"No, I'm not. Anything but… the police."
"You really think your pussy is worth a more than two hundred grand to me?” She jerked back as if electrocuted. “I mean, don't get me wrong, you are an attractive woman. But if I need to get my dick wet, I can find a dozen elegant call girls for, say, a thousand a night-that's a far cry from two hundred-plus grand."
"I-I didn't mean just for one night. I'll be yours, to do what you want, until you feel I've paid you back."
"Well, that's a very tempting offer, I must admit.” Ellen's eyes grew hopeful. “But let's run the math again, shall we? Since you aren't a professional, let's say I pay you five hundred a session, and we fuck twice a week.” He used the crudest words on purpose, just to watch her face flinch. “That's two hundred forty seven weeks to pay off your debt, or about five years. Plus interest, we'd have to make it about seven years. That's a long time to be my whore. What would your husband say?"
She made a face. “He wouldn't care, not if it meant I'd be taking care of our money problems, as usual."
Jack laughed. “You don't really expect me to believe that'd he'd just sit by and let me fuck you anytime I wanted for the next seven years, do you?"
"Well, if he doesn't like it, he can leave. It's about time he carried his own weight."
"Okay.” Jack let the matter of her husband drop for now. He could tell there were a lot of cracks in the Sanchez marriage. “But what about me? I'm forty, and still dating women, one of whom might end up being my wife someday. What if I found someone in the next seven years? How would I explain you to her? ‘Oh, don't mind Ellen, I'm just fucking her as part of a business deal.’ I don't think that would go over too well."
"Please, Jack. We can work something out. Just tell me what you want."
Jack's ear was assailed with the beeping tone of a phone that had been off the hook too long. He realized he was still holding it mid-air. He quickly hung it up. “What do I want? I want my money back. One way or the other. Either I get it in cash, or I get my pound of flesh by seeing you sitting in prison."
Her face fell. “So you aren't interested in me, um, you know, sexually?"
Jack locked his eyes on hers. “I didn't say that. I admit to being attracted to you. But I don't let that interfere with business, you understand?"
She nodded. “All right. So you want to do this from a business perspective. Let's talk business. What will it take to keep me out of jail and my CFO reputation intact?"
"You're not serious."
"Yes I am! I'm very serious. I mean, I'm serious in finding out your price. I'm not sure I'll be able to agree to it, but I'm willing to listen."
"Okay. I could ask you to sell your car and give me the money,” he said, keeping his gaze steady on hers. “Your house too, for that matter. What do you think they're worth now?"
Ellen just stared back, unable to speak. She took a deep breath. “That won't help much."
"Oh? Why not?"
"The car is eight years old, you'd probably get six thousand for it. The house is heavily mortgaged. If we sold it now, with the market conditions currently, I'd probably only clear ten thousand, which I'd have to split with Bill.” Tears came to her eyes. “Then I'd have to find another place to live anyway, so some of that money would be spent on rent and moving expenses."
Jack waited, watching her. He wanted her to come up with another solution. When she didn't say anything, he prompted her. “Well, I guess that's it, then."
"No.” Her voice was small. “I-I could be your girl, do anything you wanted me to do."
"What does that mean, exactly?"
She blushed pink. “You know, anything you wanted. You could, um, make love to me anytime, like right here, in your office."
"So you're offering me your services as a sexual slave?"
She just nodded, worrying her lower lip with her teeth.
"What's that? I didn't hear you."
"Yes, I'd be your sex slave. Anything but be arrested for what I've done."
Jack sat back in his chair, his hands crossed over his stomach. He knew this was every man's dream, to have a woman willing to give herself to him in every way imaginable. When he'd first learned about her duplicity, his immediate thought had been, turn her in. Let the police handle it. But later, when he'd had time to think about it, he had to admit, he'd entertained fantasies about her as a subservient woman. Of course, he'd dismissed them as just that, fantasies. Now she was asking him to express his deep hidden desires. Dare he speak them out loud?
"Take off your clothes.” The words erupted from him as if he were possessed. He bit the inside of his cheek, expecting her to scream or stalk out. Instead, she simply stared at him.
"That's your price?"
Jack made a dismissive sound. “No, that's good faith bargaining on your part. You brought it up. I'm the wounded party here, you understand. I want to see what you're offering. When you're naked, we can begin negotiations in earnest. If not…” He nodded toward the phone.
Her eyes bored into his for a long moment, then she stood and shucked off her suitcoat and began unbuttoning her ivory silk blouse. Jack watched, mesmerized, as her lacy bra came into view. Ellen separated the last button and pulled the sides apart, giving him a full view of her heaving chest, mottled pink with embarrassment. She paused, trying to catch her breath. Ellen shrugged her shoulders and let the blouse slip down her tan arms. She folded it and carefully laid it over the back of her chair. With her back to him, she unclasped her bra, shrugged out of it, and placed it over the blouse.
She turned back to Jack and allowed him to stare at her erect breasts. He noticed how her skin coloring gave them a bronze tone and the areolas were light chocolate brown. Her breasts hung perfectly, defying gravity. Jack realized his mouth had come open, so he closed it with a nearly audible snap.
Ellen unzipped her skirt. She stepped out of it gracefully, as if she'd put on a show many times before. He stared at her panty hose-encased legs, the white triangle of her panties above. He found himself getting a little short of breath as well and his cock swelled and threatened to burst from his pants. He shifted in his seat and waited.
Ellen hooked both thumbs into the waistband of her pantyhose and tugged them down over her hips. Her panties were caught up along with them, revealing the dark furry mound between her legs. She sat on the edge of the chair and removed the pantyhose, one leg at a time. She averted her eyes, clearly embarrassed, but determined to get it over with. He wondered how the Faustian bargain he'd entered into here might end. Would it ruin his career as well as hers? He knew he should just call the cops, but seeing her obeying his commands, he thought he might play it out a little longer. Just to see how far it would go.
Ellen finished rolling the hose down her long, copper-colored legs. She picked up the discarded garments and piled them onto the back of the chair, on top of her other clothes. Then she turned and sat, facing Jack, her legs casually crossed at her knees.
"Like this?” She asked, her voice quavering. She took a deep breath.
"Yess,” he found the word came out elongated, despite his efforts to be cool. He mentally shook himself, trying to get back on track. After all, he was in charge. She would do anything he demanded, rather than face ruin.
"No,” he contradicted himself. “Put your feet flat on the ground, let your legs come apart."
Ellen did as he asked, letting him get a good view of her bushy vee, the enticing folds of skin below.
"That'll have to go,” he said, pointing.
She looked down. “That? You mean…?"
"Yes. I want you to keep it shaved from now on. Or maybe get one of those Brazilian waxes."
She shook her head slightly, as if in disbelief, but didn't argue. “Okay."
"You'd no longer be my CFO, of course. Instead, you'd be at my beck and call for whatever I wanted. I'd move you into the smaller office next door.” Ellen glanced over at the door where Jack's former secretary had worked in the office beyond. She'd left two months ago to get married and Jack hadn't yet filled the position. “I'd want you to wear sexier clothes too. Shorter skirts, smaller tops, or at least blouses with a few buttons unbuttoned. And no underwear. Ever."