Friends Or Lovers Part 16

"Youre welcome," he said sheepishly.

I was surprised at how flattered I felt. He was a good-looking lad, too young for me, but for a moment I looked at him in a l.u.s.tful way.

I got myself a cup of coffee and went through my e-mails.

Hi Penny, Is there any background information you can bring on that personnel problem you have got? May help us find out what is going on.

See you soon, John Even if I had wanted to, I couldnt take anything with me. The information was confidential. If I hired him, it would be different, but I responded by saying that the Data Protection Act prevented me sharing confidential records. We would have to discuss the issues as a series of hypothetical situations.

Next, there was an e-mail from Dave.

Subject: CIPD Pen, Thanks for booking the CIPD thing. I just dont feel like a big social evening afterwards. After the speeches, would you like a drink?

Not the most difficult executive decision I have ever had to make. A swift response winged its way back through the IT network.

Dave, That would be lovely. I look forward to it.

The other e-mails were either trivial or junk. By the time Id waded through them, the time for Daves presentation approached. I took Phil with me, a reward for his earlier flattery, and we both settled into the companys small lecture theatre. It was quite a showpiece, complete with visuals and sound. As he stood there in a new suit and tie, hair cut and groomed, his voice confidently outlined the magnificent benefits of tomorrows personal health gadgetry. I thought he cut a fine figure. He was impressive and looked cute.

"Youll go down a treat," I rea.s.sured him. "The preparation was worth it."

"Are you sure? Are you really sure?" he hurriedly asked. "You dont think that final video is slightly overlong or overdone?"

I put my hand on his arm and rea.s.sured him.

"Slicker than a New Labour political broadcast, but much less spin."

He just beamed. As he was a dedicated New Labour supporter, he took this as a big compliment, even though I didnt intend it that way. The materials were fine, I thought, but it was Dave who gave them charm and wit.

"Thanks, Pen," he said. "See you tonight when the madness has died down."

This was going to be a very long day.

John was slightly late. We arrived at Bella Marie around 11.50 and settled down for lunch. He was pleased to see me but carried a grave look that Id not seen before. He was dressed in a dark deep blue suit. It was the first time Id seen him wear a tie. He was well groomed and I quickly realised that I preferred him in casual attire. John 'the businessman just didnt seem quite right.

His behaviour was different as well and I initially attributed this to his meeting in the afternoon. He would be nervous, I felt. When we chatted on the phone yesterday, he said that this was one of the best contracts he had been offered and it would bring him about 30k for little more than a months work. He intended to use the money to support his writing for several months.

We settled down at the table, ordered drinks and looked at the menu. The banter I expected didnt materialise so I probed him to see if anything was up.

"Nervous about this afternoon?" I asked.

"A bit. Not too bad. I know the person contracting the work. Weve worked together several times so I think todays a formality. There are others to convince, however, so I thought Id dress the part."

If it was not his interview then why was his behaviour so different? I was puzzled and tried a bit of flattery.

"You look the part. Very smart youll knock them dead."

I looked at him directly as I said this, but his gaze remained firmly on the menu. He momentarily looked up and tried to smile, but he averted his eyes quickly. I started to feel that something had changed between us but was at a loss to understand why.

"John. You said we had to talk. No point beating about the bush. Whats on your mind?"

He looked up, slightly relieved. As he settled back in his chair, his gaze started to focus on me properly.

"Tell me about Mike...." he requested.

"Our hypothetical Mike!" I answered. John nodded and set himself in a listening pose.

"Hes one of our sales staff, 50-ish, married, personable and popular. I can see that hes good looking, and women would fall for him, but Im not sure why. Sometimes he gives me the creeps."

John intervened at that point.

"Not sure why? Can you expand on that?"

"Well, hes good at his job. My boss Dave is suspicious of him. I find him a bit 'old school, you know, patronizing. I feel he looks down on me sometimes. We had quite a row last week. He called me a 'stupid woman. I called him a s.e.xist pig!"

John nodded, and his demeanour was attentive and serious, encouraging me to continue.

"Someone complained that he was ha.s.sling a colleague for a drink. It looked open and shut initially. I moved him to a new position. He took some of his staff with him, women mostly, and I thought thatd be the end of it."

"So whats changed?" John asked.

"Well, my boss wanted me to find out more. I asked my a.s.sistant to keep his ear to the ground. He found that men in the department had been flirting with her. There was one lad in particular that seemed to take a fancy. Thats where the stories conflict. The young woman wont say what happened. The young lad wont co-operate, either. Mike, their former boss, says the young woman confided in him but he wont talk unless she consents. Now hes implied she might have been pursuing the young man, not the other way around. But I know her. She lives at home. Shes engaged to be married. Theres a meeting this afternoon. I intend to crack some heads."

John nodded, looking very thoughtful.

"What do you think?" he asked.

"My instinct tells me that the lads went too far, and one in particular got quite keen. He made a pa.s.s and she rejected him. She was sufficiently upset to confide in her boss. He gave her support, they got close, he invited her for a drink and perhaps she misunderstood or maybe he was making his own play - she got upset again and now she wont talk. The boss is p.i.s.sed off with everyone because he got landed with the blame for a situation not originally of his own making. I dont buy his story, however, because hes got a reputation as a womaniser. He has a history."

John kept nodding. I had never seen him this intense and studious before.

"Shall I try another interpretation for you?" he asked.

I was slightly taken aback. I was not looking for another interpretation.

"Err. Okay." I said hesitantly. John started to talk.

"The young woman tell you what, lets call her Elena shes quiet, fairly pretty, and has a job as administrator to a department that has quite a few young men. In her previous job she worked with women so this is a change for her. She starts to receive more s.e.xual attention. Shes inexperienced with men, a bit embarra.s.sed, but likes one of them. Lets call him Nath, shall we?"

"Hold on!" I said. "Where are you getting these names from?"

"This is a hypothetical example, Penny, right?"

This was too coincidental, but I nodded to indicate he should carry on.

"Okay. Nath thinks shes a bit of alright and joins in the flirting at first. But then he realises that her boyfriend is an old school friend. His mate is crazy about Elena, wants to marry her, but he sees her flirting with a whole group of lads. So he backs off. Elena is not put off and actually starts to single out Nath himself. Shes confused. He backs off some more. She confides in her boss. Well call her boss Mick, shall we?"

"You know these people. Explain!" I commanded.

"Penny, if I tell you the source of my information then Ill be involved and could be dragged into the process. If things go badly, I could be called as a witness to a tribunal. Regardless, I want to help. Let me pretend this is a hypothetical case. You use the information as you see fit."

I was angry. He seemed to have more information than I did.

"Dyou want me to continue?" he asked.

I struggled to keep my emotions in check. When I felt in control again, I nodded.

"Her boss has a reputation for being sympathetic to his staff. Hes been known to intervene personally sometimes and help people out when their personal lives are troubled. Mick listens to Elena and realises shes in a difficult situation. Nath then tells his old school friend that Elena came onto him and was flirting with all her work colleagues. Her boyfriend reacts badly. He storms around and tells her the wedding is off. Her parents are furious. Every day she goes home they argue with her and tell her shes ruined everything. She becomes desperate to leave home."

It was my turn to start nodding. I did not know where he was getting this information but suddenly things started to make more sense. He continued the story.

"Micks known for his kindness. Once he helped a work colleague suffering abuse. Hed risked his own marriage to get her out. He put her up at his home until she found a new home."

As these words came out, I could feel the shock rise through me as I realised where all this was coming from. John knew Mike. Id never told John exactly where I worked. He never asked. It never seemed relevant. Pin-p.r.i.c.ks shuddered all the way through me. For a moment, I reeled, completely bewildered. Luckily, the waitress brought the drinks and asked for our order. Having recovered my composure, I asked John questions.

"What happened to....Mick?" I asked.

"The situation got so bad that Micks wife gave him an ultimatum. Either the work colleague leaves or the marriage is over. Mick gave in, on the condition that he be allowed to help her find a place to live. He hoped that would be the end, but later his wife learned that hed given money to buy furniture. Micks wife felt betrayed. She kicked him out. With nowhere else to go.....Mick....moved into a flat with his work colleague. They became extremely close but were never lovers. After a few months of Mick calling his wife every day, she finally relented and let him go back home. There was a condition, however, that he never bring another woman into their home. Mick agreed."

I felt I knew where the story was heading and my sense of dread started to increase. My head dropped and my eyes fixed on the table as John continued talking.

"Elena wanted Mick to let her have his spare room. Mick was sympathetic, said that he would help her, but could not let her move into his house or give her any money. Elena was angry because shed heard how Mick had helped someone else. Elena told him private details about her life and now felt abandoned. In a rage, she goes around to Naths house and tells him what hes done. Nath tells her to 'p.i.s.s off. She goes into work the next day and is angry, not with Nath, but with Mick and shouts at him for not helping her. She tries again to persuade Mick to take her in, but he refuses. She wont calm down so Mick tries to persuade her to leave the building and continue the conversation at a local pub for a drink. She resists so he takes hold of her by the arm and makes her leave. Someone walking past stops to watch and immediately reports the scene to their manager."

My head just hung there as I looked down at the table. I did not speak for several minutes.

"What a total f.u.c.king mess!"

John was silent so I looked up at him feeling completely at a loss.

"It gets worse, Penny."

"Worse? How could it get worse?"

"You may want a stiff drink. Are you ready?"

"I need a stiff drink now!" I said trying to lighten the mood but Johns face was implacable. There was more to come and I had to hear it.

"There is another hypothetical character, lets call her Pen."

At the mention of this name, another shock wave went through me and I became rigid with fear.

"Mick, because of the past, did not tell his wife why he had recently changed job. He was concerned that his wife would pre-judge the situation and end the marriage. So, he told a half-truth, that the new job was a promotion rather than a convenient solution to an accusation of s.e.xual hara.s.sment. However, one day, Pen calls his house announcing herself as the Head of Human Resources and that Mick should be in a disciplinary meeting. His wifes curiosity is fired and she relentlessly asks questions until Mick tells her the whole story."

"Well, in some ways Im relieved," I said.

"She threw him out again," said John.

"She did what?" I said. "Why the h.e.l.l did she do that?"

"At the moment hes staying at a hotel with a friend."

No prizes for guessing who the 'friend is, I thought.

"Hes been to a solicitor. She feels the problem lies with the way Pen handled the original complaint, a clear case of s.e.x discrimination and failure to observe natural justice principles now enshrined in law. There is also the issue of the call to his home. The solicitor takes the view that Pen has not fulfilled her duty of care to all the parties concerned."

My body froze a second time, and my eyes dropped as I let John finish.

"Today hes going to bring his solicitor."

"He cant do that!" I interject.

"He and his solicitor have checked the employment contract. It says he can bring a friend if there is a disciplinary hearing. Theres nothing to say whether the friend must be a work colleague or not. The solicitor is coming as a friend. At least, that is the story he will stick to if challenged."

"Is that true?" I ask.

"It is. Shes been a friend since his university days."

I was silent.

"f.u.c.king mess was about right, I think, Penny!" said John.

I did not know how to feel. Could I really have got everything so wrong?

"Well, thats one way of looking at things," I commented sardonically.

"Penny!" John exclaimed.

Suddenly, I lost my appet.i.te. My head was spinning while I tried to work out what to do.

"Why are you telling me?" I asked in a slightly accusing way.

"Because I couldnt let you go into your meeting later today completely unprepared."

I felt attacked from all sides and my defences started to bristle.

"How n.o.ble of you!" I retorted.

"M....Mick....has been a life-long friend of mine. He led my scouts group when I was a kid. Ive not known a kinder more honest man in my entire life. He doesnt know that I know you. If he did, or knew Im telling you this, he might terminate our friendship."

"So its all lads altogether is it?"

I didnt know where these words were coming from, but part of me sensed that I had to get out of the restaurant and find Dave. I needed to talk to the legal department of the company before the meeting. Panic overwhelmed me. This could be the end of my career. What was I to do?

"Where did that come from?" he demanded.

"Just let me think a moment, this is all too much," I snapped.