Mr and Mrs Smith (Complete)

"Yes, I noticed that they seem relieved that you're committed to helping them improve, rather than shutting them down."

"At heart, they're good people with some rather outdated attitudes. They need a bit of a wake-up call and they'll come through."

After a long day of planning, agreeing targets, reporting and follow-up visits, we left around five. We had dinner with Jack and his team at Jesmond Dean, which was quite pleasant but a bit surreal. They'd put Jack's PA Dawn next to me, and she kept wanting to know what the Boss was like - and not just to work for. Dawn, who was quite pretty if a little 'curvy', obviously found the Boss very attractive. Her comments got more extreme as the evening went on and she consumed more wine.

"He's so strong and manly, do you not think?" she said in her pronounced Geordie accent. "Eee, what I wouldn't do for a man like that. Even if it hurt...and I bet it would!" She giggled.

I put up with quite a bit of this before saying, "Look, Dawn, if you want to find out what he's like in bed, you'd better ask his wife. He's happily married and I doubt he'd stray. Karen is beautiful and so are their two daughters."

"Eee, and I thought - ya knaa..."

"That the Boss and I sleep together? If 'together' means in the same hotel, then yes, but if you're thinking it's the same bed, then most emphatically no. I'm happily married too, and if any rumours are going around just because I'm on a business trip with him, you'd better scotch them pretty damn quick. He and I are a great team, and he relies on me to record everything that's said - including, if necessary, on occasions like this - so people are clear on what he wants and don't go off at a tangent. He once said that people think he's a hard man, but fair, and I agree. Don't cross him - or me - and you won't find yourself in a fix you'll regret. Understood?"

"Eee - I'm sorry, pet. I should just keep my big mouth shut."

"That's OK, Dawn. Just make it clear, if you hear anything to the contrary, that people know my relationship with the Boss is strictly and totally professional."

*****

The following morning, we drove up to Edinburgh. MacFarlane's was surprisingly close to the city centre, and we were there by noon, though the traffic was heavy and some of the roads were closed. The delay in scheduling the visit meant we were there during the Edinburgh Festival period, and the streets nearer the centre were very busy.

On the journey, the Boss had summarised the issues we were facing. "If you thought that Robson's was difficult, that'll be a doddle in comparison with MacFarlane's. Their numbers are all over the place and we've had customer complaints, including one in which quite a large contract could be terminated. If they're as complacent as they seem from the reports they've sent me, we may actually have to close them down. Apart from the redundancies, we'll have to work out how to transfer the existing work to other plants, and that'll be difficult given the local specialisms, the geography and the fact that most of our other plants are running near capacity at the moment. We got a new plan and some firm commitments out of the ex-Robson's management in two days. I'm worried it'll take two months to get it from this lot, and we don't have that long."

The Boss's approach here was to interview all of the management individually and talk to as many of the people as he could to try to get to the bottom of what was wrong. The whole of the first afternoon was taken up with a tour of the plant and meetings with the middle management and some of the senior shop-floor people. The senior managers and directors were set for interviews on the second day.

I'd taken loads of notes, intending to write them up that evening. As we drove to the hotel, the Boss shared his thoughts with me.

"This is going to be tricky. They have all the problems of the Gateshead plant, and the people seem to be good enough, but there's something wrong with the culture. They seem terrified of something, and I haven't yet figured out what it is. We'll see what the senior people say tomorrow."

Chapter 4. Mr and Mrs Smith

But at the hotel, events took a different direction entirely.

"Ah yes, Mr and Mrs Smith. You're room's ready. We've given you the Honeymoon Suite."

"I think you'll find there are two rooms booked for us," I replied.

"Oh no, just the one. I remember now. You booked about six weeks ago, but it's Festival season and we struggled to fit in even this one. There's a note to say that we phoned to query your booking but you weren't available, so we left a message with someone called Donna, but no-one called back. We guessed it wouldn't be a problem, seeing as how you're married."

At this point, I started to panic. Donna was someone we'd had in for a few weeks on work experience. It was clear she wasn't really up to the job, but we gave her some simple tasks like answering the phone. It seems she couldn't even be relied on to pass on messages - messages that were not only urgent but could also lead to embarrassing situations like this one.

"I'm sorry, but we booked two rooms. If you can't provide them, I think we might have to look elsewhere," I said, in the hope that the lost business might make them more co-operative.

"Well, you are of course welcome to try, but I'd be very surprised - in fact, I'd be astounded - if you could find so much as a floor to sleep on anywhere in the city. It's the Festival and everything's booked solid for twenty miles out."

"Well, look..." I started to say, not sure where this would lead and desperate to avoid the embarrassment of having to share a room with the Boss.

"Thank you, we'll take it," a deep voice said from behind me. The Boss leaned forward and took the key. "Can you ensure we get an early call at six-thirty, and I'd like a copy of the Times, as usual, please?"

"Certainly, sir. Will you need a hand with your bags?" The receptionist gave me a look as if to say 'you see? Just let your husband decide.'

"No thanks, we'll manage," he replied, picking up my suitcase as well as his own and leading the way to the lift. When the doors were closed, he said "There was no point arguing. They clearly have no other rooms, and we're very unlikely to find anywhere else in the city now. The Edinburgh Festival is notorious for taking up all available accommodation. We'll just have to make the best of it."

"I'm so sorry, Boss. I'd like to strangle that bloody Donna..."

"Don't worry, Julie. I'm not blaming you, and I'm sure we can work something out."

The room was large, and dominated by a king-size four-poster bed. There was a couch against one wall, and a big window with a nice view of the city, looking up to the Castle. The en-suite was surprisingly roomy for a hotel of this kind, with a big walk-in shower.

"OK," the Boss said, surveying the room, "I'll put some pillows and a blanket on the couch and that will do me."

"No, sir, you can't do that. You need to have a good night's sleep if you're to concentrate on the job in the morning. I'll sleep on the couch. It's my fault we're in this mess, after all."

"Julie, I already said that I don't hold you responsible, and it would hardly be fair of me to expect you to sleep on the couch. And I need you to be alert in the morning as well. So how about this? It's a very big bed. Let's put a spare pillow in the middle and sleep either side of it. That way we can both get a decent night's sleep without embarrassment."

As usual, the Boss had come up with a practical plan that seemed to work. However, throughout dinner, while the Boss talked about the meetings we'd had that day and what we were planning for the next day, I couldn't help but feel rather tense. For the first time since I had married, I was about to sleep in the same bed as a man who wasn't my husband, and although we were going to sleep together, rather than have any form of sexual contact, it was still a little unnerving. I kept going back to that weird session of lovemaking with Kevin after our smart night out, when I'd fantasised about having sex with the Boss, and I felt strangely excited as well as very unnerved.

After dinner, we agreed that the Boss would stay in the bar while I went up and prepared myself for bed and that I would phone down with a message for him when he could come up. Once in the room, I immediately phoned Kevin for my usual late-night chat. He asked about my day but seemed more interested in telling me about a run-in he'd had with a very stroppy 5^th-former that afternoon.

"The little so-and-so had the audacity to use language I wouldn't use myself. I had to cart him off to the Head and demand that he was suspended there and then. Anyway, how was your day?"

"Oh, not too bad. The main problems are going to surface over the next two days, and I think the Boss is worried about how to deal with them. It's probably best if I get an early night, 'cos we're going to start pretty sharp in the morning and I suspect it'll be rough."

"OK, love. Well, I hope it goes well with you. Goodnight. Love you."

"Love you," I replied, and put the phone down.

I showered, cleaned my teeth and got ready for bed. For some reason, I dabbed a little perfume behind my knees and between my breasts - something I did when I thought Kevin and I might make love. I looked at the two nighties I'd brought - one fairly long and dowdy, the other quite short and sexy - semi-sheer with lots of lace, especially over my breasts. When I put on the latter and looked at myself in the mirror, I found my heart beating faster. As I zipped up my case, I looked down at several pairs of panties that perhaps I should have put on - but didn't. I put my case into the wardrobe, selected a spare pillow and carefully placed it in the centre of the bed, a small but significant barrier between me and the place where my Boss would be sleeping. Then I phoned down my message to the bar, and climbed into the huge bed, trying not to remind myself that, for reasons I barely understood, I was naked except for the flimsy nightdress.

The Boss let himself in quietly, and quickly - and without speaking, removed his shoes, socks and shirt. I could admire his strong torso, quite smooth and very well-muscled. As I said, he was maybe six inches taller than Kevin and a lot more powerfully-built. I'd learned that he'd played rugby and done martial arts when he was younger, and he still used a gym whenever he could. In any event, his chest and shoulders were an amazing shape, and his stomach, though not quite a six-pack, was trim. No middle-aged spread here.

Then he took off his trousers, carefully arranging them in the press for the morning. Underneath he wore a pair of dark cotton boxer shorts. I felt that I shouldn't be watching him, so I pretended to be interested in my book, but I was fascinated by the sheer physical power his body seemed to exude.

Then he reached into his case, took out a couple of items and headed for the bathroom. I heard the shower go on, and an image of him, naked, water streaming over his powerful chest and shoulders, came to my mind. I was alarmed - even more so when I realised that I was becoming wet between my legs. This shouldn't be happening. I was a happily-married woman. The rather strange sleeping arrangements were just an unfortunate and rather embarrassing necessity, but we were essentially in separate beds.

At least, that's what I kept trying to tell myself, even though at the same time my body didn't seem to be listening.

The Boss emerged from the bathroom wearing a clean pair of white boxers and with a small towel wrapped around his shoulders. I tried hard not to look, but I couldn't help it. He had the kind of powerful physical presence that demanded you look.

"I'm sorry, but I don't normally wear pyjamas at home. Karen and I sleep naked. But I thought that a pair of boxers would be no more revealing than swimming trunks. I hope that's OK, as I don't have anything else I can wear in bed."

"That's fine, Boss. I've arranged the pillow as you suggested, so just get in and turn off the light. We both need some sleep, I think".

He got into bed and turned off his bedside light. The room wasn't completely dark as some light crept through the thin curtains.

"Goodnight, Julie, and thanks for all your help," he said. I half expected him to lean over and kiss me goodnight, as he had in Newcastle, but he simply lay down on his side facing away from me.

"'Night, Boss. Sleep well", I replied, as I turned away from him and closed my eyes.

But sleep didn't come. I lay there and listened to the sounds of his soft breathing, felt his small movements as he settled down, and I could smell his cologne. I thought it odd that we'd both applied some form of perfume before our platonic night together. I lay there, wide awake, trying not to turn or disturb him, but completely unable to relax. I felt so churned up, struggling to ignore the fact that I was sharing a bed with this strong, powerful man who my mind told me was just my Boss, while my body seemed determined to treat him as something else entirely.

After around half an hour of failing to sleep on my side, facing away from him, I wondered whether a change of position would help. I rolled over - and found myself looking straight into his eyes, which gleamed in the dim light.

"Well, Julie, it looks like you can't sleep either," he said in a soft, matter-of-fact way. "I wonder if it's for the same reason that I can't."

"It's - it's just the unfamiliar circumstances, Boss. You know - a strange bed, a tough day ahead of us tomorrow. That sort of thing."

"Really? And it has nothing to do with wondering what it would be like if I threw this pillow out of the way and came over to your side of the bed?"

"I - I ..."

"Julie, you put on perfume before you came to bed. The nightdress you're wearing isn't exactly demure, and I'm pretty sure that if I was to put my hand between your legs right now, I'd find that you're a lot wetter than you'd like me to believe."

"No, really, Boss. It's just that..."

"It's just that I've got a hard-on like an iron bar just thinking about you lying there, within reach and probably thinking similar thoughts to me. You're a very attractive woman, Julie, and you know how to use your sexuality. You've used it to help the Company, at my request, and you've used it to help yourself at your interview. And I think that you're using it right now, even though you're telling yourself that you're not."

"Boss - I - I'm happily married."

"So am I, Julie, and I wouldn't want to change that for either of us. But there's something we could do tonight, in this room, that has nothing to do with love or marriage but would still bring great pleasure to both of us. I don't intend to leave Karen or the girls, and I'd be appalled if I thought you'd leave Kevin for me. But I think you know that there's been something sexual between us since the first time we met. Now's our chance to do something about it. What happens in this room stays in this room. It's not about love, Julie, though I do really like you a lot. This is about going somewhere we've both been wanting to go but have always told ourselves is off-limits. Please tell me that no, I'm wrong and it's not what you want, and we can both try to get some sleep. Or I can throw this pillow out of the bed and we can both have some of the best sex either of us has ever had; hot, dirty, exciting and very, very satisfying. What's it to be, Julie?"

I was churned up inside. On the one hand, I felt I should remain loyal to my husband, but on the other, I found that his words excited me beyond anything I'd expected and that my body seemed to crave him.

"Will you - will you be gentle?"

"Possibly, but probably not. I won't hurt you, but this won't be making love Julie. It'll be plain, simple fucking. Is that what you want?"

Kevin and I never talked 'dirty' to each other. The strongest words we ever used during sex were probably 'dick' and 'pussy'. I was at the same time shocked and excited by the Boss's approach. He just wanted me for sex, and I - what did I want?

"I - I think so, Boss. I'm just - just a bit confused and - and maybe a little scared."

In the half-light, I could see him smile. "Julie, if you weren't a little scared then you wouldn't be the Julie I know. I'm suggesting something pretty scary for us both, but I know that if we don't do it, neither us will sleep much tonight and we'll wonder in future years what it would have been like. I'm not one for regrets, Julie, and I think you shouldn't be either. You need to make your choice, Julie. Tell me, do you want to fuck?"

Another little shock, almost like an electric probe, went through my body as he used that word. I hesitated for only a moment, but I knew my answer - my heart, or rather my pussy, had by now overruled my head.

"Yes, Boss, I do," I replied, as steadily as I could. My heart was pounding and my nipples were standing out like bullets.

"Good, because if you'd said no, I'd have been in a shocking state. You're sure you want to fuck? I don't want to find myself on a rape charge in the morning."

"Yes, Boss. I'm sure. I want it," I said, trying to keep my voice steady, his repeated use of that word now making me more excited than ever.

He lifted the pillow that separated us with one hand and in a smooth fluid movement put it on the floor beside the bed.

"To be sure, what is it you want, Julie?" He was teasing me, dragging this out.

"I - I want to - to fuck, Boss. I want to - OH!"

His big, strong hand reached out, slid in a smooth movement from my knee, up my thigh and came to rest against my pussy lips. He moved close, cupping my breast with the other hand, then settled back onto that elbow and bent down to kiss me. For all his talk, that first kiss was amazingly tender - soft, teasing, extremely sensuous. His lips were surprisingly soft as they explored mine, brushing gently, sucking softly. Meanwhile, his hand on my breast made my nipple tingle and burn, hardening now almost painfully, while his other hand stroked up and down my thigh, just brushing my pussy lips on each stroke.

I reached towards him, resting my hand on his shoulder as his kisses increased in intensity. My lower hand slid along the mattress, finding the place where his hip rested on the bed, moving lower to find - oh my God! He was already naked and, as he'd said, very hard and erect. His dick was quite a bit bigger than Kevin's, as I suppose I'd rather expected, given the size of his body. Don't get me wrong; Kevin's not small, but one or two of my boyfriends at college - before Kevin and I became a couple - were significantly larger, and to be honest, that didn't do much for me. They were very proud of their size, while for me, I usually only felt discomfort or, on one occasion, actual pain. As I said before, dick-in-pussy had always been a sideshow for me compared to finger - or preferably mouth - on clit, and the big-dicked guys hadn't had any more success in making me come with their cocks than Kevin had.

But there was something about the Boss having a bigger one that I found not only exciting but necessary. Our relationship had always involved a mixture of power and (until now) unacknowledged sexuality. He was always in control; I did what he told me to do, most of the time, though I had plenty of my own way - when he let me. His physical size added to his dominance, and I think that if his dick had been of normal proportions, it might have been a disappointment. He needed to be big to retain that dominance.

I started to stroke his dick, and it felt good. What felt even better was when he pulled down the shoulder strap of my nightie and started first licking and then sucking my hard nipple. That's something that gets me excited very quickly; not that I wasn't already pretty excited. At about the same time, he stopped stroking my thighs and my bum with his other hand and pressed a finger between my pussy lips. I think I felt a mini-orgasm then, the sensation was so strong. He gently stroked around in my slit, tracing my inner lips, carefully avoiding my clit. Then one thick finger slipped inside me, and I gasped. Slowly he swirled it around, gently rubbing the wet surfaces and making me tingle even more. He combined this with a slow in-and-out motion, and the sensations were different and much stronger than anything I'd felt in my vagina before.