Page 6 of Strictly Business

“Got it,” I reply, making a mental note to never forget to submit my timecard.

“On that side of this floor is the main marketing department. You’ll find associates and executives down there,” Ruth says.

She doesn’t make it sound particularly important, but I think for me, it could be a life saver. Beyond that door are people doing what I’m doing only with more experience. If I ever need to pick anyone’s brains or get an opinion on a tagline or something, those are my people. And surely at least some of them are bound to be nicer than Ruth, therefore more approachable if I do need any help on my campaign.

My campaign. I feel a tingling in my stomach when I think about that. I still can’t believe it’s my first day here and I already have my own campaign to work on.

Ruth leads me back to the elevator and we go back to the third floor where Wyatt’s office, and presumably mine and Ruth’s offices are. Ruth points to the little end first.

“The bathroom, kitchen and breakroom are all along there,” she says. “You’ll find the selection of snacks and drinks to be of a much higher standard on this floor than the others. There is a huge fridge in the kitchen, and it is kept pretty much fully stocked with snacks and sodas. There is a hot drinks machine that does loads of different coffees, tea, hot chocolate, and some other bits. Help yourself to anything you want out of the big fridge. Wyatt provides that for us. If you bring any of your own food in that needs refrigerating, there’s a small refrigerator near the sink you can use.”

“Ok, thank you,” I say.

“The break room opens off the other side of the kitchen. It’s comfortable and you will definitely enjoy your breaks there. But don’t get too comfortable and forget to come back to work or anything,” Ruth says with a laugh that sounds fake to me.

I laugh too, my laughter equally fake. I’ve done nothing to her, and she’s decided to take a dislike to me. Well, two can play that game honey. She must be sure she’s been beat because she goes back to the tour.

“Along here,” she says, as we start walking along the corridor we left from, “Is the top marketing executive offices. The deeper in you get, the more senior they are. You’ll also find the CFO and the VP along here too. Right at the end is Wyatt’s office and mine is next to his.”

I nod. I remember that much from this morning.

“And this here is your office,” she says.

She pushes the door open and stands back gesturing with her arm for me to enter first. I step inside and I am immediately awed at the size of the office. It’s big enough for the whole ground floor of my house to fit inside of it, I’m sure.

The floor is a thick, plush black carpet with tiny flecks of silver that catch the light and make it look like a disco ball is spinning above it. Three black leather chairs and a black leather couch are arranged around a glass and chrome coffee table underneath the window. In the center of the office, is a huge mahogany desk and a black leather computer chair opposite two mahogany chairs with softer looking, black leather covered cushions on the seat part and the back rests. I look around and despite wanting to remain cold with Ruth I can’t help but grin at her.

“This is amazing,” I say.

“It’s one of the nicer offices, one that Wyatt keeps solely for his associates,” she says. She flashes me another fake smile. “You know where my office is right? Right next door to Wyatt’s. She doesn’t give me a chance to reply to her and then she speaks like she’s bragging about her proximity to Wyatt.

“Yeah, I know where you are,” I say.

“Good,” Ruth says. “Then why not get settled in and then start on your project. And don’t forget to visit the finances department at some point today to make sure you are in the system in time to be paid for this week.”

“I won’t forget. Thank you,” I say.

Ruth nods to me and then she slips out of the office closing the door behind her and leaving me alone in my office.

CHAPTER4

Serena

My office. Wow. I take a moment to just smile and take it all in and then I put the file about Hislop’s on my desk and I hang my handbag up on the coat hooks beside the door and I slip my jacket off and hang it up next to my handbag.

I just stand there for a moment, still needing that extra bit of time for taking it all in and then I debate going down to the finance department to get the forms Ruth said I would need. I check my watch and decide to make a start on a vision board for the brand first and then I will grab the forms just before lunch and I can fill them out as I eat.

My decision made; I sit down at my desk. I move my chair up and then down slightly until it’s the right height for me and then I reach out to switch my computer on. I hit the start-up button, but nothing happens. I frown and try again. Nothing. I lift the receiver of my desk phone and hear the dial tone so there isn’t any sort of power outage. I think for a moment and then with a sigh, I get onto my hands and knees and crawl underneath the desk. I guess the pants suit isn’t the worst idea then, because doing this in a skirt or dress would be so much worse.

I look at the tangle of wires and sigh. It’s going to take a while to work out what should be where and if anything is missing, but it’s not like I have any other choice and so I pick a wire at random and follow it, untangling it as I go. The wire I choose seems to be connected properly at both ends and so I move on to the next one. I am onto wire number four when I find the problem. The end has slipped out of the base unit. I look at the back of it and match the shape of the wire with the shape of the outlet on the base unit and I push it in.

I crawl back out of the gap, and still on my knees, I try the power button again. This time, it works and the computer fires into life. I smile, pleased with myself for solving this. I crawl back underneath the desk and screw the cable into place. I wonder how it came loose. It’s not like it could have been accidentally caught with someone’s toe and been pulled out without that person noticing. You have to unscrew it to get it loose. I wonder if Wyatt’s last associate left in a huff.

I don’t really care if they did. It means nothing to me. Just because they couldn’t hack the job doesn’t mean I won’t be able to. And if I can’t, I already know I won’t be doing anything as petty as unplugging part of the computer.

I get back up onto my feet and dust off the knees of my pants and then I sit down in front of my desk again. The power up continues and then the Windows screen appears asking me for a login. Fuck. I don’t have a login.

I debate searching through the drawers and everything for a login, but even if I found one jotted down somewhere, it wouldn’t be mine, it would be my predecessor’s and that’s no use to me. I need my own. I debate going to Ruth, but what’s the point of that? She’ll only tell me to contact the IT department surely. So that’s what I’ll do. And if I do already have a login set up and Ruth has just forgotten to give me the details, then I’m sure IT will know that and be able to give me those details.

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