CHAPTER TWO
Electricity
'You give me a feeling, feeling so strong'
*EIGHT MONTHS EARLIER*
My alarm clock blares and jolts me awake, I must have been in a deep sleep which is rare for me, I thought I wouldn't sleep at all from worry. I cringe as the butterflies return, nerves building in me because today is the day of my job interview.
I'm interviewing at an extremely well regarded company, Denali Design Seattle. The company consistently ranked top of the Design News-Record for being the top design firm, as well as top contractor firm and the top architecture firm. The company was huge and there were so many aspects of it, but it was clearly excelling in each field. I'm interviewing to be part of the design team focused on interiors. I had worked my way up to team manager of a similar team in my current career, but my company was a lot smaller than DD and much less renowned. I would be using my skills with design under the office manager in this job, and sometimes the regional manager; but I hope I can work my way back up.
I stand facing my queen sized bed that has a couple outfits laid out to choose from, tapping my bare feet on my floor. Last night I had picked out either a periwinkle blue blazer, a white chiffon shirt and black pants or a grey woolen shift dress with a square neck and black tights. I go with the dress because that's what's more comfortable for me; I live in dresses or skirts because I often feel too short for pants. I put the dress on and look in the mirror as I smooth it down. I'm confident with my choice, it's definitely smart enough for a professional environment. It's a nice day but it's never very warm in Seattle so I slip on a khaki trench coat. I put on some moderate sized heel black boots and head out.
As I step outside my apartment building, excitement and nerves equally intertwine in my bloodstream making me shiver a little. I checked online and DD has a car park big enough that I decide to drive over in my Prius. It's a short drive from my place so I don't worry too much about wrinkling or creasing my work clothes.
I arrive a short while later, looking up at the huge building with awe. It's amazingly designed, but that's hardly surprising giving the company that it houses. The whole building is glass; but it doesn't look uniform as different lights appear to make each level of the building look different. The most interesting part is the way each level is laid out; they're all slightly different lengths and angles which almost makes it look like a huge stack of books. The bottom layer juts out a little to create a kind of awning above the entrance. This is where Denali Design is written in huge letters in black. There are white walls running around the edge of the floor level that house some stunning plants and flowers beyond them. I imagine on a nice day it would be nice to perch on these walls for lunch.
I find the employee car park easily enough thanks to clear signs. It's underground but there are plenty of lights. There are visitor spots so I park there, take a deep breath and head up to the area that I saw other people head into. There are a couple of elevators so I get in and press the button for reception.
The doors open to the lobby and I find that the inside of DD is just as magnificent as the outside. The floor is white marble and the walls are a crisp and clean white. There are some large interesting works of art that take up the wall space which takes away from the emptiness that could have been caused by too much white. All the pieces of art are landscapes, which I enjoy. I walk across to the reception desk and note a sign that says there is a cafe on this floor as well, I suppose like an employee lounge or canteen. I reach the desk which is also made of marble but it has many chrome accents to make it stand out. On the back wall in chrome letters is 'Denali Design Seattle' in the same font as the front of the building but obviously at a much smaller scale. There are two receptionists from what I can tell but only one is at her position at the moment. They appear to have computers and phones underneath the top part of the desk which helps to keep everything looking minimal and clean.
I make it to the desk and come face to face with a young looking girl with a head of wildly curly dark hair. She puts on a smile but it doesn't spread far across her face, making it look very forced
"Hello, welcome to Denali Design. How may I help you today?" She says brightly and I let out a breath.
"Hi, I'm Isabella Swan, I have an interview with Michael Newton today at 10am" I reply with a large smile, trying to make a good impression. I'm sure the receptionist twitches a little at Michael's name but it was so quick I can't be sure.
She taps something into her iPad that must have replaced computers for efficiency.
"Okay Miss Swan, thank you. Your interview will be in the conference room on level twenty. If you go to the elevators and go up to twenty, I will have someone meet you and escort you to the right place."
"Thank you," I reply, heading back to the elevators. It appears there's a wait this time, so I go to stand behind a couple. It's a man and a woman, the man is dressed impeccably in a dark blue suit that fits him very well all over. The woman is wearing something that doesn't seem too appropriate for a profession so I assume she's a client. The pink dress she's wearing is very tight and has a split up the back. Regardless of my original thought I applaud her for her confidence and figure to pull it off. They appear to be talking in hushed tones but I'm sure I can detect hisses and an angry tone which makes me uncomfortable, hoping the elevator will come soon.
My luck is in as it arrives just as I have the thought. No one else has appeared alongside me so just the three of us get into the elevator. I'm behind them so I see them from the front as they turn around to face the doors as I step in, and the minute my eyes meet the man's, I almost gasp. Piercing green eyes bore into mine. I flinch a little when an electric shock runs through me, and move to stand adjacent to the couple facing the doors like they are. I can't stop myself from turning my head slightly to try to look at the man with the green eyes some more. As soon as I do it I wish I hadn't, because I feel like I could cry at how beautiful this man is. I'm in shock. I didn't think it was possible for anyone that attractive to exist outside of film and Greek god statues. Does this man work here? I hope he's just a client because I don't know if I could cope knowing someone that perfect was in the same building as me every day.
He's tall, really tall. He looks like he's at least six two which already makes me feel like my knees will give out. Tall is my weakness. He has a full head of messy hair, and I wonder if he's styled it to look like that or if it just falls like that. It looks like someone's been running their hands through it in bed, and I wouldn't blame them one bit. I'd love to run my hands through that gorgeous hair. It's such an interesting colour too. It's brown but as the elevator lights glint off of it it looks almost bronze. He has a strong square jaw that I'd love to flick my tongue along, and from what I can see very toned and defined shoulders and arms. Shoulders are another weak spot, and his are the most perfect I've seen even with a suit on. I can only imagine how they'd look bare. The thought gives me goosebumps and I look away, scolding myself for being so unprofessional and desperate in my thoughts. I need to get a grip, it's not like he's the only attractive male I've met. My perusal luckily didn't take long, we're still heading up slowly.
Suddenly my skin feels like it's on fire, and I sense eyes on me. I know immediately it's the man and I stiffen slightly. There's a pull I can't ignore, so I give in and look to my right and find what I expected. Those unbelievable green eyes again, though they seem to have darkened somewhat. I watch as his eyes roam my body, looking me up and down. He isn't even shy about it, I couldn't believe his nerve! I may have just been having some inappropriate thoughts but I didn't have the confidence to act on it like this. His mouth pulls up into a crooked smirk and I scoff quietly.
"Masen, come on." A somewhat nasally voice breaks through the silence, causing this 'Masen' guy to turn away from me and back to the pink dress woman. "You know you want to." She purrs. I looked over again briefly and see that she has wrapped an arm around Masen's neck to pull him down slightly, she's almost as tall as him in her nude heels so it didn't take much effort. She starts whispering in his ear, nibbling on it. This is disgusting, I think, couldn't they wait one minute for me to be gone?! I turn back to face the doors, feeling a bit queasy. I really need to shake out of it.
I hear an intake of breath and a giggle and almost turn around to give the couple a piece of my mind but thankfully the doors open and a voice indicates I have reached level twenty. I hurry off the elevator without glancing back and find myself in a similar, though smaller version of the reception room in the lobby. There is a receptionist at the desk but a man is waiting in front of the desk with an iPad of his own.
"Isabella Swan?" He asks. I nod at him "Bella, please." I smile.
"Bella, I'm Jacob Black, I'll show you to your interview room" he replies. I look up at him, which is hard as he's so very tall. He has to be at least six four. He has amazing dark tan skin and very dark brown hair that was cropped neatly around his face. His brown eyes are very friendly as he looks at me, but he also seems to exude confidence. I would be willing to bet he was a very charismatic guy, so I wasn't surprised that he appeared to have been chosen as a mentor of some kind for prospective new employees.
"Great thank you." I answer. "Lead the way."
We round the corner to see a few desks arranged together in a large room, almost like office cubicles. As we head down the hallway I see a few offices that were there own separate rooms. At the end of the corridor there is a very large conference room with glass walls so you could see inside.
"Okay Bella, head inside and Mike will be right with you." Jacob says while holding open the door to the conference room.
I sit on the side with my back facing the hallway and smooth down my skirt. I get my bag which holds my portfolio of the designs I've done in my current company and references from the bigger clients. There weren't many as Seattle Design was a small company, but I had done a couple of bigger jobs that I was proud of such as a law firm and a large real estate office. I cringed a little as I thought of the latter job but shook it off, making myself prepare mentally for Michael Newton who was the manager of this team.
I turn and stand at the sound of a keypad code being entered and the door opens to reveal who I assume is Mr Newton. He looks to be mid to late thirties, with a pleasant enough smile and baby blue eyes. He's wearing a tan coloured suit which washes him out a little because of his sandy blonde hair.
"Isabella Swan?" He asks, reaching his hand out.
"Yes. It's nice to meet you Michael." I reply, shaking his outstretched hand.
"Please, call me Mike." He smiles, but he sounds a little smarmy.
"Then please call me Bella." I answer.
"Sure, have a seat Bella." He gestures. He sits down and begins the interview. I'm happy that there are no questions I wasn't expecting or that throw me. I'm particularly happy to see his eyebrow quirk in shock at my portfolio, which I determine to be a good thing as his mouth lifts at the corner too. It appeared for whatever reason that he wanted to keep a poker face regarding his thoughts on me until later. We finish up the interview about 30 minutes later.
"Well Bella, thank you for coming in today. I have a few more interviews today then either myself or my current assistant manager, Jacob, will be calling you with the news either way." He tells me as we stand again.
"Thank you very much for the opportunity, Mike." I answer, smiling sincerely, even an interview at somewhere as highly ranked as Denali Design was very impressive. I wondered where Jacob was going, as he obviously wouldn't be continuing as assistant manager in this team if that was the job I was interviewing for.
I smile and wave at Jacob as I head towards the elevator to leave. I decide to head to the reception level instead of the car park, as I think to myself that I'll get myself a coffee from the cafe and sit outside to reflect for a moment. The cafe area is just as lovely as the lobby though not as striking. The accents in the cafe are warmer, burnt oranges, browns and brass that reflects the sunlight coming in from the glass windows. There is a coffee machine as you walk in, so I head to it and get myself a latte. There aren't many people in the cafe at this time, which makes sense as it's in the middle of most people's work day.
I head out of the front entrance and turn left to sit on the white wall I thought about sitting on this morning. I notice that at the side of the building there seems to be a bit of concrete before the plants and trees begin, sitting under the shade of the roof. It almost reminds me of an alleyway but obviously nowhere near as creepy. I sip my coffee and feel myself begin to relax after the tension of the nerves that came with such an important interview. After visiting Denali Design I'm even more motivated to work here, something about it feels like a great fit for me. It's not that I'm unhappy where I am but this is my dream job. I really hope I made a good impression. I go over the interview and think about the good parts and worry about other parts. That's me all over, an over thinker. I finish my coffee and am about to head back in when I notice two figures at the side of the building. I feel awkward knowing that I'm the only one outside the building currently except them, and I don't know if they know I'm here. I'm assuming they don't by their precarious position.
It's my plan to just hurry past them and back into the building, but as I step closer I realise it's the same couple from the elevator. Typical. Why can I not get away from these two? I pause unsure what to do, but I'm still sneaking looks in their direction. That Masen guy has pink dress girl up against the wall, with one hand next to her head. The position looks intimate, and I notice his head bend to where her neck is as a feminine moan follows. I feel so uncomfortable now that I decide I'm just going to have to head inside, otherwise I could be partaking in exhibitionism and I really don't want to do that despite how fucking hot this guy is.
I pull myself together and walk swiftly past them, but I suppose I must have cast a shadow along the mouth of the 'alleyway' as I see them pull apart in my peripheral vision.
"Not now Tanya" Masen spits and I hear a scoff.