Bethany awoke the next day, her mind replaying the events of the night before. She couldn't shake the memory of Simon's both unexpected and unwelcomed appearance. As Head of the Department, and Simon's boss at school, she could never believe that anything like this could have happened. Having worked so closely with him, she also never realised he would be capable of taking advantage of her in such a way. But these thoughts were secondary to the real question in Bethany's mind. What next. Would he leave her alone? If not, what else was he capable of?
The rest of Bethany's remaining weekend went by far too quickly, and Monday had morning arrived. This was far from the usual Monday morning dread that Bethany was used to. She dressed carefully. A conservative outfit, avoiding any possible attraction and attention from Simon. Plain trousers, a long-sleeved collared shirt, buttoned to the top, and sensible shoes. Hair pulled back in her usual standard style.
She arrived at school and went straight to her office. Unlike other teachers, Bethany had her own office as the Head of the Department. Walking through the common area, a quick glance over the room, confirmed that Simon hadn't yet arrived. Thank goodness, she thought. She settled into her work. The morning went smoothly as she taught her first three classes. Just maybe, she had managed to escape the fallout she thought. Bethany even amused herself of thoughts that maybe Simon had been hit by a bus over the weekend! The bell rang for the first student break, and Bethany returned to her office through the staff room. But no such luck, there he was! Avoiding eye contact, Bethany walked quickly towards her office. But Simon didn't let the opportunity pass.
"Hey, Alex!" Simon shouted from across the room. No one else responded since no one named Alex was in the staff room. But Bethany knew who he was referring to. She kept walking toward her office. She slumped into her chair, and let out a sigh as there. She was left in peach for a couple of brief minutes when suddenly there was a knock at the door, and Simon barged in.
Simon remarked, "I never really got the chance to thank you for the other night."
"Listen," she said firmly. "You had your fun the other night. It was the most humiliating experience of my life, but it ends there."
She took a breath, and then to emphasise her authority Bethany continued.
"I'm the boss here in case you've forgotten, and we're both going to pretend that night never happened. Now, I have a mountain of assignments to grade, and I know you do as well, so let's get back to work can we?"
Bethany looked back down at her desk, hoping for any sign that Simon was about to leave her office. But the awkward silence was soon broken.
Simone explained, "Look, Bethany, or Alex if you prefer, we really need to establish some ground rules."
Simon leaned in. "Things are going to change around here. Firstly and most importantly, you are not in charge here anymore. I am. Secondly, there will be times that I will call on YOU, to do a few things for ME for a change. And you will do them, or those pictures you know that I have from the other night, will end up with your husband, our colleagues, the principal, and maybe even the students you teach. Do you get the picture now?"
"You're sick" Bethany exclaimed. Her voice steadied. "I don't care what you do with those pictures. I'll explain everything to my husband. Pass them around the office if you want, I just don't care. It would be better than anything else you have in mind."
Deep down, she knew it was a huge bluff. If the photos reached her husband, she knew her marriage would be over. If they circulated in the department, she would be fired, or so humiliated that she'd never be able to work in this or any other school again.
"Fine. Have it your way," Simon replied.
She went through the rest of her day without hearing again from Simon. A small part of her wondered if her bluff had worked.
That night, when she got home, she emptied the mailbox as usual. She opened her own mail and left her husbands untouched. Later, when he arrived, he started flipping through his mail. He suddenly called out to her. "Hey, babe, check this out!"
Her heart raced as her husband was holding up a full-sized photo of a woman wearing the same outfit that Bethany had worn to the poker night. The head was deliberately blurred. Thankfully, the outfit was unfamiliar to her husband, and he had no idea that the picture was her. But she knew exactly who had sent it and what it meant.
Tuesday morning was even worse than Monday! As Bethany arrived at work, the staffroom was now abuzz with conversations. Bethany wondered what was going on. Similar to the photo in her mailbox, images were scattered across various desks and pinned to the staff bulletin board. Again, the faces were blurred, but she knew they were her, and who had put them there.
Walking through the office, she heard Simon's voice call out again. "Hi, Alex!"
Bethany turned to him. "Can we talk, Simon?"
"Sure," Simon replied.
"I know those photos are from you, and this has to stop," Bethany commanded.
"Well Bethany, I tried to explain to you yesterday, but you weren't interested. It looks like are now that you see that I'm serious". Simon leaned closer. "And believe me, the next set of photos won't be blurred. I'm sure everyone will want to see who the mystery lady is, so don't tempt me."
"Okay, Simon" she said. "I get it." "You're in charge around here. I can do your work for you. I can help get you promoted. Whatever you need".
"Well, that's more like it" Simon said victoriously. "As I tried to explain yesterday, I'll be giving the orders around here from now on, and you will follow them. If you disobey or refuse, I won't argue with you. But everyone will find out who the mystery lady is behind those photos. Including your husband. Now the first thing you're going to do is change. Enough of this conservative look. From now on, you'll wear the clothes I leave for you each morning. Here is your outfit for today. Now go change now and be ready for your first class. And tell the timetable people that I'm required to be sitting in on your class for observation. And be sure to keep your phone on you any of my instructions."
Bethany glanced at the clock, she had only ten minutes to change before her first lesson and arrange for Simon to sit in on the lesson. She grabbed the bad and went to the bathroom. She changed out of her long pants, and opened the bag. There was a very short, tight mini-skirt. Unbuttoning her blouse, she replaced it with a white top that barely reached above her breasts. Finally, she replaced her normal shoes with high heels. This was a huge change from what she was wearing in the morning, and would no doubt raise eyes. As she walked out of the bathroom, she felt completely exposed. She hurried through the staff room to minimise any attention.
The students were already seated when Bethany arrived in the classroom. Simon had let them in and helped them settle down. As she walked in wearing her high heels and tight mini skirt, the room fell into shock. As the Headteacher, Bethany always wore the most conservative attire. And now she's dressed in a miniskirt and open blouse!
Bethany's mobile buzzed. It was a message from Simon. "Nice outfit!"
