She couldn't really complain too much - after all, I only owned half of the business. The other half was hers - thanks to her father's mistrust of me. I explained that if, as a fifty percent shareholder, she wanted to do fifty percent of the work then I might not have to work the kind of hours that I was obliged to.

I don't want you to get the idea that my life was in a bad way. I was doing just fine, thanks. My own business that pretty well ran itself, plenty of money, and still young enough - in my mid thirties - to enjoy it all. Enjoying life in my case, means women - well girls. I prefer them young, like Carol, the lovely young rep who was desperate to secure an order from my company. She was so desperate that it was a racing certainty that I'd have her pants off before the New Year celebrations were over. You could call it a New year's resolution, I suppose, except that my resolution this year was not that at all. I'd made my resolution weeks before and I knew with absolute certainty that I'd be keeping to it this year.

The thing is I have a particular liking for young girls and a very special particular liking for virgins. Carol was both a virgin and just about young enough for me. How do I know that? I make it my business to know things about people. Knowing that my old boss had a dodgy ticker and that he wanted to see his daughter married before he shuffled off this mortal coil was what put me where I am today - unhappily married with a half share in a successful business.

So, that's how I knew so much about young Carol. Not to give away too many business secrets, let's just say a little pressure here and there, plus the fact that her father owed me big time and he talks a lot after a few bevvies.

Of course he didn't come right out and say, "Hey, my daughter is seventeen and still a virgin." These things just tend to slide into the conversation, given a certain amount of alcohol and a little judicious nudging from a skilled nudger. So I learned a lot about his oldest daughter and a fair bit about her younger sisters which I filed away for future reference. How she was looking for work in a flat labour market and how she was going out with this boy who wasn't worth a light. He showed me a photograph, really proud of his Carol, he was - and I could see why. She wasn't beautiful - that would come as she grew older - but she was the prettiest little thing that I'd laid eyes on in months.

When I met her in the flesh, it was obvious that the photograph had not done her any justice at all. It's pointless trying to describe her in words. Oh she was pretty alright - more than pretty. Slim with small breasts, the way that I like them. Nice legs, wide innocent eyes and a smile to die for. So, lots of girls are pretty but she had a special quality. Like she'd melt in your mouth if you kissed her, and I wanted to kiss her - oh, did I want to kiss her? I wanted much more than that though. I wanted the sweet young girl for myself, to possess her totally, in every way that a girl could be possessed and a few more besides. Does that sound as if I was obsessed with a girl young enough to be my daughter? Well it should because I was.

Now I'm not stupid or desperate enough to shit on my own door step, so to speak, so there was no way that I was going to offer the girl a job just so that I could get into her little panties. However, I was happy to steer her towards a job with a small company that thought doing me a favour might win them an order or two. The owner of the company wasn't too pleased about having me suggest who he should employ but he got the hint when I allowed him to find out that I only ever buy from female reps. I also knew that his entire sales staff were male, so it was a pretty broad hint - without Carol, he had no chance of winning my business.

To cut it short, he offered young Carol a month's trial as a rep. The condition to her getting the job permanently was that she had to open an account with my company.

She'd been in her new position for three weeks now and, considering that the run up to Christmas has to be the worst time of year to be trying to sell anything to the construction industry, she had done pretty well. What she had not managed to do was to persuade me to buy from her employer. She'd taken me to lunch three times in as many weeks and I'd all but promised a juicy order for her books. I'd hinted that, if I was sufficiently pleased with the product and with the after sales service, I'd even consider signing a contract making her company my sole supplier.

So far I had enjoyed three expense account lunches - her expenses of course. I'd had the pleasure of watching her try not to squirm as I ogled her pretty young body over drinks and I'd found out all kinds of unwanted information about Neil, her drippy boyfriend. About how they would be married as soon as she had settled into the job and their finances were stable enough to afford setting their own home.

I also learned that she was under considerable pressure from Neil regarding the more physical side of their relationship and how difficult it was to make him understand that it was important to her to save herself for their wedding night. I've no idea how we got around to that subject but, like I said, information is my stock in trade and people seem to trust me enough to tell me things that they would have been better advised keeping to themselves.

I'd done all that but I had yet to sign an order and Carol was getting visibly worried. Let's face it, she knew that if she did not secure an order from me in the next week, then she would be starting the New year without a job. No job equals no wedding, so the pressure on her was growing daily. Give her credit, she tried every close in the book. She tried some that I'd never heard of. She was a born salesperson but she had the misfortune to come up against a born lecher who was not in least interested in what her company could do. My only interest in young Carol was what she could do.

I think she finally got the message when she tried, two days after Christmas, to persuade me to place an order. I know the pricing structure of her company and I knew very well that the discount she offered me meant that she was kicking in her entire commission on the order. If money had been the decider, she'd have had an order on the spot and she knew it. She knew that no buyer in his right mind would turn down the deal she was offering.

I smiled and said to her, "I don't think I could get a better deal anywhere, Carol."

"I know that you can't," she said, trying hard to disguise the desperation in her voice. "In fact, if you can find a better deal, you can have the whole shipment for nothing."

I nodded silently, watching the hope light up in her eyes and enjoying every second of my power.

I sipped at my drink, placing a mental pressure on her to do the same. At the start of the evening, she had explained that she had to be careful about drinking because she was under age. She'd tried to limit her consumption but I wanted her to drink and I was the customer - she hoped.

I signalled the waiter for more drinks, knowing that she was already way over the limit of her burgeoning expenses. It was hardly necessary but I was just upping the stakes a little, well aware that her company would bear the cost of any reasonable expenses - as long as the bill was accompanied by an order. She was not about to give up now and if drinking with me was what it took then she would do it.

The poor kid had no way of knowing that it was going to take a whole lot more than drinking with me.

"Everything looks just fine," I said cheerfully. "I like the product - the price is good and I really like doing business with you, Carol."

Her smile would have lit up a stadium.

"So we have a deal?" she said eagerly.

"Just one small problem," I said, dropping the bombshell as casually as if I'd lit a cigarette......(cont)