Receptionist By Day Not By Night

By Bridgitte Lesley

Jasmine was a career woman through and through. During the day she was a Receptionist. And she was good at her job. But at night she was an entertainer. She sang in a band. There was nothing strange about her choice of career. It suited her chosen lifestyle. She worked office hours and stipulated no overtime. She didn’t take work home and stuck to rigid office hours. In the evenings she would be out and do her gig with her band. She lived her two different lives. But then she met Michael. And soon enough Michael found out about her evening gigs. Michael and JD, as she was known, started dating. Jasmine hadn’t planned on a crossover with her career and her hobby which she kept as two totally separate worlds. Michael’s family soon got to meet with JD. But they didn’t realize that JD and Jasmine were in fact the same person. Michael was not going to correct them. Until they were spotted holding hands in broad daylight. The family had to be told. JD and Jasmine were one and the same.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bridgitte Lesley
• Release date: Oct 6, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301992621

Bridgitte Lesley

Hello from Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa!Having survived an attempt at being murdered, I have plunged myself in to my writing. After my gruesome ordeal, I live life from day to day. Appreciating every minute and moment. Yes, I have the scars from an axe being driven in to my head repeatedly. I suffer from PTSD and OCD. But, I am here to tell the tale. And I have a lot to tell!I am currently revamping my older titles and will be adding a few. In a nutshell, you will find a mix of romance, adventure, lots of witty banter and a happy ever after. All round, expect a feel-good read.Thank you for reading and for your support!Bridgitte

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Receptionist By Day Not By Night

By

Bridgitte Lesley

Version 1

Published by

Bridgitte Lesley on Smashwords

Receptionist By Day Not By Night

Copyright © 2011 Bridgitte Lesley

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only and 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 are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Your support and respect for the property of this author is appreciated.

This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or locations is purely coincidental. The characters are a production of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously.

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Receptionist By Day Not By Night

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CHAPTER 1

Jasmine rolled over and looked at the alarm clock. It was five to six. She watched as the red letters ticked over slowly. Tick. Tick. At six the radio suddenly switched on to the morning news. She groaned and slowly climbed out of bed with a sigh. She grabbed her huge T-shirt that had landed on the floor during the night and popped it over her head. She hopped out of bed and headed over to the kitchen and made a pot of coffee. She stood and waited for the coffee to brew and poured herself a cup. She walked through to her bedroom and sat on the bed quietly appreciating the peace and quiet, drinking her coffee.

Jasmine sat, deep in thought. She did not enjoy her current job. It had become an effort just to drag her body out of bed. The company where she presently worked had downsized. She was accustomed to being busy and was bored.

Jasmine opened her cupboard and took out her navy suit, white shirt, and navy stilettos. She hung her suit on the cupboard door. She made her way to the bathroom and hopped into the shower. Switching on the water, she suddenly giggled. Today could be the start of good things. She stood under the spray of the shower. She gave the tap one hard twist to close it and felt the bolt of freezing water. She dodged the freezing cold water. Jasmine roared with laughter, realizing her mistake. She hopped out of the shower and toweled herself dry and stepped over to the basin. Jasmine looked in the mirror as she brushed her teeth. She smiled at her reflection, winked, and walked over to her bedroom gurgling with laughter.

She dressed carefully. Jasmine giggled to herself as she put on a pair of thigh highs. When she was feeling daring she wore them as opposed to her normal pantyhose. She always paid attention to detail. Making sure she looked neat and tidy. First impressions were always important. But lasting impressions were just as important. Even though no one would see the thigh highs it always gave her a feeling of superiority and power. No one gets to know what you have on underneath your clothes, and if you feel sexy, well, then you already have the leading edge. Mind over matter. Jasmine loved lingerie. She always wore a matching bra and thong. Generally, she bought them in sets. It was one of her weaknesses. From underwear with lips, cartoon characters to lace, underwear was her weakness.

Jasmine sat in front of the mirror and wove her thick black hair into a tight twirl and pinned it to her head with hair clips, making sure that no wisps of hair strayed. She added a touch of lip gloss and mascara and a touch of perfume and made her way out of the flat to her current job. She smiled at herself when she thought of her interview at ten past one. Her lunch hour began at one. She would have enough time to reach her interview on time, take a pleasant stroll, and still have time to spare.

Jasmine walked in to the office and settled behind her desk. She took her earpiece out of her bag, plugged it into the switchboard and started the day. She greeted everyone by name as they came through the door. She was always cheerful and attracted a lot of smiles and chatter.

Jasmine had already typed up her resignation letter. As her boss, Mister Brady, walked in, she handed him her resignation letter. She shrugged. I’m really sorry Mister Brady. He nodded. I know I gave my verbal resignation, but this is what you asked for. In writing. He smiled as he took the envelope from Jasmine. Just one thing Jasmine, I want to keep contact with you, as a friend. You have become as close as a daughter. Jasmine smiled. Thank you. I’ll definitely keep in touch. Mister Brady was an elderly gent, in his fifties, and was always friendly to Jasmine. He was an excellent accountant. She felt rather sorry for him. His expertise was being wasted.

Jasmine’s plan was to work till the end of the month, as agreed with Mister Brady. She had one week to go. December was not Jasmine’s favorite time of the year. Everyone was away on vacation. The only family Jasmine was close to was her brother. He generally went away in December as well. Jasmine planned to take the month of January off. She would treat herself to movies, and meals, and do anything or go anywhere that she felt like going. She would have enough money to last her for the month. She had a savings account but that was untouchable. It was growing rapidly but Jasmine was determined to save for the future. It would be there when she wanted it. It was available, but only for emergencies.

Jasmine watched as the clock slowly ticked on. And on. And on. Eventually, one o’clock came. Jasmine switched the answering machine on. She grabbed her bag out of the cupboard and packed her earpiece in to her handbag. She made her way over to Corday’s Imports and Exports. It was only a block away so she strolled along. She walked down the street and turned the corner toward the pedestrian crossing and looked up to see Gary, her brother, standing waiting for her. Jasmine put her arms out and hugged Gary. Gary was dressed in his trademark black jeans and T-shirt with his regular black leather jacket and boots. His hair was black and he left it long, almost hanging on his shoulders.

Jasmine looked up at Gary. I am going in there to get this job. Wish me luck. As Jasmine spoke, she used sign language at the same time. Gary was born slightly hard of hearing. He could lip read and hear but both Gary and Jasmine had learnt how to use sign language mainly for situations when he could not hear her. Out of habit, they both spoke in sign, even if they spoke normally. Gary refused to wear a hearing aid. If he had worn one he would have been in a much better position. It was an issue and a very touchy subject where Gary was concerned.

Michael, Mitch and Geoff Corday left their office block. They had been given strict instructions to leave their offices whilst the women folk interviewed for a new receptionist. Belinda, their mother, had been standing in as the receptionist for the last couple of days. They had fired their previous receptionist as she was permanently on the phone, on private calls.

The Corday men crossed the road, using the pedestrian crossing that ran across the road, just in front of their offices. Michael slowed down and stared at Jasmine as she stood on the opposite side of the road. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He looked her up and down. She had a marvelous figure. She was drop dead gorgeous. He watched as she stood and hugged a ‘creature’. He sighed. He watched them for a while as he strolled across the road. He literally stared at the pair of them. She was exquisite. Well groomed. Beautifully dressed. He was casual. They were direct opposites. He grimaced. That was the way the world worked. The more sloppy the male, the smarter the woman, and vice versa. He chuckled.

Gary looked at Jasmine and smiled. In sign he spoke. I am going to wait for you. I know you are going to get this job. Jasmine smiled. In sign she spoke. You bet. I’m going to walk in there and get it even if I have to grovel. I have to. Come hell or high water. I really want, and need, this job. She turned whilst smiling. She looked back and he gave her the thumbs up sign. Michael watched the two conversing. He was amazed and intrigued. He looked from one to the other. They looked so similar they could be family. They didn’t kiss like lovers, but like family. Or even best friends, possibly brother and sister. They both had pitch black hair. Their features were very similar. Maybe twins. He hoped. Michael smiled and shook his head.

Michael felt a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. His stomach was in knots. A tiny bit of jealousy crept in. Maybe it was the way these two people spoke so naturally. He could see they respected each other. The way they were speaking in sign, as if it was normal, without words. And without a care in the world, whether someone noticed or not.

He smiled to himself. That was one thing Michael wasn’t good at, talking. He was a bit of an introvert. He could discuss anything to do with work. But when it came to chatting he was lost. Small talk was not easy for Michael. His family was different. He could chat to his brothers, their wives, his folks, but when it came to other women he was totally lost.

Jasmine made her way across the pedestrian crossing, smiling. Michael smiled as she walked by. He couldn’t resist greeting her. Afternoon. Afternoon. Jasmine responded cheekily with a huge smile. He smiled and shook his head. Both Mitch and Geoff looked at him and chuckled. See what happens when you take him out of the office for just a minute Mitch. Michael chuckled. Thanks Mitch. He chuckled again. Damn, but she’s a hot babe. Mitch, I don’t think babe is appropriate. But she sure is lovely. Why is it, do you think, that all the pretty ones are taken? Mitch chuckled. Geoff cut in. We need someone like her as our receptionist. You know. Good looking. Like you actually want to go to work because when you walk in there’s someone decent sitting there. Not an old grouch. Michael smiled. I know what you mean. You and Mitch are lucky though. You did well with Alice and Brenda. You can’t complain. They both smiled and nodded.

Jasmine smiled as she walked in to the offices and walked over to Belinda. Hi, I’m Jasmine Dakota, here to meet with either Alice or Brenda. The woman smiled. Hi, I’m Belinda. Take a seat for just a sec. Jasmine sat down. Belinda looked her over out of the corner of her eye.

Alice and Brenda walked down the passage smiling as they came up to Jasmine. Alice walked up to Jasmine and put out her hand. Hi, I’m Alice, if you’ll come this way. Jasmine smiled and followed. They walked into the conference room. Alice sat down and motioned that Jasmine sit. Brenda joined them. Alice looked through Jasmine’s CV which she had already read a couple of times. Pretty impressive. But why have you chosen to be a Receptionist as your profession, your career? Jasmine smiled. I am good with voices, people, and languages. I enjoy the interaction. But I get to leave work at work, where it belongs. I meet a lot of people. I enjoy what I do. And I get to enjoy my private life as well. There’s no cross over. And if you keep an even balance life is generally more rewarding. Brenda smiled and nodded. Clever. And your hobbies? Jasmine smiled. I read and sing. Brenda nodded. Any good? Jasmine smiled and chuckled. Pretty good, I think. Brenda smiled and nodded. Alice joined in. Single? Yes. Boyfriend? No. Against marriage? Not at all. Want babies. Sure, one day, lots. They all roared with laughter. Brenda smiled. Jasmine. You come at quite a price tag. Jasmine smiled. Yes. I do. Brenda nodded. Are you negotiable? Jasmine smiled. Brenda, are you? Brenda looked up at Jasmine. She chuckled. No. Jasmine nodded. Me neither.

Brenda nodded and looked at Alice. What do you think? I think it’s a definite yes. Brenda chuckled. Jasmine, you’re hired. When can you start? The first of Feb. Brenda grimaced. Why so long? Jasmine smiled. Me time. Alice looked at Jasmine. A whole month of me time? Jasmine nodded. And I see you stipulate eight to five, absolutely no overtime. Not negotiable. Jasmine nodded. Not negotiable. Eight to five I am yours. After that my time belongs to me. Alice raised an eyebrow. You drive a hard bargain. I like your style. Jasmine nodded and smiled. Brenda looked at Alice and smiled. See you on the first of February. Alice nodded and looked at Jasmine. Jasmine smiled. First of Feb. Both Brenda and Alice smiled. Jasmine looked at her watch and the three of them stood up. It has been a pleasure. Till the first then. She shook their hands. The three of them left the conference room. Jasmine greeted Belinda and walked out of the door.

Both Alice and Brenda walked over to Belinda. Got ourselves a new receptionist. This time one with a whole lot of class. Alice nodded in agreement. Well, ladies, when does she start? They both chimed in. The first of February. Belinda groaned. Alice chuckled. It’s going to be worth the wait. Brenda nodded.

Michael, Mitch and Geoff stood across the road from their offices. Mitch groaned. I am sure they’ve had enough time. Let’s go back. They nodded and made their way across the pedestrian crossing. The sight of the three Corday brothers was good on the eye. They all wore suits and ties. Of the three, Michael was the tallest, broadest and tidiest. He kept his hair short and neat. Mitch and Geoff were a little more relaxed with their hair styles. Mitch always looked windswept. Geoff wore his hair just over his collar. They were all good looking men. Of the three, Michael had the more striking features. Jet black hair and dark brown eyes. Michael was the oldest. Geoff was the middle brother and Mitch was the youngest.

Michael watched as he saw Jasmine leave their building. As Jasmine passed the three of them she smiled. Michael made direct eye contact with Jasmine. She had the greenest eyes he had ever seen. Their eyes connected. She gave him a naughty little smile. Just her looking at him zinged him. He felt as if he had been zapped. It was almost as if someone had struck him with a bolt of lightning. It hit him right in the stomach, again. The three Corday men smiled back as she smiled at them. Michael turned to look at her from behind. Nice. Jasmine smiled, she had heard the comment. Jasmine looked back at Michael. Likewise. She gave a naughty little chuckle. The brothers chuckled at Michael. Whoa there big brother. Geoff grinned. Let’s reign him in. They all chuckled as