“Hello, Sir. I did the copying you requested and—”
What followed was like something from an old slap-stick movie. The reports flew up as Charli went down. The stark white sheets fluttered down around her like attacking birds.
I would have laughed if it hadn’t looked so painful. Instead, the emotion that overtook me was one of concern. Not for the reports, though they were important too, but for the girl on her hands and knees on my office floor.
Charli didn’t object as I helped her to her feet. She didn’t weigh a lot, allowing me to sweep her into my arms and place her onto the leather chair opposite my desk.
“I-I’m sorry, I—”
“Hush,” I ordered, and Charli stopped talking.
It came out rougher than I had meant it. I intended to be comforting, but some people found the way I spoke to be commanding and sometimes frightening.
“Are you hurt?” I asked.
“I-uh-yeah, it hurts a little.”
“Where?”
“My knees mostly, and my ankles.”
The cause of injury to her knees was obvious; both of them were afflicted with carpet burns. There wasn’t much we could do about that. The pain would go away in time.
Far more pressing was the potential of a broken or twisted ankle. As gently as I could, I removed both of her shoes and rotated one foot and then the other.
“Does this hurt?”
“N-not really, no.”
“Good, nothing is bruised or broken.”
I picked up her shoes and headed over to the desk, putting them in one of the many drawers.
“Still, I must insist that you not wear high heels again. They’re far too dangerous.”
A pretty shade of pink colored her cheeks, and she lowered her gaze.
“Yes, Sir.”
“Do you have other shoes with you?
“My sneakers.”
“I’ll have Elsa bring them in. Though from now on, it is flats only. Is that clear?”
Her eyes remained focused on the floor.
“Yes, Sir.”
“Look at me.”
“Yes, Sir,” she repeated, lifting her doe-eyes in my direction.
My heart ached. She looked as scared as she sounded. Like I might strike her and not in a fun way. The last thing I wanted was for Charli to fear me.
“I’m not mad,” I blurted out, “or disappointed.”
Damn, I sound like my old man.
I ran my fingers through my hair.
“The point is, I’m not upset with you. You had an accident, that’s all. One that is easily fixed with a change in footwear. It happens. Otherwise, I think you are improving as far as your work performance here is concerned.”
“Really, Sir?” The happiness in her eyes sent shockwaves to my dick.
“Yes. I don’t say things that aren’t true. Now please pick up those papers, and I’ll call Elsa to grab your sneakers.”
Charli got down on all fours, crawling around the floor with her beautiful little ass high in the air when Elsa came bustling in.
She raised her eyebrows in my direction as if to say, be careful.
Too late.
I had already fallen hard and was past the point of return.
Chapter 5 - Charli
The feeling of Max’s skin lingered like ghosts in the back of my mind. I still called him “Sir” in the office but thought of him as Max.
He’d lightened up in the past few days, and despite our rocky start, we seemed to be building a rapport. At least I thought so. He could be hard to read. His tone had softened. He was still using his master’s voice, but I was sure it just came out naturally.
It was a struggle not to call him ‘master’ instead of sir. I wouldn’t admit it to anyone ever, but I wanted to be his pet, his sub. For my strong, handsome master to take me under his complete control and shape me to my maximum potential.
There was no longer any question or indecision about the clothes I wore. It was sexy all the way—cute sneakers, short skirts, and skintight blouses that showed off my assets. I didn’t know for sure if Max was interested in me, but I wanted to wave my interest in him around like signal flares.
At least he seemed to appreciate the improvement in my performance. I still had a lot to learn but getting rid of the heels solved many problems like tripping over my own feet and dropping things. There hadn’t been a major spill or tumble in a few days, and I gained confidence in myself and my job.
Today I got to work early, as had become my habit. Elsa and Max were already there because, of course, they were. They were always there before everyone else, sometimes even the security guards, or so I’d heard.
“Morning, Sunshine,” Elsa said, not looking up from her crossword.
“Morning,” I replied.
I stopped off at the watercooler for the day’s first bit of refreshment. Max had insisted I drink at least eight cups a day.
Properly hydrated, I went to my office and smiled at the brown paper bag on my desk. I shouldn’t have been surprised. Putting bags of food on my desk was something he’d started doing.
Maybe he got Elsa to do it. Either way, I knew the meals were from Max. He had commented before that he never saw me eat.
I confessed I hadn’t been eating much. It wasn’t on purpose. I just never honestly thought about it until I was so hungry it hurt. Food always seemed like fuel and was never the initial thing on my list to do every day.
But I had to admit, I’d started to feel stronger since Max had insisted that I eat. My hands were steadier, and my mind
