Chapter 2
“I just sent an application letter for that position, yes.”
“Good.”
“Okay…since you’re calling me, does it mean I’m accepted?”
“Oh no, not that fast, Mr. Foster. You still have to go through several interviews. This one tonight is a preliminary interview and another, scheduled tomorrow, will be with our HR manager. If things go smoothly, you’ll meet Mr. Donaghue himself for a private interview.”
Evan swallowed. “This…this is an interview?”
“That’s correct, Mr. Foster. And tomorrow at ten, will you be available?”
He had to wait tables but for five hundred dollars a day, anything could wait. Half a day’s leave it would have to be. “Sure.”
“Excellent. I’ll contact HR. The appointment with Mr. Donaghue will come after that.”
“Okay.”
“So, Mr. Foster. If you’re ready, we’re going to start our interview. It will be recorded so I suggest that you think through your answers carefully.”
Evan frowned. He’d applied for a personal assistant position, not a legal position in some big-name law firm. What kind of company did this Brian Donaghue have?
“Is it really necessary?” He’d withdraw his application if he had to. He knew he needed those Benjamin Franklins but shady jobs were out of the question. Even for five hundred every night…
“Yes, Mr. Foster. This is one of the requirements. Are you in?”
“Why are you calling me in the middle of the night? Why not wait until tomorrow morning?”
“You’ll get the chance to ask questions later, Mr. Foster, and I need to know if you’re ready to be recorded.”
Damn, damn, damn.He was desperate. He didneed the money.
“Mr. Foster, we can cancel this altogether and you’ll never hear from us again. Good evening.”
A beat.
“Wait.” Evan didn’t care if he sounded resigned, defeated. “Okay. What would you like to know?”
“We’ll start the recording now, Mr. Foster?”
“Yeah, yeah. Whatever.”
“Please state your name, sir.”
Sir.Huh.
“Evan Foster.”
“Your age.”
“Twenty-two.”
“Your height.”
Evan blinked. “Excuse me?”
“How tall are you?”
He spoke English, goddammit.
“Five feet eleven.”
“Your weight?”
“Huh? I don’t know. One hundred and fifty?”
“You answer my question, Mr. Foster, not the other way around.”
“I don’t know my weight. I’ve never weighed myself. Look, if you want to know if I’m fat or not, why don’t you just look at my pictures? They’re recent.”
“This is for our records, sir.”
“So my answer is I don’t know.”
“Your eyes?”
“Golden brown. My close-up picture—”
“Just answer the question, sir.”
“Okay.”
“Your hair?”
“Blond.” Evan hated stating the obvious.
“Your skin tone?”
“What the hell is this? You can’t hire someone to be a personal assistant based on what they look like.”
“Let me worry about that, Mr. Foster.”
“For fuck’s sake.”
“That’s uncalled for, sir.”
Evan sighed. “I’m sorry. Okay, I have fair skin, leaning toward pale. I burn easily. Satisfied?”
“One more thing. What do you like about yourself?”
“About myself? Well, I’m always determined. I don’t give up and I will never betray the trust given to me.”
“Excuse me, Mr. Foster.”
“Yeah?”
“That’s not what I meant to ask. It’s…which part of your body do you like about yourself?”
Jeez. Evan smacked himself with his cell phone. He was thisclose to hanging up. Perhaps he should just do that.
“Hello, you still there?”
“I, uh, my arms, I guess. My shoulders?”
“You’re not sure?”
“I’m not a narcissist, mind you.”
“That’s good.”
“Okay, what else?”
“Yeah, I actually still have one more question. Are you into guys?”
Evan almost slammed his cell phone. What?
“You don’t have to answer that if you don’t want to, sir.”
“Y-yeah?”
“Yes, and we can call it a day.”
“And I won’t get an interview tomorrow?”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Foster. Thank you for your time.”
“I’m gay,” he blurted out. He was. Evan was out and proud. He just didn’t understand how that had anything to do with the job he was applying for. Or with the interview.
“I see.” The secretary didn’t show any sign of interest. Evan sighed.
“Mr. Foster, that was my last question.”
Hmm. Now what?
“So?”
“I believe you have questions for me, Mr. Foster.”
“Oh right, right. Yeah. So does this office stay open until midnight?”
“We’re a multinational company, Mr. Foster. We cater to the needs of people around the world so we are open around the clock.”
“I see. Is it okay for me to ask what kind of company you run? And what would my responsibilities be?”
“We deal with food supply around the world. As for your responsibilities, you will talk with HR tomorrow.”
Evan remembered. “It’s ten o’clock, right?”
“Yes.” The secretary gave him their address and Evan took a note of it.