Read Online Intoxicated by Alicia Renee Kline - Free Book Online

Lauren Jefferies,” I replied. “I just
transferred from the Indy branch. Today’s my first day here.”
    She consulted something on her desk, possibly
a planner or calendar, then tapped her pen against it. “Ah, yes.
The new Director of Underwriting. If you want to have a seat, I’ll
see if George is ready for you.” Rebecca gestured to a bargain mart
style couch to her left prior to picking up her telephone and
dialing an extension. Effectively dismissed, I took a seat where
indicated.
    As I waited, I watched as other employees
began to trickle in. Most juggled briefcases or laptops and their
morning fix of coffee. Some looked barely alive, others appeared as
though they had been up for hours and were eager to begin the
workday. A few glanced in my general direction. I smiled and tried
to look as friendly as possible. I wondered if any of them were on
my staff. Our bank wasn’t anywhere near the size of the megabanks,
but with locations throughout Indiana it was impossible to know
everyone. I was certain that I had communicated with some of these
people before in the regular course of business, but I had no clue
what faces to put with what names.
    A few moments later, a distinguished looking
gentleman I assumed to be the George in question strode up to me.
My best guess would place him at about mid-fifties, just a touch of
gray hair highlighting his temples. He was dressed in an expensive
looking three piece suit. We exchanged a brief appraising look at
each other before he spoke.
    “Ms. Jefferies?”
    I stood, extending my hand. He gripped it
firmly, shaking it as he introduced himself.
    “George Anderson, Vice President. A pleasure
to meet you.”
    “Likewise.”
    He motioned for me to follow him. “I’ll show
you to your office first, then we will do the grand tour. Our
workday will be starting in about-“ he referred to his watch,
“twenty minutes for the hourly employees, so you’ll be able to meet
your staff then.”
    I nodded, having to walk quickly to stay on
pace with him. The two weeks off of high heels had left me a bit
rusty. Between that and the nerves setting in, I needed to be extra
careful that I wouldn’t face plant myself in the hallway.
    The corridors were equally unimpressive. We
walked past the common areas: restrooms, breakroom, copy machine,
then turned down a hallway that opened up into an expansive area
filled with groupings of cubicles. George made a quick turn to the
left, explaining that this was where my team sat. The door to my
office was on the far left hand side wall. The room was unlocked,
the heavy wooden door propped open slightly. He pushed it open the
rest of the way and flipped on the light.
    A large wooden desk sat in the middle of the
room, facing the entryway. When I would take my seat in the faux
leather office chair, I could effectively keep an eye on the
cubicles from afar. Two mismatched cushioned chairs were placed
opposite my perch, barely squeezed into the small space. A cheaply
fashioned bookcase stood empty along the right hand wall.
    Not perfect, but at least it was better than
I was accustomed to at the branch.
    “Of course, you may bring in some personal
touches to make this seem more like home,” George smiled as if he
sensed my disappointment. “We have sent for some of your reference
materials to be brought in from the other office. They should be
arriving sometime today, by the looks of things.”
    “Sounds good.”
    Since we had already seen most of the other
important sections of the building on our way to my office, the
grand tour really didn’t amount to much. The facility had a
basement, where the mailroom was located as well as the company’s
server room. All in all, this building housed most of the
operational functions of the organization. The official, true
corporate headquarters of the bank was found downtown in a much
more glamorous location. To say I was slightly discouraged was an
understatement, but I reminded myself that a promotion