Nine to Five
"Good morning Mr. Forbin", the security guard greeted me as I entered the lobby of the Bank.
"'Morning George", I said as I signed in." Has Ms. Dawes arrived yet?"
"I don't think she signed out last night at all." he said, looking at the logbook. "No, she must have slept in her office again. That's three nights in a row"
"Thanks George. See you later." I said walking towards the elevator with my helmet in one hand and my briefcase in the other.
This did not promise well for me. Anytime Mistress Minx, damn, I mean Ms. Dawes didn't go home at night she was a bit harder to work for.
The elevator deposited me on the top floor and I hung my helmet on its hook in my office and then knocked softly on the connecting door to her office before entering.
Minx was seated at her desk, phone in one hand and tapping her pen on her desk in a pattern that usually meant she was getting ready to hand someone their head in a bag.
"I understand your problem, Heinrich. I just don't care about it. ", She said tightly.
She listened to the response and then took a deep breath.
"Just get the deal closed. You have your job because you are supposed to be the best. Prove it. Auf weidersein."
She hung up the phone and looked at me.
"Good morning Michael. Did you sleep well?" she asked solicitously
"I did indeed Mist.. Excuse me, Miss Dawes."
She shook her head.
"You must be careful about that Michael. I know you think of me one way, but you need to learn to think of me both ways."
"I know. It just takes time to adjust. I'm still trying to unpack." I apologized.
"If you need to take an extra day off to get organized, just tell the HR department I said it was okay. You are on salary, so if you need extra time to do something, just clear it with me and I'll clear it with them."
"Thank you but no. Whither you go, I follow."
She leaned back in her chair and rubbed her eyes.
"What time is it anyway?" she said looking out the windows.
"A bit after seven. Shall I bring you some breakfast?"
"Please. And what are you doing here so early anyway?" she asked.
"I have some calls to make to New York concerning the IMF meeting you are scheduled to attend. And there are some reports I need to read and summarize for your ten o'clock with Johnson and Associates."
I bowed to her and left the office thinking of how tired she looked.
I hadn't realized how important she was and how much work she did, both for the Bank and Ay'esha.
For the Bank she was the Chief Financial Officer, planning meetings, making deals, all the things a financial person does, most of it still a mystery to me.
I'm still a money in / money out type of guy. I keep my books on the back of an old envelope.
For Ay'esha, she did the same sort of thing, but secretly. If anyone discovered how much financial power Ay'esha had, the world markets would panic.
Add to that the responsibility of being the First Daughter to the Mother of Many, and you could see how sleep could become a precious thing.
To me she was my Mistress, to be loved and served. I wanted to do more to help, but I actually didn't know how.
Rather than trust the deli to get her breakfast right, I decided to get it myself, and went back downstairs to order it in person. I had made the mistake of ordering Minx's breakfast on the phone one morning, only to have it arrive late, cold, and wrong.
The deli was always a bit crowded in the morning, but the server knew what I wanted and I was soon on my way back up with a tray.
Lemon poppy seed muffin, orange juice, and yogurt. A fruit cup filled the rest of the order and I made her own special tea when I got back to the office for her.
I served her on my knees after making sure the office doors were locked and she patted my head as she sipped the tea.
"Thank you Michael. You are a good slave to me, and you really are becoming very good at handling my affairs."
"Thank you Mis - tress? I just wish I could do more to help. You seem very tired."
"Just keep doing your work as well as you have been, and that is the most you can do for me."
I rose from my kneeling position and kissed her hand.
"By your command." I said, and withdrew to my office.
The call to the United Nations still excited me. I had numbers programmed into my phone that would surprise you. They still surprised me. I came to the conclusion that about the only phone number I didn't have was the one for Fort Knox.
Of course, Minx probably kept that one in her little black book.
Anyway, I finished the call to the UN and then made arrangements for her to fly to Geneva with the travel office. I also instructed them to book a ski trip as well. I doubted that she would use it, but I had hopes.
The travel office manager was named McTavish and was a stereotypical Scot.
"The ski trip. Is that to be billed to the company, or to Ms. Dawes personal account?" he asked.
"Can't you just bury it under a rock somewhere?" I asked knowing the answer before I asked.
"Mr. Forbin, I account for everything here. Including taxi expenses. I've never seen so many lies in one place as I have in the travel expense reports. Now, I'm a busy man, so tell me what account I bill it to, or I'll not book it." he snapped.
"Mr. McTavish, I intended it to be a surprise for Ms. Dawes. If you bill it anywhere, she'll see it and the surprise will be ruined."
"Better the surprise than myself. No billing account, no ski trip. Good day to ye."
He hung up the phone and I recalled some of the stories I had heard of his tenure in the accounting department.
They said he gave new meaning to the term "PO".
Oh well, I tried.
I turned my attention to the precis for the ten o'clock meeting, reducing the figures and terms down to simple English.
About nine thirty, I checked on Minx and presented her with the summaries of the proposal. She flipped through the figures and then looked at me.
"What do you think?"
That question still startled me every time she asked it. I never considered myself an expert on business, but increasingly she was asking for my opinion on things.
"I don't like it. It seems to me that there is too much handwaving about costs for the project." I said honestly.
"Handwaving?" she asked.
"I'm sorry. Do you remember when you were in college and the instructor got to a certain point in the lecture and then he waved his hand and changed the subject? That's handwaving. It usually means they either don't know or aren't certain of their conclusions."
"Handwaving. I hadn't heard the term before. Well if you think they're handwaving on costs, would you like to sit in on the meeting as ask some questions?"
"No, Ms. Dawes. I'm not qualified to discuss it. All I have is a gut feeling about it." I denied.
"Well, we wouldn't want to risk five million dollars on your gut now would we?" she teased.
"NO MA'AM!"
She just reviewed the documents again and then waved me out of her office.
Just before lunch she called me into her office and indicated I should sit down.
I sat down uncertain of what I had done wrong.
She held up the report I had prepared for the meeting and dropped it in the trash.
"You were right." was all she said.
I gulped.
"Excuse me?" I quavered.
"I said you were right. When I pressed them for specifics on costs, they couldn't give them to me. I decided not to fund it."
Five million dollars. She made a five million-dollar decision on something I said.
"Don't look so surprised Michael. I have a whole floor of analysts that do the same thing you just did. They see patterns, and they give me their opinions. They even argue with me at times.
"But they don't know of Ay'esha. You do. Much of Ay'esha's funding is controlled through here. I can't ask the regular staff to work on Ay'esha projects, but I can ask you what you think."
"Me? But I don't know anything about finances." I stammered.
"No, you don't. But you collect information and you think about it. You see things that I may have overlooked."
The whole idea made me uncomfortable. The idea of arguing with Minx was a hard idea to adjust to. I was basically being ordered to disagree with my Mistress.
The whole idea of that flipped my world over.
"I'm not sure I can do that." I said tentatively.
"Michael there are two separate issues. When we are here at work, I am Minkin Dawes. Your boss. I expect you to do your job, and if that involves arguing or correcting me, I expect you to do it.
"When we are in private, away from here I am your Mistress and you will obey without question. I keep my two lives as separate as I can, and I expect you to do the same thing."
I thought about her words before speaking again.
"Permission to speak freely?" I asked formally, standing up.
She looked at me with a slight smile and nodded.
"Do you know what the executive officer of a ship does?" I asked.
"No. I expect he assists the Captain however." she said.
"He actually runs the day to day operations of a ship. The Captain makes the command decisions; the Ex Oh carries them out. He makes sure things are done the way the Captain wants them." I explained.
"And your point is?" Minx asked.
"The other thing the Ex Oh does is to serve as a sounding board. He may disagree with the orders and it's his job to say so. He points out alternatives for the Captain's consideration."
Minx nodded.
"That is exactly what I expect from you. Can you do it?"
"Yes. But - -", I said carefully.
"What?"
"Well, I'm a little worried about being punished later. I mean if we disagree on something."
Minx waved a hand in denial.
" I will never punish you for something work related. I'll chew you out or take whatever steps I think are appropriate here. Not later."
"When do I start?" I asked.
"You already have. Why?"
I saluted her respectfully.
"I am relieving you of command." I said.
"What?" she said in surprise.
"You haven't slept or eaten properly in the last three days. Your fatigue may endanger your health and the proper management of the company. I am therefore relieving you of command on that basis."
She just stared at me unbelieving.
"Michael.." she warned.
" There isn't anything on your schedule that can't wait. You leave for Geneva in two days, and you need to be perfect. Go home. Please."
She started to argue again, and then slumped back with a small chuckle.
"You're enjoying this aren't you?"
"Yes. And it lets me do a better job if I know I can make you take care of yourself."
I reached over and pushed the intercom button on her phone.
"This is Mr. Forbin. Please have Ms. Dawes' car brought around. She's leaving for the day." I said.
Her secretary's response was a puzzled "Yes sir."
I turned back to Minx as she rose from her chair.
"Don't push it Michael. I'll take your advice this time, because you're right. Do not take it as license to disobey me." she warned.
"No Miss Dawes." I agreed.
She looked at me with a suspicious glance as she walked out of her office.
Well, that was easy enough. Almost too easy.
I spent the rest of the day working in her office, rearranging her schedule and gathering information for the Geneva trip.
I kind of wished I could go with her. I never had done much traveling before.
As I worked I kept an eye on the information coming off the news services. I always had been a trivia freak, and seeing the raw news feeds was always interesting.
Although quite a bit of the time I felt like I was listening to an old song called the Merry Minuet.
They're rioting in Africa, They're starving in Spain.
There's hurricanes in Florida, and Texas needs rain
The whole world is festering with unhappy souls.
The French hate the Germans; The Germans hate the Poles;
Italians hate Yugoslavs; South Africans hate the Dutch,
And I don't like anybody very much!
The more things change, the more they stayed the same. Even with the Cold War at an end, things still never seemed to settle down. Of course with Ay'esha doing what it could to improve things, I was a bit more optimistic.
Lydia was still never far from my mind though.
I finally quit work about seven that night, picked up my helmet and briefcase and took the elevator down to the lobby.
George had already left for the day, and the new security guard greeted me by name.
"Have we met?" I asked signing out.
"No sir. But I made it a point to find out who you were. You work for Ms. Dawes don't you?" he said.
"Yes. How do you know?" I asked.
He pointed at the security camera display.
"We have cameras all over the building. I saw you up on the executive floor after normal hours, and queried the computer about you. Like this."
He punched in a few codes and my company ID appeared on his screen.
"You see, your card key is also a small transmitter, so we can track you in the building. Comes in handy when we're looking for someone."
"I guess. Well, have a good night." I said taking the elevator down to the parking garage.
I rode home and parked the bike in the driveway of my new house and hung the helmet on the handlebars.
The house was still a mess, packing boxes opened, newspapers still in stacks unread. The leftovers from my dinner two nights before sat on the top of the TV set.
Where was Mary Poppins when I needed her?
I was about to start my dinner when the phone rang.
"Hello?"
"M-5, I'm sending the car for you." Minx's voice said flatly. "Be ready to leave when it arrives."
I knew from her tone that this was an order, not a request.
"Yes Mistress."
The phone clicked dead in my hand and I hastened to change clothes before the car arrived. I had something to take with me as well.
I had just finished when there was a knock on the door. I opened it to find Minx's driver waiting for me. She said nothing, just led the way back to Minx's limo and opened the door for me.
I got in, she closed the door, and we started off for Minx's house.
Miss Minkin Dawes lived in a rather nice section of the city on a hill that overlooked the rest of the town. The Victorian style house had been built in the 1800's and showed it's age in some ways, but the charm of Minx's character in others.
It had a small formal garden in the rear with a gazebo, and a grape arbor covered the back wall of the property. A wooden hot tub sat in a small shaded alcove next to the rear of the house.
I had attended a small party at her house once before when I first went to work for the Bank, but hadn't really seen the interior of the house, or Minx that much socially since then.
Actually I was rather nervous, and I tried to stay as close as possible to Minx.
She tolerated it quietly for awhile, then finally motioned for me to lean close to her.
"I'm not mad at you Michael, but please go away. Meet some people." she said kindly.
One lesson I had learned well was don't try and force the Mistress to pay attention to you. In Minx's case, it usually got you ignored.
This was the first time she had summoned me since our reunion.
The driver stopped before Minx's door and then got out and opened mine. She still said nothing, just pointed towards the front door.
I climbed the step and admired the stained glass inset in the door, before ringing the bell.
I waited as patiently as I could until the door opened and I faced a young red headed woman wearing an apron and a corset that supported her bare breasts.
She was balanced precariously on five-inch heels and bowed politely upon seeing me.
"You are M-5?" she asked softly.
I nodded unsure what to say.
"The Mistress is waiting for you. Please walk this way sir."
I followed her down the hallway thinking that no way could I walk like that.
She led me into the dining room where Minx sat waiting at the head of the table. Minx indicated I should kneel at her side and then she dismissed the girl.
"Did you bring it?" she asked without preamble
I opened my briefcase and removed a silver wrapped box and presented it to her on upraised palms.
She removed the lid and set it aside and then withdrew my collar and placed it around my neck for the first time in over a year.
The weight around my neck felt good and the weight that had rested on my soul for all the preceding months lifted from me.
"Does it please you to wear your collar again?" she said with a twinkle in her eye.
"Yes Mistress." I almost whispered.
"Good. You will keep it on for the rest of the evening. In fact ", she said wickedly, "I may have you wear it to work tomorrow."
I blushed slightly at the idea of wearing my collar to work, then regained some semblance of control.
"As it pleases you Mistress." I said.
"It might." she teased.
I was so happy to be in her presence again I wanted to cry with joy.
Minx was right. There was a tremendous difference in Ms. Minkin Dawes and Mistress Minx.
Ms. Dawes would never tease me like that; Mistress Minx always had.
"Are you hungry, slave?" she asked.
"Yes Mistress."
"Good."
She rang a small bell on the table and the maid returned.
"Bring his dish please." she instructed.
A few moments later the young woman returned with a metal dog bowl and set it before me. It was full of roast beef with a little gravy.
I waited for permission to start eating. It may have been a while, but I hadn't forgotten my manners.
She made me wait a few minutes, then snapped her fingers and pointed at the bowl.
I ate my meal thankfully and unashamed to perform as an animal for her. Even the presence of the maid couldn't distract me from the pleasure of being Minx's pet again.
When I finished I laid at her feet while she finished her meal, rubbing my head against her silk stockinged feet.
The maid removed my bowl and her plate and left the room, returning and kneeling beside me.
"Marie, please put his briefcase in the hall closet, along with his clothes." she directed.
I looked up at Mistress Minx and she gave me a simple one word order, a word I thought I might never hear again from her.
"Strip!"
I removed my clothing and folded it neatly before setting it before Marie. She took it and my briefcase and scurried off.
I knelt before her naked, showing her for the first time the improvements that the time at the Spa had brought.
She stood and took a crop from the maid who had returned with a silver tray holding a selection of toys.
"Head down!" she snapped.
My head went to the floor and I raised my ass for her inspection.
She didn't hesitate a second and used the crop across my ass with a pop as it struck my flesh.
I moaned and moved then regained my position again.
Again the blow across my ass, making me gasp in shock.
A third blow and I started lowering my ass slightly.
"UP!" she snapped, striking my shoulders with the crop.
I raised my ass again and waited, shaking slightly from the pain and strain.
It had been a long time since I had been struck that way. Even at the Spa, my correction had been more verbal than physical.
Part of me resented it, but the other part of me rejoiced. It was a strange sensation after so much time to react to the abuse that way.
She used the crop again and this time I didn't flinch.
She stroked my punished flesh with a gentle hand.
"Very good Michael. You have not forgotten your basic training despite the time I have neglected you." she said with pride in her voice.
I waited for her to continue, but instead heard a click and felt a tug as she snapped a leash onto my collar and started leading me out of the room.
We went back down the hallway and then stopped. She tugged me to my feet and then unlocked a door.
As she opened it, a light went on and I could see a set of steps descending into a cellar.
She led me down the steps and then ordered me to kneel on the hard stone floor.
Sets of iron shackles hung from the wall, and a large charcoal brazier stood in the middle of the room with branding irons racked next to it. A bondage table stood along one wall and a wrought iron cage stood in a far corner.
A set of stocks was also to be seen and a rack of whips, paddles, crops, and floggers were attached to the wall. I could see a drain set in the floor near a set of ringbolts, and the floor sloped slightly forming a basin with the drain at the center.
She lit the candles that were in holders around the room and then switched out the main lights leaving us in shimmering pools of candlelight.
"Now, my loving slave, we shall see how much you have forgotten about pleasing me." she said tugging on my leash.
Moments later I was shackled to the wall, facing the cold stone and feeling the hot caress of her flogger across my skin.
I stood there feeling the sting and the pounding of the flogger and relaxing into the mixture of pain and pleasure it gave me. It was comforting to feel her whip and even more so to be at the focus of her attention.
I was special. I was Mistress Minx's slave. Her toy to be played with.
Each stroke felt like a lovers kiss on my needy skin.
She changed to a paddle and I felt the slam of the hard wood across my ass cheeks and moaned from the impact, my knees buckling, leaving me leaning against the wall gasping.
From a wooden paddle she changes to a leather one and the pain increased beyond my ability to take it, leaving me sobbing
"Mercy Mistress", I whimpered.
"Yes my slave. I will show you mercy. It has been a long time without my attention. Were you afraid I had deserted you?" she asked.
"Yes," I sniffled honestly." I was afraid of that. But you said you would never leave me, and I had to believe you. It was so hard sometimes. I almost gave up hope. Until Christmas."
"I almost woke you up that night. I wanted to be with you, to show you my love. To lay my head in your lap and comfort you for the things you suffered while I was away.
"But other things came first. I knew you were safe and doing well. I knew that if I gave you some hints, you would know it was me."
"I almost didn't dare to hope. I came for the interview only because I wanted to see the City."
She laughed softly.
"I know. You told me about it one night. I arranged the call through a member of Ay'esha that works at the job agency. Alice thought playing White Rabbit was funny, but didn't understand why I wanted her to do it."
"I knew something special was happening between your note and that. I just decided to trust my gut." I said, sighing.
She released my arms and led me to the stocks and placed my head and arms in them before locking it.
"I have something special in mind for you, but I don't want you going anywhere." she said touching my face.
She walked out of my view and I heard a fan click on and felt a slight breeze on my ass.
I waited nervously for her to come back into view, and she did after a few minutes, and sat down in a large peacock fan chair and just sat and watched me.
I wondered what she was planning. I could smell something other than candle wax scenting the room. I realized what it was and my eyes opened wide. She said nothing, just smiled.
I started to sweat slightly in fear. And she enjoyed watching the fear grow.
She stood up and walked behind me, an evil witchy smile on her face.
I heard metal scraping and then she walked back in front of me, a glowing branding iron gripped in her hand.
I cringed away from the glowing metal as she toyed with it.
"I have considered branding you as mine for some time now. Ever since Master Melody played with you. Oh yes, she told me all about your reaction, your whimpering. I was amused to find another weakness in you."
She moved the iron closer to my face, then moved it against a lock of my hair that sizzled and burned.
I felt the white heat on my face and my eyes watered from the glare of it.
"Please." I whispered.
She stepped back and walked out of my sight again.
"I can mark you permanently, slave. It is my right as your owner." I heard her say from behind me.
I felt the heat of the iron nearing my exposed ass. I wanted to scream, but instead I begged.
I begged her to do anything else, but not to burn me, to scar my flesh permanently.
"But it would be an honor to be marked by me. You know that. You would deny my right to use you as I desire?" she asked.
I wept as I shook my head.
"I'm afraid Mistress, I don't want to be hurt like that. "
"Are you refusing the honor?' she asked sharply.
I loved her. I always would. And she knew I was her slave, mind, body, and soul.
"No Mistress, but if it was my choice, I would rather not." I said with as calm a voice as I could muster.
"I don't think so." she said and then I felt heat on my ass, but not the burning I expected.
It was a momentary flash of heat and then a pressure.
The pressure continues as did the heat and then stopped as she stepped before me again.
"You are marked now slave. And you will bear the mark for.... about an hour, or at least until the wax comes off.", she said laughing at me.
I slumped against the stocks relieved and embarrassed.
She cupped my chin in her hand and raised my head up to face her.
" I have never branded any of my slaves. That doesn't mean I won't someday. But you are already marked in your soul. I own you and you know that. Your faith in me wavered during our separation but was never lost.", she said with love in her voice.
"I'm sorry.", I said.
"Do you want me to brand you?", she said seriously.
"Well, no. But I feel bad about disappointing you.", I said.
She released my chin and walked over to the toy rack and removed a long cat o' nine tails.
She slashed it across my back twice quickly, forcing me to the floor in pain.
"Feel better?", she said.
"Yes Mistress, thank you Mistress", I gasped in pain. It hurt but I felt much better having been chastised for my failure.
"Good.", she said casting the whip aside.
She led me to the chair and sat down, leaving me to kneel at her feet.
I nuzzled her legs like a pet cat and she reached down and pulled my head into her lap.
I could smell her sweet wetness through the silk of her dress. I inhaled it deeply, becoming intoxicated by her nearness. I wanted to lap her like a dog would, licking her passionate juices from her.
"Do you want to serve me that way?", she said in a voice that belied the passion in her body.
"Oh yes Mistress", I murmured.
She pushed me back onto the floor and then stood over me. With a smooth motion she slipped her dress off her shoulders and it slipped onto the floor with a whisper of silk.
She stood clad only in her silk stockings and garter belt, the whiteness of her skin set off by the black of the stockings and high heels.
"Is this what you worship, slave? Is this the focus of your desires, your life?"
"Yes.", I moaned
She touched her nipples, causing them to erect even more.
"You want to worship my breasts?', she said, teasing herself.
I could only nod I was so overwhelmed with need for her.
She stroked her hand between her legs, and showed me the wetness, glistening on her fingers.
"Is this something you desire Michael?", she teased.
I wanted to suck her fingers but restrained myself. I might enjoy a momentary pleasure in doing it, but the loss of her respect by my lack of control discouraged me.
"Tell me!", she demanded, moving her damp fingers under my nose.
"Yes Mistress, yes I want them, I want to taste you again. I need you Mistress." I babbled, my control lost in the smell of her womanhood.
"Beg like a dog, bark for me." she said
I barked like a poodle for her, a high yapping that caused her to laugh.
She placed the fingers before me and waited for me to open my mouth. I opened it and she removed her fingers, stroked herself again, then jammed her fingers, sweet and wet from her cum into my eager mouth.
I sucked on them like a ravenous beast, gleaning every bit of her precious fluids off them.
After a few moments of suckling, she removed them from my mouth.
"Hungry puppy."
I yipped my agreement with her words as she stroked my head.
She fed me her wetness once again and then sat back in her chair again.
"You may kiss it now, slave. But do not lick it!" she warned.
I buried my face in her mound kissing it passionately, feeling the wetness on my face, smelling her wonderful aroma.
She wiggled and sighed as I continued worshiping her body, and then I heard her gasp softly.
Her hand touched my head, and then pulled my head into her.
"Now, lick." she said in a passion filled whisper.
I licked my Mistress, my Goddess, my love, until I heard her cry out in relief and pleasure.
She pushed me away again and laid back, eyes closed.
I looked at her, her skin glowing in the candlelight, and considered my good fortune.
I was where I wished to be, with someone I loved, doing a job that did mean something.
Oh, how things had changed since that night I stopped to help a disabled motorist.
I had a life again.
She opened her eyes slowly, and looked at me with a satisfied expression.
"You are happy Michael?" she asked languidly
"Oh yes Mistress. Thank you for my life." I said.
"Your life was always yours, and still is. I just reminded you that you could enjoy it and share it with someone."
"I want to share it with you." I said.
"You are. Perhaps not as much as you might like. But you are sharing your life with me. And as much as I can, I will include you in mine." she replied. "I intend to take you on trips with me, not only as my assistant, but my slave. You will meet other Mistresses and slaves as well. Your abilities and talents will be of great use to Ay'esha."
I thought about it. Abilities and talents. But nothing about wanting me.
"And you are my last slave and very important to me. I want you to be with me. Was that what you wanted to hear?"
"Yes, Mistress. I did. But I wish you wouldn't read my mind that way." I said.
"Every slave wants to be with his Mistress all the time. You are just lucky enough to have that chance."
"Yes Mistress, thank you Mistress." I said, gratefully.
"But not at work."
The next morning at work we resumed our roles, but under my dress pants I wore a set of panties, a reminder that I was still her slave no matter where we were.
"Think of it as the Golden Rule. I have the gold, I make the rules." was all she said as she handed me the panties.
Oh well, at least I don't have to dress like Dolly Parton.