1.2 Modified Job descriptions

Cassandra soon found herself sitting in old Mr Sutherland's room which had been completely refurbished. The old dusty cabinets were gone and so were the ancient computers and printers. What struck her the most was the amount of light in the room! The heavily curtained windows were replaced with clear glass. The dark carpet replaced with cream ones. The man wasn't joking about going cutting edge. Every appliance in the room was the latest technology but for a person from NASA perhaps they were all old fashioned. His voice brought her back to the present and she noted arrogance in it. The man definitely knew what he was made of.

"You have been working for my father for the past five years as a typist. I did a background check on all the current employees and found you have no record whatsoever. May I know, why that is?"

Involuntarily she smiled imagining his expression at knowing the real reason for her non-existence in his world. How would a human being react to the news that she was an extraterrestrial in disguise? She couldn't help the smile that threatened her lips. She couldn't really tell Ray Sutherland that she was from another world, even if he worked in NASA, could she?

"What do you find so amusing Miss Angel?"

She was at a loss of word as to what to say. "I am not from around here and my records got lost while coming." She explained in brief.

"Could you not obtain duplicates?" He asked.

"Mr Sutherland, your father, never asked for them and I believe now it would be simply a waste of time."

"I see, Are you an illegal immigrant?"

"No, I am not." She tried to answer with as much a straight face as she could manage given the fact that he kept running his long slender fingers along his upper lip. Boy! Was it distracting!

"I do not have a use for a typist Miss Angel." He paused and leaned back into his chair his brows slightly frowned looking upward. Cassandra assumed that to be a dismissal and was contemplating on standing up to leave. Then he looked back at her and reconsidered. "I need a secretary however who is capable of handling a computer and well versed in the latest technologies. I have reservations regarding whether you would be suitable for the job. But since you have worked with my father I find myself obligated to give you the benefit of the doubt. I myself need time catching up with the business and I give you one month to get acquainted with my ways. You may simultaneously start searching for a job that may suit you better. If we have to continue with you we have to also get your identity verified. For that you need to contact your references. I won't tell you to get on it right away because your survival in this company depends on your performance in the next few weeks."

The girl nodded. He had no idea what her capabilities were so she chose not to take offence at his under-estimation. Simultaneously she knew it was a good idea to get a job far from this intimidating man. However, she knew herself and knew she wouldn't be going anywhere. Dr Sutherland was in for a rude shock the next morning. Truth is she never enjoyed being underestimated, not in the world she came from and especially not here.

The woman straightened herself on the chair to let him know of her approval as he instructed her in her immediate duties, in arranging his planner to maintaining documents on his desktop, updating files and typing the required documents. She also had to perform the calculations and drafting required for his projects.

"Are you good with number Miss Angel?" He asked.

"I am good enough" She answered truthfully. She was good enough for the best in this world.

"Do you mind if I time you while you do some calculations?" He was smirking.

She so much wanted to wipe that smirk off his arrogant handsome face. "Sure. Go ahead."

She saw him program his stopwatch on his multifunction digital wristwatch which had a holographic projection screen. It was one of his invented prototypes, no doubt as holographic projectors were not there in the general market yet. "Let's start with the simple stuff. What are seven to the power four?"

"2401" She answered immediately. It was simple stuff but not for the general public. She had observed the humans around her and with an added dependence on electronic devices their mental faculties were often found lacking. Her quick response got him to raise a brow. What an exquisitely crafted arch it was but she couldn't let it distract her.

"If the market sells an item at twenty per cent mark up and if the selling price exacts a forty per cent profit, what is the cost price of the item if a ten per cent discount makes the item available at $756?"

She felt like giving him a direct answer would make him suspicious so she counted to five before giving her answer. "The cost price is Five hundred dollars." From the expression on his face, she guessed she should have counted to ten.

"Why are you here?" He asked. She assumed that he took her for settling below the work of her capacity.

"I am here to work, Dr Sutherland." She assured. He looked amused but then something flashed in his eyes. "As long as you don't bring to work whatever you are hiding your talents from, I don't mind having a gifted assistant. I hope your way with computers is as good as your way with numbers. I warn you I keep long hours and may even work weekends so you won't have much respite from me if you want. Now if you would like to take the rest of the day off I will understand but you shall have no mercy from tomorrow. Do I make myself clear?" There was something in his words that penetrated her bones. Was it his gaze or his voice she did not know but his last question snapped her out of her distraction. "Crystal" She managed to say.

The next morning she chose to dress differently. She wore a knee-length summer dress with high heels. She tied back her waist long honey blonde hair in a plait and tried to be as refined and sophisticated as possible. She reached earlier than usual and took her seat hoping to finish a part of the backlog before her boss arrived. She had actually been the only employee in the office at that hour in the morning. She was dismayed to find him sauntering into the office with a cup of coffee in hand and a file in another.

When he saw her sitting at the computer his face lit up like that of a child on receiving his favourite toy from Santa Claus. "If I knew you would be on time I would have got you a coffee." She wondered what his 'on time' meant as it was clearly an hour and a half before anyone else would show up through the office door. Gratefully Dr Sutherland was busy pouring into his file and she was busy updating the files on the office desktop. By the time she finished and looked up, she realized her boss's gaze burning through her skin. She turned to face him to see his files closed in front. "It is lunchtime. Want to come with me?" During lunch, Ray Sutherland was more animated than she had ever seen him before. He explained his plans with the company and what his projections for progress were. To her, he sounded overconfident but somehow she knew that the man didn't need to bluff. He was aggressive about what he wanted and he knew how to get it.

The day ended much later. The entire office was vacant save for the security. Ray Sutherland finally got up to go and she realized that this was going to be her daily routine from now on. Not that she complained or regretted missing out on some social life which she did not have, still spending from dusk to dawn with a whimsical boss with electric currents running between the two is not healthy, especially when you belong to two different species from across dimensions. By the end of the first day, she knew she had it bad for Ray Sutherland. By the end of the month she ensured that nothing could get worse.