Chapter 3
Chapter Three
Emma
I stared at the table, trying to calm my nerves.
I would need to get used to being around so many people.
I’d managed to keep my anxiety under control at Tri-O-Tech, but it wasn’t as big as Fantasies, Inc.
Even with the tricks I used to keep from freezing up in large groups, I could feel myself beginning to shut down as we made our way from the elevator to Daily Perks.
By the time we got the pastries and coffee, I must’ve looked like a deer in the headlights when Asher suggested we head to the employee lounge.
As soon as the door closed, the relief was almost instantaneous.
A couple of deep breaths, and I could feel myself begin to decompress.
The pastries and coffee were delicious, but then, as I finished the last bits, I realized Asher had been unusually quiet.
I’m so used to being alone, I’d almost forgotten I was with anyone. I glanced up to find him watching me. I could feel the heat from the blush move from my chest to my cheeks. I blinked several times as I tried to recover from the embarrassment.
“Sorry, I was lost in thought. You know, onboarding, the software issues…”
“It’s fine. Actually, it’s refreshing to be with someone who doesn’t have to fill the silence with chatter.” He flashed a grin.
I couldn’t help but smile back. Okay, maybe this wasn’t as bad as my mind had made it out to be. The muffin was long gone, and my latte was almost empty. “Shall we get to work?”
“Sure.” He stood, grabbed his food wrapper and cup. I did the same, and after disposing of them, we made our way back to the eleventh floor.
As soon as we exited the elevator, I saw my opportunity. “I’ll be right there,” I said, motioning to the ladies’ room.
Asher nodded and continued down the hall.
I ducked inside and stopped just inside the door.
This was the bathroom? Marble, brass, scrolled tilework.
There was a separate area with a vanity where baskets had been stuffed with tissues, napkins, and lotions.
The brightly lit mirror over the vanity was perfect for detailed repair of makeup and hair.
Elegant upholstered chairs finished off the space.
I turned and made my way into the main part. Six sinks and eight stalls, more marble, and brass, and each stall was designed for maximum privacy. I walked up to the closest sink and washed my hands while staring at my reflection in the mirror.
My eyes were set a little too wide, my features too closed off. I closed my eyes and did some deep breathing exercises that helped ease the feeling of being trapped, powerless, but the tension continued flowing through my body.
I needed to get used to being around a lot of people for this job. Any future promotion depended on that. Maybe it was time to see a therapist about my anxiety.
I shuddered at the memory. I’d tried therapists. Two of them. I hadn’t been able to open up to either of them. Instead, I worked alone more and more. I wasn’t kidding when I told Asher I worked late. It meant fewer people to interact with, less chance of betrayal.
Would I ever be normal? That was a question I asked myself every day. My trust had been broken too often, and I didn’t know how to overcome that.
Ugh. I shook my head and dried my hands. Take it one day at a time; that’s all I could do.
Break’s over, Emma. Time to jump into the deep end of the pool.
Deep breath in and brushing off an invisible crumb from my slacks, I left the ladies’ room and made my way down the hall to the office that was my new place of work.
Office? I chuckled. More like several offices combined. I walked into the room, and Asher glanced up from the computer screen.
“The docking station is for your laptop if you want to connect it.”
“Thank you.” I grabbed my backpack and slipped into the chair.
“Here are your login credentials. There are two. One is the secure guest login to use for your laptop. The username for your laptop has access to the internet, but no access to the intranet, our internal network. The second is for your workstation here. As I said before, you will have full access from your workstation.” He slid a sheet of paper over to me.
“Thanks.” After pulling out my laptop, coffee cup, lined pad, and two stress fidgets and arranging everything on the table, I logged on to the guest network.
It didn’t take long to confirm what Asher had told me.
Just for fun, I tried to access the company network from the internet access on the laptop. Nope. I risked a glance at Asher.
“Everybody tries it at least once, Emma.” A quick glance and a wink.
Busted, but I had to try.
I connected my laptop to one of my screens then woke my workstation.
Now up and running, I took some time to familiarize myself with how Fantasies, Inc. was set up. I also made a mental note to do some research on exactly what Fantasies, Inc. was about.
Asher had set me up on the message app and assigned me an email. No messages yet, and I decided to deal with my email later.
There was nothing complicated about the subnets.
I located various departments, then the programs, folders and files for each one.
Each subnet had a locked permissions folder.
My creds opened it. There were two documents.
The first listed individual and group permissions for read, write, and execute functions, the required conditions for access spelled out in exacting detail.
The second document was a list of everyone in that department and which permissions they had. No guesswork here.
I had no idea how long I’d been exploring until I flexed my neck and checked the clock on the monitor. Neither of us had spoken since we sat down. Two hours felt like two minutes. If Asher wasn’t going to break the silence…
“I like having the extra monitors. High def?”
Asher grinned. “8k resolution, 32 inch. I aim to please.” He didn’t look away from his screen.
“I’ve been taking a walk around the network. Great setup. That’s going to make the streamlining a lot easier.”
“I’m glad you approve.”
Oooookaaaaay…
“Any chance you’ve diagramed the architecture, or have you kept it locked in your head?” I could play the game too. I turned, folded my hands in my lap, and stayed silent. I even managed to keep my feet still.
He looked up from some notes, tapped the trackpad, then rolled his chair closer and leaned forward, elbows on his knees.
“Until recently, the various departments of Fantasies Inc. have functioned with a convoluted web of different programs. But the company has grown exponentially, and the increasing incidence of compatibility issues is slowing everything down. We’ve spent the last year redesigning each department’s systems and giving them dedicated space on the mainframe, the subnets.
Now we need to overlay the project with a really good bridge that connects them seamlessly but also allows them autonomy.
Streamlining and integration. I discovered you’re an expert at designing specialized apps, and we’ve had some requests that could utilize that expertise. ”
“In addition to the—now quoting from the tasking section in the contract—‘expansion and streamlining of the network to merge the domestic and international operations and facilitate the integration’, what else are you trying to accomplish?” Asher’s attitude aside, I was starting to feel like I was in my element.
“First and foremost, obviously, we need seamless communication. But can we do it with the current configuration?”
“I can better answer that question once I’ve familiarized myself with”—I raised my hand and twirled it in a circular motion—“all of this, everything. First I need to look at the maps of your architecture.”
“As you wish.” He turned back to his keyboard, opened a command line, and paused. “Watch your center monitor.” Then he typed a couple of commands and slid his finger across the trackpad. “In the upper right hand corner.”
“Thanks. I do have one more question that’s sort of off topic.”
He raised his eyebrows along with a quick tilt of his head.
“The company motto. Make your dreams a reality?”
“Oh, yeah. I forgot you don’t know anything about the company. Maybe I should explain what we do first.”
“I’d like that.” I turned my chair toward him, and our knees bumped. A jolt went through my body at the touch. What was wrong with me?
Asher looked unaffected and totally relaxed. The mischief in his gaze gave him away. “Fantasies, Inc. is a company that…just like the name says, fulfills people’s fantasies.”
“Fantasies? Like wanting to be a vampire or werewolf?”
He laughed.
“I like paranormal fiction.”
“What I mean is sensual fantasies.”
“Oh.” I felt a flush creeping up my neck to my face. Sexual fantasies. That was new.
“Nothing illegal.”
“I hope not.”
Does Tri-O-Tech have any idea what this company is about?
I glanced at Asher, and he was watching me, curious with just a hint of concern.
“Let’s start with the customer service department. Cassie Adams is in charge of it. She and her team work with focus groups, compliments, suggestions, and any complaints.”
“You get complaints?” Really?
“Occasionally, if something doesn’t go as the client expects or if something isn’t quite right. The complaints are few and far between, which is a good thing.”
I tilted my head. Made sense. “What are you trying to accomplish with the program?”
“As much automation as we can. Right now, Cassie and her team do manual reports, and I want to automate them.”
“I’m surprised things aren’t more automated.”
“Well, the company kind of took off before we could get a lot in place.” Asher shifted in his seat. “There were only three of us when we started this gig.” He was justifiably proud.
“How long ago was that?”
“Five years ago. Most of us have been here since the company started.”