Page 2 of Office Intrigue (Office Intrigue Duet 1)
And maybe you were wondering why I didn’t tell you what city I was in. Truth was, it didn’t matter. If I did tell you, you might know it and that would take some of the intrigue out of my story. So, we’ll keep that a secret as well as the name of the PR firm. After all, you might know that one too.
Back to getting ready.
I tossed my lip gloss into my clutch and grabbed my car key and cell phone before stopping in the kitchen.
The apartment I lived in wasn’t very big. Nothing more than six hundred square feet, but it was in a good area of town, clean, and relatively inexpensive. And by relatively, I meant that I could afford it back when I had a job three weeks ago. If this didn’t pan out, it was no longer going to be inexpensive. It was going to be available for the next tenant.
But I couldn’t worry about that now because I had somewhere to be and not a lot of time to get there.
After pulling up my texting app on my phone, I shot a quick message to my friend Kristen.
Luci: Heading to my interview. Wish me luck.
When the coffeemaker brewed the single cup, I tossed in a little Equal and a few drops of creamer before popping a lid on the travel mug and heading for the door. As soon as I grabbed the knob, my phone buzzed.
Kristen: You’ve got this one in the bag.
I didn’t know about all that, but I was grateful to my friend. She was the one who’d gotten me this interview and it couldn’t have come at a better time.
If I was lucky, I’d make it on time and they would hire me.
If I wasn’t lucky, I’d be moving in with my parents.
•
Traffic was a bitch, and I could only hope that this place validated parking because I couldn’t imagine how much it was going to cost. Since I valeted, I figured it wouldn’t be cheap, but hey. It was that or be late, and like I said, I needed this job if I planned to have a roof over my head and food in my belly. I wasn’t a huge fan of ramen noodles, and let’s face it, moving back in with my folks wasn’t an option.
“May I help you, miss?”
My eyes cut over to see an older man squinting at me from his spot behind a long counter. He had one eyebrow, bushy and solid white, and it was currently hovering close to what used to be his hairline.
“I’m good, thank you!” My heels clicked loudly on the marble floors as I dashed toward the elevator.
I knew exactly what I was looking for and the sign by the elevator said I needed to head to the thirty-second floor. I punched the button for the elevator, then adjusted my blazer and tugged on my skirt. It was a little shorter than I remembered it being, but there was nothing I could do about it at that point. It was an interview, so I’d likely be sitting down for it. Plus, I was wearing underwear, so it wasn’t like I was indecent.
The elevator finally arrived, and at that point, I was beginning to sweat. I had two minutes and if this wasn’t the expressway up to the thirty-second floor, I probably wouldn’t make it. The lift was empty, so I stepped inside and hit the thirty-two, making it light up, then turned and checked myself in the mirrors.
“Not bad,” I said to my reflection as I smoothed my hand over my hair, then swiped around my lips with one finger while another fanned my lashes to de-clump the mascara and poof. I was ready.
Another deep breath and then the elevator dinged, signaling my arrival.
I squared my shoulders, planted a brilliant smile on my face, then stepped off into a plush lobby and noticed…
Nothing.
Seriously. Not a soul.
It was empty.
Like ghost-town empty.
The lights weren’t even on, which was slightly disconcerting. I quickly located the switch on the wall and made my way over. A second later, the room lit up like the surface of the sun. Okay, maybe not that bright, but at least it was no longer giving me an eerie feeling.
I strolled over to the desk, where I assumed a receptionist (fancier name for a secretary, I was pretty sure) should sit. If all went well, that was going to be my desk. As for it being empty, it sort of made sense because the job position was currently open. But it would soon be filled. By me!
I was optimistic, I wouldn’t lie.
Sure, I had some reasons to be. One, Kristen had recommended me for this position, and considering her clout, I felt confident her word went a long way. And two, my resume had plenty of receptionist experience. Provided they could overlook the fact that I’d held twelve jobs in the past three years, I should be a shoo-in. Although I hadn’t been let go from any of my previous jobs, I knew it didn’t bode well that I hopped from one place to the next. In my defense, I was still searching for something to make me happy, not quite finding it anywhere.
