Chapter 3

It was fate.

Jon knew it.

He had thought about meeting her being fate earlier, when he felt sparks, and now... now he knew. Jon needed a secretary; she needed a better paying job. Granted, Cheria was still a minor and a student, so she wouldn't be able to work full-time, but that was better than nothing and he would get the added bonus of her presence. It truly was a win-win for him.

"Got any computer skills?" He asked after a moment, making the turn, spotting the auto parts store just up the street. "Clerical work? Because I am in desperate need of someone to run my office."

There was no way Cheria would rip the company off unlike his last secretary. Promising Joe to do a background check would have to be broken because he wouldn't put Roy's niece through that. She was completely trustworthy; Jon felt in his bones or maybe that was just his erection talking to him. Either way, it was his company and if he sensed something wrong about her, then a background check would be necessary. Besides, he was horrid at paperwork and Joe point blank refused to do anything on the computer other than solitaire. Jon managed the financial, business taxes and all that crap quite well, but the rest of it was just a headache.

Was he offering her a job? Cheria couldn't believe it and felt a lump form in her throat, slowly turning her head to look back at Jon only when he pulled into a parking spot. "I'm only 17…" Could she really run an office at such a young age? "I'm good with a computer and, if you show me the programs, I'm a fast learner. I run the flower shop actually, do the bills and whatnot. Is that what you need?" She beamed brightly when Jon nodded, wondering how this day had gone from incredibly dull and heartbreaking because of her vehicle problems to…this? "Are you sure about this, Jon? I don't want to make mistakes that hurt you or your company."

"Hey, I know all those programs and the software like the back of my hand."

Since he was the one usually running them. He was just tired of running the office and wanted to be doing work in the garage rather then spending hours doing everything else that needed to be done. There wasn't enough time and, honestly, he was afraid they'd fall behind soon if he didn't get any help.

"I'll show you how to do what needs to be done and it's only part-time." Labor laws for minors had to be followed. "I trust you Cher; you come from good people and I can tell you're from the same stock."

Reaching out, Jon took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. She could get used to spending time with Jon and holding his hand, feeling his touch. Cheria was in deep trouble if she didn't draw the line with this man, who was potentially her new boss, not wanting to cross any boundaries. Then again, he was only doing this to help her out and nothing more. She had to keep reminding herself she was still a kid and nothing would change it.

"I know I keep saying it a lot, but…thank you again. I'll try not to let you down. You better go inside and get those parts." Cheria pulled her hand away reluctantly and watched him get out of the truck, immediately letting the breath she'd inhaled out. This intense effect scared and excited her all at the same time.

"What the hell are you doing?" Jon asked himself as he walked into the store, waving when the manager spotted him and called out a greeting.

Going to the counter, Jon made the transaction and only paid half attention to it. The other half of his mind was out in his truck, firmly on the underage teenager waiting in the passenger seat and how he should not be thinking of her the way he was. Hell, he shouldn't be touching her and offering her a job? Jon was practically setting himself up for trouble.

"I do like trouble..."

"What was that, Jon?"

"Nothing Mike, I'll probably see you next week." He was talking out loud now - that wasn't good.

"What the hell are you doing, Cheria?" She asked herself for the umpteenth time, looking around the truck and tried not to notice it smelled of Jon.

Gasoline, musk and the faint smell of cigarettes. He hadn't lit one up, but she could tell when a person smoked since Uncle Roy did. His choice these days were cigars and he only had one every couple days, nixing the cigarettes long ago. They didn't bother her, surprisingly, since her mother was a heavy smoker too. Her biological mother. Cheria's thoughts drifted back to Jon quickly, not wanting to think about her mother and wondered why he'd offer her a job in the first place being a minor. Uncle Roy and Aunt Betty wouldn't like this – however, they must've respected Jon somewhat to allow him to work on her vehicle. This was just spelling trouble with a capital T.

"I need to turn it down. I should turn it down. I'm going to turn it down." Nevertheless, once Jon was back in the vehicle and they were on the road again, Cheria gave him her answer regarding the job offer. "When do I start?"

She seemed nervous as hell; Jon reached for his cigarettes and lighter, taking his time in lighting one. He then cracked his window open, not about to smother her with second-hand smoke, but he definitely required one right now. "You can start in a few days. Best let Roy know and, if he has a problem, he can come to me." He doubted Roy would care, so long as he didn't find out Jon may have had ulterior motives for this. "Doubt he will though, your Uncle is a pretty square guy."

"He can be, but he also knows the people at the flower shop. It doesn't matter though. It's my decision and my life. I'm almost 18 and they need to deal with it."

Now Cheria sounded frustrated because convincing herself NOT to take the job offer had proven useless. What was it about Jon that made her want to be near him, to talk and get to know him? Now she'd be working for him part-time until she graduated and then hopefully the job, if she did well, would turn full-time. What a day this had been! She watched the cigarette slide out of his mouth every time he took a drag and blew smoke out of his nostrils. It was possibly the sexiest thing she'd ever witness a man do in her short life. The warm pool between her thighs grew and Cheria had to maintain control of her body until she was alone. Then she would work out the issues she currently had, making a mental note NOT to wear anymore skirts around him.

Unaware of the effect he was having on her, Jon swiped his tongue along the corner of his lip before letting it slowly slide along the bottom one. Deep in thought, he took one final drag off of his cigarette before pushing it out the crack of the window, letting the wind take it while taking his time driving her home. He cocked an eyebrow noticing Cheria try to discreetly shift in her seat, noting her delicious thighs were now clenched together and reached over to pat her knee gently.

"Don't worry Cher, your Uncle can be a reasonable guy. I bet he's trying to get you to save up for college or something. Ivy league school maybe." Jon had done the trade route, going to a community college to learn blue-collar work. "You tell him this pays better and he'll be fine."

"I wouldn't doubt it considering they told me I have to go to college if I want to make something of myself. I don't think I have to. I think having just a high school diploma and a job will suffice to survive. They think I'm ridiculous and childish for that train of thought. But I have friends who graduated last year and they are struggling so much in college right now because of bills. Their parents promised to help them through it and now they're demanding them to get a job to pay their own way. I refuse to let that happen to me. Besides, there's no place in the world I'd rather be than Tampa." She loved Florida; it was home and the only place she'd known, even though she was born in Ohio. "Sorry for rambling like that." His hand on her knee hadn't moved and Cheria had to do everything in her power to remain calm, especially when he began kneading it gently to try soothing her. It was a sweet gesture.

"What about community college or something? That's not so bad and there's grants and shit."

Jon had used a scholarship for poor kids to pay his way through trade school for the first year. Second year he had done a type of internship deal where he basically worked and half his wages went towards school. The other half kept a roof over his head.

"Trust me Cher, a little extra school doesn't hurt. I'd probably still be flipping burgers if I hadn't gone for trade." He doubted she'd want to work a factory or waitress job her entire life.

"Hmm maybe."

Honestly, it wasn't a bad idea and Cheria hadn't considered a trade school or community college, only focusing on the negatives instead of positives. Her Aunt and Uncle wanted her to succeed in life. Was that so wrong? She just didn't want them helping her and suffering for it, which is why she would pay for her vehicle instead of the people who loved and cared about her most.

"I'll look into them around here and hopefully I can get into the one in Orlando." It was only an hour drive from Tampa. "There's always online classes too I can take. I did consider that as well while working to support myself. I do know I'm getting a scholarship, but I don't want to go to a big fancy college. Hopefully I can use it for any place I want to attend."

Jon nodded, knowing this was the information age; people did everything on computers. Date, buy groceries, attend school... he wished he had that chance when he was in school. Being able to do all his classes online would have saved him some detention time for sure. It took him a moment to realize they were parked, blinking as he looked out the windshield. Jon had been so engrossed in talking to Cheria and listening to what she had to say, he had been driving on autopilot. It was probably a miracle they had made it here in one piece. Then he realized he was still holding her hand and let go, feeling that sense of reluctance washing over him.

"Here you are." He shifted in his seat to face her. "See you this week then?"

"Yes. Give me the weekend to sort everything out with my Uncle and Aunt and the flower shop. I'll give you a call on Monday after school if you want me to start then. Quick question: what's the attire I should wear for the office?"

At the flower shop it was dress pants and a nice top, nothing too formal though. Semi-casual, if anything. With a mechanic shop, however, she was clueless and could already feel the emptiness from the loss of his hand seeping into her body. She didn't want to say goodbye to him, not yet, but it had to be done. Jon had things to do, such as her vehicle to work on. Cheria also had things to take care of as well.

A slow eyebrow raised, Jon once again, for what had to be the 100th time in the short amount of time they had known each other, giving her an onceover. That was great attire, but it was already distracting him and Jon couldn't imagine working with her if she came in dressed in little skirts. He would wind up spending more time in the office then he already did now, if that were possible.

"Look at me, darlin', do I look like a guy who does professional work attire?" He laughed, shaking his head. "Jeans are fine. If you want to dress up, that's fine too." Jon shrugged his massive shoulders, draping one arm along the back of the seat, his fingertips just near enough to almost graze her hair. "I'm pretty easygoing about clothes."

Did he just call her darlin'? Cheria could feel his fingers stroking her braided hair and chewed her bottom lip, the nerves once again spilling out. "Right, sorry. Stupid thing to ask. I'll – uh – I'll figure it out then." She really had to get out of this truck before something happened that shouldn't – that couldn't! "You truly are a lifesaver and a saint, Jon. See you on Monday."

Before he could say another word, she hopped out of the trunk and shut the door, hurrying inside feeling as though her heart might explode out of her chest. Jesus, how was she supposed to work for a man like THAT? Jon simply watched as she scurried into the house like her backside was on fire, a slow grin spreading across his face. He stroked his chin, not minding the scruff, considering what this next week would hold. Hell, Joe would probably try stringing him up by his balls and Jon groaned, beginning to back out of the driveway. Wondering just how he was going to explain this to not only his employee, but his friend. If Joe was just someone who worked for him, no problem. Joe was his best friend though, practically family, and he would have a lot of issues with this.

"Cross that bridge later..." Jon had a car to go work on and, in a few days, a new employee to... train.

It took some convincing, but eventually Uncle Roy and Aunt Betty let Cheria make the decision on whether to take the job at Good's Automobile Repairs or continue at the flower shop. Cheria needed more money to pay for her vehicle, that's how she rationalized it anyway. So here she was, in a cab on the way to her new job, wearing a pair of dark denim jeans that hugged her curves and clung to her legs nicely along with a magenta short sleeved buttoned up top. She'd put her hair back in a neat twist, not wanting it interfering with her job. Once the cab pulled up to the shop, Cheria took a deep breath, paid the driver and slid out of the backseat with her purse in hand, heading inside to start her first day.

This would be interesting to say the least.