Getting Down To Business

I told them that they could not lose. They could demand the slots for nothing at the outset, based on what they what they would deliver in terms of extra viewers, and if successful they could subsequently negotiate a payment for continued involvement.

If it failed they will have gained a couple of months free advertising anyway including prime time slots.

By the time my presentation had come to an end I could see that the two males were hooked and I was pleased to note that the navy skirt had not been such a bad idea as I stood in front of the projection screen. Beth looked a little more dubious.

"Don, would you get the lights."

With the lights off and bright sunshine coming in through the reopened blinds I felt rather more exposed but I took the opportunity to reappraise Beth. She was in her fifties but I was guessing that she had had some work done. She looked younger than her years and obviously made a big effort to stay in shape.

For the next half an hour they asked some probing questions but I felt that my figures held up and they seemed impressed that I had produced outline costs for design and production.

Beth finally turned to her colleagues.

"If you wouldn't mind I'd like a few minutes alone together."

Don and Geoff said their goodbyes and left us. Beth waited until the door was closed before she spoke.

"That was a pretty good presentation, particularly from one so young, but tell me what's to stop me stealing your idea as soon as you walk out the room?"

I had expected a question along these lines.

"Absolutely nothing. The fact is this concept could work for a number of companies. I chose Mantrap for two reasons. Firstly, your product. If I may be blunt, sex sells. If the adverts are edgy and well produced word of mouth will pull people in. Secondly, I am prepared to put my trust in you as a female. I admire what you have achieved and I would like to think that your business acumen is matched by your personal integrity."

She looked mildly amused at my answer.

"Well, you've certainly got balls. Your presentation was good, perhaps a little amateurish in parts, but the numbers, if they stand up to scrutiny, are impressive."

"Does that mean that we have a deal?"

"Hang on, not so fast. You're clearly enthusiastic, obviously very intelligent, but have you got the skills for this?"

I looked at her puzzled and she explained further.

"In my experience negotiations like this, particularly with TV execs, can be complicated. Sometimes you have to make demands but there will be other occasions when you simply have to swallow your pride and kiss butt. Do you think you can do that?"

It seemed an odd thing to say but I blurted what I hoped was an answer which struck the right balance.

"I'll kiss whatever I have to."

Beth's look convinced me that I had made a faux pas, that she did not appreciate my levity, but then I recognized something else.

"Tell me sweetie, just how badly do you want this?"

We were sitting on opposite sides of a large conference table but the distance between us seemed to have suddenly diminished. Just a few short weeks ago I would have answered the question in all innocence but now I had a new intuition at work.

I looked into her eyes and my thoughts raced. Was I right about her? And if I was, how far was I prepared to go? I remained frozen in indecision knowing that getting this wrong would be hideously embarrassing one way or another.

Beth smiled and broke the silence.

"I'll tell you what, why don't you give me an opinion on our new range."

This seeming change of tack had me confused but she continued.

"It's the "Angel in Red". We've aimed it at the slightly older woman. Silk, a little more generously cut, but with suggestive colours and trims."

I looked across the room, wondering if I had missed a box of samples, and then back at Beth who looked me straight in the eye and smiled.

"I'm wearing them..."

Now there was no doubt.

One part of me wanted to walk out of the room, determined to make this scheme work on its own merits, but another was already falling under Beth's spell. She was so sure of herself and of me.

She sat there passively knowing that the next move had to be mine and then I sold my soul.

"Will you give me the contract?"

"Persuade me..."

She was still seated and did not move which left me with another decision to make. This was the hardest part of all, the final sacrifice of my pride, but, as she knew I would, I dipped beneath the table.

I had to crawl on my knees to reach her and, as I did so, she slowly opened her legs.

There was a reasonable amount of light, enough for me to see that her panties were, indeed, a vivid red with a pink lace edging which highlighted a vee shaped crotch panel. At first glance it was simply decorative but it was also suggestive of what lay beneath.

Her hands appeared to pull up her skirt and at the same time she lifted herself a little. The message was clear and I reached out to slowly pull her panties off altogether.

She had good legs for a woman her age but the tan was a mistake. It served to emphasize the fine tracery of lines on her inner thighs that surgery could do little to disguise. She kept her sex shaved and this too seemed a little incongruous, something I thought of as the preserve of younger women.

She slid down in her seat a little to make herself more accessible to me and I could see a distinct line across her stomach suggesting weight once carried but now lost.

These blemishes, far from being off putting, only made her more attractive to me. They were the signs of a woman who had lived life and I suspected that I was only one in a long line of supplicants who had worshipped at this particular altar.

Somehow this thought made me more determined than ever to show her what I could do.

"Take your time sweetie, I have a little while before my next meeting."

Her sex had a surprising softness. As I applied my tongue it was sucked inwards with the inexorability of quicksand but deep inside was a smooth wet cavern of delights.

She had clearly been aroused for some time and I wondered at which point during my presentation she had decided that she was going to make me pay the price.

It hardly mattered. I explored with my tongue feasting on the taste of her which I imbued with a maturity which may or may not have been real.

I lost track of time but, as I continued to indulge myself, but I vaguely noticed that the shadows of the table legs cast by the sun had moved by some degrees.

She gave no indication of how well I was doing but, at one point, I thought I heard the turning of a page. I was grateful for the isolation that the table provided. I had nothing to concern me except this wonderful centre of womanhood.

Eventually, I could no longer resist the prize. I slowly withdrew my tongue so that I could claim her clitoris but I took a pause. Christine had used her magic tongue to stimulate an area at the roof of my sex that was just inside and the sensations had been unimaginable. Now, I curled my tongue a little and sought out that same hidden pleasure zone.

As I probed Beth became a little agitated and I feared that I had spoiled the moment but as I paused to adjust she spoke for the first time since the outset.

"Don't stop! Yes...just there."

I could discern no obvious difference but it was as if she had been jolted with a current.

"Oh God!..."

Her body was shaking but she was desperately trying to keep still on the seat so that the contact was not broken. I was barely moving my tongue but I was obviously connected to some deep seated pleasure centre.

It was a strain to keep my tongue curled and flexed in this way but I was determined to see it through. Her legs straightened either side of me and began to lift as though levitated by a magician. At the same time the table creaked as she bore down on it with the flat of her hands.

Her orgasm was finally heralded by a sudden warming of her sex and then a fresh wash of moisture which was added to the sweat on my face.

It became a bronco ride with her body jerking in random spasms whilst I tried to stay with her. It seemed to last for minutes but was probably only measured in seconds and I was relieved when she finally said "Enough...".

I wanted to lick her down from the peak but, more than that, I wanted to see her face. I backed out from under the table and fell into my seat and was pleased to see that she had lost her composure. Her cheeks were glowing red and she was dabbing at her glistening brow with a tissue.

"Here honey, you look as if you need this."

She handed me a tissue from the box and I finally gave some thought to my own appearance. My face was hot and wet and my makeup must have been shot to hell. As I cleaned myself off I knew that I must have reeked of her but I was quietly proud of what I had been able to do.

I was spared any further awkwardness when Beth suddenly got to her feet.

"Leave your data with me. I'll be taking advantage of your talent young lady."

Chapter 6

I left "ManTrap" feeling elated and it was a wrench to go back to the seemingly mundane job of selling the following day. When Friday came around Tara was declared the winner of the weeks "Barbie" and I found myself jealous but, if all went to plan, I would be striking out on a new career path.

I knew that my father would be angry. If this came off I had no intention of continuing at university. I would use my not insubstantial commission to set up for myself. If, at some later stage, he did invite me to join the business then I would have the satisfaction of knowing that I was there on my own merits.

I was still day dreaming about what was going on up in Amanda's office when I received an e-mail addressed to all staff. It was the monthly summary of sales figures and there, at the top of the list, by dint of the one major deal, was my name.

It had taken Zoe and Lily's help but it was my sale and I felt a real sense of achievement. The others were magnanimous and were still congratulating me when the phone rang. I picked it up and immediately recognized Amanda's voice.

"Congratulations, I'm over at head office at the moment but, if you can make it, I would like you to join me for dinner this evening. I'll book the Blueprint for seven o'clock"

I had been intending to meet up with friends to try and get some normality back in my life. I was now prepared to admit to myself that I was, at the least, bi-sexual, but, by the same token, I was afraid of this voracious creature I seemed to have become.

I hesitated but finally said yes.

I just had time to get home and get changed before taking a taxi to the restaurant.

It was a fitting venue. The Blueprint formed part of the Design Museum and Amanda had booked a table giving a view of Tower Bridge. It was by no means cheap and I wondered if this was coming out of her own pocket or if it was something that could be legitimately written off against expenses.

She was already there when I arrived and she too had found time to change. She was wearing a midnight blue silk dress with an oriental motif and a plunging neckline which made me feel decidedly under dressed.

I took a seat and let her lead the conversation which she did with consummate ease. She asked me how I was finding the job, what I thought of the others, and quizzed me on the particulars of the deal which had brought me there. She seemed impressed by the way that I had applied a little lateral thinking.

We both chose salads, accompanied by a pleasant Pinot Grigio, and during the course of the meal she turned the conversation towards my interests outside of work. I was surprised to find that we had a lot in common not least in our taste in books and films.

I wanted to dislike her, she was, after all, my potential rival in more ways than one but she was totally disarming. We both passed on dessert but she suggested that we order a half bottle of Sauternes to finish up with.

The chilled sweet wine went to my head and I grew emboldened. I tried to frame some of the personal questions I wanted to ask but could not quite summon up the courage. She sat looking amused at my discomfort but then she took the lead.

"Let me guess. I had a key to your father's apartment. You thought that we must be lovers. You thought, perhaps, that I was out to disinherit you."

"No...of course not...it's just that.."

"Lying doesn't become you.

Firstly, I have a key to the flat purely for business purposes. When your father isn't using it we sometimes put up clients. I had genuinely forgotten that you were staying there.

Secondly, I am going to succeed in this business on my own merits. I have already had discussions with your father about setting up for myself and he has been very supportive; after all he has you to take over in due course.

Finally, your father would be of no interest to me...at least not in the way that you are."

Her deep brown eyes pinned mine as I tried to digest what she had said. I was still struggling for words.

"I'm sorry...I've been foolish...I didn't know that you were ..."

"A lesbian?...I thought you might have guessed when I took that snapshot. I can't tell you how much pleasure that particular image has given me."

It was hard to read her smile and I just wanted to crawl into a hole. She leaned towards me over the table.

"The fact is, this meal is just the first part of your reward. I've noticed that you seem to find my breasts particularly alluring. Well, I am going to give you the opportunity to become better acquainted and after that I am going to allow you to go down on me."

It was not an invitation, it was just a simple assertion that seemed to have no regard for my feelings in the matter, but something in her tone stirred me deep inside. I walked through the next few minutes in a daze as she paid the bill and ordered a taxi.

In the taxi she continued to converse as though nothing out of the ordinary had been said and I answered automatically. Had she really caught me looking at her breasts? Even now I furtively cast my eyes downwards as she leant forward to give the driver some directions.

I had no idea where we were, somewhere south of the river, but I could see no familiar landmarks. Offices gave way to dense suburban housing and then we were in a neighbourhood of larger executive homes.

Amanda told the driver to stop and I had to peer into the darkness to see a large modern detached house shielded from its neighbours by high hedges and trees. The taxi turned around and left us in the evening stillness.

Having watched it go I turned around to find that Amanda was already walking up the path leaving me to follow on. I hastened after her but I found my eyes fixed on her pert posterior which rolled enticingly as she moved.

As I caught her up an intruder light came on and for a brief instant it shone through the dark silk of her dress giving a snapshot of the naked form within. I tried to calm myself down as I drew alongside her and waited as she worked the double locks of the door.

My nerves were on edge and I jumped as the alarm warning pierced the silence but Amanda deftly keyed in the code and switched on the house lights. She ushered me through to a living room that was decorated in white in the way that only a fastidious single person could maintain..

"Drink?"

I said yes hoping that I did not sound too desperate for the bolstering effects of alcohol but found myself gulping at the proffered vodka and tonic nevertheless.

Amanda put on some music. At first I thought it was Copeland but then recognized Delius' 'American Rhapsody', a piece I loved but had not heard in a long while. Whilst she was occupied I took the opportunity to look at the prints on the wall. There were reproductions by Klee and Klimt and the bold colours stood out starkly against the pale walls.

When I turned around, my drink still in hand, it was to find Amanda lounging comfortably on one of the twin white sofas and I noted that her dress had ridden up unnervingly high.

She smiled, all too aware of the direction of my gaze, and for a moment I perceived her body as a work of art that was perfectly at home within this setting.

I put my drink down on the coffee table and made to sit down on the other sofa but she brought me up short.

"Don't sit down. I want you to undress for me."

There could be no doubt why I was there, she had made it abundantly clear, but I was not prepared for an atmosphere so devoid of intimacy. For a moment I stood frozen but then a little bit of spirit flared inside. I was going to make her want me.

I reached behind my back for the zip of my dress and drew it down slowly with a soft rasping sound and I saw her eyes widen fractionally.

"Wait a moment."

She reached down and brazenly slipped off her panties. She discarded them carelessly and left her hand at her sex.

I continued with my slow striptease determined to hold her eyes and to resist the temptation to look down to where her fingers were now lazily moving. I let my dress slip to the floor and was glad that I had eschewed pantyhose and chosen my most expensive lingerie.

I knew the black silk looked good against my skin and, on the rare occasions that I wore it, I would preen myself in front of the mirror confident that I could ensnare any man that I set my mind upon. If Amanda had but known it I had done the same thing before setting out for the restaurant, perhaps reflecting some unconscious desire.

My bra was strapless, front fastening, and as I released it I teasingly covered my breasts with my arm. I waited for a count of three, straightened my shoulders a little more, and then let my arm fall away.

She had a picture of me but I wanted to remind her how good the real thing was. My breasts are not large but they are nicely up tilted and I am particularly proud of my neatly symmetrical nipples. At that moment they stood achingly erect and Amanda's fingers moved just a little quicker.

I eased my panties over my hips and let them drop to the floor. I stepped out of them and stood with my legs a little apart and was pleased to see her eyes shift downwards. I maintained a close cut growth and had, only the previous day, tidied up with wax strips. It occurred to me that, had she been a man, I would not have cared but now, somehow, it now seemed important.

"Come here..."

I nervously crossed the room anxious to have her enfold me in her arms and acknowledge the warmth between us but, as I drew closer, she casually tossed a cushion onto the floor at her feet.

It lay there invitingly; the message was clear but it was not one that I wanted to hear.

Almost imploringly, I looked into her eyes but she simply raised a questioning eyebrow. She said nothing but her expression spoke volumes. It was to be on her terms or not at all.

I knew, at that moment, that I had reached a threshold. This was my last chance to reclaim my dignity and to shape my own destiny. I could follow through on the contract with 'Mantrap' and explore my sexuality in my own way or I could make this final obeisance with all that it portended.

My internal battle raged whilst Amanda looked on with mild amusement safe in the knowledge that she knew me better than I knew myself. She waited a few more seconds and then, with calm deliberation, she slowly opened her legs.

Her eyes still held mine, daring me to look, and my heart rate was rising counting off the seconds to what was now an inevitable outcome.

I strained to hold on but my neck muscles seemed to relax of their own accord and then I was staring into the beckoning abyss.

Her sex was covered with a black pelt sculpted into a well defined triangle and, as I watched, she slowly lifted her hand away. Her labia were elongated, bright red, wings connected to her fingertips by a single, glistening, gossamer strand.