It was a cold overcast February day when I stopped by my attorney's office to discuss a matter of importance with him. It was almost noon but I knew that Jack, one of the senior members of the firm whom I usually dealt with, normally worked through the lunch hour when the other attorneys were gone. He typically took a late lunch, around 2 pm so I had little doubt that I would catch him.
I opened the door and entered the lobby of the prestigious firm to see Melissa, the trophy receptionist at her desk. I was always excited by her, a young lady of about 20 who is gorgeous! Always dressed in sexy revealing but tastefully fashionable clothing, her beautiful appearance always excited me and I was sure that she must affect other male clients in a very similar manner.
She smiled and addressed me; "Hi Mr. Gray, I'm surprised to see you today."
I smiled and not understanding why she might be surprised, I asked, "Might Jack be available this morning by any chance?"
Still smiling, she responded, "No, I'm the only one here today; everyone else is off for the holiday,"
Her response surprised me and I asked, "Holiday? What holiday?"
"It's Presidents day," she replied. "All federal, state and county offices are closed today."
As an independent business man who doesn't pay a lot of attention to such details as holidays, I was taken aback. While my business deals with various professionals, I had not even considered that the law firm might be closed on a Monday.
Then I said, "If it's a holiday, then why are you working today Melissa?"
"Even though it's a holiday, the firm thought it best to have me here in the event any of the clients need anything. They're paying me double time and a half to be here today."
Hearing her words, I found it strange that they would keep the office open when no business could be conducted. With this in mind, I asked, "How many clients have came in today?"
"So far, it has been just you," her picture perfect smile radiating.
Now I was much more interested in conversing with her than anything else at the moment, so I asked another question. "Have a lot of clients called for any of the attorneys?"
"No, the only time the phone has rang today has been a wrong number."
As a man in my mid thirties, my mind was processing the fact that we are alone in the suite and she must be bored to tears. I pushed the conversation in a friendly tone of voice, "I see, but its lunch time, do you have lunch plans?"
"No, I'll just have lunch at my desk, "she replied.
Still keeping my voice in a friendly casual tone, I asked, "You don't get a lunch hour today?"
I'm noticing that her demeanor seems to be relaxing as we talk. I've taken a seat in one of the over stuffed chairs in the lobby getting comfortable. "No, I agreed to work from 9 to 4 today, so I'll work straight through, "she explained.
"Darn, it must be terribly boring, being in the office all by yourself with no one to even talk too. It sounds to me as if they should be paying you more than double time and a half! They should also be paying you hazardous duty pay because you could suffer from severe boredom today," I said in a teasing tone of voice.
She laughed and replied, "I wouldn't complain if they wanted to pay me more. Perhaps you might speak to the firm on my behalf!" She laughed again at her own joke and I joined in with her laughter.
We made small talk for a few minutes then I mentioned that I don't have a sandwich but that I can order us hot food and since she's alone then we can enjoy lunch together and she needn't leave the office.
The thought appealed to her and after discussing a few details we decided to call the nearby Deli to ascertain if they might be open. They were open and we ordered sandwiches.
We continued getting to know each other as we waited for our lunches. She knew that I'm a regular client who she sees frequently but we had never had a chance to talk before. I learned that she is younger than I had thought. She confided that she is almost nineteen but wears extra makeup to make herself look older.
She said that she had graduated high school at the age of seventeen and had been hired by the law firm soon thereafter. She also said that she is the niece of one of the staff attorneys. About twenty minutes later when our food was delivered, she locked the door to the office and I followed her back to the break room where we had lunch. During lunch I learned a bit more about her and she about me.
When lunch was over and we walked back to the lobby, she took a seat near me in another chair and I noticed that she had made no effort to unlock the door. After a few minutes, I mentioned that Jack has a plush glove leather sofa in his office that's a lot more comfortable than these chairs. She only smiled as I stood up and offered my hand. She took my hand and I led her into Jacks office which was very plush as well as roomy.