I started my electrical contracting business when I was twenty-seven. It was just me, my beat up pick-up truck and the occasional helper working out of my garage. Twenty years later, I’ve got four trucks, twenty-two employees and lots of work. Diane was a pivotal part of my world but in April she decided to leave and take care of her new grandbaby. I was happy for her but scared for myself. My matronly office manager had been with me for over seventeen years and worked her magic so that I was free to be in the field with customers and crews as needed. Losing her would be a huge blow but I’d make due.

My initial plan was to enlist Carol, my accountant/HR lady to help me with the change and spread the load between us. It didn’t take long for me to realize that Diane was some kind of Grand Master of Office Management that I had no clue on how to emulate. When Carol threatened to leave if we didn’t find a replacement, I gave in and told her to start looking.

Two weeks passed and we hadn’t found a qualified candidate. I was starting to lose hope. We’d looked at dozens of resumes but the applicants were not what I needed to fill the void. So to see Carol smiling at me when I returned from the field one late afternoon in May, I was hopeful she had some good news.

“Mike, I want you to take a look at this person’s resume and application,” she said, placing the papers on my desk.

“Do they look promising?” I asked with just a hint of skepticism.

“I think you’ll like what you see,” Carol replied stepping back and leaned against my door.

I sat down and looked over the papers in front of me and quickly noticed Elizabeth Billings was fresh out of college with a degree in business administration. “Okay she’s got book learning but virtually no experience,” I commented then read on, “Except for working at a plumbing business during her High School years; nothing since graduating.” I sighed and looked at Carol knowing I couldn’t be too choosy since we’ve struck out so far.

“Set up an interview and see what you think of her,” I said offering the paperwork back.

Her smile broadened, “I already have. She’s in my office right now. I think we’ve got a winner.”

I stoked my chin and close cropped beard as I studied Carol’s smiling face. She’d been with me along time too. Her husband John and I are good friends and I trusted her opinion so I guess I needed to meet Elizabeth for myself. What was the worst that could happen, she didn’t stack up and the search was still on? I sat back in my chair and looked down at the piles of paperwork and files on my desk.

“Alright, send her in.”

Carol made a jubilant hop then disappeared toward her office. I moved some of the files aside, making room for the new applicant’s resume in front of me. I saw movement and Carol had returned with a petite young woman in tow. I rose from to my feet as Elizabeth entered and stood before my desk. My initial thought was, ‘You’ve got to be kidding!’ She looked like a twelve year old in business attire. I’d done some quick math in my head when I’d looked at her resume and knew she was in her twenties but my God she looked so young and so tiny. I guessed maybe 5′-3″ but I couldn’t tell how tall her heels were with the straight leg slacks she had on. And if she was more than a hundred pounds soaking wet, I’d be amazed. She was sharply dressed in a crisply ironed blouse and pants and had her cinnamon hair up in a tight bun. She smiled and extended a hand. I took her delicate hand in my meaty calloused paw, hoping not to crush it as I gave her a firm shake.

“I’m Mike Worthington, nice to meet you Elizabeth. Have a seat,” motioning to a nearby chair.

“Nice to meet you too Mr. Worthington,” sitting and crossing her legs, “but please, call me Beth.”

Carol motioned she would leave and I nodded as she was closing the door. I looked back to Beth who was smiling at me with a sparkle in her eye that made me smile too. I felt myself becoming aroused and I wasn’t sure why so I distracted that train of thought by looking down at her resume once more.

“I see you’ve recently graduated college,” she nodded, “So what have you been doing since you finished?”

“Odd jobs mainly,” she fidgeted, “I haven’t found what I’m looking for in my field.”

“I see you had some experience at a plumbing contractor…”

“That was my Dad’s business. I worked for him since I was sixteen and only quit when I left for college.”

“What exactly did you do for him?”

“I ran his office. I did everything from taking calls, filing, ordering products and materials, payroll and even scheduled appointments for him to meet customers,” she proudly replied.

“That was a lot of responsibility for a teenager, I’m sure if I contacted him he’d give you a glowing review.” I noticed Beth’s brilliant smile slacken.

“He passed away last year but my brother is running the business now and can verify everything I’ve said.”

“Oh…I’m sorry to hear that,” I said seeing the pain in her eyes.

I talked to Beth for nearly half an hour but I knew in the first five minutes she was the one. I had to play it cool though so as not to tip my hand. We talked money and benefits and she didn’t seem offended by what I was offering so I hired her. I stood and she shot to her feet as well. We shook hands again and she looked like she was about to burst.

“Welcome aboard Beth. When can you start?”

“I can be here tomorrow if you’d like? Thank you so much Mr. Worthington,” she trembled with excitement.

“CAROL!” I shouted then looked down at Beth, “First thing Beth, call me Mike. We’re very informal around here so you don’t need to use mister or anything like that.” I stepped around my desk to open the door and found Carol reaching for the handle. “Beth is joining the family and will be starting tomorrow so could you get her all the information she needs?”

“Sure thing Mike. Come with me.”

As Carol turned, Beth surprised me with a hug around my mid section. At 6′-2″ and 250 pounds I dwarfed the little woman but I enjoyed her gratitude. I just hoped she was up to the task. I needed to get back to dealing with customers and not office minutia. She had 90 days to impress me or I’d be looking again but it barely took her two weeks and I was sold.

She had jumped in feet first and didn’t look back. I was overjoyed; as was Carol, her life had just gotten easier too. Beth knew her stuff and was right at home taking over where Diane had left off. She made some changes that suited her own working style but all in all it felt like Diane had never left. She handled customers humbly but didn’t let them walk all over her. She even kept me in line when I would lose my temper over insignificant things. Being young, petite and pretty made many people under estimate her as most of the single guys who worked for me found out. I thought I might have to step in and say something to them but Beth handled it just fine. She politely turned down their advances and let them know she had a boyfriend. She also let them know she wouldn’t tolerate any kind of harassment.

***

By the time my annual 4th of July BBQ rolled around I was pleased that Beth had been a good choice. I invited her and her boyfriend who I’d yet to me to the gathering. I had all my employees and their immediate families come over for a barbeque/pool party every year at this time. It was my thank you to them for their hard work. My backyard was on a hill overlooking the city park where they had a huge fireworks display so everyone brought chairs for the evening. I supplied the food and drinks with a little help from Carol and her husband it made for a fun day.

Guests started arriving around three in the afternoon but I didn’t see Beth. I found that to be unusual considering her fanatical punctuality at work. By five o’clock the party was in full swing. People were splashing in the pool, John was manning the bar keeping drinks filled and I was at the grill flipping burgers, hot dogs and chicken breasts. That’s when I saw Beth come out onto the patio. She gave me a slight wave as she came over.

“Hey Beth, glad you could make it,” I said with a huge smile.

“Thanks…Umm sorry I’m late…” she was clearly not her effervescent self.

When she finally met my gaze I could see the redness in her eyes and knew she had been crying. I never liked seeing my people upset and there was something special about Beth that made seeing her this way even worse.

“Is everything alright Beth?”

She sighed, “I’m fine…Just some personal things going on that…Well…I don’t want to talk about it.”

I wasn’t going to press her on the matter. “Is your boyfriend parking the car?” I asked looking for an unfamiliar face.

“He couldn’t make it,” her tone was sharp.

She was in cut off shorts and a patriotic tank top with a pink swim wrap over it all. Her large shoulder bag had a towel sticking out of it and I assumed it was doubling for her purse today. It was then I realized just how tiny she was. She always wore heels in the office but today in her flip-flops there was no mistake she was much shorter than I originally guessed. She stood maybe 5′-0″ or a hair under but definitely no taller. Her long hair was down today as well; another first. She always wore it up or in a ponytail at the office. She was beautiful and I had a hard time taking my eyes off her. I needed to stop staring so I pointed out where things were.

“Carol is around her somewhere. She can show you where to change if you want to go swimming and if you head over to the bar, John will make you something to cheer you up,” I turned to face Beth, “And if you flash him that amazing smile of yours, he’ll probably make you something that’ll cause you to forget your name.”

She chuckled and gave me a weak smile but at least she smiled. Beth thanked me and went back toward the house. When I saw her later in that tiny bikini I nearly dropped a plate of burgers. It was small but not provocative. It did show off her petite body very nicely though. My cock jumped to attention as she passed by to lay her towel on one of the lounges. I had to be careful and not trip over my tongue the rest of the day.

***

As darkness fell, I lit the many Tiki torches around the yard and people set up their chairs and blankets to watch the fireworks display that would be starting soon. I grabbed a drink and sat down on a lounge to wait. Beth appeared beside me in her swim wrap tied at the waist and drink in her hand.

“Is this seat taken?” motioning to the lounge next to me.

“Nope, it’s all yours.”

She sat down and reclined then untied her wrap. I could see her brightly colored bikini and her nicely proportioned body just a few feet from me. My cock began to respond. ‘Shit!’ I thought not wanting to be pitching a tent in my board shorts but what could I do? I nervously looked at my watch, hoping the show would start soon. I took a big swig of my rum and coke.

“Thanks for inviting me over today,” Beth said turning toward me.

“It’s the least I can do for you and the rest of my family on the fourth.”

“Your family?” she looked around, “Is there members of your family her? All I’ve seen is employees and their families.”

“My employees are my family,” I replied looking into her sparkling eyes. My cock continued to grow even though I was willing it not to.

“You don’t have any actual family members? What about your parents?”

“My mom passed away at about my age from breast cancer and my dad passed about five years ago.”

“No brothers or sisters? Any cousins?”

“Nope…I’m an only child and ironically both my parents were too.”

When Beth briefly turned away I pulled my t-shirt down as far as possible to help camouflage my throbbing erection. I checked my watch again.

“Carol said you aren’t married and you don’t have a girlfriend to her knowledge,” she looked at me inquisitively, “Why not?”

“My business and my employees are the most important things in my life right now. I have to devote all my time and energy to them. Most women I’ve met and dated don’t understand that and they don’t want to play second fiddle to my work. So I haven’t found a woman who understands this or is willing to accept it.”

“I do,” Beth replied meekly staring into my disbelieving eyes. There was a thunderous boom over head, lighting up the sky with a shower of gold and blue. Beth turned her attention skyward while I kept staring at her.

‘Was she flirting with me or messing with my mind?’ I wondered, still in shock at her statement. My cock was straining for freedom and I had to divert my attention elsewhere or there might be some serious problems.

The display continued for another twenty minutes bringing many oohs and ahs with it. As the finale burst then faded you could hear applause from my guests and my neighbors alike. The party went on after the show was over but people started to leave gradually until just a handful remained. By ten, Carol and John were saying their goodbyes and I thanked them for all their help. When they were gone, I poured another rum and coke and went back out to the pool to sit and watch some of the illegal fireworks going off around the area. It was then I noticed Beth still sitting on the lounge where we’d watched the show.

“I didn’t realize you’re still here Beth,” I said as I sat down next to her. I made sure my shirt was adding cover for my rambunctious member hiding in my shorts.

She suddenly stood and said, “I’m sorry I’m still here, it’s just so nice looking at the stars.”

“I’m not kicking you out,” giving her a big smile, “Stay as long as you like.”

I couldn’t tell for sure but by the light of a nearby torch, it appeared she may have been crying. Beth gave me a strange look then scooted her lounge up against mine and sat back down. I watched as she adjusted the angle of her lounge to match mine then got comfortable with her drink in hand. She lay there for a couple minutes, not saying anything and staring into the night sky.

“Are you alright Beth?”

She took a deep breath and sighed, “I broke up with Alex this morning.” She took a long drink from her glass as a tear ran down her cheek. It took her a moment then she explained how she caught him with another woman and kicked him out. She told me she was hoping to marry him at some point but now was happy they hadn’t made it that far just to have this happen. I listened as she talked about their relationship and what she had wanted and how this turn of events had crushed her. I put my arm around her shoulders as she started to cry. We sat that way for several minutes in silence. I didn’t know what to do but be there for her.

“I miss him,” she said still looking at the stars.

“How could you miss that douche bag after what he did to you?” anger filled my words.

A smile crossed her lips then she said, “I’m not talking about Alex, I mean my dad. I miss him at time like these. When I was hurting he would just hold me and I felt safe and comforted. He always made things better for me,” she turned her eyes my direction; “You remind me a lot of him.”

That caught me off guard. It’s true I think of my employees like family but I’ve never been considered an actual father figure before. “Thank you Beth…That’s a great compliment.”

Beth rolled toward me, throwing her arm across my chest and a leg over mine. She cuddling into me but I didn’t want any growing problem to embarrass me. I slowly brought my arms around her trying not to touch her in an inappropriate way. Feeling her warm soft breasts pressed against me was causing other issues to arise. I was hoping she didn’t feel my cock begin to grow stiff in this potentially compromising position. It was a warm night but I felt a shiver run up my spin. I was holding this beautiful, sexy and very vulnerable young woman in my arms and becoming very aroused. It was wrong to feel this way about an employee and could cause tremendous legal problems but I didn’t want to let go. She clung to me and I could feel my temperature rising. I finally made the decision to move.

I sat up, “I’m going to take a quick dip in the pool,” looking down at her sad eyes, “Care to join me?” I didn’t want her to think I was abandoning her in her time of need but I had to put some distance between us so I could think clearly.

“No, I think I’ll just lay her for a while and look at the stars,” she replied moving back onto her lounge.

I stood and stripped off my shirt as she watched me. I was turned away to try and hide my arousal but I think Beth noticed. I dove into the deep end of the pool praying the cool water would help shrink my rampant cock. I swam the full length of the pool then back again. Starting toward the shallow end once more I heard a splash close by. I stopped and was just able to touch the bottom when Beth surfaced less than a foot from me. She was treading water at first then put her arms around my neck and her legs around my mid section to keep from going under.

I could feel the heat of her pussy pressed against my stomach as she stared at me with an odd smile on her face. It wasn’t helping my efforts to deflate my raging hard on. I put me arms around her back, fighting the temptation of them going to her tight little ass. I was hoping if I held her to me she wouldn’t sink down and feel the steel rod in my suit. There was an awkward silence between us as she kept her eyes locked with mine.

“Since you consider your employees family,” she started, cocking her head, “Are we like your children or brothers and sisters to you?”

I laughed, “I don’t think I can consider Tom one of my kids,” picturing my shop foreman, “He’s older than I am by at least ten years. And Carol’s more like a sister I guess…”

“What about Diane?”

“She was like my mother,” I chuckled and got a giggle from Beth.

“So does that mean you consider me like a daughter?”

The incestuous implications a side, her question seemed to have an ominous tone. I hoped I wasn’t crossing some unseen boundary with the answer I was about to give.

“Sure…I guess I consider all you youngsters in my employ my kids.”

That odd smile returned. She gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and released me. I let her go too and she moved away.

“You’d make a good Daddy,” she stated then swam to the side of the pool, “I should go…It’s getting late.”

I could smell alcohol on her breath and when she got out of the pool she lurched to the right before correcting herself. She got to the lounge with her towel and began to

off, swaying slightly as she did. I think I was so shocked by her statement that it took me a moment to realize she was in no condition to drive. I swam to the side and quickly got out before she had collected all her things.

“Wait Beth, I can’t let you drive home like this.”

“I’ll be fine. I don’t live that far away.”

“No…You’re not fine. Why don’t you spend the night here?” The moment the words left my mouth I knew how they must have sounded, “I mean…I’ve got a couple guest rooms…it won’t be a problem.”

“No…that’s okay. I can make…”

“I’m not letting you drive home,” my voice had become stern, “If you insist on going home, I’ll call you a cab or Uber but you aren’t driving.”

She met my austere gaze and that same look she had when she talked about her father returned to her blushing face, “Alright…I’ll stay as long as you’re sure it isn’t any trouble.”

“None at all.”

I led Beth to the house and showed her to one of the guest rooms. It had a queen sized bed and was the least masculine of the four bedrooms available.

“Wow…This is nice,” she said, placing her bag on the bed.

“The bathroom is right here and there are plenty of towels if you want to take a shower,” I pointed out, “If you need anything I’m right down the hall.”

She hugged me fiercely, “Thank you Mike…I really mean it…for everything.”