Ch 1.
My name is Joe. I am 30 years old, 6'1", 190lbs. I am not married and have no children.
Until 2020 I dedicated my life to baseball, swimming, reading biographies of famous people and last but not least, attending Harvard and getting my degrees in economics and business.
About a year ago I opened an office of business consulting.
The first clients were family members, friends and relatives.
My reputation as a Harvard graduate, smart businessman grew fast and 6 months later I got so busy, that I was able to move to a bigger office and needed to hire an assistant.
I advertised the position on several social media sites and mentioned that candidates would be interviewed the next Tuesday at 10 am in my current office.
On Tuesday I came to work at 8:30 am and there were already 5 people waiting outside.
I knew that I needed somebody with at least computer skills and business experience. Being highly motivated, hard worker and having pleasant personality were a bonus.
In theory it sounded like I knew WHAT I wanted, but in an interview that lasts only 15 minutes, one cannot verify many of the candidates claims, even when they had a CV ready, copies of certifications and recommendation letters.
Two of the first 5 candidates I talked to, I scored as 'reasonable'.
By the time I finished with the first batch of candidates, I noticed 4 more people in the waiting room.
I called them one by one.
Forty minutes later I was ready to see the last candidate.
It was a young woman, that was standing by the exit door ready to leave.
"Miss, if you are still interested, I can see you now."
"Sir, after interviewing other candidates, I am sure that you already found your best person."
"Not really. Every candidate brought something to the table, but as you are well aware, each one has flaws as well. So to answer the question you didn't ask - I do not have a lock on anybody yet. Look, since you are already here, why don't you stay another 15 minutes and we'll talk."
"OK. My name is Sandra Baines. By the way, I am not a 'miss', I am married. "
I smiled, "Good for you. I am not married... Yet."
She was my last interview of the day, so I wasn't in a hurry.
I sat down and looked at her documents. She graduated from Barnard college in New York and had excellent recommendation letters from 2 of her professors.
I took few minutes to test her knowledge in basic subjects - computers, economics, etc. She spoke quietly and gave clear and concise answers. She was doing very well.
She also had something else that I couldn't put my hands on.
Was it her tone of voice? the look in her eyes?
She intrigued me...
After half an hour of questioning her, I became convinced that she was the best candidate.
I offered her the job. I mentioned generous benefits and good initial salary (that was 20% above the average starting salary for similar position in the area).
She blushed and accepted it immediately, "Thank you sir for your confidence in me. I am sure that you had other good candidates. I hope that I won't disappoint you. When do you want me to start?"
"I think that next Monday will be best. By then I'll have time to arrange the office for the two of us with desks, chairs, telephone systems and everything else that you might need."
I extended my hand to her, "Sandra, it was nice to meet you. I am sure that we'll be a good team. I'll see you Monday at 8 am."
She blushed again and it was the first time I got a good look of her. She was about 5'6", short light brown hair and nice face lines. She was not overweight, but the conservative blue 2 piece suit hid any detail of her body. Simple 2" heels shoes completed the ensemble.
In the next few days I rearranged the office space.
My large room was at the far end and had a wide desk, a couch, 2 chairs and a twin size bed in case I wanted to rest.
Sandra's office was somewhat smaller and was situated near mine. Her desk was not as big as mine, but more modern and her swivel chair was very comfortable. She also had a wall closet. I bought her a new laptop computer with the latest software.
Spending extra time on the new office rearrangement took time and I had to come to work on Saturday to finish my duties.
Sandra showed up 5 minutes early on Monday wearing a conservative suit again.
In the first 4 hours I showed her the new office space, her computer functions and explained what I was working on these days.
Sandra was a quick learner and when I was done, she asked only few questions.
After we were finished, I assigned for her simple tasks the next 3 days, in order to check her ability to work independently. I also wanted to give her time to approach me with questions, comments and suggestions.
Part of her job was to help me with secretarial tasks like typing, filing and scheduling.
Sandra's first week was as good as expected. No obvious mistakes or mishaps.
She seemed to know her limitations and came to ask relevant questions every time an important decision had to be made.
Even though we hardly knew each other, we started feeling more at ease with each other.
On Friday evening I flew to Minneapolis to meet with a client on a confidential matter, that could not be solved on the phone or by zoom. My flight back was scheduled for Saturday night.
On my flight back I realized that there was still a contract that I had to finish by Monday morning and forgot all about it. Well, I'd have to work on it on Sunday.
Sunday morning I watched a tennis game on TV. It ended at 4 pm.
I ate lunch and then went to the office to work on the contract.
This assignment turned out to be more complicated than I thought.
I was working on it and alternating drinking coffee and beer.
I was finished by 10 pm and was totally spent.
It was better to sleep in the office than trying to drive home, because I was too tired and drank too much alcohol.
I didn't have a pajama in the office, but I had a toothbrush and electric shaver...
I locked my office door, covered myself with a soft blanket and slept like a log.
I woke up hearing a woman's voice from a distance.
It was 7:30 am.
I was ready to open my door, when I heard Sandra talking on the phone, "Barbara, you don't understand. It was the third time already! I don't get it. We are married for 2 years now and he treats me like a precious flower. He is ready to do everything for me, which was nice in the beginning, but he has no spine. Each time I tell him to do something, he is happy to obey. Every time I start an argument, he gives up, even when he is right! He is such a wimp. I can't take it anymore."
There was quiet for a minute when Barbara was saying something and then Sandra replied, "Barb, you are right that he is better than an abusive husband, but it's no fun when he cannot stand up for himself. Look, even in bed he expects ME to take the initiative and decide what position we'll use for sex... I need a stronger man! I need somebody that will take charge! I want to be told what to do..."
After another short break, "I tried it! I really tried few times, but he is too soft. I don't know what to do."
Another silence and then, "My new boss is handsome and nice. I don't know him well enough yet. So far he treated me well and in a courteous way. I hope that he turns out to be more dominant and demanding... I really need a strong man in my life right now."
A short break and I heard Sandra laughing, "Yes, I saw the movie 'Secretary' with Maggie Gyllenhaal. It was so erotic... Are you suggesting that I start screwing up like her in order to see his reaction?"
The conversation became very interesting. I stayed quietly by the door.
"Barb, I'll try, but I do not want to make too many mistakes, because he may fire me instead of disciplining me. Anyway, I have to hang up. I leave the office for 10 minutes, grab something to eat from Wendy's across the street and be back at 8 am. Talk to you later."
As she left the office I opened the door, brushed my teeth, freshened up a little and returned to my office, pretending that I just entered the door.
Two minutes after I was done, Sandra came back carrying her breakfast with her.
"Good morning Joe. I brought myself breakfast. Do you want me to make your coffee?"
"That will be nice. Later on, I'd like to see what you did on Friday. As you know, Mr Honig will be here in the afternoon and we need to present to him our suggestions."
"I'll bring you the coffee first. Will it be OK if we discuss everything at 10 am?"
"Sandra, I'd rather do it at 9, unless you didn't finish it yet."
"I'll be ready and bring it to you at 9 am sharp."
When she brought the coffee I asked, "Sandra, you have a nice name. However, I prefer to call you Sandy. Do you mind?"
She looked surprised, "No sir. Sandy is fine with me."
At 8:59 she knocked on my door, "Can I enter?"
"Come on in Sandy."
We sat and she introduced her ideas about the project.
Most of the design she showed me was grade A stuff, but there was a MAJOR flaw in advertising the business.
It was clear to me that Sandy was too smart to make it by accident.
Was she testing my reaction based on Barbara's suggestion?!...
Well, if she wanted to test my dominance, I was ready for her.
I calmly explained to her the big mistake she made and told her that I was disappointed. Since it was the first time, I said that I'd let it go. She seemed too smart to repeat that and I had no plan to fire her. However, next time such a major error may force me to a punish her.
She gave me a strange stare.
Did it show fear? surprise? curiosity? lust?...
The afternoon session with Mr Honig went well and we signed a contract for the next 2 years.
After the meeting I was happy and said to Sandy, "You helped me get this new business. You were great. Let's go to the nearest bar and have a drink on me."
In the bar I ordered gin & tonic. Sandy had a glass of Chardonnay.
We started chatting and she said that although she was married, she never really wanted kids. She used to be wilder in college, like most others at that age, but became more docile and conservative as a married woman. Then she asked me about my relationships.
"Sandy, I had a couple of girlfriends before. At present I do not have one."
After almost finishing her glass, Sandy's talk became more loose and free.
I asked, "Aren't you missing your college fun days?"
"Sometimes I do. Back then I didn't have to think about home duties, about my attire, being home on time for my husband, who I was befriending with... Now I am married and I love my husband, but there are some restrictions..."
"You can still make some changes. For example, you do not have to wear suits to work. You can have on a blouse and skirt or a dress. I am sure that it will look good on you!"
"You don't mind that I'll appear less professional?"
