Sealing the Deal

"Johnson?" the voice barked.

Mark automatically stood up as he heard the voice thundering down the phone, sending his chair flying backwards in his haste.

"Sir Richard," he answered, his surprise and nervousness obvious to them both.

"Nothing to worry about my boy, nothing at all ... almost there now ... deal just about done ... one last thing though ... dinner on Saturday ... we can sort it then ... just one thing to do ... sort of tradition, you know ... up at the house ... black tie of course ... shall we say eight?" Sir Richard rattled off without pausing for breath.

Mark tried desperately to catch up with the torrent words, to understand the request Sir Richard was making. So far, all his contact had been through his solicitor or accountant. But of course this wasn't a request at all, more of an order.

"Yes ... yes of course," he managed to get out eventually, "But what about Mr Smyth and Mr Belling, won't I need them?"

"No, no," Sir Richard shot back, "Damn lawyers ... accountants ... no, no ... just something for us to see to ... but you be sure to bring Kitty with you ... see you Saturday."

"Katy, Sir Richard ... my wife is Katy ..." but the dialling tone was already purring in his ear.

"Who was that?" Katy asked moments later, poking her head around the door.

"Sir Richard," he told her, still puzzled by the whole thing.

"Sir Richard?" she repeated, "But he never speaks to ..."

Her hand flew to her mouth as she gasped.

"There's not a problem, is there ... I thought it was all settled ... that ..."

"No, no," he assured her, "Everything is okay, he just said that there's one last thing to do, and that we can sort it out on Saturday."

"Saturday?" she asked, "And what sort of thing?"

"I don't know, he said that it was a sort of tradition, that it would be sorted at dinner on Saturday, and that I was to take you along as well," Mark told her.

"Dinner? Saturday? Are you joking!!" Katy exclaimed.

"Why?" Mark looked at her, puzzled.

"Think about it Mark," she told him, "Dinner ... black tie I suppose ... and what do I wear?"

Mark looked at her, his face a picture of misery.

"We'll think of something," he told her, but not having a clue what.

Her face softened.

"I know," she sighed, "We have to ... after everything we've given up ... now that we are so close ... we have to do whatever it takes."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It had all started two years before, when they'd been married for only a year or so. Mark was working as a computer programmer with a security specialist, but was getting increasingly frustrated at some of the work he was being given.

"They just can't see it," he'd ranted at Katy one night.

"See what?" she'd asked patiently.

"That I'm right, and they're wrong!"

Mark wasn't normally so confident, arrogant even, but when it came to his work, he was always ready to defend himself, to defend his thoughts and ideas.

"They are so short sighted," he went on, "What they need to do is look ahead further, to leapfrog the other security companies, to get something so new, so powerful, it'll blow them all away ...."

He paused for breath, but before Katy could speak, he was off again.

"And I've told them exactly what they need ... it's so easy!"

"Well you write it then," she had told him softly, trying to calm him, "You write the programme."

Mark had laughed, loving the idea, something he'd always dreamed of, but knew that it was totally impractical. But as the weeks went by, he couldn't shake the thought from his mind. One night over dinner, he asked her if she'd been serious.

"About what?" she'd asked back, a puzzled look on her face.

"About me writing a new programme?"

"Of course ... " her voice trailed off as she saw the look on his face.

"What have you done?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"Resigned," he said simply.

For the next hour they discussed the practicalities of what Mark had done.

"How long will it take?" Katy had asked.

"Around two years," he'd told her, "But we can make it ... just ... with some sacrifices."

And then he'd told her what those sacrifices would be -- a smaller house, a flat even, her having to work more, giving up luxuries, holidays, their savings.

"It's a gamble," he concluded, "We could lose everything if I'm wrong."

"Or be set up for life if you're right," she'd told him.

"But what if I'm wrong?" he'd persisted.

"Then you'll end up a kept man," she told him with a laugh.

Mark was sat in an armchair by now, with Katy curled up at his feet. He pulled her onto his lap, and wrapped an arm around her. They smiled at each other before sinking easily into a kiss, Mark's hand gently caressing the side of Katy's full breast as their tongues sought each other out. They kissed for a long time, their need growing. Mark tugged at the buttons of Katy's blouse, slipping his hand into the gap he'd made, his fingertips rubbing at her hard nipple through the lace of her bra.

"Come on," she told him huskily a few minutes later.

Katy stood up, her blouse gaping open, and held out her hands to Mark. She pulled him to his feet, his arms going around her waist as she slipped hers around his neck. They kissed again, their bodies pressed together. As their kiss deepened, Mark pushed forward, his cock rock hard inside his jeans. Katy moaned against his lips as he bent his knees so that she could grind her mound against him, both of them feeling each others heat, their urgent need.

Katy never ceased to amaze Mark, how the shy, demure girl could become such a needy, sexy woman in moments when the mood took her, took them. He stepped back gasping, and stared at her. She looked no different to when they'd first met five years before when they were both in their first year at University. Her shoulder length brown hair was as unruly as ever, framing her round face, with her wide brown eyes, generous mouth and a nose sprinkled with freckles.

She smiled, her white teeth glistening, her whole face lighting up. With his eyes locked on hers, Mark reached out and slowly undid the remaining buttons of Katy's blouse, tugging it out of the waistband of her skirt as he went. Katy shrugged her blouse off her shoulders as Mark dragged it down her arms and off. They stood for a second, Marks eyes locked on her deep cleavage, on her breasts spilling out of her bra.

Katy instinctively straightened her shoulders as Mark reached between her breasts for the tiny clip that held her bra together. His hands filled with her soft breasts as her bra sprung away from her body to hang loosely from her arms. For a moment Mark had a flash back to the first time he'd held her like this, the first time she'd been touched by a man. It was a few months after they'd met, in her tiny bedsit near the University. Even then, it had been months before things had gone further.

Mark looked down as his thumbs rubbed across her wide nipples, which were normally a soft pink, but which were already tightening into hard, dark peaks. He dipped his head, her fingers running through his hair and pulling him to her as he sucked a nipple deep into his mouth. After a few long moments that left her nipple rock hard and her pussy dripping wet, she guided him to her other breast.

She pushed down on his shoulders, so Mark dropped to his knees, his mouth moving between her nipples, his tongue teasing them, licking across her warm skin. He reached behind her and unzipped her skirt, before popping the button and easing it -- and her panties -- down over her rounded ass. He caressed her as he went, taking his time, uncovering her pussy, cloaked by its neatly trimmed triangle of short hair, until her skirt was in a pool around her feet -- and she was beautifully naked in front of him.

Mark looked up, smiling at Katy before letting his eyes roam over her body, drinking in a view that he could never tire of. Her breasts were full and shapely, firm and soft at the same time. Her tummy was just flat enough, her waist pinching in above the swell of her hips and her rounded ass, before sweeping down to her strong legs. To him, she was beautiful, her soft curves just perfect.

With a groan, Katy pulled him towards her, pushing her hips forward to meet his mouth as he flicked his tongue across her clit and pussy. She held him tight, savouring his mouth on her pussy, his hands on her ass, in awe of the deep feelings that he alone had ever unleashed in her.

"I need you," she whispered, her eyes half closed.

He looked up, her juices smeared across his lips. Standing up, he kissed her quickly, his mouth tasting of her.

"Come on," he said, taking her hand.

"No," she told him, "Here ... now ..."

He looked at her in surprise before pulling her to him, their mouths clashing as they kissed wildly. He could feel the heat of her naked body, the hardness of her nipples, through his shirt as she pressed herself against him. It was Katy who broke their wanton kiss to reach down between them, fumbling in her haste to undo his jeans, to free his cock. He helped her, dragging his zip down as she undid the button. She yanked the two sides of his jeans apart, staring at the hard bulge, at the wet patch of pre cum.

Katy reached down and pulled Mark's cock free, slowly peeling his skin back as she held his throbbing shaft. His was the only cock she'd ever seen, ever held, ever wanted to see or hold, and yet still she knew it was perfect. Something told her that it wasn't too long or too thick -- it was just beautiful, hard and straight, and for her just right.

"Now," she told him huskily, turning to kneel on the chair he'd so recently been sat in, her arms resting on the back.

With a deep groan, Mark moved behind her, pushing his jeans half way down his thighs as he moved. Katy wiggled her ass at him, her pink lips pouting at him from between her soft thighs. He guided his cock towards her, sighing as the tip rubbed against her pussy and than sank inside her. Katy pushed back against him as he grabbed her hips, pushing his cock in deeper until his balls were resting against her. Katy groaned softly as he held still and then louder as he pulled back before driving his cock back into her.

The room echoed to their cries as they fucked wantonly, Katy's breasts swaying wildly as Mark slammed his cock into her, her juices running onto her thighs. She rested her head on her arm, reaching down between her breasts to rub her clit. Mark reached around her, her breasts filling his hands as they drove each other relentlessly towards their climaxes. Katy came first, sobbing as waves of pleasure washed through her, before she pushed back against him, taking him over the edge, his cum erupting inside her.

Their breathing was harsh as they clung together. Katy stood up slowly, Mark's hands still on her breasts, his cock still inside her. He caressed her as she twisted her head, their mouths locked together until his softening cock slipped from inside her. Only then did she turn towards him, helping him drag his tee shirt over his head before pressing her body to his.

She reached down for him, caressing his still wet shaft until she dropped to her knees and drew him gently into her mouth. She licked and sucked his cock and balls, tasting his cum and her juices, as she eased his jeans and boxers down his legs. As he stepped out of them, his cock, slick from her mouth, was already rising. She stood up and they shared another kiss, their hands moving easily over each others bodies until Katy led him away, led him upstairs to their bedroom.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After that, they had made love long into the night, before planning their new life. They decided to move straightaway, to the flat where they still lived. Katy increased her hours, working full time instead of just three or four days a week. They cancelled the holiday that they'd booked just the week before, and swopped their two cars for one, using the money they gained to buy Mark some high powered computer equipment, and all the other things he needed to get started.

And then Mark got to work. And it took just as long as he thought. And the sacrifices they had to make were just as bad. But at last, he was happy with what he had written. He then set about selling what he had. Part of Mark told him that selling the idea would be hard, but other part convinced him that what he had was so good, so far ahead of the game, that it would be easy.

They had carefully kept some money aside to help with the selling of it, but that soon ran out as Mark, often with Katy at his side, made presentation after presentation -- and then received polite rejection after polite rejection. But that all changed when, out of the blue, they had a phone call from Mark's old boss, who had heard what was going on.

"Ring Joe Mahoney at ItSec," he'd told Mark, "I'll tell him to expect your call."

He told Katy about the call when she home from work.

"Who are they?" she'd asked.

By now, she had as good an idea of the main companies out there as Mark did.

"Good question -- it's taken me all afternoon to find out. It's a small company -- but it's owned and backed by Sir Richard Bird's company, OxSec. They want to expand, and are by all accounts paying good money for the right stuff."

Katy listened carefully.

"Isn't he the one who's pretty ruthless?"

"Yes," Mark had said carefully, "Which is why I haven't made the call yet. This is our last chance. We've just about got enough money left for this, and to get us through the next few weeks."

"Make the call," she'd told him simply.

He'd made the call the next morning, and by the afternoon he was making a presentation to Joe Mahoney and two of his colleagues, and demonstrating the software he'd written. What he didn't know was that Sir Richard was watching the presentation remotely. As soon as he'd finished dealing with the inevitable questions, the phone rang.

"That's the one," a voice growled so loudly that Mark had overheard those few words.

Joe had put the phone down without speaking - and held out his hand to congratulate Mark.

The next few weeks had flown by in a blur. The offer from ItSec had been far more than Mark had ever dreamed of -- but became even more once the accountant a friend had recommended to him got involved. He brought a lawyer on board as well -- and the deal got even better as a longer royalty period and more spin offs were negotiated.

It really had seemed that their future was set - until Mark had picked the phone up and heard Sir Richard's voice booming down the line at him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Don't worry," Mark whispered as he squeezed Katy's hand, "And you look fantastic."

She returned his smile weakly, her tummy fluttering with nerves.

"He said that it was nothing to worry about ... that it was some sort of tradition ... something we had to do ... don't worry ... everything will be fine."

Mark wished that he could sound more convincing, but he was just as worried as Katy.

"We've arrived, Sir."

Mark and Katy had been so distracted that they hadn't paid any attention to the journey, relying on the driver -- and the huge car -- that Sir Richard had insisted on sending for them. They waited until the door was opened for them before stepping out. It took all their willpower not to gasp at the stunning house that stood in front of them, or at the gardens that surrounded it.

They squeezed each others hands one last time. Even though they had blown virtually all the money they had left on hiring a good suit for Mark, and on a long overdue visit to a hair stylist and beauty salon for Katy, they both suddenly felt vulnerable, especially Katy who had borrowed a dress, and who was convinced that all the other women would be totally glamorous.

As the car crunched quietly away over the gravel drive, the door swung open.

"Good evening Sir, Madam," the butler said, "Please follow me."

They followed him into the house, totally overwhelmed by their surroundings.

"It is a bit overpowering the first time, but please don't worry."

They both turned towards the soft, husky voice -- and openly stared at Amanda, Sir Richard's stunning wife. An ex-model in her mid-thirties, she had married Sir Richard a few years before, and had rarely been out of the gossip columns since. Her hair hung in long, blonde curls around her bare shoulders, her crimson silk dress clinging to her soft curves from the tops of her breasts to a few inches above her knees, her full cleavage drawing both their eyes.

She stepped between them, and looped an arm through each of theirs.

"Now you must be Mark," she said, squeezing his arm, "And you of course are Katy."

She turned towards Mark and then back to Katy before she spoke again.

"And can I just say what a lovely young couple you are."

For a moment, both Mark and Katy could feel their faces glow as Amanda chatted, putting them at ease.

"We do like to have these little gatherings," she told them, "A sort of tradition really. Now, let me introduce you to everyone."

As she spoke, she swept them into a large room, one end of which was dominated by a long table laden with glistening glass and silver, while the other end was cosier, with large, comfortable chairs and sofas dotted around. The room was expensively decorated, the carpet deep enough to lose your feet in. One wall was lined with books, another with floor to ceiling windows that looked out on to the gardens, expensive works of art littering the others.

There were about ten other people in the room, all of them exuding power and elegance. A waiter appeared with a silver tray laden with three glasses of Champagne. As they each took one, Sir Richard detached himself from the group he was talking to and crossed the room to them, his voice booming out.

"Mark, Katy ... wonderful to see you."

Katy saw him for the first time. Despite all that Mark had told her, and all the pictures she'd seen of him, she still wasn't prepared for what a powerful figure he was. Tall, with a barrel chest and thick, greying hair, he was an extremely handsome man, even in his mid fifties. His handshake nearly crushed Mark's hand, before he turned to Katy and took both her hands in his.

"You look beautiful, my dear," he told her, before kissing her hand, and then her cheek, before adding softly, "I think that we'll all enjoy your company tonight."

Beside them, Amanda watched Mark and Katy closely, wondering how they would react to what was to come. Outwardly, Katy seemed shy, but under that demure exterior, Amanda was sure that there was someone else waiting to come out. She smiled to herself, thinking how she would find out if she was right in just a few hours time.

"Let me introduce you to everyone else," she told them, extracting Katy from Sir Richard's embrace.

She led them further into the room, her sheer presence drawing everyone's eyes to her. She introduced Mark and Katy to all of the other guests, taking her time, trying to put them both at ease. Apart from Sir Richard and Amanda, there were eight other guests.

Martin was Sir Richard's right hand man. In his late forties, his once handsome face and hard body were sagging with both age and over indulgence. But his wife, Denise, was stunning, a good ten years younger than him, her raven hair hanging around her shoulders, her cream dress clinging to her svelte body.

The next couple they were introduced to were Derek and Kim. Unlike the others, they were friends of Amanda's. In their early thirties, Derek was tall, with dark, brooding eyes. Kim could have been Amanda's twin, with the same blonde hair and sensual looks. Beside them, David and Susan looked drab -- David was ItSec's solicitor, a short, dumpy man in his forties with a belly that overhung his belt. Susan, his wife, was very pretty, but still looked plain as she stood between Kim and Amanda.