BUNNY SIMMERER

"You'd better ask me out quickly if you're going to get a job here," came the innocuous-sounding threat.

She meant that because she couldn't go out with a colleague, I had better get a move on before it was too late. But it could also be read as a kind of quid pro quo: ask me out, or we won't hire you. The "he he", she added at the end of the sentence was supposed to underline that she only meant it as a joke. But I wasn't laughing.

With just one more round to go till I land, (please, G-d, let it happen) my new high-profile, high-powered and high-paying position, I'm still being pursued by the girl from HR. I don't feel flattered. Nor can I understand how a seemingly intelligent girl could seriously think that adding "he he" after an indecent proposition somehow reduces her chances of hurt and mine of discomfort.

So I paused. I thought. And then I replied. I said that if I got the job, I'd be starting in around a month, which meant it wouldn't be a particularly long-lasting relationship. "I wouldn't want to break your no-business-with-pleasure rule either," I added, just in case she didn't get the hint the first time.

It seemed to do the job. But what if she's like the metal exoskeleton in Terminator, and just keeps coming back for more? How much more will I need to pander to her given the power that she wields over me? Could it get messy once I'm through the door? Watch this space.