It's Win, Win

Bret stood by the basement elevator, his finger hovering over the up button. Discreetly he watched Mrs. Montgomery get out of her car and reach over the driver’s seat for her handbag and some files. He amused himself by thinking how shapely her legs looked in high heels and how her hips swayed rhythmically as she walked toward him smiling.

“Mr. Sheridan isn’t it?”

“Yes, Mrs Montgomery. I’ve pressed the button.”

“Oh, well we’ll probably have to wait ages, she sighed, “the lift has been very temperamental of late. I see you managed to get here before the storm hit. My car is soaked I’m going to call on a staff member to wipe it down for me. Ah, look the elevator’s arrived at last.”

Bret indicated with his hand for Mrs. Montgomery to enter first.

“Twenty-six, is it, the same as me?”

“Yes, thankyou Mr. Sheridan., although I’d much rather be sunbathing on some Caribbean island than helping Jack out today. I find it so tedious. I notice you don’t find the work here boring Mr. Sheridan. I have long,” She hesitated, “Jack and I have long admired your work. You’ve been here about five years, now haven’t you?”

“Yes, Mrs. Montgomery, five years last week.”

“Well, in that case I think we should be on first name terms. Bret isn’t it? I’m Emma, which I’m sure you know.”

“Yes,” Bret cleared his throat as he replied.

“Well I do hope this storm doesn’t last long as I need to be getting off early this afternoon.”

“Oh, I’m sure it will soon be over and done with.”

Suddenly the elevator came to a shaky halt, the main light went out and the emergency light flickered above.

“That’s all I need Bret. Just my luck. I bet it’s the storm causing a power cut again. It happened last month, and the power was off for over twenty minutes. It gets so hot in these elevators when this happens.”

“I’m sure the power will come back on soon, um, Emma. There’s not a lot we can do about it at the moment.”

Bret stared at the floor while listening for any mechanical sound that might indicate the elevator was moving again all he could hear were his and Emma’s breathing. The emergency light flickered a few times and then the elevator was in complete darkness.

“Great, now the emergency lighting has decided to pack in. We’ll just have to stand here in the dark and twiddle our thumbs.” Bret said as he lost all sense of space in the blackness.

Bret stepped back and leaned against the cold metal wall his eyes searching for any single ray of light but there was none.

“I don’t like the dark at all Bret. I find it quite threatening.”

“You’ll be all right Emma. Come and stand over here, maybe you’ll feel better if you stand nearer to me.”

Bret felt a hand on his arm and then Emma’s shoe bumped his. He was thinking he didn’t mean that close.

“We can’t exactly play, I spy with my little eye,” Bret tried to laugh.

“No Bret but I know what we can play.” Said Emma as her hand reached down to Bret’s left buttock.

Bret coughed.

“I’m sure the power will be off for quite some time Bret; in any case we could even press the disable button and keep it standing here a lot longer If we so wished.”

“Um, I’m not quite sure what you mean Emma.”

Emma’s hand crept around to the front of Bret’s trousers. “I mean this,” she said as she firmly placed one hand on his crotch and the other began to unzip his trousers.

“But what will Mr. Montgomery, say?”

“Jack isn’t here, it’s just you and me and the elevator. Come on Bret, relax, don’t you like to have some fun once in a while.”

“Yes, but.”

It was too late. Emma had her skirt up and panties down and was pulling Bret to the floor and on top of her as if she were an expert at seduction.

Bret felt Emma’s hands squeezing his buttocks, her nails digging into his flesh. A few thrusts and it was all over. Emma pushed Bret to one side, he rolled over onto the carpeted floor. Sounds of clothing being adjusted came from somewhere in the elevator but Bret still felt disorientated by the blackness.

The emergency light lit up again illuminating Bret’s bare backside like a beam from a police helicopter exposing his guilt. Whatever had come over him, he thought, it wasn’t as if he were flying at high altitude or a member of The Mile-High Club, somehow Emma and the stuck elevator had affected him in a way he never knew possible.

“Come on Bret, the elevator will be working again in a minute, get yourself organised.” Said Emma as she smoothed out her skirt. Bret jumped up, tucked his shirt back into his trousers and was just doing up his zip and belt when the elevator door opened revealing Mr. Montgomery who was standing beneath the twenty-sixth-floor sign. His eyes seemed to bore right through Bret.

“There you are darling I was so worried about you. Nigel messaged me to say he’d seen you enter the lift when the power extinguished. I know how you hate lifts at the best of times. Are you all right darling?”

“Yes, of course dear. No need to fret. Bret kindly entertained us both with I spy with my little eye.” Said Emma as she took her husband’s arm.

“Well done Bret, Mr. Sheridan and thank you for taking care of my wife. Now Emma you do look rather flushed, were you at all frightened?”

“No, it was quite warm in there that’s all. Can we go to your office now I could do with a strong coffee?”

“Of course.”

Bret watched the pair trot off down the corridor as he headed for his own office.

Bret sat at his desk wiping his brow with his handkerchief and contemplating the morning’s events when the phone on his desk rang, He picked it up.

“Sheridan, in my office-NOW.”

Bret walked briskly down the long corridor to Mr. Montgomery’s office, somehow it seemed to take longer than usual as his feet felt like lumps of lead. He tapped the door.

“Enter. Sheridan, my wife tells me you, er, comforted her while the pair of you were in the lift.”

“I tried to help her relax as she said she was afraid she might feel a bit claustrophobic, sir.”

“That’s what you call it is it? My wife, Mrs. Montgomery tells me it was a bit more than that. To be quite honest Sheridan I’m somewhat surprised by your behaviour. A young man like yourself. How old are you-twenty-five?”

“Twenty-two, sir.”

“Twenty-two! Well that surprises me even more. I wouldn’t have thought you were into that sort of thing.”

“What sort of thing sir?”

“You know exactly what I’m talking about Sheridan. Mrs. Montgomery has told me everything. We have no secrets you know.”

“It was Emma, um, Mrs. Montgomery, who came on to me sir. I just, er, went with the flow.”

“Now look here lad, I’ve got two propositions to put to you. I frown upon this kind of behaviour at Montgomery Logistics and I will have no more of it on these premises. Do you hear boy?”

“Yes, sir.”

“I’m going to offer you two alternatives and I’m sure I know which one you will take. The first is that you make sure you leave this building with all your belongings by close of business today and without any references.”

“But sir, it was Mrs. Montgomery.”

“Stop interrupting me boy. You leave today, without any references or you come to our country house once a week to entertain my wife. I hope you get my meaning lad.”

“Yes, I do sir.”

“Well, what is it going to be? Entertain my wife, and you must be broad minded for that, or leave your position without any references from this company. Which is it boy? Come on, out with it, I haven’t got time to waste.”

“I’ll leave right now sir. I’ll gather my belongings and leave right now.” Said Bret as he turned toward the door.

“Hang on a minute Sheridan, Bret, I thought I’d made you a jolly good offer. Don’t you like my wife, Mrs. Montgomery, Emma? She’s a lovely girl, some five years younger than me and great fun to be with, I’m sure you’ll get along perfectly don’t you think.”

“No sir, I don’t think. I’d prefer to leave now if that’s all right with you.”

“Please yourself lad. I’ll get my secretary to escort you out of the building. Mrs. Montgomery will be rather disappointed with your decision, it’s not often that she’s shunned by people like you.”

Bret followed the secretary from the room, sweat bubbles appeared on his forehead. He quickly gathered all his belongings from his office, placed them in a box and took the elevator to the underground car park. The lift worked perfectly this time.

At basement level he placed the box of belongings on the driver’s seat, took out his notebook and mobile phone. He pressed the buttons and waited for the dialling tone.

“Oh, hi, It’s Mr. Sheridan, Bret Sheridan, I’m just phoning to let you know I’ll accept that job you offered me yesterday. When can I start?”