Chapter 2

“This is my company, of course I’m comfortable here. When this deal goes through, I will be paid handsomely for the buyout — yes — but I will also return to Seoul as a failure.”

“Is that what you think is happening?” I ask.

“What else is there? The people who backed me financially will have a low opinion of me. My career will suffer. That’s how it works in business, as you will come to find out.”

“I can help you. Maybe you can work for me. Maybe you can stay here in some capacity.”

“You think I’m a charity case?”

“No, no, that’s not what I’m saying.”

“You’re new,” Jung says. “So obvious. You have intelligence but very little experience. Are you a fast learner?”

“We don’t have to do this.”

“Have you been taught about business etiquette from your boss? Where is she? Hiding? On vacation?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You owe me small favors.”

Jung leans back on the chair and pulls her skirt so that her skinny thighs are showing. She spreads her legs, no panties. Her labia is dark and her pubic hairs are curly. All throughout the meeting she kept things natural. Does she always come to work like this? Or is this specifically for me?

“What are you doing?” I ask.

She doesn’t bother to finish her sentence when she sees my confusion, then she grimaces. She acts like I’m being offensive for not indulging her advance. She stands and straightens her skirt. When she storms out of the meditation room, she does it with so much fury that I start to feel guilty, even though what she wants is more than what I can give.

It’s two days later when Ms. Hallerin returns to the office after getting my text messages. She plays the politician role when she meets with top managers and keeps up appearances. Being respected is what she lives for, she thrives off attention.

When we’re finally alone in the private office, she insists that I sit behind the CEO’s desk, while she sits across from me. The power switch will never get old, but that’s not the biggest thing on my mind. I tell Ms. Hallerin everything and she sits there and nods. Nothing about this shocks her. She’s heard this before. It’s familiar to her.

“And what are you doing about it?” she asks.

Ms. Hallerin’s tone of voice is annoyed, like the answer is so obvious. She used to do this routinely when I was her secretary, which makes it clear that she still views me the same way. I’m still the secretary in her eyes. A pet project for her.

“I was hoping you could give me insight on what to do.”

She keeps a straight face. “Well, clearly Jung needs her pussy eaten.”

“Are you being flippant, or have you ever done… that?”

“I’m a business woman. There’s your answer.”

“Truth be told, I was wondering how long it would take before you ate your first pussy. The occasional fling is for office employees. Now you’re flying at a different level. At this altitude, everything is about ego and reputation. You’re buying Jung out. She worked crazy hours to reach her status and now she has to go back to South Korea defeated. The least she wants in return is her pussy eaten.”

I stop myself from falling over on my chair. Ms. Hallerin is amused by my reaction and she gives me time to process this information.

“At this point it’s getting difficult to separate fact from fiction.”

She shrugs. “Welcome to the corporate world.”

“We’ve known each other for years. I’ve been in charge of your schedule and kept your secrets. I can only conclude that this is some elaborate hoax. Or maybe, perhaps, you’re trying to gauge my loyalty to you. Did you put Jung up to this?”

“That’s a fair assessment, but you’re wrong.”

As if putting my doubts to rest, Ms. Hallerin leans back and lifts her knee-length skirt from the hem. There’s nothing beneath. Her legs are skinny and reflect her older age, and also she’s waxed, not a stubble of hair in sight. When she spreads her legs, all I can do is stare in disbelief. This is the woman I’ve been loyal to for the last several years. A woman of power and ferocity. Now I’m seeing the depths of her, literally.

“You must have thought of me as a sexless bitch,” she says.

“Could you blame me?”

“No, my reputation is carefully guarded.”

“You have to close the deal with the South Koreans by any means. Don’t fuck it up.”

“Even if I have to do… that.”

Ms. Hallerin taps her clitoris. “Come here. Let me teach you something.”

With some reluctance I stand and approach her. I’m leaving the safe confines of my desk and walk to her exposed vagina. It’s yet another reminder that my status is false and hers is the real thing. When I’m standing in front of Ms. Hallerin, she gestures with her index finger for me to kneel.

My heart pounds when my knees touch the floor, my eyes looking straight between her legs. Her pussy glistens. She’s so calm. So beautiful. So commanding.

“If you don’t eat Jung’s pussy she might not close the deal,” she says. “That’s how it works. An exchange of egos and pride. Understand?”

“Give it a try. I’ll work with you.”

It’s a funny feeling when you realize that everything you know is false. I thought I knew this woman, but I don’t. I thought I knew the corporate world, but I don’t. I question all the years I’ve worked as a secretary, people coming and going from this office, doors closed, while I sat behind my desk outside.

I wonder how many times Ms. Hallerin was getting her pussy eaten, using her power and influence to get the kind of pleasure I’m giving her right now. So many women were coming and going through those doors. Women of different ages and authorities. I have to reevaluate everything.

She tells me what to do, how to work my tongue, how to suck. She tastes sweet and she’s very wet, her body emanates warmth. When she cums in my mouth, it’s yet another reminder that she’s my all-powerful boss, and to be honest I’ve never been so aroused.

A week later I’m sitting across the conference table from Jung and she begins expressing skepticism over the deal. The lawyers are blindsided by the sudden apprehension, but I understand full well, so does Jung. There’s this delicate dance between us while everyone else talks about the details.

“Can everyone leave the room for a moment?” I ask.

I’m talking to my lawyers and advisors, which surprises them, but no one talks back to me. They get the message and leave the conference room.

Jung is calculating the moment, she doesn’t do anything until my people leave the room, and even then she sits there and contemplates, staring right at me. She then tells her people to leave, but only the men. When they leave, Jung is flanked by three women, one American and two South Korean, and this feels like a showdown.

She looks at me, assessing me. I wonder if the women sitting beside Jung know what to expect. If they do things together and it’s their secret, which is why only the men were asked to leave.

“I’ve been too hard on you. None of this is your fault.”

“But you’re still expecting something,” I say. “During this entire meeting you’ve been putting up roadblocks.”

“I have very high standards. What can I say?”

“We can stop playing games and get this deal done.”

“Not until I get what I want.”

Jung doesn’t elaborate any further, she just looks at me. Her demeanor has softened but she’s still razor sharp about what she wants. Her arched eyebrow says it all. But what she wants might be more than I’m able to give. I still wonder if the women sitting beside Jung know what this is about. I wonder if Jung had previously exposed herself to them, like she did with me.

As the seconds move along it’s become clear that this negotiation won’t advance until I give in. She wants me to make the first move. She wants me to lower myself to make amends for buying her firm, even though I’ve done nothing wrong. Would it be so bad? I already broke the taboo with my boss and loved it. I’m clenching between my legs thinking about doing this with Jung, but her advisors in the room are making a complicated situation even more complicated.

I stand and walk around the table, her eyes locked on me, following my movement toward her. When I get close, Jung turns her seat and I see her stockings and heels and knee-length skirt. Is she pantyless again? She must be. Again I wonder if her advisors know what’s coming. I’m hoping — praying — that she’ll stop this, that it’s all a bluff.

“Are we really doing this?” I ask.

“What I’m asking for is reasonable. My firm has great value and you’re getting it for a great price.”

“Those terms were already negotiated.”

She scoffs. “It wasn’t a fair deal. You weren’t there. You wouldn’t know.”

It makes me wonder what hardball tactics Ms. Hallerin might have used when negotiating these terms. She’s known for shrewd tactics and using whatever leverage in her power. I wonder if the two of them had ever done anything sexual. At this point, I wouldn’t be shocked if Jung was made to eat Ms. Hallerin’s pussy, and now Jung is getting revenge by doing this to me.

Whatever the case, losing this deal would be the end of my career. Not only would I get fired, but it would also be a huge blow to my self-esteem. I’d worked myself up mentally since being thrust into this position and I swore to myself that I’d succeed. I need this for myself. I need a win in life, the kind I’d never tasted before.

Not everything is about money. Sometimes it’s about personal accompaniments. Sometimes it’s about the stockings-and-heels worn by the woman sitting in front of you.

“Can we have privacy?” I ask.