Not This Time

Not this time

A Thank you to SoNoCo95404. For help with the edit of this story

The table had a hush over it, as I'm sitting here with my wife and her boss. He told me he's taking my wife away for the weekend as he put it for some of the best sex of her life. Maddie was sitting there wide-eyed with an I can't believe this is happening look.

I looked at Richard Livingston the third and asked him, "What's in it for me?" He looked at me and didn't know how to answer. No one seems to ever talk back to him in this situation. But I've done my homework, and I know who he is. You see, four years ago, at a charity event, he did this to my mother and father.

I was 21 in my last year of college, getting my teaching degree when it happened. My father felt so ashamed and humiliated that he had a heart attack that killed him shortly after the divorce. So, I looked at Richard again and asked, "What number would Maddie be?"

Richard replied, looking right at me, "Number 25, I'm 24 for 24 soon to be 25."

I looked right back at him, "Well, you see, Richard, that's where you're wrong unless I know what's in it for me. Out of the 24, how many ended in divorce? "

"21 out of the 24, 2 are separate, and one is in the middle of getting divorced."

I looked at Maddie, "You hear all this, yet you still want to go away with him and not walk out with me right now? "

I looked right at Richard again, "So, what's in it for me to look the other way and when she comes back to me act as Nothing happened? What's it worth to you?"

Richard gave off one of his patented laughs, and I wanted to reach across the table and smack him, but I held back.

Let me back up and tell you how we ended up here.

I met Maddie about a year and a half ago at a Halloween party. I came straight from work, and I dressed in my suit. When I walked in, Doug met me with a nice cold beer. Just then, a cute girl dressed as a tinker bell ran by tossing fairy dust, aka" bitch glitter."

She stopped dead and apologized red-faced for getting it on my suit, "I hope your girlfriend or wife isn't going to get mad thinking you were at a strip club."

I laughed, "No wife or girlfriend."

Then she asked who I have dressed up as.

"Henry Hill, "I replied. "From the movie goodfella. Name is Paul, and you are?"

She said with a smile on her face, "Never seen it. I am a tinker bell." She laughed, "My name is Maddie. Nice to meet you." then off she went.

I asked Doug," Who the hell is that?"

"That's Maddie, my girlfriends' best friend. We were hoping to talk to both of you later. I popped the question, and she said yes. Maddie is the maid of honor, and I want you to be the best man."

That is how we started dating. I got Maddie a nice set of earrings at Christmas time, and she gave me her dad's tie pin. I wasn't sure who wore tie pins anymore, but I did.

February came around, and we all know what that means Valentine's Day. Over dinner, I pulled out a box, and Maddie got a wide-eyed look, thinking it was a ring. When I opened it up and told her she had taken my heart, and I pulled out a necklace with two hearts overlapping, "you have my love and my heart until you take it off. I am asking that you, please, never take it off."

Maddie came around the table and laid a kiss on me that I feel to this day, "Yes, Yes, I will never take it off." She let me put it around her neck.

Then we meet up with Doug and his wife, Sally, for drinks. After some dancing, we were back at the table I pulled out another box and got on one knee," Maddie, please say yes and be my wife." For the second time that night, she jumped into my arms and planted a kiss on me that, to this day, I still feel, then she yelled "Yes!" to the whole place.

After that, we set a date. I told Maddie more about my mom and dad and how I stepped up to run the business after my dad died. We are a distributor of pneumatic equipment. It's a small company with 15 people. Nothing big, but we do OK. Maddie was in her last year of college, majoring in finance. Right after she graduated, she got a job with an insurance company in the finance department.

Everything was great until three months ago when Maddie was talking about her day over dinner. Amy told me to apply for a PA position with the CFO. Maddie said, "I was eating lunch with a few of the girls and talking about the wedding and how fast it is coming up when Amy walked over and asked when it was."

"Who is Amy?"

Maddie told me, "She's the head PA to the board."

"And you never talked to her before?"

"No, I didn't even know who she was until she introduced herself. So, I told her I'd think about it, and then before I could say another word, she said to me that I had a 2 pm appointment with the CFO.

"I told her I don't think I'm interested but thank you. She told me, no, and you be there at 2. So, at 2 pm, I walked into her office and was told that Mr. Richard Livingston will see you now. Well, after 30 minutes, I walked out with another meeting appointment for this Friday at 4. "

After dinner, I talked about looking for a house once we get back from the honeymoon. I told her my dad left a small trust fund for me, my sister, and my younger brother. We could use it as a down payment. It will be enough if we don't get too big of a house. A three-bedroom home with a nice size yard should be easy to find.

Later Maddie came out of the bathroom in something out of the movies. She was wearing a white corset and panties with a garter belt and heels. My eyes almost popped out looking at her. 5'4, 110-115 pounds tops, brown hair, and 34B breast look much more prominent because of the corset. "Wow" was all I could get out.

Maddie laughed, "I guess you like this. I have another set for our wedding night."

The following day, I was at the table having coffee while Maddie was in the shower getting ready when the doorbell rang. I opened the door to find a delivery guy with a package for a Madison Peterson. "She's upstairs. I will take it."

He got a little upset, "He said to only give it to her."

"Tell, whoever sent you here you did. I pulled out a fifty. The delivery guy looked at it. I took out another fifty, "You never saw me." He took the money, and off he went.

The only name on the box was Maddie's. So, when she came down, I was sitting at the table with the package.

Maddie asked, "what's that? "She poured herself a cup and then refilled mine. "It just came for you. But unfortunately, there isn't a name for who it is from."

She opened the envelope, and the look on her face was of shock and dismay.

"Maddie, you, OK?" I took the letter and read it. Livingston told her he couldn't wait to see her at 4 to go over the job. The job is yours. Would you wear this as a congratulations gift from me?

Maddie opened the box and then opened the smaller one that was inside. The smaller box contained a small diamond necklace. She just looked at me.

She looked at me with a blank look, not sure of her feelings. Then, finally, she closed the box and looked right at me. She took hold of the heart necklace, walked over to me, and kissed me. That's the 3rd time she planted one on me that I still feel. Then she looked into my eyes," I will never."

" Why don't you finish getting ready for work, and I'll drive you in and pick you up. Then we can go to dinner to celebrate your promotion if it is on the up and up. Did you say anything to anyone about applying for another position or about never taking off that necklace?"

" No, I didn't even know that the position was open. I only told the girls about the necklace. Jill asked me about it when we were having lunch." She then kissed my cheek, and off she went.

Halfway up the stairs, Maddie stopped and called my name." I just remembered, Amy asked me about it after I met with Richard. I told her the story. She said that's so romantic, and it sounds like you have a keeper. "

I looked at her, thinking something doesn't seem right, but I couldn't put my finger on it. "Maybe tonight at dinner it will be clearer when you tell me about your meeting. Maddie, I love you."

Maddie walked into work and stopped at the security desk, "Morning, Zack." She tried to badge in, and Nothing happened.

"Miss. Peterson, I have a new badge for you. Here you go." As he was handing it to her, the desk phone rang, "Hold on a second." Zack answered, "Yes, she just got in."

Maddie asked, "Zack, why am I getting a new badge? "

"It gives you access to the top floor executive lounge and cafeteria. Congratulations on your promotion."

"Thank you, Zack, but I haven't decided to accept it yet."

Maddie walked into the cafeteria to get a coffee and saw Jill walking her way.

Jill hugged her and said, "Hey girl, the big day is almost here."

"Yes, I can't wait.

"Hey, Zack just gave me a new badge to the executive floor, but I have not accepted the position yet. Something's not right." She told Jill about the box and necklace and now the badge thing.

Jill told her they would meet up at lunch and talk about it.

As Maddie was walking to her desk, a young girl came by, "Miss. Peterson, we all heard the good news, so we girls chipped in and got you this." First, Maddie opened the card wishing her congratulations on her wedding. Next, she opened the box to see a Butterfly pin. "Thank you. I love butterflies."

When Maddie got to her desk, there was an envelope waiting for her. She opened it. It was a memo telling her, 'We can't wait for your move to your new office on the executive floor.' She was getting a little mad, 'I haven't agreed to any of this yet.' Then she went to John, her manager.

"John," Maddie asked, "Do you have a quick second?'

"Sure," John said. "What's on your mind.?"

"Did you give my name to the higher-ups for the PA position?"

"I got a call late last week asking for names for the position. I gave them your name and Jill's. I also said I hate to lose both or either one of you."

"Well John, I have a meeting at four, and the job is mine if I want it. All of this is happening too fast." She walked away thinking, 'I need to see Amy.' Before she could, she had a meeting. After her appointment, she checked her phone and saw a text from Paul about going to lunch. She looked at her watch, and it was just before 11 am. Then she texted Paul to pick her up at 11:30. She then went to see Amy.

Maddie knocked on Amy's door and asked her if she had a few minutes before heading out for an early lunch.

Amy gave her a big smile, "Yes, come in and sit. We are looking forward to you joining us on the top floor. What is on your mind?

"After done talking, we will head over to the executive café for lunch. I let Mr. Livingston know so he can join us, and we can discuss your new job. Why wait till this afternoon? "

"Well, Amy, that sounds nice, but no, thank you. I am meeting my husband for lunch. Anyway, I have not decided if I will take the position yet. However, the meeting the other day has given me a lot to think about, so I was hoping today to get answers to a few questions."

"All of this is out of the blue, and I don't understand it. I mean, why me? There must be others more qualified. I wasn't even looking for a promotion."

Amy had a stern look on her face. All this was not going to plan. She also noticed that Maddison was not wearing the necklace. She recovered quickly, "Madison, Mr. Livingston has looked at all of the other applicants, and you are perfect. You can grow with the job and company. "

"I will be back in time for the meeting with him. Then I am going to ask for the weekend to make up my mind. I'm only in on Monday next week to make sure all my cases are off to the right group. After that, I need to get ready for my wedding and honeymoon. After that, I am going to lunch, and I will be back for the meeting." With that, she got up and texted Paul, 'on my way down. See you soon. love you.'

At lunch, they talked about this and that. Then, Paul asked how the day was going today?

"It's like an out-of-body thing. Everyone wishes me the best at the upcoming wedding and the PA job. But, when I tell them I haven't decided on it yet, it's like they don't hear me. And Amy, something strikes me funny about her. When I told her I was going to lunch with you, it was like she didn't hear me. She just said she had let Mr. Livingston know that the three of us would have lunch in the executive lunchroom and talk about my new job. So, I told her no. I have a few more meetings, and I will be here for the meeting at 4."

After lunch, we went over to the jewelry store to pick up the wedding rings, two hearts interlocking with a diamond. I had them made special because that's what Maddie wanted. She reasoned that if anything happened to the necklace, she would always have the ring saying she never will break my heart.

I stopped to drop her off. Before she got out, she said, "Paul, I have a few meetings with the group than the 4 pm meeting about the PA. I have a few questions, and I want to see what the offer is. I will ask him to let me think about it over the weekend and will tell him my answer on Monday. Then, we can talk about it over dinner. love you." A quick kiss, and off she went.

Maddie was in and out of meetings most of the afternoon. Finally, just before 4, she took the Elevator to the executive floor. She walked into Amy's office and sat down. A few minutes later, one of the other PAs came out of another office. Maddie noticed that her blouse was missing a button, and she looked flushed.

Amy was walking her way, "Maddie, it's great you're here! I'll let Mr. Livingston know you're here."

Amy buzzed Richard telling him Madison was here. Amy told her to go in.

Maddie walked in and '' please take a seat ". Maddie walked over to the chair by the desk. Richard told her, "No, let's sit on the couch by the window, so we don't have to be stuffy. After all, this is a get to know one another. Do you like to be called Maddie or Madison? I am sure you have questions, and then I will tell you why. So, let's get started." Richard sat and looked at her.

Maddie took a deep breath, "Please call me Maddie. My mother calls me Madison. First off, I can't accept this necklace. Thank you, but I don't think it's right for a potential boss to give gifts like this. So, I must say I was not and did not think about a career change about this offer. I am sure there are others with more experience. I get all the facts on cases that help the customer, and us save money. Then pass them up here. I don't see how being your PA helps."

Richard was not happy that she hadn't worn the necklace or accepted it. "Well, Maddie," Richard began, "John, your supervisor talked very highly of you and Jill, I mean MS Novak. Looking over your resume and after the brief chat the other day, we feel you are the right fit. We think with the right push. You could go far in the company. "

Richard continued, "You will be working with me and the other board members on how we can improve the staff with training and at the same time save the company money. Your salary starts at 95k. You will be responsible for helping to put together reports for me and working with the other board members when needed. You will be my right-hand man, or woman if you would.

"The benefits package is a nice perk. Not to mention the quarterly meeting at the company retreat in Key West, where your husband is also welcome. Also, congratulations on your upcoming wedding. The company party is a nice way to get to know each other. So, please think about it. The other board members and I think you will be a great addition to the team. Take this benefit package, review it, and get back to me."

Maddie took the package, "thank you for this opportunity, Mr. Livingston. "I will give it some thought over the weekend and give you my answer Monday.

"I will say this is still a little hard to believe. I have been with the company for just about six months. If, and right now, it's still an if, I decide to take the position, I won't start until I get back from my honeymoon. I am just coming in Monday to pass my cases on to the others in the group. Then I am off for the next two weeks."

"I understand, and congratulations again, "Here is my phone number. If you have any more questions, you would like answered over the weekend. Please call me." With that, he stood up and walked her to the door opening, putting his hand on her shoulder, "I hope you say yes, MS Peterson."

Maddie went back to her desk to get her things and texted Paul that she was ready to get picked up.

Jill walked over," Hey, this package came when you were in your meeting."

Maddie looked at Jill, "Oh, not again!" She opened it to find a Crystal butterfly desk ornament. The note was from Richard, 'Madison, just a little something to put on your desk and my way of saying welcome to the team.'

When Maddie came home, and we talked about the new position over the weekend, "Why not tell him you take it with a 3-month trial period. And if you both agree it's working fine, great. We can use the money for the house fund. Between that and my trust fund, we should be able to find the home you want." Paul told her.

Monday, Maddie went to see Richard and told him she would accept the job with the condition of a three-month trial period.

Richard more than agreed and told her he would see her when she got back from her honeymoon. So, the rest of the week flew by. The wedding and honeymoon were great. When we got back, it seemed everything was moving along smoothly.

Everything was fine till the end of the first month. Then, Maddie called just before 5, "The girls from the office were going to happy hour and asked me to come. I won't be late, and I should be home by 8."

"Have fun; we have Nothing going on tonight. Don't drink too much. I reminded Maddie that we have the BBQ with Doug and Sally Saturday afternoon."

About 8, the doorbell rang. When I opened it up, Maddie was between 2 of her coworkers. "She had a little too much to drink."

I told them, "Thanks, I'll take it from here." I helped her up to bed. I started to get her undressed when I noticed that her shirt was missed buttoned and a missing button. There were also a few white stains on her chin and neck. I cleaned her up," Maddie, how much did you have to drink?"

"I only had three drinks. I am not sure why I feel so out of it.'

I kissed her forehead, locked up the place, and held her until we both were asleep.

Saturday over at Doug and Sally's house, Doug and I were over by the grill having a beer. Doug asked, "everything OK with you two. You and Maddie are very quiet."

"Maddie went out after work with the girls a little too much. Doug, something's not right, but I can't put my finger on it. "Later, after we ate and sat by the fire, we were all laughing and having a good time, and Maddie seemed like herself.

Monday, it was my turn to cook. When Maddie came home, she just walked in and went upstairs without a kiss or hello. I called to her, "Hey Maddie, you, OK?" When I got no answer, I walked up the stairs and into the bedroom. She was sitting on the bed with a faraway look. I walked over, got on my knees, and took her hands, "Hey Maddie, what's going on."

Maddie looked up at me," It's Nothing, just something at work that happened, and it came out of the blue. "

Over dinner, we talked about this and that. I got Maddie a glass of wine, and I made myself a gin and tonic. "Come on, sit by the fire pit, tell me about it."

Well, Maddie took a drink and started talking," It seems the girl who was the PA before got some numbers wrong, and now the company is getting sued. So, I must dig back 18 months and find her mistake.

"Now I have three weeks before the big charity event. They are meeting that weekend to talk about how to handle this. Oh, also all the board member's wives will be there as well as all the spouses. That reminds me. Please get your suit clean."