Chapter 3
CHAPTER THREE
Mr. Dangerous’s amber gaze held mine. Guilt flickered. Real or just performance, like my father?
“I’m sorry for scaring you. That was never my intent,” he said. “My office job in the district doesn’t leave much room for normal conversations. I think it ruined my people skills.” He hesitated. “I’d like a chance to start over. But I can understand and respect it if you don’t.”
Honestly? I wanted to, but only because he was so damn nice to look at. I liked beautiful things. Men. Jewelry. Clothes. But I was practical. Some things, no matter how tempting, weren’t worth the risk.
Yet, he’d just unwittingly given me a practical reason not to reject the olive branch he was holding out—he worked in the business district.
“Sure,” I said. “We can start over.”
He held out his hand and introduced himself. “My name’s Konni, with a K, and I’d appreciate a mocktail of your choice tonight.”
I took his hand and gave it a perfunctory shake. “Sophia.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Sophia,” he said as I started mixing his drink. “Does Lunar Pulse have a food menu?”
“No. We have the seasoned pretzels,” I said, nodding toward the basket at his elbow.
He glanced at it and nodded, but made no move to take any.
“Not your thing?” I asked.
“I prefer sweet over savory,” he admitted.
“Then you’ll like this,” I said, sliding his drink toward him. He passed me a twenty without my asking.
I grinned at him and went to the till.
The crowd lasted a little longer than the previous night, and so did he. He was still sitting in his place when I went to clock out and saw that my cake only had a few slices out of it.
Feeling generous, I cut a piece and brought it out for him.
“Where’d this come from?” he asked even as he accepted it.
“I brought it in.”
“Thanks. I appreciate you sharing. Any special occasion?”
“I got a new job,” I said as he took his first bite.
He glanced up at me and said, “Congratulations,” after swallowing. “When’s your last day here?”
“Who knows,” I said with a shrug.
“Never, if I can help it,” my uncle said, coming to wrap an arm around my shoulders. “Sophie’s a keeper.”
I smiled up at him, then nodded toward a woman trying to get his attention. “Your fans are getting jealous.” He laughed and kissed my temple before walking off.
When I looked at Konni, he was watching my uncle.
“Family?” he asked without looking at me.
“Yep, but he’s pretty affectionate with everyone, so be careful.”
Konni grinned. “I appreciate the warning.”
I had butterflies in my stomach as I walked into the Steele building the next morning, rested, well-dressed, and ready for the new opportunity that had landed at my feet.
The receptionist at the main desk beside the security turnstiles looked up as I approached.
“Hi, I’m Sophia Elmantas. I have an appointment with Gail Freend in Human Resources.”
She directed me to the waiting area I’d sat in the day before and made a call. I tried to calm the butterflies during the minute it took for Gail to appear.
“Ms. Elmantas, welcome back to Steele Corporation. We have a bit of paperwork to do. Once we’re done, I’ll walk you up to the Vice President’s office and introduce you to Ms. Stonestock, who will be your direct supervisor.”
I nodded and followed her through the turnstiles to the same room as the day before. We made small talk as I filled out employment forms and read through their corporate policies. It took less than an hour.
After testing my badge on the turnstiles, we took an elevator up, and she explained the building’s structure.
The executive offices for the CEO, VP of Sales, VP of Marketing, VP of Engineering, and VP of Operations were on the top floor. The VP of Finance was on the floor below with the rest of the department, while other departments took up a floor or more of their own, depending on staffing levels.
“I don’t expect you to remember all of this. You’ll get used to it with time. There’s a map of the building and who sits where in the employee portal. It’ll help you find everyone.”
The doors opened to the executive floor’s reception area, tastefully decorated with splashes of gold and red. The color surprised me. Most business buildings went with generic decor. At least, the one I’d interned in had done so.
“Each VP has their own area, which includes dedicated meeting rooms,” Gail said, giving me a tour of the top floor and pointing out each VP section we passed.
“The CEO’s team is through those opaque doors,” she said, pointing them out. “He’s always in the building, but not often at his desk.”
We turned around and went back to the Marketing area, where she stopped at a tri-facing workstation outside a closed office door with a large nameplate.
Lianna Stonestock
Vice President of Marketing
“This is your station,” Gail said, indicating the open seat. “I’ll go check in with Ms. Stonestock.”
Left to introduce myself to the other two women at the shared work table, I smiled.
“Hi, I’m Sophia.”
Their assessing glances bordered on dismissive.
“I’m Whitney,” the lady to my left said.
“I’m Shana,” the other woman said.
“Nice to meet you. I’m looking forward to working with you both. If there’s anything I should learn that will help me contribute faster, let me know.”
“If you’re here in hopes of hooking up with the CEO, quit now so we can get someone who will actually stay long enough to be helpful,” Shana said.
After yesterday’s comments from my fellow interviewees, the blunt statement barely fazed me.
“I’m not looking to hook up with anyone. CEO or otherwise,” I said. “I worked hard for my degree so I could use it, not to be someone’s housewife or stepping stone.”
“As if the CEO would need you to be either of those things,” Whitney said with an eye roll. “He has staff to clean and doesn’t need to step on anyone in his position.”
“Perfect. Then he has no reason to look at me, and I have no reason to look for him. Is there anything else I should know?”
Both of them gave me doubtful looks, and Whitney finally shook her head.
I had no idea what type of coworkers they’d had to deal with in the past to warn me away from the CEO, but I looked forward to hearing their stories once they trusted me.
“Ms. Elmantas?”
Turning, I saw Gail by Lianna Stonestock’s open office door and hoped she hadn’t been standing there for the whole conversation.
The VP’s office suite was impressive, with a conversation seating area off to the side, a grand desk surrounded by shelves lined with books and awards, and pictures of various build sites on the walls. But none of that was as impressive as the woman behind the desk.
Lianna Stonestock had the same level of stunning beauty that made me think of Konni at the bar. Perfect bone structure. Sculpted brows and cheekbones. Flawless makeup.
The only thing she was missing was even a hint of friendliness. And chairs. Apparently, she was the type of boss who expected people to stand in front of her while she sat behind her desk.
“Ms. Stonestock, this is Ms. Elmantas, the newest member of your team.”
“Thank you, Gail,” Ms. Stonestock said.
The HR manager left, closing the door behind her.
“Sophia, may I call you Sophia?”
“If you’re comfortable with us being on a first-name basis, then so am I,” I said, not missing how she’d used Gail’s first name, despite the woman’s respectful use of her last name.
“Ms. Elmantas, then,” she said, drawing a line with ease. “Why Steele Corp?”
“The corporate values align with mine, the position is what I was looking for, and I feel I can make valuable contributions to the team.”
“And your aspirations? Where do you see yourself in four years?”
“In a senior position of your administrative team.”
“Not a management position?”
“I have no aspirations for management.” I aspired to become a direct member of the marketing team, but I knew better than saying that up front.
“Are you dating? Any plans to get married and start a family?”
I hated the questions, only because I doubted she’d ask any man in my position the same.
“No, I’m not dating. No, I have no immediate plans to get married or start a family.”
She nodded and leaned forward in her chair.
“Your predecessor abruptly vacated this position because she wasn’t interested in putting as much effort into her job as she was into catching the CEO’s attention. If you’re here for the same reason, I suggest you leave now.”
“I have no interest in developing romantic attachments at Steele Corporation. From what I’ve witnessed, workplace romance leads to incomplete or poorly executed tasks, extra work for coworkers, and often ends with a woman in tears. I’m here to work, Ms. Stonestock. That’s it.”
She sat back again, studying me for a long moment. “I hope, for your sake, that’s the only reason you’re here. Whitney will train you.” With a wave, she dismissed me.
I left without a single facial twitch giving away what I was thinking—that she was an egocentric bitch with a capital E.
“I’m all yours, Whitney,” I said as I approached the workstation. “Teach me what I need to know to lighten your workload.”
She seemed a little surprised by that, but motioned me closer. I angled my chair to observe and settled in for one of the longest training days of my life.
My brain was grateful when it was time to shut down and head home. I grabbed something from the cafe for both Mom and me and ate mine on my way home so I’d have more time to change before my shift at Lunar Pulse.
“That’s not a happy face,” Mom said, watching me touch up my makeup.
“It’s not an angry or sad face either,” I said. “It’s a ‘my brain is tired’ face and a ‘I can’t wait to mix drinks’ face.”
“Do you really like working at your uncle's club?” she asked.
“I do. It’s fun and energetic, which I need after a full eight hours sitting and staring at a computer screen.”
Mom gave me a concerned look. “Honey, if you’re feeling like this now, maybe you’re not following the right career path.”