Ellen's face grew red. It was as if she could handle being naked in front of Jack in the privacy of his office, but the thought of her parading around the plant dressed like a slut got to her.
"E-Everyone will know,” she sputtered.
"Know what? That you're a slut or an embezzler? It's either one or the other at this point.” Jack shook his head. “Come to think of it, go ahead and get dressed. Let's forget the whole thing. I'd just as soon call the police.” He reached for the phone.
Ellen stood up quickly and placed a delicate hand on his forearm. The sight of all that naked flesh so close to him made him pause. “Please.” She was begging him. Ellen, the cool, beautiful and unapproachable woman, was begging him. He looked into her eyes, gauging her sincerity there.
"I'll do anything you say, Jack. Anything. I just can't be exposed for embezzling. Please. It will ruin me.” She came closer until her legs touched his. Her breasts were just inches from his face. He couldn't help himself; he reached up and touched one lovely mound, feeling the electricity in his fingers.
"Okay,” he breathed. “Have a seat. Let's continue our negotiations."
She returned to her seat and sat down. For a moment, she crossed her legs again, then caught herself and brought her foot back to the floor. She deliberately spread her legs apart and waited, arms crossed under her breasts.
"Okay. As I said, I want my money back. Having you as my personal sex slave isn't worth the money.” A frown slipped across Ellen's face. “But having you earn back the two hundred, forty seven thousand, plus interest, has a certain amount of appeal."
Her eyes widened. Jack could tell she now had an inkling what he was getting at. Her blush began anew. “You can't mean…"
"Mean what? That there are certain things you won't do? You'll steal but you won't fuck, is that it?"
"But I thought-"
"What? That I want you for myself? Sure, I want you. I'm a man. You're a beautiful woman. And I would fuck you whenever I wanted to. But that doesn't get me my money back, does it? No, for that, we'd need to hire you out."
"But-but you can't! I'll be arrested!"
Jack pointed a finger at her. “Not if you're careful. Besides, which would you rather be arrested for, prostitution or embezzlement?"
Ellen chewed on her bottom lip. “But I'll be ruined, either way! I can't earn your money back if I'm in jail! And I could be killed on the streets!"
"Oh, don't worry, I won't put you on the streets. No, I see you as a classy call girl, working on behalf of the company. Or, on occasion, I might want to farm you out to a brothel."
"But what about, you know, diseases and such! I could die from something."
"Hey, no one says you have to go bareback. You can make them wear condoms."
She had another argument ready. “But Bill would freak out! He'd divorce me and tell everyone what a slut I've become."
Jack just shrugged with one shoulder, as if it made no difference to him. “Like I said, you have a choice.” He tipped his head toward the phone.
He could see she was wavering. “And what about… us? What would you demand of me, when I'm not out fucking every manufacturing rep in the midwest?"
"Total obedience."
She seemed dissatisfied with that answer. “W-what would that entail?"
"Just as it sounds. You do anything I tell you to do, without argument. If you disobey me, you get punished, or I'll just forget the whole arrangement and call the cops."
"Punished?"
"Yeah, like spankings. Nothing you couldn't handle."
"And these, um, duties-I hope you don't expect me to run drugs for you or something!"
"I'm not talking about anything like that. Just sexual things."
Ellen pondered that information. Jack could bet she was running sex acts through her mind, trying to decide which ones were beyond her abilities to stomach. “You mean, like, uh, making love to another woman? Or a gang-bang?” Her voice quavered.
"Maybe. You'd do whatever necessary to keep the customers or employees happy."
"But I could have you arrested too!” The angry words slipped out. She seemed to gather her nerve and rush ahead. “I mean, setting yourself up as a pimp is illegal too! How would that play at the Chamber of Commerce?"
"You're right, of course. If you got caught or turned in, I'd probably be arrested too. Then the entire sordid story would come out. While you're on trial for embezzlement, I'd be on trial for pandering or the like. But I think I'd get off and I don't think you would."
"After they hear that you forced me into this, they'd-"
"I haven't forced you to do anything, Ellen. This was entirely your idea. I've said several times, I'm fully prepared to call the police. You're the one who's prolonged this conversation by encouraging me to think of alternatives. And frankly, there aren't many when you've admitted you've stolen such a large amount of money."
She shrugged, trying to maintain her dignity while naked. “It'd be your word against mine. I'd tell them you forced me. I may go to jail for a couple of years, but you could get more time for running a sex shop!"
"I wouldn't call it a sex shop. It's only you, trying to do what you can to pay me back. Besides, I'm not a fool. I took the liberty of filming this meeting.” He pointed to a vent, high up on the wall. Ellen, her eyes wide, looked over and spotted the small lens of a camera pointing through the slats at her.
She stood and turned away, grabbing her clothes to shield her nakedness. “You can't. That's illegal.” She struggled to put on her clothes. Jack didn't try to stop her. He merely stood, picked up the phone and began to dial.
"W-what are you doing? Stop that!"
Jack ignored her, the phone pressed to one ear. “You understand that this tape will become evidence. It could even be made public, unless you hire a sharp attorney.” He turned his attention to the phone, where a recorded voice was telling him the correct time. “Hello, police?"
Ellen lunged for the phone cradle, cutting off the connection. Her clothes dropped to the ground."Let's not do that… um… yet,” she begged. “Let's talk a little longer, okay?"
"Last chance,” he said. “I don't want to play games any more. Either you agree to use your ‘personal assets’ to pay me back, or this conversation is over."
She stood, trying to maintain what dignity she had left. Silence filled the room, stretching time. Jack watched as she wrestled with her decision.
"All right,” she said at last. “I'll do your dirty work. I'll be your, uh, slave. It will cost me my self-esteem and probably my marriage, but I'll agree to, um, work for you until I've paid my debt."
"Plus interest,” Jack put in, “which we'll set at nine percent a year, a true bargain, considering. Agreed?” He pointed at the camera.
She squared her shoulders and looked up at it. “Agreed."
"Good.” He got up and walked around to his desk. “I'm shutting down the camera now. I don't think we'll need it any longer.” He pointed a remote unit at a bookcase and Ellen could hear the VCR click off.
She watched as Jack retrieved the tape and immediately locked it into his safe, mounted behind a painting along one wall. He turned back to Ellen.
"From now on, your name will be El. I don't think a slut like you deserves a complete name. We'll announce tomorrow that you're changing jobs, going from CFO to secretary. You do what I tell you to do, without question, no matter how embarrassing. You'll call me ‘Mr. Sawyer,’ ‘sir’ or ‘master’ at all times."
El blanched, but said nothing.