This story builds to a climax chapter by chapter. You will enjoy it much more and it will make more sense if you read them in sequence and save Chapter 5 for last.
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By the time Monday came around, Larissa was still steamed at Judy for acting up and keeping her from finishing up after the office Christmas party. It was lame enough without getting stuck with cleanup detail and that was bad enough without Judy's antics, jumping on the photocopier and taking a picture of her own butt crack and pussy! As if that crude act was any kind of blow against their selfish and arrogant boss. You might as well moon the building for all the good that kind of kid stuff accomplished.
Larissa was a little annoyed with herself for giving in to Judy and doing the same thing on the copy machine, but it was only one time and she only did it to shut Judy up and make her go home. Chalk it up to the booze. It didn't matter: the picture got shredded and so it was as if it never happened.
Larissa smiled at Judy when Judy came in on Monday morning but didn't give anything away. Judy still looked a little rough when she sat down at her desk. There, in front of her, was a little gift-wrapped package. Surprised, Judy opened it as her coworkers passed her cubicle and stuck their head in to say hi! Was it just Judy's imagination, or were they a little more friendly than usual? It was probably the good feelings carrying over from the Christmas party last Friday. (Judy didn't remember -- or didn't want to remember -- being groped and having her blouse unbuttoned.)
Judy's face quickly turned beet red and she dropped the opened package in her lap when her panties fell on her desk. Had anybody seen? She looked around. Her boss was standing at the entrance to her cubicle. He had seen everything and his face was red.
"We need to talk, he said in a low but furious voice. "Come with me to the conference room."
Three cubicles away Judy heard Larissa laughing, not realizing that she was too far away to hear what the boss was saying. This had started out as Larissa's gentle way of getting even without escalating the differences between them, but she hadn't counted on their boss seeing it all! Having her panties on display had put Judy in a bad situation! This was not appropriate behavior for a bond rater!
Later that day, at lunch, Judy told Larissa what happened next and complained about all the smart-alecky remarks the men at work had made to her that morning. She didn't remember being as drunk as she was at the party. But her boss, asshole that he was, told her that she was on thin ice after last Friday. One more step out of line and she'd be fired.
"Well," retorted Larissa, on the defensive because her trick with Judy's panties had made things worse, "you kinda asked for it last week. But what do you care? You've got a prince charming who will take you away from all this!"
She was referring to Judy's new boyfriend, Frank, an up-and-coming lawyer in town. The law firm where he was an associate wanted the contract with their employer in the worst way. Bonds were an easier business than stocks but they required almost as much legal work. The legal work was safe, predictable, very profitable, and boring. The executives at Judy's company would have a cow if they knew that one of their bond researchers was in a relationship with someone actively trying to get their legal business, so Judy and Frank had to keep their relationship a secret. The only thing that would save her from being fired, in that case, is that she was good at her job -- she could rate a bond faster and more accurately than even Larissa, who had more education.
"He's too busy to take me away from all this," Judy complained. "He wants to be Mr. Hotshot." That was unfair to Frank and Judy knew it. For a serious, ambitious young lawyer, Frank was spending an unusual amount of time with his girlfriend. They saw each other almost every other night and spent the weekends, well, fucking, mostly. That was really what was worrying her. Judy's biggest fear was that her Frank was just playing her to get close to the company. If he could land her company as a client for his firm, he would make partner for sure. So far, he had not asked Judy for any confidential information but if he did, Judy would surely give it to him but she'd feel bad about it.
"Speaking of hotshots," Judy was trying a little too hard here, "Tom's firm's senior partner is coming over next week. I'm cooking dinner at Tom's place. The guy's single and doesn't have a girlfriend -- never married. Can you join us and round out the party?"
Larissa mentally checked her social calendar. Wide open for the next hundred years. "Sure," she said, glad for the opportunity to get out. She didn't have much in the way of expectations for the date. Men who were still alone at the age it would take someone to make partner in a successful law firm were most likely to be gay or workaholics. With luck, she thought, he would be gay, impeccably dressed, and charming, so the evening would at least be fun.
He certainly was impeccably dressed, but he didn't act gay. Far from it. He seemed very interested in women and particularly in Larissa. He was the most handsome, beguiling, and sensual man she had ever met! He was also a perfect gentleman, holding the chair as she sat, always including her in the conversation, and quick to laugh at her rather dry sense of humor. Judging from the gray streaks in his black hair, he was at least forty but his handsome face was boyish and mirthful and his eyes danced brightly. Where Larissa was of medium height and slender, he was taller by a head and broad-shouldered. He wore his Princeton education lightly but his conversation sparkled. As the evening blended into night, Larissa found herself deeply attracted to him. In fact, Larissa noticed about an hour into the evening that her panties were damp.
It came as no surprise and was certainly welcome when, at the end of the evening, he turned to her as they were walking out and said, "Larissa, would it be possible to see you again?"