“Katie McGovern. You are on fire!” Josie said, leaning over to give her friend a big hug and, at the same time, replenishing all their glasses and beckoning the waiter over to order another bottle.
“That's fantastic Katie. Not only have you shagged the most eligible bachelor in London, but you've also told him to fuck off. Not bad!” added Mary, throwing her head back and laughing.
Katie looked at her friends and, with all things considered, her life was OK! She smiled back at them.
“The only trouble is....” she paused. The others stopped joking around and stared at her.
“Oh my God, you're not pregnant are you?” said Fran in horror.
“No, no, nothing like that. It’s just Peter. Well I know I told him to fuck off, but the truth is, I didn't want him to! It took all my will power to say that, and even then it was only anger driven at that moment in time. As soon as I closed the door, I wanted to open it and call him back....so what's that all about?”
“You're obviously in love with him, or at the very least in serious lust, which can be as bad,” said Mary frankly and seriously. “Mind you, that’s along with half the single girl population of London. You do have an insider advantage though.” She added with a smile on her face.
“But I don't want to be,” moaned Katie. “I want my old uncomplicated life back where the job was good and I was almost in a relationship with a lovely bloke who does not have airs and graces and baggage and all that.”
“Tut, tut, Katie. Let’s not look a gift horse in the mouth shall we?” murmured Josie. “In my view, you should take the new job, go back to Peter and see what occurs. If nothing else, you could have a few months of splendour, extravagance and great sex.”
Katie looked at Josie. She was deadly serious and that's exactly what she would do, given the same position. But Katie was different to her friend and she knew a course of action like that, not withstanding the fact it would be totally out of character for her, would be very difficult.
“I agree with Josie,” said Fran. “You should definitely give it a real go with Peter….if for no other reason then we could have a crack at his rich single friends. And think of the parties you could get us invited to. Hey girls, this could be the highlife for us. Actually, I think Katie now has an obligation to go out with him. Do you agree?”
Josie and Mary nodded seriously and then they all burst out laughing.
“It would be pretty cool,” said Mary. “It would mean that we girls had finally arrived!”
“Oh, bugger it. Give me another drink and let's get pissed. Anyway, enough about me. What's happened to all you guys?” Katie exclaimed.
The next few hours passed in a happy and increasingly drunken daze. All four girls had strong independent lives and they had a lot to catch up on. Katie left the bar at closing time after spending the final hour being chatted up by a cute and obviously very rich banker who had spied the group from across the room. He had made Katie laugh a lot and she was definitely attracted to him and, as Josie had whispered into her ear, who knows what might have happened in another time, another place?
After saying her goodbyes on the street, they each took taxis and went their separate ways, promising to get together again soon to get updates. Katie got home and unsteadily undressed in her room. Despite everything, she had had a great night and was feeling happier and more confident than she had been for some time. She forced down a pint of water and, after brushing her teeth vigorously, she dropped into bed and fell into a dream filled sleep.
CHAPTER 15
Whilst the previous evening ended on a high note, the same could not be said for the following few days in the office.
The trouble seemed to start when Katie walked past Sue's office the next morning on the way to a technical meeting. She had noticed with a start that Peter Jarvis was sitting on the sofa along with her boss and Julie. They were having an animated conversation about something and, as they passed Peter glanced out, caught sight of her and smiled. She had purposefully turned her head to ignore him but not before she had noticed the look that passed between Julie and Sue. Her heart had sunk as she entered the meeting room and she tried to apply her mind to the matter at hand.
Now, sitting back at her desk she became despondent again. What had they been discussing in that room? Had it been her? Or was she just being paranoid? He was the Chief Executive after all…..but then in all her time here, she had never seen him in Sue's office.....or anywhere near it to be precise. Perhaps she would find out more when she and Sue met that afternoon.
She sighed and closed her eyes for a second. The darkness calmed her and she realised that she had not really given the job offer much thought. The way things were going here, she thought, the more attractive the offer was becoming. Her feelings were in turmoil and she swayed one way then the other depending on the circumstances and her mood. One thing was sure however, they would not wait forever and would be calling her soon for an answer.
She let her mind imagine a new office and work environment, out of the increasingly pervading atmosphere here at Shire Electronics. The more she considered her position, the more she thought that a move would be a good idea.
She opened her eyes and pushed her chair backwards. Making her way slowly to the little kitchenette, she felt her mind making up.
In the kitchen, a couple of colleagues were making coffee.
“Hi Katie, how goes it,” said one.
“Fine thanks, Marion.....and how are you getting on with the German company. Is it OK?”
“It’s actually working well thanks.”
“Hey Katie. Did you hear the latest rumour?”
Katie raised her eyebrows and, sighing, turned to Brenda, one of the support personnel who stayed in the London offices to provide back up to the teams in the field.
“And what rumour might this be.....please tell.”
Brenda lowered her voice conspiratorially.
“Well, it concerns our good boss, no less that Mr. Jarvis himself. Apparently he is head over heels in love with some new flame. What do you say to that?”
“Not a lot I can say really. Do we know who and what are his symptoms?” Katie tried to remain aloof and hoped that her growing blush would not be noticeable.
“Well, people close to him say he has been acting really strangely…..going around the place with a kind of knowing smile and talking to himself.”
Despite everything, Katie could not help but be interested in this news. Could this really be her that is causing all this? Or was this just her being hopeful? Anyway, hadn't she resolved to put all this to one side and move on? Then why on earth couldn't she?
“Yes.....and that's not all. The word is that the object of his affections works here. Can you believe that?”
Katie started visibly and then tried to recover.
“Mmmn, not sure about that. I think it would be pretty obvious if that was happening. Mind you, lucky girl, whoever she is.”
“Oh, so you are another Peter Jarvis fan. I don't really see the attraction myself. A bit too clean cut and macho for my liking, I like them a bit rougher round the edges.....if you know what I mean”
Katie inwardly shuddered at the thought of Brenda's type of man and thought that it was time to collect her drink and get back to her desk. This kind of chat could only lead to trouble.
She left the kitchen and walked slowly back to her workstation. Her mind was, once again, in turmoil. She knew that what she had just heard was only office tittle tattle - she had heard similar rumours circulate several times since she joined the company - but the timing was surely more than just a coincidence? She did not really believe, whatever his reputation, that Peter could be carrying on with someone else at the same time as his dalliance with her. Still, whatever her feelings, she certainly didn't want anyone to twig that she may be the object of his latest affections…..that would really speed up her departure to pastures new.
As she manoeuvred her way to her desk, she recalled the words of advice given
by Josie about leaving her job and getting back in there with Peter. If only she could do that without worrying about what other people thought of her. Josie might be able to do that but she knew she could not.
No sooner had she settled back down in her chair and taken a sip of coffee, then her internal phone rang. Seeing it was Sue, she picked it up immediately.
“Hi, Sue.”
“Katie, hi. Can we have our meeting now? There's just a couple of things I need to discuss with you.”
“Sure, I'll be there in a sec.”
Katie detected the atmosphere as soon as she walked across the threshold of Sue's office. The normally smiley Sue hardly looked up at her.
“Hi Katie, sit down.”
Katie eased herself down onto the sofa and watched Sue whilst she finished looking at some papers on her desk. Katie did not think she was actually reading…..if anything she seemed to be gathering her thoughts. Katie's heart sunk. What on earth was this all about?
“Katie, I had a meeting with Peter Jarvis this morning and he told me about seeing you in Prague the other day. He said that he introduced you to a colleague but you seemed quite hostile. I told him that did not sound like you at all. Don't get me wrong, he only mentioned it in passing.....he didn't make a meal of it or anything, but it got me thinking, particularly after that presentation fiasco. Do you two have an issue or something?”
Katie felt her hackles starting to rise. This was all just too much!
“Look Sue,” she started.
“Its not that it’s any of my business of course, but I don't want it to affect your work, and therefore my work. Particularly with this re-shuffle going on,” she added.
“Look Sue,” Katie repeated. “I'm just getting a bit fed up about all this rumour mongering that seems to be going on. It's as if people don't have anything better to do. Our noble leader might be London's best kept bachelor or some crap like that, but there is nothing “going on” and there is no “issue” between us. I thought we had spoken about this and cleared it up before.”
“Well, I thought we had but people have been talking and I think it is untenable for someone in my group to be in any way involved with the Chief Executive.”
“How many times do I have to say it?” Katie knew her voice was rising and she fought to stay in control. “There is nothing going on. I did see Peter in Prague and yes I did go over and say Hi. OK it was morning and maybe I was not on my smiley best, but it is unfair of him to say I was rude.”
“Oh, he never said you were rude.....not in so many words anyway. He just seemed to intimate that, or something….” her voice tailed off.
“Well, that does not sound like evidence enough to have me in here for a grilling. So if that's all, I've got work to do.”
Katie got up with as much aplomb as she could muster and flounced out - her head held high and her cheeks smarting with indignation.
Like any confrontations, the real effect comes into play afterwards and Katie sat down with a heavy heart. Her first inclination was to ring Mary, the head hunter and accept the job on offer immediately.
Her second, was to storm back into Sue's office and threaten her with harassment.
Her third was to race upstairs and give Peter Jarvis a piece of her mind. How dare he on the one hand knock amorously on her door late at night and on the other, criticise her to Sue? It just wasn't fair.
Her fourth inclination, and probably the correct one, was to take a few deep breaths and a sip of now warm coffee and consider the situation before doing anything rash.
After about ten minutes of slow breathing, she had calmed down. Suddenly her course of action was clear. Irrespective of how the job approach had come, she had got the offer though her ability and work record and it represented a massive leap forward in her career. Whilst a few weeks ago she was happy and contented at Shire, that was no longer true and she knew things would not just go back to normal.
She made up her mind and, for the first time in her working life, did not feel the need to consult with anyone else for their opinion. She rummaged around in her purse and pulled out Mary's business card. She punched in the number of the mobile phone that Mary had scribbled on top of her printed name and waited impatiently for the call to connect.
“Hello, its Mary.”
“Mary, hi, it's Katie McGovern here.”
“Katie, hi, great to hear from you. How's things?”
“Fine, thanks. Look, I just wanted to ring you quickly to say that would be great. I was wondering if I could contact you again later to get all the details?”
“Ah, I understand, you're at work. Of course you can ring later.....but that's great news. I will tell my client at once. I know they will be delighted. Speak to you later. Bye.”
“Bye now.”
Katie punched the off key on her mobile and threw it onto her desk. There, it was done.
Immediately she felt a huge weight lift off her shoulders and a surge of excitement flow through her body. She had done it.....she had actually done it! Sod all of them here.
CHAPTER 16
Katie felt very detached when she entered the office building the following day. She had spoken to Mary again last night and gone through the job in detail and the salary package that came with it. They had also discussed timelines and, taking into account Katie's relatively short notice period, they had decided a start date of six weeks hence.
Mary had agreed to get the formal offer in the post today, so all being well Katie would be able to hand in her notice at Shire by the end of the week…..now that would be worth a celebration! After Katie had finished the call, she could not resist working out what her take home pay would be on her small calculator she kept in the kitchen drawer next to the cooker. When she had finally punched the “=” key, her heart had given a little leap as she saw that the final figure would be almost twice as much as she earned in the current job. Amazing! All at once, she could see in her mind’s eye shopping trips, larger flats, holidays and many other luxuries that she been unable to afford to date.
Despite her excitement, she resisted doing a ring round to announce her news, instead preferring to wait until all the formalities had been signed off. She retired to bed reflecting on the last ten days of her life and how it had affected her.
She now walked up the stairs from reception to her floor as she mentally imagined handing in her notice to Sue. True, it may seem to some that she was giving in and fleeing the scene and to others, who subscribed to the idea of her having an affair with Peter, it would undoubtedly prove that their accusations were justified. If truth be told, Katie did not mind. She was happy again, and that was what really mattered.
“Morning Katie,” said Beth, already sitting at her desk with an extra large cappuccino sitting beside her mouse. “How are you today?”
“Fine thanks, Beth. In fact, could not be better!”
With that, Katie got down to work. Whilst she was glad to be leaving, she knew she had a lot of things to cover before the time came, and it was not like her, whatever the circumstances, to leave her work colleagues in the lurch.
By lunchtime, she had made further serious headway into her French project, updated all the logistics and had two meetings with the planning team. She stole a look at the clock, felt the pangs of hunger and decided to nip out for a quick sandwich. She got up and slipped on her coat, before going down the backstairs and out into the sunshine. She made a quick decision to walk to the little Italian sandwich bar along the road rather than one of the better known coffee shop chains of which there were several within walking distance, and hurried off in that direction.
There was a small queue when she arrived and she took her place, examining the array of sandwich fillings and breads on the counter in front of her. As she moved slowly along, she settled on a prawn mayonnaise on brown and ordered it when her turn came.
“Anything else, Madam?” the assistant said, as he expertly spooned the mixture onto a piece of thick brown bread. “Piece of
chocolate cake? Some fruit?”
Katie smiled.
“I'll just take this apple, thanks,” she said, selecting a green and very shiny Granny Smith from the large bowl beside the till.
“That'll be £4.25 please.”
Katie handed over some money and took her change. She sidled passed the waiting queue, out of the shop and strode along the pavement, dodging out of the way of the other lunchtime walkers as they made their way hurriedly along the road.
As she came up opposite the office, she glanced in either direction to check the traffic and, as she did so, her phone rang. She halted momentarily and reached into her bag to retrieve it. Then she walked out into the road, directly into the path of an oncoming motorbike that had been overtaking another car.
It was a busy street and, luckily, none of the traffic was travelling that quickly. If it had, then Katie would have been in serious trouble. As it was, the front wheel of the bike caught her leading leg and twisted it badly, causing her body to spin around and hit a car. It was when her head came into contact with the car's window that the real damage was done.
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