Introduction
I don't believe I'm doing this but, after half a zillion third-party tales about me, I'm going to tell one for myself. Yes, instead of letting others betray my excesses, I'm going to betray a few of my own.
Or perhaps I'm going to betray lots of my own, right here, in the first person.
Telling the tale as the one who really knows.
Yes, aren't I just.
And good grief, haven't I plenty to reveal.
More of that shortly, let me introduce myself. I'm Heather Hunter, also known as Hurricane Heather and, to true lovers, Hev. The "hurricane" title is undeniably mine because in my (much?) earlier days I did often act like a demon on speed. Not that I ever did drugs, I hasten to add. I did tons of weed at my exclusive all-girls school, but never anything harder.
Alcohol aside, of course. Alcohol-wise I have the abilities of a fish. As did most of my schoolmates.
Okay, there were a few exceptions, but not many.
Think about it. There in one of the poshest parts of Cheshire, us naughty, underage students could get our hands on any type of booze we fancied. And not just beers and ciders.
Money came into the equation, naturally. We spoilt brats could've sourced coke and Goodness only knows what else just as easily, but none of my circle of friends ever did.
Not to my knowledge, anyhow. Why bother?
Grass and virtually unlimited bevvies; who needed anything more?
Oh yes, all those lovely, lovely bevvies!
My excuse is that being a Yorkshire lass, I'd been brought up to sup as much ale as possible. But I do struggle to account for my passionate love of vino.
Trust me, I can down vino as if it's going out of fashion (as if it ever will). And, while I prefer French, I don't hold anything against other varieties. Italian and German are fine, and the Antipodean wines I have (very regularly) sampled have all been exquisite.
Without discounting the rest of the wine producing world, I've even had some good British vinos.
Grapes grown in Britannia. Well, why not? Back in the day the Romans were here for the best part of four hundred years, weren't they? And those legions wouldn't go without their ration of vino for five minutes, never mind almost half a millennium.
Global warming a recent phenomenon?
The Britannia climate back then didn't stop the toga-clad empire makers, did it?
Where there's a will there's a way.
(Or should that be: Where there's a will there's a greedy relative?)
But enough of that nonsense. I was thirty-three at the time this yarn kicks off; thirty-three, footloose and fancy-free. What did I look like? I hear someone wonder. Truth is I've only ever been flattered as far as third-party descriptions go.
Yes, I do look okay with my long, jet-black hair, never-fading tan and flashing green eyes but, by and large, I have been grossly exaggerated.
Trust me, I can think of a thousand better-looking babes than me.
My body is something else, though. Olympic athletes aside, I am undoubtedly as ripped as can be. If only I'd kept up with all those martials arts . . .
Not to mention my swimming, running, football, netball and (yeah, yeah, I know!) rather indifferent tennis.
Truth is I'm a country lass, born and bred. That posh school was thrust upon me when my dad sold our failing farm to housebuilders, and Mum wanted only the best for my future.
In fact, she made it a condition of the deal.
No fancy education meant no sale. We'd have to sit it out until the Receiver came a-calling.
And that condition applied equally to dad and me.
Not that I wasn't intrigued by the prospect. By then, still but a slip of a girl, I already had muscles on my muscles. Try chasing an escaped bull as a wimp and see where it gets you. Strength is king when you're brought up on a farm.
Or should that be strength is queen?
Yes, maybe it should.
Knowing Mum never gave an inch once she'd set her mind on something, Dad and I swiftly agreed to her demands.
The rest is history, and I don't intend to bore you with it.
Everyone's probably heard one slant or other on all this before. Why persist?
Why not ditch the historic details and get a little closer to a new session of good old sex?
Can't think of any logical argument to that, so here goes . . .
Chapter One
I won't give you an exact year, but Victoria was back in place at West Yorkshire Bank, and I was there as her number two, if unofficially. Everyone had seen me as her substitute whenever she'd been off, even though a few others had more formally stood in as maternity cover, not least the incomparable Mr Carmichael, Vic's old-time mentor and one of the greatest guys on the planet.
If Mr Carmichael promised you something you could put the house on it. And he didn't promise very lightly. It was all or nothing when he was involved, but a girl always knew where she was.
Vic had modelled herself on him and I duly admired her. Learning from the best of the best.
Well, only an idiot would not. And Vic was far from being an idiot.
Leastways so I thought until I was called into her office at ten o'clock one sunny Thursday morning, deep into a very decent summer.
'Big problem,' she began after pouring us Columbian coffees (she had her own percolator and only ever did the finest Columbian).
Having heard a million similar opening lines, totally unfazed, I tested the caffeine, which was just as excellent as ever.
'So, share,' I said, in a spirit I soon regretted.
'Next week we have the ultimate teambuilding course,' Vic obliged. 'In fact, it's a management thing we've never tried before. I was supposed to go on it, with our two obvious candidates, holding their hands and what have you. But out of the blue I've got a no-miss meeting on Wednesday. So, you are going instead.'
'Hang on,' said I, 'have you gone nuts? I've been a senior manager for ever and ever. What do I need with a management course?'
'Yes, of course you have. And no, you don't need one. Like I said, I just need you to hold hands on my behalf. You're better at that sort of thing than me, anyway.'
'Right, you would say that.'
'No, I mean it. And I have a bonus for you if you oblige without being forced.'
'Forced?'
'I can be very forceful, as you well know. And after all, I am the Chief Exec.'