MRS. WAGSTAFF: THE WICKED WIDOW OF WAVERLY WAY

Chapter Twelve

Two hours later, Jane and Mr. Wagstaff, happily exhausted, showered together in the private bath adjacent to his office. Although Mr. Wagstaff offered to buy her dinner, Jane politely declined, preferring to get home and to bed as soon as possible so she would be bright and alert the next morning, when Miss Bottomly would begin her training period.

The next morning, at 9 a.m. sharp, Jane was in the personnel office at Wagstaff Industries signing a contract delineating her duties and her compensation. The pay package was unbelievably generous. As soon as the niceties were accomplished, Ms. Bottomly immediately began to train Jane for her new position. There was no discussion about how or why she had been chosen.

"I believe the best way for you to learn this job, Miss Marlow," said Ms. Bottomly, "is to shadow me as I go about my duties. As I will be officially leaving in two weeks, you will have a lot to learn in a very short period of time." Jane listened politely and immediately attached herself to the woman. She observed Barbara Bottomly's daily routine as well as her manner. She attempted to simulate the executive secretary's demeanor with company employees both in person and on the telephone. She noticed that Ms. Bottomly was genuinely pleasant and seemed to enjoy interacting with everyone. She was protective of Mr. Wagstaff but was never curt nor rude. Jane determined to emulate the executive secretary in all of her ways­­--at least those behaviors that she was able to observe. Within a few days, Jane had mastered Ms. Bottomly's daily chores and was able to substitute for her mentor for short and then longer periods of time. Ms. Bottomly encouraged these substitutions which allowed her ample time to prepare for her upcoming cruise, and with each of Ms. Bottomly's outings, Jane felt more and more comfortable manning the executive secretary's desk. In all of their discussions about the business, there had never been any discussion of Mr. Wagstaff's unusual proclivities or attributes or what degree Ms. Bottomly was aware of such.

At the end of the first week, Jane felt capable of taking over her new position. She was even contemplating suggesting to Barbara (they were now on a first name basis at Barbara's insistence), that she feel free to leave her desk on a permanent basis to prepare for her upcoming around the world journey.

"Oh, my dear," replied Barbara, when Jane made this suggestion, "I'm not quite ready to depart just yet. There are actually a few more duties that I must take care of before I leave. Mr. Wagstaff would never forgive me if I left any of your training to chance, so I must see to some things personally."

Jane wondered just what personal "duties" her new mentor and friend was referring to. She soon discovered what they were when Barbara sent her for an appointment at an exclusive beauty salon (one so exclusive that it did not even advertise). Barbara had her delivered to the exclusive salon in one of Wagstaff Industries' limousines.

The salon was not large, which was not unusual as the clientele was select and small. At this early time of day, Jane appeared to be the only patron in the establishment. When the Wagstaff chauffeur escorted her into the beautiful spa, an entourage of staff members descended upon her and led her immediately to a private room. The lighting was dim, soft music played, and the enticing odor of an exotic fragrance wafted gently through the air on a mysterious breeze. A young woman dressed in a soft blue uniform, helped her undress and put on a delicate silk smock that tied in the front as her only clothing. Soon, a man in a suit arrived and greeted her warmly.

"Ms. Marlow," he said, as his eyes surveyed her up and down. "Ms. Bottomly tells us that you are Mr. Wagstaff's new executive assistant. Congratulations, my dear! Quite a coup! Of course, with this position, you will need a new look. New clothes. A new hairdo and make-up. Mr. Sylvester will see to it all."