The next morning, I wore my flats on the tube.
The Louboutins were in their box, wrapped and padded and tucked carefully inside my work tote like they were sleeping royalty. I couldn't risk scuffing them on the pavement. Not with what they cost. Not with what they meant. They were my office shoes, after all.
People didn't look at me the same. Not this morning. The coat - long, belted, cashmere - cinched my waist just right. The emerald green dress beneath it wasn't visible, but I could feel it, cool and slinky against my thighs, hugging the outline of my breasts, clinging like it wanted to be unwrapped.
I walked through the lobby like I'd been rehearsing all night. Like I hadn't come so hard the evening before that I had to yank my sheets off. The receptionist looked up and gave a polite smile. One of the interns gave me a once-over. He didn't recognise me. Good.
I pressed the elevator button with a steady hand. My heart wasn't steady. It was thudding in my throat, loud enough to feel behind my eyes. When I opened the door to his office, I still had my flats on. He was at his desk, phone to his ear. He nodded to invite me in, but kept talking.
I stood before him.
Slowly opened my tote.
Took out the shoes.
The moment I slipped off the flats and slid my foot into the first stiletto, I felt it all. His eyes. His approval. Still on the call, but watching, now. Taking in the arch of my foot, the curve of my calf, the slow, deliberate buckle of the strap. I did the second one just as slowly for him. I didn't want to look awkward. I wanted to be elegant.
Then I stood. Tall. Balanced. Dangerous. And I waited.
He hung up. The silence that followed was... exciting.
He leaned back in his chair. Took me in. From the heels up - bare legs, green silk clinging to the softest part of my thighs, the way the neckline dipped just enough to tease. The way my hair hung down.
He didn't smile. Just nodded once.
"Good," he said. "You understood."
My skin tingled.
He gestured to the desk beside his. "You'll work from here, when you need to."
I walked to it slowly, letting the heels click sharp against the floor. I could feel his eyes follow the movement of my hips. I sat. Crossed my legs. My thighs kissed just above the knee.
He stood.
Crossed the room in two quiet steps.
Placed a hand on the back of my chair. Leaned down - not touching, not yet.
"You're mine now, Ruby," he said softly.
I shivered.
"Let's get going."
He handed me a tablet inside a leather folio. No explanation - just a screen already glowing with notes, names, directives.
"Start with finance," he said. "Then legal. Then HR. Ask for exactly what's written. No changes, no apologies. If anyone doesn't understand who you are, you call me."
I blinked. "But what if..."
He raised an eyebrow. One look. One don't test me tilt of his head.
"Then deal with it, Ruby."
I realised then that I wasn't just going to be delivering memos and arranging his diary. I had something I didn't expect. I had authority. And I knew he only wanted to hear one thing.
"Yes, Mr Duncan." I said it and stood to leave. He didn't follow. Didn't offer support. Just turned back to his desk and left me to it.
I walked through the halls of that office like I didn't notice the way people looked at me - like they hadn't seen me yesterday in Primark shoes and a too-tight ponytail. They noticed me today. My heels bit into the floor with every step, sharp and rhythmic. The wrap dress shifted as I walked, whispering against my thighs. Every time I passed glass, I caught my own reflection and flinched. She didn't look like me. She looked dangerous.
At Finance, I delivered a request for a report - immediately, no summary. They moved. No questions.
At Legal, I passed along an instruction to review a clause Mr Duncan had flagged. The senior partner nodded like I'd grown a cock and a Rolex.
At HR, I was asked if I wanted a coffee. Me! I said yes. I didn't even drink coffee, but I sipped it anyway and tried to look composed. This was who I was now. They wanted to do things for me. To keep me happy. To keep US happy.