Copyright 2003

It was obvious to all concerned that Vicky was bored. And when Vicky was bored, she did something about it.

Her full name is Victoria Helena Andrews-Hawkes. Yeah, her. One of the 'kids' inheriting the Lockhart fortune. Plus of course what she got when elderly hubby Reginald Hawkes died. We're not just talking jet-set here, we're talking rocket-to-the-moon-set. A 32 year old woman who has everything, including the requisite blond hair, blue eyes, and buxom shape kept nice and tight, first to land Reginald and keep him from straying and then after his death because, well, she liked the way it got her her way with men.

This time her way out of boredom evolved during a little chat with a few of her closest friends on the day after Thanksgiving. Somehow the topic got to some sort of challenge. Kind of a Truth or Dare deal without the Truth. Since Vicky was the one complaining about being bored, the others had to come up with a challenge that would make her unbored. It took a while, but eventually all concerned agreed on what Vicky could do to keep herself gainfully occupied.

"So you will find me a happily married couple that is sickeningly close and still making goo-goo eyes at each other?"

Dana nodded, "Yes, dear. Stanley's security firm will cull out about a dozen couples over a five month period that definitely are monogamous, pick three finalists, and then Stanley, Rhonda, Thomas and I will vote on the final choice."

"Shouldn't I get a say?" she pouted.

Thomas snorted, "Not a chance. There is absolutely no way we're even letting you get an idea of who we're looking at until it's over. Knowing you, you'd find a way to fix it so it'd be a couple you wanted to take on. And then it wouldn't be much of a challenge."

Vicky knew that was true, and had to concede that she would, indeed, do anything she could to make the outcome more favorable - and, in fact, still intended to do so if at all possible. She may be bored, but that didn't mean she was going to let her friends walk all over her.

Vicky's challenge was to take that happily married couple and get the husband to divorce the wife and marry her. Of course, a couple of conditions were added so it wouldn't be too easy. First, the husband couldn't know she was rich. Second, she couldn't use her money for blackmail.

After thinking about it, she realized it could take her a couple of months to do this, and she was starting to wonder how much fun she could really have doing it. At least, that's what she told herself as she started to think about backing out of the deal.

"I know I said I was bored, but, my god, isn't this a little much? I mean, I could end up with some stupid nerd, wasting a couple months, and what would I have to show for it?"

"Here we go again," Rhonda smirked. "Little miss 'my life is boring as hell and I'd do anything to change it' is climbing back into her 'Princess' shell. Why do I ever even try with you. Go back to the Riviera and hump a couple of those suave, debonair and shallow French gigolos for a while and pretend you took one of them from their mommy!"

"Yeah, Victoria," intoned Stanley, "it's time to put up or shut up. You asked us to come up with something that was sort of nasty and involved sex, but was also 'safe.' Well, taking a guy from his wife is sort of nasty and marrying him should involve fairly safe sex, given the scenario we've created for you."

"And really," Dana added, "how much of a challenge is there? I mean, after all, have you ever NOT gotten a man that you were after?"

"Yes, once," snapped Vicky.

"And he was gay!" They all chorused, and started laughing. And Vicky ruefully nodded and joined in.

And that was how, on a warm Tuesday morning in June almost seven months later, Vicky showed up at the door of a small business office near Chicago. She had come in a new (shudder) Toyota Camry. In her hand was a resume that bore little resemblance to the truth, but when checked would reflect several years of exemplary work and an address nearby in a rather mid-scale apartment complex. She was allowed to use her money as long as the couple didn't know about it, and she wasn't shy about using it.

Vicky was applying to be the assistant to owner William Bellman, a job that just opened up due to the previous assistant getting a research grant that took her out of state (surprise, surprise!). She also had, according to her resume, the perfect qualifications for the job. And, to top it off, anyone else applying who appeared to be remotely qualified would be finding a better paying job elsewhere. 'As dear Reggie often said, like shooting fish in a barrel,' she thought as she walked up to the receptionist and announced her arrival.

"Well, honey, I've got an interview to do." Bill Bellman was on the phone with his wife Jackie, a normal thing a couple of times a day, as they worked at different jobs in the same field and often compared notes about common problems.

"How's it going so far?" Jacqueline Bellman was genuinely interested. Bill had had a lot of trouble filling the post the last time, due to the necessity of finding someone detail oriented enough that would work for the rather middling pay offered. Not too many people seemed to want the job.

"Two call-backs yesterday, both of whom were hired by someone else," Bill admitted. "I have a 10 o'clock with a woman whose credentials and background are excellent, but I'm not expecting much, since her resume qualifies her for a much better job. In fact, she could do mine."

"Don't give up yet, dear," chirped Jackie, "Just turn on that famous charm of yours, and she'll be eating out of your hand."

"Yeah, right," he murmured. "I think I see her up at the reception desk. What time are you meeting me for lunch?"

"How about elevenish? You should be wrapping up the interview by then." Bill agreed, then tidied a few things up and went up to the front desk to collect his applicant. When he got there he was surprised to find she was, basically, a knockout.

"Uh, hi, I'm William Bellman."

"Victoria Anderson. I'm pleased to meet you."

They both tried not to stare at each other, for different reasons, of course. Bill's reason was obvious... after all, it wasn't often a beautiful blonde walked into his life, let alone one that was looking to work for him. The blonde hair was pulled away from her face in a moderate bun and she wore rather severe glasses, but it was hard to hide the high cheekbones, flawless skin, and, of course, the deep blue eyes. It took him a moment to compose himself.

Meanwhile, Vicky didn't really notice his moment of stunned silence for a couple of reasons - first, she was used to it happening, and second, she was busy sizing him up. Funny, he looked a little different than the photos. He was, of course, six feet tall, so that with her two inch heels she only had to look up a little to see his gray eyes. He had a medium build that was in okay shape due to fairly regular visits to the local Y to play basketball and racquetball, and his brown hair was full and fairly thick.

They finally started down the hall talking about a few inanities, and when he got a little ahead of her she took a long look over his whole body, wondering what he was like in bed. One thing the report didn't provide was how big his cock was when engorged. At the Y, of course, they could see it limp, and the report had listed it as average size, at best, about three to three and a half inches. But the reports also noted a fairly active sex life at home, in which both partners apparently were well satisfied. Vicky had asked why they hadn't been able to get some video, and Stanley had shrugged his shoulders and said it didn't seem necessary at the time. And besides, according to Stanley, a little mystery in life was good.

Once in his office, it took about 20 minutes to go through the preliminaries. Another half an hour was spent going over the specifics, work rules, software, etc. As far as Bill was concerned, if Vicky wanted the job, she could have it.

"Well, that's about it Miss Anderson." Bill paused for a moment, trying to think how best to put this. Oh, well, better just say it and get it over with. "I'm sorry, but I have to ask you... why are you interested in this job?"

"A fair question, Mr. Bellman. I've been in the area only a couple of months, and I must admit I don't really need the job, since my late husband's insurance is enough to cover my basic needs with a little left over." Vicky smirked to herself about having to make do with 'just' the 80 million Reggie had left her. And that wasn't even within sniffing distance of her own worth. "You may find this unusual, but I've found myself looking for things to do, and since this is convenient to where I live and right up my alley it provides me with purpose without some of the hassles of running my own shop."

"I guess that leads to another question, then. If you get the job, can I count on you to stick with it? This isn't the easiest job in the world to fill, and I'm looking for some kind of commitment here."

Vicky thought this was as good a time as any to start her campaign. "After meeting with you, Mr. Bellman, I think I can safely say that I'm willing to make that commitment. In fact," she looked him straight in the eye, "I think I'm going to like working with you," and smiled.

Bill smiled back, although a little nervously, as his phone rang. It was the receptionist telling him Jackie was there. He hit the mute button. "Miss Anderson, my wife is in the office. Do you mind if she drops in for a moment or two?"

Bill caught a look in Vicky's eye, but wasn't sure what it meant. "Of course not. Do you wish me to step out?"

"No, no. This shouldn't take long." He unmuted the phone and asked that his wife be sent back.

"Miss Anderson, this is my wife, Jacqueline Bellman. Jackie this is Victoria Anderson, who is applying to take the job as my assistant."

Jackie and Vicky took a long look at each other.

Jackie also seemed to be a little different from what Vicky expected. Oh, she looked as good in person as the photos showed - long auburn hair worn loose over the shoulders, a pixie-type face with what seemed to be huge green eyes. And although Jackie was wearing a conservative blouse, jacket and skirt combo, it was apparent that the time she spent on a racquetball court and playing golf had kept her trim and slim. 'Well, I do have it all over her upstairs' Vicky thought. 'Plus she's a good three inches shorter than me.' Vicky once again became sure she could pull Bill away. After all, it was obvious he liked her looks. What seemed funny, though, is that Jackie seemed to like looking at her, too.

Meanwhile, Jackie was also sizing up Vicky - and after getting over the initial shock at how beautiful she was, found herself wondering what she was doing applying for this job. When she realized Vicky was looking her over, Jackie thought maybe she was into girls, but noticed a fleeting twitch of the mouth that could have been a smirk. 'Oh, she's after Bill!' she thought. Instead of feeling jealous, though, she found she was a little intrigued.

"How do you do, Miss Anderson. I'm a bit surprised to see someone who looks as good as you actually does this kind of work. You should be modeling or married to money or something."

Bill quickly stepped in, "I'm sorry, Miss Anderson," with a quick glance at Jackie, who blushed, "My wife tends to talk without thinking some times."

"Not at all," Vicky smoothly replied, "If I were married to you and saw you interviewing someone like her I might say just the same thing." She smiled at Jackie. "I was just telling your husband that I originally applied just to have something to do, but I think I'm going to like working with him very much. He's such a charmer." Might as well see what the competition's going to be like, she thought.

Jackie smiled right back. "I'm glad you said so. I keep telling him that and he doesn't believe me."

Vicky wasn't sure how to take that response, but decided to let it ride. "Mr. Bellman, I'm sure you have more interviews and I've taken enough of your time. When will I know about the position?"

"Could you give me a couple minutes with my wife? I may be able to tell you before you leave."

Vicky was a little surprised at the answer, but mentally shrugged and outwardly smiled, "Of course. I'll wait up front."

Once she was out of the office, Jackie smirked, "I'm surprised you wanted to wait at all."

Bill looked hurt. "And how would that look?"

"Like you were desperate, and overcome by her... resume." Jackie batted her eyes, "'He's such a charmer.' Why, if I didn't know better, I'd believe she had fallen for you."

"Well, there's no doubt she intends to pursue me. The question is why?"

"No, the question is, does her pursuing you mean she doesn't get the job?"

Bill sat back in his chair and looked at Jackie. "You don't want to know why?"

"Of course I do. But that question can't be answered right now. The only question that matters is whether or not you provide her with the opportunity by hiring her. And I say do it!"

Bill looked at her in surprise. "Uh, dear, you do know what you are saying, don't you?"

Jackie smiled and said, "Of course I do. I'm saying put the eye candy right outside your door where you can enjoy looking at her."

Bill looked troubled. "But I don't see how that can be a good thing! As you pointed out, she already appears to be coming on to me, and that's like putting temptation almost in my lap." He winced when he realized what he said and Jackie giggled. "How is that helping either me or my work? And I don't want to take any chances of anyone coming between the two of us."

"You are such a sweetheart! Which is why I'm so in love with you. And is also why I know that Vicky will never come between us," Jackie paused, and with a glint in her eye added, "unless it's due to the way the three of us are positioned in a bed!"

Bill blushed, "You are kidding aren't you?"

Jackie giggled again, "Of course. But I so love making you blush!"

And so it came to pass that Vicky was hired to be Bill's assistant, and all three, Vicky, Bill and Jackie, worked on their various challenges. For Vicky, it was a campaign to win the affections, etc. of her target, Bill. For Bill, it was to act like life was normal. Which, of course, it was not. Jackie, meanwhile decided she had to become Vicky's friend and confidant.

There was one surprising outcome early on... Vicky found she was, indeed, good at her new job. It came easily to her, and there was enough of a challenge that she could actually feel some pride of accomplishment. That both helped and hurt Bill. The help was obvious. His company was running smoothly and progress was being made that helped the company to move up in the world. The hurt was that it made it harder for him not to admire Vicky personally, despite recognizing her attempts to make their relationship more personal.

Jackie kept asking Bill to invite Vicky to visit their home. Vicky finally accepted, figuring it would allow her to get closer to Bill and maybe get a little better handle on her competition. After all, Bill seemed to be resisting her charms so far.

Vicky's first visit was on a Saturday afternoon that was perfect for a cookout. Vicky showed up in a sun dress that hugged her body and was almost transparent when the sun hit it right, but she did decide to wear a bra and panties underneath. It wouldn't do to be too obvious in front of the wife... at least not yet.

It was a few moments after she rang the bell before the door opened and Bill extended a hand in greeting and welcomed her into the house. "I'm sorry I wasn't here to greet you, but I was doing some bookkeeping and didn't hear you drive up. Won't you come in?"

"Certainly, William. I can see you are very proud of your home."

"Thank you for your kind words, Victoria. Please have a seat here in the living room. Can I get you something to drink?"

While Vicky toyed with the idea of asking for Scotch, she shook her head and said, "nothing for now, although some tea might be nice after a while."

"Since Jackie always has a pot set up, tea will be no problem. She should be right up. Jackie!" he called out, "could you start the tea before you come in, please?"

"Certainly!" came the cheerful answer.

Moments later Jackie came in and stuck out her hand, which Vicky took and was a little surprised at the firmness of the handshake, "Thank you for coming Miss Anderson."

"Please, could you call me Vicky?"

"Only if you call me Jackie."

"And you should call me Bill."

"Why certainly! You make me seem like a part of the family."

"Yes, well," Bill sputtered, "Jackie, could you take charge of our guest for awhile? I need to go start the grill if we're going to eat soon."

"Of course, dear. You can go out and play while Vicky and I chat about things."

Bill looked at his wife and thought, 'I wonder what she's going to chat about?' But he also knew that if Jackie didn't want him to know, he wouldn't, so he mentally shrugged his shoulders and left the room.

"So, how about some tea? Or would you prefer Scotch?"

Vicky answered, "Oh, Scotch, if you have it," before she could catch herself and winced. The Bellman's didn't drink hard liquor.

Jackie laughed and said "I knew it! Unfortunately, we don't have any in the house since we don't drink it, but I'll be sure to get some the next time you come over."

"Oh, you don't have to do that!" Vicky said automatically, while thinking 'the next time?'

"It's no trouble at all, it's just that we haven't really stocked the bar since the Petersons moved away. They would drink Scotch at our house and we would have wine at theirs. It was a pleasant arrangement."

"What made you think I preferred Scotch?"

"Let's see. You're a great looking blonde, classy, an eye for fashion. You're at your boss's home, a boss whom you appear to admire personally. You are spending time alone with his wife. Unless you are a teetotaler, you probably are wishing you had a drink to calm the nerves. Brandy is more a man's drink, even these days, but Scotch has real appeal to strong, upper class women. How'd I do?"

Vicky was nonplussed. Jackie stood smiling at her in a friendly way. After a moment or two of silence, Vicky finally asked, "You said strong, upper class women. Don't I have to be rich to be in that category?"

"Not necessarily," Jackie replied airily. "It's mostly an attitude thing, and you have it. You may not be rich, but you certainly have the looks, style and attitude that probably will make you rich someday. Tell me, did you enjoy your first marriage?"

"Oh, yes, Reggie was a dear, dear man." Vicky suddenly realized she had mentioned the real first name of her late spouse and shuddered. How was this happening?

"'A dear, dear man,' eh?" Jackie smirked. "Older, huh? Kind and gentle? I'll bet you have some toys that helped you through the night."

Bill had walked in on that last, "Jackie! Vicky, I'm sorry, but my wife is a horrible tease." He glared at Jackie, who blushed, but stood her ground. "Oh, Bill, you shouldn't sneak up while the girls are chatting! After all you might hear something you shouldn't!"

Meanwhile, Bill's entrance had allowed Vicky to regain some composure. "Yes, Bill, you really don't want to know what women talk about when men aren't around. It would hurt your feelings."

Bill snorted. "Well, if the two of you could refrain from bashing men for a moment or two, the grill is ready and someone might want to start putting together the rest of the food."

Vicky tried to make sense of what had just happened as she and Jackie headed to the kitchen. It seemed as though Jackie had her pegged somehow, and yet not only didn't mind, but seemed to be enjoying herself. It just didn't make any sense. Vicky shook her head and started to help with the salad.

What followed was almost surreal for Vicky.

She worked hard at returning to her role as the assistant who admired her boss. From time to time, however, she caught herself really enjoying the day. It turned out that Bill did an excellent job of grilling steaks, and the meal was very pleasant. And Vicky almost forgot that conversation with Jackie, as her hostess was so naturally pleasant and cheerful the rest of the day.

But once she was on the road back to her apartment, she went over that conversation again and again in her mind. What had happened here? Did Jackie knew who she was? It seemed she at least knew Vicky was after Bill! And yet... No matter how you looked at it, it did not make any sense.

Was her challenge over before it even started? Vicky pondered that quite a while. She decided she could call it all off, since one of the conditions was that the couple couldn't know she was rich. Of course, technically that wasn't the case, but Vicky felt sure she could use that as the excuse to back out.

For the rest of the drive home, Vicky was relieved, feeling as if a big weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Later, after a relaxing bath and some quality time with her favorite vibrator, she lay back in bed thinking she would call Stanley in the morning, and that would be that.

An hour later, she still wasn't asleep, thinking about Bill and, yes, Jackie. Finally, she came to the conclusion that since she was really pretty sure they didn't know she was rich, the challenge was still valid. She could still go after him. And with that thought on her mind, she finally drifted off to sleep.

"Okay, honey, what's wrong with this picture?" Jackie and Bill were cleaning up the kitchen after Vicky left. Since they both worked, they had decided long ago to share the usual household chores, including cooking, cleaning, washing, etc.

"It makes absolutely no sense that Vicky is trying to seduce me. But it certainly seems that way, and the evidence points to her making a huge effort to do it."

"That it does. Maria gets a research grant for post-grad work at Indiana U, so no longer needs to work for you. It was a grant that she heard about through the school grapevine just two months ago," noted Jackie, "and was awarded almost as fast as the application was put in."

"I advertise for the job," added Bill, "and get about fifteen initial responses, but after the call-backs only one applicant is available to interview - Vicky. She shows up with absolutely the best credentials you could have, including recommendations from two large companies that had to be able to pay her almost double what I advertised for the position..."

"In other words..."

"A set-up!" they chimed together.

Bill frowned. "But why, and why me."

Jackie moved her hand to his lips to shush him. "I want to try something." She dropped down into his lap and circled her arms around his neck, looking straight into his eyes. "I think maybe, just maybe, we could make this into something special for us. I have an idea..."

Bill sat looking into the eyes of the woman he loved more than life itself, the woman who had changed his way of looking at life, at relationships, at sex, and yes, at love. He smiled and kissed her softly. "So do I. Which idea do you want to do first?"