CHAPTER 1
It had been many years since I had visited New York. So long that on my last visit the Twin Towers were still standing. So the prospect of a week there on business, with all expenses paid, was too good to turn down. I handed all the details to my P.A. Janet and left her to make the arrangements knowing that she knew perfectly what would and what would not suit me. She had been my P.A. for over 15 years now and we had formed a close relationship – both in work and also socially where our families often got together for meals etc.
"One thing I forgot to mention" I said, as Janet started to check out flight times and hotels for the trip. "I need to take an assistant with me. How do you fancy a few days in a smart hotel, in the city that never sleeps?"
Janet's face lit up at the prospect. In all the years she had worked with me the height of her opportunities to accompany me had been a couple of overnight stays in Harrogate and the Midlands.
"You mean it?" Janet gasped.
"Certainly" I replied, "I think you've earned it".
The reality started to sink in and then came the familiar female response "But what will I wear?"
I smiled and made my excuses to go back to my office to let Janet bask in the glow of my news.
Let me explain a little more about Janet and our relationship before I carry on. She is a lovely lady, at 45 about 10 years younger than me. She is a joy to work with and I cannot remember us ever having a cross word. But, and it is a big but, there is no sexual chemistry between us at all. In a way I think that is why our relationship works so well. There is no hidden agenda and Janet and I see one another as work colleagues and friends, but nothing more.
I have to admit that there have been times in the past when my imaginary repertoire of females reserved for masturbation purposes has got a little low or over-used and Janet has ( in my imagination ) helped me reach a climax as I thought of what it might be like to bend her over my desk, lift her skirt and take her in a way that we might both enjoy. Little did I know of her own thoughts on the matter. Common sense has, however, always prevailed when we are alone together and the fear of spoiling the wonderful relationship we have, by risking finding out whether my advances would be welcome or not, has always cooled my emotions.
A couple of days later Janet announced that everything was booked, direct flights to JFK, two rooms on the same floor in a smart Manhattan hotel and even a taxi awaiting us at the airport. She had even resolved our visa waiver requirements without the need for me to do anything for myself. It showed the efficiency that was Janet's trademark and so I just settled back to wait for the time for our trip to arrive and concentrated my own efforts on preparing the figures and paperwork that I needed to take with us.
It was almost time for our departure when I got into work early one morning to find Janet's desk surprisingly empty. Within a few minutes my private line rang.
"Hi John, it's Janet". I could tell from her voice that there was something wrong. "I'm over in Yorkshire. My mother had a stroke last night and I had to dash over here. She's still unconscious at the minute and I am just off back to the hospital in a few minutes."
"I'm so, so sorry" I stumbled, trying to find the right thing to say.
"I'm going to have to stay over here for a while." Janet continued, " I've spoken with the H.R. department and arranged some compassionate leave. But I'm afraid the New York Trip is off – for me at least" . The disappointment was clear in Janet's voice.
"Don't worry about that" I said with authority "Your mother's health is much more important. You take as long as it needs. And give her my love. When she gets better perhaps we can find another way to make up for this. "
With that Janet made her apologies and left for the hospital, leaving me to think of the best way forward.
All the documentation was clearly marked in her desk drawer, air-line tickets, copies of hotel reservations etc. Now it was my turn to resolve things in Janet's absence.
I wasn't sure whether to make the trip alone but my colleagues assured me that it would be much easier with someone to take notes and make sure that everything was just right and also there were one or two functions to attend which would be easier with a companion. They suggested replacements for Janet but in every case they were married ladies with commitments to school runs, childcare etc. Given more notice I am sure that several of them would have jumped at the opportunity but it was now Thursday and the flights were booked for early the following Tuesday.
The only prospect seemed a younger, unmarried lady but our company was renowned for keeping its employees happy and very few vacancies had ever arisen. I scratched my head and then the perfect solution came to me. Sophie. Why had I not thought of her before. She was much younger than Janet, only in her early twenties and not long out of college. She had been filling in helping other colleagues and had not formed any one-to-one working relationship as yet and so no-one would be disadvantaged by her absence from the office for a week or so.
Sophie and I had not had too much contact before. She always smiled if we met in the corridor and there was something quite attractive about her. She wore the usual business type attire but her skirts always seemed a little bit shorter than the norm and her blouses a little tighter too – or was that just the imaginings of a much older man. There was something about her that caused a quickening of the pulse as she walked down the corridor with her cute ass swaying a little but at my age it did not take much to quicken the pulse.
There was only one way to find out if she would be able to stand in for Janet and so I rang the main receptionist and asked her if she could ask Sophie to nip up to my office as soon as she was available.
CHAPTER 2
