I smiled up at him, then nodded toward a woman trying to get his attention.“Your fans are getting jealous.”He laughed and kissed my temple before walking off.
When I looked at Konni, he was watching my uncle.
“Family?”he asked without looking at me.
“Yep, but he’s pretty affectionate with everyone, so be careful.”
Konni grinned.“I appreciate the warning.”
I hadbutterflies in my stomach as I walked into the Steele building the next morning, rested, well-dressed, and ready for the new opportunity that had landed at my feet.
The receptionist at the main desk beside the security turnstiles looked up as I approached.
“Hi, I’m Sophia Elmantas.I have an appointment with Gail Freend in Human Resources.”
She directed me to the waiting area I’d sat in the day before and made a call.I tried to calm the butterflies during the minute it took for Gail to appear.
“Ms.Elmantas, welcome back to Steele Corporation.We have a bit of paperwork to do.Once we’re done, I’ll walk you up to the Vice President’s office and introduce you to Ms.Stonestock, who will be your direct supervisor.”
I nodded and followed her through the turnstiles to the same room as the day before.We made small talk as I filled out employment forms and read through their corporate policies.It took less than an hour.
After testing my badge on the turnstiles, we took an elevator up, and she explained the building’s structure.
The executive offices for the CEO, VP of Sales, VP of Marketing, VP of Engineering, and VP of Operations were on the top floor.The VP of Finance was on the floor below with the rest of the department, while other departments took up a floor or more of their own, depending on staffing levels.
“I don’t expect you to remember all of this.You’ll get used to it with time.There’s a map of the building and who sits where in the employee portal.It’ll help you find everyone.”
The doors opened to the executive floor’s reception area, tastefully decorated with splashes of gold and red.The color surprised me.Most business buildings went with generic decor.At least, the one I’d interned in had done so.
“Each VP has their own area, which includes dedicated meeting rooms,” Gail said, giving me a tour of the top floor and pointing out each VP section we passed.
“The CEO’s team is through those opaque doors,” she said, pointing them out.“He’s always in the building, but not often at his desk.”
We turned around and went back to the Marketing area, where she stopped at a tri-facing workstation outside a closed office door with a large nameplate.
Lianna Stonestock
Vice President of Marketing
“This is your station,” Gail said, indicating the open seat.“I’ll go check in with Ms.Stonestock.”
Left to introduce myself to the other two women at the shared work table, I smiled.
“Hi, I’m Sophia.”
Their assessing glances bordered on dismissive.
“I’m Whitney,” the lady to my left said.
“I’m Shana,” the other woman said.
“Nice to meet you.I’m looking forward to working with you both.If there’s anything I should learn that will help me contribute faster, let me know.”
“If you’re here in hopes of hooking up with the CEO, quit now so we can get someone who will actually stay long enough to be helpful,” Shana said.
After yesterday’s comments from my fellow interviewees, the blunt statement barely fazed me.
“I’m not looking to hook up with anyone.CEO or otherwise,” I said.“I worked hard for my degree so I could use it, not to be someone’s housewife or stepping stone.”
