Kerry broke one of her golden rules ⊠never get dressed up for a night out, at work. If she hadnât had so much work on her desk, and if Mark hadnât wanted to leave for the date so early, and if ⊠well, life was full of ifâs and butâs. However if she hadnât broken her own rule, she might never have experienced something that would change her life forever.
When choosing her outfit for the evening, Kerry had gone for the âfuck-meâ look in a big way. She had wanted to tease Mark with the promise of what was to come all evening long. To get him so excited that he would be eating out of her hand. Gone was her usual work attire of business suit and low shoes â on went a figure hugging, short dress. And not the usual âlittle black numberâ that many women chose, but a deep, rich, burgundy red. The colour was a little risky with her hair colour and skin tone, but one that Kerry had learned to carry well. Her long, light strawberry blonde hair was worn, not in her normal French pleat, but loose. It hung in natural waves to just above her waist allowing for a glimpse of creamy flesh as the backless dress swooped to just above her buttocks.
As the dress exposed all her back, Kerry wore no bra, allowing her full breasts to assume their natural shape. Kerry hoped that she wouldnât be doing too much walking as the material rubbing against her bare nipples would soon make them erect. Kerry also left her panties off. The dress was so sheer that even the smallest thong would be seen below it. She completed her ensemble with a pair of high-heeled strappy sandals, leaving her legs bare. Adding a touch of blusher to her cheekbones, a hint of lip-gloss to her full lips, and the smallest dab of perfume to various pulse points, Kerry stood back and looked at herself in the mirror. She smiled at her reflection, thinking that not many of her colleagues at Elliott Enterprises would recognise her dressed like this. She didnât allow many people to even glimpse her wanton side.
Walking carefully out from the ladies to the lift lobby, Kerry hoped and prayed that the lift would remain empty until she reached the underground car park. It really wouldnât do to let any of the managers see her dressed this way. She thought it pretty safe â who would be mad enough to be working at gone seven on a Friday evening! Eventually, the lift climbed to the eleventh floor, the doors slid silently open and Kerry entered, pressing the button to basement 2. The doors closed and the lift began to move. Glancing at the light above the doors, Kerry gave a small gasp. The lift was climbing upwards. Kerry muttered a string of expletives. The floor above hers housed the canteen and rest areas, the senior managers ⊠and the three partners.
Kerry tried to calm herself by thinking that it could be one of the cleaners. They were supposed to use the service lifts, but occasionally used the plush ones if the building was empty. The lift climbed past the 14th floor. That meant that a partner had over-ridden the controls and had summoned the lift. Just her damned luck. Very, very few of the staff had ever seen a partner â so few that there was a standing joke that they didnât really exist. All Kerry knew about them was the fact that there were two men and a woman, and that they were related. What one earth did one say to oneâs ultimate boss when dressed like a high-class prostitute. Suddenly Kerry wished that she had not worn this particular dress, and above all â had not got changed at work.
The lift stopped and Kerry tried hard to look small and inconspicuous by standing in the corner furthest from the control panel. The doors began to open and Kerry held her breath. Please let it be a cleaner, please ⊠Her luck was out. Standing in the doorway was the younger Mr. Elliott. Kerry found herself unable to move or speak; she just stood there, clutching her bags, staring at the floor. The silence seemed to last forever and finally Kerry could bare it no longer. She raised her head and gave a weak smile. Mr. Elliott reached round the door to the control panel and inserted a small key, locking the doors open. Finally, he spoke, âGood evening Miss Turner. The senior partner wondered if you could spare him a few moments of your time.â When Kerry made no effort to move or speak, he added, âKindly follow me.â
Kerry gathered her wits and asked timidly if she might use the ladies and change back into more business like attire. Matthew Elliott looked her up and down, almost undressing her with his eyes, and smilingly said that she looked just fine to him and he was sure his father wouldnât mind either. Bowing to the inevitable, Kerry stepped passed the young partner, thinking that if the worst came to the worst, she would begin looking for a new job first thing Tuesday morning. As she followed Matthew through the doors into the partnersâ office suite, Kerry began to rehearse excuses in her head - but soon gave that up, realising that it was a rather futile exercise until she knew just why Mr. Elliott senior wanted to see her.
As he walked her through he reception area, Matthew gestured to Kerry that she should leave her bags on one of the leather armchairs. She would have liked to keep hold of her small clutch bag, but didnât like to argue the point. All too soon Kerry found herself being shown into a plush room. Matthew pointed to a seat this side of a large desk and then left, closing the door firmly behind him. Kerry perched nervously on the edge of the chair, her eyes darting around the room. It wasnât a very large room considering that it was the office of the senior partner, but the furnishings were top quality. The desk was highly polished solid wood. Kerry thought it looked like oak, but grinned at herself, as she was probably wrong. All she knew was that it was solid and expensive looking. Mr. Elliottâs chair was a typical office chair in that it had castors and swivelled â but there the similarity to her own chair a few floor below, ended. This one was covered in soft leather that gleamed in the soft lighting of the room. It was high-backed and looked beautifully comfortable. Even the âguestâ chair on which she perched was different. Although it was a hard chair, a little like one found in many dining rooms, it was well padded and looked antique.
Kerry stole a quick look at some of the pictures on the wall. She guessed that they must be either photographs or paintings of the many buildings owned by the Elliotts. They were one of the largest social landlords in the country, housing over half a million families. She should know; she had laboured in the rent section for almost a year now. Kerry began to get edgy. Where was Mr. Elliott senior? Just as her mind began to wander, thinking of what she could be doing right now, she heard a muffled oath and saw the partnerâs chair move. Curiously, Kerry got up and walked round the desk, the thick carpeting masking all sounds of her movement. What she saw make Kerry smile. There was the senior partner on his hands and knees with one arm deep in his bottom drawer, trying to reach something.
He must have sensed her standing there because his body suddenly stiffened and he turned his head. All he could see were sandaled feet until he tilted his head and followed the legs up to the dress and then finally to Kerryâs face. He immediately got to his feet and held out his hand in greeting, apologising that he had not been ready to greet her. Kerry grinned as she shook his hand and took the opportunity to get a good look at him.
He must be in his late 50âs or early 60âs to have a son older than she was, but he only looked about 40. He was tall and lean, with wide shoulders and a muscle tone that spoke of hours working out. He must take good care of himself, thought Kerry, and then laughed at herself as she realised he had the money to do so. Kerry looked at his face and almost melted. His mouth was wide, made for smiling; his teeth white and even; his full set of whiskers neatly trimmed sitting well on his tanned face. However, what held Kerryâs attention and made her heart skip a beat were his eyes. They were such a pale shade of brown that they appeared almost amber, like those of a large predatory cat.
Kerryâs mouth had gone very dry and she ran her tongue over her lips as she let her hand drop from his. Mr. Elliott grinned like a schoolboy trying to charm the birds from the trees as he waved a hand towards the open drawer. He explained that an important disc had fallen down the back of the drawer and he was trying to retrieve it before his daughter asked for it back. He would get a ticking off for having it loose in his drawer if he told her. Did Kerry mind if he continued to attempt to retrieve it as they spoke? Kerry automatically shook her head. Even if she had minded, she was hardly likely to say so.
The partner immediately dropped to his knees again and started fishing for the disk. At the same time he began to question Kerry about her work, her line manager, whether she was happy and if she had thought about other job opportunities. Kerry answered each question carefully, wondering if this were some kind of test. At the moment, her line manager was a right bastard, delighting in criticising her at every turn, giving her the worst, most boring jobs, and taking any credit that came along for work well done. She didnât voice this, of course, as it wouldnât do to run down a manager, but some of her frustration must have sounded in her voice because Mr. Elliott paused in his scrabbling and got to his feet again.
âHmmm, sounds as if you might be ready for a change in position then. The partners have had their eye on you for a month or so now â and this evening made up our minds. We need an administrative assistant to run the office; the partners office, that is. Would you be interested in something like that?â
Kerryâs head was reeling. Had their eye on her? She was surprised they knew she even existed! And this was a chance to get away from that prick of a manager. If she had known this was to be a job interview, she would have at least prepared a few intelligent questions. She jumped in with both feet, without thinking what the job might involve and just blurted out, âWhen do I start?â Mr. Elliott threw back his head and roared with laughter. Kerry grinned a little sheepishly and added, âWell, maybe I could think up a question or two in a minute. Let me see if I can get that disc for you, and perhaps you could tell me about working hours and salary and âŠâ
With her mind spinning at top speed, Kerry quite forgot the dress she was almost wearing and dropped to her knees by the open drawer. Mr. Elliott stood back a little and began telling her that her salary would be entirely dependant on hours worked, and duties performed. She would start on a basic of ÂŁ15,000 but could expect to make at least double or triple this with bonuses. All the time he had been speaking, Kerry had been trying to retrieve the disc. Each time she almost had it, it dropped away again. As Kerry strained to reach still further into the desk, her dress rode up, exposing her bare bottom. Kerry vaguely heard Mr. Elliott sit in his chair as she asked what times she would be expected, and listened with half an ear that for her basic salary, her hours would be nine âtil five, but there would be times when she would need to work outside these hours and she would be paid for these.