quite an adjustment. I shall be studying very hard every night this week, to get the first three lessons of my course finished.”
“Oh? I didn’t think Mr. Taylor would be that strict with you?”
“No,” agreed Amanda. “Doesn’t he have a reputation for being one of the more lenient Department Heads in the Bank?”
“Um, well, I think he is, but I want to do well, and my new…boyfriend expects certain standards of me, and I can’t let him down.”
“New boyfriend?” asked Rose. “Somebody you met at the Bank’s party on Friday night?”
“No, I didn’t meet him at the party, he’s somebody I’ve known for a while now, and he decided on Saturday morning to spend the weekend with me at his place. He took me out Saturday evening to a club and for a very nice dinner last evening, and we just had a great time at his house.”
“Oh,” said Linda. “What’s he like? What does he do?”
Think, ‘Liv, think before you speak.
“He’s an executive,” said Olivia carefully. “Older than me, he’s been married before, has two daughters who don’t live with him, and he’s quite handsome. A very self-confident man.”
“Divorced, eh?” said Linda. “Hope you don’t have trouble with his ex. It’s nice that she has the kids, but if he has them weekends it will cut down on the romance.”
“And he expects you to do well at your new job?” asked Amanda.
“He does. He says Friday night he’s going to drill me on the Currency Exchange Rules and Regulations and he expects me to be perfect. He also expects me to learn the symbols for the sixty most traded currencies by then.”
“Wow,” breathed Rose, “he sounds like a real taskmaster. I don’t know if I’d like that kind of expectations. And he wants you to finish the first three lessons of the currency trading course on top of all that?”
“No, I want to do that, to please both him and Mr. Taylor. Olivia sighed. “I think it’s just what I need, a firm hand. I know I can be a bit much sometimes, and my new boyfriend thinks if I work hard and concentrate, I’ll be a much better person. We practiced thinking before I speak last night…”
Amanda and Linda looked at each other. “A firm hand, Olivia?” asked Amanda.
Olivia blushed.
Think before you speak, ‘Liv.
“ I mean, he’s a typical Alpha male. He calls the shots and I quite like that, I find. I never had a man who controlled the relationship before, and this man controls everything. I love it! It makes me feel he really cares.”
They needn’t know I never had a man or a relationship before.
“Everything?” asked Rose.
“Everything. He chose what I will wear to work all week, he laid out each outfit for me, and he’s given me a diet to follow while he’s busy at a… course this week. He says I don’t eat healthy enough to keep up with him, and he’s enrolled me in a gym that I’m going to every morning now before work. Oh, yes, on Thursday night after work he’s made an appointment for me at a salon where he knows the owner, and I’m having the works, hair, manicure, and pedicure and a makeup lesson. He says my hair now doesn’t do my beauty justice. He really knows how to treat a woman!”
The girls exchanged glances. None of them knew what to say. Amanda could never go without a comment, though.
“So he thinks you’re beautiful, Olivia? Isn’t that nice.”
She peered at Olivia. “I guess you are attractive, really. I just never looked beyond your bad hair and awful clothes before. You do look prettier with it tied back in that ponytail.”
At break time that afternoon, the three of them sat sipping their tea and talking about Olivia.
“I don’t think that sounds healthy do you, Olivia’s relationship with this new boyfriend?” said Rose.
“He seems to have her under his thumb already,” agreed Amanda.
“Sounds very controlling,” agreed Linda.
“Oh? I didn’t think Mr. Taylor would be that strict with you?”
“No,” agreed Amanda. “Doesn’t he have a reputation for being one of the more lenient Department Heads in the Bank?”
“Um, well, I think he is, but I want to do well, and my new…boyfriend expects certain standards of me, and I can’t let him down.”
“New boyfriend?” asked Rose. “Somebody you met at the Bank’s party on Friday night?”
“No, I didn’t meet him at the party, he’s somebody I’ve known for a while now, and he decided on Saturday morning to spend the weekend with me at his place. He took me out Saturday evening to a club and for a very nice dinner last evening, and we just had a great time at his house.”
“Oh,” said Linda. “What’s he like? What does he do?”
Think, ‘Liv, think before you speak.
“He’s an executive,” said Olivia carefully. “Older than me, he’s been married before, has two daughters who don’t live with him, and he’s quite handsome. A very self-confident man.”
“Divorced, eh?” said Linda. “Hope you don’t have trouble with his ex. It’s nice that she has the kids, but if he has them weekends it will cut down on the romance.”
“And he expects you to do well at your new job?” asked Amanda.
“He does. He says Friday night he’s going to drill me on the Currency Exchange Rules and Regulations and he expects me to be perfect. He also expects me to learn the symbols for the sixty most traded currencies by then.”
“Wow,” breathed Rose, “he sounds like a real taskmaster. I don’t know if I’d like that kind of expectations. And he wants you to finish the first three lessons of the currency trading course on top of all that?”
“No, I want to do that, to please both him and Mr. Taylor. Olivia sighed. “I think it’s just what I need, a firm hand. I know I can be a bit much sometimes, and my new boyfriend thinks if I work hard and concentrate, I’ll be a much better person. We practiced thinking before I speak last night…”
Amanda and Linda looked at each other. “A firm hand, Olivia?” asked Amanda.
Olivia blushed.
Think before you speak, ‘Liv.
“ I mean, he’s a typical Alpha male. He calls the shots and I quite like that, I find. I never had a man who controlled the relationship before, and this man controls everything. I love it! It makes me feel he really cares.”
They needn’t know I never had a man or a relationship before.
“Everything?” asked Rose.
“Everything. He chose what I will wear to work all week, he laid out each outfit for me, and he’s given me a diet to follow while he’s busy at a… course this week. He says I don’t eat healthy enough to keep up with him, and he’s enrolled me in a gym that I’m going to every morning now before work. Oh, yes, on Thursday night after work he’s made an appointment for me at a salon where he knows the owner, and I’m having the works, hair, manicure, and pedicure and a makeup lesson. He says my hair now doesn’t do my beauty justice. He really knows how to treat a woman!”
The girls exchanged glances. None of them knew what to say. Amanda could never go without a comment, though.
“So he thinks you’re beautiful, Olivia? Isn’t that nice.”
She peered at Olivia. “I guess you are attractive, really. I just never looked beyond your bad hair and awful clothes before. You do look prettier with it tied back in that ponytail.”
At break time that afternoon, the three of them sat sipping their tea and talking about Olivia.
“I don’t think that sounds healthy do you, Olivia’s relationship with this new boyfriend?” said Rose.
“He seems to have her under his thumb already,” agreed Amanda.
“Sounds very controlling,” agreed Linda.
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