Requirements: whatever you got, Salary: whatever we can take
He was the only thing to look at in the sleek lobby. Ceiling high glass windows and brushed steel everything ran together into a single feeling, like muzak sculpted into a physical space. He sat with his foot on his knee playing a DS in one of the swooped back leather chairs in the waiting area. He wore a charcoal trench coat over a navy suit and concrete grey tie. His boyish face was framed by a trimmed beard and straight brown hair, styled as sleek as if he had done it in a single motion. You could imagine him as someone who never had to adjust his life to fit into a nine to five. Nevertheless, he was here for a job interview. It seemed an act of defiance.
“Hello, Mr. Carpenter?” A small woman, with a bounce like a gymnast in a pantsuit, walked towards him from the elevator lobby. She took him for a neckbeard all cleaned up, until he looked at her.
“Yes?” His eyes reminded her of a mugshot she had seen somewhere, or the grey-blue stare of a Cane Corso.
“I’m Kelsey. They’re ready for you now.”
He stood, well over six feet tall and at least three hundred pounds, with an ease she suspected came from never having to shy away from a physical confrontation.
“Awesome, and you can call me Bryan.” Said Michael, shaking her hand. He put the DS in his inside pocket and followed her across the marble floor.
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He noted five men, behind the desk or up on the loft, who stood with a calm that wasn’t corporate and the bulge of a plate carrier under their suits. He imagined they took no notice of him, and they didn’t.
In the elevator, Michael turned to Kelsey and spoke to the top of her head.
“How is your day going so far?”
“It's good. How about you?”
“It's great, I like this part of town. Probably stay in the area afterwards. What's your favorite spot for lunch?”
She tried to decide if he was hitting on her.
“I like the Vietnamese place near the movie theater, Real Pho Grill. It's in the shopping center with the dance studio. “
“Ah, nice. I’ll check it out. Maybe I’ll see you there.”
She smiled at the floor.
“Maybe.”
The elevator dinged open and he followed her out. They passed a man in a dark suit with a Bluetooth in his ear sitting in the waiting area. Kelsey thought he looked like an FBI agent. She had seen a lot of guys like that lately and had updated her resume just in case. Her sister had been unemployed for half a year after her CEO got caught. “I should’ve ran when I saw all those suits poking around.” She said every time she talked about it, glass in hand, eyes tired from double shifts and retail horrors.
Kelsey led him to a row of glass conference rooms along the edge of the office floor. Three management types stood waiting.
“This is Bryan Carpenter. Bryan, this is David, Aaron, and Stephanie.” Kelsey said. They shook his hand and thanked Kelsey. As she walked back towards her desk, Michael called out to her.
“Bye Kelsey! If I don’t see you again, enjoy your lunch!”
Half the office looked over and Michael grinned and went through the door. David raised an eyebrow and followed him in.
She sat back down at the reception desk and tried to ignore the blue-grey eyes floating everywhere. A message tagged urgent popped up on the IM system.
“Did you see Paul Taylor leave for lunch?”