This is a vignette from the broader DevTech universe introduced in 'An Office Encounter'. It provides some context to the role of Rachel in the ongoing saga.
This is a story with themes of non-consent and sexual manipulation, entirely meant for purposes of fantasy and has no place in real life.
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Her day had started with an unexpected phone call, asking if she would be available for an interview with a Mr Roger Jenkins, MD of DevTech. Four months previously, she'd applied for an entry position as financial analyst with the company but had not been successful. Since then she'd continued to send out her CV to numerous companies. Yet she had not even been called back by most. And had been rejected by all those to which she had been invited for an interviewed.
She shuddered when she thought about all those sleazy HR managers and potential bosses, ogling her as she sat through endless meaningless questions. How does one get a first job in the current climate, with the uncertainty of Brexit and lacklustre global growth? And those bloody politicians acting like petulant children while people like her suffered!
She felt slightly apprehensive as she entered his office. Mr Jenkins rose from behind his uncluttered modern desk and strode confidently towards her. He was a distinguished fit-looking man, dark hair with greying temples, and an aura that exuded authority. Her apprehension just increased, feeling like a little girl in comparison.
"Good morning Rachel, so good of you to come at such short notice." He shook her hand with just enough firmness to reinforce his command of the situation and indicated one of two high-backed chairs beside a coffee table. "Please join me for a chat about your future." She noticed a large leather ottoman on the other side of the table, thinking that it seemed out of place in an executive office.
As they sat down, it was clear that he was appraising her. Not in the smutty way that most of the other interviewers had, but rather like an eagle in a tree watching a rabbit run across the field below. His gaze went self-assuredly from her professional court shoes up her graceful legs, which she had crossed demurely, over her curved hips in the smart knee-length skirt, halting briefly at the swell of her breasts hidden behind a blouse and jacket, past her full red lips and up to her anxious eyes, looking out from a pretty face framed by blond tresses.
"I believe that you applied for a job with us a few months ago but were not successful. In fact, a friend of yours was selected over you. From all accounts, I understand that she will become quite a useful asset to the company. I think her name is Jane, not so?"
He could see that he had hit a raw nerve, just as he intended. A flash of resentment crossed her face as she responded "Yes, actually it was only after I had applied that she submitted her application. And then she got my job."
"How did that make you feel, Rachel?"
The simple question triggered her ingrained feelings of inadequacy and insecurity. It seemed that all her life in both school and university, she was on the periphery of the popular set. She was nominally friends with the prettiest and most fashionable girls, but she always felt they laughed at her behind her back. She believed she was only accepted because she had known Jane since primary school, and Jane was always the ringleader of the trendy cliques. Jane always beat her, whether it was at sport or schoolwork. Even her own sister said she liked Jane more than her, and that Rachel was a loser. Years of being put down had given Rachel the conviction that she would never be good enough, but also a supressed bitterness and anger.
It was this ambivalence that Roger knew he could exploit, and when she did not respond he probed again "Tell me Rachel, how do you feel about what Jane did?"
After another long silence she replied in a quiet voice, almost to herself. "She's supposed to be my friend. She shouldn't have done that. It was my job, I found it. I wish she didn't always have to win."
Roger saw the gap and pounced "I understand Rachel. It's not fair. I agree, she was out of line." He paused to let that sink in and then continued, "I called you here today to offer you a job. My personal assistant had to depart with little warning, and I am looking for a replacement. We looked at your psychometric profile and considering your management degree, I think you are well suited to what I am looking for. You will be competitively remunerated. Are you interested, Rachel?"
While being an PA was not what she intended as a career, the months of searching for a job and the feelings of insecurity that he had intentionally tapped into, made her feel like she had no other real option.
"Yes, please. I would, Mr Jenkins." And as she said this, she felt a sense of relief and gratitude wash over her.
"Good, Good! I'd like you to start tomorrow. Can you do that?" Without thinking she nodded. He continued. "There are a few details we must also agree. You have an opportunity to learn a great deal, will be exposed to sensitive information, and will meet many important people. I'll personally instruct you and help you to become everything you were meant to be." He said this last sentence with a particular emphasis and a piercing look.
"This will be essential for your career development, but in return I demand complete loyalty and you must follow any instruction I give you, without question. If you do this, your progression will be accelerated and before long you should be more important to the company than your little friend Jane. Can you do what I want, Rachel?"