that she knew quite a bit. She certainly knew not to punch the copy machine if it wasn't behaving.

Honestly.

Marvin, who was her guide that insisted on being called by his first name, continued to increase her confusion with his insistence to gesticulating the answers he wanted to give. Thankfully for her sanity, he calmed down the further into the building they walked. The furtive glances increased instead.

She pretended not to notice, adamantly staring forward to hopefully deter any attempt at drawing her into a conversation. It seemed to work since he sighed eventually. "President Hunt's office is up ahead," he started awkwardly, correcting his cufflinks to perhaps hide that. "He can be a little difficult, but I think that you will be able to meet the expectations connected to this job, Miss Barrett."

Smiling demurely, she bowed her head. "Thank you very much, Marvin. I will try my best."

"That's all we can ask for," he agreed, eyes creasing from his friendly smile before he reached forward and knocked at the door. "Excuse me, sir!" He opened the door, not waiting for an answer. Probably because she had been scheduled to arrive at this time of day. "I'd like to present you the new intern, Naomi... Barrett..."

Marvin trailed off, and she couldn't blame him. The extensive interviews a week prior had prepared her for a fast-paced job with a salary that was not to be sneered at. The office she was standing in the doorway certainly proved that. Large and spacious, windows from floor to ceiling, various assorted plants in the corners and a circle of red sofas around a small table that was more of a decoration than anything else. The work desk in and of itself was large and centered at the far end with its back towards the window. A plaque on top of it declared the owner to be "CEO Hunt".

Naomi didn't give away her initial impressions of the man before her, instead she held onto the determination laced with nerves that would be expected of her. Based on reputation alone, the sheer intensity of Hunt didn't disappoint. Even though his very being demanded attention, her quick mind catalogued the entire room while seemingly taking only a short cursory scan before returning to her new employer. Nothing of these things held her attention though, except noted from the corners of her eyes. The CEO himself was present, bent over the desk where a woman with her hands interlocked behind his neck was sitting. Her face was slightly flushed, noticeable despite her make-up being naturally rosy, and her purple dress probably more ruffled than the artistic touch to it could be excused with.

Naomi stared, not quite believing her eyes. In a quiet part of her mind, quelled into a bare whisper, she viewed his file and could note that at least that part wasn't exaggerated on her target.

The woman glanced over at the door, surprise changing to coyness as she leaned closer to the president. The man himself sighed as if the world was conspiring against him. She had seen pictures of him before of course, but she had never been in his presence before. Standing at his full height, Jack Hunt was at least a head taller than her while wearing modest business shoes. Blonde hair cut short and face framed by a haircut that probably cost more than her car. A suit designed to impress.

And she was impressed by him.

That first impression flew away when he glanced up. His face had contorted into a dismissive sneer.

"That's why I told you to lock the door," he said to the woman in his arms. She giggled quietly but nodded her agreement.

"Oh, well," another breathy giggle that somehow seemed both shy and flirty, "I guess you have work to do. I'll get going then."

"Sorry," he said, sharing a charming smile with her.

The woman took her leave, brushing Marvin's shoulder with her own as she left. That seemed to take him out of his stupor, because red quickly enveloped his cheeks and he stammered out a hurried, "I'm incredibly sorry, President," which was waved away from him.

"No helping it now." Turning and sitting down at his desk, Hunt raised one eyebrow. "So?"

She was curious how she was going to handle this man. His green eyes gave nothing away despite the way his coloring was bright in all the ways hers was dark. Naomi couldn't help but appreciate the irony considering he was the prime suspect for murder.

Blue suit ironed to perfection and short blond hair swept into stylish curls, his raised eyebrow gave her the courage to put a bit more swing into her steps than normal. If he thought everyone was ready to fall at his feet, she would only stand out if she didn't at least try to draw in his gaze. The man leaned back against his desk with a thoughtful expression crossing his face before smirking in response.

"Naomi Barrett, I presume?"

She blinked at the question. It was rhetorical, she knew, but she answered anyway. Overeager to please would be her new middle name. Shaking away the entire first meeting, she tried anew. "Yes, that's me. I'm Naomi Barrett, your new intern from today onwards. I look forward to working with you."

Recognition flashed across his eyes before he hummed. His eyes trailed from the top of her head and down her lithe body, clinically assessing in its flatness. When his eyes met her own again, she knew that he wanted a reaction from her. To be offended, maybe. Or flattered. But that wasn't her character, so Naomi only stood waiting for him to continue, nervous again at the continued silence.

He hummed, lips briefly pulling up. "I suppose you will do."

She would do. Was he trying to purposefully rile her up?

Naomi kept her expression pleasant, but inwardly twitched. The hoops she had gone through to be hired at their internship program had been vigorous and plenty. Although it was a conceited thing to think, she knew that Hunt was a man with high standards. Few met them, and even fewer could handle a summer without pay and no guarantee to get even a recommendation out of it. He was, to say the least, a man of impossible standards.

Considering the file he had on a certain Naomi Barrett, he should be nothing but impressed. It was a testament to her skills that she stood in this office now.

"I suppose I'm pleased, sir," she returned cheerfully.

He blinked languidly. Reaching down to the side, he opened a drawer and took out what was likely her file considering the picture on the front. Musingly, he began to read. "Having worked full-time for a year and part-time the year before. Graduated with high praise and excellent qualities... Is that so?" He looked up as if daring her to answer.

There's no way he hadn't already read her file and investigated her credentials. What she might answer to the challenge in his eyes, she had no idea. Instead, Naomi smiled politely and deflected. "I'm afraid so."

Sounding neither happy nor irritated, he said, "Good."

Naomi withheld another twitch.

President, or more officially CEO Jack Hunt had plenty of gossip about him. Barring his looks given mostly by genetics, he was pretty much successful in everything he tried. The first son of the former president of the company might inspire suspicions about favors, but he didn't reach his position by his father's influence. Someone that worked hard and had a business acumen that all his subordinates could keenly feel, Jack Hunt was not someone to be messed with. Having seen him in person, she could understand why there seemed to be a silent war between the women in the company for his attention.

In that sense, he was impressive. But then again, the rumors around the coffee machine hinted at something else. His relations with women being a prime example. The only word to describe it was 'lady killer' without taking offence at its crudeness.

Naomi rarely let rumors affect her judgement, but considering what she had just witnessed, they looked accurate enough.

A playboy CEO? She could probably swing it.

According to his profile though, he was already married. Curious, since any information on the supposed wife was more concealed than everything that's been compiled on his dossier. She still knew next to nothing about his marital status except that it existed.

She had met men like him before. Controlling, careful with appearance and the acuity of a businessman. Governmental files weren't the only thing she knew about him. Secretaries, which she had posed as in the past, knew a significant amount about the people in the building. They handled a massive amount of information and it tended to spill over at lunch break with other employees. They traded impressions like paltry gossip, both warning and praising each other about other workers. Tips about a difficult client was also shared, but that was less than true in a company like this considering its privacy ethics. Everything she could gather had been written, researched and cross-referenced, but here she was, stumped. The problem was when she couldn't get a good read on a target that she needed to know intimately. Who was he, really? It irritated her to no end that she couldn't see where to lay her bait.

She was a professional though, so Naomi shuffled a little and let her face fall in hesitation. "Sir," she started slowly, but soon picked up speed in her eagerness, "I really do appreciate this chance you've awarded me with. I can't thank you enough." She smiled. "Where do you need me first, sir?"

He ignored her, tapping the file with a considering frown. He glanced up at her. Once again, she resisted the urge to twitch when his eyes dragged from her shoes to the top of her head, oddly assessing and clinical. "Excellent qualities, true..." He paused, lips pursed in a grimace, but his eyes conveyed the humor his face didn't. "No. Sorry," Hunt apologized. It sounded bland and unrepentant. "Thank you, but no. Please take her out of here."

She froze. Marvin, in contrast, stepped forward. "Director... Sir, you can't mean... It was already agreed upon."

Hunt glanced up. "Ah, nothing personal, but I can't see you fit to be at my side. Excellent though you might have been in the interviews, I never agreed. Should probably have told them sooner. Sorry," he repeated, sounding like he meant it just as much as the time before, which was none.

She blinked, trying to process how she could be so easily dismissed from her job. Was it her appearance? Naomi's hair was held back into a bun made popular by librarians the world over, her make-up non-existent and she wore blouses in decidedly neutral colors. She looked nothing else than composed, which to be honest was probably not Hunt's kind of woman. Except, Naomi wasn't here to be his kind of woman. She was here to work.

At least, this was her first attempt. She should have guessed Hunt would make things difficult.

"Excuse me, President," she called, smile radiantly polite. "I'm aware that my appearance is not that of a model. But I find it regrettable that you've decided I'm not fit for your work without even giving me a chance. If it's not too much to ask, I would like you to reconsider. Give me a month to prove myself, and if nothing else, it will give you plenty of time to find someone else that's qualified." Unsaid, it also meant that Naomi would have time to search for another internship.

His head tilted down, but his eyes were blazing as they met hers. "I don't need an intern who opposes her superior's orders."

"That," she smiled mildly, hand tightening, "was only a suggestion. I would never presume."

His lips twitched but Hunt quickly composed himself. She wondered if she hadn't imagined that flicker of a laugh. "Hm, I see." His left hand laid flat on the desk while his right one tapped his bottom lip. She noted that his wedding ring seemed to be missing. "Then... Organize this pile according to the four categories present and prepare the necessary information for next morning's meeting. After that, put in the data and my altered schedule on this computer. Understand?"

She barely gave herself time to cheer at the sight of the sizeable pile of documents. Whipping out a pen and notebook, she quickly scribbled down his instructions before nodding at him. "Understood."

Hunt peered at her. "I don't want any stupid questions. You will have access to our registry, so if the need arises, please use that instead."

Naomi jotted down a note about that too, circling it to be sure. "I understand." Stepping forward to accept the personal handheld computer and the diverse files, she smiled at him. "You won't regret this."

He stared back impassively. "Be that as it may, there's a lot of things you will need to know in this workplace. Your office will be across the hallway, which I'm sure Mr. Gerrard will show you to later, and your duty will be what I will choose for you. Understood?"

"Yes, I understand."

Sensing the clear dismissal, she bowed her head lightly and took her leave with the material. Marvin still stood at the door, beaming and subtly giving her a thumbs up. "That went excellent," he started to whisper, but was abruptly cut off.

"Ah, and one more thing, Miss Barrett."

She turned questioning to him.

He smiled charmingly at her, leaning back into his chair with a small tablet in his hands. "Don't connect any call from people not on the address book. Especially the women. Please take care of that."

Without a comment on what was clearly the avoidance of affairs gone wrong, she only nodded. "Understood. I will inform your assistant."

Marvin showed her out. "Sorry about that," he said sheepishly when they were in the corridor. He glanced around. "He's usually a bit..."

"Uptight?"

"That's a word for it," Marvin grinned. "'Dramatically pretentious', was what I was going to say."

She grinned back, and his cheeks grew warmer in color. "Thank you." With a polite nod, Naomi turned to her own aligning office. It wasn't private since she shared it with several other people, but it was better than nothing. The CEO might be a problem, though she knew what she was walking into when starting the mission. If nothing else, the promise of more information more than made up for CEO Hunt. She was not going to get intimidated away.

But still. Her eye twitched in irritation.