My Boss then My Master

Chapter 1 Grace POV

Seriously, life has to get better than this, right? Just another day doing the same old stuff, same thing, different day. I go to work and go home to a one-bed flat in a run-down part of town because that's all this job would allow me to afford. "Surely life has to be better than this",I let out in a huff. Claire from the next cubicle pops her head over. " Come on, Grace, cheer up, it's nearly the holidays". I smile weakly at her because that's all I can manage. The holidays mean nothing to me. Most people break up to take time off to spend with their family. But nope not me, I'll be staying right here to get some overtime. Why would I want to travel back to the family home I'd left as soon as I was old enough? There were only so many beatings a teenage girl could take.

Once, mum died when I was 14 from cancer. Dad had to work long hours and he became bitter, he would come home and drink himself into oblivion and pass out. It got worse once I got into my rebellious teen years and started causing havoc at school, getting into trouble with the police or dating the wrong boy. Because Dad started to get angrier, saying he had enough on his plate without me screwing up and causing him stress and to try and put me in line. I'd get the belt or a slap on the face or worse but that's a long story. At 18, I went out of there and haven't seen him since.

I'm now 24. I've heard that he's sobered up but, I can't bring myself to forgive him. He should have been there to help me grieve, not wallow in his own self-pity and become the monster that he did. ". Why don't you come out tonight, grace, we'll get wasted" Claire's voice pulled me out of my head. She was still looking at me all bright eyed. God I love this girl. She knew just what I needed. I met Claire when I first started working here 3 years ago and hit it straight off. She was always so bubbly and new how to pull me out of a funk and damm it , I'm in a funk right now.

I felt a smile creep across my face as Claire carried on trying to persuade me, " come on, we will go to the base, I know you want to, plus I won't be seeing you for 3 weeks. I'm going to visit my folks in Georgia. Please, I could use a good night before they manage to suck all the fun out of me and its Friday".She was now putting on her best puppy dog face. Claire was a year younger than me and her parents were prim and proper, so she moved out at a young age too , so she could live a little after years of boarding school. "Ok Claire but first rounds on you". She was now jumping up and down like a school girl. God I love this girl, I think again .

3 shots on 2 rejected guys later. It was always the same when we went out, Claire would get all the nice guys who weren't just looking for a one-nighter. She had sophisticated looks with her blonde bob hair cut , tall lean figure, the kind of girl you would settle down with and take home to meet your parents. Me, I was tall with the curves in all the right places , I had-over the average-sized breasts, pink puffy lips, blazing blue eyes and long red hair. I didn't doubt that I was pretty with a decent body. I just wish I hadn't attracted all the wrong guys or was attracted to them. Either way, I was screwed.

"Another round of shots" Claire shouted, " dam there, not listening hello bartender shots please". I turned on my heels and c****d Claire a grin, pulled my top a little further down and leant my arms on the bar so that my breasts were clearly viewable, not that I needed to do it. Men noticed the girls regardless. " Excuse me sexy",I said in my best sultry voice. The young bartender looked across from pouring another drink and scanned my cleavage before my face. When the pint he was pulling spilt over the sides into his hand, was when he finally stopped staring. He gave the guy his pint, then came walking over to us with a cocky grin on his face. " What can I get for you gorgeous ?". " can we have 2 shots of tequila and then 2 vodka and cranberry juices please", to top it of I gave him a wink and ran my tounge across my bottom lip., a bit much maybe but who cares.

" Damm, how do you do that, grace ? I've been shouting for the last ten minutes and he didn't look this way once". The bartender came back and put the drinks down and as I went to hand the money over he just brushed my hand away. Maybe there were a few good points to looking like this. I don't really like flaunting it to get stuff, but I really want to get wasted and dance the night away. Hopefully, then I'll sleep all day on Saturday and not be bored just sitting around the flat watching daytime TV.

"Drink up Claire, I want to dance". We bottomed our glances and danced the night away , our feet hurt and we were sweaty messes but we didn't care. This was where we both were at our happiest . At 2 am we called it a night , very drunk with our shoes in our hands. I said my goodbyes to Claire as I stumbled out of the taxi, which amused the hell out of Claire and made my way up the path . I wouldn't seen her for 3 weeks now god, works going to drag.

Monday morning after nursing a hangover Saturday, then taking a run Sunday morning. Then just lying on the sofa the rest of the day, I'm now back at work. The office looks bare with only a few sitting behind. The ones that needed the money. I work for a large gambling company, taking peoples' bets over the phone, but it was just one of many call centres. With horse racing being abandoned due to bad weather or people saving their money, it seems to drop quiet over Christmas. Apart from boxing day, we will be rushed off of our feet .

I looked up to see my team leader walking over to me, the arrogant money-grabbing ... " hi Paul not going away for the holidays this year? " ha Asif that would ever happen. The creepy man in front of me still lives at home with his mum, but yet he walks around the office as if he's a gods' gift. He only got the job because he brown nosed his way to it, but wait, he looked a little nervous. " No, I'm not listen grace the new CEO is coming in later , he wanted to come and have a look around the offices while they were quieter. I need you to look alive. Can you do that, grace ? He might ask you some questions. Be ready, OK". With that, he turned and walked off.

To Dan another college in one of the other cubicles. I'd heard that the new CEO was a real stickler, everything had to be done right. I'd heard that he went to one of the other offices and made a girl cry, because he intimidated her that much. But apparently he's hot , like super hot and a young CEO at only 32. He bought our company when we were struggling and got a good price, but apparently he's into all sorts and has other types of companies.

I put my head in my hands and groaned , god I hate these sort of things. I always mess up when it comes to anything like this. I always get nervous and start to babble or worse, freeze up , maybe he will go to someone else and pass my desk. "Huh huh" great Paul coming back to make me plaster on a smile. Without looking up, " Yes Paul, I'll be on my best behaviour and impress the ever so perfect CEO. Look, I can smile and everything see".

I plastered on the fakest smile I could and looked up, only to come to an abrupt holt, it wasn't Paul standing there. This man was a god , tall, tanned, strong jawline with wavy black hair. You could tell he had a muscular physique under his suit too and piercing green eyes that were looking at me in amusement." Yes, that is an impressive smile" his voice was gruff and commanding and I'm just sat staring at him , speak i***t speak.

" My name is Dominic Johnson and you are?" . "G..g .. grace Holmes " I managed to stutter out, great floor, please swallow me up. I'm a stuttering i***t in front of the boss. A great first impression . He extended his hand out staring at me with a blank expression on his face, but yet his eyes bore into me. Raking in my body his stare was intense, asif he was looking into me and seeing everything.

My n*****s tightened under his stare and my breathing accelerated, coming out in short panting breaths, I lifted a shaky hand to meet his and as soon as our fingers touched mine a bolt of electricity shot through my body making me burn. "Nice to meet you miss Holmes", he spoke as if he was just normal. Obviously, I wasn't having the same effect on him. I moved my hand out of his in a rush and his eyes swept my body again and came to a stop at my breasts. Then a smug smile played on his lips. I looked down to see that my n*****s were clearly visible through my shirt, embarrassment flushed my cheeks. I turned my chair to face the computer to try and regain control of my body, stupid. inappropriate body. What a day to not wear a bra with no stupid padding in it.