FIVE - JEN

IT WAS INSANE. I WAS about to go into a meeting with the boss. Not just boss of the department, not just boss of the building. No, no one so unimportant. I was about to sit down with the C.E.O of Bailey Inc.

The man with a woman for every occasion, the man who appeared on the cover of fashion magazine, business magazines and probably hairstyle magazines too.

He had my laptop and I had his. The good news was I’d managed to fix it fairly easily. It had involved rescheduling some of my appointments but whenever anyone grumbled I just casually dropped that I was seeing Mr Bailey at six and every single complaint melted away. They were as scared of him as I was.

The bad news was the problem had reoccurred when I tested it and it sucked up the rest of my day trying to get it sorted.

I knew he only wanted his laptop back but that didn’t mean I couldn’t daydream about the meeting, about closing the blinds and being shown what the reward was for helping him.

I could only hope he hadn’t seen what was on my laptop. He’d snatched it away from me so quickly I hadn’t had chance to close the story I’d been reading. I cringed at the thought of him seeing. It would be so obvious that I was an amateur when it came to affairs of the heart, unlike him.

He could probably bring a woman to orgasm with the touch of a single finger, a man of the world with all the privileges that entailed. As for me, I got my excitement from my stories and nothing else.

I got his laptop up and running the first time at noon but he’d arranged the meeting for six. That meant six hours of waiting and trying not to go mad, my insides throbbing with desire at the thought of seeing him again.

I might just be the I.T geek and he would probably send me away as soon as I handed him his computer but I was still excited.

Three o’clock came round and then four. I still hadn’t got it sorted properly. I wondered how he’d take it if I couldn’t get it fixed. I told myself I could set off upstairs to tell him at five then I made myself sit again as the hour rolled by. It wouldn’t take sixty minutes to get to the fiftieth floor, no matter how slowly I walked.

I managed somehow to keep myself occupied, thinking about that body of his, those eyes, that suit and what was hidden underneath it. By quarter to six, I couldn’t keep still any longer and I almost ran to the lifts. I had to get this out of the way, it was killing me.

I waited for the doors to open, tapping my foot impatiently, laptop under my arm, praying I wouldn’t drop it, trying to calm my trembling fingers.

At last the door opened but as I went to step in, Adam from the new client team blocked the way, already talking to me.

“Ah, I’m glad I caught you, Jen. Wondered if you could pop up and have a quick look at the printer for me. It’s doing that thing again.”

“I would but I’ve got a meeting at six.”

“It’ll only take you a second. Come on, do me a favour, I’ve got two hundred mail outs that need doing today.”

“All right,” I snapped. “Fine but two minutes is all you get.”

I should have known. The smallest problems become enormous when you can’t concentrate. It was nearly six by the time I got done with the new client printer and I sprinted for the lift, watching the time tick by as I slowly climbed higher.

I stepped out on the fiftieth at one minute past six, a wave of guilt washing over me at the thought of keeping him waiting. I trotted down the corridor, breaking into a run as the seconds continued to race past.

I should have told Adam where to go but that was me all over, I found it hard to say no to anyone. Too eager to please, Mum used to say about me. She was right. My inability to stand up for myself meant I was running late when I reached the executive suite, my path blocked by a man behind a desk who looked as if he was expecting me. “Miss Murphy?” he asked as I skidded to a halt in front of him.

“Yes,” I said, panting slightly, telling myself that my thumping heart was just from running. Was he there? Just behind that door?

“Take a seat.”

He nodded towards an armchair the size of a sofa and I sank into it so far that I was almost horizontal. I scrambled upwards as he picked up a white phone. “Mr Bailey? Your six o’clock is here. Of course, Sir. Will there be anything else? Good night, Sir.”

He hung up before nodding towards me. “You can go in now.”

It took several seconds to get to my feet, wriggling inelegantly off the overstuffed cushion whilst trying my best to appear dignified. I doubted it worked but the man didn’t laugh and for that I was grateful.

Once I was finally up, I marched businesslike past him and then turned around and marched back to pick up the laptop that I’d left by the chair. The man was putting on his coat when I passed him again. He nodded to me before heading over to the lift, leaving me alone.

Less confident by the second, I pushed open the huge dark wood door and found myself in a room the size of my flat. The far wall was floor to ceiling windows and the view of the city was stunning, the lights starting to twinkle as the sun set.

The floor was red carpet so thick my feet vanished into it. On the walls were landscapes in oil, one of them worth as much as the building that housed it.

There was a section with gym equipment in the corner, another area with a sofa and TV. In the middle of the room was the work area and that was where Mr Bailey was sitting waiting for me to finish gawping at his office.

He stood up as I finally made myself look at him. Could he tell how scared I was?

“Thanks for coming up,” he said, lifting himself slightly from his seat. Won’t you sit down?”

I crossed the room, a walk that I could have sworn took at least ten minutes. The entire time, I could feel his eyes on me, a half smile on his lips, as if he was amused by my presence.

I sat down, putting the laptop on the desk between us. He was still looking at me, his stare burrowing into me, seeking out my secrets, rendering me naked before him. He knew how much I wanted him, he had to. My cheeks were burning hot, I had to sit on my hands to keep them still and every time I looked at him, my pussy throbbed with need.

I could hardly breathe, much less speak. Luckily he did the talking for me.

“You’re late,” he said bluntly. As I opened my mouth to blurt out some kind of excuse, he waved me back into silence.

“I told you to be on time and you are not. Is my laptop fixed?”

I shook my head, unable to meet his eye. He sounded amused, not cross, as if I was entertainment for him, a fly caught in his web.

“Tardiness and inability to finish a simple task. This is not acceptable, Jen.”

Oh God. He was going to fire me. You didn’t get to the top of the business world by being forgiving. I might as well pack and go before he could finish. I winced, ready for the final blow.

“I think you need to be punished, don’t you?”

I looked up at him then. He still had that half smile on his face. Time slowed to a standstill. Had he just said that? How could I reply when my throat was full of dust, my heart about to burst out of my chest. I felt like I was going to pass out. He was toying with me. This was a joke to him.

“I…I…”

I didn’t get anything else out. He carried on as if I hadn’t said a thing. “I’m glad you agree. I think you need disciplining to remind you of the importance of pleasing your boss. Don’t you?”

I managed a tiny nod. His smile broadened, becoming predatory. “Good. Now I think the best course of action is a spanking, don’t you?”