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CHAPTER 1
Karla Davies
I should have known that people know what they are saying when they say not to meet your heroes.
Jake Lee Perrington. I have nursed an obsession with him since law school, and I have always wanted to work with him.
Right now, standing in his office, my pretty pink silk blouse, now wet with sweat despite the air conditioning, is making me rethink.Should anyone’s first day at work really be this bad?
He is talking to someone on the phone, and I want to sit, but I can’t because he hasn’t asked me to yet. After several minutes, he finally finishes.
His eyes narrow as he takes me in.
“Err…” he trails off.He doesn’t know who I am?
“Karla. Karla Davies. Your new paralegal.”
“I know that,” he tells me flatly, looking very unimpressed. His eyebrows knit together, and I feel the need to smooth it.
“I just thought because…well...” I stop. I shouldn’t dig myself into a deeper hole.
“So Karla, I don’t know if the files are on your desk yet. We have a total of…” He pauses and makes a gesture with his hand. “When you see the files, I am sure you will know.”
“Yes, sir,” I say obediently. “Is there something else you need?”
“Not for now. You just make sure you do a good job, okay?” He says it in a way that suggests he doesn’t think I can do a good job, and for some reason, it’s like I have oral diarrhea.
“Do you have a problem with me, sir?” I ask.
“What?” he asks incredulously, and I realize that I have said something wrong.
“Don’t bother, sir.”
“No, I want to hear it.”
And I can see that his lips are now pulled into a straight line. I stare at his closely cropped hair, regretting my decision. He is staring at me, too, and I wonder what he sees.
Does my fresh blowout still look good? I got it for my first day on the job. Does he think my dark eyes are bewitching like the bartender thought last week? Will my eyes be enough for him to forget his line of questioning?
“You are not saying anything, Miss Davies.”
“I am sorry. It was just your tone.”
“My tone?”Damn, already in trouble on the first day.“Miss Davies, you are here to be a paralegal. Do you know how many people applied for this position? It is a Monday morning, and sometimes my clients are assholes, and you are worried about my tone? Karla, do you not want this job?”
I shake my head quickly. “I want it, sir. I am very sorry,” I apologize quickly. He dismisses my apology with a wave of his hands.
I wait awkwardly around for a solid minute before I scurry out of the office. I take a deep breath outside of the door, feeling like I’d just walked through fire.
The files. I have to get to the files. I go to my office, which is half as big and beautiful as Jake’s, but it’s mine and that makes it really nice.
Once I got to my office, I didn't see any files on my table like Jake had promised. He doesn’t seem to react so well to questions; I wonder if it would be wise to go into his office to ask.
I wait and wait. I don’t know what else to do.
A woman comes into my office.
“I am Susanne,” she tells me, and I smile at her. I know it is important to maintain a good work relationship if I want my life to be easy at work.
