Chapter 15
Christin arrived in Orlando at 10:00 AM San Francisco time, 1:00 PM Orlando time. She found baggage claim. After five minutes of waiting, she got her luggage. She gathered her stuff, then went to car rental. She rented a red 2000 Honda S2000 Roadster 2-Door Convertible. Hey she was in Florida. Christin left the airport and stopped at a gas station to ask directions to 2303 Keystone Dr. The woman explained it clearly. It was about 9 miles away from the gas station. 10 minutes later she pulled into parking space 56A and parked. She grabbed her set of keys that they sent to her in San Francisco. The Firm had found the apartment for her. Next she unloaded all her bags and walked up to her apartment. Christin opened the door and was welcomed by a fully finished apartment. It had white carpet and lots of cool furniture. She started to walk around. First she entered the living room. It had white carpet, a big white Jennifer Leather sofa, a big screen TV, a coffee table made of oak, an oil painting of flowers, an entertainment system, and a stereo system. By the stereo were about 150’s CDs. People The Firm represented, mostly demo CD’s.
“Damn. I got to thank the people who got me this place.” She thought to herself.
She moved on to the next room leaving all her stuff in the living room. She came onto an office. There was a beautiful mahogany desk with a computer. She saw the answering machine which was blinking. She walked over and pushed the button.
“Hi Christin. It’s me John. (John was the president of The Firm.) Just wanted to say welcome to Orlando. I know you didn’t want a fancy apartment but when I saw it, I couldn’t resist. It had your name all over it. If you don’t want it though, call me and we’ll find a new place. Even if you do like it call me…oh wait…by the time you get this message I’ll be back in Cisco. I’ll talk to you later. Bye…Love ya.” click.
“5:45 P.M. Friday, March 25, 2000.” The machine voice said.
John and Christin were great friends. He had picked the perfect place but she could look around at it later. Right now she had to get to The Firm. She went to her bags and got a pair of slacks and a blouse out and quickly changed. Next she picked up her purse and went to her car. She already had directions from her place to the office, It took her about twenty minutes to find it. As she pulled into the parking lot she found a parking space with her name on it. She parked and then hopped out carrying her purse and briefcase, which she had put in the car earlier. Christin walked into the building and got into the elevator to the twelfth floor. The elevator door closed and a voice came from behind Christin.
“BOO!!”
It scared Christin to death. She thought she was the only one on the elevator. Christin quickly turned around to see who it was.
“Oh my god!” She screamed. “John.” She immediately hugged him tightly then hit him.
“What was that for? You think you would treat me better. You have been to your apartment. Haven’t you? Plus you did see that beautiful paint job on the parking space in the parking lot.” John rubbed his arm.
“Of course. But you scared the shit out of me when you said ‘boo’ Oh by the way…Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you!” She hugged him and gave him a kiss on the cheek just as the elevator door opened. Christin quickly pulled away but it was to late. Half of the floor saw her kissing John.
“Now see. Everyone thinks I’m sleeping with you. What a way to start.’ She walked out of the elevator.
“Good luck.” John yelled behind her.
She flipped him off as she walked away.
“Remember who pays you.” John yelled when he saw that.
“Fire me. I’ll just take Marshall and my Blink Babies with me. What then?” Christin walked off leaving John speechless in the elevator with the doors closing.
John knew it was true. If Christin ever decided to leave, Blink-182 and Eminem would go with her. John knew it and Christin knew it too. That’s what scared him the most.
Christin quickly found an office with C. Casey on the door, but instead of saying “executive vice president” it simply said “vice-president.”
She quickly walked into the office and found balloons and flowers saying “congratulations.’ Christin quickly picked up the phone and dialed John’s cell.
“Hello, my beautiful NEW vice-president. D-”
“So it’s not a mistake. I’m the new VP of ‘The Firm.’” She said still not believing it.
“Yeah. Now can I come in? I’m right outside the door.”
“Oh yeah! By all means come in” She put the phone on the hook and went to the door.
John had already walked into the office. “You like how I decorated?” Inferring to all the balloons and flowers.
“Yeah, the flowers will look great in my new apartment.” She was now looking at all the flowers thinking of her secret admirer.
“No. You have to keep them here for at least a week. That way whoever comes to visit will know you got a promotion.”
“I still can’t believe I’m the vice president. Are you sure you didn’t make a mistake?” Christin said bewildered that she, who had started working there part-time to help her dad put her though college, when she was 19 she became a full time worker and from there had worked her way up, was a vice president. She never dreamed that she would be here at only twenty-one.
“Well believe it.” John sat down.
“Yeah and you know how everyone is going think I got this job” Christin inquired.
“How?”
“By sleeping with you. Just look at it this way. I get off the elevator and I’m kissing you. Then I flip you off and not get fired or told anything. Could it be that I’m sleeping with you? No. It must be because I’m smart, but do they know that? No. They think I’m sleeping with you. But you know what?”
“What?”
“I’m going to let them continue to go with it. So as far as I’m concerned, I’m the boss. Christin Casey. Vice-President. I still cant believe I’m vice-president of The Firm. No, wait. What happened to Ja-Dorian?”
Ja-Dorian was the vice-president in San Francisco.
“Oh she said she wasn’t wanting to be the VP anymore. She was happier at your position so I switched you around. It’s not like you haven't deserved it. You’ve more than earned it. But look Chris, I gotta run. It’s 3:20. I have to meet with Denise today and you get to meet with the real celebrities on…” John couldn’t think what day again.
“Next Wednesday. They are in San Francisco. They fly out tonight or so I’ve been told. Why again I’m meeting with people I’ve only heard of a few times? Can you tell me?”
“Because someone from The Firm had to. So the CEO thought it would be best if we sent in a beautiful and intelligent young lady. Plus you know how much we love you.”
“Yea. You sure know how to show it too. Now go meet with Denise. Good-bye John.”
Christin quickly looked around her new office as John walked out. It was much bigger than her one in San Francisco, but then again she would probably be moving into a bigger one once she returned.
She picked up the phone and quickly dialed her number. She knew Amanda had class right now, but decided she would leave a message. On the sixth ring the answering machine picked up.
“Hello, (The Bad Touch plays in the background) you’ve reached Christin’s (Manda’s voice now) and Amanda. (Christin’s voice comes again) house of whores. (Amanda) Christin!! (the music goes off) (Christin) Okay. You’ve reach Amanda and Christin’s we ain’t here so leave message. I’ll try to call you back but if you leave a message for Amanda, she’ll definitely call you back.” BEEEEP.
“Hey Amanda. It’s me. Guess what. No really guess. No. I haven’t found a guy. I got a promotion. Yes. Me. You are now listening to the new Vice-President. When is spring break? You can come visit me. John got me a fab place. You’ve gotta see it. Well gotta go get me ‘new’ employees in line. See ya in a month hopefully sooner.” Christin hung up the phone and walked out of her office. Her secretary, Keeli, was sitting at a desk outside her office.
“Hello, Ms. Casey. I’m your secretary, Keeli Rivers. But please call me Keeli though.” Keeli said in the most friendliest voice.
“Okay Keeli. Call me Christin. I know I might be asking a lot but can you get the office, this floor at least, together so I can talk to them. I want to do that in about and hour at the most. The sooner the better.”
“Okay Christin. I can have everyone together in five.” She grabbed her phone and pushed a green button. “12th Floor meeting in five minutes in conference rooms 1, 2, and 3.” She put the phone back down.
“Thanks Keeli.”
“Hey no problem. Now I have to go make all the conference rooms into one huge room.” She got up.
“Need some help?” Christin offered.
“Yeah that would be great.”
Christin and Keeli connected as friends instantly. They had a lot in common. Keeli was twenty and went to college courses during the night. She was majoring in business management. One day Keeli hopes to own her own management company. Five minutes later all the rooms were one and people were coming in and discussing their ‘new’ boss.
Christin stood up on a table and yelled for their attention. “EXCUSE ME!! Everyone may I have your attention. EXCUSE ME!!” Everyone quieted down. “Thank-you. Everyone my name is Christin Casey. Call me Christin. I’m the new vice-president of The Firm. Yes, I know. What about Ja-Dorain? Ja-Dorian wants to be an executive v-p. So of course they give me the job. Can any of you tell me why?” Everyone laughed. “No seriously. Now I called this meeting to discuss some things.” Christin explained how she wanted the office organized. The hours she expected people to work. Things like that. It took about an hour and a half at that meeting.
“Any questions…Good. Tomorrow we start a brand new day with a brand new attitude. Okay. Well it’s almost five. Fifteen minutes before five in fact. So as my present to you is that you all get to go home early. Work dismissed.”
Christin got a lot of ‘thanks’ from people when she said that. She hopped off the table and started walking to her office. She walked into her office. She figured she could stick around till closing time.
She booted up her computer to check her mail. Three new messages.
There were two from Amanda. The first was just a “Good Luck in Orlando” note. The second definitely showed that Amanda had checked her messages from school.
“Hey Grl,
Congrats. I guess the note I sent earlier saying Good Luck really worked. I’m so talented as you would say. Well gotta get back to class. Lylas…Amanda Ashford.
P.S. Spring Break is in a week. Maybe I’ll come.”
“I hope she comes” Christin thought.
Just then the phone rang. Since she was the only one there, she answered it.
“Good afternoon. The Firm. How may I help you?” Christin remembered very well how to answer a call.
“Yeah. I’m calling to confirm a meeting on Wednesday, April 12, 2000 at 11:30A.M.”
“May I ask who the meeting is for? No never mind. Without a call from a specific person I can’t give out that information.”
“Oh I understand. I’ll have someone with the proper jurisdiction call back tomorrow. But thank you anyways.”
“Your Welcome..” click. 4:58. Time to go home and unpack she thought. Wait I still have another message. She clicked it real quick because it was from Boner_69. All it said though was “Where are you?” Christin shut down her computer and headed out of her office towards he exit.
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Chapter 16
Email: emptypt@aol.com