Synopsis

After knocking her boss over and rudely ignoring his plight, arrogant Loraine is given a choice, spend a month as an office cleaner or lose her job as an executive.

Downgraded

by obohobo

Warnings

Please take note!

The text in this story contains erotic material and is expressly written for adults only.

MF

If you are underage or offended by such material, or if viewing this file is illegal in your locality, then leave, close or delete this file-story now.

This is a work of fiction, any resemblance to persons living, dead or otherwise is purely coincidental. The ideas and thoughts that follow are pure fantasies. In real life, at the very least they would be unpleasant and probably illegal. Fantasies are like that; daydreams where we can contemplate and imagine the sensations without suffering or inflicting the pain, despair or humiliation.

© obohobo 2010

WHAM! The force of the impact on the small of his back sent Tom sprawling and landing heavily on the floor.

The young woman carrying several box files and a laptop against her chest, dashed around the corner without noticing him waiting for his colleagues, forcefully bumped into him, catching him off-balance and causing the accident. She paused momentarily to comment, “Haven’t you anything better to do than stand about blocking the passageway?” Moving quickly to one side and inadvertently stepping on Tom’s spectacles, breaking the frames and popping the lenses, she hurried on. Janice, Tom’s PA and secretary quickly knelt by his side and enquired, “Are you okay Tom?” then seeing him fumble for his glasses, she added, “They’re broken but I’ll get the pieces. That bitch ought to be locked up. I don’t know why you put up with her nonsense when she’s your junior.”

By then his three male colleagues arrived and added their comments as to what should be done with Ms. Lorraine Feldman, the project acquisitions manager, as she liked to call herself, whereas in reality, she only sourced the materials, did the estimates and budgets. Noticing Tom having difficulty in putting any weight on his right hand, Janice asked Len, the workshop foreman to help him. His right wrist had already swollen tightly into his shirt cuff and when she unbuttoned the sleeve, she ordered, “I’m taking you to the nurse to have this looked at. No arguments. The copier should have finished your notes and Len can take them to the meeting. You won’t be able to read them without your glasses any way.”

“The CEO expects…”

“He’ll expect an efficient personal assistant to take care of her boss. The others can explain what happened.”

Kathy, the works nurse, examined his wrist and his back and commented on the bruise forming there. “She hit you mighty hard Tom and I guess you’ll have a sore back for a few days at least. I think your wrist is only sprained but you’d better get it X-rayed in case there is a break. If there is, the sooner it is treated and set the better. I’ll do a quick letter for the hospital doctor. Will you take him Jan?”

On returning to their office to pick up her car keys, Tom wondered how he’d get home, or more especially how he would get his car home. “I’ll ask if one of the car-poolers will drive it home for you, I’ll email them.”

<Help please. We need someone to drive Tom Byers’ car to his home tonight. Ms. Feldman knocked him down and broke his glasses. He lives on the Kimberly side of town. If you are able to offer assistance, please contact me, we hope to be back from the hospital before work finishes>

She grinned because she knew there would be much speculation over the phrases, ‘Ms. Feldman knocked him down and broke his glasses’ and ‘we hope to be back from the hospital before work finishes’, when all the computers on the intranet received the message. Almost immediately and before she’d helped Tom on with his coat and picked up the items he’d need for the weekend, a reply came from one of the engineers in the architect department and they gave the keys to him before leaving.

Nurse Kathy’s diagnosis proved correct and the hospital wrapped it with a crepe bandage and put sling around his neck to keep it raised. “You’ll need to rest it until the swelling goes down and it may take a week or more before you can use it. Your back problem is twofold, there is the bruising from the impact and you pulled the surrounding muscles when you fell and they are already stiffening up. You’re a big man Tom and when you fell, you fell awkwardly and did more damage to your body than if you were a younger and lighter man. If there is anyone at home, get them to massage your back with a warm oil. Ask at the pharmacy, there’s a number of brands but it is the rubbing that does the most good, despite what it says on the box.”

Tom’s car sat on his driveway when they arrived and the keys were posted through the letterbox; the hospital visit and calling at the chemist’s took longer than they anticipated. By then Tom’s wrist throbbed and his back sent stabs of pain to his brain with every movement.

“Let’s get you undressed now and ready for your massage.” They’d been in for an hour and she’d made tea, fixed them something to eat and answered his answerphone calls, like she did at work. Nearly all were from co-workers enquiring of his health but Alec Briggs, the CEO phoned wanting to know what happened and then indicated he’d investigate the matter further on Monday and decide what, if anything, to do about Loraine.

“Okay Tom, I’m putting the phone back on answerphone and we can go into the bedroom and get your kit off ready for a massage without interruption.” Finding a large towel in the bathroom, Jan covered the bed and helped him off with his clothes, pausing when only Tom’s underpants remained. Knowing that strictly speaking she didn’t need to remove them but her eyes saw the bulge in the front and with a sharp jerk, pulled the pants down to his ankles and off. She grinned and commented, “I haven’t seen one of those in that state since Ken left me six years ago.”

“And it’s not felt the inside of a woman since Cleo died several years before that.”

“At least it still works… and maybe it will need a massage too later,” Jan added giggling like a teenager.

Tom smiled. Secretly he’d admired the unpretentious woman since she began working for him ten years ago but didn’t wish to spoil a working relationship and at the time, Cleo still lived and Jan had a husband. Even when they both became ‘free’ of partners it took him a long while to get over Cleo’s death and now being alone had become a way of life, although more frequently he thought of having a woman’s companionship again, but at 45 years old, balding and less active than in his earlier years, he’d resigned himself to not finding anyone and not even looking. Occasionally his thoughts turned to Jan but then he told himself, “Jan is my secretary and a good one too, and I don’t wish to alter that by making her a prospective wife.”

When she asked him to lie on the bed and stood where he could see her at the bathroom sink to warm the oil, he looked at her in a new light. “At almost 40, she’s still an attractive woman, not as skinny as Cleo, a little shorter but she’s not fat, and I like her brown hair that curls under at the ends. Sets off her round face nicely. Although I’ve never seen her tits, she’s certainly well endowed. I wonder if she’s serious about massaging my prick? I can feel that it’s hard at the thought. Maybe even want more except that with this bloody back pain and the aching of my wrist, I won’t be able to do much. The painkillers the hospital prescribed haven’t eased the pain much, at least not when I try to move. She’ll go home later and I’ll have to fend for myself until Monday unless…”

His mind returned to the present when Janice came back still giggling and exclaimed, “After all these years I get to see my boss naked and rub his bum!”

“Do I get to return the favour?” Tom teased as she climbed on the bed, straddled his legs and poured a little oil on his spine.

“Oh, I don’t know about that, I’ve nothing that needs a massage and a girl has to protect her innocence,” she laughed and spent nearly twenty minutes rubbing the oil into the bruised area of his back.

“Are you going to do the front as well?”

“Not at the moment Tom, maybe when I rub your back again before I put you to bed. I ought to pop home and see to the cat and do a few chores but I’ll check on you again soon. If you just put a dressing gown on you can watch TV for an hour, I shouldn’t be that long.”

Well over the hour later Tom heard her let herself in and go back to the car several times before coming into the lounge carrying her cat. “Hope you don’t mind but I’ve brought ‘Tibbs’ to save me going back and forth to feed him and he doesn’t like being left on his own. I’ve put his basket and litter tray in the utility room so it’s out of the way and, with the boiler in there, it’s warm so he should be comfortable. How are you doing?”

“Getting stiff again.”

“Front or back?” Jan found herself recalling the banter she’d had with her husband when they’d first married.

“Just the back at the moment, nothing to cause the front to stiffen since you’ve been gone.”

They spent the evening watching TV and intermittently discussing what Alec might do and Loraine’s future. Both agreed something needed to be done to curb her arrogance but their views were diametrically opposed. Janice believed she should be sacked because she’d upset everyone in their department; Tom had reservations and wanted to keep her expertise but agreed that a considerable amount of pressure would be needed to keep her tongue under control.

“I think I’m going to lie down, Jan, my back is beginning to play up again. The bed in the guestroom is made up or…” The nine o’clock news had ended so for Tom this would be an early bedtime. He hoped Jan would offer to massage him again and even sleep with him but didn’t wish to force her. He didn’t need to.

“Or I could rub your back again, then have a shower to get rid of the oil and I could sleep in your bed to save messing up another one.” Tom nodded to his bandaged hand. “No problem,” Jan still in teenager mood, smiled, “I’ll put a plastic bag over that but I expect you can hold it out of the spray while I wash you.”

Like earlier, Tom prick rose during her massaging ministrations although she didn’t touch it or even see it. “Lie there for a few minutes while I find some hangers to put my clothes on. Are you going to be a gentleman and look the other way while I undress?” Dutifully turned his head. “Silly man, I was only teasing you. I won’t be doing an erotic strip tease to music but I saw you undress so you can see me too.”

“You realise this will alter our relationship for ever Jan?”

“Yes, I’ve wanted to alter it for a long while but didn’t dare in case it all went wrong. I’m sure we can behave normally at work but for this weekend, I want to remember what it is like to live with a man again. I just hope that my aging body doesn’t offend you.” It didn’t and as soon as she’d removed the last item, her knickers, he carefully and a painfully, stood for a few moments before pulling her close and bending slightly, kissed her fully on the lips.

Their cuddling and kissing continued in the shower, he fondling her breasts and she massaging his prick. Unfortunately Tom had to call a halt before it spurted because of the back pain from standing too long. “Sorry,” he apologised disappointedly.

“Don’t worry, Ken taught me what to do although its been many years, I doubt I will have forgotten. Sit on the stool and let me dry you and get you to bed and then I’ll give you what he called a blowjob.” For Tom, having a woman suck his prick was a first. Cleo hadn’t wished to even kiss it but Jan took as much of his six inches in her mouth as she could and vigorously worked her hand on his shaft until he couldn’t hold back any longer and he warned her of his imminent emission. Jan ignored it and continued sucking even after his spurting ceased and Tom lay satisfied. “Yes,” he thought, “Our relationship has certainly changed, and for the better too. Thank you Loraine for unknowingly bringing it about, I can take the pain you caused for this.”

*****

Lorraine, sitting unhappily in her nicely furnished two bedroomed flat, reflected disconsolately on the day’s events. “If only Tom Byers hadn’t been standing doing nothing and half hidden by the corner of the corridor, I would still be in favour with our CEO. Now it’s quite likely that I’ll be sacked. I’d so wanted to get to the meeting early and have a few words with him, and I did, but they were all nullified when the men from the engineering department came in without Tom and told him how I’d blundered into him and knocked him to the floor and trod on his glasses. I didn’t know then that I’d done that. They made a big deal out of the fact that I didn’t stop to apologise or see if I’d hurt him. Even Alec frowned at that. When they said his secretary had taken him to see the works nurse, I assumed it was a routine health and safety thing, but later we found out that she’d sent him to the hospital. Only then did I begin to realise the effect it might have on my life.”

Alec Briggs certainly wasn’t pleased when the engineering team foremen turned up late without their boss and then found Lorraine had caused his accident and, not only didn’t stop to apologise her senior partner in the project, but had remarked, “Haven’t you anything better to do than stand about blocking the passageway?” “Find out from the nurse how he is Daphne,” he brusquely ordered his secretary.

“Sir, I suggest we wait a while for the nurse to examine him, he will only have arrived a few minutes ago and it will be better if I send a girl to find out a little later, Sir.”

Alec continued with the meeting and after about twenty minutes Daphne quietly left the room, returning when she’d instructed one of the office girls. A further ten minutes went by during which Loraine stumbled through her report knowing that everyone in the room now thought ill of her and probably were paying scant attention to her words. Daphne answered A the soft tap on the door that Daphne answered and returned with a note that she handed to her boss. “I’ve asked the girl, Susan, to wait Sir, in case you wanted more explanation as the note is rather terse,” she whispered.

“Fetch her in please.”

“The nurse said Mr. Byers has almost certainly sprained his right wrist but some bones might be broken so she’s sending him to the hospital for X-rays to check. His back is badly bruised and she thinks he may have pulled his back muscles and again she wanted a doctor to check him as she doesn’t have the equipment here and it is beyond the scope of her knowledge as a nurse,” Susan explained.

Alec thanked her and thought for a moment. “There’ll need to be an accident investigation obviously in case of any litigation. Susan, please go the Human Resources and ask Helen Mathews to start the investigation. She’ll know what to do. Tell her what you told us and she can start by interviewing nurse Kathy and by then this meeting will be over and she can talk to the staff here.” When she’d left, Alec turned to the group and looking directly at Loraine, went on, “I trust you’ll all give Helen your full co-operation.”

The staff left but Loraine waited to have a word with the CEO. “I’m sorry Sir, it was an accident and I didn’t believe I’d really hurt him and I didn’t see his glasses. I should have stopped Sir, but I didn’t wish to be late…” but the CEO dismissed her, indicating she could explain it all to the investigator.

“The bitch! That Janice bitch!” Loraine screamed at the computer, “That’s why everyone in the whole office block knows and the bitch has made it sound like I punched him and jumped on his bloody glasses. It won’t do much good if the report clears me; all the stories will by then have become so exaggerated that no one will believe it. I’m as good as sacked. How will I keep up the payments on my flat without a job? Without a job that pays as well as this? The others don’t like me because I’m efficient and get on with the work without standing around yakking and being concerned about their kids and what they saw on TV last night.” Depressed, she left early but not before Helen had interrogated her. “Yes, interrogated is the right word,” she muttered afterwards, “She only needed a whip and thumbscrews and she would make it to the ranks of the Gestapo.” Actually Helen had only questioned her closely not only on what happened but on the reasons for not stopping and apologising and in the end believed that the initial knocking down of Tom Byers was an accident and that she didn’t see or feel his glasses when she trod on them. “With the files I held, I couldn’t even see the floor,” Loraine explained. Helen tried not to show her distaste for Loraine’s actions.

*****

“Good morning Helen, sorry I didn’t get back to you yesterday evening but I put the phone on the answering machine to give Tom some much needed rest. I want to take him to the opticians this morning to see if they can put the lenses in new frames because he sees better with them than the spare pair he’s using at the moment. If you could come round now, that would be convenient but otherwise it would have to be this evening or maybe late this afternoon.”

Helen watched as Tom walked slowly down the stairs, one step at a time and trying not to wince as his weight transferred to each foot in turn. “Morning Tom,” she greeted him, “How are you this morning, not great by the look of things.”

“Well I think I may have to put off doing the marathon for a few days,” Tom tried to joke without much success.

“We’ll make this a working breakfast,” Janice interrupted, “I’ve done bacon and eggs and toast, there wasn’t much else in the fridge. Sit yourself down Helen, I’ll pour the tea in a moment. You okay in that chair Tom?” Janice fussed over Tom and cut his breakfast into fork size pieces and buttered his toast.

Helen smiled to herself, “They’ve been together for one night and now she’s acting like a wife of many years,” but out loud she explained what happened in the meeting and her role as investigator. After the inevitable questions, she pushed her plate to one side and, took out her note pad and asked for their version of the incident, which she found pretty much agreed with all the other witnesses. “Two things Tom. You said the doctor gave you a certificate for a fortnight off work, will you be staying away for those two weeks?”

“Not unless this one decides I’m not fit enough and refuses to drive me to work, but I’ll really only be able to give advice and not do anything much. I can’t even hold a pencil in my right hand at the moment but with construction on the project due to start in two weeks and many details to finalise, I feel I have to be there.”

“I’ll make sure he doesn’t overdo it and have more time off later,” Janice cut in.

“Okay, I’m sure Alec will be relieved to hear that. Second thing, would you object to my photographing your injuries? Purely for the record, you understand.” Tom didn’t mind and Helen once more noticed the closeness of the pair when Janice undid his belt, lifted up his shirt and pulled the top of his trousers down to reveal the full extent of the bruising.

“We’re hoping that as the day goes on and he moves about a bit, some of the stiffness from the pulled muscles will go but maybe I’ll have to put him in one of those wheelchairs when we go to the supermarket,” Jan commented as she fastened his trousers again and then removed the bandage from his swollen wrist.

Loraine phoned while they were out and left an apology and pleaded with him not to sack her. “It really was an accident Tom, I didn’t see you or your glasses and thought you’d just get up again. I’m sorry I didn’t stop and check on you but … No I don’t have any excuse for that. Please put in a good word for me with Alec, you know I’ve done a lot of good work. Please Tom,” she pleaded tearfully.

“We’re not going to argue over the rights and wrongs of keeping her tonight, Tom. You can do that with Alec on Monday. How about I make us a drink and you take your painkillers? Would you like another back rub and an early night? They seem to be doing a little good as you came down the stairs better than you did first thing this morning.”

“Only if I get a front rub too,” Tom teased.

When Tom woke on Sunday morning and saw Jan awake, feeling better he rolled over to kiss her but his body told him sharp movements were out, especially when Tibbs lay on the duvet at his feet and held it down. While they kissed, Tom’s left hand caressed her tits causing her to giggle and the cat to jump to the floor in protest at the movements under the covers. “Would you like another massage down there, or a blowjob?” Jan asked.

“Yes, but you seem to be the one doing all the giving and not getting the pleasure. Let me massage your clitty for a bit.”

“We could try sixty-nining if I don’t put any weight on you.”

“You amaze me Jan, Cleo never allowed me to do more than rub her mound to get her wet enough for entry, Ken and you must have had a very different sex life.”

“Oh we did in the early years until our careers took more time and life became routine and he found another younger woman. Perhaps if we’d continued to make love in a variety of ways, we’d still be together. I hope I won’t make the same mistake again.”

“Got anyone in mind?”

Jan gave his prick a hard squeeze, “Maybe.”

With a minor earth tremor shaking the bedclothes, Jan positioned her cunt close to his mouth and with her tits barely touching his stomach, lowered her head on his prick and began sucking and massaging his shaft. In return Tom felt obliged to tongue her slit and suckle her clit until, sometime later, they’d both climaxed and again rested side-by-side.

*****

They didn’t have to wait until Monday to see Alec. Helen phoned him at home the previous evening and gave an outline of her report including the information that Jan and Tom were ‘shacked up together like they’d been married for years’. He arrived unannounced about ten a.m. and found them dressed in loose track suits clearing away the breakfast things. “Morning Alec, come in please. Sorry about our dress but I’d I’ve been oiling Tom’s back and didn’t want to put good clothes on until later,” Jan greeted him when she answered the door.

After discussing Tom’s health and the accident, they came to the thorny question of what to do about Loraine. “I don’t want her sacked, Alec, although Jan does,” Tom stated, “The accident was an accident but I agree, most people would have stopped and enquired of my well being and apologised. Some of her behaviour is a result of my not being a forceful enough boss and curbing her earlier on, but that is part of my nature and usually I get things done without bullying. I’ve always let women lead me around, from my mother, to Cleo and my secretary,” he smiled at Jan, “But their control of me was, and is, generally for my benefit. Not so with Loraine, she wants to be the big boss and control everything to suit her and woe betide anyone who gets in her way. She did so well at university and I suspect her bossiness and determination, got her to the top positions in her classes and on the strength of that we employed her, and at her work, she’s extremely good. The problem is that she’s never really been the underdog and had to take orders from others. I don’t know how we can achieve this but if, when things quieten down and the building project gets underway, she can be put in a lower position for a few weeks, maybe she’ll realise what it is like to take orders without question and that others, even the most lowly workers, have feelings.”

For a while they discussed the issues without Alec coming to decision other than to keep her on until the design work ended and the construction began. “After that we have a month or so before the site surveys are complete for the next project so we’ll have time to either re-train her or find another project manager,” Alec stated before taking his leave, “I’ll worry over what to do for the rest of the day now! I had thought to give her a fortnight’s notice but you’ve changed my mind at least partway.”

*****

“Come in Trevor, don’t look so worried, I know it is not usual for the Maintenance Supervisor to be invited to this office but your job isn’t at risk,” Alec greeted the man. “I’m sure you remember the accident Loraine Feldman caused a week ago and heard the blown up accounts of what happened.” Trevor nodded. “Now what I am about to ask you must remain highly confidential for the time being otherwise your job will be at risk. If you agree to take her on, I am going to offer her a position as a cleaning lady on your staff for a period of one month. I think she will be forced to accept that in order to keep her job here but for that month she is to be just another cleaning lady under your control. Would you accept her as a temporary member of your crew?” Trevor had no option but to agree. “Is there someone you could team her up with that won’t accept any bullshit from her, someone who will make her clean the toilets or whatever they do?”

Trevor broke out into a huge grin, “Big Bertha.” Alec looked at him questioningly. “She’s a big, black woman, a friendly soul when you get to know her but she doesn’t take any nonsense from anyone including me. I’ll have to let her in on it too, but I doubt if there will be a problem and she may well like having a young white chick under her thumb. She works on the architect’s floor too and has met the girl and complained about her when she’s stayed late in the office.”

*****

“I can’t believe you suggested that Sir! I’ve an honours degree and you’re asking me to accept a position as a cleaner working under a black woman who is probably illiterate. No way, Sir, not even for a week and certainly not for a month and with only the possibility of getting my job back at the end of it.”

“I explained the alternative Loraine,” Alec grimaced, knowing this interview wasn’t going to be easy.

“I presume Tom Byers suggested this to get back at me.”

“He came up with the idea but the placement came from me. I would point out though, Tom was the only one in the department willing to give you a chance, and everyone else wanted you sacked. That’s how popular you are. I too wanted you out, but decided to go with Tom’s idea. Now it’s up to you. Take the opportunity to learn how to work with others instead of treating them as lesser beings or find another position. Think it over and let me know in the morning.”

*****

“Hi Lorr-ee, I’m Bertha.”

“It’s Loraine.”

“Not with us Dearie, and you’re one of us now. We don’t keep no fancy names, isn’t that right ladies?” All the others in the maintenance staff locker room shouted comments and emphasised ‘Lorr-ee’ with their voices rising to a high pitch on the last syllable.

“Okay Ladies, time to get going. Bertha have you got Loraine, Lorr-ee, organised with overalls and gloves?” Trevor asked when came into the room, “Is she awake at this time in the morning?”

“Mopping out the men’s bogs will soon wake her up Trev.” In truth, although normally asleep at six a.m., in her trepidation at her month long ordeal as a cleaner, she’d been awake for two hours worrying how the uncouth, as she saw them, ladies would treat her. “Come along now Dearie, we have two floors to clean, four and five. I did five on Friday evening with Maisie so we’ve Four to do before they come into work this morning and you know how they complain if things aren’t ready for them.” Bertha chatted as they made their way to floor four and continued like a mother showing a child to do so while they worked.

Slowly Loraine realised that Bertha didn’t hate her and was trying to be helpful. She also knew that normally Bertha did the floor with another woman who she’d displaced for the month. They cleaned the toilets first. “They’re fairly easy,” Bertha informed her, “Two cleaners are on duty all day to go round and keep the toilets and washrooms on the first five floors clean. Now we’ll do the offices.”

Loraine wondered, “Did Alec intentionally select the architects Floor Four for me, knowing my office is there?” but from what she’d heard, that seemed unlikely. Bertha used her passkey to open the main office where everything had been left tidy. Without referring to the occupants by name, Bertha prattled on, “This office is one of the easy ones. Empty the bins, go round with a duster, vacuum the floor and the job is done. No need to tidy anything or straighten the furniture.” As they came into each of the rooms, Bertha commented and joked on the way things were left and the amount of work needed. Despite herself, Lorraine began to like, or at least not to dislike her companion. They came to her office, still as she’d left it on Friday. She’d hoped for a last minute reprieve from Alec and when none came, stomped out after shutting her computer down.

“The woman in this office is an untidy bitch,” Bertha smiled broadly, “Hardly any of her rubbish actually goes in the bin so we have to pick up the paper from the floor around it before we start and leave the desk alone. Don’t tidy the piles of paper otherwise she complains that she cannot find anything or we’ve hidden something important. Then there’s all the bits she leaves on the windowsill that have to be moved and dusted.” Feeling angry at the comments her first reaction to swear at the woman failed to materialise and she felt a little ashamed at the extra work she caused and having seen how others left their offices, she muttered an apology. “Not to worry Lorr-ee, that’s what we’re paid to do. Us lowlife cleaners are just here to clear up the mess made by others.” The remark fleetingly made Loraine even more sorry and then she thought, “Yes, that’s what they are here for. Why shouldn’t I make a mess? I’m not really one of them and won’t be in another four weeks,” but then remembered that her return to the architects’ offices was conditional on good reports of her behaviour. Only on Friday afternoon Alec called into her office and said, “The month you are with the cleaning staff is a sort of probationary period and I will expect good reports from Trevor and Bertha on your behaviour and by that I mean, mucking in with them and working without surliness and bitching.” “Well if I keep quiet they can’t accuse me of that but I think he wanted more when he said about mucking in with them.”

“Cheer up Lorr-ee, you may not even want to get back in here after you’ve been with us,” Bertha teased.

“Yeah, right,” Loraine thought but kept quiet.

Over the course of the next two days, some of her sullenness disappeared and Loraine began returning some of Bertha’s banter and the other ladies began to accept her. She didn’t like the hours of work, 6:00 a.m. to 8:30 and then 4:30 to 7:00 p.m. although most of the day was free and the hours were fixed. No staying late like she’d done many times in the past and for the most part, the hours kept her away from her former colleagues.

On the Wednesday morning shift she met Len, the workshop foreman and he’d treated her normally. Perhaps they’d been instructed to. Bertha and she were cleaning the men’s toilets when he came in. Bertha polished the mirrors while Loraine cleaned the washbasins. “Morning Ladies,” he greeted them, “I won’t disturb you,” and went to a cubicle to pee. On returning to the sinks he asked, “Which ones haven’t been done?” before he washed his hands. His consideration for the cleaning staff caused Lorraine to reconsider her own attutitude.

On Thursday Trevor told them, “Leave Tomorrow, leave floor five until Monday morning Bertha, home improvements have an after work meeting on there and won’t want to be disturbed.” Normally they did floor five in the evenings and floor four in the morning but the change of routine made little difference, except that when she came to ‘her’ office, Loraine noticed it had been used. The papers on the desk were tidy and the computer warm. “Has Alec already decided to replace me?” she thought, then countered her own argument, “No, the department just needed some of the information I had filed.” Nevertheless, a few tears ran down her face and added to the depression she’d felt all day, at home and at work, at the thought of a further three weeks of cleaning toilets and vacuuming floors.

Friday came and the end of the first week; it proved a watershed day for Loraine. Being intelligent, she picked up the daily routine very quickly and after a few days, the tasks appeared mindless and boring. Bertha continued to chat in her cheerful way and chided her when a task wasn’t completed to her satisfaction but Loraine remembered to take it without complaining.

“Cheer up Lorr-ee, only another three weeks and you’ll be back in here. It’s Friday, POETS day.” Loraine just looked up and Bertha went on, Piss Off Early, Tomorrow’s Saturday day, except of course us cleaners don’t get off any earlier but usually some of us go to the pub and have a few drinks after work. Come with us and cheer yourself up. We only stay for about an hour and then go home to our folks. You walk to work and I’m a designated driver this week so I can take you and Liz, Jaz and Fred (Frieda) will come too as they live on my side of town.” After more persuasion Loraine agreed.

The five ladies packed into the car and Bertha drove to “The Brass Monkey” a pub away from the main thoroughfare. “Drinks are much cheaper here than in the town centre, and there’s a good atmosphere.” Another car load of cleaner ladies had already arrived and the girls pushed two tables together and crowded round them. “Jock,” Bertha introduced the barman and went on, “This is Lorr-ee, one of the hobnobs from the offices, who is slumming it with us for a month and needs cheering up.”

“I’m sure you’ll do that. The usual, ladies? What’ll you have Lorr-ee?”

They spent a convivial hour or so during which Loraine tried to drown her feelings with vodka and lime but actually began to enjoy the company and reluctantly left with the others. “I usually go to the chippie on Fridays and take them home to eat with my son Kevin and have a glass or two of wine, fancy joining us Lorr-ee?” Again Bertha had to persuade her but in the end Loraine agreed provided she could pay for the fish and chips. She knew she earned far more than Bertha and hadn’t paid for any of the drinks in the pub. “I’ll have to next week if I go,” she told herself.

“This hulk is my son Kevin,” Bertha introduced the twenty year old, “He works at the docks and earns far more than me,” she went on. While Loraine hadn’t thought much about black men before, she couldn’t help but admire his physique and she shook his hand in greeting. Slightly flustered, she turned to helping Bertha set the table while the dinner re-heated in the oven.

A two-litre bottle of homemade wine appeared from under the sink unit and this helped the conversation to flow while they ate and watched the TV afterwards. “That wine is mighty strong Bertha, I feel quite woozy after only three glasses.”

“Me too. I’d better not drive tonight but you can share my bed. No problem.”

“Or mine,” Kevin cut in.

“So you’ve a choice of two bed partners Lorr-ee. Which is it to be?”

“I can get a taxi home...” The warmth of the welcome, the wine and the company all combined and for the first time in her life she felt that she was amongst friends and she didn’t really want to leave and spend the night with her depressing thoughts. After a short while she answered, “I don’t think I’m ready for a man yet.”

“I’ll just have to go out and see if I can find a girl that is,” Kevin laughed and dressed to go out.

After another glass of wine, Bertha announced that she intended to shower and go to bed. “If you need a shower Lorr-ee, you’d better come too as there’s only enough hot water for one at a time and it takes a while for the water to heat up again.” Undoubtedly the wine freed her inhibitions because she allowed Bertha to lead her into the bathroom where they both undressed and for the first time Loraine saw the enormous naked body of her partner and Bertha could admire the slender white form of hers. She enfolded the girl to her bosom and enveloped Loraine in her huge sagging breasts. “I guess you haven’t seen a pair of black momma’s tits like these.” Bertha hefted her breasts and offered the nipples to Loraine’s lips. At first she turned her head but then turned back and gently sucked. Suddenly, revulsion came over her but just as suddenly left and she tasted the other nipple. Slowly and with much giggling they washed each other and played with each other sexually until the hot water ran out.

In bed Bertha cradled Loraine like a baby until they fell into a wine induced sleep. Slowly Loraine opened her eyes and moaned slightly from the sensations in her groin as Bertha’s fingers caressed her clit and worked their way into her cunt. Turning to face her bed companion she, once again, found a large nipple in her face and without hesitation now, sucked on it. “Play with me down there, Lorr-ee like I’m doing with you. I’m feeling real horny this morning,” Bertha whispered. Still somewhat under the influence of the previous night’s events, Loraine put aside her normal reluctance and rubbed her hand through the massive black bush and inserted two fingers into the sopping wet cunt. Bertha cried out her orgasm and Loraine teetered on the verge when a noise disturbed them.

“Morning Ma, Lorr-ee, I brought you mugs of tea and some aspirins.” Kevin stood by the bed wearing only his boxer shorts and they bulged out at the front. Loraine tried to pull the duvet to cover her chest but when Bertha sat up and blatantly showed her tits, there wasn’t enough material and she tried to use her arms. Kevin laughed and teased them about being a pair of opposites.

“How you get on last night?” Bertha asked him, “I didn’t hear you come in.”.

“No luck, so if you would like an hour in my bed Lorr-ee, I’m still loaded.” In front of his mother and to Loraine’s chagrin, he rubbed his prick so the outline showed clearly through his shorts.

“Go on Lorr-ee,” Bertha urged pushing the duvet to one side and giving Kevin a clear view of her body, “Live a little. You may not get the chance to experience a black man’s prick again. He’s got condoms in his room if that’s what your worried about.” In actual fact it was more the size of his prick that worried her and yet, after sleeping naked with Bertha and the morning’s sexual play, she felt strangely excited. Bertha gave her another push, “Go on Kevin, she really wants it but be gentle because I want her at work on Monday.”

Feebly protesting and making a token struggle, Loraine allowed Kevin to carry her to his bed and then stared wide-eyed when he pushed his shorts down and revealed his hard black prick. “Oh my God, I can’t take that,” she pleaded.

“That’s what they all say,” Kevin smiled, “But it goes in and then they don’t want it to come out. Let’s see if you’re wet enough.” Her juices still flowed and after a few minutes rubbing her clit Kevin deemed her wet enough, her protests faded and her hormones screamed for satisfaction. Kevin’s prick stood hard and ready and at his insistence, she pulled her legs back so that she could see his prick enter and gradually force its way in. Her whimpering told him that she felt some of the discomfort and from being well and truly filled, but no real pain, and now he intended to fuck her like she’d never been fucked before. Slowly but with increasing speed he thrust into her with long hard strokes until her whimpers turned to little squeals of pleasure. All to soon for either of them, he came and filled her womb with his sperm, but didn’t withdraw and only softened slightly. “I can often do it twice when I get a tight cunt gripping it,” he whispered, “Especially when it’s in a tight white cunt like yours.”

“I’m sore...”

“Doesn’t matter, you’re going to be fucked again and it will take me longer next time. You’re mine to fuck and I’m certainly going to do that.” He squeezed her tits and then kissed her fully on the mouth and forced his tongue in.

Loraine felt the prick inside her stiffening before the thrusts started again. The soreness gave way to pleasure and unable to help herself, she lowered her feet on to his shoulders and tentatively thrust back. “Oh yes, yes, fuck me Kev, fuck me.” As predicted, he took far longer before he shot his second load inside her.

“You know what white girls have to do with a black prick now Lorr-ee?” She shook her head, no, although she suspected what came next from the videos she’d seen. “You open your little mouth and suck and lick it.” Only by further squeezing her tits did Kevin finally get her to do that and then she only did a superficial job.

“I brought your tea in Lorr-ee but it’s getting cold now. I’ll make another cup if you like and have breakfast ready in ten minutes.”

“You watched us Bertha!” In a way that seemed more humiliating than having sex with her son.

*****

“Get over the guilt Lorr-ee,” Bertha told her as they drove in near silence, “You enjoyed what happened and maybe it won’t happen again, but at least you experienced the pleasure with Kevin and with me. We may well be beneath what you consider your status in life but you’re slumming it for a while and it is as well that you experience our life at home as well as at work. We are humans too and love and hate like you do, although maybe we love a lot more.”

Alone at home, Bertha’s words kept running through her mind. She knew she should be ashamed of what she did but the pleasure she received in return far outweighed the shame and she wondered if she would go to the pub with Bertha and the ladies again on Friday and perhaps spend the night with Kevin. It might give her something to look forward to during the boredom of work but in bed that night, shame and remorse over allowing herself to be used almost as a toy by a black boy, nullified the pleasure. She resolved to see if she could get her time as a cleaner shortened, partly because of the boredom of the work and partly because she didn’t know if she could face Bertha.

At 10 o’clock nervously she rang the bell to Tom’s house, Janice answered the door and invited her in. From the way the pair interacted, Loraine surmised that Janice had moved in and probably slept with Tom. “Come into the lounge Loraine,” Tom called when he saw her, “Have a seat. How are you getting on?”

“It’s me that should be asking that question of you, Tom. How’s your back and wrist? I noticed you aren’t walking normally yet and you’ve still a bandage around your wrist.”

“Both are improving and they think I be fully fit again in a couple of weeks.”

“Would you like coffee?” Janice interrupted.

“No, I won’t stop, thanks. I only came to apologise and bring the bottle of wine as a gift. It’s not much compensation for what I did to you.”

“Oh, you’ve time for a coffee, Loraine and we’d like to see how you’ve fared and thank you for what you did for us,” Janice smiled and went to start the coffee maker.

“I really did come to apologise Tom, after only a week with what a few days ago I would have termed, ‘lowly folk’, I’ve begun to have a different perspective on them and their work and others too. I let my desire to get on, over rule common decency. I hope you believe that my knocking you over was an accident and in my rush I didn’t see your glasses. I know now, I should have stopped and checked on you but, no, my thoughts were all on my getting ahead and showing myself to the boss to get into his good books. The reverse happened. I do sincerely regret my behaviour, not just because of my demotion but because of the ill feeling I caused and I learned that I’d been causing since my employment.” She continued to apologise and offered to pay for his new spectacles.

“Secondly, I want to thank you Tom, for not having me dismissed. I cannot say I’m enjoying being a cleaner, in fact only last night I hoped that meeting you and apologising might get me re-instated, but that wasn’t the point. The job itself is boring, utterly boring, same thing day after day with nothing to tax the mind. The cleaning staff are in many ways different but nonetheless interesting when you get to know them. So I plan to continue my sentence and hope that Alec will allow me to stay at the end of it. Thank you Tom, I know you had the least cause to keep me on, and yet you were the only one who spoke up for me. Thanks.”

“We have to thank you too, Loraine,” Janice came back with a tray of coffees, “Without the accident, Tom and I would still be living separate lives and it might have been years before we decided to get together. Now I’m happier than I have been for many years and I think Tom is too. Perhaps it is time for you to find someone to share your life with?”

They spent an hour discussing work and she learned that no one had taken her place in the department although they had to find some of the estimates she’d done.

Lying awake that night and pondering on Jan’s words, Loraine tried to evaluate who was available and who she might be interested in. Kevin she ruled out immediately. Good though he might be in bed, it would last only until he found a fresh white cunt to screw, and in any case, the age and mentality difference was too great. Of the few eligible males in her department, she could not think of one she’d like to go out with. Outside of work she had no friends; no boyfriend, no girlfriend. The thought depressed her, as did the thought of returning to the cleaning job early in the morning.

“Cheer up Lorr-ee, it might never happen,” Bertha greeted, “Still got a sore head from Friday, Dearie?”

Loraine answered with a shrug and prepared to get on with the chores. For Bertha’s sake she tried to appear cheerful but inwardly the work depressed her. Her mood changed when, half an hour before the end of the shift, they found the small washroom adjacent to the lab, flooded with water from a pipe that had sprung a leak. “Run and find Trevor and get him to send a maintenance man to deal with it. We can’t do anything until the water is stopped,” Bertha ordered, “And ask Trev for a pair of wellies otherwise you’ll ruin your shoes.

Oddly the flood cheered her up. A non-routine event and she had to descend into the basement and get it sorted. “Go to the workshop and ask for Bob, he’s usually on the early shift and he does most of the plumbing jobs. Tell him about it,” Trevor suggested.

“I’m Bob,” a youngish technician replied to her call, “And you’re Loraine, the one the ladies call Lorr-ee and make it sound like an Indian love call,” he answered with a wide grin on his face.

“More like the wail of mating cats!”

“I like the love call better. What can I do for you?”

By the time she returned to the lab with Bob, Bertha had an ‘out of order’ sign in front of the door and had finished cleaning the remaining room. “You coming Lorr-ee or you going to hang on and claim a bit of overtime? I’ve got my other cleaning job to do.”

“I’ll stay. Tell Trev I’m still on the premises. He said he’ll come up shortly and see what the problem is.”

“And don’t get upset if your ex-workmates take the piss when they see their boss dressed like that,” Bertha burst into unrestrained laugher causing Bob and her to laugh too but Loraine knew the seriousness behind the remark. The people she’d worked with and bossed around for the last year would definitely try to goad her into saying something unsuitable that could lose her the job.

Bob splashed his way into the room, and eventually found the stopcock and turned off the water supply. “Any idea where the drain is Loraine? Hey, can I call you Laurie without the sound effects? Loraine is a bit formal when were working together. The first thing we need to do is to get rid of the water on the floor.”

“No problem Bob, at least it’s more human than the name I’ve had to accept for the past week. No, I don’t know where the drain is but I remember when I first came, a girl slipped on the wet tiles and they had the floor covered with carpet tiles. If we can get one up then the rest should be easy. I can’t believe they covered the drain with them.”

“Cheap contractors.”

As Bertha predicted, the workers gathered at the doorway and commented on Loraine’s attire and several used their mobile phones to take photos of her squeegying the water to the drain. She tried to fend them off in good humour but gradually the comments irked her, fortunately Bob came to her assistance. “Leave my assistant, Laurie alone, she’s got work to do and I’m sure you have too.”

Tom and Janice arrived to look at the problem and asked if she was okay with doing the work. “I’m sure there are others in the maintenance department they could send up.”

“I’m better off doing this than moping at home and I’m here and dressed for the part.”

“And she’s doing a great job,” Bob cut in.

“How long before they can use the room again?”

“Assuming I can fix the leak and rectify the cause, it will take several days at least to dry the room out. It seems likely the lab boys poured something down the sink they shouldn’t have and it’s set at the bend and over the weekend, it’s eaten its way through the pipe. You’ll need to have a word with them Sir.”

“We need a big dehumidifier like we use when we dry out the plaster work on new offices,” Loraine suggested, “There should be one in the building somewhere. Trevor will know.”

Still wearing her green wellies and yellow rubber gloves, Loraine pushed the trolley to Daphne’s office. “Of all the places it had to be, the dehumidifier is in the new storeroom added to the CEO’s office,” she muttered, “Well if Alec is in, he’ll see I’m actually working as a cleaning lady and that may give me some brownie points in his eyes.”

“Can you help me lift it on the trolley Daphne, please? It’s too heavy for me.”

“I’ll get Alec, that’s a man’s job and I’m sure the sight of you will make his day.” For once, she smiled, as did Alec when he came in. He, of course, wanted the story and seemed impressed by the way she handled the situation.

To get at the affected pipework, Bob removed the cupboard fronts, the shelves and all the contents and the room looked like a bomb hit it. “Would you like me to cone an area of the corridor off so we can clear this out of the way?”

“Good idea Laurie, I expect there’ll be a lot more mess and water when I disconnect the pipework and release the water trapped above the blockage.” Indeed there was. “Sorry Laurie,” Bob apologised for the black sludge that covered the floor she’d cleaned. “I’ll clean it if you like.”

“No, it’s my job.” In truth the mess and the smell appalled her but she wanted another hour or so with the friendly maintenance man. She gained a few more brownie points when Alec came down to see what happened and caught her clearing the mess and even thanked her for doing the work.

An hour later, with the floor again clean, Bob looked at his watch, “Ten-thirty, time for a tea break, you want to come and have a cuppa with us Laurie? Or you could go home if you want.” She stayed and found the maintenance staff had an area set aside to make tea and coffee and, like the cleaners, most were friendly to her even though she recognised a couple from having them do work in her office.

Her time with Bob wasn’t strictly necessary but she helped by holding the pipes in position while he replaced a section and they chatted while they worked and he showed his concern over her having been demoted. By then she was able to joke about it.

“Not much more we can do here today, Laurie, and it’s only half-an-hour to my knocking off time as I’m on the early shift, I’m going to leave putting the cupboards back together so the dehumidifier can do its work and dry under the counters where the water sprayed the woodwork. You’ve been a great help, how about I treat you to a pub lunch, after you’ve cleaned up a bit?” She knew why when she saw her face in the mirror and wondered if the smudges had been there when she went for the tea break and if Alec had seen them. None of the staff had said anything.

*****

“Sorry Bertha, I won’t be able to go to the pub with you tonight, Bob’s invited me out.” Since Monday she’d been with him three times. On Wednesday, he deemed the room dry enough to start putting the cupboards back and requested her help but that only took a couple of hours and he had to go to another job but invited her to meet him at the pub for lunch, which she did.

“Things are getting pretty serious then, Lorr-ee, if you’re giving up a date with the girls to go out with him. You tried him out in bed yet?” Bertha teased and Loraine blushed. Neither Bob nor she had spoken of sex and Loraine was quite happy to let it happen when they both felt like it. For the first time in her life she’d met a man whom she liked and was interested in her as a person. “He’s got a nice personality and treats me like a normal woman and for some reason I’m not able to be bitchy with him. Is that because at the moment I’m lower in the pecking order? What will happen when or if I return to the executive office?” she asked herself several times but decided not to worry over it and to go with the flow in a relaxed way; Bertha’s way.

By the last Friday of her ‘probation’, Loraine’s relationship with Bob had grown and they saw each other regularly and went out together at weekends. “You are coming to the pub with us tonight, Lorr-ee and Bob is coming too so you’ve no excuse. I’ve already asked him,” Bertha informed her.

“Okay, okay, I give in,” Lorraine laughed, “As long as you let me buy the first round of drinks.” For some reason the ladies seemed alternately pleased she got her job back, and sad at her leaving. She had a good time and was careful not to drink too much but even so she had enough to make her relaxed and merry. Fortunately she’d designated Bob as a driver and he’d made a pint of shandy last the whole time. Following Bertha’s example, Loraine suggested, “Would you like to stop at the chippie and get fish and chips to take home for our evening meal?” An hour later, the dishes washed, they sat together to watch TV but one thing led to another and soon they were snuggled tightly to each other and lip and tongue fighting and their hands roamed on to areas normally hidden by clothing. Inevitably they ended up in bed making love. “This is not the lustful fuck I had with Kevin,” Loraine thought as Bob ploughed quite gently into her, “But it is nice and is the type of fuck I’d like more of.” Bob spent the weekend with her.

Monday morning Tom called everyone in the department to attend a briefing on the new project. “Before I go into details of the new supermarket, I must first welcome a new member of staff.” He took Loraine’s hand and brought her to the front. “Please welcome Laurie into our group. Please note this is not the Loraine that was here a while back, nor the Lorr-ee you may have seen cleaning the offices or the lab floor.” That brought some laughter because her lab cleaning photo had appeared in the works newsletter and everyone had seen it. To Laurie, it was now old hat, and she could laugh too. “This is Laurie, who is here as the new supplies estimator and I trust you will all treat her with respect and forget about the other Loraine we had with us. I am sure this new person will be a great asset to the department.” When the clapping died down he went on, “Now to business.”

After a hectic day, Laurie sat at home and reflected how much she’d changed and all because she’d knocked the boss over and didn’t apologise.

Finis