I was sitting in Eric's office wondering what my career options were. Not that I had done much wrong, except maybe get too involved with Suzanne Wallace, a very smart sexy red head four years my senior, but I suspect there was a bit of gossip about that around the office anyway. I really thought I needed to get a career bump or move on. However things were not good back home in Somerset and I just did not know what was going to happen up here in Derby. Just then Eric walked in carrying a letter.
"Jason, you look like you have all the woes in the world sitting on your shoulders." Said Eric Jones. As he walked round behind the old mahogany desk in his office. He picked up a phone and spoke to a lady on the other end, "Can you get Jason Allan's file and bring it in."
"So Jason, we spoke a couple of months ago about finding you a new opportunity and you know I talked about making some changes here." Eric went on.
"Sure I remember some loose conversations, but I don't recall any comments about my involvement or what the impact may be for me, on top of that I am not sure I can see what there is for me here to develop my career and as well as that there are some family issues I might need to help with at home in Clevedon." I replied, trying to set out a position to negotiate with but almost giving it away before I started.
"Well, set that aside, I may have an opening you might like, but first let me explain some changes I am thinking about here..." countered Eric. For the next half hour Eric explained about his move up the chain and what he felt was his chance to reshape things with a dynamic young new manager that would be tougher on discipline than him and had the drive to move things on. I was thinking that his plan will put the rest of us on hold here as there were a few older people around just waiting for Eric to move on and looking to fill his shoes, and then replace his old mahogany desk. "So I want Suzanne to take my old job here and move into this office." Eric looked at me to see my expression, then laughed. "Shit Jason you should play poker, your face is just blank, yet a few minutes ago, I thought I could see all your troubles."
In truth my thoughts were now in turmoil, I even missed the delivery of my own HR file, but I wanted to keep a straight face and try to figure if I was going to end up working for the woman that I was planning to skip off on holiday and sleep with for two weeks. I had set it up but we had agreed a brief: sunshine, sunbathing, some exercise, swimming and a little culture and lots of fun, but no romance, that was not on her agenda, though I am sure sex was, but I arranged the rest, and nobody at work except Suzanne knew of the plans. We just happened to have booked the same time off. "Well honestly, Eric, I am trying to think how I fit into this as clearly you invited me into the room for something." I tried to start setting out my position again.
In truth I was thinking about last Friday and Saturday night. I had met the tall redhead at her flat to fill her in on our holiday plans that I made, as they were. Twelve nights on the west coast of France, the first six of them already booked in a chalet on a site near La Palmyre, the rest we would sort out when there, depending on her liking the area or not. The arrangements were not what I was thinking about, it was the fact while I filled her in on the holiday, I filled her sweet little ginger pussy in with my hard cock and loved the way she clawed my back and kissed my face as we hit our climaxes with her long legs clamped behind my back. This had come with not an insignificant amount of practice over the past year or so on usually one or occasionally two nights most weekends.
Suzanne and I had started working on and off together almost as soon as I joined the firm three years ago but she was hard to get on with, for most of the staff, as she did not suffer fools gladly at work. We had got on well professionally and after a couple of years and a really hard project, some long days at work ended up down the pub carrying on the planning and problem solving. Then we just started seeing each other discreetly as we had agreed we best not let folks at work know. We were quite close friends but I suspected she did not want a real boyfriend and I had met some of her friends who always seemed a bit surprised to see me with her, it was an easy relationship to keep quiet. Anyway we were going to take a holiday together, I would also take a trip to see my mother and grandmother before the holiday and Suzanne asked if she could meet my family, a strange request given we both knew this was not likely to be a long term relationship and we were keeping a lid on it around Derby. I was planning to get some sun, have fun with Suzanne and if she was up for it, to screw her as much as she would let me for two weeks.
Back in the office, after my mind had wandered: "I am guessing you really do not fancy working for Suzanne, it is probably not your working relationship that is the issue because you two are great, you both work well for me individually, and together, even if you occasionally squabble about little things you both work it out and get on with it." Eric smiled, but I knew there was more. "So if I told you that I had told her the same and asked about you, would you be surprised? She said she was okay about being your boss, but she said I would have to ask you about it. She wants a career and wants a promotion and she has some seniority over you. Suzanne has what I am looking for and the time is right to put her in charge. I still think she is worried that you might not get a chance for a long time as she is getting a job that you might be ready for in say a couple of years." Eric was grinning and looking at me.
"Well that is great for Suzanne, she will do a good job as you vacate the job and move on, congratulations to you both." I replied.
"Hold on, don't go shouting it about just yet. We have some leave issues to get through before we make changes. Hers, yours and mine. There is something else I want you to do as well and let me know about." Eric paused and held my attention, "Before that you can either confirm or deny or whatever it makes no difference, just adds perspective to my opinion. You are seeing Suzanne outside of work aren't you?"
Shit, shit, shit, we did not want that getting out at work and not back to Eric or those above as it may have forced a move for one of us, besides we were friends, but neither of Suzanne or me saw it going anyplace at this point.
"Well, we are not boyfriend, girlfriend but yes we socialize together occasionally." I opened up.
"So your leave applications being similar, are no coincidence?" Eric came back as he pulled out two signed off leave forms from a pile on his desk.
"Did you ask Suzanne?"
"Yep, she avoided a straight answer, quoted me bloody rules as well. You know she never quite plays the gender card, but she makes me feel uncomfortable at times as if telling me that she dares me to put her down and discriminate on her being a woman with a career." Eric looked to the roof, and I laughed at his expression.
"She can do that, but she really is not that bad, I think she is very smart and fiercely loyal to the few friends she has and trusts. That is what makes her come across as a bit of a hard case at times." She is also to some extent pretty private, I am not sure, even as a friend and colleague, that I totally understand her but I respected her immensely.
"So are you going to avoid the holiday question as well?" Eric pushed again.
"No"
"No you are not going on holiday together, or you are not avoiding the question."
"We have arranged a joint holiday, sharing travel and accommodation, can we leave it at that?"
"Yes, I have not got all day and I don't care anyway, it is not my business what you do outside work." Eric laughed, then I laughed with him and I think that gave the game away in the end.
"So you mentioned you have issues at home. Suzanne may block your future career path here and I have an old protΓ©gΓ© of mine needing help." Eric said. It was my turn to look bemused now. Pushing on Eric said, "I have this old buddy running the South West, and he would like to transfer one of his old hands up here for personal reasons, that will back fill Suzanne's current role, he starts while you are on leave. That leaves a hole down there but Jenson, Jensen Waldron is my buddy's name, he wants to fill that guy's position and expand it a bit with some big projects they have coming their way down there, so he needs a lot of competent help."
"I see, I feel a but or a suggestion coming?" I said.
"Ha, I suggest you take Friday off and go home, see your family and drop in and see Jenson, 12:00 noon at the Bristol office, he is seeing you and taking you to lunch after, unless you end up being a total dick. So call this number and make arrangements to be out of the office here Friday. Oh and have a great holiday. Before you get back let me know what you and Jensen decide. I will talk with him anyway, but I want to hear it from you."
So I ended up making arrangements to go back to my mothers and then Suzanne would travel down and meet me there on the Friday evening before we headed off on holiday with a Saturday night ferry crossing. The ferry was booked as a twin bunk cabin and the chalet as a double single bedroom layout. I needed to stay amicable with Suzanne or it could be a long quiet holiday on a sofa bed or floor.