Editor

A love story with an Sub and Dom twist

Editor

JoAnn sat in the library browsing the Want Ads on Craigslist that afternoon. She'd just moved back home after her boyfriend had kicked her to the curb. Part of his complaint had been that she was unemployed. When she tried to explain that her English Degree was worthless, he had not suggested that she go back to school to gain a more useful skill. Instead, he insisted that she work at McDonald's or somewhere in order to help pay the bills.

The trouble was JoAnn sucked at anything Food Service. She'd worked at a number of smaller food chains and was quickly fired or soon quit do to being too stressed out. Her many careless mistakes had caused her to be reprimanded more than once, thus knocking down her self-esteem. For awhile she had been happy to stay at home and take care of the house and her boyfriend. Suddenly though her boyfriend began to find fault with everything she did and eventually he called it quits.

Much of what was on Craigslist JoAnn was not qualified for. She had no interest, let alone training to be a nurse or a truck driver. She checked the section labeled Writing Gigs out of curosity. Most of the gigs were ads to write blogs, which she already did, or to edit college student's term papers, which she refused to do. The students were either stupid or obnoxious, sometimes both. And JoAnn felt they really needed to learn to write and edit on their own. That was the point of college wasn't it?

Something caught her eye though. Someone wanted an Assistant to their newly opened business. “Need Editor. Must be able to type, use computer, make phone calls and help with drafting business proposals.” JoAnn wasn't sure why it was under writing gigs. She would have put it under Clerical, but whatever. She copied the email address and pasted it into her yahoo composer. Then she typed up a brief note of interest.

Dear Business Owner,

I have a degree in English and have published a number of things. I've taught Grammar and Writing Classes as well as worked in Offices. If you are interested please email me at [email protected]. Thanks.

Sincerely,

JoAnn Johnson

Then she hit send.

Frustrated with nearly endless job of looking for a job, JoAnn packed up and went home. Though she had a laptop of her own, her parents did not have internet. It was something she'd come to rely on when she lived with Mac. Now that she didn't have access to the internet whenever she wanted, she dearly missed it. It made job hunting so much easier.

Once at home she retreated to the tiny office/storage room that her parents had let her stay in. Her mother constantly complained that she wished she could offer her daughter more, but JoAnn didn't mind. In fact, her mother's laments bothered her more than that small cluttered room ever could. Her Mom finished fixing dinner and her step-dad arrived home from work. They ate, but did not invite JoAnn to join them. Instead, she fixed herself a sandwich after her mother had left the kitchen.

The next day she returned to the library to check her email and hunt for jobs once again. She deleted a bunch of notices from facebook and other unimportant messages before she came upon a reply to her email of inquiry from the day before. JoAnn opened it up and read.

Dear Joann,

Sounds perfect! :-) Why don't you come by and we can talk about the job more in person today at 12 noon. My address is 205 W Fourth St.

Raymond Sterling

JoAnn sighed and studied his response for a few moments. She heard her mother's voice telling her not to trust anyone and to exercise caution. But even louder was her own intuition that knew it was legit. JoAnn told him she'd be there with her resume in hand.

It was 11am then, so she quickly checked her other messages, posted to facebook and googled Raymond Sterling's name. She found his business page and his Linkedin Profile. He had a charming smile and lots of good reviews.

At noon JoAnn was standing at the door of a building in the back of a house. It was a tiny place, but it was where Raymond kept his new Office at. She knocked and he answered. “Come in, come in,” invited. “I know it isn't much, but the space was cheap. When I get more business coming in I plan to rent a space downtown.”

“You really did just start,” JoAnn observed.

“Yes,” he replied with a smile. He pointed to a desk and said, “Although I have a head for business, I've never been very good at the paperwork portion of it. I just need someone who can help me with letters, fliers and proposals. I will draft all of it ahead of time, but it will be hand written. I am afraid I've not had much experience on computers. If you could type things up, correct any mistakes I might of made and print them out, I'd be ever so grateful.”

“Yeah, I could do that. What hours are you looking to fill?”

“Part time for now. Maybe work into full time later once business picks up. But I am pretty flexible. What would be good for you?”

“Hm,” she thought aloud. “Like 10am to 2pm.”

“Done.”

“Rate of pay?”

“What were you paid at your last job?”

“$9 an hour.”

“How about $10 an hour.”

“Sounds great.”

“When can you start.”

“Now I guess,” JoAnn said.

“Great,” he smiled. Raymond pulled a notebook from his desk and showed her the contents. “Do you have a computer and printer at home?”

“Yes,” she replied taking the notebook from his hands and glancing over the lengthy mission statement and proposals.

“Why don't you take this home and work on it then. Tomorrow bring back a printed copy of it for me and we will go from there.”

JoAnn nodded and then looked up to ask, “Don't you have a computer here?”

“Not yet.”

“I could use my laptop and bring it here until you buy your own if you want.”

“That would be very helpful dear,” he said. “Why don't you bring your computer with you when you come back tomorrow.”

“Okay,” she said with a smile. “I guess I will see you then.”

He nodded and she said goodbye. JoAnn slipped back out of the door and walked to her car still smiling. She was proud of herself for finally landing a job and she was looking forward to learning more about Raymond Sterling.

Once home, JoAnn grabbed a snack and disappeared into her room. She went right to work reading and typing up what Raymond gave her. She fnished it and printed it out before her favorite show came on TV. JoAnn fixed herself a small dinner, ate and took a bath. She laid out an outfit for the next day and went to bed around midnight.

JoAnn awoke with a smile and eagerly got ready for the day. She put on her skirt and blouse and even a little bit of make-up. Having stayed home for awhile, she'd gotten hadn't put on make-up in ages. She hadn't seen a need when the only place she ever went was the library and the grocery store. It was nice to have a reason to dress up though.

After a quick bite to eat, JoAnn left her parent's place and drove the short distance to Raymond Sterling's office. He was inside on his cell phone when she arrived. He ushered her in and had her pull up a seat beside his desk. She sat her laptop down along with the folder of papers she had printed for him and waited for him to finish his call.

When he disconnected, he turned his attention to her. “So did you get the papers typed up that I gave you yesterday?”

“Yes,” she said quickly. She grabbed the folder and opened it to show him.

“Good. Good,” he replied as he began to read over them. He grabbed a pen and circled a couple of typos and then handed them back to her. “If you could just correct those, then I can turn those in,” he said.

JoAnn nodded and took the papers back. He let her have his seat and set up her computer. He told her that he had a meeting to get to and that he'd return in an hour to look over her work and find something else for her to do. She felt odd being left alone the first day, but she nodded okay anyway. JoAnn got to work typing and Raymond slipped out.

When he returned an hour later, he came bearing food. He handed JoAnn a bag with a cheeseburger and fries in it and sat down in a chair next to hers. She thanked him for lunch and they ate together. He asked her about her previous jobs and her life and she found herself telling him about her ex-boyfriend and moving back home. He was just so easy to talk to.

She went home happy and looking forward to returning the next day. When she returned to Raymond Sterling's office, things went much the same. He assigned her some typing and then proof read her work. He pointed out her mistakes and had her correct them. He provided lunch and conversation and then she left shortly thereafter.

Things proceeded in much the same fashion for the next couple of weeks. Raymond had proved to be a kind but firm boss. JoAnn was eager to please him and she usually succeeded.

However, one day he was in a particularly difficult mood. Nothing she did seemed to satisfy him. He kept asking her to change what she typed. By the end of her short shift, he told her that she needed thrashed with a wet noodle. She wasn't sure how to take that comment, so she said nothing.

The next day his foul mood had not improved. This made JoAnn more nervous and she made more than a few careless mistakes in the letters and invoices she''d typed up for him that day. He was reading over what she'd printed out when he suddenly looked up and said, “Dizzy broad.”

“Excuse me,” JoAnn said, not sure she'd heard him correctly.

“You forgot the word 'to' here and the word 'go' there. Then you misspelled strange. You put an 'I' where there shouldn't be one. Sometimes I wonder why I hired you as my editor when your work clearly needs proof reading.”

“I'm sorry,” she said genuinely wounded.

“Here,” he said. “Read this to me aloud.”

JoAnn took the paper and began to read aloud.

Raymond asked her to stand up and start again.

She stood up and began again. Raymond stood up and walked around her while she read. He disappeared behind her and suddenly she felt his hand meet her rear end rather sharply.

“Again,” he snapped when she was finished reading the letter.

JoAnn began again, unsure of what the purpose of this punishment was. And what was he thinking slapping her a*s like that? She could sue him for sexual harassment she thought. But the truth was, she rather liked it.

“That's enough,” he said. “You can sit back down and finish retyping it. Next time you make such careless mistakes though, I may have to tie you to your chair until you get it right on the first try.”

“Yes sir,” she said sitting back down. She went to work and worked past her normal shift to finish the changes. He dismissed her when she handed him the new printouts.

The next day she returned, unsure of what to expect. Would he spank her again or act like it never happened? Would he proposition her or continue his normally professional behavior?

Raymond greeted her and showed her the new filing cabinet he'd purchased. He wanted her to file his paperwork, but he wanted to make sure she followed his specific methods for filing. He labeled the folders for her and she sorted through the papers and filed them accordingly. If she wasn't sure, she asked him where he wanted it put. Nothing was said about the previous day and he didn't flirt with her at all.

The next week when she returned to typing, she managed to type an error-free document.

This pleased him greatly, and he told her so. He also said rather flippantly, “Now I don't have to kill you.”

She shot him a look, but said nothing.

One day his ex-wife breezed in and demanded to know where Raymond was. He had left to go to Lowe's for supplies and JoAnn told her so. Patricia didn't believe her though. She insisted that JoAnn was lying to her and covering for Raymond. Patricia never said why she there, but she seemed rather livid about something. Angrily, she turned and left, slamming the door behind her.

A few moments later, Raymond returned. He'd gotten back in time to see her pull in the small parking lot beside the house and office, but had not stopped. He left, drove around the block and returned to see her leave. JoAnn smiled when she realized that he'd been avoiding her. Raymond told her to add a few things to the invoice she kept of supplies purchased and then she could leave.

JoAnn had been toying with the idea of making mistakes on purpose, when one day she made one quite by accident. This time Raymond didn't spank her. Instead, he asked her to drop and give him 20 push-ups as punishment. JoAnn willingly dropped and tried to give him 20, but she only managed 5. He tried to hide his smile as he told her to stop and return to her work.

The next day she made a mistake on purpose and he had her write out the sentence she screwed up a hundred times. He was being creative, she'd give him that much, but she longed for more. JoAnn brought an erotica book to work and waited to see if he'd comment on it.

“Anne Rice?” he said when he saw the cover. “I like her.” He picked up the Beauty's Punishment book and flipped it over to read the back. “Hmm. Interesting,” is all he said when he'd finished. He set it back down and proceeded to give instruct her on how to get online and download the documents he needed.

When the computer wouldn't co-operate he said, “Woman, what did you do?”

“I didn't do anything,” she said.

“Well, fix it. This needs done today.”

“Yes sir,” she said trying to figure out how to get the pop-up windows to go away and to get the window she wanted back up. Eventually, JoAnn managed to get the situation back under control and do what was asked of her.

The next day Raymond wanted to speak to her before they began work. At first she thought perhaps he was going to fire her for making so many mistakes and for the technical issues she had the day before. But he didn't mention either of those things. In fact, quite the opposite.

Raymond showed her a manuscript that he was working on. He handed it to her and explained that he'd been writing the book for a long time and needed her to edit it for him. “It is my personal philosophy. I've been adding to it over the years. It is just a rough draft really, but I was hoping you'd be interested in giving me your opinion of the contents, as well as doing some general editing.”

“Yeah,” she replied. “I'd love to.”

“Thank you,” he said, touching her hand that was holding the manuscript lightly. He pulled away after a moment and added, “When I placed the ad for editor, that is really what I had in mind. But then I realized that I also needed help with typing and filing as well. I can do it, but I get too frustrated to get anything done really. You've been a great asset the past couple of weeks and I hope you will continue to work for me.”

“Why wouldn't I?”

“I know I can be a bit....demanding.”

“You have to be.”

“To a certain extent, but I know I can cross the line sometimes. I am used to giving orders since I was a Sergeant for so long. I just don't want you think I am being an a*****e about things.”

“Not at all, she said.

“Good,” he said. “Now why don't you go home early today and look that over. Take your time. And I will see you tomorrow.”

“Okay,” she said standing up.

That night she went home and locked herself in her room. She devoured the pages that Raymond had given her in a short amount of time. She re-read it several times and made notes on the pages for him. Inside the manuscript she found a big part of Raymond's life and personality revealed. He was a fascinating and worldly man unlike any she'd ever met. Eager to let him know what she thought, she sent him a text.

JoAnn: Love your manuscript!

Raymond: Thanks :-)

JoAnn: Can't believe you really did all that stuff.

Raymond: Yup. What ya doing right now?

JoAnn: Nothing. Why?

Raymond: Would you like to meet me at Cup O Joe for Coffee?

JoAnn: Sure.

Raymond: Meet me there in a half an hour and bring the manuscript.

JoAnn: Will do.

JoAnn walked downtown to the coffee shop and met Raymond there. He bought her a cup of coffee and they sat on the couch. People chatted and the espresso machine hissed as they spoke.

“Do you really think that it is good enough to publish?”

“Yes, absolutely!”

“Good. Do you think you can help me do that?”

“Sure. What are you looking to do? Place it with a small publisher or publish it online or as an ebook?”

He laughed, “Well, I don't know. That is why I have you isn't it?”

She smiled and replied, “I think you should publish excerpts online and try to get some interest in it before sending it to some small publishers. That would also give you time to add and revise. It is a really good start, but it is too short to be more than a pamphlet. If you want it book length, we are going to have to add about 15,000 more words.”

“That many eh?” he said.

“Yeah. But what you do have is great. That is what is important.”

“Good,” he said. “I knew you would be the perfect person to help me.”

“Even though I mess up a lot?”

He smiled, “Maybe because you do.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I mean I enjoy punishing you,” he admitted.

“Really? Is that why you do it?”

“Don't you enjoy being bad?”

“Maybe a little,” she admitted.

“I thought so,” he smiled.

Then he leaned in and kissed her. JoAnn had been wishing and longing for it, so when it happened, she responded passionately. They kissed on the couch for a few moments and then he took her hand sat back. There they sat, silently holding hands for a long time. And it was a perfect moment.

Finally, JoAnn was able to put her skills to use and find love again. A few months later JoAnn moved in with Raymond. She continued to work for him as an editor and secretary, but she was also his girlfriend. The two of them continued their dance of dominance and submission both in the office and in the bedroom.

Author's Note

Inspired by Mary Gaitskill's short story Secretary and my actual experiences both.