I have five maxims that have served me well so far. The first and most important: "don't get attached to a submissive unless they’re already attached to you." It has saved my ass more times than I can count - there are too many submissives out there who just want to be fucked, pissed on, and humiliated, and then, when the heat of the moment passes, they leave, leaving you with a long face and a broken heart.

The second is equally crucial: "always maintain control of the situation." Because a dominant who loses control is like a clown without makeup - pathetic and a bit sad. And the third, my favorite: "start hard and slowly ease off." There's nothing like watching a submissive gradually relax when they realize you're not the bastard you seemed at first.

The problem is that Alex is testing all my damn maxims.

I had brought Alex back to my office, whom I affectionately call "the rat." I tell everyone it’s because he’s narrow and elongated, even though I’m the only one of the 45 of us in the department with a private office, and I shouldn't complain, but really it’s because, due to how the desks are arranged and how narrow it is, if someone sits at the computer and another person next to them, the first can't leave the office without making physical contact with the second.

Alex was sitting in front of me, with that typical way of his of slightly tilting his head while listening, as if every word coming out of my mouth was incredibly important.

“So, what do you think of the new programming I’ve made?” he asked, his fingers nervously fiddling with the mug.

“A confederate shit, like 90% of the proposals that come to me,” I replied, because it was true. “They don’t understand that resources need to be optimized, not wasted on nonsense. But yours at least is heading in the right direction.”

The blush that appeared on his cheeks almost made me forget my maxims. Almost.

“Do you want me to review it again?” he asked, so helpful I had to suppress a grunt. Because yes, I wanted him to review something, but it wasn’t exactly the damn proposal.

“Go ahead,” I replied, leaning back in my chair. It’s a calculated move, one that gives me a more dominant position and, as I’ve noticed, always makes Alex a bit more nervous. Like now.

“Well, you see…” he starts explaining something about how Azure works. I know five times more than he does about Azure, and I think he’s saying things wrong, but my attention is on how his fingers nervously play with the edge of the folder. It’s one of his tells, as a poker player would say. When he’s nervous, he always looks for something to touch.

And speaking of tells... I decide to do a little experiment.

“Alex,” I interrupt him, using my "serious boss" voice, the one I’ve noticed makes him tense in a very particular way. “Would you mind coming closer? The company lapt...