by Sera, Drew
I looked at my watch and it was 9:50 a.m. I had ten minutes before the biggest meeting in my company’s history and I now had a problem on my hands that I would much rather deal with than shut the door on. I excused myself from the room and received stares from everyone that screamed, “what the hell is he doing?” On my way to the door, Anthony grabbed my arm to stop me.
“Hey, where are you going?”
I had the upmost respect for Anthony. He was the only one who ever had the balls to say anything like that to me. He was never afraid to say anything to me.
“It’s not ten and they’re not logged in yet. Come get me when they’re on screen. I’ll just be outside the door.”
I entered the hallway and watched Karl making large gestures followed by smacking his hand down on the papers. Sydney stood there nodding and looked downward as he berated her. Submissive.
She held some documents in her arms that were crossed at her chest and in her hand she held a small bag of M&M’s. Sydney constantly had M&M’s in her hands and was eating them. Other employees hugged their coffee cups, but Sydney’s fix were M&M’s. While I loved looking at Sydney, the sight of her in that moment broke my heart. She looked defeated, upset and perhaps a tiny bit scared. Calmly I approached them with my hands in my pockets and interrupted Karl’s rant.
“Karl, your voice is carrying quite a bit. What’s the problem?” While the question was directed to Karl, I kept my eyes on Sydney.
Karl gathered himself and an apology came out. He rubbed on his forehead and then put his hand on Sydney's shoulder while bending down to try to look her in the eyes.
“I’m sorry, Sydney. I had a bad morning and I didn't mean to take it out on you.”
I pay attention to body language as it’s part of my working with BDSM couples and submissives. When I say I’m observant and watch body language, it’s because I have to be good at it or someone could get hurt.
I noticed Sydney flinched and tried to slowly pull away from Karl when he put his hand on her shoulder. I could tell that she was very uncomfortable with being touched. Many things raced through my mind, however it didn’t prepare me for what would happen in the next few minutes.
Karl apologized again and turned to head back towards his area. Sydney had taken a step backwards to get out of his way and in the process she backed up against the wall, dropping her stack of papers and M&M’s. Again, more apologies flowed out of Karl as all three of us bent to start picking up the papers. Sydney was visibly shaken and Karl seemed to be making her worse. I held my hands out in the center of the mess, halting everyone’s frantic movements.
“I got it, Karl. Go on back to your desk and I’ll help Miss Burke with her papers.”
Thankful that he just went away, I went back to focusing on Sydney. Her face was beet red and she was looking anywhere but at me and was trying to gather her stuff quickly. As she reached outward the sleeve on her sweater rose up past her wrist and I saw what had to be the strangest looking mark on her wrist. She must have realized it too because she dropped her papers again and tugged the sleeve down. She hadn’t looked up at me, but I knew that she knew that I had seen it.
The Dom in me took over and I slowly reached for her hand and gently pulled it closer. While her hand trembled, she didn’t try really hard to get out of my grip. I just stared at her for a moment and pushed the sleeve up with my thumb. Now that the wrist was exposed I could see her mind working quickly and panic was setting in. Sydney was successful in pulling her arm away this time. She looked breakable as she was kneeling on the floor.
“Sydney,” I risked saying her name in hopes that she’d look up at me. No such luck though.
Anthony came out of the conference room a few minutes before 10:00 a.m. and assessed us on the floor. Anthony is the most observant Dom that I know, so I knew right away that he would know this was a delicate situation. I didn't look up at him and kept my gaze on Sydney. Anthony crouched down between us and picked up her bag of M&M’s. After folding the open end down a few times he held them out to Sydney. When she didn't take them, he set the rolled up bag against her knee. After a moment, her sweater covered hand picked up the candy bag.
“Col, Cheng and his team are on screen now.”
I knew that Anthony knew something was wrong too but we had to be careful with what we said to her. He stood and tugged on my suit jacket leaving us towering over her. Thankfully at that moment Megan, our Human Resource Director, walked over. Megan was like the office grandma and I knew Sydney wouldn't feel threatened by her.
“Megan, Karl had a crappy morning and took it out on Sydney. I have to get to this meeting. Can you help Sydney get her documents and see that she gets back to her desk?”
“Absolutely, dear.” Megan began making polite conversation with Sydney as Anthony and I went to the conference room.
Once seated in the conference room I had to pull myself together for this meeting. I was unsettled and disturbed over what just happened, but this could be the biggest, single contract for Everett Gaming. As much as I didn’t want to, I had to push Sydney out of my mind for this meeting.
The Cheng meeting had gone exceptionally well. I had been prepared for Cheng to want to negotiate the dollar figures. I was pleasantly surprised when he said that we’d work out a few minor details but as it was, he was accepting our bid. I told him we’d work up the final contract and I’d email it to him by the end of next week. The conference call ended and I immediately stood and thanked everyone for their hard work.
I motioned for Anthony to follow me. When we reached my office I told my secretary, Leslie, to hold all calls until further notice. Anthony shut the door and took up his usual spot in front of my desk. I sat for a few minutes without speaking and gazed out the window.
My office is spacious and two of my four walls are glass from floor to ceiling. I loved the design of the office because I have a front row view of the Las Vegas Strip; my source of clients, business and pleasure. After stressful days, I like to gaze out at the strip. I was gazing now but not seeing anything but Sydney and that wrist. Anthony sat patiently and played with his cell phone while I put together the thoughts in my head. Finally he sat forward on his chair and stretched his arms out across my desk.
“Well, first off, congrats on the Cheng deal. We should be on our way for the early lunch but I have a feeling something is weighing you down. Fragile kitten?”
Fragile kitten was the nickname that Anthony and I had given to Sydney. Of course she never heard us use that phrase, but Anthony and I used it often to describe her.
Without looking at him I nodded and gave a short laugh. To say the least, she was on my mind. He stood, took off his suit jacket and loosened his tie. Anthony dressed trendy, but not too trendy. At forty-six years old, I went more for the classic looks with classic, timeless cut suits while Anthony was very now.
I started explaining what had happened in the hall and I could tell by his silence and frown that he was also concerned by this news. We both knew that we couldn’t corner her and make her tell us if something was wrong. For all we knew it could be some scar from her childhood that she was embarrassed about. Anthony and I had no right to barge in on her life and no way of knowing if something was really wrong. Sydney could be one of those super shy girls who embarrasses easily. But too many pieces fit into place making her behavior and mannerisms point to something being wrong. My instincts knew better and my gut told me to listen to my instincts.
Matt and I are pretty sure that Anthony suffered some form of violence at some point in his life but we haven't really had his confirmation on that. He has a large scar that runs just under his ribs down to his hipbone on his right side. Touching the scar is a hard limit for him. Everyone he scenes with at Irons know they can’t touch it or even ask about it. I remember seeing that thing for the first time almost fifteen years ago. He had just finished a scene and was at the bar drinking water when I asked him how he got the scar. His only response was that he was “doing s
omething stupid at the time.”
It’s bothered Matt for years. Matt is an emergency room physician and also has his own practice. He volunteers in the emergency room as a trauma counselor when needed. Matt’s tried pulling the scar info out of Anthony, but Anthony doesn’t budge.
Sydney was on my mind more than ever now. Anthony and I talked for a little bit longer and then we headed downstairs to leave for lunch. I mentioned that I wanted to stop in reception to see how Sydney was doing but as we rode the elevator down, I decided against stopping by her desk. It would only serve as a reminder to an awkward morning that I’m sure she’d rather forget. As we walked past the front reception I smiled at the ladies behind the huge counter and let my eyes wander trying to find Sydney. When I didn’t see her, concern started brewing in me again and I had to push the urge away to ask one of the other girls where Sydney was.
We reached the parking garage and came up on the reserved spots for the executives. My BMW Alpina was parked next to Anthony’s car. I suddenly had no interest in driving.
“You drive. My head is swimming,” I told him. Even though we just had a hugely successful morning I felt like shit.
I dropped down in Anthony's BMW M6 coupe and instantly brought up Sydney. I was worried about her and couldn’t get that marked up wrist out of my head.
“Col, calm down about the wrist. Maybe it’s a birth mark or an old scar.” I waived my hand in the air though at his suggestion.
I tried not to let the thing with Sydney get me down or ruin lunch with Anthony. I always gave my company my full attention when we went out. Not only was Anthony my Chief Financial Officer, business partner and my best friend but he was also like a brother to me.
My parents and twin brother died in a car accident when I was nine. I was the lone survivor in the car. Matt’s family was close with mine as our dad’s worked together and they took me in. I grew up knowing that life was very precious and that the person I have lunch with today could be taken away from me tomorrow or later in the afternoon.
Even though the food was good and I was one step closer to sealing a contract with a huge international hotel chain, I was still preoccupied with thoughts of Sydney. I couldn’t shake her or her wrist from my mind.
“You’re a Dom,” Anthony said as we started our drive back to work.
I gave him a “no shit” look and continued to gaze out the window. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see that he was looking at me at the stoplight and heard him laugh.
“Look, you have a need to help others. You’re not satisfied until those around you are satisfied. You know better and I think you should talk to her when we get back. Take her for a walk by the waterfall so she’s away from all those other women. You’d feel better and you can’t let something like that hang over the weekend. Plus we are leaving in an hour for tee time and might I remind you, I’m going to kick your ass today.”
He was probably right. At least about the talking to Sydney part. I never took his golf threats seriously. But he was right regarding the fact that I can’t let something linger like this over the weekend.
One of the things that draws Anthony and I to Sydney is her smile. She’s young and I don’t think the weight of the world has been pushing down on her much, so she easily smiles. When I see her smile, I can feel my dick twitch. It’s quite common for us to see Sydney smiling or talking to co-workers and laughing. I love her smile. After this morning though, that smile was nowhere in sight. Anthony and I decided to stop at the convenience store on our way back to work to pick up a bag of M&M’s. They would make her smile.
“I just want to make sure she’s okay and make sure she knows that she can talk to me. She’s so…” I wasn’t sure what adjective I was thinking of when Anthony started to rattle off several words that could describe Sydney.
“Fragile? Vulnerable? Nervous?”
“Yes, all of those.”
He laughed again and pulled into his spot next to my car. I don’t know if what he added to that list was supposed to be heard. But I heard.
“Sweet and cute. Our fragile kitten,” he chuckled quietly as we made our way back into the building.
We walked towards reception and I let my eyes wander around looking for Sydney. When we reached the reception desk, we were greeted with a flurry of women eager to assist. They were often like this when Anthony or I approached alone, but now that it was both of us they were beside themselves. Anthony smiled and leaned on the counter and asked where Sydney was. Anthony’s charm had the women dropping what they were working on to lend him a hand.
Sydney was the youngest of the reception crew for Openin. She was very well liked and had made friends quickly. None of the women seemed catty, which I was very thankful for. They said she was at lunch and all of them stood to look around the atrium to see if they could be the first to spot her on a bench or at a table.
“Does Sydney eat in the lunch area upstairs or out here?” I asked no one in particular and received a flurry of frantic bits of information.
“No, Mr. Everett, Sydney likes to eat outside or by the waterfall,” Katie offered.
Katie was probably the closest to Sydney in age so I think they naturally gravitated towards one another. Anthony and I scanned the atrium for her. It was a nice October afternoon so maybe she was outside.
Anthony and I stood outside and scanned the grounds for Sydney. Aside from the Cheng productivity, I was getting nothing else done today. Anthony looked at me and then pointed at his watch. It was 2:00 p.m. and we needed to leave in a half an hour to get to the golf course clubhouse in time to change and meet Matt by 3:00 p.m.
The courtyard had a lot of benches and huge trees to shade the area. While my eyes were skimming the courtyard, Anthony tugged on my arm. I followed his eyes and saw our fragile kitten submissive. Well, that last part hadn’t been confirmed but I believed it with every fiber of my being. Just seeing her made me feel better. She looked better and was eating lunch. I headed towards her with Anthony and a bag of M&M’s in tow.
Chapter 2
Friday, October 4th
Sydney
After my close call this morning with Mr. Everett, my nerves were finally settling down and I thought I could eat my sandwich. I went outside to sit in the courtyard since it was nice out. I liked it out there because no one paid much attention to me and I could just relax. I was really hungry since I skipped dinner last night.
I worried that Mr. Everett would do something about this morning or go to my boss. I felt stupid for being so careless with my sweater sleeves. Usually I am so cautious but Karl flustered me and I couldn’t think straight. Then Mr. Everett came over and I got even more flustered. I was just concentrating on getting out from under Mr. Everett’s way. I didn’t want to get in trouble and make him late for the important meeting today. I don’t even know why he bothered coming over to Karl and I…unless he was going to see how I messed up and take it to my boss. Oh my God, what if I lose my job?
As I began eating my sandwich my thoughts drifted to Mr. Everett. Handsome Mr. Everett. He seemed so strong and confident, but wasn’t jerky. He was comfortable. The ladies in reception said that he was super nice and very down to earth and you’d never know he owned a company just by looking at him or talking to him. Ever since I started working here everyone has had nothing but excellent things to say about Mr. Everett. He wasn’t arrogant at all. He always smiles at me when he arrives each morning before he goes to have coffee with Mr. Graves. The reception ladies say they’re best friends.
Usually when people approach me, I get nervous and am afraid that they’ll discover something that Howard has done. But when Mr. Everett was crouched down on the floor in front of me holding my hand, I felt safe instead of afraid. Feeling safe was something I had long ago pushed to the wayside. Howard has kept me on edge and afraid to trust anyone.
There was something calming about Mr. Everett. The way his big brown eyes looked at me was comforting. Even when he held my hand, it was gentl
e. It made me feel something deep down in my stomach. Like I was safe and didn’t need to be afraid of him. There were a few seconds there where I felt like I was transformed to another place with Mr. Everett. It was comforting even if it was only for a few minutes.
Howard crept back into my mind and forced my daydream of Mr. Everett away. Mr. Everett was a dream while Howard was my reality. Suddenly I wasn’t hungry anymore and I put my sandwich down and looked out across the courtyard at nothing in particular. Soon enough I realized that I was playing with my hands again. Ahhh! I’ve been trying to stop that.
Howard was a Dom that I met at a club near campus while I was in college. I had been turned on by the BDSM scene and desired to explore the lifestyle with a Dom. Howard was rough from the start of our relationship. He claimed me as his toy when I was twenty-one and I feel like I’ve lost myself during my time with him. It’s no fun with Howard. The fun ran out a long time ago and now it’s just painful. But he does it because I need discipline. If I were better, he wouldn’t hurt me.
Ahhh! I was doing it again! I pulled the sleeve back down over my wrist. Enough worrying over something I couldn’t control. I needed to concentrate on being a good sub for Howard so I won’t get punished. If I was better maybe I could find a better Dom. I picked up my magazine and went back to reading an article on “how to improve my submissive gift.”
I had just finished the page and looked up and out across the courtyard while I turned to the next page. What the hell? I looked back up again and saw Mr. Everett and Mr. Graves walking towards me.
Oh crap.
Chapter 3
Friday, October 4th
Colin
Out of habit, I began memorizing this scene as we walked towards her. She had a brown paper bag next to her, a messenger bag at her feet and was eating a sandwich with her left hand. Her right arm was the one I saw this morning. Her legs were crossed in a ladylike fashion at the knee with her right leg over the left and her light brown hair was tucked behind both ears while reading a magazine. She wore a navy sweater, jeans and blue canvas sneakers. Fridays are casual days at Everett Gaming though I rarely ever wear jeans to the office.
