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Chapter Four: Imogen, Present Day
Ian had joked that the first days in a job are the easiest, but for me nothing had been harder than watching the man I'd grown to care for stride around the office without a glance in my direction. Even more frustrating than the lack of attention was the desire that coursed through me whenever I laid eyes on him. I still wanted him. I hated that my body refused to sync up with my head.
The challenging workload that Maya thrust on my desk kept me distracted for the most part, bringing me up to speed with the inner workings of the business and sparing me no time for dwelling. I appreciated that she didn't feel the need to act as a babysitter. This job was an opportunity, and I had always intended to grab it by the horns and push myself to new heights. Maya enabled me to do just that.
"I'm not usually one to pay compliments," she said to me on my third day, "but I'm seriously impressed with how you're picking this up."
She slid my drafted blog copy across the desk towards me, her edits in bright red pen leaping off the page.
"Looks like I've still got some way to go," I replied, glancing down at the numerous notes she'd made.
"Imogen." She cocked an eyebrow at me and her lips curled upwards. "You could write the perfect piece and I'd still find something to critique."
"Right. Good to know..."
"What I mean is, writing is subjective. Look at my edits and see what you think. Maybe you don't agree with some of them, and that's fine. Trust your instincts. This is your piece. Not mine."
"Except you've been here for three years. I've been here for three days."
Maya ran her tongue over her lips in thought, her deep purple lipstick not shifting. When she spoke again, she made me an offer than sounded much more like a command than a question.
"How about you join the departmental meeting this afternoon? You can clearly rise to a challenge and that makes me want to push you."
A departmental meeting, three days in? An intimidating thought, but too much of an opportunity to turn down. I was no coaster, nor naïve enough to expect everything to fall in my lap. Jason knew things about me that could jeopardise my position here, and I refused to be a sitting duck.
"Definitely. I'd love to," I said.
Maya shot me the smallest hint of a smile, pride flooding her features. Maybe I was her protégée, a little project to mould and develop. If I did well, it looked good on her. I didn't care about that, though. I wanted to make her proud. I wanted to make me proud.
*
"Anything I shouldn't say?" I asked Maya as I followed her down a corridor towards the boardroom.
"Just one thing." She spun around to face me, and I came to an abrupt halt. A wave of her floral perfume collided with me, but I managed not to crash into her myself. "Don't call him Jason."
