"How's the new costing coming on Bob?"

There was nothing frightening about the voice itself and the speaker looked even less fearsome. He was short, only three inches over five feet, and alarmingly thin. He had bushy eyebrows that almost met across the bridge of his sharp aquiline nose and beneath the eyebrows were the only features that reflected the power he wielded - his dark, almost black eyes.

With pupils that seemed permanently dilated, his eyes seemed to search into and penetrate the mind of anyone who spoke to him. His piercing glare had convinced many of his adversaries that he could read their minds.

The fact that the voice and the eyes belonged to Colin Stanley, the man who had recently bought the engineering company that Bob worked for, was the worrying part. It was well known around the offices that Colin Stanley was out to cut costs and he had already made a start by sacking half of the factory workers.

The rumour was that his next target was the office staff. Everyone who worked for the company was jumpy and nervous in case they were the next to be fired. Robert Bradley was no exception. At his age, he was forty-two this year, he could not afford to lose his job. Another position would be difficult, if not impossible to find. A new mortgage and a new wife made him especially nervous about the prospect of unemployment.

"It should be finished by tonight Mr Stanley."

"That's three days for a simple costing," replied Stanley in a frigid voice. "Does it usually take that long?"

Bob suppressed a shiver. He felt cold though his palms were sweating.

"It wouldn't normally take so long but this one is rather complex."

"Not too much for you, is it Bob?"

Stanley sounded concerned but his tone carried a hint of something more ominous.

Before Bob could answer, Colin Stanley noticed the framed photograph that Bob kept on his desk.

"I didn't know you had a daughter Bob."

He picked up the photograph and studied it.

"She doesn't look like you."

"That's my wife, Lynne," said Bob with a self conscious grin," and she doesn't look anything like me. She's a lot better looking than I am."

"That's true," said Stanley, without a smile. "She's also a lot younger than you, or is this an old photo?"

"No, the picture was only taken three months ago, just before we got married."

He paused and admitted reluctantly, "she is a lot younger than me though. Twenty years younger to be exact."

Colin Stanley's eyes narrowed and the gap between his eyebrows disappeared.

"And you're what? forty two now?"

Bob nodded and reached for the photograph. His boss held on to the frame, as if reluctant to return it.

"I hope that having such an attractive young wife will leave you enough energy to do your job efficiently - if you know what I mean."

Bob knew exactly what he meant and the inference annoyed and embarrassed him. He was growing used the same stale jokes about the difference in his and Lynne's ages. The sexual innuendoes were the worst because there was enough truth in them to hit home. He did have a lower sex drive and less energy than his young wife. She would have been happy to make love three times a night if he had been capable of it. Three times a week was stretching his endurance at the moment.

"I'm sure that my wife will be an asset to me in my work," he said, worried that Colin Stanley's present train of thought might lead to doubts about his suitability for continued employment..

"I have no doubt that she will be," said Stanley, "in fact she might well be the deciding factor in your career. I'd like to meet your wife," he continued, passing the photograph back to his bemused employee. "In fact, I think it's time that you and your new wife invited Mrs Stanley and myself to dinner. I like to get to know all of my employees personally."

He paused meaningfully, "All of those that are staying with the company that is."

******************

Lynne Bradley had been nervous about meeting her husband's boss for the first time, especially as Bob had emphasised how important it was that they made a good impression on the couple.

She was afraid that she lacked the experience and the ability to entertain an older more sophisticated couple like the Stanleys.

She was especially worried as Mrs Stanley had, according to Bob, already established a reputation in the town as a brilliant hostess. It had not helped that Bob kept nervously repeating that his career with the company depended on Colin Stanley's opinion of them as a couple.

Dinner had been a success. It should have been, she reflected. They had eaten the same meal for three days in a row so that she could be sure that it would be perfect on the night. Bob had smiled to her and nodded his approval several times during the meal but Lynne still felt tense even though she was satisfied that she had not let her husband down.

She had managed to make an intelligent and occasionally witty contribution to the conversation but, despite several glasses of wine more than she was used to, she could not relax. Her mind was constantly aware of how important the evening was to her husband. Even when Barbara Stanley complimented her on the meal and asked for the recipe, she remained uneasy.

She ate very little and tasted even less. Her loss of appetite was only partly due to her nervousness about Colin and Barbara Stanley's opinion of her. The main cause of her uneasiness was the way that Colin Stanley stared at her. Her husband's boss never took his eyes from her and each time she looked up, she found herself transfixed by his dark hypnotic glare.

He was a small, unimpressive man and Lynne had already decided that she did not like him. His devouring eyes made her uncomfortable and even when he spoke to his wife, his gaze never shifted from Lynne. During the meal, he made several flattering remarks about her appearance, but instead of making her feel good the compliments merely embarrassed her.

She had no need of Colin Stanley's compliments to know that she looked good. She had no illusions about herself. She was five feet three inches and her slender figure was in perfect proportion.

The sheer white dress, that buttoned down to her waist and then fell into a loose pleated full skirt, emphasised her dark hair and youthful complexion beautifully. The full skirt stopped at her knees and showed her slim legs to advantage and the loosely fitted top accented her small perfectly shaped breasts.

It was her breasts that Colin Stanley's gaze seemed to be focused on. It felt as if his strangely piecing eyes could see straight through the white dress, as if he could see the firm flesh of her small breasts. She shuddered at the thought of the repulsive little man seeing her naked. A moment later, she shuddered again as she wondered why she had even thought about herself naked in front of Colin Stanley.......(cont)