Interview With A Daddy Read online

  Interview With A Daddy

  Kelli Callahan

  Copyright © 2019 by Kelli Callahan

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  1. Faith

  2. Alexio

  3. Faith

  4. Alexio

  5. Faith

  6. Alexio

  7. Faith

  8. Alexio

  9. Faith

  10. Alexio

  11. Faith

  12. Alexio

  13. Faith

  14. Alexio

  15. Faith

  16. Alexio

  Epilogue

  Daddy’s Best Friend: Sneak Peek

  Join My Mailing List

  Kelli’s Voracious Vixens

  About the Author

  Also by Kelli Callahan

  Faith

  “Where is my other shoe? Oh my god, where is my other shoe?” I ran to the door of my bedroom, looked around in a panic, and then made a dash for the living room.

  “Faith, calm down. It probably got kicked into the abyss under your bed.” My roommate, Jennifer, tried to be the voice of reason in the middle of my hurricane.

  “You’re right! I got up last night to get a glass of water!” I ran back towards the bedroom and hit my knees so hard I winced. “Yes! Here it is!”

  “The interview is tomorrow. You don’t have to run around the apartment like a chicken with your head cut off.” Jennifer met me at my bedroom door. “Seriously, you’re getting all worked up for nothing right now.”

  “I know.” I sighed. “I just want to make sure everything is perfect before I go to bed tonight. I don’t want to freak out tomorrow. I’m going to be nervous enough without missing shoes and stains on my skirt—oh my god, I forgot to check on my skirt!”

  “I already took care of it.” She put her hand on my shoulder. “Go sit down. I’m going to pick up a bottle of wine from the store on the corner. I think you need to have a drink tonight.”

  “Okay.” I exhaled sharply and walked to the couch so that I could sit down. “I’ll try to settle down some before you get back.”

  My panic-induced dash around the apartment was brought on by an email from Hawkins Capital, the firm that I applied to right after college—for a job that I didn’t expect to even get an interview for. To make matters worse, the interview wasn’t just with some random hiring manager at the company like the jobs I applied for. My interview was with Alexio Hawkins—the owner and CEO of the billion dollar company.

  If he was taking time out of his obviously busy schedule to interview me personally, then everything had to be perfect. It was the chance of a lifetime—an interview that could very well determine my entire future. That was worth a panic-induced dash—that was worth the knot in my stomach—that was worth everything.

  “I’ll be right back.” Jennifer walked into the living room with flip-flops on her feet and a purse hanging from her shoulder.

  “Thank you for being the calm in my hurricane.” I looked up at her and smiled.

  “Always.” She chuckled under her breath and headed for the door.

  Jennifer was my college roommate, and after graduation, we decided to renew the lease on the apartment we shared for another year so we could save on expenses while we tried to find careers that matched the degrees we got from the University of Southern California. Jennifer’s mother was a real estate developer in San Diego and convinced one of her clients that owned property all over the state of California to lease us an apartment for a quarter of what we would have normally paid for one that close to the heart of Los Angeles. Jennifer didn’t really need a roommate anymore. She had a job waiting on her before she walked across the stage to shake the Dean’s hand—another favor that her mother was able to arrange with one phone call.

  I wasn’t that lucky. I came from a good family, but there were no silver spoons in my house—nor did we know anyone that would pass out favors like candy. I worked my tail off in high school to get good grades while holding down a part-time job. I wasn’t the top of my class, despite putting in more work than the kids who seemed to be able to ace a test without opening a textbook. The work paid off—somewhat. I was able to get a partial scholarship to USC, and my parents helped with my tuition. I actually considered living in my car to save money before I met Jennifer at orientation, and she told me that she was looking for a roommate.

  Then she became the eye of the storm that seemed to follow me everywhere.

  Jennifer always knew how to calm me down, and she was the voice of reason when my crazy train went off the rails. Maybe it was just easy to be calm when your future didn’t rest on one interview. I needed that job, even if it was just an entry-level position. The lease was going to run out eventually, and if I didn’t land a decent job, I wouldn’t be able to afford a place to live that was close enough to commute to the city. I had concerns that were bigger than my own future—my parents had been struggling financially for years. I wanted to be able to help them, but I hadn’t been able to do that while I was in school.

  “I’m back!” Jennifer interrupted my thoughts and waved a bottle of wine as soon as she walked through the door. “I got the good stuff!”

  “I hope you didn’t spend too much money on that.” I raised an eyebrow. “I would have been fine with something that came in a box.”

  “That’s nonsense.” She shook her head back and forth. “You should never cheat yourself when you’re picking out a bottle of wine.”

  Easy for you to say…

  Jennifer popped the cork on the bottle of wine and poured two glasses. Wine was a luxury that I couldn’t afford, so I usually only got to drink it when Jennifer brought a bottle home. She preferred a good red, and I was rarely disappointed with anything she offered me. I knew what she spent a lot when I saw the label—it was one of Manuel Rosario’s brands. He was a movie star that owned a vineyard north of Los Angeles. Jennifer took me there once for a wine tasting, and my jaw fell open when I saw how much it would cost to take a bottle home. There was no reason to waste the wine in my glass though, and I knew it would help to curb some of the anxiety that had turned my stomach into a tight knot, so I took a sip.

  “Do you feel better now?” Jennifer tilted her head slightly.

  “Everything is ready. I’ll go over my notes before bed and get up early so I can review them again tomorrow.” I nodded. “Who knows what Alexio Hawkins will ask me…”

  “You just need to be yourself.” She lifted the wine glass to her lips and took a sip. “If you show him how awesome you are, you’ll have the job before he even finishes his list of questions.”

  “I wish it was that simple.” I sighed and took another sip of my wine.

  Jennifer often seemed oblivious to her good fortune. She had a happy-go-lucky attitude and a natural inclination to believe everything was going to work out for the best. I was jealous of that sometimes because I stressed myself out every opportunity that I got. It felt like I lived with a permanent weight on my shoulders that threatened to crush me if I gave it a chance. A job at Hawkins Capital would take some of the pressure off. It wouldn’t fix everything overnight, but it would be a damn good start.

  “Bottoms up.” Jennifer grinned. “We need to put a dent in this bottle tonight.”

  “I should probably just stop with one glass.” I stared at the red wine and swirled it. “I don’t want to wake up with a headache tomorrow.”

  “You’ll be fine.” She
picked up the bottle and topped me off. “You’re going to lay in bed all night stressing about the interview if you don’t have something to help you sleep.”

  “I guess that’s true…” I sighed and nodded.

  I drank enough to get a good buzz going, and then I retired to my room so that I could review my notes about Hawkins Capital. I already knew a lot about the company. I did a case study on one of their biggest clients for one of my classes. Alexio Hawkins was a legend in the investment industry. When he was ready to add a company to his portfolio, he conquered them like some kind of modern day business warlord. He invested enough money to get a majority share and then put his guys in charge. Some people called him a tyrant, but their complaints were silenced once the companies he invested in started turning a profit.

  Hopefully, he’s a fan of flattery because I’ve admired his investment strategy from afar since I wrote that paper.

  The wine made me sleepy once the buzz wore off, so I only got to review my notes a couple of times before the bed started calling my name. The stress was a lot milder than it had been earlier in the day, so the wine did its job. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to completely erase all of the thoughts tumbling around in my head. Despite being tired and in desperate need of sleep, I stared at the ceiling with my eyes wide open for nearly an hour once I crawled into bed. I checked my alarm three times—once to make sure it was actually set—once to make sure that I selected AM instead of PM—and one final time to make sure it had batteries in case the power went out. I decided to set a second alarm on my cell phone, just in case buzzing from my clock didn’t wake me up.

  Okay—time to get some sleep.

  * * *

  The next morning

  I woke up in a panic when my alarm went off. I shut it off and immediately climbed out of bed. My interview was at ten, and I allowed myself to sleep until seven. Jennifer had already left for work, so I walked to the bathroom as soon as I came to my senses. I had to run back to my bedroom before I finished brushing my teeth because the alarm on my cell phone went off. Once I was finished with my shower, I went back to my bedroom and got dressed. After that, it was time for coffee—lots and lots of coffee. I didn’t really need it because I was already wide awake, but I wanted to be as alert as possible. I looked at the clock after I finished my second cup and realized that I still had two hours before I had to be at Hawkins Capital.

  I’ll go over my notes—that’ll keep my mind occupied until it’s time to leave.

  I had a third cup of coffee while I reviewed my notes, and then I freshened up my lipstick before I made a dash for the door. I was making good time, and I would make it to Hawkins Capital with time to spare, even if the traffic in Los Angeles was worse than usual. The worst case scenarios danced in my head as I drove across town, but I made it to Hawkins Capital without having an accident or getting stuck in traffic behind one. In fact, I made it in record time. I gathered my things and took a deep breath before I stepped out of my car. My thoughts shifted from worst case scenarios about the drive to worse case scenarios about the interview, but I did my best to keep my composure as I walked into the building.

  “Hi! I’m here for an interview!” I put as much cheer in my voice as possible when I walked up to the receptionist in the lobby.

  “Over there.” She pointed to a row of seats. “We’ll call you when it’s time.”

  “Do you—need my name?” I tilted my head slightly.

  “No, we have it.” She looked at me like I was an idiot.

  Right—I’m scheduled for an interview today. She obviously has my name.

  My stomach twisted into an even tighter knot as I sat in the lobby. I did my best to keep myself occupied by reviewing my notes, playing on my cell phone, and flipping through the magazines that were laying on the table. After sitting there for nearly an hour, the receptionist called my name, and I gathered my fleeting sanity so that I could bring what was left of it with me. She took me to an elevator, and once we were inside, she punched in a series of numbers that allowed her to access the button for the top floor of Hawkins Capital. The elevator didn’t ascend—it zoomed. I had to grab the railing because I wasn’t expecting it to move that fast. The receptionist smirked and laughed under her breath. The elevator doors opened once we got to the top floor, and my eyes nearly bulged out of my head.

  The top floor was—a brilliant display of luxury and wealth. There was a Rembrandt on the wall by the elevators, a Van Gogh casually hanging in the conference room near the row of offices, and an enormous Picasso in front of the chair she told me to sit in until Alexio Hawkins was ready to interview me. The scenery was enough to briefly distract me from my nervousness, but it quickly returned after I had been sitting there for a few minutes. Everyone seemed to be very busy. A couple of people glanced in my direction when they power-walked past me, but none of them said anything. I started to feel like a bump on a log before one of the secretaries finally walked over to where I was sitting.

  “You’re here for the interview with Mr. Hawkins?” She tilted her head slightly.

  “Yes ma’am.” I looked up at her and nodded.

  “Okay, he has a meeting that came together at the last minute, but if you don’t mind waiting; he should be able to interview you as soon as he’s done.” She had a warm smile and seemed to be a lot nicer than the receptionist downstairs.

  “I don’t mind waiting.” I shook my head back and forth. “I’m sure Mr. Hawkins is very busy, so I totally understand.”

  The secretary returned to her desk, and I noticed that several people were beginning to congregate in the conference room. I assumed that was where the meeting was going to take place. The door to one of the corner offices opened, and it seemed like everyone just froze in place. The secretaries stopped typing, the people in the conference room quit talking mid-conversation, and even the printer across from me went silent—I was sure that was just a coincidence, but it still seemed kind of eerie. The only thing I could hear was my own heartbeat for a moment, and then Alexio Hawkins walked out of his office.

  I knew Alexio Hawkins was attractive. I had seen his picture on the company website when I did my case study on Hawkins Capital. That photograph might have captured his image, but it was a pale comparison to the real thing. Seeing him in real life actually took my breath away—I didn’t even remember how to breathe. He was tall, tanned, and so hot that he might as well have been smoldering underneath his Giorgio Armani suit. He had dark brown hair, a neatly trimmed beard that matched, and umber-colored eyes that looked almost piercing. He scanned the room for a moment, and then his eyes locked on me. I shifted nervously in my chair as I got trapped in his stare, but then he turned and walked into the conference room.

  Interviewing with him is going to be a lot more intimidating than I realized.

  Alexio Hawkins had a commanding presence. When he walked into the conference room, everyone sat down and immediately turned their attention to him. I watched through the glass wall, and while I couldn’t hear what he was saying, I could tell that it wasn’t pleasant based on the body language of the people in the room. The meeting lasted nearly twenty minutes, and I just—sat there. All of the important people appeared to be in the conference room. The secretaries weren’t invited, but they furiously worked at their desks the entire time. The one that previously spoke to me would occasionally look towards the conference room and give me a glance, but she never said anything.

  It looks like they are finishing up—time for me to prove that I deserve to work here.

  The conference room door opened, and everyone started filing out. They looked like they had just been scolded. The only person that didn’t look like they had just been taken to the woodshed was Alexio Hawkins. He was the last one out of the room, and he had an intense glare etched on his face. He walked over to the woman that appeared to be his secretary—the one who had spoken to me—and leaned over to whisper something into her ear. She nodded, and he walked towards his office. He slammed
his office door, and she stood up—then she started walking towards me.

  I can do this. It’s just an interview—the most important interview of my life.

  “It was Faith, right?” She tilted her head as she approached.

  “Yes ma’am.” I looked up at her and nodded.

  “I apologize, but something has come up. Mr. Hawkins will not be able to interview you today.” A sad expression settled on her face. “We’re going to have to reschedule.”

  “Oh…” I blinked in surprise. “Okay, I understand.”

  I got up from the chair and tried to hide the disappointment on my face as I walked back towards the elevators. I wasn’t sure what happened, but I assumed that the meeting had something to do with it. My heart sank into my stomach when I got to the bottom floor of the office building and made my way to the exit. There was still hope—but that didn’t make me feel any better. A man like Alexio Hawkins didn’t have a lot of time on his schedule, and every minute was precious.

  I had no idea how long it would be before I got the call again. It had been months since I applied to Hawkins Capital—and I didn’t hear from anyone at the company until they called to set up my interview. I drove home with my stomach twisted into what felt like a permanent knot. I really did feel like my opportunity had passed me by—all because an emergency stole the precious minutes I had to sit down across from Alexio Hawkins and convince him that I deserved an opportunity.

  “Okay, are we opening this bottle of wine to celebrate?” Jennifer hopped up from the couch as soon as I walked into our apartment.