Don't Call Me Baby

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Undercover Beginnings

The company was called Australis Beverages Ltd. It was housed in a modern block of offices in Hammersmith so not too far for me to travel. According to Julian's briefing file the two main brands were Kanga Kola and Koala Kola. I guess they weren't aiming at the high end soft drinks market then.

Kanga Kola had a higher than average caffeine content and was marketed as the Kola with a bounce. Koala Kola was aimed at a younger drinker and was less fizzy and caffeine free - apparently not really a cola then. It was pink, "made with 100% real raspberries", and came in a transparent plastic can - so definitely not a cola. Well I'd never heard of anything less than a 100% raspberry - it either was a raspberry surely, or it wasn't in my book. I was immediately distracted by the footie game on TV and tossed the case file side.

I found the office easily and by 9:50am was sitting in reception feeling nervous, and picking off the bobbles on my black sweater, despite the fact I knew I was a sure bet for getting the job. To pass the time I was mentally calculating how long it would take me to save enough money for a down payment on a mortgage. Lola Hussey wasn't going to rent, she was going to buy and be a fully-fledged member of the landed class. This thought made me smile. I'd been dreaming of this for years and now it seemed within my grasp. To keep me motivated I made plans to start looking for a place, maybe a small one bedroom flat within walking distance of my mum.

After twenty minutes of day dreaming a curvy blonde with large breasts, serious surgical enhancement I guessed, walked up to me. "Lola Hussey," I swear she smirked at the name, "can you follow me please, Mr. Davenport is ready to interview you." I followed her swaying hips encased in a too-tight bright pink skirt. I had noted how her lipstick matched the shade of the skirt and her heels were black, shiny and very high, despite which, she barely reached my shoulders.

Suddenly I felt decidedly underdressed and overly tall. Let's not even mention my lack of curves. I had borrowed a long black skirt from Emma and wore a black crew neck sweater that had bobbles with age. I wore low heeled shoes, no jewelry and no makeup. Perhaps I should have made more of an effort. Ok, the shoes were my mum's, black, flat and very much unglamorous so I certainly felt out of my league with Miss Pneumatic's tight clothing setting the standard. In fact, if I were honest with myself, I was dressed for a funeral not an interview. I consoled myself by noticing how short she was. If I took her shoes away she would be struggling to reach over five foot.

Julian's office was large and he was busy at his PC when we entered. "Can I get you a coffee?" Ms. Pneumatic asked me. Why did I get the feeling she didn't really want to fetch me a coffee? I declined. "Julian?" she asked. He also declined with a shake of his head his eyes fixed on his screen. She pursed her lips, I suspect more to do with the fact he didn't glance at her than his refusal at her coffee fetching skills and left shutting the door none too quietly behind her.

"Give me a minute," he said. That was fine with me. It gave me a chance to look around the room. There were Kanga and Koala merchandise scattered around the office and it amused me to think of serious Julian wearing a baseball cap with Koala ears. He was wearing a black suit today. His shiny, straight golden hair combed back neatly. A pale pink shirt with expensive looking cufflinks was peeking out of his suit. I did have to admit, despite the fact that my preference was for dark hair and a more muscly physique, that he did raise the speed of my heart beat. A girl would definitely have to be dead in the sex department not to be attracted to Julian.

"So, here we are," he opened. He turned to me and inspected me from head to foot. He frowned slightly. What? What had I done? Not even opened my mouth yet. "Did you read up on the file?" he asked.