Office Affairs (+18) | Completed

CHAPTER 2

Jane POV

The Bricks family were Fairview locals, and the late founder of the company—the current CEO's father—had wanted to keep their head office local.

When I stepped through the door, I casually breathed in the scent of the office. It smelled like a bright new beginning. I tried not to wax too poetic about it, but when I was excited I had a penchant for dramatics.

The receptionist clearly didn't share the same positivity that I was exuding. "Wait here," she grumbled, after I told her that I was supposed to meet Alana at the front desk. She got up and trundled through the door to the right of me, and reemerged moments later. "She's coming," she announced.

I tried not to look too excited when Alana came out to greet me. That turned out to be an easy task, because my excitement was immediately wiped away by the clear signs of stress written all over her face. She hurried me through the door and into the main office space, which was teaming with life.

"What's going on?" I asked, as we passed people who looked like they hadn't had a break in years.

"We're in the process of acquiring a new property," she explained. "A big one. Lots of work. So much work." She sighed. "Worth it though."

We stopped in front of a glass door that said "Communications Coordinator" on it. I held my breath. Did I get my own office?

"This is you," she said, confirming my thoughts. "We'll get the name changed soon. Haven't had the time."

I looked up to just above my job title, where it still said Amanda White. That was fine. Now it was my office.

Inside my office, she showed me around all the filing cabinets and drawers. She gave me the login for my new email, and we quickly completed all the necessary paperwork. She went so quickly through everything that I could have sold her my soul and not known it.

Then came the tour of the building. I followed along, enraptured, as she showed me the gorgeous staff kitchen, the lounge area, and introduced me to various people that I'd be interacting with on a daily basis.

We passed by an office with a closed wooden door, which read  "Peter Bricks, CEO", but she didn't stop. That was fine, I thought. I was sure that I'd meet him at some point.

When all was done, Alana led me back to my office and hefted a big black binder onto my desk. "Here's everything you need to know about your job," she said, giving me an apologetic smile. "I'm so sorry that I can't train you today, but I will sometime next week when all of this has died down."

"What should I prioritize?" I asked, looking at the lengthy tome.

"Good question," she said, thumbing through the pages. She stopped on one and left the book open at that page. "This needs doing now. If you have any problems, just let me know." I pulled the binder toward me, tried not to panic that I was in over my head, and got to work.