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Luck was on my side the following day. Not only was my boss out sick, so he wouldn’t notice my extended lunch, but I managed to catch every connecting train, so I arrived at the building right on time. I had to run for a few of them, sure, and I was a little sweaty, but I was on time. I even had a few minutes to spare to clean up before I texted Bennett that I was outside. He directed me to the front desk, saying he was in the middle of another interview, but that the woman at the desk would show me where to go.
When I stepped up to the desk, the woman was on the phone, a deep frown on her face.
“Sir. Sir. I’m sorry, I don't speak French. Could you just–” She sighed as the voice on the other end got louder. Frowning, I put out my hand.
“Can I try?”
She looked surprised but handed me the phone, leaning close to listen to me. I learned French in high school and college, so it was easy enough to get the person who was calling to the department they were looking for. When I handed the phone back, the woman behind the desk let out a relieved sigh.
“Thank you! The international investors only started coming in recently and I feel like I’m floundering every time I pick up the phone.”
I bobbed my head in agreement. “I understand completely. Just last week, my boss got a phone call from someone speaking in Russian. I couldn’t understand a word and they were very angry when I put them on hold so I could get my boss to pick up. I swear, I almost got fired.”
She grinned. “Russian. Somehow that seems worse. I’m Priya, by the way.”
“Julie.”
Her eyes lit up. “Oh! Bennett said you’d be coming. You’re interviewing for Mr Andrews’s secretary, right?”
“Yep. He said he’s in another interview right now, so I should talk to you about where to go.”
She looked around before pushing out of her chair. “You know what? It’s time for my lunch break anyway. I’ll show you up.”
I waved my hands, shaking my head. “Oh, you don’t need to do that. I wouldn’t want to take away from your lunch break.”
“Don’t worry about it. They’re pretty relaxed about that around here. As long as someone is covering the desk, I’m fine. And Pete just got back from his lunch. He’s not going anywhere.” She waved at the man sitting farther down at the long desk, pointing at her lunch bag when he looked at her. He gave her a thumbs up, picking up the phone on the first ring when it went off.
“See? All good. Come on, it’s a big building. It’s easy to get lost without help.”
She led me past the little security gates and over to the long bank of elevators. The first one that opened was stuffed to the gills, but I wasn’t willing to be late so we squeezed inside after shooting everyone apologetic looks. Priya had to lean around someone to press a button for whatever floor we were getting off on, but aside from a few grumbles, no one said anything. We kept having to stop with the sheer amount of people getting on and off, but we finally arrived on our floor a few minutes later.
Stepping off the elevator, I let out a relieved sigh. “Wow. That was insane.”
Priya nodded, grinning. “It’s lunch time. A lot of people are either coming back or leaving for lunch right now. There's a cafeteria downstairs that most people choose to go to, so the elevators are always crowded at this time of day.”
My mouth fell open. “There’s a cafeteria?”
She let out a groan. “Oh god, yeah. The food smells so good. And it’s completely covered by the company too. Everyone who works here eats for free.”
Dropping my gaze to her bag, I frowned. “Then why…”
She shrugged. “Allergies. They’ve got a menu up each week, but some days there’s nothing on there for me. I bring food from home on those days because it's easier.”
I scrunched my nose. “Wow, that sucks. They don't have any allergy friendly meals?”
“We’re working on it. We signed a contract with the current chef and he’s a bit of a stickler, but his new sous chef is making headway on his own menu, which is entirely allergen free per our request,” a smooth voice spoke behind me, drawing our attention. I spun around, coming up short.
The speaker looked like they just walked off the runway. Adonis would be jealous. He had a chiseled jaw, a regal nose, and his light green eyes crinkled when he smiled. His suit was well tailored and showed off the muscles in his arms and chest. His brown hair had highlights and was styled up away from his face. He had a hint of a beard, like he’d forgotten to shave this morning, but it did nothing to draw away from his handsome features. Did everyone who worked here look like models or something?
“I told you that you didn’t have to do that.”
Priya’s carping pulled me back to reality, and I blinked a few times, looking between her and Adonis. He smiled and my stomach fluttered.
“You’re our first line of defense, honey. We’ve gotta keep you happy so you don’t run off looking for a new gig.”
She rolled her eyes. “Mr Andrews told you to stop using terms of endearment, how many times now?”
He put a finger to his lips, shushing her with a wink. “It’s our secret, beautiful. I just can’t resist around you.”
