Page 7 of Company Ink

A server brings over four shots of whatever Kai ordered when I wasn't paying attention. "To Cassie! May her legs stay closed!" Axel jokes, holding his shot up in the air.

"To Cassie!" Kai and Monique shout in unison and down their drinks.

I reluctantly take my shot. "You guys suck," I murmur.

"We do," Kai agrees with a cheeky grin. "You just have to remembernot to!"

I need new friends.

four

chastity gods

Carpet.

This office has carpeted flooring. Am I being punished? Did I do something to anger the gods? Is this karma for being rude to Ingrid?

Dear Lord.

Walking on carpet in high heels makes me feel like a baby deer – wobbly and uncoordinated – two things that I most certainly amnot.

According to Nadine, the Managing Partner just recently replaced the flooring; because apparently 'carpets reduce noise and thus heighten employee productivity'. I nearly quit right there and then. He sounds like a complete dud. But then I thought about Monique and our dreamy condo and decided to make a sacrifice. I suppose it's time to invest in a pair of...flats.

I'm surprised I'm even here right now. I guess Kai wasn't joking when he said they were desperate to hire someone. I sent Nadine an email Saturday morning and by dinner time I had a job. We went through all the motions of an interview, but we did it through Skype. She only asked me about half a dozen questions, most of them simply required a yes or no answer. Can you use a computer? Yes. Do you know how to use a scanner? Yes. Can you multitask? Yes. Can you start on Monday?Hell yes.

Nadine guides me through the barren and eerily white hallways of Pearson & Associates to her office. The firm is located in a tower in the center of downtown. The view from the 15th floor is spectacular, but the lack of personality and aesthetic in the office itself leaves much to be desired. There are no paintings, decorative plants, or even a color scheme; everything is black, white, and grey. Those aren't colors, they're shades, and shades are bo-ring. Not to mention that every private office has glass walls which means no privacy at all. There are blinds on the inside, but no one seems to be using them. We pass a row of cubicles set up in the middle of the office, I'm assuming that's where all the assistants sit.

Once we're in her office, Nadine hands me several stapled documents. "This is your contract." She flips to the second page. "As discussed, your salary is stipulated in paragraph 2 subsection B. All you need to do is sign at the bottom of each page and we're good to go."

If I knew personal assistants made this much money, I would've swapped my bachelor’s degree for a diploma in administration and called it a day. Thanks to this salary, the Jimmy Choo’s can stay.

I initial every required section and hand the contract back to the firm's HR manager. The faster I sign these documents, the sooner I can confirm whether Adrian Cavallero is as good looking in person as he is online. I'm still convinced that his picture is heavily edited. I perused the company website thoroughly on Sunday to ensure that I didn't walk in here today utterly clueless. I learned that in addition to mergers and acquisitions, this firm handles intellectual property, information technology, and cybersecurity. My eyes started to glaze over once I began Googling what the hell any of that meant. Needless to say, I pray that no one asks me to explain any of those terms.

"Alright, thank you, Cassandra," Nadine says, double-checking the document. Not in a million years would I have guessed she's related to Kai. Aside from their thick black hair and olive complexion, they are nothing alike. Nadine reminds me of my high school librarian: quiet and sweet. Whereas Kai is like a walking tornado, not that he's destructive, but if he's in a room, you'd notice him. "Another one of our PA’s, Kitty, will give you a full tour of the office and help you get settled in. Mr. Cavallero is currently off-site, so you'll be able to get acquainted with him later."

Nadine gestures towards her door where a young red-headed woman with giant green eyes is standing. That must be...Kitty. What the fuck kind of name is that? I guess I know who to question if my tuna salad sandwiches ever go missing from the communal fridge.

"Kitty, this is Cassandra, she will be filling in as Mr. Cavallero's PA while Janet is on maternity leave," Nadine says, standing up.

I follow suit and extend my hand out to the freckle-faced girl with immaculate contouring skills; seriously, those cheekbones? Dang. "You can call me Cassie," I state with a soft smile. Kitty shakes the tips of my fingers. Alright then... someone didn't read Art of the Handshake in last month's Cosmo.

"I trust you can take it from here?" Nadine asks Kitty who nods eagerly.

"Of course, Nadine. You know you can count on me," Kitty smiles, her dark red lips curling into a proud smile. "Lunch later?"

"If I have time," Nadine says flatly, turning towards me. Jesus, a stick of butter has more personality than this woman. "If you need anything, my extension number is listed in the directory that's on your desk. Enjoy your first day Cassandra. Goodbye."

I force a smile. "Thanks, Nadine," I say. If everyone in this office is as bland as Nadine I might actually die.

"Shall we?" Kitty asks, leading me out of Nadine's office and down the hallway. "So, welcome to Pearson, as Nadine said my name's Kitty, well actually, it's Katherine but Kitty is just cuter, you know?"

My eyes light up as a wave of excitement washes over my body. Kitty seems...fun.Maybe I'll survive here after all. "Itiscute," I agree, feeling the cloud that's hovering over my head slowly start to dissipate. "And yeah, I'm excited to be here."

"Good!" she exclaims. "Let me show you around."

Kitty takes me on anextremelythorough tour of the entire office. She shows me the printing room, the staff room, the law library, the toilets, the IT room, various admin offices, and several other places I'm sure half the people who work here don't even know exist. Do I really need to know that there's a supply closet hidden behind a fake wall in the kitchen? Am I going to have toclean? My nail techwon'tbe pleased with me.

It takes over an hour to explore every nook and cranny of the firm. I'm introduced to over thirty staff members; half of them barely even raise their heads or acknowledge our presence but it doesn't seem to bother Kitty. Every person I'm introduced to has the word 'law' or 'legal' in their title. Only the Senior Associates and Partners have personal assistants which means that Adrian is a big dog within these walls. Kitty briefly points out the Managing Partner's office; his is the only one that does not have glass walls, but instead is covered in a deep grey vinyl frosting. I suppose the boss is the only one allowed to have some privacy.

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