Decor Ch. 02

The rest of the day went on as usual, except the few conversations Kara had with coworkers about the Decor positions. Some of the more beautiful secretaries with minimal skills, to put it nicely, where excited to try it out while some of the harder workers thought it was a sexist distraction. Kara never voiced her opinion, she didn't really care to, but the job did intrigue her.

The next day it finally happened. Kara ran into Rick in the kitchen while both were going for coffee. They both noticed each other immediately and the tension grew by the second. Rick poured his coffee into his cup and instead of leaving, he leaned against the counter and looked at Kara. There was no gloating or taunting, just Rick casually drinking his coffee.

"Pot's all yours." Rick said in a professional tone.

Kara stared at him trying to figure out the game he was playing. Prior to the Decor incident, Rick always teased Kara whenever he saw her telling her how he was going to bang both her and Jenny. It irritated her to no end. But Rick stood silently and spoke with the cadence of a professional which threw Kara completely off.

She poured her coffee and to her own surprise, instead of leaving she stood next to Rick, but remained silent.

"I'm sorry." Rick said making sure to make eye contact with Kara.

Kara looked back at Rick.

"I mean that sincerely. What I put you through was unacceptable. I know you didn't get the personal restraining order, so I just wanted to make sure to tell you in person." Rick stared into Kara's eyes looking for a reaction, but Kara just stared back like she was frozen again.

Rick felt his efforts were with good intentions but fell on deaf ears and with good reason. He walked away back towards his office.

"Thanks for returning my ring. I appreciate that." Kara said.

Rick turned around and nodded with a slight smile. Progress. He continued on his way.

Over the next week, Kara never saw Rick around the office again. She was started to think he planned his time accordingly to actively avoid her. One day there was excitement around the office as positions for Office Decor were starting to be attached to manager's and executive's names. One of those names, although not a manager or executive, was Rick. He would be allowed several Office Decor if he so chose. Although Kara saw Rick as a creep, to other girls he was anything but, especially being the son of Mr. Lawson. Still Kara could see the appeal having gone through her Decor experience. She wondered if it would ever get boring being on display the whole day, although the work she did now left nothing to be desired. The thought of just being an object for visual pleasure turned Kara on, as she imagined it did for most girls. Like most girls, their office attire displayed what they thought about the value of looking good. But to be chosen for the sole purpose of that, now that would be flattering.

If Kara did apply, it would never be for Rick's office. There would be too much explaining to both Jenny and Paul about why she would willingly work for Rick. Jenny would be concerned that the experience fundamentally changed her, and Paul would be concerned about an affair especially since Kara always spoke about Rick with disdain.

However, Mr. Lawson's office wouldn't be a bad gig, she thought. She worked closely with him to blackmail the owner of Decor and although she was blackmailed herself, Mr. Lawson rewarded her for sticking it out. He also offered to deal with her Rick problem, which was a nice gesture. Kara didn't know how she felt about both Mr. Lawson and Rick. She knew they did shitty things, but they've also shown a more sincere side to themselves. Being a trophy for him would be flattering and probably get her more attention than where she was now.

Kara packed the decor application in her bag. Before she could even consider it, she had to talk to Paul. She might be able to get away with the new job for a while, but eventually he would find out and she didn't want that to come between them. When Kara got home, she made Paul a nice dinner to soften him up before bringing it up.

"So there's this new job they created that's creating quite a bit of buzz in the office. I think I might apply." Kara said casually as she played with her potatoes.

"What's the job?" Paul asked.

Kara loved but also hated how he was always directly to the point. You couldn't beat around the bush because unlike most of her past boyfriends, he listened.

"It's a modeling job, sort of." Kara stumbled over her words.

"It's Office Decor, isn't it?" Paul asked.

Kara looked at him.

"I follow the news, Kara. Mr. Lawson bought Decor and I heard rumblings from colleagues about a new business opportunity. And given your recent Decor experience, I'm not surprised you'd be at least somewhat intrigued." Paul said then took a sip of wine.

"What about my Decor experience?" Kara said afraid he knew more than he let on.

"Being on display. You've been acting a lot more relaxed and little less uptight since then." Paul said choosing his words carefully.

Kara didn't know if she should take that as a compliment or an insult. She sipped her wine and let Paul's words hang in the air between them to see if he would back peddle, but he confidently stared back.

"So you don't care if I apply for a job like that." Kara asked.

"If that's what you want to do." Paul replied.

"But I'll essentially be a trophy for some other man. That doesn't bother you?" Kara asked the question that was bothering her the most.

Paul took a moment to think about the ramifications of the job.

"Like I said at Decor, I would be flattered that my girl was the envy of all men. You're not cheating on me or anything, you're just showing up and getting looked at. I don't see the big deal." Paul said giving Kara the blessing she was looking for.

"Thank you for being honest with me." Kara said reassuring Paul that she appreciated that they could talk about complex issues.

"So are you going to apply?" Paul asked.

A wave of relief washed over Kara. Hiding the Decor incident from him had been hard on her and she conflated that with all her problems forgetting how open and honest their relationship was. She was starting to wonder if the Office Decor job was more exciting to her because it she thought she would have to hide it from Paul or because of the Decor experience. Regardless, she had Paul's support. Now it was up to her.

"I don't know. Still thinking about it." Kara said with a small grin.

She imagined herself on display as the center of attention in Mr. Lawson's office. People would come in and visit him and there she would be as a part of his collection. To be shown off, dressed in expensive clothes or sexy lingerie with full make up and expensive jewelry. Whatever he wanted her to dress as, she would oblige. It was his office and he could decorate it as he pleased. He could put her in compromising positions or sexy professional poses. The options were endless. All Kara had to do was apply.

To be continued...