Chapter 20

Dad's boss, Mr. Jamieson, was easy to find. He had the largest office on the floor; actually, a suite of offices, with a secretary in the outer office to keep people away that he didn't want to see. People like me, if I'd been a normal kid. But there was nothing normal about me, as Jamieson was about to find out.

On our trip in, Dad had told me that today should be a quiet day at work, without many people trying to see Jamieson. I could also broadcast a mental "stay-away" message, which should insure us plenty of privacy. I had no idea how long this would take, or even if it would work. Jamieson's attitude might be subject to alteration; but if he'd really been working to sabotage Dad's career, that damage might be difficult to undo. Nothing for it but to try, though, and hope for the best.

The secretary's desk had a nameplate that said "Laurie Willis," and presumably the rather striking blonde behind the desk was Laurie herself. I studied her for a few seconds before speaking. Her hair, as I mentioned, was light; her eyes were brown, set in a rather angular face. She was slender, though a hint of curves showed through the turtleneck sweater that she wore. I guessed her age at about 30. Quite pretty, though not the stunner that Carrie was.

"Can I help you?" Laurie asked, apparently somewhat annoyed by my standing there without saying anything. I reached out with my will and instantly seized her; her eyes widened for just an instant before she was mine.

"Yes," I answered the now-compliant woman. "I'd like to see Mr. Jamieson. Is he in?"

"Yes, sir," she said. She looked at me with total absorption. I could get to like that.

"I may be a while," I told her. "Please hold all his calls. And if anyone wants to see him, put them off, and tell me afterwards who it is." There shouldn't be anyone, if my mental commands were working, but no harm in having an extra safeguard.

"Of course, sir," she agreed respectfully.

The "sir" was nice, but I wasn't really used to it. "My name is John. I'm David Ross's son."

"All right, Mr. Ross," she said.

"Thanks, Laurie," I said, smiling at being called "Mister." "Wish me luck."

"Good luck, Mr. Ross!" Laurie said. I laughed, and went in without knocking.

Jamieson was sitting behind his desk, looking at some papers. He looked up with a scowl at my unannounced entrance.

"Who are you?" he asked me belligerently. "Why didn't Laurie announce you?"

"For the moment," I said, "Laurie is working for me, not you."

"What the... ?" he started to ask, and in that instant I took over his will, just as I had his secretary's. I was astonished at how much stronger my talent had grown. Perhaps my efforts at the school had been a kind of exercise. Whatever the case, neither Laurie nor Mr. Jamieson had managed to resist me for more than a second.

Jamieson blinked as he reoriented himself. "I'm sorry. Please, have a seat. What can I do for you?"

"First... what is your name, anyway?" I asked him.

"My name is Alan... Alan Jamieson."

"All right, Alan. I'm John Ross, David Ross's son. My father believes that you've been acting to prevent him from being promoted. Is that true?"

"Quite true," Jamieson told me placidly.

I nodded. "Please tell me why."

"Well, there are two reasons, really. First, I saw him right away as a potential rival further down the line. He's younger than me, but he's risen faster through the company. If he continued along the same course, in a few years he would be my boss."

"And what's wrong with that?" I asked him.

Jamieson shrugged. "If anyone is going to get promoted around here, it's going to be me. I've got no interest in seeing someone pass me by. When that starts happening, it may be the beginning of the end."

I nodded, thoughtfully. "What did you do?"

"When your father first started working for me," he explained, "we were trying for a particular contract. He opposed my suggested approach, and I overruled him; we failed to get the contract, and another of our clients jumped ship at the same time. I led my superiors to believe that the approach we followed was his idea."

"I see," I said. "So you blamed him for your mistake."

Jamieson smiled, as if glad that I understood. "Yes, though a bit more subtly than that. I never made any overtly false statements. It's all through implication. That's the way it works."

I found myself disliking Jamieson very much. I forced myself to go on. "Anything else?"

He shrugged. "I've also led my superiors to believe that your father's ideas are my own, and that he played only a marginal role in them. He's not a politician; he's never really caught on to what I'm doing, or figured out how to counter it."

"Well, aren't you clever," I said, and Jamieson gave a little smirk.

"I know how things are done," he said.

"Hmmm. All right. You said there were two reasons. What's the second?"

Jamieson spread his hands, in an attitude of man-to-man frankness. "You've met Carrie, your father's secretary?"

I realized where this was heading at once. "Of course. You want Carrie."

"Yes. She's a hot little number. I know what these types are like. A little sweet-talking, a few suggestions that you might not be able to keep them on, and they fall right into your bed. She'd probably have rolled over for your father by now if he'd made half an effort. She's wasted on him. I sounded her out on whether she'd like a transfer... after all, being my secretary is a better job that being your father's... but she's loyal to him. If he gets discouraged and leaves the company, I can have her reassigned to me."

I looked at him. I was disgusted, but at the same time felt another twinge of guilt. I had just manipulated Carrie into 'rolling over' for my father. But at least I had also tried to help her with her own problems.

"Your own secretary is quite pretty," I said after a bit. "Why didn't you try to get her into bed?"

"Oh, I have," Jamieson said. "But she's starting to get demanding. Wants me to divorce my wife and marry her. As if that had ever been a possibility. But women don't understand these things."

"Yes," I agreed ironically. "Irrational of them." I thought about the situation for a while. If Jamieson had really been blackening my father's name for two years, it might be impossible to reverse, at least not without reprogramming every executive in the company.

"Tell me," I said after a bit. "How difficult would it be to undo what you've done to my father?"

Jamieson gave it some thought. "Well... our old vice-president in charge of operations trusted me, and I had pretty much convinced him that your father was incompetent. He just left the company, though, and I don't know the new VP very well. Certainly, he doesn't know anything about your father, good or bad. If he were convinced that your father was a good man, that would probably undo most of the damage."

"Then that's your new mission in life," I told him. "You're going to make every effort to bring my father's abilities to the attention of the executives, and see that he gets the raises and promotions that he deserves. For that matter, from now on, you're going to see that everyone gets proper credit for their achievements. And you'll admit to your own mistakes, instead of trying to blame them on other people."

My will was focused on him so strongly that he had no chance to resist. The instructions might as well have been pronouncements from God. I knew that he would obey them.

"Yes," he agreed in a small voice. "I'll do what you say."

"Good," I said. "Now, call your secretary in here."

Jamieson picked up his phone and pressed a button. After a pause, he spoke into the receiver.

"Laurie? Could you step in here for a moment?"

He hung up. A couple of seconds later the door opened, and Laurie entered. She looked between the two of us uncertainly.

"Sir? Ummm... what can I do for you?"

"Close the door and come in," I told her, and she obeyed, still under my control. She stopped in front of Jamieson's desk, facing me obliquely.

"Now, Laurie," I said briskly. "Alan here tells me that the two of you have been having an affair. Is that right?"

She blinked in surprise, but nodded. "Yes. For two years, now."

"I see," I said. "Are you in love with him?"

"No," Laurie said. "I started sleeping with him to get a raise. But now I want him to divorce his wife and marry me."

"Even though you don't love him?" I asked her. I glanced at Jamieson; he didn't seem particularly surprised at this revelation.

"I've put a lot of effort into getting him," she said. "I want the pay-off."

"Hmmm," I said. "Tell me, Alan: are you in love with her?"

"No, of course not," he said. "She's a nice piece of ass, but nothing more."

Laurie looked insulted at that, but since I hadn't given her permission to speak she kept quiet.

"All right, then," I said decisively. "Since neither of you is in love with the other, I guess you won't mind my saying that this affair is over. Alan here is going to go pay some attention to his wife. In fact, Alan, for the next six months you'll be impotent with everyone else." I considered it, but it didn't seem too unreasonable. If for some reason his marriage foundered, he could eventually find someone else; and in the meanwhile, he'd have to have a real try at making it work. "And I expect you to make a real effort at pleasing her, Alan," I told him.

"OK," he said, meekly accepting my commands, which I had reinforced at an unconscious level as well.

"But what about me?" Laurie asked a bit plaintively.

"Oh, I'll find something for you," I said. "First, let's see how hot a piece of ass you really are. Take your clothes off."

Laurie obeyed without question. The turtleneck came off, revealing a modest bosom contained in a black lacy bra. She unzipped her skirt and slid it off over her slim hips, stepping out of it. Her panties matched the bra; she wore stockings with garters attached to a matching garter belt. She kicked off her shoes and looked up at me inquiringly, as if asking if she should go on.

"Very nice," I said approvingly, and indeed she was. She smiled at my praise.

"Thank you, sir," she said, giving a little pirouette.

"Tell me: do you wear lingerie like that because you prefer it, or in order to please him?" I nodded towards Jamieson, who was watching everything without comment.

"To please him, of course. He likes me to come in to his office sometimes and give him a blowjob, stripped down to my underwear."

"I see," I said. "And do you enjoy that?"

"No," she said. "I hate giving blowjobs. I pretend to like it, of course, but it makes me want to throw up."

"That seems like a good place to start, then," I said. "From now on, Laurie, you love giving blowjobs."

She blinked. "I do?"

"Oh, yes. Just think about it... a long hard cock in your mouth, tasting the cum, feeling it slide down your throat..."

"Ohhhh," she said, eyes wide.

"In fact," I went on, pouring my commands into her, "the only thing you like nearly as well as sucking cock is licking pussy. You love bringing other women off. From now on you'll fantasize about giving oral sex to both men and women, and it will make you incredibly hot."

Actually, she was already becoming hot, as my words sank into her subconscious mind. She shifted position, squirming a little at the sensation of arousal between her legs.

"Ummm... could I give you a blowjob? Maybe?" she asked me.

"Maybe," I said. "But what will you let me do to you?"

Laurie looked down and blushed a little. "Anything you want."

"I see," I said. "So, you'd let me suck your tits?"

"Sure," she said, looking up. Her hands moved to the clasp of her bra, and she opened it, releasing her breasts from confinement. They were small, as I'd thought, but nicely conical, tipped with pink nipples that were already hard. She dropped the bra and stepped over to sit in my lap, guiding my head to her chest.