The Soldier's Roommate

Chapter 7: I'd love to.

Alice

I feel like I'm in a Barbie factory.

The whole office is filled with blonde girls, all of them working with or around Mr. Howell. I really hope he's not a sexist asshole, like my former boss. I really hope he isn't...

"Alright," Kate, the only brunette in this place and Mr. Howell's personal assistant shows me around, "This is our Lord and saviour, Mr. Bean."

She nods to the coffee machine in the staff kitchen with a grin on her lips, and I can't help but grin right with her - I like that woman already.

"But don't get too excited, this machine makes coffee that's literally just lukewarm bean water. One could compare it to the brown liquid they sell as coffee at McDonald's."

That statement alone makes me laugh out loud, and I nod my head when I retort, "Bring my own coffee... Got it."

Kate winks and continues to show me around the rest of the office. There's an IT department for whenever something doesn't work with the website. The editing offices at the end of the hallway will only glance over our blogs to make sure we don't write anything harmful to the company, they work with the PR office right next to them, working on selling the company image the way Mr. Howell wants it.

"Okay, and this will be your home away from home." She slaps the corner of my cubicle, and I immediately know I won't be working from the office much - this space is tiny. "Good thing is, when you sit in here, no one knows the difference between you and the other blonde heads around here. No one will notice if you decide to spend the day drinking good coffee at the place downstairs..." She winks, and once again I can't help but laugh, setting my bags on said chair.

"Yeah, that is pretty... Obvious, isn't it?"

"Why do you think she hired me?" She runs her fingers through the shoulder-long chocolate brown hair. "He went through assistants like others change their underwear because he always took the pretty blonde ones. Then I applied for a completely different job, but he wanted me as an assistant. And honestly? It kind of hurts that he not even looks at me..." She fake pouts, and I suppress another laugh by covering my mouth with my palm.

"You poor thing..." I gasp when I manage to contain my laughter, and Kate just grins and nods her head.

"Yeah, right?" She wipes a fake tear before she adds, "Also just a heads-up: He loves blonde women in black. If you don't want to change your hair color to not gain his attention, just avoid outfits like these." Her finger twirls around my body, pointing at the black jumpsuit I wear today.

"Got it. Thank you."

The fact that I'm in yet another company that treats women like objects doesn't really soothe my soul, but I guess as long as he doesn't come on to me I will have to deal with it for now.

"Now, I need to get back to work. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask someone else. If you want to get a drink sometime, go ahead and ask. I will always agree as long as you pay."

I shake my head with laughter, giving her a thumbs up when I retort, "Noted. Thanks for showing me around."

"Sure thing, darling!" Kate winks and then turns around, and I can't help but laugh once more. Her straight-forward attitude is refreshing as hell, and I like it. A lot.

Before I get settled I get all the paperwork sorted, grab my badge and everything else at the HR office until I'm finally back at my desk. It's small and I won't spend much time here, as I already established, which is why I don't spend much time decorating or setting it up. Instead, I get acquainted with the new software, with the whole blog layout and everything that comes with it.