The first encounter with Gloria was really hot, and even though I wanted to go and see her everyday I didn't want to lose my job either. So what I did was wait until after the weekend and called her. When Gloria answered her cellphone and she found out it was me, she sounded very relieved and turned on at the same time.
"So glad you called Nicky baby," she softly said into her phone, so softly that I could barely hear her. "Can I call you back later," she asked hesitantly.
"Sure," was all I said.
Now there were some questions from Trish, the admin clerk in our office, about why it took almost two hours to change a tapwasher. So while the little redhead is giving me the third degree, the boss' wife Debbie is listening on with interest from a distance.
When Trish didn't appear to be satisfied with my explanations, Debbie came over and told Trish to cool it. Debbie then turned to me and asked me if I completed the job to the customer's satisfaction, to which I nodded yes. She then continued; "Did the customer know that the bill would include almost two hours labour?"
"Yes M'am," I said politely.
Debbie then turned to the redhead and told her calmly to just bill the job as stated on my jobsheet. It was when Debbie was reading the jobsheet that a smile came across her face, which she wiped off almost immediately. "Can I see you in my office please Nick, now," Debbie requested.
She didn't wait for an answer as she dropped the jobsheet back on Trish's desk and I followed her into her office. "Close the door Nick," she said as sternly as she could muster, more for Trish's benefit than mine I gathered.... Seeing Trish looking at me with a "sorry I got you into trouble" look on her face I closed the door.
Debbie took a seat behind the desk and with a serious look on her face she started on about mixing business with pleasure. "You know Nick, if Trish can read between the lines on a jobsheet it just means you need some more training to hide your indiscretions on the job," Debbie said knowingly.
I figured I better play coy so I just put on my best "what do you mean" face.
Debbie laughed softly; "don't pull that face on me young man, there is no way you took almost two hours to change a tapwasher. And the only way a customer would sign off a jobsheet with this much labour time for such a simple job is if she was thoroughly satisfied with the job you did.......as she trailed off her words I could see Debbie's nipples making their presence known."
Still keeping my coy face on I just shrugged my shoulders at her and just said: "Hey, some jobs just take a long time, I had to go and get a new tap insert from the wholesaler, drain the system, then bleed it all again after I done the tap....so like you said, the customer was happy with the completion of the job....what's the problem."
Debbie was now looking at me with an unsure look on her face, but still she decided to issue a stern warning: "Nick, I don't believe your story, I think this jobsheet for Mrs Gloria Parker doesn't tell the whole story....all I am going to say here and now is that I do not tolerate unprofessional behaviour from my employees, understood?"
Figuring it best to keep the quizzical look on my face I just said: "I am not sure I follow you, like I said some jobs take longer than expected, so how does unprofessional behaviour fit into that context Mrs Collins?" By the time I finished I must have had an angry look on my face because Debbie now was looking completely unsure what to do or say next....
"OK, so let's leave it at that then Nick," Debbie said and I wasted no time in exiting her office. Trish was sitting at her desk, avoiding my eyes as I made my way into the workshop to replace some kit on my workvan.
Debbie didn't want to say it of course, but she had her suspicions that I had shagged the lady of the house on company time, not that she could prove anything. Since her divorce a year ago she had to deal with everything in the business her father left to her when he died....and she was struggling with some aspects of it.
A week or so later Trish was smiling widely at me as she asked me: "Guess who came in here today Nick?"
Not knowing who I just shrugged my shoulders and replied: "The Pope, or perhaps the Queen of England."
"Haha, funny man," Trish said as she continued to smile. With nobody around she loudly announced that a Mrs Gloria Parker came around in her droptop BMW to pay, in cash mind you, the bill for the tapwasher you replaced at her place a little over a week ago. "Strange don't you think," Trish said as she gave me a big wink.
