Onboarding

Poppie

I couldn’t believe what was happening to me. It had to be a dream. Shayla hooked me the fuck up for real. I couldn’t believe I had stepped in the office of the Notorious Madame -Ms. Vanessa McBride. Her shit was tight. Everyone looked so nice in the office, just working a normal job. I must admit, it wasn’t what I expected even though I really didn’t have any idea what to expect, but it was definitely not this.

The office looked like any other office I had worked for my temp assignments. It had a huge sign above the front desk that read ‘Elegant Industries’. I felt a bit out of place because I really didn’t know what to expect. Shayla just told me to come to the office and let them know that I was Candidate #6.

I walked over to the desk wearing an outfit that Shayla bought for me. I know I looked presentable as she picked it out for me. Her style has improved dramatically and the idea that she can afford these things is something we’ve always dreamed about. I’m about to look nice up in here for real.

She gave me a nice orange, wide leg pants with a crisp, white patterned blouse with orange and red blocks and puffy sleeves, matched with a small red purse which I wore across my body. Shayla and I wore the same size in shoes so I just borrowed a pair of sky high peep toe platform ankle strap pumps with the red bottoms to complete my look.

“Hello,” I said as I approached the desk. The woman behind the desk held up her finger as she was on a phone call, speaking to a person on a headset.

“Yes Sir, I will make sure she gets the message,” she said as he typed on her keyboard. She looked like she enjoyed working here. “I’m sorry. How can I help you?”

“Uh, I was told to come here and tell you that I am Candidate #6,” I said, sounding totally out of place.

My heart started beating a bit faster with anticipation.

“Oh great,” she said, smiling from ear to ear. ” Hold on, I’ll take you up. I just need to call a replacement,” she said, picking up a walkie-talkie and calling someone over to handle the desk.

“Hey, can I ask you a question?” I asked, looking around and just taking everything in.

“Yes sure,” she said confidently.

“How is it working here, like for real?”

“It’s amazing. The hotel industry is profitable therefore Ms. McBride is at the top of her game,” she responded.

Hotel industry? What the fuck did she just say?

“Excuse me, am I in the right place?” I said, sounding confused. She giggled as she had had that reaction before.

“Yes, you are. Ms. McBride owns the Elegant Hotels in and around Chicago. She also is the owner of Elegant Escorts. Actually, she has her hands in a lot of different businesses under the Elegant label,” she confirmed.

“Oh, wow. I didn’t know that. Damn,”

“I know it’s a lot to take in, but it’s amazing to work for her. She is an amazing woman. She’s very encouraging and supportive of women,” she went on to say. Finally, another petite woman walked up to the desk. “Great, I can take you up now, follow me.”

She grabbed her tablet and phone and walked from behind the desk as the other woman replaced her. I followed her over to the elevators as I looked around and saw everyone doing some of everything. We rode up the elevator to the top floor and the view of Chicago was astonishing. I had never seen the city from this view. It was breathtaking.

I stopped at the window and looked out taking in everything.

“Isn’t the view remarkable?” she said, waiting for me.

“Hey, question,” I said, walking quickly to catch up with her. “What am I going to expect? What am I to do?”

“Just be yourself. She’s nice,” she smiled and led me to a conference room with 5 other ladies.

I walked in and took the last open seat.

“Thank you for coming ladies. In front of you, you will find a folder with your documents you will need to sign. Before we have you do that, Mr. Peabody will come and discuss all of the documents before you sign. If you have any questions, please direct them to him as he will be the best person to ask,”

“Well I have one question, who is Mr. Peabody?” The girl at the end of the table asked loudly. Everybody turned to the girl from the desk to answer the question. Just as she opened her mouth, the door quickly opened.

“I am Mr. Peabody,” A gorgeous and delicious black man walked in the door, dressed in a dark blue suit and suede shoes. His scent permeated the room upon his entrance. His features were that of a thug motherfucker but he looked very intelligent. He was dressed to impress and this motherfucker did just that -he impressed me.

“Hello Mr. Peabody, I’ll let you take it from here,” she said and turned to exit the room.

“Thank you Stephanie,” he said, closing the door behind her. He turned and walked to the front of the room.

“Hello everyone, I am Mr. Peabody. I am the assistant to Ms. McBride. Welcome to Elegant Escorts, which is under the umbrella of Elegant Industries, the company that owns and operates the Elegant Hotels,” he stated, looking like a damn piece of chocolate.

He was Ms. McBride’s assistant. He looked good as fuck. I watched him as he went on to explain the documents in our folders and what we were agreeing to upon signature. He was very professional and calm. He had the build of a running back on a football team and he was clean shaven. Shayla told me about him. He is the right hand man for Ms. McBride and he was fine as fuck. Shayla didn’t go into too much detail about him, she just said that he is quiet but he will take care of everything that is needed.

After he explained all of the documents, he left for a bit as we signed our names to change our lives. I looked around the table and it was a group of women from all different backgrounds and ethnicities. I liked that in a company, they needed to hire everybody.

“So which one of y’all think Mr. Peabody looks good as fuck,” A woman at the end of the table stated out loud. We all giggled and raised our hands.

“Girl, he is fine as fuck,” another one said across the table.

“That’s her assistant? I know she fucking that,” another said.

“You think?” The third woman asked.

“I know I would,” I chimed in. Everyone laughed. I liked this bunch of girls, we were all thinking the same thing.

“So where is everyone from?” The woman at the end of the table started. “I’m from Dolton. Not originally, but yeah,” she said.

“I’m from the southside, Wild Hunnids,” I replied.

“No shit? Damn, okay,” she said.

“West side over here,” The woman sitting next to me stated.

“I’m from Humboldt Park,” The woman who sat across from me stated.

“So we are all pretty much from Chicago,” The Dolton chick stated.

“Looks like it,” I replied.

“Well, I’m Leddy y’all, nice to meet all of y’all,” she said. Leddy was from Humboldt Park.

“Nice to meet you Leddy, I’m Poppie,” I waved.

“Poppie? That’s a cute name,” Dolton girl said. “I’m Becky,” she waved. I smiled and waved back.

“Hi,”

“Hello everyone, I’m Brianna and I’m from Naperville. I ran into Ms. McBride at a just the right time in my life, because I really needed a job,”

“I feel you Brianna,” Becky replied. “She found me outside the police station. I had just made bail when she asked me what I wanted to do with my life,”

“Yeah, she did the same with me. I thought she was crazy at first, but she didn’t pressure me and told me to call her when I was ready to ‘change my life’,” another woman chimed in. “I’m Ari, I’m from New York,”

“Damn, New York?” Becky blurted while we all looked at her.

“Yup, she found me on the streets. Told me to get clean and come work for her. She put me up in a hotel while I was detoxing,” she said lowering her head.

“Damn, you sound like me. My friend told me about her. She helped my friend when she got out of jail. My friend found me at just the right time and told me to come see Ms. McBride. My friend got me clean and here I am,” I had told my story. The other girls around the table were all shaking their heads in agreement.

We all had a story that led us to Ms. McBride. That made me even more intrigued about who she is and why did she start this company? I know this Bitch had a lot of fucking money. I wondered how she had so much money to do all of this. What was she getting out of it?

Mr. Peabody returned into the room and went over the paperwork to ensure we had signed them all correctly. He was soft spoken and he was nice. He smiled every once in a while, talking to each person individually. When he spoke with us, he was very attentive and alert. He made us feel what we had to say was important and he was really interested. He made everyone feel calm and relaxed.

After all of the paperwork was completed the process began in which we would all individually meet Ms. McBride. I was nervous as fuck. I didn’t want to go first, I felt as if I had to pee instantly.

“I will call your name and you are to gather all of your things and follow me,” Mr. Peabody said as he looked at his tablet. “Ms. Leddy Gonzales,” he called. All eyes went to Leddy.

She looked nervous but pretty. She had long, black hair flowing down her back with a hairpin on one side of her hair. She grabbed her purse, water bottle and keys and followed Mr. Peabody out of the room. Everything got quiet amongst us as we didn’t know what to expect. I figured I would ask her when she returned what to expect. I think everyone would want to know honestly.

As the time ticked down, an hour and a half had passed and she hadn’t returned. Mr. Peabody entered with his tablet and called the next person, “Ms. Becky Stanford,” he quietly said.

Becky looked around as she grabbed her messenger bag and walked out the room. It was then I realized Leddy didn’t return. I started to overthink the situation to the point I was wondering if something went wrong.

When he returned again and neither Becky or Leddy returned with him, I started to worry.

“Um, Mr. Peabody,” I said, raising my hand slightly.

“Yes, Ms. Matthews?” he said. He knew exactly who I was. It threw me off a bit as I didn’t expect him to know me right away.

“Um, is everything okay?” I asked. He looked confused a bit. He walked over to me directly.

“What do you mean?”

“I just noticed that the others didn’t come back,”

“Oh,” he said. He smiled a soft smile at me for reassurance. “Understood. No worries. They were allowed to leave as they have completed the on-boarding process and are no longer needed for the remainder of the day,” he said confidently.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I was just..”

“It’s okay, everything is fine. You were referred to by Shayla, correct?” he asked, looking at me directly in my eyes. His eye contact was a bit intense.

“Uh, yes,” I said looking down, breaking contact. He tipped my chin up to make eye contact again.

“First rule, keep eye contact. It will be beneficial working here. I know it can be uncomfortable at times but keep your cool and you will learn how to control it to the point it won’t be,” he said. I nodded my head and kept eye contact. This Brotha was well put together.

“Ok, thank you,”

“Don’t worry, everything will be fine. Shayla is my girl. She told me about you,” he said softly.

“She did?” I said surprisingly. Shayla was my girl as she always had my back.

“Yeah, she did. I’m glad you came. Ms. McBride will take good care of you. She’s excited to meet you,” he said smiling.

He put me at ease. I see why Ms. McBride had him as an assistant. He knew exactly how to make us feel. He had the type of personality that would make you focus in on him.

“Thanks, I am too,” I smiled in return and he called the next candidate. She followed him in and I patiently waited for my name to be heard.

I was there all day and the last one to be called into the office. I walked slowly behind Mr. Peabody as he opened the door to Ms. McBride’s office. The decor was white and black everywhere. Her desk was a huge black desk at the far end of the office with the city view behind her. I walked in and looked around as I could see Lake Michigan and the park down below.

“Penelope?” Ms. McBride called my name. I had lost focus at the view. She was beautiful standing at her desk. Her brown skin looked like satin as her long silky, brown hair cascaded on her shoulders. “Please come sit,” she said pointing at the chairs in front of her desk.

I slowly walked over and carefully took a seat in front of her. She smiled and sat down. Ms. McBride was well put together and not a hair out of place. She wore her clothes well and she looked like money.

“Penelope Ann Matthews,” she stated my government name.

“Oh, you can call me Poppie,” I said. It slipped out before I could contain it. I was so used to saying it.

“Thank you, but to be professional I and everyone else will address you as Penelope,” she said directly. My smile faded nervously. “During business hours, of course,” she smiled and winked at me.

My spirits lifted with her reassuring gesture. She was just breaking the ice. I liked that.

“Oh great,” I said smiling.

“Mr. Peabody tells me that you were referred to by Shayla, is that correct?” she said looking up from my file.

“Uh, yes ma’am. She told me all about the position,”

“Good, I like Shayla. She’s grown a lot. I see a lot of myself in her. I can’t wait to see what she does. And with you as well,” she said smiling at me.

“What do you mean?” I was a bit confused on what she was really saying.

“Penelope,” she said, sitting back and crossing her legs and arms. “I want the ladies to be the best at what they do and be encouraged to find something that drives them and make it happen. I want to grow business women who know their worth and give them the opportunity to make something of themselves when society has given up on them,” she said. It was like she was a savior for all of the girls who have been dealt a bad hand.

“Wow,” I couldn’t believe I was in her presence. She was phenomenal.

“I expect nothing less from you either,” she said, returning back to my folder.

“Yes ma’am,”

“Good. You will start classes on Monday. I hear you would like to learn Mandarin,”

“Yes, I’ve always wanted to learn a language and I like the sound of the Chinese language,”

“Understood. Mandarin is a great language to know. We have several clients who speak Mandarin and they feel comfortable with those who can communicate with them. Sometimes the meaning can get lost in the translation, therefore they are grateful when one of our ladies can speak their language,”

“Awesome,” I responded.

“Great. You will also attend etiquette courses and fine dining as well. Do you know how to cook?” she asked as she wrote notes in file.

“No, unfortunately not,”

“No worries, Mr. Peabody teaches a cooking class once a week, I’ll sign you up for it, ” she said as she continued to write. She opened her desk drawer and pulled out a small case.

She placed the case on the desk and opened it. Inside she had what looked like a hotel room key. She looked at the number and placed it on the paperwork in front of her.

“Here is your key for your accommodations. You can bring your items there so you will feel more comfortable while in the beginning stages,”

“Beginning stages?” I asked.

“Yes, you have a lot to learn therefore you are at the beginning. It usually takes about 3-4 months to get where I need you to be before you are scheduled for appointments,” she responded.

“Oh,”

“If you need assistance bringing your belongings, tell Mr. Peabody he will help you,” she said as she opened another drawer and pulled out a cell phone. “Here is your work phone. Please have it with you at all times, especially when you have been assigned to a client,” she said, passing it over to me. I’m sure she already has the number written down.

“Thank you,” I said, checking the phone. It was an android phone but a good one. I’m sure she is trying to make sure all her ducks are in a row.

“The phones have a tracking app on it should you need any assistance,” she said smiling and closing my folder. “I’m glad you joined us Penelope, I’m sure you will do well here,” she said smiling.

“Thank you for having me,” I said in return. Shit, this woman has just given me a place to stay rent free and a cell phone. She had already done more than what I expected.

“FYI, these rooms are on a floor in one of my hotels, however they are designed like apartments, so you won’t have to worry any guests of the hotels on that level as they do not have access,” she mentioned.

“Oh wow,” I said looking at the key. I didn’t know what else to say.

“Do you have any questions, Penelope?”

“No ma’am, you’ve pretty much covered everything that I can think of,” I replied.

“Well good, but if you think of anything, Mr. Peabody’s number is listed in the phone along with mine as well,” she said standing up and coming around the desk.

I stood up and faced her. She held out her hand to shake my hand. I took hold of it and she had a grip like a man, it was tight and direct as she squeezed my hand as she shook it.

“Welcome aboard Penelope. I expect great things from you,” she said, softly patting the back of my hand.

“I won’t let you down, Ms. McBride, promise,” I said, holding her hand as well.

“I know you won’t Penelope. I have a good feeling about you.”