Samantha returned as scheduled the next week, and my life returned to normal. Amanda was in the office every day, but both of us were so busy we barely saw each other. Samantha and I took a few days to get used to each other's presence, but after a few days we were back to normal. We even had sex a few times.
About a week after she returned, we had a formal engagement at the club. One of the typical Thursday-night events - gossip, booze, and charity. Samantha wore a beautiful black dress with a plunging back, and I wore my tuxedo. Unlike in the past, Samantha didn't ask to leave an hour after arriving and I spent some quality time with some friends - and a few potential clients.
After a few hours, I realized that Samantha had never spent this much time at one of these functions. I went looking for her and finally spotted her in the drawing room.
Samantha was standing there having a great time, talking to Serena Brookings, one of the Weil daughters, ... and Amanda! Amanda looked up at me and winked. I knew that if I tried to split them up, Amanda could spill the beans.
I humbly walked over and told Samantha that I was going to head home, but that she should stay if she was having fun. She looked up and said "Bye!" and turned back to Amanda, who continued with her story.
Samantha came home amazingly drunk later that night, and dove into bed fully dressed. She was still passed out when I left in the morning. Walking in to the office, I saw that Amanda was already in. I went to ask her about last night, but she was on the phone.
Sitting down at my desk, I picked up the lumpy envelope that was on my chair. As I looked at the contents and read Amanda's note, I realized that her plan had changed. Like an actor at the improv, I took it in stride.
Our new secretary walked in and told me that Amanda wanted to let me know that she could handle this afternoon's conference call, if I needed the time to do something else. I agreed and asked her to update my calendar. She came back with a newly printed page - the only event left on my calendar for the day was to have lunch with a friend. I called him up and cancelled, and headed home at eleven.
next