This four chapter story is completed, and will be posted at roughly one chapter per week.
*****
Jennifer slept like a log all night. She woke up in a state of confusion, her eyes blinking as they adjusted to the morning light. She was mortified when it sunk in—she was naked in her secretary's hotel room, having been spanked into submission the night before. Her secretary had even watched her masturbate to orgasm. Jennifer hid under the blanket, full of both shame and remorse.
"Good morning, Jennifer," Hannah said, pulling up the blinds. "I've laid out your clothes for you, and breakfast will arrive shortly."
"OK, thanks," Jennifer said meekly. How could her secretary be so unperturbed?
Jennifer had no choice but to go ahead with the plans for the day. Important meetings had been scheduled. Hannah faced away from Jennifer, giving her privacy as she slipped out of bed. Jennifer wondered if Hannah was purposely giving her space as she put on the fancy business suit that was laid out for her. Hannah must have fetched it from Jennifer's room earlier in the morning. There was a pair of stockings that she didn't recognize, but they fit perfectly. To her surprise, she found a pair of very sheer, black panties as well.
"You're meeting with the local branch this morning," Hannah reminded her, speaking as if nothing was out of the ordinary. "And you're signing the papers with the subcontractors in the afternoon."
"Yes. Thank you Hannah."
Her breakfast arrived just as she finished getting dressed. She was pleased to find her mandatory cappuccino on the tray; she needed that kick-start more than ever today.
The meeting with the local branch went smoothly. She always liked to connect directly with people at every level of the organization, and made an effort to ask both polite and insightful questions. These meet-and-greet visits were her way to make sure the team felt appreciated by the head office. Her focus had returned, and it was surprisingly easy to block out the events that had transpired the night before. Hannah assumed the demeanor of a normal assistant, constantly walking a step behind as they made their way through the office. Everything seemed perfectly normal.
They continued in professional mode during lunch discussing the upcoming meeting. Jennifer had done business with this company for a long time, and the details had been sorted out in advance by the respective finance divisions. She never had problems doing business with them in the past, but the new CEO made her wary, particularly after he had canceled the previous meeting at the last minute. Hannah went over the contract with her, double-checking the numbers. Jennifer knew they would eventually have to deal with what happened the night before, and prayed it wouldn't end in anguish. Hannah had been an integral part of her life for a long time.
As they walked into the meeting, Jennifer found the room filled with men in suits, most of whom she had never met before. The CEO hadn't arrived on time so she politely made her way through the room, introducing herself to the men. Most of them seemed to have no real purpose for being present. They waited, mostly in silence, until the CEO eventually strolled into the room, twenty minutes late.
"Hello everybody," he said nonchalantly, without even bothering to look at Jennifer. He continued to chat with some of his colleagues about an upcoming golf game before he finally sat down in a pompous chair that had been reserved for him.
"Oh, hello... Janet, is it?" glancing over to Jennifer. "Ah, that's right—we're supposed to sign your little contract today."
Jennifer didn't correct him, and answered cordially. "Yes, that is my understanding."
"Yeah, the thing is..." he began, scratching his chin. "I looked over the figures again. And there's really no way we can deliver at that price. You see, it's really a seller's market these days. I can get far more if I do business with your competitors. Now, since you've come all this way, I would hate to send you back empty handed. So, I can sell to you at..." He waved his hand as if trying to extract a number from the air. "Let's say an extra eighteen percent."
"I believe we already had an agreement." Jennifer said, showing little emotion. She glanced briefly at Hannah, who smirked knowingly as she anticipated what was about to happen.
The man in the pretentious chair gave her a condescending look. "Now listen, honey..."
"No, you listen." Jennifer interrupted, sharply. "This is one of the most pathetic attempts at renegotiation that I've ever seen. Do you really think I came here without doing my own research? I'm very well aware that you've done this before. You should have tried something a bit more creative, 'honey'. As I recall, the last time you tried to change a deal at the last minute, it backfired. Instead of earning a big bonus, you were sacked."
He opened his mouth to protest, but Jennifer held up a finger to silence him.
"Too bad you didn't do your own homework. You would have known that I've chewed up and spit out opportunists like yourself many times before."
The suited men in the room stared at her with open mouths. Hannah's face appeared strained, her lips pressed together as if trying to suppress a laugh.
"Now, you say you want to do business," Jennifer continued. "So, let's do business. If you still want to sell to my company, we can buy at..." She mocked her opponent by waving her arm in an exaggerated manner, making it look like she was about to cast a spell. "Let's say ten percent less than what we agreed upon originally."
He looked back at her in shock as she stared him down.
"Now, uh, look," he stuttered. "OK, OK. I think my offer is fair, you think your offer is fair. So, why don't we compromise and go back to the original deal?"
"You are really testing my patience... Sorry, Ben, is it?"
"Uh, no. Bob."
"Well then—Bob—let me make this simple for you. I know the market. I also know that our original deal was fair. But now you've gone ahead and made your company look unreliable. So, my offer stands. Lower the price by ten percent or I'm going to one of your competitors."
"Jennifer, be reasonable."
She smiled sweetly, but it didn't come close to reaching her eyes as she stared him down. He realized eventually, she wasn't going to budge.
"I... I need to run this by the board of directors."
"Ha! Have I been wasting my time negotiating with someone who lacks the power to make basic decisions?"
"Please. Just give me until tomorrow to talk to the Chairman."
She rolled her eyes. "Fine. Be sure to give Warren my best. I always enjoy sailing with him and his wife when we're in town together."
With that she stood, shaking her head as she looked down on Bob. Abruptly she turned and walked out of the meeting with Hannah trailing behind her. "Well, it looks like we're going to have to delay our flight. I hope that's OK, Hannah?"
"Of course. I'll get right on it."
Hannah called the airline in the cab on the way back to the hotel. "Tomorrow's later flight is fully booked, so we're going to have to stay another day. Is that OK?"
Jennifer sighed. "Yes, I suppose we have to."
She called her husband. It wasn't the first time a business trip had been prolonged, but now she felt very guilty about it. In the meeting, she had suppressed the events of last night, but they had come back with a vengeance. She felt it would be best to get back home to Richard as soon as possible.
As always, he was supportive when she explained the situation. "I understand, honey. One extra night isn't that bad. But is everything OK? You sound a bit troubled."
"It's just... well, I really miss you. And..." She glanced at Hannah, and realized she couldn't speak freely. What would she tell him anyway—
by the way, my secretary spanked me yesterday?
"Honey, whatever it is, it's going to be fine. And I'm sure it can wait two more days, right?"
She nodded, even though he couldn't see it.
"You and Hannah could do something fun together." he continued. "You've always said she's good at finding interesting activities when you've had down time on your business trips."
Jennifer giggled nervously and changed the subject. They chatted about the house and Richard told her he had repainted the bedroom in a soft green, just like she wanted. She reveled in the memory of his patience as she had deliberated over numerous color samples.
Eventually, they said their goodbyes. Before they hung up, Richard interjected, "and honey, remember that I love you, and I always want what's best for you."
Jennifer sat silently with her phone in her hand. If only she knew herself what was best. She glanced at Hannah and the blonde returned her smile. God, she was beautiful. Jennifer had always found her to be attractive, but after seeing her domineering side the night before, she looked like a goddess.
Jennifer realized she had to put a stop to this inappropriate relationship. There wasn't much she could do in the cab with the driver listening. But as soon as they got back to the hotel, Jennifer would tell Hannah that she was accepting full responsibility for what had taken place. It had been a serious error in judgment. Hopefully, Hannah would agree with the suggestion that they both move forward and forget about their night together. She shook her head in silence. How could she ever forget such an intense experience, especially when they were together every day?
As they walked into the lobby, Jennifer forced herself to speak. "Listen Hannah, about what happened last night..."
"Yes?"
Jennifer felt herself resolve diminish under Hannah's intensifying stare. She was immediately at loss for words. What should she say? That she didn't want it to happen again? She had never been a good liar. And Hannah's piercing eyes seemed to penetrate directly through Jennifer's defenses and uncover her secret desires.
