Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 ï>¿Workplace Opportunities by FentrisRook

   Tessa has a new job and she's going to make the most of it.

   As Tessa Gomez rode the elevator up to her workplace she could feel her
stomach flutter from nervousness.  It was her first day at her new job and
she really wanted to make a good first impression on Jennifer, her
employer. While she had already met Jennifer through her video interview,
this would be the first time she would be seeing her in person.

   Tessa had dressed up to make sure she looked as professional as her
wardrobe allowed her.  She was wearing a smart black knee length pencil
skirt with a crisp white blouse, a black blazer and black low heeled shoes.
Her dark brown almost black hair was done up in a loose bun and she had
spent an age on her make up to ensure she appeared as close to flawless as
possible.  She just hoped that her make-up hadn't been marred by her face
mask.

   Her new job involved her being the receptionist/ concierge for a company
offering flexible workspaces and related business services.  Apparently as
a result of the lock down and the mass of people working from home a lot of
companies were looking to downsize or completely get rid of their office
space in the city.  However, despite a lot of people working from home
there would still be occasions when people would need to meet or work
together in person.  Rather than paying rent for offices that would only be
used once in a while, it made sense to organise a meeting room or some
working space when it was required.  Jennifer's company also marketed to
small start up companies and freelancers that might need an office in the
city.

   The role she had been employed in wasn't itself what had Tessa nervous,
it was that she really needed this job.  Her previous job as an office
assistant had ended when the company closed its office due to the pandemic
lockdown and they downsized rather than furlough all their employees. 
During the lockdown period Tessa had been forced to rely on what savings
she had accumulated, at this point she was getting close to being broke and
having to move back in with her parents.  If she did move home that would
put additional pressure on her housemate Phoebe who wouldn't be able to
afford the rent on their place by herself.

   The elevator arrived at her floor and as the doors opened Tessa took a
calming breath, telling herself that she would be fine.  The elevator
opened to a wide open area and immediately in front of the elevators was a
large reception desk.  Behind the desk was the familiar face of Jennifer.
She looked to be in her mid thirties but still had a somewhat youthful
appearance.  Jennifer had looked up at the opening of the elevator doors
and upon seeing Tessa, had broken out into a smile and stood up to greet
her.  When Jennifer moved out from behind the reception desk Tessa saw that
she was dressed in casual but still smart clothes.  Jennifer was wearing a
pastel pink blouse that was untucked over black capri pants and a pair of
chuck taylor's.  In comparison Tessa felt positively overdressed.  As
Jennifer wasn't wearing a face mask Tessa removed hers.

   "Hi Tessa, it's good to see you in person."

   Jennifer looked Tessa up and down and smiled at how she was done up.

   "You look great, very smart.  It's a pity it isn't necessary at the
moment."

   Tessa cringed a little inside but reassured herself that it was better
that she had overdressed rather than be underdressed.

   Jennifer's smile faded into a slightly chagrined expression.  "Sorry.  I
probably should have let you know that you didn't need to be in office
attire just yet."

   Tessa's eyebrows rose with a querying look.

   Jennifer nodded, "We're not up and running just yet.  The first few
weeks are going to be a little slow as we're finishing up the office setup
and installing the computer systems.  I've got to go to a couple of other
locations that we are in the process of converting to similar use.  So you
will be taking care of this site."

   Tessa felt her nervousness begin to turn into dread.  Just what was she
going to be expected to do?

   Fortunately Jennifer must have realised that what she had said might be
daunting to someone on their first day and immediately eased Tessa's
concerns.

   "Don't worry, your job will basically be to take some calls and accept
some deliveries."

   Tessa nodded, relieved that she would have the chance to ease into the
job rather than get thrown in the deep end.  She quickly looked around, the
reception area looked immaculate.  Behind the reception desk there were a
couple of sofas and coffee tables and two sets of large double doors.  Off
to the side Tessa could see a kitchenette area with a few tables where
people could eat lunch.

   "It looks fairly well set up already.  How much more is there to do?"

   Jennifer smiled and gestured at Tessa's large handbag.  "If you want,
you can stash your handbag behind the reception desk and then I'll give you
a tour of the offices and facilities."

   Tessa was a little dubious about leaving her bag unattended.  Jennifer
noticed her reluctance and said, "No one comes up here unless they need to,
but if you're worried you can keep your bag in the filing drawer in the
desk and you can lock it."

   Jennifer went over to a small set of drawers and opened the top drawer
which held some pens and stationery and pulled out a small set of keys. 
She then pulled open the large bottom drawer which Tessa saw was empty. 
She put her bag into the drawer which Jennifer closed before locking the
drawers and passing the keys to Tessa.

   First off Jennifer took Tessa to some small rooms right by the reception
area.  Each of the rooms contained a small square table with four seats
around it.  Jennifer explained that these were small meeting rooms for the
use of tenants if they needed them for visitors.  Moving to behind the
reception desk Jennifer went up to the double doors and opened them up to
reveal a very spacious area with a large boardroom table surrounded by
chairs.  Jennifer pointed out the roll down projector screen and the
projector protruding from the ceiling.  "These are of course meeting rooms
but they can also be hired for small presentations or seminars."

   Tessa then got a quick showing of the kitchenette and eating area before
Jennifer took her through an open doorway.  There were a lot of rooms with
glass walls facing the hallway that were completely empty.

   Jennifer turned to Tessa, "Almost all the offices are vacant but we've
got some tenant's that will be moving in sometime in the next few weeks and
we are discussing space requirements with other potential tenants.  A few
of the tenants will be bringing their own furniture but for the rest of
them, we will be providing office furniture for them to use.  Some of the
deliveries we're expecting are to deliver furniture, desks, filing
cabinets, shelves and chairs."

   The emptiness was kind of eerie, Tessa had never seen an office this
empty before.  She then picked up on what Jennifer had said.  "You said
that almost all the offices were vacant?"

   Jennifer smiled, "Yes.  I'll introduce you to Jasper, currently the only
occupant on this floor.  He's pretty self-sufficient so he isn't likely to
bother you but it's possible that he may need something so he should know
who to talk to."

   They turned a corner and Tessa could see a long office that had the
glass wall completely covered up on the inside and a smaller office with
frosted glass.  Jennifer approached the door to the office with the frosted
glass and knocked.  The door opened to reveal a tall slender man with
unruly hair that was either a very light blonde or was fading to white. 
The man looked at Jennifer and Tessa and smiled.  "Well this is certainly a
pleasant interruption.  Are we having a party?"

   Jennifer grinned, "Settle down, I'm just here to introduce you to our
new concierge assistant Tessa.  I'm going to be going over to supervise the
work at our other sites so if you need anything Tessa will be the one to
help you."

   Jasper nodded and turned his attention to Tessa, assessing her
appearance.  "If you don't mind me saying so you have quite a striking
appearance.  Would you like to do some modelling for me?"

   Tessa was a little taken aback but Jasper had a bit of a roguish charm
and she found his comment flattering rather than offputting.  She was just
about to politely refuse when Jennifer answered for her.

   "When I said anything, I didn't mean that."

   Jasper gave a mock sigh, "Can't hurt to try."

   He looked toward Tessa again, "Well it was very nice to meet you Tessa.
I'll be seeing you around." He then stood back and closed the door to his
office.

   Tessa was a little bemused and looked at Jennifer who chuckled at her
expression.  "He's a bit of a character.  He has done a lot of work for us
in the past for other ventures and when he heard that we were setting this
place up he immediately asked to join us.  "

   "He asked me to be a model, what does he do?"

   "Mostly freelance creative design which involves websites and marketing
campaign material but he dabbles in photography." Jennifer looked toward
the long office with the blocked out glass.  "He set up a small studio
where he takes photos for some online clothes stores."

   Jennifer's tour then took Tessa around the other side of the floor which
was pretty much just more empty offices.  She also pointed out where the
bathrooms were located and a service elevator that large deliveries would
come through.

   When they had looped back to the reception area Jennifer continued to
the elevators.  "Now let me show you our other floor.  At the moment half
of it is undergoing a fit out.  We have a law firm that will be using the
space exclusively for client meetings and workspaces for employees who need
to be in the city."

   Their elevator arrived and when they got inside Jennifer placed an
access pass next to a reader and then pushed the button for the next floor.
Seeing Tessa watching her, Jennifer provided an explanation.

   "Due to the work being done on the floor access is restricted and will
remain that way until Murphy & Schultz move in.  Once we're done with the
tour I'll get you your own access pass.

   The remainder of the floor is where we are keeping our computer servers
and the servers of any client who wants to keep their systems separate from
ours.  That's another reason that the floor is secured.  The entrance to
the server rooms has a secured door, so even when the floor becomes
unrestricted you'll need the access pass.  And then to access the
individual server rooms you will need a key."

   The elevator opened and Tessa could hear the sounds of construction
going on.  Jennifer led Tessa off to a door on the right that required
Jennifer to use her access pass again.  Inside, there were a number of
rooms with glass walls like the floor below but without the frosting.  Most
of them were empty but the one Jennifer took Tessa to had racks of computer
equipment with a mass of cables plugged in.  The room also contained a
young man who appeared to be in his twenties like Tessa.

   He looked up from sorting through some cables as Jennifer and Tessa
approached.  He had short brown hair, warm brown eyes and a kind friendly
face.  However, the first thing that Tessa noticed was how well he filled
out his polo shirt and how strong his arms looked.  He certainly didn't
look like a stereotypical IT person.  The door to the room he was in was
open so Jennifer and Tessa went to the doorway but didn't step inside.  He
stood up to greet them and he appeared to be a bit above average height.

   "Hey Nolan, this is Tessa.  She will be watching over the reception area
and accepting deliveries."

   Jennifer then gestured to Nolan.  "Nolan is our onsite IT person.  At
the moment he has his hands full with getting the computer server set up
and then he will be setting up the phone and video conferencing systems. 
Once this site is all up and running, Nolan will be taking care of tech
support."

   Nolan smiled and waved.  "Hi Tessa, it's nice to meet you."

   She returned his smile.  "Nice to meet you as well Nolan."

   Tessa thought he was pretty cute and gave him another smile when she and
Jennifer left him to head back toward the elevators.

   "It will take some time for Nolan to sort this all out, so I don't know
how often you'll see him.  If you have any issues with your computer you
can call his phone, his contact details are in a notebook in the reception
desk."

   For the rest of the morning Jennifer walked Tessa through her job
including showing her the computer system she would be using to manage
bookings and the web site which had some training modules that she had to
complete on company policies.  Tessa was introduced to Andrew and Fiona
over video chat, their jobs allowed them to continue working from home and
they didn't need to be at any of the sites.  Andrew was currently
responsible for managing communications with the tenants who would be
moving in and the building managers.  Fiona was in charge of finances,
managing cash inflows and expenses.  Jennifer also showed Tessa how to use
a wireless headset that could be connected to the phone so that she could
answer calls away from the desk.  There were a couple of interruptions as
Jennifer had to take some calls about deliveries or about work being
carried out at the other office sites.

   Shortly before Midday Jennifer was apparently satisfied that Tessa had a
handle on things and it would be okay to leave her to her own devices. 
Jennifer got up and announced that she would be going over to another site
to supervise and then told Tessa that if she needed any urgent help to call
her by phone.  Tessa eagerly assured Jennifer that she would be okay by
herself and if anything important did come up she would let Jennifer know
as soon as possible.  Jennifer gave her a smile and said that she would
call later to see how Tessa was going before heading over to the elevators
and waving goodbye when the elevator arrived.

   When the elevator doors closed and Jennifer was out of sight Tessa felt
a measure of relief.  Jennifer was friendly and encouraging but it was
still nerve wracking for Tessa to have her boss right next to her as she
worked.  Other than that, Tessa was happy with how things were going so far
and was confident that she could do the job.

   At half past twelve Tessa decided it was time for lunch, she set her
desk phone to go to messaging and locked her computer.  Feeling uncertain
about being away from her desk for too long and potentially missing a
delivery, her plan was to just duck out quickly to pick up a sandwich. 
With the current state of her finances she would have preferred to bring
her own lunch but she hadn't been certain of whether there would be a
refrigerator available for her to use.

   Outside she could see that life in the city was beginning to get back to
normal.  There were a large number of people walking around, not as much as
there had been before the pandemic but enough that it felt more lively. 
Tessa went to a corner shop and bought herself a sandwich before returning
back to work.

   Not wanting to eat at the reception desk, Tessa took her sandwich to the
kitchenette.  There she saw that Nolan was sitting at one of the tables
eating his own lunch.  Tessa sat across from him, thinking it would be
really unfriendly to sit at another table.  Also after so long without
interacting with someone in person other than Phoebe, Tessa actually wanted
to be social.  Nolan looked up and seemed a little shocked that she would
be sitting with him but he recovered quickly and smiled before asking how
things were going.

   He was somewhat awkward but in a kind of adorable way.  Tessa wasn't put
off by his awkwardness, her own social skills were feeling rusty after a
long period of mainly talking to people over video chat.  As they talked
and ate their lunch Tessa found herself enjoying his company and so was a
little disappointed when their break was over and he had to go back
upstairs.

   The afternoon was spent going through the online training modules and
taking a few phone calls.  Tessa was awkward at first but by the last call
she felt that she was getting the hang of it.  At around quarter past five
Jasper walked into the reception area, seeing Tessa he went up to the desk.

   "How did your first day go?"

   Tessa smiled, "Pretty good, I've just been going through all of the
company training and learning how to do things.  There's a lot to take in
but I think I've got it under control."

   "That's good to hear.  I'm guessing the lockdown affected your previous
job?"

   "Yeah, I was an office assistant and when the lockdown started they
decided I was no longer needed."

   "And since the lockdown ended they haven't been in contact to offer you
your job back?"

   "No, I've talked to some people I used to work with and apparently a lot
of people are still working at home so they don't need many of the office
staff."

   Jasper nodded.  "I understand why working from home would appeal to a
lot of people.  I could do my work from home myself but I prefer to get out
of the house.  It gives me more motivation and helps separate work from
home."

   "If I had the choice I'd probably work a few days at home but it's good
to work in the office as well otherwise I might never leave the house."
Tessa shrugged, "Of course my job isn't something that can be done from
home."

   "Well I'm glad that I get to see you in person.  I'll see you tomorrow
Tessa."

   Tessa gave him a small wave goodbye, "See you tomorrow Jasper."

   Not long after Jasper had left Tessa started to shut her computer down
and pack up.  With her first day completed without any problems Tessa felt
better about herself and that her life was getting back on track.

   The next day Tessa went to work wearing a pair of good black jeans and a
light blue blouse.  To go with her more relaxed appearance her hair was
tied in a loose ponytail.  It was a step down from what she had worn the
previous day but it was still far from being casual.  Tessa was uncertain
about just how loose the dress code was at the moment and she didn't know
if Jennifer might drop by for a visit.

   Workwise there was a lot less for Tessa to do.  There were a couple of
deliveries that arrived during the morning but most of her time was spent
reviewing the company manuals and finishing her training modules.  Jennifer
didn't drop by but she did call to check how Tessa was doing and whether
she needed anything.

   At lunchtime Tessa had brought her own lunch this time and so she just
went straight to the kitchenette area and was sitting at one of the tables
to eat while idly browsing the internet on her phone.  She was there for
around ten minutes when she heard the elevator chime followed shortly by
Nolan appearing.  He smiled when he saw her and said hello before heading
to the refrigerator to grab his food.  Nolan joined her at the table she
was sitting at and asked her how her day was going.  They ended up talking
about their experiences during the lockdown and any hobbies or interests
they picked up.

   After sharing that she had tried her hand at baking and failed before
falling back on expanding her cooking abilities, Tessa was amused to find
out that Nolan had used his spare time to get into working out.  She looked
at him quizzically, he was in really good shape, more than she thought
possible for someone who had only really begun during the lockdown. 
Sheepishly Nolan told her that he had got really motivated and his
housemate who was a personal trainer pushed him like he was training to be
in a superhero movie.  Now that he was back at work he wasn't working out
as much but was doing enough to stay in shape.  Tessa couldn't help
flirtatiously complimenting his hard work and was pleased when he blushed
in response.

   That afternoon there wasn't much for Tessa to do and her thoughts ended
up going back to her lunch break with Nolan.  It might have been because of
her lack of a dating life caused by the lock down but Tessa found Nolan
quite attractive and was flattered with the attention he had paid to her.

   Tired of just sitting at the reception desk, Tessa put on her headset
and went for a walk around the floor.  When she went by Jasper's offices
she kept as quiet as she could so that she didn't disturb him.  She found a
spot by a window, leaned against the sill and took in the view.  The office
space was on the fifteenth floor so there was a decent view of the
surrounding buildings and the streets below.  Tessa got so drawn into the
view that she didn't detect Jasper's presence until her attention was
caught by a flash of light.  Startled Tessa spun around quickly and with
wide eyes saw Jasper standing there with a large camera.

   Jasper lowered the camera and Tessa saw that he had an apologetic
expression.  "Sorry Tessa, I didn't mean to startle you.  The sight of you
as you were looking out the window was amazing and I just had to take a
picture."

   Tessa blushed, she was more embarrassed about getting caught slacking
off on the job than she was upset at getting startled.  "That's okay, it's
my fault for getting distracted and daydreaming.  I should probably get
back to the reception desk."

   "I'm sure it's fine, you haven't missed any phone calls have you?"

   Tessa touched the headset that was sitting around her neck.  "No, but I
shouldn't leave the desk unattended for long periods of time."

   "It's okay for you to not be switched on all the time.  Before you
started Jennifer would be walking around the floor all the time to try and
find something to do, we ended up having a regular afternoon chat.  You
being here has freed Jennifer from having to do the mundane tasks.  She
knows there isn't much to do at the moment, as long as you do what needs to
be done Jennifer won't mind how you fill the empty time." Jasper beckoned
her over.  "If you still want to head back to the reception desk, you
should at least see the photo I took of you."

   With her initial embarrassment and concern about being caught slacking
eased by Jasper, Tessa's interest in the photo was piqued.  She wasn't
expecting that it would be anything special but was curious as to how she
looked.  When Jasper showed her the view screen on his camera Tessa was
surprised, even with how small the picture was she could tell it looked
great.  She looked up to see Jasper grinning at her reaction.

   "Do you like it?"

   Tessa nodded.

   "If you want to, we can go to my office and I'll upload the photo to my
computer so you can get a better look at it."

   While she didn't really want to go back to the reception desk Tessa felt
like she should be waiting there in case someone did call by.  She also
didn't want to be a bother to Jasper and distract him from his own work.

   "Thanks, but I really wouldn't want to take you away from what you were
doing."

   Jasper chuckled.  "If you don't mind spending some time with me.  I'd be
happy to have some company.  Work is slowly starting to pick up again but
it will probably be some time before I have enough work to fully fill my
day."

   That made Tessa feel better about abandoning the reception desk and it
definitely sounded like a more appealing way to pass the time.  She nodded,
making Jasper smile before he led them back to his office.

   Inside his office it was quite spacious even with the furniture and
equipment.  Jasper gestured to a chair sitting by a small bookcase before
going to the chair by a desk with his computer on it.  Tessa grabbed the
chair and brought it closer to the desk.  After connecting his camera to
the computer, Jasper brought the photo of Tessa up on the monitor.  On a
larger screen the photo looked even better, Tessa was really impressed with
how she looked.  "Wow, it's beautiful, I can't believe that's me."

   Jasper shrugged.  "Thanks.  I don't profess to be an artist but I think
I'm fairly handy with a camera." He pointed to the faraway expression on
Tessa's face in the photo.  "I think it turned out so well because you
weren't aware of the camera.  Your expression was authentic, not a pose."

   "Still, you somehow managed to make it look good despite the plain
clothes I'm wearing."

   One of Jasper's eyebrows arched and a small hint of an amused smile
appeared on his face.  "I've found that in most cases how good the clothes
look depends on who's wearing them."

   Tessa could feel her face heat up.  "Jennifer said you do photography
for online fashion stores.  You must have seen a lot of women prettier than
me."

   Jasper shrugged, "I have photographed a lot of beautiful women.  Whether
any of them is more beautiful than another is subjective." He turned back
to his computer and navigated around some folders before opening up a photo
of a model in a slinky red dress against a white background.

   The model looked stunning and Tessa thought that this photo proved her
point.  While she liked the photo of herself she didn't think she compared
to this model.  Jasper however appeared to have the opposite opinion. 
"This is Michelle, she's certainly beautiful but in this picture she has
had professional hair and make up done.  She's still beautiful without
those things but I don't think she's any more beautiful than you are."

   Tessa appreciated what he was saying but she still didn't quite accept
it.  The model looked slim and tall and had what appeared to be perfectly
shaped breasts that weren't too big but gave her some impressive cleavage
in the dress.  By comparison Tessa felt positively plain.  While she and
Phoebe had motivated each other to exercise during the lockdown, Tessa knew
she wasn't in anywhere near as good shape.  Her breasts were round and
shapely but didn't give her much of a noticeable bust.  She also thought
her hips were a little too wide in comparison to her upper torso.

   "I don't have the figure she has."

   "So?  From what I can see you have a pretty good figure as well." Jasper
grinned, "I've got some outfits next door and I'm sure something will fit
you.  Want to do some modeling for me and let me show you that you are just
as beautiful as these models?"

   Tessa's expression was clearly dubious so Jasper continued trying to
convince her.  "You also have amazing skin, it looks smooth and silky. 
Your light golden skin tone would really pop out against the white
backdrop."

   Jasper's compliment gave her a boost to her ego and she accepted that he
might be genuine with his opinion.  However she wasn't about to blow off
her job regardless of how little there was to do.  "I'm fairly certain that
Jennifer wouldn't be happy with me abandoning my responsibilities to play
at being a model."

   Jasper grinned again this time with a sly expression, "With how empty
this place is, if someone was so inclined there's plenty of opportunity to
get up to mischief without worrying about getting caught."

   Tessa's eyebrows rose and she looked at him questioningly.  Jasper
chuckled.  He brought up another picture of the same model, this time
wearing a sheer and skimpy set of lingerie.  Moving in a little closer
Tessa could see the model's nipples through the material of her bra. 
Tessa's eyes widened and she looked back to Jasper.  "That photo was taken
here?"

   He nodded, "Yeah.  The shoot started around midafternoon, we started
with the more public acceptable outfits, the girls were getting changed in
this office and then walking over to the studio.  By the time we got to the
racy stuff Jennifer had already left for the day.  To begin with the models
would put on a robe while they were walking through the office but I guess
with how quiet and empty it was, they became comfortable enough that they
ended up not bothering with the robe."

   Tessa pictured the model from the photo walking through the office
wearing only her lingerie and was a little envious of her confidence.  She
looked at Jasper with feigned suspicion.  "Is this a ploy to get me wearing
revealing outfits?"

   He shook his head but remained grinning.  "No, unfortunately the clothes
I have next door aren't as showy.  They're still beautiful but much more
modest."

   The offer was honestly appealing but Tessa never considered agreeing. 
"I admit it sounds like it would be fun but I should really keep my
attention on my reception duties.  Thanks for showing me your photos, can
you send me a copy of the photo of me to my email?"

   Jasper nodded, "That's no problem at all.  Probably better if you give
me a personal email account though."

   Tessa nodded and gave him her email address before thanking him again
and heading back to the reception desk.  The rest of the afternoon was
uneventful, there were a couple of phone calls and then emails to write to
Jennifer and Andrew but that was it.  The rest of the afternoon was empty
and left Tessa wondering about what it would have been like if she had gone
along with Jasper's offer to do some modelling.

   On Wednesday, Tessa again wore a pair of black jeans but this time to go
with them she had a short sleeve button up top.  Her top was definitely
more on the casual side of dress but not overly so.

   Around mid morning Jennifer dropped by, she talked with Tessa for a bit,
asking how she was settling in and if she had any questions before letting
her know about the progress of the work being carried out at the other
sites.  Jennifer then told Tessa that she had actually come by to talk to
Jasper about taking photos of the office space so that they could be used
on the website.  After about an hour Jennifer returned to the reception
area, closely followed by Jasper.

   Tessa looked at both of them as they stopped in front of her.  "Is there
something that I can help you with?"

   Jennifer smiled and nodded, "Actually, yes.  How do you feel about
having your photo on our website?"

   "Sorry, what?"

   Tessa turned to Jasper who just grinned.

   "Jasper suggested that rather than just take pictures of the office
space and facilities we should include some photos of people making use of
the space, give it a more lively feel.  I thought that maybe you should be
in the photos, seeing as you will be the first person most people will meet
when they arrive."

   Tessa was pleased that Jennifer seemed to be thinking of her as being a
long term employee but the request was pretty sudden.  She looked down at
what she was wearing.  "I don't think what I'm wearing is suitable for what
you want."

   "No.  If you agree to being on our website Jasper can do the photo shoot
tomorrow.  That will give you the chance to dress up like how you were on
Monday."

   Despite being uncertain about having pictures of her on the company's
website, Tessa didn't think it was too out there as a request.  She saw
Jennifer's expectant look and knew that she couldn't disappoint her.  Tessa
nodded slowly.  "Sure, I can do that."

   "Thanks for agreeing to this Tessa, you're really helping us out. 
You've been doing a great job."

   Inside Tessa grimaced, there was no way that she would be able to back
out now.  She was too invested in trying to impress Jennifer.  She looked
to Jasper who winked at her and it occurred to her that in a way she would
be modelling for him.  It was an amusing thought and she felt a little
better about agreeing to do the shoot.

   Lunch was again spent with Nolan.  As they were getting more familiar
with each other the conversation was getting a lot more natural.  A little
embarrassed about it, Tessa didn't mention how she had been roped into
participating in a photo shoot that would be put on the company website.

   That afternoon when Tessa had run out of things to do she decided to go
for a walk around the rest of the floor.  She was hesitant to visit Jasper
in case she ended up bothering him but decided that it couldn't hurt to at
least check.  She knocked at his office door but there was no answer, she
then went over to the studio space and knocked on that door but again there
was no answer.  Tessa was a little disappointed that Jasper wasn't around
but she knew there was always the possibility that he would have been too
busy to keep her company.

   She went back to the window she had been staring out of yesterday and
tried to think of something to occupy her time.  Tessa's thoughts went to
what Jasper had said yesterday afternoon about being able to get up to
mischief when no one was around.  Her mind then immediately followed up
with Jasper's story about models walking around in skimpy barely there
lingerie.  She wondered if she could do that herself.  Walking around an
office space in her underwear wasn't something that Tessa would have
thought of doing but Jasper's story had intrigued her.  With no one else on
the floor there was no reason she couldn't try it out.  The only risk of
getting caught would be if Jasper came back.  While it would be
embarrassing for her, he likely wouldn't consider it to be a big deal.

   She felt a buzz of excitement running through her body and realised that
she really did want to give it a try.  Jasper had said that she was just as
beautiful as the models he had photographed, maybe she wanted to prove to
herself that she could do what they had done.  After all, Jasper had
thought she was pretty enough to be a model and the place was empty so
there wasn't any reason she couldn't do it.

   Tessa slipped her shoes off first, quickly followed by her socks.  The
feel of the carpet on her bare feet was a minor thing but as a first step
it was still exciting.  The next step however had Tessa caught in
indecision.  She looked around her, the window she was standing near was in
sight of a building across the street but she couldn't see through its
windows clearly.  Whether anyone in that building would be able to see her
was unclear so Tessa was reluctant to take her top off during the day when
it was most likely that someone would be in the other building.  Her other
option was to take off her pants but that felt like a much larger step. 
Tessa was caught in a moment of indecision until she questioned whether she
could even take the next step.  She took a deep breath, not wanting to give
up so easily Tessa decided that she would go with taking her pants off.

   Feeling resolute, Tessa quickly undid the button on her jeans and pulled
the zip down.  Those were simple acts but they gave Tessa a small rush. 
She took hold of the sides of her jeans and tugged them downwards.  As her
jeans weren't overly tight fitting they easily slipped down until they were
sitting around her ankles.  After lifting one leg out of her jeans Tessa
gently kicked them off to join her shoes.  There was a slight chill as her
legs were exposed to the cool air but Tessa hardly noticed it due to the
jolt of excitement she got from having actually gone ahead with undressing.
Her underwear was a pair of plain white bikini panties, hardly anything to
get excited about but in the context of an office area it was still out of
the ordinary.  Tessa was satisfied with her progress so far and thought
that she would walk around a bit before she decided whether she would take
off her blouse.

   Her first few steps away from her jeans and shoes, away from the sense
of security they provided were an effort.  As Tessa continued along the
corridor of empty offices her nervousness was replaced with a genuine rush,
she was actually walking around the offices partially undressed.

   Tessa stopped outside Jasper's office and imagined herself knocking on
the door and having him open up to see her standing there without any pants
on.  The thought of Jasper being surprised but then grinning at her
mischief brought a smile to Tessa's face.

   Looking down at her body, Tessa thought it was time to progress her
adventure a little further.  She fully unbuttoned her blouse and pulled the
sides apart, exposing her stomach and bra.  Like her panties, the bra
wasn't anything fancy but having it revealed was still exciting.  Tessa
left her blouse on, having it cover her back gave her some sense of
security.  Delending on how she felt, maybe she would take it off later.

   Seeing her reflection in the glass of Jasper's door she struck a pose
with her hip cocked, her arm angled so that her elbow pointed out from her
side and the hand resting on the bare skin above her panties.  She grinned,
she looked a little ridiculous but it was fun and exciting being partially
undressed in an office environment.  Tessa wondered whether Jasper's models
had felt something similar.

   Taking her imagined encounter with Jasper further Tessa pictured herself
asking if his offer to take some modelling photos was still open.  Jasper
would nod and smile before grabbing his camera.  Tessa strutted toward
Jasper's studio, pretending that he was following behind her.  She lifted
up the back of her blouse to ensure that Jasper would have a clear view of
her ass.

   When Tessa reached the door to the studio she stopped.  She had no idea
what it was like inside the studio, other than from the photos of the model
she had seen yesterday.  Picturing herself in front of the white screen
Tessa tried out some poses she had seen on online stores.  She then
imagined Jasper asking her to gradually show more and more skin, he wasn't
being sleazy but was pushing her to be as appealing and sexy as she could.
Could she pull her underwear higher so that more of her ass was exposed,
slip the strap of her bra off her shoulder, then take her bra off
altogether for a shot of her bare back, how about a shot from the front
with her hands covering her breasts?

   Unexpectedly Tessa found she was getting a little turned on by thinking
about being photographed half naked.  She was leaning with her back against
the glass wall of Jasper's studio and her thighs were clenching together,
putting a bit of nice feeling pressure on her pussy.  Tessa looked around,
her face feeling flushed, while there was no one around to see her she was
still embarrassed by how immersed she had got in her imagination.

   She shook her head, took a breath and continued walking through the
office until she reached the doorway back to the reception area.  Tessa
briefly thought about dashing past the elevators to the other door.  It
would be exhilarating, but being recorded by the security cameras in the
reception area was too much of a risk.  As she was the only person on the
floor it would be simple for anyone reviewing the footage to identify her.

   Out of nowhere there was a chime from the elevators.  Tessa froze for an
instant before better instincts took control and she hurried out of sight.
She sped through the office area, buttoning her blouse back up and
wondering who had shown up.  It was most likely just Jasper coming back to
his office.  Despite what she had just imagined, if Jasper caught her like
this, she would be utterly embarrassed but she could live with it.  The
problem was what if it wasn't Jasper, what if it was Jennifer coming back
for a surprise visit?

   There would be no way to explain away what she was doing walking around
half undressed.  The rising fear in her stomach had Tessa moving even
faster, almost running back to her jeans.  She hoped that if it was
Jennifer, that she would wait by the reception desk.

   When Tessa reached her jeans and shoes her fear lessened, she wasn't in
the clear yet but she felt more in control.  She picked up her jeans and
shoes and retreated around a corner hoping to buy herself a little time. 
In record time Tessa had her jeans and shoes back on.  Whoever had arrived
appeared to have stayed in the reception area, Tessa hadn't heard anyone
approaching where she was.  Relieved, she took a few calming breaths and
went out to see who was there.

   As Tessa entered the reception area she couldn't see anyone around.  She
was a little puzzled, had she misheard the elevator or had someone selected
the floor by mistake?  Once she reached the desk she saw that there was
someone in the kitchenette, they were facing away from her but the well
built outline and thick dark hair were clearly Nolan's.  Her pulse
quickened a fraction and she wondered what it would have been like if he
had caught her walking around in her underwear.  She stilled as a small
jolt of arousal went through her, clearly finding that scenario somewhat
appealing.

   Nolan turned around and smiled when he saw her.  "Hey Tessa."

   "Hi Nolan, what brings you down here?"

   "Oh, I finished a job and thought I'd take a quick break before going on
to the next.  I know you've said that there isn't much to do so I thought
maybe you'd like a little company."

   "That sounds good, I'll come and join you."

   Tessa checked her computer and phone for any emails or messages before
picking up the headset and joining Nolan in the kitchenette during his
break.

   When Nolan went back to work and she was sitting back at the reception
desk Tessa thought about the photo shoot that was to take place the next
day.  It wasn't going to be anywhere near what she had imagined today but
it was sure to still be an interesting experience.

   Riding the elevator up to work on Thursday, Tessa had a slight feeling
of deja vu with her being dressed up all professionally and feeling nervous
about the day.  This time though her nervousness was related to the photo
shoot she had felt obligated to agree to taking part in.  She trusted
Jasper's photography skills and was sure that the photos would turn out
great but there was still a part of her that was on edge, urging her to not
mess things up or disappoint anyone.

   Even though Jasper didn't expect the photo shoot to take all that long,
he had scheduled it for the afternoon when it was less likely that they
would be interrupted.  For Tessa that meant she had to endure her nerves
and uncertainty all through the morning.  There were periods where Tessa
was occupied with a delivery, email or a phone call but as usual there was
a lot of time with nothing much to occupy her but her thoughts.

   At lunch time as had become the habit she sat with Nolan and talked with
him as they ate.  Nolan asked Tessa why she was all dressed up and she told
him about the photo shoot.  He looked interested and even asked if they
would need his help.  His transparent interest gave Tessa a smile as she
shrugged and told him that he would have to ask Jasper.

   A bit over an hour after getting back from her break Jasper walked into
the reception area holding his camera.  "Are you okay to get started?"

   After quickly checking her emails and the schedule of deliveries Tessa
set the phone to go to messages and then grabbed her handbag.  "I'll just
go and freshen up my makeup."

   When she returned she was surprised to find Nolan talking with Jasper.
She smiled, thinking that Nolan had actually gone ahead and offered to help
Jasper in order to watch the photo shoot.  It was a surprise for Tessa to
learn that Jasper wanted to include Nolan in some photos.  His explanation
was having Nolan there would prevent her from being the sole focus and
having only one person would probably highlight the emptiness of the space
more than if there was no one in the pictures at all.  Whatever the reason
Tessa was glad that Nolan was there.

   The first picture Jasper wanted to take was of Tessa and Nolan standing
together in front of the reception desk.  Standing there looking at Jasper
pointing a camera at her felt awkward.  Having Nolan standing next to her
was also distracting her.  Tessa was keenly aware of his physical presence
and her attraction to him.  She did her best to look relaxed and normal and
then smiled for the camera.

   She saw Jasper lower his camera and reveal a frown.  "This isn't quite
the image that I'm looking for."

   He thought for a moment.  "Tessa.  Could you unbutton your blouse
please?"

   The question shocked Tessa out of her awkwardness.  "Sorry, what?"

   Jasper chuckled.  "Not completely, just the top few buttons."

   When Tessa had dressed with the photo shoot in mind she had been aiming
to look highly professional.  As part of that look she had buttoned her
blouse all the way to the top.  Now Jasper was asking her to undo some of
them.  That wasn't as bad as her earlier impression that he wanted her
blouse fully open but she still questioned whether it was necessary.

   Jasper noticed her sceptical expression.  "We need to sex things up a
little, you'll still look professional but showing a bit more skin will
make you seem more approachable and friendly."

   While Jasper's choice of words was odd, his explanation sounded
reasonable to Tessa and it wasn't like she would be showing anything so she
went along with his request.  She undid the top two buttons of her blouse
and opened it up a little.  "Is this okay?"

   Jasper nodded.  "Yeah, that looks good.  Now can I get the two of you to
make some funny faces and do some goofy poses?  You're both looking a
little stiff, hopefully we can have some fun and get you comfortable."

   Tessa and Nolan looked at each other and they both shrugged.  Following
Jasper's instructions they made funny faces at each other and then to the
camera.  When Jasper showed them the pictures on the view screen they both
laughed.  After taking his camera back Jasper looked at Tessa and Nolan. 
"Do you two think you're ready to start for real?"

   Tessa could feel that she was a lot more relaxed, she hadn't realised
just how tense she had been.  She nodded, "I'm ready."

   Beside her Nolan also nodded, "I'm good too."

   Jasper smiled, "Great.  Let's get things going."

   Tessa and Nolan moved in close together and smiled for the camera.  As
Jasper took photos he guided Tessa and Nolan to make a few adjustments to
how they were posed.  Tessa was impressed by how professional Jasper was,
he seemed different from his usual casual jokey attitude.  His instructions
were clear and he was patient when things weren't quite as he wanted.

   The photoshoot turned out to be more involved than Tessa had thought. 
Jasper ended up taking quite a few photos, some with Nolan, some with just
her in them.  After taking photos of her and Nolan in front of the
reception desk Jasper took some of her sitting at the reception desk.  They
then went on a mini photographical tour of the meeting rooms and the
kitchenette.  It wasn't all serious though, Jasper would occasionally ask
for some goofy or over the top poses that had everyone laughing.

   After the photoshoot Nolan went back upstairs and Jasper went to his
office to review the photos and curate a selection to send on to Jennifer.
Tessa spent a bit of time at the reception desk checking emails and
forwarding some queries to Andrew.  Soon though there was nothing else for
her to do and it was late enough that it was unlikely that there would be
many if any calls.

   She knew that Jasper would probably be busy with reviewing the photos so
she didn't want to go and bother him.  It would be up to her to find
something to occupy her time.

   While she was thinking of things she could do Tessa went to the bathroom
and when she was washing her hands she realised that her blouse was still
unbuttoned.  She smiled at the memory of Jasper telling her that she needed
to "sex things up" a little.  After drying her hands Tessa was about to
button up her blouse but paused with her fingers on a button.  She moved
back in front of the mirror and studied her reflection for a second before
unbuttoning a couple more buttons on her blouse.  Tessa then opened up the
sides of her blouse so that her bra was visible.  Her appearance was no
longer professional looking but it also wasn't particularly sexy either. 
Tessa undid the remaining buttons that were visible and pulled her blouse
wide open so that her bra encased breasts were fully in view.  She put on a
sultry look and pouted her lips for the mirror.  She came across as being
more sexy but inside she wasn't feeling it.

   As Tessa was about to do up her blouse she stopped again.  She had an
impulse to try and make herself look as hot as possible.  Something that if
it was put on the company website would give the entirely wrong impression
of what services were on offer.  Tessa paused, wondering where that idea
had come from.  She thought that yesterday's adventure would have satisfied
any urges to engage in risky behaviour.  Apparently not, but it wasn't like
there would be much risk undressing in the bathroom, she was the only lady
around.

   Due to not having any work to get back to and there being very little
chance of being seen and getting embarrassed Tessa couldn't think of a
reason not to do it.  Before she could rethink what she was doing Tessa
took off her blazer, pulled her blouse out of her skirt and undid the last
few buttons.  That wasn't enough though, having her bra and stomach exposed
would have made for interesting photos but it wasn't the look Tessa was
going for.

   Tessa thought for a moment about what she should do next.  Rather than
just showing more skin she wanted to be playful, a tease.  While her bra
was a little more fancy than what she had on yesterday it still fully
concealed her breasts.  Without stopping to think about it Tessa took off
her blouse and then undid her bra.

   As she slipped her bra straps off her shoulders Tessa kept her eyes from
her reflection.  It wasn't until she was pulling the bra away from her
breasts that she looked at the mirror.  She was struck by how utterly
bizarre it was to be standing half naked in the bathroom at work.  Tessa
noticed her nipples were beginning to harden, mostly from their exposure to
the cool air.  She got her blouse and put it back on but left it completely
unbuttoned.  After carefully positioning her blouse so that her nipples
were covered but the inner curves and a portion of the undersides of her
breasts were visible Tessa looked up at her reflection.

   Despite nothing particularly private being exposed, her appearance was
wonderfully inappropriate.  Her pleased grin made her look like even more
of a tease and added to her sexiness.  While her blouse wasn't sheer,
focusing on her chest Tessa was certain that she could see a hint of the
darker colour of her nipples through the material.  It was definitely easy
to see how hard they were with the way they were poking through her blouse.

   Tessa retrieved her blazer and put it on, she took hold of the front
sides, holding them close to her body so that they pressed against the
outsides of her breasts.  That pushed her breasts inward, giving her more
prominent cleavage.  The sight of herself doing an overly sexy pose was a
little absurd but she was having fun and a genuine smile appeared on her
face.  Somehow her grin made the image in the mirror appear more playful
and appealing.

   Tessa put some more thought into how she could make her appearance even
sexier.  The only thing that really jumped out to her was her skirt.  With
the skirt she was wearing there wasn't much she could do with the waist,
her only real option was to shorten its hem.  She folded the hem up until
her skirt now went down to just above her mid thigh.  She posed again and
was actually surprised at how well she was pulling off the sexy look.  The
strip of bare skin running from her neck down past her belly button to the
waist of her skirt was an enticing tease, especially when it came to the
inner curves of her breasts that had been emphasised by Tessa pushing them
inward.

   She studied her reflection for a good while.  Tessa had never
deliberately tried to dress in such a provocatively sexy way before and was
finding that besides being fun she liked how she looked.  Tessa released
her pose, satisfied that she had gone as far as she could in making herself
look sexy without revealing too much of her body.

   Not ready to end the fun she was having Tessa decided to try out some
looks that were a bit more explicit.  Smiling, she did a minor striptease
for the mirror as she took off both the blazer and blouse.  Tessa draped
her blouse up over the door of a stall before putting her blazer back on.
It felt weird to be wearing the blazer only but Tessa couldn't deny that
visually it was pretty hot.

   She again started by covering her nipples but drew the sides of the
blazer back so her breasts were effectively framed by its lapels.  There
was just something about the contrast of a professional looking blazer and
her bare chest with her hard light brown nipples pointing out that really
made her feel sexy.  The thought of Jasper photographing her like this sent
a small shiver of arousal through her.

   Tessa would have liked to have a photograph taken of how she currently
looked but she had left her phone at the reception desk and there was no
way she could go out like she was currently dressed to fetch her phone. 
Dressing back up, going and getting her phone and then coming back to
attempt to recapture her sexy look was also out of the question.

   Tessa sighed, gave her reflection another look and put her clothes back
on so she once again looked professional.  As Tessa inspected herself to
make sure everything was in place she couldn't help feeling like she looked
boring now.  A part of her wished that she had the courage to go back out
to the reception desk with even a halfway sexy appearance.

   On Friday morning Tessa felt like she had reached a milestone.  At the
end of the day she would have completed a full week in her new job.  She
knew that it had been an easy week but she still felt like it was an
accomplishment after the long period she hadn't worked.  More importantly,
she would be getting paid early next week which would alleviate a lot of
the financial pressure she had been under.

   At lunch Tessa mentioned her milestone to Nolan and he responded by
smiling and congratulating her sincerely.  There was a pause and from his
expression Nolan had thought of something and was deciding whether he
should share it with her.  Tessa waited with a patient but expectant look
on her face.  Eventually Nolan decided to go ahead and say what he had on
his mind.

   "Do you want to get a drink after work?  You know, to celebrate
completing your first week."

   His question had been tentative, clearly worried how she would take it.
Tessa felt a little warm inside at just how endearingly nervous Nolan was.
She would have liked to accept his offer but she didn't really have the
money to spend on going out for a drink or two.

   Tessa smiled wistfully, "That sounds good, but I can't really afford it
at the moment.  Anyway, are the bars even open again?"

   Nolan looked crestfallen but then perked up again.  "How about I go buy
some drinks and we have them here?"

   That sounded good to Tessa but she was wary of whether that would be
allowed here.  Unlike her little adventure around the office area, there
was a security camera in the kitchenette and they would certainly be seen
drinking.  "Is that going to be okay?"

   "Yeah it will be fine.  The last couple of Fridays Jennifer arranged
drinks for a bunch of us here.  We had some wine, beer and snacks.  It was
actually pretty lively.  She also said that her plan was to have little
networking events for the tenants once this place was set up and the people
moved in."

   Tessa was convinced that there wouldn't be any trouble and so couldn't
see a reason not to agree.  "Well, in that case I'm in.  Thanks."

   Nolan seemed pleased with her acceptance.  "What would you like me to
get you?"

   "I don't need anything fancy, some beer would be fine for me."

   "Okay, cool.  I might get us a six pack."

   Nolan ducked out for a bit before returning with a six pack which he put
inside the fridge.  As he passed by the reception desk he called out to
Tessa.  "See you after work."

   That afternoon Tessa received a call from Jennifer.  In a moment of
coincidence Jennifer apologised for not being able to come over and
celebrate the end of Tessa's first week.  When Tessa mentioned that Nolan
had got some drinks for after work Jennifer sounded happy that something
had been organised and promised that she would arrange for everyone to get
together once the office was officially open.

   Jennifer also mentioned the photos taken from the previous day and gave
Tessa a compliment on how good she looked in them.  Tessa was ecstatic to
hear that she and Nolan would be getting paid a small bonus for their
modelling work as the company saved money by not hiring actual models.

   After the call Tessa took care of some emails and when Jennifer sent
through some of the photos Jasper had taken.  She opened them up and was
impressed by how well they had turned out.  Wanting to compliment Jasper,
Tessa left her desk, went to his office and knocked on the door.  When he
opened up Jasper smiled when he saw Tessa.

   "Hi Tessa, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

   "Hey Jasper, Jennifer sent me some of the photos from the shoot
yesterday.  The ones I saw are really good.  You did a great job of making
us look good."

   "Thanks, I think part of the credit should go to you and Nolan.  Both of
you were very photogenic and you took directions well."

   He looked at her with a smirk, "Do you think I could convince you to do
some more modelling for me?"

   Tessa thought of the sexy poses she had tried out later in the bathroom
and blushed.  She hoped Jasper just thought she was embarrassed out of
modesty.  "Maybe, but only if you pay me a lot.  Modelling seems like a
massive step down from the glamorous job of being a receptionist."

   Jasper laughed, "I'll see what I can do.  In the meantime do you want to
see the rest of the photos I took?"

   Tessa nodded and followed Jasper back into his office where they looked
at all the pictures that had been taken.  After that they chatted until it
was time for Jasper to leave.  He was heading off early so that he could
get ready for a dinner out with friends.  When Tessa returned to the
reception desk she found she hadn't missed any emails so she settled back
and browsed the internet on her phone while she waited for the day to end.

   Just after five o'clock Nolan arrived from upstairs having finished for
the day.  He accompanied Tessa on her quick walk around to check the
offices were all secure before they both headed to the kitchenette for
drinks.  Nolan fetched a couple bottles of beer and opened them before
handing one to Tessa.  Nolan held his own bottle up toward Tessa.

   "Congratulations on getting to the end of your first week."

   Tessa clinked her beer against Nolan's.  "Cheers."

   They both took a drink and Tessa sighed with satisfaction.  It had been
quite some time since she'd had a beer and its taste reminded her of better
times before everything went to shit.  Reflecting on her situation Tessa
was feeling a lot better.  She had completed her first week of her new job
and was going to get paid soon with a bonus on top.  While the work had
been satisfying, she also had some fun experiences and now she was enjoying
a beer with a good looking and interesting guy.

   She smiled gratefully at Nolan.  "Thanks, this is really good.  Now if
only we had some snacks, this would be perfect."

   In response Nolan reached down for his backpack before pulling out a bag
of corn chips and a jar of salsa.  Tessa laughed and nodded her head in
acknowledgement.

   As Tessa and Nolan relaxed and enjoyed their beer and corn chips they
chatted about things they were looking forward to doing now that the
pandemic was starting to ease.  Their discussion then went on to more
personal topics.  Both of them admitted that the lockdown had really cut
down on their social life.  While Tessa had given online video dating a
try, it was just too artificial and she found it draining.  Nolan hadn't
bothered with dating, instead he focused on keeping in contact with his
friends through gaming.  Tessa was pleased to hear that Nolan was single
and couldn't help kicking her flirtation up a notch.  They ended up staying
at the office for a good while until the cleaners arrived and burst their
little bubble.  After tidying up they left the building together, saying
goodbye as they each headed in different directions.

   Arriving at work on the following Monday, Tessa found she was actually
looking forward to the day.  Despite there being only enough work to fill
about a third of her day she was being paid pretty well for it.  Plus there
were other things here to occupy her time.  Not least of which was lunch
with Nolan.