Chapter 01: Business is Business
I don't really know how to start this. How does a woman my age tell how she suddenly becomes....well, I don't suppose there is any other way to put it, a slut. Maybe I am jumping the gun a little though. A little about me first I suppose.
I am Carol, forty eight years old, though I have been told that I look ten years younger, not by men but by women. If it had been a man I would have just thought he was after one thing, the usual thing men are after but rarely ever got from me. But I am rambling, I apologies. Five foot eight, blonde and a fit size twelve (uk) as I exercise daily and attend the gym twice a week.
I was married at twenty to a wonderful man. Tom and I had met at university and got on so well right from the start. We had so much in common, apart from Tom was a gambler, not money gambler but life gambler. He set his mind on a project and went for it, never really knowing the outcome. That was where I came in. He always called me his stabiliser. I usually brought him down to earth, mad him think things through. Him Anyway we married straight out of university. Tom still kept trying new things and then one day, after eight years of trying, one of these mad ideas actually seemed to make sense so we started our little business. To begin with I kept my job and let Tom get things set up.
Things really seemed to be taking off when I lost him. After ten happy years together he was killed in a car accident. I was devastated as I am sure you can understand. My life fell apart. After a short period of mourning Daniel, Toms business partner, came to my house and asked me what he wanted to do about the business. Daniel was in his fifties and was more the financial director than the business brain, we had met once or twice. He was very nice and of course understanding and he hated to talk business but as I was now the senior partner, "We need to make some decisions soon." he said
I suppose in a way that brought me back to the real world. Gave me focus. I made the decision that I would be damned if Tom's years of trying would be wasted because of me. So I threw myself into the business. It wasn't too hard once I started because Tom and I had discussed it many times and I had a fair bit of input. After all it was only importing to resell. Nothing complicated, and we had a good product, exclusive. Anyway I am rambling again.
The business took off and then a year ago poor Daniel died. It wasn't a surprise, he had been ill for sometime and at least he died happy, or that's what he said anyway. All of a sudden I owned the whole thing, even worse I saw the futility of working all my life just to die before you can enjoy the fruits of that labour.
Although I had never looked into my own financial situation, leaving all that to Daniel who I trusted implicitly, I knew that I wasn't short of a few bob. Daniel, wise old Daniel, had already placed both mine and the company accounts in the hands of a man who he said was totally trustworthy. Shortly after Daniel died I went to see this man.
Sean was in his mid thirties but very old school, purely business and a gentleman, holding my chair for me to sit down when we met for lunch, which I found very surprising in one so young. We made general chit chat till after we had eaten our meal. Sean, ever the gentleman, made no mention of business. Waiting for me to broach the subject first
Anyway the short story is, the business was worth quite a lot of money and so was I. In fact I was, it seemed, quite a wealthy woman. I told him that I wanted to semi retire and the upshot was we sold off the retail side of the business while I retained the import side as it was more or less self sustaining and all done online.
Apparently for tax reasons I should invest some of the money in property, preferably running my business from it. So this I did and now I have a huge house. With woods set in parkland in the middle of Norfolk (uk)
So now we come to the start of this, change, in me. I was never a prude and Tom was not the first man I had been to bed with, or fucked if you prefer. While I was no virgin it seems that I was somewhat naΓ―ve. My sex life with Tom consisted of every Friday or Saturday night, if we had the energy. Before that it was just quick fumbles really with boys who wanted to make another notch on there bed.
Anyway the retail outlets were sold off and I had secured every store managers position. I had met them all at one time or another but couldn't say that I knew them all personally. To put them in the picture before it became public knowledge, and hopefully to reassure them. I had rang a old friend of mine who owned a business and leisure company. Basically a huge house that had been converted into a sort of health centre with gym, swimming pool restaurant and bar. Kim also told me that the walks in the woodlands and gardens would be wonderful in the summer and that the lake had some really good fishing. So something for everyone really.
She had her own apartments in the house and as she would be away I could make use of them. There were also several other rooms we could use for the rest of the group. This was my farewell and I wanted it to be a good one.
Anyway I arrived at the Larches about lunch time on the Friday. By 5pm we were all assembled in the reception room with wine flowing freely. Usually the Larches was closed at weekends but the staff had agreed to be available during the day but would not be there after 8pm. Food and drink would be made available and we would have the run of the place. As security would be on site 24 hours we were all given ID badges.
I knew a few of those present better than others of course and these seemed to congregate around me while the others drifted in and out. It seemed that three groups of five had formed around the room. It was only now that I realised that they were all men. As the evening wore on some drifted off to there rooms while I went to the apartments. I sat on the balcony taking in the warm summer evening. It had been a nice warm day and was set to remain like that for the weekend.
I got up early as usual and made my way to the gym dressed in a leotard and a gym skirt. I was going to have a swim after my exercise so had a bag with my bikini and wash things in. As I arrived in the gym I was surprised to find three of the guy's I had been chatting to the previous evening already on the machinery.
"Morning guys, your up bright and early."
"Morning Carol." they said in unison.
"Well you did say bright and early." Eddie said
"Yes but not for you. Your supposed to be taking it easy, or do you always workout this time of the day?" By now I was on the cycle machine next to Eddie.
"I wish." he laughed
As I got into my regime all was silent. I worked out for forty minutes on several pieces of machinery. I don't know how long they had been exercising but I was only half way through by the time they stopped. They stood watching me, drinking water and chatting.
Once I finished I said. "I'm going for a swim to cool off." I walked off to the changing room, which in these modern times of course were unisex. As I left my cubicle wearing my bikini I suddenly felt a little embarrassed. Not that the bikini was particularly revealing because it wasn't, not really. The five that were sitting with me last night were now waiting for me to appear.
"Told you, come on pay up." One of them said. The others laughed.
I suppose I must have looked a little confused. "Bikini or full suit." Eddie said.
I must have flushed a little because they laughed a little louder. I didn't say anything just headed straight for the pool where I threw my towel on a seat and dived in. The five all followed me into the pool and swam around with me. As none of these men were much more than late thirties I think I was a little flattered that they wanted to spend time with me. There was a lot of laughing and I have to say that I joined in a lot of it. While there was a lot of playing around nothing in the slightest untoward happened or even looked like it would happen. I felt relaxed around them
As I entered my cubicle to get dressed Ralph said, "Shout if you need a hand with that clasp." The others laughed.