Page 15 of Office Intrigue (Office Intrigue Duet 1)
Turned out, Ben represented mostly tech companies within the state, Justin’s accounts consisted of new product developers all over the nation and he traveled a lot, and Landon and Langston focused solely on the publishing industry, which involved mostly telecommunication and video conferencing since their clients were all over the world.
I also learned that though they appeared to be a four-man operation, they did have a significant number of people who worked for them, ranging from people who managed the accounts to those who managed the people.
It didn’t take long to realize that they were a diverse group and their clients were, as well. My first lesson came when it became apparent that I had to handle the phone calls differently. When Landon asked me to follow up with two of his authors, nailing down their publishing schedule and getting details on an upcoming signing, I found that I was talking to their account managers, who were employed by the firm. When contacting Ben’s clients, I was dealing mostly with marketing managers within that specific company directly.
The phone on my desk rang and I grabbed the receiver, putting an extra note of cheer in my greeting.
“Hey, doll,” Jordan replied. “Would you like to go downstairs and grab a bite with me? There’s a fantastic sandwich shop in the main lobby.”
“I…uh…I thought they closed down the office at one on Fridays?”
“Usually, yes. But since today’s your first day, they opted to keep regular hours. And since I missed yesterday morning, I wasn’t about to argue. So, you hungry?”
I peered up at the closed doors in front of me. I wasn’t sure when I was supposed to take lunch. Aside from the few phone calls they had delegated, I hadn’t had much conversation with anyone. I had yet to see Justin at all, and Langston had come in already on the phone.
Without instruction from my bosses, I didn’t know what to say to Jordan.
He obviously sensed my concern because he kept talking. “They’ll be taking lunch right at one. Unless they have lunch meetings scheduled or they’re out of town, they always go out together and they’re back in an hour.”
As though they heard Jordan, all four doors opened and all four men walked out.
Hmm. Now I knew what the other door was for. It appeared Justin had snuck in at some point.
Ben looked over and nodded. “We’re heading out to lunch. You’re welcome to go out if you’d like.”
“Thank you,” I told him as the four men headed down the hall. Speaking to Jordan, I said, “Sure, I’d love to go down with you.”
“Come on, girlie. Let’s get a move on then.”
Grabbing my purse, I headed toward the front. By the time I got to Jordan’s desk, the lobby was empty except for him. He bypassed me quickly and I noticed he was locking the doors that led back to the offices.
“How’s the morning so far?” he asked as we waited for the elevator to arrive.
“Good. Busy.”
“It’ll be that way. The girl before you—Andrea—she said it became too much for her to handle. That’s why she left. And the girl before her—Debbie—couldn’t seem to get along with Justin for whatever reason.”
The elevator arrived and we stepped inside.
“To tell you the truth,” he continued, “I think she got upset that Justin didn’t hit on her.”
“Really?” I turned to face Jordan, my curiosity piqued by the gossip. “Did the others?”
His golden eyebrow arched. “I think they were interested.”
There was a distinct note in Jordan’s tone. As though I was missing something, but I wasn’t sure what it was. Almost as though it was expected that all four men were to be interested at the same time. And by interested I could only assume he meant…sexually? Maybe? Hell, I had no idea because it sounded strange even as I thought it.
“Do they not hire men?” That seemed the most pertinent question.
“Of course they do.” His smile was wide. “I’m the best thing that’s happened to them, don’t you know?”
I laughed. How could I not? I truly liked Jordan.
“I mean for the secretary position.”
“Not since I’ve been here. Although there have been some men who apply, but they tend to hire them and send them out into the field.”
“Oh.”
“Have they gone over the job requirements with you yet?”
I shook my head. “I figure they’ll assign me tasks as they go along.” That seemed to be the way things were working so far.
“They usually don’t go over the full requirements until after two weeks. I think they want to ensure you’ll stick around.”
“Well, I can tell you, I have no intentions of going anywhere.” Considering the amount of money they were willing to pay, along with the benefits, it would be hard to get me to walk away. And though I hadn’t done much, I liked the feel of the office environment. My four bosses seemed relatively laid-back for the most part.
