Ortega and Gabriella stepped out of the elevator, their shoes clicking against the ground as they made their way to the cubicles on the fourth floor.
As they walked, Ortega asked Gabriella, "How do we start?"
Gabriella replied with a nonchalant shrug, "Step one, of course. Your ideas, remember?" She gripped the lapels of her jacket and straightened it as they walked.
Ortega smirked, realizing she was taunting him. "I know," he said, quickening his steps to match Gabriella's pace.
"So where are we headed?"
Gabriella clicked her tongue in response. "How about you stop asking questions?"
"My bad," Ortega said as he caught up with Gabriella and followed her as she made a left turn. They walked in silence for the rest of the way until they stopped in front of a plain-looking door with a tag that read "Marketing dept."
Gabriella turned the knob, and with a click, the door opened.
"It's time to meet the people we'll be working with on this project," she said.
As they walked inside, they were greeted by the presence of four women who were hard at work.
Ortega raised a brow upon recognizing two familiar faces. "So Eva and Selene are part of the marketing gang? Unexpected, but cool," he thought, smiling and waving at both women when their eyes met.
Selene seemed surprised to see him, but she waved back with a happy smile. Evaline, on the other hand, only rolled her eyes as she greeted him with a peace sign.
Gabriella frowned when she noticed the smiles exchanged between Ortega and Selene.
For some reason, it unsettled her, but she warded off the feeling and put on a smile as she called everyone's attention.
The four women stood up, giving Gabriella a slight bow before greeting her in unison. Gabriella folded her arms and smiled in acknowledgment.
"Everyone, I'm sure you've all heard about Ortega. He is our newest employee, so let's give him a warm welcome, as we'll all be working together in the future," she said, gesturing to Ortega as she spoke.
"Welcome to the team, Ortega. We look forward to working with you," they all said, and Ortega smiled, expressing his respect.
He shook hands with each of them and exchanged pleasantries.
The other two women weren't as striking as Eva and Selene, but Ortega felt they had their charms. One of them was a lithe-looking lady with bangs that fell over her eyes, exuding a sexy goth vibe.
Her lips were painted in a deep, dark hue, matching the color of her nail polish. Ortega noticed a crescent moon tattoo peeking out from the crevices of her neck, adding to her mysterious allure.
She introduced herself as Bloom, her voice slightly slurred but with a hint of confidence.
Bloom's outfit was all black and grey, accentuating her pale complexion and giving her an enigmatic presence. Silver rings adorned her fingers, glinting softly in the dim light of the room. Her eyes, framed by thick eyeliner and dark eyeshadow, held a mesmerizing intensity that drew Ortega's attention.
"Hi."
As she spoke, her voice carried a sultry edge, adding to the allure of her gothic appearance.
Despite her unconventional style, there was a certain elegance and confidence in her demeanor that Ortega found intriguing.
The next woman left quite an impression on Ortega. She was busty and caramel-skinned, with short spiky hair and a tall, confident bearing. Her handshake was firm—too firm, in fact—Ortega felt his knuckles turn stiff after he withdrew his hand.
She introduced herself with a voice too gruff-sounding for a lady, "I'm Dina. Nice to see you're better."
Ortega massaged his fingers, lines forming on his forehead as he tried to jog his memory. He had a feeling this wasn't their first encounter, but he couldn't quite place where and when they had met in the past.
So he asked, "Have we met before?"
Dina's attire was casual yet rugged, fitting her tomboyish demeanor. She wore a black leather jacket over a white tank top, paired with ripped jeans and sturdy boots. Silver hoop earrings gleamed under the lights, contrasting with her no-nonsense appearance.
Her eyes were a striking amber, framed by thick lashes and a no-nonsense expression. A few tattoos peeked out from beneath her clothes—a rose vine winding up her forearm and a small anchor on her wrist.
Dina chuckled at Ortega's question, a deep, hearty sound that contrasted with her tough exterior.
"Maybe in another life," she replied cryptically, a playful glint in her eye that suggested there was more to her than met the eye.
Ortega couldn't help but be intrigued by Dina's intriguing mix of toughness and charm, wondering what other surprises she might have in store.
"But... You seem familiar."
"Ok, jokes aside. We've actually met," she said. "I was one of the women who helped you when you started... You know..." Ortega widened his eyes in realization, his mouth forming a perfect 'o'.
"Wow, thanks so much, I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't done that."
"Well, it wasn't like I was the only one."
"I was talking about the slap, Dina." Ortega looked her in the eyes, "Thanks for slapping me out of it." He said, and Dina stifled a laugh.
It may have seemed like a mean thing to do—slapping someone who was hysterical—but Ortega felt grateful for it. If Dina wasn't brazen enough to deal him a knockout while his offensive mouth ran, who knew what else he would have spilled?
Besides, he didn't want to come off as someone rude who easily took offense and he sensed Dina wasn't happy seeing him, so he decided to break the ice with a familiar joke.
By the way she chuckled, Ortega knew he did well. He wanted no issues between them and just because he said he was grateful for the slap didn't mean he wanted to get slapped again.
Ortega was tall, but Dina was taller and had more weight, no wonder she packed such a heavy punch!
He laughed along with Dina, his cheeks hurt and he subconsciously rubbed the area. Dina caught sight of the new mark and to everyone's surprise, burst into an even louder round of laughter.
Ortega felt his cheeks heat up this time, embarrassed by the amused looks he received from everyone.
"Where is this new guy from?" Dina asked, referring to the new four-finger imprint on his left cheek.
Gabriella folded her arms and observed Ortega, her eyes asking the same question. She only just noticed the new mark.
"I'd rather not talk about it." Ortega backed away, trying to hide the marks with his palms.
His eyes darted from woman to woman and he wished they could begin work and not talk about him.
Sensing he was uneasy, they let him be. Gabriella clapped her hands sharply, trying to rouse the team from their evident lack of focus.
The room, small and neatly arranged with six chairs in a semi-circle around a round table, seemed more like a bedroom than an office.
A whiteboard in the middle displayed a fading graph in red ink.
Ortega heaved an internal sigh of relief and rushed to a seat beside Bloom, who occupied the right flank of the semi-circle.
The chair to his left remained empty, presumably reserved for Gabriella, who stood in front of them with an air of authority, her fingers interlocked as she waited for everyone to get settled.
Eva and Selene sat next to each other, and Ortega turned to his left, observing Selene as she elegantly positioned herself in her chair.
She looked even prettier than the last time they met, her blonde hair styled in cascading locks, and she wore a sleeveless turtleneck that exposed her glowing olive skin.
Their eyes met briefly across the empty chair between them before they both turned to face Gabriella.
Evaline sat beside Dina at the left flank of the semi-circle. They exchanged nods, silently preparing for the tasks ahead as Gabriella began to dust off the whiteboard, erasing remnants of previous discussions.
She turned to face them, her presence commanding attention as she started to brief them on the task at hand and assigned roles to each individual.
As Gabriella paced about the room, giving orders and occasionally jotting down instructions on the whiteboard, Ortega noticed that some of his colleagues seemed to be struggling to stay awake.
Eva's head nodded forward every now and then, and Selene's eyes fluttered closed as she fought off sleep.
The room was quiet except for Gabriella's voice, which cut through the silence. "Alright, team," she said, her tone firm yet encouraging. "Let's dive into the details and make sure we're all on the same page."
Ortega nodded, trying to maintain his focus. He could see Bloom stifling a yawn, and Dina's eyes drooping as she struggled to keep up with the discussion.
It was clear that the afternoon lull was affecting them all.
Outside the window, the city bustled with life, but inside the room, a sleepy atmosphere prevailed.
The distant sounds of traffic and occasional sirens served as a backdrop to their discussions, lulling them further into a sense of drowsiness.
Gabriella paused, looking around the room with a raised eyebrow.
"Alright, let's take a short break," she announced, her voice firm. "Grab some coffee if you need to. We'll reconvene in fifteen minutes."
The team members perked up slightly, grateful for the chance to stretch their legs and shake off the drowsiness that had settled over them.
Ortega rubbed his eyes and stretched his arms, determined to refocus and make the most of the rest of the meeting.