Chapter 3

• Carla smoothed down her pencil skirt for the fifth time. She had decided to go for something professional and not too dressy. Even if she was going to be a receptionist, she was determined to give it her all. She looked at herself in the mirror again and smiled. She was satisfied with what she saw and she turned to go out.
• She locked her door securely behind her and stood, waiting for a taxi. A guy passed by and whistled . Carla ignored him and smiled secretly to herself. She was used to having such effects on men, she knew. Her phone rang then and she checked the checked the caller ID. It was Jenny. She picked on the first ring.
• " Hey sweetie " Jenny said from the other end.
• " Hi darling" Carla replied. " How are you? Have you gotten there yet? Should I call back?" Jenny asked all the questions at once.
• " Hey..... Calm down " Carla laughed a little before she continued, " I'm good and No, I'm not there yet. I'm waiting for a taxi and No, you can't call me back. Let's talk now 'cause I'm fucking anxious right now " Carla said gratefully" if only you know how anxious I am right now " she added.
• " You'll be fine honey and don't hesitate to call me if you need anything, okay?"
• " Hmm" Carla answered
• " And one more thing, you have my blessing to kick the man in the balls if he turns out to be a pervert and try anything funny "
• " Sure,, trust me " Carla winked, even though she knew Jenny couldn't see her. She waved down the taxi coming in her direction. She got in and occupied herself with games on her phone. She tried to calm down her nerves but it sure wasn't working. Her hands started to shake slightly. She hoped the interview would go well and that she was wrong about those ridiculous requirements/ conditions or whatever. Her new working place-to-be was not too far and she arrived there in twenty minutes.
• The building looked local and small. For a minute, she thought she got the wrong place and checked her phone for confirmation. She turned out to be right and immediately felt sick. She had no choice but to go in and find if it was any better there. To her dismay, it was much more worse inside. Everywhere looked untidy and files lay cluttered everywhere. The receptionist's desk was empty, of course, but that was not enough reason for it to look like a haunted place. In fact, the whole place looked like a haunted house.
• Carla looked horrified, wondering what she had gotten herself into. A man was seated at a desk a few steps from the receptionist desk. It looked like a cubicle, where he sat and not a big, air-conditioned office.
• " Hello " she greeted. The man, John Sanders looked up and pushed his glasses up. He was chubby, No, fat to be precise, Carla noticed. The man motioned for her to come over. Carla didn't miss the way his hungry eyes roamed over her body, undressing her with his eyes and letting his eyes linger on her hips for like a minute or two. Carla looked disgusted and knew he saw the expression on her face. His face cleared and he seemed to compose himself but not for long. The fat *as didn't even answer her greetings, Carla thought, feeling like punching his fat head.
• " So you applied for the job of a receptionist, huh?" He asked, checking her out, his eyes stayed longer on her cleavage and he gulped., Carla threw him a glare, not wanting to be anywhere near him. She wanted to be out of this horrible place, she started to panic.
• " Yes sir " she replied anyway. She brought out her qualifications and reached out to give him but he held up his hands to decline.
• " No need for all that " he grinned, showing his brown, rotten teeth. " You're hired!" He exclaimed gleefully, rubbing his palms together, looking very pleased with himself.
• Oh no, Carla thought in disappointment. What she was praying wouldn't happen had finally happened. This man wanted her not for work purposes but it was obvious that he had other things in mind, Carla confirmed her suspicion now.
• She thanked the man and left, promising to resume work the next day. She turned and walked towards the door. She paused at the door and turned to look at the man one last time. She was right, the man's eyes was glued to her butt and he quickly tore his gaze away from her, looking down at his table and going through useless files. Carla shook her head and went out. Never was she going to work here, not even in her dreams.
• She went straight to Jenny's restaurant to tell her all that happened. Jenny didn't interrupt her and after Carla narrated everything, they both agreed it would be better if she didn't resume work there.
• " I thought so too. Now I have no choice but to go for the interview of the one I first applied for "
• " Which one? " Jenny was confused.
• " Oh I didn't tell you about that " Carla narrated everything to her, the job she first applied for, how she went but didn't get to meet the CEO. Jenny was dumbfounded that Carla kept all those that to herself. She scolded Carla and Carla apologized.
• She then stood up and looked around,
• " what have you been up to? "
• Jenny told her and they both became engrossed in work. Carla helped her friend and and went to take orders from customers with the other attendants. Jenny's boyfriend, Hunter arrived shortly after with his friend, Troy. Hunter went over to where his girl was, hugged her from behind and whispered something into her ears. They both laughed and Jenny leaned into his arms. Carla looked away from them, her eyes tearing up. They looked so much in love. It made her wonder if she would ever be so much in love her friend was. A sigh escaped through her lips and shook off the disturbing thought. A discreet cough made her come out of her reverie and she looked up, startled.
• " A penny for your thoughts " Troy said, a small smile playing on his lips. " I believe I haven't introduced myself properly yet. I'm Troy " he finished with a friendly smile. He was good looking with salt and pepper hair, brown eyes and a tall, lean body.
• Carla found herself smiling in return and extended her hand for a shake. " Carla...... Carla Reeds " she smiled. Troy took her outstretched hand and took it in both of his and held it for a while longer.
• " A beautiful name for a beautiful lady " Troy complimented with a mischievous smile and a wink, his eyes twinkling. Carla looked at her toes, blushing and mumbled a ' thank you ' Troy kept her company and chatted with her until Jenny and Hunter came to where they were. Troy seemed really interested in Carla and she thought he was cool, as a friend though but she could use a distraction right now. Troy got her number before he left with Hunter, promising to call her.
• They talked over phone that night and became fast friends.