by Latham, D
I softened slightly. "So what am I to you?"
He swallowed, "here, you are my girlfriend, the one I take out, spend time with, care about. At Conniscliffe? I'm not sure, my lover perhaps? I just know how vile my mother was to the last girl I took there, and I don't want to put you through it. Snobbery can be difficult to handle at the best of times."
"I thought titles went through the male line? So it shouldn't matter one way or another for females." I asked.
"I agree. Sadly, my mother is a crashing snob, and thinks that nobody is good enough for her precious boy unless they are a princess, lady, or viscountess. Preferably with their own private bank in the family too. It kind of narrows the field somewhat."
"Yes, I can see it would be a problem. Doesn't your mum ever worry about inbreeding?"
Oscar snorted, "I doubt it's ever crossed her mind, even though there are lots of birth defects in our circles, they don't seem to put two and two together. More worried about keeping the fortunes in their families I suppose. Trust you to think about the practical aspects."
I smiled, "always practical."
"So am I forgiven Elle? I know I'm rubbish at the romance thing, and a crap boyfriend, but if you can allow me some room to screw up, I'll do my best to be a better one." He gave me a hopeful smile, and sipped his wine nervously.
"Ok. Forgiven, but not forgotten," I said. He relaxed back in his chair.
"So will you still come this weekend?
"Sure. I'll be down in Sussex working tomorrow, so I can get my driver to drop me at yours when I finish. It'll save me coming back to London.
"Driver? How come?" He frowned.
"I'm working on a huge project at the firm Ivan just bought. Leading a team of fifteen of Pearson Hardwick's finest. Ivan lent me a car and driver for the duration."
"I see, well it's no bother to pick you up. I'll be there around five. Text me the address."
We spent the rest of our meal discussing the functions Oscar had coming up. I didn't volunteer to accompany him, as I didn't possess any dresses suitable, and had spent my clothes fund for the month. There was no way I was admitting that one though.
I headed back to my office at one to hold a meeting with the trainees, and brief them on the work they were expected to do. As I anticipated, the majority were excited at the prospect of a week out of London, but a couple of the girls grumbled about having to be away from home. I narrowed my eyes, and reminded them that this was a prestigious account, and a real coup for the firm. I chose not to let on that I wouldn't be staying at the Travelodge with them, but at a billionaire's country pad.
When they were all fully briefed, I handed out the travel warrants, and the travel directions, and let them go home, with strict instructions to be at the factory by nine am the next morning. When they had all gone, I went back to my office to check over my notes again. Lewis stuck his head round my door and asked for a word.
"This is a bit of a delicate matter Elle," he said, shifting uncomfortably in his chair.
"Spit it out Lewis."
"Last night, after you left, well, Ivan asked if the company had any problem if he asked you for a date." Lewis went a bit pink.
"I see. What did you tell him?"
"I said it was none of our business. As long as you do nothing illegal or immoral, what you do in private is up to you. I do think he came to our company to get closer to you in the first place, so I wasn't entirely surprised."
"Thanks for telling me. I appreciate it." I said warmly. Lewis seemed to relax in front of me.
"Be careful Elle, he's a powerful man."
"I know. I'll be careful, I promise. Now would you mind if I finished at five today? I have stuff to get ready at home."
"Course not. Take the rest of the afternoon if you want."
I didn't need telling twice. Within fifteen minutes I was packed up, and on my way home, stopping only to buy a couple of bottles of chilled white wine.
"Is something wrong?" James asked, when I arrived home at half three.
"Nope, just skipped off early. I need to pack, I'm working away next week too, and away this weekend now, so I need to get ready for both."
"Made up with Oscar then?"
"Yep. He grovelled."
"Good. Where are you going next week?"
"A project involving an engineering company with outdated employment contracts in Sussex. I'm heading a team of trainees to go and sort it, so I'll be staying down there."
"That'll keep you out of mischief for the week. I'll be leaving at nine tomorrow morning, so I'll close up the flat properly if you won't be back here for a while. You know, empty the fridge and stuff."
"Great thanks." I dumped the wine bottles in the fridge, and headed to my room to pack. I decided on a weekend bag, and a separate case for my work clothes for the week. I was pleased that I wouldn't be lugging it all on the train. With my laptop and the papers I had to take with me, it would have been quite a feat. My wardrobe looked decidedly depleted, and I made a mental note to up my clothing budget as soon as possible.
True to his word, James had prepared a roast chicken with all the trimmings. The pair of us quickly demolished the first bottle of wine, and started on the second. We both ended up having a decidedly giggly and fun evening. James regaled me with funny stories from his travelling, and I made him laugh with my tale of the first time I got drunk at uni, and woke up in a wheelie bin.
"I'm thinking of shaving my beard off," announced James suddenly.
"Oh go on, it'll be too hot in California. Can I watch?" We both giggled.
"No," he said primly "when I get there, and I don't know anyone, I might try it. If I feel naked, it will have grown back by the time I get home."
"We'll you've seen me naked, I think I should see you." I blushed at the memory of spidergate.
"True. You have great tits by the way. I even saw the nips and everything," James teased.
"That's mean. I was being attacked by a giant spider! You weren't meant to be looking." I pouted, "anyway, showing your chin isn't the same as showing your naughty parts."
"That's a good point. I might try a goatee though," I pulled a face, "or maybe not." James quickly added after seeing my reaction.
"If that beard comes off, then I want a photo emailed to me. I've often wondered what you look like."
"Really?" James seemed pleased.
"Well I've only seen your eyes and teeth. Unless you have pre-beard photos I can see?"
"Nope. No photos. Sorry. I got rid of them when Janine went."
I didn't know what to say to that, so changed the subject. "Any nice ladies working with you out there?"
"No, all spotty, slightly greasy nerds. Coding isn't the type of job that attracts the glamorous women. It's better that way, as it's easier to concentrate, especially for the hormonal teenagers. If you walked in, they would all combust in a heap."
I giggled, "I'm hardly Kate Moss, James, but I get your point. A couple of months spent with horrid boys who squeeze their spots in the washrooms will at least make you glad to be over thirty."
"Very true, especially when they film themselves spot popping, and post it up on YouTube." James scrubbed at his face, "and I'm gonna be in charge of the little scrotes. What have I let myself in for? I could stay here and quietly code games, no bother to anyone. Why did I say yes to this?"
"I believe it was the quarter of a million quid they offered you."
"Oh yeah. Two months though..."
"Two months is nothing James. It'll take me years to earn that. You'll be back by July."
"Do you fancy a holiday when I get back? Somewhere hot, where we can just flop around on a beach, read books and drink cocktails?"
It took me by surprise. I hadn't been on holiday in years, partly because of work, and partly because I was scrabbling to pay off my student loans. The idea was enticing, and the two of us got along well. "That's a great idea. Where do you fancy going?"
"I don't mind, the med, Greece, anywhe
re, I'm not fussed. Shall we say last two weeks of July for work purposes, and I'll organise something while I'm away. It'll give me something to do. Just let me know when you have booked the dates off at work." James grinned.
"It's a deal," I said, "I'm looking forward to it already." I grinned back.
The rest of the evening seemed to pass by in a flash, and all too soon it was time for bed. I knew I had a heavy day ahead, so set my alarm for half five.
Chapter 10
I awoke just before the alarm, and headed into the kitchen area to make tea. There was no sign of James, so I decided to wake him up if he wasn't up by six. I quickly showered and washed my hair before pouring more tea to drink while I did my makeup. I dressed in the navy dress and jacket, and knocked on James' door.
"It's alright, I'm awake," he yelled. I quickly made him a fresh tea, and went back to my room to put my shoes on, and gather my luggage. When I dragged it all to the front door, James had appeared in the kitchen.
"I'm gonna head down, my driver should be here at six," I said, checking to make sure I had my keys and phone. James bounded over, and surprised me by enveloping me in a bear hug.
"I'm gonna miss you. Promise me you'll be careful?" He said.
"I'll miss you too. Text, email and call me yeah?"
"Will do." With that, he gave me a bristly peck on the cheek, and released me. He held the door as I lugged my case, bags, and laptop to the lift, and stood watching as the doors slid shut.
My driver was waiting outside, and immediately took charge of my case and bags, loading them carefully in the boot. He introduced himself as Roger, before holding the door open for me. I slid into the luxurious Mercedes, and checked my mobile. No messages was a good thing, and I sank back into the soft leather seats, and asked Roger to put the radio on.
The journey down to Sussex took nearly two hours, so I was glad I left home as early as I did. Roger had the keys to access the car park, which was deserted, and the offices. I found a door marked 'HR', and walked into chaos. There were files stacked almost floor to ceiling, on rickety shelves, with papers hanging out of most of them. There were papers strewn over every available surface, with boxes full of papers all over the floor. On the desk was an old fashioned typewriter, with a sleek new desktop shoved to the side. I suspected that the desktop had been installed the day before, and had been regarded as a waste of desk space.
I found ten empty offices on the ground floor, all of which must have been quite plush, but had marks on the walls where pictures had been removed, and dust everywhere. I headed up to the first floor, and found the remaining five rooms that had been fitted with computers for us. I checked that IT had provided each room with company handbooks, paper, staplers and pens as I had requested, and headed back downstairs. Roger stood unobtrusively in the corridor.
As the trainees appeared, I assigned each one to a room, and asked them to wait. By nine, my entire team were in and at their desks. The HR lady turned up at quarter past nine. She was a bumbling, grey haired woman in her early sixties, who seemed blissfully unaware of how appalling her systems had been.
"I'd like to introduce myself, I'm Elle Reynolds, Mr Porenski's lawyer." I said holding my hand out. She shook it nervously.
"Marion Smith, pleased to meet you. Can I ask why you're here?"
"I have the task of computerising all your staff records, and issuing the new employment contracts under the TUPE rules." I smiled my friendly smile to disarm her.
"We don't need computerising. I manage quite well thank you," she huffed, "and I'll get around to the new contracts in my own good time."
"Mrs Smith, Mr Porenski doesn't share that point of view, so I would appreciate your assistance to get this task done as quickly and easily as possible, so we can get out of your way. Now, first of all, I need an up to date list of employees who are on today's shift please."
"Oh, I don't keep shift records. The foreman does that," she said.
"Ok, I'll find the foreman. We will be processing every employee, and will need the relevant files and records as we go. I will assign you an assistant to help you retrieve the paperwork that we need." I hurried down to the factory floor, and eventually located the foreman, whose name was Jim. He agreed to send up fifteen staff at a time, and gave me a list of the full shift. I gathered the support secretaries and tasked them with finding the files for three people each. It was then that we discovered that everyone had been filed under their first names. Marion sat watching, looking amused.
"I know where every record is in that lot," she said proudly.
"Then would you get off your arse and give us a hand please?" I snapped.
"No need to speak to me that way young lady. I'll have you know I've been working here longer than you've been alive. Now I don't need a new system, so I suggest you take your fancy secretaries and head back to London. You're not welcome here. We're fine as we are."
"You were about to go bust as you were," I said, "your company has been sold, and with that comes a new boss. This is how he wants things done, and it's not up for discussion or debate." I kept my voice low and controlled. The rancid old cow just sat there and ignored me, before putting a sheet of paper in the decrepit old typewriter and pounding the keys. I fervently hoped she was typing out her resignation letter.
We found the first fifteen files, and delivered them to each lawyer, along with the corresponding members of staff. That then gave us another half hour to search the shelves for the next fifteen. It was going to be a long day.
As none of the staff had ID on them, they would all have to provide them on Monday, meaning we were working less efficiently. I went and found Jim and asked if he had a list of emails, or even phone numbers for the workforce.
"Only in my phone," he said, frowning, "I could text them all, but texts are expensive, and I only get 500 free ones."
"1000 texts will cost what?£100? I can give you that from petty cash if you would do that for me."
"In advance though."
"Fine."I rifled through my bag, and pulled£100 out of the contingency fund that Lewis had given me the previous day. Jim counted it before tucking it into his pocket, and pulling out his phone. He found the text screen and handed it to me to type a message. I just put that everyone needed to bring two forms of ID and their bank details with them on every shift next week until they have been enrolled on the new system. He pressed send, and I breathed a sigh of relief.
The system we created meant that each legal would be responsible for holding the files for each employee they interviewed and entered on the system. That way, any missing paperwork would be easier to track and sort. What we weren't prepared for was the complete absence of salary details in the employee records. Those were kept in huge ledgers, which would have to be checked to find the individuals rate of pay. I decided to get the interim manager to do that from Marion's computer, as she wasn't using it. It was either that or running between fifteen offices with the ledgers. He grumbled a bit, but got on with it.
I had set a target of processing 150 staff a day. The trainees worked like Trojans, only stopping briefly to scoff the sandwiches I had delivered. Laura made a start on the boxes of papers, despite Marion's protestations. They turned out to house papers that should have been filed, some from years back.
"This is a disgrace," muttered Laura as she efficiently put everything in alphabetical order.
"I heard that, cheeky moo," shouted Marion. I peered over her shoulder while she was glaring at Laura to take a peek at what she'd been typing. The fucking church newsletter!! She was watching us slog with her stupid filing system, while typing up her voluntary work on the firm's time and stationary. I grabbed the paper out of the typewriter.
"A word please," I said to the interim manager. We went to a side office where I showed him the offending document.
"I'll deal with her. Would you witness please?" He said.
I set my iPhone to record, and invited her into the room. The interim manager told her that
due to her misuse of company property, doing personal business in company time, and her refusal to assist my team with a task that fell within her job description, she would face a disciplinary hearing next week. He told her she could have a colleague or trade union representative with her, and asked her to concentrate on the tasks she was given to do. She promptly went back to her desk and started crying. The manager escaped to type his letter, leaving me to deal with her.
"Listen, why don't you take a tea break, compose yourself?" I suggested.
"You just want to get rid of me," she howled, spraying spittle and snot over her already rusty typewriter.
"No, I just want you to do the job that you're paid to do," I said coldly. "Marion, the law says that these contracts must be done. I don't make the law, I just administer it. Mr Porenski has fifty thousand employees, he can't do payroll by hand. He needs this done and correct before the end of the month, otherwise people won't be paid on time, and that's not fair on them."
She stopped crying, and sniffed. "I don't know how to use a computer."
"That's what we're here for. When we get this under control, I'll teach you how to switch it on and do the things you need to do. It's not as complicated as those ledgers. I need to get it under control first though."
"Ok, I'll help."
With Marion's assistance, we began to motor. In between finding files, she helped the interim guy find the entries for each person in the ledger, and he showed her how to pull up an employee file, and enter the pay amount. I managed to find a moment to text the address to Oscar, and brush down my dusty dress. I called Ivan to let him know we were getting on top, and everything was going smoothly. I also called Lewis, as I knew he'd be like a cat on a hot tin roof until I reassured him that everything was progressing as planned.
We completed our 150 target by four, and even managed to squeeze in a few extras. By 4.30, I congratulated the team, and sent them home for the weekend. I went into the ladies and retouched my makeup before collecting my weekend bag from Roger, sending him home, and heading out into the fresh air to meet Oscar.