Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
L indsay had just pulled up outside as Steph was seeing out yet another applicant for the cleaner she and Jon had agreed they needed.
“Thanks for coming over, Linds. I am clueless about exactly what this baby is likely to need.” Steph hugged her friend warmly and thought that being pregnant at the same time as her and her superior knowledge had major benefits.
“Hey, no problem, we’ll look online and I’ve brought some catalogues with me.” Grinning, Lindsay held up an armful of brochures and magazines.
“Great. I have two more would be cleaners to interview,” Steph explained as the sound of the main gate intercom signalled the arrival of the next candidate. “Sit in with me if you want,” suggested Steph.
“I’ve never interviewed anyone before.” Lindsay’s giggle confirmed how excited she was at the prospect.
An old green hatchback came into sight and as it came to a stop the two women watching laughed at the sound of it.
“Jon will have a fit if he’s woken by the sound of that every morning.” Steph’s laughter increased.
“Do you suppose that thing has just polluted the air we’re breathing?” asked Lindsay giggling too as a woman of about fifty appeared.
She smiled warmly as she ascended the steps, “Nice car.” She pointed towards the Audi that was parked at the bottom of the steps. The Audi that Steph was currently banned from driving, along with any other car. Why was she allowing him to do this she wondered? She had always had her own car and her brother provided them, her brother.
“I’m Steph Brooker, and this is my friend Lindsay, come in please.”
Steph led Tilda through to the kitchen at the back of the house and began to make tea. “Take a seat please,” she said with a gesture towards the bar stools where Lindsay already sat. “I’m sorry if we’re a bit informal for you but I am desperate for some tea and something to eat.”
“And she is under orders from her husband to eat, often,” revealed Lindsay.
“Ah, well, I like informal,” Tilda revealed with a warm smile.
Putting a plate of cakes and biscuits on the breakfast bar, Steph took in the woman before her; she was petite, about five feet and a couple of inches at the most, of a slight frame, with a short blonde, jaw length bob and bright blue eyes. She had a kind face and Steph instinctively liked her. She’d dressed in plain black trousers and an equally plain white blouse, appropriate for an interview, an interview she needed to conduct.
It was another half an hour before all the questions and answers had been concluded and Steph felt comfortable with Tilda, she liked her and thought Jon would too. She lived in the village nearby with her husband and three teenage children. She had experience and outstanding references. She was perfect, but there was another candidate who was due later that day.
“Tilda, thank you for your time, but I have one more person to see,” began Steph as the phone rang, it was the cleaning agency. “Sorry, give me a second please,” she said answering the call that was short and to the point. “The final candidate has just accepted another post so if the terms we’ve discussed are agreeable I’d like to offer you the job.”
“I would love to accept your offer, thank you Mrs Brooker.”
“Okay, new condition, please do not call me Mrs Brooker in my own home, my husband ensures that the rest of the world calls me Mrs Brooker so home is one of the few places where I am still Steph.”
“If you’re sure Mr Brooker won’t mind,” the older woman said nervously.
“He’ll be fine, he can be quite laid back when he tries and he usually tries at home.”
“When would you like me to start?”
“Next Monday?” suggested Steph.
“Thank you, I’ll see you at half past seven on Monday then.”
Steph and Lindsay had surfed the internet for hours and combined with the catalogues had managed to compile what Steph had termed a shopping list while Lindsay had insisted it was a wish list. An email was sent to Jon with thumbnails for each item and he had simply replied with a text message saying:
Buy it all darling, Jon x
Lindsay smiled and said, “He has no qualms about spending does he? Charlie is much happier working for Jon and the increased salary really has made it possible for me to stay at home with the baby after he arrives.”
“Really? You want that? Of course you do. I can’t imagine being a stay at home mum, but I’m happy that you have the choice, even if I still don’t know why your husband is working for mine.”
“Steph I don’t know either. Charlie refuses to discuss it with me, I was hoping you knew. He went to work at Baker’s one morning and when he came home he just told me Baker had sacked him and Jon had hired him. Just like that, no explanation and every time I ask he shuts me down like that,” Lindsay revealed with a snap of her fingers.
“That’s so un-Charlie,” observed Steph and then continued, “Jon avoids the conversation about Charlie and his predecessor Steve who is now Charlie’s replacement at Bakers. This is weird Linds, weird and suspicious. Something has happened and Jon is definitely plotting in more than one area,” sighed Steph.
“Charlie is coming here tonight with Jon, so maybe . . .”
“We tackle them together,” said Steph, yawning. “I need to eat something again, pee first, then eat, pee again and maybe a snooze.”
“Plan!” called Lindsay getting to her feet and heading to the kitchen as Steph headed for the downstairs bathroom.
“She won’t like it,” Charlie warned Jon as they left the dual-carriageway.
“She doesn’t have to like it, she just has to accept it,” replied Jon.
“Jon, I don’t want to speak out of turn but Steph will only be pushed and allow you to rail road her so far. She will at some point kick back, she always does.”
“Well, you let me worry about that and maybe the Steph you knew kicked back, but it’s my wife we’re talking about.” Jon’s tone more than his words left his friend in no doubt that he had spoken out of turn and there was no more to say.
“Are you sure she’ll be okay staying out here alone while you’re away?” asked Charlie thinking he may be safe discussing this.
“I’ve arranged for a driver and she’s appointed the cleaner, the one I would have chosen,” Jon smiled smugly.
“So you set up the candidates of your choice?” laughed Charlie.
“The agency sent those that fitted the criteria I specified and then there were a couple that came via my mum who is convinced that Steph is going to become mother earth once she has the baby and will refuse to go back to work,” Jon revealed.
“And you?”
“Not a chance in my opinion.” He left out a short laugh at the mere idea of it. “She might cut back her hours but I can’t imagine her giving up work completely. She enjoys it, thrives on it. She even asked if she can use my office while I’m away next week,” said Jon, making Charlie laugh.
“Maybe you could become a stay at home daddy,” his friend suggested.
“God no! I can’t wait for Jelly Bean to arrive, if only to get my wife back, but Steph and I are the same, our work helps to define us. She’s not like Lindsay.”
“No, she’s not. Lindsay has already given work her finish date and is beyond happy that we can now afford for her to give up work.”
“Your salary is nothing to do with me, Grant is responsible for that, but we pay good money to recruit and keep good staff,” Jon told him flatly as they reached the gates to his home.
With a press of a button, the gates opened and they made the short trip to the house.
Entering the front door they were greeted with silence.
“The cars are out front so they can’t have gone far.” They came to a standstill in the lounge where both women were asleep, Steph curled up on the larger of the two sofas in the room while Lindsay occupied the smaller one.
Both men exchanged the same smile at the sight of their own pregnant wife sleeping and strangely both women had a protective arm across their bumps.
“Kitchen?” whispered Jon pointing behind them.
Jon had already began preparing vegetables for dinner when Steph made her way through to the kitchen via the toilet again.
“Hello there,” she said as she kissed Charlie on the cheek before allowing Jon to embrace her and kiss her lips gently as she gazed up at him with her hands resting against his chest.
“Hello yourself, good sleep?”
“Mmm, Linds is still out for the count,” she said looking back towards Charlie.
“She finishes work at half three most days, gets in just after four and sleeps straight through til six.”
“I don’t normally get a sleep, not regularly, but it was nice, although there are disadvantages of being home alone in the afternoons.” Steph smirked, softening back into Jon’s embrace who grinned down at her as Charlie left them alone to wake his own wife.
“Missed your hormonal visit, darling?” Jon asked with a cheeky grin.
“Like you wouldn’t believe. You can make it up to me later, in fact if you are abandoning me and Jelly Bean next week you are going to have to bank some serious bedtime hours, Mr Brooker.”
“Way ahead of you Mrs Brooker. This weekend it’s going to be just you and me holed up here, in fact I am going to be holed up in you all weekend,” he told her pulling her against him tighter.
With a laugh and a gentle smack against his chest, Steph chastised him, “You are terrible. Fancy saying that to the mother of your unborn child.”
“Tell me the thought of it hasn’t made you wet and I will apologise,” he told her knowing full well that the idea of him inside her always excited her and there would be no apology necessary.
“What are we eating?” asked Steph.
“Nice change of subject, darling,” laughed Jon as he returned his attention to the stove.
Sitting around the table for dinner was easy and familiar; Lindsay chatted mainly about their babies and her pregnancy, subjects that Jon and Charlie were more than happy to discuss but Steph still had designs on finding out exactly what the story was with Charlie now working for Jon.
“So when will you work until? Before the baby’s born?” asked Lindsay of Steph.
“I dunno,” replied Steph honestly. “I suppose it will depend on how my pregnancy goes but I’d like to work as late as I can.”
“Will you appoint your own replacement?” asked Charlie as if thinking aloud.
A startled Steph looked between him and her husband before asking the latter, “Will you replace me?”
Smiling, Jon replied, “There is no suitable replacement for you, so no, but we, you and I may need to redistribute some things while you’re on maternity leave.”
“I could work from home once the baby arrives, they’re supposed to sleep quite a bit,” said Steph startling the other three.
“No, no, no, when you’re on maternity leave, I really would like you to concentrate on being with Jelly Bean, not fitting him in between accounts, so no,” replied Jon with a deep frown.
“You remember Andy Stevens from Bakers, Steph?” asked Charlie and continued as she nodded her confirmation, “His second kid never really slept a wink all day, he slept through the night from being a few weeks old, and with the exception of literally forty winks midday, he was awake the rest of the time and demanding entertainment from his mum, so not all babies sleep.”
“And,” chipped in Lindsay, “If your baby is like most babies and wakes through the night you will be knackered and when he sleeps you will need to catch up on your own.”
“Great!” sighed Steph, feeling out of her depth and sorely lacking in the motherly stakes again.
“Darling, don’t take this the wrong way because you know that I value your professional opinion and input where business is concerned, and you are irreplaceable, but we, me and the business will survive without you on a day to day basis when you’re on maternity leave. Plus, if I really need your advice or opinion you are never any further than the end of a phone and mostly you’ll be significantly closer by as we share a home.”
“I suppose,” replied Steph tearfully, “It’s just that my life is out of control again on this.”
“I can’t tell you that I understand how you feel, but I get how much you hate the lack of control, that’s something else we share,” Jon said supportively.
“Thank you.” She smiled and then decided to launch her attack when they were least expecting it. “Why does Charlie now work for you and Steve is back with Baker?”
All eyes focussed on Steph now, Charlie’s and Jon’s were full of suspicion and concern while Lindsay’s were laughing eyes, maybe even a little impressed that her friend had launched her question when the two men were so obviously not expecting it.
“We’ll talk about it later,” said Jon shortly.
“Except we won’t, will we? If that was likely we would have talked about it weeks ago, but we haven’t, so let’s talk about it now,” she insisted making Charlie shift awkwardly while Jon glared across the table at her with annoyance. “I need to know what is going on and I know that something is not right. I know you and you are undoubtedly up to something Brooker.”
“It doesn’t concern you,” replied Jon tersely.
“I think it concerns me completely. Look, Jon, I have waited long enough for answers and I won’t wait any longer so either you tell me or I will ask someone else; Rosie, or old contacts at Bakers or I could call him myself to sound him out,” she tormented but got the desired effect.
Jon warned her darkly, “You keep away from Baker, the man is a fucking menace and he is intent on hurting you one way or another. I mean it Stephanie, keep away from him and anyone associated with him, do I make myself clear?”
“Crystal, but you have to know that I won’t leave it at that,” she replied causing him to sigh as he pushed his plate away.
“I will not be pushed any further than this, Steph, so I will tell you what I think is acceptable for you to know and no more. If you push for more I will fucking lock you away until this is all sorted, deal?”
“Stop swearing in front of Jelly Bean and . . .” she paused unsure what to call the other unborn baby.
“George,” said Charlie, “My wife finally found a normal name for our son.”
“Aww,” cried Steph with a smile.
“Steph, I mean it. This is non-negotiable, I will tell you enough and you have to agree to trust me on this,” said Jon determinedly.
“I do trust you but when I hear that you have gone nuclear and sacked Steve after putting him on his arse for some kind of gross misconduct involving him telling Baker things and then Charlie is sacked for the same thing, I worry.”
“You should never have heard those things, but I will tell you what you need to know later, I promise,” he replied presumably being unwilling to discuss the details in front of their friends who appeared to be having a silent row judging by the dirty looks Lindsay was shooting Charlie as she too had only just discovered the reason her husband had been sacked by Jack Baker.
“Thank you,” she replied sincerely.
“Did you buy lots of things for Jelly Bean this afternoon then ladies?” Jon had gathered his equilibrium again.
“No!” said an outraged Lindsay. “Steph wouldn’t buy everything on the list, but I talked her into a few things.”
“Why so reluctant to spend darling?” asked Jon.
“I thought we should go and look at things properly for big things, like a pushchair and a cot and stuff, together.”
“When I get back from my trip next weekend we’ll go and look,” Jon said with a smile.
“I wish I had the problem that Lindsay won’t spend,” mused Charlie with a frown.
Steph was emerging from the bathroom naked and found Jon already sitting up in bed, waiting with the covers thrown back for her.
“You look tired,” Jon said concerned.
“I suppose I feel it.” Steph checked out her bump in the full length mirror.
“Growth spurt?” asked Jon watching her scrutinising her changing appearance.
“Maybe. Lindsay bought me some oil to rub in, to avoid stretch marks,” she replied explaining the reason for the close examination of her own body. “Although I’m not convinced by its claims,” said Steph as she reached for a small bottle of oil.
“It can’t hurt though, can it, if you’re concerned by possible stretch marks?” asked Jon.
“No I suppose not. Are you concerned by possible stretch marks?” she asked in return making him laugh.
“Not a chance, darling. That question is so loaded I am on a hiding to nothing, but I want you to be happy, so if it bothers you we’ll use the oil.”
“We?”
“Come here,” called Jon as he leapt from the bed and dipped into the bathroom before returning with a large towel that he was laying out on the bed. “You provide the expanding belly, Mrs Brooker and I will provide the hands that apply the oil. Lie down.”
Complying, Steph lay on the towel and began to fidget. “Can I have a pillow please?” Steph asked wiggling on the towel.
“You can have whatever you want darling.”
“The keys to the Audi?” tested Steph with a grin.
“Sure, darling, as soon as Jelly Bean is born, although I think we should get you something more mumsy,” he teased as he rubbed the oil between his hands.
“Worth a try.” She moaned as Jon’s hands began to glide across her bump.
“So, Mrs Brooker, we have a cleaner?”
“Yes we do, Tilda, she lives in the village and has a noisy and knackered car.” She smiled as the massage her body was having begun to relax her.
“Marvellous.”
“Do you know you’re very good at this,” she said with a wink at his face above hers.
“Glad I meet with your approval, but touching and stroking you to your satisfaction is my main purpose in life.”
“Good answer Brooker!”
“I thought so. I am sorely tempted to massage you to much more satisfaction.
“An even better retort from my husband.” She laughed as he leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips.
“God I fucking love you, Mrs Brooker.”
“Good job too as you’ve made me fat and emotional, oh, and horny now.”
“Guilty as charged darling. Do you want to pursue your horniness now or do you want me to talk Charlie and Steve?”
“That’s a crappy choice, I want both,” she replied with a pout that made Jon laugh.
“Talk first and then I will happily take care of your horniness Stephanie, as I’ve done this to you, and you’ll be rubbing your own oil in next week.”
“And this is why you are such a successful business genius. Talk to me husband.”
“Okay, a confession first, Tilda, our new cleaner, I know her . . .”
“Please tell me you’ve never fucked her! I can’t be one of two women in our home you’ve shagged.”
With a loud roar followed by a kiss on her nose Jon shook his head, “No! She’s a bit old for me. She is an associate of Mum’s, she used to work for her at her surgery, but I didn’t want you to feel swayed towards her, or not.”
“You are a sneaky git. I like her and we agreed after she kept calling me Mrs Brooker that she calls me Steph. I can’t be Mrs Brooker in my own kitchen, except with you.”
“Whatever you want, darling. Right, Charlie and Steve.” He sighed getting to his feet, returning the oil to Steph’s dressing table and quickly dipping back into the bathroom to wash his hands.
Sitting, propped up on countless pillows on their bed, still naked, Steph smiled as Jon sat between her feet so they were facing each other.
“After Jonah Mason came to see you to disclose what Jack Baker was saying about you I wasn’t sure what to do, but you were on holiday and then pregnant and out of the office. I met with Steve and Rosie and a couple of other people to sound them out or get them digging. Steve and Rosie still had contacts over there and after the others left, Steve suggested infiltrating Baker from the inside and it was a fine idea so we set up a little tension between us for a few weeks. I shouted and bollocked him in front of enough people, the right people to ensure that when Steve approached Jack he would be able to verify just how fragile our relationship was. Baker fell for it hook, line and sinker, the dumb shit!” spat Jon furiously.
“Why though?” Steph understood what was being said but remained confused as to how it all fitted together.
“So I can dish out some payback, darling. He overstepped so many marks with you and then started fucking about with our business relationship too. Anyway, Steve approached him and discussed feeding some titbits to him that might give him some advantage where business is concerned and the low down on us, personally. Steve and I agreed what he should share with Baker and we even sent the legal queries of these things to Baker to prove their validity, thus authenticating Steve’s story further until we’d done the groundwork and then I needed someone on the inside. We only really had Charlie and I would never have asked him to fuck up his career or risk anything compromising him.”
“So?”
“So we decided Steve needed to be my man on the inside. Steve had been over at Baker’s a few times and found some documents that he brought back to us and then I punched him and sacked him to force Jack’s hand, which it did. Charlie was fully up to speed on this and compliant in his involvement which was that he would most likely be the scapegoat for the documents Steve returned to their rightful place. Jack then sacked Charlie.”
“What do you plan on doing now?” asked Steph as Jon took each of her feet in turn and gave them a thorough massage making her relax and moan in appreciation.
“I was thinking I would work my way up from your feet to your face and then back down until you can’t think straight and then,” he said as his thumbs applied more pressure to the foot he cradled.
“I meant about Jack,” she said, attempting not to moan at the exquisite sensation his hands on her feet were causing.
“You don’t need to know that yet.”
“Jon!” she cried.
“I told you I wouldn’t be pushed by you on this, now, I believe we agreed talk, then horniness and we’ve talked, so,” he said with a grin as his hands began to manipulate her flesh beneath his fingers.