Chapter 7: All In A Day's Work
Despite the lack of sleep, Cori awoke feeling rested and excited about her second day of work. She was anxious to wear her new business suit and hopefully start fresh with her new co-workers. She wore one of her new bras and some regular cotton panties. She had a cream-colored button-down blouse that was actually the right size and had all the buttons. Her black skirt came almost to her knees and her black blazer was sharp and fit just right. She wore dark nylons and simple 2-inch black heels. Everything was the right size, nothing was skimpy or revealing. She even wore light pink lipstick instead of her frequent candy red look and let her hair down instead of the usual perky pony tail. She looked in the mirror, feeling grown up, mature -- like the real woman she knew she was.
Cori liked what she saw, but she found it odd that these clothes didn't feel more comfortable. They felt loose and baggy, though she knew they weren't. Her bra felt constricting, even though she knew it was a perfect fit. Her panties didn't even feel right -- something was missing. What was it? Oh, she realized, laughing at herself. She had grown so accustomed to thongs and g-strings that the absence of anything splitting her ass cheeks actually made her feel nude -- like when she wore skirts with no panties -- even though she knew she hadn't been so fully dressed in years. Her shoes felt utterly flat and she caught herself taking odd strides until she got accustomed to the sensible foot wear.
She didn't realize how accustomed to dressing in revealing and sexy attire she had become. She wasn't comfortable in these new clothes, but she knew that she should be and would be over time. This, she told herself, was her new look -- at least from 8 to 5. And after a few semesters of school, it would be her permanent look. This was just the beginning of the transformation.
"What do you think?" Cori asked Ty, spinning around for him as she walked into the kitchen to grab a banana and some juice.
"Wow," Ty said, nodding. "You look very nice. Very sharp. Professional. My oh my, Cori the executive. I can actually see it happening. You look the part."
"Thanks," Cori beamed. She had feared Ty would tease her for her conservative look, but he was being so supportive. He was a great guy. Wild and crazy and demanding in bed, yes, but also as kind and gentle and honest and loyal as anyone she had ever met. She knew she'd never marry him, but he'd be a lifelong friend.
Ty drove her to work and promised to pick up the rest of her new clothes at noon. Harris was supposed to pick her up from work that afternoon.
Cori walked into the building, proudly presenting her badge as she scanned in and said hi to the security guard, who nodded a greeting. She got on the elevator with two other businesswomen and two men in suits. For once, she felt like she belonged. She looked like them. No one did a double-take at some inappropriate clothing or questioned her right to be there. No wonder they called these power suits, she thought. She felt powerful and confident.
That feeling didn't change a bit when Greg met her at the elevator and asked the question by simply raising his eyebrows. "You were right," she laughed. "You win."
"Told ya," Greg smirked. "Well, don't worry, even when Mrs. Benson is gone, Ted's usually here. I don't think you'll have to pay up any time soon."
"I hope not," Cori laughed.
The day started with a staff meeting conducted by Ted and Barry, who received updates from everyone on their projects and assigned some new tasks for the staff. Just before the meeting ended, Ted said, "Oh, and I should let you know, Mrs. Benson and I will be at a convention all next week. Barry will be in charge while we're gone."
Warning bells went off in Cori's head and when she saw Greg's eyes light up, she knew there might be trouble. Well, surely after she showed them how serious she was the rest of this week, they'd drop it. Plus, Barry would still be there. He probably wouldn't go for it, either. And, if worse came to worse, she could certainly go without a bra and still be relatively concealed by her right-size blouses and blazers. She pushed the worry out of her head.
And the rest of the week went by that way. She began to fall into a routine, getting up, going to work, coming home, fucking Harris as soon as they got home and then again when they went to bed. Poor Ty got nothing the rest of the week and Cori knew he was growing antsy. She was getting along well with everyone at work and there had been no more run-ins, no embarrassments, no mention of the bet. She assumed they had decided to drop it and that nothing would happen next week. Yep, these guys were professionals. They liked to goof around a little, but they wouldn't take a risk of sexual harassment. Plus, she could tell they respected her work, which was quick, efficient and creative.
Cori was growing comfortable with the routine, the job, even her business clothes. Harris kept things interesting at home with different outfits, the occasional bondage play, etc., but true to his commitment to discretion, he never did anything publicly. The couple of times they ate out, she wore her business clothes and they looked like colleagues having a dinner meeting.
Harris even agreed to let her go out with her co-workers for happy hour Friday night. Greg, Barry, Wes, Jason and Douglas were all there. Greg, Douglas and Jason were all joined by their girlfriends. Cori learned that Barry's fiancée was studying abroad for a semester and that Wes had no current girlfriend. Cori felt a little sorry for him. He was quieter than the others, seemed to have less confidence. But he was sweet and always smiling. He had the best sense of humor -- a dry wit said in a low voice that made his jokes easy to miss if you weren't paying attention. Cori had grown quite fond of him and all her co-workers very quickly. She liked the girlfriends and was pleased they liked her too. Usually, other girls felt threatened by her, but these women, who were all quite attractive themselves, didn't treat Cori that way at all. She realized it was probably a combination of factors: 1) they were comfortable with their own appearance, 2) they trusted their mature boyfriends and 3) Cori's appearance hinted at nothing other than her being a professional colleague. It was nice to be accepted as an equal, not looked at as a threat or a sex object.
Wes gave her a lift home and Harris greeted her at the door with a naughty nurse's outfit she was to wear the rest of the night while she gave him a very thorough physical. By the next morning, she had given him a clean bill of health and two blowjobs. She noticed that Ty had stayed away most of the night, keeping to himself in the basement, and worried that he was getting frustrated by the lack of attention from her lately. She felt bad, but they had all agreed on this deal. Harris had first dibs all the time and Ty had to wait for his opportunities. Harris had more than held up his end of the deal for both of them so far, so the least Cori and Ty could do was follow suit.
She was surprised, then, when she saw Ty Saturday afternoon. He was beaming, happy. She felt a pang of disappointment, wanting him to be depressed about not having her. How vain can you be, she chastised herself. You're not that special. Be happy that he's happy and let it be.
"How's it going?" Harris asked Ty.
"Good, almost done," Ty said.
"What's almost done?" Cori asked.
"Club Cori," Ty said. "It was Harris' idea. And a good one. The basement is now our own personal strip club and you're our own personal stripper. Tonight's the grand opening."
"Really," Cori nodded, grinning. They had fooled her, but it sounded fun. "All right. Guess I better work on my tap dance, huh?"
"Nothing but pole dancing," Ty laughed at her joke. "And I'm pretty sure you don't need any practice."
