Seductive Takeover Ch. 04

Author's Disclaimer: All characters depicted are over 18, etc., etc. Enjoy!

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I had resolved to start running to the office in the mornings, but dragging my ass out of bed an extra thirty minutes early was like my body was made of lead. It's just the first day of this, I told myself, it will get better when I get used to it.

Sitting on the edge of the bed and glancing over my shoulder at my aunt, I couldn't help but think about last night. Well, really, earlier this morning. Claire had seen Rose and me having sex in this very bed and watched for quite a while. She must have gone back to throw her horny self at the cute waitress she had been on a date with earlier. It must have gone well since she was gone for hours. That put a smile on my face.

Then I woke up to find her backing into the plastic dick I was still wearing after my time with Rose. Fortunately, I didn't realize it until after I had moved away from her. If I had known before then, I know my instincts would have kicked in and I would have fucked my aunt silly.

I had been desperately trying not to get into a sexual relationship with her, but the woman was making that extremely hard. Going on that date, and especially after her spending that much time with Tawny, I was sure she would have satisfied her cravings, at least for a while. Enough that she wouldn't be practically begging me to screw her!

Of course, I knew what she was truly after, even if she didn't. Until that itch was scratched, she would continue to be a horny mess. How had she gone so many years without sex? My suspicion was that she was awakening a whole new set of desires that she had repressed most of her life. Maybe I had something to do with that, or maybe it was just coincidence, but now I had to deal with it.

"It would be so much easier if you just made her your little bitch." Miriam's take-no-prisoners mentality kept hounding me.

"No," I whispered to myself. Not Claire.

I massaged my temples briefly and stood up. Stop thinking and get to running.

Quickly filling a backpack with basic toiletries, makeup, and a work outfit, I threw on leggings and a sports bra. I borrowed a pair of Claire's running shoes, even though they were about half a size too small for me, and was out the door before my aunt even woke up. She was not used to being up that late, and she was probably going to have an even harder time rousing.

Twenty minutes later, I was riding up the elevator, hoping that I wasn't stinking up the place too much. The office seemed almost deserted this early, even though it was already half past seven.

I proceeded directly to the shower room. Just as I was closing the door and about to lock it, there was someone pushing on the opposite side. I peeked through the sliver of an opening to see Rose leaning against the wood. I guess some people did get here this early after all. Backing away, I quickly took up a position looking at myself in the mirror and let her enter.

She stepped inside quickly, placed her back against the door, and closed it. The soft click of the lock immediately followed. Rose continued to lean back as she turned her head to look at me through the mirror. Her curvy chest rose and fell, breathing heavily. She must have run to get here. Rose was so cute, I just wanted to pinch her cheeks, but I restrained myself.

Putting on an indignant expression, I whirled around to face her.

"Ah! Excuse me, miss! This room is taken," I teased. "And according to the extensive training I received very recently, your continued presence could be sexual harassment."

Rose got a sideways grin and started unbuttoning her blouse.

"You're right," she said as she pushed off the door toward me. "You'll have to sexually harass me, too, just to make it even."

"My goodness, didn't you get enough last night?" I asked, putting my palm to her partially exposed chest and halting her approach.

"Mmmm," Rose moaned, her eyes closing briefly and biting her lower lip as the memory came back to her. Then her head shook. "Uh-uh, that was seven hours ago and I'm still tingling. I need more."

Rose reached for the waistband of my running pants and started pulling them down. A significant part of me wanted to let her keep going. The vision of this adorable, sexy woman kneeling on the tile between my legs was a strong aphrodisiac, but I didn't want yet another relationship based solely on sex.

Why did I keep doing this? Why didn't I think about that yesterday before I seduced Rose? Because I control my life by sexually controlling others. That's what one of my many therapists had said, at least. At the time, it pissed me off. So I ensnared his twenty-year-old daughter and sent him a video of her naked and begging through her tears when I told her I wasn't going to see her again. I was a fucking monster.

"Rose, please," I pleaded. "We can't make this a habit. We're going to get caught, and it will be my fault if you lose your job."

"You realize this takes two, right? I'm a big girl, I know the risks," she insisted.

No, she didn't. How do you tell someone that you will just end up hurting them? I didn't want to, but it would happen.

While I hesitated, Rose lowered herself and my pants to the floor.

"Please... Goddess... let me repay you," her sweet voice drifted up to me, and I made the mistake of looking down into her big, earnest eyes.

Fucking hell.

I put one hand on the back of her head and guided her mouth all the way to my slit.

===========

Ten minutes later, Rose was ducking back out of the restroom with a huge grin on her face. I showered quickly, not wanting to monopolize the room any longer than we already had.

When I walked out, I still had the momentary concern that someone was going to connect the fact that no one had entered since Rose left. There was no one in sight, however. Today, I was wearing what could have been a man's black, button-down shirt under a black vest, and a pink necktie with black skulls. From the waist down, I had on a black A-line skirt and black hose. Yeah, I know, I was rockin' the black!

I went to Claire's desk expecting to find her there, but it looked like she hadn't gotten in yet. I put my bag in one of the large filing cabinet drawers left available for team members to store their personal items. Since no one had designated desks, there were accommodations like that to keep the place from getting cluttered.

The laptop that was supposed to be issued to me wasn't ready yet, so I sat at an empty desk and just looked around, unsure of what to do.

"Morning, Nyx!" one of the engineers said just a couple of desks away.

Most of the rest of the team had already arrived and were working on whatever their latest task was. The one who greeted me was a man in his late 20s or early 30s. He was somewhat skinny with a large tattoo running most of the length of his right forearm. It was designed to look like the skin was peeled back, and mechanical parts were visible underneath. Really good work.

"Morning," I returned his gesture with a smile. "That ink is fire," I added, nodding to his arm.

"Heh, thanks," he snorted jovially. "I get a lot of compliments on it. You got any tats?"

I met his earnest question with a flat expression.

"Do you always ask to see a woman's tattoos when you first meet them?" I teased.

In retrospect, I shouldn't have embarrassed him like that. I knew what he meant, and he was just trying to start up a conversation.

"Huh? Uh... oh, shit... NO! I didn't mean... uhh... I'm going to stop talking now."

Damnit. I didn't mean to shut him down.

"I'm just messing with you..." Then I realized that I couldn't remember his name. "I'm sorry, I met a lot of people yesterday. What was your name again?"

"J.. Josh," he answered, his eyes wanting to look back over at me but failing.

"How... ordinary," I commented. He looked confused. "With a tat like that," I continued, "I was expecting something like Locutus."

That got a chuckle, and he turned back toward me. I'm glad he caught the Star Trek reference, or that would have been a wasted joke.

Just then, Claire came around the corner. She had a pensive look on her face, like there was some issue of great importance that she was considering. I noticed the rest of the people in the team area rose, including Josh.

"Stand up," the engineer said in my direction.

What the hell? Were we suddenly in a Japanese school room where pupils stand when their sensei enters? I didn't move. No way was I going to bow to peer pressure. I don't bow to anyone without a damn good reason!

"Stand up," Josh repeated, this time louder but not like a command.

"What? Why? I'm not standing just 'cause Cla... Ms. Beechum is here." I challenged.

Josh let out an exasperated sigh.

"No, it's time for stand-up," he tried and failed to clarify.

At my look of utter bafflement, he tried to explain.

"That's just a term we use for our morning team meeting. Everyone stands, and we go through the tasks for the day, problems we're facing, that kind of thing." He gestured to the other team members, all starting to congregate around a large screen with a table of some sort displayed on it. "We stand so that no one gets too comfortable and to remind us that this is supposed to be brief."

I felt stupid and stood up to join the small crowd still forming into a semicircle. Just as Josh had promised, Claire facilitated as items displayed on the screen were discussed quickly unless there was some issue. Those got more time, but were still concluded with a promise to discuss in more detail after the meeting. The whole thing lasted less than fifteen minutes, and everyone went back to their work.

The concern on Claire's face returned as soon as the group broke up. She sat down at her desk right next to where I had been.

"Anything wrong?" I asked in a hushed voice as I rolled the chair next to her and sat.

"I'm not sure," Claire replied, but didn't elaborate. "It doesn't matter. I want to show you some of the financials and see if that is something you can help with."

My aunt shook her head, banishing whatever thoughts had been plaguing her.

===========

In the middle of our tutoring session, a notification popped up on Claire's system.

"Isn't Peggy the one who interrupted the tour yesterday?" I asked, reading the summary from the screen. "What does she want?"

"She's the regional manager for our area, and I'm sure it has something to do with rumors that our customer isn't happy," she answered.

"Wouldn't you know if the customer isn't happy?"

"Yes, but it's not that simple," Claire sighed. "Our customer PM, sorry, Program Manager, who we work with on a daily basis, is very happy with our performance, but the complaint seems to be coming from above them. The problem is that I can't fix what isn't broken, and I don't even know what, exactly, they're complaining about."

She pushed away from the desk and stood up.

"Peggy wants to see me," she announced. "Maybe I can get some answers."

I got up as well. Maybe it was morbid curiosity or my love of drama, but I started following Claire as she strode down the wide walkway toward the managers' offices. Besides, I was supposed to be her shadow, right?

Just a quarter of the way down the concourse, a woman I had never seen before came out of what I suspected was Peggy's office. The woman had blonde hair in a perfect, tightly bound bun and wore a perfectly tailored gray suit. Her shoulders were back as she walked, looking very much like the picture of power and competence. My initial impression was that she must be one of the upper management.

Just ahead of me, Claire slowed her pace. Tension filled the distance like a buildup of static electricity. The two women had an impromptu staredown with the blonde giving Claire a satisfied smirk as she turned into the connecting hall a few yards in front of us.

"Who the fuck was that?" I growled as I came up beside Claire

"Nyx! Language," my aunt admonished.

"Sorry. Who the fuck was that bitch?" I rephrased.

I got silence and a sidelong glance in return. However, there was a hint of a smile trying to tug up on one corner of her mouth.

"That... bitch... is Veronica Windhelm, the woman who used to be in charge of the project I now manage," she explained. "I'm sure she's responsible for this somehow, but let's not talk about it now. I need to get in front of Peggy and see what this is all about."

When Claire started walking again, I followed, only for her to turn and hold up a hand.

"Probably not the right time for you to shadow me," she said.

Okay. So what was I supposed to do? Remembering a line from Monty Python's Quest for the Holy Grail, I said, "So I'll just wait here, then shall I?"

I don't think my aunt caught the reference, or wasn't in the mood, or maybe it just wasn't funny. For whatever reason, she didn't seem amused.

"I don't know. Go check on whether your laptop is ready," Claire directed grumpily.

I gave her a casual salute and turned down the same corridor that the Windhelm woman had gone down. That actually gave me an idea, but she was already gone. Just ahead was Gloria, the receptionist, who told me that Veronica's office was one floor down. Incidentally, that was the same floor where the local tech support group was, who, hopefully, had my laptop ready.

The stairs down were just on the other side of the reception desk, so I took them down to the lower floor and exited just in time to see the blonde closing a door to one of the only offices that didn't have a glass wall. Actually, the door was uncomfortably close to the outer brick wall of the building and separated from the other offices by a small conference room. If I hadn't just seen Veronica go into it, I would have thought it was the door to a closet.

As it turned out, I wasn't wrong. Walking casually around what I now recognized as other team areas, I gently tapped my knuckles on the heavy wooden door.

"What?" came an irritated voice on the other side.

While it wasn't an invitation to enter, I didn't feel like raising my voice through the door was appropriate either, so I turned the handle and cracked it open just enough to make eye contact with the woman inside. Her chair was pulled out from a wooden desk, but she hadn't sat down yet.

My impression of this space as a closet was confirmed. It was a narrow, spartan space in the corner of the building with no windows. Two walls were brick, and it was just enough wider than the desk, which faced the door and was pressed against the longer brick wall, for a person to walk past. The only furniture besides the desk was a plush pleather executive chair behind the desk, another uncomfortable-looking chair facing the desk, and a credenza that looked like it was probably a DIY Walmart purchase.

"I.. I'm sorry to disturb you, miss," I began in a low, nervous voice. "This is just my second day, and I was hoping you could show me where the Tech Support office is?"

"You walked past all those other people to ask me for directions?" Veronica asked, perturbed.

"No, ma'am! I.. I mean, yes, ma'am, but... um..." I said sheepishly as I stepped into the room and let it close behind me.

I didn't look right at her, instead doing a quick scan of the room while acting like a scared little lamb. From the brief exchange between Veronica and Claire on the floor above, I had a hunch about the lure I needed to dangle in front of her. I wasn't arrogant enough, however, to think that I was always right or that she would even be susceptible to my brand of bait. That is what I was here to find out.

From my quick look around, it was clear that the occupant had gone to great lengths to make the office look like the domain of a powerful executive. There were a couple of framed certifications or diplomas or something on the long non-brick wall. The credenza was well stocked with some well-known self-help and motivational books as well as what, at first glance, appeared to be signed pictures of famous people. The implication was that the blonde woman was acquainted with these people, but there were no images with her in them.

"I... just saw you upstairs and," I increased my speech cadence to sound nervous. That wasn't too hard to fake since I was nervous, just not to the degree that I wanted to project. "And I wanted to introduce myself. You just seemed like someone important and..." I let my eyes dart briefly down her body. "And powerful... m.. miss."

It was subtle, but one of the blonde's eyebrows rose a tiny amount, and her lips pressed together, the corners turning up the barest of degrees. The flattery, at least, was having an effect.

"My daddy always told me to get to know successful people, and maybe some of it would rub off," I continued my fast-paced monologue. It was a complete fabrication, of course, my dad was an abusive asshole. "So, uh, yeah, that's what I'm doing. That and getting directions. I do really need directions. OH! I'm Nyx, Nyx Rodrigo. I'm Ms. Beecham's new intern."

The mention of Claire made her stand up a little straighter.

"Intern? Since when do we have interns?" Veronica interrupted, the look in her eyes hardening momentarily before it softened again and became almost sugary sweet.

"Um... I... don't know?" I answered questioningly while fidgeting with the hem of my skirt. The action seemed like a nervous tic, but also pulled up the garment to show a bit more of my thighs.

Even though I was not looking at her face, I still caught the moment that her eyes drifted down to my stocking-covered legs and lingered there longer than a simple noticing of the motion would have needed. There it was. I smiled inwardly.

"I'm sorry, sweetie," Veronica said, her voice dripping with fake concern. "I didn't mean to snap at you like that." She came around to the other side of the desk with her arms out wide. "Come here and let me give you a hug."

"O.. okay," I agreed and proceeded through the long office into the older woman's waiting arms.

She enveloped me, and I circled my arms around her back. Rather than just a quick hug, I held her a little tighter and lay my cheek on her shoulder with my face toward hers. Veronica didn't let go or push me away; she let me wiggle into her.

I let out an audible sigh of contentment.

"You're so nice," I whispered. "I wish I were assigned to you instead of Claire."

"I know, dear," she soothed while rubbing my back.

Veronica hugged me for another few seconds before letting go. I started to step back, but she limited that motion by grabbing both my arms just below my shoulders.

"I can probably make that happen," she promised. "But you need to prove to me that I should."

"H.. how do I do that?"

"By showing me that you can be loyal and useful." Veronica let go of me to move back around to the other side of her desk. "I'm trying to make sure Claire doesn't ruin the project she's in charge of, but I need to know what she's doing so that I can fix it as quickly as possible."

"You want me to be a s.. spy for you?"

"Not a spy, dear. I would find out what she's done eventually, but it might be too late to act by then. I can help the company faster if I know more quickly. So you would just be speeding up the process," she assured.

"Oh, okay," I replied.

"Good girl," she praised with a motherly sort of smile. "Now, run along. The tech office is just past the kitchen on the north wall, the opposite side of the building."

"Y.. yes, ma'am. Thank you, ma'am," I finished, then turned and hastily left.

That went better than I had hoped. Not only did I determine that she would likely be susceptible to my particular brand of... persuasion, I had also confirmed that she was, at least, wanting to actively interfere with Claire's project.

After picking up my new laptop, I went back upstairs to the team area. Claire was already there, concentrating intensely on whatever was on her screen.

"Hey," I greeted. "How'd it go?"

She looked up and then around to the rest of the team.

"Later," she hissed.

I could tell she was tense, so I let it drop. Sitting at the desk beside her, I pulled up my new computer and acted like I was doing something work-like.

===========

That was pretty much the agenda for the rest of that day. Even as I took another trip to the food trucks with several other members of the team for lunch, Claire was hunched over her keyboard in a foul mood. The afternoon was much the same, with my aunt occasionally pacing in empty conference rooms on her phone. I was supposed to be shadowing her, but every time I tried to approach, she would wave me away.

I broached the subject again as soon as the doors on Claire's car closed, giving us privacy for the first time that day.

"Okay, Claire, what the hell is going on?"

She stared straight ahead for an uncomfortable amount of time before reaching down and starting the vehicle.

"Fucking Veronica, I'm sure of it," she finally spat as she forcefully put the car into reverse.

I stayed quiet, assuming that she would fill in more details. Once we were moving forward, she continued.

"Our direct interface with the customer, the Bob guy I was talking to, has no idea what's wrong and says that he never reported any issues since I took over. But some asshole I only know from an org chart I looked up who is a senior vice president of the company is raising a stink. He says that we are screwing up the project, wasting their money, and specifically named me as the source. What THE FUCK?"

"Aunt Claire! Language!" I joked.

She was not in the mood and scowled at me.

"Why do you think Veronica has something to do with that?" I asked, trying to get her attention off my poorly considered jest.

"A. Because of the smug look she gave me this morning, coming out of Peggy's office. B. There was a rumor that she got the project initially because she had some personal connection with one of the upper execs." Claire paused before adding, "Oh, and C. She hates my guts because this is the third time I've had to clean up a project she nearly killed."

"She should be thanking you!" I pointed out.

"That's not how Veronica thinks. Everything is about image and looking competent. Actually being competent is too much work!" Claire spat.

There was a full minute where neither of us spoke. I had my own side of this drama to relay, but I wasn't sure if this was the right time. As the silence stretched, I decided to just spit it out.

"Veronica asked me to spy on you," I said flatly.

We were coming up on a stoplight, and the car came to a more abrupt halt than necessary. Claire turned my direction with a look of complete shock on her face.

"She what?"

"Please don't ask for the details," I began. "Let's just leave it with the fact that I am going to be in a... position to feed her false information and, hopefully, get some from her as well."

Claire stared at me with her mouth open like she was looking at a chicken with two heads.

"Do I have something on my face?" I prodded.

Just then, the car behind us honked. Claire spun back to look at the now green light and put her foot on the gas.

"What day is it?" she asked. What kind of a question was that?

"T.. tuesday. Why?" I answered.

"You've been at the company for two days, and you're already a double-agent in the middle of company politics."

"Yeah," I chuckled. "When you put it like that, it sounds kind of sinister, doesn't it?"

"It sounds insane." Claire let out a huge sigh and shook her head. "I just wish I knew who Veronica was talking to and what she told them. Fighting a fire I can't even see is frustrating as hell!"

A few minutes later, she was unlocking the apartment door. She went straight to the couch and collapsed into the cushions. My aunt's head lay back and eyes closed.

"Do you have anything to drink?" I asked, stepping into the tiny kitchen area. "Something with a little more kick than Diet Coke?"

"There's some bourbon in the cabinet over the refrigerator, but that's just to cook with," Claire answered without moving or even opening her eyes.

"I think this would be an appropriate time to expand its use."

It took a little stretching to reach the half-empty bottle. After that, I opened a couple of cupboards until I found the small glasses. I pulled down a glass, added a couple of ice cubes, and poured just enough of the alcohol to cover them.

Back in the living room, I put the glass into Aunt Claire's hand. Her head rose to look at the glass, then brought it to her lips. I expected her to sip it, but she downed all of it in a few gulps.

"Whoa!" she exhaled, giving her head a shake, then lifted the empty glass back in my direction.

I poured her another. This one she sipped, then laid her head back once again. I hated seeing her like this and already knew that I would do whatever I could to find out what this Veronica woman was doing to cause my aunt all this stress. In that moment, however, I just wanted to make her feel better, more relaxed.

I went behind the couch and gently put two fingers on each of her temples. As I began massaging in little circles, Claire exhaled and her shoulders drooped.

"That's really nice, but you don't..." Claire started to say, but I wasn't having any of it.

"You need to relax, Aunt Claire. Today was really hard for you, and I want to help."

"I don't need..." She said, starting to lift her head.

"Shhh," I interrupted again. Catching her chin in one hand, I urged her head back against the cushion. Claire's eyes opened and looked at me upside down, but she didn't argue and did as I instructed. "I said, relax. I've got you."

For some reason, I felt an urge, leaned forward, and planted a kiss on her forehead. Her eyes fluttered closed.

"You see that?" Miriam's voice whispered in my head. "Your pretty little aunt wants you, Nyx. More precisely, she wants me."

"Shut up!" I hissed back mentally at the intrusive presence. "She doesn't need you!"

"But she wants me. She wants someone to relieve all this stress." My hands drifted on their own down Claire's neck to her shoulders and began to knead the muscles there. "She wants someone else to be the boss for a while."

"I can do that without you," I argued, but I could feel her pushing against my resolve.

"Look at that smooth neck stretched out for you," Miriam taunted. "Wouldn't it look sexy with a collar around it?"

I nodded subconsciously as my eyes traced across her delicate skin, displayed for me like an offering. Then I came to my senses.

"N.. no," I muttered internally at her. "Not Claire!"

"You saw how she was ready to impale herself on your strap-on last night. She wanted me to fuck her just like I fucked Rose."

Beneath me, Claire let out a satisfied moan as my hands - or Miriam's? - continued to loosen her tension. It wasn't meant to be, but the sound was erotic to my ears. I watched as my hands pushed her suit jacket off her shoulders, my aunt moving just enough to let the material slide down her arms.

"That feels so good," Claire hummed.

"Magic fingers. Remember?" I said. Too late, I realized what I was insinuating.

It was a reminder of how I had answered when she had asked what I had done to the store clerk on the shopping trip that first day. Megan, I think her name was. The girl was so needy that it barely took anything for Miriam to have her pressed against the mirror in a changing room and cumming her brains out.

Claire looked up with an expression I couldn't decipher. Desire, curiosity, fear? Then her eyes slowly closed again. It was an acceptance that bolstered Miriam's point.

My fingers slipped, unbidden, underneath the spaghetti straps of my aunt's camisole and pulled them off. Visually, it was a tiny change. The straps hung down her upper arms, leaving her bare from the shoulders up, but it was clear she was giving me access. Hands massaged her pectoral muscles as I watched her chest rise and fall with her deep breaths. The hint of her hardening nipples was starting to show just an inch or two from the top of the cloth.

Damnit, Claire. She was not helping me curtail Miriam's influence.

Continuing to massage, my fingers drifted barely under the material of her blouse as I made circles over the top of her chest. Each repetition took my hands slightly lower until I felt the tip of my middle fingers brush against a stiff nipple. The only indication that Claire had noticed was a brief pause in her breathing. The next circle pushed against her nubs, and the one after that swept the ends of several fingers across them like strumming a guitar. That got more of a reaction.

"Huhhh," she exhaled in a staccato, mirroring the rhythm I/Miriam was playing across her nipples.

On the next pass, my fingers splayed, letting her erect buttons fit between them. Miriam stopped suddenly and squeezed Claire's nipples. My aunt's mouth and eyes opened wide at the unexpected sensation. Her breathing halted, but she didn't move to stop me/her.

Miriam pulled up while continuing to roll the captured nipples, forcing my aunt's back to arch.

"I can show you what these magic fingers can do, Claire," She taunted. I could hear the change in our voice when Miriam took over. It was harder, colder, hinting at danger. "I know you're curious. But there's a price for sating your curiosity."

That price would be the hook. The tiny concession that would inevitably lead to my aunt becoming her willing, devoted pet!

I tried to reassert myself, but my libido was already poisoning my will. I wanted Claire and had for a long time, but not like this.

"Your orgasm," Miriam said, rolling my aunt's nipples between her fingers.

"I don't... AHHH... I don't underst..."

"You will not cum until I tell you to," Miriam continued, cutting Claire off. "I do enjoy hearing sluts beg, though. Just remember that's all you are when you beg to cum: a slut."

I/she squeezed and lifted again, and Claire's eyes half closed. Still, she managed to respond.

"I'm not a slut!"

"I didn't say you were, Claire. No. You're going to choose to be a slut," Miriam explained.

Surely Aunt Claire wouldn't accept that. I had set her up with Tawny so she wouldn't be so desperate, so malleable.

Miriam let go of her breasts completely, letting them bounce back to their usual beautiful shape, the camisole no longer covering them. Claire's chest rose and fell like she had been exercising.

"Are you willing to pay that price, Claire?"

Say 'no,' I urged silently, unable to interfere. My aunt took a deep breath. I could only watch as I saw the desire welling up and the answer forming on her lips.

"Y.. yes," she whispered.

"Good girl," Miriam replied. "Now, stand up and get undressed. Sluts don't get to wear clothes."

"I'm not a..." Claire started but didn't finish. Instead, she slowly got up and turned to face us.

This was one of Miriam's favorite tactics: force her target to see themselves as the object she wanted them to be. She rationalized that she was just revealing their true selves. The problem was that she was right; she brought out the often deeply repressed parts of their personalities that they were ashamed of or, more often, scared of. It was a gift, she said.

But then she'd use them. For money or just her own entertainment, and they would thank her... thank me for it. Then, when she got bored, she'd throw them away like yesterday's garbage. An emotional vampire, that's what she was. That's what I was.

By the time I came back from my musings, the last of my aunt's clothes were being tossed away. She stood there naked and flushed, forcing herself not to cover up, but not sure what to do with her hands. She looked so vulnerable, yet excited.

In that moment, I felt a rush of... something. I wanted to hold her, protect her, make Claire truly happy.

"You're so beautiful," I said. Not Miriam, me.

Not wasting a moment, I went right over the back of the couch to stand in front of her. My hands went to Claire's face and pulled her into a deep, passionate kiss. She seemed surprised, but returned my kiss with just as much enthusiasm.

My hands drifted down her neck to her breasts. One paused there while the other continued lower, over her abdomen to the soft down of her mons. I stopped there, enjoying the silky texture of her pubic hair and letting her get used to my touch.

I broke our embrace and whispered into her ear.

"I want you to cum hard, Claire. Not for me, for you." Maybe this was going to be confusing, but I had to redirect Miriam's intent. "Are you ready?"

Her hands rested on my hips, and she nodded. I kissed her neck as my hand gently cupped her sex, the moisture coating my palm.

"Thank you," I murmured, then entered her. Not as a conqueror, not like Miriam, as a lover.

I built her up slowly, her body using me for support until her moans were constant and her legs began to shake. Without stopping, I guided her to lie down on the couch. With one hand behind her neck and the other playing the instrument between her legs, I reveled in her pleasure; the undulation of her flesh with every stroke, every strum.

"Oh, god... oh, god... OOOOHHHH," Claire called out, her body almost frantic.

Her face turned to me, her eyes filled with wonder. I'd seen that look before. She expected to have climaxed by now, but I kept taking her higher. Magic fingers.

I smiled warmly back. Claire was almost at her peak, at least for this time. Leaning forward, I brushed my lips to hers at the same moment that I touched her G-spot and her clit in just the right ways to send her over.

My aunt's arms flailed for a moment before finding something to hold onto as the rest of her began to buck uncontrollably. Her head flew back, breaking our kiss, so I settled for running my lips and tongue over her neck. She cried out in ecstasy over and over.

With practiced manipulations, I kept the orgasm going for almost thirty seconds until she was spent. I pulled back, but continued to massage her sex, letting her come down gently. Claire twitched and squirmed as the last vestiges of her climax rolled through her.

"Oh, my fucking god," she finally said. That brought another smile to my face.

Her naked form now glistened with a thin sheen of sweat. I couldn't help but admire the sexiest thirty-five-year-old body I could think of as she tried to catch her breath.

"She could have been your toy," Miriam scoffed in my head.

"Not Claire," I told her silently. "I'll give you Veronica, but it will take some time."

Miriam backed away, mollified for the time being. I would need to make good on my promise, however, before she got too thirsty.

Claire released the death grip she had on the furniture and ran her hands down her body like she was feeling it for the first time.

"Whoa... yeah," my aunt mumbled to herself.

I stood up and brushed down my dress, a smug grin on my face as I gazed down at the beautiful naked woman still swimming in the euphoria I had given her. Then I remembered why I hadn't done this previously. Living with Claire was going to get a lot more complicated. Damnit, Miriam.

Neither of us spoke much beyond the necessary the rest of the evening. We both knew we had crossed a line. I made some stir-fry, and we watched a stupid cooking show before we both got on our devices and lost ourselves in our own online worlds.

Near the end of the evening, I broached the subject of what information I was going to give Veronica to get on her good side and build some trust. We came up with a list of things that I could disclose over time that would be true, but not things that could be used against Claire.

Claire went to bed first, and I stayed up a bit longer, trying to let her get to sleep before I joined her. When I finally disrobed, I did my best to slip under the covers silently without jostling the bed. I lay there looking up at the ceiling when my aunt rolled over toward me. Her hand rested on my stomach, and her cheek against my arm.

Fucking hell. I sighed and closed my eyes.

===========

The following morning, I had to extricate myself from Claire's soft embrace, but was out of the apartment and running to the office before she woke. As I exited the elevator and rounded the corner heading for the shower room, there was Rose sitting on a curvy padded bench. She stood up at the sight of me and stepped over. I thought she was going to kiss me right there in the hallway, but she stopped short with a little bounce and a sweet grin.

"Good morning," she chirped, looking up at me.

"Hi, Rose," I greeted. "Are you always in this early?"

"I am now," she answered and gave me a little wink.

"You know we can't keep doing this at work, right?" I said, lowering my voice.

She got the cutest little pout, and her eyes dropped.

"Yeees," she admitted, drawing the word out, then got a mischievous grin. "You could come over to my place."

"Your place?"

"Sure! I would make you dinner and we would talk and cuddle and have wild sex like a normal couple! Okay, maybe not like a normal couple, but you know what I mean."

She beamed up at me.

"And you'll let me take my showers in peace?" I chided in a jovial tone.

Rose scrunched up her chipmunk face as though she'd just smelled something rancid.

"Yes," she answered dejectedly.

"Yes, what?" I whispered. That put a lopsided smile back on her face.

"Yes, Goddess."

I did a quick look around to make sure no one was watching, then gave her a peck on the forehead before continuing past her to the shower.

"Friday, after work," I called back just before closing the door.

===========

The day turned out to be less tense than the previous. Claire started giving me actual tasks that mostly involved helping the team with little bits of administrivia. They were more than happy to have someone take those things off their plates. None of them seemed difficult, just things that had to get done that took the engineers away from the engineering.

I also took some time to visit Veronica. Pausing outside her door, I unbuttoned a couple of additional buttons on my blouse and put on a demure, naive persona before rapping lightly on the wood.

"Come!" came Veronica's irritated voice from the other side of the door.

I stepped through, and the scowl on the blonde's face immediately softened and took on a motherly expression.

"Oh, hello, sweetie," she began. "Come in and close the door. Have a seat."

I crossed the room and sat in the chair in front of Veronica's desk. Despite the furniture and knick-knacks artfully arranged, the place still felt like a closet. Veronica came around to the front and sat on her desk, crossing her legs and gazing down at me.

"Do you have something for me?"

"Y.. yes, ma'am," I said, trying to sound quiet and a bit nervous.

When I didn't continue immediately, she put a finger under my chin and lifted my face to look up at her.

"Don't worry, sweetie," she began, moving her hand to cup my cheek. "I know you're scared, but I'll protect you."

I nodded, pressing ever so slightly into her palm, then proceeded to tell her the small tidbit of useless, but interesting truth that Claire and I had agreed upon earlier. Veronica listened while keeping her expression neutral.

When I was finished, she smiled down at me sweetly.

"Well, it's nothing earthshattering, but it's a start. Thank you for trusting me with this," she said. The blonde stood up off the desk but didn't move. "I will need one other thing from you, however, Nyx."

"Yes, Veronica?"

"First, you will address me as Ms. Windhelm. I know the company encourages the use of first names to increase the sense of camaraderie, but I believe in showing respect to your betters," Veronica explained.

Betters? This was going to take more control than I had anticipated. This woman was going to get on my every nerve, I could tell that already.

"Y.. yes, M.. miss Windhelm," I replied dutifully.

"Second, if I am going to be able to trust you, I will need a demonstration of your intentions and commitment."

"L.. like what?" I asked, doing my best to convert my irritation into sounding like fear.

"Hmm," the businesswoman tapped her chin in thought as though she was just, that moment, trying to come up with something. Right. "Give me your panties," she ordered.

"My what?" Acting shocked didn't take much, as her boldness this quickly was quite shocking. The ire of this woman!

"Your panties, dear," she repeated. "Giving me your panties shows me that you are willing to go beyond the standard protocols and do what is necessary. Don't wear any tomorrow. I will call you to my office and return them to you."

The expression on her face was a mask of complete professionalism. She might as well have been asking for my resume, not my underwear.

"Ummm, okay... I guess," I replied and stood up.

Reaching under my dress awkwardly, I pulled my panties down and off. They were a black lace pair that, while not a thong, were still pretty tiny. They were also moderately expensive. I better get them back, I thought.

As I handed them over, Veronica looked surprised and a little impressed.

"Well, well, aren't we a little naughty?" she teased.

I gave her a sheepish smile and looked away. She watched me for another couple of seconds, then walked back behind her desk, opened a drawer, and dropped my unmentionables into it.

"Now, run along." She made a shooing motion with her hand. "We'll talk tomorrow."

===========

It really didn't bother me to run around without panties on. On the contrary, I quite liked it. Occasionally, I would do that anyway, just for the fun of it. I'm sure Veronica intended it to be a power play that would make me realize how much I enjoyed following her orders, but for me, it was just another Wednesday.

She did make me wait until almost the end of the day before I got a text telling me to come to her office. Once again, I put on my scared little rabbit persona and knocked on her door.

This time, she opened the door herself and ushered me inside. After closing the door, she had me stand just another step into the office while she went around to the single chair in front of her desk.

She sat down and asked, "Did you follow my instructions, little one?"

Little one? Wow, she was laying it on a little thick. Did this ever actually work? Nonetheless, I played the part.

"Yes, Ver... Ms. Windhelm," I answered.

"Show me," she demanded.

"Show... you?" I stammered, not the least bit surprised.

"Lift up your skirt and show me," the blonde clarified. I started to tentatively reach for my hem when she stopped me. "Turn around. You don't need to show me your cooch, as cute as it might be." I could almost hear the 'yet' left off the end of that statement.

That was the first open indication that she might be interested in women, but I ignored it. Instead, I turned around and slowly lifted my skirt over my hips. I held there for a few seconds, wondering how long it was going to take for her to confirm that I wasn't wearing underwear.

"See?" I started turning my head to see her, but didn't turn my body or drop the garment. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught just a glimpse of her quickly putting her phone back down at her side.

The bitch had taken a picture of my bare ass! Miriam fumed and was ready to teach the woman a lesson right then, but I held her off. What I had planned would be much more satisfying.

I acted like I hadn't seen anything and continued.

"Is it okay?" I asked innocently.

"Oh, yes. You did well, dear." She paused another couple of seconds, probably ogling me for as long as she felt she could get away with. "You can drop your skirt and turn back around."

I did as she said and just stood there expectantly. Another awkward silence.

"M.. may I... have my panties back... please... Ms. Windhelm?"

"You're a very pretty girl, Nyx," Veronica continued without answering me.

"Th.. thank you," I replied with a bit of a tremor.

"But you're not using it, love. Look at me." The blonde gestured with her hands sweeping down her form. "Do you find me attractive?"

That was a loaded question. I traced her curves, lingering on the hint of thigh she left exposed.

"Y.. yes, ma'am," I answered, looking back up at her. This wasn't a lie. She was a beautiful woman by all outward appearances.

"Whether you realize it or not, that has an effect on you. Not just you, everyone. People are innately drawn to the beautiful. If you know how to use it, the world will bend to your desires."

I resisted the urge to point out the office she had been relegated to. Clearly, looks and confidence alone weren't all she was making them out to be. She wasn't wrong; it just wasn't the whole picture. Nevertheless, I put on the doe-eyed look of an enthralled teenager.

"As an intern, your job is to do whatever your superiors tell you to and to learn. I am willing to teach you," Veronica said this like it was the most magnanimous offer possible. "But I need to know that you are ready for what I have to teach. That means complete obedience and trust. Much of what I have to show you goes way beyond what HR would deem appropriate. I need assurances that you aren't going to get cold feet and get me in trouble."

"L.. like what?"

"What am I going to teach you or what assurances?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Um... yes?" I replied.

"Fine," the blonde smirked. "First, the assurance. I need a compromising picture of you. Something that, if shared, would be embarrassing and detrimental."

"Wait," I interrupted. "You want blackmail material?" I was genuinely shocked and let that come out.

"Of course not, dear. I would never blackmail you," she insisted. "This is just something that balances out the risk I will be taking with you. Think of it as mutually assured destruction."

Miriam seethed once again. How dare this woman! We were on the same page regarding our goal, however, so keeping her in check wasn't a problem. What was a problem was actually letting Veronica have identifiable pictures of us. That was leverage I could not afford to allow her to have.

"I don't have anything like that," I answered honestly.

"Not a problem. We can take care of that right now."

I licked my lips and reached up to loosen the laces keeping my top tight.

"W.. what if I could give you something else, Ms. Windhelm?" I said in a breathy, quivering voice.

I pulled my dress off one shoulder, then the other. It piled around my feet, revealing that I wasn't wearing a bra either. I slowly went to my knees in front of her and put a hand on her leg.

"I can prove my commitment," I continued, looking deep into her eyes. Her composure was slipping. "If you'll let me."

My voice trailed off to a whisper as she let me uncross her legs. Without losing eye contact, I slid my hands under her skirt. The blonde woman made no moves to stop me. Up her thighs to the edge of her panties. They felt lacy and thin. Of course.

Veronica lifted her rear off the seat to allow me to pull her underwear down and off.

"I have to admit, this is unexpected, Nyx," she said, her arousal cracking through her otherwise calm speech. "You're a saucy one, aren't you?"

"Will this be a suitable alternative to a picture, ma'am?" I asked, ignoring her statement.

My hands gently urged her knees apart, and I leaned forward to kiss her inner thigh just at the edge of her pencil skirt.

"I... I think we can... this will be..." She took a deep breath to calm herself. "This will be acceptable for now," the blonde finally managed.

Smiling up at her, I tugged on her legs and pulled her to sit on the edge of the seat, pushing her skirt up in the process.

Even her pussy was perfectly trimmed without a hair out of place. I absently wondered if that, too, was part of her daily grooming routine. My breath and lips and tongue danced up her thighs, moving from one side to the other. A light nibble here, a flick of the tongue there. The higher I went, the shallower her breaths.

Her legs continued to spread wider as my head got closer and closer to her center. Finally at my target, I paused. Fingernails gently tickled the highest points of her inner thighs with my lips a centimeter away from her folds.

My hot breath caressed her vulva. Then pointer fingers from both sides parted her labia from bottom to top, laying bare her most intimate opening and the sensitive nub at its apex. It glissened from the moisture collecting there. Veronica's clit was already engorged and standing out proudly from its hood just begging to be stroked.

I blew directly on it and felt Veronica's legs quiver.

"You little tease," she admonished.

A hand pressed against the back of my head, pulling me to her sex. Inwardly, I smiled even as I let her feel like she was in control. The tip of one finger massaged her hole while my lips surrounded the top of her slit. Avoiding direct contact with her clit, my tongue explored every other crevice of her pussy.

I was building her up at a pace I knew would ultimately give her the greatest pleasure, even if she was urging me to speed up. Her hand kept trying to direct me to her button, and her hips were starting to gyrate. Her moans became louder, longer, and more desperate by the moment.

"You're... ooohhhh... very good... at this," Veronica commented, but I already knew that.

My finger slowly worked its way inside of her surprisingly tight opening while my assault of her most sensitive spot intensified in conjunction. The blonde's hand no longer tried to steer me; instead, moving to grip the armrest, the action mirrored on her opposite side. Her whole body squirmed, her head beginning to move around almost randomly.

I kept her in that state for several minutes, never letting her push over. Just when I knew she was at her limit before it would start to get uncomfortable, I ramped up one last time. My lips made a seal around her button and sucked her hard clit into my mouth fully. I pressed it against the roof of my mouth and rubbed it back and forth with the flat of my tongue. At the same time, I inserted a second finger into her vagina and turned my hand over so that I hook them into her G-spot.

The response was immediate and animated. Veronica slapped the armrests and practically lifted off the seat, but I followed, not letting up in the slightest. One hand slapped over her mouth as an obscene sound straight out of a porno started emenating from the woman's throat. I glanced up to see her eyes roll up just as she lost all control of her own body.

Veronica began to convulse and flop around as her climax hit her like an avalanche. I read her reactions and kept her on that high for tens of seconds before letting her come down. I could have done more, but this was enough for a first time.

I sat back up and smiled. The blonde woman's perfect bun had come half out, her face was rosy, and she had lost both of her designer shoes at some point. She seemed almost out of it, but very happy. Yeah, she would be dreaming of this feeling until I gave it to her again.

Her unfocused eyes finally seemed to regain some awareness and landed back on me, still kneeling there at her feet. She sat back up and straightened her dress.

As she patted the mess of her hair like it was in perfect shape, she said, "W.. well. That was... adequate, for a first time."

Adequate, my ass! I could tell that I had probably given her the best orgasm she'd had in a long, long time and maybe ever. Letting her keep up her air of control, however, served my purposes. It also didn't escape my notice that she was already positioning for a repeat demonstration with her 'for a first time' statement.

"Thank you, Ms. Windhelm," I replied demurely.

She was still flustered, so I stood up and redressed. When I was done, I turned back to the woman still sprawled in the chair.

"May I have my panties back now, ma'am?"

"What?" she said with a start, looking up at me questioningly before registering what I was asking. "Oh, yes. Top left-hand drawer."

Opening the drawer, I found my underwear neatly folded. Underneath was a notebook and another cellphone. Veronica already had one phone with her. What was this one for? Unfortunately, I couldn't investigate with her in the room. It would have to wait for another time, but there would definitely be another time.

I slipped on my panties and went toward the door.

"Nyx," Veronica called as I reached for the knob. Turning my head to face her, I paused. She had mostly collected herself again, aside from her still unkempt hair. "I think this is going to be a wonderful arrangement."

I smiled and nodded before continuing out of her office.

"Hmph," Miriam snorted in my head as the door closed. "She has no idea."