PLASTIC

Chapter Three

The traffic was murder. Cat knew she would have to get a better understanding of how things were done here. She and Samantha decided to carpool since they didn't work too far from one another and they got off work around the same time. Her friend had to take a few extra bags to supplies to the medical center. She had to stop and pick up some things to replenish their breakroom. Her boss trusted her to use the company card to buy freshly ground coffee and other healthy snack items for the employees. Mondays were her days to bring in necessities and then she would submit the receipts to the financial department.

Cat was in the employee breakroom putting fresh fruit and creamer in the fridge when a she felt the presence of someone behind her. She jumped up to move out of the way.

"I'm sorry. I was just replacing some items and removing empty containers." She explained with a smile as she turned around to find Dr. Gold standing behind her. He just stood there with a humorous smile on his gorgeous face. She tried not to stare but his bright blue eyes seemed like they were hypnotizing her. Cat felt her skin flush hot. She looked away from the doctor and stepped out of his way.

Ari examined her for several minutes, chuckled, and reached for a bottle of Green Goddess Fruit Juice Smoothie. As he grabbed the bottle, he lightly brushed past her. The scent of him was intoxicating. Cat didn't realize that her eyes drifted closed as she inhaled his aroma. Never had she smelled a man who smelled like vanilla, musk, and sandalwood. Most guys wore heavy strong masculine scents, but his scent was light with hints of masculinity and sweetness. She looked as his face as he observed her response to his proximity. Neither of them realized Samantha's presence in the room.

"Cat, you're going to be late for your first day honey." She simply stated. A quick look at her cell phone showed her that it was now 8:15 AM and she had to be at work no later than 9:00 AM. Even though her new job was only 20 minutes away, Cat never arrived late for anything. She jumped and grabbed her purse. Excusing herself, she left the doctor standing there watching her hug her friend and leave in a hurry.

Samantha noticed that her friend caught the good doctor's attention. She hated to be the one to tell her friend, but he wasn't a good person. To gain his interest or his attention, never worked out the way women hoped it would. Dr. Gold was a nice person to his staff. He took good care of them and he paid them well, but his love life was a mess. She had never known him to be with the same woman for a long period of time. He changed women like most people sent out emails and texts. He was a womanizer. With his reputation, he would devour Cat if he was really interested in her. Ari Gold may be breathtakingly imposing, but he was also dangerous for a newbie like her friend.

They must have a conversation about her boss before her best friend got hurt.

*****

Cat arrived with 15 minutes to spare. She strolled into the building, stopped by the security desk, and was allowed to go up to the 6th floor. When she saw the sign for Envisage Financial Forecasting, she knew she had to meet with her contact named Noah Wylde. He was the director of operations. They were scheduled to meet at 9:00 AM and it was 8:50 AM. A huge smile beamed when she realized she made it with time to spare.

She introduced herself to the receptionist and advised her of the meeting with Mr. Wylde. After sitting for about 3 minutes, a rather tall red-haired, thin man with a beard walked out. Mr. Wylde appeared to be quite young. The beard gave the impression that he was in his 30's but Cat suspected he was maybe in his late 20's. He was very chipper. She struggled to keep up with his long strides.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I sometimes forget most people can't keep up with me." He stopped to allow her to catch up with him. Once she was in close proximity, the manager continued to lead her into a conference room.

"Chanel, please have a seat." She took the seat closest to the one he motioned to. He sat right across from her, so he could look straight at her.

"I know we have completed all of the preliminary paperwork and today is your first day, but I would really like to know why you moved from Arkansas to California for this position?" he asked simply.

"Honestly, I saw this as an adventure. I never lived farther than 200 miles away from my hometown. When I applied for this position, the idea of living in California seemed like a wonderful opportunity that I couldn't allow myself to miss out on. I drove here and every day I am so glad I allowed myself to experience something so life-changing and new." She beamed at him. Cat possessed the ability to move people with her smile. She didn't realize just how striking she was. Her energy was not missed by her new boss. He saw a spark in her and knew she would be a great addition to their team.

"Chanel, I am glad to welcome you to the team. I will show you to your office. You and I will be working together for the next three months to bring you up to speed on how things are done at Envisage Financial Forecasting. I'm really glad you chose to work with us. I'm Noah. Please don't hesitate to come to me for anything." He gave her a genuine smile.

"Thank you, Noah. Please call me Cat." She responded. He looked at her as if he were trying to understand the reason behind her nickname.

"Cat was given to me by my family when I was young. It's my initials. Chanel Alexis Taylor, Cat." The jovial laugh escaped the inner thinkings of her mind. Noah openly laughed as he realized that her nickname was an acronym. Very clever.

Her first day was quite simple. They made sure all of her onboarding paperwork work was completed. She was given a tour of the office and the building. It was nice to know that there were restaurants and shops in the building along with other businesses. Of course, there was a Starbucks on the first floor. There were a small gym and spa on the first floor as well. There were quite a few businesses headquartered in the building.

Noah took her by the security desk and introduced her to building security. She shook their hands and gave them a dazzling smile. They walked around the building and then went back to their floor. She was introduced to the staff and given a badge. All of her access to their systems would be covered on her second day. The first day was really a chance for her to get to know her team and her surroundings. She was allowed to leave at 4 PM on the dot with instructions to be prepared to start her 9 AM to 5 PM schedule on the next day.

Cat was glowing when she walked into the medical center. She had changed out of the business attire from the morning and was wearing a black wife beater and form-fitting camo Bermuda shorts with some black and camo accented vans. Her hair was pulled back into a black scrunchie. She was wearing some popping pink lip gloss and a light fresh scent. The smile on her face made everyone who came in contact with her smile.

*****