Chapter 2 - Filling the Position
"This is a mistake",
I kept thinking as the cab approached Kirch Enterprises where Alan worked and where I was expected to be interviewed by his boss.
"
Why did I say yes? I don't know anything about being a secretary or assistant. This is going to be a waste of his time and an embarrassment for me." I thought in a panic.
The cab pulled up to the office and I took a deep breath to steady myself.
"We can use the money if he says yes and if says no then at least I can tell Alan I tried." I thought to myself already preparing an excuse
. I had been feeling guilty the last few months as my contribution from building websites hadn't been paying off.
Truthfully, I was nervous about not being dressed well enough to work in a professional environment. But more than that, I was afraid that men would stare at me and that my body would put impure thoughts in their minds. I grew up in a small town and my parents helped me to understand it was my responsibility to hide my body to help prevent men from having impure lustful thoughts. This was quite a challenge for me in my teenage years as nothing seemed to fit and my ass or breasts seemed to draw every male eye for miles. Once they caught sight of me all they wanted was to grab my ass or grope my boobs. As the boys got older and bolder, the comments and suggestions got lewder and cruder. My mother told me it was just a curse of genetics and as such my duty was to keep the boys and men from lusting after me, hiding those assets and saving myself for marriage. My father believed only lewd women showed off their bodies and then to manipulate men and that no daughter of his would behave in such a manner.
I tried to rationalize and reassure myself. "
Alan works with more mature men and women that are professionals. It will be different."
I paid the cab driver and stepped onto the sidewalk heading towards the double doors of the large office building. Once inside, I panicked again. I saw a bank of three elevators and a wall directory. I had never been inside; I didn't even think to ask where I'm going. I hadn't even seen Alan's office.
"What the hell? Where was the office?" I thought.
Looking at the directory I saw Kirch Enterprises occupied floors 7 through 12.
"
Which floor was I supposed to go to? Oh my God. Alan didn't say, and I didn't ask."
I thought as I looked at my phone to see the time. I still had ten minutes.
"
I'll just give Alan a call.
" I considered.
Moving to the contacts on my phone, I heard the elevator door make a dinging sound and the doors opened.
"Mrs. Kimberly Jeffries?," a tall man with short dark hair in a sharp suit asked.
"Um, yes. Call me Kim." I replied hesitantly.
"Justin Black" he answered and extended his hand to shake.
I shook his hand, surprised that he was meeting me in the foyer of the building. The handshake was firm and steady.
"If you'll come with me, we can talk in my office." Justin offered.
He pressed the button for the elevator which opened at once, and inside signaled the car to the 11
th
floor. He had a relaxed aura of confidence and authority about him that was intriguing. I was already impressed that his eyes didn't linger on my assets like so many men would.
"Did you didn't have any trouble finding the place?" he asked in obvious small talk.
"No, I've dropped Alan off a few times when I needed the car. But to be honest, I've never been inside." I answered.
"That's right, we missed you and Alan at our Christmas Party last year. We needed some extra hands with an audit last year, and I believe your husband stepped up to help us at the cost of you both missing our Christmas Party. I'm sorry about the timing on that, but very grateful that your husband was able to step up." He said, sounding genuinely apologetic and appreciative.
"I told Alan to volunteer for the overtime because I didn't want to be stared at by his coworkers and the overtime was a great excuse. Ironically, now I'm asking if I can work here." I mused. "Maybe this won't be that bad, Mr. Black isn't staring at me."
The door opened and Mr. Black led me through the building to his corner office, talking to me along the way.
"How did you and Alan meet?" he asked.
Answering him, "Alan and I met in our high school tutoring program as tutors. We dated for a few months and then I followed him when he went to college."
I didn't tell him that he was the only guy that seemed interested in me more than the size of my boobs and swell of my ass.
He then asked, "What kind of work have you done before?"
"I've built some websites as an independent contractor, but that's been a little slow of late." I explained as I thought of any other answers, I might give him. I quickly determined not to include my attempt to teach yoga and Pilates. I couldn't imagine anyone but Alan seeing me in yoga pants.
Then Mr. Black asked me, "What do you know about Kirch Enterprises?"
I was stunned for a moment because I'm normally so prepared for everything, but I never asked Alan what his company did. I never took a minute to look it up or anything. I felt so small and insignificant.
"No. I know he works with money and validates expenses, but I guess I never really asked beyond that." I said disappointed in myself.
"It's alright. We're essentially a merchandising business except we have a few product lines that we also manufacture. We have retail and online sales, manufacturing, and then our own warehousing and distribution network." He explained in a measured, practiced manner. He'd probably told a hundred people that short blurb about this company I realized.
"That sounds complex. You must be running some of that from other locations?" I asked curiously. There was no way all of that was running from this building. It was big but the scope of things he was talking about seemed to require something much bigger.
"Yes and no. This is the company headquarters and so we manage operations and strategy here. This is also where we have our legal, finance, and web development teams. Our warehouses and distribution networks are managed from our Oklahoma City office with hubs around the world. Our product lines are manufactured from locations around the world including several here in the states, like Detroit where we are sending Alan next week." He elaborated.
"That makes more sense. You would need a bigger office building if it was all here." I told him with a laugh. He was easy to talk to, and even though it was obvious I didn't know anything, he didn't make me feel stupid.
"True," he said with a chuckle.
We had reached his office and he invited me inside. I saw the nameplate on his door, 'Justin Black, Director of Strategy and Marketing'. The office area clearly designated for an assistant was stacked with piles of paper, boxes of stuff, and seemed overrun. It was evident that whoever his assistant was, she had been out for a while.
I stepped into his large corner office. The room was insanely big with a big desk near the door, and a large area behind the desk with couches and coffee table overlooking downtown Jacksonville through floor to ceiling windows. I would guess that his office had the same size footprint as the first floor of our home. There was a side door within his office I guessed could be a closet but was more likely a private restroom.
After I had stepped inside, Mr. Black added, "We do pretty well, though. The finance team, which includes your husband, predicts that we will hit 32 billion by the end of the year in net profits."
I felt him watch my reaction as my brain processed the numbers. I was flabbergasted. I had no idea they were that big or that the company was working around the world. There was no way I could work for a company that big, or for someone whose role was that important. Slowing down, I rationalized that I needed to figure out what he wanted and if I could do it before asking for the job. Alan and I needed the money, but I wasn't sure anymore.
"What are you looking for in your office assistant? Or more to the point, what would I be doing if I accepted the job." I asked with more confidence than I felt.
Mr. Black seemed taken aback at first. He paused for a moment and gathered his thoughts before he answered.
"My assistant would be responsible for keeping my schedule and appointments organized. They would need to attach any notes I have to their appointments for me to review prior to a meeting. They may at times be required to schedule and reschedule appointments, take notes in meetings that I attend, and other small tasks to help me in my job duties like set up a conference room or send an email on my behalf."
That didn't seem too bad and all that I figured I could probably do. I then remembered the mountain of papers and stuff on his assistant's desk as we had walked into his office and Alan's comment that he was or had been without an assistant for a bit.
"Okay, I'll take the job. I know I'm probably not the most qualified, but I can do the things you're asking, and I am organized. It seems that being without an assistant has left you with quite the mess just outside your office of things that aren't getting done. I can be here every day until your assistant returns from her maternity leave." I told him.
Again, he seemed taken aback, maybe he didn't expect me to be the one leading the conversation at this point. I was always more forward when I was nervous. I think I learned to be direct from my dad. Alan had told me it wasn't my best quality.
I waited for a moment for him to laugh and tell me that 'I was being presumptuous', or that 'he'd let me know', or something to blow me off. He watched me, his eyes seeming to look deeply into mine gauging something as his mind twirled away.
"Ok, I accept your offer. How about full time at $13 an hour?" he said.