Chapter 6 "On the Job Training"
Janine was still a bit shaken by what she had seen on Egon's notepad; however, she was determined to maintain her professionalism with him. The fiery secretary hoped that over time, perhaps she could sway the physicist's opinion of her.
"What had caused him to change his mind about me?" Janine perplexedly wondered.
"I was sure we had a connection!" She thought to herself. But the petite secretary quickly put those thoughts aside once Ray sat down beside her at the desk.
"Ok, let me show you the programs we use," the youngest Ghostbuster enthusiastically announced.
Grinning, Janine liked Ray's energy and eagerness when it came to the business. She took notes as he gave her a quick tutorial.
Later, Peter walked by, giving Janine a sly grin, and it pushed her buttons so to speak.
She couldn't help herself and sarcastically inquired, "What is it, Dr. Venkman? Is this the stuff you taught your previous secretaries?"
Janine gave the balding Ghostbuster a mischievous smirk.
Peter's eyes glistened with sarcasm. "Nah, what I taught them was more….hands on." He gave her a playful wink.
Once the balding Ghostbuster was out of earshot, Janine looked at Ray, who was grinning. "Sorry Dr. Stantz, for some reason, I just can't seem to control my tongue when it comes to Dr. Venkman."
Ray chuckled lightly. "Oh it's ok, Janine. I can see you're gonna fit in here nicely! And please, call me Ray. We're really informal here."
Janine agreed and they continued with the training. After several more minutes passed, Ray thought it was time to allow her to do some work by herself.
The phones were quiet so Janine familiarized herself with some of the case files that were stored on the computer. As she read through them, she wrote down phrases and other details that she didn't understand.
Ray returned to see how Janine was doing. He read over her notes and commented on them,
"You have some good questions here, Janine. I think it's time for Spengler to explain these ghost classifications further."
As he went up to the lab, Janine was filled with mixed emotions. She was excited, slightly aroused but mostly unnerved. "I hope he doesn't mind helping me?" Janine thought to herself.
Meanwhile, Ray cheerfully climbed the stairs and entered the lab. "Have a good nap, Iggy?"
Stretching first, next Egon readjusted his glasses and straightened his tie. "Yes, Raymond. I suppose the last few nights of only sleeping two hours each caught up with me," he sheepishly admitted.
"Well, until you learn how to upload your brilliance into a robot, you're gonna have to get more sleep," Ray teased.
Egon just returned a smug smile.
"I need you to go downstairs and train Janine on the ghost classification system," Ray casually said.
Just the thought of the gorgeous redhead sent a wave of heat through Egon's entire body, beginning with his face. "Isn't that something you can do? I'm in the middle of some important work."
Ray grinned. "Nope, I've gotta help Winston with some repairs on Ecto-1. That call we went to a few days ago really took its toll on the tires. Besides, I thought you'd be delighted for a chance to work so closely with Janine!"
He winked playfully before leaving the lab. Sighing heavily, Egon glanced at his notepad. He stared a moment at the lists he had written. Egon looked over each one: one list showed the reasons why he should date Janine, the other a list showing why he shouldn't.
The list showing why he should read: 1) quite attractive; 2) displays a quick wit; 3) kisses very nicely 4) likes libraries
The list showing why he shouldn't read: 1) now an employee; 2) not a potential reality - beside it in parentheses was (she's way out of my league).
Again, Egon noisily sighed.
"What could she possibly see in me?" he muttered to himself.
Reluctantly, he made his way downstairs.
As the clever scientist approached Janine's desk, she looked up and smiled warmly as she felt her pulse rate increase. Egon gently cleared his throat. "H-hello, Janine," he stuttered.
"Hello, Dr. Spengler," she politely responded.
Egon pushed a rolling chair next to Janine's desk and lowered himself in it. He took a quick look at her computer screen. "So, Ray has shown you the case file notes, I see?"
"Yes. He said you should help me with learning the ghost classifications?" Janine questioned.
Despite her close proximity, she was careful to remain professional. Janine could smell his aftershave, which gave her chills down her spine and she thought about the way he kissed her the other day.
Egon was finding it equally as strenuous to remain professional. The perfume Janine was wearing was sending his libido into overdrive. Not to mention her outfit - she was dressed professionally enough but from his vantage point, the brilliant scientist had quite the view of Janine's legs. Consequently, Egon mentally reminded himself why he was sitting there and forced his brain to focus.
Janine took precise notes as he described each ghost classification and included examples. She desperately wanted to ask Egon about the stuff she saw on the notepad. However,that would indicate that Janine was snooping. Instead, she focused on the classification system.
"Ok, so…I can see how the lower classification of ghosts are pretty simple, but what would indicate a potential problem with a higher one? I mean, if somebody calls and gives me the description of a poltergeist, I already know probably just two of you guys could handle it. But how would I know if all of you need to go? What kinds of descriptions would alert me that it might be a Class 5 or more?"
Egon smiled warmly because he was glad to see Janine's enthusiasm. He was also pleased to see how quickly she was learning.
"If a caller is describing something that either has a definite form or is displaying significant destructive capabilities, that would alert you to it being at least a Class 4, possibly even Class 5. The higher the classification, the more hazardous it is," Egon instructed.
Janine's eyes widened in shock as she asked, "How high do the classes go?"
"Class 7 as far as we know," Egon replied, his tone solemn but he was glad she kept on asking questions.
"How high was that thing you guys busted at the Chinese Market?"
"Class 5."
Janine gasped, and without realizing it, she lightly touched Egon's arm. "Oh Egon! I mean, Dr. Spengler….!"
She swiftly withdrew her hand, concerned that she may have crossed a line with the scientist.
For his part, Egon just smiled and hoped Janine didn't observe the goosebumps that had developed on his arm. He found himself slightly intoxicated from hearing her whisper his name like that, and his thoughts changed to listening to that bedroom voice in the midst of kissing her while lying down on a sofa or bed. It was a dangerous thought that could only multiply so Egon halted them immediately.
Janine struggled to refocus on her training,too. She quickly jotted down some notes on the class differences.
Sensing she was possibly embarrassed, Egon cleared his throat before saying, "Uhm, it is not really expected for you to figure this out. Our past secretaries only took down the address and phone numbers of the callers. Sometimes they included the caller's name, but that was all."
Janine laid down her pen and looked Egon directly in the eyes. Her facial expression was serious. "Dr. Spengler, I pride myself on being a true professional. I want to learn everything there is to know because I feel like that's the only way I can be an asset to the company. I don't wanna be just another pretty face - so to speak."
Egon was amazed at how dedicated Janine was. "Oh! I…ummm…I didn't mean to offend you! It's just … well, I mean….you're more than that! I mean….you look very nice!! What I mean to say is….there's more than your face that's pretty! I mean…..," he sighed as he stammered over choosing the right words. It was evident that Egon felt flustered, and Janine thought it was endearing.
Next, the scientist took a deep breath and released it to regain his composure then clarified his previous statement, "All I mean is….none of our previous secretaries took the time to learn such things as the classification system."
Bewildered, Janine questioned Egon, "What did they do then?"
Dr. Spengler's cheeks flushed a dark pink as his eyes wandered around the office before he answered, "They…they answered the phones, took messages, typed case file notes…"
Sensing that he withheld information from Janine, her eyes narrowed. "What else? You're not telling me something, Dr. Spengler."
Egon adjusted his shirt collar, tugging at it slightly then said, "Their employment always ended….abruptly."
"Why?" The secretary asked, wided eye.
"In a word: Peter."
Janine looked a bit uneasy. "Whaddya mean?"
Egon's expression became almost panicked. "Please don't leave! We need a secretary, and I honestly believe you're the best one we've had!"
"Ok, ok. Calm down, Dr. Spengler. Just tell me what happened," Janine reassured him, placing her hand on his arm for a brief moment. Their eyes met for a moment as she did, and then Egon cleared his throat before informing her,
"Peter ….. hit on them. He dated them but never committed himself."
"So, he slept with them? And when he couldn't handle a professional relationship at the same time, they quit?" Janine questioned, outraged.
"More or less," Egon shrugged, his face reddening.
"What else then?"
"I don't think each woman was aware of the previous 'working arrangement.' When they found out they were just the next link in the chain, they walked out," Egon replied.
Janine couldn't contain herself any longer. She let out a loud laugh which changed to a cute chuckle.
"Oh my God! I should've known!"
Now Egon was confused and inquired, "You're not upset?"
"Oh no! Not at all! Dr. Venkman struck me as a player the first time we all met on that double date," the red headed secretary giggled.
"So, you're not concerned about him hitting on you?"
Egon inquired, slowly.
Janine's eyes developed a subtle hint of desire.
"Not from him….," she purred as she intentionally put her hand on his knee for about seven seconds before withdrawing it. Janine grinned at Egon's blushing in his cheeks and down his neck.
Precipitously, he cleared his throat again and stood up.
"I just realized I need to check on some tests I'm running in the lab. If you'll excuse me?" Egon then bolted up to the lab.
Janine smiled and let out a giggle.
"I don't know what he wrote on that notepad exactly but it's obvious he feels something towards me!" she merrily thought to herself.
Quietly, Janine silently vowed to herself that she wouldn't stop until she found a way to break through to that man.
One Week Later
Janine was proud of herself and her significant progress with Egon. She had decided to go to the lab to further discuss the ghost classification system and any other questions she still had. Each time Egon paused his work to assist her with understanding the details of the classification system. Politely Janine thanked him and left the lab, allowing Egon to continue his work. She made sure to add an extra twist in her usual walk as she sauntered out. Janine knew she had grabbed his attention; as she walked through the door, she heard a tool hit the floor and Egon mutter, "crumbs!"
As the days went by, Janine came up with new questions every day, but she was careful in choosing them. She wanted to look genuine.
Finally, Friday morning had arrived. Janine arrived at work that day to a pleasant surprise: a small envelope. She excitedly set her purse down and opened the envelope. The card had black lettering written in beautiful calligraphy with a red rose on the front. Inside it simply read: "For Someone Special."
Janine's ruby red lips stretched into a wide smile as she opened the card. She gasped as she read what was written inside. A handwritten note that said: "I have enjoyed assisting you with your on the job training. Please allow me the opportunity to accompany you to dinner tonight." It was simply signed Egon.