Part 2                              

Monday morning. 7.30 am.

Mike and Jake, looking every inch the powerful executives in their designer suits, were having their first coffee of the day. Jenny was there with them, but as yet, the rest of the floor was empty. The applicants were due to arrive at 8.30am. They only had to finish laying out the information packs on the rows of seats, and they would be ready.

8.00am.

Sandi and Dee arrived, ready to greet all the applicants. Jake headed off for the little office just off the briefing room, and Mike sat on the edge of Jenny’s desk, drinking more coffee and practising his new chat up lines on her, to no effect.

8.30am.

All the candidates had arrived in plenty of time, and were now sitting in rows, listening to Mike introduce himself. They were all intent on what he was saying, and none of them noticed the door at the back of the room open, and a figure slip silently into the room to take a seat by the back wall.

At the end of his introduction, Mike stopped and glanced towards the figure at the back, who nodded to him.

“Okay, people. I’ve introduced myself to you, and now I think it’s time for you to introduce yourselves. Before we start, though, I’d like to make one more introduction. As you know, the company is called A&M Services. From my introduction, you know I’m the ‘M’ in the title, and Financial Director, so now I’d like to introduce you to the ‘A’, my business partner, and Managing Director, Aaron Mitchell.”

Jake rose from his chair and made his way to the front of the room. As he turned to face the group, he heard a few gasps, and saw a few horrified expressions from the female candidates. He quickly apologised for his battered appearance, and went on to introduce himself to the candidates. He then perched himself on the edge of the desk, and watched intently as each prospective employee stood, and gave an account of themselves.

Jake was pleased to see that all those who had been invited to attend had actually turned up, including the women. He and Mike both knew that a lot of firms still only employed women for the minor office roles, and only took men as negotiators, but they were convinced that women could do the job equally, if not better, than some male negotiators they knew, and they were always willing to give them a trial.

He scanned the room as each candidate stood for their introduction. He spotted one face he knew very well, but made no acknowledgement when their eyes met. He also spotted someone he was sure he didn’t know, but was certain he had seen, and recently.

By the time all the introductions were completed, Mike decided he couldn’t go on without a caffeine fix, so they all adjourned for a coffee break.

“Okay, ladies and gentlemen. As there are so many of you, I think a 30 minute break should give you all a chance to get a drink. This is a non smoking building, so if you feel the need for a nicotine fix, turn left when you leave the lift on the lower ground floor, and you’ll see the little smoker’s enclosure by the parking area,” Mike said with a grin.

He and Jake headed for Jake’s office. Once there, Jake loosened his tie, eased his shoes off and sat down, with his feet on his desk. Jenny came in with a huge mug of tea for him, and the coffee jug for Mike.

“How’s it going?” she asked.

“We’ve just finished the introductions, so hopefully we should have the tour of the offices finished by lunch, then this arvo we’ll have the group stuff, and while they have a break, we’ll work out the individual interview times for the rest of the week.”

“To make it easier, I can take all the women if you like,” winked Mike.

“In your dreams, mate,” replied Jake. “I think we’ll do them together, tomorrow, to get it over with.”

They were still laughing together as they re-entered the briefing room, which went a long way to calming the nerves of the candidates already seated awaiting their return.

It was a long afternoon, but by 6.00pm, all the candidates had all gone, with their interview times, and Jake, Mike and Jenny were headed off to Woolloomooloo Steak House for a quick meal and a drink before having an early night.

Jake seemed to be pre-occupied all the way through the meal, and finally Jenny asked him what was wrong.

“It’s that bloke Latham. I feel that I should know him, but I’m buggered if I can remember why.”

“Is he a local? Maybe you’ve seen him around the city,” said Mike.

“I don’t know, mate, but give me time, it’ll come to me. He’s on my list for Thursday, maybe by then I’ll have remembered.”

The rest of the week flew by. Mike enjoyed Tuesday the best and was in his element interviewing the female candidates. Thursday came around, and it was the last day of the first interviews. Mike and Jake would take Friday for their deliberations, and to make a shortlist for second interviews. Finally, Martin Latham knocked on Jake’s door ready for his interview.

He sat down opposite Jake and waited. Jake just sat at his desk staring at him for a while.

“I think I know you,” he said.

“I don’t think so, Mr Mitchell. I don’t come from Sydney. I only arrived last Friday.”

“Last Friday?”

Jake rubbed the wound on his temple slowly.

“Did you get a chance to look around when you got here?”

“Oh yes, I took the Opera House tour, and then had my lunch in the Botanical Gardens.”

“The gardens! That’s how I know you. You’re the bloke that was getting a bashing by the pond last Friday. Thanks for shooting through, mate!”

Latham stared guiltily at the floor, unable to look Jake in the eye, ashamed that his secret was out in the open.

“I am so sorry for what happened, I just panicked…I didn’t know what to do!”

“Mate, you didn’t even call for help. You just left me there to fight your battle for you.”

Latham sat silently, waiting for Jake to blow up at him, or maybe worse. Jake didn’t say a word, just looking at the man hunched in his seat on the other side of the desk. When he finally spoke, it wasn’t an angry outburst, as Latham was expecting. Jake was calm and quiet, a sure sign for anyone that knew him that he was close to boiling point.

“We place teamwork as a high priority in the work we do here. We can’t afford to have a colleague we can’t trust. We don’t like to have to go in to make an extraction, but it happens, and the last thing we need is to find ourselves in shit up to our ears because our backup has done a runner. I’m sorry, Mr Latham. This interview is at an end.”

“But…!”

“No buts. My assistant will show you out.”

Jake buzzed for Jenny and asked her to show him to the lift. A few minutes later she was back in his office, a question forming on her lips.

“That has to be the quickest interview of the week, Jake. What happened?”

“He’s the bludger who left me at the mercy of those yobs last Friday, Jin.”

“What?  And he had the nerve to sit here all day Monday and not say a word?”

“I guess he was hoping I wouldn’t remember him because he shot off so quickly when I went to help him.”

“What did you tell him?”

“I said we couldn’t afford to have someone like him working for us. We needed reliable people in a crisis, not someone who would panic and scarper.”

“Ah well, one good thing about it.”

“What’s that?”

“He was your last of the day, so you can have an early night.”

“Ah, mate, every silver lining has a cloud. I have to wait for Mike. We’re going to The Cross later.”

“You go home and get ready, I’ll let him know and drop him off when he’s finished.”

Jake got up and gave Jenny a hug, resting his forehead on hers in Maori fashion. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, and was gone before she found him something to do ‘just before he left’. She smiled at him running down towards the lifts, looking every inch a boy being let out of school early.

Despite a late night clubbing, the boys were in the office bright and early the following morning, well, early anyway, if not exactly bright in Mike's case. They were determined to go through all the candidates and make a shortlist by lunchtime, then they could arrange for Jenny to get the second interview letters written up, signed and despatched to the hotel where the candidates were staying that afternoon, so that the unsuccessful ones didn’t have to hang around longer than necessary.

By 11.00 the list was complete, they had more or less made their minds up the previous day, but just had to make the final choice. Jenny had the two form letters ready and just needed the names of the winners and losers, and the times for the interviews for the winners.

The rest of the weekend passed by quickly. Mike spent much of the daylight hours sitting on the wharf eyeing up the girls, while Jake was on the phone with Angie most of the time. He didn’t have enough time to go up country to be with her as the final interviews were due to be held on the Monday and Tuesday of the following week.

Monday morning found the boys once again in their best “I’m the boss”  suits, Jake sitting on the edge of Jenny’s desk sipping tea from a steaming mug, while Mike lounged against the reception desk with his black coffee, giving Sandi his undivided attention, and making her blush furiously. They heard the lift doors open, and scooted into Jakes’ office, ready to put on their business faces.

Mike was raring to go, especially as the first four candidates were the women he had previously interviewed. Jake kicked him under the desk and gave him a ‘behave yourself’ look, winking at him before they got under way. Things were progressing very well, and Jake was surprised when Jenny stuck her head round the door to tell them it was time for lunch. Mike resisted the urge to go round to the rocks for a ‘liquid lunch’ and made do with sandwiches and coffee.

The afternoon session was well under way, and their next candidate was a young man that Jake had previously interviewed. He was, therefore, quite surprised to see the lad looking around him nervously when he sat down.

“G’day, David. Have a good weekend?” asked Jake.

“Yes… thank you… sir.” replied David Johnson.

Mike gave Jake a sideways glance. He’d been told how confident and relaxed the young man had seemed in his first interview, and couldn’t believe Jake had got his assessment wrong.

“David,” Mike said. “Is there something worrying you? You seem a little ill at ease. Whatever Jake may have told you about me in your first interview was all lies.”

Jake gave an amused snort, but let Mike continue.

“Don’t be nervous, David. You managed to sail through your first interview, and you wouldn’t  have been  invited back if we didn‘t think you were worth it. So, just relax, okay?”

David squirmed in his chair for a moment before speaking.

“Before we go any further, I feel it’s only right I tell you something about myself that didn’t come up in the initial interview. I…. I’m….that is….”

“For fucks sake, spit it out lad!”

“I’m gay.”

“David, when I’m looking to hire new staff, I look at their qualifications and achievements. Their race, creed, colour or sexual orientation doesn’t sway me in any way,” replied Jake.

“Just so long as you don’t ram it down our throats,” grinned Mike.

Jake gave him another kick before collapsing into helpless fits of laughter, soon joined by Mike, and David. The tension broken, David soon relaxed and Mike was able to see the same potential in him that Jake had seen the previous week.

The day ended with Jake and Mike comparing notes regarding the candidates they had already seen. By the time Jenny came in with coffee and a warning for them not to stay too long, they had decided which candidates they would be offering positions to, and were looking forward to making the final choice from the remaining candidates the following day. They were anxious to get down to the part they enjoyed the most, the actual training.

Tuesday flew by, and before they knew it, they were greeting the final name on the list, Darren Hill. Jake looked up from the papers in front of him, but gave no sign of recognition. Although Mike had done the initial interview, Jake let him do most of the talking again this time, and spent the time making notes, and passing questions across to Mike to relay to Darren. Mike was puzzled, but didn’t ask.

The interview over, Mike finally turned to Jake.

“What the hell was all that about, cat got your tongue?”

“I know him, mate. He saved my life on that army training course last year. I didn’t feel it would be…appropriate…for me to carry out the interview. Didn’t want you to think I was playing favourites.”

“Jake, I already told you I thought he would be an excellent choice, and I didn’t know who he was.”

“I know, but I wanted to make sure it was all above board.”

“Do you want him?”

“Hell yes. Let’s have him before he’s snapped up by anyone else.”

“I don’t think he wants to work for anyone else, my friend. Not from the way he spoke last week.”

“Okie dokie, he’s in then. All we have to do is make the final choice from the others and get the names to Jenny ready for the morning. We can get the messenger to deliver them to the hotel by mid-morning, then get the successful ones over for lunch.”

Lunch the following day was a relaxed affair consisting of Jake, Mike, Jenny and the new recruits, Darren Hill, David Johnson, Jason Evans, Lynn Turner, Kiri Collins and Marie Mason. Now that the interviews were over the tension had left the six newest members of A&M, and they were determined to enjoy themselves on the company expense account.

At the end of the meal, Mike stood up, tapping his wine glass with his pen.

“Unaccustomed as I am to public speaking…”

“Yeah, right.. Just get on with it,” Jake heckled light-heartedly.

“As, I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted…. I don’t make a habit of after dinner, or lunch, speeches, but my reluctant partner made use of his double headed coin, and I lost the toss.”

When the laughter subsided around the table, Mike continued.

“On behalf of Jake and myself.. And all the staff of A&M Services, I would like to welcome you all into the fold. I’m sure you will all be happy working with us, and would just like to say, make the most of the rest of the week, because next week training starts in earnest.”

Darren and David looked at each other. They were both quick to notice how Mike had said he was sure they would be happy working WITH us, and not FOR us, and were both thinking that they had made the right move and they were going to enjoy it with the company. Little did they realise they were both wondering the same thing… which three were going to be based in Sydney, and which would be in the new London office. Only time would tell.

As they all left the restaurant, basking in the warm afternoon sunshine, they were all excitedly waiting for the following Monday morning, when their training would begin.