Promotion Comes With Strings Attached

First and foremost, a big thank you to Tim, for his assistance, and Randi for her fabulous guidance and editing talent.

"Hey babe," my wife called from the kitchen. "Dinner won't be far away. Come on in and give me a hug."

Dropping my work bag and jacket on the floor, I walked into the kitchen. Coby, my wife, looked as sensational as ever. She certainly learned to make the most of her beautiful features. These days, she spent a lot more time on her appearance. As a senior exec at a national finance house, and with a much higher expendable income, she now made sure she looked hot.

She was proud of her appearance, and why shouldn't she be?

Coby had chased down her current role at Voxman's with clinical determination. She had been like a huntress stalking her prey.

With the job secured, she had moved into proving she was the perfect manager. She worked damn hard. For a little than two years she had worked her ass off, pushing harder than anybody I had ever met. She was now well ensconced in the management team.

Coby and I had a great marriage; her work hours were my only complaint. She was so determined to get to the top. After several heated arguments, I stopped fighting and just went with the flow.

Our big ambition had always been to buy our own home and start our family. I wasn't complaining when it came to her income; she earned a hell of a lot more than I did, and I was fine with that. I just worried about her burning herself out.

The kitchen smelled awesome. Damn, my favorite. "Are we having pork chops?" I said hungrily, my tongue wetting my lips. "Damn, girl, that smells so good."

"We sure are," she answered. "Honey, I got some really big news at work today. I was hoping to turn this into a celebration."

"Wow, sounds good. What's the big news?"

Giving me a sly grin, she whispered seductively, "I thought we could eat dinner first, have a couple of celebratory drinks and then discuss it."

If the news was so good, why did she look so nervous and uncomfortable?

"Okay, cool." I held my arms open for a hug and kiss, but she waved her hands in front of her face. "Phew, no way buddy. You go and have a shower first, you smell."

My look of disappointment must have made her feel guilty. "Babe, I want a hug, just shower first, you're covered in dust." She leaned in and planted a kiss on my cheek. "How was your day?" she asked, her inquiry driven, I'm sure, by guilt.

"Oh you know, same old same old. It's construction, what can I say."

I walked off up the stairs. The shower was refreshing, although her reaction when I asked about her news did leave me feeling anxious.

The table was set, candles burned and the lights were low. "Very romantic." I chuckled.

She flew into my arms, and the kiss was passionate. Her tongue snaked sensuously into my mouth like a wild snake. Her body crushed against me, the heat plainly felt. Damn, I could feel her nipples digging into my chest. She was braless, the shimmery silk top doing nothing to defend her.

"Whoa, slow down sailor." She giggled. "Dinner first."

We sat down to the fabulous repast; but throughout, I kept stealing furtive glances at her, and she was nervous as fuck. She tried to cover it up with questions about my job and the project I was working on.

She was a career girl. I, on the other hand, had dropped out of college to tour with what I thought at the time was the hottest fucking band on the planet. Yeah, we were good, but god damn, it's hard to break into that world. We tried hard, toured our asses off, played every two bit dive we could get into. In the end, we failed. We gave it everything, but we just couldn't make it work. I suppose it just wasn't meant to be.

Coby wasn't really interested in my job. All the questions were her way of hiding her unease. We had a few drinks with dinner, but even the bourbon couldn't mask the growing tension. In the end, I asked.

"So when are we going to hear your important news?"

She gulped down her vodka in one go. "I've been offered a promotion."

"Wow, that is great news. Why so pensive? I thought you'd be pretty happy."

"Babe, this is big news, and I am a little nervous. Wyatt has offered to make me his VP of marketing."

"What, no way. Wow, VP, sheesh, that's big all right."

She jumped up, poured herself another vodka and me another bourbon. Sitting back down she added. "There's more, babe; he has offered if I do well in the VP's role, in eighteen months, he is moving on and will recommend me for promotion to take over his role as CEO."

That didn't make sense; it was like my brain had been filled with molasses. "But you've only been there two years. Why the hell would he do that?"

Insulted, she bristled. "Why did you say that? Don't you think I'm capable or something?"

Back peddling quickly, I replied, "No, of course you're capable. There's no question, but why would he do that? There are managers there who have spent their whole working careers at that company. And, they have way more experience than you."

"Yes, but he thinks I am the perfect replacement. He thinks I'm right for the role. Darren, this is a huge opportunity. The VP's role carries a two hundred grand annual salary, plus there's shares and stock options, an expense account. There are special privileges, such as children's college funds."

"You make it sound pretty amazing. What's the catch?"

She threw down her vodka in one mouthful. "Well, there would be a lot of travel. Probably every other week. Long hours, and a hell of a lot of stress."

"Yeah, the stress I can understand. Is that what you really want?"

She rushed over and jumped into my lap. "Babe, this is what I have always wanted. God, you know how ambitious I am. I want this so bad it hurts. I will be CEO, and in less than five years. Do you know how unheard of that is?"

"Yeah, I'm starting to get the picture. You're gonna tread on a lot of toes. The senior managers are gonna be disgruntled. Especially seeing as how you're a woman. You'd have to constantly watch your back."

"Yeah, well they can bite me. That's what's so amazing. I'll be the first female Voxman's CEO. Jesus, Darren. Even if I didn't get the CEO's role, I'd still be the first female VP."

"Yeah, sorry. I shouldn't have doubted you. It just seems too good to be true. I should have said congratulations. I'm proud of you, honey."

She kissed me again, the passion meter set to max. "Thanks, babe."

She jumped up to get fresh drinks. My head was already getting a bit woozy. The rate we were knocking them back was way out of character, especially for Coby.

"Okay, so long hours, and travel, That's it? I mean, you already get home late most nights."

"This will be different, I'll have to deal directly with our most prestigious clients. If they have issues or problems, I won't be able to just walk away. That would mean staying to make sure everything's completed. Plus there will be dinners and functions. Some of those, you'll be expected to attend as well."

"I'm just worried that you'll burn yourself out. Travel, long hours, stress."

"Babe, I promise, I would always get home as early as possible. There will be plenty of time for us to chill and relax."

"Uh-huh, what about the travel?"

"Two or three days, every other week. Again, I'll try and keep it to a minimum. But for the next eighteen months, Wyatt wants me to travel with him so he can introduce me to all the clients, regional managers and staff personally. Make sure I meet the right people. While I'm with him, he will mentor me."

"Wow, it sounds pretty impressive. Hell of a lot of pressure though."

Her teeth nibbling at my ear distracted me a little. "I guess it's too good to pass up. I gotta say, honey, you are knocking down those damned doors." I clinked my glass with hers. "Congrats to the new Voxman's VP."

We sat in silence, both sipping our drinks. "What about our plans to buy a house and have kids?" I said hesitantly. Lately, we hadn't talked about it much, I wondered if this was going to put an end to that dream? "We always said once we had a place, we would start our family." I said with a hint of fear.

She nodded, probably expecting that. "We will have to put it off for about four years. After that, it's all go, Darren. I still want everything we talked about and planned for. Until then, we can take vacations regularly. Once Wyatt has moved on, you could travel with me sometimes, make it into special trips."

"Four years. That's leaving it late. You'd be thirty-six."

"God, that's still young. We will have our own home, everything will be settled and we will be secure. Everything would be perfect."

"Oh well, I guess we're gonna find out, huh?"

Her face lost the smile, taking on an expression of grim determination. "Darren, you could give up your job. Go back to school, get a proper degree."

"Back to school... Fuck that. If I gave up my job, it would be to build my own recording studio, start my own label. Fuck school."

She looked shocked. "But if you got a degree, at least finished school, you'd have so many more opportunities. I mean. I could probably find you something, get you into a real career."

"Coby, I'm never going to be one of you corporate big shots. That's not my scene and you know it. I'm not putting you down. The corporate world, full of high fliers, that's your thing, not mine."

She pouted sadly. "Yes, I suppose. It wouldn't be a problem. With my salary, nothing would matter. It would be great of you could live your dream. I know it's what you've always wanted. With the extra money you could do it."

"Yeah, you can be the money earner, I'll just be your bimbo and spend it all."

We both had a laugh and she got more drinks. "Jesus, honey, are you trying to get me drunk? I'm telling you, you're wasting good booze. I'm a sure thing."

"I am just so happy; I wanted to share it with you."

This time, she didn't sit back on my lap, she sat opposite me, and I watched as her facial features tightened. The nervousness had returned, and now she looked downright scared.

"Darren, there are some special conditions attached to this offer that I haven't mentioned yet."

My smile vanished as quickly as hers. With my anxiety levels climbing, I muttered, "Oh yeah, and what would they be?"

She swallowed hard, the words obviously sticking in her throat. "Wyatt has placed one very big condition on all of this. And without both of our agreement, it doesn't happen."

"Both of us?"

"Yes, both of us. It's important, babe."

"Okay, I guess we better hear it. I'm assuming that you've already agreed?"

She nodded. "Yes, I have told him, so long as you are happy, then yes, I want to proceed."

"Okay, Coby, lets hear it, the catch... What is it?"

"Darren, I've gone over this conversation in my head like a gazillion times. There's no easy way to say it, and at first it's going to sound bad, really bad, but please, just hear me out."

"Spit it out, Coby."

"I have to sleep with Wyatt when we travel." The words fell from her mouth, and as they fell, it created a vacuum that sucked all of the usable oxygen from the room. Speaking was impossible, even breathing was difficult. I just sat there staring at her.

I saw the painful grimace as it spread quickly across her face, her eyes dropped, her face lost all color.

The silence grew to oppressive levels. "Darren, say something," she said breathlessly.

I felt the glass slide out of my hand, and it shattered into a million pieces on the hardwood floor. "Sleep with him? He wants you to sleep with him?" My heart pounded, I felt lightheaded, my breathing getting harder.

"Darren, it would only be when we traveled, maybe the odd time here."

"Fuck, you have got to be kidding?" I spluttered, it had to be a joke. I started staring around the room...

"What are you doing?" she asked, confused.

"I'm looking for the camera. This is one of those stupid fucking punked videos, isn't it? There's a camera somewhere filming this shit. You have to be fucking kidding," I yelled as my fist smashed down on the table.

She shook her head slowly, deliberately, her face solemn. "Darren, this is serious, babe. I'm not joking."

"Jesus, Coby. What the fuck?"

"You were right before. Nobody gets a job offer like that. Not without strings. The string this time is for the next eighteen months, I would be expected to have sex with Wyatt. But it would only be while we were on the road. Like, six times a month. That's all it would be."

"And you already said yes?" I gasped in complete disbelief. Jesus, my head was pounding, god knows what my blood pressure must have been.

"Darren, babe, this is huge, think about it. We would be set up financially for the rest of our lives. It would be discreet. Nobody would ever know."

"I'd fucking know," I yelled. "Jesus Christ, Coby. How many fucking times have I listened to you complaining about bitches who sleep their way to the top? Fucking hundreds, that's how many. You always said they were sluts."

Her face reddened and she scowled. "Yeah, when you're right, you're right. Turns out I'm a hypocrite."

"The hell you are, you're all that and more."

"Darren, I know this has come as a shock. It was the same for me. Babe, I think it's possible, totally doable. It wouldn't interfere with our lives. When I'm home, it would be just like normal. Like nothing had happened."

"Oh yeah, except for the three nights you were away, you'd be his fucking sex slave. Getting fucked whichever way he wanted."

"Jesus," she spat out. "It wouldn't be like that. It's not like it would be every night. There will be times when others travel with us."

"Oh fuck off," I screamed, my ears ringing with the intensity. "He'll be fucking you every chance he gets."

"Darren, calm down. Could you please stop with the crudity. You don't have to make it sound so demeaning, so dirty."

"You think this is crude? Let me tell you. I'm only getting warmed up."

"Please, babe. Let's just take a breath. Think about all the positives. Everything we ever dreamed of would be ours. Everything: cars, travel. All the best events. We would have the best seats. It could be amazing."

"Yeah, and all I have to do to achieve that is whore you out."

She turned her head away; at least she had the decency to look ashamed. This time, it was me getting another drink. I threw that one back and poured another. Walking back to the table, she asked. "Aren't you getting me one?"

"No."

"So how long have you been fucking the asshole?"

Her dark scowl returned, and she hissed indignantly, "Nothing has happened. I know this sounds ridiculous. Like a twisted movie script. But if you take a breath and weigh it up, the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks."

"Oh my god, are you listening to yourself?" I snarled. "Look me in the eye and tell me that prostitute is the job you have always aspired to have."

That dark scowl was getting darker by the minute. "Stop calling me names. It would only be for eighteen months. Then I would be CEO, and the world would be ours."

"You actually believe he would follow through with that? Get real. He would fuck you for two years, and then appoint whoever the fuck he actually wanted to have the job. He's playing you."

"He has offered me a damn contract. There's no way out for him. He couldn't say no, even if he wanted to. There are KPIs, and as long as I meet them, he would be locked to them."

Confused, I spluttered. "He offered a contract, saying exactly what you just said?"

"Well, obviously not the sexual part, but the job offer is real. Darren, he is being straight, babe."

"Oh yeah, I'm sure he is." I finished my glass, and started pacing around the table. "Why did you say earlier that this can only happen if we both agree?"

"Because, Wyatt doesn't want to deal with an angry husband chasing him down and causing trouble. We both have to sign the contract."

"So, if I say no it doesn't happen?"

She nodded, her scowl turning to disappointment as she realized what I was about to say.

I didn't disappoint. "Then the answer's no, absolutely categorically, no... Not, under any circumstances."

Saddened and defeated, she sighed. "Darren, you're not thinking clearly. God, it's only sex. It would make no difference to our lives. You wouldn't even know."

"Wouldn't know... Are you crazy."

"Babe I have to travel anyhow. There's no avoiding that. So I wouldn't be at home regardless."

"All right, Coby, how do you see this going down, what am I supposed to do while you're off fucking the boss? Do I get the same benefits? Do I get to fuck whoever I want? Lets be honest, it wouldn't interfere with our lives. You wouldn't even know it was happening."

She sighed, and it was a sad despondent sigh. "I hope you wouldn't want to do that. Sorry to burst your bubble, but no, part of the contract is a fidelity clause we would all be tied to."

"What?" Now I was completely stunned. "How the hell is he going to put any of this in your employment contract?"

"That would be a separate and confidential contract, and it will have all of the conditions and consequences. If either one of us broke the fidelity clause, it would make my employment contract null and void."

I laughed loudly at the ridiculousness of it. "Infidelity clause." I roared with laughter. "Fucking hell, that's rich. He gets to fuck you whenever he wants, and he thinks he can slap a fidelity clause on me?"

I shook my head in dismay. "Don't be ridiculous, Coby. How would he ever make that stand in a court of law?"

"He wouldn't have to, you now how this stuff works. He would just fire me for misconduct or poor performance."

"It doesn't matter anyway, because it's not happening." I stopped at my chair and leaned across the table. "It sure would be nice to fuck him over though. Maybe I should wait until he gives me the fucking contract and we'll sue the fucker. Take him for fucking every cent he's got. Then we could tell them to shove their company up their ass."

I wasn't serious, just blowing off steam. Coby just stared at me, her expression blank. She shook her head, walked into the kitchen and poured herself a vodka. As she drank it slowly, she said, "Darren, you're making a mistake, a big mistake. If you just chilled and actually thought about it. We've got an opportunity here. A chance to put us in the winners circle. I would have my dream job, we would have money, free time."

"Please, babe, don't just say no. God damn it. It's just sex. It's not like we were virgins when we married. Christ, Darren, if only half of the stories I've heard about you while you were in the band are true, you led a very wild life. Sharing girls, I seem to remember a story where you all tried to see how many chicks you could screw in the one night."

Sucking in a breath, she added, "It would be discreet, nobody, and I mean nobody, would know. We would always book separate rooms."

"Yeah, sounds just great. I get a fucking slut for a wife. What happens when he needs you to fuck some bigwig client? Just this once, Coby. I promise, it'll never happen again, well, until next time."

"You're being malicious. The contract would include all obligations and expectations.."

"You should have already said no. You should have told him to fuck off."

"Darren, be reasonable. This is huge."

"Coby, just shut the fuck up. I've heard enough. I'm really considering whether we have any future. Christ. You have obviously been having this conversation with him for a long time. This didn't just happen today."

"You're wrong. He has been dropping hints about the job, but nothing about the attached conditions. I only found out today."

"I can't believe the gall of the guy. He expects to just fuck you whenever he wants, and I sit at home and do nothing. Fuck, he's got some balls, I'll say that for him."