Author's note:
I'm grateful for the amazing
AwkwardMD
and
Bramblethorn
for helping me with this one. Stop by their catalogues if you haven't already.
--#--#--#--#--
Stina straightened her posture. A radiant smile was forcing itself on her face, and she gave in a little, hoping it wouldn't come off as the manic grin she feared. She slowed her walk to match the rotating door. Stepping into the lavish lobby, she allowed herself one slow, awestruck glance around.
The customer-facing side of TF Inc. was perfect. A lot of it was pink, but in a hushed and classy, corporate-suitable way. Pink and white orchids were set on different tables among plush chairs and sofas. If the space was smaller, it could have felt cramped and kitschy, but in this vast, high space, paired with white marble floor and shiny chrome accents, it conveyed an air of unflinching femininity.
Stina rolled her shoulders back, forced her smile down a few grades, and strutted toward the desk. The girl behind the counter was young and pretty, and she smiled at Stina. "Welcome to TF Incorporated! How may I help you?"
"Good morning," Stina said, a full toothy grin again taking over her face. "My name is Stina Karlsson. I have a meeting with Tiffany Fairbanks."
The girl's eyebrows rose. She tapped her computer, and her smile widened to almost match Stina's. "Of course, ma'am! Follow me."
The receptionist opened a side gate, next to the spotless chrome gates the employees used with their access passes, and Stina followed her in.
An office is an office. There's only so much you can do with office spaces, but in TF it was all done, and done perfectly. The flimsy inner walls produced an illusion of intimate spaces, though Stina got the impression that most of it was, in fact, an open-plan cubicle type of arrangement. Color scheme was perfect, pinks and grays with whites and husky greens. Coffee areas were cozy and it looked like employees were treated to fruit and nuts for snacks. Everyone was smiling.
Not everyone was young, of course; Stina spotted a variety of ages, ethnicities, dress styles, hairdos. But every single one of them was female. Stina sighed happily, trying to maintain a professional appearance when she followed the receptionist along corridors and up on an elevator.
This company had been her target for so long it felt like forever. Ever since she'd started working in advertisement, this had been her great white whale. Obviously she wasn't the only one; TF Inc. was a trend-setter, a home for visionaries and go-getters, a company many aspiring graphic designers would have loved to work for. Now she was finally here, and even the nervousness of having to prove her worth couldn't suppress her excitement.
The elevator doors opened to a wide, open lobby, bathed in sunlight. On their right was a full height window revealing a dizzying view over the city and the bay beyond, a vast expanse of blue sky dotted with small clouds and the full brightness of the spring day. The receptionist led her to a desk much like the reception desk below, behind which stood a slightly older version of herself, dressed in a similar uniform.
"Tiffany's ten-thirty", she said.
The new receptionist looked at Stina, smiling the same welcoming smile. "Of course. Thank you, Ada."
The receptionist from downstairs gave a small bow, and walked briskly back toward the elevator. Her heels made a subdued clicking sound on the floor, slightly more audible on the marble than the carpeted stretches. The new receptionist stepped away from behind her desk, straightening her skirt, and gestured toward the sofa groups. "Have a seat, Miss Karlsson. Mrs. Fairbanks will see you shortly. Would you like something while you wait? Coffee? Tea?"
"I'm fine, thank you," Stina said, smiling.
Her nervousness was getting the upper hand again, and she walked to stand beside the window. A few tiny white dots spotted the bright blue of the sea, and she thought about people sailing there, carefree, wind in their hair.
Deep breaths. That could be you, one day.
"Stina Karlsson?"
Tiffany had a low and slightly raspy voice. She was maybe in her sixties, her hair gracefully grayed out, wearing an impeccable tailored skirt suit and a radiant smile. Her eyes were sharp and piercing though, and Stina got an impression of a bird posed to strike. An eagle, maybe.
"Mrs. Tiffany Fairbanks! I can't tell you how thrilled I am to work with your company!"
"Yes, yes," Tiffany allowed easily and gestured toward the now-open door behind the secretary's desk. "This way, if I may ask. Would you like something? Coffee, tea, water?"
Uncertainty churned in Stina's guts. It was one thing to deny the secretary, but was she now supposed to accept? Tiffany raised an eyebrow, very minutely, and Stina launched into the wolf-like grin herself.
"I'd love some green tea."
"Great! Molly, green tea and sides, please."
Stina stepped into the lioness's den, her back straight, her mind resolute. Both their lawyers had been through the contract beforehand. The heavy lifting had been done. All she had to do was to not fuck up, and Stina was very good at not fucking up.
***
"That office was to die for," Stina said, for the fourth time, peering out of the cafeteria window toward the TF Tower looming in the distance.
"Maybe it'll be yours one day," answered her brother, for the fourth time. His voice was as void of glee as the previous times, for which Stina was grateful. She knew she was gushing; she'd known she would be gushing before she went in, and that's why she'd arranged to meet afterwards with her younger brother and not anyone else.
Not that she had very many anyone elses to celebrate with.
"Not just the view," Stina said. "It was so stylishly decorated. Very homey. She had all these pictures with her and all the famous clients."
Her mind's eye scrolled the pictures. There had been one she hadn't recognized, of much younger Tiffany with a very beautiful woman of Indian descent. She was sure she had done her homework and studied all TF Inc.'s success stories, but she had no idea who the woman was. The picture was positioned in the middle of the picture wall, too. In the most important place, or so it seemed. Almost like all the other pictures were petals to its epicenter.
"So if this subcontracting goes well, they might want to hire you?" prompted Ben, bless his heart, not tired of going through all this over, and over, and over.
"Yes!" Stina brightened up from her musings. "This'll be for six months, but it's heavily implied that if I get through this Grumble Co. campaign successfully, they will indeed be wanting to negotiate with me."
Ben laughed heartily and sipped his coffee. "What's there to negotiate? You're dying to work there."
"Well duh, but I can't tell them that! I have to be all cool and
oh I need to consider my options
and all that. Though... I think they know it's a bluff. But you know, it's this whole song and dance, I need to do it that way."
"Uh huh," said Ben, who was a carpenter and whose business negotiations were much more straightforward. "Listen, Kyle wanted to ask if you want to go to the cabin with us for Christmas. He knows it's maybe difficult for you to take time off, but he's hellbent on Lily having a snowy Christmas for once."
Stina snorted. "Lily's four, she's not going to remember. And it's over nine months away, isn't he awfully early with all this?"
Ben rolled his eyes, but smiled fondly. "You know how Kyle is with Christmases. And he thinks that since the current deal is over in August, you might then sign the contract with TF Inc., and you might feel you can't ask for an extended Christmas holiday if you don't have it in the top of your mind going in."
"Does he now," Stina said, leaning back. "I feel seen, and not in a good way."
"He's not wrong though," Ben said levelly.
"No, no he isn't. I'll keep it in mind. But no promises yet."
Stina sipped the tiny glass of cognac and shivered. Ben savored the last bites of his triple chocolate cake, trying to prolong the moment. Stina wished she had friends to properly celebrate with, even in the middle of the week, but the thought was fleeting. In all honesty, she wouldn't have wanted to drink to other people's business success on a Wednesday, either.
"Will you come over for dinner on Sunday?" Ben asked. "Lily kind of thinks you'll come every Sunday, you know."
"I will, of course I will. I wouldn't miss dinner with my favorite niece. And tell Kyle I said hi."
Ben smiled and got up, gathering his things. He bent down to kiss Stina's forehead, and left. Stina watched the other patrons looking at him. Her brother was a very good looking man, tall and lean, and carpenting kept him in a good shape. He was also gayer than a bag of rainbows, and by the dirty looks some of the young female patrons gave her, it wasn't immediately obvious to the casual observer.
Stina couldn't imagine giving others the stink eye for having coffee with someone attractive. There had to be some logic behind it, but it eluded her.
***
"No, girl, I've told you I want to be here."
This was the third time they'd had this same exchange, and Stina knew it was because Amber was nervous. Her grip was tight and sweaty when she squeezed Stina's hand briefly.
The doctor was running late, which didn't help. Amber was looking around the waiting room, too anxious to focus on any of the available magazines.
"I know," she whined. "But it's a workday, and you always come with me, and--"
"You know I can. I talked with my boss."
Amber barked a short laugh. Stina was her own boss, after all.
"So how's it been at TF?"
They had been through this, too, but Amber needed the distraction and Stina still hadn't grown tired of talking about working for her dream company.
"It's so good! Omg, I swoon so hard every time I go to the office. It's so
