Ding. The elevator door bell rang and the vision of loveliness that stepped out was a sight for sore eyes. Middle-aged but carrying herself regally, Sophia Boulgetti, mother of Nikolaus and first wife of the man-whore that sired Nikolaus, stepped from the elevator and headed to her son’s office with a confident stride.
The Chanel suit that she was wearing was from the spring collection and she had actually met with the designer to get her measurements taken so that it fit like a glove. She would normally walk pass the secretary’s desk and head straight for her son’s door because she had no interest in speaking to the buxom, brainless beauties that secretly wanted to become the next Mrs. Boulgetti. However, today she slowed her stride and actually took a moment to survey the landscape.
“My, my, are you Nikolaus’ new assistant my dear?”
“Good morning, Mrs. Boulgetti. Why yes I’m Mr. Boulgetti’s new assistant. My name is Abigail.”
Abigail rose and extended her hand and smiled at the older woman. Mrs. Boulgetti had been expected, and Nikolaus had told Abby that she should expect his mom to just walk into his office, so there was no need to announce her arrival. So it was quite a surprise when the matriarch stopped to chat with her.
“You are a bit young for such a position; I’m surprised. You look no older than my twenty year old daughter. But I suppose after that last fiasco with Cindy, Cynthia, whatever her name, maybe he was in a hurry to fill the position.”
“Ah,” Abby smiled with a bit of a pinched grin; she wasn’t that young! “Actually my 25th birthday is coming up soon; I’m a bit older than I look. Actually I have been working as the personal assistant of Mr. Hancock, the CFO, for the last two years. I graduated with a BS in Finance with a minor in Business from Harvard.”
Abby had lifted her head and had spoken with authority as she challenged Sophia’s assumptions, and that made Sophia smile. She was glad that Nikolaus had finally gotten a smart girl that wasn’t consumed with marriage and money to work for him instead of the brazen, model types that always attempted to draw attention to their looks. Sophia glanced at Abigail and saw that she was quite pretty and, though a bit plump, wore her clothing well and exuded confidence. This was that kind of girl that Nikolaus should be looking at, not the usual airhead socialites of New York. The type of women that Nikolaus’ father couldn’t keep it in his pants for, even if it killed him. She sighed.
“Well please, let my son know that I am here to speak with him.”
Abigail stared in surprise. She was sure that Sophia was just going to head straight into the office; she didn’t need to be announced. But she shook her head and nodded and paged Nikolaus.
“Ah, Mr. Boulgetti, your mother is here to see you.”
“I told you that you don’t have to announce her; she’s just going to barge in anyway.”
“Stop being irritable Nik. I asked her to announce me,” Sophia exclaimed as she did indeed barge into his office and headed straight to his desk for her traditional kiss.
“Oh mother when have you ever asked to be announced?” Nikolaus asked as he grinned and showered two short kisses one on each cheek.
“Today dear. Now I have to say that new assistant is such an improvement over the last two. I’m beginning to think that I will be a grandmother one day if your taste in woman is improving this well.”
Nikolaus stood back and eyed his mother with skepticism and frowned.
“Mother, I am not dating my assistant and I am not looking for a wife. You of all people should know that marriage is messy and not worth the hassle,” Nikolaus frowned, moved, and look out the window onto the busy streets of the city below.
His jaw was clenched thinking about the mess and tears that he witnessed from his mother when his father had been caught cheating with his tennis instructor that he ended up making his second wife. Becky, with the perky, fake breasts, only lasted for four years and then she was replaced by Amanda, and then by Courtney, his current wife.
“Your father is governed my his little head and that doesn’t mean that you are going to follow in his footsteps. Give me a little credit for raising you to be a better man, my dear,” his mother gloated as she sashayed over to the mini bar looking for her favorite whiskey.
“Yes, well marriage is not something I’m looking for at the moment mother. The last thing I need is a distraction right before the IPO of Everfresh.”
“Ah yes, I stand to make a pretty penny on that little venture and I expect it to go smoothly.”
“Yes well I promised father that if he backed the company I would make sure the initial valuation would be worth his while so I have to focus. He is going to want his money back if I don’t deliver.”
Sophia frowned as she tossed back the remnants of the golden whiskey and felt it burn her throat and immediately set her stomach on fire.
“Your father is a spoilt brat, but I too want this deal to be your biggest payoff to date. I need a new vacation home and your sister is going to want a nice wedding gift,” Sophia chuckled as she moved to sit on the chaise and ease her stilettos off.
“Maria shouldn’t marry that French banker. He was involved in some kind of scandal three years ago with his maid. They say he has a bastard out there, and he paid off the maid to keep her quiet.”
“Your sister doesn’t listen to anyone, so if she wants this Frenchman then so be it. I refuse to argue with her again on this subject.”
Leaning against his desk and staring at his mother for a moment, Nikolaus bit his tongue from a retort. Maria was a handful after their father’s infidelity and she had become quite the deviant. But Nikolaus knew that she was just hurt that their father had abandoned the family for a simple-minded woman that clearly just wanted money, and neither had been surprised when the marriage had ended after only four years. The only thing that Nikolaus and Maria could be thankful for was that their father had not brought more children into the world only to abandon them for another family every couple of years. This was another reason that Nikolaus didn’t think about anything more serious than an occasional one-night stand to satisfy his more primal urges.
“So tell me about the new assistant; she looks intelligent and not at all the type that you have hired in the past.”
“Yes well I learned from my mistakes. I need to deal with brain over beauty if I want any work to get done.”
“Ha! She isn’t that bad to look at, so you are full of it,” Sophia chuckled.
Nikolaus narrowed his eyes and glanced at the door to his office as if he could see Abigail through it. It was true that she wasn’t exactly his type with the long, thin legs and fake breast, but she was very pretty and her eyes were large and full of expression. She was very honest and hard working. It had only been three weeks and she was completely spun up and helping him often late into the night. She was always professional and they had begun a nice friendship. More than once this week he had called her to ask her opinion on aspects of the IPO, and he was happy that she had her finance background and a close relationship with Hancock. They had discussed his worry and fixed the wording in the contract with the issuing bank. Everything just seemed to move at a better pace than when Cynthia worked there.
The normal chatting that he had with Abigail was of the professional kind, and he liked that she was not looking for anything else from her job, or from him. Female friends were rare in Nikolaus’ circle, but most of his acquaintances were friends from school, Maria’s friends, or daughters of his mother’s friends. Abigail was becoming the first female that he could talk to without worrying that she was trying to wife him up.
“Abby and I have a nice friendship mother, nothing more.”
“Abby! Ha! I knew it,” Sophia smirked, “so she’s Abby now and not Abigail.”
“Ms. Norton is a professional mother!” Nikolaus ground out between clinched teeth.
“Right, right. Whatever you say dear,” Sophia rose from the chaise and slipped her feet back into her heels. “Just don’t wait until I’m eighty to have some kids Nikolaus; I have nobody to brag on in my circle of friends because you are holding out.”
Shaking his head and walking over to help her to the door, Nikolaus paused and searched her face.
“Does it really matter if I marry or not? Would you be happy if I had a child and didn’t marry?”
“What and bring a child into the world predetermined to have a broken home? I raised you better.”
Nikolaus sighed. “Never mind mother; you always have Maria.”
“If you think that your sister is going to have children anytime soon then you are crazy. I swear, I think that that girl is only marrying that man for his villa in Italy. I can’t think of anything else that she could be thinking about but Lake Como.”
A chuckle passed over Nikolaus’ warm, full lips as he smiled at his mother’s antics.
“You know that she is madly in love with Henri and she is already picking out baby clothes and looking for a house for their family.”
“I know, but I wish that you were happy too dear. I hate to think that your father has turned you off from women,” a sigh escaped from Sophia’s lips as she caressed Nikolaus’ cheek.
“That’s not true mother and you know it,” he murmured, and trying to appease her, he whispered, “I promise when the right girl comes along I will make her mine and have as many grandchildren as you want.”
“That’s my boy!” Sophia exclaimed as she patted him on the cheek and turned to the door. “I do so hope that they have a head of curls like their mother.”
Nikolaus let his mother out of his office and then thought about her words as he watched her stop and say goodbye to Abigail. The young woman was very polite and smiled that radiant smile that always made Nikolaus stop and think about his family before the infidelity; when his mother was always smiling and he and Maria was surrounded by love and family. He slowly closed the door to his office before a terrifying thought erupted in his head. Curly hair? He looked back at his mother, who was entering the elevator, and she caught his eye and winked. He then looked at Abigail and her gorgeous, honey-brown curls and flashed his eyes back at his mother as the elevator doors closed on her knowing smirk.