This piece is autobiographical. I've not listed names or places to protect the identity of the people involved. All of the events you will read are true. It was a surprising and exciting start to a what I can't really call a relationship - it was fun, but couldn't ever have been more. I hope you enjoy the memories as much as I have enjoyed writing about them. - Author
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Early in my career, I worked for a company for some time that pretty much owned you, body and soul. It was a good place to work, my co-workers were great, the job was fun, and you were well compensated. Still, it wasn't unusual to find out that you'd be traveling to some far-flung corner of the globe on a moment's notice and with no regard to your own plans.
We were working on a project for a massive multi-national company. I had been hired to help the company get the project and once we got the project, it was contractually required that I was present at any meeting between my employer and this company.
I was working in my office one Friday afternoon in February when the company president came into the office to tell me that I would be flying to the UK with the sales director. The client was having problems with our product that they needed us to help resolve. We'd be flying out that evening. I wasn't particularly enthusiastic about a mid-winter trip to the UK with the damp and cold, but that's just the breaks. I went home to pack and we rushed to the airport to make the flight with minutes to spare.
We flew into London and then on to our destination. We spent the weekend doing not much of anything (very little was open) and completed our work at the customer's facility on the Monday morning. Our return trip was already booked for the afternoon to fly back to London where we'd stay at an airport hotel before flying home late Tuesday afternoon.
The sales director told me on the flight back to London that we had a dinner meeting planned with Ms. O; the European buyer for our client. I was asked if I remembered Ms. O as she'd apparently visited our facility, but I didn't remember her or if we'd even met.
While I was looking forward to dinner, it was primarily a sales meeting and would need little input from me. I'd been thinking of a swim in the hotel pool, but the meeting pretty much spoiled that idea.
A passing snow squall had delayed our departure for London and we had to rush a bit to get to the hotel. We had just enough time to get to our rooms and get freshened up for dinner.
When I started for the company I had some suits I'd bought in college that the boss decided needed an upgrade. Technical guys like me aren't known to be notorious fashion hounds, so my boss had me fitted for some Armani suits when we were in New York so that I looked the part for the business we were in. It was a business that was very much about perception and impressions. Putting modesty aside here, I looked damned good in that suit.
I grabbed my folio for the meeting and rushed downstairs, meeting the sales director in the lobby. We walked into the restaurant a few minutes late. Ms. O was already seated at the table with a drink going over some notes. She put them aside to and stood to greet us.
If I had met her, I definitely would have remembered her. She was a petite redhead with straight shoulder-length hair tucked behind one ear. The hair was bright red and her eyes were a pale sea-green. She stood just over 5 feet tall. My first impression was that she was very, very pretty with delicate features, but overall, just darned cute.
Her complexion was fair with a sprinkling of freckles across the tops of her cheeks and nose. She was wearing a crisp white blouse with a dark green jacket over it. A tightly fitted grey hound's tooth skirt, hose and some low heeled black patent leather pumps completed the ensemble.
She had greeted the sales director first with a soft Irish lilt and then turned to shake my hand. Our sales director introduced us referring to her as Ms. O. We lingered a bit on our introduction holding our grip a bit longer than usual. "Please call me F.", she said.
We sat at the table and F sat with a very upright posture trying to make every inch of her height count. I was struck by the thought that F looked awfully young to be in the position of responsibility that she held. The waiter came with menus and took drink orders for the rest of the table.
From that moment on at the meal, I was an accessory at the table. F and the sales director did all the talking except for a few items where they asked me questions. I had little to add to their conversation over the meal which was almost entirely sales business. I made a few notes about things that affected what we were doing, but that's about it.
After dessert, we adjourned to the lounge for coffee and they talked a bit more about our visit to their facility up north. I was asked a few things about the visit, but again was the third wheel. I can remember thinking that I would have liked to have excused myself and gone to the pool. Eventually, business was concluded and we said our goodbyes and parted company.
Once back in my room I took off my jacket and tie along with my shoes to relax a bit while I finished preparing a trip report at the desk.
While I was working, there was a soft knock at the door. I was a bit confused. I'd called down for a wake-up call, but hadn't asked for any hotel services. The sales director never bothered me in my room. She would have called on the phone. I padded to the door and opened it.
F was standing there with a bottle of whiskey in one hand and a leather bag in the other. "Can I come in?"
"Uh, sure." I stepped out of the way to let her in.
She removed her shoes and jacket and put the bag on the luggage rack before heading to the desk for glasses and pouring two large measures of the amber liquid, handing me one.
She held the glass up and said, "To courage."
We touched glasses together and sipped the whiskey standing there in silence for a few minutes. She took my glass from me and set them on the desk before wrapping her arms around my waist and tipping her head up for a kiss. I obliged and we shared a soft, lingering kiss. She gently bit my lower lip as we broke the kiss.
She stepped back and shed every stitch she was wearing, save her stockings. She then wrapped her arms around me and proceeded to whisper to me all the things she'd like me to do to her and those things she'd like to do to me.
"You're pretty direct, aren't you?"
"Yes. I usually get what I want, too, but that's just business."
"Are you sure you know what you're doing? You know nothing about me and I live a whole ocean away."
"We're going to learn about each other tonight."
She started to unbutton my shirt, pushing it down my shoulders and running her hands up and down my chest.
I stopped her and held her hands for a minute. "Do you do this often?"
