The Bet

Disclaimer: The characters are totally fictional and have to resemblance to anyone living or dead. I do not endorse to violence in any form. This story is purely meant for reading pleasure.
I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
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Anyone who visits Mumbai (Bombay) in June / July will think twice before coming again. The heat and humidity are high. There's always a possibility that rain will come pouring in. Traffic is a perennial problem made worse by water logged streets and badly managed roads. But I still love this place ... esp. in rain. One long walk along the Marine Drive (South Bombay) with rain falling on my head, huge waves crashing into the wall and a hot corn on cob in the hand have never failed to de-stress me.
Well, today was different. I drove to Marine Lines, I had a promise and date to keep. I reached Intercontinental hotel.I gave my car to valet for parking and told him to park it for the evening. I would be staying at the hotel as a guest. I took the elevator to the top floor where the restaurant was located. We had opted for a pool side table 2 reasons. One, It was one of the rare days in July when it was not raining so the weather was comparatively pleasant so we could actually sit in the open and enjoy the breeze. Second the pool side cannot be directly seen from the doorway and the relative darkness of the candle light setting would give us pretty good privacy.
My date (can I call this a date ... I wonder) was already seated and ordered a drink. Since there was the obvious need for privacy and secrecy, I had volunteered earlier that I would directly check in first and she could just come to the room, that way people would not see us to-gather, but she has insisted that she wanted to make the most of our time to-gather. She did not want to make this a wham ... bam ... thank you ma'am evening. So she had checked in earlier, showered and reserved an appropriate table.
We exchanged smiles as I approached the table and took the chair opposite to hers. I guess I was a bit tense about this as it was the first time for me to be alone with her. I have known her and talked to her over time but never alone. Also the knowledge of what was going to transpire made it a little difficult to be casual about the whole thing. We exchanged small talk and pleasantries. A waiter appeared with the menu. We ordered our food and wine. Service was quick and food soon appeared at the table.
I guess I should introduce my friend to the readers. Pam (short for Pamela) is my wife's close friend and also her boss at work. Even though my wife (Anju) and her had started the career at nearly the same time, Pam had made her mark and moved up the corporate level. She was slated to be promoted again when the next promotions were announced. She is 38. Married late in life and divorced soon cause she found that it was constraining her career. That was also the reason she did not want to have kids.
Pam's appearance is very much in tune with her strong personality. An oval face with large eyes and high cheek bones. She's 5.6", classic Indian brown skin. She keeps herself fit by hitting the gym regularly. She's combed her long straight hair neatly and let it fall back. She was wearing a knee length floral printed skirt with an off white top. The whole look was very feminine but the face radiated strength and confidence of a world traveler.
As the evening progressed, my discomfort was obvious. I was just nibbling at the food even though it was pretty good. To her credit, she was enjoying herself ... The cool evening, the good food and wine ... and you can add my discomfort to that list. Yes, She guessed that I was not exactly at ease and she was enjoying that. I guess that much is expected from a woman who has to deal with inflated male ego day to day and still come out on top.
We finished our meal, signed the cheque and requested the waiter to send one more wine bottle to the room. As we headed towards to the elevator, Pam casually mentioned that if I was really uncomfortable we should just end it there and go home. I thought about it and replied that a bet was a bet and the loser had to pay.
Pam said, "I am glad you're saying that cause I am really looking forward to experience some of the things Anju says she really enjoys". I was taken aback with that remark. She noticed the expression on my face cause she continued with an amused smile saying, "Anju and I talk a lot. Your sex life is a topic of discussion in our group every once in a while too". She was almost laughing as she continued, "Get your act together, it's not the end of the world. This is not the first or the last time someone has sex outside their marriage. Also the fact that someone should have thought before they made the bet". I knew what she was saying was right and it sort of eased my mind.
Pam opened the door and we entered the room. It was a typically laid out hotel room. There was the moderate sized bathroom to the right on İstanbul Escort entering. It had all the amenities expected from a luxury hotel i.e. bathtub, lavatory and a generous basin. Further down a little sitting area with a comfortable sofa for three, a center table and two chairs. There was a shelf on the left wall which extended all the way to the end of the room. On the shelf, there was the TV and empty space in case you needed to work. In the space below the Tv, there was the small refrigerator filled with snacks and drinks if one needed the same. Finally there was the bed with side table on either side and control panel for room lights. The air conditioner was set to a comfortable 24 Celsius.
Since I had come directly from my work, I told her that I'd prefer to freshen up before we settled in for the evening. I used the brush / paste provided by hotel. Then stripped down for a shower. I heard a knock on the main door and guessed that it was probably the waiter from the restaurant delivering the wine bottle. As I was showering, I took the opportunity to gather my thoughts.
My wife, Anju had three close lady friends in office. Pam, Rajni and Nancy. They had all started working with the company at nearly the same time just couple of weeks apart. Rajni and Nancy were married, third one was her boss, Pam, who was in the room with me. They usually hung out together during lunch and exchanged notes and office gossip. They also visited each others houses for get to gathers and parties. Of course they stuck around each other on company outings ... All in all pretty thick.
Couple of months ago, the company had a staff meet outside Bombay. It was one of those meets where managers and middle managers discuss goals and strategies for the current and next year with the management. An opportunity for employees to interact with people from all the departments and branches across India. It was also the time when nominations for promotions were considered along with nominations for most valued employees of each department. As usual, my wife and her three friends had hooked up and were sharing one cabin which had two bedrooms to accommodate four people.

According to Anju, one night after dinner, the four of them were having a discussion about which department would be getting the best growth. They were a little tipsy from the drinks they had at dinner. My wife was of the opinion that state of Maharashtra (excluding Bombay) would have maximum percentage growth but Pam was of the opinion that Bombay (her own division) would trump everyone. There was a heated discussion on every topic related to the division growth. Sales assumptions, marketing and personnel expenses, storage and delivery costs etc. After a good hour of hot bickering ... the room was tense so to break the tension Anju told her boss Pam, "If you are right and you win, I will let my husband sleep with you... you can take it as a gift for your achievement." There was a silence for a moment after which Rajni