Jane's Happy Endings Ch. 19

After such an unexpected and erotic lunch break with Veronica, Jane had to gather herself and drive over an hour to her meeting with the corporate office. She was left breathless by the sexy Latina. Her thong was still soaked, but it was a delightful reminder of the time they had together.

She quickly sprayed a bit of perfume on herself before putting her jacket on. Though Jane worked for a fashion company, she didn't have the money to have very nice clothes. She was wearing her best outfit, hoping it would impress the interviewers.

"I can do this," she said, as she took a deep breath. "I deserve this!"

Jane had grown a lot in the past few months. She was once a shy and insecure girl, just trying to survive at a new company. Now she was an accomplished woman, with the confidence she needed to interview for a promotion.

She needed the entire hour-long drive to get her heart rate down, but it only grew as she got closer and closer to her destination. When she finally showed up, she was greeted by the receptionist before being brought inside. Jane was taken to a conference room where she was introduced to two people, including Jennifer, who she recognized from the conference call.

"Hello Jane," Jennifer said. "Thank you for meeting with us."

"Thank you for having me today!" Jane responded. She was nervous, as she found herself in the same room with these important people.

Jennifer formally introduced herself, along with the other person. "As you know, I'm Jennifer. I am head of the department. This is Mark, the chief operating officer."

"It's so nice to meet you both."

The meeting began with each of the members explaining their specific roles and duties within the company. Jane was impressed as they shared their visions for the future of the company.

It started to feel like a real interview when they started asking about her experiences and responsibilities with the company. She was nervous, but she answered with confidence.

"Well, as you know, I am an intern. After graduating from college, I applied here because I fell in love with the fashion industry. I figured I could get important work experience here, and maybe even work my way up to a full-time job someday."

"When I first started working here, I was just doing some small tasks so the employees could focus on their important responsibilities. I would do little jobs like refill the water, make coffee, make some of the easy service calls, pick up packages, and other easy tasks like that."

"Yes, that is what we expect from an intern position," Jennifer responded. "So, how did it get to the point where you were helping with such an important project?"

"I guess over the past few months, I was able to help a bit more than expected. I may not have the work experience, but I was willing to learn, so I could help. I was able to type some of the items up or make the documents look more presentable. As time went on, they began trusting me with even more responsibilities."

"As my own work became easier, I was able focus on helping the others even more. One of the girls there, Veronica..."

"Yes, we know who Veronica is," Jennifer confirmed.

"Well, we are actually pretty close. I've helped her on a few of the projects. She's really busy, so I do what I can to help her."

"Is that so?" the group asked.

"Yes," Jane answered. "Before the presentation, last Friday, Maria asked Veronica to help her finish a few projects. She let Veronica choose one person to stay late and help with the projects."

"And she chose you, I'm assuming?"

"Yes! Even though I'm an intern, they trusted me to help them with the important projects."

"And you ended up taking over?" Jennifer asked.

Jane tried not to blush, as she remembered that she took over the projects once Veronica and Maria fell asleep after an intense session of sex. Surely, she couldn't tell them about that.

"I secretly took over some of their tasks. I just wanted to help them out. I never planned on taking credit for it, but Maria insisted on giving me credit."

"And how did you know how to finish their projects?"

"I've looked things they submitted, on my own," Jane explained. "I just thought it would be good for future references. But outside of that, I just kind of winged it."

The group looked completely confused. "You winged it? You did that well...just by winging it?"

"I just planned on doing my best, and if they wanted to change anything, they could fix it quickly. I came up with some designs to finish off the work they already started. I thought they would change several things."

"But they didn't, did they?"

"Maria told me she didn't change anything. She just added some notes, based on the format that you all wanted."

"That's really impressive, Jane," Jennifer said. She and Mark began to talk quietly amongst each other.

Then Mark turned and looked at her. "Jane, if you don't mind, we want to ask you a few more questions."

"Of course."

"How old are you?"

"I'm twenty-three," Jane answered.

"Wow, so young!" the they chattered. "We knew you were young, but we didn't know you were that young."

"Yeah," she answered, as she blushed. "Is that a bad thing?"

"Not a bad thing. Just makes it even more impressive."

They continued to talk, never getting too personal or finding out too much about Jane's personality. She was actually happy that they didn't dig too deep, but she was also a bit surprised that they didn't ask her more questions. Overall, Jane felt pretty happy with the way she conducted herself. The interviewers also seemed pleased with her answers.

"So, Jane," Jennifer started. "This is what we want to do..."

The anticipation was killing her as the big moment finally arrived.

"With what we've seen and heard about you, we think you have so much potential. You're doing so many good things for such a young woman! We feel like you have a lot of room to grow. Are you interested in relocating here?"

"I'm interested."

"We have a position available here. It's almost liked an intern position, but it comes with a significant pay increase."

"Intern position?" Jane asked in confusion. "Like, the same job I already have, except out here?"

"Not exactly," Maria responded. "You would be working in the COO's office. You would be learning from him and there would be a path to some very prestigious positions!"

Jane was still perplexed by the thought of retaining her intern title. They did a good job of fluffing the position up. But still, she had a lot more digging to do before she could really decide how she felt.

"How much more will I be paid?"

"Well starting out, it would be a fifteen percent increase. But you'll be on a path that will lead to several higher paying jobs. So, it's not about your pay right now. It's about the trajectory that you will be on and setting up your bright future!"

The fifteen percent increase wasn't exactly what Jane was hoping for. However, she did like the trajectory she would be on. And she was confident enough in her abilities to work her way up.

"How long do you think it would take to get a higher position?"

"It just depends," Jennifer said. "There is no way of knowing. But in time, we will find out."

Though Jane was confident in herself, she wished she could get a little more clarity on her future. However, the conversations continued to be quite vague after that.

"Look, we know you have a lot to think about. This is probably a lot for you to take in.

How about you go home and take some time to think about the offer. This isn't something you want to decide in one day. After that, we can go through our extensive benefits package. There's a lot of value in our benefits package!"

After their meeting was adjourned, Jane was left with more questions than she arrived with. She drove home as she contemplated everything that happened. She wasn't usually one to talk on the phone while driving, but with the long drive she had plenty of time to spare. She had to call her favorite person.

"So how did it go?!" Veronica asked.

"It was pretty good."

Veronica could easily pick up the hesitant tone in Jane's voice. "Pretty good?" she asked.

"Yeah, they talked to me about moving up there...for an intern position."

"An intern position?"

"Yeah. They said there is a path to upper management. But at the beginning, I would start with another intern position under the Chief Operating Officer."

"Well that sounds amazing!" Veronica exclaimed.

"You think so?"

"I mean, it might have the same title of intern. But I think you have a better opportunity over there than you do here." She wasn't really convinced about it either. She thought that Jane deserved more but she wanted to be encouraging and show her support.

"I guess you're right," Jane said.

"It does come with more pay, doesn't it?"

"A little more but not as much as I hoped."

"I understand," Veronica sympathized. "You deserve so much more. But I'm sure once they see how amazing you are, you will be on your way to the top!"

"Thanks, Veronica. You always make me smile."

"Anytime, mami."

"Well if you don't mind, I think I should call Maria and talk to her about it."

"That's a great idea!" Veronica responded. "She knows them much better than I do. She could probably give you much better advice than I can."

They quickly said their goodbyes as Jane hung up and called her supervisor.

"Hi Jane! I was expecting your call."

"Hi Maria!"

"How did it go?"

"I think it went well. But I thought I was going to be offered a completely different job."

"What kind of job did they talk to you about?"

"They said it would be an intern position in the COO's office."

"Oh, Mark's office?"

"Yeah," Jane answered. "But they said even though it technically has the same title, it's a completely different position, because it's on a career path that leads to upper management jobs."

"That's...a bit strange," Maria admitted. "I was under the impression that you are going to be offered something else." Maria then became suspicious that the company might be trying to take advantage of the loyal woman.

"Did they discuss your salary?"

"They said I would get about a fifteen percent boost in pay for now, but it would lead me to much higher paying jobs in the future."

"Just a fifteen percent?"

"Yeah...but they haven't told me about the benefits package yet." Jane was trying to convince herself as much as she was trying to convince the others.

"I understand the benefits package is valuable," Maria explained. "But, I just thought they were going to offer you more money."

"So did I. But I guess it's okay. It seems like there are a lot of opportunities over there. Maybe it will work out for me in the future."

"Yeah, I guess that's a good way of looking at it." Maria suddenly felt an enormous amount of guilt. She began to worry that she got Jane's hopes too high.

"Do you think this is still a good offer?" Jane asked.

Maria had to do something. She felt responsible for Jane's future. "Jane, I think you have more power in this fight than you believe. I don't think it would be a bad idea at all for you to ask for more money, especially with them expecting you to relocate. And maybe you could even ask them for more details on the jobs the internship would lead to."

"Are you sure?" Jane asked.

"There's a lot of hype around you right now. They obviously want you. I think it would be in your best interest to see what else you can get."

"You're right! I can at least try."

"Yeah, you should definitely try. Sometimes these things just take some extra effort."

"I will talk to them about that. I have another meeting with them on Friday."

Jane hung the phone up, feeling a little more motivated and encouraged. But as the millions of thoughts started to run through her mind, her phone began to ring.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Jane?"

"Yes, this is Jane."

"Good evening, Jane. This is Cynthia."

"Cynthia?" Jane asked.

"Yes, Cynthia from Sunshine Industries."

"Oh my God! Yes Cynthia! Hi, how are you?"

Cynthia began to laugh. "Did you forget about me already?"

"No, no, no, no!" Jane said, as she was worried that she offended her. "I was just on the phone and I am driving. I didn't realize who I was talking to!"

"Oh sorry! If your busy I can call back later if you want."

"No, I can talk right now! It's just I'm driving so I hope that doesn't bother you."

"No, it will be really quick. First of all, how are you doing today?"

Jane was a bit surprised that Cynthia asked, but she figured it might be rhetorical. "Oh, I'm good. It's just a busy day for me."

"I definitely understand. But everything is okay?"

"Yes! Thanks for asking!"

"Okay great. Now, I just need to ask, are you still interested in interviewing with us?"

"Yes of course!"

"Excellent! Are you available for a video interview today?"

"Wait, what? Today? You want to interview me today?"

"Yes. I know this is last minute, but we have everyone together today. So, it would be best if we could just get this done, as soon as possible."

Jane felt completely unprepared, but she knew this was an opportunity of a lifetime. "I can do it once I get home. I'll be home in an hour, if that's okay with you."

"Awesome!" Cynthia responded, with excitement. "Don't get nervous. It's just a short interview so we can get to know each other."

"Okay," Jane said, as she took a deep breath.

"Hey, don't worry. Like I told you before, this is to see if you think we are a fit or not. Don't put extra pressure on yourself. Just let me know when you get home and we can start the call."

"Okay, I'll let you know as soon as I get home!"

They hung up before a huge rush of adrenaline went through Jane's body.

"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!" she frantically yelled in the car. "I'm not even ready!"

As she parked at her apartment, she quickly rushed inside to get ready for the interview. She started cleaning the area that would be on camera, making sure everything looked okay. She then notified Cynthia that she was ready for the interview.

Jane's head was spinning in circles, as everything was happening so fast. She didn't even have a second to take a deep breath before the video chat application started ringing on her laptop.

As she clicked to answer the call, she quickly noticed three women, sitting at a table in front of the camera. One of them, a pretty woman with very tan skin and blonde highlights in her long dark hair greeted her.

"Hello Jane."

"Oh, hello!"

"My name is Cynthia, I am the one you've been speaking with on the phone. Nice to finally meet you."

"Hi Cynthia! Nice to meet you too!"

"Thank you for joining us on such short notice. We just really wanted to get this done as quickly as possible."

"No problem. Thank you for having this interview with me."

Cynthia began introducing the other ladies on the call. 'This is Camila." She pointed at a Hispanic woman with bleach blonde dyed hair and hazel eyes. She is the assistant coordinator at one of our branches."

Jane felt a bit intimidated, looking at the young successful woman.

"Hi, Jane," Camila said. "I look forward to working with you."

Jane felt a rush of adrenalin. She didn't know whether it was sincere not, but she felt appreciation from Camila's greeting.

"And this is Miranda," Cynthia continued. "She is the coordinator and director." She pointed at a tall brunette with fair skin and lovely green eyes.

"Hi," Jane said, trying not to feel intimidated by her possible future superiors.

"Hi, Jane," Miranda responded. "It's very nice to finally meet you."

"Nice to finally meet me?" Jane thought to herself. "How long have these women known about me?"

"Is everything okay?" Miranda asked.

Jane quickly snapped out of her deep state of thought. "Yes! Sorry I was just surprised that you all already knew about me."

"Of course they do," Cynthia responded. "We have been discussing your application for some time now. Ever since we saw your update online, we have been targeting you as a really strong candidate for our company."

"That's so nice of you! I am honored!" Jane quickly tried to gather herself as she knew the interview questions were about to come. She felt lucky that she just had another interview. She assumed she would probably be using a lot of the same answers from the last one.

"Let's start off with a few questions, shall we?" Cynthia prompted.

"Okay. I'm ready."

"I'll start with the first question," Miranda announced. "What made you decide on a career in the fashion industry?"

Jane was taken back a bit by the question. "I guess, in college I wasn't happy with the direction of my future. I realized how much time I spent looking at the fashion industry. Then I started learning about more jobs, and I even saw some cool jobs on TV. I started thinking that my dream job might be in the fashion industry."

"That makes a lot of sense, Jane. What was your major in college?"

"I actually majored in accounting. I've always been good at math and I figured that would help me get a good job. But then I realized how much I hated accounting. I thought about changing my major, but I figured I was too close to finishing my degree. I have to admit, I regret not changing my major."

"I appreciate your honest assessment of yourself," Miranda said. "But I think you're good with the path you took."

"Oh, really?"

"Not everyone takes the same road to get to the same destination. I think it speaks volumes that you found something that you love more and took a chance on it."

Cynthia also joined in with the compliments. "I think it only builds your skill set. You are obviously good with computers, math and accounting. Those are things that you need in business. But you also have an eye for fashion. It shows with the projects you did for your current company."

"Thank you so much!" Jane responded. She really felt a level of appreciation that she didn't feel with the upper management at her current job.

"Now, I have a question," Camila started. "How did you get along with the other women in your office? This can be a competitive industry, especially when people are going for the same promotions. Were you able to maintain a positive relationship with your coworkers while doing such impressive work?"

Jane felt it was crucial to give a good answer. She almost felt that Camila was testing to see how they would potentially get along.

"To be completely honest, I had a hard time getting along with them at first."

The three interviewers were all caught by surprise at Jane's admission.

"I was just an intern, straight out of college. It was my first real job. I was pretty intimidated by the other women in the office. But eventually, I became friends with one of them. And she helped me a lot with my confidence."

"That's pretty amazing," said Cynthia.

"Once I wasn't so insecure, I gained their respect and I actually have a good relationship with all of them now."

"So, tell me about the woman that helped you so much," Camila requested

Jane tried not to blush as she thought about Veronica.

"Well, her name is Veronica. She is a really smart woman. And she and I have become really close."

"That's very sweet!" Miranda said.

She and my supervisor, Maria, trusted me enough to help them with some very important projects. That's where the projects from my online portfolio came from."

"All of the women there are very supportive of me now. I would like to assure you that I can have a good relationship with anyone that I work with. But it's different there. I'm really just an intern. I'm not in direct competition for any positions with them."

"That's a very open and honest answer of you," Miranda said. "I was just expecting you to assure that you would get along with everyone. But seeing that you gave the most honest answer you could, it's really impressive and wise for your young age."