Lily felt groggy. She had spent the night pondering whether she should go to work as usual or pack her bags and leave. She felt she had reached a point where things would only escalate if she stayed. Even though Lily was uneducated, she wasn't stupid. She was certain that John had been showing off his erection on purpose. It was a clear sign that he didn't only think of her as an employee, but as a desirable woman as well, and - Lily felt a knot in her stomach -- as someone he'd like to -- like to lay. On the other hand, John had been good to her: he paid her salaries on time, didn't make her work overtime, and on some rare occasions, gave her food that was about to get spoiled from the shop. Lily didn't like to be so dependent on a single person, but she had to face the facts. She had to keep her job, especially now that...
That's why she was now standing in the shop, ready to start a new day of work.
III You scratch my back
Lily had thought meeting John after last evening's events would be awkward, but somehow they fell into the usual routine fast. The day was busy, which helped because John was mostly out doing deliveries. The next day was similar, and the next. After a week, Lily noticed she barely thought about what had happened. However, something had changed. Sometimes when she and John were close to each other, for example, passing each other in the doorway, there was a brief moment of tension. During those brief moments, Lily felt she was suddenly noticing the warmth emanating from John's body and his light smell. What was going on?
John observed Lily. He was like a cat who was getting bored of playing with a mouse and couldn't decide whether to keep on playing or to kill the mouse. So he waited. Besides, he had enough experience to know that sometimes life would bring a chance. This would be even more likely, taking into account his prey was a poor young woman, a girl, as he called them, who was almost entirely dependent on him and his goodwill.
John wasn't an entirely evil man, but at that moment he wanted to laugh. The girl had asked to speak with him in the office after work, and now she was standing there, looking at him pleadingly. He knew she needed something from him. A favor, perhaps?
The girl fidgeted with her fingers a bit and then, looking John in the eye, explained, "Sir, I have to ask something from you, and I know it's a lot, but please hear me."
"I'm all ears, Lily," John replied, smiling. He knew he was in control.
"My mother is sick and she's going to have a surgery. I have to be at home to help when my sister goes with her to the hospital. I need to be away for five working days," the girl explained in hasty words.
John replied kindly, but firmly, "I understand your predicament, and I could give you two days off. However, five days is a bit too much. I can't run my business based on charity, even if I wanted to."
"Sir, I'll do anything! Any extra work!" the girl exclaimed earnestly.
John sighed and pretended to ponder before replying, "Fair enough, after you return, you shall organize the storeroom as extra work one hour a day for the following month; is that acceptable?"
"Yes, sir! Thank you, sir!" the girl almost squeaked.
"You're more than welcome," John replied and smiled.
The five days at home went past in a flurry. Lily was constantly busy, taking care of the house and her younger siblings. It was good to be there for a change, but at the same time, she experienced mixed feelings. Obviously, she was worried about her mom and the well-being of her family. She realized more clearly than ever that she was the only one bringing them even the slightest steady income. Lily also understood that she no longer wanted to return to her childhood home for good. She wanted to visit her family, of course, but at the same time, she had a desire to have a life of her own. She guessed it was a part of becoming an adult.
After Lily returned back to the village and John's shop, she had the joy of organizing the dusty storeroom filled with large crates, wooden boxes, and smaller items. Compared to her usual tasks, the work was much more dirty and physical. Every day after she came back to her apartment, she had to meticulously wash herself to get rid of the dust that got everywhere, and all her muscles ached so much she barely could sleep. Nevertheless, Lily made sure to never complain about it and worked like a farm horse.
One day, when John helped her to move a particularly heavy crate just before they were finishing for the day, he spoke, "Lily, I'm a bit worried that you might end up injuring yourself when you work like that. I'm happy that you are so eager to fulfill your promise, but you have to be careful."
Lily replied, brushing sweat off her brow, "Sir, it's alright. Even if my muscles are a little sore, it just means I'm getting used to the heavy lifting."
John frowned and replied, "I'm sorry, Lily, but I don't think I can believe you. I would be a lot happier if you could let me do you a little favor."
"For you to do something for me?" Lily asked, confused.
"Yes, I can't afford to have a worker that is incapable of work, and I can see you are hurting because you work too hard. I'd like to do something about it," John explained.
"What is it, sir?"
"I'd like to massage your neck and shoulders. I think it would be only fair, given that your extra days off put you in this position," John explained, looking Lily calmly in the eye.
Lily understood at once that this was the true price of her days off.
"Of course, sir, I understand," she replied, trying to sound confident.
"Good. Let's go to the office," John replied nonchalantly.
"Now, sir?" the girl replied, surprised.
"Yes, now."
When they entered the office, John didn't waste time but ordered, "Take off your dress."
He was happy to see the girl obliged without a second thought.
She was now standing in front of him, shielding her charms.
"Please, put your hands to your sides so I can start," John asked politely this time.
"Yes, sir," the girl replied quietly, looking uncomfortable.
This time, John didn't pause to admire her but moved behind her. At first, he made a big number of brushing her hair aside and tying it with a rubber band to keep it out of the way. He made sure to lightly graze the erogenous zones behind her ears and on her nape in the process. Then he moved the shoulder straps of her bra off her shoulders. The girl stiffened. Slowly, John began to massage her neck and nape. After a while, the girl seemed to relax a bit.
"Does it feel good?" John asked.
"Yes, sir," the girl murmured.
John moved his hands to the girl's shoulders. His cock stiffened when he saw that her bra had slid downwards a bit, revealing her nipples entirely. The girl must have noticed that too, but she didn't dare to move.
Lily felt conflicted. She felt mortified knowing her boss had a full view of her bare nipples, and there was nothing she could do about it. On the other hand, she had to admit to herself that John was quite skilled in massaging. She remembered him telling her earlier that he used to do it as a part-time job in the city when he was younger. Lily sighed. She knew John's fingers shouldn't feel this good.
"Your muscles are awfully stiff, Lily," John murmured close to her ear.
"Yes, sir, I know that, sir. I'm just not used to the hard work yet," Lily replied.
