“It’s a nice space isn’t it? I felt the same when I first joined. So, this is the marketing department. There are just five of us, you included, and it’s a great team. Let me introduce you to the others.” And then Abbie stood up on the chair and yelled, “Hey guys, this is Jane. Wave hello!” Two faces popped up and waved. I waved back, slightly embarrassed by this awkward introduction. “We’ll do a proper introduction later on for sure,” Abbie continued, stepping down from the chair, “Over there in the far right corner is Kevin and that over there is Michael. They’re very nice guys. They’re just busy on some deadline now so I’d rather introduce you properly when they’re not so stressed. Maybe we can all go have a drink sometime – I find that to be the best way to get to know people.”
I laughed at that, “I must agree.” Then I looked around and noticed two empty desks, “What about those?” I asked her.
“Oh, well this one is mine. And trust me, I am so happy to have a girl in the office with me now. What a relief. I think I’m starting to talk like a boy these days. My mom mentioned it to me the other day when I started telling some rude joke which I never would have found so funny before. And over there, well that’s the head of the marketing department – our boss. His name is David Ellis. He’s not in right now but you’ll meet him soon enough. I’ll be honest, between you and me, he’s quite a tough one. But if you do your job right you won’t have a problem. He’s a good boss, but not an easy one by all means. I’m just warning you because he can come across a bit scary at first. Just do your job and he’ll warm up to you. I actually like him now but in the beginning I thought he was awful.”
“Thanks for the heads up. It always makes a difference when someone tells you what to expect.” I said. I didn’t mind so much. I’d had plenty of bosses in the past that were the same. Most of the time they ended up being the ones that I got on with the most. They simply didn’t like any sort of inferiority in the work place, but if you proved yourself to them you generally stayed in their good books forever. Proving yourself was always the hard part but a challenge that I was always up to.
Abbie sat down with me and showed me the ropes. I felt comfortable with almost everything that she showed me. It was more a case of just getting the hang of a different system and figuring out how they did things here. But that was the same for any new job and I knew that the important thing was to just get through the first week. By week two you always felt more comfortable and by week three you generally just felt like part of the furniture. Still, the incident with Sebastian had thrown me a bit and I tried not to think about it. I hoped that I wouldn’t have to deal with him much and I assumed I wouldn’t. Often, the owner was the one that you saw the least. David was probably the one that I had to worry about more. He was my boss. I was grateful to have Abbie around – she seemed like someone that I could get on with. She was a different sort of bubbly to how Amy had been and it was easy to spot the difference. In fact, I even thought Danielle would like her – and Danielle abhorred bubbly people. When Abbie left me to do some things on my own I sat back and smiled at my surroundings. The feel of Sebastian’s abs came into my head and I, once again, shoved it as far back into my mind as possible. I was here to do a job. And I was going to do it well!
Chapter 11 - Jane
The morning went by very smoothly. Despite easing me into the job there was still quite a lot that needed to be done and it was hard to do anything quickly when I was still figuring out how to do things. But I seemed to be picking things up easily and I was confident that I just needed a few days to fully integrate into the place. The environment at work was good but very quiet and the entire morning all I could hear was the clicking of fingers on the keyboard. Abbie assured me that it wasn’t always so quiet but the deadline had forced the boys to do nothing but work. Also, I noticed that everyone wore headphones so I assumed a difference in opinion when it came to music preferences meant that the only way we could listen to anything would be to come prepared ourselves. I was so glad about this because in my old job I sat alongside my boss who was adamant that the only music to listen to was the pop charts on repeat. It used to drive me insane but because she was in charge I could do nothing but grin and bear it. I wondered briefly what everyone was listening to. I tried not to but I had a natural tendency to judge people by their music choice. I often thought that the best way for me to figure out a person’s true personality would be to ask the following questions: What music do you like? Wine or spirits? Do you like animals? The answer, according to me, should be alternative rock, wine and yes. I made a mental note to ask Abbie at some stage. Then again I think Danielle liked spirits and had a particular liking for hip hop so perhaps these weren’t the best questions after all. My mind started drifting then to Sebastian. What would he like?
Then, just as I was thinking about him, I noticed a girl saunter in from outside, and walk straight past my desk and up to his door. She walked slowly and with purpose as if she wanted us to notice her. From where my desk was I had a clear view of his office and I watched to see what would happen. The girl was dressed in what had to be the shortest dress I had ever seen in my life – so short I thought that it might actually just be a shirt and she seemed to have a little bit too much make up on for that time of the day. She glared at me as she walked past. In her hand she was carrying a big box which looked to have various food items and drinks. She carefully placed the box down onto the floor, which took her a lot longer than it should have as she was unsteady in her high heels, and then she tentatively knocked on the door. After a while she knocked louder and shouted, “Sebastian, it’s me.” I literally saw her adjust her breasts so that they perched higher on her dress and then she bent down and picked the box up and waited. I saw her trying out a few different poses until she finally settled on the one leg cross slightly over the other while her one hip jutted out to the side. It looked rather ridiculous and very obvious. When Sebastian opened the door I noticed that he looked shocked to see her standing there, but then he quickly covered it with a smile and allowed her to walk back in. He looked out and saw me staring and I quickly put my head down so that he wouldn’t see the big blush forming on my face. I hated that I got embarrassed so quickly. The door shut and I saw that Abbie had been watching too. She looked at me and rolled her eyes and then came up to my desk.
“Hey, do want to go for lunch? That girl just reminded me that it’s lunch time. I don’t know what she had in that box but I got a whiff of it and it smelled delicious.”
“I have food but I left it in the car. Let me go and get it quick.” I said.
“No, don’t be silly. Lunch is on me today. Or should I say… on the company.” She whispered that last part and then laughed. “A very important marketing lunch I think! To be honest, I actually have a salad waiting for me on my desk – but it’s now the last thing that I want. I need real food.”
I laughed at that, grateful that I wouldn’t have to eat lunch that had been melting in my car all day.
“I’d love that!”
“Great, give me one second. I just want to finish up on an email and then we can go.” She ran back to her desk and furiously started typing, obviously more eager to eat then work.
While I was waiting for her I looked at Sebastian’s closed door, wondering who the girl was that was now inside with him. At first I figured she must be someone just delivering his lunch but now I wasn’t so sure. Firstly, if she was she would’ve just handed it to him and walked out. Secondly, she wouldn’t have been dressed like that. I wondered if I had imagined the look of surprise and disappointment on his face when he had seen her. Just then the door opened and I jumped up in surprise. The girl walked out on her own, without Sebastian and with her head down walked right past my desk and out the room. She wasn’t smiling and unless I had imagined it I could swear I saw tears down her face. I thought of calling after her but then thought against it – this had nothing to do with me. I looked back at Sebastian’s door which was now closed again and
realized something – the girl hadn’t been carrying the box of food when she came out. What had gone on in there? But before I could think any more of it Abbie was walking towards me with a big smile on her face.
“Ready?” She asked.
“Yes. I’m starving and I swear I could eat a horse.” I admitted.
“Oh thank goodness. A girl with an appetite. I was worried you’d be one of those girls that had no interest in food. I just don’t get people like that. I feel completely disconnected to them. I mean… surely I’m not the only one who thinks about what they’re having for lunch while I’m having breakfast?”
I laughed at that and decided to restructure my getting to know someone questions – this was a great one to add. Food was just as important to me as wine was – if not more. “You’re not alone. I’m not sure I can be friends with someone that doesn’t like food. Or wine. Or animals really.”
She looked at me then and grinned. “Oh, you and I are going to get on just fine.”
“THIS is the restaurant?” I asked when we arrived. I didn’t at all recognize the place from my little walk around the casino when I had arrived that morning. It was beautiful and incredibly intimate – fashioned more like a cozy Italian restaurant than a work café. And it was very hidden away from the rest of the place which seemed odd to me.
“This is it. It’s only for the staff, which is why you probably haven’t seen it before. Tucked away from the rest of the casino. Aren’t we lucky? It’s far better than the one for the customers I think. I keep telling Sebastian that he should make that restaurant more like this one. I think it would be a great selling point for the place. But apparently he’s got lots of plans for the food and beverage side of the casino so I have a feeling we’re in for big changes in that regard. Oh and I’m not sure if he told you, probably not, but you get a 30% discount if you eat here as well as four ‘meeting based’ lunches a month. I’ll put this down on mine so don’t worry about anything for now. I’ll give you a sheet when we get back to the office and you can start keeping a record from tomorrow. I actually come here most days for lunch. Trust me, it’s far better than any food you can bring in yourself. There’s loads of options too, and while I always try to go for the healthy options I always tend to go for the bacon pasta special. It’s amazing.”
“Okay, you sold me. I’m going to try that one. Screw the diet! You can’t spell ‘diet’ without the word DIE.”
She burst out laughing. “You kill me Jane. That’s brilliant. I have to remember that one. There are certain days when diets should not exist. And I definitely think a first day on the job counts as one of them. And I’m just joining you on that because you know… that’s what friends do.” She said the last bit like she just doing me a favor.
“And what a great friend you must be then.”
“Two bacon specials please.” Abbie said to the waitress, and then she looked back at me. “So, how’s your first day going? It’s always a bit daunting. I remember my first day well… but trust me… you’re going to fit in so well that soon you’ll feel like part of the furniture. I have a good feeling about you.”
“This place has amazing furniture so I certainly hope so! Actually, it’s going very well. I think I’m getting the hang of it. Thanks for all your help today.”
“Ah, it’s no problem at all. Geez, who was that girl that walked into Sebastian’s office. I don’t know what happened but she walked out looking very unhappy. And what was she wearing? Does she know it’s the middle of the day and it’s not a nightclub?”
“Yeah, I was going to ask you if you knew who she was. Poor girl, I felt so bad for her when she walked out. Even if she did glare at me when she walked past.”
“She glared at me too. She’s probably one of those women that hate every female that she meets. You know the type – they don’t want any women to get in the way of them and their man. Well, you’ll learn soon enough that Sebastian is VERY popular with the ladies and that this is not an uncommon occurrence. And I wouldn’t be surprised if she was just another one of his conquests that he has finished with. He’s not a bad person and he’s a good boss, but he’s most definitely a little bit too fond of women. Oh, I’ll just say it because nobody else is around – but he’s a womanizer for sure. You’ll see soon enough. But he’s a love them and leave them kind of guy and it doesn’t take long for the leave them part to happen. I was a little taken aback by how gorgeous he was at first but his looks have faded in my eyes. If I can give you one piece of advice that you should listen to above all the others it would be this: stay clear of Sebastian. You’ll only get hurt if you don’t.”
“Oh you don’t have to worry about a thing. I’m staying clear of men for the time being. It’s a long story which I’ll tell you one day but let’s just say it has lot to do with me starting over. The new job has helped with that. Next will be a new apartment. Meeting a man is the last thing that I want to do right now. And trying it out with my boss is a big no no in my books anyway.”
“I’m sorry you’ve been going through a hard time. But I’m very happy to hear that you haven’t considered Sebastian in that way.” But of course, I had, at least briefly. Before I spilled coffee all over him and made a complete fool of myself. But I was grateful for what Abbie had told me. I didn’t want anything to do with a man like that. I’d already had my fair share of assholes this year.
Chapter 12 - Sebastian
“Sebastian. It’s me.”
I recognized the voice from outside but I couldn’t quite place where I knew it from. I was so enjoying having some down time from everyone that for a while I didn’t even bother to answer. Perhaps if I was still enough I could pretend that I wasn’t even here at all. Usually Alison was quite good with keeping people out unless I had a meeting planned. I wondered if I had forgotten about a meeting. It was entirely possible but after quickly checking my diary I saw that it was empty. I heard a sound – like something being placed on the floor – and then I heard another knock. Tentatively at first and then louder. I sighed and went to answer it. The last person that I expected to see standing in front of me was Susie the bloody cutie who was not looking nearly as cute as I had last seen her. Now she was heavily made up, dressed for a nightclub and looking at me with huge expectant eyes. She must’ve either snuck past Alison or else somehow convinced her to let her through. I made a mental note to chat to Alison after this.
“Susie? What are you doing here?” I cursed myself for using her name. It would’ve been far better for me to pretend as if I had forgotten. She would’ve been hurt but I might have gotten my point across a bit better. She looked pleased suddenly as if she’d won the jackpot.
“Can I come in?” She winked at me and I cringed inside. But before I had a chance to answer she simply waltzed right past me. I closed the door behind me because I didn’t want any of the marketing team to hear me. That was the one problem with my office – it was only private when I shut the door. I hated that I always had to walk past the marketing team to get to it but it was still the best office in the whole building and it was a sacrifice that I had to make. Also, I loved seeing their faces every time I walked past, especially when they were caught not doing their work or messing around on Facebook. I never said anything except give them a stern look and then would continue to walk to my office knowing that they would only breathe a sigh of relief once I was inside. It was always so much fun having power over of them and it often made me feel far older than my twenty seven years. I was sure I noticed the new girl Jane giving me a strange look but I couldn’t be too sure.
“You’re back. I thought you and your family had to leave?” I said to Susie matter of factly.
“I am! Well, I mean I’m not actually back. Like, my parents are not here or anything. I did try to convince them to stay longer but my dad had to go back to work and there was simply no convincing him. I was annoyed but there was nothing I could do. I really thought I was going to have a bit more time to spend with you. Especiall
y after that special night we shared. But I thought I’d come in and see you anyway. Bring you some lunch. I took my mom’s car and told her that I was going for some big job interview. She was so excited for me that she didn’t even mind me using it. I just wanted you to know that I hadn’t forgotten about you.” She said the last part softly. Almost demurely.
“I only just got your email. And I did reply.” I said to her unsure of why she felt she had to follow the email up with a visit.
“I know. But as I sent it I suddenly realized just how much I missed you. What we did the other night, in your room, well it was very special to me.”
Oh no! Was she a virgin before? The horrible thought crossed my mind and I think she noticed it. “Oh, I mean I’ve done that plenty of times before of course. But never with someone like you. And never in a room like that. Anyway, I just thought you might be hungry.”
“Actually Susie, I’m very busy. This is the middle of the day and I don’t ever take time off during the day. I’m very busy. Like I told you. There’s always a hundred meetings to go to and a million emails to send. It just never ends here and there’s nothing that I can do about it. I wish I could take some time off but I really can’t. I do appreciate you coming, that was very sweet of you, but I’m not going to be able to spend any time with you.” I was trying to break it to her gently. I wanted her to get the hint without getting too upset over it. Most girls were ashamed when I dropped them suddenly and would leave without word. But there were those, thankfully few and far between, that continued to be needy – up to the point where the only way I could get rid of them was to be mean. And I always preferred not to let it get to that. I still wanted a good reputation.
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