The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

The phone buzzed insistently, demanding attention. Suzy stared at it dumbly, dreading yet another confrontation. The day had just begun, but it felt as though she had already been working for hours. After four rings, she managed to overcome her reluctance, and picked up the phone. “Hello, this is PolyCorp, Suzy speaking. How may I help you?” She put on a cheery voice, hoping that this call wouldn’t end up like the last one.

“Hello, yes? This is Emma Drydon calling from Softchange Incorporated. Please schedule me for an appointment with your boss.” The voice was curt, inviting no dissent.

Suzy frowned, pressing one hand against her forehead. Softchange was a very minor client, and she knew that her boss wouldn’t enjoy being interrupted by another inconsequential meeting with them. How was she going to defuse this situation?

“Just a moment, I’ll check his calendar.” She put the lady on hold, and pulled up the schedule on her computer. He was out on vacation today, but there were several obvious free spots available the next day. She didn’t need to tell Emma that, however. She picked the phone back up.

“I’m sorry, Emma, but his calendar is full. I could possibly fit you in next week?” She crossed her fingers, doubting that putting this client off would end well.

“I’m very disappointed to hear that,” the voice replied with irritation. “Well, then, since this is time critical, we’ll simply take our business elsewhere. Your service has been rotten, and we consider your business to be run by third rate citizens. Consider our account closed.” The phone disconnected abruptly.

Shaking her head, Suzy hung up the phone gently. It was the second tongue lashing she had gotten today already. Hopefully she hadn’t ruined things too badly. Still, she rationalized to herself, it was only a very small account. It couldn’t be that big a deal. Could it?

She turned back to her computer, minimizing the schedule. There wasn’t anything she could do about it now. Might as well get back to working on the charts her boss had requested yesterday. She opened the spreadsheet, starting to dig into the numbers. She had always enjoyed working with numbers more than people. They acted rationally, always balanced. They never had hurt feelings, or were rude or dismissive. She smiled faintly, starting to sink deeper into the patterns, trying to figure out the simplest way to present them to her boss.

She collated some data, creating a line graph. Something seemed strange about the graph—if the numbers were right, her company was somehow missing revenue. The numbers weren’t adding up…maybe she needed to contact her boss. This might be serious enough to interrupt his vacation. She was reaching for the phone again, when the door to the office opened.

In stepped Dave, one of the regular stiffs who worked in Accounts Payable. She didn’t know Dave very well, but being the office manager/executive assistant (these days workers were expected to wear multiple hats), she could recognize almost anyone who worked at PolyCorp. Dave was a short, stout character who had obviously eaten well and exercised little over the years, but was normally slow and dependable. Today he was dressed conservatively, a buttoned up cardigan covering his semi-formal attire. She smiled wanly at him, hoping for some kind of acknowledgement. “Good morning.”

Normally, he would have made a muttered greeting and shuffled past towards his cubical. Instead, he sidled up and placed his arms on her desk. “Good morning,” he mumbled softly, blinking his eyes quickly behind his thick glasses, his face lugubrious. His voice was thick, like warm syrup. “I hate to bother you, but I think the elevators are broken again.” Now that he was close, she noticed that he was wheezing softly. “I hope you can get someone in to fix them quickly, because an important client is supposed to be coming in tomorrow. Just thought you should know.” Without another word, he slipped off her desk and trundled on into the office, considering his duty fulfilled. “Thanks,” Suzy said softly to his back as he disappeared.

Well, that was certainly curious. She didn’t remember hearing about any kind of client coming in tomorrow. She shrugged, hoping that her boss had simply forgotten to keep her in the loop. Or perhaps they were invited by the head of a different department. Either way, the client certainly wouldn’t be impressed with broken elevators. This time, she reached for the phone with confidence, the number for the elevator repair business immediately surfacing in her mind. She dialed the number quickly, listening to the rings. This was getting old quickly – the elevators never seemed to work for more than a month at a time before some minor issue caused them to malfunction. This time, they had only remained working for a week.

“Yallow, this is Gus Grayson with Everlahsting Elevatah repaiyh services. How can ah help yuh?” Gus appeared to be one of those people who knew he was barely understandable under his thick accent, but didn’t care. The rest of the world would have to adapt to his peculiarities, rather than the other way around.

“Hello, Gus, this is Suzy from PolyCorp speaking. Your company was in last week to repair an elevator problem we’ve been having. We seem to be having another issue, which is preventing both elevators from working properly.” Suzy began politely, hoping to get through this conversation quickly. If she was verbose enough, perhaps she could prevent this Gus fellow from asking too many questions in his indecipherable dialect.

“Ah, yuh, PollyCorp. We fixed her up good! Should be no prahblums there, now!” He sounded cheery at this proclamation.

She decided to change tack. Maybe she just needed to be sterner with these people. “I’m sorry, but they’re broken now. I need someone to come out immediately, or we’ll start losing business.”

“Yuh, I getcha. Elevatuhs work great!” With that noncommittal statement, the phone disconnected. Suzy did a double take. Was that a yes or a no answer? She slowly set the phone back down, wondering whether anything would go right today. She would just have to do a follow up later to make sure they were on the job, since right now she simply had too much work to get through before her boss returned the next day.

She unlocked her machine, ready to look through her numbers again. There had to be an answer in there – maybe she was just missing something? Perhaps she had put the wrong formula in one of the cells. She started going back over her figures, trying to diagnose where the problem might be.

“Sizzlin’ Suzy!” a voice loudly proclaimed, making her jump slightly. She had been so deep in concentration that she hadn’t noticed Larry sneaking up behind her desk. Not even the slight motion on the convex mirror she had mounted at the side of her monitor had been able to warn her in time. She locked her computer again to hide her work, then turned her chair to face Larry.

She kept her face neutral, but inside exasperation was building. Larry, or ‘Lewd’ Larry as she thought of him, was clearly an ass. He styled himself as some kind of playboy, and was constantly trying to hit on females at the office. Sometimes she seriously imagined that he would try to make love to the conference room desk if it had boobs. Larry was a careful predator, never quite crossing the boundary that would cause HR to take notice or give his victims enough proof to get him in trouble. This situation wasn’t helped by the fact that he was the head of operations, only a step or two below her boss, the CEO. This made for a toxic atmosphere, nobody willing to do anything that might get them fired unless they had solid proof of his malfeasance. It was a sad state of affairs, but with the economy the way it was, employees didn’t want to rock the boat.

The way he was undressing her with his eyes every time he saw her made her uncomfortable, but there was nothing she could do. She pretended not to notice, but she felt slimy inside regardless. “Yes, Larry? How can I help you?” She tried for a fake smile, being as polite as possible.

His lips curled up in an unctuous grin, leaning over just slightly to try and get a peek down her shirt. She wanted to punch the smile off his face, but determinedly sat still instead, refusing to rise to his bait. “Hope you’re having a great day!” He announced broadly. He stroked his loud orange tie distractedly with one hand while he spoke. “Did you get the memo?”

Memo? What memo? “No, I can’t say that I have.”

“You should really keep up with your email! We’re having an important client come in tomorrow, and we need to get the status reports up to date before they arrive! I’ve taken the liberty of sending you the relevant materials.” He stated this as though he was doing her a huge favor. “I’ll need them for the big meeting tomorrow, so no dilly-dallying! These reports take precedence over anything you’re currently working on!” He snapped a suspender to illustrate his point while obviously leering at her breasts.

Internally, she was sweating. She was already behind on the number crunching, and now she’d have to spend the rest of the day on his stupid reports to get them done on time! She knew better than to make an inconsiderate reply, but was sorely tempted. “I will get right on it, thank you.” She turned back to her computer and unlocked it, ignoring his presence. From past experience, it was the only way to make him go away without insulting him to his face.

“Great!” he said brightly. “I’m glad I could be of assistance!” It was hard to tell if he was being serious or facetious.

Suzy surreptitiously watched him depart in her mirror, relieved that his ego had been sufficiently stroked so he’d leave her alone. She was less happy when she saw him stop again down the hall at Nancy’s cube. Nancy had been her best friend and confidant at the office for years, and she didn’t want her to be pushed to leave by Larry the asshole. Hopefully she’d be able to catch up with Nancy at lunch and convince her to stay. Internally, she doubted that she’d hold much sway over Nancy’s decision if Larry really was trying to put the moves on her, but if Nancy left she’d probably have to start job hunting too.

It was all so unfair! It was hard to find a job that fit a fairly intelligent financial graduate, and she had thought that she had finally found a position where she would be able to utilize her talents without having to work too much overtime. Instead, she had ended up in a backbiting, political institution that would likely to chew her up and spit her out in a few years. Things needed to change somehow, she knew that, but she didn’t know where to go or what to do next. She really hated change, but sometimes it was necessary.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Larry move on from Nancy’s cube, back towards his office. She definitely didn’t need that worry on her mind at this point. Checking the time, she saw that she’d only have a short while to see what Larry was babbling on about before lunch. She brought up the email program. The mysterious number problem would have to wait for later – she needed to find out what was going on with these reports.

As soon as she saw the message subject, she had to put a hand over her mouth, her body wracked with uncontrollable laughter. Larry had managed to shorten ‘Trial Project System Reports’ to the acronym ‘TPS.’

“Really? It really said that?” Nancy started giggling. “I knew he was an ass, but an idiot too? Has he really never seen that movie? It’s like a primer for every terrible management practice possible!” She looked at Suzy with a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Is he going to demand a cover sheet?”

“I know, right?” Suzy sighed, suddenly depressed about how closely her workplace mirrored Hollywood. “You know, I’ve been thinking…about maybe how I need a change. I feel like I’m living in a perpetual joke right now.” She looked uncertainly at Nancy. “What are your thoughts?”

Nancy looked a little shifty. “Well…I was going to save this news for later, but…I’ve decided to quit. Today will be my last day.” She looked at Suzy with pleading eyes. “Please don’t blame me for telling you sooner! I only just found out today!”

Suzy’s heart plunged. “Found out what?” This was not the kind of news she was hoping for.

“That I’ve been offered a job at Rankotech! Not only will they pay me better than PolyCorp, but I’ll finally be able to move out of a data entry position! It’s more than a lateral move—it’s a clear promotion!” Excitement danced in Nancy’s eyes.

Suzy was conflicted. Clearly, it was the right choice for Nancy to make, but now she felt worse than ever. The fact that her best friend was leaving her for greener pastures while she still had to put up with the utter drudgery of PolyCorp was almost unbearable.

She didn’t understand, though. How had Nancy found a better job with Rankotech when she hadn’t displayed any feats of brilliance at PolyCorp? She had always thought of Nancy as barely competent, able to get things done, but not in the most efficient way possible. It wasn’t laziness, per se, but more as though she would only expend the minimum amount of effort necessary to get the job completed. How could Nancy get a better job than Suzy when she constantly worked overtime to please her boss? And what kind of a name was Rankotech, anyway? She hated thinking such uncharitable thoughts about her friend, but it was hard to suppress the bitterness that she felt.

Suzy opened and closed her mouth once without saying anything, trying with all her might to suppress the vitriol that burned just below the surface. “That’s…great…” she said, unenthusiastically. She tried to produce a smile, but it was so very hard to mask her true feelings. “It really is! I’m so proud and happy for you!”

Nancy looked concerned, knowing that Suzy wasn’t being truthful. “I know you’re jealous, don’t worry, I understand. They simply made an offer I couldn’t refuse.” She smiled briefly, her eyes fixed on some undefined point off in the distance. “They understand my talents there, and I will finally be able to reach my potential.” Suzy shuddered at the strange phrasing. Was that a glimmer of purple in Nancy’s eyes?

Before she could question Nancy’s remark, she seemed to snap out of it. “There’s just so much more for me out there! I’ll be able to do things I never would be able to do at boring old PolyCorp.”

Suzy chased the salad around on her plate for a few seconds, trying to buy some time so she wouldn’t blurt out something angry. The reality was that she hated her job. She hated it, and all the stupid, stressful work that was associated with it. She set her fork down. “I know,” she said carefully, “but I just feel horrible. Now I’ll have to deal with ‘Lewd’ Larry all by myself, and he’ll be twice as infuriating. It won’t be the same without you.”

Nancy leaned forward, a speculative look in her eyes. “You know, you don’t have to put with it. You’re twice as smart as any of those troglodytes. I’m sure it wouldn’t be hard to get you an interview at Rankotech…they’re always looking for more recruits.”

Suzy was taken aback. Was this really her opportunity to get out of that hell hole? The decision should have been a no brainer, but it was giving her trouble. “It’s a steady job…I don’t know, I’d have to think about it.” She was waffling.

“Alright, then, but if you change your mind, I have their number right here. I’ll put in a good word for you!” Nancy pulled a card out of her pocket and handed it to Suzy. “You should really reconsider – it’ll definitely be a step up from what you’re doing now!”

Suzy glanced at the card before stuffing it in her pocket. ‘Rankotech Solutions Inc.’ it declared in bold type. ‘Business process solutions for busy companies,’ was the suitably vague tag line in italics. Below that was a simple phone number, no names or other identification. “Say Nancy…now you have me curious. What does Rankotech actually do?”

Nancy’s smile looked a little too bright. “I can’t say, precisely. They’re a very secretive company, and I’ve already signed a non-disclosure agreement with them. What I can tell you is that it will be so much more fulfilling than those ghastly reports you have to make today!”

Suzy was a little suspicious, but a thick layer of depression had already started to overlay her thoughts, so she decided she just wasn’t interested in digging deeper. “Alright, then,” she said sadly. “I hope you do well.” She hugged herself, feeling alone.

Nancy stood up, moved over to Suzy and embraced her in a bear hug. “Don’t worry!” she said, happiness in her voice. “Everything will work out for the best! Trust me!”

The day dragged on longer than ever after Suzy had found out the bad news at lunch. The elevator guy hadn’t shown up, and she had already fielded several requests for other fixes around the office. A fluorescent light had gone out, and the HVAC system was making strange noises. It was about mid-afternoon when she got a break from the interruptions and realized she was starting to get behind with the so-called TPS reports and she might have to work overtime to get them completed.

It was just so blasted unfair! She was doing stupid reports that a brain dead five year old could complete, while Nancy was going to be able to do – whatever it was that Rankotech did. Did it matter what they actually did? Whatever it was, it had to be more interesting than what was waiting for her here. She pulled the Rankotech card from her pocket and looked it over speculatively. Maybe now was the time to reach for a better future?

She looked around quickly. Nobody had stepped through the doors for an hour now, the regular employees most likely preferring to take alternate entrances and exits. Either that or they were otherwise occupied. She picked up the phone and dialed. It probably didn’t matter anyway. If she acted like normal, nobody should be able to tell what she was doing.

“Hello? You have reached the Rankotech recruitment hotline. What is your name?” The voice sounded breezy, soothing to Suzy’s mind.

“Suzy Willis,” she said hesitantly. “I was recently recommended to call this number by my friend, Nancy. She said that you might have open positions?” She trailed off, unsure as to what the open positions might be. She was starting to second guess herself – she didn’t even know what she was applying for, for heaven’s sake!

“Suzy, yes, we have you on our list.” The answer was smooth, confident. It was a little strange that there was no pause before the reply. Didn’t they have to look her name up in their computer system? “We do have several open positions. Would you like to interview for one of them?”

She’d gotten this far – might as well go the distance. “Yes, please.” She hesitated. “Can you describe what the job would entail?”

This time, she thought she detected a brief pause before the person on the other end continued. “The work requires basic computer skills and primarily consists of processing data for our clients.” The description was sufficiently vague to mean practically anything. “Before we can go into the specifics, we would need you to come in and sign a non-disclosure agreement. We don’t want to reveal our secret processes or confidential client work to competitors.” That seemed reasonable, thought Suzy. Maybe they were doing classified government related work?

“Would you be available to come in today?” the voice continued. “I could schedule you for an appointment this evening. That would be after our normal work hours and we would be able to process your interview at a more relaxed pace.” When she said the word ‘relaxed,’ her voice sounded slightly dreamy.

At that moment, the main office door opened and Suzy’s boss John sauntered in. Thinking quickly, she murmured “Can you hold, please? Thanks,” into the phone and hit the hold button. Well, this was awkward – arranging an interview for another job at the same time your current boss is in the room? That was just not done.

She looked at him in askance. “Aren’t you supposed to be on vacation?” He wasn’t scheduled to be around the office until the next day, and usually he would need to be chained to wild horses before he would cut short his free time.

“No time to chat!” he exclaimed broadly. “I got word that a huge client is considering contracting with us, and I’ve been told to get together a presentation. This could be a big deal for us, a make it or break it event for our business! Fortunately, it’s going well so far. We just need those reports tomorrow. You’ll have them ready?” His stern gaze was enough to make her wither, even though she hadn’t yet done anything wrong.

“Yes, I’m in the middle of working on them right now. They’re going well!” She lied through her teeth. They were taking forever to put together, and she’d rather be doing self-flagellation than working on them. That’s not what the boss wanted to hear, however. She’d learned quickly enough that he’d much rather be placated, even if the project was aflame and falling down a flight of stairs.

“Great!” he said cheerily. “I expect them on my desk by 8 AM sharp tomorrow!” He waved a hand imperiously, then strode into the office, humming a jaunty tune under his breath.

She rolled her eyes at his behavior and picked the phone back up. “Hello? Are you still there? Yes, I believe I would like to interview for that position today.” She couldn’t image surviving another two years in this dysfunctional company.

Rankotech was housed in a nondescript building in an office tower that didn’t scream wealth. Suzi strolled up to the doors, getting mentally ready to tackle any crazy interview questions that might be thrown her way. On the door under the company name was a logo that looked like some kind of musical notation, then a short motto: “Prosperity through productivity.”

Suzy dismissed it out of hand – typical corporate hogwash, standard boilerplate that every company seemingly was required to have. She was more interested in seeing if the work she’d be doing would actually be somewhat intellectually stimulating. There was also some anxiety about being able to measure up for a job she didn’t even have a job description for.

The reception area she entered was eerily reminiscent of the one she had just exited a few short minutes earlier in PolyCorp, except this one had ‘Rankotech’ in big, bold letters inscribed behind the desk. Otherwise, the gray tones of the environs matched any other office she had ever worked in. Behind the desk sat a short woman dressed in severe looking clothing, concentrating intently at her computer screen. The amount of concentration being displayed was admirable, and Suzy felt a little bad about interrupting her.

“Ahem?” She said nervously, trying to attract the worker’s attention. The receptionist didn’t appear to notice her presence, the keyboard clacking away noisily. “Excuse me?” Suzy ventured further, trying to make her voice sound more confident. “I have an appointment today to interview here?”

Suzy leaned over a little, curious about what was so interesting to the receptionist. She caught a glimpse of a colorful display, intriguing patterns slowly dancing around a corner of the screen. It was very pretty, but not something one would expect to see on an office worker’s computer. The receptionist very definitively clicked a key on the keyboard and the display blanked. She turned suddenly towards Suzy and a thousand watt smile lit up her face. “Hello, this is Rankotech. How may I assist you?”

Suzy jumped back, startled at the sudden change of demeanor on the receptionist. She was discombobulated, strangely seized with a sudden desire to see more of what had been on the receptionist’s screen. The smile being beamed at her was disconcerting, as it didn’t seem to reach the receptionist’s eyes. Maybe it hadn’t been a good idea to come here?

“Yes, my name is Suzy,” she said slowly, gathering her scattered thoughts. “I’m scheduled for an interview today?” She mentally went over a list of questions that might be asked again, deliberately smoothing her face to avoid showing her anxiousness.

“Ah yes, the new recruit,” the receptionist replied steadily. “You’re not too late – simply follow the signs over there, which will direct you to our candidate testing center. Good luck!” The fake smile faded from her face and she mechanically turned back towards her computer screen, dismissing Suzy already.

The whole situation seemed weird, but Suzy was determined to at least complete the interview before deciding on whether the company was just too weird to join. “Great, thanks!” she said to be polite, though the receptionist was clearly no longer paying her any attention. She looked around quickly, now easily spotting the ‘Candidate Testing’ sign she needed to follow.

She pushed open the indicated glass door, then proceeded down the hallway. The interior of Rankotech wasn’t out of the ordinary for an office, though it was a bit odd that the hallway was buttressed with a series of locked doorways instead of cubical space. Given that she wasn’t yet an employee, perhaps there was a cube farm behind security doors elsewhere. It wouldn’t make much sense to allow unknown people to wander around your office proper.

The corridor made a turn at the end of the hall, but a sign hanging from the ceiling indicated that she was to enter a door to her left. She opened the door, entering a room that looked a bit like a classroom. From the front to the back of the room were arrayed rows of desks with computers and monitors. Most of the seats were already taken by a mix of young people, but near the back she noticed some open seats.

“Ah!” exclaimed a tart sounding voice. “We were told to expect a latecomer.” At the front of the room stood an older looking woman dressed in a beige pant suit. In one hand she loosely held a pointer which she apparently had been using on the white board behind her. “Please take a seat.” The woman turned and continued her lecture in a monotone. “You are all here today to interview for a position at Rankotech.”

Suzy looked for a seat, listening to the lecturer with only half her attention. Working her way to the second to last row, she took the seat on the end. Before she could make herself comfortable, an outstretched hand thrust itself into her field of view. Turning to her right, she saw that the hand belonged to a young woman, younger than her, dressed in simple jeans and a t-shirt. The lady was plump and well endowed, her stature such that she almost looked like a stout dwarf out of a fairy tale. “Hi!” the owner of the hand said vivaciously. “My name is Lainey, how are you?”

Attempting to retain a sense of decorum, Suzy took the hand gently and allowed Lainey to pump her hand vigorously. “Hello,” she said quietly. “I’m Suzy. How late am I?”

Lainey didn’t seem to catch on, continuing on in her normal bubbly voice. “Oh, you’re not late. We’ve just started. I can’t wait to take the test and see where I might fit in!”

Before Suzy could reply, the instructor’s pointer tapped on the desk in front of Suzy impatiently. Belatedly, Suzy realized that the instructor’s voice had trailed off while she had been distracted with Lainey’s greeting. “I realize that you’re all new here, but we need to get started,” the instructor said severely, giving them both the evil eye. “If you’d like to pay attention, we’ll begin.”

“Sorry!” said Suzy meekly, settling down into her chair, feeling chastised. So far this interview hadn’t been going well, and she hoped that she wouldn’t be summarily dismissed. She blushed as murmuring in the room increased slightly. She could already feel the others mocking her.

The instructor harrumphed, back at the board as if nothing had happened. “As I was saying, my name is Erin, and I will be your instructor today. All of you are here to interview for a job with Rankotech. Some of you might be wondering what Rankotech actually does. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you until you have become an employee, as that information is confidential.” There was a susurrus, more speculation about the company spreading. She waited patiently for the noise to subside.

“It is my job to administer the Rankotech Aptitude Test.” She smiled briefly as nervous chuckles echoed around the room. “Yes, it’s known affectionately as the RAT. Over the years Rankotech has learned how to best use the resources it is given. The RAT uses a highly efficient algorithm to rank and categorize all participants to determine where each person might excel in our organization. Now, please put on your headphones and turn on your monitors. Follow the instructions on screen to proceed.”

Suzy shrugged and picked up the headphones lying on the desk in front of her. They were some kind of futuristic design that she’d never seen before, two clam shell shaped speakers connected together with a strip of flexible hard material that looked and felt almost like a spongy piece of amber. Each speaker had a stylized ‘R’ embossed on the side. She wondered if they were special ordered just for Rankotech. She pulled the device over the top of her head, surprised when it clamped down gently, but firmly to her skull. All exterior sounds were sealed off, making her feel like she was in a separate room from everyone else. It was more comfortable than any headset she had ever worn in the past. She clicked on the monitor, wondering why Rankotech wasn’t selling the headphones in retail – she had certainly never seen head phones quite like this before!

The screen lit up, gently fading to white. “Welcome to the Rankotech Aptitude Test!” the screen announced. An animated green arrow pointed to a button that read “click here to begin!” When Suzy clicked on the button, the screen cleared and the greeting was replaced with a multiple choice question. A classical piece clicked on in her headset. It was something by Brahms, perhaps, but there was also a kind of undertone threading through the background of the piece that she didn’t immediately recognize. She quickly tuned it out, refusing to let it distract her from doing a good job answering the questions.

“You’re working on a complicated task,” the screen said. “You promised the boss that it would be completed within the hour, but it’s become clear that it will take several more. What do you do? A) Continue the work and pretend that you never gave the boss the original estimate. B) Tell the boss what has happened and ask for more time. C) Recruit others from your team to help you finish the task on time. D) Work quickly to finish the job on time.” Below the question, at the bottom of the screen, a small text box proclaimed “Remember, there are no wrong answers. Please answer to the best of your ability so that we may evaluate where you might fit in our organization.”

Suzy considered the question for a moment. She didn’t like the idea of ‘A’ because that would qualify as misleading the boss. ‘D’ was distasteful because she might make errors that would have otherwise been avoided if she had worked at a steady pace. Choosing ‘C’ might take her co-workers off of critical tasks. She’d have to choose ‘B’ – at least she would tell the boss what was going on, and it was up to the boss to decide if the business could afford to shift more workers onto her project. She clicked the appropriate choice, then the ‘OK’ button to continue. The question was replaced with a new one, and a small bar below the text at the bottom of the screen filled up slightly with a green bar.

She mused briefly to herself, a little concerned that the bar had only filled up a tiny bit – how many questions were there? She quickly concluded that she couldn’t let that bother her, moving on to the next question. There wasn’t any apparent timer, but if she took too long, they might end the test before she was completed, and that would be a calamity.

The next question was much like the first, describing another morally ambiguous situation. It felt more like an ethics test than a skill test, trying to probe at her personality. She vaguely wondered how accurate the test might be, and how it might take into account those persons who were less apt to answer in an honest fashion. She started to settle in, becoming more comfortable at answering the questions. As time went on, she started to feel that she was getting better at choosing the answer that was right for her. Her eyes started to glaze slightly, her motions unknowingly becoming more mechanical.

The proctor stepped up to her table, looking Suzy over with an expert eye. She made several notes on her clipboard, satisfied that the Suzy was sufficiently occupied to not notice the inspection. She set the clipboard down on the desk and took a tape measure out of her pocket. She then proceeded to take various measurements of Suzy’s body quickly and efficiently, working around Suzy’s robotic mouse clicks. They had long ago learned at Rankotech that ‘one size fits all’ simply wasn’t going to cut it, so they needed at least rough estimates before they could proceed. It only took a few minutes for Erin to finish the measurements. Glancing in Suzy’s eyes, she made another note on the clipboard with a satisfied smile. Gauging her distraction to be sufficient, the proctor moved behind Suzy’s chair and cupped her breasts gently in a clinical manner, estimating the size.

Suzy blinked stupidly, turning her head slowly. She was so focused on the test that she hadn’t even noticed the proctor’s presence, but the groping she had just underwent was enough to make her almost surface. All she saw was Erin primly making more notes on her clipboard. The proctor glanced up, her brows arching at Suzy’s attention. She pointed at the screen, her expression one of disapproval. Suzy quailed a little at the expression, and hastily moved her attention back to the test, hoping that her lack of concentration wouldn’t make her lose points on the exam.

Suzy started to feel a warm sense of approval as she worked, her eyes moving mechanically over the screen. The classical melody faded away and the undertone increased in volume until it dominated her hearing. She instinctively knew what it wanted, what it needed her to do, and answered the questions accordingly. It was easy to fade away and let it carry her along in its crescendos and pauses, her heart synchronizing to its dominant rhythm. It wasn’t necessary to concentrate anymore, the overwhelming song carrying her along in its wake, softly whispering things to her. She smiled, wishing she could stay like this forever, submerging herself in the timbre of obedience.

She jerked suddenly, the song in her head set gone, the world dull, gray around her. A sudden sense of loss and longing seized her. She almost wanted to cry at the absence of such beauty. Another question was on the screen in black and white, with a simple text entry box instead of choices. “How do you feel?”

Suzy sat and stared at the screen for a minute or two, unsure of how to answer while disparate emotions roiled through her. Finally, she came upon the word she was looking for. She typed it into the box and hit enter, feeling bereft, wondering if that was the whole goal of the test. Reaching up, she was able to remove the headphones with a simple twist, her ears popping at the difference in air pressure. Feeling as though she had just exited from being dazed, she set down the headphones and looked around the room.

Everyone else seemed to have a similar expression, so she felt a little better. At least nobody else was crowing about acing the exam. “So, how did you do?” interrupted Lainey, her expression still cheery. “Look at mine – it says that I’ll be an Office Expansion Assistant, whatever that means!”

Suzy peered back at her screen, a little surprised that she was so distracted that she hadn’t noticed it changing. Sure enough, the screen had cleared and now had a new paragraph of text. “Congratulations!” Suzy read verbatim. “Given your previous experience and test results, we are proud to offer you the position of ‘Data Analyst I.’ Please follow the directions of the proctor.” She felt pleased, happy that she hadn’t completely flunked, but still not really sure if she wanted to work at Rankotech as a data flunky.

“As you may notice, your test results are immediately available at your stations.” The proctor said forcefully, breaking off any conversations in progress. “Those of you who have been offered a position here at Rankotech may immediately go into room 2B down the hall to receive a welcome package and introduction letter, both of which you may keep regardless of whether you decide to work here. All others will want to retrace their steps to main reception. Thank you.”

“Are you excited? I’m so excited!” squealed Lainey. “I can’t wait to start working here! Let’s go get our packages together!”

“Okay!” said Suzy, less enthusiastically, not able to easily handle Lainey’s personality and her vague feeling of loss simultaneously. Lainey seized her by the wrist and pulled her towards the exit, her bubbliness pushing them forward. “Slow down there, they won’t run out of packets!” exclaimed Suzy, surprised at Lainey’s forcefulness.

She carefully retrieved her arm from Lainey and slowed the pace, looking around after they had exited the classroom. “Over there!” exclaimed Lainey, pointing at another sign which indicated that ‘2B’ was only a few more doors down. “What do you think we’re going to do when we start working here?”

“I’m not exactly sure,” replied Suzy. “They’re being very mysterious. Perhaps they work for the government? They haven’t stated that we’d need clearance, though.” She felt uncertain, pretty sure that her guess wasn’t even close. “We’ll just have to wait. Let’s see what we get here.”

They ended up in front of another door, this one with a placard that said ‘Candidate Processing.’ Lainey smiled and pushed through, eager to see what was coming next. Less sure of the situation, Suzy moved in more slowly. Behind a fold out desk sat Erin, piles of boxes behind her stacked to shoulder height, grouped together under signs which had the letters of the alphabet on them. The piles were stacked neatly, corners matched up perfectly so that no stack touched the one next to it. Someone who worked at Rankotech must have OCD. Suzy vaguely thought in passing that it was odd that the stack under the letter ‘X’ was as high as most of the others.

Erin smiled politely at Lainey, who had already run up to the desk. “Name, please?”

“Lainey Summers,” she said ardently. “I’m here to get my package!”

“Ah yes, the new expansion assistant.” She turned with precision and without re-sorting the packages she pulled the one from the bottom of the pile. “This is for you,” she said primly, handing the package to Lainey while sliding a piece of paper from the stack on her desk on top of it. “Read this letter thoroughly, then give us a call when you accept our offer. Our call center is open 24/7 and can receive your call at any time. We look forward to seeing you soon!” The last was said without any particular warmth, probably because the same spiel had been said so many times in the past.

“Great!” exclaimed Lainey. She rushed over to Suzy and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. “Nice to meet you, Suzy! I hope to see you soon!” She burst out of the room and down the hall, the door banging shut behind her.

Suzy stepped up to the desk, noticing Erin’s blank, nonchalant expression. “My name is Suzy Willis.” She said calmly, trying to be more neutral after Lainey’s flamboyant performance.

“Ah, yes, I’ve been waiting for you. Your package is here.” Instead of reaching for one of the piles behind her, she retrieved a package from under the desk. “You’ve already heard the speech. Let us know if you wish to pursue an opportunity with us. Just remember, if you do, you’ll never be alone again.”

Suzy thought she was just imagining the flash of purple she saw in Erin’s eyes. “Ok, thanks.” She replied, not quite sure what to make of that last line, though she almost felt like she understood the statement for some reason. It didn’t hurt quite so badly now that she had been away from the test for a few minutes, but somewhere deep inside her she still keenly felt that she had been briefly able to touch something that was now missing. As she left, it barely registered that all of the other people starting to filter into the room were female.

The trip home was uneventful, though recent events had given Suzy a lot to think about. She still hadn’t decided whether to quit her current job, but it was becoming more attractive by the minute. She continued to move on autopilot as she parked her car and entered her apartment, the package given to her at Rankotech nestled under her arm. She set the package down on the kitchen table, curious about its contents. It was a brown cardboard box about the size of a shoe box with no markings except for her name inked in sharpie on the top. What could they possibly be giving away to prospective workers?

She quickly glanced over the letter, confirming that it was merely a standard introductory letter that included instructions and a telephone number to call if she wished to join the company. She was about to put the letter back down when the last sentence caught her eye. “Please find included a small incentive package to help you make your decision, on us. We look forward to having you join our team of the best and brightest at Rankotech!”

More standard boilerplate, but she had never been given an offer from a company that gave away freebies whether or not she decided to join. She opened a drawer and shuffled around the unorganized contents, finally locating a box cutter. She slit open the package carefully and set the knife aside. Bubble wrap filled the interior, wrapped tightly around an object, a hint of color visible beneath the layers. It unrolled easily, revealing some kind of shiny, tacky material that was colored a bright yellow. Unsure quite what to make of it, she rearranged the material a few times, lifting it in the air to get a sense for what she was dealing with. As the object unfolded, it seemed pretty clear that Rankotech had sent her some kind of bra, for unknown purposes. “Curiouser and curiouser,” Suzy murmured to herself.

It looked for all intents and purposes like a sports bra, except made entirely out of yellow latex. Two thick straps looped over the back and a thicker strip of material delineated the bottom where it would fit around her chest. It certainly appeared as though it would cling tightly, giving plenty of support. A very odd gift to give, she mused, and wasn’t at all certain that she’d ever wear it.

She put the bra back on the table, suddenly remembering that she had turned off her phone before going to interview at Rankotech. It was originally a bit surprising to her that Rankotech hadn’t asked any questions directly in person, but now it felt perfectly natural that they used an automated test to grade all applicants.

The phone lit up with bright colors, announcing her service provider. She would have had a smart phone, but she was too cheap to pay the exorbitant monthly price the cell phone provider was asking for. The boot-up sequence completed and a little icon appeared, notifying her that she had several new messages. She sighed and dialed the voice mail service, annoyed that she couldn’t get even a little rest and relaxation.

“You have two new messages,” the system said in its synthetic voice. “Press ‘7’ to hear your messages.” Beep! “First new message.” The voice changed to that of ‘Lewd’ Larry. “Hey-a sugar, I didn’t get an update on those TPS reports yet. Let me know if I can do anything for you.” Yeah, he’d likely want to help get into her pants. She rolled her eyes.

Beep! “Second new message.” Now it was her boss’ voice. “Hi Suzy, it’s John here. Remember to get those reports in tomorrow, we have a big day ahead of us!” She could feel the familiar stress layering back in again, tension building. Beep! “No new messages.”

Sighing, she closed the phone and put it back into her pocket. She could see the future arrayed in front of her, years upon years of working on worthless reports and kowtowing to lecherous men. She sat down, putting her head in her hands. It was all too much for her to handle. Maybe it was time to make the change and go to Rankotech instead. At least it would be a change of scenery, if nothing else.

And she was so much happier while she was there, too. She flashed back to the test and the feeling of oneness and belonging that she had received while just sitting there, filling out the endless questions, with the music floating through her ears, her cares and worries simply floating away. She realized that she had never felt more content, more relaxed than when she had been there. It was odd, though, she couldn’t seem to remember any of the questions that were asked except for the first and last ones. It brought to mind the answer she had typed in for the last question – ‘lonely.’

Coming out of her reverie, she started. While she was stuck deep in thought, her body had acted without volition. Her shirt had been set aside and the old bra unclasped, letting her average sized breasts swing out openly. She felt strangely out of control, a passenger in her own body, watching her hands gently caress the spherical curves softly, slowly seeing them swell in arousal. Her fingertips lazily drew shapes on her skin.

The end goal soon became clear, the yellow bra on the table being lifted up and pulled onto her body, first one shoulder and then the other. The yellow material stretched tightly, a large black ‘R’ stamped in the center of her chest, the sides of it deformed slightly by the swell of both breasts. Each cup gripped her breasts securely, pulling them firmly upwards. Her fingers circled each nipple, illustrating that each cup had little nubs that served to tease her mercilessly. The bra conformed to her perfectly, looked like it belonged on her body. Her hands cupped and stroked softly, emphasizing how well the bra confined and defined each swollen breast.

Suzy was starting to get helplessly aroused, and hardly noticed when control transferred back to her. She wanted this, wanted to be an erotic being, to wear sexy clothing and be carefree. She continued to caress herself, her eyes shining purple with lust. It felt so hot to let go of control and let herself be taken to a new plane of existence.

She pressed the cups of the bra in lightly, letting the nubs caress her tender points. She had never orgasmed from self-stimulation of her breasts before, but now she believed it might be possible. Pushing up and down in time to the waves of pleasure coming from her chest, she slid her hands over the sticky surface of the latex, yellow orbs bouncing wantonly. She managed to hit her limit, her cleft pulsing in and out as she rode the orgasm that bounced rapidly between her chest and thighs. She moaned softly, a dumb smile on her face now, coming down from the pleasurable high. If only she could feel like this every day!

Play time was over now, though, and she needed to change back into more typical attire. The problem was that she found that she was unable to. She consciously tried to get her hands to move up to one of the shoulder straps, but something was preventing her from doing so. It was almost like a block in her mind, a solid wall between her will and reality. Instead, she found herself nonchalantly slipping her shirt back over the yellow latex, hiding the naughty secret from view. Nobody will be able to see it anyway, she rationalized, even though the color is bright – it will be completely hidden from view!

Throughout the rest of the evening, she ignored its presence, though she did enjoy the low grade arousal caused by the slight nipple stimulation. She liked feeling good, she concluded, so why bother taking it off? It made her feel more relaxed, more able to face the next day. She found herself unable to prevent herself from playing with her breasts every so often, and was already looking forward to having another orgasm. It felt completely wrong, but she couldn’t help herself.

Even after having several more, she was still horny when she turned out the lights, still wearing Rankotech’s ‘R’ on her chest. She enhanced her fantasies by imagining that Rankotech owned her, the bra a visible sign of her allegiance. She almost grabbed the dildo out of the bedside table, but the day’s activities had made her more tired than she had originally thought, her mind dropping into a deep slumber, where she dreamed of working mindlessly with a purple gleam in her eyes.