The Dinner Party

Jane walked into the dining room of Mr & Mrs Henderson's house. She sat down and looked around. The walls were painted in cream and large paintings hung from each wall on either side of a marble fire place.

Everyone in her team at work were already seated. There was Alex, George, Karen and herself. They were the top team in the company.

Jane guessed that this dinner was meant to impress her and her team. Mr Harry Henderson had invited them, so they could discuss a new deal. There were rumours that the 'Harrison' deal were going to be taken over by her employer. She knew that Harry wanted her to manage it.

This sort of deal didn't appeal to her. She knew it would be a difficult job and she wasn't sure if her employers should take on such a big deal like 'Harrison' and still expect to profit from it. It was too risky.

She couldn't afford to get into a rut. Neither, did she want to get into a situation that she was unsure about, but on the other hand, she wanted to further her career too. She wanted to be paid for her work and if she didn't, it would mean losing her house and everything she had worked hard for. Of course, if the deal did work, it would mean fame and fortune. Yes, it was worth thinking about. She was looking forward to hearing what Harry Henderson had to say about it. Whilst she waited, she would make sure that Mr & Mrs Henderson knew how much they really needed her services.

Jane watched as a waitress brought out the first course. It was prawn cocktail. How boring. The crystal bowl was placed on her mat. She dug into it while she watched Mrs Henderson, who sat opposite her. She was a generous lady, but cunning in her own way. Harry, who sat on Jane's left at the head of the table was equally generous, but not so severe in his personality. Mrs Henderson was talking to Alex who sat to her left.

"I do love prawns very much indeed. Harry practically lives on them." She smiled.

"My dear, I don't eat them all the time. You imagine it. I just like them." Harry hated to be spoken about in public. Jane knew he was very particular about things like that.