Author's Note: This is the third installment in Emma's torment from her son's bully Brad Thompson. All characters featured in the story are over the age of 18.
I want to give special thanks to Albaluna who helped me edit this chapter and will be my editor going forward. Thank you so much for taking the time to invest in me!
Enjoy!
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Emma stared at herself in the mirror at work. She didn't even recognize who she was anymore. Things with Brad had been escalating quickly. Keeping up with his demands was proving arduous, and he was controlling a lot of aspects of her life now. He had her unbutton her blouses to show cleavage. She wore sexy, enticing lacy bras and thongs for him. She dressed more provocatively, losing the suit jackets and replacing them with button-down shirts that showed off her cleavage and shorter skirts that left little to the imagination.
The worst part of it all was that her co-workers were supportive of the changes. Of course, they had no idea what was going on behind the scenes or the psychological torment she was under. But she got compliments on her outfits and appearance on the regular now. Her female colleagues would say things like "Flaunt what you have and own it!", "You're sexy, don't be afraid to show it, girl!" It was encouraging and discouraging all at the same time. What they thought to be empowerment was secretly a presentation of obedience.
Deep down, she reveled in every compliment that she got. They thought she was beautiful! Sexy, even. It was partly thrilling. But the why behind it was troubling. They could never know that it was all because of Brad. He told her how to dress. He told her what makeup to wear. He bought a separate phone for her, which he insisted she keep charged and on her at all times, so they could text each other without hassle. Emma had to tell Leslie that everyone had been issued phones from work for emergency purposes. Of course, her dutiful wife believed her. She could do no wrong in Leslie's eyes.
With that, a controlling barrage of texts from Brad flooded her phone consistently. He left an envelope with money in the top drawer of her desk and then texted instructions on what outfits she should buy that would be pleasing to him. Sometimes, he sent her inappropriate texts about what he was going to do to her later. The things he described were wicked and disgusting, but that only made the tingle she felt while reading them more dirty.
On the outside, she appeared her usual calm, assertive self. On the inside, her resolve was crumbling. Brad was making her do so many demeaning, nasty things that went against everything she believed in. And yet, a part of her was getting off on it. He was unleashing a submissive side to her that was previously dormant. She found that she liked being dominated, controlled, and desired. It was exciting. But at the same time, it repulsed her that she had to find all this out with a boy her son's age. Even at nineteen years old, it was difficult for her to see Brad as a man.
It had been a week since they had first had sex. Since then, Brad seemed to be insatiable. She scheduled "progress" meetings with him on her work calendar. That allowed them to have uninterrupted time alone in her office, which no one would find unusual or suspicious since she had meetings with all the new employees. And Brad seemed to be learning the job well enough without her assistance.
During those meetings, she either sucked him, fucked him, or jerked him off. The encounters became more and more humiliating as time went on. When would it end? Brad had her right where he wanted her, and she had growing doubts that he would just let her go.
Today she was wearing a low-cut red blouse, hand-picked by Brad, that showed off a decent amount of cleavage underneath. Seeing herself in the mirror, she couldn't help but wonder if the comments she was receiving from her colleagues were true. Was she truly sexy? She had never thought of herself as beautiful or anything like that. She had always been reserved and self-conscious of her looks. But the extra attention she was getting due to the way she was presenting herself was making her wonder if her tormentor had actually done her a favor.
Even Leslie was whistling at her before she left for work in the morning. When her wife asked what had gotten into her, Emma just laughed it off and told her she went on a shopping spree with some friends from work who recommended a few outfits. Leslie then remarked that her friends had good taste and life had moved on. Her wife was still oblivious to the demeaning things that Brad Thompson was subjecting her to. Emma would prefer it to stay this way. She wanted to spare her family the humiliation.
The weekends that Leslie didn't work were the hardest. It was difficult to spend time with her wife and not think about the devious and sinful acts that she was committing with Brad behind her back. It wasn't like Emma had a choice in the matter. She was only performing these taboo deeds so Brad would not destroy her wife's career. She also truly feared he would have her son put in the hospital for defiance as well.
Of course, that might attract the attention of the police. But Emma was doubtful that it would trace back to Brad. He was too cunning, too clever. It was likely that the boys that did his handiwork were experienced at keeping a low profile. Poor Eric would likely get caught off guard somewhere secluded. It was a truly terrifying concept and riddled her enough to make her complacent with the abuse. She handled it before, and she could handle it now.
Emma was the type to see the bright side of things. She assured herself that she was doing her best to protect the people that she loved. Eric was a strange young man, but she didn't care. He was her son and she loved him no matter what. He shouldn't have to suffer for who he is.
Others perceived him as queer, but not Emma. He was going to be a fantastic author someday. His dream was to write for famous TV shows in the entertainment industry. She believed that he could achieve this goal with the right education, which he was getting now. He was a very determined young man on the path to greatness. She wouldn't let anything stand in the way of her baby's happiness, including Brad Thompson.
So she would continue to do anything that Brad asked. It might sound ludicrous to others. She was sure if she ever talked about it with anyone, they would have advised her to go to the police a long time ago. Eric wouldn't suffer, but Leslie would. Emma suspected that Brad had more than just photos of her wife purchasing the drugs. He was a devious little thing that would do anything to get his way. Including gathering further evidence to keep her under his control.
As Emma sat down behind her work desk, she took a few deep breaths to calm herself. Thinking about the last few weeks too much would just work her up. She debated going to the doctor for another prescription of her anxiety medication. Her medication had run out around the time this all started.
