Office Life

By Black Coffey Publishing

Every year we spend hundreds of hours at work, don’t you think it’s about time we started enjoying it?
Have you ever considered the office anything other than a place of work? Perhaps you have trouble seeing through the boredom and frustration inherent to the drudgery of the 9-5. Well don’t worry, you're not the only one to feel this way and we have the ideal remedy for your disenfranchisement with the world of work.
Office Life is a collection of short stories which show that the office is more than just bricks and mortar; it is a location where intrigue, revenge, romance and comedy feature, all with a healthy dose of humour, sarcasm, wit and schadenfreude.
In this book you will find humorous reference to all aspects of office life, from the competition for promotions to the avoidance of the tea round, from the placating of the office pedant to handling (or not handling) the pressure of deadlines and office politics.
The stories contained within Office Life are about more than just a day’s work however, they are about the relationships we form with our colleagues and how it is possible to find humour and interest in any setting – even those of abject boredom.
All the office characters you know and love are there, the charming debonair heartthrob, the domineering she wolf boss and the ubiquitous office clown. There are even some office inhabitants which have a distinctly piscine outlook on the world.
We’ve scoured the globe for some of the freshest and most exciting authors to give their work the limelight it deserves. Ultimately, Office Life shows that even in an ordinary environment, the extraordinary can happen, whether it’s a rhino orgy, a corporate power struggle or a quest for love.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Black Coffey Publishing
• Release date: Mar 31, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476359717

Black Coffey Publishing

Black Coffey Publishing is a London based, e-publisher established in 2011. With a packed timetable of book launches planned for 2012, Black Coffey Publishing is actively seeking submissions from authors. We're particularly interested in: * humour and comedy; * Short stories (to 5k words).

Book preview

Office Life

By

Alan Boon

Luke Catterson

Ben Davis

Martyn Greenwood

Brian Jungwiwattanaporn

Jeff Nolan

Holly Powis

Copyright © 2012 Black Coffey Publishing Ltd

Published by Black Coffey Publishing

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Table of Contents

About Black Coffey Publishing

Preface – Office Life

Save The Rhino By Brian Jungwiwattanaporn

The Vacancy By Luke Catterson

Avenue Of Hope By Martyn Greenwood

The Syndicate By Ben Davis

Carp d’état By Jeff Nolan

By Close Of Play By Holly Powis

Seven Brides For Kevin Brothers By Alan Boon

About Our Authors

Our eBook Licence

About Black Coffey Publishing

If you have enjoyed reading Office Life and are interested in similar works why not visit us at Black Coffey Publishing?

Black Coffey Publishing is an independent eBook publisher committed to giving fresh and exciting authors the chance to have their work read by an intelligent literary audience. We search for talented authors that simply need the chance to have their work read; work that we believe delivers the entertainment and interest that is deserving of a healthy readership.

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Preface – Office Life

Every year we spend hundreds of hours at work, don’t you think it’s about time we started enjoying it?

Have you ever considered the office anything other than a place of work? Perhaps you have trouble seeing through the boredom and frustration inherent to the drudgery of the 9-5. Well don’t worry, you're not the only one to feel this way and we have the ideal remedy for your disenfranchisement with the world of work.

Office Life is a collection of short stories which show that the office is more than just bricks and mortar; it is a location where intrigue, revenge, romance and comedy feature, all with a healthy dose of humour, sarcasm, wit and schadenfreude.

In this book you will find humorous reference to all aspects of office life, from the competition for promotions to the avoidance of the tea round, from the placating of the office pedant to handling (or not handling) the pressure of deadlines and office politics.

The stories contained within Office Life are about more than just a day’s work however, they are about the relationships we form with our colleagues and how it is possible to find humour and interest in any setting – even those of abject boredom.

All the office characters you know and love are there, the charming debonair heartthrob, the domineering she wolf boss and the ubiquitous office clown. There are even some office inhabitants which have a distinctly piscine outlook on the world.

We’ve scoured the globe for some of the freshest and most exciting authors to give their work the limelight it deserves. Ultimately, Office Life shows that even in an ordinary environment, the extraordinary can happen, whether it’s a rhino orgy, a corporate power struggle or a quest for love.

Save The Rhino

By Brian Jungwiwattanaporn

Saving the rhino seems to require quite a bit of time in front of a computer, said Mark as he swivelled his chair away from the screen on his desk.

At least it’s a big one, I’m still working on migratory birds, Peter said, No one cares.

Did you write anything good today?

I have something, said Peter clearing his throat, using his best announcer’s voice, Your children may never see a bird take flight. You can save the Bengal Florican for only 60 pounds per year.

Bit steep isn’t it? Have you ever seen a Bengal Florican?

No but I hear the zoo has one. I wish I had whales, it would be so much easier.

Simon grabbed the whales early and trust me, he won’t be letting them go.

Bastard. He doesn’t even like whales all that much.

More of a cat person, isn’t he?

Plus he pretends that he engages in direct action, said Peter launching on a familiar rant. He’s just an office fundraising nobody like the rest of us.

He does go to market twice a month for awareness raising, Mark said reciting his lines.

It’s just to meet girls though, Peter said moving to the edge of his seat.

Too bad the Bengal Florican doesn’t have groupies, said Mark.

We could get some you know, maybe the rhinos too, birds like rhinos don’t they? We could do a joint campaign, maybe hit our target numbers for once.

Mark yawned. Peter was a true conservationist, he belonged in the field rescuing birds from burning buildings or screaming from a megaphone while bumping over ocean waves. Those positions were for the few, the proud, the photogenic. Peter kept his passion in a box, he wasn’t quite ready to leave the confines of his cubicle for the open air.

No budget for a campaign, it’s why we’re writing these things now, said Mark turning back to his computer. Opening a spreadsheet he looked at their budget numbers again. There was a line for visibility and communications, shirts and pens to which they would affix their logo. Maybe they’d let him do the layout instead of outsourcing it this time. He found the line for publications, small but enough for a stack of printed copies of his report on Rhino horn smuggling. Writing to raise awareness, his big achievement was a two inch column at the back of the newspaper. There was a small fête at the office, but new funding never rolled in. If he couldn’t find appropriate