The week in Vegas felt like an erotic dream for Chris and Ashley. Following their charged conversation about Clayton, their sex life escalated to dizzying new heights. Whenever Chris wasn't occupied with drumming up new business leads for BitGuardian, he and Ashley remained intimately entangled in the hotel's silky sheets, indulging in their fantasies.
Laughing, Ashley teased about the men at the convention ogling her nearly naked body, joking she should give them a show. After all, why be stingy - why should Clayton be the sole lucky spectator? Lustful nights blurred into a haze of roleplay. Sometimes, they invited imaginary strangers to watch hungrily while, other times, Chris played the onlooker observing a mystery lover pleasuring Ashley to trembling climaxes. But their sinful Vegas rendezvous couldn't last forever. When it inevitably ended, they bid the city's allure a reluctant farewell, promising to return one day.
In the days that followed, Chris and Ashley existed in a perpetual state of arousal and indecent longing. Smoldering looks and intimate touches were savored whenever possible between their daily routines. Each encounter seemed more uninhibited than the last, as a renewed sense of lust kept them both earning for more.
It had been nearly two weeks since Vegas. Clayton called Chris to his office to discuss a lucrative deal with Larken Industries. Chris had been in constant contact with Tom Ashford, Larken's VP. He went over numbers and strategies, hoping for a signature. But Tom seemed hesitant. Chris couldn't tell if he lacked authority or was simply stalling.
Their calls inevitably steered to another topic as well - Ashley. Tom never failed to ask about "that beautiful wife" of Chris's, punctuating the word "beautiful" in a way that made Chris vividly recall the moment Tom had caught an accidental glimpse of Ashley's playboy style photo. Chris would deflect with a simple "She's great," attempting to steer the conversation back, but those two simple words were enough to set his pulse racing.
Strangely, he never told Ashley that Tom had seen that photo. He wasn't sure why he kept it from her; she likely wouldn't have cared and may have even incorporated it into one of their racy roleplay scenarios. But for whatever reason, Chris guarded that little secret.
"Listen man, you've been working your ass off on this Larken deal, but I think we need to switch it up." Clayton leaned back in his chair. "Why don't you hop on a flight out there and surprise them at their headquarters? Show them we're serious." Chris was jolted back to reality by Clayton's suggestion, sitting up straight on the plush sofa.
Chris frowned skeptically. "You don't think that's a bit too aggressive? We don't want to risk scaring them off completely."
"I think it will do the opposite," Clayton retorted, propping his feet up on the desk. "It'll show them how dedicated we are and prove we'll do whatever it takes to keep them satisfied." Clayton's company was truly taking off, and landing the Larken deal would silence any lingering doubts about his entrepreneurial chops- especially from his father.
Running his fingers through his hair anxiously, Chris sighed. "Could you at least send Katie? She's been a selling machine lately. Ashley can't take any more time off work right now. She'll kill me if I jet off again so suddenly after Vegas."
A sly smile crept across Clayton's face. It was true, the nightly "training" sessions had worked wonders on transforming Katie into a formidable saleswoman, as well as an obedient little minx during their after hours sessions. But he wasn't ready to let her go off on her own just yet - he had bigger plans in motion.
"Katie isn't the head of sales, you are," he countered. "Besides, what kind of message would that send if we had you handling this for weeks only to put Katie in at the critical moment?"
Chris knew his boss made a fair point, but the thought of leaving Ashley's side for any extended period filled him with dread. Their sex lives had been red hot as of late, and he didn't want anything slowing that down. Reading Chris's trepidation, Clayton decided to sweeten the deal.
"Alright, how about this, let's make things more...interesting," He paused for effect, a playful grin forming. "Another little wager, if you're up for it?"
Those three words quickened Chris's heartbeat. A new bet, a new challenge - the thrill was impossible to resist. "What do you have in mind?" he asked, unable to mask his intrigue.
Clayton's grin spread, showing his teeth. "Close this deal within twenty-four hours of landing at Larken's, and ten percent stake in the company is yours." Letting the words marinate, he gauged Chris's reaction. "Ten percent, my friend. Think about what that means. With the rapid growth we are already seeing and the money from that deal, it could be a life-altering windfall if you can pull it off."
Chris's jaw dropped as the magnitude of Clayton's wager hit him. Ten percent ownership could transform their lives - he pictured finally being able to give Ashley the future she deserved, free from financial burdens. Ashley could finally quit her job and they could start a family. After yearning for that for so long, how could he possibly say no?
Before Clayton could even elaborate on the potential downsides if he failed, Chris was already nodding fervently. "You've got a deal." He shot up from the sofa, adrenaline coursing through his veins. "I'll go pack my bags right now and let Ashley know."
As Chris hurried out of the office, his head was swimming - the fortune he could accrue, the unimaginable luxuries he could shower on Ashley, the dreams they could finally realize together. He just had to nail this one pivotal pitch and their lives would be changed forever.
****
Ashley had just finished her rounds, checking on her last patient for the morning. As she stepped into the hallway, her phone buzzed with Chris's ringtone. A smile tugged at her lips as she ducked into the empty hallway.
"I was just thinking of you," she answered warmly, leaning her back against the wall. "What's up?"
Chris took a deep breath before explaining. "Clayton wants me to fly out to Larken Industries and try to close their deal. If I can pull it off, he's offering a ten percent ownership stake in the company."
Ashley's eyes widened. "Babe, that's...that's huge." She paused, considering the implications. "But another trip already? We just got back from Vegas. There's no way I can take more time off work."
"I know, I know." Chris's voice was low and calm. "But think about what this could mean for us. Ten percent of BitGuardian? We're really picking up steam here. If the company takes off like I think it can, we're talking about financial freedom. Maybe you cutting back at the hospital or even quitting entirely." He paused meaningfully. "Starting a family, like we've talked about."
Ashley felt her heart flutter at that last part. Having a baby together was a dream they'd discussed but had been putting off. This could make that reality possible sooner than they dared hope.
"Well, when you put it that way..." Ashley replied after considering the opportunity. "But you owe me. Big time. Don't think you're going to leave me high and dry while you're gone, mister."
Chris chuckled at her feisty tone. "Now would I ever do that to you? You know I'll keep you...occupied until I get back."
"Oh yeah?" Ashley purred in a way that made Chris's pulse quicken. "And just how do you plan on managing that from across the country?"
"Well, I could start by describing in great detail what I'm going to do to you when I get home," Chris replied, his voice lowering huskily. "How my tongue is going to explore every inch of your body until you beg me to stop."
He heard Ashley's sharp intake of breath on the other end. "You're playing with fire, mister. Perhaps I'll have to wear some of those new outfits to work. How do you think the patients will respond when they see their nurse walking in with a low cut top on and no bra underneath?"
Now it was Chris's turn to take a sharp intake of breath. He knew the exact outfit she was referring to and it left very little to the imagination. "Something tells me if you did that you'd have more than just a couple on lookers. Guys will be lining up to try to get a hand on you."
With a throaty chuckle, Ashley darted a glance around the empty hallway. "Perhaps that's what I need. A big, strong man to ravish me while my husband's away." She tensed, certain she heard a faint noise, her face warming at the thought of being overheard. In a lowered voice, she went on, "Letting him run his hands over me, feeling his body pressed against mine."
As she spoke, she subconsciously closed her eyes and was squirming against the wall. Even more horrifying, when she opened them she locked eyes with the janitor, who was just stepping out of another patient's room. His broad smile let her know he'd overheard everything she'd just said. Ashley felt her face flush red-hot as she realized he had likely overheard her entire conversation. She quickly turned to face the other way and rushed down the hall.
"Are you still there, babe? I lost you for a minute." Her husband's voice rang in her ear as she realized she'd been holding her breath.
"Why don't I call you later when I'm not, uh, at work," she said in a quieter voice, still burning with embarrassment.
"Everything okay?" Chris's concerned voice came through the speaker.
"Yeah, yeah, everything's...fine," Ashley assured him, though her cheeks still burned. "Just busy at work. We'll talk more tonight. I love you."
She quickly ended the call and looked nervously over her shoulder to see the janitor still standing there staring at her as she quickly turned the corner.
***
Less than six hours later, Chris threw his bags into a town car and put on his tie, heading to Larken Headquarters. If things went well, by this time tomorrow, he would have landed the biggest deal yet for the company and have equity to boot. He tried calming his nerves by shooting Ashley a text that he'd made it safely.
"Hey babe. Just landed. Sorry again for the short notice, I miss you already."
The response back from Ashley was almost immediate. "I miss you too, lover. This bath just isn't the same all by myself." That message was followed by an image. Clayton gasped, then choked out a cough as the driver eyed him in the rearview mirror. The picture left very little to the imagination as Chris longed to push the small patch of bubbles aside that were hiding her most intimate parts.
"I hate that I'm so far away from you. I want so badly to be in that tub with you, kissing your neck."
"My neck? That's all you're interested in right now?" Ashley teased wanting badly to get a release after all of today's...festivities.
"Oh that would just be the start of it, of course. I can't stop thinking about your body," he wrote, glancing up again at the rearview mirror to ensure the driver wasn't paying him any mind. "The way you move, the sounds you make when I'm inside you..."
Ashley bit her lip, her free hand drifting down as she imagined Chris's hands roaming. "Tell me more," she typed breathlessly.
Chris's phone buzzed - Clayton's face appeared. "Shit it's Clayton," he typed quickly. "Gotta pause, sorry."