50 Shades of Drake 1 and 2

Chapter Seventy-Seven

    Graham Enterprises was just as intimidating the second time around. Human Resources was on the thirty-fifth floor, the same floor as Aubrey's office.

    "I meet with Human Resources quite often," he explained. "Having them on the same floor saves me an elevator trip."

    He introduced her to a short, rotund lady named Margaret Stetson. She was a small, round burst of energy. Short, red fluffy hair, funky thick-framed glasses with a leopard-print design on them. She wore a black blazer, matching skirt, and a turquoise blouse. The outfit looked too understated for her zany personality.

    The paperwork was never-ending. She had to fill out an official job application, even though she was already guaranteed the position. Then there was the federal and state tax paperwork. Margaret needed a copy of Destiny's identification. Destiny only had her driver's license, Arizona state ID, and credit cards on her but vowed to bring in her social security card or have her mother fax in a copy of her birth certificate. There was a thick employee handbook that Destiny had to take home and read so she could return to work and sign a piece of paper stating that she'd read the employee handbook. Then there were the new hire videos - the corny videos with notoriously horrible actors portraying stereotypical office situations to show the right and wrong ways to handle said situations. The type of videos that could quite easily put you to sleep if you weren't careful.

    Aubrey hadn't been exaggerating. Destiny's abbreviated orientation lasted all morning. Aubrey came to rescue her for lunch. Instead of taking her to an offsite restaurant, he used the opportunity to show her the company cafeterias. The building held a total of three different cafeterias. "Each floor has a small break room," he explained as he showed her the first cafeteria, located on the ground floor. "But the larger cafeterias are scattered throughout the building on different floors. There are a lot of employees in the building, so I wanted to make sure the majority of the employees could comfortably eat lunch onsite if preferred. We've done a pretty decent job. I don't hear many complaints coming through about the cafeterias."

    She could understand why. In addition to being huge, the food selections were off the charts for a company cafeteria. There were vegetarian options and ethnic food choices offered, ethnic food choice from all sorts of backgrounds - everything from soul food to hummus and pitas.

    "As you can see, I don't really spare expenses when it comes to taking care of my staff," he told her as they entered the elevator. "They work hard for me. They are why this company is a titan. I could take the credit, and yes I do deserve some of it. But they're the real stars, the real MVPs. I've worked for companies who didn't appreciate their employees. I always told myself that if I ever ran my own company, I would make a point to show my employees appreciation. In little ways, and larger ways when possible. Another crusade I'm on - a mission to show companies how they should be conducting business and the appropriate way to treat their employees."

    She couldn't help but be impressed.

    He hit a button marked A, a level she hadn't yet seen. He informed her that the A stood for Atrium.

    The elevator ascended and when the doors slid open, the sight before her took her breath away. She moved out of the elevator. Tables and chairs were set up around a large, open space in the center. She walked over to the chest-high wall and looked out over the ledge. It was a long way down, but she was looking straight down to the ground floor lobby fountain.

    He walked up behind her. "All of the floors have an open area like this. This is one of the only cafeterias with a view of it, though."

    She looked up. A large glass skylight was above the open space. This level was right beneath the roof, on the uppermost floor. She turned and looked around. The flooring they stood on wrapped around the open space in the form of a square shape. Some employees mingled while others ate in silence. The food selection on this floor mirrored the selections of the cafeterias on the other two floors, which wasn't a surprise. "This is...so beautiful," she said, in awe.

    "This is the most popular cafeteria of the three," he told her. "It tends to fill up pretty quick."

    As they waited in line for food, she was aware of the whispers that started. Women gave her pointed stares. Some would look away when Destiny turned her eyes on them, while others boldly stared back. No doubt they wanted to know who she was and why she was important enough to have lunch with the man who owned the company they were working for.

    Aubrey wasn't helping. His hand was usually placed at her lower back, guiding her in whichever direction he wanted her to go. The intimacy of that alone would definitely send a few tongues wagging.

    "What do you do all day?" Destiny asked him curiously as they sat at a table with their lunches.

    He grinned.

    "I mean...I know you run a multimedia company, and I know it takes work. But what do you do all day?"

    He smoothed down his shimmering coral tie. "This company has several divisions: the record label, television and film production, and publishing," he explained. "My role is to make sure that each division operates properly. The majority of my day is spent in meetings or on conference calls with the executives in charge of running the production and publishing divisions. I also have a lot of meetings with the record label staff. I'm very involved in A&R, very hands on with the talent that is brought in through our doors. I tend to have a good eye and a good ear when it comes to new music artists. I'm good at knowing what the public wants to hear. So even though I am the owner of the company, I do make sure that I am very hands-on with the acquiring of new talent. When I'm not in meetings or on conference calls, I am reviewing reports that are submitted to me by department heads - from the record label division, production division, and the publishing division. It is my job to look at the numbers and make sure they make sense. There are other aspects of my job as well - meeting with potential business partners, or reviewing offers from companies wanting to do business with us."

    "Wow," she breathed out.

    "Eventually, I'll let you sit with me, so you can see it all in action," he told her, sectioning off a piece of his pasta dish. "My first priority is to make sure that you're trained well for your job position."

    "I'm familiar with public relations," she said.

    "Your college instructors went over that field with you, did they?" he asked her with a smile.

    She narrowed her eyes at him. "They did, actually."

    He nodded, and the smile was still on his face.

    "What? Do you know something I don't?" she asked him.

    He shook his head. "We do things...a little different here," he told her. "You'll see what I'm talking about." He glanced at his watch. "When we're done with lunch, I'll take you to meet your manager and make sure you're introduced to the team you'll be a part of."

    Nervousness festered in the pit of her belly.

    "They're a great team," he told her, sensing her nervousness. "You'll be fine. There's nothing to worry about."

    She nodded and glanced around the cafeteria. Several faces were turned in their direction. With the attention they were getting, Destiny wasn't so sure that she didn't have anything to worry about.

    They finished lunch and took the elevator to the thirty-fourth floor, which is where her office would be located. The office was bustling a bit more than the first day Destiny had visited. He led her down the long hall past row of desks, turned and led the way to an office door. He rapped his knuckles on the door, then turned to look at her. "This is your manager's office," he explained. "Great guy. Funny guy. You're going to love him."

    The office door opened.

    Destiny's eyes widened.

    A tall, familiar-looking brunette man with piercing blue eyes looked down at her. Recognition lit up in his eyes.

    Aubrey told her, "Destiny, this is the manager I told you about, Brian Davies."

    Shocking blue eyes? Check. Stylish, designer suit, complete with a sky blue tie that only made those eyes look bluer? Check. Lazy grin? All across the board, check. "Oh, we've met," Brian said, leaning on the edge of the door while staring at Destiny.