Page 17 of On the Rocks

CORA

Elixir’s company headquarters was in a towering building near Park Avenue and 50th Street. I was technically a little early for my first day, but I’d been up even before Jennifer, my mind spinning through potential mocktail combinations and battling an annoyingly persistent bout of nerves.

I let out a frustrated breath as I made my way through Midtown. What the hell did I have to be nervous about?

Elixir had been determined to work withme. Or, at least, the Masked Mixer. I wasn’t the one who needed to prove myself here. All I had to do was complete the contract, collect my paycheck, and use the hopefully decent lab to film a bunch of fresh content. Elixir was the one who had to impress me. I stood before the building, glancing up where the roof disappeared into the clouds.

Time to see if Allie’s claims turned out to be true.

After checking in at the reception desk on the ground floor, I took the elevator up to the reception area for Elixir. Their corporate offices occupied several floors at the top of theshared office tower. I was immediately taken aback as I stepped into the lobby. It was a perfect blend of modern luxury and technical innovation with soaring ceilings, a sculpted metal chandelier, and pristine marble floors. Large glass display cases showcased Elixir’s finest liquor. At the back of the lobby stood a reception desk with a high-definition screen mounted on the wall displaying the company’s history. A plush seating area to the left featured curated books on the distillation process and magazines with Aiden’s face on them. I snorted. Of course he wanted his face front and center in the lobby. I was surprised he didn’t have a framed portrait of himself mounted on the wall. He probably saved that for his office.

Still, despite the company being ten years old, everything still looked sleek and shiny and new. The space even smelled nice. And that was more annoying.

I didn’t want to like it here.

It’s only the lobby, I reminded myself.

“Hi there. Can I help you?” a woman called from the reception desk. She was young and stylish, with a bright smile.

I darted forward. “Yes, hi. I’m Cora Newport. It’s my first day and?—”

“—you’re wondering where you’re supposed to be?”

I chuckled. “Exactly that.”

She nodded and picked up the phone on her desk, pressing it to her ear. “Give me one second,” she whispered, waiting for the call to connect. “We’ll get you sorted out…Yes!” she said suddenly. “Ms. Newport is here.”

Ms. Newport?The nerves sparked to life in my gut again. It was hard not to feel intimidated. I had confidence in myself and my skills, but I also had zero experience in the corporate world. College hadn’t been an option for me financially, after all my family went through. Bartending was a job I fell into and ended up loving. But an office job? I’d never had one of those before.

And now, here I was—working for a man and a company I never could have imagined working for in a million years.

“Janine’s coming up to get you,” the receptionist told me.

“Janine,” I said. “Right. Thanks for your help.”

“No problem. Feel free to have a seat,” she said, gesturing to the nearest chair.

I didn’t, instead wandering between the display shelves. An elevator door opened a few minutes later, and someone who must have been Janine appeared, walking toward me with her arm outstretched. “Cora, hi. Janine Thomas from HR.”

“Nice to meet you,” I said. She had the most incredible pair of red-framed cat-eye glasses.

“Okay, I think I’ve mostly got you sorted for your first day.” She patted a laptop bag hanging from her shoulder. “I’ve got your access pass here, a company laptop for you to keep any product notes in, and your complimentary bottle of Elixir.”

I frowned as she passed me the laptop bag. “Does everyone get a complimentary bottle of Elixir?”

“Not a tenth anniversary bottle.” She leaned close, like we were sharing a secret. “The CEO himself brought it down for you. Isn’t that sweet?”

I bit my tongue to keep from saying something inappropriate. “Sweet” wasn’t the word I’d use. This was Aiden being petty after what happened at the bar. He knew I really had no choice but to accept the bottle now since I was working for Elixir.

“If you’ll follow me,” Janine carried on, “I’ll take you through the onboarding process.”

She set off across the lobby, and I hurried after her. Our first stop was her office where we handled all the paperwork—reviewing policies and procedures, signing up for insurance and a 401K. Across the hall, Janine took me through IT setup where I received my login info in order to access the necessary internal systems.

“Time for the official tour,” she said at last. We caught the elevator up to another floor where we toured through Sales and Distribution followed by Marketing and Branding. There was an entire corridor lined with displays showcasing Elixir’s prestigious awards and more bottles. Janine introduced me to an endless line of people whose names I wouldn’t be able to keep straight even if my life depended on it. There was also a tasting room, a large cafeteria I would check out at lunch, and a plethora of executive office suites.

“On to Research and Development,” Janine said, hitting another button in the elevator. “That’s where you’ll spend most of your time.”

“Is that where the lab is?”

---