Chapter 1

The tall, dark haired man pushed his chair back and stood to address the audience. Cathy crossed her long legs, enjoying the rasping sound as her nylon stockings rubbed together and the warm dampness of her panties as they were squeezed in the apex of her thighs. Ashamed and excited by her thoughts, she stared at the handsome man, lost in erotic imaginings as she fixed her gaze on his body. The beautifully tailored Italian pants clung to every curve of his firm behind and the well cut material only highlighted the slight swelling at the front. Together with the tapered, crisp white shirt, David Manning exuded power and sexuality.

Cathy shook herself out of her reverie, telling herself firmly that she could not afford to swoon after some 30 year old married man who, even if he was a partner in her office, was both out of her reach and a distraction to her ambitions. At twenty-two, with no college education, she had things to do and places to go. She was not going to be distracted by some testosterone-driven macho man. She was on this course to learn, improve herself, get closer to her dream of becoming a legal executive, and no handsome control freak was going to stop her achieving her goal. And yet! ... Ever since she had joined the firm six months ago, David had been her friend. He seemed instinctively to understand her desires and her frustrations and of course, curse him, had suggested this course for her to Clifford McKay, the senior partner.

Not hearing a word of David's presentation on how the legal profession could be made more accessible for women, Cathy slipped into reflecting on how much this man had become an obsession with her.

On her first day in her job as the partners' PA, David had been in Clifford's office as her responsibilities had been explained.

"Clifford, I don't think we need be so formal. Let me take Cathy to meet the troops and show her around. She seems a bright girl. I'm sure she'll pick things up as she goes along. Anyway, Karen and I can always help if there's any problem."

Opening the door, he had ushered her out with a friendly touch on her shoulder that had made her shiver.

From that moment on he had looked after her like an elder brother. He had introduced her to all the staff in the small office, including Karen Harding, the other partner.

Despite his hectic life and constant travelling, David always had time to talk to her, explain things to her. On evenings when they had worked late, he always insisted on taking her, Karen and any others around, for a pizza or a Chinese meal before driving her back to her apartment on his way home to his wife.

He couldn't know what he was doing to her. The friendly pats on the back, putting his hand on top of hers, the innocent peck on the cheek when he dropped her off, were the actions of a close friend, yet she had become infatuated with him. Why had she never invited him in? Why did she go to sleep stroking her pussy and imagining that the fingers were David's?

"And that, ladies and gentleman, concludes what I wanted to say to you. Are there any questions?"

The enthusiastic round of applause shook Cathy back to reality. David was quickly surrounded by his admiring audience, congratulating him on his lecture.

"Typical!" thought Cathy with frustration as she gathered her things and started for the door. "A last minute replacement, an impromptu speech and he'd knocked their socks off. I wonder if he's as good in bed?"

Still shocked by her lewd thought, Cathy felt her cheeks burn when suddenly David clutched her arm.

"Hi you, bit of a madhouse in here. No time to chat now. I will see you at dinner though, won't I?"

Nonplussed, she gazed up into his brown eyes and replied, "Yeah, I guess so, but ... I didn't think you'd be staying on."

"The prospect of a fine meal was too tempting for me. Couldn't be bothered to drive home anyway, so I've got a room here tonight. See you later, must go and lap up the fan worship."

With that he disappeared back in the throng and Cathy made her way to the lift up to her room. Once safely inside she tried to collect her thoughts. David was staying! She and David were going to sleep in the same hotel! Her mind raced with the possibilities. She told herself to be sensible. Was it remotely likely that David, a happily married man, her boss, would let anything happen between them? Above all, a successful lawyer would know better than to step out of line with a colleague, especially one so much lower down the food chain.

She looked at her large double bed with its rich burgundy comforter and saw the scene in her mind's eye.

The two of them were lying naked, clasped in a fierce embrace with their lips locked together and their tongues exploring each others mouths. David's hand was exploring the crease at the top of her thigh, stoking the fire that seemed to be raging in her loins. As the fingers began gently stroking her engorged outer labia, the fire began emitting sparks that shot through all her body. She felt one finger, then another invade the tight wetness of her vagina. The tempo of the fingers moving inside her increased and she could feel the friction against the sopping walls of her pussy driving her to the edge. When his thumb found her swollen clitoris and started rubbing she exploded in climax, bolts of lightning spreading from the depths of her belly. Her whole body shook with the electric sensations between her thighs.

She saw, as her head slowly cleared the fantasy away, that the bed was still empty and unruffled and shamefully realised that she was standing with her hand under her skirt. Her hand was jammed inside her dripping panties with moisture dribbling down the inside of her thighs and two fingers deeply embedded in her pussy.

"Get a grip, girl!" she told herself crossly. It was utter madness to let herself get so carried away by her fantasies of this man. It was more like the blind passion of a schoolgirl crush than the mature desires of a 22 year old wannabe executive.

And yet ... She had never given herself such powerful orgasms until she had the image of David to masturbate to.

She looked at her watch. Time was slipping by and she only had an hour to get ready for the evening. This was the formal end of course dinner and she must make an effort, Cathy told herself. For herself. Of course it had nothing to do with the fact that David would be there. He was just a secondary factor she frantically tried to convince herself.

She poured herself a large gin and tonic from the minibar fridge, an expense account was a wonderful thing, and went into the bathroom to run a bath. As the hot water gushed from the faucet, she tossed in a capsule of the aloe vera bath oil thoughtfully provided by the hotel. Stripping quickly, she dropped her clothes in an untidy heap on the floor. A sense of guilt made her bend down and stuff the soiled panties out of sight under the skirt and garter belt before walking naked back into the bedroom to get her drink.

There was a certain erotic decadence in wandering nude round a hotel suite she felt, made more exciting by the glimpses she caught in the mirrored wardrobe doors of her slim, tall, olive skinned body with the jet black triangle of hair at the top of her legs. Damn it, couldn't she stop thinking about sex for a moment!

Putting her glass on the side of the bath, she slid into the steaming, foaming water, enjoying the feeling as the heat slowly swallowed her body; legs, thighs, stomach and breasts. Her breasts were too small, she thought as she fondled them, touching the dark brown nipples that had become firmly erect in the hot water. Still, a girl can't have everything, she mused. The rest of her lithe body was OK; enough curves to turn a few male heads anyway, even if there was no-one close enough to appreciate them fully.

Luxuriating dreamily in the silky liquid, her hands moved down her body and slipped between her long, willowy legs. Exploring the tops of her thighs, she began stroking her still puffy labia. She pulled herself up sharply, telling herself this wouldn't do. If she didn't get a move on she would be late. She stepped out of the bath and, wrapping a large fluffy towel round her, went into the bedroom.

The choice of clothes was fairly simple as she had decided what to wear before she left home, and she laid the garments out on the bed. The towel followed and she sat naked in front of the dressing table mirror to fix her hair and make-up. She was pleased with the result. Her curly, jet black hair shone and the understated blue eye shadow highlighted her chestnut brown eyes.

Fifteen minutes later she was ready. As she took a final look in the mirror she wondered if she hadn't perhaps been a bit too risqué. The pale blue long-sleeved blouse did not expose much flesh but the ultra thin material was very revealing. Her body was clearly visible through the material as was her white bra. Also, the beige silk skirt was a bit short and clung too closely to her contours to allow her to wear a garter belt and stockings. Well, it couldn't be helped. She didn't have any other options! She grabbed her bag and room key, closed the door and walked down the corridor, her long, bare legs shimmering in the light.

Downstairs, her high heels clicked on the marble floor of the atrium as Cathy crossed to the private dining room. To her great disappointment she saw there was a formal seating plan giving her no chance of a place close to David. In fact, she could hardly have been put further away from him. At least that would stop her making a fool of herself, she thought.

By the time she found her place, all her fellow table companions were already seated. From the round of introductions it was depressingly clear to Cathy that dinner conversation was unlikely to be very stimulating; boring sport from the men and banalities about work and babies from the women.

Thank goodness David's prediction about the food had been right. It was superb. Asparagus and smoked salmon followed by magret de canard with a bittersweet cherry sauce, attentive waiters ready to refill wine glasses as soon as they were half empty. Cathy knew she was drinking too much but didn't care. She might as well drown her sorrows she told herself bitterly.

The sound of raucous laughter from David's table was impossible to ignore. Across the room she could see him grinning broadly, whispering something in the ear of the beautiful blonde course director. He had his hand on her bare shoulder and, although Cathy tried to suppress her emotions, anger and jealousy welled up inside her.

A loud rattling of plates and cutlery indicated that the meal, which had seemed interminable to Cathy, was finally over. Now for the closing speeches but she knew she couldn't stand this torture any longer. Muttering something about not feeling very well, she slipped from the table and went to the lobby. Not ready to go upstairs, she ordered a glass of white wine at the bar and took it to one of the comfortable armchairs.

She knew she had to sort her mind out. This was getting crazier by the day. What she needed, she told herself, was a sensible plan of action. If she couldn't have David, and that looked pretty obvious, she would have to get him out of her life and not have to see him every day, hear his seductive voice. A new job, that's what she needed. But why? She liked it where she was. She felt she was making good progress and she got on well with her colleagues and the other partners, Clifford and Karen. What could she do?

"Well, well. What have we here? A naughty girl who's sneaked out of class early. Perhaps I should go and tell teacher about you."

A shiver ran through her as David's hands rested on her shoulders.

"How about you then?" was all she could think to reply.

"Oh, I couldn't face all that speechifying nonsense, so I made an excuse about having work to finish for tomorrow. Can I get some more wine and join you?"

"What about..." She had been going to say, "What about that well endowed blonde woman you seemed to be joined to surgically all evening!" but bit it back just in time.

"What about what?"

"Er, nothing. Of course, you're more than welcome to sit here."

As David went to the bar, Cathy wondered if she really needed this, a friendly chat with a man who was shredding her emotions, powering her lustful fantasies. She was sure it was a mistake but desire was stronger than good sense.

As he sat down next to her, putting a bottle of wine and two fresh glasses on the low table, the back of his hand briefly brushed her bare knee sending goose bumps along her leg. She breathed in the sweet aroma of his cologne, Calvin Klein's Contradiction she guessed. 'Obsession' would have been more appropriate for him, she told herself bitterly.

"You look absolutely stunning tonight Cathy," he said whilst putting his hand on top of hers. "And that blouse is to die for, elegant with just a hint of naughtiness."

"It's yours if you want but I don't think it would suit you," she quipped nervously and immediately cursed herself for such a crass remark.

She was a bundle of nerves and just couldn't think straight. Looking into his soft brown eyes only six inches away from her face, her senses swimming with his manly smell and the sound of his voice, her brain had gone into overload. This was so different from usual. The way he was talking and touching her wasn't his normal brotherly manner. Well, if it was, there was more than a hint of incest in the air!

He took his hand off hers to take a sip of wine. She almost gasped as he then drew his cold, damp fingertips across the back of her hand making her skin prickle. Cathy wasn't sure whether he was serious or it was just the effect of too much wine. Anyway, she decided, it was something of what she had craved for so long and she was going to make the most of it while it lasted.

"Cathy, look, I'm sorry," the soft voice broke into her reverie. "I didn't mean to be rude about your blouse. I just meant it made you look so sexy.

"Look, I've a confession to make to you. I lied to you earlier about staying the night..."

"What!" she blurted out in panic, her concern showing only too clearly in her face. "You mean you haven't booked a room?"

"No, no, no. Of course I've got a room. After this much wine I couldn't possibly drive home."

"Then what? I don't understand what you mean." Cathy's fear and bewilderment could be read in her face.

He hesitated, searching for words. Cathy had never seen him anything less than totally poised and confident and she began to worry about what he was going to say next.

"I just wanted to ... to spend some time with you ... away from the office," his voice had dropped to an earnest whisper.

"I couldn't say it before and I'm probably wrong saying it now but, Cathy, I'm ... I'm very attracted to you. More than I should be in the circumstances I suppose."

Cathy's heart stopped, her mouth fell open and she just stared, speechless and incredulous, at his anxious face only inches from her own. His searching eyes and furrowed brow clear evidence of his worry of having said too much.

A torrent of conflicting thoughts and questions cascaded through Cathy's mind all at once as if a floodgate had been opened suddenly. Had she heard him correctly? Did he mean what she thought he meant? Why now? What did he want? What should she do?

The last answer was clear. Common sense told her she should make her excuses and escape. But she didn't want to! She could politely laugh things off, walk away and preserve her secret fantasies; and her job. But desire kept her immobile and silent. She craved whatever he was offering her.

David saw the confusion in her face and spoke first, "Look, I'm so sorry. I'm out of line. I shouldn't have said all that, it's probably the wine talking. I didn't mean to embarrass you. Will you forgive me?" His distraught face was a picture of agony and Cathy felt tears welling in her eyes seeing him struggle.

"David..."

"No, no! It was completely out of order. Forget what I said and I'll just say goodnight and go upstairs," he said, beginning to lever himself out of the armchair.

Suddenly the turbulence cleared from her mind, to be replaced by a deep serenity. Cathy knew she had to seize this moment or lose it forever.

Not knowing where she found such a firm and authoritative voice, she began,

"Listen to me David, please,

"I've wanted you from the moment I set eyes on you. I knew it was ridiculous. What would a man like you, sophisticated, educated and all that see in a silly, young innocent like me. All the time you were being nice, helping me, I was trying to read much more into it than there was."

"But, Cathy, there was so much more in it. It's been all I could do not to touch you or tell you how I feel about you. It all just seemed so wrong and, anyway, I thought you'd be repulsed if a dirty old man came on to you."

Cathy's melodic laugh echoed round the lobby.

"You are many things, David Manning, but I don't think 'dirty old man' will ever be one of them."

David fiddled nervously with the stem of his wine glass.

"No, you don't understand, it's complicated. Not just because I'm older than you and your boss. I can't explain the details to you but, believe me, there are a thousand and one good reasons why you should let me leave now and forget tonight. Let's go back to where we were before — unfulfilled fantasies. A sweet angel like you shouldn't get mixed up with me, I promise you."

Cathy looked incredulous. Nothing seemed to make any sense, certainly David didn't make sense. She knew him; this sexy, intelligent man, gentle and strong at the same time. Whatever black stain he thought he had on his soul was probably something that most people would regard as nothing, she was sure of that.

"David, don't tell me what to think or do. You may think I'm still wet behind the ears but I'm old enough to make my own judgements and decisions. Maybe, in comparison with you, I'm still a bit naïve but I know what I want and I want you. If I understood the nonsense you were saying, you feel the same about me."

"Yes, but..."

"There are no 'buts'. I've waited too long for this. Take the moment, before it's gone."

They sat silently staring into each other's eyes until a loud burst of applause coming from the dining room broke the spell.

"Oh, hell," exclaimed David crossly. "That's the speeches ended. I can't be seen here after saying I had work to do. I must disappear."

"Right," said Cathy, taking charge. "Grab the bottle and follow me!" As she marched purposefully to the elevators she smiled to herself, thinking how the roles had been completely reversed and she was now in control. David trailed behind her and she swung her hips more than usual, fairly certain that his eyes would be glued to the tightly sheathed globes of her round bottom.

The doors closed and they started to go up. Cathy threw her arms round his neck and pulled his face down to meet hers as she pushed him against the side of the elevator, crushing her soft body against his firm one. Her bra encased breasts were mashed against his muscular chest and she could feel his hardness pressing into her lower belly. Their lips were just touching when the elevator shuddered and came to a stop at Cathy's floor. "Damn," cursed Cathy as she broke away from the clinch. Taking David by the hand like a small child, she strode purposefully to her room, her high heels sinking in the plush pile of the carpet.

As she fiddled in her bag for her card key David finally found his voice.

"A bit forward aren't we? I thought it was customary to invite someone up for a nightcap rather than kidnapping them. Perhaps I'm a nice boy who doesn't feel safe in the clutches of a marauding Amazon."

Cathy gave a nervous giggle. "If I were, you'd be quite safe. Amazons weren't too keen on men as I recall."

"Anyway," she added, opening the door and going in, "If I hadn't done something, you'd have run away like a startled rabbit."

"Perhaps I should've done just that," mused David, closing the door. He was beginning to wonder if his hormones hadn't given his brain a night off.

Once inside the room, Cathy could feel her heart pounding in her chest. She didn't know if it was excitement or fear; probably both she thought. To give herself time to think, she turned towards the sideboard.

"I'll get some glasses, take your jacket off and make yourself comfortable," she blurted out, trying to control the opposing emotions fighting within her.

In her fantasies it had all been so easy. He would come into her bedroom and the next instant they would be lying naked, entwined together. She had never imagined the practicalities between the two scenarios. Here she was with a tall, handsome, virile man in her room and they were both fully dressed. What happens next? Should they have a drink and talk some more, or should she start taking her clothes off?