Editor's note: this story contains scenes of non-consensual or reluctant sex.
*****
Chapter Five
It was late December and we had been invited to dinner at Andy's house for his traditional Christmas Party.
It's hard to convey just how exciting this invitation was. Only Partners or prospective Partners were ever invited into his home, so it could only mean one thing; I was finally going to be offered the promotion I had craved for so long.
This would be the greatest achievement of my career to date and would move me into the big league as far as my future was concerned. If I was right, it would make me the youngest Partner in the history of the Company.
I deserved it, had worked hard for it both in the office and outside, and Amanda had supported me like a rock on the important social side. The fact that it would also help repay the less-than-ethical loans that I had awarded myself, was an added bonus.
I had concealed my illegal activities well, and having succeeded for so long, was arrogant enough to believe no-one was clever enough to uncover me. Even so, I could never really feel relaxed.
The timing was perfect. Sandersons was coming out of a rather rocky patch following the global financial crisis and was moving into an important new field, that of advising, auditing and reporting on the efficiency of Governments. Every developed country was desperately trying to cut its deficit and do things cheaper and better. That's where we came in.
After a few smaller contracts with Local Government had gone well, Sandersons had undertaken more ambitious ones for a National Government. Those had gone well too, and we were now on a small list of organisations the EU would recognise as external advisers.
The main project we were bidding for at that moment was with the Turkish Government, assessing their progress on the road towards EU membership. Things are very different now of course, but at that time, this was foremost in both Governments' plans.
If we were successful, the reward would be a major project in which teams from Sandersons would work in the UK, Ankara and Istanbul, monitoring the progress that the country had made towards countering high level corruption, and reporting our findings to Brussels.
What was most exciting for me was that a new Junior Partner would be needed to manage this project. Andy had more than once hinted that, if I played my cards right, the role would be mine.
The project was right up my street; if anyone knew their way around financial systems and the illicit extraction of large sums of money, then it was me. I had worked harder on this than on anything in my career, and now it looked like the contract would indeed be awarded to us and the Junior Partnership might well be mine that very evening.
Needless to say, Amanda was equally excited, and for several weeks had planned and re-planned what she should wear for the evening.
To my relief, the prospect of my Partnership seemed to have completely over-ridden her reluctance to be anywhere near Andy. Perhaps the knowledge that most other Partners would also be there had helped reassure her too. In any event, she seemed pleased rather than wary, more concerned not to be outclassed by the wives of the other guests in terms of appearance.
She could outclass us all in terms of intellect any day of the week.
A huge amount of money had been spent on the designer dress she finally selected on her third shopping trip to London's West End, but it was worth it. A background of deep blue silk that matched her eyes, half concealed behind a screen of black lace. It hugged her slender figure from her shoulders to her upper thigh where it stopped short, framing her long slim legs to perfection.
I had never seen anything like it - or paid anything like the amount it cost.
When the party finally arrived, we parked our kids with Amanda's parents at lunchtime to give us plenty of time to prepare. She spent a couple of hours at the beautician - a pointless exercise, as her skin was already flawless - then bathed and began to dress.
I always enjoyed watching my wife getting ready, but that night was a special treat. Amanda had always preferred stockings to tights, and that evening had selected sheer black hold-ups and an ultra-thin black thong because she 'couldn't risk a VPL'. Add to this a tiny matching black bra and slip and you get the whole sexy effect.
Doing her make-up took a lot longer than usual so, having donned my dinner suit and tie, I was sent downstairs several times to top up her champagne glass 'to help with her nerves'. By the time she had finally donned her dress and heels, and sorted her hair, she was just a little tipsy.
I carefully ran the long zipper up her slender spine and stood back in admiration.
"Well? Will I do?" she asked, posing in front of the full-length mirror.
"Unbelievable! You look absolutely amazing!"
It was no more than the truth; my lovely wife looked simply out of this world. The blue dress matched the penetrating blue of her eyes to perfection, and followed the lines of her slim, fit body like a second skin. Its shortness, along with her highest heels made her appear even taller, and showcased the long, slender legs below. Her make-up, though light, highlighted her strong, attractive features superbly, and toned well with her newly straightened blonde hair.
The effect was mesmerising; when she looked directly at me, her pupils huge and black, my knees literally trembled with admiration.
"My God, Amanda. I've never seen you looking this good," I whispered.
"Good enough to be a Junior Partner's wife?" she teased.
"Good enough to be a President's wife," I smiled, stunned once again by the extraordinary woman I had married.
I truly was a lucky man.
***
Less than an hour later, we pulled into the driveway of Andy's large country home, parked our nice but relatively nondescript car alongside the large BMW and Mercedes limousines already there, and rang the bell nervously.
The door was opened by a uniformed housekeeper who quickly ushered us into a large living room where the other guests were gathered for cocktails. We were greeted warmly by all the Partners, reinforcing my belief that this would indeed be the evening I joined them on the Board.
Of course, this made both Amanda and me even more nervous.
Andy himself seemed to pay us extra attention too, making sure that our glasses remained full at all times, that the canapés passed us by often enough and that we were formally introduced to all the Main Board members and the firm's most prestigious clients.
He even remembered to introduce my wife as 'Amanda' rather than the Mandy she hated so much. She, of course, revelled in the event, her bright intellectual conversation and striking looks catching all the men and many of the women by surprise.
I felt immensely proud to have her at my side as we circulated through the crowd.
After the introductions, dinner was announced, and we filed through to the dining room. The table was large and there were name cards to show where everyone should sit. I was amused to see that Amanda had been seated between me and Andy, and that he paid her a great deal of attention throughout the meal.
His hands strayed to her arms and thighs on many occasions. True to form, Amanda took this in her stride, knowing better than to create friction on what could well be my Big Night. I was amused to see that, though she gritted her teeth, she did tolerate a lot more physical contact than usual, even when stroking fingers reached as high as her hem line.
The food was excellent as were the wines and afterwards, we adjourned to the terrace where coffee and post dinner drinks were being served. Andy was again solicitous, making sure we were never without a full glass, though I noticed he had slipped back into using the name Mandy again.
