Office Girl

Usual caveats. All editing and reviewing done by the author with Microsoft Word. Spelling is usually spot on. Australian / British standard English. Definitely the occasional typo. Grammar can be ropey at times, but it's been a long time since I sat in a classroom. All mistakes owned up to by the author. Please remember this is just fantasy and I'm an amateur.

Comments and feedback appreciated as always.

*****

I'd spent twenty years working to get to the position I was in, and after three years in the role as General Manager, I can be honest about one thing. Daily morning meetings are dull. I know why we do it as it's necessary everyone is informed daily about targets and key service indicators. I was simply carrying on what the General Manager had done before me, the one before them and so on, and I knew every transport depot did the same thing. The Transport Manager discussed vehicles, drivers, delivery times and any issues. The Finance Manager discussed the finances each day, daily, weekly, monthly forecasts and if we were on budget. The Warehouse Manager discussed productivity and any issues from the shop floor. The Human Resources Manager would mention if there was anything I needed to be made aware of. And then there was me, the one in charge but, while they all reported to me, my role was to keep everything functioning, meeting targets and budget, and then report to my superiors at Head Office.

"Duncan, we still need to get a handle on how many agency staff we're using each week," I stated, looking around the table, as the words were for pretty much for everyone anyway, "We're spending too many dollars on them when we could free up space to hire a few more permanent staff. What's the story from the other depots?"

"Same issues that we're suffering. We have plenty of full-time, part-time and casual positions, and our wages are competitive, but everywhere is crying out for workers. And we cannot afford to go too much higher regarding the base hourly rate."

"Do what you can. Chris, any news regarding the potential driver walk-out?"

"The union is still pushing for the five percent rise. Head Office is still negotiating with them. Realistically, it's out of our hands as driver wages are dealt with at the national level by the wizards at Head Office. I've emailed you an idea that might work in keeping our trucks going for the time being."

"Okay, before we wrap this up, any other business?"

"We have a new girl starting today, Mark. She'll be doing some work for me in addition to some secretarial work for everyone in the main office. I'll make sure I bring her to your office."

"Ah yes, the replacement for Jane. I assume she's only starting at nine?"

"She's probably waiting in reception for me right now."

I checked my watch and, like usual, the meeting was about to over-run. "Well, that's a sign to wrap this up. Any other business?" Everyone shook their heads. "Okay, it's a Monday morning so we know it's going to be hectic. Door is open as always. Chris, I'll read your email and give you a response by close of play today. Liz, what's the name of this new starter?"

"Chloe."

Checking my watch, I nodded to myself. "Right, I have a meeting organised with the RM in ten minutes. That will probably go to at least ten, maybe half-ten if he talks a lot. Bring her over after that and I can introduce myself, at least."

The depot I was in charge of had a least one hundred trucks, some of them large rigids, others were semi-trailers, double the staff numbers with at least two hundred or so, and we were responsible for deliveries across the western part of the city, but it included trips for some drivers up to and beyond the Blue Mountains, travelling as far at Lithgow and beyond, and I knew there were plans to expand the network even further. I'd been working for the same company since leaving school at sixteen, starting out on the shop floor, slowly working my way up to team leader, then assistant manager before moving to lead warehouse manager, studying all the time along the way before I somehow landed my current gig. There were already rumours I was being tracked to head towards a plum role at Head Office, but I loved what I did.

After the meeting with the RM, left relieved as always that I didn't have my arse chewed out, as I knew other RMs in the business were complete pricks trying to achieve near impossible KPIs, Liz knocked on my door. Calling her in, Liz smiled at me as she strode in, followed by another woman who had me thinking she was rather tall. Liz was around five-five, and as she introduced Chloe, I stood up and guessed she was around five-ten, as I only topped out at six-one.

Shaking her hand, the second word to filter into my mind apart from 'tall' was 'shy'. She whispered a quiet 'Hello', her hands soft though her grip did surprise me. Most women wouldn't squeeze as tightly. "First time working in Logistics?" I wondered.

"No. The last company I worked for was somewhat similar, but they were downsizing and, well, I wasn't there that long so last in, first out, as they say."

"Well, we have no plans for downsizing here. To be honest, we're crying out for hard workers."

She smiled shyly, taking her in while we talked. She had shoulder length brunette hair, and even though I wasn't standing too close, the shampoo she used definitely had a fruity scent. She had gorgeous blue eyes, though they were behind a pair of thin black frames, perched on a cute nose and a pair of lips with a hint of lip gloss. She was a little pale and the dress she wore gave a hint of cleavage, clung to her figure, and there was no missing she had a great pair of legs. The fact she wore flat shoes and not heels would normally raise eyebrows, so she was quite tall.

After making her feel welcome, she did ask what I would expect of her. I knew Liz would have explained all this already, but I understood why she'd want to hear it from the horse's mouth. "This isn't the sort of place where all the managers need a secretary. The previous GM had one, but I realised a lot of the work she was doing was stuff either I could do, or it could be handed to a small pool of clerical staff. Only the bigwigs at Head Office have a dedicated assistant."

"I'm sure we'll all make Chloe feel very welcome," Liz added, "And if he ever asks you for a coffee, Chloe, rest assured that he'll make the next one for you."

"I'm the sort of boss that'll get his hands dirty on the shop floor if things get really bad," I added, "When I say we're all in this together, I genuinely mean it."

Chloe smiled at me shyly before she followed Liz out the door. She'd done that thing women do, curling their hair behind her ear, but I'll admit, I was a sucker for a woman in glasses. Not sure if that counts as some sort of fetish or not. If it is, it's incredibly mild. Add a ponytail to that... Yeah, I'm a rather vanilla type of guy.

The next time I saw Chloe was in the staff canteen at lunchtime. Being as shy as what I thought she was, I wasn't surprised to see her sitting alone. The HR department was aligned with the clerical staff, and I knew they all took different lunch times, and many chose not to sit in the canteen. It was usually full of shop floor workers who usually didn't mind their Ps and Qs in certain company. As she chewed on her sandwich, she was reading a book, so I decided not to bother her.

A week in our industry passes quickly. There are usually at least half a dozen crises every day. Most could be handled with nothing more than a simple phone call, but just occasionally, Head Office would get wind of it and want to give their two cents. But they couldn't complain about warehouse or delivery performance, so I managed to head off most of their interference.

I always took an interest in any new staff in the office, so late on Friday afternoon, I popped a quick email to Chloe, asking her to drop by my office so we could have a quick catch up. A couple of hours later, there was a light knock on my door. It was open, so I looked up to see Chloe waiting for me. She was fidgeting slightly, not quite able to meet my eyes. Part of me thought she was adorable, but I also worried as someone so shy wouldn't last too long in our industry. Many of our staff in the warehouse and the drivers could still be Neanderthals when it came to women.

"Come in, Chloe. Take a seat."

"Thank you," she said softly, a couple of strides before she was perching on the edge of the chair, resting her hands in her lap, though not before doing that thing of curling her hair behind her ear.

"Are you settling in okay?"

She finally looked up for a moment and smiled. Damn, she was beautiful. Not a good thought, to be honest. I may be a divorced man, so I was single, but one rule I'd always lived by was to not date at work. And I certainly didn't like the idea of dating a subordinate. Many did in our organisation. Hell, it was known for extra-marital affairs galore and other depots were notorious for management being busy fucking each other.

"Everyone has been really friendly and welcoming," she replied.

"Good to hear. How are you finding the work?"

"It's sometimes different to what I was doing before, but Liz has been great, and if I get lost with anything, no-one has a problem explaining what they need from me." She smiled again, glancing away, and I think she even blushed. "I'm really enjoying it here."

"That's what I like to hear. I know you work for Liz, but my door is always open, Chloe. Got any plans for the weekend?"

"Oh... Um... No, not really."

I would have chuckled at how she stumbled over her words. No idea why she was still nervous around me. Maybe she'd had a bad experience with a previous manager. Leaning forward, I waited until she looked up to meet my eyes, ensuring I was smiling at her. "Just want to make you feel as welcome as possible and that you're comfortable working here, Chloe."

"Okay. Thank you," she said quietly.

"Enjoy your weekend, Chloe. I'll see you on Monday morning."

"Okay. See you then."

I watched her walk away, noting the fact she'd worn a dress each day. I was used to women in either a blouse and skirt, while those who chose to wear the company uniform would stick with the trousers, as the skirts were horrible. The dress Chloe wore today had a very pretty black and red pattern, and I couldn't help taking a moment to check out her butt. I then immediately chastised myself for doing so.

Never one to work too late on a Friday, nearly everyone else had left before me, only finding Liz still in her office. She wasn't surprised that I asked after Chloe, as though her shyness or nerves didn't bother me, I did worry about her when it came to dealing with the guys from the shop floor, and some drivers would make her life hell.

"She's fine with most of us, Mark."

"Am I really that intimidating?"

Liz giggled. "No. She told me that the previous GM she worked for..." She sighed and shook her head. "He got handsy with her more than once, and she was terrified about losing her job, so she never said anything."

"Despite all the protections a young woman like her should have working in any sort of industry but especially ours?"

"It was the type of company where everyone was fucking everyone, and anyone who didn't play ball..." Liz met my eyes and could read what I was thinking. "She's going to assume the worst until she learns you're not like that."

"Shit," I muttered.

"You like her, Mark."

"What?"

"You think she's cute. You've never shown any interest in anyone else like this before, not since your divorce."

"Finding her cute isn't a crime, Liz."

She laughed at me, which made me smile. "Didn't say it was. Maybe you should ask her out on a date?"

"You know my personal policy about dating in the workplace. I'm sick of hearing about all the garbage that goes on at Head Office and other depots. The number of married men and women doing the dirty on their partners is disgusting."

"Good thing I'm happily married and would never cheat on my hubby. And I know you'd come down on anyone who was doing the dirty like a tonne of bricks."

"I guess you're remembering what I did to both Jeremy and Geoff."

"I don't think anyone has forgotten you marching Jeremy out of his place by his collar after you learned what he was doing to that poor girl, Natalie. Nineteen years old and her life nearly ruined by a man double her age."

"She always stops me every morning to say hello," I replied, unable to stop smiling, "She's dating one of the young lads who moved from the warehouse into driving. Seems like they're good for each other. Anyway, don't stay here too late, Liz. It's Friday night."

"Beers with the boys this weekend?"

"Probably fit in a round a golf tomorrow. Sunday? Not sure. You?"

"I'm sure the kids will run me ragged like usual."

"Yeah, I love kids but I'm still glad I never had any with the ex-wife. Anyway, I'll see you on Monday morning, bright and early."

"Have a good weekend, boss."

Returning home to an empty house every night still sucked even though I'd been divorced a few years by now. I'd dated since then, but I was a little hesitant about getting serious with anyone again. At least we hadn't divorced due to infidelity nor had either of us been violent. We'd been together since high school and, to be honest, by the time I reached thirty, we were just completely different people. The reason I say I'm glad I didn't have kids with her is that I didn't want to be a weekend dad. Custody arrangements were usually better for men than twenty years ago, but I still would have missed out on seeing any kids for half their young lives at minimum.

Saturday was golf day. At least eight of us would always meet up once a month to play a round then sink beers at the club house afterwards. We'd usually play rain, hail or shine, but I was always thankful when leaving the house to see the sun high in the sky. What I didn't realise is that, after we'd met up and played to the tenth hole, when my best mate stopped me dead.

"Who the fuck is this Chloe and when are you going to marry her?" Chris finally asked.

"What?" I asked.

"Mate, you've mentioned her a dozen times and I haven't heard you talk like this about anyone since your ex-wife."

I glanced around at my other mates to see all of them grinning at me. "I'll shut up then," I muttered, "I barely know her anyway."

"But you think she's attractive?"

To be honest, I thought she was absolutely gorgeous. There was something about her, physically at least, that I found appealing. But she was so awkwardly shy, it was adorable, but after hearing what may have happened to her before, there was that part of me, as a man, that wanted to just hold and protect her.

"Yeah, she's gorgeous, to be honest."

Chris gripped my shoulder and squeezed. "About time, mate. I know you've dated..."

"I don't date colleagues at work."

"Stupid rule," Nick exclaimed.

"It's in place for a reason as it protects both myself and whoever I might be interested in."

"Rules are made to be broken," Sam suggested.

Thankfully, the subject was dropped for the rest of the round. I was probably a little distracted after it and ended up finishing last on the scorecard. At the bar afterwards, slowly sipping at a schooner of beer, there were one or two more comments or jokes, but they were good natured, and I let them pass. I guess that, although I had dated a little bit, nothing had been serious. Most of my friends were either married or in long-term relationships. More than one of their wives or girlfriends had tried to set me up with a friend.

Returning to work on Monday, Natalie stopped me as always, greeting me with a big smile, wanting to discuss our respective weekends. I was fairly sure many would assume we were flirting, but she had been present the day I'd marched Jeremy to his car and told him to fuck off. If I hadn't done that, god only knew what would have happened, so I was just pleased Natalie was happy at work and had remained as part of my staff.

After making myself a coffee, I dumped my laptop in my office before heading to the meeting room. I was one of the first to arrive, and it was the usual stuff once everyone else arrived. Heading downstairs for lunch as I always did a few hours later, as I endeavoured to rarely eat in my office if I could avoid it, I noticed Chloe sitting by herself once again at a table, nose buried in a book.

Grabbing my tray of food, I strolled over to her table and cleared my throat. I made the poor woman jump with fright, glad she didn't have anything liquid in her hand. "Sorry for startling you," I said.

"It's okay. I was just concentrating on my book."

"Mind if I joined you?"

"Oh..." She fidgeted again but I noticed the slight colouring in her cheeks. "Um, okay."

"Are you sure?" She nodded so I sat down opposite her, placing my tray on the table in front of me. "What are you reading?" I wondered.

She blushed even brighter. "Um, just a romance novel," she whispered.

"Is it that embarrassing?"

"Well, no. It's just no-one has really shown an interest in what I was reading. Or me..."

"Well, I could read your file, Chloe, but those are just words on paper."

She finally met my eyes and I know I smiled. Her smile was shy in return, doing that thing of curling her hair behind her ear. I swear she must have read my mind, or it was just something she did without thinking about it. "I know to never ask a woman her age, so tell me about you. And I mean in a non-work related way. What makes you tick, Chloe?"

"I'm really not that interesting, Mark," she replied quietly.

Leaning forward, I crossed my arms on the table. "Chloe, this isn't your old job," I said softly, and I noticed her eyes met mine, "No-one here will do anything inappropriate, and if they do, you tell me or Liz and we'll sort it out. Ask Liz about a young woman called Natalie who works here. You'll understand what I mean. Yes, there are some knuckle draggers who work here, but they at least know how to act and when to shut up."

She closed her book, resting it next to her tray. Sipping at her hot drink, holding it in both her hands, she did return a slight smile. "As I said, you've made me feel very welcome, Mark."

"I'm glad. Girls in the clerical pool being friendly?"

"Oh, they're all great. I thought conversations on the shop floor or between drivers could be rude. Get a bunch of women into a room..."

"I've heard rumours about some of their discussions. Good thing none of their partners work here."

"Yes, a certain subject is definitely not taboo, though they go quiet whenever a man walks past."

"How was your weekend?"

"Quiet enough. A couple of friends joined me at my place for a drink on Saturday and I had lunch with my parents and sisters on Sunday. You?"

"Golf on Saturday with some friends, and not a lot on Sunday."

"Married?"

I held up my left hand. The faded skin where my ring had once rested was now tanned. "I was once. Been divorced for a few years now. We were together for years, married young, and eventually just grew apart."

"Kids?"

"No, and I'll admit that's a relief. Our divorce was amicable because, despite falling out of love, we remained friendly enough. But kids can sometimes make divorces a lot worse."

She paused a moment. "Sorry, I'm not sure that was appropriate to ask."

"I don't mind. Do you have a special man or woman in your life?" She smiled when I asked about a woman. "It's the twenty-first century, Chloe. Some men love men. Some women love women. Then there's a lot more I don't know a lot about, but we're an inclusive workplace."

Sipping at her drink, she eventually shook her head. "No, I'm single."

I was about to ask how it was possible, considering she was gorgeous, but I didn't want to sound inappropriate or make her feel awkward. Add to the fact she was so shy, I was left wondering how often she went out. Maybe she was just a little introverted and was happy in her own company. There were weekends where I'd arrive home on Friday night and not leave my house until Monday morning.