And he did, and without letting up for one second on Jessica’s strapping. Kelly sat stone-faced throughout it all, with the occasional tsk-tsk of disapproval and head shake. Jessica just wanted to die. That didn’t happen, but she was reduced to a crying little girl who promised Kelly and Drew
anything
if it could just end: the sun, the moon, her firstborn son, and so on.
They were not impressed.
Finally, when they both agreed that she’d learned her lesson, she was sent to the corner, hands on her head, and was forbidden from rubbing. Drew took a seat at his desk, and they continued their conversation. They went over every aspect of the project, and the plans for the grand opening, which was set for next spring. That was the area where Kelly was proudest of Jessica. She had truly done well with the resort, and with the girls. She was then released from the corner and came over to sit on Drew’s lap to go over the final details. At least he let her sit back on his thigh so as to not put weight on her poor throbbing ass!
“Well, Drew, I must say, I think you’ve got everything well in
hand
,” Kelly said with a grin. “And, Jessica, the company is pleased beyond belief with your efforts, the resort is ahead of schedule and under budget. I now understand why you’ve been so… focused.”
“Thank you, ma’am,” they both said.
“Ah, don’t thank me yet, there is one other point, at least for you, Jessica. While we’re all delighted with your work, we did notice one thing when we were reviewing your file: You’ve yet to get an MBA.”
She nodded. “Oh, yeah. After my internship led to a job, I abandoned that career path. I figured, hey, I’ve got the job, what do I need that for?”
“Well, you
do
need it, missy,” Kelly said firmly. “If you expect to stay with the company, even if you’re not looking to eventually take over my position when I retire, you
must
have it!”
“Really? But, I’ve been doing so well here. What do I really need it for?”
“Because you’re not going to stay there,” Kelly replied. “Well, that’s not really accurate. Let me put it another way: You’re not merely going to manage the Czech resort. The company has plans for you, Jessica. How does director of Eastern European operations sound?”
Jessica’s jaw dropped. Drew hugged her, bouncing her on his lap, which caused her to wince.
“Sorry, sweetie,” he said, stopping. “Still, you’ve got to admit, my excitement was called for. I mean, come on, that is one awesome promotion!”
“Yes, it is,” Kelly replied. “So, that MBA is important, Jessica, and you
will
get it! Is that understood?”
“Yes, ma’am. So, how am I supposed to do that?”
Drew rubbed his chin for a moment, and then snapped his fingers. “Ah, I’ve got an idea. How about she enroll at that American university in Prague? She could sign up for a couple of classes a week, take the train, and still be able to cover things here.”
“Hey, why the train? I can drive now, and I rarely scare the workers anymore,” Jessica said, with just the hint of a smile.
Little touches of humor often helped to ease her pain, and right now she could use that.
“No, little one, the train. If you drive, you’ll have to watch the road. On the train you can relax and focus on your studies and homework.”
Kelly nodded. “I agree, very good point, Drew. All right, Jessica, you are to enroll in your first classes starting in January, which will give you through the end of the year to get the resort close to completed. I expect straight A’s from you, young lady, and that you get done in
one
year. Drew, you are to keep on her about this. Is that clear, to both of you?”
“Yes, ma’am,” they said, nodding in sync.
After that, they signed off, and Jessica was allowed to stand and rub, which she did very daintily. Oh, she wouldn’t sit for at least two days. After all this time, she had—unfortunately—become quite the expert on ‘damage
ass
-estimate.’
“Wow, baby, congrats. Man, the company must see great things in your future, if they’re so insistent you get your MBA.”
“Yeah,” she replied without emotion.
“Jessica, what’s wrong?”
“Well… it’s just that, I don’t know. Running the resort, spending time with you, helping with the home, and now school again,” she said, looking up at him. “I don’t know if I can balance all those things.”
“Hey, none of that now. Don’t you for one second start to doubt yourself. I
know
you can do it. It’s just a matter of being organized and scheduling things.”
“Yeah, right, you and I can schedule a few minutes together between one and one-fifteen in the morning,” she shot back. “Should make for a great relationship.”
Drew stood, leaned back against the desk, pulled her close, and gazed at her lovingly. “Hey, hey, don’t talk like that. Young lady, you can do anything you set your mind to, and it’s not like you have to do it alone. I’ll be right there, at your side to help you, and right
behind
you, ‘urging’ you on with a helping hand.”
Jessica’s chin trembled, even as her eyes filled with tears. Her boss and her lover—her best friend—believed in her, and she felt about ten feet tall. She threw herself into Drew’s arms. They embraced and he slowly rocked her from side to side.
“Drew, I’ll make you proud!”
He smiled down at her. “Sweetie, so long as you do your best, I’ll always be proud of you.”
“Thanks, but I have a strange feeling I’m going to be spending most of the foreseeable future standing.”
He laughed. “Well, look at it this way: there will be no need to
sit
at the dedication ceremony.”
* * *
Come the next day, Jessica sincerely apologized to Barry, and it made her smile to see that everyone was clearly impressed with her. What did
not
make her smile was lunch later that day. Barry insisted on taking everyone to a local tavern to eat, to show that there were no hard feelings. Unfortunately, there was something hard: the chairs at the tavern. It was just about the longest lunch Jessica ever attended!
It was two days before she was able to sit without yelping.
Fortunately, she did manage to avoid further severe punishments. In January, just as ordered, she started taking classes in Prague. Three days a week, she rode the train. Drew helped her organize everything, and he really picked up the slack at the resort. He was right about one thing: taking the train did give her time to study. Of course, on more than one occasion, she did it standing up.
And then came the grand opening of the resort. Drew had been right: Jessica
stood
at the podium (on a small step stool, so she could be seen), and welcomed everyone. She was quite grateful to stand, as she gotten a royally good dose of the hairbrush the night before for getting drunk at the tavern and then trying to drive home. The keyword there was: trying. She went off the road and ended up in a cornfield.
Drew had not been happy.
Kelly flew over for the ceremony, and the two of them cut the red ribbon at the entrance. Jessica smiled to see the guests enjoying themselves and seeing the girls from the home who’d been hired to work there. Even Iva made an appearance. She sang a traditional folksong, and then a light luncheon was served. As everyone milled about, Iva came over to say hello, and Jessica swallowed hard. She was in an adult gown, had her padded bra and full makeup, and six-inch heels, so she was fairly certain Iva wouldn’t recognize her.
“This is such a wonderful place you’ve built here,” Iva said. “Oh, I so wish my friend Anya could be here.”
“Oh, is she someone from the conservatory?” Jessica said.
“No, at the home I used to live in. But now she lives in America. Who knows, maybe one day I will travel there and find… her,” she said slowly, her eyes narrowing.
“Yes, maybe you will. Ahhh, is there something… wrong, Iva?”
“You are so familiar to me, Miss Alban. I could swear we’ve met before.”
“Oh, you know how it is, you love someone, you miss them, and then you start seeing something about that person in other people you meet.”
“Really? Is that common in America?”
Jessica nodded. “Oh, yes. We have so many people there from so many different places. Why, almost every day you meet someone you think you know or they remind you of a loved one. Have you been out to see the beach area yet?”
“No, I—Bela!” she squealed, seeing her old friend.
“Iva,” Bela replied, embracing her.
That was it, they had eyes for each other, and were strolling off to reminisce about old times. Jessica smiled. It made her so happy to see the girls doing well. She moved among the mob, casually chatting, accepting a congratulations here and a well-wishing there, and finally came to the large open wood deck that afforded her a view of the lake. It was funny, she didn’t feel any negative emotional response at seeing the beach area (and the adjacent hotel). That made her happy. She had faced that demon and slain it, and could move on.
Standing there, feeling the cool spring breeze waft over her, she thought about all the changes she’d seen in her life since coming to the town. Now she had a resort to run, a degree to get, people to help, a man to love, and a career to build. What did the future hold: marriage, children, travel, more age-play?
Maybe all of that—and more.
She looked up and saw the mountain. Maybe this winter she and Drew could go skiing. Easter was fast approaching; it was less than a month away. Jessica grinned. She’d have to see about getting him a pomlázka.
The End
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