Oh cupcake. What am I going to do with you?

Yesterday I was in the elevator making small talk with one of our fire systems maintenance people and while I’m stepping out he says “you know, you have quite a fan club. The guys I work with, you know. They’re big fans.”

I know he’s talking about the one who complimented me on my gray last week, who said “I have to commend you for going gray, it suits you.” He went on to tell me about his wife the beautician - 12 years his junior.

It was flattering, but uncomfortable. My client base is 99% male and I’ve come to understand what that means for the likes of me - the one female they come into contact with in the course of a day.

Office politics are a non-issue for me, my focus is on a more important item: what to do about clients who flirt or give you googly eyes.

I’ve taken to wearing a ring that resembles a wedding band on my right hand. This, coupled with my short hair and athletic build, seems to confuse them. I don’t wear make-up but I do wear Birks with socks. My quick wit and similar sense of humor tends to disarm them, it brings me to their level and I suddenly become one of the guys. Still, it’s there. It’s there because I’m friendly and approachable and I think of all people on the same level unless they prove themselves unworthy.

So tell me, what’s a girl to do?