It's 1987, I am going to be 20 soon. Married, no kids, mortgage on a great little unit in South Perton. Ready to start my new job in an inner city library which I've been hoping will be a far cry from the suburban one I have been working at since leaving school four years ago. I've a new wardrobe for this new position, and I am pretty impressed by it.
I'm going for a professional look, and for my first day I thought my knee length houndstooth pencil skirt with the buttons down the back would be perfect. A satiny blouse, black stockings and high heeled black shoes. The perfect librarian look. Conservative but attractive. Even though I'm not a librarian! Clerk, ok, but I want to look the part, make a good impression.
My hair is what always lets me down, I just can't tame it. Still I manage to get a thick handful of my shoulder length tresses and scrape it back into a tight ponytail. I leave my makeup understated. I understand how conservative the other staff there are, nothing like the girls I worked with at Kelville Library, who wore casual clothes and didn't bother with hair or makeup.
One last look in the mirror. I am not used to seeing myself like this! Like most 20 year olds I wear relaxed clothes, jeans and stuff. But I think I look good, if a little uptight. I assess myself...too much cleavage. I do up another button on my blouse, smooth my skirt, make sure all the back buttons are fastened. My one concession to my true nature is my Schiaparelli stockings, fastened by a suspender belt. And of course matching bra and knickers. Nice underwear makes me feel so good. But my stomach is churning with nervousness. I take a deep breath, kiss my husband goodbye and head out the door.
By the time I get to Tivoli Library (yes, corny I know! It's named after the place in Italy!) it's 8am. I knock at the back door. The librarian, Janet answers. Tall, with a large build and intimidating looking, she greets me and gestures for me to enter the back room.
"Hi Kate," she says. "You're early, none of the others are here yet. Oh except the cleaner, he gets here early and leaves at 10am."
"Ok," I say. "Where can I put my bag?"
Janet takes me to a small lunchroom which is at the end of a long passage with several doors. I peek into one as we walk down the corridor, I can see a toilet cubicle and a shower. We reach the lunchroom which has one high window, nothing visible of the outside world except the treetops and sky. It's lined with grey lockers and she offers me an empty one to put my things in. There's a fridge, a sink, a kettle and a microwave. In the middle of the room sits a green laminex table surrounded by six chairs, and against one wall are three comfy looking armchairs.
"Come on, I'll show you around," Janet says.
The library is impressive, obviously Tivoli council has money to burn. Huge open areas, enormous shelves stacked to the ceiling with books. Leather sofas, many study desks both downstairs and upstairs on the mezzanine level. It's nothing like Kelville Library, which would have fitted in the children's area here. No wonder the cleaner stays so long each day.
Janet shows me the workroom, which in contrast is a mess, books and papers stacked high on each desk. It has an inviting chaos about it. I am feeling a bit overwhelmed by all of this, but excited at the same time. She shows me the storeroom which she says at first will be my domain, at least while I am the youngest and new, my job to keep it in order. I wince a bit at this, but it is my first day so I accept it.
She's showing me the stationery when we both turn at a noise behind us.
"Oh," says Janet. "Mark! You gave me a fright."
Mark. I wasn't expecting this. He is in his late twenties, maybe early thirties, with long black hair which falls to his shoulders. Clean and shiny looking. He's got a small goatee, very dark, black eyes and dark eyebrows. He's wearing Levi's 501's, I know this because my eyes take in the button down fly at his crotch, involuntarily. His crotch has a nice bulge, this doesn't escape my notice. At his waist is a belt with a Harley Davidson buckle which catches the light. A tight black Tshirt and Doc Marten boots complete the picture. He surely isn't a staff member. The cleaner?
"Mark, meet Kate. It's her first day today," Janet says.
Mark extends his hand to mine, which by now is slightly clammy, my heart racing a bit as I take his warm hand in mine.
"Hi Mark," I manage to say.
"Welcome Kate," he says. His voice is soft and deep, and he smiles at me revealing beautiful white teeth, a contrast to the dark facial hair. He holds my hand for a moment and doesn't drop his gaze from mine. I feel some kind of current between us, and I wonder if it's just wishful thinking or does he feel it too?
Janet suggests that maybe I would like to shelve some books until the others arrive at 9am. I take a trolley and head down to the stacks at the back of the library.
My heart is still beating hard as I think about Mark. He isn't really my type, but I can't stop thinking about the way he looked at me, his smile, those 501s! Shit, I need to stop this, I have to be more professional and for god's sake I'm married! I try to concentrate on getting the books on the shelves. I reach up high to put one away, and through the shelves I see Mark. He's watching me. Maybe he has been for a while and I didn't notice. When I look back at him he looks away, but then raises his face to mine again and smiles. His smile is devastating. I feel my stomach drop and a liquid warmth between my legs just looking at him.
I move along the stacks, this time I need to bend and put away some heavy reference books on the bottom shelves. I am struggling a bit with these. I sense someone behind me, and there is Mark again, eyeing me as I am bent over, my pencil skirt tightly strained against my arse. He's pretending to vacuum as he watches me appreciatively.
