We were getting a lot closer now that there were no secrets and I was beginning to trust Michael a lot more. And we were doing more things as a couple and with other people, which certainly added to the relationship. Meeting Michael’s old college friends really helped for some reason. And I quite enjoyed spending time with Catherine and James in a social capacity; I was getting fonder and fonder of them. I really wished James wasn’t retiring quite as soon, making everything so complicated. He was kind of assuming I was going to be a long-term fixture in both Banbury’s the business and Banbury’s the family and sometimes I wanted to scream at him to slow down a bit. Dealing with the son’s enthusiasm could be daunting enough, but James was twice as difficult. I needed to take it a step at a time. Michael wanted to talk moving in, marriage, and the future of us as a couple; James wanted to talk plans for the business down the line, keeping the business within the family and future generations. All I wanted was to see if I could settle into my new role and if Michael and I could get through another week at a time. Basically they both wanted commitments from me that I wasn’t ready to offer. I was young, wanted fun and a career. I wasn’t ready to talk love. That I was already in head over heels was fine as long as I didn’t have to acknowledge it, to myself or anyone else. But Michael wanted more. I understood that, yet I was terrified of it too. I felt it was all happening too quickly and I was being sucked in almost against my will.
I was working longer hours, as I wanted to glean as much as I could from Myra before her departure. To Michael, this meant an excuse for me to stay with him more often as he wouldn’t hear of me getting the tube past 8.00 p.m. now that the evenings were getting dark so early. A couple of days before Myra left, he dialled my extension at seven-thirty.
“You’re still here, good. Can you come to my office? I want to talk to you about the candidates for the buying department.”
“Can it wait ten minutes? I’m in the middle of something.”
“As soon as you’re done then.” He hung up abruptly. Jeez, he really didn’t like being kept waiting. Well, tough, he had to learn that I wouldn’t always jump the second he said so. After about fifteen minutes I went to his office.
“What’s up, what do you want to talk about?”
“Nothing, I dragged you here under false pretences,” he said, shutting and locking the door behind me. “I haven’t seen much of you today, I missed you. Will you come home with me tonight?”
“Michael, I’ve been home with you more than I’ve been in Ruislip. And I’ve nothing with me. I really need to go home.”
“If you’d just move in, you wouldn’t have a problem with clean clothes. You know I want you to.”
“I like having my own place. Anyway, it’s still too soon. Jesus, we’re not even going out four months yet.”
“It’s not too soon, not to me, anyway. I’ve known I love you a long time now.”
“You’re back to your stalking habits, you know that…” I didn’t get to say anymore as his mouth was on mine, silencing me. And weakening my resolve. His hand was inside my shirt, slipping under my bra. It didn’t take much to talk me round. I was glad the door was locked.
“Not here, Michael, please.”
“No one can see and the door’s locked,” he protested, but I just wasn’t comfortable with it. Not at work. He pushed his hand under my skirt; he wasn’t listening. Jesus, I wanted him there and then. But Myra was still in the office and could look for me at any moment. He pushed my underwear aside and penetrated me with his fingers.
“You might say no, but your body says yes,” he whispered seductively. I knew he was right. And I also knew that he could take me if he wanted, when he wanted. That was part of the agreement we had. But I trusted him enough not to do that to me at work or in a situation where I would be so uncomfortable. And to be fair, he didn’t push it. Part of me wanted him to. I loved when he took control. But the fear of being discovered was too much for me and he could see how uneasy I was.
“I’ll do you a deal; leave me your panties, promise me you’ll come home with me tonight, and I won’t push it now.”
“Ok, pervert,” I laughed, “but I’ll have to wash my clothes in your place and dry them by morning. You realise I’m going to look like a dirty stop out, coming into the office with the same clothes two days in a row.”
“You are a dirty stop out, my dirty stop out,” he said with a lascivious grin as he sucked the fingers he had just penetrated me with. “Mmm, a Siobhan-flavoured lollipop, that’ll keep me going ‘til home time. You nearly done, or will I have to drag you home kicking and screaming?”
I didn’t for a moment doubt his ability to do just that. I grinned at the threat.
“Another twenty minutes max. Are you going to wait or will I see you there?”
“I’ll wait, if I don’t want you on the tube late, I hardly want you roaming the streets of Knightsbridge, do I? Anyway, I have stuff I can get on with.” He kissed me hard, and I could smell myself on his lips. I turned the key and made my escape before he got carried away again.
When we got to Michael’s, I went to change into his bathrobe so I could wash my clothes. I opened his wardrobe to fetch it and found a selection of clothes, all in my size, hanging in his wardrobe. A black pinafore, a powder-blue shift dress and matching jacket, an olive-green trouser suit, another in navy and a red skirt suit; the red made me laugh, thinking about the dress I had tried on in my first week. Hmm, I thought, maybe I should see if it was still in the store. I know it was expensive, but with my recent big fat pay rise I could afford it, and I really wanted something special for the night of the birthday bash. Michael had set me thinking. As I was lost in thought I felt his arms around me.
“If you won’t move some of your things over here, then I’ll just have to get you some stuff that belongs here. So you have no more excuses. I think they’re your size. There’s lingerie, hosiery, and things in that drawer, and lots of them; you’ve a terrible habit of losing your knickers. I keep finding them in my pockets.”
“How did you manage all this, thank you, they’re lovely.” And they really were, all beautifully cut and natural fabrics: linens and cottons and silks. And all from the store. And all of the clothes were from the petite ranges—just made for short-arses like me, so nothing had to be taken up.
“Oh, I just happen to know this rather nice little shop that sells a few bits and pieces…Come on, Shiv, that’s my job; surely if I can dress half London, I should be able to dress you. But no shoes… sorry! You’ll have to pick something that will go with the ones you’re wearing for tomorrow, and get some at the store yourself. I was out of my depth there.”
In the bathroom there was a new toothbrush and my favourite shower gel, body lotion, and perfume, Burbury Weekend. It was all so touching. He had put a lot of thought in to it. It was hard to resist. All I could do was show my appreciation with a kiss. I mentioned that I needed a shower.
“I think we have some unfinished business to attend to first. My favourite smell is your natural smell; I want you before you shower.”
“Michael,” I protested, a little embarrassed by that comment.
“You refused me once already. I hope you’re not making a habit of it, or you might have to be taught a little lesson, young lady,” he threatened masterfully. That was enough, I was weak with desire. But I did refuse, just for the hell of it. I liked to challenge him sometimes, especially when I wanted a spanking. Sometimes I just needed it, for the endorphins it released. It was like a drug. And I needed my fix.
“Fuck off, I’m going for a shower,” I said, grinning. He knew I was winding him up. I made a run for the bathroom, but he caught me easily and dragged me back to the bed where he unceremoniously dragged me across his knee, pulled my skirt up around my hips, and gave me the finest hand spanking I’d ever had. I felt so much better after it. The stresses of the last few weeks of work eased their way out of my body as I squealed and writhed. It’s hard to explain; a spanking wasn’t a
pleasurable experience usually, with the exception of play spanking. They hurt like hell and I always fought them to some extent. But they made me feel great. The double-edged sword again; pain and pleasure, shame and elation. As he spanked and lectured I felt ashamed; he had been so nice, had gone out of his way to make his apartment a second home for me, but I had to rise him, just to get my kicks. And yet the elation was there too, as I could feel myself submit to his will and his desire. Once again I had this overwhelming need to show my submission by taking him in my mouth. But he didn’t allow it. He placed me on the bed with my skirt still bunched up and spread my legs.
“I wanted to smell and taste you, remember, not the other way around. Now don’t move a muscle or you’ll get the same spanking all over again. Anyway, I want to see the baldie bits again, they’re so fucking sexy.” He ran his hand up my leg to my hard wet clit. “Ah, lovely; hot, wet, and silky.”
His mouth was on my wet pussy before I had time to reply. I moaned, but I tried desperately hard not to writhe my hips. You can’t imagine how hard that was; his soft wet tongue was only teasing and provoking when what I actually wanted was his hard cock. I tried to be patient, to lose myself to the pleasure, but it was more torture than treat as it just wasn’t enough. Again the double-edged sword. I grasped the duvet with my hands to resist the urge to pull him up on me. He was going to have his fun; either I could go along with it willingly or I’d feel the sting of his hand smarting my bottom again, and he’s made sure I wouldn’t want a repeat first time round. He was getting very good at judging my limits, how to spank enough for it to be a punishment, but not so much that it was abuse. We had a safeword, a word that meant he was pushing me too far, but I’d never had to use it. But more and more, as he became more confident in his role, he was pushing me to the brink, just stopping short. I wanted to safeword now, not because he was hurting me, but because he was torturing me. As my moans became almost like a plaintive wail, he mounted me.
“You’re mine, when I say, remember that. You’re beautiful and you’re mine.”
“Oh, God, yes, Michael.”
Fuck, how could he do that to me with so few words? How was I so weak and helpless in his hands? And then so damn grateful when I got what I needed. As his cock filled me, I almost cracked and told him I loved him, but I held back. But at that moment, what with his attentiveness over the clothes, the way he made me weak for him and yet strong, like I could do anything, that’s when I first realised that I could kid myself all I wanted but I did love him, every little bit of him.
I arched my body to receive him and he thrust into me hard and possessively. Owning me. I grabbed onto his hips with my hands to pull him in as deep as he could go and I succumbed to my master’s desires, writhing in ecstasy as he pinned my legs as far apart as he could so he could see my almost bald sex. When he kissed me, I was kissing my juices mixed with his taste and scent. I was kissing the joint scent that was us and I was euphoric. Because it was our unique scent, us as one. And I realised I liked that thought more than I cared to admit. An emotional hurricane blew me over and my body convulsed again with an intensity that was electric. As tears flowed unbidden from my eyes, he stopped.
“Oh, God, am I hurting you?”
“No, don’t stop, you feel wonderful, I want this to go on forever.” I couldn’t bring myself to say it yet, but I wanted him to know it was special. But I think my tears said it so much more eloquently than my words. He slowed down, and concentrated on savouring the moment until he was ready to join me in our own private heaven. He grabbed me round my torso as he was ready to come and sat me up, clasping me close to his chest, whispering words of love through his climax.
* * *
Next morning, I didn’t bother with the usual game of “me first, you follow five minutes later.” I dressed in the black pinafore and a pale pink shirt, procured for me with love. And they fit like a glove. He had great taste and a fantastic eye. I felt like a million dollars as I was ready to go out the door.
“You ready to go?” I asked.
“Yeah, of course,” was the surprised reply. After he locked the door, I took his hand in mine and we walked hand in hand to the office. Nobody seemed to notice, or if they did they said nothing. It was a big day for me; Myra was leaving at lunchtime and my official tenure as personnel manager was starting, although it had been announced earlier in the week. I was having a farewell lunch with her. As we approached the office, Michael handed me a key to the apartment.
“You might want to go shower before lunch or something. Hold onto it.”
Simple as that. It was unofficially becoming my place too and to my amazement I quite liked the thought. I wasn’t ready for a full withdrawal from Ruislip yet, I liked the bolt hole, but I was the first step on the way.
Myra and I didn’t return to work after lunch. James had joined us for a while and told us to take the afternoon off and enjoy. He’d arranged facials for us as a parting pampering session in the store’s beauty department and we went straight from there to a wine bar with James promising he’d join us later.
Did I think of letting Michael know where I was? Too right I did; I’d learned that lesson the hard way. I sent him a text telling him where we were and suggesting he join James later. What I didn’t know was that in his haste that morning leaving the apartment with me, he had forgotten his mobile and hadn’t missed it. He said he went looking for me at about four-thirty to see what my plans for the evening were and he found the personnel department abandoned. James dragged him along to the wine bar and he came in with a dark face. James must have spotted it, I think, because he said something to Michael, and Michael’s face cleared. He came over and kissed me, much to Myra’s astonishment. She looked even more shocked as Michael was getting the drinks in and he slipped up, saying “What’ll you have, Dad?”
What could I do? I trusted Myra to be the soul of discretion. I just laughed.
“Myra, I’d like to introduce you to my boyfriend Michael Henrii, also by coincidence, James’ son; now just be grateful you didn’t find that out on a day you had a big career decision to make.”
Myra was speechless for a few minutes. Then she turned to James.
“You’re not paying her half enough; she’ll be well fit for the pair of you. So I take it then that you’re the secret successor, Michael.”
Well, fair play to her, she took it very well, especially considering she and James had worked together for so long. I didn’t think he’d get away so lightly with everyone else.
“I always knew there was some story there, but I couldn’t figure it out,” she confided. “I didn’t interview him with James; I never saw a CV and the job was never advertised as far as I knew. And they were thick as thieves from the day Michael started. I figured he was the next in line, I just didn’t know why.”
She was shrewd, Myra, and I was really going to miss her. She and James were chatting about the developments and Michael took advantage of the opportunity to scold me about not letting him know where I was until I informed him about the text. He patted his pockets and grinned.
“You’re off the hook; I’ve left my phone behind. You realise that this is all going to be very hard to keep quiet now?”
“Myra won’t tell a soul. You walked yourself straight into it. I’m sorry if I upset you.”
“You didn’t upset me, you made me feel proud. I wanted to shout from the rooftops, this beautiful woman’s mine.”
“Ok, at the 100th birthday party you can shout as loud as you like,” I volunteered, finally putting him out of his misery.
“Really, do you mean that, you’ll come as my partner? I love you, Miss Brennan,” he whispered. I tried to fix a piercing stare at him, but I don’t know if I succeeded.
“I’m glad, Michael, because I’m just beginning to realise that I love you too.”
Completely oblivious to the fact that his father and Myra were beside us, he swooped me up, then swung me around and around as he kissed me with all his m
ight.
“It’s better than winning the lottery! Miss Shove-on Brennan loves me, Michael Henrii, the man who cheated his way into her heart. I don’t deserve you.”
James and Myra watched the display with amusement. Neither realised what was going on between us, but it was clear from their smiles they both recognised a young couple in love.
Chapter Eighteen
In early December, the excitement was really mounting for the store’s 100th birthday party and the staff were all whispering about whom James’ successor was going to be. I really hoped this wouldn’t backfire on Michael and cause him to lose their support. He was going to have to handle it very carefully.
The plan was to have a half-day sale in Banbury’s in the morning, with items being marked down to the price they would have sold for one hundred years ago. Needless to say, we expected the store to be mobbed that morning, and all hands were going to be needed on deck. We were shutting promptly at one p.m. and there were teams of people coming in to clear the shop floor, decorate it, and provide catering and music. It was a mammoth task and we were all on tenterhooks waiting for each hiccough along the way.
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