DisGraceful Behaviour

Even though Clarke was making Ria’s life as miserable and uncomfortable as possible, Ria didn’t break and remained stubbornly loyal to Dan. In an effort to find Ria’s weakness , Clarke decided to attack from a different angle… Dan, Ria’s husband.

Being a male Dan is most likely open to temptation. Clarke believed if he engineered the perfect conditions then Dan would succumb to lust. Clarke did not need Dan to have a full-blown affair, he just needed him to fuck up. Clarke had the perfect weapon to hit Dan with. Ria’s young protégé, Grace Boateng. Surely having an unfaithful husband on top of her torment Ria would break and allow Clarke to rebuild her in his own perverted mould.

But why would Grace behave in such a scandalous way?

Blackmail of course. Just as he had done before to Ria, Clarke had James, his PA run an investigation into Grace’s background.

Clarke couldn’t be in the UK so arranged for a virtual meeting on Zoom with Grace and James who were back at his London HQ. Clarke connected to the meeting he saw Grace Boateng and James in the plush boardroom. “Morning Grace.”

“Morning sir.”

Clarke beamed a smile which turned into a gush. Grace was a beautiful young black woman and although she didn’t quite match the cutting beauty of Ria, Grace’s generous curves and soft symmetry of her face made you want to smile. She was confident and jovial, possessing the vibrance of youth. All of this made Clarke want to take advantage. “Please, call me Clarke.”

“OK Mr Clarke.”

“I said… never mind.” Clarke smiled then asked “How are you, Grace? You must be enjoying the freedom of the HR department now Ria is in India helping me?”

“It’s nice to have control of the office radio. But I do miss Ria’s support.”

“You must be sick of listening to BBC Asian Network.”

Grace giggled a little too much. It was as if she enjoyed the little dig at Ria. The lilt of her Ghanaian accent was soft but tuneful. “No. She listens to Smooth FM.”

“Anyway, you’re probably thinking, why you’ve been summoned to the boardroom for a Zoom call.”

Grace glanced at James “I was worried when James called me down.” She then looked at Clarke on the screen. “I hope I’m not in trouble.”

“Well…”

“Oh dear.”

“We are here today to discuss an issue that recently came to light. James is my PA and is here as witness and minute taker.” Clarke coughed into his hand as he prepared himself to deliver the bad news. “Yesterday afternoon I was contacted by UK Visa which I believe is a department of the Home Office.”

“About me?”

“Yes.”

Clarke leaned forward on his chair as if he were counting the pixels on the screen. He could see the deep worry etched on Grace’s face. “Do you have something you want to tell me, Grace?” He could see the pretty black girl visibly shrink in stature. It was as if the weight of the secret she was carrying had suddenly became too heavy for her to bare.

“Yes. sir.”

“Do tell me more.”

“UK Visa served me a deportation order on Monday.”

“Why did you not notify your senior?”

“Having faced something similar I wanted to talk to Ria but she is unreachable, and… to be honest.” Grace felt herself tear up. She pulled a tissue from her sleeve then dabbed under her large shimmering eyes. “I buried my head in the sand.”

“Can you appeal?”

“I have 30 days to appeal. Mr Carlisle.” Grace then began to properly sob. Her tear strewn black face made her look more in tune with the charity commercials you get when there is a famine in African. “But I don’t know what to do. I have little money and time to fight it in the courts.”

“I can help.”

Grace placed her hands together in prayer. “Please do.”

“I love all my employees who work hard and give me their loyalty. You have already demonstrated these qualities as your record is exemplary. Also I know Ria sees you as her little project and is doing a fine job with you. It’s only good leadership if I fight your corner. “

Grace was suddenly filled with hope and bounced on her chair. “Thank. Thank you so much, sir.”

“But to fight this successfully, you can’t keep any secrets from each other.”

“OK. I understand. It was my mistake.”

“How did this happen? I checked your file, and you provided recruitment with the documentation that you have the right to remain. Is the Visa fake?’

Grace hung her head in shame. “Yes, the visa is fake.”

“Right. Glad we cleared that up. Why would you do that? Why not apply for a real one?”

“I won a scholarship from my university of Ghana to study a masters in Cambridge… Once I graduated my student visa expired and I was supposed to return to Ghana. But I wanted to stay and build a life here in the UK.” Grace sounded rueful. Her voice heavy with regret. “A real visa is expensive, and in the immigrant community I had a contract who assured me he could get me a good counterfeit Visa for less than half the price of a real one. Foolish, I know.” She shook her head while dabbing her eyes with the tissue. “But in Ghana forging documents is not uncommon.”

“This is not dark continent Grace.”

“I know. I love my country, but I don’t want to go back until I have made myself a success.” Grace wistfully smiled. “My plan is to be wealthy enough that I can go back home and help my village.” Grace slipped into thought. “But If I go back now, just as a postgrad, I will never reach my potential. I would end up just another housewife and have six hungry kids to feed. “

“I’m sure my legal team will successfully fight your deportation. But there is obviously a cost to use the best lawyers in the business.”

“What will the costs be?”

“£500 per hour.”

Grace suddenly had her hope crushed. “How many hours would they need?”

“It depends, but were talking over ten to fifteen and the very least.”

Despair washed across Grace’s beautiful sub-Saharan features. Her dark eyes shimmering with sadness. “I’ll never be able to afford the fees. I’ve just took on a mortgage and paying for a car. Can the company offer me a welfare loan that covers the fees?”

Clarke grinned as he knew he had Grace exactly where he wanted her. “I’ll cover the fees, if you help me out with a problem of my own.”

“What is it?”

“I need kompromat on a rival.”

“Sorry… what is kompromat?”

James who had been typing notes onto his laptop computer offered, “Compromising material.”

“That sounds… dodgy and illegal.”

Clarke then gave his instructions. “You just need to get try to seduce a client of mine who is trying to fuck me over. There’s nothing more to it than that. He’s a Beta male and a bit of an idiot. Also, you’re ideal because not only are you young and very beautiful, I happen to know he likes women of colour.”

“Forgive me, but it sounds like you’re trying to take advantage of my situation, almost as if you’re… like, blackmailing me.”

“I don’t have to help you. But I don’t have to employ you either. You’re still on probation and I have every right to terminate your contract for being dishonest.”

Grace sighed and cursed under her breath. “Well, I suppose I have no choice.”

“Good.”

James handed over a small file. “The man in question is Daniel Murphy.” He watched as Grace opened the file. “In there, you have Daniel’s photo ID. his personal details plus a good idea on his routine.”

Clarke added. “Luckily for us. he’s very predicable to the point of being boring.”

“Yes. It didn’t take too much snooping to get a good idea of his character and habits.”

Grace looked at the kind face on the photo ID. She thought Daniel was quite handsome… and rather familiar. “Hang on. Is this who I think it is?”

“I don’t know. You tell me?”

“I’ve never met him. But I know Ria’s husband is called Daniel Murphy. I’ve seen their wedding picture on her desk.”

“Just try and seduce him.”

Grace’s breathing was irregular as she began to feel flustered. “They’re married and I’m not a homewrecker. Plus, I’m probably wasting my time, anyway. Ria is gorgeous, and by what she tells me Dan’s a good man.”

“Don’t worry if you fail. If you can prove that you have made a conscious effort to seduce him, then I can still look at settling the legal fees. “

“But Ria will kill me. Or force me out of the company. I like my job.”

“Listen.” Clarke shrugged his shoulders as If he didn’t really agree with Grace’s concern. “I own or have significant shares in over thirty companies, many of them here in the UK. I will secure you a position and even help you relocate if I have to.”

“Forgive me, sir, but one would think a man with such responsibilities wouldn’t have the time for such folly. I mean, you’re really going out of your way to interfere in someone’s relationship? You must really hate him.”

Clarke felt taken aback by Grace’s observation. He could see Grace had already learnt from Ria’s stubborn guile. But the shock came in the truth of her statement. She was right. Still, he had gone too far to give up in his meddling. He was going to see it through to the very end. Only death would stop him, his or Ria’s. “It’s not him I have issues with, Grace. You help me with this, and I will make sure you flourish whether it’s here or elsewhere.”

“Can I get a pay rise?”

“It depends how well you seduce him.”

As if she came to a decision, Grace slapped her hands on her skirted thighs. “Well, Ria didn’t approve my annual leave last month, and I always enjoy flirting with handsome men. So where do I sign?”

James handed over his iPad. “Here.”

“By evidence, you mean photos.. or do you need his dirty boxers?”

“Don’t worry about getting selfies and stuff, unless of course the situation arises naturally. You’ll be getting trailed by a private detective. He’ll get the incriminating photos and videos. Just pursue him and see if he takes the bait.”

“OK. “ Grace grabbed hold of the folder with Dan’s information.” I’ll do some studying tonight.”

She felt conflicted but couldn’t deny the selfish excitement. Since becoming a career woman she had suffered a sexual drought. In fact she hadn’t had sex in over a year, and never been with a white man. She had had a nine inch dildo called Victor which she had named after her first love… but she had lost the charger and never bothered getting it replaced.

~

According to the file that James had created for Grace, Every evening at 18:30 Dan walked his pet Labrador around a small country park near his house.

Grace had a ragdoll cat which wasn’t suitable for a wet and muddy walk, so borrowed her neighbour’s sausage dog called Banger.

It had just gone half six in the evening, and Grace, wrapped up warm in a bubble coat and gloves, sat on a park bench watching the late winter sun bleed into the burning horizon. She felt emotionally stressed, not by her questionable mission, but because she was trying to recover from the emotional turmoil of having to pick up Banger’s turds and bag them up. Behaviour which she felt was below her…. Although apparently adultery was not.

A figure of a tall male walking his dog strolled towards Grace and Banger. She couldn’t see his features as he was silhouetted by the sun, yet she had a good idea of who it could be. Banger began yapping and the Labrador started the bounce around wanting to play. This was Grace’s time to shine.

Grace jumped to her feet and shouted for the dog to behave. “Banger, get down.” She smiled at the man, and saw it was Dan. His smile gave her a warm fuzzy fee inside.

“Banger, great name for a sausage dog. Bangers and mash potato, It reminds me of meal times with my nan.”

“Aww.”

“Why, do I suddenly feel hungry?”

Grace giggled like a blushing schoolgirl. “You’re funny.”

“Nothing beats a good sausage.”

“In my opinion the bigger the sausage the better. And I could tell by the way you walk you’re more of a frankfurter than a chipolata.”

Dan laughed at the outlandish observation but began to feel awkward at the potential of the interaction. “I wasn’t quite expecting that.”

“I’m bad a flirting. It’s not something I do.”

“You’re flirting with me?”

“I can’t help it.” Grace suddenly avoided eye contact.” I think you’re very handsome.” She watched as Dan’s face filled with colour. There was suddenly an awkward silence between the pair before Grace burst into laughter. “I’m just messing with you.” She playfully punched Dan in the arm.”

The fact Grace was joking hurt Dan a lot more than the punch. So, he shoved her back.

Suddenly the Labrador wanted to join in the play, and it humped up, planting it’s muddy front paws square on Grace’s chest. She slipped in the mud before screaming as she fell backward onto her bottom. A yapping Banger then decided to clean Grace’s face with its long rough tongue.

Dan couldn’t help but laugh as he ordered his dog to sit and stay. He then took Grace’s hand and lifted her up. ” I’m so, so, sorry.”

“Don’t be…. I love dogs.”

Dan could tell it was a lie. “How can I possibly repay you?”

“First you can give me your name.”

“Dan…. Dan Frankfurter.”

Grace snorted a laugh. “Grace Boateng. And sorry for my inappropriate flirting. As you can see it is dangerous for my health.”

“You’re good at it. It’s just a bit…”

“Sounds desperate, I know.”

“I wasn’t going to put it quite like that but… yeah.”

“Just say it how it is, Dan.” Grace let out a deep sigh. “I’m twenty-five but haven’t had a serious relationship since I was at university three years ago.”

“I know how you feel.” Dan and Ria only had sex sparingly now. Perhaps once every six months. It wasn’t a massive thing for Dan, as he knew Ria was busy, working hard to secure their future financially so they can think about having kids. Returning from his thoughts he once again focused on Grace and dug out a packet of sweets from his pocket. “Haribos always make you feel better, Grace. Here, have one”

Grace took a love heart from the packet. “Sweet.” She popped it in her mouth. As she chewed she brushed her fingers through her curly black hair. “I spotted your ring the moment I met you. Do you have a family?”

“No. Next year’s project.”

“I would love to be a wife and mother. But I can’t seem to get past the third date.”

“When you meet the right person, you’ll know.”

Grace did her best to sound convincing. “I’m not a homewrecker, Dan. Don’t worry.”

“I know you’re not. You’re better than that.” Yet Dan made as if to walk on. “But I better go. It’s getting late.”

“I understand.”

Dan took a few steps before turning to face Grace once more. “Oh, and good luck, Grace. Someone once told me that love finds you, not the other way around. It's true. So just do your best to relax, be open to life’s possibilities. But above all be who you are. You’re beautiful and very charming. “

Grace suddenly felt emotional. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Night Grace.”

Grace watched as he walked away. Of course, she knew it would not be the last time they would meet.

As Dan walked down the hill towards the carpark, he possessed a feeling of supreme smugness. For he had done the right thing. But he couldn’t stop his mind racing with, what ifs? The beautiful stranger had Dan’s mind running down dark avenues it shouldn't wander into to.

Dan shook himself and told himself to get a grip.

~

Dan was never good on his own. And now he had been away from Ria for two weeks. It was the first time since their dating days that they had spent such a length of time away from each other. And he didn’t like it. Although he enjoyed the first few days of having the house to himself, he was now missing her. But there was also a building resentment that in that time he had only received 3 short emails that were vague and felt half-assed to the point of being insulting. He felt confused as Ria was usually very warm and loving, almost needy. Something felt strange. He thought to himself, could Ria be having an affair?

Ria was Dan’s rudder; she gave him direction and without her he would drift into troubling waters.

Dan felt vulnerable.

It wasn’t just the fact Ria was half the world away. But filling the downtime was proving difficult.

Netflix, TV sport and dog walking can only go so far. And soon his idle thumbs were doing the devil’s work and he knew he was going to he was going to fuck up. He wanted to know more about Grace Boateng.

Dan typed Grace Boateng into his Facebook… and stalked her profile. Luckily, it was open to the public, probably because she did a lot of fundraising for various Ghanaian charities. But after hunting through her albums he found older pictures from her student days where she seemed like she took full advantage of the student bars and clubs.

He wanked himself silly to pictures of her in short party dresses and bikinis, but stopped short of sending a friend request.

~

Now Grace had contacted Dan and it was time to enact the second part of her plan. She knew that on Monday evenings Dan met his brother and a few friends in pub for an evening of drinks. It was a large town centre pub with a small boutique hotel on the top two floors. Grace had booked a room and planned to use it. It was perfect, and Grace felt like it was supposed to happen.

Dan sat with his brother, his cousin and two other friends. They were sat in a snug corner beside a log burning fire just insight of the oak topped bar. It was dimly lit for atmosphere and the buzz of excitable chatter reverberated through the small oldie-worldie rooms.

Sadly, despite Dan being good looking and well-dressed. it didn’t make for the coolest of tables. His brother Damien who was also handsome, but struggled with confidence and was socially awkward. Their cousin Ricky was a more confident man, but ginger, geeky and a bit of a pervert. Needless to say, he worked in IT. Next there was Wolfy who was a fat hairy Welshman and finally there was Lego, a nickname due to his squarish head that made him look like a Lego man.

Grace wanted the eyes of the room on her and wore the shortest and tightest dress she owned. It was white, skin-tight and contrasted perfectly with her dark African tones. The fact the dress covered her large natural breasts and arms caused men to leer in wonder at what lay beneath. The dress may have been modest on top, but it only fell just below her arse. Her legs was on show from her delicate ankles up to her upper fulsome thigh. Wearing her porn heels that pushed out her arse, she strutted into the bar of the pub.

Ricky being the pervert of the group, spotted Grace straight away. “Fucking hell. Check her out.”

Wolfy nodded in appreciation. “Tidy. Nice bottom, could balance my Kindle on those flanks.”

“True. When she walks it’s like two toddlers fighting under a blanket.”

Lego sipped from his beer. “Don’t get many black women in here.”

“Don’t get many women in here full stop, lad.”

Dan’s eyebrows raised and the words good looking black women. He glanced over his shoulder. His suspicious were right. “It’s Grace.”

It felt like a dream. A wet dream.

Damien asked. “You know her?”

“Yeah. Not well, like. I met a couple of hours ago with the dog.”

Damien sniggered. “Does Ria know you’re knocking around with Martha Jones from Dr Who?”

“There’s nothing for Ria to know. Damo.”

“Who are you trying to bull shit?”

“Honest. But tou're right, though. She does look like a young Freema Agyeman. Bit more curvy though.”

Lego added, “We can all smell bullshit.”

"Jesus, guys, there’s nothing to hide." Dan shrugged his shoulder, but the squeak in his voice gave away his nerves. “Why don’t you believe me?”

“Because she’s coming over as if there’s a lot for you to hide.”

Grace felt Dan’s shoulder, noting him tense up. “Hey, Dan.”

“Oh, hi Grace. I didn’t think we’d meet again.”

“A small world, Dan. Is there room for a lady at this table?”

Dan was burning up, literally choking on guilt. “Erm…”

“I can just sit on your lap if you prefer?”

“No, better bring up a chair.”

Grace placed her chair down between Dan and Damien. She sat down and crossed her brown legs, showing off her large powerful thighs. “How’s it going lads?” The ‘lads’ just sat there gawping. “I’m only in town for one night, and up for a laugh. Was hoping you lot would be up for keeping me company?” There was a muttering of yeses from the group. “Good.”

Dan was suddenly missing the comfort of mundane Mondays. For it was obvious that this very attractive and confident young black woman shouldn’t be interested in a table of ordinary white middle aged men who she had no previous connection with. He asked. “What exactly, are you doing in Ashtown?”

“Business.”

“Oh… the mystery.”

“Let me explain…” It was a good thing Grace had done her homework. “I’m a regional auditor for Sainsburys, and they sent me to audit the warehouse on old Hall industrial estate. Bloody boring, I know, but that’s why I would like to unwind.” Grace confidently smiled. She was killing it.

“Right.”

Damien still felt suspicious. He pointed to Dan then asked Grace. “You two have met before, right?”

“Yes. Today. Dog walking at the country park.”

“I thought you just said you’re here on business?”

“I am.”

“So you take your dog to work?”

Grace didn’t miss a beat. “For company, yes. I don’t like sleeping in strange beds without a companion.”

“As long as Dan isn’t your comfort blanket. He’s a married man.”

“I know.” Grace smiled. But it was a sort of smile that said, fuck off asking me questions. “I saw the ring.”

“Sorry for sounding aggressive, Grace. I just being protective of my big brother.”

“Cute. Family is important. I’m not a threat – just lonely.”

Dan glanced at Damien. “I think that’s the most you’ve talked to a woman you just met.”

“I’ve had a drink, haven’t I?”

Dan then asked Grace. “Are you staying here?”

“Yes. Upstairs.”

“You’re lucky, they were recently refurbished.”

Ricky agreed. “I’ve taken a few exes upstairs.” He leaned across the table and shook Grace’s hand. “I’m Ricky, by the way. And I’m single and ready to more than just mingle.” He then said matter of factly. “And always wanted to tick a black off girl off my bucket list.”

“I’m Grace… and ginger is bad for my constitution.” The lads all laughed at Ricky’s expense. Yet they all loved Grace for her savage put down. “I’m just fucking with you Ricky. Banter never killed anyone., right?”

“Not unless they had confidence issues.”

From the moment Grace sat down she had their full attention as the meek males had no choice other than to succumb to her force of personality. She knew everyone at the table was enamoured with her vibrant character and exotic looks. Grace flashed a company credit card. “The next round comes courtesy of my company…. For your company.”

What they didn’t know was that Grace was ruthless and wouldn’t let anyone or anything get in the way of something she wanted. Ria had coached some most of selfishness out of Grace and focused on utilizing Grace’s intelligence and good judgment.

But having Clarke threatening to get Grace deported had set fire to all of Ria’s teachings.

At the bar Grace bought a round of double Kamikaze shots, but she replaced her Vodka based shot with water. . The lads back at the table were too busy talking about Grace to notice her dubious actions.

After taking the tray of shots back to table they all knocked them back. And of course, they all felt compelled to get a round of drinks each.

And before they knew it, Grace plan was working a treat.

~

Last orders were called by the barman. Dan watched Grace as she left for the restroom. He, like everyone else, felt mesmerised by her large backside. But Damien knew where it was at. “You’re marriage is fucked, bro.”

“I haven’t crossed any lines. I promise.”

“Not yet you haven’t. She wants you bad.”

Ricky snorted, “I think the question is… is Dan bothered?”

Damien leaned back in his chair and scoffed, “I don’t know how Dan fucking does it. He married to Miss India and now he’s go Miss fucking Africa wanting to suck his cock.”

Wolfy visibly swayed on his chair. “There might be a debate on whether Dan’s marriage is fucked or not. But I know one thing for sure …I’m definitely fucked.” He then crashed onto the table face first, causing the glasses to rattle and fall.

Ricky waved to the barman then pointed the unconscious Wolfy. “Taxi for the pissed hairy Welshman.”

“No problem sir.”

Lego stood from his chair and manfully announced. “No need for a taxi. I’ll walk him home.” He went to walk around the table, but tripped over his drunken feet and crashed to the floor. “Actually, Get me a taxi too.”

~

Grace stepped out of the bathroom and saw the carnage her plan had resulted in. She stood at the main door of the pub and watched the three men left standing help carry Lego and Wolfy to the waiting taxi outside. She asked Dan “What the hell happened?”

“We’re all cooked. Getting old.”

“But, it’s still open for 30 minutes.”

“Sorry, Grace.” Dan opened the taxi door as Damien fed Wolfy into the backseat of the cab. “Time for home.”

“But it doesn’t have to be over. I wasn’t quite finished with you… you guys.”

Damien climbed into the taxi then looked at Dan. “Come on, Dan.”

“Go ahead Damo, I walk home.”

“You’ll regret this in the morning.”

“I’m a big boy.”

Damien smirked. “You dirty dawg. She’ll be your downfall.” He then slammed the door shut.

And the taxi left.

A half-cooked Grace walked Dan back into the pub. She squeezed his hand as she swayed on her high heels to the small dancefloor. Turning to face Dan, she gazed into his eyes. Grace smiled as she stroked Dan’s arms and rested her head on his chest. “A girl doesn’t drink with a man without a promise of a dance.”

“But a man doesn’t dance without a promise of a kiss.”

“Well, I would kiss a man who is confident enough to take what he wants.” Grace let out a wicked giggle as Dan lunged forward and locked his lips on hers. She kissed him back and soon their tongues were tasting each other’s passion. “I think it’s time we take this to the bedroom.”

Dan hadn’t noticed the lonely man at the bar. The stranger had been on his smartphone while drinking the same pint all night. He turned around on his stool as Dan and Grace left through the door that headed to the hotel rooms. Once the door closed, the snooper stopped recording.

~

As always, hoping for an an author to help me further develop this story. Plus if you dig what I have wrote, please LIKE and COMMENT.

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