Ignite Me (The Annihilate Me Series) by Christina Ross Read Free Book Online Page B

Then, it all comes down to an even mix
of frisée, baby red romaine, oak leaf lettuce, radicchio, watercress, roquette,
and buttercrunch, which sounds fattening, but it isn’t.   On it, just put a trace of olive
oil—just a trace!—before you add a fair dollop of balsamic.   Can you handle that?”
    “I’ve got
it—and it sounds good.”
    “You have no
idea.”
    “Whom do I
speak to at Tiffany?”
    “Gordon.   But whomever you come upon first, just
say that you are there to pick up a necklace for Jennifer Wenn.   They’re already expecting you, though
you will need to show them your ID for security reasons.   So, necklace first.   Then a salad for me.   I’ll expect you back here within the
hour.”
    An hour?   Was she serious?   Or was she just trying to set me up for
failure because earlier I’d told her that I was never late?   The traffic alone could screw this up
for me.
    “I’m off,” I
said.
    “As you should
be.   There’s a driver already
waiting for you at the curbside.   He’ll recognize you when you step onto the sidewalk, and he already
knows where you’re going.   So, if
you’re not to be late, which you never are, I suggest that you go.”  

 
 
    *   *   *

 
 
    When I left
Wenn and moved onto the sidewalk, I saw a large stretch limo parked at the
curbside in front of me.   I would
have dismissed it if a young, handsome man in his early thirties and a black
business suit hadn’t nodded and opened the back door for me.
    “Good
afternoon, Ms. Wells.”
    I walked over
to him and shook his hand.  
    “I’m Zack
Anderson.   I’ll be your personal
driver during your time here at Wenn.”
    “I have a
personal driver?   And I’ll be riding
in this?”
    “Of
course.   Ms. Blackwell has a certain
reputation to uphold in this town.   I’d imagine that, as her new personal assistant, you will be viewed as
an extension of that reputation, which Ms. Blackwell protects.   Because of that, she wouldn’t have you
arrive at any destination in anything less than this.”
    What in the
hell have I gotten my self into?   Now I’m seen as an extension of her reputation?   Oh, fantastic.   Oh, calamity!   Who better than Madison Wells from
Wisconsin to follow in her storied footsteps?   This is a job better suited for Anna
Wintour than it is for me.
    And then I just
stopped myself.   And checked
myself.    And took a deep
mental breath before I slid into the back seat and pulled myself together.   Zack closed the door behind me, came
around the front of the car, and slipped into the driver’s seat.   The roar of traffic on Fifth didn’t
escape me, because I knew that for the next hour, that traffic would become my
nemesis.  
    “Tiffany and
then Le Salade?” Zack asked.
    “Do you think
we have time to do both in one hour?”
    “We can if we
hustle.”
    “Then let’s
hustle,” I said.   “I can’t
disappoint her.”
    His eyes
flicked up to meet mine in the rearview mirror before he cut into traffic.   “Actually, I don’t think disappointing
her is an option for you.   Or for
me, to be honest with you, because it’s been made very clear to me that your
punctuality also rests on my shoulders.   We should probably work as a team if we’re going to meet her demands.”
    “Then we might
as well make up a name for ourselves.   How about Team Mackison?”
    He smiled at
that.   “Works for me.”
    “How long have
you worked here?”
    “A little over
a year.   I was reassigned yesterday
and told that I now work exclusively for you.”
    “Exclusively
for me?”
    “That’s right.”
    “That suggests
that I’m going to be doing more running around than I thought.”
    “Ms. Blackwell
is a pretty busy woman.   What we’re
doing today are things she used to do herself.   She must be relieved to have you
onboard.”
    “That remains
to be seen.   Have you ever driven
her anywhere?”
    “All the time.”
    Shazam!
    “Do you by any
chance know how