Melissa was regarding her as if she had gone stark raving mad.
“No, not really,” she said.
Kristin looked devastated. She could walk off, but that would mean a severe caning and she wouldn’t be able to bear that again. She was learning a lot about her pain threshold with Shepard and it wasn’t very high.
“Okay,” she whispered. “Where do I…?”
“I’ll show you,” Melissa smiled sympathetically. In full view of everyone, Kristin followed the girl to a small storage room where she was presented with a plastic watering jug.
“I usually start in reception and then go round the cubicles. Not everyone has plants, of course. Oh, and please don’t forget Mr. Waterman’s office.”
Oh God! Kristin thought. I’m going to have to go into Brian’s office!
“I have to get back to my filing,” Melissa said. “Thank you, Miss Hartman.”
She gave Kristin a final bewildered look and left her holding the watering jug.
Kristin peeked out of the door. Everybody was going about their work, and for the first time in her life, she felt totally worthless. It was only a few yards to the reception area and she briefly thought about making a dash for it. However, it was obvious that she would eventually be seen performing this menial task so she took a deep breath and left the storage room with as much dignity as she could muster.
She figured it would be too much to ask for Angela not to be at her desk. The receptionist looked up as Kristin went over to the tall rubber plant by the door.
“Miss Hartman?” she said.
Paralyzed, Kristin hadn’t the strength to turn around and face her.
“Yes?”
“If I may ask… what precisely are you doing?”
“Watering the plants,” Kristin replied, cringing inwardly.
“Um, why?”
Thinking frantically, Kristin said, “Because I needed to get out of my office.”
“I see.”
Kristin straightened up and, her face burning with shame, marched back into the main office. Head down, avoiding everyone’s faces but hearing their whispers, she moved hastily around seeking out the various potted plants.
She didn’t look up until she finally ran out of water and it was then that she saw, to her horror, Brian standing outside his office talking to Shepard. She quickly ducked behind a desk but it was too late.
“Kristin!” she heard Brian call out. “Could you spare me a moment in your office, please?”
Kristin straightened, aware that the entire office had gone deathly quiet.
With her watering can still in hand, she followed Brian and Shepard into her own office. Shepard closed the door as Brian seated himself in one of her armchairs.
“Please take a seat, Kristin,” he said gently.
She sat opposite him, placing the watering can on the coffee table.
Brian said, “I hope you don’t mind, but I have asked Henry to be present.”
Kristin glanced at Shepard who had his butt parked on her desk next to the bottle of gin.
“I don’t quite know where to begin but, well… is there anything you want to share with me?”
Unable to find words, Kristin merely shook her head.
With a worried frown, Brian continued, “I appreciate that you have been under a lot of pressure recently - indeed we all have - but I find myself in a delicate situation right now. As you are aware, until the business situation improves, preserving the Motoko contract is of paramount importance to the survival of OFS. I need my best people on top of it and as you know, I have always held you in the highest regard.”
Kristin remained silent. What could she possibly say?
“Maybe it would be a good idea if you took a few days off,” Brian said soothingly, “until you feel a bit better. Henry has a full understanding of what needs to be done.”
“Please, Brian, no,” she pleaded. “Give me another chance.”
“I’m not firing you,” Brian assured her, “and I’m in no way even disciplining you. I fully appreciate everything you have done for this company, but this is a critical time for us.”
Kristin let out an involuntary sob.
“Henry tells me that you have confided in him about how difficult you are finding the job at the moment,” Brian went on.
Kristin turned her head towards Shepard who was regarding her with a look of avuncular concern. She comprehended now, that he had set her up completely.
“May I make a suggestion?” Shepard interjected.
They both looked at him.
“Clearly, Kristin wants to remain in the workplace, so why don’t you just reduce her responsibilities? Temporarily, of course. I am more than happy to shoulder the bulk of the work and all Kristin would have to do is offer any assistance that she can. As I told you, she has expressed a desire to move into my office, so I would be close at hand.”
There he was again, Kristin thought with shocked indignation, talking about her as if she wasn’t even there.
“Would that be an acceptable arrangement for you, Kristin?” Brian asked.
Kristin opened her mouth, closed it again and then nodded imperceptibly.
“Okay,” Brian sighed. “Well now that’s settled, we need to deal with more pressing business. While you were out,” he glanced at the watering can, “doing whatever you were doing, I received a call from Mr. Yamada.”
Kristin braced herself.
“He sounded quite irate,” Brian continued. “He said he has been trying to speak to you all morning but you haven’t returned any of his calls. He wants to know why you are ignoring his e-mails regarding the amendments.”
Kristin felt her pulse quickening.
“I managed to calm him down,” Brian said, “but we really need to get those files to him as soon as possible.”
Kristin looked imploringly at Shepard. She desperately wanted to tell Brian what he had done, but she knew if she exposed him, the repercussions would be severe.
“I… I can’t…” she whispered.
Brian leaned forward, his face turning slightly pale.
“Why ever not, dear?”
“Because… because I deleted them.”
Brian didn’t say anything. He simply stared at her with a look of utter incredulity.
The deafening silence was broken by a knock on the door. Melissa popped her head inside and said chirpily, “I found your shoes, Miss Hartman. They were in the trash bin.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Henry lounged on his couch while Kristin stood naked before him. He’d told her to keep the fishnet stockings on, to which he had added the slave collar and the six-inch heels, but that was all. Now she was in her standard submissive pose, hands clasped behind her head, legs apart.
His eyes roved over her sumptuous body and for the thousandth time, he marveled at his good fortune. He studied her perfectly shaped breasts and the tidy little shadow of hair between her legs and felt himself getting hard. He knew he would have to contain himself however, as he had special plans for young Miss Hartman this evening.
“You’re very fortunate,” he said. “If I hadn’t found those back-ups, I don’t know what Brian would have done. I’ve never seen him so agitated before. When I went into his office and told him, I thought he was going to kiss me.”
Kristin stood impassively before him and he tried to work out what she must be thinking. There she was, naked and exposed, in the knowledge that Henry Shepard had probably damaged her career irreparably. But if she thought that her subjugation was now complete, she was once again under a serious misapprehension.
The doorbell rang and Henry went to answer it, while Kristin remained in position in the living room. Henry opened the door and there was George, blowing into his hands.
“Damn, it’s cold out,” he said.
“Come on in, buddy,” said Henry. “You’ll be warmed up soon enough.”
They went in
to the living room and George took one look at Kristin’s naked body and stopped in his tracks.
“Oh my,” he said quietly. “That is a work of art.”
On seeing George, Kristin’s eyes widened and she dropped into a squat, covering her face with her hands.
“Stand up!” Henry barked at her.
“Please go away,” Kristin wailed through her fingers
“Stand up now, and say ‘hello’ to George,” Henry repeated.
Stifling a sob, Kristin got to her feet, put her hands behind her head, and allowed George to wallow in her nakedness. Henry could see from the lump in his pants that the elderly doorman was already aroused and from the look of it, he was packing something extra special.
“Hello, George,” Kristin croaked wretchedly.
“Take a seat,” Henry said, and they sat down on the sofa while Kristin waited, flushed and shaking.
“Tell me, Kristin. How many times have you been rude to George?” Henry asked.
“I don’t know,” Kristin replied uncertainly. She was desperately trying to look anywhere but at the two men ogling her body.
“I don’t know, who?”
“I don’t know, Master.”
George spluttered a surprised laugh.
“She calls you master?”
Henry nodded and then continued to address Kristin.
“You haven’t answered my question.”
“A lot of times, Master.”
“A lot? I would say, every time you enter or leave the office, wouldn’t you?”
“Yes, Master.”
“Yes, indeed. You’ve treated him like a worthless servant for the past year. How do you think that makes him feel?”
Kristin’s legs were trembling visibly now. She couldn’t bring herself to look at George.
“Not very good, Master.”
“‘Humiliated’ is more like it. Did you know that George is old enough to be your grandfather? He served in Vietnam. And you come along and talk to him like he’s a piece of shit? What do you have to say to him?”
In a timid little voice, Kristin said, “I’m sorry.”
“No,” said Henry. “That’s not good enough. I guess I’ll have to coach you. Say after me, ‘I humbly apologize for my rudeness, George. Please forgive me. I will do anything to make it up to you.’ And look George in the eye when you say it.”
Hesitatingly, and in a quivering voice, Kristin repeated the words, looking directly at the increasingly delighted doorman.
“What do you say, George?” Henry asked. “Do you accept Kristin’s apology?”
George, catching on quickly, shook his head, “Nah, I don’t think so.”
“I think she deserves to be punished, don’t you?” Henry prompted.
“Yes she does,” George agreed enthusiastically. Henry noted that George’s boner was becoming more pronounced.
“And I think the punishment should fit the crime,” said Henry. “You know that teasing way she minces past you each morning?”
“I most certainly do.”
“Well, why don’t we reenact the scene, but with a slight difference?”
George watched curiously as Henry went over to the dresser and took out two sets of leather cuffs and the ring gag.
“Take off your shoes,” he said to Kristin. After she had stepped out of them, he had her reach out her arms and then he fastened a leather cuff onto each of her wrists. Next, he made her raise her legs in turn and attached the ankle cuffs.
When he showed her the ring gag, a look of panic flashed in Kristin’s eyes.
“Open wide.”
“Please, Master,” Kristin begged. “I am sorry, really I am.”
“Would you prefer to have your ass whipped?”
Reluctantly, Kristin opened her mouth.
Henry fitted the gag snugly behind her teeth so that her luscious lips formed a perfect circle and then he fastened the strap securely around her head.
He stood back to survey his handiwork. Kristin was looking more and more absurd, clad only in the stockings, collar and cuffs, with her mouth stretched wide open.
“Bend over and grab hold of your feet,” Henry instructed her.
Kristin stooped down and wrapped her fingers around her stockinged toes and then Henry crouched down and connected the metal rings on the cuffs, leaving each wrist shackled to an ankle.
Henry took his seat next to George and they both contemplated the hapless girl. Bent over, breasts hanging, ass pushed out and mouth open, Kristin presented quite a sight.
“Now we’re going to play a game,” Henry announced. “I want you to pretend that George is behind his desk in the office lobby and that you are arriving at work. You’re going to walk past him and very politely say ‘Good morning, George’.”
Kristin craned her neck to look at George. Her legs were wobbling slightly and a thin trickle of saliva was making its way down her chin. A series of grunts emanated from her throat.
“Uh, uh, uh, uh?” Henry mimicked. “I didn’t understand a word of that. Try it again, and this time don’t forget to walk. Go to the other side of the room and then come back past us.”
Her face turning a deep shade of red, and with tears brimming in her eyes, Kristin turned and took a few awkward steps, giving them a perfect rear view of her cunt.
Doubled up as she was, she made stuttering progress towards the far wall and then came haltingly back past the coffee table. When she twisted her neck around again, Henry noted that she was panting heavily and a glob of drool was swinging from her chin.
Again, Kristin gave out a succession of unintelligible noises.
“Keep going,” Henry ordered. “Back and forth across the room. We’ll keep at it until you get it right.”
George and Henry watched with delight as she continued to traverse the room, her breasts swinging, and the stream of spittle intensifying, as she tottered along. Each time she passed them, she tried to utter her greetings, but with her jaws spread by the gag, only managed to produce meaningless gurgling sounds.
Kristin’s body began to shine with sweat and by the fourth passing, she was gasping deeply through the gag.
“Okay,” Henry said. “You’re obviously intent upon insulting George with these stupid noises you’re making. As a punishment, you can climb the stairs, go to the end of the landing and then come back down here.”
Henry expected some kind of protest, but she looked too exhausted to rebel, and simply made her hunched-over way out to the hallway.
“Oh man, I’ve got to have a piece of that,” George remarked, as he watched Kristin’s swaying backside disappear through the doorway.
The doorbell rang again.
“That’ll be Miles,” said Henry. “Why don’t you follow Kristin while I get the door? Make sure she follows orders.”
Henry let Miles in and showed him into the living room. With George and Kristin still upstairs, Henry said to him, “You’re probably wondering why I invited you over.”
“It concerns Miss Hartman?”
“Very much so.”
“I’m surprised she’s still at OFS,” Miles said.
“Well, that’s what I wanted to explain to you, considering you are the one who made all this possible. I should have talked to you sooner but I’ve been a little preoccupied.”
Miles nodded.
“I’m going to show you something,” Henry said. “But before I do, I want to ask you something personal. Do you find Miss Hartman attractive?”
The question took Miles by surprise.
“Of course. Doesn’t everyone?”
“Would you like to fuck her?”
Miles blushed.
“I figured you would,” Henry smiled.
They could now hear Kristin’s heavy breathing as she struggled back down the stairs. Miles turned his head, but couldn’t see her.
“You might not be interested, but if my instincts are right, yo
u will be.”
“I still don’t understand.”
“You will.”
Now George’s voice came from the hallway, “Well done, Miss Hartman. You’re nearly there.”
And then Kristin stumbled into the room, her body now dripping with sweat and her stomach heaving as she gulped for air.
Miles stood up.
“Miss Hartman!”
Kristin looked up at him and through her fatigue, her eyes indicated an escalation in the level of her distress.
“Uungh!” she uttered, a steady stream of drool pouring from her gaping mouth.
“She nearly fell, half way down,” George chuckled. “Hey, Miles.”
Miles looked at George, then Henry, then back down at the quaking, perspiring, bent-over figure of Kristin Hartman.
“What have you done to her?” he asked.
“Nothing that she hasn’t agreed to.”
Smart man that he was, the young programmer quickly figured out what had happened. He looked at Henry who raised a finger to his lips.
“She’ll do whatever I ask,” he said.
“Ah, aaah,” Kristin moaned as her legs finally gave way and she dropped into a squatting position and gripped her feet.
“You want to stick around?” Henry asked Miles. “It’ll be a lot of fun. My way of saying thanks.”
Miles’ eyes were locked on Kristin’s brown pointed nipples.
“It doesn’t seem right,” he said.
Kristin raised her head and looked up at each of them as they discussed her fate.
“But do you want to?” George asked.
Miles continued to gaze at the naked, bound and gagged, drooling woman crouched on the floor. Kristin Hartman, the company vice president.
“Yes,” he said.
Chapter Twenty-Three
In Kristin’s disoriented and exhausted mind, this latest turn of events simply couldn’t be happening. A small part of her psyche had adjusted to Shepard’s ceaseless barrage of twisted demands. But to be in front of them, squatting on the floor without any clothes, and dribbling onto the carpet, unable to close her mouth, was beyond anything that she could fathom.
Only a few days ago, she had treated these three OFS employees with the contempt they deserved, but now they loomed above her, leering and grinning and she knew that these ordinarily unassuming men could do whatever they pleased with her.
Kristin's Demotion Page 15
