When Mr. Harris insisted we work together, I nearly died right there and then. That hottie and me working late nights? I mean, sure, I was an associate now, but I was still young. Quite frankly, I was surprised my cousins would let me go on my own. But hey, it wasn’t like we’d be working a hundred miles away, right? We’d be in the same building, or so I assumed.
The next day, I went up to his office, and he had me outfitted with an excellent looking desk — all mahogany — a real antique. So lovely, I was almost afraid to touch it.
“That’s stunning,” I said. “Real wood.”
“Yeah, go ahead and touch it.”
I rubbed my hand along the surface. Was Mr. Harris flirting with me?
“Listen, the bosses want us to set up a secondary office in Cam Tech’s building, so we’ll be on hand if they have any requests,” he revealed.
“Seriously? Have these people not heard of the Internet?”
“You know how it is with clients,” he sighed. “They like to see you. Makes them feel like they’re getting their money’s worth. Come on. I have a car waiting. We’ll go look at some places in their building.”
We hopped in a town car and went across town. The skyscraper where Cam Tech was located held dozens of other companies. The guard at the lobby sent us to the office where we got a tour of the facilities. Our tour guide was an older woman named Laurel. Although Jack made it clear we were renting something in the building either way, she put on the hard sell or rent, as the case may be.
And with each office space Laurel showed us, Jack seemed to be flirting with me.
“And as you can see,” Laurel said on the 22nd floor. “This office comes with hardwood floors and a shorter elevator ride.”
“Hardwood floors seem nice,” commented Jack. “You like hardwood, Sandra?”
“Uh, yeah, sure,” I answered, trying not to blush.
Maybe he was just kidding, but I couldn’t shake the flirting vibe. Laurel took us to another office. It was the former home of a big entertainment company. They had a fountain in the lobby that was still working.
“I like the fountain,” commented Jack. “I like things that gush. That kind of wetness is good, I think. How do you feel, Sandra? You feeling the wet?”
“Yeah, I’m definitely on board with wetness,” I said, playing the game. “I could be down for a lot of wetness, in fact.”
Laurel stole glances at both of us. She wasn’t sure what was going on, but she was too anxious to close the deal, so she didn’t pry.
Going to the 59th floor, we arrived in an unfinished office. There were poles all over the place that were going to be used to install clouded glass walls.
“Right before Christmas, we had this startup company that was going to move in,” explained Laurel. “They were halfway through building the office when their funding collapsed, and they went out of business. Now they all work at home.”
“Nice poles,” Jack said.
“Pretty thick those poles,” I added.
“Like a good pole, do you?” he bantered.
“A good thick pole? Yeah,” I responded. “Has to be long, though.”
“I’m sure the firm can provide what you need,” Jack assured. “I’ll see to it personally.”
“I like the personal touch,” I answered, looking at him sideways. “The more personal, the better, I say.”
“I will make a note of that,” he came back. “I’m glad we could get together on this.”
“Well, if you need help, I’d be happy to get on the pole if need be.”
Laurel glanced back and forth at both of us.
“Okay, then,” she said, mildly suspicious. “Moving on.”
In the elevator, on the ride up to the 80th floor, Laurel tried to make small talk.
“Mr. Harris, I’ve heard many things about Davies and Sons,” she said. “Your firm has quite the reputation. I think I’ve seen you online too. You’re quite the courtroom superstar, I understand.”
“Well, I just try and sway the judge,” he shrugged. “Anyone can do it, really. Ms. Jones here is very adept.”
“Aw, not like you,” I said, being modest. “You settled that pharmaceutical case last year. No one expected that.”
“Guess I’m full of surprises,” he smiled.
“You’re full of something!” joked Laurel.
Laurel’s joke was a bit awkward. Guess she was trying to join in with the bantering. Maybe she was unaware that it was flirting. Or perhaps I was unaware that it wasn’t.
Ultimately, Jack was not very happy with our choices. Two offices seemed already full of some other company’s stuff, and the other was half-finished. We needed office space that was ready-to-go. Furnished, if possible.
“Well, I do have two other clients that are moving out tomorrow and then the next day. You can see their offices if you like, but not today. You’ll have to wait until after the move,” she explained.