The Office Game

Arie worked in the office of a large corporate insurance company. The entire building housed every department required to provide service for their internal and external customers. There were several thousand people who worked in this massive structure. The friendships made among those who worked there were basically with those in the immediate work area or within the department. It was not possible to know many people outside your department. The people one worked with in your department became like family after a while.

Aries' work group consisted of more men than women. The ratio of men to women was around five to one. The women in the group banded together for the most part in order to keep the men in line. There were no real wolves in the men they had to work with, but on occasions one might get a little out of line with a comment or touch that needed to be addressed. On those occasions when something was a little out of bounds, the women stuck together to correct the problem.

This group of men and women had all worked together for several years so familiarity among them was keen. The group celebrated birthdays, holidays, and anything else worth partying over. Company policy was bent at times but in their opinion was never broken. If something was a little over the line, it was handled within the group. The bosses handled any problems inside the department and kept everyone happy for the most part. Working together for as long as they had, everyone knew almost everything there was to know about each other. The entire department got along great with each other and was comfortable when they gathered socially after hours.

Arie had been with the company for almost ten years, joining the company after receiving a two-year degree from a junior college. She was well liked and had worked her way up to a senior position in the department, although others had been promoted ahead of her for no apparent reason. Arielle was very professional in her work and with her dealings among fellow employees. No one questioned how she had continually moved up the ladder because of her professionalism and work ethic, while there were questions concerning some whom had received raises and promotions. Everyone in the department would agree that Aries' looks didn't hurt her when promotions were awarded.

She was a very attractive woman, having all of the attributes of a beauty queen. Her work attire was mostly conservative but still managed to accentuate her finest qualities and quantities. What she had was great and there was a lot of what was great. The men in the office did not only notice this, but also the other women knew she was the creme de le crème. Arielle had never heard the talk about her attractiveness but she knew of it. The other women in the office were not jealous of Arie but they were envious. She was never "in your face" with her beauty, because of the way she dressed. There was never a doubt in anyone's mind that the men talked about Arie when they were alone in an office out of hearing range.

At the office she was the professional lady and there was never the slightest hint of mischievousness about her. Outside of the home she was prim and proper, behind closed doors she was every man's fantasy. She was comfortable with things this way and never intended to allow the two personalities to mix. While at the office she would politely laugh at the slightly dirty jokes and suggestive remarks some of her co-workers would make. However, not to the extent that would give anyone the impression that she really was in to anything like that.

Her husband Carl had always encouraged her to be a bit more open with her attractiveness. It was his opinion that if you had it you shouldn't be ashamed of it. He loved it when Arie wore provocative cloths at home around him. Carl even persuaded her to wear some of her sexy clothes around some of their close friends when they came over to their house. He enjoyed seeing his friends try to hide their lust when Arielle walked into the room where they were all gathered. It was especially fun for him to watch his friends undressing her with their eyes, without their wives catching them staring. Carl had, at times, tried to get her to wear some more revealing clothes to the office in order to tease the guys she worked with.

Arie was very reluctant to wear anything provocative to work that might encourage the guys to possibly take it as a come-on toward them. She had a reputation at the office as a fun loving but proper lady. She did not want that to change because she had seen too many people that got caught up in office game that eventually cost them their careers. She had worked long and hard to get to where she was and she didn't want to lose it by someone getting the wrong message from the clothing she wore.

Sometimes she would wear her sexy underwear to the office just to satisfy Carl. Her demi bras and thong panties were as far as she would go. She knew it pleased Carl and no one at the office had any idea she was wearing them so she was ok with that. Although, in the back of her mind, she was beginning to enjoy wearing those types of things because she knew it would absolutely blow their minds if they knew what she had on underneath her high fashion dresses.

The Fourth of July holiday was a month away and the department Arielle worked in was making plans to celebrate their day off. The manager sent out a memo to everyone offering his home for the gathering. This had everyone excited because he had an estate home in a private, gated neighborhood. The ones who had been to the house were very impressed, especially with the large garden setting in back of the house. This news almost guaranteed that no one would miss out on this gathering.

Arie went home that night extremely excited because she had never been to her managers' home. When Carl came in from work she immediately bombarded him with the news about where they would be celebrating the Fourth of July. Her childlike enthusiasm about the whole ordeal made it extremely difficult for Carl to tell her that he had already made plans for the Fourth of July. He allowed her to go on and on about how great it was going to be and how everyone at the office was just thrilled. It was almost impossible to get a word in because of the way she kept grinding out every detail.

Carl didn't have the heart to tell her right in the midst of her excitement. He finally found the nerve over dinner to break the news to her that he wouldn't be able to escort her to the party. He apologized sincerely for wrecking her plans and even offered to take her with him on the golfing trip he and his buddies had planned for the long holiday weekend. The original plan was for everyone to bring their wives and while the guys played golf the ladies could go to the beach and lay out in the sun. The evenings would be filled with kicking back and partying at the beach scene.

Arie was totally disappointed. Her first thought was to forget her office party and go with Carl and his group. Then she said she would rather stay home and attend the party at her manager's home by herself. The disappointment had her confused about what to do. She so much wanted for her and Carl to go to the office party so he could meet the people she spent so much time with. She was proud of her husband and loved to show him off.

Carl had a great sense of humor and was the most handsome guy around, in her opinion. His dark hair and eyes, along with his tan skin made him look so mysterious. The athletic build that he worked hard to maintain also made him desirous to the ladies he came in contact with. Arie did have to, at times, remind him not to take his flirting too far because she was well aware of the looks he received from other women.

Carl said he wanted to spend the holiday together and had the golf trip planned for months. He wanted to surprise her with a weekend at the beach. That was the way all the guys were doing it with their wives, surprising them with the beach trip. Feeling so bad about hurting her feelings and bringing such disappointment to her, he told her to decide what she wanted to do and he would accept her decision.

Now Arie was really confused. Her husband was being so gentlemanly about the whole thing that she felt obligated to go with him to the beach. Her heart was not in it though and she really wanted to go to the office party. She didn't want to deprive Carl of his golfing trip because she knew how much he enjoyed going with his buddies. The only conclusion she could come up with was to let Carl go golfing and she would stay and attend the office party.

When Arie told Carl of her decision to not accompany him on the golf trip but to remain at home during the holiday weekend, he was visibly upset. She explained how she wanted him to go ahead and enjoy the golfing with his buddies, because she knew how much he looked forward to going with them. She also tried to explain how important it was for her to be social with the people at the office. It was her opinion that it was part of the "office game" to attend such gatherings.

Scoring points with the bosses was the determining factor in Arielles' decision to remain home and attend the party alone. She knew how important it was to be seen at these gatherings with the bosses in attendance. There were always promotions and raises to be considered and the ones who played the game correctly usually moved ahead. If Arie didn't attend the party it might send the wrong message to her manager. When this part was explained to Carl he seemed a bit more understanding.

Later Carl came back to Arie and tried to convince her to go with him to the beach for the first part of the weekend. Then they could leave a day early and attend the office party together. This made more sense to Carl than being separated for the entire holiday.

Arie countered with the fact that after all of the travel involved she would be too tired to be able to fully enjoy the office party. She wanted to be at her best because she knew how important making good impressions were. When raises and promotions were at risk she didn't want anything to get in the way. She threw out several "what ifs" concerning the trip back at Carl until he finally gave up.

The decision was made and the two of them were content with their plans. Carl would go with his buddies and their wives on the golf outing and Arie would attend the office party alone at her managers' house.

Finally the holiday weekend had arrived and Carl was packing up and getting ready to head for the beach. Arie helped him by packing his cloths while he cleaned up his golf clubs and checked everything in his golf bag to make sure he had everything he needed.

When Carl came back into the house from the garage he went into the bedroom where Arie was just finishing with the packing of his cloths. He made a quick look through the suitcase to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything. He knew not to question her because she was always more organized than he was when it came to things like packing for a trip. With everything in place he closed the suitcase and snapped it together.

Noticing a small overnight bag on the bed, Carl asked what it was for. Arie explained it was for her office party. She had a change of cloths, a swimsuit, a towel and a hair dryer. Then she explained all the activities that were planned for the party.

Arie said, "The first thing on the agenda is an hour or so of small talk. Then the food will be served on the back patio. After everyone finishes eating, those who want to hit the pool will swim and then sometime after that there are some games for everyone to participate in."

Now Carl was really having second thoughts about going to the beach. "It sounds like your going to be having a much better time than I will. You may need me to protect you from some of those wild men you work with," said Carl.

"Don't kid yourself Honey, you know how these things are. They sound like real fun but when the boss is there no one is brave enough to act up. Everyone puts on a good show to try to make brownie points," Arie replied.

"Well I didn't know this was going to be a pool party. You know I love pool parties. Are you really going swimming at this thing?" asked Carl.

"I doubt it. I just thought I would take it in case any of the other girls go in. Usually it turns out to be a men's volleyball game where everyone else sits around, watches and pretends to care. You know how it is, you're normally in there with them," said Arielle.

Carl fired back with a sarcastic, "And I thought you cared if I won."

Arie left the bedroom leaving Carl by himself to get his suitcase and he quickly opened her overnight bag to actually check its' contents. Everything that she said was in there was there. Carl thought about his wife being around a bunch of other guys in her swimsuit and how he always wanted her to tease them. He then made a quick switch of her swimsuit. He took out the one-piece she had packed and replaced it with the one she wore only around him when laying out in the sun. He knew she would never put that one on in front of the people from the office, but now if she got into the pool she would have to wear the bikini.

It was Friday afternoon and Carl had put everything for the trip into his car and was ready to take off for the beach. After the hugs and kisses from Arie, he cranked up the car and was on his way. Before he left she told him not to worry about her; she had a relaxing weekend planned before the big party on Monday. Carl reminded her that he should return late Monday night.

With Carl gone Arie retreated to the den to catch up on some of her romance reading. She had a closet full of the paperback novels with the picture of a hunk on the front. She loved reading them and fantasizing she was the leading lady being pursued by the young hunk depicted on the cover. Most of the time though she considered Carl as the hunk trying to win her affection on some deserted island.

Carl called home on Saturday to tell Arie how much he wished she were with him at the beach. When asked about his golf he was excited to report that he had won some of his friend's money. It sounded as though he was having a good time and a profitable one too. Carl asked Arie how her weekend was going and she replied that it had been most relaxing. She was enjoying the peace and quiet. Before the good-byes were said, they promised to talk again the next day.

Monday morning arrived in a shower of sunshine. It was going to be a typical Fourth of July, hot and dry. Arie slept late but when she awoke, she had awakened with the excitement of a kid at a birthday party. The day had finally come for the big party. She had rehearsed in her mind how she would act during the party. As she prepared herself for the short trip across town she was beginning to feel her nerves tightening up.

She had never been this nervous before when she attended office parties. This one was different though; it was at the home of her boss. There was a lot riding on the impressions made at this party.

She knew annual raises and any promotions available would, as unfair as it was, be determined on this night. Realizing your raise or promotion would be determined by the impression your boss had at a party had Arie a bit upset. She knew if it was left up to job performance only, she would be a shoe in. Then again, she was well aware of how the office game was played, even if it had taken her ten years to figure it out.

A couple of deep breaths and away she went out the door. She threw her bag into the back seat, buckled the seat belt and drove off to the party. On the way to her boss's house she kept telling herself to relax and have a good time. That was the last thing Carl had said to her on their last phone call. Part of Aries' nervousness was the fact that she would be there without Carl to lean on for courage. She was beginning to feel a little uncomfortable going alone.

Arriving at the house she noticed many of the people were already there. Arie parked her car, grabbed her bag and purse and headed for the door. Still a bit nervous, the closer she got to the front door the better she was feeling. She kept telling herself she was among friends and not to worry.

Arie was welcomed by one of her girlfriends from the office named Brittney. There were so many people there it would be easy to get lost in a corner somewhere. She gave a quick look around and was not only impressed with the house but also the exquisite furnishings. This place was magnificent. Brittney then offered to show her around the house. While they were touring the home it seemed that everyone was doing the same.

As they walked through the house Brittney mentioned how nervous she appeared and asked if everything was all right. Arie tried to convince her that she was fine but her girlfriend could tell she was uptight. She finally confessed that she was anxious about making a good impression on the boss. She confided to her that she wanted a promotion if there were any to be had and she was not going to let someone beat her out of it like had happened in the past.

Brittney asked Arie what she meant by her last comment because she could not imagine anyone in the office more qualified for a promotion than she. Arie told her that there had been some in the past that had received raises or promotions by other means than their work performance. Brittney shook her head in agreement but stating she was not aware of anything happening like that for the few years she had been in the department. Then she went on to ask Arie what she had in mind to do to insure that she would not be bypassed again.

Arie replied, "Now you know why I'm a little nervous. I don't know what to do. If I see something going on, I guess I'll have to try and beat them at their own game, whatever that is."

"That sounds a little scary to me," responded Brittney.

When Arie and Brittney returned to the great room she felt a little more relaxed but welcomed the glass of wine offered to her. She was not a drinker but an occasional glass of wine always chased away the tensions of the day. Today it was needed more than ever.

As Arie made her way through the room full of people, she tried to speak to everyone. She introduced herself to the spouses or dates of as many as possible. At the same time she was keeping a close eye on the boss and to whom he was talking. If there were going to be competition, it would show up around the boss.

When Arie finally made her way to where the boss was standing, she was on her third glass of wine. She didn't realize she had consumed that much but it had taken affect. She was completely relaxed and beginning to have the time of her life. She greeted the boss with a big hug and said, "Mr. Edwards, thank you for inviting me over today, your house is just fabulous."

Mr. Edwards told Arie to please refer to him by his first name, Dick. Then he invited her to go with him to the garden and pool area out back. He also mentioned he needed to speak with her privately and they could do that while outside.

After they got outside away from everyone else they shared the normal nicety- nice talk. Dick was showing her the pool area before heading to the professionally maintained garden. He asked her if she had brought her swimsuit with her because he had hoped everyone would take a swim. He explained to her that the pool is hardly used except when the kids were home from college.

She confirmed that she had indeed brought her swimsuit but didn't know if she would swim. Then she realized she might be losing points if she didn't co-operate with Dick's plans. She quickly added, "I hope everyone else did because I have heard you always have pool games that are really intense."

Dick got a big laugh out of that comment and said yes there was normally a men vs. women volleyball game. Then he added, "I'll probably get you to head up the women's team. You have always impressed me as one who can take charge. So I can look for to you to check out the other women and assemble a team of five. "