At last ‘A life’
By Julie D Cole
Chapter 16 The intrigue continues

I picked up my phone and scrolled through the telephone number list.

Until a few days ago that would have taken me all but 10 seconds but now I had at least one minutes worth. There was nobody on the list that had a number the same as this so I tried to call the number back but there was ‘no service’. Was it a joke from someone. Should I go or not?

I had to go back to see Ms Parkinson anyway to collect the documents sometime before 4pm. Did they know that?. I wondered if it was somebody who had worked with may or even maybe it was Peter Frampton..

I went to the bathroom to freshen up my face and looked around. I didn’t use the general ladies bathroom outside the office suite I’d chosen to use the board room bathroom for executives and visitors that Kate used. She had it nicely decorated and it smelled gorgeous. There was a single white lilly in a tall slender vase on the vanity unit and just the two stalls. It was expensively decorated with soft facial tissues and several small bottles of hand creams, facial creams, cologne and hand wash all in a matching set. Nothing like the boring mens room. There was even a small chair and a place to put my handbag. Even some nice smelling wipes. The toilet paper was soft as if a puppy would run off with it…… I used to love that advertisement on TV.

One thing I decided after looking at myself was that I should make a plan to have a shopping trip Julie to buy a better stock of make up since my current choice was limited and mostly from handed to me by her. Nothing I had was too expensive but just practical day to day make up so I thought if I was going to continue in this job working for Kate I needed to lift my standards to the level where I looked the part. I shouldn’t feel uncomfortable in an executive loo! HaHa

As I freshened my lipstick in the mirror I looked closely at myself. I felt that really I should trim and shape my eyebrows and maybe even have my hair styled and tinted? I thought I might talk to Sally and Julie later. I wasn’t sure what mum would think though.
I looked at my lips and this was a good color. I did like it and my lips did seem to be more prominent after only these few days. Or had I just got more proficient. My skin seemed to be much softer and I put this down to the use of the night cream that Sally gave me. I was a borrower but I felt I needed to change.

I had to take off my heels and the cold tiled floor felt wonderful. My toes had been scrunched up and this was not a problem I’d experienced with my boy shoes. But I didn’t mind the inconvenience since I liked the look of my legs and certainly this had attracted the attention of Peter Frampton. Mmm I suddenly thought it could have been a text from him so I put on my shoes and went back to my desk to check his business card. No mobile phone number only the office number. I wasn’t sure I liked the idea.

I decided to call Sally to check that she was still on schedule and she said she’d leave work around 4pm to go shopping. She was looking forward to have a chat together and I said it was going to be my treat as a celebration of my new job. I said I wanted to discuss a few things including Birmingham. I said that if we went I would love to spend a few hours in a department store looking at make up and taking advice. But so far I had no time yet. When to fit these things in? She just laughed and said you are so girly!!

Kate came back about 3-30pm and I made some more coffee. Mr Johnson looked like he’d had too much wine but he wasn’t drunk just flushed. He seemed more friendly and he told me that Peter and Katie were due back shortly to attend the meeting to finalise the contract and that they would bring some invitations to attend a fashion show if I would like to attend with a friend. Kate smiled and winked.

I rang to check on progress with the review of the contract documents and a few comments had bee added that had been discussed with Kate and printing was in progress. The would be ready for collection in 10 minutes.

I went down to the third floor to gather them and it was 3-45pm as I entered the office. Ms Parkinson was there and her department secretay was just putting the documents into a leater document folder and I looked around half in relief and half in disappointment. Nobody was waiting for me. Perhaps it was more a relief than disappointment since I had enough to consider without any added complications.

Then as I walked towards the lift the door opened and out came Katie and Peter Frampton. ‘Hi Christine we were told to meet you here to check the documents before taking upstairs for signing.’

Oh no not him I thought and Ms Parkinson then interjected and invited us into the meeting room to sit down. Peter smiled at me and just said ‘Sorry it’s just my job or I get into trouble if there is a mistake.’

Katie smelled wonderful as she sat next to me and I asked her which perfume she was using. It was ‘Boss Woman’ that she showed me and I thought maybe I wasn’t ready for that yet. Peter looked over the table and said ‘You don’t need that, you smell sweet enough’. I shuddered since he said these things like he didn’t really mean them. I half expected the invitation from him to meet after work but to my relief he didn’t ask.
He rang Mr Johnson and then he and Kate decided to come downstairs so that Kate could talk to Ms Parkinson.

Katie then turned to me and opened her bag. She produced the invitations and said that she had been asked to give them to me and that she thought that I would enjoy it very much. She was organizing it and would be pleased if I came and if she had time she would show me back stage.

Then she said I looked gorgeous today and that I had a great boss who she really admired. Oh no surely not Katie? She just smiled and went to the water fountain in the corner just as Kate and Mr Johnson arrived.

I looked at Katie as she turned around and noticed that she was wearing an engagement ring. Surely she wasn’t interested in me.

Kate disappeared with Ms Parkinson for a few minutes and then came back to the meeting room so everybody was ready to sign. It was done in a few minutes and then Kate said ‘OK back upstairs since I have some more champagne on ice and that includes you Ms Parkinson and you Chrissy Taylor. I won’t take no for an answer’

I gathered the documents whilst they went to the lift and said I’d follow on.
I pressed the button and the second lift stopped and the door opened. 'Hi gorgeous'.

To be continued……