Author's note: This is my first story so please feel free to send me any comments, criticism, or other suggestions, I would really appreciate it! Also, I'm toying with the idea of turning this into a longer series if people like it, so let me know if you'd like more or if you'd rather I write something else.
*****
For a week, Kathleen's stomach had been full of butterflies. It had been over a year since she graduated law school, and the job market had been fiercely competitive. She'd burned reams of paper sending out resumes, with nothing to show for it other than a three-month temporary position helping with document review at Pierce & Hatwell. In the meantime, her part-time job at the local library kept her fed, but it wasn't paying her student loans.
Two weeks ago, Kathleen had gotten an interview with Baker, Copperfield, & Schmidt, a small but prestigious firm with a long-standing reputation. Kathleen had researched the firm extensively: its history, its typical client profile, recent cases, anything and everything she could get her hands on. She even called up her favorite professor and asked her for her advice.
"They are very good," Kathleen had been told, "They know their stuff, and they're diligent. There's a reason they have clients who've been with them for decades. I think the best suggestion I can give you is go in prepared. And if you get the job, take it. I don't think I've ever heard of an attorney leaving the firm except to retire or take a judicial appointment. By all accounts, it's a great firm to work for."
Then they called Kathleen to have her come in for a second interview. After the interview, she threw up. After they offered her the job, she cried. And when her first day at work finally came, her butterflies had butterflies.
Focus, Kathy
, she told herself,
One thing at a time. There's time to be nervous later.
At least she could look confident. She'd woken up an hour early to give herself plenty of time to do her makeup just right and curl her hair into flowing auburn waves. Her outfit had been planned for a week. She'd picked a knee-length black pencil skirt that perfectly hugged her shapely ass and showed off her athletic legs, and paired it with a crisp new blue blouse, purchased just for the occasion. The blouse was fitted enough to show off her hourglass figure, but loose enough to de-emphasize her large breasts. Attractive, but conservative and professional. She admired herself in the mirror, turning back and forth.
Gotta look good on your first day
, she thought, smirking to herself.
Charlie Schmidt met her in the lobby. He was a thin, balding man with bright green eyes that shone when he smiled to greet her, "Kathleen, great to see you again. Excited for the first day?"
"Very," Kathleen replied honestly. "Maybe a little nervous too."
"I can believe that, I was nervous on my first day too," Mr. Schmidt confided with a chuckle, "You'll be fine, I've seen you in action. You may not remember, I was on the judges panel for your mock trial competition."
"I do remember. You ruled against me," Kathleen was a bit embarrassed to realize he remembered her, given that she'd lost.
Mr. Schmidt just laughed, "You had a losing hand; the facts just weren't on your side. But your arguments were creative. If you have that, you can learn the rest. Shall we begin the tour?"
Kathleen agreed and followed Mr. Schmidt through the firm as he gave her the tour. Glass walled conference rooms filled with sleek, modern furniture stood in stark contrast to offices with old fashioned desks and intense, beleaguered men. Finally, Kathleen was introduced to her legal assistant, Nicole, a tall blonde, almost the same age as Kathleen, but with a perpetual look of jaded amusement in her blue eyes.
"And here we are," Mr. Schmidt announced when they arrived at what would be Kathleen's office. Kathleen didn't see it, she only had eyes for the view through the large window that took up the entirety of the back wall. Kathleen was eye level with the other buildings of the Financial District, looking down on the bustle of Congress Street and, off to the corner, she could see the edge of the nearby park. It wasn't as good a view as some of the offices had, but still amazing for an entry-level associate attorney.
Eventually, Kathleen took in the office as well. A dark, L-shaped wooden desk faced the door, with two chairs off to the side for guests, and empty bookcases lined the room. It was cold and spartan and in desperate need of decorating. Kathleen was excited by the prospect. That excitement, however, was tempered by the one thing taking up space on her desk: a tall pile of files with dozens of little colored tabs and sticky notes.
Mr. Schmidt gestured to the pile with a sympathetic smile, "I see some of the partners have left you a couple files to get started with. I'll be down the hall if you need anything, but otherwise, I'll leave you to it. We're glad to have you on board."
And with that, Kathleen was alone in her office.
My office
. Just thinking those words felt weird. She had to sit and stare at her desk and focus on her breathing for several minutes just to start to feel normal. After more than a year of job-panic, sitting in her very own office felt surreal; she couldn't shake the dread that, at any moment, someone would wake her up from this dream so she could check her email and see "0 unread messages" again.
"Knock knock," came a cheerful voice from the doorway. Kathleen looked up to see Nicole leaning against the doorway with a faint smile.
"Just wanted to check in and see if you needed anything. How's the first day going?"
Kathleen gestured to her pile of files, "Looks like I'm jumping in the deep end. It'll take me a moment to get settled, but I appreciate you checking in."
"What did they put you on first?" Nicole asked curiously as she stepped into the room to peer at the pile.
Kathleen inspected the first file in the pile, and read the title and the post-it on the front, "Randall - Mill Street Mall. 2:30pm today."
"Winston Randall?" Nicole sounded surprised.
"That's the one. Looks like it's just a preliminary meeting to get info on some new development project. Why, do you know him?"
"He has a bit of a reputation as a hard- well, as being difficult to work with," Nicole explained in a tone that suggested there might be other ways she would have phrased her description had she not been at work. "He's good friends with Gary Copperfield but he chews up everyone else. I'm kind of surprised they're throwing you at him solo on day one. Although..." Nicole's voice trailed off while her face went through a complicated dance routine of emotions.
