Blue Skyes

Ch. IV- The Man in the Elevator

It took me a minute to accept the fact that I would be officially working here. I'd never stood out before, which is fine because I prefer the background. I think about the man in the elevator, and how he must've talked to Auden Skye to convince him that I deserve a second shot at a position.

As far as Assistant to the CEO goes, it's definitely going to be new for me. The last two years, I've assisted Mia Anderson in reading manuscripts and sending them up the chain of command. Being so close to the top of that chain is nerve-wracking. Especially when I don't know the first thing about Auden Skye.

Now that I'm here, trying to catch my breath at the very top of the stairwell. It all feels so surreal. Somehow, without even interviewing, I made it. I just hope it's everything I've worked towards for the past two years.

Adjusting my black satin blouse, I step out onto the floor. Reception stops me the second they see me. "Hi, what can I do for you?" A thin blonde lady inquired.

I offer her a small smile, "I'm here for my first day as Auden Skye's assistant. My name is-"

"Theodora Bayron, we've been expecting you." She hands me an ID card with that same horrible picture of me from two years ago. The woman stands up and goes around her desk, "I'll show you to your office." With a wave of her hand I follow her. We go down the hall, where we pass a bunch of smaller offices. "I'm going to go fast so try to keep up. As Auden’s assistant, you now have full access to this entire building. Auden is a busy man, so it's important that you're able to roam freely without getting hindered by security." She leads me to a corridor with big offices spread out across an open floor. We pass Auden Skye's office before stopping at the one right beside his. "This will be yours. We'll get you a name plate later." The woman opens the door, allowing me to step inside first.

It's more than anything I ever expected. The walls are all sky blue, which I find fitting to the company. A large glass desk sits in the center of the room, right in front of floor to ceiling windows that shows an entire view of the city. "Those are tinted on the outside." She told me, noticing my attention on them. "I'm actually pretty jealous. Aside from Auden’s office, this one is the most sought after." There is just no way this entire space is for me. What did I do to get this position?

I look to the left of the room and notice a door. "What does that go to?"

She laughs lightly, "That leads to Auden’s office. Since you're his assistant, it's important you're able to reach him. The phone on your desk has his line on speed dial, should he need anything." She points to a second door behind a bookshelf in the corner of the room. “That’s your own private bathroom. The one for the floor is too far in Auden’s opinion.”

"Got it." I said firmly. This is all going to take me a while to get used to.

Sucking on her teeth, she gestures behind her, "Well, if you need me I'm Trina and I'll be right where you found me at my desk." Without waiting for a reply, she leaves the room, closing the door on her way out.

I take this time to drink it all in. The office, the tinted windows, even the blue walls. It's everything I ever wanted. "It's nice to see you, Thea." I turn around to see the man from the elevator standing in the doorway between my office and Mr. Skye's. I didn’t even hear it open.

"Hey, what are you-?" Suddenly it dawns on me. Why I got the job even after missing my interview, why I'm in the most "sought" after office, all of it. "Oh my God...you're Auden Skye." This is crazy, even for me.

That being said, it's nice to finally put a face to the name. And what a beautiful face it is. "I am. Sorry for not telling you in the elevator, it just didn't seem important at the time." His comment almost makes me roll my eyes at him. Then I remember that he's my boss and the literal CEO of this company, so I keep it to myself.

The more I realize what’s happening the more disappointed I become. "Look, this is all-" I gesture to the office, "-very nice of you, but I can't accept this." Knowing now that he only gave me all of this out of pity...it's not why I worked my ass off as an intern. I wanted to earn a position, not fall into it because a powerful man felt bad.

Mr. Skye's face turns serious, and I notice how much sharper his eyes seem. "You already did accept it. That’s why you’re here."

"I know." Without knowing what else to say, I add, "I didn't even interview though. I was late, remember?"

Now leaning on the door frame, Mr. Skye stuffs his hands inside his expensive suit pockets. In hindsight, I really should've realized it was him sooner. The expensive suit, the watch that's worth more than my college loans. It was all right there in front of me. "I learned more about your character in that elevator than I would've if you had done the interview. You stood out to me. Can you honestly say that you would've been able to do the same if the elevator never got stuck?"

I think about his words and what he's trying to tell me. The truth is I'm actually horrible in interviews. I would've bombed, making the elevator a blessing in disguise. "No, I can't." I answered. "Thank you."

His eyes soften, "You're welcome, Thea. This office isn't going to make you claustrophobic now, is it?" I laugh as if it's possible in a room this size.

"Not at all, it's actually too spacious if anything." Anxious to start proving that I can do a good job here, I ask, "What would you like me to do first?"

With a glint in his crystal blue irises, he points to the computer on my desk. "Get set up there, and I'll show you how to read and edit my schedule." I don't want him to take things slow here. I have to prove that I'm right for this opportunity.

"Don't go easy on me, Mr. Skye. I can handle the workload." I may not know the in's and out's of this job, but I'm a fast learner and I can keep up.

Only that's not what Mr. Skye gets hung up on. "Auden." He emphasizes. "We go on a first-name basis around here. Including myself."

Pressing my lips into a firm line, I confirm, "Got it." He's a little too good to be true. So what's the catch, you ask? Whatever, I refuse to care. No way in hell am I messing this up for me.

“Oh, I almost forgot.” Auden pulls out a sky blue envelope from the pocket in his suit jacket and walks over to hand it to me. “Your salary now. If you have any questions or concerns about it you can come to either myself or finance on the fifth floor.”

I open it up to check it while I still have him in front of me. Plus, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious. When my eyes take in the number I involuntarily gasp. “This is for a whole year?” This is the most money I’ve ever made in my entire life.

Auden nods sharply, “Is that a sufficient amount for you?”

It almost seems like he’s mocking me but the look on his face is dead serious. I set the envelope down on my desk, “It’s completely sufficient, thank you.” There’s no way I’m going to complain about a full salary like that. I couldn’t find that as an entry level employee anywhere.

“Alright then. Let’s get started.”