❝Nothing's ever what we expect
But they keep asking where we're going next
All we're chasing is the sunset❞
Chapter Five:
Her Office Ethics
(cont'd)
The alarm rang at precisely six o'clock in the morning. I shot up and out of the bed without an ounce of laziness. Today was the first day. I needed to be fresh and full of energy. After a quick shower, I went through the clothes that remained unpacked in my suitcase and picked out one of my more modest, yet professional outfits. It's rather simple but still suited my frame nicely. It was a sleek black dress that reached my knees, matched with a gray suit jacket and a thin belt clinging to my waist. I combed my hair, parting it the side and decided to leave it down. I nodded in approval at my reflection. Classy, and elegant.
Tossing my keys and phone in a black leather hand-bag that I usually carried for work, I hurried out of my room and took the elevator down to the second floor where the hotel restaurant was open for a breakfast buffet. I pretty much scarfed down my tea, toast and fruits before hurrying out to the main entrance where Peter was already waiting for me.
"Good morning Ms. Henderson," he said kindly, opening the door for me.
"Good morning Peter!"
"All ready for your first day?"
I grinned. "You bet."
The ride there was a quick one. The traffic wasn't so bad in the morning but that's probably cause we were already in the heart of downtown. Within ten minutes, we were pulling up in front of a huge, towering building. I stepped out of the car, tipping my head back to peer up at its height which seemed to pierce the clouds of the sky. It was marvelously made, no doubt. Tingles of excitement lit my palms as I thanked Peter one last time and started to make my way toward the revolving doors. Setting step inside, I tried not to gawk at the beautiful interiors of golden-veined pillars and lush carpeting, instead making my way over to the reception desk with my ID card ready in hand.
"Good morning," the middle aged brunette from behind the counter greeted brightly. I tried not to show my surprise that I wasn't met by yet another perky, hot blonde as most companies set at the entrance. It was a common trope, but clearly not here at Innovus. With a small smile, I slid the ID card across the counter.
She scanned the bar-code in the system, eyes growing just the slightest bit before she glanced at me in somewhat of awe.
"Welcome to Innovus, Ms. Henderson. My name's Matilda, it's a pleasure to meet you."
She stood up to shake my hand, a warm smile settling into her features. Short, stout and slightly rounded but with a maternal aura to top it all off, I mentally knighted Matilda as the fairy godmother of the company.
"Pleasure's mine, Matilda," I replied, taking back my card.
"The elevators are straight down the lobby. The ones on the left go to the even floors, the right to the odd ones. You're expected on the thirtieth floor where Mr. Havens is waiting for you." With a slight pause, she added with pink tinging her cheeks, "You have a good first day, dear."
I hadn't been 'dear''ed at work by a woman I barely knew in a long time. Innovus was clearly not as uptight in their inner workings as I had thought. Compared to the autocratic, frigid atmosphere in my former environment, this was a huge change.
I liked it.
"Thank you." I returned the smile with a rather friendly one of my own before making my way toward the elevators, following Matilda's orders and stepping into a vacant one on the left. More people filtered in and soon the elevator was perfectly, yet comfortably, packed with fifteen to twenty people. The scent of morning lattes and tea filled the air, as I stood, surrounded by women holding their Starbucks coffee cups and men reading the newspaper or checking their phones. When the elevator dinged on the thirtieth floor, I was the only one to step out, earning a few curious looks from the others. I was soon to discover why.
I had stepped into a small, grey lobby with yet another reception desk carved in at my left. On my right were a set of glass doors leading to the rest of the floor. I was about to step up to the young man behind the counter who was eyeing me curiously but the sound of the glass doors sliding open to my right caught my attention.
"Ah! Tris Henderson." A tall, well built man hastened toward me, a good natured smile on his face. "We've been waiting for you."
"You must be Mr. Havens." I smiled, extending a hand for the old formal shake.
"Call me Tim. We're going to be working together from now on, there's no need for the formalities." He turned to face the receptionist, who was still sizing me up as if I were an alien. "This is Tris Henderson. Remember what I told you about her Jaden? She's new if she's having any trouble, help her out, okay?" Jaden nodded profusely, standing up and half-bowing in my direction. I tried not to laugh at his nervousness. He was obviously a 'youngling',. I'd been there once too, after all.
Shaking his head, Tim turned to look at me with an inviting expression and slightly embarrassed smile. "Don't mind Jaden. He's a bit of an airhead. Are you ready for the tour?"
I nodded and followed Tim as we stepped through the glass doors. As he showed me around the floor which was bigger than I had thought it would be, Tim made it a point to stress how friendly the working environment was here. That each floor was its own family and that I'd spend the next couple months not only doing my job, but forming friendships with the people here. The more he pressed it on me, the more I realized how much Innovus depended on this friendly, democratic way of functioning...possibly one of the things that's led to its current predicament. Why reinforce a culture that spurns failure? I couldn't understand the working of it myself, but observing Tim brought me a step closer.
It wasn't just that he was easy on the eyes. He had a tall, hunky frame (with the suit adding more emphasis to his physical stature) which could have been seen as slightly intimidating if not for the casual, and friendly way in which he spoke. He had green eyes that constantly lit up as he introduced me to our colleagues or as he made a joke, and a slightly tan complexion that went well on a surfer. If at all, he seemed like the workplace teddy.
Tim had shown me around the whole floor in less than fifteen minutes. He spent the most time introducing me to various people whose names I'd spend the next couple weeks trying to remember. All of them held senior positions within the company - heads of Marketing and Purchases, Finance and the likes... No wonder I had received funny looks in this elevator. This was a, to plainly put it, fancy-ass floor.
Tim then showed me the 'recreational' area; a lounge room filled with inviting sofas and chairs, with an attached kitchen loaded with drawers of tea/coffee sachets, snacks and more. I smiled in approval when he took out a packet of Hershey's Chocolate Kisses, tossing it to me.
"We're quite the professional sweet-tooths."
"I think I'll fit in just fine here," I'd said, earning another sweet grin. When we finally got to my office, I could no longer keep my emotions in tact. Tim and I were walking down the hall way when he rounded the corner and opened yet another glass door. I stepped in without questioning him, then looked around.
"Whoever you wanted me to meet isn't here, Tim," I puzzled, turning to look at him with a raised eyebrow. He was leaning back against the glass wall, arms folded.
"That's because this one's yours."
My eyes boggled. "You're kidding." Spinning around, I scanned the room with wide eyes. He was right. It was empty and yet to be personalized. Well, except for the glass and chrome working desk and chair, a couch pressed against the right-most wall for visitors, and potted plants in each corner of the room.
"I got it recently re-furbished, just for you." Tim ran his hands through the back of his dirty-blonde hair, speaking a little nervously as he watched me gape at him. "I mean, it was a rushed job. We weren't really given early notice of you joining us here. And you'll be getting a cabinet and filing cupboard later today."
"You were in charge of my office?"
"It was either this, or a vacant one on the other side of the floor. But that one's small and doesn't have a view."
He looked more unsure at the way I continued to stare at him, still open-mouthed.
Tim shuffled his feet and muttered, "I wasn't sure what plants to get either so-"
"This is perfect."
I beamed up at him, color flooding into my cheeks and turned around on my heel, missing the relief that must have crossed his face. I walked over to the end of the room which provided a full, open view of the city beneath me. Picturing myself dealing with clients and closing off deals at my desk with the back-drop of skyscrapers and rush of America's capital city behind me was exactly what I'd dreamed of my entire life.
"So, you like it?"
A smile crept on my lips. I turned and nodded at Tim, not able to contain my joy.
"Like it? I love it. It's more than twice the size of my old office!"
Tim looked visibly surprised, his eyebrows shooting up. "Oh?" Then, in a lighter tone, he near-whispered, "That makes sense. You weren't happy there, were you?"
My mind flashed in pre-warning, remembering the cover story that Jasper had made for me to join here at Innovus. We were sticking to what had been proposed at our earlier Starbucks visit; that I was unhappy at my former job, that they weren't treating me well and I always aspired to be part of a 'better' corporate experience than the one I was receiving there. Turns out that story wasn't half-false. Although I never showed it, I wasn't quite happy with the recognition (or lack thereof) I got, especially from Deborah. I was still reeling from the shock of how easily she had let me go.
I found myself nodding truthfully to Tim's question.
"Yeah." Then in a more upbeat tone, I chirped, "Things are already looking up here though." I gestured at the office and then at him, winking. "It started when you waltzed through those doors Mr. Havens."
"Well then," Tim grinned, visibly relaxing, "I'm happy for you. I'll leave you to get settled, then. Feel free to call me if you need anything. I'm extension 23."
"I'm a more...visually aided person," I said slowly, scrunching my face at how poorly that was phrased. "And clearly not verbally equipped," I added, earning a chuckle from Tim. "Your office is like ten seconds from here. I'll just drop by, if that's okay with you?"
"You're more than welcome to," Tim smiled and let himself out. I sunk down into my chair and turned on the computer, waiting for the monitor to come alive. I glanced up when I noticed Tim pop in once more, his cheeks ablaze as he looked at me a little shyly. "Oh, Tris, I was wondering, well...if you're not too busy later tonight, we could go out for some drinks with the rest of the floor? Get you better acquainted with everyone."
Drinks with the crew? Sounded good. Plus, everyone seemed so nice. Especially Tim. How could I say no to that face?
"I'm on board."
He shot me a thumbs-up, still blushing when he left.
From then on, things got pretty busy. I opened up my office email which was set up and all ready to use. The first email in my inbox was from Jasper, officially welcoming me to the company and also setting out all the important people for me to remember, and who I am to report to. The best part about this job, that is on top of the astounding view, beautiful office room and friendly colleagues?
I was given a higher position than the one I had before. I wasn't a 'Senior Sales Executive' anymore, I was Head of that - which meant more authority and people to work under me (something which mentioned to Helena lost all its purpose as the best she could do was make a suggestive joke). It also meant no more Deborah breathing down my neck. My immediate boss was the Head of Marketing, who I had had the pleasure of meeting earlier today. Francesca seemed lovely and supportive. Of course, only time would tell but my impressions of people had a knack for turning out right.
The second and third email were from my new boss herself, titled 'Welcome to the 30th Floor'. The time indicated that she had sent it the second she had entered the office this morning, and before she had met me. The third, however, was a debrief of the current setting Innovus was facing in the marketing front, and all the things I'd have to do.
Cracking my knuckles, I decided to get to work. And work, I did.
The deeper I got into it, the more I realized that this company required more than just a quick fix-up to correct itself sales-wise. I didn't realize how immersed I was in sorting through client profiles and history, past marketing deals and more until I heard the tap of fingers against glass. Glancing up, I nodded and gestured at Tim to let himself in.
"Hey, want to grab a bite? Everyone's headed down for lunch."
"Lunch?" My eyes swerved to the time on my monitor. It was already half past twelve? How was that even-?
"Got too caught up in work, did you?"
I laughed and sat back against my seat, stretching my arms behind my head and hearing the joints pop. "Yeah. There's a lot for me to go through."
"Never work on an empty stomach Tris," Tim teased. He held the door open and stepped aside, tilting his head in the direction of the hallway. "Shall we?"
I glanced at the report open in front of me. There were only two pages left for me to finish and I hated leaving it hanging like that.
"Is it okay if I meet you down at the lobby in about ten minutes? I just want to finish this one tiny thing."
Tim didn't say anything to that apart from give me a nod and a smile to let me know he was okay with it. I could hear the voices of others down the strip of the hallway, no doubt taking a break from work themselves. As the door swung shut, I decided to finish up this report and skim-read through the last two pages, jotting down the important points in my notepad before shutting the document. I got it done faster than I thought, glancing at my watch which told me I had five minutes left.
Standing up, I crossed over to the other side of the desk and started to pack up hurriedly. I hated to keep anyone waiting. I was mid-way through reaching for my jacket when I heard the door swish open behind me. Rolling my eyes to myself as I folded the jacket over my arms, I muttered, "You sure are the impatient one, aren't you Tim?"
I heard a lowly hum from behind me, a melody I could place from anywhere. But it was what I heard next that confirmed it for me.
"Getting chummy with Timmy, are we?"
I turned around, feeling my heart both drop and ram a hundred times faster in my chest.
"Hans."
_____
Song: Sun Goes Down by Robin Schulz feat. Jasmine Thompson
I just hit 1K reads!! Thank you all so much for your votes and comments on this story. And even you silent readers (I know you're out there). It means a lot to me that you are reading this - as a writer, it boosts my spirits. Voting and commenting won't hurt by the way. *nudge*
By the way, that's not Tris in the picture. I just wanted to give a picture of her work-outfit.
QOTD: Do you prefer the sweet, teddy-bear, Mr. Nice Guy or the dark, mysterious, bad-boy type hero? And whichever you choose, why?
Sneak peek of the next part: RESTRICTED. (a sneak peek would ruin the surprise so let's just keep the suspense in that one word, shall we?)
The next update will be up Sunday!