Page 35 of Requiem

“Your wife, Claire. Does she know you’ve got a taste for the kink Doug? Because I do! And guess what? I happen to have some photos of my own. Oh, they’re not in pretty ceramic frames like this one, and your rent-a-dominatrix doesn’t look as sophisticated as your wife does here. But then again, who looks sophisticated when they’re using a riding crop on a fat, bald guy tied to a bed in a hotel room? Gotta admit, I didn’t know you had it in you!”

Over my shoulder goes the second frame with a crash. I loosen up my grasp long enough for him to gulp in some air. I don’t want the son of a bitch passing out on me.

“You listen to me and you listen good, Dougy boy. I will leave this orchestra when I am good. And. Ready. And on the terms that I, not you, set. I expect to be promoted to principal horn in the next week, which shouldn’t be an issue, considering Jennifer’s recent … incident. Are you hearing me, Doug?”

“Yes,” he wheezes.

“Good. Very good, Doug. Because, here’s the thing. Anyone, and I mean anyone, who tries to fuck with my career again is just asking to put the people he or she loves in jeopardy. Make no mistake about it, my friend, I don’t give a shit about your kids, or your wife, or your ancient mother in Kalamazoo. I will kill your entire fucking family, including your Irish Setter and that stupid three-legged cat you have. Do you understand me, Doug?”

He nods, unable to speak as he starts to sob. I let go of his tie and give him a rough shove back into his chair behind the desk.

“Oh, boohoo. What a fucking pussy you are. I just want to be sure we are clear on these points, Doug. Are we clear?”

“Yes!” he blubbers. “Yes, I swear, I’ll do whatever you want. Please don’t hurt my family!”

I smile and take a deep, satisfied breath. The rage has passed, and I am in control once again.

“Good! Now you should get yourself cleaned up. Looks like you had a little … accident there,” I mock as I point to the wet spot on the front of his pants. “You have a long afternoon ahead of you, figuring out how to demote Jennifer and getting a press announcement out about my promotion. And don’t forget the bump in salary that comes with that, Doug. I’ll be looking for that in my next paycheck.”

He nods, wiping his face with the back of his shirtsleeve.

I walk out of his office with the newspaper tucked under my arm and close the door behind me. His assistant, Lisa, is watching me with interest. I clear a corner of her desk and sit on it, leaning forward toward her so I can get a good look down her low-cut sweater.

“Lot of noise in there,” she observes, tilting her head toward the office I have just exited.

“Yeah, well, Doug is having a bad morning.”

“Should I hold his calls?” she asks, lowering her voice and leaning toward me.

I smile down at her, and the even better view of those perfect, white tits that she’s giving me.

“I think that would be a good idea,” I agree, lowering my voice. “Dougy needs a little … alone time. And maybe a change of pants.”

“No!” she gasps.

“Oh, yeah,” I mouth silently while nodding.

She puts both hands to her mouth, trying to hold back a giggle. I get to my feet. I wink at Lisa, slap the newspaper in the palm of my hand and whistle Mozart all the way to the elevator.