A coworker

Lars was browsing a booth of different rods and other implements when he heard a familiar voice. He looked up to confirm his suspicions and found himself looking at the face of Johanna, his coworker. He wondered if he should approach her. Usually, he didn’t interact with her outside of office hours. He had also punished her the day before so he did not know how happy she would be to see him. Of course, both Lars and Johanna knew that the punishment was for her own good, but that did not mean there wouldn’t be some awkwardness if he walked up to her.

Finally, he decided that it would be right say hi. He approached the younger woman, who was examining some snack offerings at a nearby booth, and lightly tapped her on the shoulder.

“Hey, Johanna,” he said. “What brings you to the campus?”

Johanna jumped slightly, obviously not expecting someone to talk to her, but she quickly composed herself, “Oh hi, Lars. I was just walking by and saw the booths. I thought I would stop in to see what was being sold.”

Lars couldn’t help but notice her outfit. Unlike her work uniform, Johanna was dressed rather modestly. She had a button down shirt that had a couple buttons undone at the top and a pair of sleek black dress pants. Her hair was tied in a messy bun, and she wore comfortable shoes instead of the work-mandated high heels.

“Oh, that’s cool,” Lars replied. “I was just watching the presentation of the school’s latest innovations in punishment technology. There were some things that I look forward to see being implemented at work in the future.”

Johanna shuddered slightly when he said that, “Oh, really? Well, I hope they are not too painful for us girls.”

Lars laughed, “Pain is kinda the point, isn’t it?”

Johanna shrugged, “I guess, but that doesn’t mean it’s enjoyable.”

By this time, Johanna had decided on a snack (a small bag of popcorn) and was paying the booth owner.

“Do you want to somewhere with me?” Lars asked.

“Where do you have in mind?” replied Johanna.

“Well……..”