Corporate Agreement

Author's Note:

This story has been released prior to the complete publication of the Corporate Blackmail series. I have decided to publish this story due to the difficulties in publishing the Corporate Blackmail series in order to provide readers with the continuation of Astrid's story. I hope that all of the Corporate Blackmail series will be published in the fullness of time to allow everyone to enjoy the full series as it was originally written.

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Author's Note: This series is a continuation of the events contained within the Corporate Blackmail series. It is not necessary to have read that series, but it does provide context to the events and motivations in this series.

This story is set in the fictional country of Nordland, a small island nation in the North Sea between the UK, Norway and Denmark.

This story is a work of fiction. All characters, events, and places described in this narrative are products of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

i would like to thank and acknowledge Firsttimewriting for his support and guidance he has given me in writing this and my other stories.

All comments and feedback is welcome.

HF

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The conference room on the fifteenth floor of the North Sea Oil and Gas Corporation (NSOG) Headquarters was a large, spacious affair, dominated by the main conference table and a wall of windows overlooking downtown Nordhaven, the capital of Nordland. The main display screen at the far end of the room displayed the NSOG logo with the logo of Horizon Energy Solutions next to it. Underneath these logos was the words: North Sea Initiative -- Welcome Meeting for Horizon Energy Solutions.

Astrid Bjornsdottir glanced at the five meters by two-meter screen as she entered the room; it had probably taken an intern all of one minute to complete the display that morning. That was one minute too long in Astrid's estimation. Not that she had anything against the graphic artistry of their junior staff members, it was just that she didn't value the presence of the Horizon Energy Solutions team from the United States in NSOG's Nordland headquarters.

Their presence, though heralded by both corporations as a groundbreaking partnership that had the potential to transform the European energy market through the joint work on the North Sea Initiative, a major renewable energy project incorporating offshore wind and tidal power in the North Sea region, was an unpleasant reminder to Astrid of how she had been blackmailed over the period of several months earlier in the year by an up-and-coming Horizon Energy Solutions executive, Richard Thompson.

Not only had the black African-American man forced himself on the blonde, married Nordic executive while she was drunk, the ending to a night of corporate dinner and drinks in New York that had started so harmlessly; this encounter had also been secretly filmed by Richard, giving him incredible leverage over her as he threatened to reveal the video to her husband, family and colleagues if she didn't provide him with confidential information extracted from NSOG's data files.

Over the following months, this information had proven a boon for Richard, allowing the fast tracking of Horizon's involvement in the North Sea Initiative project and insights into a number of other vital European energy market issues, projects and initiatives. It seemed that Horizon's presence in the European market had doubled almost overnight and the team present from Horizon that morning was part of that success story.

With a slight scowl, Astrid recalled how Richard had blackmailed her into not just providing him access to NSOG's deepest secrets, but also into her providing him access to her body and her own deepest and secret desires. It had been a tumultuous experience for Astrid with her grappling with both guilt at betraying her family, her corporation and her country and the unleashing of her newfound sexual desires.

Fortunately for Astrid, Richard's plan for corporate blackmail had eventually been discovered by the NEJ -- Nordland's secretive intelligence and security service. The NEJ had given Astrid a simple offer, in exchange for burying all records of her treasonous activities, including the handing over confidential NSOG information to give Horizon an advantage in the market, she would have to work on their behalf, if they required it. So far, the NEJ hadn't come calling but still, deep down, Astrid shivered at the realization that it was only a matter of time before they did.

The other thing that the NEJ had buried on Astrid's behalf was Richard. The victim of a clean, efficient assassination, Richard's death had brought an end to his web of blackmail that had involved Astrid and countless other helpless women across the industry. However, before his very timely death, Richard had, in a fit of perverse delight, made Astrid sleep with both him and another Horizon executive, Marcus Harris, at the same time while they were visiting the NSOG facilities in Nordhaven several months earlier.

Despite being coerced into sleeping with Marcus by Richard, Astrid held no blame towards him as to what had happened that night between them. It was clear to Astrid at the time that Marcus was unaware of the depth of the hold Richard held over Astrid. He had simply assumed she was a white woman interested in having sex with two black men at the same time, despite her obvious marital status.

Although they had ended the night amicably and Marcus had certainly proved himself to be a passionate and considerate lover, blessed with a black manhood that had taken Astrid to another plane of pleasure due to its thickness and his ardent lovemaking skills, she was not looking forward to meeting him again. His presence would be an awful and lingering reminder of what she had endured at the hands, fingers, tongue, and cock, of Richard. And now he was here in Nordland, leading Horizon's project management office for their involvement on the North Sea Initiative.

Her musings were interrupted by the arrival of Anna Bergman, the CEO of NSOG. Seeing her boss, Astrid made her way over to her. "Anna, the Horizon team will be here in a few minutes. Did you see the short speech I sent up to your office?" she asked in Nordic.

Anna smiled. "I have it right here," she replied, tapping her folder.

Just then, the doors to the conference room opened and several Horizon executives entered the room. The Americans were dressed more casually than their formally attired Nordlander counterparts and represented a more diverse group of people than the overwhelmingly white Nordlanders from NSOG. But times are changing, Astrid thought to herself as she recalled how she'd signed off on the approval that morning for the latest intake into NSOG's intern program. She'd personally vetted the shortlist of applicants, ensuring that the island's growing migrant population was appropriately represented in the pool of new starters.

However, the sight that made Astrid swallow nervously was that of Marcus, entering with the group and making his way towards her and Anna. It wasn't that she hated him for what had happened, as she didn't; or that she resented the 32-year-old African-American man for the opportunity he'd been given to lead the project management office, because she didn't. It wasn't even that she'd hated the idea of having slept with him, because, truth be told, she'd enjoyed it, much more even than her more numerous encounters with Richard.

No, it was because he reminded her of a Pandora's Box of desires that had been opened deep inside her and she worried that now they had been exposed, there would be no going back to the woman she once was. And now he was approaching her, a warm, friendly smile on his face.

Marcus stuck his hand out as he approached the two women. "Marcus Harris," he said in English as he shook Anna's hand. She greeted him and then Marcus turned to face Astrid, his hand stuck out. "Astrid, good to see you again," he said, his smile and eyes not revealing anything about their history.

Astrid hesitated for a split second before shaking his hand, a professional smile plastered on her face. "Likewise, Marcus. I hope you had an enjoyable trip," she said in her flawless English.

"It was a bit bumpy crossing Ireland," Marcus said with an easy smile. "But just happy to be here now. We're keen to get settled in and start." He turned and waved his hand towards the assembled Horizon team members. "Would you like to meet the rest of the team?"

For the next several minutes, Marcus and Astrid introduced the respective Horizon and North Sea Oil and Gas teams before they took their chairs around the conference table as Anna stood up at the lectern at the end of the room and started her welcome introduction in English.

"Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed members of the Horizon Energy Solutions team,

Welcome to Nordland, the heart of innovation and progress in the European energy industry. As CEO of the North Sea Oil and Gas Corporation, it is my pleasure to extend a warm welcome to each and every one of you as we embark on this exciting journey together.

The North Sea Initiative project represents a significant milestone for both our corporations, marking the beginning of a new chapter of collaboration and partnership. With your expertise and dedication, combined with our resources and vision, I am confident that we can achieve great success in the pursuit of our shared goals.

At North Sea Oil and Gas, we believe in the power of teamwork and innovation to drive progress and create value for our stakeholders. By working together, we can leverage our strengths to overcome challenges, seize opportunities, and unlock the full potential of the North Sea region.

I have every confidence in Astrid Bjornsdottir, our Vice-President of Strategic Initiatives, to lead us through this introductory meeting and set us on the path towards our common objectives. Astrid's hard work, leadership and unwavering commitment to excellence has been instrumental in bringing our two corporations together for this project.

So let us come together, ready to collaborate, innovate, and build a brighter future for our companies, our industry, and our world.

Thank you, and let the journey begin."

The room burst into polite applause as Anna collected her notes folder and, with a final shake of Marcus's hand, left the room. Astrid took the lectern and looked at the group assembled in front of her. She picked up the control for the screen and clicked to the first slide.

"Good morning, everyone. We will now start this introductory meeting for the North Sea Initiative project. As you can see from the slide on the screen, this is the agenda for this morning's meeting..."

Over the next two hours, Astrid led the group through the agenda, outlining the necessary steps that the combined NSOG and Horizon Energy Solutions teams would undertake over the coming months as the project was established. She handed over to Marcus and the NSOG project manager who would both lead the day-to-day activities of their combined project management office.

As Astrid sat at the table listening to Marcus present, part of her was focused on the points he was presenting, while the other part was focused on him. She found him to be quite a competent and capable project manager who, despite his relatively young age, looked like he would be a good fit for the project over the coming months as they progressed through the initial stage.

After this meeting, she was due for a holiday. Anna had promised her one once the Horizon deal was over the line; well, it was over the line and had just kicked off. Astrid needed a break after the past couple of months. She and Erik had discussed several options, before finally settling for a couple of days at a tropical resort in the Caribbean. They were planning on flying out that weekend after Erik had finalized some work on his current construction project.

With a soft sigh, Astrid realized that once she returned from her trip, she would likely to need to focus her attention on other future projects and opportunities for the Corporation now that this one had started and moved to the Implementation phase. Mentally, she ran through the list of opportunities and initiative she had to focus on: the potential deal in the Congo that was in negotiations, the Texas oil field development that had been on her radar for several months now, that solar farm development in the Gobi Desert. There were any number of players in the industry now that would love to see a Corporation like NSOG go under, despite its Nordland government ownership; she needed to make sure that didn't occur.

She reflected that it was good that she had plenty on her plate now, she didn't want to spend too much time with Marcus. Not because she didn't like him as a person. It was probably because she liked him too much as a person. The time they had spent together that night several months ago had been incredible. It had only been when Richard had joined them in a threesome that she hadn't fully enjoyed the experience.

As she tapped her Montblanc pen on the desk, she also realized she should speak to Marcus, ascertain how he felt about that night and let him know in no uncertain terms that what happened then was a one off event, so he didn't have any expectations of a repeat performance. She had made a commitment when she heard that Richard had died, that now that she was free of his influence, she would remain faithful to Erik.

Even as she reflected on this, she was aware of the little voice in her head, the siren's call that sang out to her in the middle of the night when she would lay there, thinking, remembering, desiring the touch and feel of both Richard and Marcus's dark bodies. Shifting in her chair, she pushed that uncomfortable thought from her mind and turned her attention back to Marcus's presentation.

*****

The group were collecting their belongings and filing out of the conference room, ready to get started when Astrid stopped Marcus. "Marcus, could we please have a quick word?" she asked. He nodded his head. "Of course."

Turning back to the other Horizon team members he told them he'd be along in a few moments. They dutifully filed out of the room, Astrid remaining silent until they were all alone. It had been the first time they were alone since that night with Richard several months earlier.

"What's on your mind, Astrid?" Marcus asked, although he had a pretty good idea of what it was already.

"Um...look, Marcus...I just wanted to talk about what happened with us when you...were here last time," she said, somewhat uncomfortably. After they had finished having sex in the threesome with Richard, Astrid had pretty much grabbed her clothes, got dressed and left. Marcus hadn't been bad about it, it just felt like an unfinished part of their story.

Marcus nodded. "Hey...what happened then was an incredible experience." He shook his head. "I'm still not sure what the deal was between you and Richard...and well, it's none of my business and he's dead now so...I'm pretty happy to let things like that stay in the past."

Astrid brightened when she heard him say that; perhaps this would be an easier conversation than she was expecting. "Thank you, Marcus. What Richard and I had was...complicated. But you're right, it belongs in the past." She paused and then pointedly said, "I just want you to know that I'm happily married...I love my husband very much."

Marcus regarded her silently for a moment, his dark eyes gazing into her azure blue ones, seeking an understanding of what she was saying and thinking. He realized that it was unlikely he'd enjoy her body again. Reluctantly, he nodded. "Ok, I understand." He paused and then asked, "I'm assuming that your husband isn't aware of what happened between us...?"

Astrid nodded. "And you'd like it to remain that way...?" he continued. Astrid nodded again.

"Ok, that's cool," he told her. "Like I said, whatever was happening between Richard, you...your husband back then...it's your own business and in the past. I'm here to do a job and I hope that what we did back then won't influence how you see me or my team now."

"No, of course not," she replied. "And Marcus...thank you for being so understanding," she said with a smile.

He gave her a smile and a small nod before leaving her standing in the conference room by herself, the faint trace of his cologne all that was left in the air. The scent triggered a memory for her that she fought to push down, and she realized that the thoughts and memories of what had happened because of Richard were destined to linger in her life for a long time to come.

*****

Astrid glanced out her office window at the cold, grey clouds rolling in across the city. Winter was certainly on its way with summer seemingly to be a long distant memory. At least they had enjoyed the warmth and sun of the Caribbean Island of Isla Serenidad several months ago just after the finalization of the partnering agreement with Horizon Energy Solutions for the North Sea Initiative project. Now that project was underway, Astrid was focusing on future opportunities for NSOG.

She turned her attention back to the several people sitting opposite her. In the middle of the group was Gunnar Jensen, NSOG's lead negotiator for the proposed agreement with the government of the Republic of Congo to exploit the new Kimongo Exploratory Zone in the south-west of the country.

"Hang on," she said. "Let me get this straight -- you're saying Ngoy has proposed a 70/30 profit split," she exclaimed, dumbfounded. Minister Tshimanga Ngoy, a powerful and influential member of the Congo government was a middle-aged Congolese man with a stern, unsmiling expression. She'd met him several times at international energy conferences and had always loathed his leery expression. Unfortunately for Astrid and NSOG, he'd taken a personal interest in the negotiations.

Gunnar nodded. "He was willing to be accommodating on the other aspects, the infrastructure investment costs, and the government revocation provisions, but he wouldn't budge on that profit split," he said with a sigh of frustration. Astrid knew Gunnar was a good negotiator and had been dealing with the Congolese government for several months now, trying to thrash out the deal.

"Don't even get me started on the infrastructure cost and those damn provisions," Astrid said, a touch of annoyance creeping into her voice. "They are wildly out of line from industry norms, but this 70/30 split -- there's no way we'll be able to get a viable return on our investment on that margin. He knows that..."

She paused, thinking as she tapped the end of her Montblanc pen on the desk. "Ok, so he's stonewalling...that much is for certain. What's his game in all of this? Is he being paid off?"

Gunnar let out a little guff laugh of amusement. "Of course, he is -- we think the most likely ones the Chinese or the Russians. Sino Oil or VolgaEnergo," he said. Those bastards, Astrid thought to herself, always on the prowl to snap up new energy opportunities, mine them bare and then walk away, leaving the locals to clean up the mess. She also knew that by the time that happened, any government officials involved would be safely ensconced in their brand-new chalets in the Swiss Alps.

Gunnar shrugged. "Then of course, it could also be the Americans, we saw Texas Oil Corp survey ships in Pointe-Noire or even the French...there were lots of players in town when we were there."

The tapping of Astrid's pen on the desk was the only sound in the room for several moments as she pondered the options available to NSOG. Finally, she looked at Gunnar. "Gunnar, I'm not seeing much in the way of upsides with this deal, especially since we're focusing so much on the transition to renewables. Unless you can give me something better, I'm going to recommend to Anna and the Board that we walk away from this deal."