Lauren is in the wrong place

Standing before our nervous, increasingly sweaty girl was an imperious, tall, and imposing blonde. She wore glasses and had her blonde hair up in a bun. She was middle-aged, smartly dressed, and most shocking to Lauren, didn't seem to be bothered by the stifling heat.

"What's your name?" The intimidating woman asked.

"L-Lauren..." Lauren timidly replied, suddenly feeling much, much smaller (at least metaphorically). "I... I'm here for the junior executive..."

"Oh, the new secretary," the blonde cut her off. "You're on the wrong floor. You want HR."

"Oh, um... where is that?" Lauren meekly asked. She felt like she was back in kindergarten, asking her stern, mean teacher for permission to go potty.

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Just follow me."

Lauren immediately obeyed. This lady just seemed too scary to disobey.

Like a rocket, the blonde took off, heading, to Lauren's immense dread, for the stairwell instead of the elevator. She wanted to ask why they were going this way, but she didn't want to set her off.

That off course proved to be a big mistake.

Lauren gasped when they entered the stairwell. It was even hotter in here than the office had been!