chapter 4

Today was the fifth day with Mr. Beaumont and it was quite eventful, to say the least.

The other days he had kept himself in the background, mostly because he had one meeting after the other he had to attend. Today was the day he fully stayed at the company, a first in this week.

I arrived at work at about half past 7, joining Jessica with a cup of coffee while we waited for the other departments to deliver their files. I tried not to be bumped as Noah still hadn't called nor texted me.

"It completely passed my mind and I never got to ask you: How was it?"

"What do you mean?", I asked her, passing her the sugar.

"You know, the talk you had with Mr. Beaumont", she nudged me, then put two spoons of sugar into her pink mug with the elephants on it. Elephants were her favourite animal.

"Oh, that", I laughed nervously. "It was quite alright, I imagined it to be much worse."

"See, told you", she patted the spot next to her.

We sat down on her desk.

"We talked about the dress code first", I informed her, browsing through my mind. Since that day, I decided to keep spare stockings in my working drawer, just in case. "And a bit about Janet. He doesn't seem to be that fond of her."

"He isn't. He hates her as much as we do, but he keeps on insisting she does a good job", Jessica shrugged. "Sometimes I don't understand Michael."

"Who's Michael?", I asked her with a raised brow.

"Mr. Beaumont silly! Didn't he tell you his full name?"

Michael Beaumont? It had a nice ring to it. "No."

"You didn't ask him?"

"No, it seemed wrong to ask him about his personal life ..."

"After he asked about yours you felt it would be wrong to ask back?", Jessica couldn't believe her ears. She started laughing. "Now that's typically you. Always professional."

Jessica patted my head. "Sorry, I don't mean it in a bad way sweetie."

"I know Jess", I smiled at her.

Clarissa joined us at 7:40, followed by Nina. "We might be late", Nina joked as she clocked in. "Twenty minutes before the start is a bit too extreme, don't you think? We should have arrived at 6 the latest."

"Janet will kill us", Clarissa agreed.

"You are drinking coffee without us?", Nina pointed at our mugs with a frown.

"We've just started. There's more coffee in the kettle", I told them. Clarissa hurried to the little kitchen and fetched them a mug.

Nina looked at me. "Call me crazy, but why aren't you wearing a white shirt like usually?"

"Mr. Beaumont said I shouldn't wear anything with buttons anymore."

Clarissa dropped something in the kitchen. She stormed out with wide eyes. "He what!?"

I was taken aback by her shocked expression. "Mr. Beaumont told you not to wear a white shirt?", Nina's tone held disbelieve. "Jess, have you ever heard something like that before?"

"No, not in good fifteen years!", Jessica looked at me in wonder.

"What's the big deal?", I asked them a bit unsurely.

"Mr. Beaumont sends Janet when it comes to dress code changes. He never addresses a woman personally about it", Jessica informed me with wide eyes.

"You are just overreacting – I was with him and we were the last people in the office. What's the big deal? He told me I should change and therefore I changed my outfit." I tugged at the rose-coloured silk shirt. I had brought it along from Austria, and I only had two other non-button up shirts. That should do for the last few days. I could go to an inexpensive clothing store and buy a few more from my pay check, depending on how much they cost.

"But what does he have against a white button up?", Clarissa asked, thoughtfully, handing Nina her green coffee mug. 

"Maybe it stretches over her chest", Nina wriggled her brows.

I buried my red face into my hands.

"Now, now children, Sara is shy. Don't do that to her", Jessica chided them, patting my back. "They are just joking dear." 

"I hope so!", I muffled through my hands.

A knock sounded from the right. Jessica opened the door to the footboy who rolled in with the trolley. 

"The folders, Ma'ams", he smiled at us and left as quickly as he had appeared. 

"Not a minute too early", Jessica mumbled after checking her watch, then clapped. "Let's get to work. We can talk at lunch about Sara's meeting with Michael."

  ♡  

I rushed out the office down the hallway in blind rage.

Five times I had called the IT guy and he had the nerve to just hang up on me in the midst of our telephone call! How could I work without the Excel and accounting programme as well as the calculator?! I can't do hundreds of files by hand, it would take me the whole day and night, what was he thinking-

I ran into something hard. "Ouch!", I cried out, rubbing my nose. A hand shot forward and firmly caught me by my elbow. I looked up to the person I had run into.

My boss looked down to me with a raised brow.

"Mr. Beaumont!", I shrieked, jumping back. "I'm so terribly sorry! I didn't mean to-" 

He raised a hand. "No harm done, Mrs Atkins." My boss scanned me. "What has you gotten so riled up, if I may ask?" 

"My computer isn't working, and the IT guy is ignoring me", I told him, almost grumbling. "I can't get any work done without my computer!"

A muscle moved in his jaw. "Third floor sixth door on the right. Tell him I sent you, that will get him moving." He walked down the hallway to our office, nodding at me to get me moving. 

"Thank you", I called after him as he went to Jessica and the others.

"Look, missy, just unplug your computer, reboot it again and-" My eyebrow twitched angrily. As if I hadn't done that already three times. 

"Mr. Beaumont sent me", I cut him off, crossing my arms.

The guys stopped laughing and the IT guy really jumped up and followed me to my office, just like Mr. Beaumont had said he would.

While he worked around the hard drive, I was forced to stand by my desk and watch, because he occupied the whole space. Mr. Beaumont joined after while as he handed Nina a file back she had done wrong. 

"You deducted too much at this position", he showed it to her, while keeping an eye on the IT guy. "The PR team spent less money for the TV broadcast." 

"I'll correct it, thank you Mr. Beaumont."

I heard the guy plug something out and worryingly bent down a bit. That hadn't sounded good.

"How's it going, Peter?", Mr. Beaumont's voice boomed behind me, startling me. I swirled around to my boss with my hand pressed against my hammering heart. 

His blue eyes stared directly into my eyes. "I hope you can repair Mrs Atkins's computer. The work is waiting on us", he continued talking, while still looking at me. I nodded breathlessly.

"Doesn't seem like I can do much", Peter groaned, getting up. "The computer conked out. The data processor was quite old after all." 

"Oh no", I gasped, tearing my eyes away from my boss. "Do we have another data processor in this company?", I asked, folding my hands in worry. 

"Not really, they are all being used", the IT guy scratched his balding head. "I can order one, but it will in two days the soonest." Two days!?! 

"We have no other choice. Get to it", my boss decided. 

"Yes, Sir."

He left, all while I stared after him speechless.

"You'll have to do your work by hand, Mrs Atkins." 

"By hand?", I quietly asked, not believing my ears. "I have over hundred files to work through!" 

His eyes darkened slightly. "Then you better get to it."

I wanted to gurgle him.

  ♡  

Lunchtime approached. The others were finishing their last file to go and eat.

"Are you coming along, Sara?", Jess inquired to know as she got up from her chair. 

"I can't. If I take a break now I won't finish before 9 pm at this point", I sighed. 

"Should we get you something?", Nina asked, while exchanging a look with Jessica. 

"No, I'll be fine. I packed some fruit today."

They didn't move. "No really, go and get lunch, I'll be fine."

They did, hesitantly, and I heard Jessica mutter something to them, but I didn't quite catch it. I shrugged it off and moved onto the next file, sighing as it was ten pages long.

Can't they just buy one thing and give it a rest?

"I have to post this to merchandise, while considering they got a trade discount for this. I need to post it in the right position-", I mumbled along, so I wouldn't forget about it. "This belongs to personal." I ticked it off. "Good, this file is done." 

"Let me look over it."

I jumped in my seat, screaming slightly.

Mr. Beaumont sat there with his legs crossed, raising a brow.

"I'll die because of you!", I wheezed, clutching my heart. "When did you even come in here, Mr. Beaumont?" 

"Just a few minutes ago, when you still did the income position." He extended his hand. "The file." 

I handed it to him, biting back a sigh. Mr. Beaumont flipped it open and scanned it quietly, his blue eyes fixated on the numbers in front of him.

Don't stare at him, Sara.

I glanced back. Dammit I couldn't just not look at him. Mr Beaumont bore a calm expression, stroking his beard while reading the file. My eyes darted to his waves and I swooned inwardly. Why did I have a weakness for blonds?

I forced myself to take the next file. Staff charges. Wages and salaries. A piece of cake.

Only the data number of the staff stood there, but I didn't care who got the salary anyways. I counted the extra hours they had worked and calculated on my phone the sum I could add to their gross salary.

"Why aren't you out for lunch?", Mr. Beaumont suddenly spoke, his eyes still darting over the numbers of the file. 

"I won't finish before night-time if I go." 

"That you won't either way", he lowered the file. "And you can't concentrate when you are hungry."

Taken aback, my eyes widened. "How do you know?" 

"You wrote personnel instead of personal, for one. You mixed up the numbers in the end." 

I cursed silently, extending my hand. "Let me correct it please." 

"No", he pulled the file away. "You'll eat first. I can tell what mistakes you'll make even before you started doing that salary in front of you."

Who does he think he is!?

"Something you want to say, Mrs Atkins?", he raised a brow at me. 

"No, nothing." I wanted to gurgle him. "Only that I can handle myself. No need to underestimate me, Sir." I extended my hand again, meeting his eyes squarely. "The file, Mr. Beaumont."

His eyes shone amused. He bent forward, stopping a few centimetres away from my face. Michael Beaumont looked directly at me with an imposing face, which just made my whole body tingle pleasantly. His eyes hooded slightly, and he smirked.