All Work and no Play

Edinburgh

Scotland

Saturday 30th May 2015

I was in the manager’s office as usual, straight after setting up the store, and opening the doors to the public. During the first hour of business it would be quiet so I had Danny on the counter to cover the till, while Lisa performed price checks and customer service. Danny was a student and only worked on a weekend, but Lisa, a twenty-year-old, was on her penultimate day as a member of staff. On Monday, she would start in her new role as Branch Supervisor.

In my role as a Support and Training Manager, I could be in one of the company’s stores for a day, a week, or longer, dependent on the requirements. I’d been at the Princes Street store for the whole of May to cover the manager who was recovering after an operation. There was a small and efficient team, and one of my tasks had been to promote someone to supervisor. Based on what the manager had written in his assessments, and what I’d seen in the first three weeks, I chose Lisa.

I’d updated the sales reports, and read the bulletin, so I fixed myself a coffee before heading out onto the shop floor. There was a sharp knock on the open office door.

“Good morning, Doreen; how can I help you?”

“Before I start my shift today, Anthony, I want to know if you’ve changed your mind.”

“Changed my mind about what?” I was genuinely confused.

“Promoting that girl instead of me.” The forty-year-old sounded like a petulant teenager.

“Doreen, I interviewed both of you last week, on the same topics, and for the same length of time, using the same criteria. I don’t intend to revisit any of it.”

“If Gordon were here, he’d have promoted me instead of that flirt.”

“That might not be Gordon’s point of view, whatever you think. Calling someone a flirt because they’ve been promoted instead of you, isn’t very mature. Was there anything else?”

Doreen inhaled deeply. “Is this your final day in the branch?”

“You know it is.”

“In that case, you can accept this.” She threw an envelope onto the desk. “In two weeks, I’ll be leaving, and it’s because of your decision.”

“I’d normally invite you to talk it over, but I recall you saying that if you didn’t get the supervisor’s job, you’d leave, so another interview would be a waste of your time, and mine.”

“Mark my words … you’ll regret this.” She turned, and paused at the door. “My husband might be in later to have a word with you about the way I’ve been treated.”

“Doreen, I’d advise him not to bother. He doesn’t work for this company, and I don’t intend to discuss our business with an outsider.”

“Oh, so you won’t argue with a man—”

“I would, Doreen, including your husband, but if he wants to come in here to cause a scene, he’ll be introduced to the shopping centre security.” I smiled. “Perhaps you should tell him.”

She muttered something, and stormed out.

*

Stirling

I arrived home, pleased that my wife, Emily, had been working locally, so she’d fixed dinner. I enjoyed a hot shower before going downstairs, and paused to look in one of our three bedrooms. It was empty, except for several large boxes containing a modern metal shelving system. I quickly assessed the freshly-painted walls, and ceiling, and the new fitted carpet, and nodded, satisfied.

Emily ushered me into the dining room. “You looked weary when you came in, Anthony.”

I sat at the table, and poured us both wine. “It was a long day, but for the time being, at least, it was my last visit to the Edinburgh, Princes Street store.”

Emily said, “I thought you enjoyed your month there. You put in plenty of extra hours.”

“I did enjoy it, but the late nights were my choice to get the place up to standard.”

We took turns eating, and talking, which is what we usually did over dinner.

She swallowed another mouthful of food. “You did at least three late nights each week, so I hope it was worth the effort.”

“I believe it was worth it. The sales figures have improved, and I got to see the calibre of the staff, and who was prepared to make an extra effort.”

“Not many people will, so who helped whenever you stayed behind?”

I paused after a drink. “A young student called Danny did a couple of late shifts, but it was mainly Lisa, the young woman I promoted to supervisor. Her first day in charge is tomorrow.”

“The other choice for supervisor was an older woman, wasn’t it?” Emily’s eyes narrowed.

“Yes, but I had a set criteria to work from. There wasn’t much difference between them in terms of product knowledge, and customer service. Gordon, the manager, had called me one day, and said they were equal in his view, and would be happy for me to play Devil’s Advocate.”

“Whatever you decided, one of them will be happy, and the other, disappointed. I see it often enough in the stores I visit.”

“How was your day?”

“I was at the new store in the mall in Stirling town centre. It was a good day, because a new store, with a new team and manager, is always prepared to listen, and follow my suggestions.”

I sipped wine. “Did you stay for the full day, or get away early?”

“My main concern was the window displays, and I got them completed yesterday, so today was really all about setting up the initial promotion for tomorrow.”

“Sunday is an unusual day for a new store opening.”

“It is, but all the stores in that section of the mall were closed for two days last week due to burst water pipes. It put our schedule back so we had to work with the time we had left.”

We stopped talking shop, and enjoyed our meal.

*

Our evening continued with more wine, while we watched a quiz, a thriller we both enjoyed, and finally, the late news and weather.

Emily said, “What time are you starting work on your special project tomorrow?”

“I reckon it will take most of the day, so I’ll start straight after breakfast.”

“You usually go for a run or a cycle ride on a Sunday morning.”

“Converting that bedroom will be enough exercise. I’ve got seventeen boxes of brackets and shelving to arrange before I consider opening anything.”

“Are you confident that it will look like the layout you planned?”

“Yes, and there will be no room for error. I’ve measured it within a few centimetres. The key is working out where to start because some units will be secured to the walls when completed.”

“You said you’d prefer to build it alone, but are you sure I can’t help?”

“The best thing is avoid that room and the landing. I’ll have to use the landing to lay out parts.”

“In that case, tomorrow will be a day for gardening, and baking.” She stood, bent over, and kissed me. “I’ll say good night now, love, because I’ll be asleep by the time you come up.”

“Goodnight.” The message with a smile, was clear. No sex. We’d last indulged in early April.

*

Sunday 31st May

I started my day with a shave, but no shower, knowing that I’d need one by the time I’d completed my task. A leisurely breakfast, and an extra coffee saw me ready to start by nine o’clock. I regularly worked with shelving units, but my experience merely gave me was an appreciation of how easy it would be to make a mistake, or injure myself.

I taped my diagram onto the room’s main wall, and spent the next half hour arranging the packing boxes in the order I’d need them. By midday I’d built all the units along the main wall, so I stopped to check the sequence for the next section.

Emily called, “Anthony, I’ve made us sandwiches, so let me know when to make tea.”

“I’ll wash up, and be down in five minutes.”

We sat in the conservatory for our snack. “You’ve got a lot done out there, and it looks neat.”

“I’ll give it another hour after this, and when I’ve cleaned up, I’ll do some baking.” She sipped tea. “How is it going with my special room?”

“I’ve done the main wall units, which will be mainly for items on coat hangers, and there are two separate drawer sections. It ought to take another three hours to finish.” I drank tea. “Your full-length mirror will be in the middle of the end wall, so that’s next with more units either side.”

“I’m really looking forward to seeing it all set up.”

“I’m looking forward to it, because when you’ve emptied both of your wardrobes in our bedroom, I’ll be able to use the good one for my sportswear, and work uniform, and we can get rid of the older one to a charity shop.”

“How many shelves will I have for shoes in my new room?”

“I’m sure there are four, so if you placed boots on the base shelf, you’ll have enough room for about twenty pairs, if you have that many.”

She sipped tea and laughed. “If I haven’t got twenty pairs, I’ll buy more.”

*

Dinner was delayed until I’d had a shower and changed, and I’d asked Emily not to look until we’d eaten. I wanted a chance to make any minor adjustments. There were none needed.

I called down. “Emily, there is a walk-in wardrobe awaiting your inspection.”

She walked in, and slowly looked around at the neat white shelving units, and drawers. From the middle of the room she checked the full-length mirror, and turned to me. “Anthony, you’ve done a great job, thank you.” She leaned forward, and pecked me on the lips. “I’ll get started now, and I should have one of the wardrobes emptied tonight.”

“I’ll leave you to it, and I’ll relax with freshly-baked cakes and coffee.”

“Are you watching something on television while I’m setting up my room?”

“No, I’ll download something onto my Kindle.”

A short while later, Emily was happily transferring her clothes and shoes from our bedroom to her walk-in wardrobe. I suggested referring to it as a dressing room, because half of one wall was taken up by a new dresser which had a large illuminated mirror fitted in front of it on the wall. Whatever she called it, she was happy.

When I finally settled into an armchair with my Kindle, I browsed the eBook selection on the website. I wasn’t sure what to read, so I’d choose something with a cover image I liked. The one that caught my eye was a handsome, curvaceous woman kneeling on a four-poster bed. Her expression depicted confidence, and she wore a black lace bodice with black stockings.

“More Than a Sex Therapist, by Katya Cumming … mmm, I think this is the one for me.”

A short while later, I was engrossed in the story about Adrian and Rita, a couple whose sex life had faded to nothing over a few months.

“Perhaps my situation isn’t so unusual after all,” I murmured, and continued reading.

Whether it was a good thing or not, Rita borrowed her husband’s laptop, initially, to locate a sex therapist, but she got a surprise. On Adrian’s browsing history, she discovered his interest in porn. Crossdressing, transgender, and gay porn were listed, so she investigated the links, and afterwards, confronted her husband.

I grinned. “I like where this is going already, and I might learn something.” I adjusted the bulge in my jogging pants. “If I find something to improve my sex life, I’ll give it a go.”

Emily stayed upstairs for the rest of the evening, transferring her things into her walk-in wardrobe. I spent my evening being enlightened by the suggestions the sex therapist offered Adrian’s wife. I had a raging hard-on by the time I’d finished the first chapter, and it got better.

When we climbed into bed, I was naked, as usual. When Emily leaned over to kiss me, I thought she might be alert, and buzzing from her wardrobe transfer activity. I was wrong.

“I’m delighted with my new room, Anthony.” She pecked me on the lips. “Thank you, and now, I think we both deserve a good rest.” She rolled over, and sighed, apparently ready for sleep.

I, on the other hand lay there with my semi-aroused cock gently bouncing on my belly. I was tempted to do what Adrian did in the story. He kept a sock under his pillow to slip over his cock for a wank in bed. Of course, as the story progressed, so did his adventures.

I dozed off still thinking about what Adrian was prepared to do to get his wife interested in sex again. My last conscious thoughts were about what sort of things I’d try to get satisfaction.

***