Meetingpub (3 page)

“
Well,
I'm kind of a job hopper. I don't stick around at the same place for
too long.”

“
Why
not?”

I
took a long sip of coffee, tasting the sweetness of the caramel. It
felt odd disclosing so much to a stranger, but I figured it was the
least I could do. Besides, it would keep the flow of conversation
going, and the longer the conversation lasted, the longer I'd get to
bask in Jim's presence. “I tend to run my mouth and get fired,”
I confessed, which was met with a guffaw of amusement.

“
So
you're very opinionated, I take it?”

“
I
suppose. I just don't like to take crap from people, and most
employers treat their employees like crap.”

“
It's
not like that at Syngex. They do their best to treat people fairly.”

“
If
you say so.”

“
If
you'd like, I can put in a good word for you,” he offered.

“
A
novel full of good words probably couldn't make that guy change his
mind about me. I'm pretty sure it was a no-go, but if you feel like
doing yet another good deed for the day, then by all means.”

“
I
think I shall.” Jim's grin was absolutely captivating, lighting
up the room.

We
made small talk, though it mostly revolved around me, for the little
that I had to say. It was the longest coffee break in the history of
coffee breaks, and I worried that he would get in trouble for being
out of the office for so long. Jim didn't seem to care though,
laughing and smiling and talking as if his job didn't even matter.

All
good things have to come to an end though, and eventually our coffees
were drained and the conversation had run out. I walked by Jim's side
back to my car and was admittedly disappointed when he didn't ask for
my number. Usually, if a guy was interested in you, this was the
point where he tried to find some way to keep in contact. There was
no such request though, and I felt my heart drop to the pit of my
stomach, wondering if I had screwed this up too.

With
a polite smile, I thanked Jim again before watching him jog up the
steps to the Syngex building and disappear inside. That was it. My
excitement for the day was over, and it was time to return to the
harsh reality that my life was completely up in the air.

When
I got home, I thought about telling Mandy what had happened. A coffee
date with a mysterious handsome stranger would probably sound more
like goofing off to her than serious job hunting though, so I decided
it was better not to mention it.

The
week dialed down toward the end of the month, and I began packing my
things. Though Mandy and I never spoke about it, there was a silent
understanding between us that I had to go. I had screwed up one too
many times to stick around and burden her further.

A
few days before the end of the month, I gave Eric a phone call.
Between him and my parents, he was the lesser of the two evils. At
least if I couldn't come up with rent, I could pay my part with sex.
It wasn't something I ever wanted to have to do, but I couldn't face
the non-stop degradation that I was sure I would get from my parents
if I came home. I was a complete failure to them, and they enjoyed
reminding me of it daily, as if saying it repeatedly would somehow
change me into a different person.

“
Hey
Jenny,” Eric greeted me when he answered the phone, always
excited to hear my voice on the other end of the line.

“
Hey
Eric.” I did my best not to sound completely depressed. If he
thought that I didn't actually want to move in with him, he probably
wouldn't allow it. It was time to put my acting skills on overdrive.

“
What
are you up to?”

“
Packing.”

“
For
what? Going on vacation?”

“
Nope.
Moving.”

“
Moving?”
Eric's voice was alarmed. “Where?”

“
Back
in with my parents unless I can find somewhere else to stay by the
end of the month.”

“
Back
to Chicago?”

“
Mhm.”

“
But
that's so far away. What happened to you living with Mandy?”

“
She's
tired of waiting for me to get back up on my feet. Finding a job is
hard though, with the economy and my track record and all.”

“
Yeah,”
he hesitated. “Well, you could stay here if you wanted . . .
until you get back up on your feet, that is.”

Yes.
I knew it.
“
You
really wouldn't mind?”

“
Of
course not. I'd love to have you around. This place gets lonely.”

“
I
really appreciate it.”

“
So,
um, when can we get you moved?”

“
I'd
like to stick around here until the end of the month, if possible. I
still have some packing to do.” The truth was that I wanted to
avoid living with Eric for as long as possible. As soon as I moved in
with him, life would be one big ball of awkward sexual tension.

“
Alright.
Just let me know when, so I can take off of work.”

“
How
about we move me over the weekend? That way, you won't have to take
off from work.”

“
Do
you think Mandy would let you stay the few extra days?”

“
I'm
sure that as long as she knows I'm leaving she'll be fine with it.”
While Mandy might not be happy about my over-staying, I knew she was
good enough of a friend to tolerate it.

“
Sounds
like a plan then.” I could hear Eric fighting to keep the
excitement from his voice.

After
I got off the phone, I went to tell Mandy. She was fine with me
staying the few extra days, which I was thankful for. There really
wasn't anything she could have done about it anyway though.

For
the next few days, I laid around the apartment, packing here and
there and watching television the rest of the time. There wasn't much
else to do since the job search was over. My mind kept going back and
forth over whether I had made the right decision by calling Eric and
manipulating him into inviting me to move in with him. The more I
thought about it, the worse it seemed. Even if I did sleep with Eric,
there was only a matter of time before I screwed that up too and
ended up out on the street again. Maybe it would have been better if
I had just called my parents. It wasn't too late to change my mind,
was it?

On
Thursday, I got a phone call from an unknown number. Not thinking
much of it, I answered and was surprised to find that it was Syngex
inviting me for a second interview. My heart leaped with joy.

“
God
bless you, Jim,” I whispered after ending the call, jumping up
and down with excitement. If I could nail this second interview, then
I wouldn't have to move out, and all of my troubles could go away.
With that in mind, I decided to do whatever it took to land the job.

That
night, I told the story of my meeting with Jim to Mandy. Since I now
had a second interview, it wouldn't seem like I had wasted my time by
going out for coffee with him. I made sure to describe him in detail,
gushing about his attractiveness.

“
Did
you see a ring on his finger?” Mandy asked, her enthusiasm
higher than normal, though I knew it was because of the second
interview and not because of my awesome coffee date.

“
Nope.”

“
Did
you even look, Miss Unobservant?” she teased.

“
Of
course I did. There are a lot of things I miss, but that isn't one of
them.” I smirked. “If I get this job, that means I'll get
to see him again.”

“
Well,
don't go turning this into a way to get a date. Work relationships
almost never work out. If you see him, you should just thank him for
helping you get the interview and then go about your business.”

“
But
what if I don't get the job?” I gave her a sly grin.

“
Don't
even joke like that.” Mandy shook her head, sighing. “You
need this job more than you need a warm body to sleep by.”

“
I
know. I was just joking.” I tried not to get agitated by her
seriousness. “So, what if I do get this job? What does it mean
for our living arrangement?”

“
Well,
you only paid part of last month's rent, and even if you get this
job, you won't be able to pay any of this month's rent. I'm still not
sure this is going to work,” she said, and I knew exactly what
she was thinking. Even if I got this job, it would only be a matter
of days or weeks before I ran my mouth, got fired, and was out
looking for another one. Mandy wasn't stupid.

“
Please,
Amanda. I promise if I get this job, I'll keep it no matter what. I
don't want to go live with Eric. I've really done a lot of thinking
about this.”

“
I
don't know, Jen. My dad is riding my ass to get you moved out. I
don't think I can dissuade him any longer.”

“
Please.
Please. Please. Please. Please.” I clasped my hands together,
begging. “I promise I won't screw up again. Just give me this
last chance. Talk to him. Tell him that if I quit this job or get
fired, you won't even have to ask me to move out. I'll do it on my
own, on the very same day. I promise. I really really need this last
chance. You're my only hope.”

I
could see the pain in her expression. She hated it when I got like
this. Hell, I hated it when I got like this, but it was the only way
I could make Mandy cave, with begging and a pouty lip and puppy-dog
eyes.

“
We'll
see,” she said finally. “But first you'll have to get the
job. There's no point in talking to my father until then.”

“
Alright.”
I nodded, hopeful.

“
Research
the company before you go in.” She stood and pointed at me.

“
Fine.
Fine.”

Before
I went to bed, I flipped on the computer to do a bit of research on
Syngex. The company was founded by John Kemble Senior and had been
around since eighteen-seventy five. It was the parent company to
multiple business ventures, from shipping to energy production to
manufacturing. By the time I got down to the bottom of the first
page, I was bored to tears. Who really cared about this stuff? It
wasn't like I needed to know the history of the company to do the
job.

As
I drifted off to sleep, all I could think about was how this was my
last chance. If I didn't get and keep this job, my life would be
taking a dramatic turn. Perhaps living with Eric wouldn't be as bad
as I thought. Maybe I was just turning a mole hill into a mountain,
as I often did with other things. The truth though was that I didn't
want to find out if I was right or not. I had to make this work.

The
next morning, I got up bright and early to make sure I looked
absolutely perfect for my interview. My long brown hair was slightly
curled into a stylish do that hung loosely over my shoulders. This
time, I wore a black pencil skirt with a white blouse, making sure
that both were tight enough to accentuate my better features. If I
couldn't win the interviewer with my words, then maybe I could sway
him with my body. It was a degrading thing to think, but I would use
whatever I had to work with to get this job. Today was swim or sink.

I
held my head up high as I walked into the Syngex building, wondering
if I'd be lucky enough to have a chance meeting with Jim, my knight
in sexy business attire. It was a nice thought, but I couldn't let my
mind be distracted for too long. The building was absolutely massive,
seventy-nine stories tall, to be exact. Odds were, Jim and I would
never cross paths again.