Monday morning after a quiet weekend felt strange. I was due in Hartford at 10:00 for a site inspection and Brady offered me a lift to the site. I thanked him but had to pick some stuff up at the office.

“How’s the schedule?” I asked him.

“Yeah, it’s good. We’re ready for you this morning.”

“I’m not the lead person, Samantha is. I can’t do anything except stand and listen, unless I’m asked,” I said. “If I am, I have to be professional, Brady.”

“What are you saying, Tony?”

“I’m saying, it’s just work. It’s not personal.”

“Of course, see you up there.”

When I reached the office, Sam was chatting to Maria at Sam’s desk while Jules was hanging her coat up. I caught Jules’ eye and she followed me into her office.

“Thanks for everything on Saturday, Jules. They loved it. I’m sorry to have disturbed you on the weekend,” I said.

“Oh, go away with yourself. It was my pleasure.”

“I want to run something by you. This office is crying out for a dedicated office manager. I’m going to broach it to the guys and I’d like to nominate you,” I said as her eyes widened. “Would you be up for it?”

“I don’t know if I’m management material, Tony.”

“If I got them to send you on a training course, would that clinch it?” I said. “You’d be perfect for the position.”

“Would I get a raise?”

“Always with the money,” I said with a laugh. “Of course you would.”

“I think I’ll Google an office managers job description, it might be fun.”

She left the room to be replaced by Maria.

“What have I done on you?” she asked.

“How do you mean?”

“You turned on me on Friday and made me look a fool and you won’t take a call or answer a text from me, it’s not fair.”

“I got neither a call nor a text from you since last week. When did you send them?” I asked, as I fished my phone out of my pocket and opened the text app. I showed it to her,

“Look! No calls either.”

She tried to take my phone, but I pulled it back out of her reach. She looked confused.

“So if you’re done here, I’ve to be somewhere else.”

“Where are you going?”

“Out of my mind.” I said, and walked past her.

Sam was almost ready to leave for Hartford so I grabbed Doug, who had just arrived.

“Can I have a word?” I asked.

“Yes. Is there a problem?”

“No, just something I forgot to mention on Friday.”

“Ok. Shoot!”

“We need a dedicated office manager.”

“I agree. I was going to talk to you about it. We’ll need to come up with a job description to get a suitable applicant.”

“Or we can promote from within with a small raise and save an extra salary.”

He started laughing.

“James warned me about this, Tony. Ok, what are you thinking? You’ve obviously got it worked out yourself.”

“I have, and it’s a no brainer. Julia is your manager. She knows the place. Everyone loves her and she doing it unofficially at the moment.”

He considered it for a short few seconds and looked over at her as she studied her screen in deep concentration.

“Yes, Tony. She’s the one. What do we offer her?”

“Leave that with me and we’ll talk later. I’ve to get out to Hartford.”

“Give ‘em hell”

He was shaking his head and smiling as I left the room.

I carried Sam’s bag to her car and we set off for the trip to the site. Sam was about to say something, but I asked her to hold the thought while I made a call. Jules answered.

“Hi,” I said. “This’ll be brief. Don’t scream. You’re in.”

She screamed.

“Clever,” I said. “Have a think about remuneration and text me what you’d accept.”

“I will,” she whispered, “thank you for thinking about me, Tony. I won’t let you down.”

“I know that. Talk later.”

“What was that all about?” Sam asked.

“In the fullness of time, my petit crème brûlée. My sensual Paris-Brest. My beautiful Mille-feuille.”

She giggled like a schoolgirl and I stroked her hand.

“This is already the best car trip I’ve ever taken,” she said

We chatted all the way to Hartford and arrived at 9:45, in plenty of time for a quick look around before the meeting. It was my first visit so I took time to acclimatise. Brady came to greet us. He shook hands with Sam and introduced us to Susan, the client’s wife. She and Sam already knew each other and they hugged it out in greeting. Sam turned and introduced me to Susan. I offered my hand in greeting

“Lovely to meet you, Susan,” I said, as Brady watched.

“You too, Tony,” she said, and removed her blonde hair from her deep blue eyes with a flick of her head. She blushed slightly as she did so.

“I love your accent. Brady tells me you’re Irish.”

“Yes.”

“What brought you here?”

“Samantha’s car,” I said, trying to keep a straight face.

“No. I mean,”

“Sorry, Susan. I couldn’t resist.”

“Oh that’s mild, Susan,” Sam said. “Wait until you get to know him.”

“I look forward to that,” she smiled and winked at me.

Brady fell in step beside me and whispered, “How do you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Have women eating out of your hand in less than a minute?”

“I’m not sure I know what you mean, Brady.”

“That Susan woman would drag you into bed this second if you made a move.”

“Nah. You’re imagining things, Brady. I’m a one woman man.”

“One woman at a time.”

“Brady, will you shut the fuck up? She’ll hear you.”

She turned her head for a quick glance behind and I knew that she already had. As she walked on. I was trying not to look at the incredible way her jeans made her backside look so elegant.

The meeting began in the kitchen and Susan took her place at the table between Sam and Brady while I looked on from directly opposite.

There wasn’t a formal agenda so I quickly assembled one as they discussed completion dates and holidays. At 10:10 the meeting still hadn’t begun so I took charge. I switched the recorder on.

“Ok everyone. First item on the agenda is the program. How are we doing, Brady?”

The meeting took thirty minutes and we discussed everything required before agreeing the program for the following week. I adjourned the meeting and called the next one for a week hence at 10.00. Susan made some coffee and we spent a pleasant hour answering questions from her. When we departed, Sam was excited.

“That was a lesson on how to run a site meeting, Tony,” she said, “it started almost on time and was over quickly and we moved through your agenda at a good pace. We should have an agenda for every meeting.”

“I assumed we did. Not to worry, most agendas have the same schedule so it wasn’t a problem.”

“Susan is very impressed with you,” she said.

“Us, I think you mean.”

“No, it’s you. I think she’d jump your bones if she wasn’t married.”

“No I don’t think I’d like that, Sam.”

“Why?”

“I’d much prefer a leisurely hour or two of sensuality, touch and taste, where every romantic minute movement helps to build slowly towards an exotic climax.”

“Oh my Jesus. Your words kill me. If we weren’t in work I’d drag you into my bed,” she screamed with laughter.

I waited a few seconds.

“I don’t know if you remember this, but you promised me that next time you’d allow me to remove your thong.”

“Yes, I remember that. I remember everything about that night. I haven’t been dry since then.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

“Even now?”

“Especially now, it began when you called me your petit crème brûlée.”

My throat caught and I felt an erection growing. I tried to move it by twisting my hips while trying to hide it, until I noticed Sam doing the same. She held my hand all the way back to the office. As we got out of the car I realised it was still lunchtime. Sam looked a bit sheepish.

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh, you know.”

“Is it the topic of conversation coming back.”

“Yes, don’t mind me. I’m not used to it, that’s all.”

“I’m sorry, Sam, I crossed the line and I shouldn’t have.”

“No, Tony. I can’t say that I didn’t enjoy it. I just have to change my panties when we get inside.”

We both laughed.

“Can I have the old ones for lunch?”

“If you behave.”

“Let me buy you lunch to make it up to you.”

“Ok, but give me a couple of minutes. I really need to change.”

“I’ll meet you at the deli,” I said, and headed in that direction.

I knew I’d have to face it at some point but I was a big boy now. Besides, I had nothing to be ashamed of. I wasn’t the one who left. I pushed open the door and saw her behind the counter. She was busy and didn’t see me.

“Tony!” It was Francis Doyle, shouting my name from the counter.

I looked at him, Heather looked at me and I waved in such a way that it appeared I was waving at them both. She seemed to relax a bit and I sat down at the window to wait for Sam. Francis came over.

“Sorry about blowing you off before the weekend,” he said.

“You’re forgiven, as long as you never use the words ‘blowing you off” ever again.

“I won’t.”

“Listen, Francis, I have a job I’d like you to look at and give me a quotation for. Will I email it or have you got time after lunch?”

“I have time.”

Sam came in and I introduced them. She turned her back to him and sneaked her hand into my pocket with a wink and a filthy smile.

“Anyone for a meatball sub?” she said.

“Yes please, just get me a small one.”

“Coffee?”

“Just water please, I want to wet my whistle, I’m very dry today.”

“Well water should make you wet again.”

“Or at least very damp,” as I handed her my card.

“Ok, two subs coming up,” she said, with another filthy smile which I saw that Heather noticed.

As we left the deli Sam took my arm and leaned up to whisper in my ear.

“You’re bad, you know that?”

“Yes, Sam, I’m bad”

“So what are you going to do with my panties?”

“The ones you’re wearing now or those in my pocket?”

She slapped my arm but she enjoyed it.

We entered the office and everyone was working at their desks. Francis whistled as he looked around,

“I love a clean and tidy office, Tony. It indicates an efficient business,” he said, “I’m impressed.”

I introduced him to Barry and Doug and asked Sam to get the new file and lead him through it.

“He noticed the clean office,” she said with what felt like admiration, “you’re really good.”

“Thanks, but it’s a team effort. I just cleaned my own room.”

I headed over to Jules’ desk. She was happy.

“Hey Jules’. Did you come up with a number yet?”

“Yes, how does 15% feel?”

“I’ll tell you in five,” and went to see Doug.

“Hey, Doug.”

“Tony, I hear the meeting went well, you’re cleaning house. What do you need?”

“Thanks, I spoke to Julia. How does 20% on top of what she gets now sound?”

“What do you think?”

“I don’t know what she gets now. Care to elucidate?

“$40k.”

“Probably should be a $50k job, but I’ll try get her for $48k, if she balks I’ll tell her there’s a six month review to take it to $50k. Does that work?”

“Tell her $50k if you think the job is worth that. She’s a great kid.”

“She is. I’ll get her into my office and tell her privately. When do you want her to officially start?”

“She can start tomorrow. We’ll announce it then.”

“Fantastic. We won’t regret it.”

I went back to my room and gave Jules a buzz. She arrived over carrying some blank paper.

“What did he say?”

“You start tomorrow, if you accept $50k PA.”

I didn’t sit behind my desk because I knew she’d scream. Her mouth opened wide and immediately muzzled her with my hand over her mouth.

“Stop screaming, Jules. This is a secret until tomorrow morning. They’re going to announce it first thing. Congratulations, you deserve it. I’m delighted for you.”

“Thank you, Tony. You’re the best.”

“Ok, go on back to your desk and try not to smile too wide. You’re gonna do great and I’m here if you need me.”

“Oh!” She said. and threw her arms around me so I hugged her and let her go.

She came back at me and kissed me on the lips before wiping her lipstick from my mouth and leaving me speechless.

“I’ve been looking for an excuse to do that for ages,” she said, and walked away.

I brought the tape recorder to Jules and asked her to transcribe the minutes of the meeting. I advised her to ignore the heavy breathing, smiled and walked away. She knew I was joking. Sam was waiting at my door when I came back.

“Everything ok?” I asked.

“You’re a busy boy today, Tony.”

“It’s not too bad. I should get out of here early enough, thankfully. What can I do for you, Sam?”

“I went through the Bristol file with Mr. Doyle and he’s going to send me a quote this evening. Do you want me to transcribe the minutes?”

“I just gave them to Jules,” I said, “we’re a Swiss watch today, aren’t we?”

“I wonder who’s responsible for that.”

“We all are, Sam,” I said, “everybody embraced the concept.”

“Doug was saying they’re taking in more work because of it.”

“We can handle more. I haven’t got a lot to do for the rest of the week, how does your calendar look?”

“I’m starting on the Bristol file later. Can you give me some time tomorrow?”

“Yes I’d love to.”

“Great,” she said, she hesitated in the doorway.

“You alright, Sam?”

“I was hoping we could get a drink later, if you’re not busy.”

“Sure. What are you thinking?”

“I don’t know. The best I could think of was the pub. What do you think?”

“Why don’t we have dinner somewhere?”

“That’d be better. Where?”

“We could try that Chinese restaurant we passed today.”

“We’d probably be better getting a Chinese from the takeaway, that restaurant isn’t very good.”

“I’m open to that.”

“We can use my place if you’d like.”

“Sounds good to me. What about your fiancé though? Is fraternising with strange men in your apartment at night allowed?”

“Possibly not, but I have a life too. I’m taking it day by day, Tony. How does 6:00 sound? I’ll order a delivery for then.”

“Sounds great, Sam. You’ve made my day.”

It was 3:50 by the clock on my computer so I went to see Doug.

“Jules is happy with the offer, Doug. Thanks for that.”

“My pleasure. She’ll do great, should we send her on a training program or something?”

“It’s no harm, it’d have to be on a Saturday or something. I’ll talk to her about it. While we’re talking, I have a clear calendar for the rest of the week, is there anything to do?”

“Actually there is,” he said and scribbled something on a sheet of paper. “Will you take Sam to this address this evening. I have four apartments that I want to turn into Air BnBs. They’re all identical. I need Sam to do new interiors for them and you to cost and program in the work. Maria has the keys to one of them. They should be in her desk. Can you do it today?”

“We’ll take a preliminary scope at it and sketch it out to see what we can come up with. Are they all empty?”

“Yes, I’ll bring the other three sets of keys tomorrow.”

“What’s the budget?”

“They’re pretty new so I wouldn’t think much more than $50k total. If we can do it for less, all the better.”

I got Sam to fetch the keys from Maria and went to collect my coat. Sam knew the building and she drove us there. When we arrived, dusk was beginning it’s descent.

“Let’s just have a look to see what the scope of the job is,” I said. Sam agreed.

When we got inside the apartment it was obvious that Maria was living there. I couldn’t let on that I knew it was Maria, so I led Sam to the clues.

Maria’s tartan skirt was lying on the floor beside the couch, her underwear made a trail with other clothing towards the bedroom and the bed was unmade with filthy sheets and covers. She was a pig.

Sam knew it was Maria when she found a gold bangle with ‘Maria’ engraved on the outside and ‘Barry’ on the inside. Further investigation yielded a hotel invoice in Barry’s name and a photo of them both toasting something with champagne at a party or get together somewhere.

“What do we do here, Tony? We have to show this to Doug. He’ll be furious,” she said.

“It can’t be either of us alone. Doug needs to find this for himself,” I said.

“How?”

“Let’s lock this up and I’ll call him from your car,” I said.

“I’ll do it. It’s not your place,” she said.

We agreed a route to travel. She called him.

“Hi, Doug. This is Samantha, don’t say anything.”

He didn’t.

“I’m here with, Tony. We think you need to see the state of this place. Can you come over without anyone noticing?”

Doug arrived in a flash.

“What’s going on?”

“See for yourself,” I said, “it looks like someone is living there. We just walked in, saw the state of it and came out again”

He took the keys and we left him to it. He needed to work it out for himself, so he told us to go home.

At 6:00 I knocked on Sam’s door. She let me in and the food was already served.

“Thank God. you’re on time,” she said.

“You look lovely, Sam.”

“Thank you, kind sir,” she said and gave me a peck on the cheek.

We sat at her kitchen island and ate the food. There was a familiarity to us that warmed me. We could speak frankly and do foolish things without judgement. I fed her and she fed me and it was relaxing and fun and held its own informal intimacy, while no assumptions were made on either side.

We moved to her couch and discussed the day we’d just had. Having gotten the Maria and Barry issue out of the way the conversation turned to the drive back from Hartford. We held hands as we chatted.

“So,” she said. “Did you mean what you said when I told you that Susan wanted to jump your bones?”

“All I remember was a conversation about wetness and I have someone’s panties to prove it.”

She laughed and covered her face.

“I can’t believe I did that.”

“You were saying about jumping bones,” I said.

“Yes. You said you’d rather spend an hour or two romancing or something that.”

“Yes.”

“So what does that entail?”

“I’d have to show you.”

“I’d like you to. I’m curious,” she said.

“Ok, well come into my arms, you beautiful woman.”

She slid into my arms and we kissed. I laid along the couch taking her with me until she was lying beside me with one leg resting on one of mine. She kissed me again, this time with more energy, but it wasn’t what I needed.

“This would be better in the bedroom, Sam. What do you think?”

“It’s your show.”

She walked ahead of me as I took in the vision. She wore a black skirt with a blue sleeveless top that showed her shoulders and was scooped out deeply under her arms. She turned to me beside the bed and I reached for her. I brushed the hair from her eyes and gently stroked her eyebrows and her closed eyelids as she closed her eyes.

I kissed her top lip followed by her bottom lip as my tongue darted in and out of her open mouth. I kissed the freckles across her nose as I used featherlight touches to massage her shoulders and arms.

I kissed her throat leaving a trail with my tongue up to her earlobe which I kissed and then brought between my lips.

I heard a low sigh as I sensed her getting into it and I slid the shoulder straps of her top down from her shoulders and kissed the soft pale skin as it revealed itself. Her top fell away easily and uncovered her breasts. I took them lightly in my hands and teased her nipples with a touch that just skated across them as they rose to try and make themselves known.

She tried to pull my head down but I took her hand and encouraged her on to the bed, her feet dangling over the edge. I took both hands and raised them above her head as I allowed my tongue to feather under her arms. Her aroma was intoxicating and I switched my focus to her navel as I unzipped her skirt and eased it over her hips and legs until it lay tidily on the floor at her feet.

All she had left were her shoes and a pale blue pair of lace panties that were the shape of a butterfly covering her mons and held in place by obscenely thin straps which disappeared behind her hips as she lay there breathing heavily.

I removed her shoes and massaged her feet before taking the big toe of her left foot and taking it quickly into my mouth and releasing it again. Her legs thrashed around as my hands feather danced along her skin and my lips and tongue followed along behind.

Her panties were showing how wet she was becoming as the material snugly took her shape, pronounced it and displayed it in a manner that centuries of the world’s finest artists have never managed to replicate. I slowly slid them from her and let them fall to the floor. She parted her legs, allowing me a view of her glistening wet vulva. My fingers gently stroked either side of her lower lips. She was approaching restlessness and gyrated her hips to cause my fingers to touch the petals of her exposed labia, I removed my fingers and replaced them with my lips as they covered her with soft, gentle kisses.

My hands reached to the beautiful red hair, formed into a round edged triangle, just above her vulva lips and caressed it in an effort to smooth it out as she kicked and writhed under me. I placed my hands on her hips and kissed her inner thighs. She was becoming more and more restless as her need grew stronger.

“For pity’s sake, Tony, please,” she cried.

My hands were like air as they reached for her breasts and found her nipple to be bigger than I remembered. Her arousal rose ever higher. Her pleadings became louder.

“Oh God, Tony, please. I can’t take much more,” she pleaded.

Her legs were wide apart as I allowed my tongue flatten against the length of her vulva. Before I had a chance to do anything else she sat up, fell back down and exploded in orgasm, releasing a stream of clear, sweet fluid along my tongue which now began to stroke along the length of her labia, the tip of my tongue depressed slightly below her outer lips. When it reached her clitoris her legs clamped around my head and she squirmed free and lay shaking on her side as she cried in an emotional outreach which took my heart and brought me to her as I took her in my arms and soothed her gently until she had come back to me again.

“Tony, what was that? I was almost catatonic.”

“It’s a pure expression of love and desire. The most beautiful emotion that can occur between people. It’s the pinnacle of romantic love and the gift I can give you.”

“Your’e so special,” she said.

“And you have a pure heart.”

“I need you inside me now.”

“Not yet, angel. It’s too soon.”

“When?”

“Not long.”

I stood and undressed myself. I had been so lost in her that I hadn’t noticed I was still fully clothed. I took her in my arms and we laid together as her heart returned to a less frantic pace.

I turned her on her back and we kissed slowly and deeply as she finally found where she needed to be. It was a beautiful kiss that lasted forever, it seemed, and brought us to a higher state than ever before.

She pulled me on top of her. It was time. Her eyes were half closed as though in a trance as I entered her slowly. I needed this to be smooth and gentle so it took an age for me to be fully inside her. When fully inside her, I sought the feeling of succour that I yearned for. Her hips moved slowly as she self-stimulated. Her face was buried in my shoulder as she began to climb the hill again. Rocking my hips gently I felt her heat rising. We increased our tempo and I felt everything moving and rising together as we both climbed towards a peak we had never reached together previously. Onward we travelled on our erotic path. Her skin tingled to my touch, our need rose further, her eyes opened wide and we both plateaued before crashing over the edge together. Carefree and connected physically, sexually and emotionally.

We drifted off in each other’s arms into a dreamy sleep. Her delicious hair and skin soothed me as I slept and next morning I was woken by her hand as it softly caressed the erection that was there. A whispered, “good morning,” and a soft kiss.

“How are you this morning, beautiful lady?” I said.

“I can’t describe it,” she said.

“Try,” I said, as I kissed her and searched her eyes for clues.

She thought about it for a few minutes, seeking understanding of something in my eyes.

“I feel as though I’m floating,” she said, “and it’s your fault.”

She squeezed my shaft playfully.

“Ah yes. It usually is.”

“Seriously. I’m still processing last night. I’m going to make coffee for us and I’m going to hit the shower while the coffee is brewing.”

“I’ll nip in first while you’re fiddling with the coffee.”

“We can shower together,” she said through coquettish eyes.

“That sounds delicious, but it’s one of those anomalies that is impractical.”

“How so?”

“I’ll meet you back here after your shower and I’ll show you.”

She squeezed my shaft softly, “Do you want me to cure this for you?”

“In the fullness of time, love.”

She kissed me again, rose from the bed and she walked proudly naked from the room, as I watched her every movement.

My phone was ringing as I dried myself after a shower. I checked my watch. 6:30. I thought it might have been a call from home but it was Doug.

“Hey, Doug. Everything alright?” I asked.

“Kinda,” he said. “I’m at the office. Can you and Samantha get here before everyone comes in to work?”

“I’m sure we can. I’ll give her a heads up. Leave it with me.”

“This is just between us. I’ll fill you in when I see you.”

“Problems?” Sam asked, as she came in to the room, still naked after her shower.

I told her about the call and we scrambled to get ready for work. At 7:00 we arrived at the office to find Doug at his desk trawling through papers. We sat down beside him.

“Thanks for coming in early guys. You’ll never guess what’s been going on at my apartment,” he said, as angry as I’d ever seen him.

“Barry had been fucking Maria there, while Maria has actually been living there. The sheer effrontery of it astounds me.”

“Are you sure, Doug?” I asked.

“I went ballistic, and they admitted it to me last night.”

“Fuck,” I said, “what transpired?”

“I fired Maria straight away and Barry is resigning from the company. I asked you both to come in so I could tell you before everyone else arrived,” he said, “I’d like to put an arrangement in place with you two that will help us to carry on the business as smoothly as possible.”

“What are you thinking?” I asked him.

“I have an idea or two but I need to work it out in my head. I’d like both of you to put your thinking caps on. We can meet later to see if we can hatch out a plan. In the meantime everything goes on as normal. This is between the three of us for now. How does that make you feel?”

Sam shrugged her shoulders noncommittally. I felt that Doug needed positive reinforcement.

“We’re here for you, Doug. Sam and I will get over to your apartment and get cracking on it. I’ll call Brady and get him to send one of his guys over to clear it out,” I said.

“Thanks. Julia is coming in now, so let’s just carry on as normally as we can.”

At 9:00 Sam and I arrived at Doug’s apartment. The plan was to let Brady’s guys in to clear it out and give it a good cleaning. Sam didn’t seem to be feeling it so I took charge and got them going. We had three more keys for the other apartments, so we went to assess what work was needed in them. There was none, really. They were a bit dusty, apart from that they were pristine and fully furnished. I shook some dust off a plastic cover and sat on a couch to take it in.

“What do you think?” Sam asked me.

“I think these three can be leased after a good cleaning.”

“I mean about Maria and Barry,” she said.

“To be honest, Sam, I don’t think anything at all. It’s their mess and I’m not bothered about it one way or another.”

She got up to look out of the window. She looked at me, tried to say something and decided not to.

“Ok, Sam, you obviously have something on your mind.”

“Yes, but I don’t want to. You’ll hate me.”

“I don’t allow hate inside myself. Besides I love too much about you to ever be able to hate you.”

“I knew that Maria was living here.”

“Yes, I know.”

“How?”

“That’s not important, because I know there’s more.”

“I knew that she and Barry were ehm,”

“Fucking.” I finished the sentence for her. “I knew that too. Continue.”

“Barry was using Maria and me to find out your story. He thought you were trouble.”

“Yes. I knew that too.”

“I went along with it for a while, but I found myself developing feelings for you,” she said, “I wanted to tell you so badly, but I was scared you’d hate me.”

I went to her and cradled her in my arms as her tears arrived and ran down her cheeks. I took her face in my hands and wiped them away.

“Look, I’m big enough and ugly enough to look after myself. You were placed in a position that is alien to you, so look who’s gone and look who’s still here.”

She looked at me curiously.

“There’s too much you love about me?”

“What?”

“You just said that.”

“I did, and it’s true.”

She kissed me then.

“You know,’ she said, “it’s kinda weird. Here I am in this Maria and Barry thing and all I can think about is last night.”

“What are you thinking?”

“I need to understand what we did and how.”

“We’ll talk about it. But first we need to see what Brady’s guys are up to.”

We finished up and returned to the office. Doug called me over and I gave him an update. He was happier when I told him that Brady could look after the entire job for quite a bit cheaper than the budget allowance. He threw me a set of car keys.

“Those are the keys to Barry’s car. It’s yours as long as you’re here. See Julia about changing everything over to you.”

“Thanks, Doug. It might need to be disinfected first.”

It was the first time I saw him laughing that day. Sam’s head darted up to see what the mirth was about but would never know. I ambled over to Jules’ desk rattling the keys in my pocket.

“Good morning, Boss Lady,” I said, as she smiled at me. “Now stand up and give me a hug.”

She skipped around the desk and tried to strangle me.

She whispered in my ear, “Am I still a colleague or merely an underling?”

“Underthings?” I said softly and received a jab in reply. “You’re never an underling. I have a favour to ask, Jules. I’m now the key holder to Barry’s Beamer. Doug wants the details changed over to me. Is that something you can do?”

“Give me a second or two,” she said as she tapped a few things into her computer. “Is Tony the name on your passport?”

“No. It’s Anthony.”

“I might start calling you that in future,” she said with a cheeky smile.

“You can call me anything you like as long as you don’t call me too early in the morning, unless you’re looking for a kiss, of course.”

“Never changes,” she said and tapped the keyboard with a flourish. “All done. Our fuel account is with the Esso station on the corner of North Road, just fill it up and sign for it.”

“I’m going for lunch if anyone needs me it’s been an unusual couple of days.” I said, and grabbed my coat. “Can I come with you, Tony?” Sam said, and she did.

Sam grabbed a seat at the window while I braved ordering from Heather at the counter. She was timid and delayed interacting with me so I broke the ice because one of us needed to be the adult.

“Hi, Heather, can I get two turkey clubs, a chicken vegetable soup and a water please?”

Hi, Tony, coming up.”

She handed me the food and I paid her with a $100 bill. Her eyes finally registered some life and I stifled a grin as she handed me the change. I dropped a quarter in the tips jar and sat beside Sam, who had been joined by Brady.

“Hi, Brady, the right man, in the right place, at the right time,” I said.

“What did you get?” he asked, nearly cross eyed in an attempt to watch Heather and my interaction. I subtly shook my head.

“Ooh! Turkey Club,” Sam said, “good choice.”

“Why am I the right man?” Brady said.

“Doug’s apartments. Samantha will give you the colours she wants to use in the ground floor unit. We think it just needs freshening up. The other three just need a spring clean.”

“Are you leaving the bathrooms alone in the ground floor units?”

“No, they need to be deep cleaned before you start.”

“New kitchen cupboards?”

“The money’s not available for a lot, Brady. Speaking of which, do you have a figure in mind?”

“Yeah, I’ll get it to Doug this evening.”

“This is Samantha’s project. Doug hasn’t the time.”

“Great. Well I was thinking somewhere around $18k,” he said to Sam.

“That sounds high, Brady,” she said, “I don’t know the exact budget yet, but I’ll put it to him.”

“Brady, you can have this job right now. We want to get started as quickly as possible. What’s the best you can do,” I said.

“$15k?”

“I’m gonna say $10k and we’ll probably meet in the middle at $12k, would that work?”

He thought for a beat. “$12k and a Turkey Club.”

We shook hands on it and I gave him my sandwich. “Now get to work,” I said

“You bastard,” he said, and we all laughed. “By the way,” he handed me a business card, “Susan in Hartford wants to talk to you about her garage floor. Can you give her a call?”

“Sure, I’ll do it after lunch.”

I finally got to sit down and Sam gave me half of her sandwich while we shared my soup. She watched me eating.

“Does this turn you on?” I asked her with a laugh.

“Oh I’ve been turned on all day.”

“Really?”

“Yes. In fact, I’ve been turned on since you kissed me on the couch last night.”

“In truth, I’m the same, Sam. I’ve been finding it difficult to keep an erection at bay all morning.”

“I’ve changed my panties already today and I need to change them again now.”

“Will my collection grow?”

She screamed with laughter and slapped my shoulder. I caught a glimpse of Heather as she watched us. Unfortunately it was at just that moment that Sam leaned in his and kissed me. She kept her face close to mine and said,

“I’ll have none left if I give them all to you so, no, you’re not getting them.”

“Can I at least see them?”

“Yes, later,” and she kissed me again.

I had a few things to attend to, so I walked Sam back to work, jumped in my new car and drove home. Angie was at the door watching for a delivery. She immediately went into ‘nosey cow mode’. So I told her everything I knew, including their interest in me.

“Those bastards,” she said, “was that the reason that Maria was with you?”

“Way to bolster a man’s ego, Angie,” but I couldn’t keep a straight face.

“Oh, you. I didn’t mean it like that. From what Brady says she must have been very satisfied.”

“What d’you think of my new car?”

“Yes, it’s nice. Where were you last night?”

“Oh, this thing all blew up yesterday evening and the night just flew past. It happens. I’m gonna get some stuff from my room. I have to get back.”

“You’re a busy boy. Go.”

I just needed to clear my head so I lay down for a bit. I smiled when Sam’s panties fell out of my pocket. They still felt wet. I put them to my face, they were so soft and smooth. They smelled of her and I couldn’t prevent an erection appearing. I decided to live with it as I put the panties away in my bag. Susan’s card in my pocket reminded me to make a call. I dialled the number.

“Hi, Susan, Tony Harris here. Brady asked me to give you a call.”

“Oh hi, Tony. Yes, I wanted to ask about the concrete floor in the garage. Brady tells me you’re the expert,” she said.

“Ok. How can I help?” I asked.

“Being female, I can’t describe it to you. Do you have time to look at the plan sometime this week?

“Being male, I’m sure I might be able to. When is convenient?”

“Well, coincidentally, I’m just driving into Stamford at this very moment. I’m meeting some girlfriends and we’re going to paint the town red,” she said.

“Do you not need a permit for that?”

She giggled like a schoolgirl. “We probably do but we’re bad girls. I’m checking in to the Hilton Stamford hotel in about ten minutes. Would you give me some time this afternoon, say 3:00? I have the plans with me.”

I checked my watch, 2:20.

“I’ll find the address and meet you there about 3:00, Susan.”

“Perfect. Looking forward to it.”

The phone rang. It was Jules.

“Hi, Anthony, it’s Jules.”

“You should try that in a voice like Marilyn Monroe’s.”

“Who’s she?”

“Philistine.”

“Doug wants you,” she connected us.

“Tony,” he said, “$12k for the apartments?”

“Is that too much?”

“Hell no. How did you do that?”

“I’m used to haggling with people. I was lead negotiator back home, sometimes. By the way it was $12k and half of a sandwich.”

He laughed.

“I’d heard that from James. I thought he was bull-shitting me. Either way, I’d like to bring you into something we’re negotiating at the moment. It’s all hush-hush. What are your plans for the rest of the day?”

“I’ve a meeting with the client from Hartford at 3:00. I don’t expect to be out of that until 4:00. Can we do it in the morning? Now that the morning meetings are cancelled I can get through a lot more work before the phones start.”

“That’s very true. Yes, that’s great. I’ll see you first thing.”

“I’ll be there earlier than usual. I was thinking about your apartments and might have a good earner for them.”

“Tell me more.”

“I’ll have it fully researched by the time I see you tomorrow. Hopefully it pans out.”

“Okay, have fun at your meeting, don’t forget to bill it.”

I needed a change of clothes, so I decided to take a quick shower to brighten my head up a bit and I drove into the hotel car park at 3:05.

Susan was in the lobby and she greeted me with a hug. She looked fantastic in a skintight woollen dress that showed her figure off perfectly. Her blonde hair had those curls that dropped along the side of her face and she wore no makeup, save for some muted eye shadow and plum coloured lipstick.

“You look really nice, Susan. I pity the men in Stamford tonight.”

“Thank you, Tony.”

“Your hair looks different too. Suits you a lot better, softens your face.”

“Oh you. I’d heard you were quite the flirt.”

“Let’s find a place to sit and discuss,” I said. “I’ve never been in this hotel so I’m a virgin in that respect.”

“Let’s sit here,” she indicated a couch in the lobby, “this’ll work well.”

She sat close to me and my hand brushed off her leg as she bent to pick up her bag.

“What kind of wool is your dress made of, does it not scratch on your skin?”

“It’s a Calvin Klein dress. No, it’s not scratchy. I just love the tight ribbed detail.”

“It’s certainly a perfect fit. What’s that colour called?”

“Cool Earth,” she said with a smile, “you seem to know a lot about ladies clothing.”

“On the weekend, my name as Eleanor.”

She laughed, “Brady warned me about you. You’re so cute, Eleanor.”

She was great fun.

“Ok,” I said, “show me what you’ve got, Susan, then show me the plans.”

“Do you ever stop?”

She went rooting in her bag, “Shit,” she said. “I left it in my room on the bed. I’ll just run up and get them. I’m really sorry.”

“Ok. I’ll order some coffee,” I said.

“You know what? Why don’t you come with me and kill two birds with one stone,” she said.

“The murder of crows.”

“That’s very clever. I don’t know many men who could put that together so fast,” she said.

“Oh. Speed isn’t necessarily a good thing where some women are concerned.”

“You’d know a lot about that, would you?”

“Well, that’s not for me to say, Susan.”

We used the elevator and reached her room. I let her lead the way and admired her rear end as it undulated elegantly under her dress. She either wore no underwear or something so small it didn’t leave a line. Her protruding nipples indicated that she wasn’t wearing a bra.

When we went into her room, all pretension stopped as she pulled me into a deep intimate kiss. I stepped back a little but the lump in my trousers was telling tales. She smiled.

“You know, Tony, I heard Brady telling his staff about your prowess with the ladies.” She touched my face and kissed my bottom lip.

“He told them you’ve got a gaggle of women eating out of your hand.” She kissed me just under the chin and I swallowed, which brought a smile.

“I didn’t think much of it until I saw how Samantha looked at you.” She opened my tie and pulled it from my collar.

“Then I smelled her as she sat beside me in the meeting.” She opened the buttons of my shirt and slipped it and my jacket off in one movement.

“I smelled her arousal. Her musk.” She kissed my chest and licked my left nipple.

“Then I overheard Brady as we walked to your car. ‘One woman at a time’.” She opened my trousers and pushed them down.

“But Samantha is a young girl. She couldn’t handle someone with your reputation.” She pulled my boxers down a little.

She kissed me on the lips. She was then on her knees looking up at me.

“I’m a woman.”

She pulled my boxers down and looked at my erection as it hovered above her head like King Arthur’s sword. I let her sample the tip and then lifted her gently by the shoulders, took her in my arms and kissed her on the lips. She was a very aggressive kisser so I took her chin in my hand and eased her away very slightly which softened her lips against mine. My tongue slid slowly between her lips and met hers as it lashed at mine. I focused solely on my own tongue, tasting the inside of her mouth, ignoring the velocity and presence of her tongue, relaxing and softening mine further, slowly quieting the dragon and have it acquiesce to my pace. I broke the kiss and the look on her face was a look of confusion. This was my game, not hers. I unzipped her dress and marvelled at how it clung to her body.

She was quiet now, calm but ill at ease. I’ve been here before. She could see it in my eyes as I peeled her dress down to expose two perfect breasts, two perfect brown nipples and areolae which twitched deliciously under my tongue and enlarged quickly under the pressure of my lips.

I returned to her eyes. Huge, beautiful blue eyes. I kissed her open mouth, allowing my tongue to savour inside her top lip. Her eyes closed and she sighed.

“You’re a beautiful lady, Susan, and I’d love to make love with you. May I?”

“Oh my God, yes, please, Tony,” she said in a breathless whisper.

My hands took both of her breasts and held them gently as I searched her eyes and monitored her reactions. As my thumbs flicked across the very tops of her nipples her eyes suddenly misted over. She was reaching a state of arousal that confused her. I’d have to be careful. This worldly woman was soft and sublime as she became a younger being and I didn’t want harm to befall her.

I dropped to my knees again and peeled her dress the rest of the way off and held her feet as she stepped out of it. Then I removed both her shoes and surveyed her entire body. She was magnificent. The classic example of a beautiful woman, she was, as I expected, completely naked under her dress. I took her hand and guided her on to the bed as I took one of her feet and gently massaged it and watching as her hands covered her eyes and face.

“Is that ok, Susan, am I causing you pain?”

“No, please.”

I picked up her other foot and did exactly the same and placed them both on the bed, raising her knees as they rested on the counterpane. I could see her vulva appear as her legs trembled apart. It was beautiful. It was crisp, with just her lower lips visible, much like a beautiful soft gyozo. She had a prominent mons which was clean-shaven and I let my fingers touch everywhere lightly, watching her become more aroused as a small drain of fluid leaked from her. She was making purring sounds until I stemmed the flow of fluid with a soft lapping of my tongue at which point she grabbed my head and pulled it into her and she screamed as my tongue met her inner labia. Slowly I softened my tongue and began to kick her entire vulva from bottom to top as my hand massaged her hairless mons. She was in constant motion as she moved beneath me. My other hand found her breast and applied some pressure before tweaking a nipple and twisting it gently as I assessed her threshold of tolerance. My tongue dropped deeper and now stimulated the inner lips of her labia directly. A loud scream accompanied a larger drain of fluid as she hit an orgasm which caused her to buck and rock as it coursed through her.

“Fuck Fuck Fuck,” she shouted as another one tore through her when I sucked the fluid from her clitoris before sliding my tongue all the way inside her, stimulating the walls of her vagina simultaneously.

When I removed my tongue from inside her, she calmed somewhat until I found her smooth perineum. I wet my tongue and painted her perineum with saliva. Her legs were spread wide as I moved my lips closer and blew softly at the wet area while letting my thumb stroke below it in the base of the cleft just below her anus. This caused an earthquake inside her and she lifted completely off the bed into a sitting position and shook violently before falling back, turning on her side and separating from me by lifting her right leg over my head before bringing her legs together in a foetal position. Her vaginal fluid flowed freely as it careened down over her inner thigh and down onto the bed.

She was keening and shaking, almost quivering, as she lay on her side with her hands covering her vagina. I touched her shoulder after an interval and she came to me.

“How are you, Susan?” I whispered.

“I’m in heaven, Tony. That was, I don’t know what it was.”

She started to cry softly in release, so I laid back, rested her head on my shoulder and held her until she was cried out and we dropped into a light sleep.

When I woke, it was dark. I checked the time. 8:00. We had been there close to five hours. The movement of my arm caused her to wake. She smiled warmly at me.

“Hi,”

“Hi. How do you feel?”

“I feel reborn. I’m so sorry I attacked you like that. I was determined to prove something but I don’t know what.”

“Something about girls versus women, I believe.”

“Yes but surely a young girl couldn’t take what you just gave to me?”

“Some, but I make sure they’re safe. Overall, though, you’d be surprised, Susan,” I said, and stroked her hair, “you need to have some form of emotional attachment, romance, gentleness but the romantic and emotional connection must be there for me.”

“How long does it take to find that?”

“It should only take minutes.”

“I think Brady was right about you.”

“Brady doesn’t know anything,” I said, “how about I order some food before we move to the next part.”

“There’s more?”

“Think about what the point of this build up is,” I said.

“Oh! You mean this was just foreplay?”

“Essentially, yes. It’s my favourite part. Where we reveal our inner selves to each other.”

She opened up as we ate steak sandwiches and drank coffee and water. Her expressive eyes were pools of blue and deeper than the ocean. There was a tinge of sadness in them and I took her hand and kissed her. She stood and we kissed.

“There’s a first time for everything,” I said, smiling “nude dining.”

“Lots of firsts for me today,” she said.

We laid back on the bed and she hooked her arms around my neck. I kissed her tenderly as I gently drew her further to me until we were almost one single entity. It was hedonistic experiencing such a sensation where her smooth, soft skin joined mine. I felt the beginnings of an erection which she noticed.

“I want you in my mouth, Tony.”

“There are no boundaries, Susan.”

She smiled as she reached for me and slid down between my legs. She took my shaft in her hand, looked up at me and smiled.

“Nice cock,” she said and took me in her mouth.

She moved energetically and her technique was aggressive. I tried to convey my discomfort but when her teeth connected with the corona. I pulled her away and inspected it. No damage done.

“You didn’t like that?” Susan looked deflated.

“I’ll show you what I like,” I said, and, using my finger as a penis demonstrated what I’d like her to do. She was a willing student and she quickly discovered the advantages of slower movement. She cupped my scrotum in her hand as she held me in her mouth I think she could sense that I was close because, she raised her head and asked me to come in her mouth. I shook my head, no, and pulled her up to me.

“I would have swallowed it, Tony,” she said.

“Yes, I know. You can swallow the next one. I need to be inside you now.”

“Oh please. Yes. It’s safe if you’re worried.”

She lay beneath me as my fingers reached for her vulva, she was impossibly wet.

“I can’t stop it flowing,” she said. I smiled and kissed her as she guided me inside her.

She received my length with a sigh and we coupled together quickly as we accommodated each others bodies. Using a slow tempo we moved against and inside each other. It was a slow, sensual climb but I knew I wasn’t far away. Her plaintiff breathing told me she was close too. As a gift to her, I increased my pace for the final ten or so thrusts before an electric charge tore through both of us and a volcano of sperm filled her as her voluminous flow fought to extinguish the fire in the depths of my testes.

We were sated on a high sexual plane as we lay entwined in her bed. She held my hand as I stroked her skin in comfort until she eventually drifted off to sleep. I covered her and slipped in beside her, my mind full of thoughts and memories she had unknowingly resurrected of everything I knew.

My job.

My family.

My friends.

Emily.

I took her hand and joined her in my world of sleep and dreamt of love.

TBC