Chapter 20: Understanding

The next day, Allison got into the office earlier than she expected. She was a bit bleary-eyed from a restless night but that was nothing that a good cup of coffee wouldn’t cure, she thought.

She was standing in the queue for the coffee machine. There were a couple of other girls in front of her chatting away about the last evening’s television and similar things. “How was your dinner party,” one said. “Ah,” the other responded, “did you hear that news item that said dinner parties would be less dull if guests were banned from small talk and had to discuss things like global warming and what to do about political disenchantment.” “Something like,” responded the other. “Well, one of the suggestions was ‘the art of the dominatrix’. Take my advice. Don’t go there.”

It was all Allison could do to stop herself from either joining in and recommending enthusiastic ally the BDSM lifestyle or running off and hiding. The two girls looked around and realised Allison was waiting. “Oh, sorry Alli. Here, it’s free now.”

“Thanks,” said Allison, wondering how she’d have responded if she’d been at the dinner party. She made her choice of drink and was waiting for the machine to complete the cycle that was supposed to convince you it was producing freshly brewed, coffee. She saw Lionel emerging from the lift. She stopped. It wasn’t quite the most embarrassing ‘morning after’ encounter that she had had. That would have to be a close call between the guy who had hopped out of her bed saying, “Well, I need to be off now, Alice,” (made worse by the fact that she hadn’t contradicted him) and the time she had woken up next to a man whose name she couldn’t for the life of her remember.

Uncertain of what you said in the morning to someone that had spent the evening on their knees in your flat, she contented herself by smiling and offering a cheery “Good morning,” just as she would have on any other day.

“Good morning, Miss Terry,” Lionel ventured, without stopping on his way to his office.

His formal response seeming to Allison as suitable for a submissive as it would be for a conventional, polite reply and she was relieved that he hadn’t tried to start a discussion about the previous night. She felt strongly that it would be very unwise to bring this aspect of her private life into the office. After all, she thought, what would have been the outcome of Lionel discovering the draft of Gordon’s contract if Lionel’s interests hadn’t been as they were? And she still had nightmares about the moment when Lionel had been crouched under his desk and the two of them had been disturbed.

She made her way to her desk and tried to get started on her day’s work. It wasn’t easy, though. Lionel’s office was just along the corridor. Every time Allison heard the sound of his door she caught herself looking up, wondering about Lionel and how he was feeling about the night before and wondering how she was feeling about the same thing.

It was a little later that morning when Jason, one of the other partners, approached her. “Are you terribly busy Allison? If not I’d like you to come and take minutes for a meeting.”

Allison was happy to agree to anything that would get her mind off of the previous evening and was soon sitting with her notebook in one of the conference rooms. Two of the other senior partners came in and then, to Allison’s concern, Lionel.

Jason started the meeting with a brief nod to all around the table. “Harry, James, Lionel, I think you all know Miss Terry? I’ve asked her to minute this. We need to review where we are on the new business initiative.” He carried on outlining the steps that the group had agreed on earlier and then asked for an update. For Allison, it wasn’t very demanding work and she was able to keep up with the discussions. It was only when Jason asked Lionel if he’d been able to whip up any new business and if he’d got his latest client well tied down that Allison started to feel it hard to keep a straight face.

Lionel, to Allison’s relief, was unfazed, peering over his glasses he ran through the various clients he was working with and his expectations for them.

Allison was relieved when Jason brought the meeting to a close but concerned when Lionel asked her to go through to his office. She closed the door behind her carefully.

“When can I see you again?” Lionel blurted out, answering Allison’s unspoken question as to how had felt about the previous evening. “I mean, that is, if you will, err, or you want ... or...”

Allison found it easy to slip into the dominant persona that Lionel evidently desired she should take on. She spoke quietly but firmly. “I was not displeased with your service last night. It might be worthwhile for you to call again.” The look of relief on Lionel’s face encouraged Allison but she wanted to keep him off balance until she knew just what she was planning to do for a further session. “I will let you know when.”

“I have some things I could bring. If you wanted.”

“Things?”

“The collar, Mistress Calloway uses on me, the...”

“I see.” Allison thought for a moment, thinking that agreeing to this would be surrendering the initiative somewhat. “No they won’t be needed. I have all that we need,” she said. “You just bring yourself.” She paused for a moment and then smiled. “After all, a slave shouldn’t have possessions, should they?”