"Andy, are you going to the Christmas party?" I turned away from my screen in the direction of the quiet voice behind me. Josie is the softly spoken, warm, friendly woman in our department. I'm guessing she's in her late forties, though I'm basing that on her looks rather than her general demeanour which is that of an older woman.
"Er,..." I must have looked so dumb for that second with my mouth agape. "Yes. Yes. Are you going then, Josie?" I tried to hide the surprise in my voice. In the five years I've worked here she's never attended, so to hear this question from her was quite out of the ordinary. The work's Christmas Do is for employees and their partners, which is good for some but no always for those of us without anyone. Also they can end up quite messy affairs once the alcohol takes effect. I think our company is banned from 2 places in the city centre.
Josie is married but no one at work seems to have met her husband and I can't remember her even mentioning him. Not that there's anything wrong with keeping your private life private and I try to keep mine that way. Not that there's much to tell anyone. I'm currently single, my last relationship ended around 18 months ago. Well June 25th 2022, just before midnight... but I'm over that now. I did have a couple of dates earlier this year through a dating app. One of which was successful, if you catch my meaning. Sex on a first (only) date was a bit out of character for me as I think I really need to know someone before doing the deed.
Josie is always smartly dressed, if a little dowdy and her desk is the only one in the office that's always organised and tidy. It's easy to look on her as the motherly figure of the department as she keeps us organised. However, somewhere within all that, I'm sure there's a need for fulfilment.
"Would it be ok if I sat with you, Andy?" She looked so hopeful behind her veil of dark brown hair. "Only, I don't usually go to these things and I'd rather be with someone quiet, like me."
"Oh, yes if it helps." I replied. I was quite pleased she'd said that, as I don't really drink like the other lads do and if I'm honest, I prefer the company of a woman. Even one twice my age.
We discuss the night out over the next couple of days and make arrangements. Josie is driving there but I turn down the offer of a lift as it takes her too far out of her way. The party is in a hotel on the main road out of town. We've had the 'do' there in the past and it was a great night. You have the meal, which was good grub if I remember correctly, then they clear some room for the dance floor. I say I'll stay away from that but a few drinks later I've usually been dragged up by the boss's wife for a boogie. I feel awkward and not just because of the dancing. The boss's wife, Nina, was flirty at the best of times but under the conditions of a Christmas party things could get raunchy. As a naive (and virginal) eighteen year old when I started here, she petrified me!
I make arrangements with James from maintenance to pick me up on the night, which soon comes round.
The hotel lobby is packed when we arrive but we can't pick out anyone from Braithwaites to start with. We make our way through to the bar where, surprise surprise, our colleagues are mingling and already full of 'Christmas Spirit'. I'm definitely not drinking tonight, I don't want to end up being manhandled by Nina and drunken me taking it as a come on.
"'Ere 'e is, it's Andy!" Richard, the boss, spots me and drags me to the bar. "And a pint of Shipyard as well, love." He's with Carl and Shane two of the reps.
"No, no, it's fine I'm not really drinking tonight." I protest. Richard and the two reps look at me gone out before they all burst out laughing. "Ha-haa! Yeah, good one Andy, it's a free bar. Knock yourself out!"
I take it and plan to nurse it for as long as I can. I can't say as I like beer, I just feel like I should drink it when I'm with 'real' men.
Carl and Shane have obviously been talking about the women they see in the different places they go. I'm not saying that some women wouldn't find them attractive but I find it hard to believe that all the women in all the offices they go would want to sleep with these two. I glaze over and look for a way out. I can't see Josie anywhere yet. I catch the eye of Nina and she smiles. I'd rather talk to her now while she's relatively sober, so I move over to where she is.
"Ooo! Here he is. My handsome dance partner. I hope you're ready for us tonight Andy?" Nina teases. This causes much merriment amongst the women around her, which just fills me with more dread.
"Not tonight I don't think Nina." I say.
"We'll see. A couple more of them..." She points to my beer. "...and you'll be up with us ladies."
I'm no more comfortable with the women as I am the men it turns out. I look over towards the main door and see my 'date' arrive. It's only at this moment that I realise how much I've been looking forward seeing her.
Even from here, I can see that Josie has altered her day to day look quite drastically. Her hair is up and tied back in a messy bun, this shows off her usually hidden features.
She spots us and comes towards us, homing in on me. My breathing flutters as I watch her every step. She looks stunning, why had she hidden this look before now. Her brown eyes sparkled, her cheekbones were fully on view. I didn't know what to say. Luckily Nina and the other girls did.
"Wow! Josie you look fantastic!" Said Nina.
"Where have you been hiding this look?" Cooed Alena, one of the other girls from our office.
Josie turned and smiled at me, I was standing a foot or so away from her and I could feel this incredible energy radiating from her. She was wearing a figure-hugging black dress with a lacey see-through gauze covering her chest, shoulders and cleavage. It tantalised without giving away too much. I really need to drag my eyes away before anyone sees me letching but I just can't.
"Oh, I just had a little more time this afternoon to get ready." She blushes at the attention and looks around the room as a distraction.
Nina threads an arm through Josie's and turns her towards the bar. "Let's get you a drink and you can tell me where you got that dress."
Alena catches me looking. "Like what you see, Andy?" And raises her eyebrows. I just blush and walk away.
I mingled as best I could while we waited to be seated. I was pretty much following Josie around like a lost puppy but always one person behind. It seemed everybody wanted to give praise, not that I would blame them. I'd arrived here simply looking forward to her company but now I wanted her as my date.
The respective companies started to be called through to the various rooms to be seated. Almost as soon as Braithwaites was called, Josie turned to seek me out.
"I'm not going in without my chaperone." She smiled and held her arm out for me to link with. I'd finally got close to her. Her strong, flowery perfume was having an instant effect upon me. She felt warm and soft against me as we entered the room. I genuinely thought I was the luckiest guy alive.
Large round tables took up three quarters of the large room. Most of the tables had been assigned to our company. Two smaller companies filled the rest. I let Josie choose where we sat. We found a spot in a darkened corner with the younger girls from the office. If any of them had boyfriends, they'd come without them and it gave our table a bit of a hen-do feel to it. The girl to my left, Lily, is one of the more boisterous at the most sober of times and she 'claimed' me as her man for the night. But as sexy as she is, I was more than happy with my sexy, mature date.
The starters and main were served and enjoyed by all before the desserts were brought out. The girls got steadily more drunk and subsequently louder and louder. It had been difficult to talk with Josie through the meal with the girls shouting across the table to one another. It wasn't quite how I thought things might have gone but I was happy being by her side. On occasions, I felt her leg brush against mine and when she did speak to me she would lean right in, her face centimetres from mine. I wasn't sure what she was saying at times but that didn't matter. I was mesmerised watching her glossy lips and lost myself in her big brown eyes a couple of times.
A tray of shots arrived almost straight after the pudding dishes had been taken away. I looked at Josie, Josie looked at me. This could get messy!
After another ten minutes or so of being pestered by the young women, we were left alone. They were obviously fully loaded now and the disco part of the night was in full swing.
We hadn't even bothered to get anymore drinks and had just drank the table water during the meal. Although the music was loud, there were no speakers by us and with the girls tearing up the dance floor we were finally left alone to talk.
"So you didn't have someone special to bring then?" Josie asked me.
"No. No, I've been single for a long time now." I gave her a resigned look.
"Is there anyone here you like the look of?"
She waggles a finger in the general direction of everyone. I have to pause to consider my response.
"Not out there,.." I copy her finger waggle "...no. How about you, did your husband not want to come?" Josie rarely mentions her husband or her home life at all really. I detect a touch of sadness in her eyes.
"No, he wouldn't have wanted to." Was her strange response. Had she not told him about it? Each time she speaks, Josie leans in a bit more and her leg brushes against mine. Accidentally? I don't know but she held it against me for a few seconds. "Andy, do you want to go? I know it's early but.." She looks around as a couple of colleagues go past us and sit at the next table to ours. "I thought we could just slip away. Maybe go somewhere quiet to talk." She gives me a timid little smile. Her big beautiful eyes seem to plead with me. The idea of being alone with her somewhere thrills me. I mean, she can't possibly mean THAT, can she. She is married after all.
We get up and head out to the foyer. I feel very self conscious leaving with her, gossip spreads through work so quickly and for the slightest of things.
We find a quiet table and sit facing each other. My ears are ringing from the DJ but I can make out the gentle clatter of the trolleys full of plates being wheeled into the kitchens. A couple of the other tables are occupied. One with a young woman who hasn't paced herself too well. I'm surprised it isn't one of the girls from our table.
