Chapter16
Jessica squirmed in her seat, feeling the wet warmth along her labia as she checked the time yet again. It was another thirty minutes before she was allowed to get herself off, before she was allowed to go into Brad’s office and masturbate in front of him until she climaxed.
He had kept her on edge for most of the day, sending her pictures to her new phone number of their more recent trysts--but these were nothing at all like Drake’s pictures of her. They had talked about the pictures that Jessica had allowed men to take of them degrading her, and instead of throwing her debasement in her face, Brad had focused on showing her how beautiful she was, how powerful her submission could be.
He’d managed to capture the most interesting moments, Jessica mused absently: her releasing herself from bindings he’d intentionally made it possible for her to escape from, grinning at him with amusement, or her climaxing, her head thrown back in ecstasy, lost in the pleasure of the moment.
Things like that, that had nothing to do with her being an object. It was strange to her, how different it could be--how Brad could give her the sense of vulnerability and the bone-deep pleasure she craved, and treat her like a valued, worthy human being even as he was spanking her. How he could make her beg him to fuck her without making her feel debased. She’d stopped going to SA meetings, but had started seeing a therapist once a week to talk about everything going on in her life.
Since she’d changed her number, after Drake had attacked her in the grocery store, she hadn’t heard a peep from her harasser, and--two weeks later--Jessica was beginning to feel relieved. Bradley had made plans with her for Thanksgiving, later in the week, and they had a long weekend of sessions planned. Jessica thought--though she wasn’t sure--that it might be the time, then, to talk about what they were to each other.
She’d been feeling the emotions developing for some time, but the night that Drake had groped her, that was the night that it had all crystallized in her mind: some combination of Brad’s support of her with the police and the fact that he hadn’t pushed her to do something she had been hesitant about--all of the things that had happened that night had confirmed that her feelings towards him were more than just grateful and eager.
Jessica checked the time again. Only five minutes had passed. She sighed, trying to focus on the spreadsheet in front of her with the employee rolls on it; someone in HR had come up with a report about employee pay satisfaction, and Bradley had put her on the job of compiling information about the employees to determine cost of living for their listed addresses.
He had an idea to increase pay based on the changes in the cost of living where the company’s employees lived, based on their information provided. She wasn’t in charge of analysis of the information, but she was in charge of compiling it for him, so that he could come up with a plan.
She decided to take a break from that to check into a personal task that Bradley had set her: finding the right hotel for the week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, for them to enjoy each other in privacy away from the city itself.
It was thrilling to think that Brad wanted to spend the whole week with her, having sex and playing together--and it was part of why Jessica thought they would probably soon have the discussion about what their relationship was. It would be easier to focus on that, she thought, turning her attention onto the reviews she’d saved.
Her phone buzzed, and Jessica considered ignoring it, but at the last moment decided to just find out what it was. The number wasn’t one in her contacts list, and for a second, she was afraid that it was Drake again, but she told herself that with the charges pending against him, Drake wouldn’t be so stupid as to harass her more.
“Hello?” There was a crackle on the other end of the line, and Jessica’s sense of dread came back again for no reason she could put her finger on.
“Don’t hang up.” It was Drake’s voice on the other end of the line. “You will go to the police and tell them you want to drop the charges against me.”
“Why the hell would I do that?” Jessica’s dread transformed into anger at Drake’s sheer level of gall.
“Because I know your secret, you filthy little cunt,” Drake said, almost murmuring.
“Don’t you ever get tired of going after someone who isn’t even interested in you? And do you think threatening me is going to make me want to drop charges against you?”
“I think you’re not going to want to keep those charges against me if it means you’re going to destroy your reputation--not to mention the reputation of that rich asshole you’ve got plowing you now.” Jessica’s anger transformed back into fear.
“What the hell are you talking about?” How could Drake know anything about what was going on with her and Bradley? They hadn’t been all that cautious or careful about not being seen in public, but it wasn’t as if they had incorporated any kind of “public” play; they always looked fairly innocent outside of Bradley’s office or the comfort of their homes.
“I’m talking about Bradley Holt,” Drake said. “And how he’s railing you. Gotta say, it makes a lot more sense now why you didn’t come back to me, since you’re already getting your fix from someone.”
“I’m not getting a fix, and I have no idea what you’re talking about. Holt is my boss, and that’s all,” Jessica said firmly.
“Not according to the pictures I found,” Drake said. “According to those...you’re getting a pretty hefty bonus from him after hours.” Jessica’s heart pounded in her chest, and she felt her eyes stinging with tears. How did Drake find any pictures? What did he know? What was he going to do about them? Don’t admit anything.
“As amusing as it’s been to hear your latest fantasies, I told you to leave me the hell alone,” Jessica said flatly.
“I’ll send you proof, if you want,” Drake told her. “You have until after Thanksgiving to drop the charges against me. If you don’t do it, I’m selling the pictures to as many publishers as I can get to take them and telling them all about how you’re banging the billionaire.”
The line cut out, and Jessica could only stare at her phone, shocked and angry and disbelieving. She wasn’t ashamed of what she and Brad had been doing, but the idea of Drake ruining Brad’s reputation--and hers, as well--horrified her.
He’s bluffing. He just wants the charges to go away. He’d say anything. Jessica tried to soothe her nerves. Suddenly, she wasn’t turned on anymore, and she thought she would have to find a way to inspire herself before she went in to see Bradley again.
Or maybe--she thought tentatively--they wouldn’t go straight for sex. She had never stopped having the responsibility to obey Brad’s rule of telling him about the messages Drake sent her; she should tell him about the call, even if she was fairly certain that Drake was bluffing.
As if on cue, just when she had begun to gain some perspective on it, her personal email pinged, letting her know that there was a new message. Jessica swallowed against the tightness of her throat when she saw that it was from an anonymous email address--it had to be Drake. She clenched her teeth and opened the email and saw one of the pictures that Brad had sent her: one of her tied up, naked, smiling at him playfully.
There was another one, also attached, of her in the office, seated at her desk. It was an up-skirt picture, showing the vibrator that Brad had let her use to keep herself on edge. That picture wasn’t anything that she had seen before, and she didn’t think Brad had taken it; it wasn’t like his style.
Underneath the attached pictures, Drake had added a short message. I have way more than this. Jessica cringed, closing her eyes. What was it going to take to get Drake out of her life for good? How had he gotten the second picture, and what were the other ones that he had? She knew that she would have to talk to Bradley about it; obviously, Drake wasn’t just bluffing. She sent Brad a text message.
We need to talk. It’s important and about Drake. She waited until she saw the read receipt and then forwarded the email to Brad’s personal account and pressed the button to let herself into his office. Jessica could feel the weakness in her knees, the lingering slickness from her previous arousal, and the guilt and shame of knowing that she had put Bradley’s career, life, and reputation at risk all because of mistakes she’d made before she’d ever even met him. It’s like they said, she thought grimly. Some things you just can’t live down.
As she opened the door to Bradley’s office, Jessica realized that her relationship--such as it was--with Bradley could be over before it had ever even officially begun. She couldn’t blame him if he decided the best way to handle the situation was to stop seeing each other sexually--given that the problem was caused, however inadvertently, by her. You have to accept that he might want to cut his losses. What good would it do him to stick around with someone who’s so much of a liability?
She stepped into Bradley’s office, feeling her eyes beginning to sting. Don’t try. Now isn’t the time for tears. He’ll just think you’re trying to manipulate him. She took a deep breath. “Did you get my email?” Bradley nodded, and then looked up from his computer as she approached the desk. Jessica could see the anger--just a few steps short of wrath--on her boss’ face. He’s going to dump me, she thought, swallowing against the tight feeling in her throat.
“So, I’m almost certain that’s Drake,” she said, pushing any thought about what the outcome of the conversation would be out of her mind. “He called me just before--I didn’t know it was him, or I wouldn’t have answered.” Bradley nodded.
“I don’t blame you for answering,” he said quietly.
“I guess I should drop the charges against him,” Jessica said. “You can’t afford for him to trash your reputation, and we don’t even know what other pictures he might have,” Jessica said.
Brad held her gaze for a long moment, and Jessica felt her body tense as she anticipated him screaming at her, telling her she was trash and that this was all her fault, that she no longer had a job with him and he wanted her to pack up her personal items from her desk and be out of the building within an hour.
“If you drop the charges against him, I will contact your sponsor and counselors back in Atlanta and see about getting you back into in-patient therapy here,” Bradley said quietly. “I don’t think we need to do that, do you, Jess?” He had the tone in his voice that he used when they were “in-session,” and Jessica felt the effect of it: she was slightly turned on and almost completely willing to give into his control of the situation.
“So, you don’t want me to drop the charges, Sir?” Bradley flashed a brief, toothy smile, and Jessica remembered that in spite of all of her positive experiences with him, and her knowledge about his generosity, Bradley also had a reputation as a cutthroat negotiator and ruthless businessman.
“No,” Bradley replied. “In fact, I think that if we do this the right way, you’re going to be pressing more charges against him. So many, in fact, that he will be lucky if he sees the outside of a prison inside of five years.” Jessica’s eyes widened.
“What do you mean?” Bradley sat back at his desk, smiling more slowly.
“According to a friend of mine who works in criminal law, Drake would be at risk for harassment, cyberstalking, and a few other charges--enough to earn him at least a year in prison and a fine of over two thousand dollars.”
He paused to let that sink in, and Jessica began to feel a tendril of hope. “This latest thing he’s done is technically extortion, which is a felony. That makes it up to ten years in prison, with a minimum of one. There’s also the obstruction of justice charge; he’ll get a maximum of five years for that.”
Bradley inclined his head towards Jessica. “So, I think I can be pretty confident that if we go to the police with this, instead of dropping charges against him, he’ll be in jail for at least five years total.”
Jessica stared at him in shock. “You’re not--I mean, you aren’t worried about him exposing you?” Bradley shrugged.
“If we make this happen fast enough, there won’t be a way for him to expose us,” he said. “Another person I talked to about the situation--keeping you out of it, making it purely a sort of thought exercise--was a guy I know who does tech security and maintenance stuff, a kind of jack-of-all-trades ethical hacker person. He said whoever’s harassing you is probably decently tech-savvy himself, but with a little help, he would be able to capture the evidence we need for charges against him, while also making it impossible for him to follow through on the threat.”
“Really? You--you think we can get him without him getting us?” Bradley grinned, looking genuinely happy for the first time since she’d entered the office.
“I am almost one hundred percent certain of it,” Brad told her. Jessica sagged, feeling more relief wash through her--but then, she remembered the other aspect of her fears.
“I’m guessing this probably means it would be best for us to end the contract,” she said quietly. Bradley frowned.
“Why on earth would you think that? If you want to back out, of course I won’t fight you on that, but I have no reason to want to stop with you, Jessica.”
“But if you stay with me…” Jessica looked down at her hands and then made herself meet Bradley’s gaze. “You’ve already gone through so much trouble on my behalf, even without this bullshit from Drake.”
“It’s practically nothing,” Bradley said, shrugging off the effort. “What’s the point of knowing people in law enforcement and the court systems if I never use the connection? Besides, if it weren’t for you, I might never have found out how much I like having a sexy, obedient little sub who trusts me.”
“You...you like being dominant?” Jessica and Brad had never really discussed it; she’d always viewed their play as something that Brad had done to help her--to give her some element of what she thought she needed.
“I like being dominant to you, Jess,” Brad replied. “I love seeing you give into me completely, trust me to rein you in and to stop when it’s too much. I like watching you work through your demons and conquer them. It’s an immense privilege to me to be part of your recovery, and to see you making so much progress.
Then too, it’s incredibly hot to make you come so hard.” He chuckled softly. “I’m not giving that up unless it stops working for you.” Jessica felt the tears stinging her eyes and felt herself smiling but was too stunned to work through how she actually felt about what he had said.
“I don’t know what to say,” she told him once she could speak. Bradley rose from his seat and walked around his desk, coming to her side, and Jessica reflexively looked up at him. He touched her face gently, smiling down at her.
“Do you want to cancel our contract together, Jess?” Jessica shook her head.
“No, Sir,” she said.
“Then let’s find out how that asshole Drake got those pictures, and let’s put him away before we take our long weekend, shall we?” Jessica’s smile grew.
“Yes, Sir,” she said.