I got back from lunch early. Well, to be truthful I had barely taken lunch at all, just spent ten minutes wolfing down my sandwich in the parking lot. I was just so excited at this opportunity and I wanted to impress them with my work ethic.

This is a small town and you don't get too many chances around here. My mama is a waitress at the diner and my pa is a mechanic but I wanted more than to settle down with one of the boys from the high school, have kids and just barely scrape by. I wanted sophistication and glamor and a life somewhere else. I stayed away from all the local boys all through school and made sure to polish my shorthand and typing skills and once I graduated high school I applied for a job in the secretarial pool over at the cotton mill. It’s the biggest company in town and even better it has connections to fashion, designers and trade shows, New York even!

I’ve been here for almost a year now but my big break came yesterday when the assistant secretary for the company president Mr. Carson called in sick. I’ve been doing my best to butter up his senior secretary Joy, just picking up any odd jobs and tasks she wanted to get rid of and it looks like it paid off. She suggested me to fill in until the other girl comes back.  

I wanted to check over the papers from the morning and file them before Joy got back from lunch so I slipped into Mr. Carson's office to pick up the contract he had been working on that morning. As soon as I entered the room I realized I wasn't the only person in the office after all. Mr. Carson was seated at his desk with his head thrown back and his eyes closed. I paused for a second, not wanting to risk waking him. I could see the file I needed over on the credenza just a few feet away so I took a cautious few steps and ever so gently picked it up. Just then I heard a snuffling, licking sort of noise coming from under the massive solid wood desk and my head snapped around. Did Mr. Carson keep a dog in here? I took a step forward, meaning to peek and with a glance at Mr. Carson realized that his eyes were open and he was watching me with some expression I couldn’t quite define.  

I flushed to the roots of my hair, utterly mortified.

“Oh, I’m so sorry sir! I didn’t mean to disturb your nap.”

There was a thump and a rustle under the desk and he reached one hand down, apparently to restrain the animal.

“It’s Lily isn't it, What are you doing in my office?”

“Sara called in sick, I’m temping for her today.”

He sighed.

“I was aware of that, I mean to ask why are you in my office now, instead of at lunch?”

“Oh.” I waved the file,

“I just wanted to get a head start on the afternoon”

He smiled.

“You seem very eager.”

“Yes sir! I am really very happy to work for you. I mean the company, I mean under Ms. Joy of course.”

I trailed to a stop, I was babbling.

He began to pet the head of the dog under his desk

“Yes, Joy is very accomplished. She always does what pleases me.”

There was an odd tone to his voice, almost a command. It made me feel even more uncertain so I tried for a lighter topic.

“What kind of dog is it?”

“Excuse me?”

There was genuine confusion on his face

“Your dog, under the desk.”

“Oh,”

He chuckled.

“The best kind, she was a stray I pulled from the gutter one day. I cleaned her up and she turned out to be a beauty. Train them well and they make the most loyal pets. Even when you have to discipline them they never bite the hand that feeds them, the fear of returning to where they came is too deep.”

I smiled at him

“Maybe I could take care of her for you sometime”

A smile spread across his face.

“What an excellent idea Lily. I think I may take you up on that offer. But for now, it looks like you have some work to do.”

Recognizing a dismissal I backed out of the office and closed the door gently. I was elated, I think I got him to notice me! Maybe after Sara came back I would be called on to help sometimes, even if it was just with the dog it was still a step closer to the top.

Twenty minutes later Mr. Carson's office door opened and closed with a firm click. Joy stalked over to my desk and glared at me.

“Did I or did I not tell you that you had an hour for lunch.”

“Yes, I’m sorry” I stammered. “I just wanted to get a head start on the afternoon”

I glanced back at the office she had just emerged from, confused. No one had entered the office since I had been here.

“How did you get in there?”

“I was in the filing room putting away the Monahagn contracts” she snapped. “Not that I need to explain myself to you miss. Now if you will excuse me I am going to get a bite to eat. Do your best not to utterly disgrace me before I return.”

I watched her stalk away and tried to make sense of her anger at me. Still, more than twenty minutes to put away a file? I glanced down at the papers on my desk, across the top in crisply marked black ink was a single word MONAHAGN

………………….

Two weeks later I was still assistant secretary. Sara hadn't come back and  Oddly enough I never had seen Mr. Carsons dog either.

Mr. Carson was watching me again.

For the entire two weeks I had been covering for Sara I had been aware of his gaze. Assessing, measuring, I tried to be perfect, prove to him that I was worthy of his trust. But now he had called me into his office “to have a talk”

“Well Lily, I suppose you have heard by now, Sara won't be coming back to us.”

No one knew for sure but the whisper round the office was that she was moving out of state to avoid some sort of scandal.

“I was thinking of offering you the position of my assistant secretary.”

My heart leapt.

“Oh thank you, sir! you won't regret it!

“Don’t get too carried away now, This will be on a probationary basis you understand. Until you prove you are able to handle all the aspects of the job.”

I nodded. “Of course sir, I know I can do it though.”

“Well, we will know for certain soon enough. I have high standards and I can be very demanding. I expect you to dedicate yourself to your job and the job is me.

You see Lily, in many ways a secretary is like a man's wife at the office. I expect the same level of loyalty.  A wife makes the home run smoothly, manages the children and sees to his supper and social calendar. At the office I expect you to be a gracious hostess to our clients and an entertaining lunch companion and to handle the details of my business calendar as well as seeing to any personal tasks I require. It is likely that you will have to practice entirely new skills and I promise that some days I will stretch you to your very limits of endurance.

Do you have a sweetheart? If so you might want to rethink this position, you won't be seeing much of him.”

“No, sir. I’m not seeing anyone”

He smiled broadly,

“Excellent, come here.”

I took a few steps toward him.

“Closer.”

A few more steps brought me within arm's reach.

He looked me over from top to bottom and back again, his eyes lingering on my body in a way that made me want to squirm.

“Take off your jacket. Good, now turn around.”

He ran a hand down my back and over my thighs bunching the fabric of the dress I wore so it clung more tightly against my figure. I should have slapped him for being so fresh but this was a man, not a boy and somehow I found myself melting into a puddle.

“Yes, you’ll do quite nicely. I want Joy to take you shopping. I have certain expectations for style and polish in my secretaries and I certainly won't have you embarrassing me when we meet clients or attend conventions. I expect you to follow her instructions precisely. “

He sat back behind his desk and leaned back in his chair. I returned to the outer offices and faced Joy.

“Well?”

I wanted to bounce up and down with glee,

“Mr. Carson offered me the job!”

She raised an eyebrow.

“On a probationary basis though, right?”

“Yes but I’m not worried about that. I’ll do whatever it takes to impress him.”

“I hope you mean that. He takes loyalty very seriously and he will put you to the test in ways I doubt you are able to imagine. For now, let's take you shopping.”

I looked down self-consciously at my skirt and sweater set

“He said something about that, do I really look so bad?”

“You look small town. Honey, we need to put a bit more polish on you.”

“I don't know how much I’ll be able to afford.” I gulped, realizing that not a word had been spoken about giving me a raise.

“Don't worry, this round will be on the company. He considers us a business expense.”

She picked up her coat and purse and led the way out.

Later that night I sat in my bedroom at my parent's house just looking at the piles of bags and boxes surrounding me. I had never had so much clothing in my life, and all of it was so beautiful! Joy had chosen three tailored suits all very sophisticated and so much more form fitting than anything I could have chosen for myself. She had also insisted on two evening gowns saying mysteriously that “I would need them soon enough” then we had shopped for all the necessary accessories for all five gowns even down to a new wardrobe of undergarments. Sheer silk stockings that wisped through my hands and bras with cups that seemed designed to reveal more than they concealed, waist shapers that cinched me in beyond anything I had ever dared with attached garters for the stockings. The strangest thing was that she positively insisted that I must not wear any underwear with my new wardrobe. She said that they “ruined the lines” and that they only “create undue difficulty”.

I was to wear red lipstick exclusively from now on and was to have my hair swept up and off my neck at all times. We had visited a salon which had shown me several styling techniques and I had been given a crash course in makeup application. It was all far different from anything I had experimented on my own but I had to confess the results were striking. I looked like a girl from a magazine ad instead of the daughter of the town mechanic.

I frowned. My parents had made a big fuss when I had come home with the makeup on. Pa had stormed around and raged about his daughter going out and working with a bunch of men, made up like some kind of whore. Mama had tried to calm him down but she wasn’t happy about it either. She tried to get me to come apply at the Diner. As if I wanted to spend my life covered with burger grease and wearing a polyester dress! Why couldn’t they see that this was a big promotion for me? I ran my hand surreptitiously over the beautiful beaded silk of the evening gown and swore I would do whatever I had to in order to impress Mr. Carson.

The next morning I went to work extra early. I had decided to wear my usual clothes out of the house, better to let Pa think he had my obedience and avoid a fight. One of my beautiful new suits was tucked into a bag along with all the cosmetics. I could change in the ladies room at work. I already felt daring wearing all the new underthings Joy had chosen for me. The silk stockings whispered over my legs with every step and I swear the new bra made my bust look twice the size, or maybe it was just the effect caused by the tininess of my waist in the shaper. It wasn’t uncomfortable but I was acutely aware of its presence as I found myself breathing differently to accommodate its tight embrace. I felt as though there were a dozen sets of eyes on me as I rode the bus that morning and I flushed at the thought of them being able to tell what I was wearing under my loose dress. At least I had decided to ignore Joys strictures about the panties. I couldn’t imagine going through my day so utterly exposed. Besides, how would anyone know a thing like that anyhow?

I was at my desk by 7:30 and already had Mr. Carson's coffee brewing when Ms. Joy came in at 7:55. I got up to take her coat and she looked me over critically.

“Good choice of dress today but did you follow all my instructions?”

I was a bit confused.

“Yes, at least I tried to. Did I get the makeup wrong?”

Her eyes went cold and without warning she yanked up my skirt. My jaw dropped, I stood frozen, completely unsure how to react.

“Did you recall my instructions regarding panties?

"Well, yes but…”

“And did you follow all my instructions? No, don’t even answer, even a man could tell that you were wearing something god awful under that dress. Mr. Carson arranged new clothing for you so that you would be easy on the eyes for his clients and business associates. But are you grateful for the opportunity or for such a generous employer? No, you don’t even bother to follow the first set of directions you were given.”

I swallow with utter shame and stare at my feet in their stylish new shoes.

“I’m so sorry, I promise I will never do it again.”

She looked at me with cool disdain.

“No, you won’t. Because from now on you will present yourself to me for inspection. You will come to my apartment by 6 am every morning until I am confident that you will not embarrass me again.”

“6 am! Surely you don’t live that far away?”

“Mr. Carson has asked me to begin training you for all the duties of an assistant secretary. As I still have all my own duties to fulfill this will require late nights at the office for me. You will compensate me for my time by spending an hour each morning doing whatever I require at home. Cooking, cleaning, laundry, whatever I ask. Are we clear?”

“Yes, ma'am.”

I said meekly. Really, what choice did I have? I suspected she was abusing her position but I wanted to do well in the company and I needed this woman's good will, at least for now.

“You will remove those panties before Mr. Carson arrives.”

“Of course, I will just duck into the ladies room.”

“No, here and now. Prove to me that you are serious about making amends.”

Reluctantly, face burning, and very aware of her eyes on me I slipped my hands under my skirt and hooked my thumbs in the waistband of my panties. I gave a brisk tug thinking I’d get it over with quickly only to be stopped by the garters attached to my stockings. Stupid! I’d put them over the panties and now with shaking fingers I had to undo each clip before I could finally step out of the underwear. Time stretched out in agonizing waves as I then had to reattach my stockings. I felt clumsy and gauche. The only tiny bit of relief was that at least I had worn my nicest pair of silk panties in honor of the other beautiful underthings. I picked them up and tried to tuck the offending object behind me and out of sight but they were whisked out of my grasp.

“I’ll hold on to these.”

I wanted to protest but the sound of the elevator door had me scrambling to pull down my dress as Mr. Carson strolled into the room. Had he seen anything? His eyes took in the tension as he handed Joy his coat but he just smiled at us both, wished us a good morning and headed for his office.

Joy picked up the schedule book and followed him in, closing the door firmly behind her. I prepared a tray with Mr. Carsons coffee and waited for her to come back out. Surely she wouldn’t mention anything to him?

The office doors were thick but after a few minutes of muffled voices I heard something that sounded like whimpering. I inched closer and it was definitely Joy's voice punctuated by the rhythmic sound of flesh meeting flesh. Surely he wasn’t spanking her! I couldn’t think of any other explanation for the sounds though. Whose transgressions was she paying for? I stood there with ever mounting guilt as she gave a few final intense cries. The sounds faded and I scrambled back to my desk and managed to look busy as she stalked out some time later.

“He’ll have his coffee now.”

I wanted to cry.

“Ms. Joy, I’m so sorry I put you in that position.”

For some reason that got a snort of laughter.

I picked up the coffee tray and headed into the office with some trepidation.

“Put it on the desk.”

His chair was turned away from me and I breathed a small sigh of relief, then froze as my eyes locked on the small heap of pink silk laying on the polished oak top. Oh please God, don’t let that be what I think it is. I walked forward on shaking legs and placed the coffee on his desk.

“You look lovely today, turn around for me.”

He had turned to face me and his eyes were running over my new outfit, assessing me from head to toe. I turned in a slow circle for him.

“Joy has lovely taste. Thank you for all the beautiful things, I really never expected so much….”

I trailed off, unsure how to finish that particular sentence. How did one thank an employer for one's intimate apparel? The small satin pile on his desk that most definitely was my panties seemed to mock me.

“Joy has the most exquisite taste, with her as your example I am looking forward to a preview of your own delightful taste quite soon.”

There was a distinct sparkle in his eye that I didn’t quite understand and I was unaccountably flustered by the whole conversation.

“Now I hear you have been quite unwisely ignoring her advice this morning. I’ll have your promise that this will never happen again, I expect you to be attentive to every single detail and request, no matter how unusual, if you intend to succeed here. Now, do I have your word?”

“Yes sir, of course.”

My throat was dry. His words sounded polite, even friendly but I knew this man had the ability to fire me, dooming me to my personal hell of small town life, boring marriage and probably five kids before I was thirty and he wouldn’t lose a moment's sleep over it. He flicked a finger towards the fabric.

“I’ll be keeping these as a memento of this morning. You may go.”

I left the room. Once outside I didn’t even have to say anything to Joy, I just looked at her with disbelieving eyes. I could not believe she had tattled on me. She matched me stare for stare.

“You had better learn little girl, I don't withhold anything from Mr. Carson, and if you are smart, neither will you.”

I said nothing, just sat down and began the day's typing. The rest of the day proceeded smoothly and I was just thinking of packing up for the evening when Joy said, “There are a lot of things you are going to need to master in order to fulfill your duties here. Mr. Carson asked me to start teaching you this evening. That is, if you have no other plans …”

She let the sentence hang and I knew I had better not have other plans.

“Of course, What kind of things?” I was curious, I had taken a typing course and I was pretty good with shorthand and dictation, the filing system was a bit complex but I was getting the hang of it.

“For starters, we will work on cocktails, conversation, a few other little feminine skills to make men more amenable. Now, what mixed drinks are you already familiar with?”

“Umm, I’m afraid I don’t know how to make any cocktails.

“Well, what do you like?”

I flushed “I’ve never actually had a drink, mama says it's unladylike to drink liquor.”

She looked at me in disbelief.

“Well then, we have our work cut out for us. Your mama is half right, It’s unladylike to be drunk. Drinking, on the other hand, is a necessary skill. You will need to keep the men company and you will definitely need to know how the drinks taste or how will you know if you have made them correctly?”

I couldn’t argue the logic.

“Alright. I guess we better get started.”

It was surprisingly fun. I learned about different types of liquor and how to make three different types of Martini. Joy insisted that I drink at least a couple of sips from each “To get start getting you used to liquor.” The first sip was pretty awful but after a while the taste started growing on me. I found myself relaxing and feeling pretty amazing about the day, the job. My future was going to be great!

She frowned at me when I started thanking her over and over for everything she was doing for me. She took the still mostly full glass from my hand and laughed ruefully.

“I think we had better call it a night, you’re still a lightweight and if we keep going at this rate you won’t be presentable for your morning inspection.”

I frowned, concentrating intently.

“Nope, can’t do it. I don’t have your address.”

I looked at her a little blearily,

“Do I?”

She wrote it down on a slip of paper and tucked it into my pocket.

“6 am, no excuses. Now, why don’t I walk you to your bus stop.”

Almost before I knew what had happened I found myself on the last bus heading home. It was a good thing we had wrapped up when we did, the busses didn’t run after 11. I got home and tried to shut the door quietly so I wouldn’t disturb anyone but my father came out of the kitchen like the wrath of god.

“Where the hell have you been young lady? It’s almost 10 pm, your mother has been worried sick!”

“I’m sorry Pa, I should have thought to call. I was working late.”

He flipped the light on and stared at me. One look at his face reminded me. I had forgotten to change clothes before coming home and I was still wearing all the makeup as well.

“You were at work, looking like this.”

He inhaled sharply

“Have you been drinking?”

“Just learning to make drinks for the executives Pa, it’s part of the job.”

His voice dripped disbelief and his next words were cold.

“Don’t think I don’t know what goes on up there at the mill. I’ll be damned if I’ll see my daughter whore herself so some executive can get one rung higher on the corporate ladder. You are going to quit that job tomorrow.”

I flushed with rage. He didn’t know the first thing about it. He was just so small minded and mean.

“They like me! And they are going to help me have a decent future! It might be good enough for you but I'm not spending the rest of my life in some run down house in this pitiful little town.”

“Well young lady, as long as you live under this run down roof you will dress decently you will not be out drinking at all hours of the night and you will quit that job immediately. That is final!”

“Fine then, I’ll leave!”

I pushed past him and stormed to my bedroom where I began throwing clothes in a suitcase. I only packed the new things I had bought with Miss Joy. Everything else reminded me of the life I wanted to escape. I would leave it all behind me. My Pa still stood in the hall and my Mama watched it all in silence crying softly. But there wasn’t a tear in my eye when I stared at them and then deliberately turned and marched out the front door. I would shake the dust from this place and I would leave it all far behind me. They would see!

My bravado lasted about three blocks when my new stilettos started to remind me that they were not made for long marches and I realized that I had no place to go. I fished the address for Joy out of my pocket. I had to be there at 6. Maybe I could wait in the lobby of her apartment building. Her place was on the other side of town and I doubted I could catch a bus. I didn’t have anywhere else to be anyway. I grimly lifted my suitcase and started walking.

I arrived at the apartment building to find that there was no lobby, just a big old house that had been split into flats at some point. I didn’t want to bother Joy but my feet hurt, it was cold and I had nowhere else to go. I trudged up the final flight of stairs and quietly knocked on her door. After a few moments she answered. Her hair was tousled and she was in a long satin robe.

“A bit early aren't you?”

Her eyes took in my appearance and the suitcase at my side.

“Why don't you come in and tell me all about it.”

I found myself ushered into the living room and seated on the couch as the whole story poured out of me. The tears that I had so far managed to suppress spilled out of me as I realized that I had taken a final step away from everything I knew. She was so kind. She listened to me with sympathy and at the end she gave me a hug.

“It’s late and you’re a mess. Bath, brandy, bed and not another word from you tonight.”

She shooed me into the bathroom and started filling the tub for me. Numbly I set down my suitcase and started to undress. I was in the tub letting the hot water soothe away my tension when the door opened again. I sat upright, reflexively scrambling to cover myself but she just laughed.

“Calm down, we’re both girls and it isn’t anything I haven't seen before. Besides you've got nothing to be ashamed of. ”

She handed me a glass of amber liquid.

“Drink this.”

I eyed it uneasily but her tone brooked no argument and it seemed easier to just comply. The liquor burned a bit as I swallowed but after a moment I could feel it begin to glow within me, softening the edges of the world and making things a little bit better.Joy held out a towel for me and I rose and wrapped it around my wet body, grateful for the covering. She ducked out of the room and I opened my suitcase and stared at the contents. I had only packed what she bought me and that hadn’t included any nightgowns. Securing the towel more firmly I shyly padded down the hall in the direction she had disappeared and when I found her in the bedroom I explained my problem. She laughed again, I could get used to those beautiful soft laughs.

“I’m afraid I can’t help you with this one. I sleep in the nude. Come on, it won’t hurt you to try it for one night”

She pulled down the blanket and patted the bed.

“Everything will seem better in the morning.”

Reluctantly I slipped off the towel and hung it over a chair very conscious of her eyes on me. I slid between the cool sheets aware of them sliding over my bare skin in a way that was new and entirely distracting. Joy turned off the light and left the room and I could hear her moving around the apartment for a few minutes. I had just truly started to relax when the footsteps came close again and there was the slithering sound of satin. Then she climbed into bed beside me and settled in. I stiffened in shock at the feel of her naked body against mine. It wasn’t a very big bed and we were touching all down the length of our sides. She sighed.

“Lily, it's been a long night and I only have the one bed. I don’t mind sharing it with you but if you lay there like a board neither of us are going to get a lick of sleep. Please just relax.”

Guilt wormed through me, she had been so nice to me and here I was taking her bed. I did my best to relax my body but I was still hyperaware of her next to me. The minutes ticked by and I could hear her breathing deepen. She shifted in her sleep turning to face me, cuddling in. I lay there, trying not to notice the way her breast brushed against the side of mine with every inhale and exhale or the dampness between my own thighs. Eventually, slowly, I drifted off to sleep.

I woke to the buzzing of an unfamiliar alarm. Groggily I opened my eyes. It had been a long night, every time Joy had shifted in her sleep I had half roused. When I had slept I had been plagued by restless aching dreaMs. of her kissing me that left me feeling unsettled. I had never had thoughts like that about another woman but surely I couldn’t blame myself for my dreams. Everyone has odd dreams sometimes right?  At some point in the night I had become comfortable with her body because I realized now that she had one arm draped across my breasts and her leg was tangled with mine. I met her eyes on the pillow next to mine and thought how beautiful she was this way, sleep rumpled and soft. She yawned and sat up.

“Come on, I’ll show you where the coffee is.”

As she reached for her robe I became aware once more of my own nakedness.  

“Oh, um. I’ll be right in. Let me just get dressed.“

She looked at me.

“I thought we had an understanding. You are going to be doing chores for the next hour before your inspection.”

“Yes, of course. I just need to get dressed and I’ll be right on it.”

“I thought you only had the clothes we bought you for work.”

“Well, yes.”

Patiently, as though explaining something very obvious she said.

“Those clothes are for work. You can’t wear them out with housework. You will just have to do the cleaning as you are until you can buy a housedress. I have an apron you can borrow.”

I swallowed my objections. After she had been so nice to me last night it seemed ungrateful to protest. Besides, she had a point about the clothes, none of them were remotely suitable for housework.

She showed me to the kitchen and gave me an apron then made a pot of coffee. I was a little dismayed, it was a small frilly thing that barely covered my front and breasts. My backside was in full view with nothing to hide my assets but an all too skimpy bow. She watched me sipping a cup of coffee while I tackled the dishes. It was pretty clear to me that she had been too busy to clean house for a while. I finished them in good time, swept the floor and whipped us up a small omelet with some eggs I found in the fridge all without a word from her and with the burning awareness of her eyes following my every move. It was strange but at the same time it left me aware of my body in new ways. I could feel the brush of the apron over my tender nipples and there was an increasing and embarrassing slipperiness at the top of my thighs. I felt simultaneously beautiful and mortified and I didn’t understand my reactions at all.

I set the omelet on the table and poured myself a cup of coffee, refilling hers and adding the cream and sugar I had seen her use earlier. She seemed pleased and finally broke her silence.

“Are you going to go back home and apologize to your father? Quit the job and beg his forgiveness?”

I paused with my fork halfway to my mouth. The option had not even occurred to me.

“What? No! I can’t do that. I won’t…”

“Things can look different in the cold light of morning. You have no place else to go?”

I stared at my plate as the seriousness of my situation washed back over me.

“No.“

I whispered it. I felt like crying. I didn’t have any close friends, I had been too focused on my goals of leaving to make ties in this town. My relatives certainly wouldn't take me in if Pa had thrown me out. What was I going to do?

“I may have a solution. Why don’t you stay with me for the next 6 months? Just until you get on your feet.”

“Oh Joy, thank you so much!”

“Wait, before you get too excited, there are conditions.”

“Anything!”

“For this time period you will do all domestic tasks and any other assignments I might give you. Immediately, willingly and without complaint. If you fail at any task or give me attitude you agree that I have the right to discipline you as I see fit.”

She certainly needed the help with chores I thought wryly, and I didn’t mind housework. Discipline sounded a little intimidating but at home if I had skipped chores Pa would have had words for me even spanked me. It couldn’t be worse than that.

“Oh, that's no problem.”

“Let me finish, you will give me $100 per month for room and board. You will place yourself under my complete guidance in all things from the clothes you wear to the food you eat to your exact behavior in a variety of situations. I am not an easy person to please but if you are able to follow my instructions I can guarantee you a personal introduction to a few of the executives from the New York fashion houses we deal with. If you play your cards right you could be senior executive assistant for one in under a year. You may leave at any time you wish but if you do so understand, you must also quit at the mill. This is a one time offer and there are no second chances.”

The $100 per month made me pause for a minute, that was over seventy percent of my salary. But the chance to move to New York! Fast tracking my career while solving my housing problem quickly won me over and covered any doubts. Besides, the rest of the arrangement didn’t sound that different from what I had agreed to already.

“You won't regret it”

“Oh but you may. Now finish your breakfast and get ready for work. We don’t want to be late.”

I had thought that she had been strict before but beginning that morning the instructions she gave were exacting. I was to call her Ms. Joy from now on. Clothing, posture, the angle of my arm as I poured a cup of coffee all were scrutinized. Nothing was too small to be beneath her notice. I was a bit relieved to have some time alone when Mr. Carson came in and she followed him into the office to go over the schedule. After only a few minutes though I heard his voice calling me in as well. I picked up the coffee tray and headed in, curious about the change in routine.

“Joy tells me she has taken you under her wing.”

“Yes sir, I’m very grateful to her.”

“Good, she’s the best. You couldn’t have chosen a better mentor. I thought you should have the opportunity to watch her work. You can stand just there to the side.”

He turned back to Ms. Joy.

“Carry on”

To my surprise she knelt on the floor before his chair and began to go over the schedule for the day. He had her rearrange a few things and canceled his afternoon meeting. It seemed to be a routine. Then she shocked me. She carefully laid aside the book and pencil and before I knew it she had unzipped his pants and pulled out his cock. With complete lack of inhibition and as though this were as regular an occurrence as the daily schedule she began to lick and stroke him. Mr. Carson laced one hand in her hair, guiding her movements and calmly used the other to take another sip of coffee. He met my eyes and it was the strangest thing, Ms. Joy was bobbing up and down now, making little slurping noises and the occasional slight gag when he held her head down too long and I had a moment of deja vu to the day two weeks earlier when I had surprised him in his office. I looked at Ms. Joy and I could feel the flush rising up my cheeks as realization set in.

“Lily, may I introduce you to my little pet. I will be taking you up on your offer to take care of her very soon, I’ll be delighted to watch.”

I wasn’t sure what he meant but I had a feeling this was not the time to ask. I stood there, embarrassed but fascinated, thoughts tumbling over in my mind as I watched Ms. Joy performing an act I hadn’t even dreamed of. Mr. Carson finally broke eye contact, closed his eyes and groaned, holding Ms. Joy's head down with her nose in the dense hair against his belly. She gagged slightly but I could see her throat working furiously as she swallowed him. He released her head and she withdrew slowly, tucking him back into his pants and zipping him away.

“Will that be all Sir?”

“Lily come here.”

It took me a moment to make my legs work but I approached the pair

I stopped a few feet away but Ms. Joy reached out a hand and pulled me over until I was standing right beside Mr. Carson's chair with her head near my waist.

“Did you enjoy that?”

“Um sir?”

“Simple question Lily, do you like to watch?”

I  didn’t think my blush could get any worse.

“I don't know,” I mumbled

He smiled mischievously.

“There’s an easy way to find out.”

His hand came up and stroked up my leg. Lightning tingled through me as he slid up under my skirt. He paused for a few seconds at the top of my silk stockings with his fingers teasing the bare skin of my upper thigh and I tried to find my breath. Then he continued upwards maddeningly slowly, almost as if he were daring me to pull away or torturing me with the question of how far he would go. I shut my eyes tight and clenched my hands trying to take it all in. I should stop him, everything I had been raised to believe told me so. There was very little question in my mind that he would take liberties. But somehow in that moment I just couldn't summon the willpower or the rational thought to do so. His hand slid higher and higher and suddenly there was the brush of fingers against my bush where no one but me had ever touched. I gasped and he chuckled as he encountered the wetness there.

“I’d say you liked it.”

His fingers brushed back and forth, just skimming the seam of my tightly swollen lips and I just stood there reeling as my mind tried to make sense of the new sensations flooding over me in waves. I whimpered a little as his hand retreated and opened my eyes again trying to find balance.

Ms. Joy smiled smugly at me. At some point she had gotten off her knees and was now just in front of me watching intently.

“I think she has potential Sir.”

“She may at that. That's it for now but we’ll pick this up in the afternoon. Why don’t you go clarify matters for Lily, she looks a bit confused.”

Ms. Joy took my hand and led me out of the office and I followed docilely. Instead of letting go when we got out to the reception area she took a seat at her desk and gave me a direct look.

“Very well. You may ask.”

“Are you Mr. Carson's Mistress?”

“I am his secretary.”

“But you….” I struggled for the right words. “Fornicate with him?”

“I take care of whatever his needs are, that’s the job.”

“And he expects me to….”

“Did he give you that speech about being like his wife at work? Well honey, he meant it in the literal sense. I’ll tell you what else, you better perform your ‘wifely duties’ with a lot more enthusiasm and flair than his spouse, because if he’s not happy he can simply fire you. And if that happens you won’t get another job in this town or anywhere in the industry either.”

I looked at her a bit appalled.

“I can’t!”

She looked at me without a hint of compassion.

“No one is forcing you to do anything. But just how exactly did you think you were going to make a career in a town like this? There are a dozen other pretty young women in the secretarial pool who will jump at the chance to move up the ladder and who have the commitment to follow through and do what it takes. If that isn’t you, if you are too scared or you were planning on saving yourself for your future husband it's time to run home and make nice with mommy and daddy.”

I stayed there, kneeling at her feet as I mulled it over. It was wrong and bad, immoral. I’d be selling my body to advance my career. The options raced before my eyes and I imagined myself in Ms. Joy's place between Mr. Carson's legs. I could feel his hand brushing against my lips and I had to swallow against the dryness in my throat as I knew what my decision was going to be. I looked up at her.

“What do you want me to do?”

She smiled like a cat with a canary

“File the morning's papers and type up these letters.”