Chapter 3: Corporate Acquisition

About the only good thing to come out of my encounter with Mrs Braddock was the fact that she’d obviously told my boss that I’d done a good job.

Vivienne Fulbright was normally quite frosty with me. She was in her early fifties, I suppose, and over her career, she had managed to develop an expression that seemed to say whatever life threw at her, she would always be slightly disappointed. Her usual look hadn’t changed but she did say that she’d had very positive feedback from Mrs Braddock; that she had felt I’d done everything asked of me in a timely and effective manner. Pleased to have some praise for my work, I foolishly responded that of course I’d been only too happy to help with what was such an important customer for the firm.

I was still kicking myself about that when Ms Fulbright called me back into the office. “Ah, good, Lawson,” she said. “You got on so well with the Braddock divorce that I thought I feel able to give you another case to look after. It’s rather challenging.”

“Well, I’m sure I’ll be able to deal with it,” I said confidently, hoping that if I sounded as though I was in control Ms Fulbright would improve her opinion of me.

“Good,” said Ms Fulbright. “If you go out to see her this afternoon, Mrs Braddock will brief you on what’s needed.”

“Mrs Braddock?”

“Yes, she asked for you particularly. And since you obviously did such a good job before I thought you should handle it.”

I was hardly keen to take it on but I couldn’t explain to Ms Fulbright why I shouldn’t so I muttered something to the effect that I would be happy to.

That afternoon, Mrs Braddock was disturbingly pleased to see me when I arrived at her London flat. “Oh good,” she said, “it is you.”

“Look,” I said, “let’s just forget all about that, well, business before, can we?” I can’t imagine what made me think she would agree.

Mrs Braddock looked across at me and gave me a thin smile. “Let’s not.” She nodded towards a file of papers on the hall table. “That will provide you with all that needs doing. I’ve decided to acquire my previous husband’s company. He was unfaithful to me, you know. With his secretary. I suppose I should be able to put it behind me but somehow I haven’t achieved closure yet.” She looked down at the documents with an almost wistful stare. “Perhaps this will help. I’ve been trying to examine the reasons why I still feel upset. Explore the roots of my anger. You know what they say, ‘Reach In To Reach Up’. That’s the way to move on.”

I wasn’t keen to discuss how Ellen Hanson’s self-help book could be applied in this particular situation. I went to pick up the file. With luck I could be out of there quickly and back to the office, I thought. Mrs Braddock was having none of it though.

“No, leave it for now. You can deal with it when you get back to the office.”

“Well, yes,” I said, “that’s where I’m off to now.”

Mrs Braddock shook her head and smiled. “Not yet, silly boy! I need some more help from you. In the ‘satisfying of carnal desires’ department.”

I had no desire to repeat the humiliation of our previous encounter. “Please Mrs Braddock. I really can’t...”

“Nonsense. I’ve seen what you have in your trousers and there’s nothing wrong with it. Strip and shower straight away. I don’t have very long but if I don’t get some satisfaction quite quickly, I’m liable to get quite tetchy.”

As she said ‘tetchy’ her smile turned to a cold compelling stare. It didn’t seem likely that my arguments would prove any more successful than before. And, I thought, if all I had to do was kneel naked while she got herself off, it would be over soon enough and just embarrassing rather than anything else. After having Vivienne Fulbright praise my ‘good customer relations’, I didn’t want to do anything to overturn that view. I nodded acquiescently and headed off to the bathroom.