Freaks & Geek

Chapter 4: Exhale

Harlow woke up early that morning as she knew she needed to ensure she caught the bus and then walked the mile and a half trek from the bus stop to the office building. She had done the route days after she first moved to ensure she was comfortable and smiled to herself as she looked at the tall glass skyscraper with the logo Draven, Inc. on top.

"Today will be a good day." Harlow said to herself before taking a step inside. She realized this company was very business centered and that went so far as to the wardrobe. When she was told that the attire was business professional Monday through Thursday and business casual on Friday even for developers, she almost fainted.

Developers were notorious for their jeans and graphic tees, but not here. Here, she had to thrift store dive and find goodies that could last her for two weeks of mixing and matching only to repeat again for the remainder of the month. She loved playing dress up as she was a girly girl at heart, but everyday seemed like a stretch. She looked down at the black pencil skirt she found for $10 with the red blouse she already owned and a black blazer that she snagged for $18 and smiled. Her black flats seemed to complete the out, but as she looked at the other woman walking around, she knew she needed to seriously step her game up.

She made her way to the receptionist who told her to meet the other new hires on the fifteenth floor. As she stepped into the elevator, Harlow couldn't help but feel her nerves get the best of her. The doors were about to shut when a hand stopped them. A good-looking brunette stepped in and gave her a genuine smile. His features were gentle, but handsome. His hair was cropped and his physique on the leaner side. He wasn't ridiculously tall, but she was 5'2" so everyone was a giant.

"Hi, I'm Declan. Declan McKay." He held out his hand and Harlow took it with a smile. "Harlow. Harlow Allen." His smile got bigger as he shook her hand. Harlow straddled between being a people person and disliking them altogether. She didn't trust easily at all and usually shied away from others unless their auras were too bright and demanded her attention. Friday night proved to be one of those occasions. She couldn't help but think about the strapping men that seemed to occupy her mind all weekend.

"I would say I haven't seen you around, but I haven't seen anyone around. Today is my first day." Declan interrupted her thoughts and Harlow's eyes widened in excitement. "Today is my first day too." He looked at her surprised. "Really? It doesn't seem like it. You look so put together he motioned towards her attire. I never owned a suit in my life and had to borrow this from my brother." He waved at the black suit he wore that was a little bit on the bigger side. "You look great, Dec." Harlow complimented and immediately noticed a rosy tint on his cheeks. "Thanks Lolo." Harlow chuckled at the nickname as they stepped off the elevator and knew immediately she was going to like him.

"Names and positions." The receptionist asked with a smile. She pointed them to a large conference room in the back once they provided their responses. They noticed three other people sitting in the glass room and exhaled. "You ready for this?" Declan asked her encouragingly. Harlow took a breath, but nodded. They entered the room and Harlow immediately noticed a beautiful Latin woman sitting in the middle row. Her brown hair was long and thick like her body and her fair skin meshed with striking features. She didn't know why, but she immediately wanted to sit next to her.

Declan followed her as they took a seat near the woman. "Hi, I'm Harlow. This is Declan." She introduced happily receiving a wide smile. "Calypso. Calypso Cortez." Harlow wanted to swoon. Everything about this woman seemed enticing, especially her name. "What department will you be working in?" Harlow asked after a beat and Declan was so thankful she was chatty, because he couldn't seem to form a complete sentence.

Harlow didn't know why she was so interested, but she could tell Declan was awestruck. "I'll be in Human Resources, so be on your best behaviors." She winked at them causing Declan to laugh albeit a bit too loudly. "Sorry," Declan squeaked as he gained the attention of the two men sitting in the front row.