Office Affair

The first day

Dominic whined and stretched as he looked at his alarm clock. It wasn't even 6 a.m, and he was already wide awake. Did he even sleep? He couldn't tell. All he knew was that this was going to be a very long day. He had job interviews today. He hated them, because it meant that some of his employees weren't doing what they were supposed to do.

He looked to his right and smiled in pleasure. The sun was slowly rising, reflecting on the river Thames. That was the sight he woke up to every day. Then he turned to the left to the empty space on his wife's side of the bed. That was another, less pleasing part of his morning routines. His jaw tightened and he sighed, standing up. 

He went to the kitchen and turned on the automatic coffee maker. That was the high point of his kitchen skills, and he had no interest in changing that. He opened the fridge and took out a bottle of milk and a cookie. It was his breakfast. He didn't have the emotional capacity to make himself something healthy, at least while he was at home.

He showered, shaved, got dressed and took a lift down to the garage. He pressed the automatic key and the lights of his Porsche Carrera Gt blinked. He grinned, because it reminded him how far he came with his business, to be able to afford it. It was safe, it was fast and it took him to wherever he wanted to go. In this case, Rima.

He built that company from the ground up, and he kept attracting big clients who were willing to cash out a lot of money just to secure their place at the very top of their niche. Over time he wanted to share the joy of a job well done, so he looked for new people. He gave them a chance to do their magic with their skills. He took care of them, and they repaid him with dedication and passion for work. Well, more or less.

He stopped at the reception area and waited for Michelle, his secretary, to finish the phone call. Rolling her eyes in irritation, she said,

"Yes Mr. Grab, he'll call you as soon as he arrives! Now if you'll excuse me, I have to take another call. Goodbye!" Then she exhaled as she disconnected the phone, and Dominic smiled with compassion on his face. 

"Rough day? Do you need a break?"

"It's nothing I can't handle, thank you. Mr. Grab wants an immediate appointment with you," she said, massaging her forehead. 

"Did he say why?" 

"Does he ever?" She said, half sarcastically.

"All right, I'll call him today. I'll be in my office if you need me." 

"I do need you, actually. Can I leave earlier today? I've got some family issues that I really need to take care of." 

"Of course. Take the day off if you have to." 

"I don't. But I'll leave around three. And thank you!"  

The phone rang again and Dominic nodded and proceeded to his room. It was a large, spacious room with the view of an entire city. It was neatly decorated with mahogany cabinets behind the massive, black desk. The black leather sofa was placed across from a large window. It provided just enough light during the summer so that it's comfortable to work throughout the day, without being too hot. He sat down for a while and breathed in deeply and then focused on the work ahead of him.

                                                                              ****

"Oh for heaven's sake! Get on with it, will you?!" Anya yelled at the driver in front of her who was making the line and, consequently, caused her to be just shy of being late to her job interview. When the driver finally moved to the side to pass her through, Anya realized that she'd arrived. She was lucky enough to have managed to borrow a car from her sister, otherwise she wasn't sure she would have been able to accept this job at all. She was also lucky enough to find an empty parking space.

She checked herself in the mirror before walking out of the car and into a huge building. She left her ID at the reception and proceeded to the large door at the end of the long hallway. She stopped in front of it for a moment, collecting herself, and then knocked two times. 

"It's open." She heard. She pushed the door and stepped into the room. She saw a man standing up from his chair and coming to greet her. 

"You must be Anya," he said.  

"Yes, I am. It's lovely to meet you. I hope I'm not late."  

"Not at all, you're just in time. Come here... sit down," he showed her to the chair. He had her CV in his hands, but he paid no attention to it.  

"So, Anya...I had the time to look through your CV and I must say it is impressive. All the jobs you've been doing so far are above this position. I can't help but wonder what brings you here?" 

"Well, it's basically a career change. I felt it is time for something new; a breath of fresh air, as it were. I think I will be able to merge everything I've learned so far into this and I know that I will do it successfully, if you give me a chance."  

Her gaze dropped to the floor and she hunched a bit but she immediately straightened her spine and looked determinedly into his eyes. She will not make her potential new boss think she can't withhold her emotions. 

"I'm curious..why Rima?" 

"Because Rima has a very creative team in this area of business."

"And how do you know that?"

"Background check should always go both ways, am I right?"

He looked at her with an emotion she couldn't quite decide what it meant. 

"I think you've made the right decision," he said and she nodded.  

"I think we both have, so if that's all right with you, I'd like to welcome you into our company. When can you start working?"

Her jaw dropped and that made him giggle. She was prepared for long rounds of interviews, testing and even further background checking, so his offer completely threw her off the track, so much so that she forgot her manners.

"I'm sorry, I just.."

"No need to apologize, Anya. I must admit that this isn't my usual practice, but I still believe that you're by far the best candidate and we really need someone who is ready to start as soon as possible."

"I...yes! Yes, I can start immediately!"

"Excellent! But I think today is a cause for celebration, not an immediate start. Come back tomorrow. I'll ask Michelle to show you around the place and give you your first assignment. If there's anything you need or don't know how to do, just ask me. That's why I'm here. And remember, there are no stupid questions." 

"Thank you. I will not let you down," Anya said and he nodded.  

"I'm sure you won't." 

She stood up and walked slowly to the door. There was a strange feeling in her stomach. It was probably the relief that she got the job after five years of being unemployed.  

She was in a desperate need of money and she decided to work as much and as hard as she could, to keep it. She needed it, although the salary was lower than at her previous job; almost not enough for the rent of her apartment and other expenses. She will have to make some cuts and sacrifices, but she will put some money on the side, as well. It won't be as much as she needed for a comfortable life, but at least it will be a decent one.

As promised, Michelle showed her around the place and Anya listened to her without a word, trying to remember everything as soon as possible. She was determined to get everything right from the start. This was her one and only chance to shine. So as she sat at her desk after Michelle left her, she closed her eyes for a moment and thought well...let's do it.