"How do you explain this Mark?" Mrs. Stern asked, knowing quite well the question was rhetorical. The young man sitting in front of her wiped the sweat from his brow with a trembling hand. He was handsome. But there was more to it than that. Much more. There was history...even though the young main remained ignorant of all of it.
Mark couldn't think of a good answer. He knew it looked bad. Very bad. It had started off bad enough. A program he had written didn't work quite as it should. Money...not much had been credited to customers accounts. When he discovered the flaw it was too late. So stupid. He was new to the job at that time. If he owned up to it, it would have surely meant his job.
But that's when bad when to so much terribly worse. Stupidly worse. He made a few more adjustments. Bingo! It was as if his mistake had never been made.
"I know it looks bad," Mark said. "I made a mistake. I'm sure it can be fixed."
"Embezzling isn't something that is usually fixed," Mrs. Stern said. "It's something people are sent to prison over."
"Embezzling..." Mark felt his heart drop into his stomach. It wasn't embezzlement, but a simple mistake. "But I never...I never...received anything."
"Mark," Mrs. Stern said. "Anyone who looks at this is going to think you stole it. Where is it? Where's the money now? Look at all these transactions. Thousands moved here. Thousands moved there. All these reports changed so that everything balances."
"It's there. I mean. It's ours. Well except the original loss."
"So you expect me to believe that?" Mrs. Stern kept her face passive, but inside she smiled. Oh how she smiled. Here it would come. She had been looking forward to this moment. "It's only out of respect for your father that I'm even bothering to help you. Otherwise, I'd just notify the appropriate authorities."
That wasn't quite true. If it weren't for his father, Mrs. Stern would have never made those adjustments to his program. Would have never entrapped the handsome young man.
"You see Mark," Mrs. Stern said. "When I was your age your father helped me in a similar situation. He showed me the err of my ways. Took me under his wing so to speak. I'm going to offer you a chance. Just like he did me. You'll start just like I did. I was your father's secretary... you'll become mine...only your title will be different. You'll be my executive assistant. What do you say to that?"
"....but I went to school for finance," Mark stammered. An executive assistant. The only ones he knew of were female. The career prospects...not so good. "I - I wouldn't know where to begin."
"You'll figure it out...or else you'll begin in prison and a lengthy trial I suspect."
"I guess...I guess I have no choice." Mark could see no way out of his present dilemma.
"Of course you do," Mrs. Stern said. "You can take your chances or put yourself in my care. I had the same choice many years ago. I think I made the right one."
"Okay..." Mark said. He didn't like the prospect of becoming her executive assistant, but the other consequences were out of the question. "I'll do it. I'll become your new executive assistant."
The young man's cheeks burned bright red. How was he to explain this to his fiancee or his coworkers. He wasn't paid that well, but this was still quite a step down for him.
"No Mark," Mrs. Stern said. "That wasn't the question. Do you want to take your chances or put yourself in my care? Which will it be?"
Mrs. Stern smiled, peering over her glasses, her eyes burning like lasers into his soul. Put yourself in my care - it wasn't something that a man admitted. It showed weakness, and it required the sacrifice of a great deal of pride, but it was better than the alternative.
"I put myself in your care ma'am."
"That's a smart boy," Mrs. Stern said. "I made the same choice. Now it's time for us to seal the deal."
Mrs. Stern stood and sauntered over to the young man. She took him by the hand and backed him up against her desk. Mark grew more and more uncomfortable. Unsure where this was leading, but beginning to suspect more and more that it involved something sexual. 'Put yourself under my care.' Those words echoed through his mind. Made his knees shake. This wasn't possible, was it? Well, he had heard of women being in situations, but never men.
"What are you doing?" Mark asked, his hands catching hers by the wrists and she worked to open his belt.
"It's scary isn't it Mark?" Mrs. Stern said. "How well I know. It was a Tuesday, April 19th, 1983; when your father took me under his wing. He led me to a desk...much like this one - only smaller. He put his hand on the small of my back and told me to bend over. I knew what he wanted, even as I complied. I could have screamed...I could have stopped him. But I was letting him. Still, something felt different. Different than all those times with my boyfriend.
I couldn't stop my hands from shaking. Then he pushed my skirt over my bottom, and took hold of my panties. Then it hit home. I knew before what was going to happen, but that one last thing made it all so real. It was too much. I couldn't. I caught hold of my cotton panties... and held on for dear life.
Then do you know what your father said Mark? He said, Gloria, you put yourself in my care. You've given yourself over to me. That means from eight to five, your ass belongs to me. Now, if you want my help, you'll lower those sexy little panties to the floor. You won't be needing them anymore.
I should have just let him take them off. I curse myself for my weakness. Because then...do you know what I had to do? I had to do it for him. Had to take them down and bend over for him. Spread my legs for him. And then there was worse, so much worse, I had to rub myself to get ready for him. Make myself wet so he would take me.
If I could go back in time, I would have held still and let him do as he willed. It would have been so much easier for my first time. I could have told myself that it was all him. That I did nothing. But because of my fear...I had to do ....everything.
Mrs. Stern smiled grimly, slipping her glasses up on her nose. "Now you've given yourself over to me Mark. Quite the turn of events. Now if you want my help, you'll do the same thing. Only, I think I'll have you strip off everything. Then lay back down on my desk like a good boy."