Chapter 3 - Downsizing

SIX WEEKS AFTER THE FALL

“I don’t like it” Ian muttered before taking a sip of his jet black coffee.

“Don’t like what?” Marco asked in between bites of his reheated chicken parmesan.

The two sat in one of Athena Corp’s many cafeterias. They were chatting over lunch, as they did most days. The talk of fellow co-workers buzzed around them. It was a cacophony of commiseration over the many drastic changes to the corporate hierarchy in recent weeks.

“What do you think I’m talking about?!? The shakeup! The layoffs. All of it.”

Deep frustration was etched across his face. The middle aged financial analyst with short blonde hair was vexed. Ian was 5’10 with a medium build he kept trim with a careful diet and regular exercise. His well manicured beard and mustache showed only the first lines of white invading the otherwise golden mane decorating his square jaw. The man looked like he belonged on a viking long boat, but found himself in the boardrooms of corporate America, complete with suit and tie.

“It’s standard restructuring. You had to know something like this was going to happen when Ms. Sins took over.”

Marco, by contrast, was thin and wiry. He was 5’8 with short red hair, the curls of which persisted no matter which hairstyle he tried. Even now, with his auburn locks neatly combed into a handsome wave, the ends of many hairs coiled in protest. The marketing manager almost always bore a smile, even when he was having lunch with his dour friend.

Ian sighed. “Have you been paying attention to the announcements? Seen all the offices cleared out? So many gone with no good reason why. Almost all of them men. And it seems like they’re all being replaced by women.”

Marco smirked. “Yeah, but we’ve had way more male employees until now. So isn’t that to be expected?”

Ian frowned at his coworker. To him, Marco had always seemed naive and overly friendly, but he was obviously good at his job or he wouldn’t be there.

“Mr. Telos had a guiding philosophy for how this company should operate. He ran a tight ship. The people he hired were go-getters and visionaries. He didn’t fire people, especially in management, unless they failed to perform. Everything we see now is in violation of those principles.”

“That’s one perspective” Marco replied. He took a sip of his bottled water before continuing. “But don’t you think Ms. Sins has her own guiding philosophy? Her methods may prove to be just as effective. Besides, if you ask me, diversifying management was long overdue. Monoculture often leads to stagnation.”

“Has the Athena corporation been stagnating in recent years?” Ian asked with raised eyebrows, daring him to answer in the affirmative.

“I didn’t say that. I’m only suggesting we could be doing even better. The shakeup might be a positive thing in the long run. I know I’ll be happy to have more women around and less cocky guys who would slit my throat for a promotion.”

Ian scowled behind his mug. He drank deeply of the caffeinated brew before setting the cup down gently. He was disappointed in his long-time lunch companion, but not surprised. Marco’s girlfriend had him whipped. Was it she that turned him into a feminist? A domineering mother? Or the silly liberal arts college he’d gone to?

Marco was almost ten years his junior. Ian hoped to provide guidance to the young man since befriending him, but the plucky redhead had proven remarkably rooted. Whatever his flaws, Marco was his own man, at least in the workplace. Ian had serious doubts that quality extended to his home life.

“I am not prejudging Ms. Sins. I know nothing of her philosophy because I know almost nothing of her at all. That’s the point. I’m merely skeptical of this sudden volatility and radical change.”

Marco put on his biggest grin, an expression he liked to wear when he was about to announce checkmate. He finished the last of his meat and pasta before letting the cutlery rattle into the microwave-safe dish.

“You respect Mr. Telos, yes? Doesn’t that mean you should have some measure of confidence in his decision? He had to pick Ms. Sins for a reason. Unless you believe the rumor that he handed over his empire to nothing but a pretty face? But that would contradict everything you believe about him, would it not?”

Ian sighed again. This time he looked down and tried his best to summon a reasoned reply. He hated when the young man had a point.

“Even strong men falter, but I’m not going to assume that’s what happened. What you say has some merit. In any case, I’ll have a better idea what’s going on after my interview. It seems I’m next on the chopping block. I meet with HR in one hour.”

“No kidding? Good luck, man.”

“Thanks” he said before draining what was his left of his coffee. His nose wrinkled as he looked at the empty dish in front of Marco. “I have to admit, that smelled pretty good.”

“You want to try it? We could have you over for dinner.”

“Sure. Why not? I can finally meet the woman of your dreams and sample her cooking.”

“Actually, I’m the one who made the chicken parm” Marco responded. He folded his arms over his chest while his lips curled into a defiant smile. “I whipped it up for Gina and I a few nights ago. She loved it.”

Ian chuckled and shook his head. He should’ve known. “I bet she did.”

“Good job, ladies. I’ll take it from here.”

“Bye, Madam Snow!”

“Have fun, Headmistress!”

The two women who’d just spent the last six hours instructing Jake Telos smiled and waved before exiting. The front door of the condo clicked shut and the owner and proprietress of Madam’s Snow’s Ivory Manor turned and examined herself in the hallway mirror.

She’d really dressed the part today. Madam Snow wore a shiny, black PVC bodysuit that stretched all around her body from her shoulders to her boots. Veronica had developed a mild rubber allergy over the years, so she always went with PVC over latex. It cost more, but looked just as wonderful and required considerably less upkeep than traditional rubber fetish gear.

A black corset was cinched around her waist, its succulent leather matching the color of her high heeled boots. Three thick, red leather belts were buckled around both of her calves. In addition to giving her an especially severe look, they helped keep her boots nice and snug. With the help of an excellent personal trainer, she’d lost weight in recent years and some of her favorite boots were starting to feel loose on her.

On a necklace hanging just above her bust was a gleaming snowflake pendant. The frame of the expensive piece was silvery white metal with a brilliant sapphire at its center. The short snowflake petals rounding the interior each bore a sparkling diamond, while the end of each longer crystalline arm bore another small sapphire.

It amused her that snowflake had become a politically charged pejorative in recent years. Veronica had been wearing the pendant long before that. It had become her emblem ever since she’d earned the title ‘Madam Snow.’ As she’d entered middle age and adopted the trademark platinum blonde that fit so well with her name, her legend had continued to grow. It was the perfect symbol for a woman of her traits and style of domination. Beautiful, elegant, cold, calm and perfectly capable of burying you.

Veronica examined her makeup in the mirror and struck a few dominant poses with her hands on her hips. She still looked damn good, in open defiance of her age. She was dressed in one of her favorite scandalous outfits because this was a day she’d been waiting for.

She was about to see an old friend for the first time in many years. Well, perhaps friend wasn’t the right word. A dead and buried dalliance. A bygone companion. Perhaps, one might even say, an old flame. The one who got away. Not that Jake Telos was any great prize, especially in his current form, but maybe he’d have turned out better if Veronica had managed things differently.

No, it was foolish to ponder what might have been. To live in the past and second guess herself. It was simultaneously selfish and unfair to herself. It was better this way. Jake had become the ghoul he was meant to be. The titan of industry that only men with his morbid sociopathy and total emptiness could rise to be in the current world. If Veronica had dealt with him properly and kept him under heel, the door to greater things would not be open. Wisdom held that sometimes, the best thing that can happen to a person is to not get what they want.

Madam Snow grinned, her white teeth flashing in the reflection. She turned, seized her crop from the counter, hoisted her bags and headed down the corridor. She passed a bedroom and an empty playroom before stopping at the next converted play space in which her target was located.

There he was. Formerly the most rich and powerful man in the world, spread out on a bondage table with a pair of soiled panties stuffed in his mouth and a fat dildo protruding from his stretched pucker. He was naked, aside from the cock cage wrapped around his shriveled manhood. His arms and legs were bound firmly to the corners of the table.

Madam Snow strode in, her heels striking the floor as she made her way to the sprawled out submissive. Jake looked up and his eyes went wide when he saw who approached.

“Hello Jacob” she said casually before setting her things down. She leaned over the table, her sleek curves hovering over him and shining in the overhead light as she studied him up close. “So, you finally decided to stop pretending. To no longer hide the real you behind acquisitiveness and meaningless accolades. To once again embrace your true nature. That’s good! I’m just glad I was ready when the time came.”

She grabbed the purple panties sprouting between his teeth and pulled them out with a long slurp. He coughed and took a deep breath through his freed mouth. Jake’s eyes were locked on hers.

“Veronica...”

SMACK

Her gloved hand shot out and slapped his face sideways. The stern Domina left scorching red finger marks across his left cheek.

“You know better than that.”

Jake drank in the delicious ache from the woman he’d once called Mistress. He righted his vision, studying her lovely face and the glittering necklace danging from her cat-suited form. She’d grown older and her curves were less plump than he remembered, but she was no less strong or beautiful. The Headmistress had aged well.

“Madam Snow” he corrected himself.

She’d just started using the title when they parted ways, but he remembered it well. How could he not, after hiring her service while looking for his new Goddess? He knew it was a risk, mixing business with pleasure; especially with someone he had a history with. Regardless, something deep down had told him to do it. He didn’t regret his decision.

Veronica rose back to her full height. She took up her crop from the table and flexed it in her hands. “You may speak freely for the next few minutes. If you have anything you wish to say to me, anything you want to get off your chest, I suggest you do it now. Who knows when you’ll get another chance?”

“It’s good to see you” he said flatly.

There was no emotion in his voice. No longing in his eyes for anything but the visceral sensations he suspected she would soon inflict. Even now, in total surrender, his motives were purely selfish. Jake was an open book to Madam Snow.

“It’s good to be seen by you. I knew this was a possibility, but never dared to hope it might actually happen. Now we’re both going to get what we want.”

“And what is it you want, Madam Snow?”

“A better world for all women. A world where they can embrace their proper role and men can embrace theirs.”

Jacob smirked and nodded in amusement. Some things hadn’t changed. “Did you train Anastasia just to bait me? If so, bravo. You outdid yourself.”

Veronica rolled her eyes before setting her gaze back on him coldly. “Don’t be so dramatic. It was a lucky coincidence that Ana came along when she did. Maybe fate if you believe in that sort of thing. She was born to put you in your place. Other than a few words of advice, I treated her no differently from my other girls.”

“And now that she’s taken everything, am I being given back to you? I do hope I get to see the woman I sacrificed everything for, at least once in a while.”

“Oh, fret not. You will. You’re still Anastasia’s. I’ve simply been put in charge of your schedule. It will be my decision which of our many Dommes you’ll serve from day to day. Anastasia is a busy woman, now more than ever, and I have so many eager women in my house who can’t wait to get their hands on you. Veterans, new-comers, intermediate. You’re going to be a very busy slave.”

Jacob grunted as his penis hardened against the steel coils of his cock cage. Veronica looked down with smug satisfaction, watching his bulging flesh press painfully against its confines.

“Fair enough” he said through gritted teeth. “Can’t say I didn’t ask for it.”

Veronica chuckled and crossed her arms below her breasts. She enjoyed the view as Jacob squirmed on the table and mumbled in pain.

“Your time to speak freely is over. You will address me properly and speak only when spoken to. The same goes for every other Mistress of the Ivory Manor you submit to. You may call me Madam Snow, Mistress Snow or Goddess. Do mix it up a little. You know I hate slaves who bore me.”

“Yes, Mistress Snow.”

Veronica reached down and pulled one her her bags up onto the table. She opened it and searched around a bit before extracting a metal contraption. It was another chastity device; a cock cage and ball spreader that was at least a size or two smaller than the one Jake was currently wearing.

She held it up for him to see. “First thing on the agenda today: downsizing! A fun coincidence since there’s lots of downsizing going on at Athena right now. What do you think of that, slave?”

“I will gladly wear your cage, Madam Snow.”

“And what about the changes at Athena? How does that make you feel?”

“It’s no longer my concern. The company is Anastasia’s now. Whatever she does with it, I hope it makes her happy.”

Snow’s eyes narrowed as she scanned his forlorn expression. “You’re really smitten with her, aren’t you? At least, as much as someone like you can be.”

“She’s an angel of pain” Jake responded. “A divine being of—”

WHAP

Veronica’s crop lashed into Jacob’s midsection, punishing him for failing to use her title. The business end of her wand bit into the sensitive flesh of his torso. He tugged at his bonds and grunted, reeling from the unexpected sting.

“Sorry, Mistress Snow!”

Their exchange was interrupted by noises in the background. Voices echoed in the distance. Both of them suddenly realized there were others in the condo with them.

“Ah, your next two trainers have arrived” Veronica said with a grin. “WE’RE IN HERE, LADIES!” she shouted over her shoulder.

As Madam Snow waited for them to find their way to the room, she looked down at Jacob haughtily. “Over the next six months, I suspect you’ll get to know all the women of the Ivory Manor. Intimately. With the rate Athena is paying us, I doubt any of my girls will tire of dealing with you.”

The women rounded the corner and Jake beheld two more curvy figures in tight fetish clothing. One was a black woman with long, dark hair. She was decked out in red latex from her neck to her matching thigh high boots. The other was a white woman with startling shoulder-length dyed orange hair that faded into a lighter shade the further it proceeded. She was wearing a metal studded black corset and black leather pants. Her black knee-high boots bore stiletto heels.

While scanning their costumes and tantalizing curves, he noticed that the woman in red was sporting a sizable bulge in the front of her shiny bodysuit. After a second look at the other woman, he saw that she, likewise, had a growing pipe-like protrusion pressing through the tight leather of her pants.

Jake’s eyes opened wide as anxiety coursed through his body. His heartbeat spiked as they grew closer, the rubber and leather of their costumes squeaking as they closed in. He’d been with many dominant women over the years, but none like them. It seemed Madam Snow was eager to expand his horizons.

“Say hello to Mistress Justine and Madam Aurora” Veronica spoke up enthusiastically.

“Greetings Mistress Justine, Madam Aurora” Jacob said with a respectful nod, trying desperately not to sound fearful. He lifted one shackled wrist the mere inch he could and offered them a little wave.

“Hey baby!” the buxom woman in red greeted him.

“Hi bitch” the woman in black said curtly.

Madam Snow turned to them with smiles of admiration. “These fine ladies are two of our most sought after tops at the Ivory Manor! You should consider yourself very fortunate to enjoy their company at the same time. They’re going to be looking after you today and the rest of the night after I leave. You will follow their orders and obey their every whim until they’re relieved tomorrow. Is that understood, slave?”

Jacob gazed into her inviting portals of dark brown. Her eyelids were half lowered and her grin was sinister as she awaited his acquiescence. He could no more deny her than he could forsake his glorious Goddess of anguish. His life was now forfeit to Veronica’s desires as much as Anastasia’s, and he knew an endless procession of Femdom furies would follow.

“As you wish, Madam Snow.”

Ian sat with his arms folded. He was the only man in the packed waiting room not staring at his phone. He gazed at the big screen across the way in between looks at the doomed men around him. A round table of talking heads was discussing the news of the day on TV, but it was impossible to focus on that. Not when his career hung in the balance.

“Ian Graves!” the receptionist called out.

The stoic blonde stood and marched to the front desk. The woman behind it nodded and smiled.

“Hi there! Ian Graves?”

“That’s me.”

“You’re meeting with Ms. Hastings. Just go through that door, down the hallway and it’s the last room on the right. You can’t miss it.”

“Alright, thanks” Ian said with a nod and a strained smile. He inhaled a deep breath and released it through his nostrils before opening the door and marching to the gallows.

He walked to the end of the hallway and turned into the final room on the right. Ian knocked on the door as he entered and the woman behind the desk looked up. She was a slender, pretty brunette with long hair and high cheekbones. The young woman was decked out in casual business attire; a fuchsia ruffle neck portofino shirt and high-waist heather gray pants that stretched around her slim curves. Ian was almost positive he’d seen her before, but he couldn’t immediately recall where.

“Ian Graves? I’m Jacqueline Hastings” the woman greeted, extending her hand as she stood.

“A pleasure” he responded, shaking her hand gently.

“Please sit” she added, gesturing to the chairs in front of the desk. “I’ll need just a minute to finish with this form. We’re processing a lot of employees today.”

“So I’ve heard” Ian responded as he sat down. “It seems Athena is making big changes with all possible speed.”

“Indeed we are. I don’t understand the full scope of it yet, but Ms. Sins has already made some smart moves in my view.”

Ian’s eyes narrowed. He studied the young woman as she stared at her laptop and typed away. Suddenly, it hit him. He knew where he’d seen her before. The top floor of the building, years ago, when he’d taken the grand tour.

“Pardon me if I’ve mistaken you for someone else, but did you used to be Mr. Telos’ assistant?”

“Mmmhmm” Jacqueline confirmed. She looked up with a thin smile. “I was promoted recently. Now I’m a Human Resources Manager.”

“Quite a jump up” Ian noted.

“I suppose so, but I’ve been applying for this and other positions for years. I only got the chance when Ms. Powell was elevated.” A few clicks of the mouse indicated that her digital paperwork was complete. “But we’re not here to talk about my promotion. We’re here to discuss your future with the company.”

“Of course” Ian acknowledged, his fingers lifting from the armrests in supplication.

“I’ll cut to the chase. The good news is, you’re not being laid off.”

A wave of ease washed over him. Ian’s face and limbs, tense until now, visibly relaxed. So it wasn’t what he’d been dreading. Still, the use of the term good news usually implied there was bad news just behind it. His relief was short lived.

“However, your department is being completely overhauled and it looks like your services in risk assessment will no longer be needed.”

“I see. Am I being offered another position, then?”

“Yes, although I’m sorry to say the position is not well defined yet. I can only say it will involve a new line of products that Athena will be introducing in the next couple years and that HR thinks your skills as an analyst may come in handy.”

“Surely, the position must have some title?”

“Officially, you’ll be an assistant to one of the directors of this new project.”

“An assistant...”

Being offered an assistant’s position by someone who just a month ago was still an assistant. Ian could feel his blood pressure rising. It took every scrap of his will not to stand up, walk out and slam the door behind him.

“I know this is a bit unusual, but before you make a decision, let me spell out the rest of the arrangement. If you accept this new position, you will receive an immediate 5% increase in base pay. The raise goes to 10% if you stay another year and 20% if you stay two years. You will retain the full benefits package of your previous position and your stock options will grow more generous with your pay. This is to acknowledge your service to the company and show our good faith, since we’re asking you to deviate somewhat from your chosen career path.”

Ian’s eyes widened in bewilderment. This was beyond bizarre. He’d never heard of anything like it. Not in the many casualty reports of mergers, acquisitions and other chicanery in the ever more cutthroat corporate world.