Three o'clock. The guests would arrive soon and the sun had not begun to set. Corm set out a pitcher of margaritas, carefully placed within a bowl of crushed ice. He leaned back and stretched, letting his muscular arms reach for the ceiling of his screened in porch above him. They were expecting ten to twelve people. All from work, couples mostly, but a few singles here and there. For an afternoon they were going to pretend to be an office; pretend that there were none of the petty jealousies that he knew infected his team. They'd sit and eat and drink and maybe swim and pretend that they liked one another.
He actually did look forward to these gatherings, held once a summer and once at Christmas. It was always nice to watch the social dynamics lay out, to watch the way the spouses interacted. Of course they'd been instructed to carry on rivalries, but all too often – divorced from the realities of the office itself – the spouses each other like people, much to the chagrin of his employees.
In the distance, at the far end of the house, he could hear the doorbell ring…time to start the show.
+++
Seven o'clock, and finally the heat of the day had broken. Everyone was lolling about in a merry haze of heat, alcohol, and full stomachs. He'd had the grill going all afternoon, turning out seasoned meat like a pro. Say what you will about his gatherings, nobody went away hungry.
Corm turned his gaze to the pool, where a few brave souls had crossed the boundaries of professional propriety and actually dared to swim. His yard was lush and trim, cut just the day before, and surrounded by a high wooden fence that was masked by tall bushes. The result was to form a quiet private space, one blocked from the neighbors and very conducive to rest and relaxation. Only his two interns, Matt and Jessica, and Jessica's friend Tracy had bothered. All three were splashing about with the abandon of youth, blissfully unaware at how outraged their older coworkers were. Outraged because the women didn't look like a 22 year old anymore, and outraged because the men wished they still looked fit enough to go swimming with attractive young girls.
Corm watched Jessica move, splashing about with gleeful abandon. She was beautiful, but didn't really know it. He liked that in a woman, it made them approachable. Too many times he'd known attractive women who were too full of themselves, who took themselves for granted and forced all comers to pay respect to that beauty. It made them shrill, and as a rule he tended to avoid them. Jessica was different, young and bright and eager to please. She showed great promise at work, and with time would become an impressive businesswoman. Granted, she needed a little guidance here and there, but he couldn't say he was any better at her age.
"Corm! Phone call." Monica, a stunning brunette from accounting and his longtime friend, handed him the portable. He took it with a wink.
The big man strode over and took the cordless. "Hello?"
"Hi, baby!" Kelly's voice was joyful, she always got like this on the phone when she missed him. He reveled in it. "How is your little party going?"
"Well, everyone has eaten and the wine is flowing. How is your project?"
"Not too bad. I should be home in a couple hours. Will we be alone by then? I miss you and want to spend some quality time with you."
"Meaning?" He chuckled to himself. They always played these little games. It made things fun, and really turned her on. He knew she'd be in her cube right now, in the presence of others even though it was a Saturday. Still, he liked to push her out of her shell.
"Meaning…"
"Meaning that I want to watch you go down on me, run my hands through your hair, and feel you lick my pussy until I beg you to fuck me."
"How interesting. And what have you done to deserve such a treat, my love?" They'd long since established that she had to earn his attentions. She loved it, he knew, even though most people wouldn't understand. Her need to submit, to gain the permission to unleash her wild side, struck many people as odd or somehow offensive. He understood it and used it. She loved him for it.
"I've been very good all day." Her voice was barely a whisper. Corm looked over at Monica and smiled. She smiled back warmly, the smile of an old friend, which is what they were.
"Have you now? How so?"
"I haven't touched myself all day. And I didn't wear panties, just like you asked, even though I had to sit on that podium in a short skirt for three hours of panel discussions."
"Really?"
"Oh yes, I am quite sure that at least three of my grad students now have a very different opinion of their hard-ass professor."
"Well you do have a hard ass. But I take your point all the same. Fine, come home soon and we can play. I just have something to take care of here first. My intern is here and I need to talk to her about her options."
Kelly giggled. "I'll bet. Just save me some dessert. I'm going to be pretty hungry when I get home. It's been a long day."
"I will, Love. Finish up and come on home." Corm hung up the phone and placed it back on the picnic table. Jessica was lolling by the pool, her body wet from a recent dip. She wore a tiny black string bikini, tied at the sides. Unaware that she was being watched, the girl was leaning back, legs crossed, her head thrown back, just dreaming away the late afternoon.
He chuckled to himself. Time for a dip. It was his pool after all, he'd paid for it with enough business trips and overtime. He was damned well going to swim in it. With a nod to Monica, he padded into the house and headed upstairs to change.
His bedroom was large and well appointed, with just the right mix of a woman's touch and his own style. Kelly had seen to that. She understood his need for decoration without pomp. A large king-sized bed dominated the room, with a stately wooden armoire to one side and a bookshelf to the other. To the right sat the master bath, complete with Jacuzzi tub and standing shower.
Corm stripped off his t-shirt and shorts and stepped into the shower. Better to wash off the sweat, charcoal, and grease of the day. A fine hot spray hit his muscular frame and he began to soap up. He stood under the hot warm for a good ten minutes, drinking in the heat and feeling his muscles relax.
Finally, and with great effort, he decided it was time to return to his guests. Quickly he cleaned himself, ran one hand through his hair and shut off the water, then turned for a towel.
Jessica stood before him, mouth agape. She was shocked, he could tell, caught off guard at the sight of him. There was something else there too. A slight shimmer in her eyes that told him she wasn't as taken aback as she looked.
He stepped out onto the thick plush bathmat, now only a foot from her. She shivered slightly as he approached, long-legged in just a bikini bottom and blue polo shirt. Her hair, a fine chestnut, was plastered down with water and she smelled faintly of chlorine. Jessica had a young woman's body, haughty with the curves and willowy limbs of time's denial. Her breasts were high and pert, her hips lush, and her legs were lean and muscled like a dancer's. He knew all this because he'd watched her in the office, seen her bend, walk, laugh, dance … all the things a woman does that men find bewitching.
She swallowed, full lips moist, breaking his intense stare. Her hazel eyes were fixed on his own. Jessica was making an effort to keep them there.
"Towel."
"What?" she started at the sudden sound of his voice.
