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A good boss wants you to convince them you need a spanking
Not all tension is the bad kind
Most workplaces are (at least somewhat) hierarchical. The bosses rule over the employees with expectations.
The employees retaliate with whispered complaints in the restroom, and making sure occasional tension stings the air.
But not all tension is the bad kind.
My name is Joy and I know how to play the game — I am sharp, competent, the kind of employee who delivers results and makes herself invaluable and available. But I also know sometimes a different kind of persuasion is required to get what I want. What I need. And if there’s one thing I understand, it’s how to walk the line between professional and… erm… provocative.
My boss Mr. Dalloway is not an easy man to read. He’s composed, precise, always in control. But I’ve noticed the way his gaze lingers on the top button of my blouse. How his hands sometimes fall onto his lap when I stand too close to his desk. And his lips purse when I test boundaries.
Today, I pushed it a little by missing a deadline by minutes and followed with an email skirting on the edge of being flippant. Then later I held his eyes a fraction too long during an office…