Seven Year Ditch

British spelling and grammar.

This was in years ago. I edited out a thousand words and tidied it up. UK legal references are near enough.

***

Seven year ditch

Chris first met Nick when it was pissing down with rain. He was driving to work, and there was this drenched man. The bonnet of his Citroen was up and he was standing in front of it, kicking the grille. Chris had to smile. He'd had his fair share of crap cars when farther down the corporate ladder. And couldn't help but laugh when the bonnet crashed down and trapped the guy's tie. He pulled over and lowered the BMW's window.

"I don't know much about cars, but can I give you a lift?"

He got out and released the catch; the bonnet shot up and the man jumped back to avoid getting smacked on the chin.

"Fuck!" was the first word he spoke to Chris, who bundled him into the Beemer. They sat there for a moment, watching the rain slant down.

"I hate Wednesdays!" Nick complained, more to himself than Chris.

"It's too far from both weekends." Chris concurred.

"Now I'm ruining your seat."

"You've ruined your tie too."

It was, well had been, bright yellow, and he held it up and studied it, as if seeing it for the first time. There was a black oily mark across it.

"Fucking loaners!" he complained.

They looked at each other and laughed.

"I'm Nick Cooper. Thanks."

"Chris Jaggers - you're welcome. I've had cars like that. Been there, done that, got the dirty tie!"

"It's not even my car. Mine's in for repair."

They chatted for a couple of minutes and assistance was accepted. Nick dashed back to his car and retrieved his suit jacket. Chris handed him a small towel which was always kept in the car. England had a lot of weather like this in the autumn. Nick wiped his trousers and cleaned his shoes with it, as best he could. Then he combed his hair while Chris drove him to his appointment.

On the way, Nick explained it was an interview with a finance company. He had recently started his own IT / security business, and this might be his big break. Outside the building, he looked at his watch.

"I'm just in time. Thanks again."

"Your jacket will cover the worst of your wetness. Here, take my umbrella."

"I can't do that, what will you do?"

"I'm a manager Nick. That's why it's ok for me to do this and arrive at work late; I have my own space in our underground carpark, nearest the lifts too. You take this."

Nick took it.

"Don't worry. Everyone will be a bit dishevelled in this weather. Take my tie too. It's only an old school tie, but I don't have to wear one."

He protested, but put it on. They agreed to meet in an Italian restaurant the following Friday evening.

"Are you sure you won't come, Liv?"

Olivia and Chris had been married two years. He should know better than say 'Are you sure?' She was always sure.

"Who's this Nick guy again?"

He'd already told her the story of meeting Nick Cooper, but she'd been distracted as usual, so he told her again.

"I'll give it a miss, thanks. He wants to thank you, not me. Go and have dinner and a few beers, I'm meeting up with some workmates tonight anyway."

That night Chris got a new friend. It turned out Nick had thought he was being assessed for providing some security to the company. But unknowingly, he'd been pitching for the entire job. After a two hour session, he was given a contract to take away and study. The job was his once he signed.

"Well I manage the contracts department of our buying division." Chris said. "Perhaps I could look at yours."

"You've done enough already. I'm sure it'll be all right."

"People who begin a sentence with 'I'm sure' ... usually aren't. It won't hurt to give it the once over."

"But it's Friday, I have to take it in Monday morning."

"No problem. I'll meet you in The Nightjar tomorrow lunchtime. You can buy again."

There was no point inviting Olivia to that meeting either. She worked hard during the week and deserved her night out with the girls. He knew she must have overdone it, because there was no rousing her Saturday morning. He left the coffee on, for when she finally surfaced.

The Nightjar was not very busy and they found a quiet table. Chris read through the contract.

"Is it all right?"

"It is, but you could request one change. They're imposing a six month trial period. That's pretty standard for a deal of this nature, but you'll have capital invested by then. It's worth asking for it to be reduced to three; show them you're not a pushover."

"OK. I'll try it. By the way, I forgot to give you this."

He handed over the tie.

"Their general manager was staring at it. And he said 'Nice tie' as I left."

"What was his name?"

"James Prescott."

"He could be from my school, but I don't recall him."

They remained friends. Nick got invited to dinner many times, and always raved about Olivia's cooking. He remained stubbornly single, and repaid them with expensive restaurant meals. Often they were a foursome, when Nick brought along 'his latest squeeze'. But, attractive as they were, none appeared more than twice.

A year later, Nick did something outrageous. His now well established company was just beaten to a big contract with a multi-national. He brazenly informed their CEO they had made a mistake. Once the rival security system had been installed and tested, Nick by-passed it on his computer, and stole a million pounds. The new contractor was called in for explanations, before the police got involved.

After twenty minutes of heated recriminations. Nick burst into their meeting and told them what he had done. It was not really stealing of course, the money would be found in the CEO's personal bank account.

"These clowns came with a slick PPT demo, a bunch of fantastic promises, and that 'assistant' there ..." Nick pointed at a bimbo in a short skirt, "... flashing her underwear!"

He remained silent through the ensuing uproar.

"I'll leave before you throw me out. But get rid of this cheapskate outfit. I've shown you how bad they are. Price isn't everything."

Two months later, they quietly awarded the contract to Nick. He increased his staff threefold, and his income by a factor of five.

It was four years later, and Chris and Olivia would celebrate their seven year anniversary in mid-November. It was still months away but Chris was wondering what to get her. It was supposed to be copper or wool, which did not sound very romantic. Olivia seemed to be snappy of late, and their sex life was on the wane. They'd had a holiday in the south of France in early June. She'd enjoyed it well enough, but it did not appear to have given her much of a boost. He tackled her on the subject.

"I know what you mean." she admitted. "I just feel ... I don't know ... unfulfilled."

"Are you having an affair?"

"Stop right there Chris. I am not having an affair. I'm just out of sorts. Please be patient, it will blow over."

"I hope so Liv - because if you stray, we're done."

They left it at that. But it continued to niggle him.

By mid-June things had picked up a little. They were having sex again. Tonight they were going to a house warming party held by Brian Nash. It was a house extension warming, to be exact. He was on the board of governors at the school where Olivia was deputy head. Chris didn't like him much; he always seemed to look down his nose at people. She could hardly be expected to stay away from him, but he hoped there would be no dancing.

"How do I look?"

"Fantastic, you look very glamorous!"

And she did. The dress was knee-length, and had a scooped neckline, front and back. The material was like wool, and it was flesh-coloured; the gaps in the 'knitting' made it almost see-through.

"I tried to buy myself something sexy."

"You succeeded!"

"I know a house-warming party is not the best showcase for this, but we may not get out much more before the round of Christmas parties."

"No problem. Are you wearing a bra? It's hard to tell."

"Actually, the weave is just tight enough not to be transparent. So I bought these."

Olivia slipped the dress off her shoulder to display one breast. Chris noted two things. First, how easily the shoulder slid down, considering how form-fitting the rest of the dress was. Second, her nipple had disappeared!

"They're nipple covers. The dress is supporting enough, so I don't need a bra; just the neckline is slightly loose. And although the weave is too small for my nipples to poke through, these covers are a precaution. They're also non-reflective. In case there's any flash photography!"

"I get it."

"You don't disapprove then?"

Chris noticed something in her tone. He knew Olivia's decision had been made. She was going to the party like this, whether he approved or not. Part of him was tempted to express reservations. But why rock the boat when she was in such a good mood?

"No objections, as long as you stick to our rules. And I would like to be the one who removes those nipple covers when we get home; preferably with my teeth!"

"Deal!"

This was the first time in weeks she'd sounded enthusiastic about sex. Maybe the party would not be so bad after all.

And they did have some rules. Not written down, but discussed in bits and pieces as situations had cropped up. Now, after six years of flirting, the rules were agreed. Olivia could flash an upskirt or a downblouse, as long as it seemed accidental and was not too frequent. She could hug anybody, and kisses on the cheek were allowed. A peck on the lips was acceptable on birthdays and public celebrations. When dancing, a squeeze of her buttocks was allowed.

The same went for his behaviour of course. But their rules were better defined by what was not allowed for either of them. There would be no open-mouth kissing, and no hands under clothing. And Olivia's breasts and thighs were out of bounds. As were other women's to him.

In the taxi, Chris realised he had not enquired about her panties. There was certainly no visible line. She could have a thong or nothing at all. He didn't dare bring it up now. She'd accuse him of checking up on her. He put one hand on her knee and slid it under the hem of her dress. She picked it up by the wrist and put it on his lap.

"Classic pantyhose," she stated, "not tights. These become a seamless cotton panty at the top. Nude colour of course."

"Olivia! Welcome! Oh hello Chris."

'And so it begins.' he thought.

Brian Nash gave Olivia a bear-hug, and lifted her up. Too enthusiastic; he wasn't even a regular work colleague of hers. As an afterthought, he gave Chris's hand, a brief pump.

Then he whisked her away 'to meet some of my people', holding her arm. Chris sighed, but thought about the sex he hoped to have later.

"Bossy bastard isn't he?" said a voice in his ear.

"Nick! Haven't seen you for ages! I didn't know you'd be here. How long have you known our host?"

They moved to a large table, set up as a bar.

"You haven't seen me because I've been in Croatia."

"Holiday?"

"Yes and no. I'm building a house in Orebic, well, a villa really. Building regs are complicated but we're getting there. It's on the Adriatic coast: orange trees, clean sea, clean air. English is spoken, if not widely, and they have incredibly beautiful girls!"

"Wow! You're leaving us?"

"Not exactly - I'm making so much money now I'm becoming a tax exile, and live here less than six months of the year. I already divert most of my company's income to the Cayman Islands. From there, it's redirected to Croatia. That way, the government can't trace it and hammer me for taxes. You must come and visit once it's completed."

Chris looked across the room and saw Olivia chatting with Brian and 'his people'.

"I've asked you before, but I'll try again. Why don't you leave your company, and work for me?" asked Nick.

"You did ask, and I queried pensions and job security."

"Well I can pay you double what you're getting now. Fund your own bloody pension!"

"It is tempting. But IT is not my strong suit. I must agree a change would be good, but I would not want to be hanging around like a spare part; Victorian work ethic and all that."

"But it's my reps that go out and get the IT jobs, and my techies who do the installations. What I need is a contracts manager, like you. We fucked one up recently and got taken to the cleaners. I could afford the loss, but it's the principle; I don't like making mistakes. If we'd had you on board, you'd have spotted it. Shit, you could even be a tax exile too; you could do the job from anywhere in the world these days."

"I will think about it."

Olivia was buzzing. She'd been attracted to Brian Nash for years though never done anything about it. But recently their paths were crossing more often, and she was becoming obsessed. He told her his wife was going through the menopause and had gone off sex completely. He was frustrated and, despite Chris's enthusiasm for sex, so was she. She had no intention of leaving him; he was a good husband and provider. But, increasingly, she felt she needed more. Excitement? Danger? She wasn't sure.

She knew her friend Caroline had gone through the same sort of thing, and had discussed it with her husband, Geoff. He'd given her a 'Get out of jail free card', for one weekend. Caroline had gone to a hotel in the Cotswolds, with a young stud from her office. She claimed they'd had sex about two dozen times. She had returned rejuvenated, and her lover was dropped. Now her sex life with Geoff was better than ever, and she would not stray again.

Caroline had insisted it had nothing to do with how well hung the man was; it was simply the differences. His energy, lack of body hair, his lack of technique come to that. But Olivia knew that Chris would never agree to something like that; he was too wrapped up in their 'rules'.

She confided in Caroline about flirting with Brian, but Caroline had stopped her; didn't want to know. It was your husband's agreement, or don't do it. They had an argument, and she had refused to go swimming with Olivia who, ironically, bumped into Brian that same day. He'd gone with her, and there had been some fooling around in the pool; and more in his car afterwards.

"Enough Brian! I served my sentence in cars when I was seventeen."

"Where then? I've got to have you. I've never wanted a woman as much as I want you!"

Olivia thought his passioned plea was faked, but was flattered anyway.

"If it's meant to be - an opportunity will present itself."

"I don't believe in fate, Olivia. I want you now."

He took her hand and placed it on the throbbing bulge in his trousers. That certainly wasn't fake. She removed it.

"Enough, I said."

Olivia managed to keep him at bay. And realised that if she was going to 'stray' - as Chris put it -- Brian would be the one. She'd need to be careful but didn't think it would take a whole weekend like Caroline. Once would be enough.

Nash never went to the public swimming pool again. He had his own installed along with the house extension. And he got his whole security system upgraded at the same time; locks, external and internal, and all the IT.

"As for being invited to this party," said Nick, "I'm here, as a thank you."

"I thought you only dealt with big businesses these days?"

"Usually, but our reputation marches before us. I've also done private premises for a police superintendent, and a high court judge. You know, like insurance."

"Clever."

"Nash offered me double our normal rate if I would personally do the work. Then doubled it again when I'd finished, to buy my silence. He's a dirty bugger!"

"In what way?" asked Chris, though he had an idea.

Nick had witnessed the embarrassing display when Chris and Olivia arrived. So he broke his vow of silence, and decided to tell the whole story.

"Let's go somewhere a bit more private, mate. He doesn't know we know each other. He's not likely to notice us at the moment."

They looked in his direction where he was regaling his friends with some apparently hilarious tale. He had his hand in the small of Olivia's back. It looked less like romance, and more like ownership.

Brian Nash was rich, and could easily afford to pay over the odds for the extension's security. But his wife Patricia was the truly wealthy one. Without her knowledge, he'd instructed Nick to set up spy cameras. Some were in the biggest guestroom, whose door could be electronically locked. And there were more in the jacuzzi, pool, and changing rooms. But Nick had uncovered the biggest secret by accident. While laying cable over the bathroom's false ceiling, he had knocked a bottle of cologne off a shelf.

"English Leather if I recall." Nick said. "It was in a fancy wooden box, except the box burst open on the floor and there was no cologne in there - only roofies and E's."

"What?"

"Rohypnol, I'm guessing to knock his wife out, while he plays around in the guestroom, and Ecstasy, to get his victims in the mood."

"Jesus!"

"Anyway, nothing in his security set up can be hidden from me. I've routed everything he records back to my own computers. It might be an idea to send it to yours as well."

He nodded towards Olivia.

Chris's heart sank. He knew why, but asked anyway.

"Why?"

"Because I think Olivia may be his next conquest. I saw him with her at the swimming pool."

"Oh fuck! She said she was going with Caroline."

"I don't know any Caroline, perhaps she was there too, but Olivia was definitely with Nash."

"What did you see?"

"I only saw them that one time, before the pool here was finished. Sexual activity is strictly banned in the Lido, but when they were getting out, he reached up to help her climb the steps. His hand went up one thigh, fingers right into her crotch. There was no mistake, and she paused and wiggled as if enjoying it. Sorry mate."

"Not at all, thanks for telling me. They didn't spot you?"

"No. I arrived as they were leaving. And I had a swim-hat and goggles on. Look Chris. I need to ask you something. Where is your marriage going if they do have an affair? You know what I'm asking."

"Straight down the toilet mate. If they haven't done the deed yet, we might recover something. But if she goes ahead with Nash, we're over. It's divorce time!"

"That's what I needed to know. I have a plan ... "

Olivia was flying now, and the effect felt like more than just a few glasses of wine; suddenly she was horny. She danced with Brian and guessed he would try it on. Sure enough, he clutched her buttocks. He was so brazen it added to the excitement. She was getting wet and the pantyhose were struggling to cope. It felt wonderful; but ten more seconds and she'd tell him to stop. He took her back to the group of friends and passed her another drink.

"Not yet Brian, I'd better go and check on Chris. He'll be wondering where I've got to."

'Just the way you are' started. It was Brian's favourite song. He reached to pull her back.

"Wait, one last ..."

He grabbed her shoulder and accidentally pulled the dress down, exposing one breast. She spun round, covering herself again. But he looked so mortified and everyone laughed. She could see it was an accident so laughed too. Brian covered his face in shame, but was grinning.

'At last!' he muttered. 'Pity about the nipples!'

"What do you think?" asked Nick

"Sorry mate, miles away. After what we just witnessed, it sounds like a great plan."

"I'll need her mobile phone for a few minutes."

"Consider it done."

They didn't get home till one in the morning. Chris was half-expecting a rejection, but Olivia was more than willing. It was the best sex he'd had that year, and he had never known Olivia to be so wet; the pantyhose were ruined.

"Mmm, I needed that!" she sighed later.

"Me too!" he agreed.