"You two should just do it and get it over with."
"Nikki! What I need to do is find out what to do about Ken. I'll be gone next weekend so we'll have some time apart to think."
"Really? Where are you going?"
"Oh, I didn't tell you? Vegas, Baby! The company is sending us to cover our stupid bi-annual meeting and convention."
"Who's going with you?"
"Ummm....Mark?" she said, as if asking for approval.
"You two are going to sooo do it."
"Nikki, stop it! We are not!"
"Are you going to tell Ken you're going on a trip with Mark?"
"Well....no...but it's like I said..."
"You two are totally going to do it. Just don't get pregnant."
"NIKKI!"
"Or catch anything from him. Eww!"
*****
Work was so busy the next week, Katie almost forgot to pack for her trip to Vegas. As it was, she barely had time to throw a handful of clothes into her suitcase and get to the airport before her plane left.
She felt a twinge of guilt that she hadn't told Ken until the day before that she was going on the trip, but things had been awkward lately. This simply seemed like another drop in the bucket. He had asked if anyone was going with her and she said no. A deliberate lie to be sure, but she didn't have the time or the patience to deal with the conversation they would have had if she told Ken that Mark was going as well.
She didn't care what Nikki thought about Mark, Katie couldn't have been happier he would be at the convention. Despite Nikki's suspicions, Katie had no intention of letting anything happen with Mark. She respected her vows and her marriage. If push came to shove and she and Ken couldn't work out their situation, then she'd consider separating from him. Until that time she was definitely off the market. She respected herself too much to be "that kind of woman."
Besides, being escorted about town by an attractive, engaging man did have its benefits. Certainly it was infinitely better than being stuck with some of the sloths from the office they could have chosen. Not to mention Mark would be her buffer against the drunken propositions and groping she would have been subjected to by some of the bolder and older men who haunted these meetings. Uch, she'd been down that road before. No thank you! Since the incident at the party, Mark knew there was a line between them he couldn't cross. He blamed it on the alcohol and swore it wouldn't happen again.
They flew in separately, so Katie didn't see Mark until the morning of the first meeting on Saturday. He had decided to take a couple extra days off and had come early to spend some time gambling. She'd spent Friday night with room service, a bottle of wine and HBO.
As it turned out, they didn't have a lot to do: just cover a morning and an afternoon session on Saturday with a long break in between. She was thankful they didn't need to attend anything Saturday evening or any of the Sunday sessions. The sessions they had to cover were sleep-inducing enough. An entire weekend of back to back meetings would have put her into a coma! Thank goodness Mark was with her. Mark always turned an otherwise boring assignment into an interesting adventure. He was always cracking her up with little humorous comments and wry observations. She couldn't imagine being here with anyone else; it wouldn't have been half as fun. And now they would have all of Sunday to explore and play!
Mark always enjoyed these little outings. He always received more than his fair share of attention from the female convention attendees. Katie thought Nikki must be crazy, or just married too long. Mark was definitely the kind of guy women wanted to be with. Many approached him that day with subtle and sometimes not-so-subtle suggestions and hints of their availability. Katie imagined that, had she not been around, he would have already pocketed at least one hotel key card. At least while she was around, he skillfully declined their advances, yet somehow still managed to send them along their way still smiling. Mark had that effect on people. After he turned away one particularly attractive blonde, Katie asked him about it.
"I can't believe you aren't going to call her! She was practically throwing herself at you! What, are you seeing someone special now?" She teased. Mark was known for being a bit of a player and never really getting serious with anyone in particular for very long. He was considered one of the "most eligible" men in the company by the female employees. Somehow he got away with dating half of the women he worked with while managing not to piss any of them off or get a bad reputation. No, he was able to maintain friendships with them all as far as she knew.
"No, I'm not seeing anyone special," he smiled. "But you're my date for the weekend. I'm not going to abandon you in Sin City."
"Oh, so you're my date now huh? I'm not sure my husband would feel about that!" she said jokingly.
"Well, I have no plans on telling him! Remember, what happens in Vegas..."
"You are so bad. Now quit it before you get me into trouble!" But despite her protests, they joked throughout the day about being each other's "date" for the weekend. Truthfully, Katie rather enjoyed the harmless flirtation. What was the harm in a little "pretend" while they were in Vegas? Besides, she also enjoyed the envious looks she was getting from the single women who drifted into Mark's orbit. "Let them think we are together. Ha, eat your hearts out!" she thought.
They made plans to go to dinner Saturday night, Mark's treat. He told her to wear something nice as they were eating somewhere fancy and after dinner would be going to a somewhat exclusive club for drinks.
At first she protested, explaining that they didn't have to do anything that fancy and that it would cost too much, but Mark insisted. "Nothing is too good for my 'date,'" he said with a smile, and she laughed and agreed. Who was she to deny him the opportunity to buy her a nice meal?
They parted ways that afternoon so each could get ready for the evening.
Katie spent longer getting ready than she usually would have under the circumstances. She took a long, hot shower that felt wonderful after spending a day cooped up in stuffy meetings. As she did her hair and makeup she began feeling more and more like she really was getting ready for a date with Mark. For a few moments she felt a little uncomfortable about it, but Katie knew she wanted to look as pretty as possible since she'd be out that night with a good looking man whose date would be scrutinized by every passing woman.
Fortunately she had thought ahead to pack her "little black dress" just in case. To be honest, the dress was a little sexier than she would have liked for dinner and drinks with a man who wasn't her husband, but she really didn't have much choice. It was tight and short and accentuated her cleavage. Katie experienced another moment of discomfort as she slid on a tiny pair of black lace panties and matching bra. She had packed them automatically because they went perfectly with her dress, but she couldn't help but think she normally put on her sexy little lacy things when she thought they would be seen later in the evening. But it wasn't like she was doing anything wrong, and they did make her feel sexy, so what the hell? It wasn't like she was wearing them "for" Mark. Anyway, they were too cute to be kept shut away in a drawer.
"What would it be like if Mark did see them?" The stray thought crept into her mind as she was sliding into her dress. She had a vision of her dress hitting the floor. She was standing in front of Mark wearing only her bra and panties...his hands were reaching for her....
Katie quickly slammed the door on that little daydream, but a pleasant, warm feeling had crept into her body. This wasn't the first time Mark had come unbidden into her mind, but after almost a year of working with him, she had developed the skills of pushing him out just as quickly. Years ago she had "slipped" and pleasured herself thinking about a co-worker. She hadn't been able to look him in the eyes for weeks afterward. Since then she had shunted her co-workers into a "no fantasy" zone inside her mind. On the rare occasions she allowed herself the indulgence of self-pleasure, she envisioned someone she didn't know. Perhaps someone she had seen in the grocery or on an actor on TV.
Finally staring at the finished product in the mirror, she had to admit she looked damned good tonight. Who knows, she might even make her "date" wish it was the real thing. "Stop it," she told herself. "It wouldn't be right to tease him. We'll have a nice dinner and some drinks and then it's back up to my room!" She hadn't felt this confident in some time.
He picked her up just after 8 and she thought his eyes might pop out of his skull. "Wow, that dress doesn't leave much to the imagination does it?" he said, making a valiant effort at pretending he wasn't memorizing the outlines of her body but failing miserably. "Eyes up here, Mister!" she said jokingly and punched him playfully in the chest. "Sorry about that," he said with a smile. "You do look gorgeous tonight, though." "Well, thank you. You don't look so bad yourself. That shirt and tie look good on you. Now how about taking your 'date' to dinner? She's hungry!"
