What a ball buster, Leo thought.
Sitting across from him, separated by a grand, sweeping, dark-toned office desk, Jessica smirked in calm repose. Her regal air gave her the appearance of a cat-like sphinx and Leo couldn't help but be, at least, slightly unsettled by Jessica's focused gaze. It also didn't help him that she dressed in the nearly provocative ways for which she was well known in the office. Plunging necklines, short skirts, sometimes the occasional pair of stockings that peeked out mid-thigh as she sternly, and knowledgeably, lectured those around her, Leo was familiar. Today was no exception with the small, amber mini dress wrapped around Jessica's tight frame. Why did it have to be her, a fully fledged Vice President, who conducted the interview and not one of the many Directors Leo was on good terms with?
Quietly confident, Jessica leaned back in stoicism continuing to stare at the young man. The question was simple, "Describe a time when you failed at work and what did you do to solve it?" Jessica ticked off the item from her mental checklist and waited for Leo's response.
Jessica's tenure at the Company far eclipsed Leo's more youthful presence. It had been more than ten years since she'd joined and Jessica had not only shifted her way into a male-dominated tech industry, but thrived here as well. Through sheer grit and determination she had earned her place among the upper echelons of the Company's ranks. It didn't hurt that she was attractive to look at too.
Leo, by contrast, was a newly-minted graduate, fresh from an MBA and looking to cut his teeth alongside his peers who had encouraged him to go back to school for more opportunity. Working full time while attending his MBA had proven a challenging task. The Company had subsidized some of his tuition, that part was nice, and he'd been encouraged to stay with the organization with the prospect of increased pay and more responsibilities. But those conversations seemed far, far away now as he was faced with the only person in the organization he didn't understand.
"Well..." Leo began, sensing his wavering confidence.
Jessica listened to Leo's words, gently tapping a pen between her fingers in time to his rhythm. She didn't care if Leo noticed. He was a diligent worker, a good student based on his academic marks, and someone she imagined was as reliable as he was uncertain at times. Like all recruits into the Company, Jessica paid special attention to Leo's performance when he initially arrived, looking for talent that could be fostered and turned into a significant asset. As a Vice President, Jessica had the unique task of vetting all candidates, internal and external, for advancement.
Leo finished his thought, "...which is why I now commit myself to seeing projects through beyond the scope of my team's work."
Jessica turned her mouth up at the corner in a tortuous smile, "So you take on more responsibility than you're assigned? That doesn't sound like a solution to me."
Leo reeled. The nerve of this woman to take such a position irked him. He felt his heart quicken and his cheeks flush with warmth at the thought of having to prove himself. It wasn't a feeling Leo enjoyed and he closed his eyes briefly to recenter and calm a bit.
Jessica broke her metered demeanor and leaned over the table, revealing her voluptuous bosoms as they pressed against her dress. "What? Do my words bother you?"
Leo couldn't help but fall on the defensive, "It's not that they bother me. I just. Don't agree with your perspective." He paused, then finished, "no offense."
Jessica took a beat and looked somewhere above Leo's gaze and far into the room beyond, considering. She liked Leo. His short, brown ringlets and ambitious nature gave him a youthful appeal. More than a few times, she noticed his encouraging laughter lilt through the halls to her cracked office door. For someone in the tech industry, Leo also carried his physique well. Whatever he did to stay in shape, she thought, it worked. It was clear he had a social life outside the four walls of the Company and sometimes Jessica wondered what he did with that time. Sensing some satisfaction, Jessica resumed her sphinx pose and looked back at Leo. In this case, she knew she had the upper hand.
"Get on your knees." Jessica said, staring Leo through, unmoving.
What!? Leo's mind raced. He couldn't believe the words that exited Jessica's pouted mouth. For a moment he didn't know what to do. As far as he could tell he had two options. First, turn tail and run, kissing his current chances at promotion goodbye. This, in addition to giving up the Vice President and causing a human resources nightmare he wasn't sure he was ready for, seemed like an unkind option. Second, and by all accounts the more intriguing course of action, was to listen to Jessica and see where her line of thinking went.
Leo stammered before he knew what he was saying, "But-, but what about the rest of the office?"
Jessica gently reached forward and grabbed a small remote sitting in the middle of her desk. With the press of a button the glass to Jessica's room turned opaque and the bustling office outside disappeared behind a thin layer of electric gossamer. One couldn't see in nor out.
"Get on your knees." Jessica repeated, as stoic as she had been when Leo initially arrived.
Leo could feel his heartbeat in his throat. Mindless, he slid off the front of his chair and settled on his knees. What in hell was happening? He wondered.
Jessica smiled and stood. In a metered sway she walked to the door and flipped the lock.
"I've been reviewing your performance Leo," Jessica began as she walked back to the front of the desk, stopping in front of where the young developer remained on his knees. "I must say, you seem to rise to the occasion when called upon."
"Th-. Thank you." Leo stammered.
Jessica enjoyed seeing Leo tortured like this. So out of his element. So unsure. Her efforts had worked and she was turned on at the thought of continuing to play with the young man.
"Well, we'll see." Jessica continued. "Are you ready to rise to the occasion today?"
Leo looked up at Jessica who peered down at him over her full breasts. Her imposing stature only encouraged him, though he wasn't sure what to make of the situation. "Yes. I'm ready." Leo swallowed hard.
