Big Money

My alarm signaled that it was time to get up for the day. I rolled to shut it off so I could sleep in. Then it hit me. Today was my first day at work and I could not be late. I flew out of bed and into the cramped bathroom of my studio apartment. The shower barely even fit one person, the roof looked like it was going to cave in, and the kitchen consisted of an old fridge, a stove, and a tiny two person table I scored at a thrift store. I showered quickly so I had plenty of time to work on my makeup and outfit. After drying off I chose a business suit with a maroon button down shirt, black blazer, and black skirt. I paired it with a killer pair of black high heels. I kept my makeup natural and pulled my hair up into a tight, sleek bun. Not one hair was out of place. I put in some fake diamond earrings as well. With me just getting out of college money was tight and Seattle was not cheap. Staring up at the skyscraper before me I felt my anxiety spike. I can’t believe I did it, fresh out of college no less. I snagged a job with the biggest company in the country. It was all Steel and glass, sleek, and pristine. It matched the rainy and gray sky above. “Okay, Emma Stanton. Show them what you’ve got.” I whispered to myself as I walked up the steps. Closing my umbrella a young man in a suit opened the door for me. I thanked him and walked inside. The view shocked me. There were chandeliers everywhere and the floors were marble. There was an honest to goodness fountain in the center of the large space with fancy leather benches around it as people waited for meetings or drank coffee before work. There was a cafe and cafeteria in here as well. I could only stare in amazement. “May I help you?” A voice to the left of me called. I looked over and realized that I was the only one here who looked completely lost. I felt my cheeks flush as I walked towards her. “Hello, I’m so sorry. This place is amazing.” She was blonde with typical secretary glasses, her hair was pulled back in a neat ponytail and she wore a gray pant suit that looked amazing on her. She didn’t look much older than me. She offered a warm smile. “Yes it is, isn’t it? I’ve been here for two years and I still can’t believe the architecture honestly. So, are you a new employee? A new client perhaps?” “Oh, excuse me, sorry, I’m a new employee. I got hired for a secretary position. My name is Emma Stanton.” “Alright.” She typed something into her computer. “Ah yes, here follow me, I can show you where you need to go.” I was honestly shocked that I didn’t get hit with “go to the third floor” or something. She was so nice. But then again, maybe they paid her to be. I followed her through the large lobby and past the fountain, further back were the elevators. She pressed the up arrow and we waited. When the elevator signaled it was here and the doors slid open she gestured for me to enter first. “Oh, thank you.” I said awkwardly. Of course the elevator was fancy too with a marble floor and music that sounded like something out of a five star restaurant. As the doors slid closed again she glanced over at me. “I’m Kyla, by the way, Kyla Ward.” She outstretched her hand and I shook it. “Nice to meet you, I’m Emma Stanton.” She chuckled. “So you’ve said.” “Right, sorry.” She looked me up and down. “Are you nervous?” “A little. I mean I just graduated college a couple months ago, I can’t believe I got a job here of all places. I figured it was worth a shot to apply though.” “Oh yes, Mr. Cooke loves to help hire college students in all departments all over the country.” “That’s… generous of him. Not a lot of people do that.” “He’s a generous man. He’s young himself so he likes to help those who are both just starting out, as well as people nearing retirement. You’d be surprised how difficult it is for the older generations to find jobs.” I wasn’t, actually, it was depressing how little people hired those reaching retirement age. It was just then that I noticed we were going to floor forty-eight. The top floor. Before I could question if that’s where I’d be working Kyla spoke again. “No need to be nervous, trust me. I was nervous too when I first met Mr. Cooke, but he really is generous. Just keep calm and be yourself. He’ll respect that.” “The boss?” I squeaked out. “I didn’t um, I didn’t think I’d be meeting him today.” Or at all, really, I thought. My voice was a couple octaves higher than usual. Kyla’s mouth twitched as if she was trying not to laugh at me. “Why yes, he likes to meet all his new employees. Preferably in person, but over video call as well. He’s got employees and businesses all over the country after all.” “I mean I figured I’d meet a manager of some sort but not Daniel Cooke himself!” I began to fix my outfit frantically. This time Kyla let out a small chuckle. “I promise, it’ll be fine.” She placed a hand on my shoulder and I looked over at her. “He’s quite nice. Just breathe.” I nodded as the elevator beeped and the doors slid open. Stepping out I looked to my right and the entire wall of windows looked out over the city. I could even see the space needle from here. I’d always wanted to visit it. “This way.” Kyla beckoned me forward. I nearly ran in the opposite direction. Taking one last, deep breath, I followed her up to two large, dark colored doors, I couldn’t quite place what they were made of. Kyla gave a soft knock. “Come in.” A deep voice on the other side called. My heart jumped into my throat. Kyla looked over at me. “You’ll do fine.” She whispered as she pushed the doors open. With a quick nod I braced myself, and entered the room. His office was large and the back wall was again only a large window. Everything in this room was sleek and new. His desk was steel and he had only the most modern technology upon it. He rose from his chair. He had dark colored hair and piercing blue eyes. He was in a sleek navy tux and his hair was held perfectly into place by some hair gel. He was muscular but not overly so. And he was tall, probably 6’3 or 6’4 if I had to guess. I felt dwarfed at 5’6. I stood by the door awkwardly as he fixed his cufflinks. He beckoned me forward. “Come, please. It’s nice to meet you.” “Nice to meet you too sir.” I said in a small voice. “Please sit.” He pointed to the chairs he had sitting across from each other in his office. “Thank you.” I took a seat on a leather sofa that probably cost more than a year of my rent. He sat across from me on a matching sofa. Between us there was a glass table that held tea, coffee, water, and an assortment of pastries. I realized I hadn’t eaten breakfast and silently prayed my stomach wouldn’t growl during our meeting. “So, tell me a little about yourself.” He began. He had his hands clasped in his lap and his legs were crossed. “Well, I graduated a couple of months ago from NYU as you know. I grew up in upstate New York, and I’ve always had a passion for business. I hope to start my own business someday.” “What kind of business?” He asked as he reached forward to pour himself some tea. I felt my cheeks flush. “Well, I’m not sure yet sir.” I looked down at my hands. “I see.” I peeked up at him and watched as he stirred sugar into his drink. “Sorry sir. I wasn’t prepared to meet you today.” His eyes shot up to me. “You should be prepared for anything Ms. Stanton. Especially if you want to survive in the business world.” I blinked in horror. “Im sorry, I-“ “Don’t apologize either.” How was I screwing this up so bad? I felt my eyes burn slightly but I refused to cry in front of my boss. “Yes sir.” I said weakly. He shook his head. “Carmen should be here any minute, she will train you today. You’ll be working reception up here.” “Wait, you mean working reception for you specifically?” “Do you need it spelled out for you?” Now I was getting pissed. “No sir, I can take care of myself.” I said in a sharp voice. As nervous as I was I still wouldn’t let anyone speak to me any kind of way. He raised his eyebrows mockingly. “Then prove it.” “Yes sir.” I spat as I stood up and walked out of the office. It took everything in me not to slam his overpriced doors on the way out. A woman in her forties glanced up at me. Her hair was graying but it looked like she tried very hard to hide it. She had secretary style glasses on with beading in every color that kept the glasses hanging around her neck when she wasn’t using them. They were low on her nose. She wore a brown houndstooth suit with a red blouse underneath. “Ah, you must be the new girl.” She said in a dismissive tone. “It didn’t go well did it?” She asked after I had walked around the desk and sat my things down. “I’d rather just focus on work, if that’s okay.” “Certainly. Here’s your login to the computer, I trust you took the training courses and are familiar with our setup.” “Yes ma’am.” “Oh please, don’t ma’am me, I’m not that old.” I gave her a small smile which she returned. I turned back to the computer and logged in. “Splendid. We will start easy today. Here is the inbox that has all the documents Mr. Cooke himself needs to review. These have already been filtered through so we have confirmed that he needs to see these.” I nodded. “Got it.” “Now open this app here, and all you have to do is transfer and sign off at the bottom that you’re the one who sent them to his personal inbox. That way if something is amiss he knows who to come to.” “Right.” I said weakly, praying nothing went wrong. I continued until the clock read 5:00pm. I stretched out my arms like a cat to get the kinks out. I’d been sitting here for eight hours and hadn’t even taken a break. Mr. Cooke, though an asshole was a busy man, if he could read through all these emails I could too. I tapped my pen on the counter wondering if I could get through a few more. Beside me Carmen shrugged into a long red coat. She really loved color, even if it didn’t match. I liked that about her. “Are you going to stay a little late, dear?” She asked as she fidgeted with her buttons. “Yeah, just a little. There’s so many emails here. They need to get through to Mr. Cooke. They’re pretty important.” She nodded. “It’s all part of being who he is. Just make sure you don’t stay too late.” She waved and retreated towards the elevator. With bleary eyes I realized it was 7:00pm the next time I checked the clock. I sighed and realized I needed to get home. It was Monday and I didn’t want to expend all my energy the first day. As I gathered my things I heard a door open and a chill ran down my spine. Glancing over my shoulder I saw Mr. Cooke adjusting his trench coat. He looked over at me, surprised. “Ms. Stanton what are you still doing here?” I shot to an upright position, banging my knee on the desk as I did so. “Ow, son of a…” I froze. My face burned. Mr. Cooke raised an eyebrow. Clearing my throat I tried again. “Sorry sir, there’s just so much work to be done and I figured if I’m going to make it anywhere in the business world I need to work as hard as you. If you can have late nights and early mornings so can I.” A shadow of something… surprise, I thought, shown on his face for a fraction of a second before he was stone cold again. “Ms. Stanton, while your intentions are admirable I need my employees well rested if they’re to be any good to me.” My heart sank. How was I blowing my first day of work so hard? “I see. Forgive me.” I looked down at the desk. Really, I wanted to yell at him and ask what his problem was. Everyone here seemed to adore him, so why the hell was he treating me this way? He didn’t even know me as an employee or otherwise. I felt his eyes studying me and it was unnerving. He let out a small sigh. “Have you eaten today? Did you even take a break?” I tensed up. “Yes, of course!” I lied. The traitorous growling of my stomach gave me away. I clamped a hand over my belly. He shook his head. “Lying to the boss?” He asked in a tone that sounded sultry but I knew it couldn’t be. All I could focus on is the fact I was probably an inch away from getting fired. “Let’s go get dinner on your way home.” He offered. I jumped in surprise. “No no… we… I mean I…” Damn. Words were hard. “Yes?” He asked amused. Or was he? I couldn’t tell with him. “We can’t, you’re the boss!” I finally managed. “Ms. Stanton, while that is true I like to make sure my employees are taken care of. If you didn’t take a break today I can be held liable. You need to eat, then return home for some rest.” “I don’t have any money.” I tried to get out of it again. This time he actually laughed. “If I ask you to dinner I can handle the tab, money is not an issue for me.” I rolled my eyes. Must be nice, I thought. As I thought about it, I realized I could make up for screwing up my first day so bad. The thought excited me. “Alright then Mr Cooke, dinner it is.” He looked me up and down as if he were waiting for the punchline. I simply gathered my things in silence. “We can take my car and then I’ll drop you back off here so you can drive home.” “Oh, um…” I started fidgeting. He sighed in exasperation. “What now?” “You see, I don’t have a car. I take the bus. So whichever bus stop is closest to the restaurant we go to, you can drop me there and I’ll make my way home.” He looked mortified. “Riding the bus? At night? Alone? Unacceptable. I’ll drop you off at home when we’re done.” “No, thank…” before I could finish that sentence his stormy eyes fell on me. “I’m not taking no for an answer. It’ll be late, and it’s not safe for you to be out there alone. That’s final.” I scoffed. “I can take care of myself.” Some dark memories threatened to creep up in my mind, but I promptly shoved them down. “Just because you can doesn’t mean you should put yourself in potentially dangerous situations.” I decided I didn’t want to argue with him, I was too hungry. “Okay, done. You can take me home.” He nodded and gestured for me to head towards the elevator. I did. We headed to the basement of the building which was really just the underground garage for employees here. I followed him in silence. Of course we walked up to a sleek black BMW X6. It was beautiful. I wanted to squeal. I didn’t know much about cars besides, it’s pretty I like it. But that was only my opinion. He opened the passenger side door for me. “After you.” He gestured. I stared stupidly for a moment. No one had ever opened a door for me. “Thank you.” I choked out as I slid into the passenger seat. It was sooo comfortable. As Mr. Cooke slid into the seat next to me, my phone began to buzz. Looking down I broke out into a cold sweat. My heart began to race. I could vaguely feel Mr. Cooke’s eyes on me as I mentally beat down a panic attack. “You alright?” He asked. “Fine. Just hungry.” And with that he started the car and we were off.