‘Damn it, how do I make the computer spit out my e-mails?’ Helen Price thumps the desk in frustration. She is nineteen years old and has been the junior in the office for three days. She shakes her blonde hair in frustration and her elfin features screw up in fury. As she raises her fist to thump the offending computer, Bel Flinders grab her wrist.
‘Little girls shouldn't have e-mails,’ she quips, leaning over the workstation, her hooped ear-ring wafting in front of Helen's face, ‘have you put in your username and password? Ah, I see you've put two l's in Helen; there, that's it.’
‘Thank you, Bel. I'm sorry I don't seem to be able to get the hang of this computer.’
‘Have a word with Rina, she's not only our IT specialist, she's also got that wonderful gift of being able to explain. I can do it but I've no patience trying to show people how.’
‘It'll cost you a coffee,’ the voice of Rina Cohen wafts from two cubicles down, ‘make it a cappuccino if you've managed to work out that infernal machine they fitted last week.’
‘Oh, that's no problem. I used to work at Starbucks.’ Helen smiles over the partition.
‘That's a deal then. I'll trade you, cappuccino for computer lessons.’
Rina is the oldest member of the cubicles. She has been at Fletcher Drummond for ten years, back when Neil Fletcher was alive. She has spent the last two years dragging the company into the twenty-first century with Alex Drummond stumbling along behind.
‘When I started with computers, that thing you are struggling with would have taken up most of the cubicles in this office. The first computer I worked with used punched cards.’
‘That was back when Moses was a lad,’ a voice comes from the next cubicle across.
‘That'll be enough from you, Andrew,’ says Rina. Andy Billington grins, his long nose and black-rimmed spectacles appear over the partition.
‘Now I'm in trouble, Rina only uses my full name when I have displeased her.’
‘Don't you go upsetting our IT lady or she'll drop a worm into your work station.’ The black curly hair of Yannis Petrakis appears from the cubicle next to Andy.
‘Or into my coffee which would be worse.’
‘Talking of coffee,’ says Bel smiling at Helen.
‘Coming up,’ says Helen as she heads for the lunch room. Both Yannis and Andy follow the progress of her black mini skirt as she disappears.
‘Back into your kennels, boys,’ says Bel.
Placated by coffee and some rather nice shortcake the office settles down into its routine. Helen gives up worrying about e-mails as Fiona Rice, Mr Drummond’s private secretary, loads her down with photocopying. In the next cubicle Bel completes another order for Ellis & Co. She is a tall slim brunette with dark eyes, high cheek bones, a strong chin and full sensual lips enhanced with a rich red lipstick. Her hair is kept short with a tousled look which clearly takes a lot of time and effort to achieve. She loves to wear blue and always sports enormous hoop earrings. She exudes confidence and sex. Her name is Belinda but hates the idea of Belinda Flinders so always keeps it short like her hair.
Always efficient and neat at work, she is mostly responsible, with Rina Cohen, for the success of the company at present. When she flutters her lashes at the clients, the orders flood in. Most of the clients would love to take her out to wine and dine and more but she never dates the clients. The office rumour machine has paired her with Andy, but she keeps her own counsel.

In reception, Jane Everett fills a lull between phone calls with the filing of long and crimson nails. Jane is blonde haired and blue eyed but nobody’s ‘Bimbo’. She is twenty-two and has worked for Fletcher Drummond for three months. Five feet nine inches tall, her slim figure attracts the attention of all the male visitors to the office. Her long hair falls softly over her shoulders; her ready smile makes everyone feel welcome. She is a very efficient receptionist, dealing with callers quickly and carefully in a polite manner.
Calmness lies over the office; only the clicking of keys is heard. The warm sunshine lulls the world into a false sense of peace.
A door slams. Its noise smashes through the calm, though the silence deepens as all hands freeze above their keyboards. Only the hum of a fluorescent tube can be heard.
‘Who is it then?’ the voice of Alex Drummond cuts the air like a knife.
‘Pardon, Mr Drummond, who is what?’ Rina speaks as the most senior person in the cubicles.
‘Who is having an affair? Who is using my valuable office time to conduct a shabby little love affair?’
Drummond glares across the cubicles at five faces that stare back incredulously. Bel is first to find her voice.
‘What makes you think that any of us is having an affair, Mr Drummond?’
‘This!’ he says, waving a piece of paper in the air, ‘I was working away quietly in my office when I was suddenly inundated with e-mails, a dozen of them at once.’ All eyes turn towards Helen who at that moment has found something under her desk to be of enormous interest. ‘Don't look at her, she's only been here a couple of days, you can't blame her.’ There is a long silence. ‘Well? I want to know.’ There is another silence similar to the first though perhaps a little longer. ‘I will find out you know and then you know what will happen.’
‘The Swindon branch?’ mutters Rina.
‘The Swindon branch.’ He turns on his heel and returns to his office. The door slams again. Collective breaths are released.
‘It's OK, you can come out from under there now Helen.’ Bel looks down as Helen rises timidly from beneath her desk.
‘Well I think we know where your e-mails went,’ Rina adds.
‘Not just yours,’ says Yannis. ‘You seem to have dumped every e-mail in the office onto Drummond's computer.’
‘Ssorry,’ says Helen, close to tears.
‘Can't be helped,’ Andy sighs. ‘Well then, come on - who sent it?’
‘You mean it wasn't you?’ says Rina.
‘Why me?’ cries Andy.
‘Well, everyone knows about you and Bel.’
‘Me and Bel!’ he snorts.
‘Oh, not that old chestnut,’ Bel grins. ‘Surely that one isn't still circulating. Andy took me out to dinner, once, shortly after he arrived. He wanted me to fill him in on the way things ran here. He might have had other ideas at the time, but I soon put him straight.’
‘Very straight,’ says Andy.
‘What did he mean about the Swindon branch?’ Helen says nervously.
‘It's his standard threat,’ Rina sighs, ‘He has a bee in his bonnet about office relationships, thinks they get in the way of efficiency. The last time it happened he transferred one of the couple to the Swindon branch. It's his version of the gulag.’
‘Can he do that? Isn't there a law against it?’ Yannis asks.
‘He thinks he's found some way around it. He doesn't sack people, he moves them. He's always managed to get away with it. If it wasn't you two, then who was it?’ No-one speaks for some time. Bel breaks the silence.
‘Well, this is definitely getting in the way of efficiency, let's get back to work and see what happens. It might blow over.’ Rina’s expression shows that she has doubts but there is little else to do.
The rest of the day passes in relative silence. One cannot hear the zip and buzz of thoughts that pass between the workers of the cubicles. Eyes meet and looks speak volumes but not out loud. The electric clock slides towards the hour of closing. There are sighs and sniffs as the work stations are closed down for the evening.
Jane wanders into the open area of the office from reception. She is putting on a bright red coat with an imitation fur collar. ‘Well, who's going to tell him then?’
‘Tell him what?’ Yannis turns on his chair and glares at her.
‘Yes, tell me what?’ As one, the occupants of the cubicles execute the smoothest of Wimbledon head movements from left to right, Alex Drummond stands outside his office with Fiona Rice quietly at his elbow.
‘Tell you about the love in this office, of course,’ Jane smiles.
‘And what do you know, Miss Everett? You are only temporary, and you are out in reception. Do you know who sent the e-mail?’ Alex glares at her. ‘
‘Yes, I know who sent it. I sent it.’ Seven mouths fall open and fourteen eyes widen with surprise. ‘I thought it was time the whole thing was brought to a head and sorted out. Besides, as you said, I'm only temporary and I don't have time to waste waiting much longer for the results of my research.’
‘Research?’ Alex parroted.
‘Didn't you bother to read my CV Mr. Drummond? I know I've only been employed to cover while Susan was having the baby, but you might have taken more notice of whom you were employing. I recently completed my Masters in Business Studies and I'm taking a little time to do research into office dynamics for my PhD. This office seemed like a good place to start.’ Jane smiles again and looks at the seven little goldfish, their mouths opening and closing.
‘Jane, you think this is a good time…’ Andy starts.
‘A very good time, Andy. There is more love in this office than you might think, Mr Drummond. I have been observing carefully so I should know. Then with the odd e-mail dropped into the mix and the pot stirred I've been able to watch all sorts of interesting things happen. I wonder which of the e-mails that I sent was the one that popped up again today. Let me start with an affair I can speak about with certainty.’
‘Jane!’ Andy says quietly.
‘Andy lost a lot of confidence when you ‘set him straight’ Bel. I've spent quite a bit of time since rebuilding it haven't I, Andy darling? I think he's coming on rather nicely, but it doesn't end there, Alex. You see, when you sent Rina’s young man off to Swindon some years ago, he found someone else in that office to replace her. Rina has taken a long time to find his replacement. Haven't you noticed how lovely she's been looking recently, everyone? Yannis may be a great deal younger than her but I have great hopes of these two love birds.’ Yannis looks sheepishly across the partition at Rina whose face has coloured, but she looks lovingly at him, completely ignoring the fact that her closely guarded secret has just been broadcast to her world. ‘Then of course, there’s Bel and Helen.’ All eyes swing to where Bel stands fuming with Helen hiding behind her. ‘You set Andy straight, remember, and Andy is mine. You made it clear that your emotions led you in a different direction. I never quite understood why you kept your preferences a dark secret, though I suppose it might make fluttering your eyes at clients to get business a little difficult.’ Bel slipped an arm round Helen's shoulder. ‘I know you helped to get Helen the job And I think she'll do very well.’
‘Oh, you do, do you?’ Alex has a face like thunder. ‘And where do you get off snooping and prying into my office and upsetting my staff, intruding into their private lives.’
‘Yippee! Mr Drummond stands up to defend office love. Hold the front page. You really didn't read my CV did you Alex? Didn't you get to the bit where I said I was the daughter of Neil Fletcher? I took my mother's maiden name when they divorced, and he left me his share of the company when he died in the accident. Oh no, I missed that bit out.’
‘But you were a little thing with glasses and big teeth.’ Alex tries to work it out.
‘I was, Alex. Did you miss the development of contact-lenses and the great work that dentists are doing these days? Like Topsy I growed, didn't I Andy?’ She beams at him. He smiles back. ‘Now, have I missed anything? Oh yes, one last thing. I'm not sure I can solve this one but I'm going to give it a go. Hasn't anyone noticed that our little mouse of a manager's secretary worships the ground that her boss walks on?’ The little mouse squeaks. ‘You've been on your own too long, Alex. Wake up and smell the coffee.’
‘Right, I think that about wraps up Hercules Poirot’s last page revelations. Come on Andy, you can take me to dinner; we'll leave Alex to work out who he's going to send to the gulag. It could leave this place a little shorthanded. Oh, and while we’re at it, Alex, I’m giving in my notice. I've done all the research I can here so I'm going to move on and squeeze in one more bit before I go back to Uni. You know, I think I might take up that vacancy they have at the Swindon branch before it gets too crowded. Come on, Andy.’