Early one morning the young and handsome Julian Crane was sitting in his spacious office at his new medical clinic. Since his clinic had not opened yet, he was contemplating on whom to interview for the jobs he had available. He needed six nurses, a nurse practitioner, and an x-ray technician. Even though he had the difficult task of picking and choosing between people to hire, he was still calm. One thing that he didn't have to worry about was a secretary, because lucky for him, he already had one. Suddenly his secretary, Janice, came walking into his office. She was a tall woman in her young twenties with long blond hair and blue eyes.
"Here is your coffee Doctor Crane," she said cautiously sitting it down on his desk so that it wouldn't spill.
"Thank you…has that lady arrived for her interview yet? I think her name was a Miss Johns…."
"Miss Johnson."
"Yes, that's her."
"No, Doctor Crane, she hasn't, but her interview isn't scheduled for another five minutes."
"Oh, okay."
Janice left the room and Julian was still fumbling through bills that he owed just for getting the clinic built. Money was not a problem to him though. He was already a wealthy Crane, and as everyone knew, the Crane's were the richest and most powerful people in the world. Writing a check for thousands of dollars was nothing to him. Julian's phone started to ring and he quickly picked it up.
"Doctor Crane," Julian said into the receiver.
"This is Janice; I just wanted to let you know that Miss Johnson is here to see you."
"Okay, send her in."
Julian had his office door open and suddenly he saw Miss Eve Johnson standing in the doorway. He immediately looked her body up and down. She had long, black, flowing hair and a nervous grin across her face. Her long silky legs were enhanced with a black skirt that rested just below her knees. She also had on a fitted light blue shirt that insinuated her curves. Right now, Julian honestly thought that he was staring at the most beautiful woman that he had ever seen. He loved the way the deep, warm color of her skin looked and now, he could not wait to talk to her.
"May I come in?" she asked in a quiet voice.
"Of course."
She slowly closed the door behind her, and made eye contact with Julian. His hair was dark brown and cut somewhat short. He had on a dashing Armani suit, and had a rich tan that brought out the hazel color of his eyes. Now, even she couldn't take her eyes off of him.
"Please, sit down," he said getting up and pulling out one of his brown leather chairs. Eve sat down and Julian returned to his leather chair behind his desk.
"So, how are you doing this morning, Miss Johnson?"
"I'm kind of nervous."
"Why are you nervous?" he asked laughing.
"I always get nervous at interviews, I just can't help it," she said starting to blush. Julian noticed this and a slight grin came across his face.
"There is no reason to be nervous here. So, what made you interested in working at my clinic?"
"Well," she said straitening her back up in the chair, "I have been looking for a job and this sounded like a really good place."
"I'm glad you feel that way. Now, what do you think that you could bring to my clinic?"
"I think I could bring good ideas. I am creative and I am very easy to work with."
"Good answer," he said smiling. Julian started flipping through her resume and he lifted his eyebrow at one in particular part he read.
"I see here that you had three different jobs last year, Miss Johnson. Why is that?"
"Oh…"
"What is that oh about?"
"It's not what you think. I didn't change jobs because they wanted me to leave or anything. I just didn't like the places I was working."
"You mean all of them were bad?"
"They really were. I quit two of the jobs because I just didn't like the area I was working in. I worked for a gynecologist's office and a dermatology floor, and the places just didn't appeal to me. Now, the reason I quit my last job is because of the people that I worked with."
"The people?"
"Yeah, see I like to really watch my patients, and the people that I worked with just didn't seem to care about the patients. They would go and give meds, and just leave the room. They would never talk to their patients, and they never seemed to have a passion for their work."
"Maybe they were in a hurry, Miss Johnson."
"No, they were all like this. For example, when I give patients their meds I tell them what every single pill is and what it is for, and they just took the medicine in there and told them to take it. When I go in a room, I explain everything and I take time, which is something they didn't do. I can't work with people that don't value the patient care."
"I understand now… and I admire that about you, that you take time with your patients and you don't treat them like they are mediocrity."
"Thank you, Doctor Crane."
"Oh, you're welcome. Now, you do know that I will have a variety of different patients here, right?"
"Yes, of course."
"Do you think that you would be better suited to care for a general variety of patients?"
"I really do. That is why I thought working in a doctor's office would be better for me."
"Okay… do you have any questions that you would like to ask me?"
"I was wondering what the pay was like."
"Well, how much would you want?"
"I was hoping at least thirty dollars an hour," she said biting her lower lip.
"It would be more than thirty, that is if I give you the job."
"Doctor Crane, I know that switching jobs often is not a good thing, but please don't hold that against me. I am a very dedicated person, and I would not disappoint you, sir."
"I'm not holding the fact that you left a few jobs against you. We all do that, even I have. Do you think that you can handle a five-day a week job though? I know all of your other jobs were three days a week."
"I promise you that I can handle it."
"If I hired you, you would also have to do rounds on Saturday's with me at the hospital sometimes."
"Saturday's?" she asked in a surprised voice.
"Yes, is that a problem?"
"No…No, it's just that I try to spend time with my family on the weekends."
"Miss Johnson, I will not take away from your family time. The only reason I would call you in on a Saturday is if many of my patients were in the hospital, which would probably be once in a blue moon. Even if I had to call you in, it would only be for about two hours."
"Oh, okay."
"Well, Mrs. Johnson, you are a very kind woman and you seem like a dedicated worker, and dedication is what I look for. I also look for talented and enthusiastic people to work for me, and you are all of those things. What I am trying to say, is that I would love for you to be my nurse practitioner here at Crane Clinic."
"Oh my God," she said in shock as she covered her mouth with her hands.
"Why are you shocked?"
"I didn't think you would give me the job."
"No one else would be better suited for this job."
"Thank you…Thank you so much, Doctor Crane," she said shaking his hand.
"Please, call me Julian."
"Okay…Julian, thank you so much. And since we will be working together now, you can call me Eve."
"It's been a pleasure meeting you and I can't wait to work with you, Eve."
"I feel the same way."
"How about we go out for dinner tonight?"
Suddenly Eve's eyes widened. "Is he already asking me out on date?" she thought to herself.
"Eve," he said waving his hand in front of her face.
"I'm sorry."
"You were just gone for a minute there."
"I was thinking about something, that's all. Umm…You asked me to dinner?"
"Yes, so that we could celebrate working together, and it will give us a chance to talk about some of the business here at the clinic."
"Oh," she said laughing.
"What did you think I was asking?"
"Nothing, Julian. It was nothing."
"Okay, well do you want to come to the office and meet later, or do you want me to pick you up at your house?"
"Uh…I can meet you here. Where are we going?"
"There is this new restaurant out of town called The Lantern and I thought we could go there."
"Would I need to dress up?"
"I guess so, because it is kind of a suit and tie place."
"Can I be back here about six?"
"That's fine, Eve. I will see you then," he said as she left his office.
She quickly rushed home. Right when she walked in the door, she called her friend, Jada, to talk.
"Jada!" Eve said happily into the telephone.
"Girl, what are you so happy about?" Jada asked.
"I got a job!"
"Really?"
"Yes. I am going to be Doctor Julian Crane's nurse practitioner at his clinic."
"Honey, you are making one big mistake."
"What are you talking about?"
"Have you ever heard of the Crane's?"
"No," Eve retorted.
"Girl, where have you been? It is 2006, and you have never once heard the name "Crane"?"
"No."
"Look, the Crane's are the richest people in the world, and they own all of Harmony."
"Are you serious?"
"I would not make this up. The Crane's are ruthless."
"Julian's not."
"He is just as bad as his father. Do you ever pick a tabloid paper up?"
"I don't read that garbage."
"Well, you better start reading it. Julian Crane has been caught with so many women."
"You don't know that."
"It is on the front of the entertainment magazines every freaking week. You'll be on one of them tomorrow."
"Me?"
"Yes, you. Once the tabloids get wind that he hired a nurse practitioner to work for him, and you being black at that, they will have so many rumors started your head will spin."
"Jada, he may be on the front of magazines, I don't knnw, but he acted like a gentleman today."
"Eve, you know that they act like gentleman, but all they are wanting is to get in your pants and see what you got."
"Jada!" Eve scolded.
"It's true. I've been there. I dated this rich dude once, and he had his way with me and I never heard from him again. That's how they do."
"I don't think Julian is that way."
"Why are you defending him?"
"Because, he was nice."
"Well, what is so nice about him?"
"He listens for one and he is very considerate. He actually invited me out for dinner tonight."
"You're kidding, right?"
"No."
"Eve, we have been friends since high school, right?"
"Yeah."
"And we've always told each other what we think, right?"
"Yes," Eve said annoyed.
"Okay, Eve, then listen to me. You are fixing to get yourself in a bunch of shit you can't get out of."
"It's just a business dinner, Jada."
"The word business has a totally different meaning for the Crane's."
"Jada, can you not support me? I come home with good news and all you are doing is carrying on about how terrible the Crane's are."
"I do support you and I am glad you got a job, but I just want you to watch out for yourself."
"I know."
"You know, Julian does appears to have one hot body in the tabloid pictures though."
"Trust me, he does," Eve said laughing.
"So, you like him don't you?"
"No, Jada. Why would you say that?"
"Because, I can tell you do. If I was at your house right this minute, you would be grinning more than when I see Usher in a magazine. Now am I not telling the truth?"
"Maybe…" Eve said blushing.
"I know you like him, you can't fool me. If you do ever go out on an actual date together, ask him about the tabloids."
"I will, but the tabloid articles are not true."
"Whatever," Jada said rolling her eyes. "Now, I want you to dress in the sexiest dress you have tonight, and let him know how hot you are."
"Jada, I can't dress all sexy for him."
"You are twenty-five and you have every right to dress sexy, and you are going to a fancy restaurant, am I right?"
"Yes."
"Well, do like I said. If Julian is a good man like you say he is, then you wearing a hot dress will prove it."
"And how will it prove he is a good guy?"
"If he is the typical Crane, he will try to make a move on you at least once. If he makes no moves, then maybe he is better than I thought."
Eve laughed. "Thanks for talking to me, Jada."
"Anytime, girl. You just go out and have fun tonight, you deserve it."
"Thanks, bye!" Eve exclaimed happily hanging up the phone. "Oh… Doctor Julian Crane," she said to herself. "I like him, but things would never work between us. He wouldn't want me anyway. He probably wouldn't have anything to do with a black woman, especially not in a relationship anyway."