Page 85 of Office Intrigue (Office Intrigue Duet 1)
I was starting to think that my bosses weren’t merely testing me but they were teaching me lessons along the way. Not only how to please them but also things like patience, routine, and even spontaneity. Sort of a contradiction, but still.
That or they simply enjoyed pushing my limits and torturing me in the most sensuous ways.
For example, it was a few minutes after three and I’d been kneeling in Langston’s office for the past ten minutes waiting for his arrival. That had been his instruction, so I had informed Jordan that I would be in a meeting and to send all calls to voice mail. Considering Ben, Justin, and Landon were all busy working in their offices, I felt as though I was not pulling my weight.
Had I been with one of my bosses, I would’ve felt as though I had a reason. However, since I was alone, no one knowing what I was doing or why, it seemed like a big waste of time. I didn’t want anyone to think that I was slacking off, so I decided that if Langston didn’t arrive in the next ten minutes, I would simply get back to work.
Ten minutes turned into fifteen and I finally gave up. I decided that Langston must’ve forgotten about me, so I got up and went back to my desk. I was about to call Jordan and let him know he could send the calls my way when Langston came strolling down the hallway, his phone to his ear.
When he saw me, his eyes narrowed and I could tell he wasn’t happy.
“I’ll have to call you back. I’ve got something I need to take care of.” He disconnected the call, his arm snapping forward, finger pointed directly at me. “You. My office. Right now.”
Swallowing hard, I got to my feet and scurried to his office, noticing the disappointment in his voice.
“What did I ask you to do?” He practically barked the words as he followed me inside.
“To wait for you,” I said, looking him directly in the eye. “But you didn’t show up, so I thought you forgot and I had other things I needed to do.”
He kept his eyes on me, the hazel orbs shooting fire. “Did I ask you to make that decision?”
“No, sir.”
“Master,” he stated roughly.
“What?”
His eyes narrowed. “Do you know what an honorific is?”
I shook my head. I’d never heard the word before.
“An honorific is a way in which a submissive conveys respect using a title selected by her Dom.”
Submissive? Dom?
I was so lost.
“From here on out, when we’re in the office, in private, or in public, you will call me Master. You will not refer to me as anything else unless specifically instructed.”
I’d admit I was completely shocked by this command. I wasn’t sure if maybe the guy had fallen and hit his head. There was something distinctly different about him at that moment. Yes, he was certainly the most demanding of all the men in the office. Plus, he presented himself differently, but I’d never suspected him to be quite so…dominant. It was eerily similar to the books that I’d read.
My thoughts inconveniently drifted back to dinner with Landon last night. More specifically, the way the waitress had referred to him as Master Moore.
Oh, hell.
What had I gotten myself into?
“I…uh…”
“It wasn’t a request, Luci.”
I nodded. “Okay, s…I mean, M-Master.”
The word felt strange on my tongue.
Sure, I got that the men in this office found it appealing when I called them sir. It actually made me hot, even. But to directly refer to someone as though that was their name… It felt strange to me. What was worse was the idea of calling someone Master. That seemed a bit over-the-top.
“What is my name?” Langston asked, his gaze boring into me.
“Master.”
“When will you refer to me as that?”
I replayed his instructions in my head, then summed it up into one word. “Always.”
“Now, what did I ask you to do?” Langston’s gaze was hard as steel.
“To kneel by your desk and wait for you.”
His gaze cut to the floor beside his desk. It was an obvious command, so I returned to the spot I’d been in a short time ago and knelt on the floor. He moved behind me, then brought me a pillow.
“Get comfortable. Keep your eyes downward,” he instructed. “And do not move.”
With that, he left the room.
•
Two hours later, I was still kneeling beside Langston’s desk. No. Master. He wanted me to refer to him as such; therefore, I decided I would stop thinking about him as Langston, not wanting to do anything to upset him. I could tell that my disobedience had been bothersome to him and for some reason, it hurt to know I was responsible for it.
While I remained with my knees on the pillow, which did very little to cushion me from the hardwood floor—I wasn’t lucky enough to be in Ben’s office, which was carpeted—my four bosses had continued about their day. Ben had come in to discuss something with Langston (shit, Master), neither man acknowledging me in any way. Then…Master had disappeared for a short while, but I heard him talking with Landon after that.
