by Latham, D
"They agreed to those terms," he said before I'd even taken my jacket off.
"Yay. You signed now?"
"Ish, they want me to go back out there this Friday, so I can sign everything then."
"Good. Just make sure you check they haven't changed anything else before you ok it."
"Will do. You look shattered. I made us a curry, so sit down and drink your wine while I dish up." I sat down gratefully at the island and took a large gulp of wine. My eyes felt gritty, and my shoulders were up around my neck with tension.
"Elle, there's something I need to tell you," my eyes lifted from my curry to look expectantly at James, "they want me to work out there for the next two or three months. Will you be ok here on your own?"
"I'll be fine. I'll miss you though. Where will you be staying?"
"They said I'll be put up in an apartment in California."
"What a fantastic experience. You grab it with both hands James, and I'll look after everything back here, don't you worry." I felt a sudden pang in my chest. I would miss James more than I wanted to admit. He was a good friend, and we had developed an easy and warm relationship. I cleared away the dinner things, and watched half hour of telly before turning in, noting that Oscar had failed to call.
He turned up at lunchtime the following day, and took me to a little wine bar for lunch. I told him all about James' trip away, and my reservations about being alone in the flat.
"It's very secure there, especially on the high floors. I don't think you need worry about burglars."
"So how was your weekend?
"It was ok. Bit boring really. Ivan came over to dinner on Saturday evening, but apart from that it was just Mother and I. My sister is away in Italy at the moment."
"Your mum lives there?" I was shocked.
"Yes," he said, as if speaking to a small child, "it was her home before I was even born. I inherited it when my father died. I'm hardly going to kick her out now am I? Besides, it's way too big for just one person. At that moment I twigged. We weren't talking about some tiny weekend cottage. "She has an apartment in the East wing. I barely see her to be honest, she's always off doing her WI stuff and charity work. My apartments are in the central part of the house. Well, you'll see on Friday what I mean."
"Ok. I ran into Ivan at work yesterday, he said he went to yours for dinner, that you were neighbours." I took a bite of my sandwich.
"Yes, his estate is about 20 miles from my place. In deepest Sussex, that's a next door neighbour. It's very rural there."
"What clothes will I need?"
Oscar looked at me strangely, "the normal."
"Weekends in the country aren't normal for me, you need to give me a bit more clue than that. I'm a city girl remember?"
"Of course, sorry, jeans and flats for day, party dress for dinner, not long though, cocktail length is fine. We don't stand on ceremony."
"That all sounds easy enough. Who else is going?"
"My friends from uni, and their wives or girlfriends. They're a fun crowd, you'll like them," he paused, "can I see you before that though?
I knew what he meant, but I wanted to be home as much as possible before James went away. "I have a really heavy week ahead, especially if I'm gonna get off early on Friday. How about a lunch date in your office?" I smiled and batted my lashes flirtily. Oscar grinned back.
"My office door has a lock."
"Hmm, what are you suggesting?" I pretended to look shocked. Oscar stroked my fingers across the table.
"Well if you wear a skirt and stockings to work tomorrow, you can find out." His touch left trails of heat running from my hands straight to my groin. I crossed my legs under the table. He smiled widely and winked like a naughty schoolboy. "Can you wear the heels too please," he whispered in his sultry voice.
"I'll see what I can do you dirty boy," I flirted, batting my lashes. It pleased me when Oscar came on strong. There were so many times that I felt unsure of him.
"You love it when I'm a dirty boy," he murmured.
"I sure do." With that, he lifted my hand to his mouth, and kissed the back of my hand softly. Everything south of my waist tightened.
The spell was broken when he glanced at his watch and told me that he had to be getting back. We made our way up, and sadly the lift was too packed for anything other than a peck goodbye when I reached my floor.
As I headed into my office, Lewis came out of his to find me. "Elle, need you in a meeting in two minutes. My office." I just had time to dump my handbag and trot down the corridor. When I opened the door, I was shocked to see two of the senior partners sitting with Lewis. After the hellos, Lewis asked me to sit.
"Mr Porenski has approached our firm to undertake a substantial amount of his legal work. Apparently his companies are now too big and complex, and the volume of work too much for his in house legal team, so he wishes to farm out the contract, and flotation work to a legal firm, and keep the legal work for mergers and acquisitions done in house. He has insisted that we meet a number of conditions, primarily concerned with his need for complete confidentiality. He requires a fixed team, including secretaries, all of whom must sign confidentiality agreements. He also requires Ms Reynolds to be his dedicated contact and co-ordinator at the company."
My hand flew up to my mouth. I had been flippant when suggesting Ivan become a client. I never in a million years had expected him to actually take me seriously. I could see the senior partners salivating at such a coup.
"This deal is worth a huge amount of both money, and prestige to the firm Miss Reynolds, as I'm sure you're aware," said Mr Carey, one of the senior partners, "how do you feel about becoming his point of contact? Are you comfortable with that?"
"What would be expected of me?" I wanted to know what sort of demands I was supposed to kowtow down to in order to keep him happy. From my perspective, I felt a strange mixture of professional pride that I'd instigated such a coup, and mortification because I felt Ivan was only doing this to get in my knickers.
"You would be expected to oversee the delivery of whatever services he needs us to provide. You would be directly responsible for all communications with him. He doesn't operate nine to five, so a level of flexibility would be required from you. We expect you to check everything is done on time, and to the standard he requires. We want no mistakes on this account. Are you up for this challenge?"
"Yes, I believe so. Has he indicated whether or not we're competing with other firms for this account?"
"No. He was quite clear. He came to us as he was impressed with you," said Lewis, "although I'm concerned about his motives."
"Hmm. I think you may be right there. I'm sure I can handle him. Has this all been agreed yet? Do we have a start date?"
"I have to call him to confirm that we can meet all his requirements, then we begin tomorrow. He insists that you have a private office, Elle, so we need to move you this afternoon. We also need to assign you a secretary, and get all the NDA's signed and sent up to Mr Porenski's office." Mr Carey smiled and stood up, "this is quite something of a coup for Pearson Hardwick, so we need to get on it. I'll show you your new office."
I followed Mr Carey out and down the corridor towards the executive offices. They were far swankier than the office I currently shared with Peter and the others, and were accessed via their own secretaries office. He pulled out a key and unlocked room 3. It had a roomy foyer area with a desk, computer and phone system for the secretary. In front of us was another door, which led into my new office.
The first thing I noticed was the view. Vast windows looked out over London, which shimmered slightly in the early summer heat. The office was large, furnished with a large desk, a seating area and bookshelves. It had thick, deep blue carpet, which muffled the sounds of the main secretarial area down the corridor. When Mr Carey closed the door, it was silent.
"Totally soundproofed, in case Mr Porenski asks," he said, "Lewis, can you re-assign all Ms Reynolds work, and assist her in getting this ready fo
r tomorrow. You also need to assign her secretary and set her up in here. Maintenance can assist you with furnishings if these aren't to your liking." He handed me the key, and the two partners left.
Lewis looked at me, "I'll sort you a secretary, and get the NDA'S typed up. I thought Laura McIntyre might be a good choice. She's experienced and discreet."
I nodded, "yes, she'll be fine." I frowned, "Lewis, do you think I can do this?"
"Only one way to find out. I'm sure you'll be fine, and the rest of us are here as backup. This is a big deal for the firm, we won't let you fail."
"Thanks. This office looks very bare. I don't have lots of stuff to fill it. A few legal textbooks I suppose." I mused out loud as I wandered around the room. The other lawyers had full bookshelves and loads of personal stuff in their offices. I would have to go with a minimalist look. Lewis laughed.
"My shelves are overflowing, so I think some can be stored in here, and we can ask housekeeping for some plants and stuff. Come on, lets get this move done. I have a stack of work to get sorted." We headed back to grab my stuff.
It took less than an hour to re-assign my workload and move my things. I've never been one for tons of 'stuff' at work or anywhere else for that matter. I quite literally had pens, pencils and a calculator to move once my files had been farmed out to the others. IT came and set up my computer and email, and Lewis had the maintenance man move some of his books onto my shelves. The room still looked a bit bare, but I liked that. Less clutter meant I could think clearly.
A little while later, Lewis returned with Laura. She was one of the nicer secretaries, and was clearly delighted to have been picked for what was in effect a promotion. She stood in her new office, away from the gossip and bitching of the main floor, and sported the widest smile I'd ever seen.
"This is so cool. It's gonna be so much easier to work without all the noise and aggro. Has my computer been set up yet? Or do I need to call IT?"
"All done. They just left. You're good to go. Lewis, I just thought, Mr Porenski may want us to photocopy in private rather than in the copy room."
"Good point. Here are your NDA'S, I'll get these sent up, and then I'll sort the copier issue. Good thinking Elle." We signed the documents, and Lewis hurried away to pick up the ones signed by the partners and get them sent to Ivan, along with my contact numbers, fax number and office address.
I helped Laura move her things from her cubicle. Thankfully there wasn't much room on her desk there for tons of gonks, and fluffy pens, although I suspected that given half a chance, she'd fill her new office with sparkly crap. Even so, we moved two boxes of her personal stuff. Back in the office, she checked her computer. Satisfied that all was working ok, she began to unpack the photos, cutesy notebooks and glittery pens.
"Tea or coffee Elle, and do you have a favourite cup?" Laura looked at me expectantly. I had been lost in thought, staring at the magnificent view from my window.
"Coffee please. Milk no sugar thanks. I don't have a special cup." She hurried off. I dragged myself back to reality, and went in search of stationary.
Sitting in my new office sipping my coffee, Laura quizzed me on our new assignment. "I don't know yet what we'll be doing, it depends what Mr Porenski gives us. I know about as much as you right now, but I'm damn sure that'll change quick enough. He comes across as rather exacting."
"He comes across as rather gorgeous," she replied. We both laughed.
"This is a huge deal for the firm Laura, so no mooning over him or cows eyes. We have to really deliver on this." I was serious. Whatever Ivan's motives were, I had to remain professional, and make sure the company was represented properly. Men came and went, but I had to live with my career for the rest of my life.
We both jumped when my new phone rang. It was Ivan, his accent more pronounced on the telephone than normal.
"Good afternoon Elle, we are on the same side at last. I trust you now have a private office?"
"Hello Mr Porenski, I do indeed have a private office. Thank you for insisting on it."
"Call me Ivan please. We need to make a start. I have a few cases that I would like your company to handle, to test you out as it were. What time do you arrive in the morning?"
"7.30 normally. I can be earlier if you require."
"I'll meet you at Smollenskis for breakfast at eight. Bring a notepad."
With that, he rang off. I stared at the receiver for a few seconds, marvelling at the rudeness of the man.
Chapter 7
With no work to do, I left at five and raced home to see James. He was busy playing call of duty, but stopped when I walked in. "You're early? Did your boss take a kindness pill?"
"Nope. I start a new project tomorrow, and it's a biggie, so all my work was given to other people. I was twiddling my thumbs, after I moved into my swanky big office, that is," I grinned. I proceeded to tell James the story of my day, including every detail of my new secretary and posh private office.
"Well, if you tame this Ivan, you're definitely up for a pay rise or a promotion. Sounds like you earned your stripes faster than you expected. Just be careful of Oscar, he worries me, and by the sounds of it, this Ivan is very sweet on you."
"I'm not so sure. I'm now his lawyer, so we have to have a professional relationship. If he was 'sweet' on me, as you so charmingly put it, he would have kept away from me professionally, surely?"
James looked amused, "he was simply making sure that you weren't the opposing lawyer honey, that's when there would be a conflict of interest. Now, dinner. Shall we have chicken or prawn?
"Prawn please. Any more news from America?"
"Yup, they have recruited the team I'm to head up, I just have to ok them next week. There's way too much coding for one person on these apps, so I have to direct a whole group of geeky nerds. My idea of hell, but the money makes up for it." James busied himself chopping veg as I opened the bottle of Chardonnay I had picked up on my way home. I poured us each a glass, and sat watching James as he cooked.
"What does Oscar think of Ivan's actions?" James asked as he chopped the mushrooms. My hand flew to my mouth.
"I haven't told him yet. I never even thought of it."
James stopped and gave me a quizzical look, "but he's your boyfriend, right?"
"I don't know," I admitted, "we go out, we've done the nasty, and I think he likes me, but I don't know if it's exclusive. He might have other women for all I know. I might have other men. We haven't discussed it, although he asked if I was shagging you."
James looked pained. "Elle, you are better than that. You deserve a man who treats you like a goddess, not one that you can't say for sure if you're an item. Look in the mirror sometime."
"I know. I feel out of my depth with him, as if I'm not quite good enough, but I put that down to my own insecurities. You gotta remember that I'm surrounded every day by people who were born into privilege, and I'm often aware that I don't quite belong, regardless of how hard I work for it."
"You don't belong because you're better than them. To make it to a swanky office by sheer hard work alone is more than they could have done. Could they have made it to where you are if they hadn't had an enormous leg up in the first place?"
I thought about it, "no, probably not, but that doesn't make me any less of an outsider."
James raised his glass, "to the outsiders, and to quote Steve Jobs, to the square pegs in the round holes."
"I'll drink to that." We clinked glasses and both smiled. I noticed that James had the most perfect teeth. "James, can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"What's with the beard and hair?" He looked uncomfortable, and I instantly regretted asking.
"My shield against the world."
"Oh?"
He sighed, "I used to take pride in how I looked, but it made no difference. Janine still left me. At least like this I don't have to think about women. In general they don't go for scruffy hairy blokes."
"So you're hiding behind it?"
"Well, if it keeps you happy...." I trailed off.
"I'll shave it off one day, when I'm ready," he snapped, which made me flinch. "Sorry Elle, didn't mean to bite your head off."
"It's ok, I shouldn't have asked." I reached over and squeezed his hand, which he whipped away as if I'd burnt him. Embarrassed, I ignored it, and poured us each another glass of wine. James busied himself with the stir fry, and the awkwardness was buried.
After dinner, I decided on a long bath. Our favourite telly program didn't start till nine, so I spent a pleasant few hours exfoliating, shaving and body buttering in anticipation of my lunchtime assignation with Oscar the following day. When I was fully depilated and covered in body cream, James called out that our program was about to start. I threw on my dressing gown, and padded out to the lounge barefoot. James plonked a coffee down in front of me, and sat back to watch 'Mock the week'.
Just as the opening credits began, James yelped, "Elle, sleeve." I looked down to see a giant, hairy, spider sitting in the crook of my arm. I screamed, loudly, like a girl, and as panic gripped me, I dragged the robe off and threw it on the floor. James deftly whacked the spider with a magazine as it tried to crawl away.
It was at that moment that we both realised I was standing there starkers. Instinctively I tried to cover myself with my hands, feeling a deep blush rising up my cheeks. I had to let a hand uncover something in order to grab the robe. James just stood and stared.
"Turn round!" I barked at him. With a last rake of his eyes over me, he rather reluctantly swivelled around while I shook my robe before putting it back on, tying it tightly round my waist.
"Ok, I'm covered," I said, mortified. James turned back round sporting a deep blush, and I suspected, an erection.
"I'll get rid of the spider," he muttered, picking up the carcass and swiftly turning to run to his own bathroom. I heard the loo flush as he disposed of the body. It was at least five minutes before he returned, and we both settled to watch our programme with a slightly uneasy silence shimmering between us.