Modern Secretary 14 - What We Must Do

Edward leaned over the porcelain basin, bracing himself with both hands as cold water dripped from his face. The skin beneath his eyes was drawn tight in tired circles. He blinked once and slowly met his own reflection. He looked older than he remembered. His jaw clenched as he turned away from himself and walked back into his office. 

He reached into his desk drawer, popped another pale blue capsule from its blister pack, and swallowed it dry. Unphased by its bitter taste.

He wasn’t sure how long he’d been standing there when he heard the gentle click of the door behind him.

"You're in early," Edward said calmly, not turning to greet Chloe right away. 

“Charles has been calling all morning,” Chloe's silky voice was low and precise. “He says he wants the final schedule for the networking event.”

Edward turned his head slightly, eyes finding her figure. 

Chloe's jet-black hair was parted cleanly over her shoulder. Her ears were perked, twitching faintly. She wore a dark pinstripe skirt that hugged her hips like it had been sewn directly onto her. Her blouse was unbuttoned slightly, sheer sleeves clinging to toned arms. Her tail flicked once, a slow, deliberate arc, shimmering faintly in the synthetic light.

“Yeah,” Edward mumbled, forcing his eyes off Chloe's figure. “Yeah… I’ve gotta get on that.”

Chloe watched his eyes drift from her with a smirk.

“What, no compliment on my outfit today?” she asked, closing the office door with a quiet click.

Edward let out a humored breath and collapsed into his desk chair, spinning once to avoid her gaze. “Thought you hated it when I did that.”

“It’s never stopped you in the past.” There was a tease in her words, but it wasn’t playful. 

Edward looked back at her. Chloe stood by the edge of the door, heels slightly apart, her weight resting on her hip. Chloe's tail moved lazily as she observed him. 

"What's wrong?" She asked. 

Edward rubbed his temples, leaning forward over his desk. The faint buzz of the ambient office hum bathed them both in false light. He heard the click of Chloe's heels as she stepped towards him, and strangely, his heart began to race. 

He wanted out. He'd wanted out a long time ago. But now, there was no escape from the long arms of the corporate Lords. 

And he was leading Chloe right to them. Edward let out a long, pained sigh. 

“About the networking event for Lords…” he began, voice dull.

“Yes?” Chloe took a step forward.

He looked at her again, properly this time. His eyes dropped to her full lips before moving upwards to her golden eyes. She tilted her head slightly as he hesitated. Her parting lips and concerned gaze struck him like a bullet through the chest.

Edward cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Do you know what they’re about?”

Chloe shrugged, arms folded beneath her chest. “I've only ever heard of them. Never been to one myself.”

“Well…” he started, then stopped. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “This would be your first then.”

Chloe’s jaw shifted, tense and unreadable. She took another step forward. “So, they expect me to go?”

He didn’t answer right away. Just reached for a glass of water that had been sitting, untouched, since that morning. 

“Do you want to?” he asked finally.

Her gaze faltered. For the first time since entering, she looked down. “How much trouble will you be in if I didn't?”

Edward leaned back in the chair, one hand running along the edge of the desk. His fingers trembled faintly.

“Well, if I'm lucky,” he said with a tired laugh, “I’d be looking at an exciting future as a floor manager.”

Chloe scoffed. “It can’t be that bad.”

“Oh yes, it can be.”

“Why?” she asked, stepping closer. “There’ll be plenty of other secretaries there. Why not find another to bring?”

Edward smiled weakly, like the effort hurt. “Because they’re expecting you.”

Silence again. Chloe stood across Edward's desk, inches away from him. Her scent hit his nostrils, sweet and sharp. Like everything else about her, it pulled him in like a magnet. Her tail flicked once, slower than before.

“They expect me,” she repeated softly.

Edward nodded. “Some have seen your photos. Others have seen you in person… and word gets around.” He paused, his eyes softening with a hint of sadness. “Vixens like you are rare, Chloe. People notice.”

Chloe pressed her lips together, teeth working the inside of her cheek. She didn’t look away. But something in her eyes flashed.

“What happens if I go?” she asked.

Edward said nothing.

Chloe walked around the desk, stopping beside his chair. Her full hips brushed the edge of the table as she placed a hand on the back of his seat. Edward could feel the heat of her body beside him.

“What happens if I go, Edward?” she repeated.

He looked up at her slowly. Unreadable and steady.

“They’ll expect you to… be entertaining,” he said. “And they’ll want to sample the perks of your station.”

“Be more specific," Chloe pressed.

Edward hesitated.

“Edward.”

He swallowed.

“They’ll want to fuck you. Not all at once, not publicly, but…” He closed his eyes and sighed. “There’s a kind of… currency in your novelty. And they will all push, fully expecting access to Sharp Edge property.”

Chloe stepped around Edward and sat on the edge of his desk. She looked down at him with a sober expression.

“I see," she finally said. 

“I’m not saying you have to go,” Edward said. 

“But you are asking,” Chloe said, staring at him coldly. 

He nodded.

They held each other’s gaze. The room was quiet. Somewhere, far off, an elevator chime dinged, likely another Lord getting his breakfast delivered by an overqualified assistant with cum on her collar.

“Edward…” Chloe said softly, shifting closer to his side, thighs spreading slightly across his desk. “You ever think about how we got here?”

He blinked. 

“You, me, and Alex,” she said softly. “Coming to Earth, building up to all of this? Sometimes I wonder if it was all just a dream. And now? This power, this filth…” Chloe trailed off, exhaling slowly. “We used to be happy, didn’t we?”

He looked at her for a long moment, then let out a single, dry laugh—sharp and hollow. “Yeah, we were.”

Chloe reached forward and took his hand. Her fingers were warm and soft. Edward didn't realize how cold he’d been until she touched him.

“I’ll go,” she said.

Edward looked up.

She smiled faintly. “If it means keeping you out of harm's way, I'll go.”

"I feel like I'm throwing you to the wolves," Edward said weakly. Chloe squeezed his hand.

"You have stuck your neck out for us so many times, it's time I return the favor."

Edward tried to speak, but nothing came.

“But I’m not going as a piece of meat, Edward,” she added. “If I’m going to be devoured, I want it on my own terms.”

He nodded somberly. Knowing that Chloe was going to be taken from him and used made his stomach turn. 

Edward closed his eyes tightly, rubbing his thumb against his brow until he saw stars. “I knew that asshole was going to be trouble,” he murmured. “I knew it. But I thought I could keep you safe. Thought if I didn’t bring you around, maybe he’d get distracted by someone else.”

Chloe didn’t move at first. Then slowly, she walked past the edge of his desk and sank onto the low couch beneath the wall of moving corporate portraiture. Her tail draped across the cushion beside her. 

“You mean Charles,” she said.

Edward nodded once. “Yes. Him.”

"He's the one specifically asking for me, isn't he?" 

"Yes," Edward confirmed.

A breath left her lips. “Oh…”

He gave a humorless laugh. “Yeah. Oh.”

“I’ve heard stories about him.” She ran her fingers along the armrest beside her slowly. “Is he really as bad as they say?”

Edward looked at her, and there was something in his gaze that made her sit a little straighter.

“If anything,” he said quietly, “the stories don’t give enough detail.”

Chloe’s skin prickled. She shifted in her seat, thighs adjusting beneath her skirt. She didn’t look away from Edward, but something behind her eyes changed. A flicker. An animal instinct.

Edward stood and walked toward the drink cabinet in the corner, one he rarely used. He stared at the untouched bottles, hands resting at his sides.

“He’s clever,” he said. “He acts disinterested. Lets the other Lords leer while he pretends to be above it. But he’s not. He watches, waiting until something new shows up. Something fresh. Knowing full well with one word he could have whatever he wanted, and once he decides he wants it…”

Chloe rested her head against the wall behind her. “He always gets it?”

Edward nodded slowly. “Always.”

“And he wants me.”

Edward didn’t answer. He didn’t need to.

Chloe shifted again on the couch. The fabric of her skirt drew tight along her thighs as she crossed one leg over the other.

She stared deep into Edward's eyes as heat overtook her body. 

“You think he’ll ask you to bring me personally?” she asked, voice low.

Edward turned around. His eyes were darker now. “He already has.”

Chloe’s jaw flexed. “What did you say?”

Edward sighed. "Not much, tried to avoid it. He made it clear there would be some consequences if you didn't show. Never directly, of course, it was all implied.”

Chloe's fingers curled as Impulse and instinct took over. 

"Can… can we say anything to make him lose interest?" 

Edward shrugged as he turned back to the cabinet and poured a tall glass from an expensive bottle. "Well, we could tell him you're not trained yet."

“Not trained,” she echoed, letting the words linger on her tongue. Her lips parted as if tasting something strangely sweet.

"It might throw him off, buy us time at least." Edward took a swig from his glass and sighed. "This is smooth, you want a glass?" 

Chloe shook her head. "No, that's alright." 

The room fell into silence again. Chloe bit her lip.

“What would he want to do to me?” she asked softly. Edward looked at her.

“Chloe…”

“No, tell me. I want to know what I’m walking into.”

Edward took a step closer. 

“First, you will be a server for all the Lords. They'll put you in an outfit while you and the others entertain us." Edward paused, half expecting Chloe to protest.

She nodded. "Go on." 

Edward glanced at her nervously, then took another long drink from his glass.

"He'll make a show of himself in his usual way while always finding a reason to be around you. Then? He’ll take you to a back room. Not at first. He’ll wait until you’re just tipsy enough to think it was your idea. He’ll flirt. Laugh. Touch your lower back when you pass. Compliment your outfit like he isn’t imagining tearing it off.”

Chloe swallowed. Her breathing had slowed. But her pupils were wide now. She could feel carnal desire taking over her body.

Edward stepped to the edge of the couch. His voice lowered.

“When you’re alone, he’ll try to corner you with charm. He’ll talk about opportunity. About advancement. He’ll say things like ‘All secretaries need to be tested under pressure.’ He’ll pull you onto his lap. One hand on your throat. The other under your skirt.”

Chloe looked up at him, eyes glossy.

"Then what?" She asked him. 

Edward downed the rest of his glass. “He’ll press his giant, med-filled cock against you, grabbing your hand so you can feel how ready he is. He’ll say he’s waited so long for this moment. That no one deserves you more than him. And when you start to squirm…”

Edward paused. 

Chloe’s tail twitched against the cushion. Her lips were slightly parted, breath shallow. Her thighs pressed together beneath her skirt, almost unconsciously. 

“You’re turned on, aren’t you?” she asked suddenly.

Edward scoffed. "Come on… I'm not Alex." 

“I can smell it,” Chloe whispered. “Does talking about him using me turn you on?"

Edward didn't say a word. 

“I don’t know what’s more fucked up,” she said. “That you’re turned on by it… or that I am.”

Edward's fingers tightened around his glass. He stepped back and shook his head.

“I don’t want him to touch you,” he said coldly. 

“But he will. You won't be able to stop him.” Chloe stood, staring at him hungrily, a piercing look that Edward had become all too familiar with. 

"So this is something you actually want?" Edward sounded surprisingly hurt. Chloe looked away shamefully. 

"It's why I make such a good Secretary, right?" 

"So, with me, it's just… instinct?" 

Chloe glanced up at him. "Edward, I'm grateful for everything you've done for me and Alex. Truly." Her gaze was haunting, "But you can never ask me that again." 

Edward looked down before turning and walking back to his desk. 

“Fine,” he said flatly.

“What else will he do?” Chloe asked.

Edward didn’t sit. He hovered behind his chair, one hand on the leather top.

"Jesus Chloe…" 

"I deserve to know," Chloe said, a slight hunger in her voice. Edward shifted uncomfortably.

“He’ll flatter you if you hesitate. Grope you while telling you that you’re different than the others.”

Chloe’s breath hitched. She didn’t interrupt.

“He’ll make promises. Promotions, titles, luxuries you haven’t even imagined. He’ll talk about what a waste it is, you being under me…” Edward looked up.

Chloe shifted her weight. Her fingers trailed across her chest unconsciously. Betraying everything her face tried to hide.

Edward walked back toward her. Slowly.

“He’ll press that swollen, chemically bloated cock against your ass and ask if you’re ready to be a real secretary.”

Chloe didn’t move. She didn’t blink.

“You won’t answer. Not right away. You’ll hesitate just long enough to make him harder. And when he starts to thrust against you…"

Edward stopped himself, the vision of what he saw fading back into his mind as his breath shook. “He’s not even subtle, Chloe. He’s a monster. And it won't just stop at him. That's how all of them will look at you. Because that’s how it works. That's how it will always work.”

Chloe’s eyes were glassy. Hunger and confusion swelled through her, both fighting in equal measure. 

“What should I do?” she asked softly.

Edward stepped closer. His voice dropped.

“You do what you always do. You survive it.”

Chloe swallowed hard, her voice barely a whisper. “Even if I lose myself in it?”

His eyes softened, just barely. “You’re already lost in it Chloe.”

She looked up sharply.

“You won't become a perfect pet because of Charles,” Edward said, voice low and bitter. “You already were. He’s just going to bring it out.”

Chloe's jaw clenched. “So that’s what you think of me?”

“No,” he said. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

She stared at him with trembling lips. Edward gently moved a few strands of hair from her face. 

“I see it, Chloe. That part of you. Whatever makes you a vixen, it's easily exploited in this world. I know a part of you wants it, to be used like that.” His hands curled at his sides. “And I fucking hate that someone else is trying to take you from me.”

Chloe looked away, wrapping her arms around her waist as if the words had struck her in the torso. Her thighs pressed tighter. 

“I should ask Alex,” she said finally.

Edward’s entire frame stiffened at the name.

“I won’t go to Charles unless he knows. Unless he… says it’s okay.” Chloe continued.

Edward studied her. “And if he says no?”

Chloe’s eyes turned back to his. 

“Then I won’t go,” she said.

Edward exhaled a slow, bitter breath. "And if I didn't want you to go but he did?”

Chloe paused at the question, one they both knew he shouldn't have asked. 

"Then I would go," She said pointedly. Edward recoiled painfully with a gentle step. 

“Then we’ll talk to him,” he said.

Chloe nodded, but didn’t speak.

The moment hung between them. Erotic, painful and unfinished. Chloe stood alone in the center of the room, the hum of distant office lights washing over her like fog. Her blouse was wrinkled from how tightly she’d crossed her arms.

“You’ll be there for us, right?” she asked.

Edward looked at her. 

“When Charles touches me,” she said, “when he slides his hand up my thigh and whispers all the things he wants to do… when he finally takes me.”

She paused.

“You won't abandon us, will you?”

Edward’s expression didn’t change.

"I would never," Edward said with painful finality. "We all made it this far, there's no turning back now." 

Chloe nodded. She walked to Edward and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. 

"Thank you," She said softly. 

The two stayed silent. There were a thousand things Edward wanted to say, desires he wanted to share, dreams he wanted to give. But there would never be a place for them, not in this world, not with her. 

A chime rang through the room, and Edward tapped the side of his temple. 

"I have to take this," He said. 

"Of course, I'll be at my desk if you need me," Chloe answered. The two parted and life continued. 

The party looming in both their minds.