Shy Accountant and His Interns

Arnold Rasmussin, 42 year old, married white male, was very angry. Very angry. He was the senior accountant for United Foundations, Inc. and he had been passed over again when it came to the assignment of interns to members of the accounting staff.

Arnold did not do anything about this. He didn't five years ago when the internship program was begun and he did not each year interns had been assigned since then.

Arnold was not a complainer. He was not assertive. His wife of 22 years told him he needed to take assertiveness training. She told him many times, as she berated him for whatever it was she was berating him about.

He sighed as he opened his office door, not looking forward to another day at a job that had become increasingly boring to him. He was trapped and he knew it.

Arnold was a very intelligent man. He was the brains behind the computer software that United Foundations used in its accounting. It was Arnold who convinced senior management that they were better off having him design and write the software than buying a program off the shelf.

He told them, not forcefully because Arnold could not do that and not in person because he was too shy for that, in several well-written memos why a proprietary program was superior to one designed by others. It took several memos, and the failure of the off-the-shelf program to catch several double payment errors to convince upper management, but he prevailed.

Arnold worked quickly and had the program up and running in less than a year. He did the work himself, not trusting any of his fellow accountants, whom he found frivolous and incompetent to a fault. He did not mind working alone, in fact preferred it.

What he did mind was that every other accountant had an intern, and what really hacked him off was that they were often nice looking young women. Some, in the early years, had been high school seniors but upper management decided, after one unfortunate incident, that it was not wise to have underage girls working in close quarters with their young accountants.

The woman who assigned interns had no idea that Arnold wanted one. She knew he liked to work alone and assumed that he preferred it.

Arnold's shyness prevented him from even approaching her. He had been promoted to chief accountant based to a great extent on his work on the accounting software and senior management saw him as basically a computer geek who knew accounting.

Melba Jackson, the woman who assigned interns, was going through her list of accountants who were available for interns Monday morning and found a problem.

Jennifer Saunders, a freshman accounting major from State University, had been assigned to work with Alice Sethwitch but Alice was in the last month of her pregnancy and had asked for early maternity leave. Her doctor was confining her to her home because of problems with her pregnancy.

Melba sighed. She hated problems. She hated to have her routine upset by things like this. Jennifer and Alice had gotten along well together and Melba now had to find someone else among the accounting staff to mentor Jennifer. A deep sigh escaped Melba's mouth, which was twisted into a mournful grimace.

To her dismay, every accountant had an intern assigned and the University forbade having more than one intern per accountant, insisting that a one-on-one relationship was the only approach that made sense.

Melba ran her finger up and down the list. Then her finger stopped at Arnold Rasmussin's name. Melba tapped her pencil on the desk, rattled her list of accountant and then, reluctantly, placed the call.

"Good morning Mr. Rasmussin," she said in her brisk voice. Her head nodded as she listened to Arnold's response. "I'm sorry to intrude on you this way," she continued, "but we have a problem."

Arnold grimaced at the words. When "we" had a problem it meant as a rule that "he" was going to have a problem. With a sigh of resignation, he inquired, with a certain amount of asperity in his voice, "And what is this problem?"

Melba, for all her brassiness, was afraid of Arnold. His braininess and reclusiveness intimidated her. Putting all the force she could in her voice, she told him, her voice rising as she rushed to get it all out, "Alice is taking early leave and we have to assign her intern to another accountant. You are the only one who does not have an intern. I'm sorry to do this to you. I know you like to work alone, but please accept this young woman. She is very nice, works hard, and Alice said she was very capable."

Arnold's eyes popped open and he took in an involuntary breath. He licked his lips, not able to believe his ears. At last, after all these years, he was going to have an intern. He had to lick his lips again before he could speak and his voice was suddenly hoarse with excitement. "Ahhhh...Ahh, that will be all right, Melba."

Melba put down the phone, relieved that Mr. Rasmussin had not put up a fuss. She called Jennifer and told her of the change in assignment and for her to go to Mr. Rasmussin's office the next morning.

Arnold was happy beyond belief. He hummed to himself the rest of the day, so happy he could have hugged Melba and anyone else who came within arm's reach. As it was, he ate the sandwich his wife prepared for him and drank the now stale coffee. His wife was very frugal and insisted that they save their money, for what Arnold was not sure, but save they did.

He was whistling when he opened the door. His wife looked at him suspiciously. Arnold was not the whistling type. "And what are you so cheerful about?" she barked at him. Arnold gave her a sunny smile, "Nothing, my love. It's just such a nice day and it is good to be home with you. What's for dinner?"

Alma turned away, certain Arnold had some secret he was keeping from her, "Irish stew," she told him. "I found a bargain at Cosco. The meat is only two days old and not at all green."

Arnold shuddered, hoping he would not get food poisoning. Sometimes Alma went too far in her frugality, he thought to himself. But even a bad dinner could not dampen his spirits.

He changed out of his business suit and picked up the paper and a beer, his one indulgence. He allotted himself a beer a night to drink as he read the paper. He looked at the bottle, wondering if he might try one of those more expensive foreign beers. He sighed, Alma would never put up with it.

Jennifer frowned when Melba called her with the news. She had heard from other interns about Rasmussin, loner, fussy, incommunicative, and more and more. She shuddered, wondering how she was going to deal with this.

She dressed carefully the next morning, wanting to create the best impression she could. She put aside all the negative things she had heard about Rasmussin, telling herself that she had been fooled more than once by negative gossip about somebody whom she later came to like.

Jennifer turned slowly as she looked at herself in the full-length mirror in her bedroom. She put her shoulders back, as she patted down the suit jacket. Her eyes narrowed as she examined her skirt.

I hope it is not too short for Rasmussin, she thought, as she looked at her knees and two inches of thigh that were exposed above her knees. She had good legs and was proud of them and did not intend to cover up one of her best assets no matter what kind of fussbudget Rasmussin was.

She opened the jacket and looked critically at her blouse, buttoned to her neck. She liked the frilly center that ran from the thin collar to where the blouse tucked into her skirt.

Her teeth bit her lips and she cocked her head, looking at herself in the mirror. The blouse was white nylon, a favorite of hers. One could see the outline of her 34C bra behind the cloth, but she did not think it was too immodest.

Closing the door behind her, Jennifer said goodbye to the one suitemate still home and walked, briefcase in one hand, purse over her shoulder, to the bus stop. She had a car, but hated to waste gas and money on a fifteen minute ride to United Foundation.

Jennifer went to Melba's office to get directions and walked, somewhat hesitantly, to Arnold's office. She knocked softly, then, taking her courage in hand, rapped loudly on the door.

Arnold Rasmussin was, if anything, more nervous than Jennifer. He hid it well from his wife, putting on his usual blue suit, bland striped tie, and long-sleeved white shirt. He kissed her dutifully goodbye and remembered to take his sandwich, chips, and thermos of coffee.

The knock on his door startled him, even though he had been expecting it. He had to swallow twice and clear his throat before he could say, "Come in, Jennifer." He was glad he remembered the girl's name.

Jennifer heard the nervousness in Arnold's voice and it caused her pulse to race for a moment. No shy maiden. She was double majoring in psychology and accounting. Her real love was psychology. Accounting was a safety net, a job in case her psychology education did not lead to something interesting.

She took as many psychology as accounting courses in her first semester and was doing the same thing this semester. She had tested out of the basic courses as an honor student in high school and had, her last semester in high school, taken most of the required courses the university demanded of its students. Jennifer was a whiz in math and computers and accounting came easy.

Psychology, the working of the mind, was what fascinated her. She analyzed every person she met and had driven her parents to distraction, as well as her aunts, uncles, cousins, and anyone else who came remotely near her.

She had worked hard when she came to the university to curb this, a least in terms of expressing herself aloud, but her analytical mind was always working and it was working as she opened the door.

Arnold stood up from his desk, having forced himself to stay seated until Jennifer entered. He did not want to appear eager. He walked toward Jennifer, extending his hand, "Good morning. I'm very pleased to meet you and to have you working with me as an intern."

Jennifer took his hand, liking the firm way Arnold shook her hand. It pissed her off when men pulled their macho shit, crushing her hand in theirs to show her how manly they were. His hand is soft, she thought, yet strong. "Good morning," she responded. "I'm sorry to have been dropped on you this way, but I did not want to give up my internship when Alice took early leave."

Arnold shook his head, a smile on his face. He liked this young woman instantly. There was an openness about her, a freshness, that was very appealing. And she was both pretty and shapely.

"Nonsense. There is no need to apologize. I'm sorry about Alice. I know she wanted to work until the baby dropped, but it could not be helped. And I am very pleased to have you in my office."

Jennifer smiled as she looked at Arnold closely. He's sincere, she thought. What a relief. And he is not the ogre he's been painted to be. He's kind of nice looking, though that suit and tie have to be the most boring thing he could have bought off the rack.

She held his eyes with hers as she replied "Thank you for being so understanding," she told him. "Where do you want me to work?"

Arnold led her to a small desk not far from his. There was the usual computer equipment, telephone, and other items that seemed to be standard equipment at United Foundation for every desk in the company. "It's a small office. We will have to be careful when we turn around so we do not bump into each other."

Jennifer smiled at him. My goodness, she thought. He is trying to be amusing. I'm going to like this man. "I'll be very careful, Mr. Rasmussin. I don't want to get knocked down."

Arnold smiled at her, liking her even more, then the words came out of his mouth before he knew they were in his mind, "Well, certainly, at least, not accidentally," he told her, then his face turned beet red.

He tried to cover up his confusion over the not so subtle sexuality of his reply by telling her that his name in the office was Arnold and he expected her to call him that.

Jennifer looked at him more closely. Ummm. I wonder. Freud would say he is expressing an unconscious wish. This internship may be more interesting than I thought it would be.

Walking to his desk, Arnold picked up a folder containing a new program for a subsidiary United Foundation had acquired. He had just begun the assignment that week; having gone only so far as to create a flow chart and an outline of the steps that would be required. "Are you familiar with this approach, Jennifer?"

Jennifer ran her eyes over the material he had placed on his desk, noting the areas that would require special attention. She was impressed with the neatness of his work, the precision and conservation of code that he had outlined. This was a very complex program and he had broken it down into sub-programs very neatly.

She nodded her head. "I have a descent background in computers, including programming and system analysis. This is very complicated compared to what I have done, but you have laid it out masterfully." She had not intended to be so effusive in her praise, not wanting to be a kiss ass, but the words came out; honest and forthright.

Arnold beamed. He liked the praise and especially the incisive way Jennifer had analyzed the program. She is bright, he thought; no, very bright. He was delighted and looked forward to working with this keen mind. "Thank you, Jennifer. There are accountants in this firm who would not have understood a line I had written. I'm going to enjoy working with you."

It was Jennifer's turn to blush. She was tired of men who saw her tits and ass and thought that was all she was. It was exhilarating to know a man who could appreciate what she had between her ears, though, she thought, as she looked sideways at Arnold, I'm going to find out if you have an interest in what is between my legs also.

She was horny. None of the male students appealed to her; too immature, too grabby, too boring, too dull. The list went on and on as to why she had avoided any intimacy with the men at the university. Jennifer had matured very early; from being cute and shapely at thirteen to stunning and sexy at sixteen.

She had the pick of the boys who clustered around her like bees drawn to honey but had chosen an associate of her father as the one to introduce her to sex, when she was seventeen.

It had been a comfortable relationship. The man was considerate, gentle, and taught her a great deal about how to gratify and how to be gratified, sexually. She had been satisfied after this introduction to pleasure herself; finding it more enjoyable than the boys and men who wanted to seduce her.

Jennifer was not sure why she found Arnold interesting, sexually. He was not handsome in a rugged manly way, though he would pass muster. Nor was he a muscle beach type, but his body appeared firm, probably works out some, she thought. He is certainly cerebral, she mused. Is he able to overcome his shyness and make a pass at me?

Arnold had her make a copy of what he had done and, when she had it in her hand, showed her one section. "I'd like you to see what you can do with this. I'll have a better idea of where you are in both accounting and computer literacy when you have done this."

Jennifer thanked Arnold for having enough faith in her to turn her loose without telling her how to dot every i and cross every t. It gave her the freedom to try her wings and she appreciated it.

Alice had been a nice mentor, but she smothered Jennifer, telling her what to do at every turn. Jennifer had felt she was learning nothing from Alice except how to follow directions.

Arnold and Jennifer worked quietly together, each buried in thought, their minds working on the problems they had to resolve and their fingers flying over the keyboard of their computers.

Arnold stole a glance at Jennifer from time to time. It had been a long time since he had been this close to an attractive young woman and the sight of Jennifer stirred his loins as his wife no longer did.

Jennifer had taken off her jacket and was bent over her desk. There was a desk lamp beside her and the light from the lamp outlined her shapely breasts under the translucent cloth of her blouse.

Arnold swallowed as he stared at her breasts. A sigh escaped his lips softly as he turned his face away to concentrate on his work. Don't be silly, he told himself. She's here to learn and I have plenty to do besides moon over a nice looking body.

Jennifer looked up at Arnold when she heard his soft sigh. She caught him looking at her and saw where his eyes had been before he turned away. What was he seeing? she asked herself. Why the sigh?

She looked around and saw the lamp and divined that her breasts had been outlined by the lamplight. She studied Arnold covertly as she worked. The pulse that had fluttered when she walked into the office returned.

Ummmm, thought Jennifer. If this small view brings on such a sigh, what would more do to him? And...She licked her lips and chewed on them as she contemplated seducing Arnold.

Arnold kept stealing glimpses of Jennifer as they worked. His heart skipped a beat when she crossed her legs, letting him get a glimmer of her upper thighs for a moment. All too soon it was time for lunch. He showed Jennifer his lunch and asked her what she planned to do. "I'll get something in the cafeteria," she told him. "Would you like to come and keep me company?"

Arnold flushed at the thought, wondering what his colleagues would say and knowing what his wife would say. He hesitated a moment, then told her he would be delighted to have lunch with her. They took the elevator to the cafeteria on the top floor.

The company insisted on several things when they talked with the architect about plans for the building. It had to have a daycare center for employees, a gym where they could work out, and a cafeteria with a view. The senior executives gave up the top floor, ordinarily reserved for executive suites, in order that the employees could have that view.

Arnold and Jennifer chatted about the work they were doing as they waited in line. They found a table near a window and sat opposite each other. "Now, enough business," Arnold told Jennifer. Let's get away from office stuff while we eat."

Jennifer nodded, "OK by me. I like eating here and it is nice to have someone with whom I can talk. Alice seldom left the office and I usually ate alone."

Arnold beamed at her, suddenly feeling very much like a man, a human being, something other than a computer geek and numbers cruncher. He asked her about her family and ambitions and she pulled from him the fact he had been married at 20 and he and his wife were childless.

Jennifer picked up the sadness he could not conceal from his voice. He was not whining and complaining to her, but the facts, as stated, told her of a life bordering on the banal.

They returned to work after eating and Arnold went over what Jennifer had produced. He was impressed and told her so. She was neat, concise, and careful. He found nothing to criticize, only things to praise.

Jennifer was beaming when she left at the end of the day. Arnold was not at all what he had been described as being and he had a sense of humor to boot. His restrained but clear, to her finely-tuned antennae, interest in her was a plus she planned to nurture.

Jennifer's clothing went through a gradual metamorphosis as the days passed. Her blouses became more feminine and, week by week, more revealing.

The changes were so subtle and took place over such a long period of time as to be almost unnoticeable, but Arnold noticed, and liked what he was seeing; a bit more of the curve of Jennifer's breasts, a bit more thigh exposed when she crossed her legs, thanks to shorter and shorter and tighter and tighter skirts.