1. ...of fish and bicycles
It was a new job or rather it was her first real job after university and Pam was thrilled. She had been invited for the interview on the strength of her CV and references and had been appointed to the new research team straight away. It really was a 'dream job'.
Her new employer was one of the new Biotech Research Companies that were springing up like mushrooms, or even toadstools, all over the world. Actually, "Toadstools" was a better analogy as some of them were quite poisonous. They handled contract research, but made their real money from the spin-offs... Some of it unexpected and much of it exotic.
She had driven up to Halesowen, just outside Birmingham in the English Midlands, to look around the facility where she would begin work on Monday: today being Thursday. Pam was a shy girl and still needed somewhere to stay: her new line manager, Dr Lockyer, had suggested that she put a card on the Staff Noticeboard – twice and so she had written one out in her neat, tiny school-girl script.
The Company was new and was still getting established to take advantage of the new developments in the life sciences and Pam was taking over a small section of four who were working on various contracted hormone-based projects. She had completed her PhD in Endocrinology and was expected to follow through several of the promising lines opened up by her thesis. Hers was a "blue-sky" section and she had a free hand to explore and extend the research that had earned her her PhD: marketable products were expected to come later.
For a Biologist, Pam had lived a rather sheltered life and had immersed herself in her studies and then her research while at University. She was uncomfortable around other people, which if she stopped to think about it, she would attribute this to her red hair. Red heads tended to get bullied at school and Pam had been no exception. However, most red-heads have a temper because of this; Pam didn't, she had an inferiority complex.
On Friday morning Pam drove into 'work', or rather what would be work on Monday. The facility was housed in one of those high-tech glass and aluminium structures that architects thought that scientists needed before they could be creative. Pam was still staying at a nearby hotel, which was costing her, or rather, her employers a small fortune.
She pushed open the front door and walked into the lobby. The receptionist looked up as she walked over to the desk. "Can I help you, Ma'am?" The woman behind it enquired pleasantly and with a smile.
"I... I'm Pam Durgan: I – I work here, or rather will on Monday." The red-head stuttered.
The woman looked at her, and then down at her desk. "Ah, yes. Dr Durgan. Welcome to our little family," She hunted around in the pigeon holes on her side of the fascia and came up with a keycard and an ID on a lanyard. "The keycard will get you into just about anywhere while the ID is to be worn at all times that you are on the premises. Company policy."
Pam smiled nervously as she accepted the items. "Thank you.....?"
"I'm Grace, any problems, just phone me at reception: one of my jobs is smoothing things out."
The red-head nodded and turned to walk away, heading towards the corridor leading towards the labs. As she reached the first access door, she reached for her keycard.
She heard the click, click click of heels on the hard floor.
"Dr Durgan?" A soft voice enquired as she fumbled with her keycard.
She froze.
"Dr Pam Durgan?" It was a woman's voice.
Pam turned slowly around and came face to face with a striking brunette wearing a severe business suit. "Y... yes?" Pam stuttered.
The woman smiled revealing dazzling white film-star teeth. "Oh, hi! I'm so glad to speak to you at last. I'm Brenda Forbes: the CEO. We met during your interview. Can you come to my office please?"
"Hi." mumbled Pam, blushing a deep shade of red . This was only the second time that she had met her new Boss face to face. She followed the brunette down a side corridor, and listened to her four-inch heels click-clacking against the hard floor.
Pam had often wished that she could wear shoes like that but was afraid that people might stare. Pam didn't like being noticed: being noticed had led to trouble at school.
The office, like everything else in the building, was austere. Plain grey walls, blue carpet and Ikea-type furniture. The door plaque said 'Dr Forbes': Pam wasn't surprised: almost everyone here had a PhD. There was a framed poster on the wall: the only decoration in the room. It said:
'A Woman needs a Man as much as a Fish needs a Bicycle'.
There was a picture of a large chubby goldfish perched on a cartoon push-bike attempting to peddle with its tail... Pam wondered what it signified.
Brenda sat behind her desk and indicated that Pam should sit on one of the two other chairs. As she did, the redhead noticed that her card requesting accommodation was on top of the woman's open diary.
"Pam, you don't mind me calling you, Pam, do you." She didn't wait for an answer, but picked up a sheet of paper. "Pam, although I am more than happy to pay your hotel bill for as long as is necessary. I don't want too because it comes out of my budget and there are better things for me to spend it on!"
Dr Forbes looked up at her.
Wow,
thought Pam,
she's beautiful!
Pam must have stared because she was rewarded with a knowing smile.
"I've got a better idea." She held up the card. "I have space at home and really would like the company. I don't need the money, so we can come to an arrangement about rent." She gave the redhead an appraising look. "Good, that's settled, then!
Meet me here at two: in the meantime go and get your things from the hotel and I'll show you your new home!"
Pam left that office with her head spinning slightly.
What just happened?
She wondered.
At ten past two she followed the CEO's Ford Focus out of the company car park and up the road to a large white house on the outskirts of Romsley, a village a couple of miles away. They pulled up outside and Brenda grabbed a couple of the cases out of Pam's car and cheerfully led her into the converted farmhouse.
"I don't think that I will be able to remember the way on Monday." Pam remarked as the climbed the stairs to the first floor.
"You won't need to as you won't be driving... We will be able to car share! I've adjusted your working hours to mirror mine. So that is something else that you will save money on." Brenda said with a grin.
"Will that be alright?" Pam asked.
The response that she got didn't surprise her. "I'm the Boss so it damned well better be!"
The flat was a large one: kitchen, dining room, lounge, study and three bedrooms each with its own bathroom. Pam's bedroom was to be the middle one with the single bed and the two walk-in wardrobes. Brenda put the cases down and said. "While I'm changing: how would you like to make a pot of tea? You've seen where the kitchen is. See you back here in five: Oh, mines white, no sugar and use the mugs by the teapot." Then she was gone.
Pam did as she was told, which was rapidly becoming the normal state of affairs around Brenda. And when she re-entered her bedroom she found the brunette busily unpacking her cases for her. She accepted the tea with a grateful smile. "You're an angel!" She said without giving Pam a chance to comment on the unpacking.
Brenda, to Pam's surprise, was wearing a low-cut flimsy white halter top and cut down shorts: with her long, slightly curly brown hair held back into a ponytail by a bright green scrunchy. She worked rapidly dividing Pam's cloths up into piles.
"These won't do at all, you know.. You may have noticed that the flat seems to be warm: that's because I keep it at a constant temperature all year round: you have very little suitable for indoor wear, but don't worry. I'm taking care of that." She indicated a light summer dress that the redhead had never seen before. I'm sure that that will be more comfortable. We'll work on your image next week!"
Pam's clothes took up a corner of one of the wardrobes: shoes stayed in the hallway as Brenda had a strict barefoot rule. "Much cleaner! I'm sure that you don't want to spend all of your time cleaning mud out of the carpets... I know that I don't."
Brenda somehow had an answer for everything, even the questions that Pam hadn't got around to asking.
They finished and took the rest of their tea back to the lounge where Brenda sat her down. "Right, Pam, I'm a busy executive and I'd like you to share my home. You'll live rent free as long as you help-out with a bit of light cleaning. There's a woman from the village who comes in and does the heavy work and the laundry. I need someone to organize this place..." She swept an arm majestically around... "A companion-come-housekeeper, if you like. I noted from your CV and interview that you consider yourself a good cook: if you can organize the meals, I will be more than grateful as I am a kitchen-disaster, myself."
Pam nodded shyly: she felt as if she was on a roller-coaster: she didn't know where she was going, but the exhilarating ride had been planned in advance by an expert.
"A couple more things. Firstly we will need to entertain business guests occasionally: I would like you to cater for those events, act as, cook and hostess and be fairly ornamental: those will count as extra duties and you will be paid by the firm. Secondly you will get a paid day off each week to allow you to carry out your domestic duties. Your job description will be altered to include the words 'Personal Assistant to the CEO'. Don't worry, I am not a messy person so the household duties will be light. Deal?"
With her head once again spinning, Pam said. "Deal!" And received a sisterly kiss on the cheek as a reward. The fact that her heart seemed to flutter and her pussy was wet puzzled her.
