Upon entering the 25th floor we were presented with double glass doors with DELUCA & ASSOCIATES engraved in frosted letters. Jeremy opened the door and, as always, allowed me in first. There were cherry hardwood floors, and the blond receptionist was seated behind a high desk in the center of the room. On the right side of her desk there were two chairs, a sofa, and a coffee table for guests. The same exact arrangement was on the left side of her desk. We walked towards the receptionist whom Jeremy instantly found attractive. I could tell by his flirtatious smile. He leaned his arm over the desk and winked at her; she blushed immediately. I rolled my eyes.
“How may I help you?” she asked him a little too seductively.
“We’re the new summer externs, and I would love to take you out.” He leaned in closer onto the desk and flashed a huge grin. Her face turned a darker shade of red, and she looked down shyly to compose herself. She finally looked up.
“I would love that too…Mr. DeLuca is waiting for all the externs in the small conference room. Head down that hall, the first door to the left. Oh and here’s my number—call me after work some time.” She winked, and I almost barfed.
Jeremy grabbed the piece of paper and placed it in his jacket pocket. I rolled my eyes at him again. He caught my reaction this time and placed his arm around my waist. He walked beside me as we headed towards the conference room. “Jealous, much?” he asked.
“Ha! You wish. You’re a pig. You couldn’t even wait to settle in the new job for five minutes before trying to get your dick in someone’s skirt!” He didn’t respond just smiled at me; he knew I was right!
“You’re such a womanizer.” I breathed.
As we entered the door, he slapped my ass: his response to my comment. I turned and punched his arm. He rubbed his throbbing bicep. Well at least I hoped it was throbbing. He looked down at me with a crooked smile. I couldn’t help but laugh in response. In the middle of our goofing around, I heard someone clear his throat. I turned around to see who it was. There he was, Marcus, sitting at the head of the conference table; he looked tense and very upset. Sitting beside him was a red-headed woman. She stood from her seat and gave us a polite smile. Jeremy and I made our way towards them.
“Nice to see you again, Jeremy, please have a seat, and you must be Mia? I’m Lisa Harper, very nice to meet you.” She offered her hand and I shook it. Marcus and Jeremy said their hellos before Jeremy sat next to him on the opposite side of the table across from Lisa. I was left with no choice but to either take a seat next to Jeremy, next to Lisa, or on the other end of the table directly across from Marcus.
“It’s very nice to meet you as well, Ms. Harper, Marcus.” I shot him a nervous smile and a slight wave of my hand. He nodded in response, not taking his eyes off me as I made my way around the table to sit next to Jeremy. I felt so uncomfortable. He seemed angry, or was this just the mask he wore at work?
I didn’t dare look in his direction, but I could feel the heat of his stare. I knew this would be awkward. I should have known something was up when I didn’t receive a text from him this morning. Screw that shit! I can play this game as well. I’ll show him he doesn’t intimidate me. I straightened my shoulders and folded my hands on top of the table, avoiding eye contact with him.
“We are just waiting for the other two externs before getting started. They should be here any moment. Please help yourself to coffee and pastries by the coffee table over there.” Lisa pointed behind Marcus. Both Jeremy and I thanked her but declined the offer.
The next few minutes were horrendous as Lisa and Jeremy spoke, and I sat there twirling my fingers. I could see from my peripheral vision Marcus grabbing his phone and dabbing his thumbs on the keys; it looked like he was sending an email or text. I felt my phone vibrate against the table. When I glanced at my screen, I saw the text was from him.
Marcus (8:56am): What the hell was that?
Me (8:56am): What?
Marcus (8:57am): Your little entrance with Jae!
It took me seconds to respond. Is that what he was upset about? Jeremy and I were only kidding…we were goofing around like we always do.
Me (8:57am): We were just joking around.
Marcus (8:58am): I didn’t like it! At all!
What do I say to that? I’m sorry for clowning around with my best friend? What the hell is his problem? I just stared at my phone for a few seconds, not knowing how to reply. He seemed very angry, but I couldn’t believe it was over that. I was trying to gather my thoughts to find the right words to respond. Luckily the other two externs walked in, and I quickly put my phone away. That would buy me time to think of something to say. They said their hellos and took their seats before Marcus began talking.
“Good morning, everyone, as you may already know I’m Marcus DeLuca, and this is Lisa Harper. She is my right hand. Any issue you may have, you go to her first, and if it’s something she’s not able to handle, she will bring it to my attention to be solved. The four of you were carefully selected for the summer extern positions. As you are aware, we have four separate departments. Each department is handled by a partner of the firm.
“Each of you will be assigned to one of the departments, working closely with the partner. Jeremy, you’ll be working with Jason Peirce in the civil department. Tasha, you’ll be working with Cynthia Evers in the contracts department. David, you will be working with Tracy Long in the antitrust department, and Mia, you will be working with me in the criminal department.” I looked up, shocked. No one seemed to notice or even care that I’d be working hand in hand with Marcus. Well except for Jeremy whose foot slightly nudged against mine.
“I’m sure all of you will do a great job. Lisa already has discussed your pay rate, and you’ll be getting paid on a weekly basis. At the end of your term, a letter will be sent to the university signed by the partner you have worked with. The letter will discuss which cases you’ve worked on and the hours you have put in. That will be all for now unless anyone has any questions…okay, then, Lisa will you take the externs and introduce them to the partners they will be working with? Mia, you can follow me, and I will get you settled in.”
Marcus stood up and walked toward the door. I quickly jumped from my seat, but Jeremy grabbed my arm before I turned to leave. “Want to do lunch today?” he asked.
I glanced over my shoulder to see Marcus staring at me and waiting by the doorway. “Uh, I’ll shoot you a text and let you know.” I quickly grabbed my belongings and rushed to the door. I walked directly behind him as I followed in his direction. Not watching where I was walking, I almost tripped over my own heels.