Blayne

 

 

The only thing that stands between you and life is your doubt.

 

First day of work was interesting.

People at the new workplace all were amiable. Okay fine so every workplace experience starts out that way I guess, but I was happy to have found this job. They gave me a cubicle, but I wasn’t there much the first day. Instead, we were all taken to the training room, where the eight of us new hires were supposed to learn what our jobs were going to be.

They were developing a new campaign and the work was more than just legal research as it turns out. They asked us to be discreet about whatever went on in the office, and we had to sign a waiver at one point. I felt pumped and it was great that I was with people who were trying to teach me something.

Over lunch, I even managed to become friends with a gay guy named Tristan and a girl called Alex, both had been friends for years. Tristan was in his thirties, and had that funky, multicolored hair which I suppose was okay for him to have even in such a formal workplace, because he was a graphics artist. Alex had an eyebrow piercing, but overall, she looked rather regular, and she was wearing regular work clothes.

“I’ve heard the boss is hot,” Tristan said over lunch break.

“Bosses can be hot because they have the money to make it happen. Big deal,” said Alex and I realized that she was a lot like Chloe, girl power and anti-everything, but only in theory. In reality, they were both gigantic softies.

“I thought Brenda is good-natured,” I said, just to take part in their conversation so I would not look like I was from some other planet. Already a work environment was alien to me.

“Wait till she turns on bitch mode,” Alex told me. “I’ve heard plenty of stories about her.”

I wondered for a second where it was that they had heard so many stories about a workplace they’d just joined, but then I decided I probably didn’t want to know.

“Heard the same kind of things about the boss,” Tristan said. “He’s hot but he’s an asshole, according to my sources,” he placed a hand over mine, “so please be careful sweetheart.”

He was looking at me when he said this.

“Me?” I asked. “Why me?”

“You know because you’re one of the softies,” Tristan explained. “I can tell.”

“This is probably your first time working, isn’t it?” Alex said, but then, without waiting for my response, continued to speak. “You’ll get the hang of it. But until then, if someone is being good to you, just assume they have ulterior motives. And if someone tries to be too much of an asshole, ignore it. Listen and ignore. You don’t want to lose this job, so you need to keep that in mind. If you have any problems come to us. You want to vent, you want to talk it out with someone, let us hear it. No judgment.”

I didn’t know if this was something they were doing out of mere politeness or they saw something in my attitude that made them think I needed assistance.

I was just glad I had someone trying to be friendly to me without my having to do anything about it. Tristan gave me some more of these chunks of workplace wisdom, things that he thought I needed to remember, and we got up when the break was over and headed toward the training room, bags, and materials in hand.

I was trying to locate a pen from the contents of my bag before I stepped in the training room, but finding that one little pen was turning out to be impossible because of all the clutter.

When I finally found one, I felt a sense of relief.

Pen in hand, I had barely stepped toward the training room door when I got a whiff of someone’s cologne. I didn’t know what it was, but I knew it from somewhere. I knew the feeling that scent had given me before. So, I turned to find out who was wearing it, and everything just froze in time for that moment, like one of those slow-motion scenes in movies—

There he was.

Big blue eyes fixated on the person that he was talking to, hair set perfectly, and only a hint of that gorgeous smile—there was no mistaking that he was indeed the one who owned the place.

I’ve heard the boss is hot.

Of course, he’s hot.

He’s Chase-fucking-Cooper!

Before I could walk away unnoticed, he saw me, standing there like a dolt. He was quick to give me a smile. “Hey,” he said, and it occurred to me the asshole must have a ton of practice bringing smiles that didn’t belong. “Blayne, right?”

Don’t you mean Kitten? You conniving man.

“Yes… Chase… hi,” I managed. Barely. “I started training today.”

Embarrassing. Embarrassing. Embarrassing.

He went on beaming. “Good,” he said, smooth, calm, composed like a freaking sociopath. “Guess, I’ll see you around.” He resumed talking to the person that he was with, and continued toward the elevator without so much as a single glance back.