Submitting to Her (29 page)

I shook my head, my expression remaining as
full of menace as I could muster.

"Cool it, Jones, will you?" Zoey said. I felt
acid fill my stomach - something I'd not really felt before with my
goddess.

Betrayal.

Brandon said: "If I want to discipline my
woman, I will discipline my woman."

He threw a hand toward Zoey's face, and
somehow the adrenalin flowing through my veins seemed to give me
Spidey senses - my own hand shot out and I grabbed his wrist before
he could land his blow on her cheek.

"She's not your woman."

He angrily pulled his arm out of my grip.

"You're only going to make it worse," he
hissed at me. "If you keep me from disciplining her, I'll need to
discipline her more the next time."

I looked at him - really stared at him. He
seemed so hideously ugly to me. He was a vile creature - a bully, a
pathetic creep who had to force his will on others. He abused the
concept of domination and submission.

How had I allowed him to defile my goddess? I
felt caught. There was no way I'd let him land another blow on
Zoey. I knew the power he held over her - she may have loved him
once, she might still have loved him then, but this was wrong.

Suddenly, I had a flash of inspiration.

I said: "She serves you, but I serve her. Any
punishment you care to give her, I will accept instead."

I didn't know if he'd take the bait. He just
had this look on his stupid steroid-enhanced face that said
I-really-want-to-hit-someone-right-now. He had the kind of tension
in his body that could only be defused by violent acts.

Zoey said: "Step away, Jones."

"No, no," Brandon said. "It's a logical
solution. Come here, Jones."

I stepped up to him, braced myself as he
reached his arm back, coiled to power at my face.

Brandon hit me, hard, closed-fist, in the
jaw. Pain erupted through my face. Zoey screamed.

I stood my ground. Now it was my turn to
sneer. I said: "That make you feel like a man, Brandon? Attacking
the defenseless?"

Brandon growled, and held his fist up once
again to threaten me. He said: "That mouth will get you in trouble,
Jones."

I said: "Truth hurts, huh?"

He swung at me again. I flinched, and he
caught my chin, but it still stung like hell.

I laughed. He hit me again - side of the
head.

I said something like: "Pathetic." My mouth
didn't quite work properly by then - my whole face was numb. I
think I caught another blow from Brandon, maybe a few more.

And then Zoey was yelling at me to get out -
like I was the one in the wrong.

I guess that was what did it - that acid
feeling of betrayal welled up in my stomach again. I was thinking:
how is she still standing by him? Can you not see what a pathetic
loser he is?

I was close to blacking out - I could see
stars swirling in my vision.

Zoey yelled my name, and that was enough for
me.

I walked out of the room, closed the
adjoining door, and once in my own room I dressed, threw my
belongings in my suitcase, and left the hotel. I was numb, I was
possibly concussed, but it was the acid in my belly that hurt the
most.

Ms Jenkinson agreed to see me first thing in
the morning.

I’d spent a harrowing night driving back
home. The shock soon wore off from my uncontested beating,
requiring an unplanned pause at a rest stop for Tylenol. Worse than
the physical discomfort was the emotional pain from walking out on
Zoey.

My journey through the night had actually
started off with me feeling some sense of pride, in that I had made
a stand against the vile Brandon and had shown quite clearly what a
cruel and heartless bastard her old flame was.

Yet as I got closer and closer to Baltimore,
my view of the situation changed. I felt more and more that I’d
done the wrong thing. First I’d stepped in to Zoey’s room without
permission, then I’d attempted to force her choice between Brandon
and I, and then I’d fled the scene like some kind of pathetic
coward. If Brandon was a dangerous lunatic, then it was hardly
heroic to abandon her to him.

I’d been tested, and had failed miserably.
But how could I possibly turn round and go back to her, tail
between my legs? The pride I'd felt at the beginning of my journey
was too wounded by the end of it for me to make a quick return.

At home, I arrived so late that Robin was
thankfully already asleep, saving my blushes. Even in darkness, the
apartment reminded me of my time with Zoey, my heart feeling
crushed at the memories of bringing her back here. I got to bed
feeling like a huge piece of me had been torn away.

She’d been cruel in how she’d treated me, but
as I lay unable to sleep, I considered that the sense of
fulfillment I felt with her might just be the same as she had once
felt with Brandon. If she had loved him once, and still loved him,
that was always going to be a tough choice to make.

I’d never really experienced love before Zoey
– but she had. I couldn’t see things her way, because I had never
had to make a choice like that.

Feeling that I understood her mindset was no
compensation for the anguish I felt. Being with her had been like
flying up to the sun – I’d been scorched, I’d fallen to the earth,
but what an experience it had been. Where would I ever find another
like her?

By the time I was able to sink into a brief
and shallow slumber, I had decided that my best option was to get
away from Zoey. There was no way I’d be able to see her every day
without getting my heart completely shredded. It was a hard
decision to make – especially considering the lengths we’d gone to
show our CEO that we could work together perfectly well while
conducting a full romantic relationship.

There was no other option – I had to get out.
I sent an email to Ms Jenkinson, apologizing profusely, accepting
the blame completely for what had happened. I explained my run-in
with Brandon without going into too much detail. I only made it
clear that Zoey had appeared to make a choice, and despite showing
her the kind of Neanderthal he was, I could not remain working with
her in the wake of her decision.

I was expecting to take a sick day, perhaps
get some kind of reply from Ms Jenkinson later that day, even if it
was referring me to our human resources department to submit my
resignation. Yet her reply came back within minutes of sending my
email that night.

Meet me in my office, first thing.

It was strange going into the company
building again - I felt different, somehow. I'd been coming through
this revolving door virtually every working day over the past eight
or nine years, and it had become such a regular part of my life, I
couldn't quite believe this would be the last time.

Winston the security guard flagged me through
the turnstile as usual, giving me that knowing look of warm
recognition that had always suggested to me that he knew all the
reasons for me being there at that hour, although there was no way
he could.

Then I was in the elevator, my finger
hovering over the usual button for the third floor and our sales
department, moving up to the button bearing the number eight.

On the way up, I felt thankful that other
than Winston, the building seemed deserted. I would be able to
discuss my situation with our chief executive, then gather my
belongings and vacate the premises without having to run into
colleagues requiring detailed explanations.

I felt a little numb to the pain of losing
Zoey, perhaps because my nerves were jangling so much ahead of my
meeting with the CEO. I tried to calm myself with the attitude that
things couldn't get much worse. I was about to lose my job, having
already lost the only woman I'd ever loved. At least I had my
health.

I knocked, and heard the familiar order:
"Come."

My heart was in my mouth as I opened the door
and slipped inside to find the radiant Ms Jenkinson once again
sitting regally in her office chair, looking impeccable in a sharp
suit despite the early hour. She must have arrived at the office
well before me - did she sleep here in some secret apartment?

"Aiden Jones," she said as I approached her.
"What are we going to do with you?"

I felt so gloomy as I came to a halt in front
of her desk, the air of disappointment so thick around me.

"I'm sorry, Ma'am," I said. "I honestly
thought I could handle it."

Ms Jenkinson gazed at me, and I felt more
exposed than ever, despite having previously been entirely naked
before her. I guess the last time, I had Zoey here to deflect some
of her attention. Here, I was on my own.

"I've already heard how you handled it,
Aiden," she said in a surprisingly gentle tone.

"I… I wasn't thinking…" I stammered, then
tried to pull myself together. God. I wasn't trying to save my job
now - I didn't need to offer her a sob story. Some good references
might be nice, but this wasn't time for groveling. A little more
firmly, I said: "I thought if I tried to show her that he was not
worthy of her, she'd end it with him."

Ms Jenkinson looked at me a moment, taking in
the cuts and bruises that now sprawled all over my face.

After a long pause, she said: "Zoey had a
long, difficult history with Brandon, I'm afraid. He's a really
nasty piece of work - but unfortunately, she fell for him hard when
they were at college."

I nodded. There wasn't anything I could
really say.

Ms Jenkinson went on: "When she was my
intern, I recognized real talent in her - talent to make a
difference at this company, if only she could grasp the bull by the
horns and embrace her leadership abilities. But Brandon always did
remain a thorn in her side. I tried hard to get rid of him,
too."

Our chief executive pulled herself up out of
her seat and now walked around to me.

"You know," she said, "the last few weeks and
months, Zoey has really changed."

"Yes, Ma'am. She has."

The blonde woman stood in front of me, and
now looked up into my face, raising her hands to gently hold my
head in her fingers, so she could tilt it back and examine my
wounds in the light.

"What you have to realize, Aiden, is that she
didn't do it alone," our CEO said. "She took control of you - but
you showed her how to take control, you validated her control."

"I… I suppose so," I said.

She nodded, removed her hands from my face.
"Not too serious, thankfully," she said of my bruising, and even
laughed, "Makes you look quite the action hero."

I smiled.

She said seriously: "I want to thank you for
what you've done, Aiden. She wouldn't have made the progress she
had without you."

Without warning, I felt a colossal sadness
take hold of my heart, so that tears began to well up in my eyes
that I struggled to keep back. What an amazing young woman I'd
lost. How would I ever live without her in my life?

I said: "I only wish I could have kept her
away from Brandon."

Ms Jenkinson stroked my cheek tenderly. She
said: "I think you did what you could. You've forced her to make a
choice. She has to make it - it can't be you making it for her.
That would undermine her whole leadership position. But you
understood that when you stood there and took a beating."

I shrugged, feeling a little vindication,
though still fighting to keep back the tears. I didn't want to look
like an idiot in front of this impressive woman.

"I want to help you, Aiden," she said. "After
everything you've done for me - all the help you've given me in
getting through to our Zoey."

My ears pricked up. "Thank you, Ma'am."

She slowly wandered back around to the other
side of the desk. "A friend of mine works for a political
consultancy down in DC, needs some help in their new publishing
division," Ms Jenkinson said. "A proficient salesman and team
leader like yourself would be an asset. I'd be happy to recommend
you."

"Thank you, Ma'am. That would be
wonderful."

She removed her jacket, draping it over her
desk in a manner you didn't usually see, but would keep it flat. I
thought nothing of it, I was so ecstatic that I was going to get
the personal recommendation of our chief executive for a promising
new position at another company - even if I'd most likely have to
move to another city to take it up. Even the hassle of relocating
felt somehow promising if it meant a fresh start.

"I'll accept your resignation as soon as you
care to submit it," the attractive blonde said, now unfastening the
buttons on her blouse. "But I think given the injuries you've
sustained, it would be only reasonable to allow you to serve out
your notice period at home."

"Thank you, Ma'am."

She pulled off her blouse, revealing a lacy
white bra and plenty of smooth, flawless skin - and suddenly I did
notice her intentions. Wow, she certainly was a tiger. Whether or
not I had actively affected Zoey's ability to lead men, in this
moment I felt certain that Zoey and myself had affected Ms
Jenkinson's fondness for inappropriate sexual conduct at work.

Her skirt fell to the floor, and she said in
an extraordinarily serene voice: "Then we have an agreement."

"Yes, Ma'am."

Her bra came next, her beautiful breasts and
taut nipples were exposed to the chill air-conditioned office.

"Perhaps you might like to show your
appreciation for my support in this, Aiden," she said, slipping her
white lacy panties down over her toned thighs to reveal her little
trimmed bush of golden hair.

"Of course," I said, my heart pounding in my
chest. It felt like all kinds of wrong - betrayal against Zoey even
though she had betrayed me so cruelly, and despite the fact that
the last time I'd been in this room, my beloved had ordered me to
have my way with this woman.