II.
1625 Words
II.For these past two weeks' time seemed to move at a crawl. The job promises to be the usual nine-to-five drudgery but I can hardly contain my excitement. The main reason of course is the prospect of working with Jonathan. Being able to make rent next month feels almost like a welcome bonus.
I wonder if my memory could be deceiving me. I suppose I'll find out soon enough if he really is everything I recall.
My buzzing phone brings me back to reality. A message from Jase:
Best of luck, girl. Go kick some arse!
It makes me smile. Of course he remembered that today is the day. I haven't been able to shut up about this job ever since the interview. Well, not about the job, but about the guy. Same thing really.
Thanks! x, I respond.
Now, what to wear… After pulling out nearly half the contents of my wardrobe and dumping them on the bed I settle on a slightly-too-tight plum pencil skirt and a black cowl-neck pullover. A tad more conservative than my usual style, but I wouldn't want to fall foul of any yet to be discovered dress code. At least the pullover makes the outfit somewhat appropriate for the blustery weather that's typical for late October.
Plus, there's still that sleazy creep, d**k Porter, to contend with. A pair of back seamed stockings and heels should do nicely to keep things interesting.
Dress to impress.
I'm fifteen minutes early coming out of the lift at my new workplace. Most of the desks are still empty, as is the office in the corner. I'm guessing d**k doesn't take punctuality to extremes himself. Good.
I hesitate and look around for any familiar faces. d**k's assistant, Sharon, is just now walking into the office as well. She is quite imposing, a bit taller than me with a slightly heavier, more curvaceous build, as well as impeccable dress sense. Her demeanour suggests she takes herself a bit too seriously. I don't want to judge too quickly though, so I put on my friendliest smile.
"Morning, I'm Cath. We met two weeks ago when I came in for my interview. Today is my first day..."
"Oh yes, Catherine. Richard isn't in yet; he'll be here at nine. Why don't you take a seat over there-" She gestures towards the right side of the office where I already expected to be sitting, "-and make yourself comfortable."
Her tone is authoritative. She's used to being in charge.
"Thanks," I mutter, while anxiously scanning the office for Jonathan.
There is a backpack lying on what I remember to be his desk, but he's not around. So I put my stuff on the empty desk right next to his and sit down to wait. Nervous doesn't quite describe how I feel.
"Hi." His baritone voice behind me makes me jump up instantly. It sounds pleasantly warm but slightly raspy, as though he's fighting a cold.
"Err, hi. I'm Cath-short for Catherine but nobody actually calls me that. They tell me I'm going to be working with you…" And now I'm rambling. Great.
I look at his face while offering my hand to greet him formally. Gorgeous as I remembered. But in spite of the proverbial rose-tinted specs which are currently clouding my vision, I can't help but notice a difference about him.
Are those dark circles I'm seeing? Even his skin tone has changed from the healthy subtle tan I remember to ashen and dull. I fight the urge to stare. My fingers itch to reach up and touch his face, but of course I do nothing of the sort.
"Yes indeed. Morning. I'm John," he says as we shake hands. His hand is slightly colder than mine but his grip is strong. It takes a lot of willpower for me to let go.
Holding my breath, I fight my nerves to look into his eyes momentarily. They're a warm shade of amber, but at the same time they betray more than the rest of his appearance has already done. Tired and empty. I'm taken aback by what I see and quickly look away again.
I dare not stare or make eye contact again all morning while he is giving me an introduction to all the systems I'm supposed to be using. There's no hint of small talk, only work. Even then, he appears to be a man of few words.
Whenever I do glance at his face, I notice he's consistently avoiding the sight of me. If he's not looking at the computer screen, he's leafing through the mountain of papers on his desk. Now I'm not expecting every man to act like d**k "p*****t" Porter and shamelessly ogle my boobs all day. But to avoid looking in my direction completely is another unusual extreme.
And it's especially frustrating, because I desperately wish for John to notice me.
While he busies himself with some papers in the filing cabinet behind his desk, I allow my eyes to linger on him for a moment.
Ever since I can remember I've liked men with a bit of meat on them. I don't quite understand it-I don't have any identifiable reason for this preference. I've long given up trying to analyse myself. All I know is, I want to feel his soft skin under my fingertips. I want his belly brushing against me as he leans down for a kiss. I want...
"Cath, was it?" says a familiar voice behind me. "How are you enjoying your first day?"
Dick . His presence makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and not in a good way. The inappropriate fantasy that had started to play out in my mind is instantly shattered.
"Great," I say. "There's so much to learn, but John has been really patient with me."
"Good, good. Carry on!" I can hardly suppress a sigh of relief as he stalks off towards another cluster of desks.
I turn to face John. "What time is lunch?"
"Ten minutes."
***
The lunchroom is spacious and bright. There is a buffet of sandwiches on offer and a suspicious looking "Soup of the day". I buy a ham and cheese sandwich and join a group of about seven women who are already eating and chatting at one of the two large tables.
There's no sign of John.
"Hi, I'm Cath. I've just started today," I introduce myself as the others give me the visual once-over. The only one I've already met is Sharon, who gestures at the empty seat next to her.
"Catherine, join us. I'll introduce everyone." She's smiling at me but her eyes don't look friendly.
Maybe my first impression was somewhat correct after all: she seems to be in charge. Or at least she thinks she is.
Sharon quickly rattles through the names of everyone at the table.
"This is Linda, Shelley, Jessica, Amanda, Heidi and Jackie." I nod at each of them before taking a seat.
"So, Cath. How do you like Aspect so far?" a woman further along the table asks.
Amanda, I think, but I'm not entirely sure. Her smile seems more genuine than Sharon's, but perhaps she's just a better actress.
"Oh, it seems like a nice place to work. Of course, I'm just overwhelmed at all the new things I'm supposed to learn."
"Right. So, you've been paired with John," she says. Her voice sounds awkward as she speaks his name. "How's that going?"
"Fine… He seems knowledgeable," I say.
"He should be. It seems like he's always here; comes in early and leaves late. Well he used to anyway. We've been wondering if he secretly has a bed hidden away in the supply cupboard," one of the others butts in.
The group laughs in response.
I smile politely at their rather sad attempt at a joke, and eat my food. The conversation moves on to other topics, mainly reality TV. The X Factor and Strictly Come Dancing. I don't watch either, so have nothing much to contribute.
* John *
Bloody great.
First Julie puts me through hell, and now that moron Richard is having me train his insufferable new recruit. The fun just keeps piling up, threatening to claim what's left of my sanity.
I caught a glimpse of her from behind as she arrived for her interview. Exactly Richard's type. Long legs leading up to probably the greatest a*s ever to have set foot in this building. She'll fit right in with Sharon and her g**g, so why couldn't one of them train her?
It's obvious why he hired her; and previous experience clearly wasn't a deciding factor.
This whole thing must be his idea of a joke. The way he looked at her when he came over to say hello… disgusting.
It'll be a few days before he makes his move. She will most definitely go for it too. They usually do.
I hadn't even seen her up close until this morning. She's his ultimate checklist personified: gorgeous figure with curves in just the right places, well dressed, and young. And her face…
I am not the type of guy who tends to objectify women, far from it. But this one-I can't even look at her without having to fight one physical reaction or another.
Best to ignore her completely. Once I get this training over with, everything can go back to normal.
A glance at my watch tells me it's time. Back to the grind…
I quickly hide the bottle of vodka behind the stack of spare copier paper. I don't know why I bother with this anymore. It doesn't even help.
When I get to my desk she is already sitting at her computer, peering at the screen with intense focus. I sit down and retrieve the sheet with today's training topics from the mess on my desk. The letters are blurring a little, but I'm sure I can bluff my way through. After all, she doesn't know anything yet.
Here goes nothing…
"Let's continue, shall we?" I say, wishing for the day to just end already.
- Writer
