Fifty-five year old Horace Burke had been the Chief Executive Officer of Portland Enterprises for more than fifteen years. His personal business philosophy of "pay well, demand a lot and don't spare the whip" had long been the standard at Portland and it was responsible in large part for the company's success.
The organization was solid and successful with an impeccable record of innovation by a well qualified management team. That was Horace's doing. A skilled recruiter, the CEO was relentless in finding the best people and getting the most out of them. The management at Portland was extremely well paid but the high salaries came with a demanding work load that left the executives with little time for other things that might distract them from the business of business. If a desire to escape the heavy demands of the job got the best of anyone that Horace wanted to keep, the individual soon found the high salaries at Portland were like golden handcuffs. The level of compensation was simply not available from the competition. Like everyone else, the Portland executives, and especially their wives, grew accustomed to living the affluent life style and settling for less was not an acceptable option.
Horace himself wasn't nearly as impressive as the company he built. Thirty pounds overweight, sallow skinned and balding, the man looked perpetually unhealthy. In spite of that, Horace was often seen in the company of very pretty women who found the man's companionship was made more appealing by his power and his wealth. Trophy wives and fast cars were the norm among the Portland executives and Horace Burke was not above using his position to pressure a test drive of either one.
Among the female employees at the firm there were many very good looking women who were always on the lookout for an opportunity to make someone in management happy if that wasn't happening at home. Divorce, being a costly waste of assets for both parties, wasn't very common, so the slap and tickle of extra-marital sex was the order of the day. Like so many other things in the "grass is greener" kind of philosophy, attractive married women in the company who didn't fool around were often the most sought after. They were in a special trophy category all of their own. Getting into their pants brought the kind of group approbation from fellow executives that fed a competitive spirit.
One of the most popular challenges among the married women at Portland was Madison Clarke, the newly appointed department head in accounting. At twenty-eight, Madison still had the youthful good looks that turned heads and the maturity of figure that allowed for an appealing fullness to her breasts and behind. Married with no kids and a successful husband, she could afford to dress well, drive a nice car and not be overly impressed by the come-ons of the executive corps. Curiously, that brought as much resentment from the women who were sexually active as it did from the guys who wished she would be.
It wasn't as if Madison didn't like sex. She was just getting enough at home from a good looking spouse who she loved a lot. Peter was an imaginative lover who knew how to tap into Madison's darker side. While they were monogamous, they each enjoyed delving into the kinkier side of sex to keep their relationship fresh and edgy, albeit private.
It was seven thirty when Horace pulled into his reserved parking space, a full ninety minutes before most of the staff would arrive to start work. He was not surprised to see Madison Clark's silver Lexus already there. Madison was a hard worker and Horace liked that. He liked it almost as much as he liked watching her ass flex in a pencil skirt as she walked around her department. He might have made getting a piece of that a requirement to the promotion she'd just received, but she was just principled enough that she might have quit. Horace didn't want that.
The elevator chimed its arrival on twelve and Horace stopped in at the coffee room for his morning fix. He was just in time to see Madison pouring her own coffee and he felt the familiar rush in his belly when she turned to say "Good morning Mr. Burke."
"Good Morning," he said curtly, maintaining the aloof distance that he felt appropriate. While his manner remained cool, his eyes were quick to take in the pretty woman's cleavage and to check for clues to the type of undergarments she might be wearing. Her blatantly braless appearance in the conference room on Friday was an unexpected treat that had surprised everyone. Whatever brought that on, Horace approved of it. He took another long look at what he considered the nicest set of tits in the building before reestablishing eye contact with the blushing woman.
"You're in early," he observed.
"Yes. I find I get more done before the phone starts to ring."
"Good. Yes. That's good," he responded, letting his eyes drop to her waist to appreciate the way her skirt pulled snugly across her flat belly. He liked the little hollows that it left in front of her hip bones and he found himself wondering what kind of panties she wore. He watched as she turned and put cream and sugar into her cup, giving him the opportunity to check for a panty line in the smooth fabric of her skirt. She turned back to him and he knew she'd caught him checking her out. Instead of looking away, he continued to boldly admire her. He could see that it made her feel uncomfortable and he liked that.
"Would you like milk with that?" she asked indicating the cup of steaming coffee he was holding.
He smiled and purposefully dropped his eyes to her neckline once more to be sure she'd get the double entendre. "Yes. That would be lovely."
"I wanted to thank you for supporting my promotion, Mr. Burke," she stammered, trying to change the subject. Her hand self-consciously fluttered up cover the v-neck of her blouse where his eyes were once again resting.
"It was my pleasure," he snickered, amused at her nervousness. "I think you could have quite a future at Portland. I'd like to spend some time with you and get a feeling for everything you have to offer.
"I'd like to do that sometime," she replied politely, blushing again at his blatant flirting and the deliberate emphasis he had placed on "everything".
"Well how about right now?" he pressed. "I'm on my way out to the plant in a few minutes. You can tag along and get a sense of what this company can do for you.
Moments later Madison was settling onto the leather passenger seat in his Escalade. She felt awkward climbing in with her short skirt and felt uncomfortably certain Burke had been treated to more than an eyeful.
The ride to the plant was tense for her. Only a blind person would have been unaware of the man's preoccupation with her legs. His eyes seemed to undress her as they flicked from the road to the expanse of creamy thigh and back with a regularity that was hard to miss. His conversation drifted easily from purely business to quite personal and she found herself answering questions that he clearly had no right to ask.
"So. How long have you been married?" he asked.
"Seven years. Going on eight," she replied.
"Hmmm. And what's that they say about seven? Isn't that the beginning of 'the itch?'" he chuckled playfully.
"That's what they say," she agreed with a hesitancy that implied that it didn't apply to her.
"Oh c'mon. Don't tell me an attractive woman like you hasn't had thoughts!" he laughed at her teasingly.
"No. Never," she maintained.
"Well your husband is a lucky man. Either that or he satisfies you unbelievably."
"What could be unbelievable about that?" she challenged, and then immediately wished she hadn't.
