House of Cards Pt. 01

Temptation

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Mary stared at the door and felt her anger rising. Garret was being completely unreasonable and it was pissing her off. She had no reason to stay at home, no reason to remain unemployed. His sole argument had been completely pointless. 'Don't I make enough money for you?' he had asked and she had gotten so frustrated that she had screamed at him. It wasn't that he didn't make enough money; she wanted something to do, some way to get the hell out of this house for a while and meet people. She had stayed at home for the last nineteen years raising their daughter Allison and now Allie was off at college for the next nine months and Mary faced the reality of having little to do all winter long. She had friends she could contact, of course, but their brainless chatter got on her nerves and she wanted some real human interaction. And she wanted money of her own to spend. Garret got paid very well for what he did; they owned their house and cars outright, and they had been able to send their daughter off to college in a brand new Lexus. But she had always wanted to contribute more to their financial stability. She felt like a leech and that grated on her nerves.

But Garret had steadfastly refused to allow her to find work and she was so angry right now that it hurt. She knew what it was at heart, his stubborn pride. He wanted to provide for his family, but so did she. She paced the living room while she got her temper back under control and thought about the entire situation. Garret of course had gone out to golf, leaving her in the big empty house all alone. He was always out for something or other, a golf game or a conference for work, long hours closing up an account or just being out with his friends. And she had no equivalent, no release the way he did. She wanted something for herself; she wanted to not be a dutiful housewife anymore. With her mind made up and her face grim, she stalked upstairs to the computer room and sat down, her hands were trembling as she clicked her way into the internet and started working on her resume for the first time in almost two decades. She found a template and started putting in her relevant work experience. When it was done she looked at it and felt like she could use a stiff drink. There wasn't much, and all of it was old and out of date. She was versed in computers, of course, and she could type quickly and accurately but she hadn't worked since she was twenty one and she would be turning forty in a few weeks. She sighed and tweaked here and there with her skills she had learned as a mother and it looked a little better. Then she asked herself if she would hire this person. The answer she gave herself was a resounding negative and she felt disheartened all over again.

She sighed and went to get that drink.

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A week and twelve interviews later she was feeling disheartened. Twelve interviews in five days and every single one of them had said the same thing. She was too far out of experience, her skills no longer relevant; they were looking for someone younger, for someone better trained. Thank you for applying, we'll keep your resume on hand in case anything changes and have a great day. She had come close to giving up every single time and as she sat in her smart skirt and jacket, low heels and her hair back in a bun, waiting for the last interview of the week, she wanted a drink. It was lucky number thirteen and she had as much hope for this as she did of waking up twenty years younger. She wanted a job so badly that it hurt and she knew that her chances were effectively nil. When the secretary, a pleasant young woman just starting to show with a pregnancy came out to get her, Mary smiled and stood, pushing her hopelessness aside and walking back to the interview room. The man waiting there was young, not even thirty but already a partner in a fairly prestigious law firm. He smiled and shook her hand and she felt an unreasonable surge of hope.

"Mrs. Russel, I'm Kyle Rossdale, please have a seat." He said and she sat down across the table from him. "I've read your resumé, and I have to admit that your experience is lacking." He said and she felt her surge of hope die a guttering death. The warmth began to drain out of her and her face fell.

"But." He said and she looked up at him, not sure what to expect. "I received a phone call a few hours ago from a Mr. Garret Russel asking me, as a personal favour, not to hire you." He said and Mary felt the cold disappointment being replaced by a burning hot fury. Garret had been sabotaging her. She was within an inch of divorce at that moment and had the interview ended there, so would her marriage. But Kyle wasn't finished. "I'm not in the habit of granting favours like that, however, quite to the contrary as a matter of fact." He shuffled a few papers and met her level, angry gaze. She could tell that he knew what was in her mind, he was reading her like an open book and that unnerved her a little until she remembered that he was a trial lawyer and he had made partner in a large firm before he was sixty, even before he was thirty. And that meant he was a damn good trial lawyer.

"Quite to the contrary, as I say." He reiterated. "I don't actually have a full time position at the moment, but I do have need of a part time receptionist and secretary. For now it's just a few hours a day, three or four days a week to cover for Emily who has a lot of appointments lately for some strange reason." He said with a gesture at the young woman who had led Mary back to her interview. The young woman snorted and rolled her eyes as she soothed her swelling tummy with one hand and took notes with the other. "And being actively dissuaded from hiring someone has always made me hire them whether I had the room or not. Now, this is an entry level position, you'll be learning from Emily, job-shadowing to get the routine down. But if a position opens up, say for an unexpected maternity leave, you'll be at the top of the list and if not and you perform well I'll give you a very good reference if you decide to pursue another option down the road. So what do you say?" He asked and Mary felt hope blossom again, her smile all the answer he needed and the two shook hands. She had a good feeling about this job, a very good feeling.

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Her first day of work was a good one. Mary learned a lot from Emily very quickly and the younger woman confirmed the real reason Mary had been brought on.

"I'm training my replacement." She said and Mary felt bad at that. "Oh, it isn't anything to worry about, but when I get a little further along I'm taking maternity leave and Kyle wants someone who knows what they are doing. You aren't the only person who applied, but your husband got his back up and Kyle hates it when people do shit like that. You can type and you can manage a household, so you can do this job. He's a harsh taskmaster sometimes but he's a good boss, and fair too." She said and Mary felt daunted but she turned that into a challenge and did her level best to rise to the occasion.

Of course, Garret was furious. He had ranted and raved and personally forbade her from working the job until she had handed him her wedding rings. He had stared at her as if she had slapped him. They had been married for twenty years and she was about to end it over this. He had relented at that and she had let the matter drop, but she had barely seen him at home after that. When she got home after her first day the house was empty and she had drunk a half bottle of cognac by herself before going up to a hot bath and a cold bed. When they had first gotten married Garret had always been eager for sex, and even after Allie was born they still had sex regularly. But over the years familiarity had turned their bed cold and it had been more than a year since they had made love. And she missed the affection, missed the closeness with her husband, but mostly she missed the fun they had had in the bed. She kept herself in good shape, after all once Allison had gotten old enough to go out with friends she had had very little else to do. She ran and did yoga, worked out at a gym nearby and at almost forty she looked good, neat and trim and healthy. But it hadn't done anything for her love life.

She sighed and lay there for another hour before sleep took her and she woke up when Garret came to bed. He said nothing, just lay on the far side of the big bed and Mary pretended to be asleep. She heard his soft snorting start and she sighed and closed her eyes. It was a long time before she was able to get back to sleep.

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Two weeks passed at her job and she got more and more hours. She picked up her job quickly and Emily was impressed. More, she was able to give the young woman pointers on what to expect for her pregnancy and for the first years of her motherhood and that cemented a bond between the pair of them that was stronger than any friendship she had ever had with anyone else. They took lunch together and talked and soon they were comfortable and chatty and Emily started teaching her the things she would need to know for going into court. Mary learned the filing system and the hours of the other partners and she learned the personal habits of her boss. They were all valuable skills and talents that would serve her for a long time to come.

As they sat over lunch one day Emily groaned with nausea and Mary had her lean back and sip warm ginger ale. "It helps, trust me." She said gently as she massaged the back of the younger woman's neck. "God, Allie gave me nausea so bad I was bed ridden..." She shared and realized that that had been the end of her working days. "And as a baby she was a real handful."

"Didn't you ever want another?" Emily asked. "Joe and I want three, so I guess I'll be pregnant a lot for the next few years." She smiled as she felt better and the idea of being a mommy settled in her mind.

"Yeah, but there were complications. Like I said, Allison was a hard pregnancy and she was a preemie at that. And when I delivered they had trouble stopping the bleeding, and found out that I had cysts on my ovaries and the only recourse was a hysterectomy. So I became a mother and went right into menopause, which was no end of joy for my husband, I'm sure." She shared with a laugh. "We looked at adoption, but I was too temperamental, which my husband says means I was half temper and half mental. So when Allie was six we stopped looking and I just took care of her. She's a good kid and I know she'll make something of herself." Mary shared and the two of them chatted for a long time.

When they got back to the office, Emily was still feeling ill and Mary had her first solo day sitting in on a meeting with the partners, taking notes and attending Kyle. He looked out of place in the big board room. He was the youngest male there by far, the rest of the partners all being old and mostly Jewish and Kyle, at twenty-five looked like he was the coffee boy. But he dominated the meeting, talking with clear, concise energy and it was clear why he was there, he was damn smart and very good at his job. He was like a wolf in the courtroom, according to Emily, and Mary could see some of that here as he discussed his case load with the senior partners.

Mary, on the other hand, was the oldest woman in the room. All of the other secretaries were young, most no more than twenty or twenty two and they were all blonde, though it was clear to Mary that for some of them, their blond was a result of a bottle. Mary, with her dark hair and mature features stood out, and a few of the young women gave her dirty looks, as if she were trying to edge in on their territory. After the meeting Kyle pulled her into his office and sat her down.

"You did great today, good job." He said and she knew that was stellar praise from her boss, and she took it as such.

"Thank you, sir." She replied and he laughed a little.

"You can call me Kyle, save the sir treatment for when one of those old men is nearby." He said with a wry smile.

"Alright... Kyle." She said pleasantly and that drew a smile from him as he rose and walked to the nearby bar.

"What do you take?" He asked and she went with something bold, something that women didn't normally drink.

"Scotch, please." She said and he nodded. He added two ice cubes to a glass and added a generous measure of liquor and then repeated it before coming back and handing her one glass and seating himself beside her with the other. They sipped at the drink and she savoured the aroma and the taste as she relaxed.

"So, as I'm sure you know Emily is going on mat leave soon enough here." He said and Mary nodded. "Initially I hired you because your husband asked me not to. But now I'm glad I did, you have picked up everything in a real hurry and Emily likes you, which is a plus. So this is a sort of second job interview."

She nodded and soaked it in, the informal setting, the last few weeks that had been more of a trial period than anything else, and it seemed like she had impressed him. She felt excited as he started speaking again.

"I want to schedule you in for full time hours starting on Monday, bright and early at six AM. You'd be taking on more and more of Emily's jobs, and she'd start just shadowing you to make sure you have it all down but I don't have any doubt that you'd be up to the task. In two months, when she is gone the office will be yours. The question becomes this; where do you see yourself in five years?" He asked and he looked over at her.

She bit her lip and really thought about it. Allie was of at college, in five years she would probably be married, might have a child of her own. She wanted to be supportive of her daughter, but at the same time she needed to do this for herself. She looked out the window and thought about still working here five, even ten years from now. She would be fifty then, older than she ever thought was possible. But then she thought of having worked in a job for ten years and she got excited, smiling as she finished off her drink and set the glass down on the table before she turned in her seat to look at him.

"In five years I'd like to be right here. Hell, in ten years I'd like to still be here. Beyond that I don't know yet but I can cross that bridge when I get to it." She was firm and honest and he nodded.

"Alright then, the job is yours." He said as he nodded. "Do you want it?"

"Hell yes." She said without hesitation and he smiled and shook her hand.

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The two months flew past and when it was time to bid Emily goodbye the entire office threw her a party. She was positively huge at that point, her petite frame carrying what she now knew were twins. Everyone brought presents and Emily was sobbing as she hugged them all goodbye. When it came time for Mary to see her off, the two of them hugged, having long become friends and they knew they would be staying in touch. The men in the office were carrying everything down to her husband's truck, as she had acquired all she needed to outfit a nursery as well as clothes and diapers for at least twelve years. The partners were always generous with staff that parted under good terms, and Emily was reaping the benefits of that now. As they were about to part, Mary handed her a little black box, her gift to the younger woman. Emily opened it up and gasped at the array of diamonds and silver that was in her hands.

"Oh, Mary! I can't accept this." She said and Mary just shrugged.

"All of my income here is disposable, and I make pretty good money now, as you know. You're my friend and I wanted to buy you something that wasn't practical or baby-related." She said as she took it out of the box and slipped it around Emily's neck. The matching earrings remained on the black velvet, glittering like fallen stars.

The diamonds and silver offset her skin perfectly and the two hugged once more. She was going to miss her friend and while she knew that she would see her again, she also knew that Emily would be run ragged with raising two children. She already missed her, but wished her all the best. She waved as Emily and her husband drove away and then went back upstairs to the office to tidy up and get ready for a big day tomorrow. Kyle came in while she was working and he saw her bent down over the desk, shuffling through papers and folders and for a moment he could see right down the front of her dress. He took a long look and then moved on. She was attractive, and she certainly didn't look forty, but she was also married and to him that meant she was off limits. Yet he was still attracted to her and his gaze lingered longer than he thought it was going to before he could move on. He paused as he passed her by and she glanced over at him.

"Don't you have a home to go to?" He asked with a smile and she snorted.

"Garret is out on a golf retreat with his friends for the week, so I've got the house to myself. Not really something I'm eager to return to." She said as she stood to face him. "And we've got a big day tomorrow, as much as I enjoyed the party I need to make sure the files are in order and ready to go, or your deposition is going to be a dog and monkey show, which neither of us wants."

"I know for a fact you have been through those files about three thousand times in the last three days. Have you found anything out of order yet?" He asked and she had to admit that she hadn't. "I trust in your abilities, Mary, or you wouldn't still be here. Put that shit away and get out before I have to spank you and send you home."

It was one of his regular threats and she laughed as she was supposed to. But there was something about her boss turning her over his knee that intrigued her. He was a good looking young man and she blushed a little at where her mind had gone, but thankfully he missed it.

"Well, I guess I could head to the gym then." She said as she put the files in the lockable drawer and closed it, the key went into her purse and she sighed as she reached for her coat.

"Do you have your workout clothes with you?" He asked and she blushed again, but nodded. "There is a company gym up on the thirty-eighth floor; you should have access with your office key. It's there for anyone to use. Hell, I'm headed up there myself very shortly." He said and she felt a moment of trepidation, but she smiled and nodded and went to get her gym bag out of the car.

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She went up to the company gym and found that it was better equipped than her own gym. The firm really spared no expense for some things. She went into the changing room and switched from her smart, business pantsuit and into comfortable, snug yoga pants and a tank top. She didn't feel much embarrassment at the way she was dressed, she wore panties under the pants but nothing up top, her B-cup breasts still firm and high on her chest. She went out to warm up and she was in the middle of her short personal yoga routine when Kyle came in and went over to the men's changing room. He gave her a look, and found himself staring as she stretched. She was limber and fit and the way she was moving had her bottom on full display. With the yoga pants she was almost naked; they fit her like a second skin and left him little to imagine. He could clearly see the outline of her panties and just a hint of her labia through the fabric. He shook his head and moved on to get changed, trying not to think about her. But that became even harder when he came out of the dressing room in track pants and a tank top. She had finished her stretching and she was moving toward the free weights.

"Spot me?" She asked and he couldn't say no.

The next two hours were an exercise in self-control. To start she was lying on her back and he had to stand over her as she lifted, watching her progress and seeing her laid out before him that way. When he caught her looking at his crotch, he said nothing, pretending not to notice, but the hard points of her nipples were so clear and obvious that he couldn't ignore them and he saw her blushing when she realized that he had seen. They were a bit awkward after that and when the session was over they went to the different changing rooms and showered. In his side, Kyle leaned against the wall and let the cool spray wash over him, hoping it would kill his erection before he had to get dressed and leave. He had brought jeans to change into and he didn't want to be completely obvious with his arousal.