Charitable Acts

A couple of hours before the time that Alex was due to pick her up Claire started her preparations. She took a long relaxing shower and made sure that her legs and pussy were shaved smooth. After letting her hair dry to a manageable state Claire carefully styled it into an updo. When she was satisfied with her hair Claire started on her make-up. Since Alex had mentioned that he wanted her to be as unornamented as possible, Claire went for a more natural look though she did choose a bold red lipstick that went with the red of her dress and shoes.

All done up Claire inspected herself in a mirror and was very satisfied with her appearance. She might have been able to find some faults in her hair and makeup but her focus was mainly on how her dress displayed her body. To that end, everything else complemented it perfectly. Claire still felt that a necklace would have completed her outfit but appreciated that going without kept more focus on her dress. She couldn't go without earrings though and selected a set of simple studs.

When her preparations were complete, Claire went to the living room to wait for Alex. A couple of minutes before the arranged time her phone chimed with a message from Alex saying that he had arrived out the front of her apartment building. She took a deep breath, checked her appearance one final time before grabbing her purse and leaving her apartment. When Claire exited her building she found Alex standing by a limousine. Seeing him in person again was a bit of a shock, she had forgotten just how handsome he was. The tuxedo Alex was wearing was very well cut for his frame and if Claire hadn't been wary of him she could have swooned. When Alex saw her, he smiled widely. "You look very beautiful."

Claire returned a wary smile. "Thank you for the dress."

Alex's expression showed amusement, he nodded in acknowledgement. "You're very welcome, it suits you magnificently." He gestured to his waistcoat which was the same colour as Claire's dress. "I'm not sure that this colour looks as good on me as it does you but I'm sure that everyone will be looking at you rather than me."

It shouldn't have been a surprise that Alex knew what colour her dress was, he had after all paid for it. Claire was still caught a little off balance and she fought to keep a calm expression as she realised that he probably knew all about the thong she was wearing as well. Fortunately Alex didn't continue on the topic of her clothing and he turned away to open the limousine door for her to get in.

Once Claire and Alex were seated inside, he gave word to the driver and the limo pulled away from the side of the street. As they were on their way toward the venue the charity dinner was being held the driver put up the privacy screen.

It wasn't a huge limousine but there was a good amount of space. With the tinted windows and privacy screen up Claire felt like she was a celebrity. She turned to Alex and found that he had been watching her face. The slight embarassment at being caught looking impressed turned into Claire making an awkward face that had her cringing inside. To her relief, Alex didn't make a comment about how awed she had been. Claire thought to break the silence but she couldn't think of a suitable topic. She instead asked the question that she was most curious about.

"Why do this? You're good looking, successful and somewhat charming. I'm sure you would have no problem with finding someone who would jump at the chance to go out with you."

Alex shrugged. "I have a pretty busy life. Between work, exercise and keeping in touch with friends and family I don't have time for dating. Anyway I hadn't really expected you to take the bet and then lose."

"So do you do this kind of thing often?"

He laughed with amusement. "No, that would be ridiculous. This was a wild whim, I really didn't think you would take the bet."

A surge of hope filled Claire that Alex wasn't going to hold her to the after dinner part of their wager. "Are you still expecting me to go to bed with you tonight?"

A small frown appeared on Alex's face. "That was the bet wasn't it? Are you still expecting me to make a donation to your charity?"

That response seemed quite definite and Claire felt a little foolish. She could accept that Alex wasn't going to go to all this trouble just to let her off the hook for a bet she willingly accepted. It was still a bizarre situation to have found herself in and Claire needed to know just what she was in for. "How is this going to work? Am I expected to do whatever you say?"

Alex shook his head. "Not anything. I'm not going to force you to do something you don't want to do. But if it's not objectionable then you can't just refuse outright."

"I don't think that makes things clear enough. Who gets to decide when something is freaky enough for me to say no to?"

Alex had smiled when she said freaky and was still smiling, he shrugged "I thought we would both have a fairly common sense idea of what's relatively normal and what is freaky. A littIe risk or getting out of your comfort zone makes things more exciting. I guess if something worries you we can talk it out."

The mention of risk sent a shiver through Claire and she couldn't tell what that shiver meant. "When does this start? You're not going to ask me to do something during the dinner are you?"

Alex's eyes narrowed and he grinned. "I'd like a proper view of those wonderful breasts of yours right now if you don't mind."

Claire froze, wondering if Alex was just joking with her. His expectant expression didn't waver and Claire's stomach dropped with dread. She thought that she had fully reconciled herself to the idea that she would be under Alex's control for the night but this abrupt example of what was in store for her was still a shock. Exposing her breasts was fairly innocuous but it felt too early in the night to begin catering to Alex's sexual whims. She didn't really want to do it but didn't think she could refuse.

Claire shifted on her seat to face Alex more front on. With a hint of her reluctance showing in the speed she moved, Claire took the thin straps from her shoulders and carefully peeled her top down to reveal her breasts to Alex. She looked away from Alex, wanting to avoid the possibility of meeting his gaze.

"Your breasts are as wonderful as expected." Alex's tone was sincere and admiring. Despite her discomfort Claire was still pleased with the compliment. The other side of that was concern about what else Alex would want her to do.

Claire braced herself for Alex to reach out and touch her breasts. When that didn't happen she slowly turned her head to look at Alex. He hadn't moved closer from where he had been sitting originally, his gaze was locked on her breasts and it seemed that at the moment he was content with just looking. He looked up to see Claire watching him and a sheepish smile appeared. That smile was wholly unlike the impression that Claire had of Alex so far that it disarmed the unease she was feeling and she even smiled back at him.

When Alex's gaze went back down to her chest, Claire felt an unexpected hint of arousal in her core. It was mortifying that apparently some part of her was enjoying this situation. Even worse was when her nipples began to tighten. It was cool inside the Limo but Claire couldn't pretend that her nipples hardening was due to the temperature and Alex would surely know that as well. Claire didn't know where to look and was caught between ignoring what was happening or trying to counteract the signs of her arousal. Alex's attention was consumed with her breasts which at least meant she didn't have to meet his gaze. She settled for focusing her eyes on Alex's hair and tried not to think of anything, hoping that would calm her faint arousal.

After what felt like ages, Alex spoke again. "Thank you Claire, you can cover up now."

Relief rushed through Claire, she was surprised that he hadn't touched her. Trying to remain composed and not let Alex know how affected she had been, Claire casually covered her breasts back up. She would have been happy to spend the rest of the drive in silence but another question popped into Claire's head that she needed an answer to.

"If anyone asks about our relationship or why we're attending the dinner together what should we say?"

Alex frowned lightly. "Other than our wager, I don't see why we can't be truthful."

"You don't think that it's a little suspicious that you would invite some charity rep to such an exclusive dinner? What are people likely to think about that?"

Alex's demeanour went back to the confident superiority Claire was more familiar with. He tilted his head to the side as if he didn't understand her question. "As long as we act like we're together I doubt anyone will care enough to ask. If they do, who cares what they think."

Claire was a little surprised at how dismissive Alex was of the other attendees of the dinner. After thinking about it a bit more, she was frustrated. Alex was clearly successful enough to not have to worry about what affluent and influential people thought of him. She didn't have the same luxury. Claire wasn't expecting to see anyone from her workplace at the dinner but there was bound to be people who knew people she knew. Any kind of gossip could put serious brakes on her career ambitions. That was more than a little worrying, Alex's small display of control had Claire hoping that he would be satisfied until they left the event. If he made a demand of her during the dinner she didn't know what she would do. Claire had to trust that he wasn't intending to make a spectacle of her and himself.

It wasn't much longer before they arrived at their destination. The limousine came to a stop and the driver who was dressed in a smart black suit came and opened the door. Alex hopped out and thanked the driver before turning back to offer Claire a hand out of the limo. As she got out Claire made sure to not give anyone standing nearby a glimpse of her thong. While Alex talked to the driver about the time he was expecting to need to be picked up, Claire checked out the people around the venue entrance.

Putting aside her uncertainty, Claire pushed herself to adopt a confident and pleasant demeanour so that she appeared to fit the role she was meant to play. Alex offered her his arm which she accepted. Through his suit jacket Claire could feel that his arm was firm and toned. In addition, being this close to Alex Claire was able to clearly notice the cologne he was wearing. It was a subtle spicy masculine scent that Claire thought was quite pleasant. Her body liked how Alex felt and smelled more than she was happy with, as a small flush of heat bloomed in her core. She was also aware that walking close by his side made them look very much like a couple. Claire tried to not think about how a part of her was apparently looking forward to having sex with Alex.

At the entrance Alex showed his tickets to the doorman and when they entered the venue there was an actual red carpet leading to the ballroom. Just outside the entrance to the ballroom was a little area with a photographer taking photos of groups of attendees. As she and Alex got closer, Claire became apprehensive. She didn't want a photo of her with Alex on the Brighter Futures website or any kind of promotional material. When they were right at the doorway, the photographer asked them to move over to the backdrop. Claire tensed, wondering how she could get out of having her photo taken without causing a scene. Alex shook his head. "Sorry, we would rather not have our photo taken."

The photographer nodded in understanding and Alex led Claire into the ballroom. Alex dismissing the photographer gave Claire the outcome she wanted but she was curious about why he did it. Once they were out of earshot of the photographer she had to ask Alex. "Why didn't you want a photo taken?"

Alex chuckled. "I already paid a good amount to attend. I don't feel like helping them with their promotional material or giving any kind of suggestion of a link to me."

Claire found his response interesting and was about to think about what it could mean but her attention was drawn to the room they had entered.

The ballroom was decorated lavishly and there were flower arrangements everywhere. There was a space for a good sized band who were mostly present and just talking amongst themselves. At the front of the ballroom was a stage that was almost crowded with flower and plant arrangements but actually looked artful.

Claire looked around with awe at her surroundings. "This is amazing."

Alex's mouth twisted into a sardonic grin. "No expenses spared. Makes you wonder how much money they're actually raising from this shindig and how much of that will end up going toward doing some good."

Claire's eyes widened, she had been too taken in by the room to think about how the cost of the event stacked up but now that Alex had mentioned it a lot of questions rose in her mind. She then thought about what he might think about the charity she worked for.

"This seems so wasteful. I know that the Green Trust puts most of the donations it receives toward the work it does."

Alex nodded. "I did look up the Trust's audit report. If the auditor is above board then your charity is one of the better run non-profit organisations."

That response when added to his apparent disdain for Brighter Futures caused Claire to adjust her opinion of Alex. He was successful and should fit in with the other 'high net-worth' people who would be attending, he had seemed to be critical of charity but that turned out to be an issue with the charity's spending rather than charity in general.

They talked a bit more about the work that the Green Trust did. Alex turned out to be an attentive listener and asked some questions that showed he had some knowledge about the Green Trust's conservation efforts or at least had done some homework while he was reading up about the charity. To an extent their conversation felt like a fairly normal social interaction and Claire lost track of the reason she was there.

A couple approached the table to take their seats and they introduced themselves to Claire and Alex as Roger and Margaret McGinley. They both looked to be in their late thirties to early forties, Roger was a partner at a law firm and Margaret was an executive at some telecommunications company. Claire thought that they seemed nice but they were a little full of their own importance. The McGinleys were both quite interested when Alex told them he ran his own finance firm and hedge fund. They were less interested in Claire after hearing about her job with a charity.

As Alex chatted with Roger and Margaret, Claire observed him. He was personable and quite charming, with his good looks he had to be a big hit with the ladies. If the circumstances were different Claire might have been thrilled to be here with him and even sleep with him afterward. That wasn't the case though. Still, she had a role to play and she would do what she had to. Her attention returned to the conversation just as Alex made a pithy joke. Claire dutifully laughed with Roger and Margaret joining her a moment later.

The conversation continued until a server came by with a tray of champagne flutes. Roger and Margaret each accepted a flute while Alex asked the waiter for an old fashioned. Due to her nerves, Claire hadn't had much to eat during the day and was conscious that any alcohol would go straight to her head. She instead asked for some sparkling water. As the server walked away Alex gave her a questioning look. "You're not drinking tonight?"

Claire shook her head. "Maybe later, I haven't had much to eat today."

Alex nodded in understanding. "Ahh, I see." He looked toward the bar area where there was a crowd of people standing around and talking while some servers walked around offering canapes. "Do you want to go up to the bar area? We could get something to eat."

"I think I'll be fine, I can wait until they start serving dinner."

A few more people arrived at the table and during everyone introducing themselves the server arrived with the drinks for Alex and Claire. After some initial chat with the other attendees at their table, Alex and Claire mainly talked with each other. She was pleased that he was interacting with her and not ignoring her for the other people at their table. They were all polite but other than some lingering looks and glances at her cleavage from the men, no one seemed that interested in her.

A loud voice sounded out over the hall asking everyone to take their seats. Claire glanced toward the stage in front of the hall and saw a small group that included a woman she recognised as the chairperson of Brighter Futures. After everyone had taken their seat, the MC thanked everyone for attending and then glowingly introduced the chairperson at length. After the MC moved away from the podium, everyone applauded as the chairperson took over. She launched into her own speech detailing all the good work they did. After taking into account all the expense that Brighter Futures was incurring with this dinner, the speech came across as a stunning exercise in ignorance and entitlement. Claire found herself listening closely in morbid interest.

Alex's leg bumped against hers and she looked over to him. He gave her a small smile just before placing his hand through the slit in her dress and onto her leg. She gave him a quick withering look then made her expression neutral. The look she gave him did nothing to convince Alex to remove his hand. Claire tried to discreetly shake her leg to send Alex the message that she didn't want his hand there. She wasn't able to shake her leg very hard without being conspicuous and Alex wasn't put off at all. Claire resigned herself to Alex's touch. She shot him a quick warning glance which he just smiled at.

Claire tried to pay attention to the speech being given but Alex's hand was quite distracting. She could clearly feel the warmth of his hand and that made her think about where else Alex might touch her. Just when Claire was able to give the speech proper attention, Alex slid his hand on her thigh so that his fingers were touching the inside of her thigh. Claire tensed at the sensation and then had to make herself relax. She also avoided looking at Alex, she just hoped that he didn't take her lack of response as a challenge. Him touching her inner thigh had a definite sexual vibe and she was a lot more sensitive to the contact. Paying attention to what was happening on the stage was now near impossible.

Alex's hand travelled up dangerously high on the inside of her thigh. He was not far at all from his fingers grazing against her barely covered crotch. Claire froze for a second but then made herself act like nothing had happened. There was a tense moment where she waited for Alex to push further and touch her crotch but he made no attempt to do so. He left his fingers close to but not quite touching her pussy. In a way this was more maddening than if Alex had gone ahead and started brushing her pussy. The potential of that contact caused a tension in Claire that was taking up most of her attention and she was getting herself a little worked up with anticipation.

After some time it seemed that Alex wasn't going to go any further with his hand. Claire wasn't about to let herself relax and get caught off guard though. She was getting concerningly comfortable with his touch on her skin. The warmth of his hand would have been more than pleasant if it wasn't for the fact that they were in the middle of a well attended charity event. The period of unintended celibacy that Claire was going through was making her body more receptive to what was happening than her mind was happy with.

All of a sudden Alex removed his hand and applause filled the ballroom. Claire realised the chairperson had finished her speech and quickly joined in with the applause, hoping that it wasn't obvious that she had been distracted. When the applause died down Alex's hands rested on the table but Claire wasn't sure that she was free from Alex's touch just yet.