The Landlord's Protégé Pt. 01

"But I'm not trained."

"You'll get all the training you need, and your natural ability will do the rest. He wants someone who will love her job, not a time-server. He thought that since you'd be working 'at home' so to speak, child-care will not be a problem. Will you take the package or do you need time to think about it?"

There was no hesitation. "Of course I'll take it. But when do I meet the landlord? I must thank him."

"He stipulates you will not meet him directly, but you will work through me as intermediary. Any attempt to find out who he is will mean an instant end to your contract. Understood?"

"If that's the way he wants it."

"It is."

There followed the signing of the contract, George explaining that she was directly employed by the landlord, but for all intents and purposes she should regard George as her boss. He made an appointment with her for on the job training, and then produced an envelope.

"The landlord thought you might need an advance on your salary, since you're to be paid monthly. I don't mean to pry, but have you a bank account and credit cards?"

She nodded.

"He wants you to begin with a clean sheet. Let my secretary know the amount owing on each credit card, and we will advance you the money to pay them off. We also need your bank details for your salary payments."

"But there's no need..."

"He's a very wealthy man. Believe me he won't miss it. He wants you to be free of debt so you don't have any nagging worries about money. Then you can concentrate on the job in hand."

Victor watched as tears appeared in her eyes. She hugged George and asked him to pass it on to the landlord, whoever he was. George looked embarrassed and pleased.

When he heard the taxi arrive he made his way to the lift and began the descent, so as to meet her. She was waiting at the lift doors as he left it.

"My," he said, feigning surprise, "you look radiant. Had a bit of luck?"

"Oh, Mr Freeman - Victor - you'll never guess, I've got the job of concierge and cleaner here. I'm so happy. I get the flat and a bonus if I do well. You've no idea how I feel. I'm free of all my financial worries!"

Her eyes danced and she looked even more beautiful than before. Victor felt that warm glow all over again.

"I'm very pleased for you, Susan. We'll be seeing more of you now you're in charge. I'm sure you'll keep us all in order."

He laughed and she laughed with him as he left the building on a spurious errand and she entered the lift with her children.

--

Chapter Three

It was clear to Victor that he had hired a gem in Susan. Within a fortnight the place sparkled, the carpets looked brighter for being shampooed, the lift was spotless, and smelled sweet, and the windows had been cleaned.

She had hired a company to do the job after asking round for someone reliable, rather than getting in tenders. Next, plants arrived on the landings. Even the light fittings had received a polish.

She found a reliable odd job man, and purchased first call on his time by means of a small retainer; all this in consultation with George, who baulked at some of the ideas, but was overruled by Victor.

"After all," said Victor, "this is my home as well!"

She leafleted the owner-occupiers, telling them of the odd job man, and visited the tenants to introduce herself and ask if they needed anything fixing. After a few years of long delays, people were happy and even began talking to each other as well as passing the time of day with Susan. A few of the male inhabitants tried to ask her out, but she gently refused them.

As part of her trip round the flats in the building, she cleaned the landing of the fifth floor, but because the only flat on that floor was owner-occupied she had not met the owner. Until, that is, one day when she was dusting the window cill and Victor emerged from his door.

"Oh!" exclaimed Susan. "I didn't realise you lived here!"

Victor smiled broadly. "Would you like a tour?"

Normally she was wary of invitations by the males in the building, but somehow she felt safe with this kind man, and accepted. She ushered in her daughter, who had been 'dusting' with her mother, and picked up the baby in his chair. Victor immediately asked her daughter if she was doing a good job, and the little girl nodded sagely and began to dust his chairs. Susan was going to stop her but Victor gestured to her to let the little one carry on. As he said, the place really did need dusting.

He showed Susan round the large living room, the dining room, the library/study, the three bedrooms all en suite, and the huge kitchen. Susan was amazed.

"Well," said Victor. "It does take over the whole of this upper floor. I must confess it's rather big for me."

"This kitchen is wonderful!" enthused Susan. "Do you cook much?"

"I cook all my meals."

"Packets? Microwave?" Susan was being mischievous, her eyes dancing.

Victor saw through it. "Only the finest ingredients, carefully chosen and fresh daily!" he said with a straight face watching her reaction, which was of unabashed wonder. Then he broke into a grin, and she realised he'd been playing with her. She laughed out loud. There was a crash from the living room and both the baby and the little girl began to howl.

They rushed to the living area to find Gail, her daughter, standing amid scattered remnants of a glass vase. Susan was horrified, and began to scold the girl, but Victor stopped her by a hand on her arm, and squatted down by the little one who was bawling her fear.

"Hey..." he looked up inquiringly at Susan.

"Gail," she said. "I'm so sorry-"

"Shh," he interrupted. "Hey, Gail, You know what?"

The girl stopped her crying.

"I hated that vase. You've done me a favour!" He laughed, and tickled her and soon she was giggling.

"Let me clear it up," ventured Susan. Victor nodded, and lifted the little girl clear of the mess.

"Perhaps the baby first?" he proposed. "The glass will wait."

He busied himself with Gail, while Susan quietened the baby and then found a dustpan and brush in the kitchen and cleared the mess, finishing with the vacuum cleaner. Then she was ready to go.

"We've intruded long enough. You've been very kind, but we ought to go now. Please let me pay for the vase."

Victor had been hatching another plan since she had entered the flat, and now he steeled himself to put it into practice.

"Susan," he said. "I really didn't like the vase, but I wonder if you would consider looking after my flat? I like cooking but don't have much time for cleaning, and you are so talented. How about it?"

She thought. He was such a friendly man, so kind and respectful. She felt safe and relaxed with him, and she admired how he had calmed Gail and how the little one had attached herself so naturally to him. She also admired his handsome face and trim body!

"I need to find whether my employer would mind me 'moonlighting'. I won't do anything without his permission. He's a superb employer, and my first loyalty is to him. But if it's all right with him..."

"Good," said Victor, knowing that her employer would be more than agreeable to the work!

The trio left, and Victor smiled. He would be seeing a lot more of the lovely Susan and her children.

So it was that Susan cleaned the penthouse once a week. She always brought the children and Victor occupied the little girl, playing games with her, admiring the toys she brought and reading her stories. Susan was as usual assiduous in her tasks and the Victor thought the place took on a homely air for having a woman's touch.

He also paid her far more than she thought the job was worth, and she said so. He demurred, but her honesty and lack of greed impressed him.

Their burgeoning friendship took another step forward when he diffidently asked her if she would come to dinner with him on the Friday. She said she did not want to refuse him but pointed out that she had no one to look after the children. So he invited them also.

On Friday she found herself taking great care over her preparation. She had easily prepared the baby's food and bottle and had dressed Gail in her finest. Now she took much care over her own preparation.

Thanks to her new situation she had been able to upgrade her wardrobe as well as Gail's. After putting on her make-up, she surprised herself trying various combinations of new underwear before spending as long over which dress to wear. She finally chose a simple black dress which, while having a fairly deeply scooped front, was long enough to be demure.

She wondered why she would want his admiration. Surely he had become just a good friend. Did she want more? He was in his forties and she in her late twenties. There was a big age gap, but he was so kind, and he didn't seem affected at all by her lowly status as a cleaner.

She idly wondered what he'd be like in bed, and instantly banished the thought. She put up her long hair, leaving a few tendrils hanging which she curled. Understated earrings and necklace completed the look she wanted.

When Victor opened the door he stood transfixed. His eyes took in the lovely woman standing with her pretty daughter and carrying the baby in his carrycot. She was exquisite from her hair to her cleavage enhanced by the push-up bra. The dress clung to her silhouette and for a long second he was speechless.

"Aren't you going to invite us in?" Susan's eyes sparkled as she appreciated the effect she had on him.

"Oh, er, yes!" and he reached forward to take the carrycot. Gail was already in the flat making herself at home.

Once the carrycot was placed on a settee in the living area, he turned to her.

"Susan, I hope you won't feel offended, but I have to say you look exquisitely beautiful. I can't stop looking at you."

She blushed scarlet and smiled a shy smile. "Thank you," she whispered. They stood still for what seemed an age, and then Victor snapped out if it and went to the kitchen.

The meal was a triumph, and she marvelled at his expertise. Everything was cooked to perfection and for the odd things little Gail didn't like he had even prepared substitutes, though there was no junk food to be seen. For dessert he had baked an apple pie, and she was impressed by the melt-in-the-mouth short-crust pastry and the freshly made custard.

After the meal Gail looked sleepy, but Susan thought it rude to leave so soon. Victor saw the problem and led them to one of the bedrooms where Susan put Gail to bed, the little girl falling asleep as her head touched the pillow. After she had changed the baby, he was also put in the same bedroom in his carry-cot, leaving the adults alone.

Victor suggested they move to the living area, but Susan insisted on clearing the dishes away and loading the dishwasher. The dishes and pans which should not be washed in the machine she washed up by hand and Victor dried. He made coffee and they went to the living area and sat, Susan in one armchair and Victor in another.

Both felt relaxed and on Victor's gentle questioning Susan told him her life story. He asked about her parents.

"Both dead," she said looking wistful. "Mother died of breast cancer, and Dad went to pieces. He drank and eventually got knocked down on his way back from the pub. I have a brother who's married, and a sister who's not, but they live a long way from here. Apart from them my only relatives now are my uncle and aunt who live in the same town. I feel guilty at not going back to visit them."

"Friends?" he asked. "You don't seem to have many visitors."

She talked about her close girlfriends back home, a number of dates with boys down there, then her first real boyfriend and finally her reaction to Seth, who was her second and latest.

"He fascinated me then," she explained. "He was exciting and took me out almost daily - clubs, parties and pubs. I was a lot younger in many ways and quite naïve. When he was going to move here, the other end of the country, he asked me to come with him. Like a fool I came like a shot. I think I was infatuated with him; he seemed so glamorous, and I had no parents to hold me back.

"I left all my friends behind, and the only people I knew here were the people Seth knew. I suppose they became his friends after a while, but I always felt left out: I was with them on sufferance, his girlfriend. I still phone Katy my sister, from time to time, and I email a few friends, so I've not quite lost touch."

She went on to tell Victor that she got pregnant and Seth offered to pay for a termination, but she would have none of it, so he got the flat in the building and they moved in together.

"I think that's when the gloss went out of it," she said. "I couldn't go out without Gail, so he would go out by himself, but he'd come home quite early. We seemed to be getting along, and I got pregnant again. He wasn't delighted, but he stuck by me."

Victor asked about Seth's work. She replied that she never actually found out what he did, but she couldn't help thinking it was not always completely legal. She was so preoccupied with the children that she didn't push it. His hours were varied, and sometimes he'd be out all night.

She often wondered if Seth had another woman, but (and here she blushed) he always seemed to have enough energy for her. Talking of her sex life seemed to embolden her and she went on to tell him that while the sex was not mind-blowing it was very pleasant and she enjoyed it. Victor did not push her for further explanation and the conversation passed on.

She asked him about his life. He told her something of his army life, and went on to tell her of his ex-wife, how they hit it off the day they met.

"I think it was the flash car I had," he grinned ruefully.

They had a whirlwind romance and an intense relationship, he added. He went on to tell her how short lived the marriage was and her asking for a divorce on the grounds that life with him was not exciting enough for her, all in the space of a year.

"I've never been one for a wild life. I'm a quiet living sort of person; I like simple things, so I suppose it must have been boring for her. She was right."

He explained that she was not greedy about the settlement, and had been grateful for the amount he had settled on her.

"I don't think you're boring," Susan said, when he had finished. "After all, there's more to life than parties and going out all the time. Don't I know it! My children are my life now."

They lapsed into companionable silence, and the darkness outside deepened. At length she stretched and said she ought to go. He helped her sort out her things and then carried the sleeping Gail in his arms while she brought the baby. On reaching her flat she directed him to the child's bedroom while she attended to the baby.

He emerged from the girl's room as Susan came from her bedroom where the baby slept. They stood facing each other in the hallway.

"Thank you for a wonderful evening! I've not been out for months," Susan whispered, and reached up and kissed him on his cheek. It then became one of those awkward moments when a couple almost kiss on the mouth after a date, but don't.

"I'm glad you had a good time," he said. "I'd like to do it again."

She nodded and smiled a loving smile, which he returned. He briefly took her hand and then was gone, striding towards the lift doors that had remained open. He waved and the doors closed.

--

Chapter Four

Both Susan and Victor realised in their different ways that their relationship had taken a step forward. Susan felt attracted to the man but was wary of committing herself beyond friendship. Victor felt he was falling in love with her, but thought that it was hardly likely that she would reciprocate his feelings. Each of them decided privately to keep things very cool and platonic.

However, this did not prevent Susan accepting a regular Friday evening date with Victor, bringing the children with her. She was impressed that he took such time with Gail, and that he asked to learn to change the baby, and to feed him. It rang some warning bells in her that he was really trying to ingratiate himself with her, but over time she realised that he genuinely loved the children.

After a while she insisted that sometimes she should cook for him, and so it came about that he would visit her in her flat on Wednesdays. On Sundays when the weather was fine, she would invite him to join them on a visit to the park, where Gail played happily with other children while they watched.

Susan was glad of his company for he was the only person she knew and trusted. For all this they both kept the relationship on a friendship level. Each time they parted they would kiss cheeks and no more.

He noticed that she would struggle to bring the shopping from the supermarket on the bus with the children, and on finding she had a driving licence, put her on his insurance and lent her the car, fitting it with car seats and restraints for the children on the back seat. Susan was overcome by his generosity and said so, but he told he he liked sharing his things.

It was on the second of Victor's monthly meetings with George since giving Susan the job that they discussed her performance as concierge. George noted that Victor's profits had dropped somewhat, but that the building was so well run that owners paid their service charges on time, and nearly all of the tenants kept rents up to date, all of which saved money. Victor did not care about the drop in profits - he had all the money he'd ever need, and he was making more all the time from other investments, rented houses and the other blocks of flats.

George then broached the subject of expanding Susan's brief to include initially the other block on the site. The woman in George's office who managed the staff at the other blocks had left and there was a vacancy.

Victor wondered if she could also cope with the four other blocks further away. There was the problem of the children. They decided George would put it to her and take it from there.

"In that case," said Victor, "you can now take her over as your employee, and pay her out of the commission I pay you! I want to be clear of her now she's settled and doing so well."

George agreed.

So it was that a day later Victor was roused from an afternoon nap by a knock at the door. It was a very confused Susan.

"Can I talk with you Victor?" she began breathlessly.

"Why yes. Where are the children?"

"At home."

"Let's go down then. Best not to leave them alone too long."

Once again she was impressed with his immediate response and his concern for her children's welfare.

They descended to her flat and sat in the living room. The baby was sleeping and Gail was playing in a corner of the room.

"I've been offered promotion." Susan said, and waited for his reaction.

"Congratulations. But you aren't happy, what's wrong?"

"Mr Corrigan wants me to manage another five blocks of flats belonging to the landlord of this one. He's offered me a big rise and a company car, but I don't know if I can cope."

Victor was silent for a long moment. He knew she had the ability, but he wanted her to think he was assessing the situation.

"You would have to get someone else do the cleaning here, but apart from that, from what I know of you, you'll have no problem. Just carry forward what you've done here to the others. Is it the children you're worried about?"

She was relieved at his confidence in her, and impressed a his perception of her possible needs.

"Gail has been begging to go to nursery school. Some of her Sunday friends go, and she wants to go too. I've made enquiries and there is a vacancy for her, and," here she smiled broadly, "now I can afford to send her! Carl can come with me when I have to visit the other blocks."

"If you are delayed, you can always call on me to pick her up, you know," offered Victor. "My life is flexible enough to do that at a moment's notice, and she knows me. And now you've trained me, I can look after Carl if you need me to."