Author's Note: This story is a work of fiction and is based primarily on the fictional country of Nordland, a small island nation in the North Sea between the UK, Norway, and Denmark. All characters, events, and places described in this narrative are products of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
All comments and feedback are welcomed.
HF
------
Wouldn't it be nice to be somewhere warm, like the Caribbean, thought Astrid? She sighed softly as she navigated her BWM X4 through the cold, bleak streets of Nordhaven towards the sleek, glass-and-steel headquarters of the North Sea Oil and Gas Corporation. Although she loved Nordland, especially in the summer, winters could be bitterly cold. The small island nation, located in the North Sea, was frequently buffeted by strong winds that blew down from the north Atlantic. I have no idea how the Vikings ever managed to navigate these seas, she thought to herself.
Another Monday morning in the office awaited her. She'd had an enjoyable weekend with Erik and Ingrid; it had been Erik's 42nd birthday several weeks earlier and they had finally managed to have a belated birthday party for him on the Saturday with a selected group of their family and friends coming over for dinner. When they had finally finished the dinner party and put Ingrid to bed, the pair had retired to their bedroom where Astrid gave Erik her own personal birthday present for him.
She had worn a fitted, knee-length emerald-green dress from Zimmerman for dinner and when Erik had closed the bedroom door, she had wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in for a long, passionate kiss. Breaking the kiss, she'd given him a naughty look as she gently pushed him backwards to sit on the edge of the bed, telling him to be quiet and just enjoy the experience.
Astrid had enjoyed the sight of surprise and appreciation on Erik's face as she seductively removed her dress to reveal the black lace La Perla lingerie that she was wearing underneath. As the dress slowly pooled to the floor around her Christian Louboutin heels, she stood there in just her bra, panties and garter belt that held up her sheer black Wolford stockings.
With her blonde hair styled in soft waves, cascading down her shoulders, and having opted for a natural makeup look with a hint of shimmer on her eyelids and a rosy-pink lipstick that highlighted her radiant complexion, Astrid had looked stunning in the dim light of the bedroom. Slowly kicking off her high heels, she'd temptingly removed her bra and panties before sinking to her knees in front of her husband.
The preliminaries were teasingly slow but when she eventually took his uncircumcised cock into her mouth, he'd let out a long, loud groan of pleasure. Fortunately, their daughter's bedroom was at the other end of the house as her mouth had elicited a series of similar groans from her husband over the next several minutes. Astrid had lovingly teased Erik's cock with her mouth till he was at the edge of his climax before they moved to the bed to continue. As she lay on the bed, she gave him a flirty smile and a come-hither look.
Not wanting to waste a moment, Erik had quickly divested himself of his clothing, joining her in the center of the bed, their arms and legs wrapping around each other. They had started in the missionary position with Erik on top, looking down at his beautiful wife. Although they had both wanted something more energetic, they knew that they needed to keep the noise down and so they had eventually rolled onto their sides, spooning each other as Erik had gently thrust into Astrid from behind while he kissed her neck and cupped her breasts. Astrid had enjoyed the languid lovemaking, especially as her own fingers had been busy rubbing her clit as her husband made love to her from behind.
Erik had climaxed first, the sensation of Astrid's snug pussy gripping his cock too much for him to hold out despite his best efforts. Fortunately, Astrid had been close behind him and as she felt the first splatter of his warm cum inside her pussy, she had rubbed her clit harder and faster, pushing herself over the edge a moment later with a soft cry. The pair had laid there for several minutes as he had softened inside her, enjoying the closeness of each other before reluctantly climbing off the bed to make their way to the bathroom to clean up.
Although it had been a loving and tender experience for Astrid, her mind still continued to think back to her experience on Friday afternoon with Marcus. Now that she had given in to her desires, she found herself torn between the man she loved and her new black lover. It was a strange dichotomy that continued to nag at the back of her mind over the remainder of the weekend.
As she parked her car in the underground garage of the building, Astrid couldn't help but wonder where this affair would lead. She had given in to her desires that had been unleashed by Richard, Ngoy, and Kwame over the past several months and now she had set herself on the path of sexual discovery and fulfilment with Marcus, the Horizon Energy executive working with the Corporation on a joint project in the North Sea. As much as she loved her husband, she couldn't resist the allure of the handsome and well-endowed black man.
Making her way to her office, she greeted the other members of the team on the way, doing her best to present a professional façade to them. Ok, it's game time, she thought to herself as she entered her office. She had to push the thoughts of Marcus from her mind, at least for the time being.
Astrid was hanging up her coat in her office when there was a knock at the door. It was Elin Bergqvist, her PA, ready to brief her on the day week ahead. Fortunately, she also held a steaming mug of Astrid's preferred strong coffee in hand.
"
God morgan
, Astrid," Elin greeted, placing the mug on the minimalist desk. "Ready to conquer another week?"
Astrid managed a wry smile. "One can only hope, Elin. Coffee's a lifesaver this morning. Thank you." She took a long sip, the bitter warmth chasing away the remnants of the winter chill that seemed to penetrate her bones. "Alright, let's see what this week holds."
Elin tapped her tablet screen, her eyes flicking over Astrid's diary. "Monday, the usual morning staff meeting. Then we have the finalization of the Johan Sverdrup field development plan. You need to sign off on that by Tuesday."
Astrid nodded, these were familiar tasks, the bedrock of her role as Vice President of Strategic Initiatives. Her focus was on the future - identifying untapped reserves, exploring new drilling technologies, ensuring NSOG remained a leader in the ever-volatile energy market. "Ok, I'll review it today and, if there are no changes, I'll endorse it."
"The rest of today looks pretty clear. Just a reminder, the Texans are arriving tomorrow afternoon for that joint investment meeting, and you have the drinks scheduled with them at 5pm."
"Ok, got it," Astrid replied. She was pretty sure she'd already mentioned that to Erik, hadn't she? "What's next?"
"Wednesday, the monthly board meeting in the morning," Elin continued, swiping the screen. Astrid sighed; she had submitted her pack for the meeting a week earlier, but she needed time to review it prior to the meeting. "And then there is the rescheduled Diversity and Inclusion Working Group meeting in the afternoon."
Astrid nodded, recalling that she had initially wanted to have this meeting before the board meeting, but her calendar had filled up. Thankfully, she could give a broad outline of their activities to the board with a promise of a follow up at the subsequent meeting. This wasn't something that typically occupied a significant portion of her schedule, but the board liked to be kept updated. The NSOG, while a global corporation, had a predominantly homogenous workforce, reflecting the demographics of Nordland itself. Diversity and Inclusion efforts had always been a simmering pot, bubbling away with well-meaning initiatives but never quite reaching a boiling point.
"They nominated you as the senior leader sponsor to take their ideas to the board," Elin explained. "Seems they finally want some traction with their recommendations," she said, holding out a report for Astrid. She sighed, they could have given her this before she submitted her board meeting pack -- oh well, she'll just have to talk to it instead.
Astrid skimmed the document Elin handed her, titled "NSOG Diversity and Inclusion Roadmap." One particular recommendation caught her eye: "Increased recruitment efforts from minority groups, focusing on the skilled migrant population in Nordland."
"Intriguing," she murmured. African migrants? It wasn't an area NSOG typically looked to for talent. Their recruitment efforts had always been laser-focused on Europe and North America, tapping into established universities and industry networks.
"It's certainly bold," Elin agreed. "But the report makes a compelling case. The African migrant population in Nordland is growing, and many have valuable skills and educational backgrounds perfectly suited to our industry."