Chapter 3

Eddie, Scott and Tyler were doing their third circuit of the industrial estate that the Pleasure Seekers headquarters shared with haulage companies and an artisan brewery. Clouds loomed threateningly over them.

So far, they had worked up a little sweat. A few more laps would get the heartrate up.

"Let's go for another," Eddie said, panting.

"Do we have to go so fast?" Scott wailed as he tried to keep up with Tyler and Eddie.

"That's the point," Tyler replied. "This is a power walk. I thought we wanted to get fit?"

They carried on.

"I'm not sure this is the best idea," Scott said.

Eddie stole an amused glance at Tyler, who was chuckling away to himself.

"Why's that, Scott?"

"It's very bad for your bones. You're not getting any younger, Edward."

Eddie frowned. "I'm three years older than you. You make out like I'm your father."

"Okay, fine," Scott said, stopping in his tracks. He bent over. "I can't do this anymore. I need to work up to it."

Eddie rubbed Scott's back. "Are you really this out of shape?"

"Shut up," Scott managed.

"Perhaps that's enough for day one," Tyler said. "We can do a few more next time."

Scott stood upright. His face resembled a beetroot. "I agree."

A car passed by them and honked. It was Charlotte from reception. Scott gave her a one-fingered reply.

"Come on," Scott said, recovering his breath.

They walked back to the headquarters. Eddie flung his arm across Scott's shoulders.

"We are keeping this up, you know," Eddie said.

"I have no doubt," Scott replied. "I love it when you're masterful."

A dollop of rain fell on Eddie's forehead. He looked up and the clouds had become very angry indeed.

"Summer downpour," Tyler warned.

"Now watch him run," Eddie added.

For someone who had been close to flatlining minutes earlier, Scott tapped into his energy resources and ran across the remainder of the estate with an alarming speed.

Eddie and Tyler jogged after him.

"What's the emergency?" Tyler asked.

"Do you have no idea how long it takes him to style his hair?" Eddie replied. "Scott has a relationship with water in the same way the Wicked Witch of the West does."

They were still laughing as they got into the lift that Scott had held for them.

"Not funny," Scott said, breathless.

They got out on the office level and walked into reception. Thankfully, Charlotte hadn't made it back to her desk so they waved at Doris from finance who filled in for her.

"Oh, Scott," she cried. "I knew you'd be through. Look what I have."

She produced a large paper bag from under the desk.

"Doris, you devil," Scott said, skipping over to the reception desk. He peered into the bag and looked at her excitedly. "Chocolate brownies? You shouldn't have."

Eddie swaggered up to his side. "No, she shouldn't. Scott is on a health kick."

"Away with you," Doris said, waving her hand. "There's not an ounce of fat on him. There's three in there. One for each of you."

Tyler had joined them now. "Doris, that's so kind."

Scott handed each of them a succulent-looking chocolate treat.

"Come on," Scott said. "This deserves a cup of tea. Doris, you're a dream."

They walked through the double doors and into the office. All three made a beeline for the canteen to devour Doris' delights.

"We're completely undoing any good that exercise did," Tyler said.

"I don't want to lose weight," Scott replied. "You heard Doris."

"It's about health, remember?" Eddie said.

"Blah blah. I'm not going meet my future husband by being pale and skinny."

"I can picture what your wedding would be like," Tyler said. "Would your theme be extra?"

"With a capital E," Scott replied. "At this rate it'll be you going down the aisle instead of me. How depressing would that be?"

"Your time will come," Eddie said.

"Ugh," Scott replied. "Don't give me all that nonsense."

"Hey," Eddie said. Breaking off a tiny piece of brownie, he threw it at the back of Scott's head. "I'm only trying to keep you motivated."

Scott spun around. He returned the bombardment with a chunk of cake that bounced off Eddie's forehead.

"Oi!" came a voice from across the canteen.

They all groaned as the office manager, Barry Cunningham, came across the floor like a missile.

"Now you've done it," Eddie said.

"Does he have eyes in the back of his head?" Scott replied.

"Brace yourself," Tyler added, standing up straight.

A red-faced Barry reached their table. "Scott Fitzgerald. Did I see you throwing pieces of cake?"

"A tiny crumb," Scott replied. "In the singular."

"Then why are there lumps on the floor?"

Scott pointed to Eddie. "He started it. I was merely defending myself."

"I dread to think about the state of your flat," Barry said as he stooped to pick up the offending items. "Eat it, don't throw it. Why are you all in exercise clobber?"

"Eddie wants to get fit," Tyler said.

Barry turned to Eddie "Is that right?"

"Not religiously," Eddie said, feeling the need to defend himself. "Just to keep the belly under control."

Barry took Scott's hand and put the crumbs in his palm.

"Barry!"

"Do you want me to report you for throwing food?" Barry asked. "Carla said if you got into bother one more time, she'd do something about it."

"You play a dirty game," Scott replied.

"I don't expect to see this again. Is that understood?"

Scott saluted him." Yes, sir. You would think we were living in a bloody boarding school the way you go on."

Barry turned to Eddie. "If you want to keep fit, why don't you sign up for my new Pleasure Seekers football team?"

Eddie shook his head. "I saw the posters. No thanks."

"What a great idea, Eddie," Scott said, with a malevolent grin on his face. "Did you know, Barry, that our Eddie here once got a try-out for Millwall?"

Barry's face lit up. "I did not know that. I'll put your name down then. What about you two?"

"The only balls I play with are more on a one-to-one basis," Scott replied.

"Ugh, spare us," Eddie said.

"Not for me, Barry," Tyler interjected. "My spare time is helping Danny with the shop."

Barry nodded. "How's he doing? Stan is missing him downstairs."

Danny Healy used to work in the warehouse until he took on a friend's shop in Brighton. Now he spent his days restoring vintage furniture and selling it to the hipster community.

"Really well, thanks," Tyler replied. "He's talking to a new boutique hotel that's opening. They want everything to be vintage. Imagine that."

Danny's shop had a workshop at the rear and was a thriving little business. Eddie had been with Tyler a few times and picked up some nice pieces for the flat.

"That sounds like a money spinner. Tell him I asked after him," Barry said. "Right, I'd better be off. Eddie, I'll be in touch. Scott, behave."

He sped off.

"Thank you very much," Eddie said. "Now he's going to think I'm bloody Maradona."

He stared pointedly at his brownie.

"Don't even think about it," Scott said with a gleeful expression on his face. "Your new boss might confiscate your half-time orange."

Eddie glanced at the clock. "That reminds me. I've got a meeting with James, my actual boss, now. I'd better go."

"In your shorts?" Scott asked.

The Pleasure Seekers offices were totally open plan. He saw his manager, James Bennett, standing up and stretching.

"No time. Here, save that for me. And don't eat it, Scott. I mean it."

He handed his brownie to Scott who didn't look all that trustworthy.

"What does James want?" Tyler asked.

Eddie shrugged. "Search me. I'm leading in sales this month, so it can't be a bollocking. He's on his feet. I'm off."

He flicked Scott's ear as he walked past.

"You'll have this brownie in your bed if you don't watch yourself," Scott said.

"Then I'd have to get in with you," Eddie replied over his shoulder.

"Never!"

Eddie wandered over to his desk. Pleasure Seekers operated a hot-desking rule. The idea being that everyone sat where they saw fit. The various still teams tended to drift together. It soon became a pain to have to walk across the whole floor to grab five minutes' chat with someone.

Another of Alistair's grand schemes gone awry.

Eddie got to his desk.

"Are you ready?" James asked.

James stood tall at six foot three with silver hair and blue eyes. It made for quite an arresting sight. He couldn't be more different to Eddie, who just managed a little over five foot ten, had brown dreadlocks and brown eyes.

"Will I need my laptop?"

James shook his head.

"I have to say, I'm intrigued," Eddie said. If he wasn't mistaken, James seemed nervous. Something Eddie had never encountered from him before. Ever.

Kat, the social media manager, glanced up at him. She also looked worried. Eddie instantly wondered if a conversation had been had while he was at lunch.

With a leaden feeling in his stomach, he followed James into one of the meeting rooms that lined the main wall.

He shut the door behind them and sat.

"How's your day going?" James asked.

"Oh, amazing," Eddie replied. "I've been forced to sign up for Barry's bloody football team."

A twinkle of amusement flashed in James' eyes. "How on earth did you get stuck with that? The others have been swerving him all week."

"He busted me for throwing cake," Eddie replied. "Yes, I am thirty-six years old next birthday."

"At least I can say someone is representing the department. That's something, I suppose."

Eddie hadn't considered that it might actually be a good thing.

"Of course, that was my first thought."

James raised an eyebrow. "You're a terrible liar, Eddie. Makes me wonder how you can be such a decent salesman."

The rain had died down a little. Eddie saw blinks of sunlight breaking through the clouds. Maybe he should go for a jog when he got home. If he had to return to the football pitch, he would need to improve his fitness levels big-time.

"So, what can I do for you?" Eddie said. "The anticipation is killing me. Nothing too terrible, I hope."

Stop babbling.

James sighed. "I've already spoken to Brad and Kat. I'll deal with the others this afternoon."

So it was bad. "Don't tell me we're all losing our jobs," Eddie said. He had only been half joking.

"Not quite," James replied. "I've decided to take early retirement."

Eddie thought his jaw might hit the floor. James had been with Pleasure Seekers since its inception fifteen years ago.

"Are you mad?" Eddie said. "Things are the best they've ever been. You've worked hard for this time."

"That's the point," James said, rubbing his hands together. "I'm not cut out for this new world. Since the pandemic, things are crazy. There's even talk of moving to bigger premises. The warehouse is struggling to cope with the demand."

Eddie's heart rattled like a machine gun. "You can't leave. What will we do without you?"

"That's very kind, Eddie."

They hadn't always seen eye to eye over the years. Still, James was the only boss Eddie had ever really known. His career history could be described as chequered, to say the least.

"I mean it," Eddie said. "We all know the knobby type that Alistair will employ to replace you. They'll ruin the whole team."

James watched him carefully.

"When are you leaving?"

"I'm on three months' notice," James said. "Alistair wants me to recruit my replacement."

"That's something, I suppose," Eddie replied. "I suppose he must be cruising around Sardinia or Sicily. Far too busy to worry about this place."

Eddie gripped a pen that had been left on the meeting room table. The idea of getting to know a new person and all their ways of working filled him with dread. James generally let Eddie get on with things his way.

"I've said that I'd like to recruit from within," James continued.

This time Eddie sat upright. "Not Brad," he said. "I can't work for that twat."

"He's in the running."

"Who else is?"

"You, of course."

Things were getting out of control. He sympathised with Alice when she fell into Wonderland. "Me? Are you crackers?"

"Of course not. Eddie, you're better than you realise. Will you at least take some time to consider it? Things would be boring if it were a one-horse race."

Eddie scrubbed his face with his hands. "I'll think about it."

"Good. While you're doing that, I'll be watching yours and Brad's totals for the rest of the month. It'll make any recommendation from me much stronger if the successful candidate gets the most sales."

So, James had the idea of playing Brad and Eddie off against each other. Eddie had meant what he said. There wasn't a chance he'd be managed by the biggest knobhead in Pleasure Seekers.

He had to win this. His only other option was to leave. That wasn't something he relished. Things were settled for the first time in years.

"Fine," he said. "Nothing like a bit of competition to bring out the beast in me."

"That's what I like to hear. Before that, I've signed you and Brad up to the university open day this week."

Eddie frowned. "The what?"

"The university open day," James repeated, slowly. "When all the terrified potential students come to visit. The uni wants to look like they're down with the kids, so we're running a safe sex stall. You'll need two volunteers each."

Eddie rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Fucking hell. This is a weird day."