At the western end of the Finchbottom Vale lay the small market town
of Childean and on the outskirts was the Dancingdean Spa Hotel.
The manager was Ian Ferguson and he was 28 years old and his father was owned a substantial share in the
Hotel which influenced the decision to appoint him.
However it may have
been nepotism that got him the job but it was his hard work and diligence that
kept him in place and his choice of old school friend Declan Hughes as his
assistant certainly didn’t hurt.
Declan also made one or two inspired appointments Mark Humphreys and Rachel Hunt as Hospitality manager
and assistant respectively and they worked as a very effective team although at
times it wasn’t entirely clear who managed who.
The Sarah Busby
birthday surprise fiasco was a good case in point.
Sarah was a big Afro Caribbean woman who worked in the hotel kitchen
and had worked there for more than 20 years.
She was also celebrating her 50th birthday which was why a large
bouquet of flowers was to be delivered to the hotel and presented to her for
her birthday.
However to all involved the hospitality manager, Mark Humphreys had
given her the day off.
“Well you’ll have to take them round to her house” Rachel said crossly
“Can’t we just give them to her tomorrow” he said
“Oh give me strength” she retorted
“Is that a no then?” he asked
“Men” she snapped and slammed his office door
“I’d better take them round then” he said to himself
As it was a nice summer afternoon he decided to walk into Childean and
deliver the flowers.
He walked up the path to Sarah’s house and knocked on the door but
when it opened, instead of the round and jovial Sarah he was greeted by someone
altogether different, younger, skinnier and prettier.
“Hello” he said with surprise
“Can I help?” she asked
“I was looking for Sarah” he asked, and indicating the flowers.
“I’m afraid aunty has gone out for the day” she said
“Your Aunty?” he asked
“Yes” she replied “I’m staying with her for a while”
“I’m Mark Humphreys from the Hotel” he said
“I’m Michele” she said and smiled because her aunty had told her all
about him and how nice he was.
“Why don’t you come in?”
“Ok” he said recognizing the look on her face
She led him into the sitting room while she went into the kitchen to
put the flowers in water.
Michele Singer was a few years younger than he, tall and slim with
thick back hair, she was a skinny girl but not in a boney way she just had a
skinny frame.
Her eyes were big and almost black and she had a huge toothy smile,
which lit up the whole of Childean.
“Would you like tea or coffee?” She called from the kitchen
The next two hours passed by really quickly as they sat in the lounge
chatting and he would have stayed longer had he not received a phone call from
his assistant Rachel asking where the hell he was.
“I have to get back to the Hotel I’m afraid”
“Oh that’s a shame” she said “I was rather enjoying our chat”
“Yes me too”
“Are you free this evening?” Michelle asked hopefully “I could feed
you”
“That would be lovely” he said as he stepped outside “7.30?”
Michele cooked him a lovely meal which they ate leisurely accompanied
by a liberal amount of wine and after he had helped her clear away they
returned to the lounge where she steered him to one of the armchairs and pushed
him down and as he sat down he pulled her down with him so she was sitting on
his lap.
Because she was so tall, her head was above his, and smiled at his
upturned face and then she kissed him.
Mark awoke early in the darkness to the sound of the James Blunt
emanating from the clock radio, he could just make out, in the half light, a
delicately elegant finger reaching out and silencing it.
Then he thought “I don’t have a clock radio” so he tried to figure out
whose bed he was in and more importantly who the owner of the elegant finger
was.
He tried desperately to identify some point of reference in the room,
the problem is that the brain processes what you can see and then fills in the
blanks with things from your memory bank, for example, a carelessly discarded
dressing gown can appear to be a sleeping dog or a sweater dropped haphazardly
becomes a sleeping child.
Mark was rescued from his confusion when a head emerged from beneath
the duvet and Michelle kissed him on the chest and it all came flooding back to
him.
Michelle Singer was the niece of Sarah Busby, one of his employees.
She had been sent by her mother to stay with her aunt to keep her out
of mischief and instead she had fallen in love and seduced the object of her
affections.
She was draped across him breathing peacefully when Michelle looked up
at him and smiled and suddenly the penny finally dropped and she gave him a
shocked wide eyed look as she realised that they were still in her bed together
and her Aunt was in the next room.
“What do we do now?” Mark whispered “Will she come in?”
“No” she replied “she never does”
“Then you keep watch and I’ll sneak down stairs when it’s clear” he
suggested
“No, wait until she goes in the shower” Michelle said
“Ok” he acquiesced
Just then they heard Sarah’s bedroom door open and they both held
their breath and then another door opened.
“She’s in the bathroom” Michelle said “you need to go”
“Ok” he said “I’ll go first and you follow me down”
She nodded and he kissed her then Mark turned and opened the door.
He tiptoed across the landing with her right behind him, but he had
just stepped down onto the first step when the bathroom door opened, Mark
pressed himself flat against the wall, and when he looked back towards Michelle
and she looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights.
“I’m finished Michelle darling” Aunt Sarah shouted
“Ok Aunty I’m just going to put the kettle on” she replied and then
Sarah’s bedroom door closed and they let out long synchronised sighs before
exchanging a relieved smile and proceeded cautiously down the stairs.
At the front door she hugged him and asked
“When am I going to see you again?”
Hoping it wasn’t just a one night stand
“How about tonight?” he suggested
“Really?” Michelle exclaimed
“I’ll take you for dinner” he said “The Phoenix in Shallowfield”
“That’s a bit special” she said
“So are you” Mark replied
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