Samantha's Last Day

 Samantha Monroe was glad that she had found a new position as Jason Masters' personal executive assistant, and at the same time she was apprehensive about her first day at work. He'd told her to arrive at nine in the morning. She'd gotten up at seven this morning to get ready, so she could be there on time.

She tried to follow the specifications that he'd given her for her appearance, even if she didn't like some of what he wanted.

She decided to make the most of her physical features, within the confines of what he required. 

She stood in front of a mirror to survey her appearance, before she left for work. She'd chosen the shortest, tightest black skirt that she owned, black stilettos, a black thong that was the barest of wisps of lace, and an emerald green shirt that matched her eyes. It wasn't low-cut, but she'd gotten around that requirement by leaving it unbuttoned enough so that very little was left to the imagination.

It seemed like her new boss didn't like to have things left to his imagination. 

Because she didn't really want the attention that her state of un-dress would cause on the subway, nor did she want to freeze to death on the way to Jason Masters' office, she wrapped a thick black wool cape around her, and wrapped a black scarf around her auburn hair. 

Samantha arrived at her new employer's office at 8:45. She slipped off the cape, and left it at the desk outside Jason's office, that he had indicated was hers when she was not in his office.

She took a deep breath, smoothed her tight skirt, and then knocked on the closed door of his office. Here we go, she thought to herself.....

Once she'd knocked, she instinctively moved back from the door, and waited. 

Silence.

Minutes went by, and still silence. She waited, and when thirty minutes had passed, according the cloak on the office wall, she wondered if she should knock again, or wait longer. She had knocked loud enough that she knew if he was in his office, he'd heard her.

Maybe he was busy. Jason sure didn't seem like the kind of boss one would interrupt; especially not on one's first day. It might become her last day, and she knew it. 

So......she waited. 

At shortly after ten, standing in one place in the stilettos was getting uncomfortable, so she crossed the floor to the desk where she'd left her cloak, and sank into the chair in front of it.

She looked around the room in curiosity. She'd hadn't really looked around much during her interview. Her focus had been on getting the job. 

For the most part, it was quiet, although she did hear muted voices that sounded like they were coming from the room next to the one she was in right now. 

"Good morning, Miss Monroe."

Samantha blinked, startled. She'd gotten so busy surveying her surroundings that she hadn't noticed that Jason Masters had opened the door of his office and was standing in front of her.

"Good morning, Sir.", she said quickly, as she was trying to get up out of the chair she was in. 

"Don't get up.", he said. 

Samantha swallowed hard, and looked up at her employer's dark, unreadable eyes. At least he didn't seem angry; that was good. 

She gave a sideways glance up at him. With two fingers , he moved her face so that she was looking directly up at him. She averted her eyes, thinking it would be unwise to meet his gaze.

"Look at me.", he commanded. 

Samantha gulped, but she met his dark eyes with her own in a steady gaze. She knew that she would never last here if she didn't. 

While he wanted her to be afraid of him, she was gambling on the fact that he didn't want a woman who showed it. 

"You're late."

"I beg your pardon? I was here at 8:45 this morning. Check your security cameras.", Samantha replied in a cool tone.

"Do NOT argue with me. Ever. I am always right. You were late.", he told her in a neutral voice. 

"I was late.", Samantha repeated after him in a low voice. She was trying to figure out her new boss. She began to wonder for the first time just how long she would work here.

"Please do inside my office and wait for me. I won't be but a few moments.", Jason said. Before he had even finished speaking to her, his back was turned to her.

"Take your clothes off before I return, or it will be worse for you.", he advised her. 

"Worse? There's nothing good about this situation, Mr. Masters.", Samantha said.

"You are correct, in that, Miss Monroe; for you, there most assuredly is not.", he confirmed.

Samantha felt his open hand strike her face like quicksilver. Before she'd known what was happening, he turned around and struck her face, hard, with his open hand. His eyes blazed. She was truly afraid he might kill her, in the moment.

"Go to my office and wait for me."

Samantha looked at the room, as she pretended to be moving towards the door of his office. He was turned from her. It appeared he was looking for something in a cabinet near the desk that he'd said was to be hers.

Quick as a cat, she kicked off the stilettos and was out the door, leaving the stilettos and the cape she'd worn behind.

She scrambled towards the building entrance as fast as she could. Her life depended on it. He was actually pursuing her! Hot tears ran down her face. She could feel the place on her face where he had struck her swelling already. How had she EVER thought she wanted to work here?!

She could feel his hot breath on the back of her hair....or was it her imagination??? 

The iron grip of his hand circled her arm, and he shook her hard, and shoved her against the wall. She had narrowly missed getting out of the building. So close, and yet now, it was very far away indeed.

"I would have preferred to have handled your punishment for being late privately, Miss Monroe, but it seems like I need to do something that conveys to you my displeasure, so that your bad behavior doesn't happen again." His mouth was at her left ear, his body flattening hers against the wall.

"Let me go....PLEASE let me go!", she begged in desperation.

"In good time, Miss Monroe.", he promised.

He lifted his hand and struck her again. 

"Do not run from me again. You belong to me. I will kill you if you ever run from me again.", he promised. "Do you understand, my pretty Samantha?"

"Yes", she said softly, dully, dazed from his anger and the latest blow to her face. 

People were actually walking by them in the office. Not one of them tried to help her, or even looked at what he was doing to her.

How had she ever decided to come here????

It was the last thought Samantha Monroe had......

The New Girl....Kind Of

 Jason Masters tapped his fingers on his desk impatiently. He was tired of the persistent lateness of his current secretary. She had no redeeming qualities. She wasn't even easy on his eyes. 

He had a client that owned a local recruitment agency and gave him a call. Maybe this time he would try a serious of temps out before he settled on a permanent replacement. 

For now, his chief financial officer's secretary was pinch-hitting for him. She could set up interview times with a few of the temps the agency sent over. As the day went on, this seemed like a better and better idea.

Dammit, where was she?! She had gone to lunch at 12, and it was after 2 already, and he had a 3 o'clock appointment that he needed her here for. Lately she'd been out of the office more than she was in. He did have some sympathy for her situation, as it appeared she'd had an accident of some kind, what with the bandages and baggy clothes. It was really the only reason that she was still here now; he felt sorry for her. She really hadn't been lazy or a bad secretary, at first. It seemed more to him like she was just bored with her job. 

Be that as it may, enough was enough, and Jason Masters had had it with Samantha Monroe. 

He heard the door to the outer office where her desk was open and close, and he knew she was back (finally!). Time for Miss Monroe's pink slip. He was in no mood to wait until the end of the day. 

Just as he picked up the phone to buzz Samantha to come into his office (he'd decided he could handle the 3 o'clock appointment without her), he himself got a phone call, and so was momentarily delayed. 

By the time he'd finished the call he was on, it was 5 until 3, and Samantha buzzed him that his appointment was here when he was available. Her voice sounded funny; he wondered if she had a bad cold or something.... but he told her to send his client in, and to bring them coffee once she had. 

Jason was standing behind his desk chair as the door to his office opened. He had smiled, expecting to see the silver-haired man who was one of his longest term clients, Hugh Sanderson. Instead, he saw a delicate, auburn-haired flower clad in green that most perfectly matched those cat eyes of hers. He didn't recognize her at first, but Jason Masters did a double-take when he realized who she was. It was his very own, nearly fired secretary, Samantha Monroe. Hugh Sanderson seemed quite pleased with how Miss Monroe had been treating him while he was waiting. His complaint seemed to be that Jason was actually ready to discuss business.

At the moment, Jason could not even remember what he and Hugh were planning to discuss. This one time, he didn't care! He did very much care that he had to at least pretend to concentrate on any conversation they had. Any plans that Jason Masters had to terminate Samantha Monroe's employment with him went right out the window. 

"Would you like coffee now, Sir?", she asked, in that different-sounding voice. 

"Er....yes, thank you.", Jason said. He was mildly irritated with himself that she was having the effect on him that she was, and that his business partner knew it. It was one thing for her to have that effect on Hugh, but she was HIS secretary!

Samantha swished out, and swished back in with coffee. As she placed Jason's cup on his desk, she brushed against him, and he could smell her perfume. He sighed, although it sounded (even to him) like more of a growl. 

Hugh chuckled and shook his head. Jason frowned.

"That will be all for now, Samantha. Thank you.",  Jason said, in a clipped tone.

But he wasn't happy when her emerald green form disappeared behind the closing office door.

Hugh actually took pity on Jason, and asked if they could table their discussion for another time, that something had come up that was rather pressing, that he needed to attend to. Jason breathed an inward sigh of relief, and agreed. He hoped his relief wasn't too apparent.

Once Hugh had left, Jason cleared his throat, and he came to the door of his office.

"Samantha, could you please come in here for a minute?"

"Yes, Sir. Do I need to bring anything with me?"

"Just yourself.", he said.

Samantha giggled lightly. 

"Samantha, I have not been happy with your performance lately. You've been late, and missing work a good bit. You also haven't been doing a very good job. I have been patient, but my patience is at an end. Today is your last day of employment with me."

Samantha's green eyes widened, and she started to cry.

"I knew you didn't like me. All I was trying to do was fix things so maybe you would. ", she sniffed. 

Jason softened a little and handed her a Kleenex.

"So that's what all this was, in front of Hugh, then?", he asked her.

She nodded. "You've always acted like I was invisible. "

Jason looked at her. "You weren't invisible.", he said softly. "But I like the green dress."

He shook his head and smiled. "You're not fired and you damn well know it. But I could throttle you for the day you did it. I am never going to live this down with Hugh Sanderson."

"He liked my green dress, too."

"Yes, I know he did.", Jason growled. 

Jason's reserve was gone, and he grabbed Samanthaand pulled her down on his lap. She squealed.

"I can't really decide if I want to kiss you or kill you! But I think I'm going with kiss."

"You're working late tonight. No excuses."