Doing the Right Thing (8 page)

As Addie rounded the corner, she saw two men on ladders fastening a board in place.
Magelan’s
. She slammed to a halt. Magelan’s were a large leisure company based in the south. She’d seen their ads on the internet and in the
Sunday Times
. Bob had sold up. Addie was stunned.

Only the thought that she’d soon incur the wrath of the sales director, Delia Carne, or Genghis as she was known to the rest of the staff, dragged Addie into the building.

Genghis was tall, though not as tall as Addie, with short red hair and steel gray eyes. A match ready to be struck and Addie always seemed to be the one doing the striking.

When she walked through the door, Julie, who manned reception and the telephone, beckoned her over. “Seen our new name?”

Addie nodded.

“Genghis and Bob are in with the new people. Three men.”

Addie hurried into the open plan office most of the staff shared. At the far end was a corridor of private rooms occupied by Bob and Genghis among others. Addie pulled off her coat. She had no idea how the takeover would affect her. She might lose her job.

If it hadn’t been for the money she wouldn’t care. But the requirement to have a reasonable amount breathing life into her bank account at regular intervals was a necessity. Even though the Jefferson-Smiths helped with the mortgage, Lisa still relied on Addie’s contribution to the household expenses. Plus, Addie had debts of her own.

She looked round the room. Everyone huddled in their cubicles muttering into phones. No printers whirred, no keyboards clicked. No surreptitious surfing of YouTube, just the muffled murmur of worried voices. Addie could guess what everyone was doing—ringing wives, husbands and partners with the news of possible redundancies, retirements and relocation.

“Better look busy, Addie. New brooms sweeping clean and all that,” Graham said as she sat in the booth next to his.

“I don’t need to look busy, I am busy.” Which was more than could be said for Graham, a large Australian pest, similar to a kangaroo, bulky and belligerent, but less attractive and less active. Graham didn’t lift a finger if he didn’t need to. He had the natural charm, but not the svelte figure of a rattlesnake.

Graham was the senior sales dog’s bollocks. Whatever he claimed to do, he managed to delegate most of it elsewhere. He made a big thing of his expertise in arranging the foreign coach travel, which, as far as Addie could make out, involved the carting of over-sexed teenagers to France on part-exchange visits with their pen pals.

Graham’s French was terrible. Addie had thought she’d give herself appendicitis laughing when he’d told her he thought “
Moi aussi”
meant “I’m an Australian”.

“There’s bound to be some redundancies.” Graham rolled round on his chair to talk to her. Addie swallowed when she saw he was wearing his dangerously tight brown trousers and the purple shirt. Versace—he’d let everyone know, but they were fighting a losing battle to cover his body.

“You must be worried then,” she said.

“Why?”

“If we’ve been taken over by a bigger organization, all the foreign paperwork will be done centrally.”

Graham looked so concerned that Addie felt guilty. For at least three seconds.

“Delia says I don’t need to worry,” he mumbled.

Addie winced as Graham cleaned his ear with his finger.

“But you’re only part-time,” he pointed out, putting the same finger in his mouth.

Addie refrained from asking whether Genghis’ comment had come before or after she’d got out of his bed. Genghis had done a good job of keeping the affair a secret, but she knew Addie knew. Addie presumed Graham must have some redeeming feature for him to have attracted Delia, because he was her exact opposite—disorganized and lazy. Maybe he was hung like an elephant. Addie shuddered.

She settled down to her first job of the day, printing invoices for the previous month, and at the same time began to research Lincoln for a forthcoming trip.

* * * * *

The important people remained behind closed doors all morning. Daisy Chain, child of stupid parents, and secretary to Bob and Genghis, took coffee in a few times, but emerged with no information other than the fact that all three guys were gorgeous and Genghis was being nice. Genghis and nice didn’t usually appear in the same sentence.

The longer they were cooped up in there, the more nervous everyone became.

People began flitting between partitions to chat, spreading rumors of death, destruction and plague to ensure everyone stayed as worried as them. Various senior people went into Bob’s office, then returned to their own cubby holes and closed their doors which made everyone even more paranoid.

When
the
door opened and the five came out, eyes dropped from the top of the partitions to focus on computer screens. It was as though they were in a war zone and someone had yelled “incoming”. The increased noise of tapping at keyboards sounded like an oncoming swarm of locusts. Yellow-bellied cowards, Addie thought, keeping her own head up. The next moment she was on her knees on the floor, her heart battering her ribs to get out of her chest, so it could make a run for it.

The noise fell away and Addie listened to Bob thanking them all. She wanted to look again to make sure she’d not made a mistake, but there was little point because she hadn’t. Will stood between Bob and Genghis.
Shit.
Next to Genghis was the blond one from the gym.
Double shit
. And the other side of him stood the third guy.
Triple shit
.

Addie scuttled across the floor like a giant crab to reach Joe’s cubicle. He stared at her as she crouched at his feet. Addie pretended to be inspecting his chair leg and then moved on to Margaret, then Lizzie, then Charlotte the harlot. Voices were coming down the other side of the room as Addie crawled in the opposite direction. She reached the photocopier, wondering if there was time to dig an escape tunnel. She could hear Genghis introducing people.

Addie couldn’t do this now. Running away from trouble was second nature. She was always reluctant to accept inevitability, particularly when it stared her in the face.

Plus, her stomach was threatening to eject a slice of toast and coffee. All she could think about was escape.

“What are you doing?” whispered Joe, who’d followed her to the copier.

Addie cringed. Joe’s voice at a whisper, could carry in a crowded football stadium.

“Lost an earring,” she said, forgetting she wasn’t wearing any.

She saw a herd of feet heading her way and shot hunched over in the opposite direction, colliding with the water cooler, sending the whole thing rocking so that a mini tidal wave threatened to topple the bottle. Addie had to wrap her arms around it and dance for a few seconds before it calmed down enough for her to let go, then she dashed on, ricocheting from one object to another, swerving at the last moment away from Genghis’ precious aquarium. Finally she turned the corner and could breathe.

Addie heard the men having a short chat with each person in the room. Genghis even introduced them to her bloody angel fish, Gabriel and Gideon, which should have sent warning signals, but it wasn’t until Addie heard the word “garage” that she panicked. She’d been listening when she should have been escaping. Now she had a choice of three doors—the Gents, a cupboard and the garage. Addie made for the cupboard.

She sat on the floor in the dark and waited.

“What’s in here?” Addie heard Will say.
Well of course he bloody did.

“A small storeroom,” Delia said.

The handle jiggled above her head. Addie wedged herself between the door and the shelves opposite, pressing her feet against the lowest shelf.

“It seems to be locked.” Will again.

“There isn’t a lock. There’s nothing valuable in there,” Delia said.

Addie braced herself, but the next moment, she slid forward on her bottom as the door was forced open behind her. She concertinaed the top half of her body between the two lowest shelves. The light went on.

“What on earth do you think you are doing?” Delia asked.

“Looking for something.” Addie kept her face hidden.

“What?”

“Er…” Her mind went blank.
Great timing, brain.

“Would you like to explain what you could be looking for in the dark?”

Genghis had a lot in common with her mother. She’d scented weakness and wouldn’t give in until she’d ripped out Addie’s throat.

“The light?” Addie tried, still crouched down with her back to them.

“The light switch isn’t on the floor. Get up. Mr. Magelan would like to meet you.

Maybe he should reconsider.”

Addie got up and turned. Now was the moment for a meteorite to hit the building, but she’d accept a flash flood or a voracious man-eating plant as reasonable alternatives. The older guy put out his hand. He was laughing.

“Jack Magelan.”

“Addie Winter.”

She couldn’t look at Will.

“Have we met before?” Jack asked.

“We’ve never been introduced, I’m certain,” Addie said.

She watched the blond one’s eyes flick between her and Will and knew he’d recognized her.

“Hi, Addie, I’m Ed Mansell,” he said. “Will’s brother.”

Addie shook his hand and then looked at Will. “Hello, again,” she said.

“Will Mansell.” He held out his hand.

Addie felt as though she’d been asked to pet a great white shark. She swallowed hard and put her hand in his. His face was blank. Will shook her hand so fast it was hardly a shake at all. Addie cringed with humiliation when she realized he wasn’t going to acknowledge he knew her.

“Addie only works for us part-time. She’s a general dogsbody,” Delia said.

Addie bristled. “I need a pay rise then. I thought I was a private dogsbody.”

Ed turned a laugh into a cough.

“Excuse me,” she muttered and fled to her desk, her face burning.

* * * * *

Addie kept her head down all morning. She looked as though she was working hard, but she wasn’t. She sat struggling with the invoicing when Daisy came over.

“Genghis has made me so mad I can’t speak,” Daisy said.

“So you’re not going to tell me why?”

Sarcasm was lost on Daisy. “Course I am.” She perched on the edge of Addie’s desk. “I’ve got to do the secretarial work for both the new guys as well as her. I mean that’s like doubling…tripling my work load.”

“Poor thing.” Addie tried to sound sympathetic.

Since Daisy had plenty of time to do her nails, plan her week’s TV viewing in fluorescent orange marker and spread gossip, no wonder the prospect of working a full day appalled her.

“Still, they are gorgeous,” Daisy whispered. “Even the older guy. He’s worth millions. Magelan’s is one of the largest travel and leisure companies in the country.

I’ve been on Google. Jack’s married with seven children. He’s a devout Catholic. Seven boys. Fucking hell.”

“Yep,” Addie said. “It probably was.”

Daisy got that after a moment and giggled.

“What about the other two?” Addie asked.

“Management consultants from London. Brothers. Not married. Will’s the eldest.

He’s the one with dark hair and gray eyes. They’re on contract to Magelan’s ’til Christmas, but they have another job in Leeds so they’ll be in and out of the office. Ed’s lovely. I really like him. Mr. Sexy Eyes. Parents live in Shropshire. No pets. Apparently, they’ve rented a house in Alwoodley. Will’s favorite color is black. Ed’s is red. Will drives a Lexus. Ed has a Porsche. He said he’ll let me have a ride in it. They both like Thai food, but Ed doesn’t like bony fish…oh, or jelly.”

“God, Daisy, do you know their collar size as well?”

“Both seventeen.”

Addie laughed.

“I was going to check on shoe size, but I didn’t want them to get the wrong idea,”

Daisy said.

Addie guessed they already had the right idea.

“So what’s going to happen? Should I ring the Jobcentre?” Addie asked.

Daisy shrugged. “Everyone’s been called in, including drivers and the managers from the travel agencies. Genghis said they’re going to speak to us all this afternoon.

Bob’s buggered off to buy a yacht and Jack Magelan’s gone back to London. I bet it’s Will who does the sacking.”

Daisy moved on, spreading the Ebola virus and Addie sighed. How much did she need this job? Working two days a week in the language school didn’t pay enough to live on, but she couldn’t work alongside Will Mansell. He and his brother were probably sniggering over poor desperate Addie, who’d not only invented a boyfriend, but paid a guy to sleep with her and then exploded when he kissed her.

The Chinese whispers in the office reached epic proportions. Charlotte the harlot joined Daisy in the scaremongering. They were all going to lose their jobs. Anyone over twenty-five would be sacked. Less than two years on the job? You’re out. Anyone wearing green would join them. Over twenty-five, with less than two years service and wearing green, Addie was doomed. The only believable whisper was that those who’d managed to get their tongues up Genghis’ backside would survive. No wonder Graham looked unconcerned.

Addie opened a new document, typed a few words, fiddled around with the font for several minutes in an attempt to fill the paper, realized it looked as though a child had done it and then reduced it back to normal size before she let it print.

Dear Sir,

Please accept my resignation, effective immediately.

Yours faithfully,

A. Winter

She signed it, dated it, folded the paper in half, folded it again, sidetracked by thinking about the rule that said you could only fold any piece of paper a particular number of times. When Addie looked at the chunk in her hand, she groaned in frustration. Lisa and her bloody origami.

“What you got there?” Graham asked, looking over the partition.

Little escaped Graham’s attention unless it was work that needed doing.

“Shopping list.” She pushed it into her pocket.

Addie couldn’t face Will Mansell every day and she was sure he didn’t want to face her. He hadn’t even wanted to acknowledge he knew her. How could she maintain a professional relationship with someone who’d jammed his thigh between her legs and seconds later given her a knee-trembling orgasm? She couldn’t. It was time to leave. She knew she
was
a dogsbody. They took advantage of her because she was part-time, and if it wasn’t for the fact that groups of day trippers asked for her by name, she doubted she’d get to do the coach work, which was the only fun part.