Nikki was a real eye-catcher. High-breasted, small and slim, she was bursting with vivacity. Curly auburn hair framed big, sky-blue eyes and saucy Cupid's bow lips.
I'd hired her a couple of years before almost solely on the basis of her looks. I was willing to play the long game with women like her, investing my time and my money.
Then again, money had never been a problem. I had my own a successful business plus I'd inherited a bundle from dear old Dad.
So, I kept promoting her more than she deserved, tempting her to get used to spending more. Judging by the clothes she wore and the big new house she bought, that's exactly what she did.
Extended, now she really needed the money to keep on coming.
She was still only in her mid-twenties and married to a social worker called Mick, an insipid hand-wringing sort who felt all the troubles of the world were caused by wealthy men like me.
If that wasn't reason enough to bed his sexy little wife, then I don't know what was.
Mick ran a charity to support used and abused women. Soft-hearted Nikki helped him out with some events, using her sales skills to raise money.
A year back she'd fallen pregnant. I got the impression this wasn't planned but nonetheless she'd seen it through and now loved the kid to bits.
Trouble was, the baby boy was sickly and over the last three months she'd taken a lot of time off work to look after him.
Now was my opportunity.
She came to my office at the appointed time, unsuspecting and with a bright smile. As usual, she looked so sparky you expected her to burst into song at any minute.
Despite the lively, wholesome vibe, there was just a hint of the minx about her. She dressed to emphasise her trim figure, with tight jumpers to show off her perky breasts, and skirts just slightly shorter than might be considered seemly. Short enough that when she sat down and crossed her shapely legs, I caught a glimpse of her white panties.
"Look, Nikki," I said, "you're doing a great job when you're here, but you're not here often enough."
She sat forward earnestly. "I would if I could but my baby's been so unwell."
"Why can't Mick look after him?"
She shook her head. "There's always a crisis at the women's refuge. Life or death stuff sometimes. It's just..."
"...just that you think sales of security systems are less important. Well, they're important to me, they're important to all the people I employ. As it is, I seem to be subsidising your husband's charity. For example, why did you take yesterday off? Couldn't Mick have looked after your little boy?"
Uncrossing her legs she shuffled in her little handbag for a tissue. Once again, I had been afforded a peak at her panties. I swear I glimpsed the crease of her sex against the fabric.
She dabbed at a tear. "He's away at a conference this week. But, don't worry, my mother's here to babysit so I'll be in every day from now on."
"We've been here before, Nikki. When the week is up, your mother will go back home and it'll start happening again. I think I'm going to have to let you go." I tried to sound as regretful as I could.
She hesitated, and for an instant those wide, clear blue eyes narrowed as she made some sort of calculation. Again, I glimpsed the minx. "Have pity Mr. Marlow! Surely there's something we can do?"
"I don't see what, short of you coming to work every day."
"Isn't there anything else I can do?" and she gave me a lazy smile.
And that's when I smelled a great big rat. It had been way too easy to get here. Just one threat, little in the way of tears and absolutely no persuasion or arm twisting. It might still have flown if she'd ever shown the slightest attraction to me, but she hadn't.
This just wasn't like her.
I'm an avid chess player and I'm hard-wired to think several moves ahead. This served me well now for I instantly realised I was in danger of finding myself in check.
I also saw how I could avoid it.
And then how I could move on to mate.
"Do you mean what I think you mean?" I asked.
She shrugged.
I nodded. "Very well, come to my home this evening at 8pm!" Then, as though it was an afterthought, "Oh yeah, make sure you wear something slutty!"
I was watching her on the CCTV as she strode down my path on her high heels, a long, heavy coat covering her body. I was disappointed until she got to the door and took the coat off, revealing a tiny tartan skirt which showed off her lean, tanned legs and a white shirt with the top buttons undone. Her bra was pushing her breasts up so I could see the bare tops of two perfect hemispheres.
She rang. Though I was very angry with her, I fixed a smile on my face and opened the door. Without exchanging greetings, we went through to the lounge. She placed her little handbag on the coffee table, her coat on the sofa and then took a seat there, her legs primly together.
I noticed the handbag was slightly open.
I offered her something to eat or a drink but she refused. Her big blue eyes regarded me with uncharacteristic intensity.
She was all business. "If I'm going to go through with this, I need to get it all perfectly straight," she said.
"Sounds reasonable."
"If I let you fuck me, I get to keep my job."
"I absolutely guarantee it," I said,
"And if I don't, I'm fired?"
"Regrettably."
She was so wound up she was forgetting to give me the usual accidental glimpse of her panties.
"It doesn't matter to you that I'm married, you don't care that I have a little baby. You just want to fuck me and you won't hesitate to use blackmail or coercion to get your way."
I nodded, "You've got it."
She blinked in surprise at my candour but then smiled, thinking she'd won. "And you've done this before, lots of times. That's why you hire mainly young women and girls so you can take your pick. Trouble is, we girls talk and we compare notes."
That was unwelcome news but I kept my face impassive.