New York Girl (formerly known as Maple Street)

Chapter Three

Walking in the dead heat whilst being crippled by a very expensive pair of Blahniks, made me realise two things; either Carrie Bradshaw was wonder woman, or she really, really -deserves an Oscar. I missed home, rainy, dreary old England with its endless sea of umbrellas and tube cancellations – I even missed the Northern Line!

Feeling my throat tighten, I could suddenly taste my breakfast again. Now’s not the time, I thought. Especially not in a dress that took fifteen months to pay off – and that was only the interest!

 My thoughts turned to Surrey, the small village where I grew up. Not too far from the City but far enough to get away from the hustle and bustle of smog – fuelled London. My dream life consisted of owning a big country house with a farm and acres of land where I’d grow my own vegetables, own two cows and a shed load of puppies. Throw in a gorgeous non – clingy boyfriend and voila! I’d be one happy chick.

 Well a girl can dream right?

'Ouch!' I said, feeling a sharp nudge on my left shoulder.

'Sorry.' replied a skinny man in a suit - hardly giving me a second look as he disappeared into the crowd.

Still feeling a little disheveled and rubbing my now painful shoulder, I stumbled further up the street and that’s when I caught sight of the skyscraper.

Wow.

Trask’s logo stood out in royal blue with swirly red lines that dipped inside each word, it was actually quite effective. I didn’t remember it looking this swanky at my interview but then again, I did have loads of interviews.

The morning sun shone brightly against the sparkling windows and a set of revolving doors swung back and forth, as crowds of people talked and slurped coffee.

A gentle breeze made the men's ties fly up and women held down their skirts with one hand just in case.

I swallowed hard, plucking up enough courage to walk into the scary looking building. It reminded me of my first day at school, except, I was in a strange Country without the support of my family and friends.

I walked across the marbled floor and up to the Reception desk and was confronted by a dark – haired girl who was plastered in thick foundation. She had spider legs for lashes uh –oh- not another Maybelline mishap.

'How can I help you?'

'Hi, I’m Lucy.’

‘How can I help you?’ She repeated robotically.

‘I’m erm, it’s my first day today and’

‘Just take a seat over there and someone will be down to collect you shortly.’

 I plonked myself down on the plush sofa reeling with excitement as I pictured me in my new role. I figured as long as I didn’t fall flat on my head or cause the system to crash (at least not on my first day), I’d say the odds of me becoming the CEO by next year were pretty much stacked in my favour. Biting down harder on my bottom lip, I was sure I had chewed away half my gum.

‘Hi, it’s Lucy right?’

I got up  and stretched out my palm.  ‘Yes, it is!’

 ‘Andrea, I work in human resources.’ She was quite an attractive girl, probably in her mid - twenties with short blonde hair and bright red lipstick.

'It's good to meet you, Andrea.’

 She smiled at me, flashing her sparkling white teeth. 'Follow me!'

I did as she said taking one last look at the girl behind the reception desk but she didn't seem to notice that we had even left. Apparently putting on yet more lip gloss and pouting into a hand held mirror was more important than watching the desk.

We walked up a small flight of steps which led us into an open planned office. The first thing that struck me was the emptiness. Where was everyone? ‘Don’t worry, there hasn’t been a bomb scare –they’re in a morning meeting.’ Andrea - informed.

The office had a strange shape to it – more length than width and there were tall potted plants at the side of each desk. There were also gadgets, toys and heaps of cereal boxes stuffed down the side of people’s chairs.

I was just taking it all in when I was interrupted by a loud kerfuffle. I watched as people came spilling out of one of the meeting rooms, most of them casually dressed wearing dark blue jeans and tucked in shirts. I hadn’t even been there for an hour and already I stood out like a sore thumb. I forgot to ask the dress code – damn. Andrea introduced me to a couple of geeky looking guys both wearing black rimmed glasses and serious expressions- I couldn’t have felt more out of place if I tried.

It wasn’t long before I noticed another man walking towards me he had a softer look than the rest making me feel more at ease. He was also dressed casually but what set him apart was the chequered shirt he wore, it was red with dark green stripes, perfect for that toned bod! I’d give him a seven out of ten, easily.

‘Good to meet you Miss?’ – And a fellow Brit, interesting.

'Lucy, Lucy Frizzell.’

‘It’s a pleasure to meet you Lucy, I’m Ethan.’ His deep blue eyes were warm and inviting and he had this funny way of raising his left eyebrow whenever he spoke.

 And in just a few minutes, he had crept up to a sure fire eight.