Just Business

The characters in this story are all over eighteen and the age of consent, sex if it happens is consensual. UK English is the rule: if the spellings Mum, arse or colour annoy you, don't go any further, for the rest of you enjoy.

*****

"Uncle Peter?"

I turned and faced a blonde vision of loveliness, pearly white teeth set in a huge grin, slim attractive body and holding her arms out towards me.

"Pam?" I offered, watching her grin ignite.

I stepped forward and felt her small breasts mash against my chest, her taut body melding to mine, her arms around my back. I touched her cheek with my lips.

"How are you?"

"All the better for seeing you." I stepped back grasping her hands and surveyed her beautiful figure. The blue dress, clinging to her elegant willowy form, dropped casually to her knees, the sleeves ending just below her elbows. A simple gold chain at her throat and plain stud ear rings, noticed in a brief flash of gold from the rooms lighting.

"How are your Mum and Dad, I hope they're well?" I offered as I let her hands free, she grinned.

"They're great, Mum and Jim are finally retired and Dad and Sally are sunning themselves in Spain at the moment."

I knew Anne and Joe had had troubles, but since moving ten years ago, had lost track of their marital problems. So they'd divorced or separated at least. It happens all too often with our age group. I felt her hand touch my arm, I smiled and looked into her clear blue eyes.

"I was sorry to hear about Aunt Jane, at the time I wasn't sure whether to contact you. Mum and Dad said they would do everything, but..." she said in almost a whisper.

"It's OK, I can't say I'm over it but, well life has to go on." I didn't add, no matter how meaningless and empty it is. I had lost my wife to a stupid, stupid car accident five years ago

Jane had been driving home from work, the car must have failed since she had pulled onto the hard shoulder of the motorway and as she went to get out to phone for help, an HGV had ploughed into the car's side trapping her between the car and the lorry. She had been dragged along the side of the car then dropped onto the ground in front of it, the torn and mangled door just beyond her.

She was dead almost instantly, suffering massive internal and external injuries and severe blood loss.

The driver was distraught and after the coroners court reached a verdict of accidental death, had sought me out on the court steps and apologised over and over. In the end I just hugged him and we cried together. The picture made the national press. I heard later he'd quit his job and become trapped in his home, unable to leave. He had been tired and had agreed to the extra job as a favour to the boss.

I had been to the doctors and had counseling, I found his address and with his Doctor's blessing went to see him. We talked, we drank, we sobbed, but I like to think in the end we parted as friends, I was at pains to tell him I didn't blame him for the accident. Three months later he hanged himself, found by his daughter hanging from the bannister in the hallway, a stool lying just in front of him. His employers, who had denied all liability for the accident, were less than enthusiastic in helping with the funeral or afterwards. I heard his daughter sold up and emigrated.

I looked at my grief and realised I had more to live for. Believe me I had thought about his option many times. We had no kids, no immediate family. It would have been easy, but somehow I knew I could never do it, I knew that would not have been what Jane wanted, or would have done herself.

So after a six month sabbitical I went back to my job, throwing myself into a whirlwind of work. I got involved so much that I was the 'Go To' guy. Head fixer, the snake man, the magician, resolving the connundrums, easing the way, oiling the links. I sat in on so many committees, panels, advisory's, I had become the committee guy who was required at every meeting.

I had no official job now, I was just available as and when required. In our field that meant I had a stack of work and was very much 'in demand'. It was the reason I was here today, stood in the lobby of the Hotel, waiting to meet my co-worker and the clients. We had a deal set up, very lucrative, very hush hush. But, and ain't there always a but, we had a sticking point, the client wouldn't give, we felt we couldn't give. But for this, the deal was done.

"So what are you doing here?" I asked with a grin.

"I'm here to meet clients to discuss the options we have on a very secret, but very special deal." She said conspiratorially.

I thought hard, and grinning said,

"I work for Collins and Danning," watching her lips twitch, suppressing her smile.

"I'm with Cormands," she said instantly, her smile breaking out over her face, damn it was infectious.

"Bingo!" I said, grinning, we hugged again.

Geoff Danials appeared, I shook his hand and introduced Pam, they shook hands, very professional.

"So, who's to come on your team?" I asked, noting the time.

"I'm it, there's only me, shall we get this show on the road?" She gestured towards the business suite behind me.

Well if they'd sent Pam on her own, they were either very stupid and unprepared or she was a very powerful woman who had the full backing of the Board. I followed her gesture and walked along with Geoff at my side.

"Can you believe this, they sent a little girl, we got this sewn up mate, she's sunk before we start." He whispered, a huge grin on his face. I raised an eyebrow.

This was the same little kid next door, who had such incredible strength and determination in her young body. She had taught herself to ride a bike at four. We'd watched fascinated as she got on, fell off, got on, fell off, until an hour later she was cycling up and down as if born riding one. After that we often heard her older brother's cry that his bike had been taken again by Pam. She had excelled at school, winning a scholarship to a top local independent Girls School and then a bursary to attend Oxford University. When we had moved somehow we lost touch, and now here she was about to sit opposite me. Go head to head and make her pitch. I knew this wasn't first man to blink, but this was a make or break meet.

At the business suite she steered us into a meeting room, her bag and papers on the table. The room contained the table four chairs, two sofa's and a seperate smaller table at one side with tea coffee, danish pastries, biscuits, milk dispensers and cups, saucers and mugs set out. She indicated the empty side for us to sit, then took her seat with a swish and rustle of her dress.

"Gentlemen, firstly can I reaffirm that I have board approval to negotiate with you, the werewithal to commit and the blessing to beat the shit out of you to get this deal done. We don't leave til the ink dries on the paper." She grinned.

"Okay, likewise, we're full empowered to get this signed and we too intend to browbeat you into submission on our terms." Geoff said.

"Well looks like being a long and lively day folks, so go, give me your best shot."

"Well Pam, I can call you Pam?" Geoff said, she nodded, "We looked long and hard, at the sticking point and we feel we have little room for manouvre this time, we can't really negotiate down on this."

"Fine, we respect your position, but this deal will make both of us a shedful of money, can you really afford to be so intractable that you don't have some wriggle room."

"We do in some areas but not on this, this is our marker."

"Okay, so if this is a non-negotiable for both of us, can we backtrack and find a way somewhere else to maybe give ourselves some room to negotiate?"

"What do you have in mind?" I asked, knowing she would have pre-prepared a number of plays here.

"Well pricing is key, but the deliverables could be massaged to help us, and not hurt you."

"That would mean we take a hit on the initial costs, since we'd be covering the delay on the deal."

"True, but what if we agree to peg our base price, and we cover any delay costs or finance charge increases."

"Can you do that without hurting the bottom line?"

"Geoff, would I have suggested it unless I'd done my homework?" she chided him gently.

"This is too easy, you're making a sudden and big concession so early, how come."

"The honest truth, we need this deal, we are at a point where we go on and up, or we end up swimming in a small pond with minnows." she shrugged.

"And little chance of making the big money?" I offered,

"You're right and we accept that this would be a real coup for us. Being in bed with you guys would add a lot to our street cred. It's also a damn good deal." She lifted her hands and stretched them wide.

"So what have you got to lose?" she said.

"Well a hell of a lot of hard won street cred ourselves and a ton of cash if we get into bed with you and it doesn't pan out. We'd be left with no trousers on and open to ridicule, ripe for a hostile takeover."

"You have to speculate to accumulate,"

"Pam, this is not a gold rush situation, we've no need to go prospecting nowadays."

"True, but we have what you want and we're willing to show you a good time with it if you can just give us a little here."

"Okay so say we agree, there's still clause eight, the reason we're meeting."

"I thought I had made it clear, that's a deal breaker for us." Her eyes held a steely glint."

"So if you can't negotiate and we can't negotiate and we can't agree, then we're at stalemate again."

"Not if you accept our terms for clause eight and we give on the Pricing, as I said."

"No can do, if the rate moves against us, you couldn't cover our loss unless you forego all your profit, I'm not sure your Board would thank you for negotiating that."

"Once signed, they can't repudiate can they."

"True, but you're no use if you fold on the first deal we have together are you?"

She thought.

"Coffee?"

"Tea, Geoff?"

"Tea please."

"Okay wait one moment."

She slid gracefully off the chair and went to the other table, making teas and coffee for herself. Geoff scribbled a note to me, I looked, nodded and he crumpled it up and tossed it on the table. He'd written 'Tricky, very clever bitch!' on the note. Pam returned and passed the teas across to us, set down the biscuits and Danish, then went back to retrieve her coffee. We sipped in silence, she nibbled a biscuit, fiddled with her phone, grinned. Looking across she sat back in her chair.

"Okay we continue, do have any leeway at all on clause eight?"

"No, but if we can discuss this like adults, then I'd say we feel that we have to set this down as our marker, we've given here and there as have you, but this is the core of the contract, this is what does it for us."

"We're the same, but I'm sure we can do more than discuss this as adults, If I can make a suggestion?"

"Here it comes," I thought, "this is the big offer, this is what she really wants to negotiate on.

"Truth to tell we can negotiate on this, we can shave a bit here and there, but to be honest we don't want to. This is our line in the sand too. Cross that and we're setting ourselves up to be pressured on the same point in every future contract."

"So you can wriggle, but choose not to."

"Yep, it's now first one to blink!"

"You're kidding me right?"

"I don't want to piss on your chips, but no way are we climbing down on this."

"Well gentlemen, either we go round in circles on this or we stop now, agree to disagree and walk away, what's it to be?"

"So you're calling us?"

"Looks like it hombre."

"It really comes down to this?"

"Pretty much, give us what we want or we take our box of toys and play with someone else."

"So we're not the only kid in the sandpit?"

"Honestly? no! My colleagues have a pitch ready for other potential suitors."

"Only your word for this though?"

"True, but can you afford to call me out?"

"You blow this and you're on the fast track to the exit I take it?"

"First and only chance, so you see boys, I have to win."

"and you're going to add, nothing personal?"

"Of course it's not, it's business, we've been digging the dirt on you by the way. You boys aren't bulletproof either. Tough times ahead, I understand, a costly deal in the Middle East might, I stress might just turn you belly up, am I right or am I right?"

"We are experiencing some turbulence in our Middle East businesses, I'll admit, but it's temporary and business is sustainable."

"Not what I'm reading, you guys are about to lose a deal worth about two thirds of this one. You need this like a duck needs water."

"We need this like a camel needs water!" Geoff piped up, I winced.

We sat back no one talking. I grabbed a Danish, tugging at the pastry angrily, a thin patina of crumbs spattered everywhere.

"Come on Peter, we can work this out, talk to me, wriggle your best wriggle." She grinned and flashed those pearly whites again.

We circled round, two, three, four times. I knew we weren't going to break her, not on this, her job and future rested on her sealing this on their terms. Knowing our situation, I knew we could afford to negotiate , but dammit, this was the little girl-next-door, sticking it to me. That hurt. However, we needed this contract, and they knew it. Oh they needed it too, but not just for the profit, they needed the prestige.

"Shall we have lunch, then reconvene, I guess we all need to make calls, I've arranged a table in the restaurant, but let's go through in say thirty minutes. Time to report back."

She stood and swayed across the room, exiting without a backwards glance, but she knew we were following her arse as she did. I knew the smile that would be on her lips as she walked, I grinned, Geoff looked at me and nodded. As she closed the door behind her he whistled, her fingers tapped the clear glass of the wall as she passed, then lifted in an admonishing finger wag, delivered with her arm behind her and no glance back.

"Fucking tight ass bitch!" He said, then grinned, "I'd fuck her in an instant, an instant," he repeated clicking his fingers.

"If she'd let you, I think young Pam has us pretty sewn up, she's cool as ice negotiating, she thinks she has all the strings."

"And does she?"

"Look at it this way Geoff, after this one or two people here might be picking up their last pay cheque."

"Fuck!"

"Yep, pretty much, 'Fuck' it is."

"We have to call Bill and John," he added.

"Yup, let's go to my room, we can speakerphone them."

Twenty five minutes later we entered the restaurant, were guided to the table and watched her rise when we arrived.

"Gentlemen, a drink, whilst you choose your lunch?"

"Mineral water, slice of lemon, no ice please."

"Same but ice please," Geoff added.

The waiter nodded and left.

"Well my Boss isn't happy, how'd you guys get on?"

"Pretty much the same, No Surrender is the basic message."

"Hmm seems we've all been giving a bollocking then."

"Yup!"

Geoff grinned, and nodded at Pam,

"So Peter was your neighbour when you were a kid?"

"Yeah, he was and good old Uncle Peter saved my adolescent ass a heap of times."

"It wasn't that bad." I added.

"No you went to bat for me everytime Mum or Dad went into one. My Knight in a two piece suit. I adored you then and I do now. I just wish you were my side of the table."

"Me too, I could do with you at some of the meetings I attend."

"that bad?"

"Worse!"

"Ahh, poor uncle Peter, never mind soon be over, crack this and you can ride the waves of success a few more times."

"I wish."

Lunch came and we stopped talking as we troughed away. Just as soon as we finished Geoff's mobile rang, he answered tersely, stiffened and said "Ah-Hah!" several times, then with a brusque goodbye he clicked off.

"Peter, I'm going to have to go, that Middle East contract just went belly up, we need to act now to recover and at least try to get our ball back. See you later." he stood and reached over to shake Pam's hand as she rose too. "Pam good to meet you, I'll leave you with Peter, try to play nice." he grinned.

Sitting back she smiled, "So only Thee and me,"

"and I'm not sure about Thee," I added, grinning. She nodded gently.

Finishing up we left the restaurant, my company card still in my hand. Back in the room, fresh pastries, more biscuits and replacement mugs showed that the service crew had been.

"So uncle Peter, what now? "

"We party on Wayne." I mocked.

"Hmm, well if it's a party, maybe we out to loosen up a little. Kick off our shoes and admit when we last got laid." She smiled seductively.

"Ha! Like that's going to happen."

"Anything's possible."

"So this your next bid, fuck me and then see if I'm more malleable?"

"No the business is the business, this is for purely for me."

She pulled my tie gently and I stepped forward, her lips met mine and for the first time in a long time I enjoyed the taste, smell and feel of a woman. My arms came round her as hers slipped under mine. We held the kiss for what seemed like years but was, perhaps, three or four minutes. I pulled back and looked at her. She was a stunning twenty four year old, I was a burned out bruiser, with forty five summers behind me.

"Thanks," she whispered and nestled into my shoulder, her breath on my neck and throat. I felt my mouth drying.

I tensed, what the hell did I think I was doing. I pushed her back a little and saw the amusement in her eyes. I felt completely out of my depth. I hadn't been this close to a woman in five years, it was unnerving, to say the least. She touched a hand to my cheek.

"Sorry uncle Peter, this is a little forward of me. Forgive me but your being here has completely overwhelmed me. I've had a crush on you since, well way back when. This was too good an opportuity to miss. I have to say, from my standpoint, so far, I think it was well worth the wait."

"Pam, I... I really don't know what to say, guess I'm a little overwhelmed myself. I... "

I couldn't think straight, this was so unexpected I had no reference points, no markings to use. I found myself bewildered. Why would she do this? What was she after? I had a hundred thoughts whirling round, she watched me with a mixture of what? Fear? Surprise? Amusement? I couldn't tell. She looked pointedly at me.

"Uncle Peter, we reserved a room for you, it would be a shame to waste it, why don't we go up there, now?"

I nodded, what was I doing, this was crazy, she was beautiful, stunning, why would she do this? Was she really that crazed about me? Somehow we'd come up in the lift, we were walking towards my room, I had the cardkey out.

We were inside the room, her mouth on mine, my hands on her hips pulling her to me. She was removing my jacket, hands soft and insistant, unbuttoning my shirt, what happened to my tie? My belt slackened, my zip undone, trousers falling to the floor, stepping out of them. Ridiculous I still had my shoes and socks on. Pants sliding down my legs, her breath on my groin. Stepping out of shoes, pants. Pulling socks off. Her mouth my cock, I can't...

We're on the bed, her dress over a chair, slip, tights, knickers neatly on top, shoes on the floor beneath. Warm soft, pliant flesh gliding over mine. A nipple in my mouth, soft succulant, firming, a hand stroking me, firm and fully erect now. Her face, on mine, lips, tongues. A warm wet soft silky aperture, sliding smoothly inside, moving, rocking, overwhelming pleasure, her groaning, sighing urging. My climax, her screams, kissing, hands, breasts, small and perky, hands full. Losing track, I wake later.

She is sitting in the chair beside the bed. A beautiful beaming smile greets me.

"Hello sleepyhead, how are you feeling. If you need to know, I feel absolutely fantastic. You are a wonderful lover uncle Peter, I feel quite extraordinarily satisfied. You were far better than I ever imagined, thank you."