I walked into the office through a pair of glass doors and was met with a fantastic site: not just the prospect of a brand new job, but the girl who was to be my new secretary. Her name was Samantha, and she was a very petite blonde with shoulder-length hair, slightly curled; pale blue eyes with a light shade of makeup, wearing a nice, flowing top and tight jeans leading down to dainty black flats. She smiled broadly at me.
"Welcome!" she chirped, and leaned forward to shake my hand. I smiled back at her almost at a stutter, and shook. Then, as if on cue, my new boss walked around the corner.
"Nick!" he said, spreading his arms and embracing me. "Great to have you on board. Have you met Sam?"
"Just now, yes. Is she to be my secretary?"
At that, Sam smiled again and nodded her head vigorously. "Oh yes. All sales guys have had me at one time or another. As a secretary, I mean." The pause between those two sentences was longer than I had expected, but I didn't pay it any mind. I nodded again, and Jack - my new boss - took my arm and said "Let's show you to your new office."
I followed Jack and Sam followed me towards the corner office down the hallway, set back and away from the other cubicles. "We put you back here," Jack said, "so as to leave you undisturbed while you work."
They brought me into a beautiful office with floor-to-ceiling windows, a huge desk, and a large lounging space with a couch. "Is this okay for you?" Jack asked, knitting his brow, looking actually worried.
"I - I - I think this will do just fine," I stammered. I almost laughed as I shook Jack's hand.
"Good. Well, we'll let you get settled. Anything you need, just ask Sam here." He turned to her. "Sam, could you go get Nick a cup of coffee? Thanks dear."
She bowed her head ever so slightly, Jack smiled at her, and she departed the room quietly, shutting the door behind her. He turned to me in the silence of my new office as I put my briefcase down on the couch and sat down.
He sat down beside me. "You look stressed out already! Everything okay?" He said.
I sighed heavily. "I feel great, but starting a new job after so long is definitely overwhelming." I breathed heavily and looked around. "Do you guys offer in-house massages? They had those at my last job and they were a lifesaver some mornings."
Jack actually laughed at me. "No, we don't." He got up and looked right at me. "But we have something far better. Have I not told you about our corporate secretarial policy?"
I was confused. "No, no...nobody has said anything to me about that. You mean Sam? I didn't even know I was getting a secretary."
He unbuttoned his jacket and put his hands in his pockets, smiling widely. "Well...there's no delicate way to put this, so I'll just come right out and say it. They are contractually obligated to do whatever it is that you want."
I was shocked. A lump formed in my throat, and the pit of my stomach began to flutter. I suddenly felt hot. "W-w-what? What do you mean?"
"Exactly that," Jack went on. "There's Sam, and Alexandra, Katie, Jen, Kathleen...and that's just here on our floor."