Chapter 6: Then
Janice stared at the small group of incoming journalists. She sighed before pushing off the wall she'd been leaning against. 'Look at them. I bet half of them wouldn't know the difference between a backlist and back order.' She smirked. She counted the heads of the group training. '4?' She paused and recounted. Had she missed one? Sure enough, a fifth head walked next to her and smiled.
"Looking defeated and annoyed won't give us newcomers a good first impression, will it?"
Janice's eyes widened and she automatically glanced at the woman's nametag. Isabel Perez. The name was familiar, but she pictured a Spanish looking woman about 5'4" with long black hair and a wider lower half, not this. The woman that stood before her was tall, about 5'8" with shoulder length dark brown kinky curls, a large bust, and soft hips that melted into her smoked caramel thighs. The business professional dress suit she wore complimented her hourglass shape. Janice didn't know why but the atmosphere that emanated from this woman calmed her and made her alert simultaneously. She liked it.
"I'm sorry, which department are you here to train for?" Janice said slowly after a moment.
"The Editorial Department, " she replied.
It was her department. It made Janice unexpectedly excited. She nodded and raised her hand to beckon the rest of the group. As they approached she started to read off the names and department. When she finished she looked up and frowned, they were still there looking at her. She sighed.
"If I called your name, please head to your designated department and speak to the manager on duty. They will give you the next steps in your training."
The group quickly scattered and headed toward the elevators. Janice turned to Isabel.
"You will come with me, " she said softly. Isabel nodded and kept her pace as she followed behind her toward the cluster of elevators. She stepped into an empty one and pressed the button for the sixth floor Janice walked ahead steadily when the doors opened. She went right into a glass office and waited for her trainee to enter before shutting the door behind her.
"Welcome, Ms. Perez. I believe you are familiar with the concepts and publishing slang we use around the office?" she eyed her with a smile in her eyes as if purposely challenging her.
"The difference between a backlist is a list of older books available from a publisher. A back order is a customer order that has not been fulfilled. It generally indicates that customer demand for a product or service exceeds a company's capacity to supply it, " she said sweetly back to Janice with a taunting look and a smile. Janice stared at her, her mouth parted slightly. She swallowed and cleared her throat. She opened her mouth again to speak but Isabel cut her off.
"Is there anything I should be aware of? Unnecessarily testing your new employees to see if they are textbook geniuses or dumb enough to get fired before they start?"
Janice stood slightly behind her chair and glanced over the papers on her desk. She was indeed guilty of prejudging harshly when she had been in the same position. The first moment between them as partners in the same department had been awkward. Janice looked for a way to ease the tension but luckily Isabel was a quick study.
"How do you like it here? Entering the publishing market has always been a goal of mine, but I'm curious about the people around me. I'll be serving under your guidance for several months so it's best we get to know each other early on."
Janice blinked and nodded. She cleared her throat again before sliding the chair back and sitting comfortably across from Isabel.
"Well. Where to begin? Um, " Janice Johnson was speechless for the first time in a long time. She looked at Isabel and smiled. She was in charge of giving the company introduction, but instead, she's being interviewed by a new employee. She liked this feeling. "Let's throw the rulebook out the window."
It wasn't long until their relationship as boss and subordinate turned into a true friendship. Isabel was a witty, reliable smartmouth while Janice was a tough, intimidating workaholic. They complimented each other and got difficult tasks done easily. It got to the point they knew how the other liked her coffee and how to read faces across the room. This ability proved useful when they wanted to communicate in a large meeting that was too crowded for idle chatter.
Isabel sat straight against the back of her seat and eyed the room as it slowly filled. It was dank and dim she thought as she slightly shivered. The cold was making her sleepy. Why would the department manager hold a meeting in the basement? Janice had warned her to bring her jacket but she didn't listen. Curse her stubborn nature! She glanced toward the doors and sure enough, Janice strode through them with a satisfied smile. Isabel arched an eyebrow as her supervisor and best friend took the empty seat beside her.
"I know that look, " Isabel stared at Janice and mocked shock. "You did not!."
Oh yes, she did. Janice grinned and bit her lip as the memory of her and her boyfriend Travis Cage fucked in the bathroom played vividly in her mind. Since when did she take risks that she couldn't control the outcome. Yes, that was her identifier, the savagely sexy control freak. She breathed deeply as Isabel's eyes bore holes in her foundation.
"What?" she said with a grin that would make a pornstar jealous. "Nothing happened, we just talked for a bit."
Isabel rolled her eyes and smiled. "You're holding out on me!" she whispered, "It's bad enough you won't tell me any other details except that he works here. Hey! Are you listening? What if you got caught?"
Janice stared blankly at the makeshift podium at the front of the room. She was in a daze as she could still feel him taking her from the back. Sliding her skirt past her waist so he could move her lace thong to the side and slip himself into her wetness. He had her bent over the marble sink in the guest bathroom of the second floor.
The door was unlocked, anyone could have stepped in and noticed them plain as day. He whispered about a quickie before the staff meeting but she pictured 3-minute doggy style, not 20-minute orgasm. His lips slowly nibbled along her tense collarbone. She closed her eyes and bit her lip. She was getting wet already with the constant rubbing of her backside.
He was having fun teasing and testing the limits of her patients and risked prolonging her suffering. Her breathing had grown deeper and harsher as he found the center of her nipples. She was reaching the edge and he knew it. He'd propped her up on the counter, took off her underwear before lowering his head. She gasped as she felt the tingling sensation of his mouth against her dripping lips, his tongue tasting the sweet juices that streamed from her.
She tried to remain in control as show tongue continued to lick its way up and around her pulsing button. He paused then sucked on the slippery flesh. Moans left her lips as she tried to control them. It sounded muffled so he sucked harder. The answering tremble and loud moan brought a smile to his lips. She was holding it in so she won't risk getting caught, he thought, internally laughing.
This was exciting. The thrill of nearly getting discovered. It brought out the wild side in both of them. Her legs were shaking, she was tighter and he wanted to feel her pull him. After a final lick of her button and a sudden jolt, he stood up and revealed the wet and hard, throbbing member in his hands. After a few strokes, he slowly entered her, her gasp and moans were like music to his ears.
The louder the moan the deeper he plunged into her. He was getting closer to his climax and could feel her tightening even more around him. He knew she was close, she started begging and he went faster. Their pants grew into shallow groans and they neared ecstasy. He paused for a second and trust into her, letting out a loud grunt to rival her scream that he cut short with his mouth on hers. He continued to slowly thrust inside her to make her orgasm last as he blessed her honey walls with his milky sugar.
Janice lowered her voice and continued to breathe heavily. She looked down to see he hadn't pulled away. 'The meeting didn't start yet. They had time.' She grinned and bit her lip. She wiggled until she caught his eye. Her answering smile was all he needed to know he can keep going. She was on the pill so it was fine. He slid inside her again until he was pressing against her cervix. She closed her eyes as bit her lip harder.
He had another load tickling its way out of him so he slowly entered her repeatedly, nudging her until he felt her get tighter. He got faster and after a few thrusts, he couldn't hold it anymore. He plunged into her one last time and released his second load as she moaned loudly.
"Janice. Janice!"
The young woman was suddenly brought to the present at the sound of her name. Isabel snapped her fingers in from of her face. She blinked and looked at her, alarmed.
"Are you okay? I was calling you several times. The meeting is about to start. You were in such a daze. What were you thinking of?"
Janice could only give a coy smile as a man in his late forties reached the podium and tapped the microphone.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone