It was a family business and Rajani had been working there ever since gaining her doctorate at Cambridge some six years ago. SHORTS was an accounting firm of some standing in the city. Founded just before the war it been handed down through three generations to her own father who had worked himself to an early grave some two years past. Rajani, being the most qualified accountant in the business, and her father's only real confident, had expected to take over the Senior Partner role by natural succession - as was his wish - but it was not too be. Guided by the devious hand of her jealous step-mother Jenny, her two half-brothers Mark and David had contrived to usurp her position by bringing in a complete outsider to manage the business.
Undeterred, Rajani continued to work ten hour days, and frequently gave up her Saturdays, to make a good impression on the new Senior Partner. And it seemed to be working, so much so it was now rumoured that Jonathan Sparks had a thing for Rajani. As of two weeks ago, she was now acting as his full time PA and issuing out instructions on his behalf at every level in the firm. To the other partners, it appeared she was becoming way too powerful, way too quickly and it was going to her head. And it wasn't just her closest family that were getting put out by this, Jenny had heard whispers amongst most of the junior staff that Rajani was just getting too big for her boots. She was not a popular woman.
This liaison with Jonathan was a totally unexpected turn of events and something which Jenny had never expected. Jonathan was very much the boring accountant type - a balding, bespectacled, slightly overweight, forty year old white guy from London. How on earth could she be attracted to him!
By contrast, Rajani was a very beautiful young woman. She had a full head of long black hair - usually tied back in a ponytail - and was a perfect 12 dress size with pert, almost pointed breasts and a nicely rounded bottom. She was an olive skinned beauty of Indian decent and had just reached her thirtieth birthday. Her only similarity with Jonathan was their physical height - about five foot six - and a shared interest in theatre.
Rajani sat in the office immediately adjacent to Jonathan. The two other partners, Mark and David, shared an office on the opposite side. Although Jenny was family, she had no real standing in the company and was just a part time book keeper. Her place was in the main open plan office which was staffed almost exclusively by middle aged men, apart that is from Rajani's aunt Neela and her two sister-in-laws Lin and Stella. They were as thick as thieves and were similarly jealous of Rajani's new found authority. They despised her patronising attitude towards all her less educated co-workers. Something had to be done.
Most of the men, meanwhile, bored to death with domesticity and their overweight wives, spent a good deal of time discussing Rajani's other attributes. They were far less interested in what manner of education she had received and altogether way more interested in the size and shape of her breasts and what manner of sex they might have with her - if only they had the opportunity to bend her over a desk and get her pants off.
Cousin Roo in particular was obsessed with Rajani. He frequently followed her around the office, just a few paces behind, hoping perhaps to catch a whiff of her female scent. Or better still, a full on view of her beautifully formed bottom, or possibly a quick glance down her cleavage whenever she bent over to refill the copier. One thing was for sure, and all his mates knew about it, he had strange fetish for liking women with hairy underarms. He took any opportunity he good, especially in the summer when many of the women were wearing short sleeved blouses, to catch a glimpse of their armpits. And Rajani did not shave - neither the wispy fluff that trailed down the sides of her ears, nor the long wavy tufts of wiry black hair that grew out under her arms. Heaven only knew what she was like elsewhere on her body. Roo spent a good deal of time fighting an embarrassing erection whenever he saw Rajani glide by his desk.
This particular Monday morning, Jonathan was away on business and Rajani had asked Jenny to prepare some paperwork for an important client meeting later that morning.
"Sorry, I'm too busy. Can you find someone else to help instead?"
"I don't have time, I need this in a hurry."
"Well I have all this other stuff to do for David..."
"This is more important."
"Well I'm due my break in a minute. You'll just have to find someone else, or do it yourself," Jenny had retorted.
"No time for a break. Please just do as I ask," replied Rajani in a raised tone of voice as she walked away towards the bathroom.
From her vantage point close by the ladies bathroom, Jenny could observe the comings and goings of all the staff - not least her step daughter who seemed to spend more than an average amount of time attending to her personal needs. What on earth does she do in there all the time? It was a question that Jenny had asked herself on many occasion. Now, furious at the impudence of her step daughter, she jumped up and followed Rajani into the 'Ladies' toilets.
"I won't have you talking to me like that in front of the whole office Rajani."
Rajani was just entering one of the stalls: "Well that's just too bad because I'm a partner in this firm and when we're both at work, we each have to follow our assigned duties. Yours is to do what I ask of you."
"Oh really..." and an argument followed whereby both women could eventually be heard shouting at each other from the main office and beyond. David and Mark looked across their desks at each other and immediately headed out towards the bathroom.
"I knew this was going to kick off sooner or later," said David.
The two men knocked on the 'Ladies' door and without waiting for any response, barged straight in. "What's going on?" they said in perfect unison as they took in the spectacle.
Rajani was trying to close the door to her stall and Jenny was pushing against her, all the time yelling about how she was being humiliated and bossed about by Rajani in front of her family and friends. "I am your mother! You will not treat me like this!"
Rajani, in a final effort to close the door, threw her whole bodyweight against it causing Jenny to fall backwards onto the wash basin and crack her head on the vanity mirror behind.
"Do something!" Jenny ordered the brothers, gesticulating at Rajani.
Acting like two bouncers at a night club, the brothers obediently strode forward into the stall and dragged Rajani out by the arms.
"Let me go!" shouted Rajani.
"You've gone too far this time young lady.mJust who do you think you are? Its time you had a lesson in good manners!" said Jenny, facing up to her step daughter as if Rajani were just a mere schoolgirl and she was now the headmistress.
"What are you doing, let go of me. Get back to work!"
"I want to make you feel like I do; strip you of all your dignity just as you do me - every day in this place. You think you're too good for us."
By now a small crowd was gathering outside the toilets and Rajani's aunty was peering in through the half open doorway with Lin and Stella looking over her shoulder.
"About time too," agreed Neela. "I say strip her for real!"
"What!" shouted Rajani
David and Mark exchanged awkward glances with their mother.
"Bring the bitch out into the office," ordered Jenny, "then we'll see what's to be done with her."
The men dragged Rajani out of the bathroom and held her against the end of Jenny's desk, her feet kicking out as she fought to escape, all the time screaming to be let go. By now practically the whole office was crowded around, at first in silence. Then, as the first shock and surprise over what was happening started to subside, several of the men began chanting something under their breaths and the momentum gathered.
"Stop it, let me go, let me go," Rajani was now thrashing about wildly, desperate to escape and screaming at the top of her voice. As David looked at around at his now excited audience, he took a painful blow to his knee from the sharp heel of Rajani's shoe. Instinctively, he called out instructions to two of the nearest office boys: "Grab her by the ankles guys and hold her tight before she really hurts someone."
