In The Workplace
John P. Fault <jpfault@hotmail.com>

Copyright 2003, John P. Fault. Feel free to distribute, but please
leave the entire story intact, as-is, and not to any pay sites. It's
meant to be free for whomever wants to read it. This is a story 
containing somewhat graphic sexual activity. If you're under age, then 
you probably shouldn't read this. If you're a consenting adult then read
away. Remember, be responsible for your actions and yourself because
no one else will. I'm certainly not responsible for you, what you
think, or what you do, and I wouldn't want to be even if I could.
Ultimately, whatever comes around goes around, so play nice.

----

I was listening to Frank Zappa's Shut Up and Play Yer Guitar the other
day (great guitar work if you've never heard it) and saw the title
"Sexual Harassment in the Workplace" pop up in the player as I
continued writing in another window. It planted a seed in my mind.
Why, I don't know. It's an instrumental. I guess the title struck a
chord (pun intended).

I'm not a lawyer (as far as you know), so any bits about workplace
policies are figments of my imagination. It's fiction, after all,
okay ?

I hope you enjoy. As always, if you have feedback, please send it. My 
email is up there at the top.

I have a couple of older stories that you might enjoy if you like this
one. They're at asstr.org ->

/files/Authors/Pagefault/

Thanks - jpf 5/17/2003

----

The old man cashed out after a lot of years running this place. Over
the years, he sold me ownership in the company until he was ready to
get out and experience the life of a retiree. I figured that I'd put
in my time and I was ready to run his, no my, advertising company.
After all, I modernized it from strictly doing print and radio to
computer based television, high end graphic work, and some Internet
advertising and web site design. I had a great bunch of people and a
solid foundation to work with.

It all seemed like it was under control. The only problem was my
shifting role of General Manager to owner. It felt more than a little
odd. Before, even though I was overseeing pretty much everything and
had the ability to hire and fire, I was still one of the guys. Now
that I was "the man", something changed. I guess it's the "Life's Been
Good" quote that sums it up for me, "Everybody's so different, I
haven't changed." That's really how I felt. I was pretty much odd man
out now. I guess it really is lonely at the top.

My personal life hadn't been too exciting, either. I was so involved
in my work that I didn't really have anyone special to come home to.
Consequently, I seemed to spend more time at work. It was a vicious
cycle and one that ultimately led me to almost get an ulcer. Not from
working so much but from worrying about what might happen to me.

Back when I was the general manager, I took a risk and hired a sales
associate right out of college. Her resume didn't have any sales
experience in advertising, but she had some experience in retail sales
from part time jobs that helped put her through school. She
interviewed very well and was definitely aggressive in terms of
convincing me and my sales manager that she was the right person for
the job. It also didn't hurt that she was young, blonde, perky, and
built nicely. It's an unfortunate thing that in sales, looks don't
necessarily mean bigger or more sales, but it really does help. In the 
end, she won out over a dozen or so other applicants. My sales manager
very much wanted Janey to come work in her department. 

Penny, my sales manager, and I took Janey out to lunch to welcome her
aboard. We talked about her schedule, her training, our expectations,
and finally her expectations. It was a good session getting to know
each other. 

She started the next week and blew us away with her enthusiasm. She
really took to her job. At first, some of the old timers were
irritated, suspecting I only hired her on as eye candy. Over the next
few weeks and months, they saw what my sales manager and I had seen: a
go getter that was great to work with and wasn't afraid to roll up her
sleeves, jump in, and get the job done. She always met her sales goals
and even worked hard to help everyone else when help was needed. Janey
really was the consummate team player. 

I met Janey's husband after she'd been there awhile. Nice kid. He
reminded me of me when I was 22 or 23. I couldn't put a finger on
which one of those two wore the pants in that family. They were a
strange couple, but they seemed well matched. That was pleasing
because a good home life makes for happier employees at work. I 
suppose that's an odd attitude, but it's really true.

-=-

Business was better than ever. Despite the down economy and the fact
that many people cut back on advertising, we were doing very well. I
guess when you've proven that you can give someone a return on
investment, they'll continue to work with you. I was still working way
too many hours, but I was much calmer.

I happened to be working late one night when I noticed Janey out in
the sales area. The lights were out and her computer was on. She was
busily typing away. From my vantage point in my office (on a balcony
overlooking the entire clerical and sales office areas), I could see
that see was very involved in her work. She printed off her document
and picked it up off the printer. Being the conscientious person she
was, she refilled the paper tray since it was out. When she bent over,
her skirt pulled tight against her ass. I had done well to not ogle
her before this, but I could not resist checking her out when she was
bent over like that. She had taut, slightly muscular legs peeking out
beneath her skirt. Her tight skirt accentuated her form, showing off
her broad hips and well formed butt. Her waist appeared to be very
narrow because her hips were a bit large, but the overall shape was
very excellent.

She went back to her desk and packed her stuff up for the night.
Luckily, I don't think she noticed I was there. Tom, her husband, came
by and picked her up and they took off. I couldn't stay focused
anymore because I kept thinking about her legs and her ass. I really
needed to find someone. My libido was starting to get out of hand. A
little perusing porn and jacking off solved the immediate problem. I
needed to start getting out of the office if I ever hoped to find
someone.

-=-

More time passed and I didn't ever seem to break out of my bad habits
of working way too much. The company was doing great. Janey was our
top salesperson. Morale overall was very high. The notable exception
was Janey, though. Her sales were up, but something was obviously
wrong. I certainly wasn't going to pry. Penny, however, asked.
Apparently there were some troubles at home, but Janey wasn't going
into details. As long as she was still doing okay in her job, I didn't
want to interfere. It wasn't that I didn't care about her well-being.
I just didn't want to be in the middle of a domestic dispute.

A few weeks later, as usual, I was in my office working on the end of
month paperwork. The office was empty. I went downstairs to pick up
the last set of reports as they came off the laser printer. While I
waited for the last few sets to come in, the lock clicked as someone
let themselves in with their pass card. I peeked around the corner and
saw that it was Janey. She was obviously upset. She came into the
sales area. I yelled out "Hello?" from the nook where the printer was.
She came into the room and said hi. 

I asked her what was she doing at work so late. Apparently it was the
wrong question because she just started crying. Before I knew what I
was doing, I was holding her and letting her cry on my shoulder. I'm
glad that her crying was keeping my sex drive in check because the
proximity of that young, warm, tight body against me was almost too
much to handle. It could have been very awkward.

"I came home early tonight from a sales call to surprise Tom. I made
my biggest sale ever today and the commission from it would mean that
we'd finally be able to buy the house we wanted. When I got there, I
found him in bed with some 18 year old that he works with."

She sobbed a bit before continuing. I just kept quiet.

"I was shocked and stormed out of the house, unsure what I should do.
I heard him start to finish...finish having sex with that girl. He
didn't even come after me. He, he, he just wanted to get off with that 
whore."

"I drove around for awhile before he finally found me. He said that he
wasn't really happy and hadn't been for awhile. He was bored with me
because I wasn't...I think the term he used was 'adventurous'. I guess
that means that I didn't want to have sex with other women and stuff
like he wanted."

Oh man, this was bad. I still just kept my mouth shut and held her
while her crying finally died out.

"I suppose we'll talk about it, but I imagine I'm going to end up
getting divorced. We've only been married for 2 years. I'm too young
to be a divorcee."

I finally decided to pipe up. "Janey, whatever you decide to do, think
long and hard. Just as getting married is a big decision, so is
getting divorced. I certainly understand that you're upset. I guess
what I'm saying is that don't do anything in anger that you might
regret later. You very well may end up apart, but make the decision
after your emotions are back in check. That way you'll have a better 
idea what you need to do to take care of your needs."

She sniffled a bit and pulled away from me. I was actually a little
thankful for that. She tilted her head to one side and looked at me.

She said, "I want to get even with him." With those words, she stepped
back into my arms and pulled herself against me. Despite every cell in
my body screaming out not to, I got hard. 

She leaned in to kiss me and this time it was my turn to pull away. I
told her that I couldn't because it would be wrong. Not only because
she was married, though unhappily so now, but because I was her
employer. "There are lots of rules about this sort of thing," I told
her. 

She pushed back against me, backing me up against the printer and said
"Part of you really wants to help me out."

"Janey, that part of me is certainly interested. It often doesn't care
about making the right decision, though. Dear, any man would probably
be glad to help you take your revenge here and now. I'm certain it
would be fun for both of us. Again, though, anything you do in anger
is something you'll probably regret later. You need to calm down,
talk about this with a therapist or priest or, god forbid, a lawyer,
and work out what you want to do when cooler heads can prevail. In the
meantime, I'll listen if you need me to or be a shoulder to cry on. I
think that's all I can offer. I'm flattered by your, um, proposal. Who
wouldn't be when a beautiful young woman comes on to you ? I just
think we should sit down and have some coffee and unwind."

She smiled and hugged me and said that I was probably right. She
thanked me for not taking advantage of the situation she offered. "It
seemed right at the moment, but you're right." We brewed some coffee
and sat on the sectional in the lounge and talked for hours about her,
school, her dreams, and ultimately her marriage. 

-=-

Time passed. I didn't experience any more nights with major breakdowns
or offers for sex from Janey. I considered both a step in the right
direction. Her outlook continued to improve, though I really didn't
get details on it. Penny did let me know that Janey and Tom were
separated, though, what would happen was still up in the air.

Janey seemed back to her perky self in no time flat. Not only that,
she got into her job with a new level of enthusiasm. Her sales went
way up and her self-esteem with it, it would appear. Her wardrobe also
changed a bit with her new found aggressiveness. She now wore clothes
that were appropriate, but that definitely accentuated her curviness
and showed a little more skin than before. Sadly enough, that probably
was helping her sales. But I guess if you've got it, use it to your
advantage. You might as well, I suppose. Not being one of the world's
"pretty people", I wasn't really sure.

It got hard to not notice her around the office. Especially when she
seemed to be everywhere at once. She didn't rest at all. The biggest
traffic jams were always at the printer and copier area since it was a
small room. It never seemed to fail that she had to slide past me in
the room every time we were down there. It was a herculean effort to
not embarrass myself when I felt her ass slide over the front of my
pants and the whiff of her perfume tickled my senses. Somehow, I
maintained my composure and didn't show any reaction.

-=-

A few weeks later, as I was doing my one on one meetings with each
member of the sales staff, we chatted a bit more. I asked how she was
doing and she said that all things considered, she was better than
ever. We did the business side of things, discussing sales and
potential sales, any obstacles, and upcoming promos. At the end of
our talk, I got up to walk her out of my office. She turned to me and
surprised me by hugging me. 

"I wanted to thank you for your understanding awhile back. You were a
great listener and let me get a lot of things out that I needed to.
And, um, I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I wasn't really myself
that night."

"Quite alright, Jane. I'll admit that it was awkward, but I care
about the welfare of everyone that works here. It's like my family,
only less arguing and more focus on the bottom line."

She grinned. "Thanks. I really enjoy working here. Penny is a great
boss and you make it fun and interesting."

Ah, youthful enthusiasm. I miss that sometimes. She collected her
folders of sales info and moved out the door. I couldn't help but
watch her go. She had on a rather spectacular sun dress that showed a
fair bit of of back, hinting that she had no bra on. I knew she did,
though. I looked when she was getting her folders. Yeah, I know. How
juvenile can you get ? She was formed quite nicely, though. And her
skin seemed so tan and golden. She almost glowed, it seemed.

-=-

Time passed and all seemed well. Janey was still burning up sales
records. The office was flowing well. I was feeling great about
things. And every day it seemed, Janey's tight body was pressed
briefly against mine in the printer room. 

It didn't seem to matter when I was there. She always seemed to be
there, too.

Paradise, though, was soon to hit a small snag or two. Penny had been
my sales manager for several years. She was now in her mid to late
thirties and apparently feeling that biological clock. She came to me
and told me that she was pregnant, very excited about it, and wanted
me to be the first person in the office to know. 

I was thrilled for her. I knew that's what she wanted. She'd been with
me as the sales manager before I owned the place. She was just an
absolute joy to work with. I wished her all the best with it, told her
that I would be the most supportive boss ever, and that we could work
out whatever arrangements she needed.

She said that until her pregnancy got really far along that she would
stay in her sales manager role. We both agreed that she should train
someone else to cover while she was out. She insisted that Janey was
the best person for the job. I trusted her opinion. I was concerned,
though, that some of the more senior people would be upset. She shook
off those concerns telling me that for starters, most of the sales
staff weren't even interested in management and that there wasn't a
person in the place that didn't like Janey. She was probably right.
She had a much better grip on the pulse of the workers because I was
across the Grand Canyon sized "owner" chasm and people were less
likely to hold bull sessions with me around.

Penny also noted that after her baby was born, she'd like to come
back, but as part time sales staff so she could take care of her
child. That hurt, but I'd rather have her there some than not at all.

"Of course that would be fine," I said. "That means, though, that your
vacancy at sales manager is permanent. Do we need to interview instead
of having a temporary manager ?"

"Dan, you know how I think. Janey should be the permanent sales
manager if she wants it. She's demonstrated her ability to pick up
skills quickly. She's definitely a great negotiator and has the best
work ethic I've seen in someone right out of college. I'll stand by
her taking the job if she wants it."

"Well, Penny, that's good enough for me. Let's call her in and talk
about it."

We did. Janey was so excited that she jumped right up off of the sofa
in my office and screamed, "Yes ! I'll take it." She got her composure
back somewhat and told us that she'd do her best and that she'd make
sure we never regretted the decision.

I had to smile at such a display of energy and vitality. She was
enthusiastic to say the least.

And over the next couple of months, she really took to the new role. I
had no complaints about anything. Penny reported that Janey really
took to it and was a natural. She was still selling, though, not out
quite as much, but running the entire sales staff, too. Talented kid,
it seemed. 

More time passed and Penny left for maternity leave. Janey assumed the
role fully. It wasn't much of a change because Penny had been leaving
more and more of the role to her so she would get used to it. There
was no real bump from Penny's absence, though we all missed her. She
had a quiet sort of energy that kept everyone motivated. Janey had the
same motivating quality but in a bubblier package.

Janey really put in the time and didn't leave until the job was done.
Sometimes she took the work home with her and sometimes I saw her
burning the midnight oil like I did. She still seemed happy, though.

I told her that while I certainly appreciated her efforts, she didn't
have to kill herself to impress me with her work ethic. I was already
impressed with how she handled sales and the sales staff. I told her
to go on home and be with her family. She looked at me a bit funny and
then said okay and once again squeezed past me. This time she was
facing me. I felt her breasts, small, firm, and warm lightly brush
against me. I fought to keep from getting hard. Baseball statistics
and images of icebergs only go so far.

-=-

And so it continued for awhile. There was a very thin layer of sexual
tension in the air between Janey and me. I tried to stay as distanced
from it as possible because of the obvious conflicts there. It was
often difficult to not fantasize when she came in on her days off to
pick up papers or mail wearing jeans and low cut shirts that emphasized 
her small breasts and tiny waist and taut thighs and ass. I'm not certain 
that she did that on purpose, but it happened often enough to wonder. 

She came in one day with her hair pulled up, showing the graceful
curve of her neck. Along with a skirt that would get ride up as she got
up or sat down and flash tantalizing glimpses of naked thighs and her
panties, concentrating was difficult. My thoughts would wander to
things like "Does she shave her pubes down to very little ? I wonder
if it's as blonde as her eyebrows and hair on her head ? Are her
nipples small and pink ?" All sorts of things that were completely
distracting when you're trying to get work done.

I kept things as professional as possible. Her bubbly personality made
it hard to keep any sort of formality. Frankly, I wasn't really a
formal kind of guy, anyway. Still, though, the specter of having my
business's reputation as well as my personal reputation sullied just for 
an orgasm kept me in check. 

-=-

One night when I was there working, I got tired and went down to the 
lounge. It wasn't uncommon that I would nap there after a long day. 
The staff knew to leave me be if I was there. Plus, the snoring
usually kept all but the stoutest hearts away.

I was having a fabulous dream about getting a blowjob from a
particularly skilled ex-girlfriend. I could feel myself getting closer
and closer and closer. I moaned and then came hard, firing shot after
shot of come into her mouth. She looked at me as she swallowed it down
as she fondled my balls. 

I hadn't had a wet dream since early teenage-hood, but as I opened my
eyes, I expected to have a load in my boxers to cope with. I was very
surprised to see Janey's mouth around my cock and her looking up at me. 
As my sleep addled brain engaged, I realized with a shock that I had just 
been sucked off by my very hot, young employee. 

I couldn't react. I was in shock. I was also experiencing some most
un-employerlike thoughts about pulling her to me and making love to
her. I had to compose myself.

"Janey ! What do you think you're doing ? We, I, we can't do this."

"Dan, I've thought about this for a long time. I think we can and we
should."

I couldn't talk with her kneeling in between my legs and my penis
hanging out. It was more than a little distracting. Especially seeing
those full lips and her pretty face and blonde hair right there. The
fact that she just had me in her mouth...focus ! I must focus on why
this is wrong. I tucked myself back into my boxers and zipped up. I
pulled her onto the sectional beside me

"Janey, the implications are not good. I own the business you work
for. I'm your direct supervisor. The conflicts there, well, for
starters there's the legal side. It's generally frowned upon to say
the very least. Plus, if we did this and you ever regretted it or
worse, it would be awkward at best and downright unpleasant beyond
that. I'm looking at it from the perspective of keeping myself and
business out of trouble as well as keeping an employee that might
leave if things were awkward. I value you way too much to lose you
over a night of passion."

"Okay, Dan, we'll just have to have many nights of passion so it'll be
worth it."

"Don't be flip. This is serious."

"Yes, it is. Let me speak my piece and then we can decide what to do."

I nodded. I tried not to notice that the top three buttons of her
shirt were undone, giving a lovely view of the nicely tanned tops of
her breasts.

"Dan, I think I fell in love with you the night I caught Tom cheating
on me. The way you were strong enough to stop me from being foolish
even though I knew you wanted to make love to me showed me both your
strength and depth of how much you really care."

I started to protest, but she shushed me. She went on to talk at
length about how things with Tom fell apart and that she'd been
divorced for almost 8 months. I had no idea. I guess I'd just avoided
getting too involved. 

"In that time, I've really gotten to know you. I've also tried my
damnedest to see if you'd take advantage of either my vulnerability or
your position of power. I didn't expect that you would on either
account. Since then, I've seen how you care for the people that work
here and truly give a damn about how we're all doing. You also want to
succeed and aren't afraid to work for what you want. I'm not either.
Tom gave up on us. I swore that the next person I got serious with
would have to be a fighter, a person who doesn't give up. That's you."

Wow. That was heavy. And completely unexpected to me. I didn't know
what to say. I didn't feel like I would possibly live up to what she
expected. I certainly didn't feel as noble as she had made me to be. I
tried to explain that to her, but she was having none of it. 

"I want you, Dan. Nothing at work is going to change. The only thing
that might be different is that you just might find a companion, a
lover, and a partner. I just might find the same. We'll just have to
wait and see."

With that, she got up and then settled into my lap. She put her arms
around me and drew me in for a kiss. I closed my eyes as I felt her
lips brush mine. I ran my fingers up her neck as my tongue lightly
brushed against hers. Between her kiss, the warmth of her body, and
that thrilling touch of soft skin with taut muscles underneath had me
rock hard. There was no hiding it now and frankly I didn't care.

I opened my eyes to find her looking at me. She ground her hips down a
bit pushing my hard-on into her. Still looking at me, she pulled back
and undid the rest of the buttons of her shirt. It hung open
invitingly, showing smooth tan skin from belly up broken only by her
bra peeking out.

We kissed a bit more as I slide my fingers up her back. My
explorations up and down her back let me know that her bra clasp was
on the front. I slowly eased a hand around and up between us. I traced
a breast with my fingers as I inched toward my goal of the hook. When
I got there, I pinched the hooks together with my fingers and felt the
clasp come apart. I moved my hand away from the center and back to
caressing the lovely small tit I'd been feeling before. She started
breathing a little harder as I gently ran my hands over her. 

I untangled myself from her embrace and looked at her. I moved my
hands to the snap on her pants. She nodded. I leaned back in and
kissed her as I unfastened her pants. She lifted her ass up off of the
cushion so I could take her pants off of her. I did my job a little
too well, though, and ended up taking her panties, too. 

I worked my way down her neck and started kissing and licking her
collarbone and down to her breasts. The lack of tan lines really
looked amazing. I started working toward her small, pink nipples. I
licked and sucked on her nipples, working downwards over the swell of
her small breasts and over her firm belly, pausing at her belly
button. My tongue traced her belly button and then a thin trail down
to her thighs, alternating from thigh to thigh, brushing her clit with
my nose as I did so. Then I lightly licked her clit and both felt and
heard her suck in her breath. She moaned again as I continued licking
her clit and slit, sucking on her nub from time to time.

I eased a finger into her as I licked her. She was panting a bit and
running her fingers through my hair, pulling me in to her. I kept up
my steady tonguing and slipped a second finger into her. She bucked
against my hand and tongue and cried out. I sucked her clit hard and
she arched her hips off the seat and I felt her pussy spasm around my
finger. She stroked my hair and guided me up her body to kiss her.

"Wow. I haven't come like that in a long time. Let me return the
favor."

She pushed me back against the sectional and tugged at my shirt,
pulling it over my head. She treated me as I did her, licking my
nipples and working her way down my torso. She unzipped and unfastened
my jeans and slid them off. Then she pulled my cock out of my boxers
and licked the head while she looked me in the eye. It was such a hot
sight. This young, innocent looking woman with the thick blonde hair,
sparkling hazel eyes, and full lips licking my dick was an inspiring
sight to say the least.

She continued to lick and suck me. I wasn't close to coming yet, but I
could feel things picking up. I stroked her cheek so she'd look up at
me. I took the hand she had wrapped around my prick and used it to
pull her up to me. She straddled me and used one hand to guide my rod
into her.

The feeling as she slid downward was exquisite. She was unbelievably
hot inside and very, very wet. I pulled her face to mine and we kissed
as she slowly moved up and down. I ran my hands over that fantastic
ass and pulled her against me, penetrating as deeply as possible.

Up and down she went, moving slowly. Over time, the intensity
increased, our breathing got faster, and the kissing more frantic. She
leaned forward, her nipples rubbing against me each time she moved. I
whispered, "I'm coming, I'm coming !" in her ear. She whimpered in
response. As I got closer, I felt her tighten up, too. It felt like
her pussy was spasming around me, milking me into her. I grabbed her
tight ass and shot deep inside her. 

The after shocks of our coupling were intense. She leaned against me,
murmuring, "I knew it would be like that" in my ear. I pulled back and
looked her in the eyes. 

"Like what ?"

"Amazing. Pleasurable. Comfortable. Right. I feel very sated and
mellow right now. I'd love to stay like this forever."

We didn't stay like that forever, but we did stay that way for quite
some time. I ended up hard again before I even pulled out and we
started fucking again. This time I leaned forward and she wrapped her
legs around me. I picked her up and spun around so she was on the
cushions and started pounding into her. She brought her knees up to
her chest and I went deeper than before. Deeper and faster. It took
quite some time, and I don't think she came, but I came again. I still
think she liked it, though. We necked for awhile in that sweet
afterglow.

We feel asleep like that. 

Luckily we woke up sometime around 4 or 5 am. I woke her up and we
untangled ourselves and got dressed. As we did, we kissed a bit and
caressed each other. I told her that I'd be in late tomorrow (today!)
and she was welcome to do the same if she had coverage. We kissed
goodbye, went out to the parking lot and went our separate ways.

-=-

Despite my exhaustion from the night's activities, I couldn't sleep.
The realities of everything that happened hit home. The sex was
fantastic, but had I just put everything at risk ? Would she say that
I coerced her or sexually harassed her until she slept with me ?

I was awake for hours. I finally worried myself to sleep, I think.

I sent email to the management team when I woke up saying that I
wouldn't be in at all that day. I sat in my home office worrying all
day long. When I wasn't worrying, I was relieving the feeling of
seeing, touching, and licking her tan and vibrant body. Talk about
being conflicted !

The next day I called in as well. Again, doing the same thing. My
stomach was in knots. 

-=-

She showed up at my house that night. I wasn't aware she even knew
where I lived since I'm out in the middle of no where and like my
privacy. She looked like she'd been crying.

"Are you avoiding me ?"

"Honestly ? Yes, a little."

"Why ?"

"I'm scared that you regret or will regret what happened. It could
cost my reputation and my business."

"Do you really think I'd do that to you ?"

"No, Janey, I don't. But that doesn't stop me from worrying. What we
did was improper for a employer/employee relationship."

"Then I'll resign effective immediately."

"That won't solve the problem. Plus, I'd now be out my sales manager.
Two wrongs wouldn't make a right."

"Dan, I was serious when I said that I wanted something lasting. I
don't want to scare you, but I think we have a lot of potential. The
fact that the sex was great aside, there's a depth to us that I didn't
have with my own husband. If you want some sort of official
documentation from me waiving any rights to sue for anything, I'll do
it. Whatever it takes."

I laughed, but I could see she was serious. I didn't think that would
be binding and told her as much. Her word, though, would work for me.
Call me old school, but I trusted her completely.

She cautiously approached me, taking my hands. She looked deep in my
eyes, pulled me close, and we kissed slowly and deeply. I felt it
throughout my body. I couldn't deny it. I felt it like she did. We had
a bond.

-=-

Somehow we managed to keep our budding relationship a secret from the
rest of the staff. I don't think we really fooled Penny, but if we
didn't she kept her mouth shut. We almost got caught fucking in the
office a few times...once more in the lounge, once in my office over
my executive desk, once in the lobby, in the copier/printer room,
pretty much everywhere. We were lucky that we had both love and lust
all rolled up together. 

After managing to keep it quiet for about a year, we decided to let
the staff in on the secret. We called a general staff meeting
after hours and from my balcony overlooking the main sales and clerical
area, announced a pending merger. The staff looked at each other
quizzically. I took Janey's hand and clarified that we were getting
married in the spring and that everyone would be invited. 

Janey got her partnership in the long run in more ways than one. My
love for her has only increased over the years as has hers for me. We
are partners in love, live, and now business. I guess falling in love
and marrying an employee got me out of worrying about sexual
harassment in the workplace.

---
-jpf 5/17/03