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ChapterThree
AVERY
Brie squeezed my hand as the elevator arrived at the third floor of the CM Creative building. “Good luck! We’ve got this!” she whispered right before the doors slid open.
We’d been instructed where to go when we arrived, so I was surprised to find Mrs. Bergen standing off to the side.
When I walked off the lift, she took a step forward. “Ms. Williams, Ms. Kendall, I need a word, please.”
I glanced at Brie, but she shrugged, clearly just as perplexed. Were we being fired before we’d even started our first day? That had to be some kind of record, right?Should we call Guinness?Nah, who would want to know about how long my job lasted when they could read about the longest toenails and the biggest ball of rubber bands?
Brie bumped my shoulder and gave me a look that warned me to get my head back in the game.Oops.When situations become tense, I had a habit of focusing on innocuous things and random facts. It was calming. However, I sometimes forgot to return to reality once I found my center.
As we followed the HR director to a cubicle around the corner, I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, counting to ten.Okay. I’ve got this.I chose not to think about the hundreds of dollars I’d spent on a new wardrobe over the weekend. Money I knew I shouldn’t have been spending until it was actually in my account.Nope. Not thinking about that.
“I’m sorry to do this to you on your first day,” Mrs. Bergen started. My palms were sweating, and my breathing picked up. “We are making a change. We’ve reassigned you. I hope that won’t be a problem.” She looked apologetic and I held in a sigh of relief because it didn’t sound as though they were letting us go.
“You still want us to work here?” I blurted. Brie poked me in the kidney, and I threw her a dirty look.Ouch,I mouthed. I figured it was better to clarify than to keep wondering.
Mrs. Bergen’s eyebrows shot up. “Of course! We are very excited to have you two. It’s simply that after some consideration, we’ve decided there’s a better fit for both of you.” She handed Brie a folder. “You’ll be working as the assistant for the Vice President, Gordon Finch. However, we’ll be elevating that position to executive, which means your salary and bonus will remain the same.”
Brie smiled. “That sounds great. Thank you.”
Then Mrs. Bergen handed me the other folder. “We feel you are a good fit for the CEO, Gabriel Carter.”
I just barely kept my jaw from hitting the ground. “The…um…CEO?” I squeaked. Seriously? They gave me the job they’d offered Brie? But she had so much more experience. Brie poked me again and I tossed her a scowl that promised retribution.
Mrs. Bergen clearly anticipated my confusion and answered my unspoken question. “Sometimes, it’s more about personality and whether two people fit, rather than previous experience. And you are perfectly qualified for the position. I’m confident that both of you will be assets to the company.”
She finished with a bright smile and I couldn’t help returning it. “I’ll do my very best. Thank you.”
“Orientation is about to begin,” Brie chimed in after checking her watch. “Should we hurry to make it on time?”
Mrs. Bergen gestured for Brielle to precede us out of the cubicle. “The instructor was made aware that you might slip in after it has begun. No need to run, but you don’t want to miss anything, so perhaps you should head that way.”
“Great! Thank you, Mrs. Bergen,” Brie chirped. “Let’s skedaddle Avery.”
“I still need Ms. Williams for a moment. Ms. Kendall.”
Brie looked between us curiously before nodding and striding down the hall toward conference room B.
“Now, Ms. Williams, please follow me.” Mrs. Bergen didn’t wait for a response. She spun on her heel and strode to the elevator, then punched the up button.
I waited until we were in the car and gliding upward before I couldn’t hold in my questions any longer. “Am I going to a different orientation?”
Mrs. Bergen shifted her weight and looked uncomfortable for about half a second, then her face cleared and she smoothed away non-existent wrinkles on the pale, blue skirt of her suit. “The CEO has decided to train you himself. He’s very particular, and he feels it would be best if you learn from the position.”
“Oh. That makes sense.”Sort of.
We arrived on the twentieth floor and Mrs. Bergen led the way to a large corner office with a wall of windows that overlooked the reception area and another that had a lovely view of the city. A man sat behind an intimidating oak desk, his head bent as he read over a paper in his hands. He looked vaguely familiar and my stomach fluttered.
“Ms. Williams is here, Mr. Carter.”
The man’s head lifted, and I gasped.
It was Mr. Sex-in-a-Suit.
Sooooo. This is awkward.I couldn’t imagine that lusting after your boss looked very good on your resume as the reason you were fired from your last job. Were there statistics for how many people were fired for fantasizing about their boss? I mentally rolled my eyes at myself. How would they prove it? It wasn’t as if he knew what I was thinking, right?
