Risking It All

Note to readers: I have written erotic stories for my own edification over the years, but this is my first time posting one. Hopefully you enjoy it! All feedback is welcome. Please take the time to post a rating as this gives me an indication of whether I’ve hit the mark. All characters portrayed in this story are over the age of 18.

Chapter 1 – Conflicted

As I lay there staring down at her sleeping serenely by my side, I realised that after 13 years together I no longer knew who she was. She still held the beauty of the girl who had captivated me so completely. Her long blond hair lay tousled around her recumbent form. Her full lips were pursed in that way that I had found so endearing as she slept. Her heavy eyelids, which twitched as she dreamed, concealed her deep brown eyes. Her loose polyester pyjamas fought in vain to conceal the full breasts and rounded hips that lay beneath.

But I knew that when those eyes eventually opened they would not look on me with the tenderness that I had once known. As recognition dawned, the distance between us would return. The origins of her change in feelings towards me were unclear. Certainly, after the birth of our daughter eight years earlier we had both been caught up in a new routine with more responsibility and less sleep. However, for a time things had seemed fine. The changes had been imperceptible. But Jessica’s interest in me had gradually declined.

She had never been a demonstrably sexual being, but I knew that she had once desired me and sought my touch. When our physical intimacy began to wane I put it down to the stress of balancing work and raising our child. However, with time she touched me less and the fleeting kiss that I would receive all too rarely was more habitual and for appearance sake.

I lost count of the times that I had tried to discuss our situation with her. She would become angry and defensive when the subject was broached and walk out on the conversation. Without a way to address what was happening I nursed the pain, confusion and deep sense of loss. I tortured myself trying to work out what I had done, replaying disagreements that we had over and over.

I had always shared the domestic duties and played an active role in my daughter’s upbringing. While my professional life had led to a fair share of late nights, I had tried to be attentive to Jess and her needs. I tended to spoil her and she never had reason to doubt my love and affection.

As time marched on I became bitter and frustrated at her rejection of me. The hurt left me feeling hollow and all aspects of my life suffered. I contemplated leaving her but the memory of what we had once shared and the vain hope that we could return to those days kept me from that course of action. Also, I didn’t want to be forced into a shared parental arrangement and miss out on having time with my daughter, Christine. This left me trapped without any obvious recourse.

Now as I looked at her all these years on, I realised that I no longer saw her the same way and that the damage to our relationship was irreparable. A hint of resentment persisted, but time had worn the sharp edges of the pain and sadly I recognised that when I looked at her now it was with mild disinterest, as if at a stranger.

While my situation sometimes felt emasculating, this feeling was at odds with my character and temperament. In all other aspects of my life I exuded a quiet confidence. At six foot, two inches tall, with strong, broad shoulders and a muscular, athletic physique I cut an imposing figure.

At university I had attracted my fair share of interest from the opposite sex and I had been told on several occasions that my slightly unkempt dark brown hair, stubbled angular jaw and hazel eyes gave me a ruggedly handsome appearance. While at 42, there was a light dusting of greys interspersed with the chocolate brown just above my ears, and my hair was now cut slightly shorter, I had not succumbed to the ‘lateral’ growth that so many of my friends had in their 30s.

I was also a successful architect who catered to a wealthy clientele seeking bespoke home designs. I had carved out my niche as much through my approach to the business as through my creative concepts. When I was new in the industry I had learned the perils of poor relationships between architects and builders and when I went into business for myself, I allied with a small construction team who I trusted to deliver a high-quality product.

What evolved over the next 12 years was a firm that could deliver a complete package more quickly and economically than most of our competitors. As an employer of 24 staff and the frontman for the operation, I had become comfortable managing others.

As the business grew, I hired a project manager to liaise between my design team and the building team to ensure projects were delivered to specification and budget. They would also support various aspects of logistics, including negotiating supply contracts and coordinating sincan escort bayan site reports and inspections.

Stephen Conroy had been recommended to me by a colleague and had proven indispensable. He was an older, down to earth man who was equally at ease talking with apprentice brickies as the well-to-do clients who would frequently demand last minute changes to design. I suspect that a good part of my business’ success over the years could be attributed to his easy style and competence. Stephen had become a friend and mentor to me over the years. His extensive experience was invaluable and more than once he had steered me away from poor decisions in his usual, affable manner.

This bond was what made his sudden passing so difficult to deal with. Stephen had been on an orbital trainer at the gym when he suffered a massive heart attack. I was deeply impacted by his loss. In many ways it had been like losing my father all over again. As I struggled to come to terms with the loss of my friend, I was forced to replace him for the wellbeing of the business. This realisation was tinged with bitterness as I knew that I wouldn’t find anyone who could manage their affairs as well as Stephen had.

I used a recruitment firm to find a suitable candidate and the generous salary had certainly attracted no shortage of applicants. However, none of them had the mix of personality and experience that I was looking for. The weeks that the position sat vacant soon turned into months and things began to slip on a few jobs. I reached out to a couple of trusted colleagues in the sector for advice. Ironically, these were the same people that had pointed me in the direction of Stephen years before.

My enquiries netted me only one name. Chloe was very young to be considered for such a position, but she had worked with a much larger firm as a project manager. She came to me with huge wraps and when I met with her she certainly understood the role I needed filled and talked the talk. More than that, she had a relaxed nature and mature sophistication that belied her years and I felt would work well with my affluent clients. I decided to take a chance and hired her.

Chloe quickly learned the way that my business operated and I came to trust her judgment with my clients. She didn’t advise me in the way that Stephen had, but I found that I was able to bounce logistical matters off her. While our relationship was different to the one I had with Stephen she quickly became my trusted lieutenant.

Chloe was always immaculately dressed and she seemed to expertly straddle the divide between professionalism and feminine sensuality. Her clothes were tailored and hugged her lithe, hourglass figure. The business skirts and dresses that were her preferred work attire, ended above the knee, drawing the eye to the smooth, tan skin of her toned legs. Her feathered, pixie haircut was stylish and the honey blond bangs seemed perfectly matched to her slate blue eyes.

While I would be lying if I said that I had not been taken by Chloe’s effortless beauty, I had not thought of her in a romantic way. She was an employee and I was married with a child. Besides that, Chloe was 10 years younger than me and no doubt had her pick of any young guy she wanted.

I split my work time between home and the office that I leased as my base of operations for my staff. This had been intentional from the outset. Once my business took off I had been fortunate to purchase a 1,800 square metre block of land nestled amongst bushland on the northern side of Sydney. I had poured my heart and soul into designing a home that would be a sanctuary for my family. The project had taken two years and considerable resources, but it had turned out even better than I imagined. The sprawling house was perched high on the sloping block and boasted largely uninterrupted views of the distant Great Dividing Range from the western side of the property.

Whereas my clients often preferred everything to have clean lines and rendered finishing, my preference was for a more rustic aesthetic. Wood was a prominent feature throughout the house with huge, oak beams providing a focal point that blended seamlessly with the red hues of the polished hardwood floors. The different tones of the wood added subtle contrast and gave the home a warm earthy feel. I also included feature walls, making use in the living area of bronze or slate tiling to match the tones of the rich wood.

To avoid the house becoming too dark, I had installed floor to ceiling glass in most rooms to allow natural light to flood into the spaces. Palms and ferns sat in strategically placed nooks throughout the living spaces and added colour. A wide spotted gum deck ran around most of the raised second floor of the house. A combination of large doorways, bi-folds and open plan design allowed good ventilation to the living spaces in summer.

The exterior of the house was a combination of wood panel and natural stone mined and cut eryaman escort at a local quarry. A narrow, L-shaped pool ran along the side of the house without a veranda and hooked underneath the veranda on one side. Reclaimed train sleepers had been sanded back, textured and polished and bordered the pool area. The tapestry of different wood colours and weathered look blending with the exterior of the house. The many palms and tropical plants I had set in the space gave it a cool, sheltered feel. Paths led in an apparently random fashion through herb gardens that spilled over the rock retaining walls adding colour and heavenly scents to the surrounding landscape.

My office, which was tucked into the eastern side of the second floor was large by normal standards with a reclining chair and couch near the large mahogany desk that I had found second hand online. A rich Persian rug lay on the floor and I would often take off my shoes and feel the soft textured weave of the plush carpet. The large windows presented a view of the bright apricot and burgundy bougainvilleas that I had grown along the fence line. It was a place that I could find peace and like a muse, I always found that I did my most creative work in its presence.

At least once a week Chloe would come out to the house so that we could go over business for the week, major logistical matters and discuss upcoming projects. I found these weekly meetings easier to conduct at home away from the regular interruptions. At the office, when a new client arrived I would need to be on hand to ‘press the flesh’ so to speak. Many of these clients were referrals and I was conscious that they were buying me more than my firm.

Chloe swooned over the house and really came to enjoy her time at the property, despite the nearly 45-minute drive from her apartment. Jessica was polite and kept up appearances when guests visited, but did little to engage my guests and colleagues. While I suspected that Jessica would have preferred to live closer to the city in a modern apartment, Chloe gushed over every little nuance and detail of my home. I was flattered by the genuine appreciation that she exhibited for my work and I enjoyed her company. Often, I would pull out a bottle of scotch that I kept in my office and we would sit back at the end of the work day and discuss everything and nothing over a dram or two.

Talking with her was just so easy. I started becoming more aware of the innocent touches and her dazzling smile. I put it down to my enforced abstinence and I largely absolved myself for the surreptitious glances that I would steal of her stunning body when her attention was directed to some aspect of our work. Although there were times I felt more than a bit lecherous.

In November, we had been asked to bid for a major contract to build a small eco-friendly resort in a coastal area north of Sydney. The CEO of the company was a former client of mine, and while I usually only managed projects for family homes, I recognised this for the opportunity that it was to establish our company’s brand and potentially expand into another market.

The brief was daunting. We were required to build a resort with 15 lodges that blended into a 1.5 hectare section of bush. The lodges were to be luxury cabins targeted at the upper end of the middle-income bracket. We were told to maximise views of the ocean, while minimising land clearing and energy consumption. The firm had provided detailed site reports and photos to all bidders, along with a report that it commissioned from a market research company that identified, amongst other things, the features that people would seek in this type of lodge.

My head was swimming with logistics. The labour required to deliver such a project would require us to sub-contract which I was typically loath to do. I would need to bring my graphic designer in to work on the tender package. How much could I afford to expend on the tender? Prior to making the decision to press ahead with developing a proposal I wanted to mull this over with my key staff. I called a meeting at my house with Chloe and my builder, Bill Hatcher.

We met in my home office and unsurprisingly, it was Bill who was most wary of the project. The commute for his staff was an issue, as was the need to have two building firms working the same job. After a couple of hours of back and forward discussion we agreed that his team would continue for now to focus on the housing projects in train and that any tender would exclusively involve sub-contracted labour.

Bill gave me the names of the people that he trusted on larger projects. I thanked him and reminded him that no matter what we did going forward that his team was central to my operation. He simply smiled at me in his laconic way. We had been working together for years and trusted each other. I guess some things simply didn’t need saying.

When Bill left I turned to Chloe and asked for her opinion. While she was still relatively new to my business, etimesgut bayan escort she had more experience with managing projects on this scale. She turned to face me and held my gaze for a long while before speaking. It was a little unsettling as I felt my attraction to her acutely in that moment.

She was reclining back in the armchair and I fought the compulsion to let my eyes roam over her. She looked breathtaking in the red bodycon midi dress that came to her knee. It was stylishly cut with a gold belt across her waist, but the way that the fabric clung to her body, accentuating the swell of her breasts and curve of her ass forced me to lean forward in my seat to conceal the tenting crotch of my dress pants.

“Are you committed to expanding the business in this direction?” she finally asked.

“I have been pondering that for the last week myself,” I confessed. “I’ve been looking for a way to diversify the business for years now that would not over-extend me. I’ve always been concerned that focussing the company exclusively on high-end homes could leave us exposed if the market takes a major correction. I don’t want to make cheap, cookie-cutter homes so it limits other options. Larger construction projects may also stall if the market slows, but I need to spread the risk to give us the best chance of weathering the bad times.”

“Are Ted and Annie ready to take the reins on the housing designs while you focus on the new project?” she continued.

“I think so, but I can stay across the other projects,” I indicated, mulling her concern.

“There may be times on a project of this size that you won’t be able to,” she countered. “They may need to be the sole contributors to the project design in those cases.”

I felt a twinge of anxiety at that. I trusted my team, but was reluctant to relinquish control over design decisions. “Well, I guess I am just going to have to be less controlling,” I chuckled.

“And I may need to focus my attention on this project,” she said, searching my face. “So I will need to bring someone on to manage the other projects.”

“That makes sense,” I said, feeling guilty for the excitement that I felt at the prospect of working more closely with Chloe.

“Then I think you should do it,” she said, her excitement now evident.

“Alex, you’re hands down the best architect I’ve worked with. This will bring your designs to a whole new market and raise your profile.” She said fervently. “We just need to make sure that the other elements of the project don’t hold you back.”

I blushed slightly under her praise.

“Well it is ‘our’ company that will take this step and you will be central to what comes next because I don’t have the experience to deliver this alone.” I said. “If we do this, I need to know that you are definitely interested in staying on to see this through. I doubt I will be able to replace you if you were to leave”

Chloe frowned slightly and then smiled. “I’m not going anywhere,” she whispered glancing shyly towards the floor. “I enjoy working with you, Alex.”

There seemed a hint of something lying under that statement, or perhaps I was simply hoping there was.

“Then I think we should have a drink to celebrate the next phase of the business.” I proposed pulling a bottle of Ardbeg from my cabinet.

She smiled up at me as she ran hands over her thighs, straightening the fabric of her dress. “That sounds like an outstanding idea.”

I poured us a double. The heavy-handed pour was for my benefit. I was becoming increasingly aware of the strong attraction that I felt for Chloe and I needed something to dull my senses and take my mind off her. I threw the first down a little too quickly and poured another generous tipple into the heavy lead crystal tumblers that I kept for such occasions. Chloe was sitting silently, absently rolled the burnished liquid around the glass, lost in her own thoughts.

After a time, she looked over at me. “I envy you Alex,” she said.

“Why?” I asked surprised by the sudden statement. “You have nothing to be envious of. You’re young and successful. You were the only person I could find who could take on this work.”

“You have such an amazing talent, you have this beautiful home…” she paused, “and you are happily married with a gorgeous daughter.” She replied, a tinge of sadness in her voice.

I had a slight buzz from throwing down the scotch so quickly and her comment caught be off guard.

“Well, things aren’t always what they seem,” I said wryly.

She looked quizzically up at me. My cheeks reddened as I realised that I had shared a little more than I had intended. Man, was I so bitter that I was now sharing my dirty laundry with colleagues? It was now my turn to look at my glass. I pondered possible explanations out of the hole I had dug for myself, but finally with a sigh I decided to be honest.

“Jess and I are effectively separated,” I began slowly. “We share a room but little else. I can’t leave because I would miss being around Christine and I can’t very well start a relationship with this arrangement.”

She looked at me in shock. “How long?” She asked and then fumbled an embarrassed apology for asking such a personal question.