The Courtship of Rachel

INTERLUDE: MY INDECENT PROPOSAL

In this interlude, Rachel goes back to before she was married to write about her one night stand with Karen and the immediate aftermath.

This next story was supposed to be about our courtship but that was two dinner parties ago and a lot has happened in between. Anna and Astrid announced that they're tying the knot, and our friends, Stacey and Paula have decided to have a baby through the IVF program. We had them all around for dinner the other night and then retired to the living room to watch telly and as luck would have it, Karen was being interviewed about a threat to the housing bubble, yet again. After she'd done her piece Birgit nudged me.

"I saw you looking at her boobs."

"She's had them enlarged," I smirked.

"You've seen them?" Stacey raised her eyebrows, "I mean before?"

That got me talking about the time Karen and I had a wild one night stand at the Hyatt, Birgit and Anna have both heard the story before but the others hadn't so I gave them the shorter version.

"Well she's rich enough, she can probably afford a boob job every ten years if she wants," Paula cradled her breasts in her hands.

"Oh no she can't," Anna chuckled, "I know who paid for those boobs and it wasn't Karen."

The others looked briefly at me then turned to Anna.

"So, who was it?"

"Lindsey Henderson, her new lover. She's a year younger than Karen's oldest child and two years older than the youngest."

"Well, money talks," Birgit broke in.

"Sure does," Anna sat up and swivelled around to top up her wineglass, "the things I could tell you about Karen are not for the faint hearted," she smiled at me, "although unlike you I never let her near my pussy," she put the bottle down again.

"But if you write your account I'll fill in the gory details."

It was a challenge I discussed with Birgit that night as I got ready for bed.

"I'd do it but the whole thing brings back bad memories, she actually slipped a thousand dollars into my purse that night and I didn't know until I took out my purse to pay for petrol a few hours later, I felt like a fucking escort girl."

"Maybe that's why you should write about it," Birgit pulled the tee shirt over her head, "clear the plumbing as they say, besides, we've had this conversation before," she added.

So here I am the next day writing about the night I had a one night stand with Karen. This happened before I married Lewis so I'm calling it Interlude.

Karen was a client of the old State Bank of Victoria back in the '80s and I was a junior loans officer working at the main branch in the city centre. When I started there I found it hard to orient my way from one department to another and despite the gains made my equal opportunities, that phrase was still thought to be somewhat seditious. Certainly laws had been passed but employers still worked with the old boy network and you had to earn your stripes first. I'll grant you though that did help to develop a good work ethic with yours truly. I was determined to be treated as equal and if that meant working twice as hard as my male counterparts then so be it. I wince sometimes when I see younger women climbing the corporate ladder. They've got the right wardrobe, good looks and all the confidence in the world but as I learned very early on, good looks only last five minutes, after that you'd better know something.

Oddly enough it wasn't some alpha male who taught me that very valuable lesson, it was a woman who showed me by example that looks didn't last forever and if you wanted to get ahead you'd better wise up and get with the program.

Her name was Karen and as I've mentioned she was a client with serious money. On paper she was worth several million. She invested in properties all over Melbourne and her home town, Ballarat. Normally such an important client would only be dealt with by someone above me but Trevor was off with the flu and when they offered to give her someone else of equal status Karen simply shook her head and pointed right at me.

"I'll take her, she'll do and it's a no brainer. Besides, you'll be on hand to answer questions?"

Marion, my supervisor gave me the once over and nodded as she summoned me and then we were taken to Trevor's office and Marion explained what I had to do.

"It's not that hard and I'll be right out there if you need help," she patted me on the shoulder and nodded politely at Karen before exiting the office.

"A bit condescending, even if I do say so myself," Karen murmured as soon as Marion was out of earshot.

"She's very capable," I replied with a tight smile.

"Oh no doubt she is, but I've always thought her very... mannish."

I smiled at that because Marion was a very heavyset woman. She'd apparently been much thinner before she got married and had kids. Karen was about fifteen years younger and you could tell she looked after her body. She was wearing a light tan pussybow blouse under an elegant three piece skirt suit. Karen had married into money and took a more than adequate settlement "when I divorced the cheating bastard."

This was said with a chuckle and I tossed out the usual, "typical men."

"I agree, women are much more palatable and I have an eclectic choice."

I nearly choked at that and she propped on her palm.

"Sorry, maybe I shouldn't have said that."

"It's okay," I reassured her, "I am open minded, but you didn't seem to be the type."

"I like to wear a disguise," she replied, "today I'm disguised as an upper class slut, by this time tomorrow I'll be back on my property at Ballarat mucking out the stables."

"So, how open minded are you?" Karen went on.

"Very," I ran an eye over her then returned to her paperwork, "and now that we've covered that subject how about we deal with this?"

"Of course," she flicked at her ties.

It was a basic form that transferred the equity from the sale of one property into an investment portfolio and because it required a second signature I excused myself to go get Marion's signature.

"Listen, I'm sorry about before, I didn't mean to offend you."

"You didn't," I gave her the standard retail smile, "you took me by surprise."

I left her sitting there while I got Marion to sign off, she checked the paperwork was all in order and I returned to the office, I was very aware that Karen was checking me out and I was flustered by that because at work I was definitely in the closet.

"So, just out of curiosity," Karen regarded me, "have you ever slept with a woman before?"

I blushed and looked past her for a moment.

"I'm afraid I can't answer that question here."

Karen smirked at that as I handed her the summary I'd printed out for her.

"Well I'm out at the Hyatt tonight, you know my name and now I know yours," she gathered her things, "give your name to reception and tell them you've got some papers for me to sign."

"Papers," I looked around the desk.

"Just random papers, bring the latest company newsletter in an envelope for all I care."

"I'll think about it," I gave her the smile we gave all our customers.

I wasn't joking about thinking about it. I actually thought that I'd be crazy to take her up on the offer at all. This wasn't just inappropriate behaviour, it could cost me my job but the more I thought about it the more it began to appeal to me and as it happened I was finishing work in less than half an hour. I remember staring at myself in the mirror before leaving the toilet, wondering what the hell I was doing. I did look smart in my bank uniform but I certainly wasn't dressed for a night out with a woman, let alone a very rich woman.

The bank uniform back then was an off white blouse with thin grey stripes, and because it was a double breasted blouse you wore it buttoned to the top with a brooch to finish it off, we had a choice of a blue jacket with matching skirt or trousers, I always wore the skirt.

As I mentioned in my earlier piece, offers like that don't come every day and so half an hour later I was sitting on a couch in Karen's hotel room with an envelope in my hand. We were sitting in front of a coffee table with a bottle of champagne on it and here's where it got weird.

When she poured me a glass of champagne and handed it to me I got an attack of the guilts. Here I was with a customer and she'd dropped a broad hint about her desires on me. As if to compound my anxiety, I felt very under dressed compared to her, and I felt out of my depth. When I leaned over she put her hand on my back and rubbed it gently, I glanced over my shoulder at her and managed a tight smile.

"Not so open minded after all?" Karen kept rubbing my back, "the first time is always odd, some women like it and others take a little while to fall into the rhythm. You strike me as a woman who might be bendable if you meet the right woman," she slid her finger down my backbone.

"Or then again maybe you'll just have a drink with a lesbian and tell all your straight girlfriends about it," she slid her finger back up to my jacket collar, "it doesn't matter to me though," she found the collar of my blouse.

"The drink is free, what the hell you can take the bloody bottle with you along with your virginity," she flicked at my hair, "so, what do you say, Rachel? Care to walk on the wild side?"

I blushed and chuckled, did she think I was a virgin? I took another mouthful of the champagne and for some insane reason decided to play along with this virgin fantasy. In hindsight it was the only coping skill I could find in my arsenal, considering that this woman was a bona fide millionaire who could afford a penthouse suite at the Hyatt without batting an eyelid.

I leaned back against the couch and Karen adjusted her position slightly so that her left arm was draped along the back of the couch. She drained the glass and set it down on the coffee table and as she did so, the ends of her ties brushed over me, I grabbed one between my fingers and thumb and she looked down and smiled.

"Oh, there's a bit of movement down there," she shifted back and put her hand on top of mine, "do you like my blouse?"

"Yeah, where did you get it?"

"Bloomingdales, New York," she stroked the back of my hand, "have you been to New York?"

"Never been out of the country."

"Travel broadens the mind," she started walking her fingers along my arm, "we meet all kinds of people," she reached my elbow and started moving up my arm, "and we never know where we'll end up," she marched her fingers across my right breast, pushing down on her way to my jacket lapel.

"Good looks count for a lot," she looked at me, "but they only last five minutes, after that you'd better know something."

She brushed her fingers down the lapel. I still had hold of the tie and she reached the button holding the jacket closed, I felt her other hand sliding through my hair to the elastic band at the back that kept it from my face. A moment later I felt it being pulled outwards and moved my head forward and as she tugged the band off, she undid the button and the jacket fell open. Karen smiled and brushed her hand up over my front, slowing down over my breast and then up to my hair. She slid a hairpin out and the hair fell forward on my right and then she did the same on my left side and dropped the items into my jacket pocket.

"You have such lovely hair," she moved her right hand through my hair, "I love running my hands through a woman's hair."

I smiled nervously at that and turned slightly towards her. Karen could now run her other hand through my hair as well.

"It's nice," I finally managed.

"Good," she stroked my skin, "so soft," she murmured and tilted my chin upwards slightly.

I sensed that she was just about to kiss me and so I tightened my grip on her tie and locked my other hand around her wrist. I must have looked anxious because she hesitated and then leaned across and kissed my forehead. I moved my head upwards, my lips were inches from hers. Karen kissed me lightly on the lips, pulled back to judge my reaction and then kissed me again, this time she pressed her lips harder against mine and forced my mouth open just a little. I reacted in kind, tilting my head slightly and moving forward a little. She broke contact a few moments later and smiled.

"There, that wasn't so bad, was it?"

I swallowed and looked into her eyes as she cupped my cheek in her palm, I moved my hand down her sleeve and inched my other hand up her tie but stopped at her breast.

"My, my, you're a nervous one," she glanced down, "it's all right to touch me there, the first rule in business is never be afraid to make the first move it puts the other person on the defensive."

It was becoming farcical but I was now committed and so I felt I had to play the game.

"I'm afraid I'll put myself in a position I can't get out of," I replied.

"You mean because you're a humble bank teller and I'm the rich customer?" Karen shifted her hand down to the name tag on my lapel.

"How about we take this off," she undid it and pulled it free, "now you're no longer a State bank employee," she dropped the badge into my jacket pocket, "you're a woman I happened to meet in the lobby. I had no idea this woman worked for the State Bank."

She brushed her fingers down my front, going slowly over my right breast and all the while her eyes were locked onto me, it was hypnotic because I couldn't look away. I blinked a few times when she traced a finger along the top of my bra and then walked her fingers up to the brooch. It seemed to hold her attention long enough for me to look down at her front, I slid my fingers up the tie and put my hand on her left breast and held it there. Karen hooked her finger behind the brooch and pulled me forwards and as I looked up I saw her expression change.

She had a wolfish look in her eyes and a sly smile and then she was tilting her head to meet my lips. I felt them parting under her pressure and she pressed harder and put her hand behind my head to keep me from breaking contact. She held me like that while she devoured me, I squeezed her breast harder and tried to pull back and then I heard the light snap as the brooch came undone and she released me and slid the brooch out. She held it up as if to inspect her prize and then dropped it into my jacket pocket.

"Smooth," she ran her hands through my hair, "so silky smooth," she reached my collar and slid her fingers around my neck to my throat. She made as if to undo the left hand top button and I blinked and nudged at my glasses. I was getting aroused, that much was obvious by my flushed face and shallow breathing.

"What happens here stays here," her hands left my collar and travelled downwards, "you can leave any time you want, no questions asked or you can stay and see what happens next. If you're as open minded as you say then I think you'll stay but then again maybe you're one of those who talk the talk but can't walk the walk. I meet a lot of them in my business dealings," she reached my belly and slid her fingers behind my waistband.

"So," she jerked at my skirt, "curious? It won't turn you gay I promise, but it might broaden your horizons, being able to swing both ways means you're never stuck for a date on Saturday night," she smiled crookedly.

I returned her smile and she leaned forward for another kiss, it was a quick but erotic one, followed by several more in quick succession. I felt her fingers sliding down my abdomen to my pussy and I squeezed her breast with my right hand and managed to hook the fingers of my left hand behind her waistcoat. I winced when she dragged her fingernails hard across my abdomen and broke free for a few moments as she brought her fingers up to the blouse. The fingers of one hand were sliding in between my buttons as she moved up to my breasts and then she brought them outwards to grasp them in her hands.

I moaned in between kisses as she manipulated my breasts, dragging her thumbnail across my nipples and I eased back and looked down, conscious that I had reached that point where I could either keep going or pull back. We looked into each other's eyes again and she smiled as she kept rubbing my nipples.

"I think you have definite promise, not many straight women can go that far so quickly. It usually takes another few glasses of bubbly."

She slid her hands up under my jacket to my shoulders and squeezed them lightly before sliding her hands to my neck and behind my collar the front, the material moved forward as she pulled me to her and her lips brushed against my cheek as I turned to look at the coffee table. My handbag was on it, I should be on a train and by now I should be pulling out of Camberwell station but instead I was sitting in a penthouse suite with a customer who wanted to bed me. Just as I was turning towards her to say something her lips found mine and the chance was momentarily lost. I felt her fingers sliding along to the topmost button on the left hand side. I put my hands against her breasts but she pushed harder against me and then she undid the button.

Her hand slid between the blouse on its way to the button on the other side and then back down to the second button on the left hand side, I felt it being pulled outwards and I edged backwards and put my hand on her wrist.

"I have to use the loo," I panted.

"The toilet," her eyes narrowed.

"I need to piss," I pushed her hand down, "and I have to call my mum."

"Why do you need to call your mother?" Karen asked.

"I come straight home on week nights but if I don't turn up after a certain time she starts calling around, it's a mother thing."

"I know what it's like to be a mother," she slid back.

I rose and went through to the bathroom because I really did need to go, and I also needed to think things through. I thought I'd given her a clear enough message that I was that way inclined but she'd misread the signals and now thought I was a straight. Common sense told me to just admit to it and we'd get on with it because she was an attractive older woman, but youthful pride refused to let me do it. What the hell if she thought she was converting a straight then why didn't I just play along and enjoy it? If I'd known what would happen a few hours later I would have changed my mind completely and just left the room with dignity intact. Hindsight is always 20/20.

Karen was sitting in front of the dressing table when I reentered the room. She'd taken off the jacket and let down her hair as she brushed it. Her wavy blonde hair reached the middle of her back and I flicked at my own hair.

"Everything all right?"

"Yeah," I sat on the bed and looked at the phone, "I just have to call home, I'll give you some money for the call."

"Don't worry about it," she looked at me in the mirror, "dial nine first, where's home?"

"Outer east," I replied as I started punching in the number..

"Whereabouts in the outer east?"

"Hi, it's me," I greeted mum, "yeah, I'm still in the city. I'm going to see a friend tonight so I won't be back until late."

"Okay, have fun, thanks for calling. Do you want me to keep dinner for you?"

"Thanks, mum, love you."

I hung up and looked over as she rose and plucked at her waistcoat buttons. She unbuttoned it as she sauntered towards me and I felt a slight headiness. She parted the waistcoat and shrugged it off her shoulders, it slid down her back and she tossed it to one side just as she reached me. A hand slid through my hair as she stopped in front of me.

"You're a very naughty girl lying to your mum like that," she began massaging my scalp and moved up real close so that her pussy was right in my face. She was wearing a buttoned skirt and I put my hands on her upper thighs and rested my head on her abdomen.

"I didn't lie to her, I said I was with a friend. Am I your friend?"