inherited wealth

Kendall Drennin was no self made man, he had been given his father's publishing company following the older man's eath in 2005. It might have been sheer luck that Kendall had not run the small publishing company into the ground. He'd taken the boutique publisher of more obscure titles, and reprints of traditional classics as they became available. Casper Drennin made a name for himself in the quality of the finished product, from author to story to pages and binding. Kendall took a different approach, seeking the breakout stories, laced with sex, as he positioned the company to publish more and more erotic, leaning on a brown package distribution to individuals rather than stocking bookstore's shelves. E-readers were killing him!

He took stock of the situation on a bleak Monday morning as he heard an indistinguishable female in the hall. Her accent was not discernable immediately, and there was a flash as he considered how lustfully this woman might be able to read Drennin's latest find - an old English tome dedicated to the transation of the Kama Sutra. He rounded the corner listening carefully to the cadence of the voice that had grabbed his attention from across the offices.

Andrea

Another interview! Andrea desperately hoped that this time she'd be offered the job without the expected 'extra duties' that she'd refused in all the other applications.

It seemed like it was impossible to get an office or secretarial job in this city without being some kind of eye candy for horny bosses. Maybe she'd just have to stop being so 'principled' and let them ogle if they wanted. On the other hand, maybe this interview, her last chance for a while, would be different. Maybe he would be a perfect gentleman, and she'd never be expected to compromise in the way all those other potential bosses had insinuated.

It was always the same, you say 'no' to the subtly worded suggestive question and the shutters come down. "Sorry my dear, but I don't think you'd fit into our office environment" or some similar excuse.

Nope, this was her last chance. Maybe she'd compromise... after all, she could quit if it didn't work out? Just say yes to whatever to get the job? Yes, maybe that might work!

2 questions by a shipping clerk and. A protracted conversation with his personal accountant, had him to reception much later than he expected and he'd no idea if the voice he'd heard had been incoming or outgoing. He swore under his breath as he looked at the 4 women in the waiting area. He nodded to the receptionist, cute, but far too young for him. Give her 4 years and he'd be plying her with more direct compiments.

He raised an eyebrow to Janeen, his way of asking if he needed to know anything about the 4 women. Janeen held up a schedule with 12 names, all headed for their initial interview with his company. Kendall leaned in to see that Meredith, his H.R. Department of 1, was almost an hour behind according to the schedule.
Kendall turned on his heels, knowing that Meredith would quiver when questioned about her punctuality.

Andrea

Andrea got up and went to the Receptionist as soon as the very busy-looking man turned away, and handed over the initial Interview Registration form that she'd filled in

"I've completed the form, Janeen" she said, reading the girl's name badge pinned above her breast, "answering as best I can, but coming from England not all the questions are directly relevant ... I hope its ok ... any chance you can look at it for me and see if I made any boobs?"

Hoping to appeal to the girls' generous nature, Andrea smiled in a friendly, sisterly way, glancing at the back of the busy man.

Raising her eyebrows in a "who is that?" kind of way she nodded towards him and looked at the Receptionist questioningly

Kendall hadn't gotten out of earshot of the receptionist when he heard the voice yet again. And as he came back around the corner, he heard the last phrase as the young woman spoke to the Janeen. His receptionist looked stricken, it was probably hard enough on Janeen to hear the word spoken in front of all the other women in the room, but to hear it spoken in front of the Kendall, well, that was causing a flush to run up her fairly well covered boobs. It would have been the first thing Kendall noticed, had it not been for the woman standing at the front counter who had just uttered the phrase.

Kendall was 42, in decent physical shape, no athlete, but he ate well and kept a well meaning, if not spotty, relationship with his local gym. At 6"1", he had never had issues with being the shortest man in the room. He carried himself well, had an infrequent smile and abused his station with the women who were more attractive than others. His position gave him amble opportunity to pressure the younger women in his company to parade for his attention. It was no secret that the most scantily clad and most frequent booty call in his office was also the highest paid.

Kendall made a point of taking the woman in, wondering if his eye would be as impressed as his ear.

Andrea

Andrea noticed the busy-man return and suddenly he was scrutinising her!

Not sure if he might be part of the interview panel, she smiled at him, confident that her pale linen jacket and matching midthigh skirt looked professional and attractive on her 36c 28 32 frame, and at 5'5 she could wear clothes well.

Her dark slightly below shoulder length hair was in a relaxed ponytail, professional and neat without being harsh, and her make-up was discrete and tasteful.

"Good morning, Sir," she greeted him, "I'm Andrea Kay, here for interview?"

She couldn't help notice that he was nice looking, but he had the air of a man used to getting his own way, a man to be treated with respect. Not one to get on the wrong side of, she suspected.

Perhaps it was the infrequent arrival of accents that first caught him off guard, but the visual was just as appealing. There was a welcome figure beneath the linen jacket, that a few advanced degrees of temperature might shed. Andrea was understated, but not without potential. With some coaching she might well be in the top 5 of the office, if she cared to get the position at all.
Normally, Kendall would take part in the second or just the final round of this process. He scanned the interview sheet and then carefully looked over the room. If he were to bai Mary out, he'd damn well bail her out with the best looking woman in the room. He did not see more than he expected and Andrea was a welcome sight to return his glance. She was not next in line, but he took her down the hall to Mary's office anyway.
"Follow me.". He was curt, but he never hesitated to show his bravado before potential hires. He lead the way.

"Follow me."

It seemed she was right! He was part of the interview team, and from the way the way Janeen behaved, she guessed he was an important part.

They seemed to walk a fair way from Reception, but since she didn't know the layout, maybe it was just the lack of familiarity that made it seem far.....and the temperature!

It was getting warmer the nearer they got to where they were going, and she knew she'd have been glad to lose the jacket, except she had a very low cut, thin strapped white tank top hidden underneath it, and that just might be a bit too relaxed, even with the black bra beneath! Fortunately she was wearing thigh high stockings, so the tops of her legs were feeling fairly comfortable.

As usual when approaching an interview, she felt more than a little unsettled, but then who didn't? So she concentrated on keeping cool, keeping her nerve, and keeping up with him.

He strode at an unnecessarily quick pace, it gave him insight into what he could expect. Heels were seldom the preference for a brisk walk, but he paid attention to the reaction - unable to keep up and complaining meant he was not interested. Out of breath, no stamina for other potential encounters. He looked for those that attempted to keep up successfully and commented on the excercise, or even made a sly pass at him based on projecting his walk to the speed he must do other things. Overt would not do, he'd dismissed a woman who had made that mistake, giving her the long walk of shame alone through the office. He was allowed to be overt, he preferred to train his conquests.
They neared Mary's office and Kendall walked in without a pause.
"Mary, this is unacceptable, if you fall behind in the process of interviewing, I excpect that you will ask for assistance!". He made certain that noone who overheard him would question that this was a DEMAND and not a request.

Finally they got there, and she'd manged to keep up even though the heels now hurt her feet.

As they arrived the man really told the lady off, and andi felt a little uncomfortable for her, being publicly told like that! it must be so embarassing, she thought, and putting herself in the woman's position wondered how she'd cope? That he was so forceful, and quite good looking didn't help, it sort of emphasised how low she was compared to him.

A shudder went though andi as she imagined it ... or was a thrill?


Confused for a moment, she snapped back to reality and realised she'd been asked something.

"I'm sorry? .. I was giving you some space, but heard my name?" She believed that if you made a mistake, its better to get it clear at once, not try and bluster ... she hoped it was better, anyway!

He considered her for a moment, gauging her sincerity. Perhaps she was not attempting to be disarming, but the feeling got him anyway.

"You're both in luck," Kendall announced to everyone listening, "I'm going to help you get back on track."

"Follow me.". Off he travelled toward his office, a bit less speed, but no less fire.

Arriving at his office he made his way to his chair. He spent a solid 60 seconds looking at the woman he had committed to interview and without pulling his note pad he looked at her studiously.

"I have only one question, where did you go while I was speaking to you? It's not often that a candidate displays a disregard for me during the interview process. Let me be excrutiatingly clear, this is not the only question I intend to ask, but your answer will determine if we end this conversation now..."

He knew she would answer, and this was one of the few times he really wanted to hear the answer.

"Where did I go, Sir? I was putting myself in Mary's place after you chastised her. Its very humiliating to be spoken to like that, especially with someone else witnessing it, so I withdrew my attention from the pair of you to spare her embarrassment, well, as much as I could.

And having withdrawn my attention, as you saw when I missed your question Sir, for which I apologise by the way, when I withdrew my attention my mind went back to putting myself in her place, wondering how I'd feel if you put me in a similar position. ... Sir,"

Andrea stood quietly again, as she had when he'd initially sat down studying her. She ran through in her mind what he'd just said .. words like 'excruciatingly clear', that if her answer was not satisfactory then the interview ended here, that he was not used to being disregarded. Clearly he liked to control, to intimidate, and she felt again that same shudder, thrill? go through her again.

She waited for him to dismiss her ..

Was it her heritage that was causing the issue here? He tried to work his way through her response - she didn't seem to be chastising him for his actions.

"I'm not quite sure what to make of you Andrea. I'm not certain it is in your best interest to concern yourself with the interactions between myself and those working here, unless you should become a member." He mulled over her response, taken by the fact that she had not come out and stated that she would not tolerate such treatment.

"You have me quite curious, what exactly would you be feeling in a similar role? You understand that discipline is necessary, do you not?

Was he laying a trap? He would soon see her reaction and time would tell...

"I'm not quite sure what to make of you Andrea. I'm not certain it is in your best interest to concern yourself with the interactions between myself and those working here, unless you should become a member."

Oh my! He was telling her off for not minding her own business, and she felt herself blush a little as that humiliation rippled through her with its accompanying .. thrill? No!, she thought, its not a thrill, its just not being used to being told off! She was thankful that he hadn't interpreted her answer as an invitation, which it sort of sounded like when she thought back. No way was she asking to be humiliated, NO WAY!! she kept telling herself as a rising panic that she was asking exactly that rose inside her.

But .... then he'd promptly told her off ... was he testing her? Did he think it had been an invitation?

"You have me quite curious, what exactly would you be feeling in a similar role? You understand that discipline is necessary, do you not?"

How could he ask her that?!

"Er, of course discipline is necessary, Sir, I'm all for discipline, appropriate discipline," or did she mean inappropriate? Oh she was feeling confused! This had never happened to her before!

"um ... I would feel embarrassed Sir, and hope to do better ..." why didn't she add that she would hope not to be told off again? WHY? This was getting out of hand, she was toying with things she didn't understand, and it was her last interview chance for some time ... she must try and get back to a normal interview, and say whatever was necessary to get the job. Like she decided before, she could always leave if it turned out to be unsuitable ..

He did not allow the smile to spread across his face, but could not be sure he was not giving away his satisfaction. He had embarrassed her, good, she could be counted upon to react in a way he understood.

"Yes, running a business requires discipline Andrea, harsh as it may seem at times, if you do not set a level of expectation and manage to it, the result is chaos." Let her feel a bit more comfortable, he thought, she was flushed now, probably wishing for a glass of water and a moment to calm herself.

"So do you feel there is an inappropriate level of discipline? I have no idea what you might be used to elsewhere, Andrea, having never worked overseas. I would expect the international communities of businesses handle their affairs in similar ways?"

He watched her body as he mentioned the word inappropriate.

Andi started to relax, nodding in agreement, thankful that it looked like the interview was going to return to something more normal, and she felt herself regain some of her former confidence and composure.

inappropriate

She suddenly felt herself blush again as he said the very thing that had been going through her head! Can he read my mind? she wondered with a sinking feeling.

"Um, I'm not used to being disciplined, Sir, I don't need it .. No boss has complained about me before ..." she then remembered all the times previous bosses had suggested she wear more revealing clothes, and blushed again, " er.. complained about my behaviour or my work, Sir ..."

Then again remembering that she still hadn't answered the difficult part of the question, added," I suppose any punishment is appropriate if it fits the nature of the misdemeanour?" ... OF COURSE some discipline is inappropriate! she shouted in her head, how could she leave herself so open?! And did she say punishment or discipline?

This was going all wrong, and she felt herself writhe a little under his scrutiny, that peculiar nervous feeling growing inside, that uncomfortable .... thrill?

Kendall picked up his pen, taking a a moment to scibe a comment in the margin of his interview form, 'P-ment'. She had said it, and reacted as though it had been uttered from his lips.

He leaned forward only slightly as he responded. "Though cut from the same fabric, I do not expect that discipline and punishment share an interchangeable definition. I don't think an explanation is necessary Ms Kay. Perhaps this process is a bit much for you at the moment? I understand that a job search can be taxing, but I would count on discretion in all matters when dealing with my subordinants.". He gave inflection to the first syllable which might be interpretted as mis pronunciation had he not intended the distinction.

"My name is Kendall Drennin, I hesitate to make an introduction too early in the process, as Drennin Publishing and my name indicate, my father started this company 33 years ago, I now hold the responsibility for all aspects."

"Perhaps you'd like to reconsider your application here?"

Andrea took a breath and calmed herself as she listened carefully to everything he said. She had to get back control of her feelings, her answers, and not let him unsettle her so..

Subordinates ..... again a little thrill that she immediately thrust down and away. She was not going down that road! At least he said that he was discrete, so hopefully her indiscretions so far would be kept private.

Thankful that he introduced himself, implying she was still in with a chance of a job, Adndrea was a little surprised when he added, "Perhaps you'd like to reconsider your application here?"

"Er, no Sir, its not too much for me, not at all ... I can handle pressure, er, questions ... I'd .. I'd like to apply still, Sir ... er ... please would you continue to consider my application?"

Oh dear! That did sound a bit too much like begging, but she wasn't going to make it worse by trying to correct herself, that would only make things worse, make her appear desperate...

"I suppose its not easy to find a position you find appealing." He enjoyed the play in his words, carefully creating the suggestions without being outright.

"I can't imagine what seeking a rewarding and satisfying position must be like for a woman."

He'd appreciated that she called him Sir, perhaps he should find out more about her after all. He glanced over her resume and laid it flat on the table, covering it with the palm of his hand.

"Ms Kay, tell me what you know about Drennin, what we do here and how ypou feel you might best fit in." He watched her composure return in small measures while she spoke.

rewarding and satisfying position

She let those words wash over her, and managed to get herself back under control as they returned to more conventional questions.

"I know that your company publishes books, Sir, has had a history of specialising in particular niches, and that these have maybe broadened out over the last few years ... that you provide a, er, discrete mailing service for customers who prefer it .... "

"I'm good at office work, including word-processing, data entry, book-keeping, goods in and out, filing, record-keeping, liaising with departments, making tea and coffee, looking after visitors .... I fit in well with a team and can use my initiative, can do as I'm told, Sir, loyal .." another word occurred to her that he had used, so she added, " discrete and trustworthy .."

Andrea knew that her resume and references would support her claims

"Very politically correct answers, Ms Kay. How do you feel about the subject matter in question? Would you be too embarrassed to speak to a client about a book that included items of a sexual nature?"

"No Sir, I wouldn't be too embarrassed to do that. I can deal with clients and make sure their orders are despatched properly ..", then a thought occurred to her:

"Um, would the job include advising customers on choosing particular books to suit their, er needs?"

Was it getting warm in here, or was it just this interview that was making her flush, she wondered?

"I expect that all my staff be proficient in handling clients, some show a proclivity in certain areas, a certain mastery of a particular subject matter, while others are more adept at assisting clients in a genre choice."

The flush was returning to her face, perhaps not embarrassment at all. Yes, she could fit right in here, couldn't she? But if job performance was to be her strong suit, he could find those competent. He needed and wanted more.

Leafing through a file, Kendall produced a paper and began to review it, placing it back into the file he pulled out a second. They were bills that he needed to pay, statements for a press that needed repair and an overdue bill for an incorrectly shipped parcel of paper.

"I'll use the name John, for reference sake, for this exercise. John is a man of about 40, never married, no children and enjoying a rather mundane lifestyle. He is looking to spice up his knowledge, give himself an edge with the ladies. Knowing that you do not have a grasp on titles, perhaps we should approach this as a genre choice. John will most likely not be inhibited, though he may think he wants everything, there is probably a correct choice for him. How would you go about drawing suitable information to select something that might be a fit?"

Andrea hesitated a moment as she gathered her thoughts; this was no time to be prudish!

"Well, Sir, I'm assuming that for this scenario I would be talking to John on the phone? He wants to spice up his knowledge, gain an edge with the ladies? You suggested that he's not inhibited, so I'd ask him a few questions to determine his, er, tastes .. such as
what sort of ladies he wants to attract; blonde, brunette, red-haired etc, does he like them curvy, thin, young-looking, his own age? In what kind of activity does he wish to extend ... I mean, expand his knowledge. Is it how to please a lady in the bedroom? How to get a Lady into his bedroom? More than one lady? Something else?"

Andrea stopped, looking to Mr Kendall to try and judge if her answer matched what he was looking for?

Again, she felt a trifle overwarm, and gently fanned herself, plucking the jacked momentarily away from her chest.

His fingers crossed into a clench as he looked at Andrea, considering her, his response. She was nervous, flushed yet again and seemed to press herself into an emotionally charged corner with each response.

"Ms Kay, how do you feel this interview is proceeding? For all intents, you seem flustered, embarrassed and generally out of sorts. Is the subject matter that foreign to you, or are you simply uncomfortable speaking about it publically. Either way, it would seem this is not really a fit for you."

He wasn't about to give her time to consider his statement. he was concerned that she would evaporate if he were to dive any deeper.

"I suppose your effort at response might have been reasonable if you were looking to pawn off a copy of the birds and bees to the man in question. I doubt very much that you would make a customer feel at ease with such a fidgety opening."

He pulled the file from desk again, merely a prop, but it aided in the demonstration. His voice took on a slight accent as he spoke to her.

"Mr Tennant, I can understand your need for discretion, so let me be very clear with you from the start, we will never do anything to damage your trust in us, on that you can depend. I wonder, sir, if you might tell me a little bit about what brings you to us, we have a wealth of authors that deal with anything from the mildly erotic to the sensuality soaked. I believe you would enjoy the mild fantasies of women of a younger and firmer variety, and that in turn will lead you to more specific topics. Whatever your desires, Mr Tennant, we can help you explore them in a discrete manner. Have you had the opportunity to look over our website titles? Did anything peak your interest? I'd be happy to send you a title."

He looked at Andrea. Pausing, he dropped the folder on his desk and returned to his normal speaking voice. Now he would give her something more to work through, as he returned her to her own part in the scenario.

"I don't know Ms Kay, I don't feel comfortable speaking with a woman about these types of subjects. You said you were discrete, well I certainly hope so, I would never have picked your company in the first place if I felt I should be concerned. And WHY are you calling me at work??"