The Upper Hand

Author's note

: The story is part of Literotica's unofficial tag team competition. Twenty of Literotica's authors have accepted the challenge of being randomly paired with a partner to co-author a story under the pen name "The_Odd_Couplings." The pairings have remained anonymous and the true authors of this story will be revealed in the comments section one week from today.

Disclaimer

: Because part of the fun of this challenge is the secrecy of the partners I would like to ask that readers and fellow authors alike refrain from posting their guesses in the comments section as we would like the scoring to be as fair as possible.

- - The Upper Hand - -

Jack Cooper kept a white knuckled death grip on the steering wheel as they left Las Vegas. Lilly Anderson sat next to him, texting, emailing and surfing the internet on her phone. He set the cruise control five miles-per-hour above the legal limit. Setting the cruise control kept his heavy foot off the accelerator. He didn't need another speeding ticket. The big luxury rental car didn't notice its load of luggage and displays. Driving cross country wasn't Jack's idea of a good time. Spending the drive with his primary rival made it worse.

Their boss had insisted, "It'll be fun." Gregory Jones had lied to them while giving them a smile that dazzled. His hyper-white teeth seemed to shine even more so due to the fake tan that gave his face an orange glow. Jones had laughed when Jack and Lilly had protested. "See? You're getting along already!" Jack had rejected the mandatory together time as New Age Team Building mumbo-jumbo and hadn't changed his mind.

Though he was still angry being bested by Lilly during the Vegas convention, Jack finally relaxed his death grip once they reached the vast desert wastelands of Arizona. He stole a glance at her long legs and felt another stab of anger. He resented how Lilly's feminine wiles naturally attracted male buyers to her like clichéd moths to a flame. He hardly blamed them. Prim and proper in her appearance, Lilly had a background of boarding schools and an Ivy League education behind her. She was tough as nails in negotiations and a worthy adversary for Jack. If they weren't competitors at work, and if she wasn't so uptight, he could almost imagine them as friends. Instead, he couldn't resist trying to take her down and put her in her place.

Lilly put away her phone. It was two hours later in Oklahoma City and their next convention, too late to work her contacts. Jack had maintained his strong, silent treatment of her since leaving Vegas. Quiet never bothered her. She glanced at the never-changing landscape of the southwest and allowed her mind to drift. She had gotten lucky in Vegas after Jack had spent the night partying. She resented the way guys bonded over drinks and lap dances inside strip clubs. It gave Jack an unfair advantage. Snagging the General Goods account had pushed her over the top and she knew Jack was pissed. She smoothed the skirt of her designer dress and broke their silence. "I have to pee."

"Can you hold it until Flagstaff?"

"You say that as if I have any idea where the fuck we are," Lilly reminded him. She had learned salting her language with a few expletives made her appear strong willed.

"Two hours," Jack said. She liked Jack in a "hands-off" sort of way. He was forceful, occasionally belligerent, but she had spotted the nice guy beneath his gruff exterior. She noticed how he always opened doors for old ladies and usually for her, too. Whenever they unpacked, he always grabbed the heaviest items without comment. She thought it was sweet how he always walked her to her hotel room like a big brother looking out for his little sister. She worked hard putting up a "tough girl, just one of the boys" attitude. As far as she could tell, Jack bought it, too. If only he knew.

"Not for two hours!" She hated how shrill she sounded.

Jack's knuckles turned white as he squeezed the steering wheel again. "Look around, Lilly. Do you see anywhere to stop?"

Desert stretched in every direction. Traffic was light. She quickly converted her thinking into "man-think." What would a guy do in a situation like this? He would pull over, whip it out and do his business. "Maybe you could just pull over for a moment?"

"Really?" Jack asked, surprised Lilly would make such a suggestion. He adjusted the rear view mirror so the setting sun didn't blind him. It would serve her right if he pulled over. "There might be an exit coming up."

"Okay," Lilly said. He saw her squirming. That wasn't a good sign.

"At least we're in the desert," he offered.

"Why is that a good thing?" She asked wondering how the desert could positively affect her bursting bladder.

Jack smirked, "Because there aren't any waterfalls or lakes full of cool, clear water or babbling creeks shushing past us."

"Stop it!" she squealed, crossing her legs.

"And it probably won't rain. And there aren't a lot of bugs, so I don't need to clean the windshield." He pulled the lever, sprayed the windshield and laughed as Lilly buried her hand between her legs like a child, "Problem?" He was torturing her and it made him smile.

"Stop the fucking car!" Lilly shrieked as Jack pushed her too far. The bubbling sense of urgency was too much.

Jack braked, pulled to the side of the freeway and unlocked the doors. Lilly was out of the door before the car stopped rocking. It was the desert. No trees or nearby rocks. She squatted against the car near the backdoor. He could see the top of her blonde head peeking up over the rear passenger side window. Jack didn't have a pee fetish but he imagined her squatting with her panties pulled down and her skirt bunched up around her waist. The thought of her exposed as she squatted teased him. He squirmed, adjusted himself and smirked at his prank. Too bad she had left the door open. If she had shut the door, he would have adjusted the side view mirror for a peek. Lilly Anderson might be his primary sales competition at work, but she was still hot, too. She was hotter than the girls grinding against his lap at the strip club. If only strippers understood how much hotter they would be without the extra make-up or the aggressive "I know you want to fuck me" attitude. Lilly gave off a similar vibe at work.

Lilly flipped him off as she leaned in the open door. "Open the trunk, okay?"

"Why?"

"I need a new pair of panties," she said, determined to hide her embarrassment behind her aggressive work exterior.

"Drip dry," he laughed.

"Come on, Jack, please?" Lilly asked.

Jack knew begging wasn't her style. The crack in her usual "fuck you" attitude pleased him. "Hurry up," he growled before pressing the trunk release button. There was a space between the car and the lid of the open trunk, perfectly showing Lilly's middle. He watched her fishing beneath the hem of her skirt as she pulled new panties into place. He tugged again at the front of his pants.

Nice

he thought. She slammed the trunk closed and climbed back into the car. "Incontinent much?" he asked with a big grin.

"I didn't pee myself," Lilly shot back. "And I used my panties to wipe, okay?"

In the rearview mirror he saw the dark puddle of her pee and caught a flash of discarded pink panties as he accelerated away. "You could've gone commando," he suggested.

"Commando?" Lilly asked, unfamiliar with how he used the word.

"You know, without underwear," he said, squirming in his seat as if he was shaking around his naughtier bits.

"I bet you'd like that, wouldn't you?" she charged. It was a good defense mechanism that would usually put a man in his place.

"Works for me," he laughed and kept his eyes on the endless ribbon of roadway ahead of them.

Lilly Anderson sat red-faced in the passenger seat and fumed about the humiliation of peeing on the side of the road. Fumed was probably the wrong word for how she felt, she was angry more that her biggest rival had witnessed a moment of weakness.

Fucking men and their party pieces,

she thought,

They could whip them out anywhere anytime, give it a quick shake and be done. No humiliating squatting or loss of underwear.

She grimaced and squirmed feeling the silk lining of her designer dress against the smooth soft skin of her ass. She had packed the pretty, thong style panties she now wore in case she met someone during the trip. The lacy thong made her feel sexy. That wasn't a good match sitting next to Jack.

In any other circumstance, she might have appreciated the feel of the soft fabric, maybe even been aroused but, she peaked a quick look up at Jack as he drove, not here or now with the man who was vying for the same promotion and would use any sign of weakness against her. She cursed silently and stared out the window at barren landscape and wondered if Jack was going "commando."

For his part Jack continued to watch the road as he drove, but his mind continued to wander to the woman seated beside him. The dress, while tailored and perfect for her executive position as an account manager, was also designed to show off her shapely legs and ample cleavage. Fucking bitches use their looks to climb the corporate ladder but complain loudly if any man dared to comment on them or worse yet ask the woman out. His hands tightened on the steering wheel again without him even noticing.

Without speaking during the intervening time, they drove into Flagstaff and pulled in at a small diner. Jack turned to Lilly with a smirk, "Some of us prefer an indoor bathroom. I'll just be a minute."

Once again she squirmed in her seat before deciding to get out and stretch her legs being unsure how long it would be until they stopped again. She saw Jack inside ordering coffee and considered getting a drink and snack for the road but after the humiliation of peeing beside the road and losing a favorite pair of her panties she didn't want to put herself in the same situation again.

Her closing the General Goods deal had kept them in Vegas late into day. They were behind schedule. Lilly had sent her sister an email cancelling tomorrow's dinner and apologizing for the change in plans. She fished into her handbag searching for her phone. She half expected a message full of sarcasm and guilt in reply. It wasn't that she cancelled on her sister so often because she didn't like her; it was more that she couldn't handle one more accidental set up made in such a clumsy way. Her sister worried that she was married to her work but Lilly knew she had to put in twice the hours to be able to match the big boys and it was finally paying off. Plus, she thought with a wry smile, the men her sister chose to set her up with were not her type at all. They were the soft, sensitive reflecting her sister's idea of what she needed.

Seeing that there was no message she threw the phone back into her bag with a large sigh and looked up. Jack was walking toward her with drinks and snacks, without even acknowledging him she got into the car and buckled up.

Opening his door with difficulty, Jack thrust a cardboard tray at her, "Here hold this," he grumbled at her lack of assistance. She took the tray and moved her legs as he climbed in and put a paper bag full of snacks next to her feet. "I would have asked you what you wanted but you didn't come in," he mumbled as he started the engine and backed the car up. Once out on the open road he took one of the cups from the tray, "Luckily," he said with some arrogance, "I remembered you like Chai Latte. Drink. It will be a long drive," he said with a tone that made it seem more like a command.

Lilly watched as Jack chased a five Hour Energy drink with a sip of his coffee. "I can drive," she offered.

"I'm fine," he grumbled. Since leaving the office, Jack had never relinquished his control of the steering wheel. "If you want to help, keep me company."

"I didn't think those General Goods people were ever going to sign the contract," she offered, deciding work was the safest topic. In the dashboard lights, she saw Jack's knuckles turn white again as he squeezed the life from the steering wheel. She liked Jack's big hands. She could imagine those big hands spanking her tiny ass and roughly kneading the ample flesh of her tits. Lilly chased away the thought as quickly as it had occurred to her. What the hell was wrong with her? She worked with Jack. Worse, she was competing against him. Gregory had made it clear the big office would go to the person returning with the highest sales.

"Not work," Jack growled in his usual gruff manner. Did he have any idea how much Lilly enjoyed hearing that tone in his voice? Jack was remarkably intuitive and Lilly often found herself fighting against revealing too much to him. If he was like this with clients, she could understand why he was so successful. As if reading her mind, he added, "And don't get me started on that bastard Gregory Jones."

"Gregory's not a bad guy," Lilly offered, ignoring Jack's warning. Two could play at getting under the other's skin.

"Say that again after I spank your ass," Jack spat and Lilly blanched. In the darkness of the car, she was sure he couldn't see how light-headed she suddenly felt. How the hell did he do that? There was no way he could read her mind. She struggled to regain her composure and maintain her strong, aggressive work-front.

"You mean after I spank your ass," she shot back, hoping it came across as forceful as necessary to keep Jack fooled.

"Yeah, good luck with that," Jack grumbled. No way was he going to let Lilly or anyone else beat him out of the big office. Gregory Jones had left that office empty for three months as a tease to his sales staff. This road trip would decide the prize. Jones had sent out his best two sales reps, head-to-head. Jack didn't care if his competition had tits, wore heels and had legs that could tempt a priest. Somehow, he had to break her. He had to find her weakness and exploit it. Talking tough seemed to work so far, "If you can't pee in the tall grass, stay on the porch."

"Did you buy any of that team building bullshit from Gregory?" Lilly asked, purposely salting her language to remind Jack she was tough, too.

"You don't build a team by pitting people against each other," Jack said, relaxing his grip again on the steering wheel. "Would serve that orange skinned prick right if we came back to town and you were pregnant."

Lilly rolled her eyes. She hated when men made a work related reference to her gender. "I get shots to stop that from happening," Lilly laughed. It was just another penalty of being a woman in a man's world and another point of contention with her sister, Olivia.

"Really? They have shots for that now?" Jack asked, sounding genuinely interested.

"Yeah and after a year or two, I stopped having periods, too ," Lilly pointed out, glad the dark of the car hid her blush. It wasn't the kind of comment she would normally make, but Jack had requested they not talk about work.

"I wouldn't get you pregnant anyway," Jack said with a big smile on his face. Lilly recognized that grin and braced herself. That grin was almost always followed by a crass remark. "If we did it, I would only do you up the ass. That way you can get used to how it will feel seeing me sitting in that big, corner office."

"You're all class," Lilly said, dripping sarcasm from every word. What Jack said next surprised her.

"Sorry, that was probably out of line."

"I'm a big girl, Jack. I'm even wearing my big girl panties today," she said, unsure what to make of his apology. She tried remembering the last time he had apologized for saying something crude and came up blank.

"Aren't you always?" he asked and sighed. Lilly's ability to keep a guy in his place ruined the fantasy for him. It was crazy because he could see her sex appeal. He wasn't blind. He had noticed her big tits and tight ass. But whenever he tried imagining something more with her, he would run up against her "I'm one of the guys" demeanor. Her blushing after peeing on the side of the road had pleased him. It was one of the few times he had seen her looking vulnerable. Jack knew he was a throwback to another era. In his mind, a woman was sexiest when she was on her knees or maybe pulled over his knees with her pert ass inviting another swat from his open palm. The funny part was how much he respected women in the workplace. As much as he felt a woman's good looks and tight body might give her an advantage, he welcomed the competition. Fuck it. He wore Armani suits for the same reason. To be good, you had to look good and Jack knew he looked good. He respected Lilly's ability to look good, too. If he had tits, he was sure he would use them, too.

"You hate the idea of losing to a girl, don't you?" Lilly challenged.

"No, I hate the idea of losing, period," Jack corrected.

"You remind me of this guy I dated in high school," she said her voice becoming a bit wistful.

"I can see you in high school," Jack laughed, "A truly mean girl, all designer labels and shit, let me guess, you were a cheerleader right?"

"Actually no," she said with a rueful laugh, "Awkward would be a better description."

Jack tried applying the word "awkward" to the confident sexy woman beside him and came up blank. "So high school reunions are fun for you now, right?"

"I imagine they would be if I ever went to one," she said with a smile as she picked up on the backhanded compliment Jack had just paid her. The Jack she knew was stingy with his compliments, backhanded or otherwise. "What about you? I have you pegged as a jock, football team maybe, but you're tall enough for basketball." She was curious now that the conversation had begun.

"Go back to the high school boyfriend, was he you're first?" he asked with a smirk and a playful twinkle in his eye.

"First boyfriend? No," Lilly feigned innocence though she could guess which kind of first he meant. Jack gave her a disapproving sneer.

"I think he was the first guy that made me feel..." she searched for the right word, "Feminine? Sexy? I dunno, cherished?"

Jack had never heard Lilly stuck searching for a word. He gave her a reassuring smile and nodded that he understood.

"He was arrogant and self-important, hated to lose at anything and I'm still not sure what he saw in me." Lilly paused with a wistful smile on her face as she remembered her first love. "But I happily trailed after him like a love sick puppy. Like I imagine you prefer your women to dote on you." She watched his reaction to her last comment, watching for what poker players called

the tell.

She didn't miss how her description of her first boyfriend could easily apply to Jack, as well. "We went to different colleges and I left behind that awkward girl who was just happy that a boy that had deigned to look my way."

"You still didn't answer my question," he prompted with his rogue grin back in place.

"No and I don't think I will," Lilly said slyly, unwilling to give up information with getting information in return. "Unless, of course, you want to tell me about your first time and then we can compare notes, like BFF's," she continued dripping playful sarcasm from her words.

"Sure, why not?" Jack said easily. He had caught her tone and to him it sounded like a dare to him. Jack Cooper was never one to back down from a dare. So he launched into his story not giving her time to back down or withdraw the challenge. If she wanted to hear about his first time, he would make her head spin before he demanded the same hearing her story.

In high school he worked bagging groceries at the local store. Always tall and filled out for his age, an attractive cougar had latched ahold of him one day after his eighteenth birthday. He gleefully described the lessons Amber-Marie had taught her most eager student as they spent months sneaking off whenever her husband wasn't around. She had given him a real education and set the standard for the type of women he enjoyed.