Employee Discipline Ch. 02

"Delilah... Delilah...? DELILAH!"

"Huh?" Delilah jumped as her focus was dragged crashing back into the small, grey cubicle that she was sitting in. She hadn't realised it, but she had been staring silently into an empty space on the wall, between the photos of her and her friends that she had pinned up to make her workspace a little less bleak. Looking up, she saw one of those faces in the flesh, peering over the dividing wall between their separate workspaces.

"Well? How did it go, hun?" Suzanne was Delilah's co-worker, office neighbour, and most importantly, her friend. She was about a decade older, and as a long-time employee of floor three, she had taken Delilah under her wing when she started working in the office four years ago. The two had been close ever since. Delilah sat up straight and wondered just how long Suzanne had been leaning over the flimsy dividing panel. She opened her mouth to respond, but then stopped to think. What she could even say about the events of her disciplinary meeting?

"Oh, well... You know how these things go. I'm probably not even allowed to talk about the details," she mumbled, trying to brush Suzanne off. In truth, she had almost forgotten that she had been in trouble at all. She still had her job, which was good. And she wasn't being asked to cough up $33 million, which was definitely good. But her mind was far more preoccupied with the... unexpected turn that the meeting had taken. Every time she let her thoughts wander, she was left flustered and almost confused. After all, it had been the first time that she had ever...

"Bullshit." Suzanne's curt reply pulled Delilah's focus back into the room once more. "Come on, tell me! I mean, it's obvious SOMETHING happened, right? I can see it all over your face!" All over her face? Delilah panicked and quickly grabbed a pocket mirror from her bag and looked at her reflection. It took a moment of checking that she had indeed fixed her smudged makeup and brushed her tussled black hair for her to realise that Suzanne wasn't speaking literally.

"I'm guessing she wasn't fired, then?" Delilah jumped once more as a tall man with short, curly hair suddenly appeared at the edge of the mirror's reflection. She turned around to see Dan, another familiar face, standing with one hand in his pocket, swirling his mug of coffee with the other.

"I mean, she's acting weird, but it doesn't look like it. Pay up," Suzanne replied with a victorious grin plastered across her face, extending her hand out in front of him. Dan rolled his eyes and fished a $5 bill out of his pocket to give to her.

Delilah snatched the bill from Suzanne's hand and gave it back to Dan. "Can you NOT go around placing bets on my job?" She had tried to feign anger but the slight smile in the corner of her mouth betrayed the fact that she found their usual competitive hijinks endearing. After being suspended for two weeks, it was good to be back in familiar company, at the very least. Still, something felt different. It all felt a bit... Ordinary... Insignificant, even, to see her colleagues making bets of $5 after getting let off the hook for $33 million. "No, I didn't lose my job. In the end, I was told my suspension was over and I could get back to work this afternoon."

Dan shrugged and tucked the bill back into his pocket. "Okay, well... If you didn't lose your job, at least tell us what actually happened up there," he insisted. The two of them stared at Delilah expectantly, and it was clear she wasn't going to wriggle out of giving them some sort of answer.

"I mean... It wasn't even an actual disciplinary board. It was just some executive named Ms. Verity. I got to keep my job because... Because..." Because she was so good at eating women out? Well, that certainly wasn't true. Her skill was described 'clumsy and amateurish', if she remembered correctly. Either way, she could hardly say that to her teammates. She carefully considered what the best excuse would be. "It was... It was just an accident, you know?" Delilah wasn't exactly selling her story well, but Dan seemed more interested in another detail.

"Verity? Like, the one in charge of the whole Employee Discipline Department? That Verity? Isn't she like, kind of a hardass?" Dan looked down at Delilah inquisitively, an eyebrow raised. "I think a couple of months ago, the boss had to have a meeting with her after productivity was down by just 4%. He came back to the office literally shaking, and you know what an asshole he usually is. What kind of grovelling did you have to do to get in her good books?"

She could tell he was just teasing, but this didn't stop Delilah's cheeks from turning bright red. As much as she tried not to be defensive, she spluttered, "I-I didn't grovel! I told you! It was an accident. She said that it'd be a big mess to get lawyers involved and then s-she..." She cut herself off, pressing her thighs tightly together and squirming in her seat. It took a moment to compose herself, taking a deep breath. "She said that it wouldn't be worth it..." She trailed off, unconvincingly.

Suzanne paused as if waiting for Delilah to add more, before shrugging. "Well, okay. I mean, if you don't want to tell us that badly, then don't tell us." Delilah frowned. At least she was dropping the issue, but regardless, neither Suzanne nor Dan looked convinced.

Just as Dan was about to ask something else, a stout, moustachioed man shoved past him with a stack of paperwork. He dropped it on Delilah's desk with a slam loud enough to make all three of them wince. "Just got a call from higher up. Guess your suspension's over. Now get to work, all of you," their manager Clarence grumbled in his characteristic unfriendly tone. Rumours from the longest-serving staff on floor three said that he had once been personable, jolly even, but fifteen years of being passed up for promotion had ground him down into a husk of a man, indistinguishable from any other low-level manager at Grandvale-Lilton. Delilah had to admit to herself, if Ms. Verity had left a man like that quaking in his boots (or quite honestly, made him feel any emotions at all), her story did come across less than believable. Both Suzanne and Dan simultaneously gave Delilah a look, as if to signal the same sentiment to her.

As Clarence walked off and Dan made his way back to the other side of the floor, Suzanne leaned back over the cubicle wall and whispered, "Well, do you at least wanna go get a drink with some of the other girls tonight? Something to celebrate you being back?" As many of Delilah's pinned photos from drunken nights out with colleagues hinted, Suzanne was most famous among the workers on floor three for being able to outdrink anyone and still turn up in the morning looking as rested and refreshed. The same couldn't be said for Delilah, and she wasn't in the mood for a hangover tomorrow.

"I think I'll give it a miss. Everything today has just been... a bit much," Delilah replied. Suzanne was beginning to look concerned. "Next time, I promise," Delilah added to try and reassure her.

"Alright, hun. If that's what you need. Just rest up tonight, then," Suzanne said as she sank back into her chair.

Delilah looked over the two-week backlog of paperwork and sighed. At least she was grateful to have something to preoccupy her thoughts.

_____

Delilah stepped into her apartment, the door closing behind her with a loud clunk. Dropping her bag on the floor, she leaned back against the door and let out an exhausted groan. Even though she had just spent two weeks cooped up inside the building while the company investigated her incident, today had made it feel like she had been away for a decade. Turning the light on, the bulb flickered pitifully before it went out again. "Great..." She mumbled to herself, stepping over the piles of clothes littering the floor to instead turn on a dim, yet cosy lamp. I should have done all this while I had all that free time, she thought, picking up some dirty shirts and tossing them into the laundry basket. After picking up almost a wardrobe's worth of clothes, she took a moment to pause and look out the window. While her dingy little apartment was cramped, bland, and unimpressive, the view it had was anything but.

Delilah opened the door to her balcony. She undid the top button of her blouse and let the cool air wash over her, taking a deep breath. In the late evening, she could see across the city, from the cross-cross of the historic quarter's cobbled streets to the towering skyscrapers of the business sector where she worked, all lit up in a dazzling array of lights. From here, she could even see the Grandvale-Lilton Building. She tried to count the floors of the great glass shard to work out where the conference room she had visited was, but it was too hard to make out from this distance. What she could see were various bright squares - Offices, corridors and the like, lit up, as if to signal to the outside world that there was still work to be done, even at this late hour. Delilah leant on the railings and let her mind wander. Would Ms. Verity still be at the office at this time? Surely not, she thought. A high-ranking executive like her probably just leaves whenever she feels like it. The glow from one of the squares in the night skyline went out, another businessman heading home for the evening.

Maybe she works late, another part of her mind mused. She's probably a very busy woman, after all. Delilah's thoughts dwelled on Ms. Verity for the next few minutes as she stared off into the distance until she shook herself out of it, her view of the city sharpening once more as her eyes came back into focus. The whole day had felt more like a hazy daydream than real life. The only figure that stood out in her brain was that of the tall, imposing woman who had so easily forced her to her knees.

All the conflicting feelings overwhelming Delilah left her feeling stressed. She reached into her jacket's inner pocket and pulled out her pack of cigarettes. As she opened it and stared down at the last one left, her mind once more drifted back to the events of the day. After all that had happened, her usual means of relief seemed more trouble than it was worth. She scrunched up the packet and was tempted to toss it dramatically off the balcony. After raising her arm, she paused, before going back inside and throwing the packet in the trash. She couldn't quite bring herself to litter. Delilah glanced back over at the laundry basket and shook her head. After such a taxing day, she decided to just go straight to bed.

Delilah stared up at the ceiling. Despite her best efforts, she had been awake for hours now. She turned her head to the side, glancing over at her alarm clock. 3:02 am. Letting out a groan, she rubbed her eyes. Physically, of course, she felt completely exhausted. The first day back after her suspension had been something of a shock to her system after a fortnight of waiting around. Her mind, however, was wide awake, thinking back to the events of the afternoon. More specifically, her mind kept returning to the memory of being on her knees... Looking up at the executive standing over her... Her fingers tangled in her hair...

Delilah shook her head and pulled her thoughts back into the dark bedroom. She knew a reliable way to relax her mind when it was as preoccupied as this. She reached out of bed and grabbed her laptop, opening up and wincing at the brightness suddenly penetrating the dark. Within a few moments, she was browsing porn, looking for something she could quickly get herself off to. Just something to relax her enough so she could fall asleep, that's all she needed. Her eyes flicked from thumbnail to thumbnail, but nothing stood out to her. She sighed in frustration. It all seemed so... mundane. She was about to give up until one video finally caught her eye. She clicked it and the screen filled with footage of a dominatrix standing over another woman, tugging her closer using a leash. Delilah watched, transfixed, as the dominatrix bent her sub over her lap and began spanking her. She had, of course, known people were into this sort of thing, and never particularly considered that she could be one of them... But each time the woman's hand smacked against the soft flesh of her submissive's ass, Delilah felt her body quiver.

Delilah lay back against her pillow and closed her eyes. Her mind was once again in the conference room with Ms. Verity standing over her. She felt a heat rising in her chest as her cheeks flushed red from the memory. In her mind's eye, Ms. Verity was dressed as the dominatrix from the video, coated in tight-fitting, shiny black latex that only made her look even more imposing as she smirked down. Delilah let her hand wander down her body, taking her time to enjoy the sensation of her own fingers gliding along her skin. The tips of her fingers reached her panties and she slipped them inside. As she had anticipated, the image of being on her knees and looking up had left her soaking wet already. The ease with which she had become aroused left her almost embarrassed. Nothing had quite had this effect on her before.

Delilah slowly ran her fingers along her slit before bringing them back up to her sensitive nub. She bit her lip, letting out a needy murmur. God, I should have done this hours ago, she thought to herself. Her other hand wandered to her chest, taking her breast in hand and cupping it. Her body finding a rhythm, she started rubbing herself with growing enthusiasm. The more her thoughts flicked back to Ms. Verity, the more she felt her whole body filling with yearning. Before she knew it, her hand slid further down and plunged two fingers into her folds. She let out a gasp, arching her back slightly as she started to slide them in and out. As she lay on her bed, exploring herself, the video continued to play in the background. Delilah couldn't see what was happening, but as the sound of the submissive's moaning filled her bedroom, her fingers started to fuck herself in time. Soon, she was letting out needy whimpers too.

Delilah gripped her bedsheets. She felt a familiar sensation start to build throughout her body, with a fluttering in her chest. She pictured Ms. Verity running her fingers across her body, teasing her, leaving her increasingly desperate for release. She lifted her hand to her body and traced the same patterns, using only the lightest touch that left her skin tingling. Delilah let her climax build and build but dared not push herself over the edge. Please, she murmured in her head. Please let me cum, Ms. Verity. She could see the cruel smile creeping over Ms. Verity's face, an expression that asked ask if she deserved to cum. Delilah was sure she did... She had been so good for her... She had done exactly as she had been told... Delilah's slid her fingers inside herself faster and faster, slipping in and out while her palm brushed against her clit. She couldn't hold back any longer. She bucked her hips forward as she cried out in ecstasy, trying to draw the pleasure as long as possible.

As the waves of pleasure subsided, Delilah simply lay there in the dark, panting gently. The room was silent save for her breath - the video must have finished at some point, and the screen had turned off. Still, even as she tried to relax, she felt that aching, needy sensation in her continue to build. She pressed her thighs together, but before long, she was squirming and rubbing them against each other. Biting her lip, she gave a frustrated little groan. For all her efforts, she was no more able to sleep than she had been when she started. If anything, she had only pent herself up more. Apparently, one climax wouldn't be enough to quell her lust tonight. She slipped her hand between her legs and started pleasuring herself again.

_____

Delilah groggily opened her eyes, giving a great yawn. She didn't remember falling asleep, but judging by the fact that her fingers were still down her panties, she assumed she had passed out sometime after her fourth orgasm. She sat up and rubbed her eyes before glancing at the clock. 8:53 am. Her heart skipped a beat as she realised she had slept straight through her alarm, scrambling to get out of bed. "Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck..." She muttered to herself as she brushed her tangled hair, trying to get it into a presentable state. Between getting herself ready and her commute into the city centre, there was no way she would get to work on time. Perhaps she could call in sick? No, that would reflect badly on her after the events of the previous afternoon.

Delilah paused. Perhaps... getting in trouble wouldn't be the worst thing in the world...? She took a deep breath, mulling it over, and resumed getting ready for work. An hour and a half later, she was climbing up the steps to the towering obelisk of glass that was the Grandvale-Lilton Building. As she stepped off the elevator and onto the third-floor office, Delilah held her breath as if waiting for someone to pounce from a corner. Nothing happened. She proceeded over to her cubicle and sat down at her desk. Again, she waited a moment, and once again, nothing happened. She peeked over into Suzanne's cubicle and cleared her throat. Suzanne looked up from her computer, giving a little nod of acknowledgement, before pointing her finger to the phone held up to her ear. Delilah mouthed 'sorry' and retreated back to her chair with a sigh. How was she supposed to get in trouble if nobody even noticed whether she was there or not? Delilah reluctantly turned to the stack of paperwork Clarence had left her to deal with and began to work.

By the end of the day, Delilah had barely made a dent in it. Even more so than the day before, floor three felt mind-numbingly boring and the work utterly meaningless. She sat and watched as other workers packed their things away and left. Suzanne had to go pick up her kids. Dan had his Thursday night jujitsu class. Delilah had nothing to look forward to but a dreary apartment and the chores she had let pile up for two weeks. Her job had never been exciting, but that afternoon it had felt soul-crushing. Delilah had gone so far as to beg on all fours to keep her position! She should have been grateful to have it back! Perhaps it wasn't her job she wanted back after all. Perhaps she had just wanted the opportunity to beg.

Delilah looked back down at the pile of forms on her desk. She had to find a way to get Ms. Verity's attention. She was certain that would make her feel the same rush again. Of course, deliberately lighting another small fire might be too obvious, and she definitely wouldn't be let off the hook this time... So instead, Delilah decided, what better way to get in trouble than ruining the company's precious productivity? She slowly picked up the half-completed form and placed it in the shredder in the corner of the cubicle. Glancing over her shoulder, as if expecting someone to be looming behind her, Delilah paused and did it again... and again... and again. Before long, the stack of paperwork was halved - leaving hundreds of pages incomplete, missing, and unaccounted for. Dusting some loose shreds off the corner of her desk, she started packing her things to go home for the evening, her heart pounding in her chest from deliberately misbehaving for the first time in her life.

For the next week, Delilah did her best to sabotage her own work. Whether it be turning up late or 'losing' paperwork to the shredder, taking an extra hour off for lunch or sending emails to the wrong department, she was certain that someone had to be paying attention. Nevertheless, as the week went on it became obvious just how little anyone seemed to care. She supposed that one person probably made little difference to the company's bottom line. Alone, her productivity was less than a margin of error on a spreadsheet. She soon decided that this was a lost cause. She would give up, get back to work, and try to move on in her life. She had no other choice.