Jane in New York Pt. 01

This is a sequel to the series, "Jane's Happy Endings." I tried to write this chapter it is not completely necessary to read the previous story.

This story has quite a long build up before anything erotic happens, so please be patient. This chapter mainly focuses on catching up with all the characters. Please enjoy!

--

Three months after Jane left for New York, her previous supervisor, Maria, had still not recovered from the departure of her best employee.

"I'm still upset at you," Maria said, as she sat across from her boss, Jennifer. "If we had just made her a good offer instead of trying to lowball her, she might not be in New York right now."

Jane had taken a job in New York with the company Sunshine Industries after her company failed to make the competitive offer that she was promised. Maria advised them that they were making a terrible mistake with their slow approach, but they did not take heed of her advice.

"I've apologized a million times," said Jennifer. "But let me assure you, you will be part of the decision making from now on, and not Mark."

Mark was the one who suggested lowballing Jane, hoping to get her to work for their corporate office at a much cheaper salary than they originally planned to give her.

"It doesn't help that she's doing so well over there," Maria pointed out. "Have you noticed her online? She has been all over the place, getting deals and sponsorships. She really hit the ground running!"

"You're absolutely right. But I promise to make it up to you," Jennifer assured. "We have allocated money for your branch to hire a secretary."

"I appreciate that, but I don't think anyone can really replace Jane."

"This will be a much better position than the intern job Jane had and will be higher paying as well. We have a candidate coming in today for an interview. And we have two really good candidates coming in tomorrow. I need you to help me decide who we are going to hire."

Maria reluctantly agreed. Although her heart wasn't in it, she trusted herself to make a better decision than Jennifer, even if she was just lucky last time.

"Tell me about the one coming today," Maria requested.

"She's actually not the best candidate in the world," Jennifer reluctantly explained. "She is quite young and inexperienced. But the two that are coming tomorrow are really great candidates."

Maria sighed before standing up and rolling her eyes. "I just need a moment to refresh my brain," she said, before walking out the door of her office.

She went into the break room to get a cup of coffee where she ran into her prized worker.

"Veronica, what are you doing in here?"

"I just needed a mental break," she responded.

Veronica was previously in a relationship with the departed Jane. However, once she learned of Jane's offer from Sunshine Industries, she decided to lie to her, holding in her true feelings, so she could push her away to New York.

"You and me both!" Maria responded, also needing a mental break.

"What are you so stressed about?"

"I don't know how you are going to feel about this," she prompted. "But Jennifer wants to hire a new secretary to work here."

"A secretary?"

"Yes. Basically, a personal assistant for me. And she will help with some of the smaller tasks to assist you ladies, as well."

"Oh," Veronica reacted, as she rolled her eyes. "You mean, kind of like Jane's old position?"

She still wasn't over the departure of the popular intern. In her mind, she did the right thing by encouraging the former intern to go pursue her dreams in New York. However, she was never quite able get over her, like she thought she would. Being apart only made her realize just how important Jane was to her.

The Latina was still curvy but had lost some weight. She was in a state of depression and had lost her appetite. She just couldn't understand why she was so unhappy after convincing Jane to leave for a better life.

"Don't think of it as a replacement," Maria said. "Nobody will ever replace Jane, but we can use some help around here. Trust me, I'm not crazy about this either. But the company is desperate to get on track. And I'm not going to say no when they allocate more resources in our direction. I just can't take that risk."

"I understand," Veronica said with a blank face. She then shook her head, trying to snap out of the deep state of thought. "I'm fine. And you deserve to have a personal assistant."

After a relaxing break, both women were recharged and ready to get back to work. Maria went to her office as Veronica went back to her desk. But as Veronica was sitting down, Ashley and Monica, her co-workers, began to get nosy.

"So, why is Jennifer here?" Monica asked.

"I'm not exactly sure."

"Come on," Ashley said. "Maria must have told you something."

"She said they are hiring a secretary soon. Maybe Jennifer is here to do the interviews?"

"That makes sense!" Monica responded.

"Why don't they let you choose?" Ashley joked. "You're the one that seems to fall in love with the assistants. Who better to choose a keeper than you?"

Veronica was frequently annoyed with Ashley's antics. They used to be best friends, but for some reason Ashley had been poking fun at her ever since Jane left.

"Whatever, Ashley," Veronica said, as she rolled her eyes and got back to work. She was smart enough to understand what her co-worker was doing. But it was still a lot to deal with, considering how much she was hurting from the departure.

"Oh, you two stop it, please!" Monica intervened. She had watched the friction grow between the two and was growing very tired of it. She missed Jane as much as anyone, except Veronica. But she wanted their friendship to go back to the way it was.

"I know things have been stressful, but let's save all our venting for the bar, tomorrow night." Monica and Ashley had been planning on taking Veronica to their favorite sushi bar to try to get her mind off Jane.

It had been so long since the three of them had a girls' night together. Although Veronica and Ashley had some problems lately, they both looked forward to a night out, just like the old times.

--

Over in New York, Jane's new supervisor, Miranda, could not say enough positive things about her.

"This has been a very successful hire," she said, on the phone with the hiring coordinator, Cynthia.

"I'm glad it has worked out so well," Cynthia responded. "I have to say, it's very interesting how we came upon this gem."

"It sure is! But she and Camilla are tearing it up. And her ideas to focus on social media advertising have been a home run!"

"You're telling me! We've saved so much money and reached so many people at the same time."

"She doesn't know it yet, but she's the full package."

--

Jane sat in the office, trying to get several tasks accomplished at once. She really was a woman on a mission, primed to prove herself to the world and to anyone who doubted her.

The young Asian worker looked started wearing nicer clothes now that she had the money to update her style. She went to many popular events, so she always needed to look her best.

Jane found a gym and been working out seven days a week. Her little petite figure was now looking toned. She also had the money to eat healthy, after being on such a cheap diet when she was an intern. Most importantly, she was much more confident in herself.

As the clock struck four, her co-worker, Camilla, walked up to her. "Are you almost ready?" she asked.

"I just want to finish up a couple things," Jane responded. "You don't have to give me a ride home. I can just take a taxi, so you don't have to wait for me."

Jane left her car for her parents to sell. She flew out to New York with nothing but a suitcase and aspirations for a new start. Camilla and Miranda were taking turns giving her rides to work and back, just as they promised.

"Don't be silly, Jane," Camilla responded. "I'll just work on a few things until you're ready to go. No rush."

Jane got back to work but was still thrown off by how nice Camilla had been to her the entire time. She was starting to grow quite anxious of Camilla's kind behavior towards her.

Though she didn't expect anything but professionalism from the women of Sunshine Industries, she still felt a bit uneasy around Camilla. They were on equal playing fields, and candidates for the same promotions. As soon as she was hired, Jane thought there was no way Camilla would be accepting of her. However, her new co-worker had been nothing but nice to Jane.

"So, no luck finding a place yet?" Camilla asked on the drive.

"Excuse me?" Jane asked, as she tried to snap out of her deep thought.

"An apartment," she clarified. "You're still just staying in this hotel? It must be getting pretty expensive."

"Oh yes! It is getting pretty expensive. But I've narrowed it down to a few places."

"Do you mind telling me which ones?"

"Yeah, sure," Jane answered. But as she started to list her options, her new co-worker immediately grew concerned.

"I know those are cheaper, but they're either far away or not in the best areas."

"I know this might sound hypocritical, since I'm wasting so much money on this hotel, but I've always stayed in cheap apartments. I guess I'm just not ready to make a decision yet, even though I know I have to make one soon."

"I understand," Camilla assured, as she pulled up to the hotel. "Why don't you just stay with me until you figure out your living situation? That would at least relieve you from the pressure and from paying the expensive hotel fees."

"Oh, no I couldn't... I mean I would never impose."

"It wouldn't be a problem at all," she once again assured. "I know you don't have very many things. And I have an extra bedroom that I don't use. It would be like living alone because I won't even bother you."

"That's so nice of you to offer," Jane said. "But I just can't..."

"Just take some time to think about it," Camilla interrupted, with a smile on her face. "No pressure at all. And don't be afraid to say no."

"Okay... Yeah, I'll think about it. Thank you so much...for offering. You're so kind."

"No problem, Jane. Have a good night."

As the Asian woman got out of the car and grabbed her things, she quickly tapped on the glass to thank her co-worker for the ride home, before she drove off.

Jane went upstairs to her room. When she got inside, she dropped her stuff and went straight for the bed. As she plopped down and stared at the ceiling, she thought to herself, "Why the hell is she so nice to me?!"

"None of this makes sense," she said, as she flipped the TV on, hoping to take her mind off all her stresses.

She hated to think the worst in people, especially those that seemed to be doing her favors, but she couldn't help but have her suspicions.

"This hotel IS getting expensive though," she said, as she started calculating the weekly price in her head. "What's the worst that can happen? I can just come right back to the hotel if something goes wrong."

She was still weary, but the more she thought about it, the more enticing the offer became.

--

Back at the old office, Jennifer had started an interview with one of the applicants while Maria was out finishing an important meeting. When she came back in, Jennifer met her outside of the interview room and quickly briefed her.

"I'm going to be honest with you, Maria. She isn't the strongest candidate. But I think it's still important that you go in there and ask her a few questions."

"Oh, great," Maria said, as she rolled her eyes.

"She came in a little late and she is quite young and inexperienced," her boss explained.

"Then what's the point of me going in there?"

"Look, I apologize for the way everything went down with Jane. But this is me relinquishing more power to you. I have my opinions about the applicants, but ultimately, it's your decision."

"Okay, okay, okay. I'll go in there and talk to her."

As Maria stepped in, she noticed a short and petite young lady with tan skin and bright blonde highlights throughout her dark hair. As she stepped around the other side of the table, she got a better look at the young lady who had an extremely innocent and cute face.

"Hello."

"Hello!" the young applicant replied, with nervous excitement.

"What's your name?"

"Carmen."

"How old are you, Carmen?" she asked, as she started looking through her resume.

"I'm twenty-one..."

"Twenty-one?!" the supervisor asked, as she looked up at the young lady.

She was completely caught off guard by how young she was. Maria was also young for her role. She was only thirty-one but had been a supervisor for a few years. But despite that, she was still surprised at her new applicant's age.

"Yes," she replied with a nervous giggle.

Maria could easily detect how nervous the applicant was.

"Well let me introduce myself. My name is Maria. I am the director at this branch. You are actually being interviewed to be MY secretary and assistant."

"Oh... okay," the timid woman responded, as she gulped.

"I see your transcripts from college in here. What did you get your degree in?"

"I actually didn't finish my degree..." Carmen quietly answered.

"You... didn't... finish?"

"No, Ma'am..."

"When do you finish?" Maria asked.

"I actually dropped out," she reluctantly answered.

"Hmm..." Maria reacted, as she closed her folder and made direct eye contact with the young lady. "So, what work experience do you have?"

"I worked as a waitress for two years. Oh, and I used to be a lifeguard. But those aren't really relevant for this job, are they?"

Maria just smiled before standing up and saying, "Jennifer will be here to talk to you. Have a nice day Carmen." She then walked towards the door to leave the meeting.

"Oh, okay... Thank you..."

Before the supervisor reached the door, she stopped and turned around to say one last thing to the young applicant.

"By the way, do you think your dress is appropriate for an interview at a fashion company?"

"My dress?"

"A little short and unprofessional, don't you think?"

"Oh... I'm sorry Ma'am. I... should have picked something better..." she said, with a defeated voice.

Maria then walked into the hallway where she was greeted by Jennifer.

"So, how did it go?" her boss asked.

"You can cancel the two interviews for tomorrow," Maria said, as she walked past Jennifer.

"Wait...what do you mean?"

"I've already found my secretary," she answered, with a smile.

"Her?!" Jennifer asked, completely shocked.

"Yes," Maria answered. "Her."

--

The next day, Jane waited patiently as she expected Miranda to pick her up. It was her supervisor's turn since she and Camilla had been alternating on giving Jane rides.

To Jane's surprise, she received a text message from Camilla instead of Miranda.

"I'm here."

She was confused but she went downstairs and found Camilla's car.

"Good morning, Jane."

"Hey Camilla. Wasn't Miranda supposed to give me a ride today?"

"Yes, but I told her that I would do it," she explained. "It's pretty convenient for me. You're directly on my way to work. But for her, she has to go out of her way, so I just thought it would be easier on everyone this way.

"Oh, wow!" Jane reacted. "That's so nice of you. You've been so nice to me since I got here."

"Well did you expect me to be mean to you or something?"

"Of course not," Jane responded. "I just really appreciate it."

Camilla smiled at her before taking off. "Well, I promised I would help you out when you moved out here. And I like to keep my promises."

Although she was very polite, there was still a bit of weird tension in the air, mostly coming from Jane's anxiety. However, she had put a lot of thought into Camilla's offer the previous night and was ready to talk about it.

"So, are you sure it would be okay for me to stay at your place, until I find a place of my own?"

"I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't sure."

"I think it makes a lot of sense for me to accept your help. But I am willing to pay you rent, and to help out with anything you need, while I'm there."

"Don't worry Jane. I like to think I have a good eye for people. And I don't think you're the type of person that would take advantage of me."

"Thank you so much..."

"Besides, you and I have to go to a lot of conferences and shows together. It would actually be pretty convenient."

"That does make sense," Jane responded with a nod. "I actually have a lot of fun at those events."

"I'm glad you like them," Camilla said. "We have a lot of events coming up."

"That's fine with me!" the cute Asian happily responded.

But as they kept driving, Jane had an important question to ask about her living situation.

"Camilla?"

"Yes, Jane?"

"Do you live alone?"

"Why do you ask?"

"I just wanted to know if you are the only person I'm going to be living with."

"I used to live with somebody," Camila admitted. "But not anymore."

"A former roommate?"

"Such personal questions, Jane!" Camilla jokingly responded. "But if you must know, I had an on-again-off-again boyfriend that was living with me for a while. We aren't together anymore, so he moved out."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Jane responded. "What happened?"

"Don't worry, Jane. In time, I will tell you. But I don't think this is the right time."

Jane respected Camilla's advice and stopped asking about it. There was something about her that could be mysterious, in yet so intimidating. But there wasn't much time for pondering as they were immediately called in to a meeting with Miranda once they showed up to work.

"Thank you for joining me, ladies," their supervisor said, has she greeted them.

"Is everything okay?" Jane asked.

"Everything is great!" Miranda assured. "I just wanted to commend you two for doing such a great job. But there are a few larger events I will need you both to attend."

"Oh really?" Jane asked.

"Yes, Jane. I used to go on a lot of these trips with Camilla. But now, I have a lot of work I need to do with corporate. So, I'll need you to attend these events with her instead of me.

"I think I can handle it," the young Asian responded, a bit nervously.

"In a couple weeks, I will need you to spend the weekend in Philadelphia, meeting with some experts and attending a few events. I will fly you both out there and book you a hotel. Once you get there, just follow Camilla's lead."

"Don't worry," Camilla assured. "Jane and I will take care of everything."

"I know you will. You two are becoming such a strong dynamic duo."

"Thank you," Jane said, appreciating both of them for trusting her with such an important task.

"Learn as much as you can from Camilla. You are going to be going on a lot of these business trips."

"I appreciate your trust in me," Jane said, as she thought about the wonderful opportunities that lay ahead of her.

When the meeting ended, Jane went to her desk and worked hard for the rest of her day, setting up meetings and working on individual projects. Only a few times a day would she let her mind drift off.

She ran the company's social media page and emphasized how important it was to attract and market to the younger generations. She took a lot of photos at the events and made sure they were always tagged.

But as she got on her social media, it became difficult not to type Veronica's name in the search engine. Just as she started typing, "Ver," she Jane changed her mind and deleting it as she clutched her fist and snapped out of her weak moment.

Although they had left things on a somewhat positive note, Jane and Veronica had not spoken since she left for New York. Both were still hurting too much.

Veronica thought it was best to not contact her. She figured it would prevent them from moving on. And Jane was still upset that Veronica tried to portray their relationship as if it meant nothing to her, even if it was a lie.