"I'm sorry Miss but I can't do that!"
Susie Farmiloe was stunned! In fact, she was gobsmacked! She didn't normally use such words but this time it seemed to fit exactly.
Susie was a top international model. Not quite your actual 'supermodel', like Naomi, Helena, Kate and the others but she knew and had worked with all of them. She earned a lot of money but it was hard work and stressful, flying all around the world to all the collection launches of the top designers.
The designers all liked Susie too. She had a bright bubbly personality and was reliable and willing always. Another thing, she was not stick thin like most of the other models and this made her a nice change to dress. She was slim of course, svelte and five feet ten tall, but she had a nice firm bosom and lovely rounded bum cheeks. You could almost say that Susie was perfect.
So, what was going on? She was only interviewing a prospective gardener for her cottage garden, for Christ's sake!
"Wh, What do you mean?" she almost stammered. "What is wrong with the terms I'm offering?"
"Nothing Miss, nothing at all but I just can't accept, that's all. I'm sorry."
Susie remained undeterred. She would get to the bottom of this. She needed a gardener and she didn't want to go searching all over Warwickshire and Worcestershire to find one. Besides, she didn't want to broadcast her need.
Now that she was relatively rich Susie had bought herself a house; in fact, it was a cottage in the country. She had taken a lot of care in the purchase. She wanted somewhere she could retreat to where no one would know where she had gone. This meant two things, firstly keeping it a secret from all her business contacts in London and elsewhere and secondly trying to keep a very low profile in the country area. Susie had been born in Warwickshire so she knew the problems of local gossip. The only positive thing about local gossip was that the locals tended to clam up when talking to strangers.
The only people who knew about her purchase of the cottage were her parents and their solicitor. They had acted as Power of Attorney for her in the purchase and anyway the solicitor only knew her as Susan Farmer, her birth surname. She had disguised herself completely when viewing properties, only giving her real name to the agents.
The only other person she had told was her hairdresser and best friend Jenny Jones. Jenny was a Londoner and hardly knew where Worcestershire was, never mind finding a single cottage there!
Susie had found the ideal property and it was almost completely furnished as well. All she had to do was move in and then she could replace or add to furnishings at her leisure. It would be fun!
The cottage was, in fact, in Worcestershire but just over the border with Warwickshire. Her parents lived in Alcester about eight miles away. It was on the west slope of the Ridgeway, just inside the Worcestershire border.
The only trouble with this idyllic situation was that the cottage had a garden and a small field, about two acres in total. Hence the need for a gardener and here was the ideal choice turning down her offer of the job.
"But why can't you work for me?" she asked again. "I'm sure that the terms I'm offering are as good as you'll get anywhere else. Tell me what the problem is?"
She had found his number in the small ads section of the local weekly free paper. His ad in the 'work wanted' section seemed to be the most suitable so she had called him. He seemed a nice guy and so here he was sitting in the lounge of the cottage, drinking tea and discussing her problem.
His name was Jim, Jim Turner. He was a local man, born and bred. In his early thirties he was, Susie agreed, a really handsome hunk. He stood about six feet two with a thatch of fair hair curling over his ears and down his neck. His bright blue eyes smiled a lot, rather than his lips, but with his tanned face actively registering his feelings. Susie wondered idly what his body looked like when he was working in the outdoors.
"The problem Miss," Jim sighed heavily, "is the tax man. You see, what you want me to do for you here is virtually a full time job. First of all I don't want to let down all my other regular clients and second, if I take your offer the tax man will likely say that I'm only working for one person and so I can't be called self employed anymore. That's the problem, you see! There are a lot of advantages to a man like me to be self-employed. So I can't do it, much as I'd like to. I'm sorry Miss!"
Susie thought quickly. Jim was the one she wanted. He hadn't even given her an inkling whether or not he knew who she really was. If he didn't know her he was ideal! There must be a way to solve this. She accepted his dilemma but wanted to help him. God, he was handsome too! She suddenly realised her pussy was getting damp! Just as suddenly she had a brainwave.
"Look Jim, stop saying you're sorry and let's work this out. You are the one I want to do the work for me. Now, you've just said to me that my job is full time and that you have a lot of other clients. Well, think about it. If you want the work you need to employ a man or a boy to help you; maybe only part time at first but I'm sure you could expand further in time. What do you think about that?"
Jim didn't answer but Susie could tell that she had reawakened his interest. Soon he began to nod.
"Yes Miss, I admit that I would like to do the work. Your garden looks as though it needs to be restored to its previous lovely state. I bin here with me dad in the old days when Miss Frobisher had it. It would be nice to work for you too, a beautiful woman, if I may make so bold."
Susie turned her best smile on Jim; she'd got him where she wanted him without even flashing her gorgeous legs at him.
"So, do we have a deal then Jim?"
"Well, not quite Miss. You see if I take on all this extra work and the man I'll need somewhere to store things. I work from home right now and the house is only rented, and that's in my girl friend's name. So you'll have to give me a little time."
Susie was on a roll now and wasn't going to be deterred. Her brain was working at the speed of light!
"What about the little field to the rear of the garden?" she asked. "There is a separate right of way alongside the cottage. You could use that. I'll let you put up a shed or two for what you need and your pick-up and trailer will have plenty of room. What do you say to that Jim?"
"How much rent will you charge me," asked the ever-practical Jim?
"If you guarantee that my work will always be up to date then I think about ten pounds a week should be enough," said Susie. "You do know that I will not be here for extended periods of time, don't you?"
Jim smiled at Susie, this time with his lips as well.
"Yes Miss, I've read about your lifestyle in my girl friend's magazines. It must be a fantastic life!"
"Oh, you do know who I am then?"
"Yes Miss but I'll keep it quiet if you want me to."