I don't own Merlin.

Chapter 1

If anything, it was a little odd to find such a handsome man looking for a position such as this. The room was filled with women, all waiting for their interview, but the gentleman didn't seem to notice or mind being the only man in the room. Each time Arthur went out to call in one of the women, he would glance curiously at the man, but decided each time to put all questions out of his mind. It wasn't unheard of to have a male secretary.

When Arthur dismissed a particularly busty blonde with a meagre resume, he was pleased to finally stumble upon one with the name of a man at the top. And as he suspected, when he went out into the waiting room and called out a quiet "Merlin", the man stood up and approached him, hand outstretched.

Arthur grasped it and took note of the firm, but not over bearing or challenging grasp and gave it two quick shakes. "Nice to meet you" Merlin said quietly, giving Arthur an even stare through icy blue eyes.

"Likewise" Arthur replied before leading the man into his office and closing the door behind him.

Merlin went right in, his gait comfortable, as if he'd done this many times before. Once they were both seated, Arthur looked over Merlin's resume again.

Merlin sat in his chair, patiently and curiously taking in his surroundings. His eyes raking the room as if he wanted to take in as much as he could. This made Arthur believe that Merlin had never been in a room so nice, because it was nice, but Merlin's relaxed position and obviously expensive suit said otherwise.

"So Merlin," Arthur began, "I see you've had work like this before, a temp for multiple companies, but you moved around often. What made you come here?"

Merlin smiled slightly, the light in the office bringing out his high cheekbones and soft lips. "None of those jobs were very exciting. I've been building up experience while waiting for an opportunity such as this to come along."

"And you'd consider what I do 'exciting'?"

"I'd say it is."

Arthur was the President of Pendragon Cooperation, a company handed down from his father, and his father before him. Arthur himself was looking for a new secretary. His Vice President, Leon, had insisted that he ought to take care of the interviews, that they were bellow Arthur and a waste of his time. But Arthur didn't want just some pretty face to charm those coming in, he wanted someone who he could get along with. They would be spending a lot of time together and Arthur wanted to be the one to chose his secretary.

"Do you know what we do here, Merlin?"

"You help ship supplies to third world countries. You find celebrities and encourage them to donate to your company to help those in need."

"Very good." Arthur said, clearly relieved.

"Were there some people who couldn't answer that question?" Merlin said, his lips pulling up into a smirk.

Arthur just shook his head. "You'd be surprised. We help a lot of people here Merlin, I made that my personal goal. I want the people of our world to be safe and fed. Sometimes celebrities get a bad rep, and when they do, what makes them look better than donating to charity?"

Merlin laughed, "This is a blackmail of sorts. Do you hunt them down and offer them an ultimatum, or do they come to you on their own?"

"That would be giving away company secrets. Upon revealing that information, I'd have to kill you instantly and without hesitation." Arthur said, his face giving away no emotion.

Merlin just shook his head. "I knew it was exciting here."

"Hmm, and what about you?"

Merlin looked slightly surprised by the question. "What about me?"

"Are you an exciting person?" Arthur asked.

"Not particularly, no. Sorry."

"I think that's a lie, I think you have a very interesting past behind you." Arthur said, leaning forward.

Merlin looked a little uncomfortable by the statement, shuffling a little in his seat.

"For example," Arthur pressed on through Merlin's silence, "your suit."

Merlin looked confused. "What about my suit?" He asked, brows furrowed.

Arthur reached over and ran his fingers across the material of Merlin's cuff. "This, is a very expensive suit." he said, "Not one a temp could have afforded." There was a slight smile playing at his lips.

Merlin pulled his arm back, folding it carefully into his lap before answering. "I have the luxury of living with a wealthy roommate, who is nice enough to lend me some of his clothes. Not that this is any of your business." He said, his expression closed off.

Arthur pushed on. "No, this suit fits you perfectly. It was made for you. I'm getting the feeling that you are much more interesting than you're leading me to believe."

Merlin was quiet for a second. "My name is Merlin Emrys," he said slowly, "and I used to be the president of Emrys Inc." he said, his eyes lowering slightly.

Arthur's eyes grew wide at the realization. "THE Merlin Emrys? You left your company out of the blue, why are you here looking for a job as a secretary? You could be running this place!" he exclaimed.

Merlin nodded, "I've had a long time to become good at what I do, and I've become very good at it. But it was boring, and I was bored. It was the same old problems and I wanted something more... challenging." His body was slowly stiffening, his back getting straighter as he sat higher in his seat.

Reading his signs of discomfort, Arthur chuckled. "And being my secretary is your challenge? You are a strange person Merlin Emrys." he said, smiling warmly.

Merlin just nodded. "Like I've said, I've waited a long time for an opportunity like this to come around." he said, his face expressionless.

Arthur stood and extended his hand to Merlin. Merlin stood and took it, shaking it firmly before thanking him for his time.

Arthur showed Merlin to the door and promised to call him, should he get the job. Merlin smiled and went on his way.

Returning to his desk, having closed the door tightly behind him, Arthur sat in his office alone. He glanced down at the notepad which he was using to take notes on the people he was interviewing and found that he had only written Merlin's name. It was no matter, he wouldn't be forgetting Merlin for a long time.