Chapter 02 -- Corporate Expansion
Saturday seemed to arrive in no time. Work had been hectic as all hell and Brooke had been keeping quite busy trying to find Penny a new place. Vivian's condo was on the market and apparently generating a great deal of interest. Things around Brooke's place had pretty much been a whirlwind since Penny's surprise visit on Monday. I had been holding Brooke every night, stealing extra moments when I could.
I awoke on Saturday morning and Brooke had already left her bed. I was lying there alone and listening. Brooke's place was quiet. I could not detect any movement or noise happening anywhere in the house. I rose from bed and showered to start my day. I moved around the house, searching for any sign of anything Brooke might have done that morning.
I ate a light breakfast, though it was already close to noon. I dressed quickly and headed out for Emma and Leslie's office. When I arrived, about 10 minutes late, I found Penny at her desk and a young woman sitting in the waiting area, filling out paperwork. I approached Penny swiftly as she was hammering away on her keyboard.
"Good afternoon, miss," I said to her.
"Don't be late again," she snarled at me as she looked up. "We are almost ready."
"Sorry about being late," I apologized. "Ready for what?"
"I will tell you in a minute," she said.
Penny stood up and grabbed a folder from her desk. She motioned for me to follow her into the conference room. I followed and noticed how wonderful she looked. She was wearing a navy blue pinstripe jacket and skirt, which was both appropriate for business and sexy as hell. She had on a purple blouse that was partially visible under the jacket and her legs were bare, no stockings or hose. On her feet were navy blue pumps, about 4 inches tall. Her ass wiggled as she walked and I was mesmerized following along. We entered the conference room and she handed me the folder.
"This is for your reference," she informed me.
"Ok, are you going to tell me what we are doing," I inquired.
"Sure, we are interviewing," she announced. "I have been promoted, so we need a new administrative assistant."
"Congratulations," I offered. "What are you going to be doing now?"
"Emma and Leslie are reorganizing the office," she disclosed. "I am going to be the office manager and a legal assistant. So, as I said, we need a new secretary. Therefore, you and I will be meeting with the 3 final candidates today."
She was very confident and sure of herself as she spoke. Penny was built to be in the corporate world. The sparkle in her eye was hypnotizing. She drew me in and, as usual, I was hooked.
"Have a seat and I will get the first candidate," she instructed. "The resumes are in order of how we will see them."
I sat on the far side of the table, leaving the seat at the head of the table for Penny. She returned quickly, followed by a young woman. The woman had dirty blonde hair and was wearing a black, pants suit. She wore flat shoes and her hair was feathered. Penny took the seat I left for her at the head, while the young woman waited.
"This is Diana Peters," Penny introduced her.
"It's a pleasure to meet you," I said as I stood and shook her hand.
Her skin was soft, I noticed. Diana was no more than 22 or 23 years old. She seated herself across from me and smiled at both Penny and myself. I opened the folder and reviewed her resume. She had only finished college about six months ago and did not have any real work experience. She appeared to be a kid looking for a chance. Penny seemed not to share that sentiment as she grilled her with tough question after tough question. The young woman answered them, though her confidence seemed to be lacking. She seemed unsure of herself as Penny kept applying pressure with difficult, thought provoking interview questions.
The interview seemed very standard and run of the mill until the very end. Penny threw another curveball at the young lady, which also caught me somewhat off guard.
"This job requires someone that is willing to go above and beyond," Penny said to Diana. "Are you that type of person?"
"I am ready to be a professional and I am willing to do whatever it takes," Diana answered.
Penny seemed put off by that answer. She politely ended the interview by thanking Diana for her time and telling her we would be in touch when we had reached a decision. She escorted Diana out of the conference room and returned rather quickly.
"What was with that last question," I couldn't help but ask her.
"We want someone qualified, but who is also versatile," Penny indicated.
"Versatile how," I pressed.
"Well, anyone that works for us is going to see things," she revealed. "Things that they need to be able to accept, handle and say nothing about."
I knew she was referring to the game. It was ever present in the office and I was there on many occasions. She was right, the candidate that was given this job needed to be someone who could handle all the out of the ordinary things that were sure to go on around them. Now I understood her motivation and subsequently, my presence here today.
I was startled by a tapping on the glass door of the conference room. I looked at the door to see a woman, who appeared to be in her mid 30's with short, black hair tapping on the glass. Penny motioned for her to enter and the door swung open. The woman approached us as we both stood to greet her. I assumed she was the second candidate. She was wearing a simple black dress that was neither revealing nor inappropriate. She was very attractive and had a large diamond ring on her left hand. Obviously married.
