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“So, how’d the interview go?” Emma asks, her brown eyes bright. Emma has curly brown hair that frames her face in shiny ringlets. She’s curvy and wears little round glasses and upmarket vintage clothes that give her a retro edge. Her look is sort of fifties pin-up girl meets New York Gen Z.
“It went well, I think. I was nervous but they were nice enough. Very no nonsense and straight to the point. Em, their office is insane. It has a rooftop pool with a swim-up bar, if you can believe that. And one week out of every month is ‘creative,’ which means they encourage their employees to travel and meet people and explore. They say it helps people come up with innovative ideas they might not have thought of in the same, day-in-day-out setting.”
“Wow. That sounds amazing. Who interviewed you? The CEO?”
“No, it was the HR Director, the CFO and the leader of the team I’d be joining. If I get the job, that is.”
“When will you find out?”
The waitress appears and I wait as she sets down our glasses of wine and two menus before heading to the next table. “They said I was the last person to interview and that they’ll be meeting tomorrow to make a final decision. They’ll notify the successful applicant as soon as Monday.”
“There’s no second round of interviews?”
“No, they said they only do one round. That’s why the interview was two hours long. They interviewed me, then they gave me a tour of the offices.”
“When does the job start?”
“They’d want me to start as soon as possible. So I told them I could give my two weeks’ notice and start immediately after that.”
“Maybe we should look for an apartment together, Dust. Just the two of us.”
“I’d love that. But you’re not going to believe this. They have staff accommodation. The company owns an entire building and they offer apartments to a lot of the employees. The job I just applied for includes a one-bedroom apartment as part of the employment package. Can you believe that?”
“Holy shit.”
“They also offer a signing bonus that’s literally more than I’d make in six months at Stellar Investments, plus they’ll pay for all my moving costs.”
“Wow, Dust.”
“I know. I was sold anyway by the job and the offices. But this company is next level. It’s literally more than I could ever have thought to hope for.”
“That manifesting shit you talk about all the time is really paying off.” Emma seems impressed. “Don’t tell me, the icing on the cake is that your boss is a total smoke show. I’ve heard that about Invested Enterprises. Apparently the owners are brothers and all of them are insanely hot.”
I shrug. “I guess the CFO was an objectively handsome guy, now that you mention it. But I was too distracted to notice much beyond that. I was totally focused on trying to come across as the perfect junior analyst.” There was something almost familiar about Noah Maddox that I couldn’t quite put my finger on.
Emma holds up her glass of wine. “Well, let’s toast to my bestie getting her dream job in New York City.”
I clink my glass against hers. “And to my bestie. Thank you for putting me up this week. I couldn’t have done it without you, Em.”
“We both know that’s not true,” she laughs, “but I’ll take the credit anyway.”
I take a sip of the cool, crisp wine. “Anyway, I can’t get my hopes up too soon. They told me they had four hundred applications and narrowed it down to twelve interviews. So the competition is fierce.”
“I’ve got a good feeling about it, Dust. Of course they’ll want you. You’re beautiful. And hot. And smart. You’re a power chick. Even if you don’t get this one—and I know you will—you can stay with me for as long as you want to, whenever you want. I mean that.”
“Thank you, Em. You’re the best.”
“Although, I really do hope you get the job because I don’t want to have to abstain from sex for months on end just because I’ve got my best friend sharing my minuscule bed.”
“I can always crash on the couch if you need me to.” I happen to know she’s taken a break lately from the dating apps because she secretly has a crush on her new work colleague, who told her his current relationship is on the rocks. So she’s been patiently waiting to see how it plays out.
“I’m not an animal,” Emma laughs. “A paper-thin wall is all that exists between my bed and the very lumpy couch. I mean, I love you, Dust, but we have to have boundaries.” Her eyes flash mischievously at me. “But I guess there’s always the fire escape if I get desperate—if Joshua happens to have a break-up and needs a shoulder to cry on.”
“I hope you’re not hinging all your hopes on a guy who may or may not ever break up with his girlfriend.”
She sighs. “I know. It’s pathetic. I seem to have a thing for nerds, don’t judge.”
“No judgement here.” I smile at her, taking another sip of my wine. Pre-Hawaii, I’d always try to gently avoid talking to Emma about her sex life. It’s hard to find much to say when you have no point of reference. But now? I’m remembering how I rode Ace’s huge cock like I was a sex-crazed rodeo hero instead of an inexperienced virgin. Since then, everything she describes sounds sort of…not nearly as romantic as my Hawaiian fairy tale.
