Chapter 1

Joshua Howard sat at the edge of his bed yawning. He didn't want to get up, but this was his first day on the job. Fresh out of Northwestern University, he was recruited by a headhunter for a large corporation in downtown Chicago. He gazed at the clock. 6AM! Starting time was 8AM but it was always good to be early to impress his boss. What was his name again?

Josh shook his head to get the sleep out of his mind. He got up and walked to the bathroom to piss, shit, brush his teeth, shave and shower. He was only clad in his boxers. Sighing, he relieved himself. Shaved and showered. He made sure he rinsed out his mouth with a mouthwash. He put on some clean underwear, he looked in the full length mirror his mother had installed when he moved in. He liked what he saw. Josh was 6'1", 180 lbs, short dark hair, blue eyes. Many girls his age would call him a hunk. He had a nice smile that dazzled many. His humor was dry but people laughed when he told a joke in one of the many clubs he frequented.

Josh couldn't commit himself to a girl. He didn't like himself in that matter. It wasn't that he fucked them and left them, but that was exactly what he did. He just wanted to find a woman his age, who would be compatible with him. He wanted her to be one to be beautiful, calm, kind, and considerate. At the same time that she'd be feisty in bed with no sexual hangups. Up to this point in his life, she had not materialized.

Arriving at 7AM, Josh was introduced to his boss. Mr. Mikleski. He was your typical thirty year corporation man. Balding, way overweight, suits that once fit him but now his stomach was like a beach ball hanging over his belt. He had sweat on his brow despite the air conditioning. His thick glasses sat on the bridge of his nose. 'If I ever get this way, I want someone to shoot me.' Josh thought, looking him over.

"Now, Mr. Howard, welcome to Bellfore Industries. I see you majored in business at Northwestern with honors. Congratulations."

"Thank you, sir," Josh grinned.

"When you were interviewed two weeks ago, Mr. Baldwin gave you a rundown of your salary which is forty thousand per year to start, health benefits that begins thirty days from today, 401k, two week vacation after a year's employmen, and a life insurance policy. Did he tell you this?"

"Yes sir!"

"Here are my rules. First, your time here is eight to five with one hour for lunch. If you choose not to eat lunch, you do not leave an hour early. It is still five o'clock. Do you understand?"

"Perfectly, Mr. Mikleski."

"All right, here are employee forms you need to fill out. Once you've done that, bring them back to me. Now let me show you to your office."

Josh's office consisted of a new desk, chair, a computer, several file cabinets, and another chair for visitors. Before unpacking his belongings he brought from home, he filled out the myriad of forms in front of them. Bellfore had a ten thousand dollar insurance policy in case of his death. He made his sister Sophie his beneficiary. She wasn't out of high school yet but if he did kick the bucket, she'd have a good start for her college tuition.

"Hi," a bright female voice said as she poked her head into his office. "You're new here, right?"

"Brand new," Josh smiled at the girl about his age. In a way, she was attractive. Not beautiful. Her brown hair and eyes were her best features.

"My name is Jane like in Tarzan of the Apes. My last name is Smith as in Smith," she beamed. Josh liked her smile. She wore a sleeveless white cotton blouse, light brown skirt, running shoes, and little makeup on her face. She didn't have large breasts. Her waist was thin and her hips were just curvy enough to make people know she was a nice looking girl.

"Pleased to meet you," he stood up to take her proffered hand and shook it lightly. "I'm Josh Howard, relative of Moe, Curley and Shemp Howard. You know, the Three Stooges."

"Really?" Jane laughed.

"Not really," he liked her sense of humor. "I was just kidding."

"It was funny," she grinned. "Nice to meet you, Josh."

"Nice to meet you."

"A bunch of us go to a bar after work for a drink or two. You're welcome if you'd like," Jane invited.

"Let me think about it," he told her.

"If I can help you, just let me know," she said, waving to him with fluttering fingers. He noticed she didn't have a ring on her left hand.

"Thank you," he gave her a wink then sat down to finish the forms.

"Very good," Mr. Mikleski gave the forms a quick glance and tossed them into his out tray. "Let me introduce you around." Mikleski started with Jane. She was a troubleshooter. She could do just about anything. Jane winked at him as he followed Mr. Mikleski. He met everyone in his department. It took a good half hour to meet and greet everyone.

"The last will be your assistant. Her name is Victoria Michaels. She is one of those rare beauty types. If you're not gay, you'll most likely get an erection when you see her." They walked to her office which was located right next to his.

One thing about Mikleski, he didn't exaggerate anything about the stunning blond sitting at her desk working at the computer. He knocked and went right in with Josh on his heels. She was a real hottie. As pretty as they come. Victoria had long straight hair, half melon type breasts, very thin waist, widened hips, tight ass, and shapely legs cover with black stockings. She wore a white satiny blouse, a tight black tube skirt falling two inches above the knee, black high heels. 'This girl is Playboy material, ' Josh thought, watching her slim fingers with its long red polish flying across the keyboard.

"Victoria, I'd like to introduce you to Josh Howard, he's taking John's place,"

"Hello," she smiled, showing her straight white teeth.

"Hi," Josh replied, thinking that she could be his fantasy girl for when he masturbated. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise," she returned. Under the surface Josh felt that the two men were intruding upon her. Her smile faded as she glanced back to the computer screen.

"Victoria gets all the reports, prints them out and gives them to you to work on and digest the information. So you'll be seeing a lot of each other as you work together."

The trio chatted with each other for about five minutes until Mikleski sensed they overstayed their welcome. Josh and Victoria smiled as he trailed his boss back to his own office.

"She's really something, isn't she?"

"Yes, she is," Josh agreed.

"In this office, she's out of bounds. She happens to be Tom Bellform's niece and he frowns upon office romances. Don't even flirt with her."

"I won't," Josh lied. His ultimate desire was to find a way to get her into bed with him if he could. He had absolutely no intention of obeying Mikleski's order regarding Victoria Michaels.

The day flew by. He was given stacks of reports to read. It pertained purchases and expenditures. He knew that this job would be a breeze once he got used to what needed to be done.

"Wanna have a drink?" Jane asked, ready to go.

"Not tonight," Josh said. He wanted a beer badly but thought if he refused, he might make time with Victoria. "Thanks for asking."

"Some other time then," she dropped her smile.

"Maybe tomorrow. I don't want to leave all of this and face it with new stuff in the morning."

"Okay," Jane's smile returned. "I'll buy you the first one, after that you take care of yourself."

"It's a deal."

When Josh got up to stretch, he walked over to Victoria's office only to find it empty. The door was locked, computer shutdown, light were out, and she was gone. Shrugging, he went to the mens room to empty his bladder then back to his desk to finish the reports. 'Might as well make hay while the sun shines, ' he thought picking up his papers.