Chapter 26
Twenty-Six
S teph breathed a huge sigh of relief when the lift smoothly passed the tenth floor meaning she could avoid the embarrassment of coming face to face with Ade for a while longer, although she decided that she would go and seek him out at some point and apologise properly for her behaviour, but not today. Today she was heading to Brookers for her first day working there, working for Jon. She pressed the remote fob to open her car and threw her laptop and handbag into the boot before gently climbing in behind the steering wheel and wincing slightly as her sore behind pressed against the seat. She thought that maybe she should avoid last night’s activities on school nights in future.
Sitting opposite Grant in H.R., Steph struggled to sit still because of the heat and soreness still radiating from her behind, unless she was just imagining it.
“Are you okay, Miss Pryor?” asked Grant sweetly. “You have no need to feel nervous, you obviously impressed Mr Cannon and Mr Brooker in your time here because they were both keen for you to sign on the dotted line.” He passed her a temporary contract and a pen.
“Can I read through it and return it to you?”
“Of course, take it home and return it tomorrow. Now, you will have had our induction pack when you originally joined us, we have completed your payroll details, so we need to get you a new I.D. badge and a parking permit and then we are done and you can get to work,” he said excitedly.
Steph dutifully followed Grant and by the time he left her at her new desk in the accounts department, she felt exhausted. While she waited for her laptop to connect she looked around the open plan office and smiled at a few people around her, unfortunately they appeared to be viewing her with suspicion. Sitting back down at her desk and wincing slightly, she definitely decided that she would avoid all spanking in the week because there was no doubt that the discomfort was real, although the memories it evoked every time she moved really were something of a turn on, so maybe she wouldn’t put a blanket ban on weekday spanking.
Steph jumped as she heard her name being called behind her, “Miss Pryor, you made it to your desk eventually then.”
Turning, she found the sour expression of Dave Madeley looking down at her.
“Yes, I’ve been with personnel,” she explained.
“I heard, although I believe it was almost ten o’clock before you arrived with them.” He wasn’t quite reprimanding her but there was a definite air of chastisement in his tone. “Lateness is not tolerated here, so I suggest you set your alarm for an earlier wake up or your contract will be very short,” he snapped, gesturing down to her contract that she had placed on the desk. “As your line manager I will not hesitate in taking immediate disciplinary action for further lateness and Mr Brooker himself despises it, so unless you have a very good reason for it, don’t be late again.” He spoke loud enough that the people around her could hear and several of them were obviously amused judging by the smirks on their faces.
She wondered if being shagged in the shower by Mr Brooker would qualify as a good enough excuse for being late.
“Sorry.” She attempted to sound sincere. “I’m not in the habit of arriving for work late, but I had thought I was working from home today with the quarterly figures, however I accept that was my mistake, so sorry again.” She almost choked on her second apology.
“Mmm, well most people will be going to lunch soon, so I think you and I should meet this afternoon to clarify your position in my department,” he said. “Half one, my office don’t be late,” he almost shouted at her and pointed to an enclosed office behind her own little pod.
“Knob,” she muttered under her breath after he’d left.
“I have missed sharing an office with you,” came the familiar sound of Rosie’s voice from behind her.
“Rosie,” she cried, glad of a friendly and familiar face before hugging her tightly as if she hadn’t seen her for weeks. “How’s it going here?”
“Okay, it’s nice and the other admin staff are really friendly,” she replied smiling.
“How about you?”
“That’s a different story completely, my boss hates me even more today than he did yesterday because he has found out I was late for work, and he hated me plenty yesterday,” she explained with a very short laugh.
“It’s unlike you to be late,” commented Rosie who laughed as Steph smiled at her observation.
“No, well there were exceptional circumstances is all I will say.”
Another woman appeared behind Rosie. “Lunch, Rosie?” called the middle aged, friendly looking blonde woman.
“Yes, I’m coming. Steph will you join us?”
“No thanks, I have a meeting with my new boss, so best not to venture too far from my desk,” she joked but was serious as she gestured towards Dave’s office.
“Okay, but text me later and let me know how it goes today,” Rosie called as she left with the other woman.
Steph put her contract into her bag and pulled her phone out and found two messages waiting, the first from Lindsay.
Hi Steph are you free tonight to come over for wedding photos and video, and dinner? Half past 7? Please say yes. X
Steph replied immediately.
Would love to. C u later x
Her second was from Jon.
I hope I did not make you too late for work. Text when you are done with H.R. and settled at your new desk Jon x
She replied smiling.
Was very late and have been told off for that but was well worth it. Am at my new desk but prefer my old one. Steph x
Come up for lunch, NOW! Jon x
She grinned at his bossy message, immediately locking her laptop and grabbing her bag.
When she arrived at Andrea’s desk she looked up and smiled, “Miss Pryor, Mr Booker is expecting you, go straight in.”
Steph paused for a minute, “You don’t have to call me Miss Pryor. Steph is fine.”
Andrea returned her smile, “I don’t know whether that would be right in your position.”
Steph laughed and said seriously, “I think you rank considerably higher on the food chain than me around here, but I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”
“Thank you, now you should go in. He doesn’t like to be kept waiting,” said Andrea signalling the end of their conversation.
Steph stood at the door to Jon’s office and knocked gently, just like she did at the doctors even when she’d been called in over the P.A. system. She slowly opened the door and realised Jon was talking on his phone. She attempted to back out and close the door, but he waved her in.
“No, that’s fine Charlie. Yes, half past seven is good for me, but please do not allow Lindsay to subject us to a blow by blow account of each and every photo,” he said and laughed loudly at Charlie’s reply. “Yes, and that is why she is married to you and not me. Yeah, see you later, mate, bye.” He hung up before walking over and turning his attention to Steph. “So just how late were you this morning?” His amusement was obvious.
“It was almost ten o’clock when I got here,” she told him making him laugh.
“And on your first day too, Miss Pryor. Grant told you off?” He led her to the leather sofa where lunch appeared to be laid out on the coffee table.
“No, Grant was lovely, but that knob Dave Madeley made it obvious to everyone around me that he was bollocking me. Can’t I move back to legal?”
“Dave is just flexing his muscles because he rightfully knows he is on dodgy ground himself after the fiasco of the Manchester deal and everyone knows your figures are beyond retribution,” he said salaciously. “But I didn’t bollock him in front of anyone else. Do you want me to have a word, or to get Grant to?” Jon pulled her down to sit next to him.
“Ouch,” she cried as her behind made contact with the seat that felt much firmer today than it usually did. She ignored Jon’s smile. “No, please do not say anything to anyone, just let me move back to legal. I liked it in legal.”
“I know you did, but you work for accounts now, not legal.”
Her pout was followed by a loud tut.
“Darling, you will soon settle in and if you decide to go down the consultancy route you may have to get used to slotting into offices you’re not familiar with, but next week you can base yourself in the conference room up here with all the quarterly figures, okay?”
She nodded. “Thank you.”
“They really are becoming two of my favourite words. How is your arse?” He grinned before passing her a cup of tea and indicating to the lunch of sandwiches, salad and cake in front of them. “Now eat something for lunch.”
She accepted the cup of tea and picked up a sandwich before replying, “My arse is on fire if you really want to know and I think poor Grant thinks I have worms or piles or something else equally attractive.”
Jon laughed loudly, laughter she joined in with.
“I know you’d said about things being spontaneous, but I did decide this morning that I should go with no spanking on a school night.”
“Did you now?” he asked quite seriously.
“But then it made me keep thinking about last night and I rethought it,” she admitted as she sipped her tea.
“Well, that’s good . . .” he moved his face towards hers. “Because if you recall I am the one in charge, dominating you,” he whispered in her ear as he slipped a hand under her jacket and rested it in the small of her back before pulling her closer so she was resting against him where she could hear her own breathing, loud and raspy.
He lowered his lips to rest against hers before teasing her with the promise of a kiss or something more, but then gently kissed her, just once, with lips closed. Jon sat back leaving her feeling flustered now as she tried to refocus and drink her tea.
“I assume I will see you at Charlie’s tonight?”
“Yes, I had a text off Lindsay this morning, so I assume I will be seeing you there too, on a Thursday?”
“So it would seem, but we did agree flexibility in our time together so if you’re planning on coming back to mine tonight you might want to pack some work clothes for tomorrow.”
“But you said I could work from home tomorrow,” she reminded him.
“Change of plan there, darling, I have four departments who haven’t submitted their quarterly figures so I have suggested to Dave that he sends you off to help them complete them this afternoon and tomorrow, but it will mean that you will be away from your desk for most of the time.”
“Okay, and I can really take up residence in the conference room next week?” she asked.
“Yes, darling. In fact, I may join you in there as we will both be working on the same things.”
“You will stop me concentrating if you’re there too,” she protested making him laugh.
“I will be the one that can’t concentrate, but you on the other hand will get engrossed in all of those numbers and you won’t even notice if I am there or not. Like with Finley’s homework.” He laughed but the truth was that he had loved seeing the enthusiasm she had displayed with her nephew the night before, and the natural affection between her and both children that saw her face light up with joy and warmth. Briefly he imagined how loving and nurturing she would be as a mother. Fuck! Where had that come from? Wherever it was, it needed to go back because that wasn’t something he could dwell on . . . not now . . . not ever.
“We’ll see.” She suddenly noticed the clock on the wall showing half past one already.
“Fuck!” she cried as she leapt up. “I should be in Dave’s office right now and for the second time today I am late and for the second time today it is your fault,” she said heading for the door.
“This morning was your own fault, now get your arse back here and kiss me before you go.” He chuckled but there was a seriousness to his tone that said he meant it.
“No,” she protested. “I have to go.”
“The longer you argue about it the later you will be, Miss Pryor.”
“He has already threatened to discipline me,” she told Jon who was standing in front of her exit now.
Pulling her towards him by the lapels of her jacket he said quite seriously, “And we both know that he won’t because that is solely my responsibility, to discipline you.” He slowly ran his hands across her behind again.
“Please let me go to work?” she pleaded, making no effort to move.
“No, not yet.”
He pressed her to the wall and pushed himself against her, teasing her blouse from her trousers in a series of tugs on the fabric. He attempted to run his hand beneath it as she tried to push him away and tuck her top back in.
“Jon, no.” She pushed his hands away from her, but he just grabbed her wrists and held them aloft, holding her, then bent down to kiss her slightly gaping mouth.
“Just how turned on are you right now, Steph? Is this what you meant? About wanting to be more resistant?” He stepped back and released her hands which resulted in her looking disappointed that he’d stopped.
“I have no idea what I meant and I am turned on enough to be sacked by Dave this afternoon,” she replied honestly.
“He will be sacked before you are, darling. Tell him you were with me to schedule your time for going over the figures and if he wants to know anymore tell him to come to me. Now go to work,” he said as he opened the door for her.
Dave was already standing at her desk when Steph approached. The frown he’d been wearing only deepened as she came into view.
“Miss Pryor, how nice of you to join us,” he said loudly, drawing attention to them from her colleagues, again.
She recalled Jon’s words about this man being sacked before she would, and if that was the truth, would that still be the case if she told him to fuck off? Possibly not, so instead she opted for an apology.
“Sorry, Mr Brooker’s P.A. called down for me to go and schedule my time to go through the quarterly figures next week.”
“And would Mr Brooker confirm that if I call up there?” Apparently, he didn’t believe her.
What was his problem other than being a wanker of the highest order? She suddenly hoped her musing had remained in her head.
“I would certainly hope so otherwise he may have some serious short term memory issues,” she replied sarcastically and loud enough for her colleagues to hear her too which had the desired effect of stopping his bitching and letting those around them know that she wasn’t a doormat.
“Shall we take this to my office,” said Dave, looking up slightly at Steph who was wearing five inch heels putting her several inches taller than him.
“Let’s!” With a petulant tone she followed him, exchanging several smiles with the people around her so maybe Dave was a knob in general, rather than just being one to her.
He slammed the door shut and stared at her for a second. “Sit!”
She considered her options and decided that although she wanted to tell him to go and fuck himself, sitting down may be a wiser option at this point. He smiled with a smarmy expression as she complied with his order.
“I will be honest with you, Steph, I don’t particularly like you and I don’t see the need for another accountant, especially not one with such a senior role in my department, but for now I am stuck with you. I find you too cocky and ambitious and unlike the other heads of departments, I don’t walk round with my tongue hanging out hoping for a sniff of you.” He stood over her making her smile to herself as she decided he obviously had some kind of complex about being a short man. “However,” he continued. “I am led to believe that you are very good at what you do, accounting wise, so I am willing to give you a chance, but if you try to undermine me or fuck me over, your feet will not touch the ground. This is my department; my castle and I am king of it.” He sounded utterly ridiculous and somehow, she wasn’t sure how, Steph stopped herself from laughing at him.
“I will now be honest with you too, Mr Madeley, I don’t particularly like you, but I think we are stuck with each other and you are my boss. I will do my job to the best of my ability and maybe you will then see first-hand that I am good at what I do, accounting wise. I don’t believe I am cocky, but I am ambitious and I make no apologies for that. I am rather pleased that you don’t hope to get a sniff of me because I wouldn’t give you one, ever. I will not undermine you or your position so long as you don’t undermine my own, however, I will not carry you either. As for fucking you over, I will never fuck you, over, under or any other way, so I think we understand each other because I am not a king and neither have nor desire a castle.” She smiled up at him calmly.
“I think we see where the other is coming from and now I need you to go and put some quarterly figures together with people and that should take no longer than half a day really, but I will give you tomorrow too. Rather than you cluttering up my department I have arranged for you to use the conference room on the twenty-third floor tomorrow and you will be based there next week whilst you go through the figures, not that you really need to, I have almost completed that, but I’d like to see what you’re made of, accounting wise,” he said passing her the details of the four departments that still hadn’t completed their figures.
She got to her feet thinking that if he had almost finished his initial overview of the figures he was an even more inept accountant than she’d thought, or a genius to have got so far when Jon had only begun emailing them yesterday, but didn’t say that. Instead she settled with saying, “I should be getting on then.”
“You’re dismissed.” He wore an expression of absolute fury to find himself looking up at her again.
Steph was sitting in retail when she saw and then heard Sonia Hansen. “Stephanie, what a lovely surprise.”
“Hello.” Steph stood up to greet Sonia.
“What brings you here?” asked Sonia curiously.
“I’m working here, temporarily, with the accounts team,” she explained. “And I am trying to compile retail’s quarterly figures,” she added.
“I have submitted mine to the head of retail.”
Her defensive words made Steph smile. “Yes, I have those, but to be honest retail’s were almost done, although I have duplicated a copy of yours to view separately and now I am off to publishing,” she said.
“Can I tempt you to a coffee first?” Sonia asked with a kindness and friendliness that felt completely genuine, something Steph was only too happy to embrace.
She looked at her watch and as it was just after three o’clock she decided she was due a brief break. “I would love to.” She smiled and followed Sonia to the lifts. “Where are we going?”
“The canteen on the first floor where our little coffee house franchise is located.” Sonia reached over to press the button for the first floor when a body leapt into the lift.
Steph looked up and for some reason was shocked to find Jon joining them.
“Ladies,” he said smiling at them.
“Mr Brooker,” they replied in unison.
He moved to the back of the car and stood next to Steph, close enough that she could smell him, his aftershave and washing products. She inhaled deeply and suddenly wanted to reach up and touch him, to kiss him. He looked down at her and smiled as she became aware of his hand caressing her behind making her cough loudly as an alternative to speaking or moaning.
“Nasty cough you have there, Miss Pryor,” he said as he gently patted her back.
“Mmm, it’s one of those dry, irritating coughs,” she replied making him grin down at her.
“I know the sort, but they often get worse before they get better so you take care of yourself and be sure to keep warm.” He managed to sound as though he was genuinely offering advice for a cough.
The lift stopped at the fourth floor and Jon prepared to leave, but turned back to Sonia. “Thanks for preparing your figures so promptly, Sonia. Adam said you were first to compile in retail, but could you send me a copy of yours separately too? I’d like to view yours independently as well as combined with retail.”
“Are you two telepathically linked?” asked Sonia laughing. “Steph has already taken a copy of mine to view separately.”
“Great minds think alike.” Jon smiled at them both and the lift doors closed.
“He likes you,” said Sonia.
“What?” Steph was panicking slightly.
“You can tell that he likes you, values you, and the fact that you obviously think like him to have taken my figures independently just like him. He likes like-minded people,” said Sonia as they arrived at the first floor.