Power and Control

While most of my fellow college students were out partying, running up even more debt on top of their student loans, I was in my dorm room, writing code. I'd written simple games in high school, but college taught me that useful tools were a much better investment of my time. So, I started writing apps that helped me with my classes, and I found that the students around me were willing to pay for their own copy. As word spread across campus, I wrote even more of them. By my senior year, I had my own company, my own house, no debt, and a sizable pool of money just languishing in my bank account. Plus, I had bought my mom's dream house, for her and dad to enjoy his early retirement in.

I loved being my own boss, but I couldn't keep up with all of the new ideas I had, much less add the variety of enhancements that my customers were asking for. So, I hired a couple of good programmers, who were also good friends, only to find that I absolutely hated being somebody else's boss. I needed to add more programmers, but I was dreading having more staff to manage. I was also frustrated at how little time I was able to spend programming, due to the demands of running the business. At least there was plenty of room for more desks in my basement.

I was bemoaning the burdens of my success to my two employees, during a business lunch that was really just an excuse to see some sunlight on a Friday.

Mike laughed and shook his head before responding. "Just hire somebody to run it for you. Focus on your strengths and hire others to cover your weaknesses."

I had considered that, but I saw a problem. "How would that work though? With me at both the top and the bottom, won't the chain of command fail from the circular reference?"

Paul had been listening quietly, but we both stopped as we saw his face light up. "It's simple, really," he said. "Put everything in a trust."

I couldn't help but frown. "I was already thinking about doing that, but how would that help?"

"My brother is a lawyer, and he was telling me about his first client. He created two trusts for them. One held all of the client's personal wealth, while the second one held the business and all of its assets."

He paused for a moment. "Now, this is me talking, not my brother.

"Nobody needs to know who owns the trust that owns the company. You appoint a trustee to act on your behalf, and then you discreetly provide direction through them. Do it before you hire anybody else, and only the three of us will ever know that you're the real boss.

"Of course, you'll need to move the company out of your basement, or you won't fool anybody."

As I thought about Paul's suggestion, I realized it had been a legitimate business lunch after all.

* * * * *

Devin was delighted to have a second client, and I was happy with the friends-of-family discount he gave me. He pointed out the potential income from buying a bigger building than I needed and then leasing out the extra space in it. "The best part," he said, "is that we can create a separate trust for your commercial real estate holdings. Your software company will rent the space rather than own it, which will further limit what you could lose if the business runs into trouble."

The next thing I knew, I was the proud owner of an office building, and my lawyer had a long-term lease for his own space in it. It wasn't cheap, but I got a good price, because the previous owner was trying to be discreet. He didn't want certain people to know he was liquidating assets, but Devin assured me it was all legal and above board. It came with a couple of retail tenants on the ground floor, but the rest of the space was sitting empty.

The process went smoothly, and soon I had crews remodeling the third and fourth floors, while we used an old office on the second floor to start hiring. First up was an HR Manager. We got plenty of applicants, but a lot of them withdrew when they found out their first task was going to be running the hiring process for almost every position in a new company. There were still good candidates to pick from, and we all agreed that Vera was the best.

She didn't hesitate to own the position either, refusing to start the CEO search until she had sat down with Devin and got things organized. The org chart we'd roughed out was formalized, company policies were spelled out, and position descriptions were written for the c-level managers.

She started with just the CEO search. With the limited number of employees, Mike, Paul, and I were asked to join in the process. Once again, we had some candidates withdraw when they found out that all but three employees were going to be new hires. We ended up rejecting several others who were keen to skip the search process and fill certain positions with people they knew. In the end, we went with Reggie, who came across as the most competent on the business side, although his people skills were a bit rough. With the big jump I was making, I was more worried about the business succeeding than I was about the CEO stepping on a few toes while getting us there.

Vera felt that the three of them were sufficient to carry on with hiring, so we lowly programmers went back to programming. Of course, Devin kept me informed as they hired the remaining c-levels. They then sat down with each successful candidate to finalize the position descriptions for the managers that would be reporting to them.

When they were ready to hire our direct manager, who would report to the CDO, the three of us were again invited to join in on the search. With all of the manager positions filled, the glut of regular positions was posted. They asked for just one out of the three of us to join the programmer search. As much as I wanted to foist it off on Mike or Paul, I considered programmers to be my most important employees. Plus, Devin was no longer sitting in on interviews, so I volunteered.

When the dust finally started to settle, we had gone from three friends to a team of over fifty, while relocating from my spartan basement to a plush, new office space. Sadly, keeping my secret meant foregoing one of the nice corner offices, settling for a simple cubicle instead. Still, I was happy to be able to just focus on programming again. Also, while I had been nervous about how much I had risked, it paid off, and it paid off quite well.

My company had the top floor, while Devin had expanded his third-floor office space, sharing expenses and administrative staff with a few other non-competing private practice lawyers. The rest of that floor housed a realty office, while the entire second floor was a call center. With that many people working in the building, a couple of quick dining places grabbed the remaining ground floor retail spots. So, by the time my company stabilized at around one hundred employees, the entire building was rented out.

Once the paperwork was done on the next three buildings that Devin talked me into buying, I was able to relax and try to focus on having a personal life again. For the first time in my life, I was working eight to five with weekends off. I was a bit rusty, but it all came back to me as I rejoined the dating scene. I wasn't looking for anything serious, yet, but I certainly wasn't opposed to finding it.

* * * * *

One thing I quickly learned was that displaying any hints of my wealth got me a lot of attention, but mostly from gold diggers looking for a sugar daddy with a fat wallet. So, it was just self-preservation when I implied that the trust was my parents' rather than mine. I never outright lied, but I would have made even a politician jealous with my ability to twist around the truth.

If I were going to pay for it, I would rather give my money to an honest professional, so I had to learn to appear to be a lot less well off. I could tell when I achieved that, as the quantity of women fawning over me dropped off, but the quality went up considerably.

I wasn't even looking for a date when I met Anne.

The university I went to is always trying to raise money, so when one of my apps won an award, and they saw that an alumnus was listed as the lead programmer, they invited me to appear at a fund-raiser for the computer science department. Nobody really cared about the award, but it was another opportunity for the important people to be seen flaunting their wealth.

Anne wasn't amongst that crowd, but was the waitress assigned to my table. She was a business major, working a flexible job to put some spending money in her pocket. I liked that, and I liked her, and, before the event was over, I had talked her into a date on Friday night. I had a good feeling about her, but I couldn't rule out her picking that job because she was looking for a fat cat of her own. So, I kept to my policy of not revealing my financial status.

* * * * *

The first date with Anne was great. We enjoyed a nice meal, saw a university production of some musical she was wanting to see, and had a nice conversation while eating frozen yogurt. I got a nice, but fairly short kiss as I dropped her off at her apartment, and I was walking on clouds as I left with a promise of a second date the following weekend.

Our second date was very similar to the first, except I drove us to a nearby city that was a bit bigger than our university town. I didn't go overboard, but the restaurant was nicer, the show was performed by local professionals, and we enjoyed ice cream cones on the drive back. The kisses were better, but I still found myself outside her door after she said goodnight. Even so, I had a great evening and was in high spirits while driving home.

For our third date, I went a little cheaper, wanting to appear like I'd splurged on our second date. The restaurant was nice, but a local standard. The theater was just the local multiplex, but I still took her to her favorite frozen yogurt joint. I watched her the whole night, but I didn't see any signs of disappointment. She seemed to legitimately enjoy spending the time with me. So, I was smiling when we arrived at her door at the end of the night, even before she invited me inside.

* * * * *

We started making out on the couch, and soon we were both naked from the waist up. Anne's nipples were rather sensitive, and I enjoyed watching her as I sucked and nibbled on them. The way she shuddered as I blew on them while they were still wet with my saliva was intoxicating.

By the time we came up for air, we each had our fair share of hickeys to try and hide the next day. She sat back and just looked at me for a bit, then said "Fuck it." I wasn't sure what that meant, until she stood up and shimmied out of her jeans, leaving her standing there in just a pair of lacy red panties. I'll admit that the second thing that went through my mind was wondering if she had found out about my wealth and was making her play. However, as she turned around, showing me that it was actually a thong, my mind went back to my first thought, and I found myself stumbling along behind her, completely mesmerized by the sway of her ass.

When she got inside her bedroom door, she stopped and bent over, pulling down her last vestige of clothing. Her bare slit peeked out from between her thighs, begging to be filled. She stood back up, looked over her shoulder, and waved her thong at me with a smile. Like she had waved a red flag in front of a bull, I charged after her. She laughed as she moved over to the bed and laid down.

"Get naked, and then get over here and eat me."

I wasted no time in following her orders. She tasted divine, and I used every trick I knew to bring her off several times. She directed my lips where she wanted my attention the most, but it was our first time, and she was gentle about it, so I didn't mind the guidance. When she had had enough, she gently pushed me away. "Switch places," was all she said as she rolled over and got up. I saw no reason to refuse, so I quickly took her spot on the bed. She crawled up between my legs, maintaining eye contact the whole time, and slowly inhaled my fully erect cock. She bobbed, she licked, and she tried to suck my balls out through my dick, but she never broke eye contact.

She had me good and worked up, but not overly close to exploding, when she pulled off with a pop. Still maintaining eye contact, she crawled up and impaled herself on my steel rod. She grabbed my hands and put them on her breasts, then proceeded to ride me into the bed. She definitely outscored me, but mine was a walk-off home run, as she collapsed on top of me, only to slide off and curl up on my arm.

* * * * *

We were both a bit confused to wake up tangled together. She had pulled the blanket somewhat over us, and then we rolled a bit, ending up like the filling in a burrito. It was a bit awkward, but not unpleasant, to be wrapped up tightly with a naked woman pressed against me. I took advantage of the situation to kiss and caress her a bit before we managed to untangle ourselves.

Neither of us had plans, so we decided to spend it together. We had breakfast and then I waited while she cleaned up and got dressed. I offered to join her in the shower, but she declined, as hers didn't have much room.

The next stop was my house, so I could clean up and change. Anne wanted to look around while I showered, but I caught her, stripped her, and dragged her into my much larger shower. It didn't take much, as she didn't even put up a token resistance. We were both squeaky clean by the time we finished scrubbing each other, and we both had some new love marks to hide.

We went out for a light lunch, then walked around doing some window shopping. After canvassing the boutique shops that catered to the college crowd, we headed out to the lake. I had a blanket in the trunk, so we stretched out on the beach, listened to the waves crashing against the shore, and enjoyed the cool breeze coming off of the water. We were both a little bit past tanned when we realized how long we had been there, just quietly enjoying each other's company.

Luckily, we weren't overly burnt, so a cool shower, followed by rubbing some aloe vera lotion all over each other, soothed the pain.

We didn't feel like getting dressed to go back out, so we ordered in for supper and spent the evening cuddled up on the couch. Naturally, this led to an intense make-out session, and it wasn't long before we headed upstairs to christen my bed, like we had done with hers the previous night.

In fact, it was almost an exact repeat of that night. I ate her to multiple orgasms, then we switched places. She sucked me to full attention and then rode me until I crossed the finish line. With both of us sated, we snuggled up and drifted off to sleep.

* * * * *

Sunday morning was much the same, except Anne had brought extra clothes, just in case. Unfortunately, Sunday is always followed by Monday, which meant I was going to have to go back to work, and she was going to have to go back to class.

We tried hanging out by the pool, but she hadn't brought any swimwear, and her lying there in just her lacy bra and panty set soon had us back upstairs and naked. Other than that, we had a relaxing day, just enjoying the easy comfort of being together.

She did drag me upstairs for another round of suck, suck, fuck before we played around in the shower while cleaning up for supper. I took her out to a nicer restaurant, then sadly drove her home.

We talked and texted every day, while also getting together for meals several times each week. Weekends were mostly spent together, both going out to do things and staying in to do each other. We decided that we were going to be together for a while, if not forever, so she moved in with me when her lease expired. In no time, the only thing missing from us being a typical married couple was the marriage.

The one quirk I didn't quite know what to make of was how she always wanted to be in control, especially during sex. That's not to say that we never mixed things up, but cowgirl was our main style. When we did use missionary, she always had her legs wrapped around me, trapping me and controlling my movement. We enjoyed 69 as much as anybody else, but she was always the one on top. Doggy-style was one of her least favorite positions, so we only rarely used it. While we enjoyed role-playing outside the house, she was always the one to pick me up. I didn't mind that one, though, as I didn't have to worry about other guys hitting on her before it was time for me to play my part. I think the only thing she refused to do was bondage. Well, that's not entirely true, as she was happy to tie me down, but I was never allowed to restrain her.

I wasn't like those fragile boys who needed to physically overpower others to feel masculine, and it was never abusive, so I didn't feel threatened. I also didn't mind sitting in the passenger seat and letting her drive. I just wondered why she could never let go.

As we grew closer, I debated about telling her the truth about my situation. However, after talking it through with my friends, I agreed that it was best kept secret until after we were married. They suggested that I treat it like a wedding gift to her, revealing the truth on our wedding night. They believed that we were going to make it to the altar, but they reminded me that life is unpredictable.

However, in this case, life smiled upon me. I proposed to her at her graduation party, and we got married a year later.

* * * * *

I'd heard horror stories about weddings and Bridezillas, but I wasn't ready for the unique monster that my fiancée turned into. I wouldn't have called her a Bridezilla, and not just because I wished to live and retain certain body parts. Still, it was eye-opening how free she was with spending her daddy's money.

I was a bit concerned by what I saw. It wasn't anything to make me want to call off the wedding, but it was enough for me to decide to wait until we were more settled into our new life before telling her the truth about my net worth.

Outside of wedding planning, she was the same girl I'd fallen in love with, and the wedding itself was wonderful. I'm not saying it wouldn't have been wonderful if she had compromised a bit on certain things, but it was exactly what she wanted and everybody had a good time, especially with the open bar at the reception. I had no qualms when I said, "I do," and I was a very happy man as we left on a nice honeymoon that she thought was a gift from my parents.

I was a little worried about how good she looked in her tiny bikinis, but she made me proud. She didn't mind them looking at her, but she shut down anything more than that in short order, and she told them straight out that it was all for her husband. I didn't know that being proud of your wife was such an aphrodisiac, but I found out on those ocean beaches.

I didn't knock her up on our honeymoon, but I damn well stress tested her birth control with my efforts.

Post-honeymoon, ours was a fairly typical life. We both worked, we both did our share around the house, and we both enjoyed each other's company. Sure, we had our ups and downs, but what couple doesn't. We talked things out and we worked through our issues. We both wanted kids, but neither of us were in a hurry to have them. We fought a bit over money, not because we didn't have it, but because we did. We reached a compromise where I would let her be a bit extravagant with certain things, while she would let me be more frugal with others. We both picked our battles, so we rarely had to fight them.

Anne knew I had access to some money in the trust that I only touched for house maintenance, but she was happy as long as my paycheck was deposited in our joint checking account every payday, just like hers was.

* * * * *

It was hard to believe that our next anniversary was going to be five years. It was still over half a year away, but I had already started planning it. It was a milestone on its own, but this was also going to be the year I came clean about our true wealth. Technically, it was still just my wealth, as I couldn't exactly add her to the trusts without telling her about them, but I already thought of everything as ours. In my mind, there was no longer a her and a me. There was just an us. I was looking forward to rolling the joint account into the trust, to better protect us, but once again, I couldn't until after I told her.

On the business front, things were going well, for the most part. Turnover is a constant part of business, and mine was not immune to it. The most recent to move on was the programmer manager. I always paid attention to every management search, but this one was a little closer to home, as my position reported directly to it. We had a lot of good candidates, but one really stood out. On the positive side, Blake seemed the best qualified, and he appeared to be a good fit for our environment. On the other hand, I just didn't like the man. I wasn't sure why, but he just rubbed me the wrong way. I was tempted to reject him, but he was the unanimous choice of the official committee, so I bit my tongue and let them hire him.

We clashed a bit at first, as he didn't like that I got to pick my own projects and project teams, without even being the project lead. He tried to assert his dominance by switching which project I was on, only to be called into HR to visit with Vera and Devin. It was explained to him that those terms were spelled out in my contract, so he could either live with it or find a new job. Blake opted to accept my special status, at least on the surface. I had no doubts that I was still number one on his shit list. I tried to be the bigger man and let it go, rather than antagonizing him any more than I had to.

I wasn't the only one he had it out for though, as Paul and Mike were my friends, but without the same protection in their contracts. He seemed to work well with the rest of the team, so I watched and waited to see how it would all play out.

Once I had pretty much decided to fire him for his treatment of my friends, I invited them out to lunch on a Saturday to talk it over. Sadly, the days of long weekday lunches were a thing of the past, a victim of giving up control.

* * * * *

We talked about anything and everything, just like we used to during those Friday excuses to get out of the basement. Eventually, the conversation turned to work and the situation with Blake. They agreed that he was becoming unbearable. They also agreed that it was just the two of them having problems with him, but they were getting fed up with it. That was enough for me to confirm my decision to fire him, and we switched back to more pleasant subjects.

I was surprised to learn they had worked up their own business plan, and they were saving up money to start their own company. They were looking at embedded systems, and they had a couple of ideas that could leverage things they had developed for me.

I tabled my decision on firing Blake while the three of us went to visit Devin.

Two hours later, the three of us were equal partners in a new business. It had a licensing deal with my original company and a cheap lease for a newly purchased building that would be perfect for them. It would take a bit to make it all official, but everything was set in motion. They got a chunk of cash in exchange for my third of the company, and I agreed to provide a line of credit at a better rate than any bank would give them. Heck, it was better than any bank would give me, and I was an established business with good cash reserves.

The downside was that I was still stuck with a boss who didn't like me, and I didn't like the smirk on his face as he accepted the resignation letters from my friends.

Still, with Paul and Mike gone, things improved in the department. Blake had to be careful around me, as he now knew that the owner kept an eye on me. We would never be friends, but I thought we'd be able to work together.

* * * * *

Right as things were settling down, the CDO decided to quit, saying it was time for her to become a mother. I almost never interacted with her directly, but Blake reported to her. Naturally, I made sure that Devin involved himself with the search and kept me informed.

It was quite a shock as I was reviewing applications, to discover that my wife had applied for the position without telling me. I had to bite my tongue several times, as there was no reason for me to know she had applied. Another Saturday lunch was in order, so Paul, Mike, and Devin joined me.

We hashed it over, and the unanimous decision was that our upcoming anniversary would be too soon to reveal my secret. If she had been hired for the job, it would undermine her confidence, thinking she had been hired because of me. On the other hand, if she didn't get the job, she'd resent that I hired somebody else. As for actually influencing the hiring, we also agreed that would be a bad idea. When I finally did tell her my secret, whether she had been offered the job or not, it would be better if I could honestly say I hadn't been involved in the decision. Devin would watch for anything that wasn't above board with the process, but I would otherwise let the team hire whomever they chose.

On paper, she was the clear choice, but it always comes down to the interview. I ordered Devin not to give me any spoilers, and I waited for her to tell me herself.

* * * * *

From the serious look on her face when I got home, I was certain that she had been given bad news. So, I was happily surprised when she spoke. "I've been offered the chief development officer position at your company. I wouldn't be your direct boss, but I would be over you, so I wanted to talk to you before I give them my answer."

I was excited that she had been offered the job, but I was even more excited that she was thinking about me ahead of her own success. I assured her that I had no problems with her accepting the job, and we were soon upstairs celebrating her new position with some old ones.

There is always a delay with getting things signed and giving notice, but soon it was her first day, and she drove us both to the office. We ate lunch together and then headed back home at the end of the day. This quickly became our daily routine, and we enjoyed the extra time together.

There were no conflicts between us, as she was focused on higher level issues, and she didn't have time to micromanage the employees under her. Instead, she did a good job of focusing on the team, and relying on the managers to apply her leadership to the individual workers.

As both her husband and the company owner, I was very happy with her job performance.

* * * * *

I don't know who came up with the idea, but it was suggested that the managers should get together each morning for a meeting, thirty minutes before the rest of the employees arrived. That would allow them to plan out the day and improve efficiency in getting everybody on task each morning. I could see the potential value in it, so I gave my approval through Devin and changed my alarms.

Anne acted surprised when I got up early that first Monday, but didn't say anything about it while we got dressed and ate breakfast. As I grabbed my stuff and started to follow her to the car, she stopped and gave me a confused look.

"Oh, you'll have to go back to driving yourself. Only management is allowed in the office early."

She didn't seem to notice my glare as she got in her car and drove off alone.

Professionally, it was a success. Personally, it was a disappointment. The managers got themselves straightened out before their charges arrived, increasing efficiency and productivity. Of course, the big issue was that I didn't like being told I couldn't go in early with my wife, even if I didn't punch in, but it wasn't something I could change without exposing myself.

Just as I was starting to adjust and accept the new routine, it changed again. To make up for their early start, the managers switched to ninety-minute lunches. With the longer time, they all decided to leave the building for lunch. They split the extra thirty minutes, so they could avoid the rush of us regular workers leaving and returning. Since I only got an hour, that marked the end of eating lunch with my wife.

Once again, it worked professionally, but it sucked personally. I hated it, but I realized that there was nothing I could do to change it without looking petty and exposing my secret. I tried asking her to stick around and go to lunch with me part of the time, but she just brushed me off, saying she'd get bored killing half an hour by herself.

At least we still had our weekends, as the weekdays kind of sucked. I tried telling myself that it was no different than if she worked at a different company, but I couldn't ignore the fact that she didn't. I barely saw her in the morning as we got ready for work, and then I didn't see her again until we got home in the evening. After supper and a little down time, it was off to bed to prepare for a repeat the next day.

* * * * *

It started out too slowly to notice at first, but Anne changed along with our new routine.

The bedroom was first. She started being more forceful in guiding my head as I ate her out. Cowgirl became the only position we used, and she was riding me rougher, with her eyes closed. Other times she would beg off after I ate her out, saying she was too tired after a long day. We were still having sex frequently, but I had been relegated to nothing more than her sex toy.

Next, she started to pick at the fact I was still just a programmer, despite having been with the company for so many years. I tried to explain that I was doing exactly what I wanted to be doing, but she just ignored that. She never came right out and said it, but I knew she was already angling for the CEO's chair when he left, and apparently, she felt that being married to a lowly programmer with no ambition was hurting her chances. When I got mad and said, "If I wanted to run the company, I would be running the company," she just laughed and walked away. It hurt, but the truth was, to anybody who didn't know that I owned it, I would have sounded like a child throwing a fit.

I was still a programmer because I still wanted to be a programmer, whether Anne could understand that or not, so I went with the flow and focused on the programming, and the weekends. Unfortunately, the flow was all downhill.

The next blow came when I reminded Anne to make sure she had taken the days off around our anniversary. Perhaps the problem was that I didn't use the word anniversary, but just told her the dates she needed to ask off. Either way, I was upset when she said that she hadn't been there long enough to ask for that much time off. I was shocked, and she had walked off before I could remind her that the company was very good about giving time off for things like anniversaries. I knew this, because they were my beliefs, which I had Devin give to Vera to codify in the company policies she created.

* * * * *

I was becoming more distracted, both at work and at home, as I tried to figure out what had happened to my wife, and my marriage. Several of my coworkers had noticed and offered any assistance they could provide. Unfortunately, my boss noticed as well, and he was quite happy to start turning the screws again. I found myself seriously considering a complete wipe of management in an attempt to right the ship.

Naturally, that was when I was hit by a broadside.

It was mid-afternoon when I was summoned to the CEO's office. His PA looked nervous, which was not normal for her.

"Anne and Blake are in with him now. They said for you to wait out here until they're ready for you."

She wouldn't meet my gaze as I contemplated the situation. "Has Devin arrived yet?"

Her face shifted to a frown. "I haven't seen him. Should he be here?"

I tried to smile to put her at ease. "Oh, it's nothing for you to worry about. I'm sure this is nothing."

She put on her best fake smile as well, then quickly turned to her computer, trying to look busy. I suppressed a chuckle at her discomfort. Something smelled pretty fishy, so I fired off a quick text while I waited.

Rachel turned pale when Vera walked in and went straight into Reggie's office, without even acknowledging her. I knew Rachel was a good employee, and I felt sorry for the situation she was in, so I mentally marked her as safe if I went through with a purge.

In typical power play fashion, they left me sitting outside the office for nearly half an hour before inviting me in. Acting like I had been playing on my phone, I hit send on the text I had kept ready. Wondering what was about to play out, I casually walked into Reggie's office like I owned it, winking at Rachel as I passed her desk.

* * * * *

The four people waiting for me seemed a little shocked when I walked in proud and tall, nodding to them and calmly taking the chair on the flat side of the half-circle table. I didn't say a word and just raised my eyebrows as I looked at each one in turn.

Blake was the first to shake it off and started to speak, but I quickly shut him down. "I think we should wait until everybody's here. There's no sense in repeating things."

He stared at me in confusion for a moment before he tried again. "Everybody is here that needs to be here, so let's get started." He sputtered to a stop as I held up my hand in the universal symbol, while turning to face Vera.

"Perhaps you should enlighten Blake on who we're waiting for? Surely you are familiar with the company policy?"

Her eyes got big when she realized what policy I was referring to, as it wasn't common knowledge. She turned to the others in a panic. "I need to make a phone call before we continue." The others looked at her in confusion as she got up and hurried to the phone on Reggie's desk.

I had a predatory smile on my face as I spoke. "Just buzz Rachel. Devin is already waiting outside."

Vera's face was pale as she returned to her chair. I'm pretty sure she thought she had signed her own termination, and I wasn't inclined to argue with her.

Devin came in with a frown on his face and folders in his hand. He grabbed a chair and took a seat next to me, rather than with my inquisitors, which seemed to shock them.

I couldn't help but smile as I said, "Alright, Blake, the gang's all here and the floor is yours."

* * * * *

Blake was a little shook by what had just happened, but he pushed ahead.

"I'm sorry, Eli, but after conferring with Anne and Reggie, we've decided to let you go." He tossed down a couple of folders on the table. "We have exit interviews from Paul and Mike, stating you were the reason they left." His head jerked up as I laughed, but I got myself under control so he could continue. He glared at me as he tossed down another folder. "We haven't had a chance to sit down with you to formally handle this, but your performance this past week has not been up to standards, so I was forced to write you up." He gave me a triumphant smile as he tossed down the last folder. "But, discovering that you had embezzled money from the company was the last straw. The police will be here shortly to arrest you," he said as he sat back down with a smirk on his face.

I silently applauded him for pulling this on a Friday afternoon, expecting me to be stuck in a cell all weekend, waiting to see a judge on Monday. Otherwise ignoring him, I looked at my loving wife. She was looking at me like I was beneath her, and I couldn't help but wonder how involved she was. I looked next to Vera, who was having a mild panic attack. I was pretty sure she hadn't been involved in the planning, so I'd give her a chance to explain her lapse in judgement before I decided her fate. Finally, I looked at my CEO. He looked genuinely pissed with me, which led me to believe he was not in on it either.

Looking back at Blake with disdain, I asked, "Is that all you've got?" His reaction was priceless, and the silence while he impersonated a guppy was golden.

* * * * *

Devin took my leaning back in my chair as his cue. "First, what evidence do you have of embezzlement?"

Blake was still doing goldfish impressions, so Anne answered. "Blake gave us screenshots of the transfer records, showing the money coming from a corporate account and going into a personal account in Eli's name."

Devin nodded, digging through the stack of folders he brought with him. "Ah, here it is," he muttered as he pulled one out and opened it. "Would you be so kind as to read me the account number that the money was transferred out of?"

Anne didn't hesitate to pick up the top folder and read it off, Devin nodding along as she did. "That is definitely a corporate account. Now, just to be thorough, can you read me the account number that the money was transferred into?"

She hesitated for a moment and frowned, then shrugged and read off that number as well.

"Ah, that explains things. That is not a personal account, but another corporate account, just for a different department." Seeing the shocked look on her face, he looked at her in confusion. "If you want to read it off again, that's fine, but I have it right here on the current list of bank accounts held by this company." He turned the paper so all could see the line he was pointing at, although I doubt any of them could read it.

I noticed that Reggie's face was now showing a mix of anger and confusion, while Vera was getting disturbingly paler. Ignoring everybody else, I went to the door and asked Rachel to bring in some cold bottles of water. I waited and held the door for her, and then I made sure that Vera actually took a drink. Seeing a little color return to her cheeks, I returned to my chair. Devin was shaking his head at me, but the others were staring in shock. I just shrugged and looked back at Devin.

"Getting back on track, could I take a look at the write-up next." Blake hesitated, but Reggie reached out and shoved it across the table. Devin got a frown on his face, then looked up at Blake. Not only is this not signed by Eli, it's not signed by Vera either. For that matter, it's not even signed by you." He casually tossed it back on the table as he said, "That's not worth the paper it was printed on.

"I'd also really like to see those exit interviews." This time, Blake tried to grab them, but Reggie was faster and sent them across the table as well. Devin gave them a quick look and started laughing, much like I had when they were first mentioned. "It's such a tightrope, being honest while maintaining secrecy." He tossed them back on the table. "While you are correct that they listed Eli as their reason for leaving, there is nothing in there to support any animosity between them. When you consider the fact that Eli was instrumental in them finding a venture capitalist to fund the startup of their own company, making it possible for them to quit their jobs here, I'd say your claim is full of shit."

Blake's face was masked with rage, while Anne seemed to be lost as to what was happening. Reggie was not doing much better, but at least Vera was still looking to remain amongst the living.

* * * * *

"Now, before we go any further," Devin said, "I think Eli has something he wants to say." He then nodded to me, ceding the floor again.

"Blake, you're fired. I should have fired you a long time ago for the way you treated Paul and Mike, but I relented when they left to start their own company."

Blake sprang to his feet. "You can't fire me! I'm your boss, and I already fired you."

I calmly turned and looked at Vera. "Is that true? Have I been fired?"

I had to give her credit, as she put two and two together faster than the rest of the room. "I have no record of that, and firing you would require approval from the owner, which I'm quite certain has not been given."

I turned back to Blake with a smile on my face. "It doesn't sound like I'm fired."

He sputtered, clearly not expecting to be the one under fire. "You still can't fire me; you're just a programmer."

I couldn't help but chuckle. "Just a programmer? Are you sure about that?"

"You may have some privileges because you were the first..." His voice faded off and panic spread across his face as he collapsed back into his chair, making me smile even more.

"Oh, did you finally figure out what it means to be the first programmer in a one-man shop?"

Anne's eyes got really big, and she slumped back in her chair. I guess she finally figured it out as well. She managed to speak, but her voice was weak and quavering. "You're the mysterious owner?"

"Yes, my loving wife. I hated not telling you when we were dating, but I'd simply dated too many gold diggers. I was going to tell you after the wedding, but watching you go crazy spending your daddy's money changed my mind. I was getting ready to tell you on our next anniversary, only for you to apply for a job here. I didn't want you to think that you got the job because of me, so I kept silent again. Then, you changed, and here we are."

She was quietly crying, but I decided to turn the screws a bit anyway. "Of course, I don't just own this company. I also own the building we're in." That caused her to gasp and look up at me in shock. "I'm also the venture capitalist that owns one third of the company that Paul and Mike started. Oh, and I own the building that they're in as well. I actually have a wide variety of commercial real estate holdings, as I keep having to reinvest the profits to limit my tax burden. I also own both mine and my parents' houses.

"Now, before you start salivating over how rich you're going to be after I divorce you, I guess I should correct myself. I don't actually own any of that." Devin chuckled while everybody else stared at me in confusion. "Instead, all of those things are owned by one of three different trusts, none of which you have any claim to." I leaned back and watched her eyes as her world crumbled around her.

* * * * *

"Now, Blake, the police officers that you so kindly called for me are waiting outside for you. Identity theft is rampant these days, which is why my lawyer advised me to pay for a monitoring service. Devin was notified the moment you filled out the account application in my name. After consulting with the bank and local authorities, we allowed the account to be opened, in order to give you enough rope to hang yourself. We just had the bank switch it to a corporate account, to avoid a lot of annoying paperwork. You'll also be disappointed to find that the transfer to your overseas account did not actually go through."

Not waiting to see if he had anything to say, I turned to Vera. "We'll need to have a long talk in the near future, and I'll give you a chance to explain why I shouldn't fire you. But first, I believe you are needed in your office to process Blake's termination."

Next was Reggie, who was still looking a bit confused. "Reggie, you've done a good job on the business side, but I'm very disappointed with the people side of your performance. It's not just the issues with Blake, as I'm seeing the warning signs throughout the company. I think that you could do well with a COO to cover your weaknesses, but I need a CEO who can do the whole job. We can discuss specifics later, and I'll give you some time to look for a new job, but this is where we part ways.

"Now, if you would all be so kind as to step outside for a moment, I need to borrow the office." The three of them were all a little shaky as they left the room, so it was probably good for them to get up and walk around a bit.

* * * * *

Once there were just three of us left in the room, Devin slid a folder in front of me. I quickly shuffled through the different pictures of their lunches together and skimmed the investigator's report on what they talked about. I wasn't surprised, as it just confirmed the suspicions that led me to have Devin hire a PI in the first place. Closing the folder, I stared at my wife in disappointment.

She fidgeted for a bit, but the silence got to her. "I suppose you're going to fire me too." She wouldn't look at me, staring at the table in front of her instead.

"No, just divorce you."

She looked up in surprise. "What?"

I smiled, just a bit. "Unlike Blake, you have been doing well in your position, and I've heard nothing but good things about your work. I didn't like it, but I understood why you stayed out of my problems with Blake, not wanting to show the appearance of favoritism. Paul and Mike were gone before you were hired, and you've handled every other issue to my satisfaction.

"Of course, I'll understand if you would rather quit than take orders from me, as I will be filling in as CEO until I can hire Reggie's replacement. Going forward, I'll also be taking a more active role as the owner. I still want to focus on programming, but I'm not going to let this company fall apart because I'm hiding from my responsibilities.

"Of course, if you stay, you will be placed back on probation, as getting suckered in by Blake shows a serious lack of judgement on your part."

* * * * *

She had perked up when I told her that she could keep her job, but she slumped again when I said she would be on probation and have to answer to me. I couldn't help but laugh when she asked, "Any chance you could put me on probation at home as well?"

"Not going to happen. I know that Blake hadn't managed to fuck you yet, but he was working on it. He poisoned you against me, or you never would have believed that I stole that money. I've been watching, sadly, as your opinion of me dropped, and your treatment of me dropped to match. You even blew off the plans I made for our fifth anniversary."

Her eyes got big as she mouthed the word anniversary. I just shrugged and gave her a sad smile. She looked down at the table with a serious look on her face. The silence stretched on for a bit, and I was about to get up, when I heard her whisper something.

"What was that you said?"

She didn't look up at me, but she did speak louder. "You can tie me up."

That threw me for a moment, then I laughed. "Are you that desperate to get to my money?" My laugh cut off when she looked up, frustration clearly showing on her face.

"It has never been about money." She deflated again and looked sad, but she forced herself to look me in the eye. "It was about power and control. Money was just a symbol of that. I was taught that if you couldn't show it, you didn't have it." She sighed, and I saw a tear roll down her cheek. "I would have been happy with the small wedding you wanted. I didn't even like half of the people I invited, much less care if they showed up. It was all about appearance." She paused and her eyes lost focus as she got lost in her thoughts.

"In college, they hosted a mock job fair for us to get interview experience, without the pressure of a real job being on the line. Our professor told us to take it seriously and dress for the job we wanted. On that day, we really stood out on campus with how well-dressed we were, except for one student. The professor berated him for wearing pajamas that day, but he said that the job he wanted was one where he was judged by what he did, not what he wore. We all thought he was just trying to cover his embarrassment at forgetting about the job fair." She focused on me again, back in the present. "You just made me realize that he was serious. The business world is so focused on appearance rather than substance."

I couldn't help but frown, but I remained silent as she continued.

"I let Blake get to me by feeding into that flawed perception. I never let him get into my panties, but I did let him get into my head. He pointed out the same things that I saw as flaws in you. I know I disrespected you in other ways, but I never would have cheated on you. Blake knew that, so he was focused on convincing me to divorce you. When he saw how long that was taking, I guess he decided to speed things up."

"Would you really have divorced me for being just a lowly programmer?"

She paused again, thinking before answering. "I don't know, but I know that I would have filed if you had been sent to prison."

She took a deep breath, then dove back in. "I thought you let me tie you up because you were weak. I couldn't let you tie me up, because that would mean that I was also weak." She shook her head and frowned.

"You've turned my world upside down. I see now that true power and control is having the right people in place, doing what you don't want to do yourself." She shook her head again and chuckled.

"Every time I tied you up, I thought I had power and control, but I didn't really, did I?

"No, I had responsibility for your pleasure and safety. I did the work, and you reaped the rewards.

"Even if you divorce me, I'd like to switch places and experience that, at least once."

She looked up at me with pleading eyes.

* * * * *

EPILOGUE

That day was the one time I was glad we had taken separate cars, as the drive home gave me more time to think about what I wanted to do. Once we got in the house, she just stood there, lost.

"I don't know about you, but I'm ready to get out of these uncomfortable clothes." She scrunched up her face as she tried to decide if I meant more than I was saying, but I just turned and headed to the bedroom without saying another word.

I had managed to get my shirt off when she walked into the room, only to stop just inside the door.

"Are you just going to watch, or are you going to take those clothes off?" Once again, she gave me a searching look, but she quickly started getting undressed. When she got down to her panties, and I was still ignoring her, she opened her dresser drawer and pulled out a nightgown.

"Why don't you wear these instead?"

She turned around, only to freeze when she saw me standing there naked, holding out my four ugliest ties; the ones we had repurposed as simple restraints. "Oh, and those panties will just get in the way, so you should take them off." I watched a large wet spot form before she could remove them. Apparently, she hadn't been lying about wanting to be tied up.

I could have been mean, or even cruel, but I really wanted her to enjoy the experience. I wanted her to see what she had missed out on, so I was merciless in driving her over the edge repeatedly. I didn't relent until she went completely limp and passed out.

She was a bit disoriented when she woke up, finding herself untied and me spooned up behind her.

I had fucked her to more than one orgasm, but I didn't let myself cum until the very end, not wanting to be the first to collapse. I was still horny, and she quickly noticed something stiff was poking her ass. She pushed me on my back and moved down to take me in her mouth. I knew it wouldn't take much before she could mount me, so I was surprised when she didn't stop the oral attention. I was even more surprised when my warning that I was going to cum resulted in her increasing the suction until I blew my load. She closed her eyes as she swallowed, and I just stared in shock.

Finally, she opened her eyes and looked at me. "Why do I feel more powerful now than when I tie you up and sit on your face?"

I watched in silence as tears rolled down her cheeks.

* * * * *

Even with a full team to support me, I still hated being the CEO. Reggie had been snatched up pretty quickly, so I didn't get much time before having to take on the role. Thankfully, Anne stepped up, which helped tremendously.

I'll never forget the look on her face the Monday morning she found her office empty, her name no longer on the door. She was almost in tears as she went storming towards the CEO's office to confront me, only to stop in shock when she found her name on that door instead. She hadn't seen me watching her, so she jumped when I spoke up from directly behind her.

"Congratulations on your promotion. Your first job is to hire me a new CDO."

She turned around, too stunned to speak, then suddenly pulled me in for a soul-scorching kiss. When we finally came back up for air, we could hear clapping and whistling all around us. She blushed and pulled me into her new office, closing the door behind us. She paused, seeing all of her things carefully placed in her new office, driving home that this was real.

* * * * *

We didn't just fuck and make up, although that's a lot closer to the truth than I'd like to admit. I think she got off on fucking the owner of the company, and I definitely enjoyed fucking my employee. Is it still considered roleplay when you really are the owner, bending the actual CEO over her desk and spanking her for her poor performance? Luckily, the cleaning crew was discreet, and they came in on Sunday, so there was no sign of our occasional Saturday evening fun left to be found by Monday morning.

It wasn't all as smooth as a waxed vulva though, and we had regular sessions with a marriage counselor as we worked through our issues, but we came out stronger on the other end.

On our seventh anniversary, her gift to me was a pack of birth control pills. She just laughed as I kept looking back and forth between her and the pills in confusion. Finally, she put me out of my misery and explained.

"If you don't like your gift, you can return it. However, if you keep it, I won't have any to take, so who knows what might happen the next time you fuck me."

I kept the gift.

* * * * * | * * * * * | * * * * *

AUTHOR'S NOTES

The original story outline was a BTB, with the wife being the manager of a different department, already having an affair, and being in on the plot to get her husband arrested. However, when I got to the confrontation, I found myself wanting to force her to choose between the role reversal of working for her ex-husband or quitting her job. I couldn't do this if she was fired or sent to prison, so she couldn't be in on Blake's scheme. To keep her in the room during the showdown, she had to become Blake's boss. By the time I was mostly finished rewriting those details, the story had morphed yet again. I found myself wanting to see her changed rather than divorced, so I went ahead and rewrote the rest of the story as well. The final result, after many more editing passes, is the reconciliation story you just read (or skipped over to check out the ending).

I hope that you enjoyed it (or go back and enjoy it, now that you know how it ends).