Chapter 1

Angela Wheeler studied herself in the bathroom mirror. At thirty-two her golden hair still shone. Her blue eyes were bright. Her complexion was flawless. Her figure was trim and there was little sag to her breasts. Nevertheless she sighed. Her eyes no longer sparkled with vivacity and a sense of fun and her lips were a straight line. Her smiling mouth had gone.

"My marriage is a façade," she thought. "Clive isn't the husband I thought I married. Yes, he's still very good looking and keeps himself fit but his charm and friendliness exist now only for his own ends. I am a useful adjunct, nothing more: a social advantage, a nanny to his children. My children as well, dammit! He wouldn't even let me keep them, sending them off to boarding school. He wouldn't listen to my argument and pleas. 'Only the very best for my children.' So Harriet's down for Marlborough, where the York princesses and the Duchess of Cambridge went, and Nigel for Eton. Jumped up snob! No boarding school for him: just the local comprehensive."

She sighed again and went to get dressed. How she wished she still had a job but that had been vetoed when Clive became a senior manager and looked set to join the board. Instead he had pushed her into playing golf, riding, bridge and joining a gym. She had ridden as a girl and still enjoyed it. She found also that she enjoyed golf. Bridge was the least fun. Clive had forced her into it for social reasons but refused to learn himself. Consequently she found that she was playing with women twenty or thirty years older than herself. The gym was not too bad and had certainly contributed to her keeping her slim, lithe figure.

She no longer loved him and she was pretty sure he felt the same but his ego would not let him divorce her. Furthermore, if she left him she had little doubt that he would make access to the children as difficult as possible. She had to hold on for their sakes.

Angela was the subject of Clive's thoughts as he drove to the office that morning. She had fulfilled all the reasons he had married her for: a step up the social ladder, money before he started to earn a half decent salary, two children, a beautiful partner at social events and, until fairly recently, a delightful sexual partner. She had responded well to his training to do his will. She had tried arguing things with him early on such as schooling for the children but his obstinacy had won the day and now she just quietly acquiesced. He had never raised a hand to her but he would have been prepared to had he felt it necessary. Now he was bored with her. Her conversation was boring. She was boring in bed. She was not the least bit interested in his work merely acknowledging that he had done well. Perhaps it was time to get a replacement. There must be nothing blameworthy on his part. There was no immediate rush though. He needed to find a substitute first.

Clive turned his mind towards work. A year ago he had been promoted to Director of Design and had inherited a first class team. They were all good or very good engineers, imaginative and hard-working. When he took over they were working on the design of a hospital in West Africa. It was well advanced and he had had nothing much more to do than curb over-enthusiasm which might incur greater costs and cause them to lose the tender. The design was architecturally stunning. In addition it met all the clinical and administrative requirements and indeed improved on many of them. The results of the competition were imminent. The team needed to be rewarded. He was tempted to put that off until the result was announced but then the whole firm would be involved and the kudos of arranging it would be lost to him. He resolved to have a word with the Chief Executive that morning and see if he could worm some money out of him. There was no need to go overboard; just drinks and a three course dinner in the canteen for the team and their partners. That should be achievable for two to two and a half thousand pounds, a mere drop in the ocean compared to the millions they would make if the company did get the contract.

He greeted his PA, Trish, on arrival and asked her to arrange a meeting with the Chief Executive. She brought him his coffee and the day's mail and then, with a smile, left him to it. Clive smiled to himself. She clearly fancied him and was quite attractive in her way but she was no substitute for Angela. It might be quite fun to have a short affair with her but that would be fraught with risk. She popped her head round the door and said that the Chief Executive could see him at ten. He thanked her and continued to go through the mail.

At five to ten he wandered up one floor to the Chief Executive's office. Moira, his PA, greeted him warmly.

"This is all very secretive, Mr Wheeler," she said with a smile. "Trish said she had no idea why you wanted to see Mr Herbert."

Clive smiled back and tapped the side of his nose. "Never fear, Moira. It won't be a secret for very long and no, I'm not resigning."

Moira laughed. She liked this young man with his good looks and ready smile.

"Go on in," she said.

Clive did so and Tony Herbert rose to his feet with a smile.

"Good morning, Clive. What are you about to spring on me?"

Clive grinned as they both sat down. "Nothing earth-shattering," he said. "It's just that the design team has been working like beavers for the last eighteen months on the hospital project and I'd like to reward them."

"Go on."

"Well, if we win the contract there will no doubt be a company celebration but that'll be everybody. OK, the Finance boys and girls and Contracts have all played their part but the brunt of the work has fallen on my team and Project Management have had nothing to do with it yet."

"So?"

"I'd like them to have a party but something rather more than just a booze up in the canteen. I was thinking of drinks and a three course meal, held in the canteen to keep the costs down, with their partners."

"Sounds good but why are you running it past me?"

Clive smiled again. "I'll give you one guess: money."

"Aha! What a surprise! Surely though your directorate has an entertainment fund."

"Yes it does but that goes towards the Christmas party and in any case I don't think they should put a penny towards what I envisage as a gesture of thanks."

Tony nodded. "How much are you asking for?"

"Well, I guess it will cost between two and two and a half grand. I'm happy to put up five hundred to show my own appreciation for what they've done so I'm asking the company to foot the balance."

"Up to two thousand. That's not insignificant."

"No I appreciate that but it's peanuts compared with what we stand to make on this project."

"Got it all worked out, haven't you? What about the bribery and corruption now?"

Clive looked at him wide-eyed. "Bribery and corruption? Me?"

"The little white hen that never lays astray."

"That's me." He smiled engagingly. "Of course if you do give the go ahead we shall be inviting you and the chairman and your wives as our guests."

"Ah!" Tony chuckled. "Go for it, Clive. I think it's a great idea."

"Thanks, Tony. I really am most grateful and my directorate will be too."