Cruel and Unusual Punishment

Thank you so much to my wonderful story consultant, Qetesh, for advice and to avarramarie for close detail editing that pointed me to errors and clumsy language that needed fixing.

The German version of this story is posted in German Literotica as Überbordende Gerechtigkeit by Egon Hoppe.

Raven was waiting in the line to check out at the front desk when she saw him get off the hotel elevator.

She left her suitcase and ran to him so fast that she almost knocked him over.

"Thank you for yesterday, Mr. Harper," she exclaimed breathlessly. "I'm still on cloud nine."

At first, he looked confused. Then he remembered.

"No need for thanks, Ms. Miller," he said. "I didn't do anything."

"Yes you did. And you did it in front of everybody. I'm still walking on air."

"I'm glad you're pleased. Have a good flight home."

He gave her a slight nod and continued across the lobby. She stared after him for nearly a minute before looking around and running back to her suitcase.

***************

"Tell me about Harper," she asked after they stowed their carry-ons and settled into their seats.

"A lot of people are talking about you and him," Mary said. "Word spread like wildfire."

"Does he do that kind of thing often?"

"No. That's why they're talking."

"I didn't do anything special. He asked a thoughtful question, and two other people answered before me. He just said thanks to them. I don't know why he made such a big deal out of my answer. When he told everybody that they could learn a lot from me, I got all red."

"Did you ever speak to him before yesterday?"

"No. He didn't even know my name. I saw him squinting at my name tag before he called on me."

Mary laughed.

"What's so funny?"

"The word is you know him very well."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know his reputation."

"I don't know anything about him."

"He's married to a beautiful woman, but the word is he plays."

Raven thought a moment.

"I can understand why women find him attractive. I usually wouldn't look twice at someone his age, but he gives off a special vibe. He seems to be dashing and sophisticated, with just a touch of melancholy - you know, intriguing!"

"Watch out! The word is several married women at work thought the same thing, and it didn't end well for them. The word is all of them transferred to other cities."

"Did they get divorced?"

"Nobody knows. But either he has an open marriage or his wife is stupid."

"What does he do? Does he flaunt the other women and humiliate her?"

"No. He's discreet. As far as I know, nobody has any proof. Every time he's seen with another woman, it's someplace public. It could be an innocent business lunch or dinner because there's no touching. But the word is there's got to be more to it."

*************

Raven told Brian about being praised by one of the executives at the company retreat. She didn't tell him her impression of Bennett Harper or what Mary had told her on the plane.

She had joined the import/export company as a clerk. She had worked on large trade accounts at her previous job but had been out of the workforce seven years to have Brady and then Samantha.

Now she was back. Once her superiors had recognized her talents, she had risen quickly and within a year was at nearly the same level as she had been before her temporary retirement.

She was ambitious, and Brian supported her. They found a wonderful nanny for the children. In addition to her regular shift, she would cover for them whenever something urgent at work came up.

They tried and usually succeeded in spending most evenings and weekends with the children. The only thing that suffered was their time alone, but they worked hard to get away together for three or four days every few months to recharge their relationship.

Raven noticed Harper at the office now that she had met him. Each time she saw him, she wondered about him. Other women confirmed that he was the subject of a lot of gossip, but no one had firsthand knowledge about any of his conquests. For her, the mystery heightened his aura of danger.

He never spoke to her and didn't seem to know she existed. That bothered her. She exercised, watched her weight and always took pains to look her best at work. She had always been proud of her good looks and body and was accustomed to men's second takes when they spotted her. She reveled in their attention and never did anything to discourage it. But she got no attention from Harper.

One morning while she was getting dressed for work, she decided she needed to get on Harper's radar. There might come a time when he could put in a good word for her. She had impressed him once, but he seemed to have forgotten. She needed to find a way to remind him.

When she came downstairs, Brian, who was about to leave, took one look at her and whistled.

"Where are YOU going?" he asked.

"Work."

"Like that?"

"Like what?"

"I don't think it's appropriate, but I don't have time to argue. I suggest you look at yourself in a mirror before you leave. Goodbye."

After he left, Raven did look at herself, and she smiled at what she saw. She unbuttoned another button on her blouse.

At work, she was the talk of the day, and there was a lot of traffic by her desk, both familiar and not. Harper was not among those inspecting her cleavage. She left the building for a solitary lunch. While eating, she thought of something, decided against it and changed her mind back and forth a few times.

She came back to the office early, took the elevator to her floor, put her purse down on her desk, marched to the stairs and quickly walked down to the floor below. In another minute, she was standing in front of Harper's secretary's desk.

His secretary was still at lunch. Good. She had heard he often worked through lunch. She peeked in. He was sitting and looking at some papers on his desk. She took a breath and flounced into his office.

He heard her and looked up as she walked up to his desk and leaned over it.

"Mr. Harper. I don't know if you remember. I'm Raven Miller. Your praise at the last retreat meant a lot to me.

"I was thinking that I've never properly thanked you for your kindness, so I just stopped in to tell you that if there's ever anything I can do for you, please let me know."

As she said the last few words, she leaned over even more. Then she straightened up, turned and quickly walked out of his office. Once she was in the hallway, she began walked quickly to the stairs, ran up them and barely slowed down until she got to the women's lounge and closed the stall door behind her. She sat down and tried to think as she began buttoning up her blouse.

She was out of breath, and her heart was going a million beats a second. She couldn't believe what she had just done. Nobody but Harper had seen her, but what if he told someone? Why had she put her career in jeopardy? Worse yet, what if he took her invitation seriously?

Gradually, she relaxed enough to leave the stall, go to the mirror, freshen herself up and go back to work. She tried to put her escapade out of her mind the rest of the day. On the way home, she wondered what Brian would say if she told him what she had done. Of course, he must never know.

**************

Harper never spoke to her about the episode, but she noticed he was now aware of her. Whenever they saw each other, he smiled at her. She smiled back and tried not to blush. She now dressed more conservatively than all the other women in the office.

A few months later, her supervisor told Raven that she would be her department's representative on a new informal committee that was looking into ways to smooth interaction between various branches of the company. It didn't mean any more money, but it was considered an honor.

When she showed up at the first session, she was startled to find that Harper was the chairman. He nodded at her and smiled when she came in. She wondered if he had asked for her to be on his task force.

He told the committee that they would get no time off from their regular duties to work on the committee, so if that was a problem, they could bow out. The only reward for the members would be in their personnel files, but he would be generous with any necessary expenses.

"That means if a subcommittee needs to get together, it can arrange for a private room at a fine restaurant, and whoever pays the bill for everyone will be reimbursed."

That ended the grumbling and started some whispering conversations about which unaffordable restaurants people always wanted to eat at.

*************

Raven pushed to have most of her committee work done over lunch at nearby restaurants because she didn't want to get home late, but some of the single men and women wanted to enjoy fancy dinners, so sometimes she had to give in and miss supper with Brian and the children.

The restaurant meetings never involved the whole committee of eighteen. Usually, they were subcommittees of three to six working on a part of the process. Harper was at some of her lunches and dinners. In the smaller groups, they began interacting more.

The more she saw and heard him, the better she liked him. He had a good sense of humor and could take a joke as well as make one. None of his jokes, or those of the others, were risqué. The ambitious members of the committee knew they were being looked over. Even mild flirting might ruin the good impression they were trying to make.

One night, she was at a dinner meeting with Harper and another man on the committee when the man's cell phone rang. He looked at it, got up and walked to a quieter area. In a minute, he was back and excused himself. There was a family emergency and he had to leave.

Raven and Harper watched him go.

"I guess it's only the two of us tonight," Harper said. "It doesn't look like we have too much to do, so let's order and get to work while we're waiting. When the food comes, we can relax and enjoy our meal."

They began going over their papers, and when the cold appetizer arrived, they took bites as they continued. They finished both the work and the appetizer moments before the salads came.

"If you drink, let's order some wine," he said. "Now we don't have to worry about getting too relaxed."

"I'd love some wine," she said with a sigh. "What kind do you like?"

He ordered a bottle that he told her would be perfect for their steaks.

"What shall we toast to?" she asked after the waitress had poured their glasses.

"There's nobody else here, and we did the work, so let's drink to us."

They raised their glasses and said in unison, "To us!" and then laughed and sipped the wine.

When they put down the glasses, they both started speaking at once. They laughed again and were quiet.

"You first," he said.

"It's not important."

"I want to hear it anyway."

"I just want to thank you for not bringing up the stupid thing I did in your office. I don't know what got into me. It was intended as a joke, but it wasn't funny at all. I'm glad we're working together in this committee so you could find out I'm not like that."

He sipped his wine and looked at her for a while before he answered. A thought came into her head. Had he arranged for their co-worker to get the phone call so they could be alone? Was there an ulterior motive for finishing the committee work so they could order wine?

"I'm glad you explained," he said. "The more I've gotten to know you, the more it seemed out of character. You are self-aware and thoughtful. Or at least you know how to give that impression. Is it just a strategy?"

Raven's mouth dropped. She was at a loss for words. Was Harper a mind-reader or just an amazing judge of character. She looked away from his deep-set eyes. She felt like they were boring into her soul. What did he want from her? Was he seducing her? The thought made her twist in her chair. Was she? No! Yes, she was! Maybe not wet, but definitely damp. She tried to collect herself and smiled.

"I'm not sure I understand your question," she lied.

"Never mind. It doesn't matter. The steaks are here. Let's eat."

They each had a second glass of wine with dinner but no more. The conversation turned cautious. He asked questions, and she did most of the talking. When they said goodbye as the valet brought her car, they gave each other an air kiss to the cheek.

They never had dinner together again, but they frequently had lunch. He never called her. She called him occasionally to talk about a committee matter and suggested lunch. He usually agreed. The lunches followed a pattern. They never ordered drinks or wine. They would dispense with business quickly, and then she would talk while he listened and offered an occasional question.

She told him the story of her life, the story of Brian's life, the story of their kids from birth to the present day. She shared her dreams and goals, her fears, her loves, her hates.

After each of their lunches, she felt as light as air when she floated back to her desk. She felt no guilt about anything. Well, one thing. She didn't tell Brian about Bennett, about their lunches, about her calling him by his first name when they were alone. She wasn't doing anything wrong, but he might not understand. Why ask for trouble?

Sometimes she wondered about Bennett. Was this his strategy for seduction? If so, why didn't he make a move? There were many openings for him in their conversations. She was thrilled with his attention. Was his plan to seduce her mind first and then her body?

What would she do when Bennett came on to her? The idea of cheating on Brian troubled her. Brian was her lover and her husband forever. No one would ever take his place. He was an amazing father, too. It would kill him to know some of the thoughts she was thinking. He didn't deserve a slut like her.

Even when she was beating herself up, she found herself getting excited. The more she called herself a slut and a whore, the wetter she got. What was happening to her? Why didn't Bennett do something, anything?

She focused on having great sex with Brian. She researched and tried new things. They came home from their get-away weekends exhausted. He had a smile on his face. She hid her frown. She had plenty of orgasms, but the weekends seemed like dress rehearsals and not the real thing.

She wondered how long she could go on this way. At times, she felt overwhelmed and on the edge of madness.

*************

She changed her speech dozens of times and then memorized it and practiced it in front of a mirror when she was alone. She looked at her face. She felt ugly. She ignored her feeling and practiced again. It took almost a week until she felt ready.

She waited for her opportunity to talk to Bennett with no one else around. Finally, it came.

"I was thinking about the recruiting problem that has everyone stumped. You know, compliance with all the new laws while still being selective. Anyway, I have a few ideas I'd like to explore with you. It will take longer than lunch or dinner.

"Luckily, Brian leaves Friday for a conference and he won't be back until Sunday night. So, if you have some time this weekend, I'm available for you at your convenience, and we have all the time we would need."

His eyes widened as he looked at her.

"What about your kids?"

"I've already spoken to our nanny. She's free this weekend whenever I need her."

He looked at her intently and then lowered his voice.

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

She wasn't prepared for that response. He didn't even pretend her suggestion was about business. His voice wasn't businesslike or joking or even flirty. It was dead serious. What should she say? She thought quickly and was pleased with her reply.

"Let's work on it. Maybe we can come up with something. At least we can try."

He looked lost in thought. What was he thinking? What would he say?

When he spoke, his voice sounded like it usually sounded, pleasant and nonthreatening.

"All right. I'll check my schedule and tell you tomorrow if I can find enough time. Meanwhile, you should rethink your ideas so you can be sure."

"All right. That sounds good."

They turned and walked rapidly away from each other.

*****************

"I'll pick you up at your house Saturday at two, and we have the rest of the day," he said.

"Fine. Where are we going? What should I wear?"

He ignored her first question.

"It doesn't matter what you wear. Something casual and simple."

*******************

When she opened her door after he rang, he didn't say anything before he turned and walked back to his car. The children were out with the nanny, so she closed the door and followed him.

They drove in silence for a minute before he spoke.

"I'm going to ask a lot of you today, Raven. You will need to trust me absolutely and do everything I say.

"The moment you think I'm going too far, tell me, and I'll take you home. I won't lie and tell you this will have no effect on our work, but I will do my best to keep it from interfering in any way, and I'm sure you'll do the same."

She let out her breath slowly. Bennett certainly wasn't predictable. Whatever happened, she was sure today was going to be a day she would never forget.

She was lost in thought and didn't notice right away that he had driven to the outskirts of town and pulled into the parking lot of a large indoor shopping mall.

"Here's our first stop," he announced as he turned off the engine. He got out, waited for her to get out, locked the car and walked briskly into the mall. She almost had to run to keep up with his long strides. He stopped in front of a large department store.

"I want you to buy new clothes for today. I need to do some shopping, too, and when I come back to get you, I want you dressed completely differently.

"I don't mean just a new dress. You need to buy new underwear, stockings and shoes. Absolutely everything you have on now has to go into a bag. I should be back in less than an hour. I'll pay for everything."

As she followed his instructions, Raven's curiosity overwhelmed her. Why did she have to wear new clothes? Was he going to burn her panties and bra in some kind of voodoo ceremony? Should she pick out sexy lingerie? She decided to focus on the price tags instead of the fashion and kept the bill as low as she could.

When Bennett returned, he was dressed in new clothes, too. He paid in cash for her purchases and walked back to his car. She was carrying the bag with her clothes. He was empty-handed.

He opened the trunk with his remote key. She saw his clothes in a department store bag and a couple of large heavy plastic bags from a sports and outdoor store in the mall.

He emptied his pockets and threw everything into the bag with his clothes. He took the cash from his wallet, stuck it in his right pocket and he threw the wallet in the bag. He didn't take out any credit cards. The last thing that went in was his wedding ring.

"Now it's your turn. Everything goes in your bag. Your purse. All your jewelry."

"But..."

"You'll get them back later. This is important."

He sounded so reasonable. But this was crazy. She hesitated. He waited. He looked calm. Was this a test? If she didn't pass, would he take her home? Why was she standing in a strange parking lot wearing strange clothes and listening to a man she had been warned about?

She looked at him. He didn't seem impatient. His eyes were focused on her, but they didn't look wild. She took off her earrings and wedding ring and put them into the bag, along with her purse. She felt naked.

He grabbed the two sporting goods bags, closed the trunk, opened the driver's side door, clicked the remote key to lock all the doors, placed the remote key on the driver's seat and slammed the door. All of his and her clothes and possessions were locked in the car.