It all started at Thursday's staff meeting, just two days ago. That's when my working relationship with my boss started to change. Perhaps I should back up just a little, to set the stage.
My name's Ashlynn, and I started working for John three years ago, when I was fresh out of college. He's a VP for the company, responsible for about 50 employees in our regional office. I was originally hired as a receptionist, just trying to get my foot in the door, but John claimed me as his personal assistant just a few months later, and we've worked together ever since.
At first I was suspicious that he'd picked me because of my looks - I'm 5'8", lean but curvy in just the right places, with perfect C-cup tits, a tight ass, big green eyes, and a pretty face framed by long, wavy auburn hair. Let's just say, it wouldn't have been the first time in my life that a guy singled me out for my looks. But the more I worked with John, it was clear that the most important thing to him was to surround himself with people he could trust, in terms of both competence and discretion. And because I brought both to the office each day, I'd become his trusted right-hand girl, as he was fond of calling me.
Anyway, back to the staff meeting. John liked to have me attend most of his meetings with him, so I could be fluent in his workload and prepared to assist him with anything that might come up. I have to admit, it was sometimes dull, but I do appreciate the trust he places in me, which has grown so strong that he's even started asking my advice on matters of company policy or business strategy.
But don't let that fool you, I'm still responsible for the most mundane of office tasks. In the case of this particular staff meeting, that meant that after making the coffee and preparing copies for everyone attending, I was also the one to jump up on the conference table to get the projector on the correct setting. I was very aware of many sets of eyes on me as I worked to quickly complete the task while not giving too many easy glances up my short skirt.
An hour later, as John and I walked back into his office after the meeting for our usual one-on-one debrief, he asked a question that threw me off-guard.
"So, Ashlynn, all this time, I've never known that you have a tattoo?"
"Huh, oh, um, yes.... wait, when did you see it?"
"When you climbed onto the conference table. Don't worry, I'm not offended! Just curious, that's all. You've never struck me as the tattoo type. Here," he said, motioning for me to sit down as he closed his office door behind me, "have a seat."
"I know, it was one of those college things."
I hoped he'd leave it there, as it wasn't a story I was particularly proud of, but of course if John asked, I'd have to tell him.
"And not just a little butterfly on the shoulder, but a tramp stamp?"
I blushed, slightly shocked, but smiled back at him. It was typical John to get straight to the point. He also had always amazed me with his confidence in talking to much younger women. He was, after all, nearly twenty years older than me. He smiled as he sat down at his desk, across from me.
"Well, yeah, it wasn't the best decision I ever made."
"OK, now you have to share. Diligent, hardworking Ashlynn made a bad decision? I don't believe it!"
I laughed. "Oh, alright, I'll tell you. It was my 21st birthday, and my two best girlfriends dared me to do it. Needless to say, we were all a bit drunk. When I refused, they told me they'd do it with me, so the three of us took the plunge together."
"So what's wrong with that? It's just some innocent Chinese characters, right? Come over here, so I can see it again. I studied a bit of Chinese a few years back."
I stood up, walked around his desk and turned around, lifting my blouse slightly so he could see the tattoo. He could be bluffing about the Chinese, but in case he wasn't, I'd have to tell him the rest of the story.
"Well, the problem is that in my inebriated state, I didn't do my homework on those innocent Chinese characters. It was supposed to say 'love, happiness, and abundance,' but I've since learned that two of the characters are slightly off. And given the location on my body - the 'tramp stamp' as you called it, well, let's just say it sends slightly the wrong message."
I blushed again.
"Yes, Ashlynn?"
"It basically says that lots of sex makes me happy."
"Ah, I see. A subtle, yet important distinction."
Nervous and surprised that I'd just shared this story with my boss, I babbled on, "and don't get me wrong, it's not that I'm a prude, it's just..."
"I completely understand, Ashlynn, how about we change the subject now."
"Yes, please," I replied, thankful that my classy boss was about to save me from further embarrassment. I turned to face him and reached across his desk to grab my notepad.
"So, did it hurt?"
He grinned and winked at me when our eyes met again, clearly enjoying the fact that he had me in such an awkward position.