Chapter 17

"Oh, madam, I would never stoop to blackmail. I am not looking for any monetary benefit. I merely would appreciate some manly attention, at least for a while. Perhaps you could put in a good word for me, and encourage John in the matter, madam."

Angelina thought for a moment, then responded, "Sylvia, If I were to suggest to John that I would not object to him paying some ... close ... attention to you, would that be acceptable? I will also say that your job is not in jeopardy, in case you were wondering."

"I would certainly be appreciative, madam."

"Remember, I cannot force my husband to do anything against his will. If he wishes to act in a certain way, for my ultimate benefit, that is up to him, but if he refuses, despite my persuasion, I can do no more, Sylvia, no matter what you might threaten."

"Mrs Frederickson, please understand that beggars can not be choosers. I do not threaten. I merely ask that he consider my request; I cannot force anyone to do anything they would be averse to doing. I hope that I am not considered ugly by him."

Angelina was struck by a streak of sympathy for the woman. "Sylvia, I understand. You are not ugly. Just because your genetic inheritance was less favourable to you, does not mean that you cannot surmount the difficulty. To help you, I would like to suggest something."

"Yes, madam?"

"Why don't I invite you to our home some day soon, and we can look at how better use of cosmetics might give you a boost. I was given some excellent training in the use of cosmetics. My sister and I might be able to suggest a new wardrobe for you, as a gift without strings. I would like to enhance your other qualities. You have an excellent brain, a healthy body with good poise as well, so we just need to frame it in a more enticing way. How does that seem to you?"

"That sounds exciting, madam."

"To top it off, might I persuade you to adopt a diet which might help shed a few pounds, and do some exercise to help it stay off?"

"You think I need to, madam?"

"Sylvia, I KNOW you need to, and so do you: you have neglected your diet and exercise. You should make the required changes to benefit your body and mind. You will feel fitter and be sharper in your mind – though it is pretty sharp as it is!"

"That is very kind of you, madam. It is more than I might have expected. Thank you."

"Very well. Sylvia, when you come to our house, do not call me "madam". In the first instance, make it Mrs Frederickson, then later, just Angelina. This should be your practice when visiting us. Here, it should be "business as usual". Agreed?"

"Agreed, madam."

"Right. If there is nothing more, get yourself back to your computer."

At home that evening, Angelina broached the subject with John, while Annetta looked on. "Darling, you know my new secretary, Sylvia Turner?"

John thought, then nodded. "She was in your outer office today, wasn't she? Dumpy girl, a bit on the plain side?"

"Yes, that's her. An excellent brain, though, which is what I hired her for. The thing is, darling, that she feels that she gets no attention from men. I am proposing to bring her here and give her a sort of makeover: teach her cosmetics that best suit her; show her how choosing different clothes can make her look more attractive; that sort of thing."

"Sounds a good idea, darling. You have everything going for you yourself, so why not help another girl? Fine. Good idea."

"The thing is, dear, that she needs a boost to her self-confidence. She needs to see that she can be attractive to men."

John was puzzled. "I can see that, Angelina, but I don't see what you are getting at."

"Darling? You know how good you make me and Annetta feel? Sylvia needs something in that line to."

John frowned. "How do you mean, dear?"

"I mean treat her as if she was a girl friend; make her feel wanted. Do whatever you have to do to prove to her that she is not unattractive to men – to you in particular."

"Ah, I see. Give her a quick cuddle and a kiss, you mean?"

Annetta had been watching and listening, and now laughingly declared, "No, John, she means shag her and make her think you mean it!"

Angelina turned to Annetta, and scowled at her. "Trust you to butt in, girl! I was leading up to that, slowly, so as not to frighten him off."

John's eyes widened. "You really mean, fuck her to show her she can be attractive? Why?"

Angelina sighed, and explained, "Two reasons. One, she is a clever woman, but her ego needs a boost for her to be at her best. Two, she overheard us in my office, talking about me and Annetta both fucking you. She has the basis for a blackmail attempt, but she says it is not blackmail. She just sees it as leverage to get a chance at taking you to bed. I bet she is still a virgin, too."

John snorted. "You think I'll just sweep her off her feet, drag her to bed and fuck her silly, don't you? Well, I am not that sort of guy, my wife. I don't make love to any one unless I have SOME feelings for the girl, like I do for Annetta, and I don't even know this one."

Angelina was trying to recover lost ground. "I am not asking you to act like that, John. She will be here for several sessions of cosmetic training and fashion advice. I simply want you to meet her when she visits, and get to know her first. You don't have to do anything you don't want to do – I made that plain to her. Just give her a chance, darling; that is also she asks."

"I see. In return she keeps shtum about me fucking the pair of you."

"Well, yes, but she insists she never intended or intends to blab about us. She just needs it as a lever to ask with a reasonable chance of success. She does NOT want rejection, but can survive with a slow let-down, is my estimation of her. She is not a bad girl, John, just desperate for a man to show interest in her. I want to invite her for dinner tomorrow evening, as a first step."

"Very well. We shall wait and see what she is like. I will not prejudge the woman. Now what is happening tonight? Do I bed both of you, or what?"

Annetta replied, "Yes, please, John, but Angelina still comes first, in both senses of the word. But she is expecting your child, now. That should mean I can make a start on my own baby, now. Angelina, does that mean I can get John's sperm, with your not having a need for it for the moment?"

"I can't disagree with your logic, Annetta, so you can have John first, until you are confirmed pregnant. Then, I return to my rightful place as his wife. As and when you marry him, we can toss for who John does first." She suddenly remembered something. "Annetta, Mama sends her love. I spoke with her today, but I advised her not to phone you, as any link with Earth might set you back, I said."

She laughed with a recollection of the phone call. "John told Mama that I was a tiger in bed once we were married. It didn't faze her one little bit!"

Next day at work, once Sylvia had been given her invitation, the secretary was bubbling over for the rest of the day. She tried to be super-efficient, doing everything she could to make life easier for her boss. Angelina enjoyed the attention, but still managed to get all the business decisions made. Her husband found an excuse to visit, saying that he wanted to personally check on the kelp supplies arriving at Rehome Fertilisers. He really wanted to spend a few minutes in the privacy of her office, kissing and cuddling, to her delight.

At the end of the workday, Sylvia insisted she had to go home, shower and change before arriving at the Frederickson's home. They arranged a later time to have the meal, so that no-one was being rushed, then Angelina phoned Annetta to rearrange their meal timetable.

Accordingly, John and Angelina were home first, and were able to prepare for their visitor. Soon afterwards, Sylvia arrived, to discreetly tap the knocker on the front door. John had been appointed as the "meet and greet" person, so he opened the door, saying, "Sylvia, welcome to our home." He ushered her in, kissed her cheek, then took her coat to hang it up on the stand by the door. "Annetta is looking forward to meeting you, and I want to hear all about your life before coming to your present job." He gestured, "The girls are through in the dining room, ready for you." He offered an elbow, and escorted Sylvia through. She was quite taken by this example of good manners, and smiled as she entered the room.

Angelina introduced Sylvia to Annetta, and both kissed politely while examining the other warily. Sylvia could tell that Annetta had been fully briefed, and was sizing her up. She made a point of addressing Annetta directly. "I understand you only recently arrived on Rehome, Annetta. What do you think of the place?"

"I was pleasantly surprised, I must say, Sylvia. The colony has a feel to it of being a welcoming society, an all-encompassing friendly attitude in the population. I could be happy here forever, and if things go my way, it might be forever. What about you?"

"I have been here a year or so. I was not happy with life as it is on Earth today. I seemed to be treated as a second-class citizen, because I was not a model girl lookalike, despite a good education. Rehome offered an escape, I expect you could call it, but once I was here, I felt more at home. My physical shape and appearance was less of a factor in how people dealt with me. I still had some difficulty in getting a good job, though. I had to take what was available at first. When the job of secretary to the Managing Director at Rehome Fertilisers came up, I jumped at the chance." She paused.

"When Angelina interviewed me, I was surprised that the Managing Director was female. Being appointed was even better to my liking, and I very much enjoy working for Angelina. I am still getting over how many women are running things here, and so many of them are married, with children. It took me a while to recognise that due to multiple spouses being acceptable here, most women find a husband, so only a few are left on the shelf, like me."

Angelina saw an opportunity to join the discussion, so said, "I don't know if you were aware of the fact, Sylvia, but the proprietors of the group that purchased most of Rehome Fertilisers, are both married women. I also recently got my man, as you are aware, and now Annetta has set her sights on John too. I am easy with that proposition, but it is still on hold for the moment." She paused, and changed tack.

"Perhaps we should sit down and have our meal: we have home-made vegetable soup, followed by chicken casserole, made from locally raised chickens, and a trifle for dessert."

"Sounds delicious," said Sylvia. "I am SO pleased that you are offering a makeover for me. I want to be attractive to men so that I can find a husband, too."

Angelina took charge. "The makeover does not start until everyone has been properly fed, so dig in, folks. I do NOT want to have any leftovers."

After the meal, John left for his study. He wanted to check some facts about sales of boxes on Earth. The ladies moved to one of the bedrooms for the privacy of showing Sylvia how she could improve her clothing. The sisters selected some wrap-around style clothes from their own wardrobe, and got Sylvia dressed in each, then Sylvia examined herself in the full-length mirror on the wall. These clothes did not require an exact fit, so suited the exercise.

Angelina outlined some basics of fashion. "If your body line is short and not slim, you can make yourself seem slimmer by wearing clothes with vertical stripes in the design. The eye gets drawn upwards and so you appear slimmer; and this is BEFORE any dieting. If your legs are thicker than you would like them to be, then hide them! Wear ankle-length dresses and skirts. Good brassieres are essential to show your breasts to best effect. Don't just get a bra that fits your size: get an expert to select a bra that will do you justice. That is where a specialist shop scores. A good bra is a good investment in attracting men. If you want to wear off-the shoulder dresses, or ones with string-style straps, you need to wear a bra without shoulder straps so that you don't need to concern yourself about the straps being visible."

She switched to shoes. "If you are shorter than you think you should be, make yourself taller with high heels. Don't go for stilettos. Instead, get shoes that have a high heel that is not so evident to the observer. Your extra height should be a mystery to them, a secret of your own."

The lessons went on. At no time did Angelina talk down to Sylvia. She spoke in general terms about fashion advice, and made a point of mentioning matters which could not apply directly to Sylvia's needs. Annetta did the task of fetching dresses for Sylvia to model, and returning those they had finished with.

As they finished for the night on the subject of fashion, Annetta took over for cosmetic use. She described how she had learned that basic foundation on a face was often all that a face really needed. Lipstick, eye shadow, etc. should be minimal and unobtrusive. "The best make-up is the makeup that is not visible. That was the mantra of my make-up trainer. Make-up should not hide the underlying facial lines. It should enhance some areas and shade into insignificance the areas that you don't want to draw attention to: it is an art in itself, Sylvia."

Their visitor was astonished at how much she was getting into, and from, this instruction. She felt great about how she might improve her looks. Angelina told her: "Change your clothing style at the office. You want to appear more business-like, so simple dresses and blouses without much adornment could be of benefit. Put your hair in a tight style – a bun, or ponytail. Make a simple hairstyle look stylish. Try it for a few days, and see what you think." She added, "See what the men who come into the office think!"

When it came time for Sylvia to go home, she had been given a basic make-up, and had been given the loan of one of Annetta's dresses that fitted her. Angelina's dimensions meant that her dresses would not fit. John was called to say goodbye, and when he saw Sylvia, he was astonished. "Wow!" was his reaction. "This is the same girl?" he asked Angelina.

Sylvia interrupted, "Yes, John. I am the same girl. Do you like the difference?"

He responded, "Vive la difference! Is my reaction, Sylvia. Well done!"

She preened, but Angelina determinedly escorted her to the door. "Hands off, John. Sylvia is on her way home, and you have a loving wife to attend to."

Sylvia left with a light step as she looked around. She had her eyes open for any young man whom she could display to in her new persona.

She was at work next morning bright and early. She had discarded her teen-style clothes and adopted a black full-length skirt and a white blouse covered by a black jacket top. Her hair was formed into a ponytail, and in her hand was a red leather briefcase.

She noted the reaction from the men in the yard as she passed by. There were a few intakes of breath, a few heads turned to look at her, some unsure who she was at first. She grinned inwardly, but marched steadfastly on to the offices.

When Angelina finally arrived for work, she came past Sylvia's workstation, to check what might be waiting for her attention. Spotting her by her business suit, as she came into view, Sylvia stood up and came forward to meet her, a file clutched to her chest. "Good morning, madam. This file is your current material for perusal."

Angelina looked her up and down, nodded briefly, gave a small smile, and responded, "Bring it in to my office, Sylvia, and I shall have a look at it."

"Yes, madam", said Sylvia, and the pair walked into the office. Sylvia closed the door behind them, and turned to give a small curtsy to her boss. Angelina came forward, put her hands on Sylvia's shoulders, and hugged her.

"Well done, Sylvia. You look terrific. Has anyone noticed the difference?"

"Indeed, madam. A few heads were turned as I came through the yard to the offices. Some of the lads clearly did not realise it was me at first!" She was bursting with pride. "Can I come to your house again, for more lessons? – when it suits you, of course."

"I am sure we can build on your already impressive work, Sylvia. John was fair taken with the change last night alone. However, we have a workday to get through before we can consider such matters. What is in the files?"

"Only a printout from the employee database, madam, so that you can refresh your memory of all the staff's abilities, positions, salaries and benefits, and the assessments of their prospect for promotion. You mentioned last week that you wanted a staff review shortly, so I prepared it for you."

"Hmm. Yes. That will be tough going. We have an obligation to keep our staffing levels up for at least a year, but that does not necessarily mean the same staff in the same jobs. A man can get bored with a repetitive job, and a changeover can be helpful in that regard. I need to discover which men are happiest with a repetitive task, and which want to expand their knowledge of the business. By the by, do we have any mail yet?"

"Rehome Deliveries have said any post or parcels for the company should be here around lunchtime as a rule. It all depends on the distance from the distribution centre, and we are a fair bit away. There are a number of businesses and homes between the two sites. I did ask at the end of last week about a quicker delivery, but they said it would cost a bit more to have a delivery man do a special trip to us."

"I see. Perhaps you could enquire further. Find out how much it would cost to have our delivery before 10 am each weekday. It might be worth paying, if we can get a start on business orders more speedily, though I normally expect orders to arrive by phone, certainly those that are rush jobs. Probably what will come by Rehome Deliveries will be requests for a quote for a bulk supply, as that can take a bit of discussion with the client to settle on an acceptable price, and to work out which type of fertiliser will best suit the client. That is what seems to be happening. If you have any ideas for improving the situation, let me know, Sylvia."

Near the end of the day, Sylvia begged for another session at the Fredrickson home. "I don't need to be fed, madam, but I like the way you teach me about fashion and makeup."

"Very well, Sylvia. Come tonight at the same time. You might as well eat with us. It makes little difference to the quantities. I shall get on to Annetta for that, right away."