Casa Perez has many rooms to choose from. As I led Irene down the hall, I decided against the home office and instead lead her into a more comfortable sitting room. Business casual if you will. It had a couch facing a desk, wing-back arm chairs on either side of the coffee table sitting between them. A plush, and expensive, Savonnerie rug covered the tile floor, filling the room. Soft yellow light from antique wall lamps lit the space, banishing the shadows to the corners were modern file cabinets clashed with antique oak bookcases filled with a myriad of classics. These books were one of my many personal collections in the house.

The window across from the door just caught the edge of the setting sun, sky streaked in anaranjado y rosa, orange and pink*. I walked briskly around the desk and sat, the sumptuous leather caressing my tired body as I reclined ever so slightly. I waved at Irene to sit on the sofa as my fingers idly played with the button at the collar of my blouse.

“Please sit Irene. Eduardo should be in shortly with refreshments. And that spectacular pile of papers…” I took a jab, testing her reaction, making sure to soften it with a bemused smile as I winked at her. Her face flushed faster than a deluge in a dry basin, redder than a tomate from Eduardo’s garden. I clicked my tongue happily, laughing softly as I popped open a button on my blouse.

“M-ma’am I am s-so sorry about the-”

“I am teasing you. do not worry.” I interrupted her, making sure to smile with my eyes. “Accidents do happen after all.”

“Yes ma’am.” She answered, quickly screwing up her face to add, “S-sorry, Miss Perez!” If it was possible to get any redder…

“Or, Senora…” I offered in a whisper too low for her to hear. How I wanted to hear the sound on her lips.

“Ah, Eduardo.” Perfect timing as usual, Eduardo carried a tray topped with a neat stack of folders along with a pitcher of water, bottle of wine and glasses for both. “Did you eat?” I asked as I watched Eduardo place the tray on the coffee table and neatly arrange the contents across it’s inlaid surface. I returned the slight nod of his head and he left the room.

Still waiting for a response I turned a stern gaze on Irene, eyebrow cocked.

“Irene?”

“Yes Miss Perez?”

“Eat. Did you?”

“O-oh me! I thought you were… I’m, yes. I’m good. Thank you.” She wrung her hands in her lap, hints of pink still staining her full cheeks and a nervous smile twitching on her pink lips. She was clearly uncomfortable and hastily added. “Miss Perez.” It was cute how flustered she was getting. I couldn’t help but enjoy the discomfort I could put her in with the simplest of efforts. But I could also see the distress the poor girl was in and, while I often enjoyed causing certain people discomfort, it was usually through the course of a mutually agreed upon arrangement. I wasn’t going to be mean but… I also felt a sudden desire to play with her rise up from my core, spreading it’s heat through my chest. Anticipation…

I stood, taking my time as I made my way around the antique table, fingers dragging across it’s polished surface. “To begin… This is not the office. You can…” I took a deep breath, looking up at the wicker bladed fan as I came to lean against the front of the desk. “Let your hair down a bit, so to speak.” My fingernails clacked on the varnish where they rested, braced against the hand carved trim of the desk. I offered Irene a small smile and a reassuring nod as I reached up and pulled the silver, turquoise adorned skewer out of the bun my hair had been wrapped in all day. Hair cascaded down the back of my neck, falling about my shoulders in a tasteless mess as the skewer clattered across the hardwood of the desk where I threw it. “Mmm, better.” I murmured, shaking out my mass of wavy, raven black hair. “Or quite literally.” I added, my voice soft and velvety.

“I-I see…” Here eyes were wide, watching me, hands clutched to her chest.

“Now, about your evaluation. I’ve been watching you closely this last week.” She sucked sucked in air through clenched teeth, suddenly ridged. “What have you heard about me this week?”

“M-Miss Perez?” I could see right through her perplexion as she tried to dodge.

“What. Have you heard?” I spoke slowly as I ran my fingers through my hair, tousling it, coaxing the waves into a more comfortable and alluring do.

“I… N-nothing.” Lies. But that was ok. It was easy to see what she was thinking. But I would not fire her for honesty. I would not fire her at all. At least not tonight.

I knew the kind of ribbing my employees could give. It was done in good fun and usually about me. Which I loved. I knew what they said about me, some true, others not. I’d worked hard to build up a certain reputation and made sure that only those traits I wanted remembered were spread. The employees that worked closest to me knew the value of loyalty. And a good tease. Unfortunately for Irene, She had been completely taken in by their…Our…juvenile pranks.

“Liar.” Her face fell as I called her out. I hadn’t thought she could turn so pale but the blood drained from her so fast I feared she might faint. While I didn’t mind good-natured banter in the office, I did mind liars. Irene was far too good at her job for me to give her the axe. And far too lovely besides. But if she was going to work in my office, she would also need to learn the value of truth and loyalty.

“Uu-uhm…” Irene let out a strangled little sound, I’m sure struggling to come up with something in her defense.

I eyed the wine as Irene sat staring at my feet and leaned down to pour myself a glass. Tipping it back, the deep golden liquid spilled across my tongue, eliciting a moan from deep in my chest. I closed my eyes as I picked out the individual flavors of the chardonnay. Delicious. I poured another glass, holding it in offer to her.

“Wine?”

“N-no Ma’am.” Such a pitiful little whisper. I was amused and invigorated at the display, the power of my position a dangerously intoxicating drug. This would be her one lesson on the matter and one I was thoroughly enjoying teaching. No one lied to me at my company. I may not always like the truth but I would accept it. I expected it.

“I abhor liars Irene.” I watched as she nodded, a tear coming to the corner of her eye. Pushing off from the desk, I grabbed a Perez monogrammed handkerchief from the top, and spoke as I moved to tower over her. “Look at me.” She dabbed at her eyes, trying not to let her mascara run. “Now…” I put my weight behind the word.

With a sniff, Irene pulled her gaze off the floor and rose to meet mine.

“Two things Miss Thomas. Number one… Do not believe everything you hear about me, yes? Number two, and easily the most important… Never lie to me again. Or I really will fire you. I expect the truth from the people I work with.” I handed her the handkerchief as she processed my words. A slew of emotions battled across her lovely plump face until relief finally registered.

“S-so you’re not, not firing me?” She took the offered cloth and dabbed carefully at her eyes, suppressing a sob halfway through.

“Not tonight mi Chica. But remember what I said.” I once again handed her the glass of wine. Irene took it wordlessly and drank deeply, raising my eyebrow at the display. “Truly, you are a good assistant. I have enjoyed working with you this last week and have nothing in the way of criticism to share with you. Simply Miss Thomas… Keep up the good work.” I gave her a warm smile with the last, filled with all the sincerity I felt.

“Thank you, Ma… Miss Perez.” She sniffled, wiping her nose with the handkerchief.

“Now… Let us conclude this business.” I said as I waved my hand at the stack of folders. “So we can both get on with our plans for the night.” I smiled, my teeth bared as the predator inside me eyed it’s future meal.

“Uh, right. Yes, of course Miss Perez.” Irene smiled back, flushing a warm shade of red as she struggled to hold my gaze. With a deep, shuddering breath and a straight back, she reached for the stack of folders and dove right in. “The first order of business is a small one. These order forms were missed and still require your signature here and here…”

I listened to Irene drone on, taking the stack of papers as I propped them against my crossed legs and signed the indicated spots. I could do this all on Monday but to have the weekend free from the thoughts of what lay undone was a liberating sensation.

“Next.” I passed the documents back to Irene, watching as she organized the papers into folders with tidy sticky notes on the covers. A small laptop sat on her other side, open to an organizational software of some type or another. Her fingers flew over the keyboard one handed as she read the report from the next folder. A brilliant multitasker it would seem…

I sipped my wine, enjoying the warmth that began to emanate from my center and out my limbs, Hot… My fingers went back to playing with the mother of pearl buttons on my blouse as Irene explained the state of third quarter sales projections. A button popped, relieving a modicum of pressure across my chest as I leaned my head back against the wingback and closed my eyes. I found my thoughts wandering, imagining what it would feel like to have those fingers of hers wrapped around me, squeezing, stroking. What her lips would look like as they teased the tip of my cock, my fingers threading through her soft hair as I prepared to pull her onto me.

POP… Another swig, another button. Cool air washed across the top of my heavy breasts, the balconette bra I was encased in strained to keep them from spilling out of my blouse but did nothing for the taught peaks held within. My arousal was proudly on display, tenting my gauzy white blouse atop each breast. The next button was between my peaks… Just one more and I could-

“Miss Perez?”

……

* So I’ve been learning to speak Spanish, yo soy estudiar Espanol! I’m still not very good but it’s only been a few weeks! That being said, I love the Southwest and it’s style. It’s sorta the style foundation for the story. Sandra was born and raised in Salinas. Her parents made sure to teach her Spanish as her native tongue as was done for them. They were proud of their heritage and had a firm belief in upholding family traditions.

Whenever I get the chance, I try to insert a bit of estilo Suroeste when I can, Southwest style that is, which includes some Spanish here and there along with depictions of Suroeste architecture! Homes made out of adobe, stucco, tile floors, heavy wooden supports etc… and as I get better at managing details, colorful textiles and fun traditional prints. I’ve already done this in past episodes of the story before I started learning and, hopefully, didn’t mess up basic grammar too badly.

In the future I will make mistakes but as much as I’m trying to stay true to reality, this is a completely made up version of our world! Forgive me my lack of understanding if you should catch me tripped up in an errancy.

© O.L. Vale 2023