Naked dare chapter 5
A hot steaming shower followed by a strong coffee and I felt vaguely human again. I mumbled something about seeing Ella after work and I stumbled out the door.
It was ten o’clock before I was awake enough to even do my job. I was staring out of my office window with yet another strong coffee in my hands when there was a knock at my office door. I had turned half way around in my swivel chair by the time the door was open and my boss was standing in the doorway.
“Oh shit what now?” I thought.
“Hi Charlie, Jesus you look like shit!”
The boss never was one to pull any punches and it made me laugh when he was so blunt. A lot of people didn’t know how to take him but I knew he wasn’t half as tough as he sounded.
“Good morning to you too.”
“If you’ve got the damn swine flu you can stay the hell away from me.”
“No this ones self inflicted I’m afraid.”
Laughing, he said. “Tie one on with the boys last night?”
“No just caught up with some friends who I haven’t seen in a while and made the mistake of forgetting that I’m no longer a teenager who can bounce back up the next day.”
“This growing old business is bullshit isn’t it? My old man used to say that youth is wasted on the young. I didn’t understand it back then but I have to say I agree with him now.”
“Listen to us; you’d think we were in our seventies the way we’re talking.”
“At least I don’t look like it today.”
“Gee thanks. What can I help you with?”
“Wow you are feeling sensitive today. Well don’t get your panties in a twist but I’ve got a new secretary starting today and I wanted you to set her up with a computer and show her how to use some of our in-house software. I know you hate getting the boring set-up jobs but I would really appreciate it. Last time we got one of the juniors to do it we ended up spending twice as long trying to fix his mess ups.”
Normally I would groan at the thought of such a mundane job but today it was exactly what I needed.
“No worries. Just let me get what I need from the tech office and I’ll be right down there.”
“I’ve got another meeting with that auditor from last week to go over some figures so I won’t be there. She should be waiting for you in my office though. I’ve got her doing some filing so if she’s not there she won’t be far.”
“Alright, I hope you’ve got some of the good coffee in your office. I really need them to keep flowing today.”
I could hear him laughing as he walked off.
I got what I needed and headed for the office. I still wasn’t thinking all that clear and to be honest, I kind of had my mind on last night’s events and what would come of the girl’s weekend. It didn’t take me long to get what I needed for the new secretary because the tech office knew she would be starting today. Being new and not knowing where things were I predicted she would be still filing and I didn’t expect to see the new secretary in the boss’s office. So when I walked in and saw a curvy butt bent over the photo copier I must say I was pleasantly surprised.
“Uh hi.”
“Oh crap!”
She jumped in fright and straightened up so fast I thought she was going to scream or something. She was blushing bright red and had a decidedly guilty look on her face.
“I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“That’s o.k. I just didn’t hear you come in.”
“Fair enough... I’m Charlie. Are you the new secretary?”
“Hi Charlie. Yes I’m Jennifer.”
I unloaded the computer and bits and pieces onto the desk and reached out to shake her hand.
“Hi Jennifer; Welcome, I hope you enjoy working here. I think you’ll find we are all pretty easy going and not too hard to get along with.”
She blushed again when I took her hand to shake it. She was definitely a pleasant surprise considering that most of the female staff here were in their late fifties or sixties, with the exception of some of the techies. Jennifer looked to be in her late twenties or early thirties and was quite pretty without the need for make-up. She had shoulder length dark brown hair and green eyes. She had flawless skin with just a light smattering of freckles that suggested a childhood spent in the sun. She wore a very professional looking women’s suit but she didn’t look all that comfortable in it, as though she would be more comfortable in a t-shirt and a pair of jeans or perhaps a loose flowing dress, or was that just my imagination at work again?
“I take it you’re here to set me up with a computer and such.”
“Yeah, we like to set our staff members up with something new when they begin as opposed to inheriting some second hand Junker with the previous person’s problems. We have a really good tech staff here, a division I set up myself, and I figure we pay them plenty so we may as well keep them busy. You will probably have used most of the software that we are going to be giving you but there are a couple of in house programs that we wrote to suit our own applications. I will load it all on for you and teach you how to use it; most of it is pretty simple and user friendly.”
“I’ve used most business and word processing programs so I should be ok with them. Besides my husband is a systems support engineer and I’m no slouch in the area either.”
“No offence but if you know this stuff inside out then what are you doing here?”
“I’ve been studying for a few years and I really needed a sabbatical. I will go back to it eventually but for now, here I am.”
Obviously there was more going on here than met the eye but Jennifer seemed really nice and I thought it was way too early to pry.
“O.k. So you’ve obviously got a fair idea of what to do and how to use everything then.”
“Yeah I think so. The photocopier and I don’t really like each other but I think I’ll be able to beat it into submission.”
I could see why she was given the job already. Not a bad sense of humor and she obviously has a brain in her head, petty nice to look at as well if the truth must be told. Hopefully she would settle in quick because to be honest she probably has the worst job in here. She gets to be the interface between our department and the higher up management. Probably not as bad on our end as we are a pretty laid back bunch but the bosses are, with the rare exception, complete jerks. They tend to enjoy treating the secretaries like bimbo’s and they like nothing more than to treat any one in a position they consider to be lower than theirs like shit. I think they are going to have their work cut out for them with Jennifer.
I got busy setting everything up and was under the desk fitting the last few cables when Jennifer walked across the office right next to the desk. I looked up and saw a very enticing pair of legs. I found myself thinking that if only she was in a skirt I could have a great view from here. The thought kind of took me by surprise at first and I had to wonder if all the action at home was starting to affect me. After I crawled out from under the desk there was a cup of coffee waiting for me. Jennifer was holding out to me with a slight smirk and one eyebrow raised. I’m sure I blushed as I began to wonder if she could read my mind.
“How did you know? I am in desperate need for coffee today.”
“You just look like you could use one.”
“I look that bad hey?”
She looked me up and down and seemed to consider a few responses before saying.
“I’ve seen worse hangovers but it’s still a good one.”
I laughed and took a sip of the coffee, not really sure what to expect. It was perfect. I couldn’t have made it better myself. I groaned with delight.
“With coffee like that, you will go a very long way around here. Hell I’d promote you right now if I had the power.”
“That’s just one of my many talents.”
“Well we are very lucky to have you. Alright you’re almost completely set up. I’ll just run you through these programs and I’ll leave you alone.”
Jennifer caught on really quickly and once you got her talking it was obvious she was a very intelligent woman with a good sense of humor. I could see us getting along really well.
As I left work I couldn’t help but to get a bit excited, and nervous, about the weekend coming. I was just about to drive off when I was startled by a tap on the window. I turned to see Jennifer looking in at me and looking rather pissed off. I wound the window down.
“Hi Jennifer, Is everything o.k.?”
“I hate to ask Charlie but could you call a cab for me? My stupid car has just died an unholy death and my mobile is flat.”
“Don’t be silly. Just hop in, I’ll give you a lift home. I’m not going to leave you waiting for a cab in the dark on a Friday night. Around here you could be waiting for an hour.”
“Charlie, no offence but I don’t really know you and I don’t want to put you out.”
“Alright firstly I am one of your workmates, not a stranger and I promise I won’t bite. Secondly unless you live in Timbuktu you couldn’t really put me further out of my way than I already am.”
“Isn’t your wife expecting you home?”
“Yes but I can assure you she will understand. How would your husband feel if one of your workmates left you stranded?”
“I guess that’s a fair point.”
“Look here’s my mobile, call your husband and tell him what’s happening and that I’m taking you home, he’ll be expecting you.”
She looked me in the eye as though trying to work out if I was legitimate or a threat. She came to a conclusion and called her husband. After a brief phone call she hopped in the passenger side and told me where she lived. As it turned out she lived about four blocks from me any way.
On the way home we got to know each other a bit more. She told me that her husband had been working on and off at different universities and they had moved around a lot but he was recently offered what seemed to be a very permanent position here and she wanted to settle down in one place for a while. Seeing as she grew up in the area and had some relatives nearby, she decided that this was the place for her. The more I talked to Jennifer the more I liked her.
I walked her to her front door and met her husband. He thanked me for bringing Jennifer home and I explained that I lived just a few blocks away. Rick seemed like a really nice bloke and after just a few minutes talking I had invited them to a barbecue in a week’s time.
I stopped by the bottle shop on the way home and picked up a bottle of our favorite wine. It felt like the right time to have a bit of a celebration. When I got home Ella was running around packing clothes, make-up and other bits and pieces into a case. She had the video camera on the charger and the tripod folded neatly next her case on the bed. I could tell she was nervous by the way she was going in circles without appearing to get much done.
I pulled her aside and gave her a hug.
“Slow down a bit baby. You’re not leaving until tomorrow and I would like to have a nice evening with just the two of us if that’s alright.”
She breathed a sigh and rubbed her temple.
“I’m sorry honey. I’ve been going crazy this afternoon. I’m trying to get packed and organized and the whole time my stomach is in knots. I’m actually a bit scared about this one.”
