"Ah, Miss Wilson, it's good to see you this morning." Mr. Geren smiled as I brought in his morning coffee. As ridiculous as I felt delivering coffee to the senior managers, I had to admit that I liked Mr. Geren. He was actually kind of nice to me, which was saying a lot given that I was just a lowly intern.
"Here you are, sir. Hazelnut with just a little cream." I carefully placed the cup on the side of his desk, just as he liked. I knew he wouldn't actually drink it until it had cooled down. As this seemed to be my job I'd made sure to note all the habits of the managers I served. It wasn't just bringing the coffee; it was knowing when to take it away.
I may have been an intern, but I knew how things worked in the office. If I wanted to get ahead, and maybe a permanent job here, I'd have to make sure I pleased my superiors. That didn't mean I was entirely happy with serving coffee, but it was the price I had to pay. It wasn't easy breaking into advertising these days, and no matter how good my grades in college were, I knew it was just as important to get a good network built up.
"Thank you, dear." Mr. Geren nodded and went back to his work. He was always so serious. I don't think there was a day he wasn't dressed in a designer suit. He just projected confidence. Even the way he didn't dye his short gray hair set him apart from the other managers. Sure, he was getting a bit older, but he wasn't ashamed of it. I had to admit, even if he was probably twenty years older than me, he didn't have anything to be ashamed of. He clearly kept fit and I didn't doubt he'd put plenty of my male classmates to shame at the gym.
"My pleasure, sir." I smiled and picked up my tray. I had a lot more cups to deliver this morning. The best thing about Mr. Geren was that he didn't even leer at me. Most of the other managers made a point of checking out my chest or ass, but if he ever did, I'd never noticed. I liked to think I was pretty attractive despite my still kind of girlish figure, but I never felt like I was being objectified when I was in this office.
The other managers were an entirely different story. I was just glad they'd kept their hands off. I could deal with the roaming eyes.
"Ooh, I see you've stopped by Geren's office already. Any luck melting the ice man today?" Mindy giggled as she strutted by. I grumbled a little as the busty blond gave me a devilish smile. She was a second year intern, and was assisting with real campaigns. It was no secret that she'd made use of her curvy assets to get the position. She had at least two different managers wrapped around her fingers, and she walked around like she owned the place.
"Nope, still the same serious Gus." I shook my head. As much as I wanted to grumble at her, I knew I didn't want to get on her bad side. I'd already seen her drive another intern out of the office. It wasn't like Mindy would come straight at me. It would be all rumors and gossip until everyone either thought I was easy, a tease or a lesbian.
"Aw, too bad. I've heard working for him can be a real boost to your career." Mindy smiled and then made a sharp turn and headed off towards the executive offices. I didn't want to think about what she was going to do there.
The fact was, it wasn't just Mindy. That was probably the worst part about working here. It wasn't that you had to sleep around to get ahead; it was just that most of the women who stayed here did. A little asking around my other friends told me that pretty much all the advertising agencies were like this any more. There were just too few jobs to not use all of your assets to get ahead.
That didn't mean I was feeling like moving up that particular ladder. Most of the mangers were just too disgusting to even think about doing anything with. Even if they had the looks, their attitudes were all just terrible. I might have considered it if it was the right guy, one that at least seemed decent, but I had other issues.
Of course, the other part was, I hadn't exactly slept around in college or high school. Sure, I'd dated, but nothing had ever been that serious, but the fact was I'd never gone all the way yet. I wasn't innocent or anything, I'd just not met the right guy, or at least that was what I told myself. The last thing I wanted was to have my first time be with some jerk I didn't even like just to get a better job.
I tried not to fret too much about it. I just delivered my cups and went back around to pick them up. I'd managed to get all the way through my duties and even half of my afternoon errands before it was time to pick up Mr. Geren's cup. He was a slow drinker, so I usually wouldn't swing by his office until it was almost lunchtime.
Today, his cup was in the normal spot, empty and waiting for me. Mr. Geren was busy typing on his computer but when he saw me enter, he took off his dark rimmed glasses and smiled at me.
"Do you have a moment, Miss Wilson?" He asked as he turned away from the computer and looked me over. I quivered a bit. It wasn't a leer, more like the look you'd give a work of art, and I felt it as more of a compliment than anything else.
"Certainly, sir." I put his cup back down and stood next to the desk. Mr. Geren had never asked for anything more than coffee from me. He hadn't even asked for normal errands to deliver things for him or anything. As managers went he had been pretty low maintenance, which was probably another reason why I liked him.
"I'm sure you've become aware by now of the way that our office operates. I've been rather impressed by your discretion as a matter of fact." He stated as he looked up at me with the same controlled expression he always had. I felt a shiver run up my spine. He couldn't be talking about what I thought he was talking about. It was probably just my dirty mind after having bumped into Mindy this morning.
"Thank you, sir." I managed to reply. I really had no idea where this conversation was going, but I was quickly growing curious.
"It is always refreshing to see an intern taking the opportunity to assess their situation and having the integrity to resist the easy path. I suppose that is why I've not indulged in such things for many years." He continued. I had a hard time believing that Mr. Geren would ever have taken advantage of his interns. He gave me a wry grin when he looked into my eyes.
"I'm not blind, my good Miss Wilson, and I am a man. In my younger days, I did not always have the resolve to resist the advances of the more eager interns. It was something I learned to regret, despite any momentary enjoyment." He replied to my shocked expression.
"As a matter of fact, I've learned that I have more, shall we say, refined and exotic taste. First, let me state, that I do not wish to make you uncomfortable, but I have a proposition for you. You are free to leave if you don't want to hear it." He motioned towards the door. I think I must have just stood there and blinked at that point. I never imagined that Mr. Geren would try to proposition me, or that he'd be so straight about it.
