Brazen and Breathless (Untouchable #6) - Heather Long Page 0,47
him.
Jake: Or knock him out. Whichever works.
I groaned.
Coop: Ignore Jake, he’s being an ass.
Ian: Angel, you’re going to be great. We can’t wait to hear how the first day went.
Archie: Don’t forget to give Susan a candy bar when you meet her. Trust me, she’ll get it.
I bit back another smile, and then fired off several quick responses to them and one last one to the group text.
Me: Boys, be good. I’m fine. I’ll check in, like I promised. I’ll even eat all my veggies at lunch. I’m putting my phone away now because I have to go inside. Do not freak out if I don’t text or read your texts for a few minutes. I love all of you.
Then I snapped a picture of myself blowing a kiss. It looked stupid as hell, and I sent it along with the message.
Then I texted Rachel.
Me: Can you keep an eye on them?
Her answer was an image of all four of them.
Rachel: If I must. Though whatever you just sent must be good because Jake had to adjust himself. Boy seems to be packing.
I groaned.
Me: You’re terrible.
Rachel: And you love me for it. But not as much as what he’s packing.
Me: You keep talking like that and you’re totally gonna flunk the Bechdel test.
I was almost to the main doors when I got her response. It was just a picture of her middle finger, and I grinned.
At least it changed the subject.
Inside, all the jitters were back in full force as I checked in at the desk and they directed me to a set of elevators to go to the third floor, where I would meet with someone from human resources. The lady was actually waiting for me when the elevator doors opened.
Linda was a friendly woman, probably in her forties with a hint of gray sprinkled through her dark brown hair. She had pale brown eyes, but they were filled with mirth as she introduced herself. “You’re one of our two interns this year,” she told me with no small measure of excitement. “I’m a huge fan of this program.”
“Oh?”
“Yes,” she assured me. “We don’t always get our first picks, but we lucked out this year. So let’s get you set up, and then we’ll go up to the conference room. You’ll be with us most of the day. We have some basic materials to introduce you to Standish Enterprises and what we do here, as well as a full overview of each division.”
As she spoke, she moved at a fast clip, and I had to stretch my legs to keep up with her. Considering she wore four-inch heels and I was in flats, I wasn’t quite sure how she managed that stride.
“First stop is here, Francesca?” She paused a beat and gave me a glance.
“I’d prefer Frankie.” Not that she’d given me time to introduce myself.
“No problem, Frankie,” she told me with a warm smile as she knocked on the first door before opening it and ushering me into what looked like another larger office with four or five desks. “This is the security office on our floor. “Steve Madison, this is Frankie Curtis.”
Steve was easily six and a half feet tall. No exaggeration. He’d tower over Jake and Ian both. He was also built broad with thick biceps that seemed to strain, even in the cut of his suit. The man offered me his hand and smiled. “You’re a friend of Archie’s, right?”
“I am,” I said.
“Fantastic, come on over and let’s get you your security badge, while Linda hurries off to the fifteen other things she has to do.”
“You’re a lifesaver, Steve. When she’s done here, can you show her to the blue room?”
“Yep.”
Before I could say another word, Linda was gone. Soon, I was sitting down to get my photo taken and filling out the information to get a security card printed. He added the card to a lanyard before he held it out to me. Then we went over security procedures, including never letting anyone surf in behind me. If they didn’t have their own ID card, they had to have an escort.
I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to fend them off with a stick, but I promised to make sure the doors closed. Steve just chuckled at me, then had me bring up my phone and download an app. Archie hadn’t mentioned that Standish had an app, and I had to clear my screen of messages before I loaded it.