Mr. Richards and I had a fine system that served us well for the past five years. My boss was to me what I am to the fax machine. No chit chat, no pleasantries, just the fax. He'd come in every morning at five to eight, I'd bring his coffee, he'd rattle off what he needed, and I ducked out to my desk in front to do what he asked. I'd place him somewhere between fifty and sixty, with a tight, fit body he suffocated under sensible suits. His hands were calloused with thick, manly fingers, like he perhaps enjoyed woodworking in his spare time. I don't know for sure. I only know he likes his coffee hot and his insurance office nearly silent when clients aren't there.
But I was expecting a juicy phone call that afternoon. As quietly as I could, I took this phone call. Maybe I should have gone outside. Maybe I should have waited for the voicemail. But I took the call. Heather's excitement on the other end went to my head. "Holy shit!" I half-whispered. "No fucking way."
I heard his chair scrape on the floor in his office. Heavy steps across the worn rug on the hardwood floor. He poked his head out of his open door.
I hung up in a hurry, as you can imagine. I threw my cell phone into my purse and tried to look busy replacing dates and names on an old letter he wanted to send out again this year. I smiled when he came out.
"Everything all right, Mr. Richards?"
He looked me over and his direct ice blue eye contact sent a shiver up my spine. I couldn't remember the last time he'd really looked at me. It seemed he couldn't either. "Do you always wear that lipstick?"
He caught me completely off guard, staring at my lips like that. I painted them a trendy, glossy apple red like a woman I'd seen in a magazine. "Uh, what? I...yes. I mean, not always but often," I stammered. And foolishly, "Do you like it?"
His gaze lingered on my lips, and then shifted back to my eyes. He may as well have had his hand around my throat for the paralysis I felt. "Was that you using foul language in the office?"
"I...yes and I apologize but--."
"Were you speaking to a client?"
"Oh, no, sir, I would never--."
"So you took a personal call on the clock?"
"Oh, sir, it was a short call and I just got caught up and I'm sorry, I will never, ever--."
His face was unchanged. "Sarah, go home." He started to walk back to his office, but paused in the doorway. He turned, set his blue eyes back to 'stun' and instructed, "I want to see you at 7:15 Monday morning to get this sorted out."
I was a wreck all weekend, alternately hunting for new jobs and thinking of what I'd do to keep my old one. He paid well, the office was close to my house, and I liked being left alone out front. As I entered his office Monday morning, I did my best to appear innocent and forgivable. He was on a phone call when I came in, and he didn't stop on my account. I stood awkwardly in the doorway. He stared at me for a long time before finally gesturing for me to sit.
He ended his call and took his jacket off. I could make out his muscles under the crisp white cotton of his shirt. When I looked back at him, he was looking at me.
"Your dirty mouth is unacceptable during office hours. This is not happy-hour-Sex-In-the-City time. This is a place of business and there are rules and expectations. Now, under normal circumstances, I would fire you for that little performance--."
"Oh, no, sir," I gasped.
"Don't interrupt me, Sarah, or I will fire you. Keep your mouth shut."
I did.
"Normally, I would fire you. But you've been a good assistant for these past years and I have a feeling you spent the weekend looking into other options. I have a feeling you've seen what's out there and you know it's not easy to find a good job these days. You know how many girls would love to be in your position. I can tell by your little nun's outfit and your lack of whore lipstick that you're trying to get back on my good side."
I had worn a modest pencil skirt and a blouse with white lace all the way up to the collar. I felt foolish sitting there trying to play innocent when he could see straight through me. He stood up and walked around to the front of his desk to lean on the front and really look down on me.
"Where's the lipstick, Sarah?"
I didn't say anything because I didn't know if it was a rhetorical question.
"Sarah," he prompted, calmly.
"It's in my bag."
"Put it on."
"Why?"
He exhaled through his nose. "This is an exercise in obedience, Sarah. I want you to prove your dedication to the company and to me. Put it on."
My hand was shaking as I got it out of my purse. I already knew what it meant, and I had fantasized a similar scenario in the past. I just never thought it would happen. I used a little mirror from my purse to get it just right. I knew he was watching my lips as I slicked it on. I got a fluttering between my legs before I even looked up at him and pressed my lips together.
"So...is that all?" I asked in the silence following.
"I want you to apologize to me for your behavior."
"I'm sorr--."
"On your knees," he said firmly.