Reception

-Aiden-

It was, of course, embarrassing.

Not overly so, the ladies in fact went out of their way to be sensitive on Monday. Well, woman-sensitive at least. Aiden recognized the attitude from the principal at high school, or the deputy who came by to talk to him after the guidance counsellor kicked up a minor fuss. Professional women, safe in their positions of authority, visibly trying to think about the world like a young man has to. And, to their credit, the attempt was nice, even if the results were uneven.

“Glad things worked out,” Sam Johnson was the first to walk in from the back and see Aiden getting his reception area set for the upcoming day. “Super glad that Erin thumped that fucking asshole, just a shame I hadn’t been there or I would have…” The woman bit off the end of her sentence and shook her head. Aiden didn’t recall Sam doing anything except yell at the end of the fight, and he wondered if hers was the more… performative hembrismo you got from women who didn’t know how to fight but might pretend they did after the fact.

He gave Sam the quiet thank you and tremulous smile he knew women wanted when they got to flex their womanhood in defense of a man, even if she hadn’t actually done much. Chelsea gave him a close look as she walked by to the stairway up to her office - she had left before the fight but clearly she had heard something over the weekend. Aiden was just as glad to have her not bother to say anything.

The only other men in the company, the two middle aged clerks who toiled in the back and avoided reception like the plague, were a different story. They had also left before the excitement but, huddled up as Aiden walked to the break room, they had obviously heard the news. Tony fluttered up and asked Aiden if he was ok, but Johnathan just looked disapproving somehow. Aiden downplayed the events and hurried back to the front desk, where at least no one was staring at him like in high school… like he might burst into tears and make a scene.

As he sat back down, Aiden glanced at the phone to confirm he hadn’t missed any calls. Not that many people still phoned the automated switchboard, but still. He had already sorted the incoming mail (and was happy he hadn’t bumped into anyone on the second floor when he darted up to put it in the staff mail slots) and now he thought he might get a start on some outgoing mailing project Ms. Hawkins had him working on. He had the mailing list mostly figured out, and to his great relief the word processor seemed to handle mailing labels just like he had learned in clerical school.

The glass walls and doors Aiden faced gave him plenty of time when someone approached. He had been so embarrassed, that first day, when he had paused in front of the building not realizing the reflective glass on the outside was just tinted on the inside! Almost smiling to himself, the young man realized that the awkwardness of the moment had indeed faded quickly, in part because now he had much more shameful things to fret about, like being groped in public and needing to be saved like a useless boy.

Still, the vision of most of the sidewalk and street meant he almost always noticed when someone was going to come in before they reached for the door, and this time was no exception. The woman was dressed in an eye-catching cream suit, her tailored pant legs ending above her ankles to show off some tasteful ankle jewelry and matching white open toed shoes. Her suit jacket was open enough to show an almost see through light grey lace camisole - clearly a woman who enjoyed using fashion to almost show her bra-less breasts in public settings. Reflexively, Aiden would say that of course it was more proper for women to keep their nipples and breasts fully covered in public, at least when there was likely to be men around who might disapprove of the display. Particularly in a society that demanded men treat their modesty like an absolute imperative.

Privately, Aiden would admit that, like a lot of boys, he rather liked how women could get away with wearing almost anything. Stripping down to their short pants in the park to play football, sweating and tackling and cursing… of course a proper young man would emphatically not look at such a thing. But he might sneak a peak or two.

And this woman was very attractive, with long straight black hair elegantly combed behind her and strong features. She opened the door and stepped in with one graceful movement, taking off her sunglasses and casually placing them on top of her head.

A few easy steps and she paused in front of the desk, smiling down at Aiden.

-Erin-

Frowning at her monitor like the numbers being displayed had offended her personally, Erin pauses. Everything lines up, the data is good and the report is ready to be sent off to the client, but she is hesitating. Why is she so bothered right now? All morning she had her nose in the numbers, getting a day’s work done in only a few hours, but now that her main task is complete she feels something is off.

Is there a tiny error nagging at her? No, yet another careful scan shows everything adding up as it should, and Erin knows that any analytical mistake would have been glaringly obvious already. The work is good, she is very confident in her ability as an accountant.

Leaning back, Erin lets out an exasperated sigh. Fuck. She’s been working all morning without a break, and now that she’s ready to wrap up this project she has to admit it to herself. She sneaked upstairs early and has been in her office with the door closed so she wouldn’t have to walk past reception. So, basically, she wouldn’t have to see him and acknowledge the confusing swirl of guilty emotions she was trying to avoid.

‘Here I am hiding like a little boy,’ Erin thinks, before she mentally corrects her lightly sexist simile. ‘No, I’m hiding here like a coward of no specific gender, because I’m not a cavewoman and I accept that men are not inherently weaker or less capable in any way… no matter what popular media taught me when I was a girl.’

Chuckling ruefully to herself, Erin sends the email and then closes her eyes. This is absurd, she needs to woman up and go downstairs. If Aiden is at reception - and really where else would he be? - she can at least talk to him. While part of her rebels, she should smooth things over, she let her anger and adrenaline (and something else?) take over and she was a real raging clit to the boy. She hadn’t meant to be so, so emotional to him in the moment… but yeah.

A deep breath, then she stands to go and get it over with. Maybe they can just laugh it off now? With that small burst of perhaps misplaced optimism, Erin leaves her office and descends to the first floor. She hears a woman’s voice as she gets there, but doesn’t think much of it as she walks past the elevator towards reception and the awkward conversation she has been dreading for days.

A tall woman, in a smart white pantsuit, is standing in front of reception. She glances to her left to see Erin approaching, and she casually brushes her long black hair behind her shoulders so it falls half way down her back. The movement opens her jacket, clearly demonstrating her athletic body in a lacy undershirt.

“Nice to meet you Aiden. I haven’t seen you here before. Did you start recently? Are you from around? If you don’t mind me asking.”

Something about her raises Erin’s hackles, but she turns into the copy room to give Aiden a moment to get her on her way. Pretending to be looking through the papers sitting at the printer, Erin cocks an ear to listen in. Not that the woman was being at all quiet.

“Well, you are new in town! How are you finding the big city compared to where you come from? I grew up rural too, small speck of a place called Alexandra, came here to go to university and then I started my software company with a sorority sister. I found the city intimidating at first, honestly, but mostly it was just so… freeing? I’m afraid I didn’t really fit in with the gals in my home town, most of them were all about being tough, getting drunk and fighting every weekend. I was an awkward nerd with no boyfriend.”

Aiden’s voice was too quiet to make out his response, but he spoke for a minute or so. The woman made a few appreciative noises and even gave a low chuckle at something he said while Erin flipped through the random print outs with a growing grimace.

“There is so much to see and do here. I hope you enjoy all the city has to offer you, soak it all up while you’re young! I was studying very hard at university, but I still found some time to go out and meet people. Not that I am that old now, I only turn 30 in a few months, so please don’t think I’m completely ancient yet!”

Something in her tone, cheerful yet calculated, had Erin gritting her teeth. Just stop drooling over the poor guy, surely you’ve seen an attractive young man before?

“Why, thank you, you are a delight Aiden. Do you mind if I call you Aiden? I know back where I grew up in the preacher would insist I call a young man ‘mister’ instead… if he was unmarried that is?”

The way the woman lifted her voice to make it a question had Erin drop the paper she wasn’t actually reading and walk out of the copy room back into reception proper. As she got to the side of the desk, she could see him blushing slightly.

“Uh, no ma’am, no wife or girlfriend, nothing like that of course,” he said softly, dropping his head and letting his shaggy hair fall down partly over his eyes. He smiled shyly though, clearly not unhappy with the attention this woman was showering him with.

Erin looked at her again, she had a medium brown complexion that went well with her chic cream outfit and smart makeup, and for a moment Erin felt unfashionable and plain in comparison. Not that she often cared about comparing herself to other women in that way, but suddenly she did.

The woman looked at Erin and nodded politely, “Oh hello, I’m afraid I’m monopolizing Aiden’s time here. I hope you don’t need his help with anything just now, but I love getting to meet someone from a small town who moved to the city so young. Very ambitious, and smart, I’m sure he’ll do great work here for you ladies.”

Smiling openly at the compliment, Aiden confidently said, “This is Erin, one of our accountants, of course. And this is Ms. Jennifer Cardinal, she is one of Sam’s clients, here for a meeting.” With a sudden look of concern, he continued, “Oh, did you need something Erin?” He motioned as if to stand, glancing over his shoulder at the copy room as if expecting to see a tidal wave of printer toner shooting forth.

“No no, sorry,” Erin replied, “I was just going to ask you for, uh, something but it can wait.”

Jennifer Cardinal gave a slight nod, glancing between Erin and Aiden. A heartbeat of silence followed as Erin stood there debating whether she should go back to the copy room and pretend to do something or just retreat to her office. “I should head up and see Sam actually,” the client said smoothly, “but before I go, and please I hope I’m not being inappropriate - but Aiden I was just thinking that this week there is a wonderful outdoor market happening not that far away. A local art collective has a showing and part of the event includes a few dozen stalls set up in the alley behind the gallery, a sort of pop-up market. They sell gourmet food, handmade jewelry, wonderfully hip men’s fashion, all sorts of things. It’s basically the perfect example of what you wouldn’t ever see growing up in a small town, like we did!”

With a chuckle, Jennifer gauged the young man’s reaction. “So, I’d love to take you to see it, if you’d like. You’re a delightful young man, and I would like to get to know you better, but I’d also just enjoy sharing that sort of experience with you. I know I’m a stranger, and I completely understand if you don’t feel comfortable accepting - or simply aren’t interested - but I have to ask or I'd be kicking myself for ages.”

His mouth open and eyebrows raised, the young man seemed somehow to be almost too surprised. Erin wondered at that - surely he gets hit on regularly, a cute boy like him? A part of her reflexively disdained the woman for hitting on a receptionist like this, and assumed he would just reject her invitation. And yet the more rational part of Erin’s mind had to admit that she didn’t appear too old for him, maybe a decade or less above his age. She was certainly attractive, and she seemed, well, classier than the typical stereotype of a wealthy businesswoman picking up younger men. But no, surely Aiden wasn’t interested in this random stranger, no matter how smooth she was.

Was he?