Chapter 2

After refusing ‘private tutoring’ from Mr. Smith, a round of similar offers from the men on the sales floor, one temper tantrum from an entitled under-performer accusing Blake of ‘stealing’ his office, and a good night’s rest, she returned to work bright and early the next morning with a steaming cup of coffee, a thick binder full of business contacts and a box of emergency office supplies.

After ‘bombshell Monday’, Blake’s Tuesday outfit was a gray raincoat, light gray slacks with a pale pinstripe and matching shoes, a white blouse buttoned to the collar, and a black bow with long streamers for a tie. Her black hair was up in a conservative bun with a pair of silver chopsticks holding everything in place.

The cubicle farm was empty, but Riley was waiting for her. He still wore a white shirt and black tie, but his slacks were dark gray, he wore a gray vest, and silver cuff links sparkled on his wrists. A dark gray business coat rested on the back of his chair. The empty reception desk now sported a telephone, a computer monitor, and a mug full of pens. A sleepy man in a polo shirt dozed in a chair nearby.

“Good morning,” Riley said. “If you are free, IT is here to set you up in the computer system and show you how it works.”

The door to Blake’s office had been replaced. The new door had a name plate with her name on it and no doorknob. Riley placed his palm on a metal plate at his shoulder level, a green light above the plate flashed, and the door made an audible click when it opened.

Inside, the dirty white computer monitor had been replaced with a sleek, black, larger model, the intercom was gone, and a black telephone with fewer buttons than Riley’s model was in its place, as well as a sturdy black rack with ‘inbox’ and ‘outbox’ clearly labeled on its side-by-side top two shelves. Two of the bookcase’s shelves had been filled with past and present Ultimate Inc sales catalogs, all within easy reach of Blake’s new office chair. Popping open the closet to hang up her raincoat, Blake noted a gray umbrella stand with two umbrellas in it, multiple hangers on the rod, and a black shoe rack tucked away in the corner with a cleaning kit beside it. The hardwood floor throughout the room had been cleaned and polished; a plastic protector was under the office chair; and a mottled gray, black, and white rug dominated the center of the room under two comfortable guest chairs. The room lacked any artwork or other personal touches, but it no longer looked sterile and uninhabited.

Sitting down at the desk, she noted the buttons on the phone were clearly labeled. A shelf beneath the desk’s surface held a computer keyboard, and the top-right drawer was stocked with Post-it notes, paper clips, stationery, and various other supplies. The desk height had even been adjusted to accommodate Blake’s tallness. The only item out of place in the room’s matching black-and-gray decor was a short white wire rack on wheels, empty except for the gray paper binder containing Riley’s credentials. Blake pushed the rack to the side of her desk, where it wouldn’t be seen by someone entering the room.