three

Monday morning came around way too fast for my liking.

After leaving the confines of Mr Gray's intimidating building just three days ago, there had been a number of things I'd needed to do in preparation for my first day in the office. I'd started off by telling Becca about my new job, which had produced an unexpected reaction from my best friend.

"How could you go against Mase like that?" she had practically yelled at me. "I know you were desperate for work, Al, but your priorities are absolutely whack if you think you made the right decision taking this job."

Deep down, I'd known that she was completely right, but that hadn't stopped me from being rather defensive at the time.

"You're literally the PA of Mason's biggest rival!" She'd responded to whatever lame argument I had scrambled together. "I can't believe you see nothing wrong with this."

"It's not like I'm gonna sleep with him!" I'd yelled in rage."Geez, it's like y'all don't even trust me."

"Don't you dare put this on me!" she'd been absolutely fuming by that point. "You always do this, Ally. You think about no one but yourself and can do absolutely no wrong in your own damn eyes!"

I think it was at that moment in the conversation that I'd shut myself up and just taken the criticism for once in my life. Becca and I were used to this; we bickered a lot for two inseparable mates. But this particular argument had definitely been a little more severe than some of our others.

"I'm sorry, Becs," I'd whispered, hating the feeling of fighting with my best friend. I knew that both of our stress levels had been gradually rising ever since we'd touched down in New York, and I was determined not to let that get in between us more than it already had.

She'd then proceeded to take a deep breath, which hadn't done anything to calm my growing nerves.

"I am too, Al," she'd surprised me with her reciprocation. "I know the situation isn't ideal, but you know I'll always be here for you."

We'd eventually kissed and made up, figuratively of course, as we always did when we had our disagreements. I knew that Becca was also struggling with her own demons, as she still hadn't been able to book any jobs. Luckily, the promise of my future income was able to give us both hope that we would be able to get by for quite a while longer, even if she never found anything. However, I was acutely aware that for her, a job was more than just the money, and that being unemployed affected her in more ways than I knew.

I'd also told Mason the exciting news; that I had 'found a job working in customer service for a very small, relatively unknown and completely insignificant company'. When he had inevitably asked for its name, I had told him that it was a freshly developed start-up, and that the name was still in the brainstorming stages. Luckily, he'd seemed to buy it, although he was more than a little worried about my job security given the nature of my 'employer'. I assured him that this was just a way to get some industry experience, and that I wouldn't be staying too long.

And I mean that bit was mostly true. Although I had no concrete plans, it certainly wasn't my intention to stay at Gray's Consulting for the rest of my life. I'd definitely ride that wave while I was getting on my feet and making a name for myself, but it was by no means a long-term thing, especially given the fact that I would be hiding it from my boyfriend.

After getting dressed into my chosen outfit, consisting of a black pencil skirt and white button-up shirt (extremely basic I know), I made my way into our bathroom, opening up my tiny makeup bag. I'd only ever owned the basics; tinted moisturiser, mascara and a lip-gloss that always seemed to be out of date. I'd never really had too much interest in caking my face, although I had mad respect for anyone who could.

But that wasn't to say that I took no pleasure in making myself look and feel good. I was blessed with pretty good genetics; I had long chocolate-brown hair, light blue eyes, and naturally white teeth, all features which I'd received countless complements for in my twenty-four years of life. But playing around with my aesthetic was something that I'd always wanted to do and just hadn't found a chance to. I had considered, on a number of occasions, dying my hair an ashy-blonde, getting a nose ring, and even investing in lash extensions. Whether or not any of that ever eventuated was completely up in the air.

"Alright Becca, I'm about to head off," I called out, not really sure if I would be getting a response. It was a half past six in the morning, and the chances of her being awake this early were very slim.

"Good luck," I got a croaky reply, making me chuckle to myself. Becs was certainly not a morning person. I wasn't either, but I guess that was going to quickly change.

I grabbed my set of keys, locking the door behind me as I made my way down to the hustle and bustle of 46th Street. My destination was on 53rd, just a 10 minute walk from where we lived. I was quickly learning my way around the city, and the intimidating buildings and endless flashing signs were no longer so daunting to me.

Upon my arrival at Gray's Consulting, I was greeted once again by the familiar face of Bella, the same receptionist who had initially helped me out the other day.

"I hear your interview was a raving success!" she called out, making me laugh as I headed over to her.

"Apparently," I smiled. "Although I don't really know what I've just gotten myself into."

"Well all I know is that you're wanted on level seventy-five," she informed me. "I believe the boss will have more instructions from there."

If I thought the ride up to my interview had lasted a lifetime, this trip would take me to the grave. I was a bundle of nerves, and had no idea what to expect, or what my job even really entailed.

As I stepped out onto the the top floor of the impressive building, the mood was surprisingly relaxed. I guess I'd been expecting silence, solitude, or a single office with Mr Gray sitting menacingly behind a desk. But that certainly wasn't the case, except of course for the menacing man. He was bound to be around here somewhere.

"So you're the newbie," a voice called from behind me. I jumped slightly, turning around to face an incredibly edgy looking woman, with a wild black pixie cut, and a distinctly minimal fashion sense. She wore nothing that wasn't white or black, including her numerous piercing that decorated her face. The only pop of colour was from her bright red painted lips, which stood out so vibrantly against everything else about her.

"I guess I am," I smiled. "I'm Ally, by the way."

"Sweet as," she replied. "You lost?"

I'd expected her to maybe introduce herself, or at least tell me her name, but I was quickly discovering that she was definitely not the predictable type.

"Uh, yeah," I laughed. "I guess you could say that. I'm actually looking for Mr Gray's office."

"Aaaaah," she nodded. "Straight to the top, I see. Exactly how I like it."

"N- no it's nothing like that," I stuttered. "I was just tol-"

"Relax Ally," she chuckled. "Gosh you're a bit uptight, aren't you."

I breathed a sigh of relief. This girl was pretty full on, but it was also obvious that she meant no harm.

"Follow me," she started walking towards the far side of the room, where there was a corridor leading to a number of pretty identical looking office doors.

I took a quick look around, noticing that almost every set of eyes was on us. There was some definite murmering, but it seemed as though most people were focusing on my tourguide rather than myself. From what I had already seen of her, I could only assume that she was not everyone's cup of tea. I, however, was already taking quite a liking to her.

"This one is Mr Madden's," she pointed to one of the doors. "You'll hardly ever see him, and it's probably best that way."

I had no idea what she could possibly mean by that, but it definitely wasn't the time to ask.

"This one is Mr Baird's," she gestured towards the next door along. "He's the biggest gentleman - like seriously, he's massive - and he's always good for a chat."

I laughed at her honest descriptions of these people who I hadn't even known existed before today.

"And that one," she pointed to one of two doors that stood alone at the end of the corridor, "is your man's."

"Thankyou so much," I offered her a grin.

"All g, sweet pea," she rhymed amusingly. "I'll see you round."

As she began to walk back into the main workspace, she turned back, making me look over to where she stood.

"I'm Nikki, by the way."

And then she left.

———

Five hours later and I was completely exhausted, to say the least. Mr Gray had skipped the pleasantries and gotten me straight to work, learning the main operating systems of the business and getting familiar with the management teams behind each department.

Gray's Consulting, as the name suggests, provided consultative services with companies of all shapes and sizes, in order to maximise both their internal growth (in terms of management, investment, and recruitment) and their external image (relating to advertising, customer services and public relations). Each of these six areas of expertise were further split into four teams of people; those responsible for market research and development, those who dealt with potential clients and booked consultations, those who worked with companies behind the scenes and came up with the solutions, and those who actually went out and represented the company; with each of these teams having a floor to themselves.

If my poor mathematical skills didn't deceive me, this accounted for just twenty-four of the total seventy-five floors that made up the impressive building of Gray's Consulting. The other fifty-something housed the groups of people who contributed to the daily running of the company as a whole, including the management, marketing, accounting, product development and human resources teams. I was fully aware that I would never properly know my way around the place, as there was simply too much to it.

The only floor I really needed to be familiar with was the seventy-fifth, which was relatively empty compared to a lot of the others that I had seen, reserved for a few small teams of people, and of course Mr Gray.

I'd also been shown to my office, which was the door right next to his. I was, of course, his right hand man, and the positioning of our offices made that very literal. The space was much larger than I'd expected, but was extremely bland for what it was. It would definitely be requiring a little bit of decoration as I spent more time surrounded by the same four walls.

By the time it hit twelve, my stomach was grumbling, and all I could think about was how I would go about filling it. I had been told that my lunch break could be taken anytime between twelve and two, as long as I notified Mr Gray and didn't stay out longer than an hour. So, as instructed, I knocked on his door to let him know that I was off.

"Come in," his voice was strong, even through a wall.

"Sir, I'm going to have my break now," I spoke, waiting a moment but getting no response. "Is there anything else you need?"

"No," he replied firmly, not once moving his eyes from his computer screen.

Taking the hint that he didn't want to be bothered, I closed the door again and headed out towards the elevator.

"Hey Ally wait up," I recognised Nikki's voice from before, turning to see her walking towards me from what I presumed was her little cubicle in the main space. "Can't eat lunch alone on your first day."

"I guess not," I laughed, thankful for the company. I wasn't necessarily extraverted, but I loved people. I didn't really believe that anyone could fully fit into a box like that, or say that they were always one or the other. It was a sort of scale, in my mind, which changed daily.

On our way to the lobby, I discovered that Nikki was in charge of public image and relations, which seemed to me like a pretty loaded role. It was made especially difficult due to the fact that new scandals were being posted daily about the man in charge.

Joining us on our lunch break was another friend of Nikki's, a gorgeous guy with dusty brown curly hair and the most stunning green eyes. His name was Conner, and he worked in the research and development team of the investment sector. I had very little idea of what this actually meant, but it sounded extremely impressive.

"So you've got the looks and the brains," I commented. "What more could a girl want."

Nikki and Conner were very close, and had enough inside jokes to confuse a code-breaker, but they were extremely open to me being there, not once making me feel as though I didn't belong.

"So are you guys dating?" I asked the question that had been playing on my mind from the moment Nikki had introduced me to her 'friend'.

"Hell nah," Conner looked at Nikki in playful disgust. "I'm gay, and she doesn't have a penis."

"Trust me, he's checked," Nikki added, as we all laughed.

Hanging out with my new mates had caused me to lose track of time. When I looked at my phone for the first time since we left, it was already a quarter to one, meaning that I'd almost been out for my full hour. Although there was no way that I would be late back, I still didn't want to push it on my first day, as I had a reputation to build.

"I've gotta get back before the boss gets mad," I sighed, getting up from our table at the cute little diner we'd eaten at. "I haven't seen him angry yet, and I don't plan on doing so any time soon."

"Oh man you're missing out, Al," Conner sighed dreamily. "The man's a sex god when he starts raging."

"Conner's right," Nikki nodded in agreement. "The couple of times he's been mad at me have been the most invigorating experiences in my life."

"Y'all are weird," I chuckled, shaking my head at their comments.

Five minutes later,  I was back on the top floor, making my way towards my office. My office. It had a nice ring to it. I'd thanked both Conner and Nikki for including me in their little lunch date, which they'd both insisted that we make a regular thing. It felt good to have some sort of connection in the company already. I felt as though I wasn't alone.

"You're late," came a deep voice from the office next to mine. I hadn't realised that his door was ajar, enabling him to see me from where he sat at his desk.

"I believe I have..," I looked down at my watch, "thirteen minutes left, Sir." I paused for a moment. "And twenty-seven seconds."

I had no idea where my confidence had come from, but I certainly regretted it as soon as the words had come out of my mouth.

"Did you just talk back to me?" He cocked one eyebrow, a dark expression forming on his face. It was safe to say that I'd angered him just a little, and I had to say, it was actually sort of sexy.

"I would never do anything of the sort," I shot back. I don't know if it was the fact that I was energised after my lunch break, or if I was just fed up with Mr Gray's arrogance, but I was sort of digging this newfound feistiness. "I'll be in my office if you need me."

And with that, I walked to the next room across, closing my door behind me with a considerable amount of force. If my boss was going to be an ass, then two could play the game.