Looking at her across her desk, Shane Crawford watched his boss Lindsay Davenport closely during their meeting. He wanted clues about her attitude. To be able to predict her. But she barely looked at Shane as she updated him.
"Mr Harada wants the Melbourne mailgirls on the television. He never liked Mitch's locked convent idea. But I suspect you know that," she told him.
Of course Shane knew about Mitchell Johnson's aversion to publicity. It was one of the issues that drove Mr Harada to replace Mitch with Lindsay as office manager. And Lindsay showed him that she shared Mr Harada's agenda. However, Shane found himself feeling cautious about the idea. In his role as deputy he was used to being a sounding board, perhaps the voice of reason. Maybe he should now.
But did his new boss want to hear an opposite view? Oh, well. "What if the mailgirls don't want to be on the TV?" he asked. The Melbourne mailgirls pretty much had things the way they wanted. They came to work each morning and took their clothes off, and after that they pretty much had the run of the place. Shane wondered how they would take the sort of changes that Lindsay was suggesting.
But Lindsay was not interested. She was blunt. "If they don't like it, they can work somewhere else." Lindsay looked up at Shane and affected to think about it for a moment. Then she smiled dangerously. "No, they can't, can they? We're the only show in town. Except it's been for a closed audience so far. And if Mr Harada likes anything..."
"...it's publicity. I have been paying attention." Shane knew that about Mr Harada. And no other business in Melbourne had dared introduce mailgirls. They were still the only one.
Linday honed in on why she was meeting with Shane, she needed his local knowledge. "So which of your local television shows would be the best?" she asked, that being something she did not know.
"You're not thinking of a six-part Netflicks series?" Shane parried back, vaguely enough that it could be sardonic or a simple suggestion.
Lindsay missed any disrespect in Shane's response. "No. To start with, I was thinking of more of a current affairs thing. Sensation of the week. We have a show called Sixty Minutes in the States. Something like that."
Shane decided it would be too difficult to explain to Lindsay that Australia had a show also called Sixty Minutes that was a little different and a little similar to the American one. Instead he made what he thought was a better suggestion. "I can think of the perfect show for that." He went on to explain.
"Make it happen." Lindsay looked away, back to her PC with an air that suggested she was done and Shane was dismissed. He slowly got himself ready to leave, just about to stand up.
The door swung open. Jackson walked into the office and straight up to Lindsay's desk. "Mitch sent me with a message for you, Lindsay," she announced.
Lindsay looked up at the naked mailgirl who loomed over her at her desk. "Don't you knock?"
Jackson acted perplexed. "No? Should I?" Shane found himself studying the curve where Jackson's bottom swelled from her back. Watching her from his seat, Shane noted how attractively thin she was, how her bottom was taut and was there, right in front of him and on display. He found himself imagining her spreading herself for him which was something that had not happened and, he expected, was unlikely to. She had no interest in him, she had made that clear.
"We were in a meeting," Lindsay complained.
Jackson stood there straight backed, affecting subservience. "And I am a mere mailgirl," she pointed out. And noticing Shane's attention in her periphery, she turned side on to him, obscuring his examination of her body.
Lindsay glared at the mailgirl. "If ever I have you under my control in the States," she threatened.
"But that's not going to happen," Jackson responded which closed that off.
Lindsay backed away from her threat. "Okay, what is Mitch's message?" she asked wearily.
"He wants to know if you are still meeting him at three o'clock?" Jackson responded.
Lindsay looked irritated, to Shane's delight. "It's in my diary," she snapped.
Jackson was not fazed by that. "Oh," she responded, "he said that you missed the last one, so he wanted to be sure." Jackson turned and look down at Shane who now seemed uncomfortable. He squirmed in his seat under her stare. "Is it because of me?" Jackson asked since she thought it was that obvious.
"We were having a discussion," Lindsay intervened, "a private discussion."
Jackson read Shane's renewed discomfort. Well, Jackson reckoned, if it was that private, she would have to find out what this meeting she crashed was about. The level of discomfort seemed to confirm that. But she pretended that she was not interested in their meeting. Instead she played dumb, pouted at Lindsay. "Can you please note the delivery is complete?" she asked. "You know, rules," she added for extra spite.
Lindsay marked Jackson off and dismissed her with a wave, deciding that any further sparring would be a waste. There would be a time, she expected, a time when the Australian mailgirls would discover how things really were. That time would come. Jackson gave Shane a knowing look as she strode out of the room. If Lindsay saw that she did not react. Shane got up to follow Jackson out. Of course he was wondering how the office would react to Lindsay's change. And not just the office but the mailgirls. He realised, well he knew, that he liked things the way they were.
*
Leaving Lindsay's office feeling concerned at what she had walked in on, Jackson stopped at Betty Cuthbert's desk. Betty, who was now Lindsay's PA, concentrated on her screen apparently busy organising something. The naked mailgirl coughed to attract her attention.
"Sorry I didn't catch you on the way in," Jackson apologised now that she had Betty's attention.
"The new regime," Betty agreed, grimacing at the mailgirl. Jackson was careful not to flaunt herself at Betty. The PA was one person who could make her feel self-conscious at her state. She felt that she was thrusting her breasts at Betty and showing off the tuft of hair she continued to keep on her pubis just above her labia despite her desire not to. Betty though concentrated on Jackson's face. Why wouldn't she? Jackson clearly wanted to talk to her.
What if, wondered Jackson. On the other hand, what if she broke through and became overtly sexual with the uptight PA who had only recently started to loosen up with the nude version of Jackson. Betty stared at her, waiting for... what?
Suddenly Pam Burridge rushed past them with a quick acknowledge and into Shane's office. Betty gave Jackson a querulous look. "Always in a hurry that one," she reported. Hmm, Jackson considered, it appears that way. I wonder why? She filed that thought.
"Got time for a cup of tea?" Jackson suggested to Betty. That had worked previously in breaking down a bit more of the ice between them. Jackson started to formulate a plan.
Betty beamed. "Why not?" she replied with more enthusiasm than Jackson expected. But that was good. Pam exited Shane's office and with the barest of nods, again dashed past them. Jackson stepped back from the PA's desk to make room for Betty to join her. But she stopped as Betty stood up.
