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Finally, she arrived at his office, the door was slightly open. She could smell the fragrance of his perfume. The cold air from within the office flooded her skin forcing her to shiver a little. She took a deep breath and then placed a knock on the door.
"come in.." a voice echoed from within.
She opened the door fully revealing what was behind it. A desk, an office chair. She saw some files and papers strewn about, but that was where it stopped. He was seated behind the desk, reading some paperwork that he'd already filled out before he called her. His hair was slicked back neatly, as always, and his shirt sleeves rolled up showing off his muscular forearms. A slight sheen covered his forehead making her wonder if he'd been sweating. His eyes were still focused on whatever he was reading when she finally stood in front of the desk.
"Sir, you called for me". She stuttered. The room was silent, and the silence persisted for a long time. Only the humming sound of the air conditioner and the crisp sound of paper turning over could be heard.
"Yes, I did...." He said, still focused on what he was doing. As she stood, waiting for him to give a reason, any reason to why he summoned her. The silence quickly thickened, she could now clearly hear her heartbeat and the ticking sounds echoing from the wall clock. She didn't even know how long they'd been there...
He glanced up at her, and their eyes locked for a brief second before he continued reading.
He cleared his throat, "so what brings you here today, Miss...?"
"Sarah...Sarah Ugu, Sir", she said taking a brief pause to process the drama quickly unfolding before her. " sir, I work here ... sir, I have been working here for three years now".
This caught his attention again. His eyes lifted from his document and looked directly at her. It felt as though she could see through his very soul.
His face softened. The look on his face said everything. 'Oh'.
"Miss...Sarah." He said, " now tell me how can a woman work for me for years here and just hearing about her..what exactly do you do around here?"
He paused, looking back at his computer screen for a moment before he turned back towards her. He leaned forward resting his elbows on his desk and clasping his hands together resting them under his chin. “I don’t mean to pry Miss, you must understand I am simply curious about your background. and why you chose to work here" he smiled."You must understand I have never met a woman who could work hard like you can and be a loyal employee”."
He gave a gentle chuckle, "if I may ask, where are your parents Miss?"
Her eyes darted nervously around the room, "I'm sorry sir, I don't like talking about family."
"Okay, that's not a problem. see, the truth is my wife and I have been going through some rough patch that has made her completely cut me off. And I have been reading your file and it's simply incredible".He said tapping the brown folder on his desk. "it would be a shame if you were to lose this job but then all your hard work does make for a very high ranking position....tell me what is your position around here again?" he said, standing from his seat and making a slow but steady approach to Sarah.
"Financial secretary, sir", she said, feeling her heartbeat quicken as he neared her. Her hands started to sweat. He was so close that she could smell the faint scent of cologne that emanated from his body. When he reached her she noticed a slight tinge of pink color on his cheeks and neck.
His eyes searched hers for a few moments before he spoke.
"How would you love to be the Managing director of the company?"
she could bearly breathe, his closeness to her began to strongly influence her blood flow and her heart rate. the words he spoke threw her into confusion and she began to stutter."sir, I can't, I'm not qualified."
"But you needn't be qualified my dear..all you need to do is accept my advance and fulfill my every lustful desire". he whispered in her ear before he cupped her face gently in his hand. She shivered and let out a small whimper before pulling away slowly.
"I'm afraid sir, I cannot." She said trying to calm down.
He sighed, "oh come, please" he stepped closer, she stepped backward. "You must understand..." he moved toward her with one step and she stepped back with another step. Another step and another step. Until one final step, she backed herself against the door and found it difficult to breathe. "you can't deny me..." and with that, he closed the gap between himself and his prey.
"pls sir, I can't...I won't... it's against my belief, sir.."Sarah said, still feeling his breath close to her body. "I believe that everyone should be rewarded for what they had done not what they didn't do. I have done nothing to deserve this promotion and I won't consider trading my body for it either". she said with all the bravery she could muster.
"Okay then, why don't you go home and think about it...if you feel like you need a raise meet me tomorrow in my office same time. And if not feel free to drop your resignation from my table". He said stepping away from her and returning to his desk. He sat back on his seat, picked up his document, and began from where he stopped as though nothing happened. She stared at him for a moment trying to regain her composure as his words repeated in her head. Was it all true? Did he really want her to leave...or was he just saying those things to manipulate her into agreeing to his advances. She knew that she couldn't let herself think that way anymore.
"Thank you, Sir, I will get out of your hair now." She said quietly closing the door as she left. It shut with finality. She walked slowly through the hallways, her mind in turmoil. She knew that once he had gotten what he wanted, she would probably never see him again unless, of course, he gets horny again.
That night Sarah lay on her bed her mind buried deep in thought. On one hand, she would be committing a sin with her boss who is married with kids, on the other hand, if she agreed she would finally be able to live the luxurious and happy life she always wanted with the salary from her new promotion. Her head began to ache with frustration.
The next morning, she arrived at the office bold and determined. She made her way to her boss's office. She knocked but there was no answer. She slowly opened the door, she peeped in to see no one inside. She then walked in and placed a letter on his table. She said a little prayer in her mind and then walked away.
Back in her, office she began to pack her things into a cardboard box. Tears slowly poured down her cheeks. She was deep in tears when she heard a crowd chanting, and cheers from the hallway. She left what she was doing in the direction of the noise. Opened the door to see the entire employees gathered around, whispering, dancing, and celebrating. She then asked one of them why they were celebrating, they replied, "The man is gone!".
"Which man?" she asked.
"The CEO has been arrested for sexually harassing an employee of the company yesterday....the woman he assaulted sexually reported the case and now the company is washing their hands off him". Once she heard this, her face glowed with appreciation. So that's why the staff was celebrating.....
She smiled, it was a relief. The thought of having to leave had crossed her mind once or twice during the past three years. But being dismissed by her boss wasn't something she expected, nor was it something she ever imagined.
She went back into his office to retrieve her letter of resignation. She returned to her office smiling and praising God for a swift victory.