Moving On

Hi everyone, this is a bit of hard slog if you're only interested in the fun stuff. Now that our hero is starting his new job, I wanted to take some time to work on new characters and potential relationships/plot lines that may form from them.

Hope you enjoy.

B

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Moving On Ch.07

The sun seemed to shine brighter today as James cycled the unfamiliar route between his flat and the offices of DDDesigns for the first time as a commute. It seemed like everything was finally starting to go his way; he was about to start his dream job, he'd finally gotten over Julie and, by no means least, he'd been having some of the best and most frequent, sex in his life! Even the weather was starting to work for him!

The slightly longer journey to his new job took him through some busy streets but James was wary of the other traffic and took his time. Today was no day to get in a traffic accident. It was around half 8 when James pulled up at the offices. He knew that he'd need time to get a quick wash and change out of his cycling gear before he got started so figured that getting in early would be a good place to start. He locked up his bike, noticing that a pretty expensive looking road bike was already secured in place in the bike shed. Well at least he wasn't too early.

James locked up his bike in the cycling shed and headed into the building. The door was open but the office appeared to be empty. He called out to see if anyone was around, trying to make sure that whoever had opened the doors to the office was aware of his presence. When no-one responded, he figured he'd best use the facilities to get changed before he ran out of time.

He darted into the toilet that he'd used after his interview and stopped dead in his tracks.

"Who the fuck are you?!?" snarled the half naked asian woman as she struggled to prise herself out of her lycra shorts. James stood motionless as she struggled in vain to conceal her modesty. With her lycra shorts seemingly locked around her right knee and left calf, she struggled to maintain her balance, preventing her from covering up her naked torso and black, lace covered short lingerie. The woman had a natural tanned complexion and jet black hair that cascaded down over her well toned shoulder blades. Beads of sweat start to form and congregate on her forehead as their eyes met. Hopping, she turned away from him to break his stare. Snapping him to his senses.

He slapped his hand over his eyes. "My god, I'm so sorry." he pleaded, turning away from her. "I came in here to get changed. I didn't know anybody was in here. My god I'm so sorry!"

"You didn't answer my question, pervert!" she spat, "Who the fuck are you?"

"I'm James... erm James Sharp. It's my first day here today"

"Well, James... erm James Sharp. Could you do me a favour and wait outside while I finish getting changed?"

"Sure, sure, I'm so sorry." He said, almost stumbling as he fought with the door handle. Closing the door behind him, he leant against the wall and subconsciously beat himself up for being such an idiot. Hang on. Why didn't she lock the door?

He stood outside the bathroom as he waited for the woman to finish getting ready. after a couple of moments, he heard her calling. "James, I'm decent now if you need to come in?" He hesitated before reaching for the door handle.

Stepping back into the bathroom, he saw that the woman had indeed finished changing her clothes and was now dressed in a grey business suit with matching pencil skirt. Her hair was tied up neatly in a bun uncovering a pretty but stern looking face. To look at her, James thought she was in her late twenties or early thirties, but he couldn't be sure given the shape she was in. With the exception of the stern look she was giving him, James could have swore that this was not the same woman whose sweat covered body he'd just ogled a few moments ago.

"Once again, I'd just like to say how sorry I am that I walked in on you like that, Miss..."

"Yin." She said stretching out her hand to shake his. "But please, call me Clare?"

"Hi Clare, it's nice to meet you. I am really trying to give a good impression today, which is why I am here so early. Things haven't really gone to play so far."

"Don't worry about it, no harm done. Though if you'd been a few seconds later, you may have gotten a much better view." She smiled coyly.

Recognising the situation he was in, James reeled in his thoughts and just smiled bashfully. "So was that your bike I saw outside, Clare? It's a work of art."

"You like it? My husband bought it for me a couple of years back to stop me from stealing his car in the morning. Now I take it everywhere with me."

"You can tell..." James said aloud before he could stop himself. Shit! His face turned beetroot as the realisation of what he just said hit him. "I mean erm, you're obviously very fit..." Shit!!

Clare laughed as James stumbled over his words like an embarrassed child. She could tell this one was going to be fun. "Thanks, I think."

She looked James up and down before replying. "You must spend a lot of time on your bike too, James." she said as she sauntered past him. She stopped when next to him. "We'll have to go for a ride sometime?"

James' head was swimming as he listened to the click-clacking of her heels leaving the bathroom behind him. Was she coming on to him, or has really been thinking too much with his cock recently? Either way, now wasn't the time to be thinking about it. Now alone in the changing room, he started to change.

James had put some, scratch that, a lot of thought into what he was going to wear for his first day. From what he'd seen when he was at DDDesigns during his interview, the staff seemed to be wearing smart clothes without resorting to shirt and tie. James had decided to go with smart black trousers and a white shirt and and blue tie. He just hoped the shirt hadn't crumpled in his bag. He had heard voices coming from outside the bathroom, his colleagues were arriving. He started to fasten his tie when he suddenly felt a pair of hands ghost past his hips and settle on his crotch.

James nearly jumped out of his skin. He whipped around to confront his molester, and was about to open his mouth when he was caught off guard again. Lauren stood before him in a dainty little pleated skirt and blouse, looking every inch the school girl. For a girl as sexually confident and driven as she was, Lauren made looking innocent an art form. You would never think to look at her that she was a domineering bisexual, but there she was, in the flesh

"Hey stranger, long time no see." she giggled.

"Lauren! Hi, how are you doing?" James moved forward and gave her a hug, purposefully pushing his slightly engorged member into he stomach.

"I'm good, are you looking forward to your first day? Everyone is really excited to meet the new guy."

"Aw, that's sweet. I just need to finish up with this..." as he held up each end of his tie, "and I'll be straight out."

"Cool. No problem James. See you out there." She turned and headed to the door before pausing and turning back to face him. "James? Would you mind going for a drink after work? I need to ask you about something? It's pretty personal. Iz said you're a good listener, amongst everything else, and I could use some advice."

"Um, sure, Lauren. We can toast my first day while we're there. How does that sound?"

"Perfect. Good luck today James."

And with that, she was gone.

*****

When James emerged from the bathroom, he headed back towards Lauren's reception desk. She smiled sweetly at him as he approached.

"Miss Davis will be down shortly to give you the tour and get you started. You can take a seat over there until she arrives." She nodded to the waiting area across the reception. James turned to take a seat when she called after him. "Mr Sharp?"

He turned back towards the desk. "Yes, Lauren?"

"Nobody knows that we've er... met, outside of work... know what I mean?" She was starting to blush.

"I understand. It's our secret!" He winked at her and she beamed a smile back in his direction. Her shoulder's sank as she let out a deep breath. It seemed strange to him that she was quite worried about people knowing they'd met, but given the circumstances, he wasn't going to start stirring things up for her.

James took a seat in the waiting area and grabbed a magazine, pretending to read so he could disguise his nervousness. With all that had been happening to him recently, he'd almost forgotten about Dani Davis. After their first couple of meetings, he'd fantasised about her repeatedly. Subconsciously, his mind drifted back to the warm, candlelit room. Dani's eyes meeting his while she took him to the back of his throat, her dark chestnut coloured hair gleaming in the candle light. He felt a twinge in his groin as his arousal kicked in. Shit, not now. He fought to keep the visions from his mind.

"Hello James, glad to see you made it one piece."

James turned around to see Danielle Davis, cocksucking fiend of his dreams, standing before him, her hair tied up in a bun, dressed in an emerald green blouse that showed the slightest hint of cleavage and tight black skirt that couldn't hide her well toned arse. The consummate professional. He turned to place the magazine back on the coffee table in front of him and subtly adjusted his groinal position to make it less obvious that he was sporting a semi. He turned and smiled and walked over to his new boss.

"Hi Miss Davis, it's good to see you again." He meant every word.

"It's Dani, remember?" Shit. "Ready for your first day?"

"Sorry... Dani. I can't wait to get started."

She turned and motioned for him to follow her. He did so gladly, trying not to stare at her ass as she walked in front of him. Dani gave him the guided tour of the office, introducing him to his new colleagues. He was intrigued to see that most of the staff were female. Walking past Clare's office, James saw on the sign by the door that Clare Yin was the head of marketing, meaning she would be his direct boss. Fuck a duck! he thought. Dani knocked gently upon the door and glided into the office.

Clare was finishing up a phone call when she saw Dani and James walk in to her office. She greeted Dani warmly and smiled blissfully at James.

"Clare, I'd like to introduce you to James Sharp, he'll be joining the GD team from today. I sent over his cv and portfolio last night so you could see what he's capable of. Feel free to use him as you please." The women stared at each other for a second or two longer than James considered to be comfortable and then both looked at James.

"Hi James, nice to meet you. I'm not sure if Dani mentioned it but you will report directly to me for assignments and project support." She grinned and raised an eyebrow. "As you may have noticed, I have an open door policy here."

James smiled knowingly and turned to follow Dani back out of Clare's office. They did a quick tour around the production studios, through a maze of printing and manufacturing machinery. Eventually, they approached a gentleman in blue overalls. "James, this is Mark McIntyre, he's the head of production. Anything you need creating, he's the man you come to. If it can be put together, he's the man to do it."

James stretched out a hand and shook it as Dani turned away to address a member of the production team. "Hi Mark, nice to meet you."

"Aye, same lad. You working' with the GD's?"

"Yeah, starting today. Any advice?"

He leaned in closer, keeping a watchful eye on Dani's conversation. "Aye lad, best make sure you buy some roomier briefs. There's more fanny within these four walls than a Thai massage parlour!"

Had James been drinking he'd have just spat it out. "Come again?"

"You heard me, they're like hawks in here laddy, can spot a stuffy from mile away!" He guffawed like he'd just told the world's funniest joke and patted him on the back, checking that Dani was still talking to one of his colleagues. "And keep an eye on that one, lad. She's more trouble than she looks." He looked Mark in the eye, his jovial expression suddenly replaced by a stern look that sent a shiver down his ballsack.

Dani finished her conversation and returned to James. She showed him round the rest of production and took him round the common area that the company used as a kitchen/canteen of sorts. Following that, she took him to what she referred to as the talent pool. This was where the graphic design team worked and was located centrally within the building, so that all of the other services were only a short step away. The talent pool was slightly sunken into the floor and mainly consisted of a giant, lime green beanbag where he noticed a number of people where currently sitting and working. There were a number of desks dotted around the area where he guessed, people could work more privately.

Dani put her mouth to her lips and blew a long and loud whistle, grabbing everyone's attention. "Listen up everyone, this is James. He's the new guy in the pool, when you get the chance, come and say hello. He's particularly skilled in asset development, which is something I think you can all appreciate we could work on here at the minute, so please don't be shy to ask his opinions. In the same vein, this is James' first GD role, so please help him settle in and get used to how we do things here. I know that if we all work together and support each other, we can really push on and make something incredible. Right, back to work!"

There was a low level of mumbling on the beanbag as James and Dani headed back over to reception. "Finally, I believe you've met the lovely Lauren."

"I have indeed."

"Lauren is the best receptionist I've had in years! She's like the heart and soul of this place. Keep her happy and things will go very well for you here."

Lauren was starting to blush at the complements. She quickly gazed up at James and their eyes met briefly. They shared a smile before Dani moved James on. "Ok, James, now I given you the guided tour, I'm going to send you back to Clare. By now she should be up to speed with your capabilities and should be working on your schedule for today. Remember, if you have any questions, both mine and Clare's doors are always open. Welcome to the team."

Dani gave him a quick shake of the hand and scurried off towards her office. James followed instructions and returned to Clare Yin's office. He knocked on the door and waited to be beckoned in. Clare was now sat on the front of her desk, legs crossed, as she poured over some notes. She looked up as James entered and gestured for him to take a seat. He couldn't help but trace her legs up from her heels to her skirt covered thighs, imagining her naked and sweaty as she was this morning. He was starting to think he had a problem.

"Now then James, I'm just putting the final touches to your schedule for today. I'm starting you off pretty hard, I'm afraid. We have a project that is missing something that I think you could provide some good input on." She scribbled a few notes down and looked up at him again.

"Ok, I'm eager to get going."

"Good to hear. This is your schedule." She handed him a notebook. We know that projects don't always work to a time frame so we encourage you to prioritise your own workload, however, everything highlighted in red is none negotiable and must be attended. This includes morning meetings and project reviews. Failure to attend these meetings or failure to meet overall deadlines will result in disciplinary actions. Do you understand?"

"I think so."

"Good. Now we have that out of the way, lets get down to the crux of the issue."

Clare outlined the current issues being faced by the GD team on their current project. They were struggling to find a theme for a branding project that their client could relate to, as it happened, the client was a bar that James knew well. He looked over the work that the team had put together and made some suggestions to Clare, who seemed pretty enthusiastic about his ideas. She took him out of her office and down to the talent pool. She gathered the designers together around her so she could be heard by everyone. James scanned some of the faces of his co-workers. The first thing he noticed was that they were all pretty young, not a grey hair in sight. The team was made up of 8 people, 5 girls and 3 guys. He laughed to himself as he realised he was making up the numbers.

"Alright everyone, I know we're a little early for the morning meeting but I want get James here integrated as soon as possible. We've been looking at the o'Reilly's project and come up with some suggestions that I think will work quite well. Hannah, Jake, you two are leads on the project, I want you to work with James to thrash out his ideas and get them working. That ok?"

A tall, blonde girl with thick rimmed spectacles raised her head and nodded her approval, whilst one of the few males on the team, a ginger haired geeky looking thing who James took to be Jake, exhaled deeply before agreeing to his boss' request. The blonde girl, Hannah, seemed like the introverted type, quite shy. She wore a thick wooden cardigan and pebble washed jeans. Beneath her glasses and neatly combed hair, James could see that she was quite pretty. He got the sense that he would get on with her well. Jake, on the other hand, seemed to take an instant dislike to James, whether this was based on being told that his work wasn't good enough or, whether it was because he felt intimidated by the newcomer, he didn't know. Jake was a bit shorter than James, his ginger hair and patchy stubble making him seem unkempt, despite dressing well. From the pocks on his face, James could tell that he had been ravaged by acne. He actually started to feel sorry for him. Ginger and acne? High school must have been rough.

"Good, you two wait here while I check in and introduce James to the rest of the team. Rachel, Caitlin? How are you guys getting along with the Matchsticks branding?" She turned and gestured James across to two girls on the right of the group.

She introduced them as Rachel and Caitlin. Rachel was a skinny redhead with masses of fiery curls, making her head look like some kind of exotic shrub. She wore a dark green dress with multicoloured leggings underneath, she seemed to have bundles of energy, constantly fidgeting and playing with her hair. Caitlin was a tall brunette dressed all in black with skinny jeans and a tank top, her pale complexion led James to guess she was a goth, but she wore no makeup and had no piercings, which are usually a dead giveaway. Both girls looked like they'd just graduated from uni

The girls had been working on a branding exercise for a local supermarket chain's new store brand matchsticks. It was pretty standard stuff from what he could see, but the girls were having differences of opinion on the colour scheme and needed Clare to settle the argument.

Moving on from Rachel and Caitlin, Clare guided James towards the all boy pair of Albie and Simon. They'd been working on a new website for a local council's sports program and had apparently been chosen because they were the sportier designers. Simon, James noticed, appeared to match that description. He wore a tight fitting grey t-shirt that showed off his muscular frame. He looked like the kind of guy who would go to the gym without a t-shirt, just to show off his muscles to the gym bunnies. The guy had Crossfit written all over him.

Albie, however, appeared to be the polar opposite to Simon. Short and squat, he wore baggy jeans and a hoody that would fit someone twice his size. James couldn't work out if the guy was athletic or not, but based on his dress sense, he guessed he was more used to playing fifa than football.

The website was in the opening stages of development and the lads were due to head out for a review with the clients that afternoon. Clare seemed pleased with their progress so far.