Sharon Carson's alarm clock started making a horrible noise at around 5:30 on Monday morning. After she hit the thing to stop it making a noise she reached out for her lover then realised she'd been dreaming that Steven was there, in bed with her. For a moment she was devasted then embarrassed but finally felt certain that her dream would soon come true.
She got out of bed and made herself a hot drink in the adjoining kitchen then went to shower in her en-suite. Sharon wanted to play with her toy again to relieve the tension she was feeling ahead of her early morning meeting but realised she didn't have the time so she made a mental note to stock up on batteries.
---
Siobhan Mitchell was woken up by her Mother bringing her a cup of tea in bed. She felt dreadful and wanted to roll over and go back to sleep but she also wanted to see Steven and Sharon and make plans for their next session together. Cheryl's story had given her a few ideas and she wondered how many of them Sharon and Steven would be prepared to try with her. Fortunately Siobhan had remembered to hide the book in her bedside drawers.
---
Steven heard a buzzing sound in the distance as he was walking along a sandy beach hand in hand with Sharon Carson. Eventually the buzzing grew louder and he realised it was his alarm clock. He smiled to himself about the dream and thought ‘you’re going to have to work hard to get out of this situation with the friendships with both your lovers intact’.
Stumbling into the new working week, his work clothes were ready and waiting for him as he’d sorted them out on Friday evening. By 7:45 he was out the door and ready to take on the world. As he walked to catch a train he wondered how Sharon was getting on with Malcolm and if she’d had a chance yet to ask about her Father’s issue with the Smiths.
The phone on Steven’s desk in the general office started to ring as soon as he sat down just after eight thirty so by nine there were a number of urgent matters to deal with as well as the post round to organise.
—
Mark Pritchard was sober as he left his car and took the stairs from the garage to reception in the block that had his office on one of the prime floors. Well almost sober. The shot of Brandy with strong, sweet, black coffee for breakfast had settled his nerves and stopped his hand from shaking. The soft mints he’d been chewing would hide any smell from the brandy.
He’d not had a serious drink since Saturday evening, frankly he couldn’t afford one since Carruthers had almost fleeced him for his drinks bill, but he’d had a busy day on Sunday in spite of his hangover. He’d needed time to think and had hung around outside the conference venue. When he saw some of his new adversaries leaving he followed them when they took a trip to a nearby town then he managed to follow them on foot as they walked around the town. He was getting bored watching the three of them play happy families and was about to give up when he spotted that bastard who had punched him on Saturday in the company of the tart he’d paid to keep him company for the weekend. Mark had switched his attention and followed them instead.
Back to the present though, he knew Carruthers wanted him fired and he thought Sir James did as well after that business at the hotel, but Pritchard was quietly confident in both his own ability to avoid any blame for anything he did and his importance to project Athena.
Pritchard knew his contacts in the States and the Far East, who had promised him a mega pay day, would be annoyed if he fell out of favour this close to the launch but the plans to disrupt Athena were well advanced so he wasn’t too worried about them.
He’d been careful to pass copies of everything about the project that came across his desk to his handlers for an advance on his fee and he’d retrieve his private files from his office later. He wasn’t too worried about those as they were for special parties he had arranged personally for some of his contacts and their associates, and he had a little black book he kept in his briefcase with a copy of the details.
When he walked into the reception area from the basement garage he was surprised to be met by someone called Peter Brown and to be escorted straight up to the MD’s office. The old biddy who acted as the MD’s Personal Assistant rang through then showed him into the inner sanctum.
—
By 9:45, Steven’s phone had already rung for the umpteenth time but this time it was Siobhan calling to say that Sharon was with her and had a message for Steven from Malcolm Carruthers. He picked up his pad with the various tasks on it and let the others in the office know he was going to do a round to clear some of these jobs but first he’d been called to visit Mr Carruther’s Office.
“That wouldn’t be anything to do with his cute little secretary would it?” Came a shout from across the room.
“It’s an added benefit but no, it’s business from what she just told me on the phone. There’s someone else there to see me with a message from Mr Carruthers. I’ll call down when I know what’s occurring so you know where I am.”
Steven got out of the door before there were any more questions or comments and headed up to see Siobhan and Sharon.
“Good morning ladies.” He said as he walked into the outer part of Malcolm Carruther’s office where Siobhan had her desk. “How can I help you this morning?”
“Hmm, I can think of a few ways that would get us all fired,” said Siobhan. I went to bed early but spent ages reading that book I borrowed from you Steve.” Steven thought he saw Siobhan’s cheeks flush at the memory,
Before Steven could ask Siobhan for a midweek date Sharon cut in. “I can probably come up with some ideas as well but this is during business hours and we’re not Mark Pritchard. I’ve had an interesting hour or so in the company of Sir James and Malcolm Carruthers. I handed over Mark Pritchard’s expenses to Malcolm and then had to give them both a briefing about what Mark Pritchard has been working on.
They asked me lots of questions then, about twenty minutes ago, the phone in the meeting room rang and I was told to make myself scarce as Mark was on his way up. Malcolm gave me a message for you and suggested I come and sit with Siobhan so here I am.
Steven, the message from Malcolm is for you to go back with me after he calls this office to say the coast is clear. We’re both going to meet with him and Sir James. I don’t know why but there’s not many office staff that get that sort of a summons.”
“Do you think we’re in trouble?”
“No! It was all very friendly.”
“I’ve got a list of visits to make to sort out a few things around the offices so call my number and they should know where I’ve got to. If I stay here too long they’ll be sending out a search and rescue party.”
—-
Although he would never admit it, Mark Pritchard had been blind sided by Malcolm Carruthers. He hadn’t expected Malcolm to present him with the results of a credit check that showed the parlous state of Mark’s personal finances or to come up with such a damning assessment of his recent expense claims. Noting with some glee as he did the booking Pritchard had got Sharon to make to secure Melinda’s services for the weekend.
Pritchard thought he was facing dismissal at the very least with a possibility that Carruthers would set the hounds from audit or worse, the Police, onto him to get back whatever excess he’d spent on the company charge card.
He was amazed and more than a little relieved when Sir James started acting like the good cop to Carruthers bad cop. It felt somehow out of character for the old goat but Pritchard needed a break.
When Sir James started talking about the pressure he must have felt from trying to run the launch of Athena, Pritchard used his acting skills and gave an award winning performance about how his marriage had broken down. Truth be told his marriage had been one of convenience to overcome an issue of immigration and he’d not seen his wife since they left the registry office. He’d suggested they needed to consummate the marriage so it was all above board but the girl had relatives with her who made it clear Mark wasn’t even going to get to kiss his very young bride.
—-
Steven was on his fourth or fifth call when a message came through for him to drop everything and return to the general office.
Sharon was waiting at his desk when he got there. He handed over the job list to one of his colleagues and they left together.
“I could almost see the question marks over the heads of your colleagues Steven. Anyone would think they’ve never seen a pretty girl before.”
“Oh I think they’ve seen plenty of pretty girls but not a beautiful woman like you.”
“Flatterer!”
“I try." He replied with a smile. "How was Siobhan this morning?”
“I don’t know, she seemed a bit off form which is why I came down to your office rather than wait with her. I asked if she was feeling unwell but she just said she was tired after the weekend and had spent far too long reading that book last night. She did call her Doctor whilst I was with her and has an appointment first thing on Wednesday.”
“When I get back, I’ll ask her over to the flat later in the week to have a talk. How are you doing?”
“I’m running on adrenaline at the moment. I couldn’t get to sleep after you worked me up so much. Fortunately I’d bought some fresh batteries from the chemists and put plastic Steven to good use so I could get to sleep. The five thirty alarm call wasn’t welcome and I couldn’t even rest in the cab as I kept wondering how this morning would go.
As it turned out I think things went well. Malcolm asked a couple of questions about Mark Pritchard’s expenses. He picked up on the booking for the escort agency but most of the time was spent talking about the arrangements for the tour. My hunch is Malcolm and Sir James are wondering how to fulfil those bookings without Mark Pritchard being around. They did tell me not to mention the tour to anyone other than you for now.”
Sharon led them into the hallowed portals of Sir James’ outer office where his Personal Assistant, Valerie Fortesque, stood guard.
Miss Fortesque dutifully greeted them and buzzed Sir James on the intercom. The reply came to show them in, which she did immediately. They found Sir James and Malcolm Carruthers waiting for them with stern looks. Steven wondered what was up!
After the office door was closed the two men relaxed and Malcolm Carruthers began. “Don’t look so worried, we greet everyone Miss Fortesque brings through that door with a stern look, it’s a tradition. Well Steven, your ideas for how to deal with Mark Pritchard were brilliant. It would appear his philandering has caught up with him and he’s been going through a very messy and very, very expensive divorce.”
Sir James interrupted. “Malcolm you silly fool, you need to explain to Miss Carson what you are talking about. The poor girl is looking mightily confused and maybe a little angry with this young man.”
“Oh I am sorry Sharon. This all goes back to a confidential chat I had with Steven before lunch yesterday. I mentioned to him some challenges Sir James and I were facing when dealing with Mark Pritchard this morning and Steven made two very useful suggestions, both of which appear to have worked a treat.”
“I see, at least I think I see,” said Sharon. Malcolm Carruthers explained the concerns about trying to retain Mark Pritchard’s loyalty whilst the world tour took place and secondly, how to complete the tour without Mark Pritchard’s presence.
“You see we wanted to fire Pritchard as his behaviour at the conference was really the last straw but didn’t want him going off to our competitors with details as they would no doubt try and spoil our party.
Steven observed that Pritchard appeared to be short of money when paying his drinks bill and his brilliant suggestion was to transfer Pritchard somewhere he can’t do too much damage. We did put Pritchard on notice about his behaviour but dangled a carrot that if he were to resign or be fired this side of Christmas, some potentially lucrative share options and bonuses he’s in line to receive next spring won’t be paid. He’s bright enough to realise it’s in his best interests for the tour to go off without a hitch.”
“Are you able to say, in confidence, where you’ve sent Mr Pritchard?” Steven asked. “I think it would reassure Miss Carson.”
“In strictest confidence Steven, because the public relations people are currently drafting a statement for Sir James to sign off about Pritchard’s new responsibilities, he’s off to Canada to help smooth our relations with the native population about some mineral extraction that we hoped to get permission for. Frankly, we’ve already written off the project as a bad idea but it will keep Pritchard out of the way for a few weeks. I hope he likes eating whale meat.”
“Get back on track Malcolm.”
“Yes, Sir James. Anyway, Pritchard’s opinion of himself is he’ll be back within the week as no one knows how to run the Athena Project. Pritchard had made himself out to us and the rest of the board as being the only person who knew the details of the Athena tour and could manage it. The tour is due to kick off in just under three weeks time and I don’t need to tell you Sharon how much money has already been invested in setting the thing up.”
“Indeed Mr Carruthers.”
“Steven suggested to me that Pritchard was unlikely to have done much grafting on the detail when it came to setting up these events and he suggested I speak to you as Pritchard’s Personal Assistant, thus I pretended to want salad for Sunday Lunch and the reason why we were all up at god awful o’clock to convene over coffee and croissants.”
“You’re waffling again Malcolm, let me speak,” said Sir James. “Miss Carson, Sharon, What we have to say at the Athena events should be well received by our international partners, customers and investors, which is why the first event is in San Francisco, not far from an area that’s becoming known as Silicon Valley. However, as with all these things we can only control what we can control, which is why the organisation and the running of the events on the day are so important.
What Malcolm is taking an age to get around to saying is that the detail you were able to give about the arrangements for the tour, the knowledge you obviously have about it and even the way you presented the information to us in a clear and concise manner brought me to the conclusion that I want you to take charge of the arrangements for the tour.”
Steven glanced at Sharon and saw the slightest twitch and wide eyed look as if she’d just been stung.
Sir James continued. “You will report directly to me and this will be your one and only priority task from now on, all your other duties are to be shared amongst the other secretaries, including with Miss Mitchell, as Malcolm tells me she is under utilised by him.”
“Goodness me Sir James. I’m honoured and can only promise to do my best. I also promise to be honest with you if I feel I can’t cope. On that point, when Mr Carruthers approached me in the lunch queue yesterday I thought I made it clear that I didn’t work alone. Mr Pritchard had tried to monopolise my time but I had the other junior Directors to look after as well. Fortunately I was able to call upon my colleagues to help and they should take some of the credit for the current level of preparedness for Athena.”
“That’s very gracious of you Miss Carson and the exact opposite of what Pritchard would have said. Whilst I want you to run the show, I expect you to require some help. However, for reasons of security and confidentiality, right up until the first event in the USA after which the cat will be well and truly out of the bag, that assistance must be limited to the smallest number of people possible.
I also want to keep your role in Athena under wraps. We may have to come up with a cover story for you but after the first event you may find yourself the subject of some scrutiny by the media and our competitors. Your salary will, of course, be enhanced, on an acting basis, in light of your new responsibilities. Do you drive?”
“No, Sir James, I’ve been meaning to take some lessons but time and money has not allowed.”
“Never mind, it’s not essential at the moment but we can arrange lessons for you after the tour is out of the way if it’s appropriate. As you also know, some of the locations for the events are in countries that don’t respect the fairer sex, which is where Steven comes in.
Malcolm tells me Steven is very good at getting things done and isn’t afraid to turn his hand to anything. We’ve seen he’s also able to think on his feet and could be very useful to you as a chaperone. I want you to change the travel and hotel bookings made for Pritchard and take Steven with you to the USA, ostensibly on vacation as a cover story.” It was Steven’s turn to go slightly wide eyed.
“I also want the pair of you to work closely together so that he can deputise for you in certain countries on the itinerary. It also means we don’t repeat the mistake of putting all of our eggs in one basket.
We know Steven can drive so he can act as your chauffeur. You are both likely to be working very long hours and your commute sounds horrendous. Mark Pritchard’s company car will be available from tomorrow morning, after it’s been fully valeted. After all, Pritchard won’t be needing it. I suppose we’d best bump Steven up, on an acting basis of course, to a grade where he’d be entitled to a company car otherwise everyone and their mother will want one. Pritchard’s car is a bit high end but it’s on lease so would be sitting around doing nothing but costing us money if it’s not put to a good use.
Now Sharon, looking at the latest draft presentation for Athena that you gave us earlier today, Pritchard was going to give the entire presentation at the event in the USA and take questions but on reflection we think that’s a bad idea so I want you to set up a meeting tomorrow morning in the boardroom.
I’ll give you details of who I want to be at the meeting within the hour. I want to start at nine o’clock sharp so expect some of the attendees to demand accommodation and be prepared to arrange it. If anyone complains, remember you have my full authority to fall back on and feel free to use it as time is of the essence. The agenda has one item, preparations for the forthcoming tour but we won’t tell the attendees that until the start of the meeting.
For the rest of the day I suggest the pair of you go and pass over whatever tasks are on your desks and then get on with sorting out tomorrow’s meeting. Pritchard is already on his way to the airport. He told us he’s been living in digs since moving out of the marital home and we’ve sent a concierge to pack his clothing. He should be in the air by lunchtime and out of your way.
Meanwhile, security are clearing his office of his personal belongings. It’s quite large enough for you and Steven to share and you should be able to move in after lunch once the furniture and phone lines have been sorted out.”
With that Sharon and Steven were dismissed by Sir James. As they were walking out he buzzed through to Miss Fortesque that his meeting was over and to come in.
—
Steven and Sharon walked in silence to the stairwell and waited for one of the lifts to arrive.
Mimicking Steven’s question to her the previous evening Sharon asked. “What just happened?”
“I think we’re business partners, with you the senior, at least for a few months.”
“That could make things difficult between us.”
“It could if we let it, but I don’t intend to let that happen, do you?”
“No, I don’t, but I also don’t know whether to kiss you for telling Malcolm Carruthers that I’d been working on the arrangements for the tour and getting me this job or to punch you for the same reason.”
“I’d prefer the former, but not here, there are too many eyes watching the security screens.” Steven really wanted to hold Sharon to reassure her that, with Sir James’ backing and his help, everything would be fine but that would have been dangerous as he’d seen enough of the security office to know the floor they were on and the elevators serving it were covered by video surveillance.
“I’ve seen the petty politics that goes on amongst the management and there are some that will be making snide comments behind my back about my age and the fact I’m just a girl. What’s worse is they’ll wonder who I’ve slept with on my way into the job.”
“Well we both know you haven’t slept with anyone important just to get the job and never mind having Sir James backing you, you’ve got me beside you every step of the way.”
“Me and my shadow?”
“I'll use that when I break the news to Siobhan.” The lift arrived and they got in.
“I wonder what she’s going to think of me going away ‘on holiday’ to the USA with her boyfriend?”
“She’ll probably want to come with us. It’s going to be a tricky scenario to explain without telling her what’s really going on. If last weekend is anything to go by and she stays here she’s going to need the birthday present she asked for and to flat sit so she can use it in peace otherwise she’ll be climbing the walls at home.”
An idea came to Sharon and she changed the subject. “How long will it take you to drive to pick me up in the mornings?”
“Depends on the time of day but outside the rush it’s got to be at least forty five minutes to get to you and the same to get into the office. If traffic is bad it could take a lot longer. Why?”
“You mentioning the flat made me think. How long does it take to get from your place to the office by car?”
“I’ve not done the journey that often but probably twenty minutes outside the rush, at least forty minutes in the peak.”
“So it would make sense for me to stay at your place. I can tell Mum and Dad the firm is putting me up in town or that you have a spare bedroom and Mum may even believe me. I don’t think it would work so well if you stayed at my place, not least as the journey time would be longer.”
“I’m not sure how to tell Siobhan about that.”
“It’s my idea so I’ll tell her that it’s necessary otherwise you’ll be worn out from all the driving. I won’t promise not to wear you out in other ways though.”
“What do you think about asking to use Siobhan to help with the work? It would make it easier to explain the sleeping arrangements and the holiday.”
“I was worried you might suggest that. I honestly don’t think she’s up to the job and I’m not sure she’s ready to take orders from me, inside or outside of work. You are a different matter and will be putty in my hands,” Sharon said with a smile. Steven sniggered. “I’m going to suggest giving her the top line responsibility for all the Directors I work for.”
The lift doors opened on Sharon’s floor and she stepped out. “How about we both try and meet with Siobhan over lunch?” Steven suggested.
As the doors closed she replied “Good idea, I’ll call her on the pretext of asking to see Malcolm about Dad’s situation. With luck Malcolm will have already told her something about her extra duties.”
—--
Valerie Fortesque had been busy passing on Sir James’ instructions down the line so by the time Steven got back to the general office his line manager, a Yorkshireman called Fred Pickering, already knew about his sudden and unexpected transfer.
“Well lad, you obviously had a good weekend. Hopefully you’ll be able to tell me all about it one day. The rumour mill has already been churning but I’ve never heard of anyone getting a promotion for thumping one of the Directors.
I’ve also got my suspicions about you and that rather good looking Miss Carson. We’ve not had any of the Director’s secretaries in here in the last 10 years. If they want something they call and we go running, especially if they're as good looking as she is.”
Steven tried to keep a straight face. “If and when I can tell you anything Mr Pickering I promise I will, just don’t believe everything you hear from the rumour mill. Anyway, all I know for sure is I’ve got to shadow Miss Carson for a while and try to keep her out of trouble. It’s going to be a tough job, but someone’s got to do it.”
Fred laughed. “If I were in your boots I’d be trying to get her into trouble. Be away with thee, hand over to that callow youth in the corner and put the fear of God into him that you have friends in high places who will deal with him if he screws up then bugger off to lunch. Finally though, best of luck and don’t forget to call if you need anything that we can help you with.” At that he stood and offered Steven his hand.
Steven stood and took the offered handshake then went to see the callow youth. Mark Ferris had been hired straight out of college and was as nervous as hell. Steven’s advice to him was to listen, learn and always approach others with a smile and a cheery disposition. They will probably be under stress and looking to shout at someone so don’t take it personally, just stay calm.
Finally, he tidied his desk and picked up the few personal items he had in and around it. As he finished his phone rang. It was Sharon who asked him to meet her in Siobhan’s office.
—-
By the time Steven was going to meet with Sharon and Siobhan for lunch, Mark Pritchard was buckling himself into an economy class seat of a plane scheduled to take him on the first leg of his journey to somewhere that didn’t appear on many maps, unless you happened to be into exploring the icy wastes of the Arctic circle.
He wasn’t impressed at the thought of spending the next few hours folded into a space that was very uncomfortable as it was much too small for him and without the niceties of free drinks served in business class. He was pleased though that he’d managed to get a message to his handler. He’d been escorted through passport control and customs to the gate by someone from the company but they had then left him at the gate. During the few minutes he’d had to wait to board the plane Mark had managed to make a phone call to his handler and was told he’d be met when he arrived in the United States.
Mark put his concerns about the files he’d been unable to retrieve from his office to the back of his mind. He wouldn’t mention their existence to his handlers as what they didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.
—-
After his encounter with Deirdre near the common on Sunday evening, Wayne had driven around for a while so as to avoid going home. He didn’t want to be home before his old man had gone to bed. He succeeded but was knackered in the morning when his alarm went off.
Wayne was always on the early shift and had to be onsite by seven. His old man was easing back and would roll in around nine and expect everyone to be working or else they and Wayne would get a rollocking.
All being well for Wayne his Dad would then stay in his office until lunchtime meaning Wayne could find somewhere quiet to sit and read the paper. Bill’s lunch break usually started at twelve and finished at two. He’d come back onsite to check on progress and would usually stay around until four to make sure none of the lads disappeared before time though he would keep them guessing. Sometimes not reappearing after lunch and sometimes hanging around late to do paperwork with his secretary. Although his Dad cast a long shadow the arrangement suited Wayne just fine as it kept the old guy out of his hair for most of the day and left him alone to act like the boss in front of the blokes they had working for them.
That Monday Wayne’s day went down the pan very fast after his old man returned from lunch. Wayne was summoned to the office and it was obvious from the moment Wayne saw the look on Bill’s face that his Dad had found out about the money.
“Shut the door.” Bill Smith said in a stern tone. Wayne complied. “I’ve been to the bank this morning to draw out some cash to pay a few bills and I see you took some out over the weekend. Care to explain yourself?”
“It was an emergency.”
“I bloody well hope so but if you needed that much I’d expect you to call me first.” What happened?”
“There was a bit of bother at the hotel with Sharon’s boss and I was asked to leave on Saturday afternoon.”
“So did you have to treat Sharon to a nice hotel?”
Before Wayne thought about what he was saying he replied. “No, she stayed behind. We’d had a bit of a falling out, well she fell out with me and her boss pitched in on me.”
“Very gallant of him.” Bill replied and Wayne didn’t contradict his Father. “So what did you spend the cash on?”
“I, err, met someone else and we enjoyed each other’s company, though she had err expensive tastes.” Wayne added to try and cover the fact Melinda was a hired help.
“I see.” Wayne hoped his Dad didn’t, but guessed he probably did realise what the money had been spent on. “Now Wayne. I hope you have every intention of winning back the lovely Sharon Carson.”
“Not really. I popped in to see her Mum and Dad yesterday afternoon and was getting on fine until Sharon turned up a bit later with some snotty bugger in tow. Sharon made it perfectly clear she didn’t want to see me again then her old man sent me off with a flea in my ear and a message for you that he’d be in touch about his account.”
“Did he now! Well let me make it perfectly clear to you son that your future in the family business depends upon you wooing Sharon Carson back into your bed, getting a ring on her finger and lots of little Wayne’s and Sharon’s running around her ankles.
Paul Carson is a key player in the ongoing success of this business though I don’t want him to know it. The best way to cement our commercial relationship is by bringing the two firms together and by that I want our families joined at the hip, specifically yours and Sharon’s. It’s fortunate that Carson has an only daughter and I have an only son who could do a lot worse than Sharon Carson.
As for the cash I’ll be deducting the money you took from the firm’s account from your wages and let that be a lesson to you.”
Wayne knew not to argue with his Father about the money. He’d seen how his Mother had been treated when she pushed too hard for a few extra pounds for a new dress.
“I don’t think it will be that easy to get back into Sharon’s good books. There was something about the way she was with the bloke who brought her home. They gave it all the ‘just good friends’ mallarky but I didn’t buy it and I doubt Sharon’s Mum did either.”
“Well that’s unfortunate. What do you know about him?”
“His name is Steven somebody. He was at the conference with one of Sharon’s girlfriends, Siobhan Mitchell.”
“I think that’s Pete Mitchell’s girl. Leave it with me to make some discrete enquiries into the matter.”
—
Sharon had got to Sir James and suggested Siobhan take over her job running around after the rest of the Junior Directors as being the least disruptive option. Malcolm had been given the job of telling Siobhan the good news.
Siobhan had asked what had happened to Sharon but Malcolm had given nothing away other than to let on that Sharon and Steven would be working together for the next few months on a confidential task for Sir James that would involve some international travel either separately or together. If Malcolm hoped that would impress Siobhan he was wrong but she was bright enough not to argue with her boss.
Sharon and Steven were a different matter and they suffered all through lunch. Siobhan wasn’t happy, in fact that was an understatement. Siobhan’s mood wasn’t improved when Sharon told her she was going to sleep at Steven’s flat to save on travel time.
Eventually Steven got a bit fed up with Siobhan constantly asking the same questions over and over. “Look Siobhan, you’re welcome to stay at the flat as well when you can get away from home and I’d love for you to flat sit whilst we’re away so you can enjoy a bit of freedom, but work talk will be strictly off limits.
All we are allowed to say is that Sharon and I are working together so that’s all you’re going to find out for now. Thanks to Sharon you’ve been given an opportunity to show what you’re capable of by managing the work for the other Junior Directors. It may not be as big a step up the ladder but it’s still a step.”
“I’m sorry Steve but it’s not about the work. I appreciate the chance of a promotion though the prospect is a bit daunting. I’m pleased for both of you and the international travel sounds very glamorous but I don’t want you two having fun in bed without me.
I’m beginning to feel like I’m being sidelined, in spite of your reassurances, just after I’ve found out something special about myself. I know it makes sense for Sharon to stay at your place but I’m not so dumb as to believe you’ll be sleeping in separate rooms or what’s going to happen when you are away on business.”
“Siobhan, do you want to talk about this under the Lover’s Pact we three took?” he asked.
“I don’t know, maybe.”
“Well I don’t think we should talk about it at work so let’s take the next opportunity outside of work. It’ll give us all time to think as well.” The girls agreed though Siobhan was still in a mood.
—-
As they walked back to the offices Steven bought a couple of postal orders and stamps then dropped his orders into the post. He hoped they would arrive before the weekend and put a smile back on Siobhan’s face.
They diverted via Siobhan’s office so Steven could pick up his belongings then Sharon led him up to the Junior Directors Suite. There was a front desk Receptionist who had been briefed, presumably by Valerie Fortesque, to expect them. The name badge on her desk read Mrs J Windsor. Steven guessed she was somewhere in her thirties.
Sharon knew the floor, having worked for several of the people who occupied the suite but the Receptionist dealt with Steven like a new hire. It was pretty much his first experience of being served by someone rather than providing the service and it felt slightly strange.
They were each issued with a set of keys and new access passes then shown to their new office. “Miss Fortesque asked for Miss Carson to call her as soon as you’ve settled.”
Steven asked Mrs Windsor for two clean hardback notebooks, one for each of them, and a couple of pocket books. This was, after all, in the days before mobile phones.
What had been Mark Pritchard’s office was dominated by some modern furniture on one side with some deep drawers that Steven took to be for filing. There was room for two standard size desks that didn’t match the cabinets, facing one another, each equipped with a phone. Steven figured the two desks had replaced a single one used by Mark Pritchard.
Sharon picked up the phone on her desk and rang Valerie Fortesque. Steven only heard one side of the conversation but it was clear she was being summoned.
“Steven, can you look through those filing drawers to see if there’s anything useful in them? I’ve got to go and collect some paperwork from Miss Fortesque.”
“On the way out can you ask the Receptionist to get us each a second lanyard for our access passes?”
Sharon stopped and looked at Steven quizzically. “Why?”
“The new passes we’ve been given advertise where we are working to anyone who knows what they are looking for. They’re probably a badge of honour for most of the Directors but we’ve been asked to stay under the radar, at least for now.”
“Good point. I’ll ask on the way out to see Miss Fortesque.”
Steven turned his attention to the furniture in the office. His desk drawers had been equipped with some basic stationery supplies but the rest of the draw space was empty.
The filing drawers were a different matter. There were lots of folders with obscure titles. He picked one out at random and found it contained a letter from an agency with photos of girls they were offering to Mark Pritchard. He put the letter and the photos back into the folder and returned it to the drawer.
A title that seemed out of place was labelled Clubs and Societies. In that Steven found a handwritten list of cities and against each one was a list of names, a time and the name of a club. It was fairly obvious from their names what sort of clubs they were or the services they were offering and there were scribbled notes saying things like two pretty boys, four girls including one big brunette and two blondes. Steven decided to wait for Sharon’s return before looking further. One of the phones rang so Steven picked it up.
The receptionist introduced herself as Jenny from reception, telling Steven that the security officer was at Reception with the lanyards that had been requested and asking to see him and Sharon. Steven explained Sharon had popped out of the office but was expected back shortly and to send the security officer through.
As it turned out Sharon arrived in reception at that moment so both came through to the office.
–-
Peter Brown looked to be in his mid thirties. Steven learned later that he was ex-army having been invalided out of the service following a nasty incident in Germany. He’d been an intelligence officer in Berlin and had been beaten up and left in a coma. It was thought to have been done by a couple of Neo-Nazi’s in retaliation for one of theirs falling foul of a couple of recruits on a night out who had taken exception to being given the Nazi salute in a bar. The German Police didn’t find the men who had beaten Peter up but his friends in the intelligence community did and they were caught in possession of a quantity of drugs and weapons that left them facing very long prison sentences.
“Mr Masters, Miss Carson.”
“Please call me Sharon and this is Steven. How can we help you Mr Brown?”
“Peter, please whilst we’re not in the company of the officers who insist on using surnames. Two things. Jenny, Mrs Windsor called down to ask for a couple of extra lanyards and I’ve got them here. Out of curiosity I was wondering why you requested them?”
“Security. We can’t tell you what we’re working on but we’ve been told to use this office. The access passes for this floor are unique so anyone that sees us wearing one around the building will know where we are working.”
“That’s clever. Frankly I wish the Directors wouldn’t use these passes with fancy colours for that very reason, which brings me to the other reason I’m here. We did a routine sweep of this office this morning when sorting out Mr Pritchard’s personal belongings. Apart from finding some interesting photographic material in his filing cabinet, which we left where we found it, we also found a device on his phone and another on top of that cabinet.”
“What sort of device?” Asked Sharon.
“Commonly known as a bug.”
“Did you check the rest of the floor?” Steven asked.
“Not yet. We’ll come in after hours so as not to alert whoever put the bugs in place, assuming it’s an inside job.”
“Any idea who placed the devices?”
“We’re looking into possibles and probables. For now, you two need to keep an eye on what you discuss away from the office and where you talk.”
“Who else knows about your discovery?”
“Outside the Security Office just Sir James. We report directly to him so well done for keeping your mouths shut but he’s told us what you’re working on and we’ll be running security for the meeting you’re arranging tomorrow. Sir James has given me a copy of the list of invitees and I’m going to leave you alone to get on with the job of trying to get hold of them all.”
With that Peter Brown passed over his business card and wished them good luck.
—-
Jenny Windsor brought in the notebooks Steven had asked for. He suggested to Sharon that they keep the large versions locked in the office overnight and use the small version to take notes when out of the office.
“That’s similar to how I worked with my day books, I just didn’t have work to do away from this building.”
Changing the subject Sharon went on. “Miss Fortesque gave me some presents for us from Sir James. There’s a fuel card in your name to be used to fill up the company car with petrol. We’ve each been issued with company charge cards to cover bookings and legitimate expenses.
I’ve been given the card numbers to use this afternoon and the physical cards will be here in tomorrow’s post. We just have to follow the expenses policy, which Mark Pritchard stretched to breaking point. We’re also getting business cards that should be here tomorrow. Miss Fortesque asked what our job titles should be. I asked that they be left blank.
Finally, Here’s the list of people who Sir James wants at the meeting tomorrow. There’s only eight of them. If we split the list we should get through to them in half the time then I can give you the same briefing I gave to Sir James and Malcolm Carruthers this morning.”
“Did you get a chance to speak to Malcolm about your Dad?”
“Yes. He told me that if Bill Smith is dodgy then he’s probably drawing the full amount in cash to pay people like Dad then pocketing whatever he can get to keep. He may even have been the informant who told the Inland Revenue to look at Dave Murphy.”
“What did Malcolm say about your Dad’s credit notes?”
“It’s good that Dad has been generating them and has a history of doing so but the chances are Bill Smith puts them straight in the bin or burns them as soon as he can so it would be Dad’s word against Smith’s unless Dad can catch him out.”
—--
They put any further discussion about Sharon’s family business to one side so they could get on with contacting the invitees to the meeting.
Sharon was right about the job taking half the time but it took twice as long to convince some senior members of staff that they were acting on Sir James’ behalf and he had called the meeting.
One of the men Sharon called refused point blank to attend without confirmation from Sir James’ office. He was back on the line in very short order after speaking with Valerie Fortesque! About half of the attendees wanted overnight accommodation and one elected to travel on the overnight sleeper train.
By the time the arrangements for the meeting were finished the clock was nudging towards five o’clock and Sharon still wanted to brief Steven about the plans for the tour. She rang home to say she was going to have to work late.
“What did you find in the filing cabinets?”
“Files and lots of them, mostly with strange names. I looked in one and found a note from an agency and photos of some pretty girls. I looked in a second one labelled Clubs and Societies and found something that might be related to the tour.”
“Show me.” Steven opened the filing drawer and Sharon came around the desks. “Those names on the folders are the codenames for the cities where events are being run during the tour. Bay is the codename for San Francisco.”
Steven pulled out the folder for Bay and found more photos of girls and a couple of young men. In the photos they were dressed for the office or the bedroom!
“This filing system is beginning to make some sense.” Steven spread the photos out on his desk and worked out there were two guys and three girls then pulled the Clubs and Societies folder. On the handwritten list were scribbled the letters SF and four names. One of the names had 2G written against it.
“Do we know who has been invited to the event in San Francisco?” He asked.
“Yes.” The contents of Sharon’s filing cabinet had been moved over in boxes by Steven’s colleagues from the General Office whilst they were making the calls and she quickly found the list of invitees.
“Do you recognise these names as attending?” Steven read the names from the handwritten list.
“No, they’re not on this list. I wonder what Mark Pritchard was up to?”
“I don’t know but will Sir James still be in his office? I think we should tell him what we’ve found.”
“Maybe.” Sharon picked up the phone and called Valerie Fortesque’s number. She caught the Chairman’s PA as she was putting her coat on to go home. Sir James had left for the evening but was expecting to be in before 08:00 in the morning. Sharon asked Steven for his home number and gave it to Valerie. “We’ll be there in about 45 minutes eating dinner whilst I brief Steven about the tour.” Steven raised an eyebrow and Sharon simply smiled.
—
Steven took a photocopy of the handwritten note whilst Sharon called Siobhan’s number. There was no answer. They locked everything away and as they were leaving Peter Brown walked in with an assistant who was carrying something that looked a bit like a two way radio.
“I’m afraid you’re going to have to take me home after we’ve eaten and spoken to Sir James and it will be an early start again in the morning.”
“Well Sir James promised us long hours.”
“What shall we do for dinner?”
“I’ve not got any food in the flat so we could go for a take away or grab some ingredients and I’ll make a meal whilst you brief me about the tour. How about a hot Chicken salad? I can cook that while you talk.”
“Sounds good. I’ll cook next time.”
Steven smiled.
—-
They took the train back towards Steven’s place then stopped at a small food store to pick up the ingredients for dinner. Sharon chose a bottle of white wine from the drinks fridge.
“I’ll only have a small glass if I’m going to drive you home,” he said.
“I’m not a big wine drinker either but it will keep with one of these in the top.” Sharon picked up something that looked like a rubber bottle cork and added it to the basket.
Back at the flat Steven was preparing the food when the phone rang. Sharon had set his small table for dinner for two and was telling him about the arrangements for the tour so she went to answer the call. Steven noticed she’d kicked off her shoes and her legs were now bare.
“Good evening Sir James. I’m sorry to bother you at home but Steven found something that may be important. I’ll pass the phone over to him to explain after he’s washed his hands.”
Steven took the hint and listened to Sharon’s side of the call. “Oh, he’s cooking dinner whilst I bring him up to speed about the arrangements for the tour. It’s much more comfortable eating here than at our desks. Yes, Steven is going to drive me home in his car and we are both planning on being at work before eight o’clock. Here’s Steven now.”
Sharon passed Steven the phone. “Good evening, Sir James.”
“Good evening Steven and I suspect your evening is very good in the company of the lovely Miss Carson. Try not to work too hard. Now what is so important that it couldn’t wait until the morning.”
Steven explained what he’d found in Mark Pritchard’s filing cabinets. “We didn’t have time this evening to check every location but it looks like Mark Pritchard may have found a club and sourced boys and girls in every port for people named on his handwritten list.”
“Peter Brown reported to me about the folders in Pritchard’s drawers when he told me about the bugs. He didn’t know what they meant and hadn’t spotted the one you picked out. Steven, the guest lists for each seminar run from tens to hundreds of people. How many names are there on Pritchard’s note?”
“I’ve not added them up but there’s only between three and six in each location. Something else that may be significant is that, according to the guest list we have for the first event, none of the names on Pritchard’s note against SF, which we’ve taken to mean San Francisco, are on the list of attendees. We don’t know what but Pritchard must have been arranging something alongside the main tour.”
“I think you’re right and thank you for telling me this evening, even if I do end up with a sleepless night. Let’s pass all the folders over to Peter Brown and his team in the morning and get them to do the leg work. Now go back to your kitchen and enjoy your dinner.”
“Yes Sir James and thank you.”
“No, thank you Steven. Good night.”
—--
Steven returned to the kitchen. He’d got as far as preparing the salads and had just finished filleting a Chicken breast. In a hot frying pan with the smallest amount of oil the fillets only took a few minutes on each side to cook. He shared them out onto the plates of salad then dressed the dishes with some Olive Oil and seasoning.
Sharon took the wine from the fridge to the table and retrieved the corkscrew from the kitchen drawer. Steven told her to take a seat and carried the salads to the table, then opened the wine, poured out a couple of small glasses and took his seat.
“Bon appetit.” He said.
“Shouldn’t we have a toast?” Asked Sharon.
“We can, what shall we toast?”
“How about us?”
“To us?”
They raised their glasses, clinked them together and each took a drink.
“Let’s eat,” said Sharon. “Hmm, this is tasty, and healthy! I’m going to have to watch my figure if we spend all our waking hours working. I usually exercise at least a couple of times a week as this frame of mine takes some maintenance.”
“Your frame is lovely. What sort of exercise?”
“Thank you. Walking, running, swimming.”
“Let’s see if we can make time to go swimming. There’s a Lido near here that’s open during the summer or the local baths are open early and late.”
“I’ll remember to pack my costume. Do you realise we’ve just raised a glass and made some plans that don’t include Siobhan?”
“I hadn’t, until you pointed it out. In fact she had barely crossed my mind since her performance at lunchtime. Isn’t that terrible of me.”
“It’s terrible of me as well. I was the one who proposed the toast to us.”
“I’ve not had time to sort out a midweek date but she’s expecting to be here at the weekend.”
“If today is anything to go by, midweek dates may have to be on hold for a few weeks. I hope we get to keep at least part of our weekends. I’ll need to go home at some point, for a change of clothes and to do the laundry if nothing else. You don’t have a washing machine.”
“You noticed. There’s nowhere to put one so I use the local coin-op once a week.”
They finished the meal and shared the washing up duties. Steven washed, Sharon dried.
“Have you decided yet whether you want to kiss me or punch me?” He asked.
“Pardon!”
“You said at the lift this morning that you couldn’t decide whether to kiss me or punch me for telling Malcolm Carruthers that you’d made the arrangements for the tour.”
“I did, didn’t I?” Sharon moved into Steven’s arms and kissed him. “That’s for talking to Malcolm.” She kissed him again. “That’s for cooking a lovely meal for dinner and this one is for just being you.” She kissed him a third time, long and slowly. “Now the batteries in my little friend are flat again….” This time Steven kissed Sharon then led her to the bedroom.
—
Steven had changed out of his suit before starting the cooking but Sharon was still in most of her work clothes of a white blouse and black skirt that finished just above her knees.
In the bedroom they kissed whilst their hands explored each other’s bodies, arousing their partner in the process. Steven could feel Sharon was wearing a bra under her blouse. He suspected this was to stop the men at work suffering whiplash every time she walked by. Even through the bra he could feel her nipples were hardening. As his hands wandered over her backside she ground her hips against him.
Sharon got her hands under Steven’s baggy top and lifted it over his head. He pulled her blouse from the waistband of her skirt before straightening his arms to allow Sharon to remove his top then carefully undid the buttons on her blouse.
With the blouse out of the way Steven returned to kissing his new lover whilst reaching around her back to release the clasp on her bra. Sharon’s hand had wandered to the front of his jeans and felt his cock straining at his waistband. Having removed her bra Steven dropped to one knee and suckled on each of Sharon’s rock hard nipples.
“Oh my, this is too much. I’ve been waiting for this since we were on Mum and Dad’s sofa last night. I need you in me!”
This wasn’t going to be a slow love making session Steven thought as he reached around Sharon’s waist to release the zip and clasp on her skirt. He let it fall to the floor to reveal a pair of black panties. Sharon’s scent told him she was ready.
He stood and kissed Sharon again then she sat on the bed before attacking his belt and removing his jeans and underwear. By now Steven’s cock was rigid and it stood proud as soon as it was released from his clothing.
Sharon slipped down to kneel on the floor in front of Steven and licked his shaft from scrotum to tip. She tickled the tip with her tongue and tasted his precum then returned to the bed, lay back and let her left hand disappear into the waistband of her panties. Steven lifted Sharon's legs to allow him to remove her panties whilst she left her hand on her crotch. With her panties out of the way she opened her legs and parted her outer lips with her fingers.
Steven stroked his cock a couple of times then, with his foreskin pulled back, slowly entered Sharon’s tunnel of love. She made whimpering noises as he did so and allowed her fingers to feel either side of Steven’s cock as it slowly disappeared into her body.
“Go faster and as deep as you can” she encouraged then moved her hands to behind her knees and bent her legs up towards her breasts so Steven got a great view as his cock stroked in and out of Sharon's pussy.
Steven upped the pace and stroked as far as he dare. He thought he was pushing all the air from Sharon’s lungs every time he went balls deep into her, his sack slapping against the cheeks of her arse. He was panting from the exertion and from trying to hold off his own climax as long as possible.
With each inward stroke his release was getting closer and Sharon’s cries were getting slightly higher up the scale when she fingered her clit. Her body bucked as she came and Steven exploded into her. He kept stroking to try and prolong her peak.
He soon had to slow down as his cock was deflating and he needed to catch his breath. Sharon’s breathing was slowly returning to normal too.
“Wow! That was worth waiting for. If I didn’t know there will be nights when we won’t be together I’d offer my toy to Siobhan, complete with a box full of batteries, as it can’t compete with you Steven.”
“Now who’s the flatterer.”
“I try,” Sharon responded with a coquettish look.
—--
It was still fairly early in the evening but they both faced a very early start the following day and Steven was looking at a return journey to take Sharon home so they cleaned up and got dressed. If Sharon was disappointed at the sight of Steven’s rusty steed compared to his brother’s car she didn’t show it and they made the most of the journey time with Sharon going over more of the details of the tour in preparation for the morning meeting. She’d left Steven with a copy of the draft speech that Mark Pritchard had been expecting to give in San Francisco and asked him to read it before bedtime.
At that time of the evening it was a good run to Sharon’s home and they made it in a little under half an hour. There was no sign of Wayne’s car this time but Steven still walked Sharon to her door.
“Tell your Dad what Malcolm said and that we’ll see if we can work out how to catch Bill Smith out.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll do that right after I’ve booked a cab to take me to work in the morning. See you around 7:30.”
“Ugh, that’s early and I’ve still got my homework to do.”
“Well I’ve got to pack a bag for the rest of the week at least,” Sharon said with a smile. Steven couldn’t stop himself from grinning like a clown then she kissed him goodnight. Just a peck on the cheek but it was enough.
The return journey to the flat took a little longer and once there Steven felt slightly lonely. He was already missing Sharon and looking forward to having her around the place. It also dawned on him it wasn’t just the sex but something else. It was the ordinary things, like cooking and eating dinner then tidying up and a sensible conversation. He’d never had that with Siobhan and realised he really was falling in love with Sharon, no matter how complicated that could make their lives.
Steven shook himself and took the copy of the speech to bed to read. He soon felt his eyelids getting heavy so he set his alarm extra early to give himself a bit of time to finish it before work in the morning.
—----
At about the time Steven had taken Sharon home, Siobhan had managed to make her excuses and have a slightly early night. She was looking forward to reading more of the book she’d borrowed from Steven’s flat. Susan, her sister, still wasn’t at home and Siobhan wanted to make the most of being able to read in peace.
Siobhan felt naughty and adventurous so decided not to bother with a nightdress because it got in the way when she wanted to play with herself whilst reading about Cheryl’s sexual exploits.
From a constant round of parties and holidays with anyone who would pay for her special talents, the story turned with Cheryl’s realisation that her good looks were not going to last forever and an offer of marriage from an older man she met at one of the sex parties she attended in her professional capacity. It was a marriage of convenience for business reasons and neither Cheryl nor her husband expected to become life partners though Cheryl did have to provide her husband with an heir.
Other than that Cheryl was required to be by her husband’s side at corporate events, gala nights, charitable functions and sporting events. In return her husband provided her with a generous allowance and stocks in his companies so, as long as he was successful, Cheryl would be too. There were houses or apartments in several cities around the world and Cheryl’s time was spent flying First Class or by private plane between them. The child was looked after by a nanny.
Away from home, the cameras of the world’s press would focus on her but her husband would be seen occasionally and his name would always appear in print so his fame and recognition grew accordingly.
The marriage was described as open, a term that Siobhan didn’t understand at first but soon realised what it meant. Cheryl was able to take lovers of either gender at the exclusive parties she and her husband attended. Cheryl had known before marrying him that, like her, her husband was bisexual in private. The only thing they both had to be careful about was to be discrete about their extra marital activities. This was something Cheryl found fairly easy as she met enough beautiful people within her husband’s social circle, all of whom wanted to be as discrete as she did, to keep her satisfied. Siobhan’s fingers were kept busy for a couple of hours as she read about Cheryl’s conquests though she turned off her light and fell fast asleep before midnight.
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