On The Executive Chair, Of Course

The longer Emily considered it, the broader her grin became. The wide, black leather-covered executive chair seemed to whisper to her: Come on, sit on me! I'm so comfortable. And how I would love to feel your sweet, firm bottom on my seat. Oh, I'm getting all excited just imagining how it will feel. Don't you want to try me out?

Why not, Emily thought. After all, she wanted to get to the top, so she might as well give it a try.

Without another thought, she walked around the massive desk and sat down in the chair behind it. Oh, come on, what chair? It seemed more like a command center to her, a throne of power. An excited tingling ran down her spine. Oh yes, she wanted to sit here permanently—in the not too distant future.

She swung one leg over the other and began to swivel around and around, relaxed and bouncy.

The door opened. A man entered as if he owned the office—which he actually did. In his mid-forties, short light brown hair, rimless glasses. He walked briskly toward his desk. At first, he didn't even notice the visitor.

Then he stopped and looked at Emily with narrowed eyes. A frown formed on the bridge of his nose. But it only took him a fraction of a second to compose himself again.

“What do you think you're doing here?” Not angry, not threatening, but without a hint of sympathy. Gray ice in his voice.

Emily sat up straight and squared her shoulders to show off the wide neckline of her unbuttoned blouse.

“Ah, good afternoon, Mr. Barmüller,” who else could he be? “We have an appointment. And I was told to make myself comfortable while I waited for you.”

Her inviting smile and encouraging raised eyebrows would have melted weaker men. With Mr. Barmüller, it had the opposite effect.

“Stand up immediately.”

Emily did him the favor. As she did so, she made sure he noticed how far her skirt had ridden up. She made a point of smoothing it down conspicuously. Then she looked at him with anticipation.

He narrowed his eyes.

“You'll have to learn how to behave in our company before you can continue. Report to the facility manager in the basement immediately. He will assign you appropriate tasks.”

His tone brooked no argument, and the intern had to admit to herself that she had overstepped the mark.