Chapter 5

I got home feeling tired as a dog. My feet ached and I was ready to collapse into a day-long sleep. Kristen was waiting for me when I got home. He sat me on the couch and pulled off my shoes before he began one of his famous foot rubs. I sighed as I pulled my hair out of its bun.

"How did it go?" He asked as his hands worked their magic. I released a heavy breath and closed my eyes as a lazy smile graced my face.

"Your numbers plan worked better than we thought it would. He created a whole new position for me. You're looking at Arlo Mason's new assistant," I explained. Kristen looked shocked.

"Already? He created a whole new position for you?" He asked. I nodded.

"It's basically a 24/7 job, but Gwendolyn has got her claws in him deeper than we anticipated. She basically runs him," I added.

"We can use that against her later. Men with power don't like to know that they're lives are being run by their girlfriends," Kristen said. "For now, just study up for tomorrow. These are the meetings that he has, this is what the numbers are, and here are the websites," Kristen said pointing out papers he laid out on the table.

I sighed and sat up as my foot rub ended and the studying began. I looked up a lot of the facts on my own and did the hacking myself this time, but Kristen got me the jump start I needed so I wouldn't be doing all the work myself. It was ten at night before I finally closed the laptop and went for a shower before bed.

~

The next day, I waited in the lobby for Arlo because I had no idea where to go at this point. There was a new temp sitting at the front desk. I sat on one of the couches with my briefcase. Today I was wearing a cream blouse and red pencil skirt with a black blazer and black pumps, only an inch higher than yesterday. My hair was curled by a wand and pulled into a half-up, half-down hairdo with wisps of hair framing my face. Arlo was alone today, no Gwendolyn in sight. The corner of his lip pulled up slightly in a ghost of a smile.

"Lyra," he greeted me as I stood. I nodded my head in response.

"Mr. Mason," I greeted back. He held a hand up as the other was stuffed into his pocket.

"Please, just Arlo," he corrected me. First named basis, good sign. He motioned towards the elevator and I took the hint. We walked to the elevator and he hit the top floor. I found it ironic going from the lobby to the top floor in a day. When the doors slid open, Arlo touched the small of my back to lead me out on to the floor. It was a pristine and everything was in a a gray-scaled color theme. The hallway had doors along the walls covered in windows with blinds. He led me to the end of the hallway where his nameplate was mounted next to the door on a window. He opened the door and motioned me inside.

There was a mini-lobby with a couch and a desk where a woman sat with a computer and phone. The theme matched the grayscale in the hallway, going with greater contrasts with the furniture. I recognized the woman as Arlo's Secretary, Patty. I smiled warmly at her. She was a middle-aged woman with laugh lines aging her face. She was a thick woman with brown hair pulled into a bun with straight bangs trailing above her eyebrow line. She wore a red blouse with ruffles, a cardigan, and khaki slacks.

"Good morning, Patty," I greeted her. She smiled back as she stood and shook my hand.

"Lyra, I presume," she said. I nodded. She motioned to her desk and stepped from behind it. "This is your new desk," she said. I looked at her confused before I looked at Arlo.

"Where will you go then?" I asked, looking back to Patty.

"Adjacent to this office. I'm sure she would enjoy the privacy," Arlo joked. Patty chuckled.

"Trust me love, you're doing me a favor," Patty agreed before she left the room. Arlo chuckled at her hasty exit as he shook his head slightly. Patty seemed like a person I could use well later.