Tim arranged a desk and a new chair near the window. A phone line had been installed and the desk now sported a phone and a new computer. He was ready for his first full time employee.
Tim had a growing consulting firm and needed someone to answer phones, set appointments, and help with the billing for his now three dozen clients.
He had trouble finding someone who would work for what he could afford to pay and under his unusual time requirements. He would pay for forty hours per week, but some days he needed someone in the office for twelve hours and other days they could go home after two hours. He wanted someone trustworthy, as they would be working alone some of the time.
Molly was the sixteenth person he'd interviewed and the only one who accepted his terms. She was recently divorced and had been out of the work force for several years, but seemed eager to learn. She had a pleasant voice and could type. That was all he really needed. She seemed excited about the variety of tasks the job offered.
Promptly at 9:00 a.m. Molly walked into the office, her first day as a new employee, dressed in a snug fitting white blouse and a short black skirt. She had asked during the interview about a dress code and he'd told her she could wear whatever she wanted. No clients ever came to the office. There was phone contact only, for all the callers knew he worked out of his home. This was not at all what he had expected, however. She was dressed in what appeared to be very professional attire at first glance. At second glance he noticed he could see through the tight blouse to her crème colored bra.
"Good morning."
"Good morning," she replied. "Is this okay to wear?" she asked, gesturing to her outfit.
How did he luck out? She looked hot. Tim enjoyed eye candy way too much. Tracing the contours of her bra with his eyes, and knowing he shouldn't stare, he tried to remain cool and professional. He didn't want to scare her with his visual advances.
"It's fine," Tim replied. "You can wear anything you want. A T-shirt and jeans would be fine, too. There is no need to dress up here."
"I've been told that I dress too seductively, but I like wearing this. Are you sure it's okay? I can wear T-shirts and jeans if you prefer."
"Oh no, not T-shirts and jeans," he thought. "But I just told her a T-shirt and jeans would be fine, too! Shit, she could work naked if she wanted to. Should I say that?" That thought was immediately dismissed as way over the line. He didn't want to lose this employee, especially if she wanted to dress like this.
Staring at the opening of her blouse between her breasts, and noticing their rise and fall with her breathing, he made note of the stitching of that crème colored bra, imagining her without it. Stopping the mental fantasy, he said, "Like I said, wear anything you like. I want you to be happy here."
"I need this job so badly and I don't want to screw it up."
"Don't worry about that. I need you here just as badly. I think that we are going to get along fine."
Tim showed her the desk he had prepared, the only organized spot in the office, and then explained what her duties would be.
"The file cabinet is a mess and so is the bookshelf. I would love it if you could organize them. I waste so much time looking for things."
"This office does look like it could use some organization. So I guess my first task is to make it functional."
Tim explained the operation of the new phone system, handing her the booklet that came with it.
"Answering the phone and scheduling my time is the primary focus of the job. I may also ask you to contact clients on occasion," he explained. "You will basically be running this office and making sure that I'm working on the highest priority. I would like you to keep this place organized and running smoothly."
"I'm good at organizing, but I don't know anything about what's important and what's not," she answered somewhat sheepishly.
"Don't worry about that yet. Ask plenty of questions and I'm sure you'll get a feel for it in no time."
Molly attacked the filing cabinet, assuming it was the most important. She sorted the existing files alphabetically then looked inside each one and created separate files under each client's name - one for billing information, another for what looked like contractual requirements, and still another for miscellaneous correspondence.
Time flew by and soon she was interrupted by the sound of Tim's voice asking if she'd had lunch yet. It was two o'clock already.
"Oh!" she said, surprised. "I hadn't noticed the time. I'm organizing the file cabinet." She showed him what she had accomplished so far, explaining her reasoning.
"This is far better that I had any hopes for. Thank you so much, and feel free to read anything in these files. You will be the one finding things for me. Now go to lunch. There is a good deli just around the corner."
"How long do I have for lunch?" she asked.
"The hours here are flexible, take as long as you like. There will be times when I'll want you to work late, and maybe through lunch, so other than those times you can take as long as you like for lunch and even leave early if you want. It will all balance out in the end."
Molly beamed at his approval while walking to the deli he'd indicated. She even thought that he noticed and approved of the way she dressed.
Molly's mother had been a fashion model and her father had often told her that she could never be as beautiful as her mother. She had interpreted that as meaning her father thought she was ugly and had consequently developed a low image of herself and her body. He'd never noticed when she matured and developed curves. She spent most of her high school and college years dressed in sweat shirts and baggy pants.
To make matters worse, the man she'd chosen to marry had left her for a younger, more attractive woman. Molly was an educated and intelligent woman. After her divorce she studied self-esteem and began fighting to build hers. She was attractive and looked at herself nude in the mirror every morning now. She learned to flaunt her body, and the criticisms of other women convinced her that she was on the right path.
With a spring in her step, she walked back to the office carrying the salad she bought from the deli.
The phone rang just after she sat down. It was her first call and the major reason for her employment. She answered the phone in what she thought was a professional way and asked the client, whose name she recognized from a file, to hold.
"Tim, are you here for Mr. Claybourne?"
"Yes, transfer him please."
She transferred the call, retrieved the files containing the contract and correspondence, silently placed them on Tim's desk, and returned to her lunch.
She finished eating, and then noticed that the phone call had ended. She picked up a pad and pen. Walking into Tim's office, she smiled at him. "Do you want me to take some notes on your phone call for the files?"
"Wow, I never thought of that. That is such a great idea, and thank you for these files - they came in handy."
Tim proceeded to tell her the gist of the conversation. He ended with, "I don't how I ever managed without you."
She typed up the notes and started a new file for phone correspondence under the name "Claybourne".
The next morning, just after Tim opened the front door and turned off the alarm, he turned around and saw Molly walking in.
"Good morning," he said, instantly noticing a white blouse similar to what she'd worn the day before, but this time over a baby blue, low-cut bra.
"Good morning," she replied, and with a coy smile, turned and lowered her head.
He must have stared too openly, but her reaction indicated that she enjoyed his attention towards her breasts. He made a mental note of this pleasant realization then said, "I have a key for you so you can let yourself in when I'm not here. Let me explain the alarm system."
She stood close to him as he explained the keypad, all the while looking down at her cleavage and taking in her scent.
"I have the code written down in my office in case you forget; let me show you."
Tim led Molly into his office, handing her the keys he'd had made. "Here is the code and the password for my e-mail. You have done such a marvelous job with the file cabinet so far; maybe you can do something with my e-mail. I can't find anything there, and it's loaded with a lot of customer contact."
Molly enjoyed his attentions and toyed with the idea of unbuttoning another button on her blouse, but dismissed it as being too blatant. She would find other ways to entice him.
"I thought I would finish the file cabinet today then I'll work on your e-mail. Anything that looks personal I'll put into a folder labeled 'private'.
"That will be fine. It's not like I have a lot of pictures of naked women on my computer." He couldn't believe he said that and instantly regretted it. His face started to turn red with embarrassment when he noticed that coy smile on her face again.
"I'll just put all of those in a folder labeled 'entertainment'," she responded.
He laughed with her. She was definitely a find and he felt comfortable with her, and her sexy humor.
Tim watched the sway of her short skirt as she left to finish working on the files.
"By the way, Molly," he said as she left, "I'll be out of the office this afternoon. I have a meeting with Mr. Jameson, and I won't be back tonight."
"Okay, that'll give me a chance to go through your e-mail without disturbing you."
They laughed again at the implied reference to what might be in those e-mails.
Molly had almost finished with the last file when she heard a key in the front door. Looking up, she saw a casually dressed woman with a cheerful, welcoming expression walk into the office.
"You must be Molly. Hi, I'm Shelia, Shelia Hartman, Tim's wife." She reached out her hand to take Molly's when Tim walked out of his office.
