A Rose From Concrete

New Beginnings

Chapter One

Rose tried to stop her shaking hand as she grabbed the door handle. Today was her very first day at her new job. She honestly didn't know what to expect. She had spent the weekend reading up on Marcus Hightower, and he seemed like a walking contradiction. The business articles and journals praised him for his innovation in the tech industry while the celebrity rags downed him for his playboy ways. Apparently, he didn’t keep assistants long, he burnt them out quickly.

Rose sure hoped he didn’t think he was going to do the same thing to her. She was a hard worker, and giving up was not something she did. Marcus Hightower might have finally met his match.

Rose put on her best customer smile as she approached reception.

“Hi, Rose Down. Reporting for my first day of work.” She said sweetly, to the elderly woman behind the desk. She reminded Rose of her grandma. Rose instantly liked her.

She didn't remember seeing her when she came for her interview but then again she was met at the door by an HR associate and shown to a conference room, she never spoke to reception. 

“Good Morning, sweetie. Let me check. Ah, here you are! Welcome. Let me call security to escort you. This place is huge, and it’s no task getting lost.” The woman, whose name was Doris, picked up her phone and called security.

In no time, a man in a black suit was walking toward her.

“Ms. Down?” He asked.

“Yes, hello. Please call me Rose. Ms. Down makes me feel old.” She laughed, and he just nodded.

“Thank you, Doris. Enjoy your day.” And then she followed the unnamed security officer to the security office.

“You can put your things here.” The man offered after he ushered her into the security office. Rose was pleasantly surprised. She hated to admit it, but she had imagined the security office was going to be like one of those mall security offices in the movies. But this office was vast and sleek. There were monitors everywhere.

“Thank you…” Rose left it hanging, hoping he supplied his name.

“John Finch. Please call me John, if I’m going to be calling you Rose.” He smiled, and Rose relaxed for some reason. He was not much older than her, but he didn't her a creepy douche bag vibe. Thank God.

“So, do you wear contacts as well as glasses?” John asked.

“Huh?”

“I’m asking for your security pictures.” He explained.

“Oh, yes, I wear both,” Rose informed him.

“Okay, which one do you wear most?”

“I wear my glasses the most, but sometimes, I do wear my contacts.” She told the man. She hated wearing her contacts, but some morning she woke up and was feeling cute and would pop her contacts in. It was rare, but it did happen.

“Okay, so we will take your ID photo with your glasses on, but I will also take a picture with your glasses off. This way, when you swipe in, both pictures will pop up, and hopefully, it will lessen the chance of an issue in the future.”

“Sounds like a plan, John.”

“Ready?”

Rose just nodded. 

“1, 2, 3, cheese. Okay, glasses off. 1,2,3, cheese. Perfect! Now, we need your fingerprints.” John said and began the process of fingerprinting Rose. He used that time to look at the woman. She was gorgeous. Her hair was pitch black, but every now and then he caught flashes of blue and purple. Her caramel skin complimenting her dark brown eyes perfectly.

She wasn’t short, but she wasn’t tall either. Her body was perfect.

John had just met her, but he could tell he liked her. First, he would have to find out if she was available, nothing worse than pining after someone who is taken.

“So, this your first job?” John asked, hoping to come off conversationally and not probing.

“No, but it is my first ‘big girl job.’ I just graduated with my Master’s last week.” Rose told him.

“Nice, do anything fun?”

“Not really. I don’t have many friends in the city. My boyfriend took me out for dinner, and then we hung out at home.” The moment John heard the b-word, his heart sank. Welp, she had a boyfriend. She was off-limits, but he still wanted to be friends with her. She seemed nice, and he felt bad; she had no friends aside from her boyfriend.

John had more friends than he needed, and they were always looking to expand their family.

“Well, I’m glad you celebrated your way. And as for friends, consider me a friend. This Friday I am going to game night with my friends, you should come.” John offered.

Rose was shocked! She was never any good at making friends.

“I would love that!” Rose told him, genuinely excited.

“I must warn you we are a rowdy bunch of black queer folk. Most of us have been friends since high school, and we can be crazy!” John just laughed, thinking about his group of friends. He wouldn’t trade them for the world. He hoped Rose and his friends hit it off because he could tell she needed friends. He saw the sadness she tried to hide.

“That’s fine. I am excited. Thank you for the offer. Here let’s exchange numbers.” The two swapped phones. Rose was already feeling good about her new job.

“Perfect! Here is your ID. You need it to use Mr. Hightower’s personal elevator, to get into the elevator and to get into the parking garage. Basically, have it on you at all times, try to keep it visible at all times, especially for the next few weeks. So security protocols…”

For the next hour, John went over the multitude of security protocols and regulations. It was all pretty explanatory, but Rose was still glad to have it explained to her.

“Got it all?” John finally asked.

Rose just nodded. “Good, if you need help, always feel free to come to the office or text me, Bestie.” He laughed, and Rose joined in. She felt so comfortable around him.

“Let’s get going. It’s almost 9, and Mr. Hightower will be in soon.”

Rose followed John out of the office and back into the lobby. They went through security, her ID worked, and then they were on the elevator up.

“John, can I ask you a question?”

“Sure.”

“What’s Mr. Hightower like? I got two different profiles of him.” Rose questioned. Now that she was riding up to the offices, she was nervous again.

“Honestly, I think he’s a good person. Not many black men in his position, so I understand why he is a hard ass but all in all he’s pretty chill. He just has high expectations, but if you do your job right, then, you’re all good. I promise, he seems scary, but his bark tends to be bigger than his bite.” John told her honestly.

Rose just nodded and breathed. “Thank you, I feel better.”

“Woah, what’s that accent?” John asked, effectively changing the subject.

“Oh, I’m a southern girl born and bred. I moved here for college. My accent only comes out sometimes, I can control it most times.” Rose explained.

“So, can you cook like a southern girl?” John asked.

“Yes, sir. Do you not see me?” Rose gestured to herself.

John looked at her and just laughed. “You right, you got a cornbread booty.”

Rose just punched his arm and laughed along with him. Before anyone else could speak, the elevator dinged, and the doors opened.

When they did, a tall black girl was waiting. Rose looked at her and instantly felt ugly. She had pecan colored skin, with grey eyes, perfect skin, and hair. The clothes looked like they were made, especially for her.

“Already flirting with the new girl John.” The girl said.

“No, she has a boyfriend,” John told the girl. Rose could tell the two were friends. Their back and forth was playful.

“Of course she does. She probably just said that to ward you off. Hi, I’m Mona. Your new best friend. I’m Mr. Hightower’s secretary, so that means it’s just you, him, and me up here all day.” Mona informed Rose as she stuck her hand out.

Rose was taken back, she had been here less than 2 hours and already had two people wanting to be her friend.

“Hi, I’m Rose. You might have some competition in the best friend race, John has already laid claim to that title.” Rose laughed.

“We shall see about that. I’ll show you around. Off you go John.” Mona pushed John into the towards the elevator while pressing the call button.

“Lunch, Rose?” John questioned as he stepped in.

“Sorry meeting my boyfriend for a celebratory lunch.” Before John could respond the doors were closing.

“Okay. Let’s start. So basically you are Mr. Hightower right hand, and I am your right hand. You go with him to every meeting, and I stay here and cover the phones, things like that. Here is your office. In the desk are your work laptop and cellphone. That is the latest iPhone, and it has dual Sim capability. This way you can use it as your personal and work phone. Call IT, and they’ll help you set it all up. On your desk is a list of passwords needed to access software you need, such as email, different cloud accounts, different servers, etc. There is also a business credit card for you to use to order things such as lunch, flights, clothes, and anything else needed for your job. Just keep the receipts, either physical or electronic copies, and they need to be submitted to accounting every Friday before 5 pm. Now, every morning, you are expected to arrive around 7, so you can come in and get replying to emails and set things up. This is also because we do lots of business in London and by the time it’s 7 am here, it’s 12 pm there. Mr. Hightower is usually here by 9 every morning. He usually stays well into midnight if he even leaves. You will typically leave at 7 pm unless something comes up. I know the hours are gurgling, but I think you can do it. Me personally, I’m here from 8 to 5 every day. During the day, I am here to help you. Otherwise, I handle the front, no one gets to Mr. Hightower without getting to you, and no one gets to you without going through me. I know this sounds like a lot, but I promise it’s not that bad.” When Mona finally stopped talking, she looked at Rose, who seemed surprisingly calm.

Mona just smiled, this girl was perfect.

“Ready?” Mona asked Rose who was still lost in thought. She was taking in all the information. She couldn’t believe she got her own phone and computer, it was all very overwhelming.

“Yes, ready. Sorry just taking everything in.”

“No worries. I’ll take you to the kitchen and show you how to make the boss’s coffee. Then we’ll tour the building.

Rose followed behind Mona for the two hours, the two women bonded. They went floor to floor and Mona introduced her to everyone. By the time they were finished, Rose’s head was spinning with all the different names and job titles. 

As if reading her mind, Mona said, “You’ll learn everyone’s name." Rose just nodded. 

Mona looked at her phone and was surprised. "Look at the time. Lunch is at 12, the boss is coming in at around 2 today. Until lunch, I would get your laptop and phone set up. Get acquainted with your office and all the systems and software. If you need anything, poke your head out or pick up the phone and press 2.” With that, Mona left the office, leaving Rose alone.

The first thing Rose did was explore the office. It was bigger than anything she had imagined. There was a huge modern desk, a computer chair, two office chairs, a comfy looking couch, a coffee table and floor to ceiling bookshelf. Rose loved it, it felt like it was made for her.

She sat in her desk chair and instantly fell in love. It was so comfy yet supportive, she could gladly sit in this chair all day.

Finally, she opened her desk drawer and pulled out the new MacBook and iPhone. She turned on the desktop and started working on all three at once.

She read the instructions that Mona had written out, they were detailed, but they also included the extension for IT.

Thankfully, Rose was used to troubleshooting her products, so she didn’t think she would need to call for help.

After about an hour, she had it all worked out and set up! She was really proud of herself. When she was finally done, she started working on learning the email language and the different computer programs they used. She was pulled out of her trance when her phone started ringing.

She looked at her Apple Watch, a gift from her boyfriend James, and saw that James was calling.

“Hey, love.” She greeted excitedly to talk to him.

“Hey, big shot. Forgot about me already?” He joked.

Rose looked at her computer and was shook. She hadn’t realized how much time had passed.

“ No, of course not. I lost track of time. I’ll be there in five minutes. Thank god we picked a place close to here.” She explained as she grabbed her purse and raced out.

“No worries, babe. I figured you got caught up. I’ll see you soon.” James said and then hung up.

Rose nervously tapped her foot while the elevator descended. James sounded calm on the phone, but she knew he hated when she was late.

As she walked, she rushed out the elevator, she came in contact with a hard body.

“Oh, gosh, I’m so sorry. I wasn't looking.” Rose apologized as she raced on. She never even looked up.

“Slow down my southern belle.” The stranger said. Rose looked up and saw it was John. “Where are you rushing off too?”

“Lunch with my boyfriend.” Rose huffed out, still on the move.

“ I’ll walk with you.” He told her and followed along.

Rose slowed down but kept up a brisk walking pace. John looked like this pace was child’s play for him; meanwhile, Rose was near passing out.

“So, what’s this ‘boyfriend’ like?” John asked after a while.

“Why the air quotes?” Rose questioned, amused.

“Cause until I meet him he’s imaginary.” John laughed. Rose just shook her head and laugh. John noticed how she never really answered the question but he didn't push it. 

When they arrived at the little cafe, John held the door for Rose. When she walked in, she scanned the restaurant for James, she found him in a corner booth. They locked eyes, and she walked over to him with John trailing behind her.

James’ eyes traveled from Rose and John. He couldn’t help but wonder if this tall man was the reason his girlfriend was late. He hated her talking to men, she knew that or at least he thought she did.

She was his, but he couldn’t show that face in public. He would wait until they were alone.

James stood up to greet his girlfriend.

“Hey, tardy sauce.” He forced a laugh hoping it would sound genuine.

“Hey sorry, love. I got so caught up learning all this info, but I lost track of time.” She explained again, hoping it was calm the storm brewing.

John cleared his throat, reminding Rose he was there. “ Oh, gosh, sorry. John, this is my boyfriend, James. James this is John, head of security at Hightower Enterprises. He was coming here for lunch, and we walked together.” Rose introduced the two.

“So, you’re the famous boyfriend.” John laughed.

“Famous?” James raised an eyebrow.

“Yes, your girlfriend mentions you often. I had to come to meet you. Now, that I have I need to grab my food and go. That place falls apart without me. Rose see you at work. James nice to meet you.” With that, he was off.

The couple sat down and sat in silence for a minute.

James was trying to tame his anger. Rose could tell and decided to just sit quietly in hopes of not angering him further.

Finally, James spoke.

“So how is your first day.” The question seemed innocent enough, but Rose knew better. James had never been violent or physically abusive, but when he was angry, he said hurtful things. He could get jealous and possessive very quickly.

“It’s terrific. Everyone is super nice. The job comes with some pretty cool perks. I got a new laptop and a phone.” Rose told him excitedly, hoping he would come down a few levels and enjoy her happiness. She wiped out the new phone and showed him. “It’s my old number, and work number all rolled into one. It’s pretty cool.” Rose explained, feeling fancy.

James saw red. It wasn’t that she got a work phone, that was typical of a PA, the issue was the phone case. It was exactly like one she had on her sss wishlist.

“Rose, how’d you know to order a phone case?” He asked feigning interest.

“I didn’t it came with the phone. Now that you mention it, the laptop case and bag are the exact ones I had on my wishlist for when I got a new laptop. The laptop is the exact one I wanted.” Rose realized.

James stayed quiet, trying to breathe because he knew if he spoke, he would yell. It was clear someone was paying attention to Rose, but she was oblivious, and that earned some points in his eyes. 

Thankfully, their food arrived, and the couple began to eat. Soon they were engaged, safe cordial conversation. The check came, and James paid and they left. The walked in slightly awkward silence until it was time to separate.

“See you tonight?” Rose asked.

“Yes, Ma’am. Dinner at 6.”

“Actually, I work until seven at least,” Rose informed her boyfriend.

“Okay, I get it. Love you.” James kissed her lips and turned and began walking the street. Quickly, Rose lost him in the  New York City foot traffic.

She shook off the feeling that something was wrong and turned to walk towards her job. She would deal with James later tonight.