Getting a Promotion

"I really need this raise, Caroline! I know it sounds crazy, but I wouldn't ask you to do something like this if it didn't mean so much. You know how I feel about you, baby. I love you. I'd die for you. But, babe... you've got to at least consider this. Please. Our future depends on it."

*

I can still hear him now, pleading his case as to why I should sleep with his boss. It wasn't a normal request, not by a long shot. Most men trying to impress their boss to get a raise would naturally invite them to a ball game, invite them to dinner, or buy them hard-to-find tickets to a musical, or other interest. Not in this case, though. In this case, he wanted me to play the game and be the dinner and the show, all because he had looked at our finances and planned out the yearly budget. Things were going to be tight, as it was, and he had been talking about buying a boat and going on vacation. Those things would have to be set aside. Unless he found a way to get that promotion!

There was no way I was going to answer him right then and there. This wasn't something that could just be taken back and said "sorry" about if it didn't work out the way they had planned, or if someone's feelings were hurt. Though, I have to admit, I wanted to hear what his plan was exactly. This actually needed careful consideration, so I looked at him from the tub full of bubbles where I sat, and spoke boldly.

"Look. You aren't simply asking me to make this guy cookies or even to host a party in his honor for his birthday. You're asking me to do something I've never thought about before. For your information, I don't idly look at other guys and want to take them to our bed. I don't lust after other men. It's never crossed my mind. Suddenly, you want me to sleep with your boss so that you get a raise, for our future."

Standing up, the bubbles sliding from my firm bottom down my thighs, I reached for the towel Scott held out for me. I could see his eyes watching them slowly run down my body as I wrapped the towel around me. I could tell he liked what he saw, and he better! After twelve years of marriage, and years of taking care of myself, I looked more fit than I did the day he proposed. I stepped onto the bath mat and raised an eyebrow.

"I'm going to have to think about this. You'll have to give me some time.. and don't mention it again until I come to you, alright? This is important."

That was three weeks ago. I did what I had promised, I thought about it. I contemplated it almost daily. What kind of husband asks his wife to sleep with his boss? What did this guy even look like? Why did he think that I stood a chance at changing this guy's mind about a raise, that I'd be worth it? All this and more crossed my mind and, two weeks ago, I went to my husband and told him I'd do it.

At first, he looked stunned, like I had betrayed him by doing the very thing he had asked. I almost said forget it and turned to walk away, but he caught my arm and pulled me close.

"Babe, I can't believe you'd do this for us. I was so worried you'd say no." His arms wrapped around me as I stood there, then he lifted my chin with his finger and put a gentle kiss on my lips.

That night we made love as tenderly as two people who had just discovered their desire for one another. We took our time, our hands and our mouths exploring each other's bodies so slowly that they left a path of heat wherever they went. Unlike most nights, tonight we parted, sleeping with our bottoms pressed together, and eventually woke the next morning to the sound of birds chattering outside the window in the mulberry tree. I lay there hugging my pillow wondering how in the world Scott was going to bring this up in a conversation with his boss.

We didn't talk much as we both moved around the kitchen pouring our mugs full of hot black coffee and sitting down with a bowl of cereal. I think we were both pretty nervous...who wouldn't be? Scott could go in there today, make his proposal, and be kicked out on his rear end. I'm not just talking about his boss' office, I'm talking about losing his job, period. It was something to consider, but I think he'd already come to that conclusion. I hope he had at least considered all the consequences.

****

Now that Caroline had agreed, all I needed to do was take my offer to my boss, Mr. Keith. I'd been working for him for five years now, and the promotions had been slow. It wasn't that I wasn't talented or that I couldn't pull my own weight in the company, the fact was that there were just too many others with seniority at the company. I had come here fresh out of business school with wide eyes and interesting ideas, but each time I sought to implement some of them, things always petered out.

The first thing I did that morning when I got to work was call Stacy, Mr. Keith's secretary and office administrator. She had been around for years and I'd been told by others that she had a special relationship with the boss. I never cared about things like that; if it was going on, it wasn't any of my business.

"Hi, Stacy, this is Scott Jarvis. I need to set up an appointment to speak to Mr. Keith as soon as it's possible." I spoke quietly so that anyone else who might be standing outside the office wouldn't hear and ask me about it.

"Sure, Scott. I can put you down for Thursday at two o'clock in the afternoon if that's suitable? Otherwise, it will have to wait. Mr. Keith will be out of the office on Friday."

Still a bit shaky but determined, I took the appointment briefly telling her it was for a personal reason when she asked.

"Okay, I'll put you down for two o'clock. Please be prompt. Mr. Keith values his time."

"No problem, Stacy. See you Thursday at two." Quickly hanging up the phone, I looked around my office wondering what I was going to do if this all backfired. What if Mr. Keith took offense and put me out on the street without any notice. It was a possibility.

Was it worth it I thought, as I folded my hands in front of my face and rested my head on them.

By the time Thursday rolled around I was pretty nervous. I wore a charcoal grey suit that I had purchased a few months earlier and a blue shirt with a tie that Caroline had picked out for me. I wanted to look confident when I presented my 'offer' to Mr. Keith. About one forty-five, I left my office and made my way across the building taking deep breaths along the way to relax myself. My heart was pounding so loudly that I could feel the blood in my ears. Just before I stepped into the outer office, I raked my fingers through my hair - stalling. I opened the door and stepped in as Stacy looked up.

"Hi, Stacy. I have a two o'clock with Mr. Keith. I hope I haven't kept him waiting." I spoke softly and chided myself, Act confident, just keep it together and act confident.

"Hello, Mr. Jarvis. You're a little early, but Mr. Keith is ready to see you at any time." She stood and walked to the office door, knocking lightly with her right hand as she turned the knob in the other. Her blue eyes sparkled a little mischievously and I wondered what was going through her mind. I'm sure it had nothing to do with my appointment.

"Mr. Keith... your two o'clock is here to see you. Mr. Jarvis..." she stepped aside and I walked past her into the office where my boss sat behind a large oak desk. He stood as I walked across the room and we shook hands.

"Good to see you, Jarvis. Have a seat and tell me what brings you here. Stacy told me that you said it was personal when you made the appointment. Are things okay?"

I took a seat in one of the red leather chairs in front of his desk and looked across his desk, "Thank you for seeing me today, Mr. Keith."

That was how it started. We didn't sit on formalities after that. He jumped right into wanting to know what was on my mind. Looking back, I can't say that I blame him. His time was precious and he was used to getting things done. But, I still hemmed and hawed and contemplated getting up and walking away and never mentioning this thing ever again. I didn't, though.

"Mr. Keith, I've honestly been thinking that I've been working for you for five years now, and I have enjoyed every moment. I've done a lot of good things here and I love the people, the atmosphere that challenges me." I stated my case for a promotion, or at least a raise, as he sat there behind his desk looking at me. It only took ten minutes, and during that time he never spoke, he didn't even move... he just watched and listened. At the end, I paused. This was it... this was the time when my entire world could collapse.

"My wife, Caroline, and I have been talking and we'd like to invite you to dinner soon." I said suddenly and I knew it wasn't something he was expecting after my little presentation. He looked a little perplexed but still silently encouraged me to continue.

"We thought...um... there might be a possibility..." I took a deep breath and plunged into it "My wife is willing to have sex with you in order that I might have a promotion."

It really sounded stupid now that I put it into words. I knew I didn't plead with him like I did with Caroline, and neither was I going to.

The room grew quiet as he looked over at me. He picked up a pen and began to turn it end over end on the desk, watching it as if it would give him the answer that he needed. Then, he leaned back taking the pen with him and twirling it with both hands, still saying nothing. It seemed as if an eternity had passed, though I knew it was probably only a few minutes. I started to become worried and regretted coming here.

In a quiet voice he answered me, laying out a few of his own ideas. This was an offer, and terms were being negotiated, and neither one of us said no.

****

I suppose we needn't have worried, because Mr. Keith was more than willing to consider it. Before he said "yes", though, he wanted to see me. Who could blame him? I wanted to see him, too! I think it went well. We were invited to a small party last weekend and, other than a brief introduction, we could watch and look at each other from across the room.

He was taller than Scott and heavier, but not by much. Of course, he was older than the both of us, but that wasn't unexpected or a deterrent, either. His brown hair was cut short and he didn't have any facial hair and, overall, he looked quite distinguished, even handsome. When we shook hands, I could feel a warmth in them, as if he were a friendly man, and I liked that. It's hard to think of being with someone intimately if you aren't attracted to them, so this was important to me. I think he felt the same way because his blue eyes seemed to be appraising me and he held my hand a little bit longer than necessary.

Before he left to work the room and speak to the others, he looked at Scott and gave a slight nod.

"I'll see you both next weekend. Dinner on Saturday at seven."

He moved off as if it were the most casual comment ever and it was, except that we all knew what dinner meant and where it would lead.

I spent all week trying not to be nervous. By the time Friday came around, the house was clean which left nothing to do on Saturday except get dressed and prepare a meal, not necessarily in that order. I wasn't sure how things would go, would we eat first? Move into the living room, or the bedroom, or... where? Eventually, I told myself just to be a gracious hostess to start with and let things play out as they would. Somewhere along the way, Mr. Keith would lead the way. At least, I hoped he would.

Scott had picked up the wine and had it chilling. I had planned something light for dinner, just a salad with grilled chicken breast and oven-roasted potatoes, minus the garlic this time.

Before I put them in the oven, I took a shower and did a little pampering with some new lotion that smelled of lilac. I didn't want to use a perfume, but wanted to smell nice. Hopefully, Mr. Keith wasn't allergic to lilac, I thought as I slathered it on my taut calves, glad that I'd kept in shape by walking three miles a couple of times a week. I fixed my dark brown, curly hair in a loose ponytail with a pearl barrette and applied my makeup lightly. I wanted to keep things simple, but I emphasized my eyes just a little more than I do when I go out with Scott. When I was done, I wrapped myself in a robe and bounded down the stairs to set the table and put things in the oven.

Scott was busy preparing the salad when I walked into the kitchen, and I walked behind him giving him a pat on his ass as I walked by.

"Everything going okay in here?"

He looked over his shoulder at where I was bent over in the fridge pulling out the potatoes that I'd diced earlier. "It's looking better all the time if you ask me."

"Oh, yeah? Why is that?" I grinned back at him as I drained the water off in the sink and put the potatoes in a glass pie plate. I felt him slide up behind me and nuzzle my neck as his arms went around my waist.

"Probably because this beautiful woman just came into the kitchen. She smells great, too. Good thing you're here to save me, or I might want to get her phone number, you know?"

I laughed and slapped his hand playfully, "Get away, you flirt. I need to get the potatoes in the oven and, once I'm dressed, I'll come back down and grill the chicken while you get ready. Good job on the salad there, chef." I commented, taking a tomato and popping it into my mouth as I left him in the kitchen and went to get dressed.

Earlier in the week I had set aside the outfit I was going to wear. Since it was warm enough to grill outside, I didn't want to be too overdressed. Well, that's what I kept telling myself. Really, I didn't want to dress as if I was going out on the town to some fancy restaurant knowing that sometime tonight I would be having sex. Now, on a date with Scott, I still would have gone fancy, but we were staying home, and this was his boss. So, casual and classy - but not fancy - was the order of the day... and I had the perfect dress.

It was a navy blue, sleeveless dress I had picked up a month or so ago at a little shop in town called "Liz's Boutique". There were little pearl buttons down the front and it flowed down my body to about mid-thigh. It would show my legs off very nicely. I put it on over a new cerulean colored bra and panty set that I found at the same shop this week. Something a little girly. The low-rise tanga was lacy on the sides and the bra had two thin straps on each shoulder with lace all the way around the bottom and a little bow between my breasts. I slipped on a pair of silver sandals and went downstairs.

Tonight was the night. I was pretty nervous. It never crossed my mind that I could back out at any time. I doubted I would, even if it had.

****

I anxiously paced the patio in front of the grill while Caroline set the wine glasses out. I could tell we both were nervous, but she was handling things much better than I was. There wasn't much conversation between us, we were both wrapped up in our own thoughts. When Mr. Keith arrived promptly at seven with a bouquet of flowers in hand, we both went to greet him. While Caroline went to put them in a vase, I took Mr. Keith into the living room.

"I'm glad you could make it." I started, not really knowing what to say. I couldn't really say "thanks for coming over to fuck my wife" but, really, what else could I say? I took a deep breath and started with small talk.

"Caroline thought it would be nice to eat out on the patio since the weather has been so warm lately."

He looked over at me as he sat on the couch, "Relax, Scott. It's awkward for all of us right now, but things will settle down. Just treat me like any other guest in your home."

"In that case, would you like some wine before we head out to the patio?"

"I think that would be excellent. And, I think you should call me James tonight. It'll make things a little easier, don't you think."

I handed him a glass of Pinot Noir, "I think so... James."

We headed outside to see if the chicken was ready. Caroline had placed the flowers on a side table so that they would be enjoyed, but not blocking anyone's view at the table. I put the chicken on a platter as she brought the salads from the kitchen and went back for the potatoes. Taking our seats, James looked at Caroline and smiled.

"Things look simple and beautiful tonight, just like you, Caroline."

He was absolutely right. I looked over at my wife and saw her beauty, she didn't have to try to be beautiful, it was just something inside her that flowed out and it captured the attention of those around her. I was very lucky to have found her, very lucky that she loved me and became my wife. Yet, here we were. She was going to do something that went against everything she was made of, every last moral fiber. And, she was doing it because she loved me. I really didn't deserve her.

****

We sat down and filled our plates almost in silence. I think we were all wondering how to interact at first. It helped when we began to relax and started talking about the places we each had travelled and the places we liked most. The more I got to know James, the more I warmed to him. He was funny and kept the conversation flowing by sharing stories about his travels. Scott kept our glasses filled with wine and, before I knew it, dinner was finished and we were just sitting around the table talking.

Eventually, though, it was time to move things indoors. I had made a dessert but no one wanted to have any right then, so we cleared off the table and put things in a sink full of hot, soapy water. The conversation continued to flow as I worked at the sink and the guys brought things inside. It wasn't strange to suddenly feel a pair of arms wrapping around my waist and hands massaging my breasts as I stood at the counter. What was strange was the voice in my ear.

"You're very pretty, Caroline. I like this color on you," James murmured just before he kissed my neck.

I stood there holding onto the edge of the sink. Here we go, I thought. I don't think anyone had any idea of when or how things would begin, and maybe that was a good thing. This felt more natural even though it was slightly embarrassing. I had no idea if Scott was still in the kitchen or what he was thinking as he watched someone touching and kissing his wife. Was he having regret?

James moved his hands back to my waist as he took a step backwards then began to slide them gently up my arms to my shoulders. I was glad that I had pulled my hair back because it wasn't in the way when he leaned in to whisper in my ear.

"Unbutton that pretty dress for me, Caroline."

I bit my lip as my shaking fingers moved to undo the buttons. I was nervous, but anxious, too. In a good way. I wanted this and was unsure about this, but I wasn't going to say no. The buttons were undone down to my waist when I felt him move away and I turned around to see James walking toward the kitchen table. It was a white country style table that we'd bought at the beginning of our marriage. It was where we had our breakfast each morning. Just this morning, as a matter of fact. Now James, as stranger to me and to my kitchen, was standing there beckoning me over to him.

My husband had been standing on the other side of the kitchen island watching everything. I think what surprised me the most, at that moment, was that it didn't bother me that Scott saw. It didn't bother me that he let it happen.

"The idea of tonight was to take your lovely wife, Scott, and make love to her. In return, you would get a raise, maybe even a promotion later on." He turned to face me, "Caroline, are you willing to do this? I wouldn't want to think that I have taken you against your wishes."

This was my opportunity to say "no". My last chance to get out of this and walk away. But, after thinking about it, committing to it... I was looking forward to it. Even though I was nervous, I still wanted this. I wasn't sure I wanted Scott to watch, but I couldn't ask him to walk away, either. That would make things awkward, even more than they already were.