Watching the Paris 2024 Olympics on TV gave me flashbacks to my nightmare in the lead up to London 2012. I almost lost my marriage and my job because I did a favour for someone I took pity on. The saying `no good deed goes unpunished' was certainly true in my case. How you would have got out of my predicament?
Back in 2011 I was sales manager for an industrial flooring company. Our premium product was floorings for sterile situations, like hospital theatres and clean rooms. I was chasing a big order to supply a company managing drug testing rooms to analyse athletes' pee samples for the London Olympics. It came down to us and another bidder. The customer challenged us both to prove ourselves. All I needed was a bit of money to build a pilot testing room for a UK athletics qualifying event. The Finance Director had been avoiding me all week because every time I saw him, I asked where my twenty grand was. I expected good news when he came into the sales office on Friday afternoon.
"Have you got my money, Jim?"
He wiped the smile off my face. "No, I haven't Adam, and I don't think you will get it either. I've got something else for you, though. A new member of staff. A genuine talent."
Not the response I was looking for. I was instantly wary. "I don't need another salesperson. You agreed Angela is doing well on probation. The team is up to speed."
"I'm sorry, Adam. I've made an executive decision. Simon will be with you on Monday morning."
Over the weekend, I mellowed. I'd give Simon a chance, thinking it would win Jim around to the athletics job, if I did him this favour. At 5 to 10 on Monday morning, in slouched a 28-year-old, skinny, pasty faced, casually dressed bloke. He wasn't busting a gut to impress his new boss. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck bristle. What's worse, Simon had a condescending, shit-eating grin I knew wouldn't go down well with customers.
"Hello, I'm Simon Grayson." He leaned over my desk to shake hands.
I gave him a fixed smile. "Hello Simon, I'm your boss, Adam Saunders, and you're an hour late." His grin slipped as he made a half-hearted apology. "So, what brings you to sales Simon?" I was curious what Jim had seen in this character.
"I've been working in distribution for the last couple of years, but I don't see that as me; I'm more of a people person. I think I could thrive in a sales environment, given the right opportunities."
He was full of himself and needed taking down a peg. "Simon, being successful in sales is about making your own opportunities. I'm not looking for order takers, I need people who can go out there and grow the business, get us into new markets. Can you can do that for us?"
The penny dropped that whatever Jim promised would only go so far. Simon straightened up, looked me in the eye. "I'm prepared to work hard, just give me a chance to prove what I can do."
I introduced him to a couple of my sales guys and we drew up a short list of companies he could work on. I tried him out on a few phone calls. Some were courtesy calls to long-term customers to introduce a new member of staff; others were prospects where I would hold him to his word to see if he could build relationships and win new business. Simon listened in on Angela getting an existing customer up their order. I was thrilled for her, but felt apprehensive about being able to keep her at the end of her probation; if Simon was on my head count. We recapped at the end of the day. Simon said he'd enjoyed it and was looking forward to starting work properly tomorrow.
After he left, I phoned a mate in distribution. "What's the story on, Simon Grayson?"
I didn't like Harry's news. "He's landed with you, has he? Simon was with us for two years. After a couple of weeks, he acted like he owned the place. He was not good at his job and not well liked either, but he seemed to have the boss's ear. Frankly, we were pleased to see him go when he said he was being poached by sales. Sorry you got lumbered with him."
"Harry, he was not my choice."
"Be careful, Adam. There is something odd about that bloke."
I was even more curious about the relationship between Simon and my boss Jim. I would have to be careful because this was not straightforward. I had been stitched up and didn't know what I had done to deserve it.
The next day I got in at 8.30, surprised to see Simon, suited and booted and packing out his desk. On the corner was a big framed photograph of an attractive brunette in her early thirties. I looked closer and almost jumped back in shock. I remembered where I had seen her before. He noticed me looking at the photo.
Simon smiled. "That's my wife April, stunning, isn't she?"
I nodded in agreement. "Have you been married long, Simon?"
He sounded like a teenager. "Just three years and the novelty has not worn off yet. She is the centre of my world."
"I'm thrilled for you both." I turned and went to my desk.
I'd met April at the office Christmas party a few months before. I'd gone with my wife, Rachel. It was a black-tie affair, something she didn't like, but we'd had a rough time recently and needed to a chance to relax.
Rachel's mother was very ill with cancer and the doctors had given her 12 months tops. She felt duty bound to nurse, but her mum wouldn't come and live with us. My wife stayed with her five days a week, coming home at weekends, when her sister took over. I wasn't happy with the situation, but how could I tell Rachel she couldn't care for her dying mother? We tried not to argue at the weekends, but it was stressful trying to be calm and pleasant to each other just because we had so little time together. Our love life suffered too. The enforced absence created distance between us, and by the time we relaxed, it was time for Rachel to return to her mother's place on Sunday night.
The office Christmas party was a rare opportunity for us to socialise. You can imagine how I felt when Rachel got an emergency call from the temporary nurse saying her mother had another turn. She was full of apologies as she took the car. "It's only 10 o'clock Adam. You stay and have a good time. You can have another drink as you're getting a taxi home." I grunted something conciliatory, and she gave me a peck on the cheek and left.
I'd finished the best part of a bottle of champagne by the time couples were dancing. The atmosphere had changed, and I felt out of place.
"Your face looks like you've lost a pound and picked up a penny."
I'd been in a trance and didn't realise someone had joined my empty table. I raised my head, following the black, strappy high heels, sheer black stockings and shimmering black evening dress up to its sequined halter neck bodice, amply filled by a stunning woman. She had bare shoulders and full smiling mouth, dark brown eyes and curly black hair. I smiled at her despite my woes.
She smiled. "Wow, if only I still had that effect on my husband."
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to look you up and down like that, it was disrespectful."
"Not at all, it's nice to be appreciated." She sat on the chair next to me. The split in the evening dress opened, and it slid off her thigh, revealing her lacy stocking top and an inch of creamy thigh above. I couldn't help looking. She put a playful hand on my thigh. "I'm sorry, I hope I didn't embarrass you." She looked me straight in the eye with a teasing come hither expression, studying me.