She shook her head. There was no doubt about it: he was happy.

But why?

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

George sat at his desk, blind to the ledgers in front of him. All he could see was the movie that he had purchased from the sex shop in Soho. Ever since he had watched it, he’d had a sense of unreality. Sometimes it frightened him, like the night before when he had been sitting with Elaine watching a programme about Giant Pandas. He had sat, sipping his tea, watching the film - and then he had just gone. Gone away in his mind to the other film. He was in the other film. He was the star. He was in complete control.

He had been brought back to reality by Elaine’s voice. It could crack glass and sour milk, all in one fell swoop. But his aberration had scared him. Because lately he could not control his thoughts at all. They ran away with him any time of the day or night.

He shook himself mentally and told himself to get on with the job in hand. He stared once more at the sales ledger in front of him.

‘Mr Markham, have you five minutes to spare?’

The voice of Josephine Denham broke into his thoughts. He turned in his seat to see her standing in the doorway, smiling at him.

‘Of course, Mrs Denham.’ His voice was soft and polite.

Josephine Denham turned and walked back to her office. George Markham gave her the creeps and she did not know why. He was always polite. Chillingly polite. He never took days off for no reason, he always kept himself to himself, never took long lunches or tried to engage her in banter, like some of the other male employees. All in all he was a model worker. Yet she had to admit to herself there was something about his soft, pudgy body and watery grey eyes that gave her the willies. She sat at her desk and observed the little man in front of her.

‘Please, take a seat.’

She watched George take the material of his trousers between his thumb and forefinger and pull it up before sitting down. Even this action irritated her. She saw his funny little smile, that just showed his teeth, and felt even more annoyed. George on the other hand was surreptitiously looking at Josephine’s enormous breasts. He could see the rise and fall of every breath she took.

As far as he was concerned, Josephine Denham had a chest of Olympian standards.

She saw his smile widen, and forced herself to grin back.

‘I am sorry to have to call you in, George. You’ve always been a good worker . . .’

He was more alert now. The smile had gone.