The point of no return

A month later, James got out of bed for what he knew would be a great day. He'd gotten the promotion, and he couldn't wait to tell Gemma that she'd be getting more money deposited in her account with his new pay rise.

James picked up a clean, folded shirt off the floor and some pants. All his clothes were on the floor now, since he'd had to sell all his furniture along with almost everything else he owned. It didn't bother him that his apartment was so bare, the chocolates and wine that he'd bought for Gemma had all been worth it.

However, his good mood broke when the redheaded barista at the cafe said, "Sorry, sir, your card was declined again. Do you have another one?"

"No, I don't. I'm out of cash, too. Could I owe you for it?"

The barista looked at him with pity. "No, we don't do that."

"Please?! My Mistress really needs her coffee in the morning!"

The pity turned to fear and confusion. The barista soon called her manager, who escorted James out of the cafe.

"Hi Toad," said Mark as James entered the office.

"Good morning, Toad," said Sherry. She stopped walking when she saw his dour expression. "Are you doing okay?"

"Yes, I'll be fine." He looked around. "Is Goddess in yet?"

Sherry sighed heavily at his nickname for Gemma, but she'd learned that he was going to call her that no matter how inappropriate it was. "Yes, she's in the break room, talking to Terry."

"Thanks." James turned and headed towards the break room.

Gemma was indeed chatting with Terry, a very tall, handsome man from a different department. Gemma looked gorgeous in a thin, black top with a plunging neckline. The way that she was laughing and touching Terry's arm sent a shiver up James' spine, he really wanted to be Terry right now.

Terry saw him come in and said, "Good morning, Toad."

Gemma turned, and she didn't quite snarl at him, but her smile turned derisive, almost sarcastic in a playful way. "Morning, little Toady. Wait, no coffee today?"

James hesitated. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew that he shouldn't admit this in front of Terry, but he didn't hesitate to say anything because Gemma needed to know. "I'm sorry, Goddess. All my credit cards are maxed out."

Terry laughed. "Good thing you just got that promotion. From what I heard, you work so hard they'll probably move you up to my floor soon."

Gemma bit her lip in thought. This wasn't good. "Don't worry about it for today, Toad."

James nodded. "Yes, Goddess." He turned and left the break room.

Terry lifted an eyebrow at Gemma. "Did he have a tent in his pants?"

Gemma worked diligently through the morning, but she had trouble concentrating. This game had been fun, and she'd told herself she could undo the hypnotic commands on James and set everything back to normal when the game got old. However, she didn't want to give up all the extra money that was coming in from James' pay, especially since she'd just moved into a very nice apartment. The man was clearly going to get kicked out of his flat soon now that all his funds had dried up. How long could he keep his appearance and health up enough to stay employed if he was living on the street?

When lunch time came around, Gemma went to James' desk. "Come on, loser, we're going to lunch. I've made a decision."

"Yes, Goddess!" James hopped up and followed his blonde goddess out of the office, staring at her perfect, plump ass and salivating.