The building that the law firm of Marks, Sanchez, Reed and Mack is in is quite fancy. I take the elevator all the way up to the sixteenth floor. As soon as I step out into the lobby of the office, I see a receptionist desk with my name on it. Erin Richardson. This place is on the ball.
I walk behind the desk and see that there’s a raised stool with a monitor in front of it. I also notice that another receptionist— a guy— is already at a different receptionist’s desk a bit off to the side, hard at work. He’s on the phone, and is mumbling, “Yes, Sir, I can do that.” Obviously, he can’t introduce himself to me just yet, although he gives me a friendly nod before looking back down at notes he’s taking in front of him.
I stab at the button on the computer in front of me, to turn it on. It’s password protected and I have no idea what it is. How am I to know what I’m supposed to be doing? It’s my very first day. Was there a memo? Did I miss it? But how would I have missed it when I don’t know where they would send it to? I don’t even have an email address at this firm yet.
Just in the nick of time, before I have a complete internal meltdown, the guy at the desk next to me hangs up the phone and then walks over to me, with his hand outstretched.
“You must be Erin,” he says, a large smile spreading across his entire face. He’s a hot one, that’s for sure—but I’m pretty sure he’s gay. “I’m Claude. And it was so terribly rude of me to not introduce myself when you first came in. Unfortunately, I was otherwise indisposed.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Claude.”
I shake his hand while he nods his head in the direction of lawyers’ offices down the hallway behind the reception area.
“I was wrapped up trying to do some things for Garrett Mack,” he says. “He’s one demanding mofo.”
I laugh, my hand covering my mouth. I’m always embarrassed by my crooked teeth, as well as my rather large frame. It’s why I run every single morning, but, due to having PCOS, it is really hard for me to lose weight.
“They won’t tell you this, but the whole reason you’re here is because the other partners merged with Garrett as a new partner, and he’s so demanding he insisted on having a new receptionist to help out. Apparently he didn’t think I was up to the job.”
He sniffs, tilting his nose into the air, and I laugh again.
“I’m sure you do a great job,” I tell him. “They probably just need more help now that there’s a new named partner.”
“Girl,” he says, shaking his head and wagging his finger, confirming my suspicions that he’s gay. “That’s what they say. But I’ve been here for years and you’d think they’d trust me to be able to answer the phones for one more lawyer.”
I gulp, hoping that he doesn’t hate me because I’ve been hired to essentially help him out. I run my hand along the back of my neck, where hives often break out when I’m anxious. I can already feel some prickly bumps.
But now it’s Claude’s turn to laugh.
“I’m happy to have my work divided up,” he says. “I was killing myself trying to take care of a bunch of drama-prone lawyers up in here.”
We both laugh and then he says, “Have a seat. I’ll show you how to boot up this fancy contraption known as Reception Area Computer Number 2.”
Then he sees my screen and says, “Well, I see you’ve already figured out how to turn it on. Quick study.”
I chuckle and say, “Yeah but that’s as far as I got, since I have no idea what the password would be.”
“Take a wild guess,” he says, rolling his eyes and nodding his head as if to tell me it’s way too easy.
“Is it ‘lawfirm’?” I give it a shot in the dark.
“Nope,” he says, laughing heartily now. “Something even easier.”
“Don’t tell me it’s ‘password,’” I tell him.
“Bingo,” he says. “Can you believe it? I keep telling these idiots they’re going to get hacked, but no one wants to listen to their favorite gay receptionist.”
As soon as I’m into the computer, I can see a startling array of programs and files that I have no idea how to use.
“Don’t worry,” Claude says reassuringly. “Mostly you just have to answer the phone and take messages. Some of these lawyers with big heads might ask you to type up dictation or send discovery, but you are free to tell them it’s beyond your job description and that they should ask their legal assistant. In which case, they’ll probably just come bother me next, since if their legal assistant weren’t too busy to do it, they never would have been slumming their way to asking a lowly receptionist.”
I can’t help but laugh again. Usually I’m standoffish when I meet people because I feel shy and different. I’m half black, with unruly hair unusual for Albuquerque. There’s a big Hispanic population here but people like me are outnumbered. I feel I fit right in with Claude, though, and I bet he considers himself to be a social outcast, just like me.
I have a feeling I’m going to like working here. Suddenly, a larger woman walks up from God knows where and asks, “Erin Richardson?” while looking down at a sheet of paper.
“Present,” I say automatically, and then Claude and I burst out laughing.
What do I think this is? The first day of the first grade, with roll call being taken?
She nods at me and her eyes smile warmly. I guess she isn’t as school marmish as she’d first seemed, but I hang back, unsure of who she is or what she’s about to tell me.
“I’m Monique, the firm’s office manager,” she explains. “If you come with me to Conference Room A, I’ll go through some HR things and some training procedures with you.”
“Okay,” I agree, stepping out from behind the receptionist’s desk to follow her. “Talk to you later, Claude.”
“Have fun,” he says, a bit sarcastically.
As we head down the hall, someone passes us. He’s tall, and dark and mysterious, much like the mystery man I fantasize about—a mismatched conglomerate of actors and hot guys I’ve seen over the years. How could such a perfect person actually exist in real life?
I can’t help but notice that he’s looking at me much the same way I’m looking at him. His eyes seem to travel over my entire body. A shiver runs down my spine as I think about the things I wish he could do to me.
Must focus on the task at hand, I think, as I continue to follow Monique. The handsome man in the fancy suit nods at me as he ducks into an office, and I’m disappointed I have to stop looking at him. Hopefully I’ll see him again, though, and then I’ll really like working here, since it will give my fantasy life an extra special boost.