ENSLAVED BY SHIFTERS

by Astrid Lee Donovan

  “Yeah, but I won’t tell if you won’t.”

  And with that, we became friends or at least, friendly. As the day went on, he caught on quickly and even pointed out some of my errors. I expected the news to spread that there was a new guy on the block and one by one the honey bees buzzed around my cubicle. Sandra with the big fake hair and her equally fake breasts, came over to see how her calls were performing on the company ratings. Ironically, she had never done this in the six months she was under our employ. “Women are so thirsty,” I thought. Obviously, I excluded myself from that group. Natasha, a girl from Jamaica who did our transcripts and came over twice, looking for a report I had never heard of. “Thirsty women,” I thought again.

  At lunch time I went back to the coffee shop and sat down to eat my sandwich. I wanted to text my husband even though he never responded and my head was buried in my phone when Renee walked in, or more like strode in. The top of his head was barely missing the ceiling fan and It was making me nervous.

  The coffee shop was small and he was big; too big for me to pretend that I didn’t see him. Still I decided not acknowledge his presence. My efforts in disappearing were futile in this café with only seven booths and two waitresses.

  “Hi Natalia!” he said in a voice as deep as a river, “can I join you?”

  “Sure, if you can fit your long legs under the table. “

  He tried and failed miserably at folding his body into the small space. After many attempts to comfortably reposition his frame, we settled for an awkward but ‘suitable’ position. His knee was between my legs and we were both aware of it. Apologizing for the unusual seating, he settled into eating his sandwich while I tried to ignore the idea of anything between my legs.

  The bites he was inflicting on the sandwich were vicious, but he looked thoroughly satisfied with his eating style. He managed to speak when he came up for air.

  “It’s pretty good, why is this place so empty?”

  I explained that Subway had opened around the block and they had a courtyard to relax in. The younger people from work went there for lunch and the more mature crowd usually brought their lunch from home.

  “Why are you still coming here then?”

  “I dunno. I guess I believe in loyalty. When I first started this job I had no money and they ran me a tab until I got my first salary. They are good people.”

  He smiled. Loyalty was important to him, he stated.

  “My dad was a drunk, not the violent type, but the useless type. He would just lie around the house all day and drink all night. My mom worked 2 jobs to put food on the table and she never left him. One day I asked her why she stayed all those years. She said ‘if I was messed up he would do the same for me.’ Now that’s loyalty.”

  As the hour ticked by he chatted about his ex wife, showed off pictures of his daughter and beamed with pride. The little girl had just enrolled in culinary school. She was short, unlike him, but the coffee complexion was his. No doubt.

  His lips were so full and luscious and his teeth so white and brilliant, that I couldn’t help staring. As he rattled on I began to think about my own appearance. “I must look like a hot mess.” My lipstick was pretty much on the tissue next to the plate and I wore no other make up that day. After the previous night’s disappointment, I was uninspired. Adding to that my outfit was a bit drab.

  “Hello are you there?” Those were the next words I heard as I emerged from my self-indulgent thoughts.

  “I’m sorry. I was just thinking about the pile of calls we still have to go through.”

  “Oh, was I boring you with my life story?” he was smirking as he spoke.

  “Tell me about your life. What does Mrs. Evans do when she’s not working? I see you are married.”

  “Yes, I am married. Ten years now. I have two beautiful daughters who take up most of my time.”

  I was laughing as I spoke, but truthfully, I was quite annoyed that I had no interesting hobbies to share.

  “Well, he’s treating you right. You have the face of a happy woman.”

  This man must be blind. I blushed at the compliment and looked at my watch.

  “Time to go back and get to work.”

  “Certainly.”

  Getting up forced him to extract his knee from between my legs, and I snapped my knees shut in an effort to maintain the warmth he had created. ”Knee fucked at least,” I thought as I walked through the door he was holding open.

  The afternoon went by with no shortage of visitors to my cubicle. Even Victor came through to see if there was a catch for him. (Sorry Victor, no such luck.) As the work day came to an end, Emily stopped by to let me know she was inviting me to a group chat. The quarterly outing sponsored by the company was approaching, and it was supposed to be a great team building exercise. I personally thought the funds they were spending would be better allocated elsewhere. She asked for my number as well as Renee’s and swiftly moved along. My shift was over.

  I passed him at the bus stop where he should have disembarked this morning.

  “Not going home, Mrs. Evans?”

  “No, I’ve got some errands to run. See you tomorrow!” And with that I was off to go shopping.

  2

  There was a compartment in my purse that held a little money for emergencies and I thought that this situation qualified as such. It was evident to me that my appearance needed a boost and new mascara and lipsticks would add just the lift I needed. The eye shadow palettes were on sale and I grabbed two of those as well. On a neatly decorated table by the door was an assortment of perfumes on sale for $24.99. I chose a subtle smelling one in a purple box with a French name.

  The ladies store next door was selling dresses at ½ price. The store was already cheap and that made the deal sweeter. With four brand new dresses in tow, I made my final stop at the pharmacy where I got tooth whitening strips.

  Dinner was started after I put my purchases away. My phone went off a few times. It was Amanda and the group chat. I responded to Amanda’s messages and ignored the group’s. The children noisily took their places at the table and for the first time in months, so did their father. As odd a scene as it was I decided to play along.

  The children slurped their spaghetti and he started to tell me about the plans for his new business venture. This was the man I married; the dreamer, always planning, but never taking the time to execute. I knew he had genius in him and I loved him for it. As I cleared the dishes away his phone rang and he left the room to answer. Pouring the soap on the sponge I wondered why he never answered my texts or calls, but always seemed to make time to answer the calls of his friends.

  The running shower was the next thing I heard and I knew he was going out. Just as we started on the children’s homework, he reentered the room, dressed and ready to leave. He kissed the children and blew me a kiss. He was going bowling with Angelo and Chris. I was alone for the night again, it seemed. Around 8 o'clock I picked up my phone to check my messages. My husband was thoughtful enough to inform me that he would be late; I didn’t respond. Upon checking the group chat I realized that the Jamaican girl could write English perfectly, but couldn’t hide her accent in person. It was much easier to communicate with her by texting.

  She was organizing a Reggae night for the group outing. The staff would go to a club and shake it till morning. Just perfect. It was yet another event for me to show my age among the young and fresh females of the world. The universe was definitely conspiring against me.

  Given the chance I would opt out of this team building exercise except for the fact that it was mandatory unless you had some catastrophic problem or you were dead. Renee was chatting with Emily about attire for this event when I entered the conversation. I gave salutations and everyone sent theirs back in return.

  Browsing through the previous messages, I noticed the photos of suggested attire for this reggae club and I was all but mortified. Of course Natasha was a hustler and graciously offered herself as a fashion designer an
d consultant to those who needed a custom made outfit. Most of the suggested clothing had only a little more fabric than a bathing suit. It seemed I would have to call in dead on this one.

  I made small talk with a few people, taking special care not to single out Renee for conversation, when a new message window popped open.

  “Hey Natalia, if you are on the bus with me tomorrow morning, please don’t let me miss my stop, ok?”

  “Lol. will think about it”

  “Lol. Alright Mrs. Evans.”

  In bed, I drank a glass of red wine and considered the events of my day. As the wine hit my bloodstream, my nipples and other places tingled. I reached down between my legs; the pulsating flesh reminded me that my needs were still there and unattended to. I picked up my phone and zoomed in on Renee’s profile picture. He seemed to be outdoors in this one and he was naked from the waist up. Damn he was a specimen of a delicious black man. His muscles were not overly defined like a bodybuilder, instead, he was sculpted like a hard working man. His shoulders were well defined and his arms were chiseled. His stomach was taut and the skin was stretched over it like a drum.

  My eyes closed and I sank back into the soft pillows on my bed. Opening my legs, I remembered the warm knee that was just inches from mound. As I opened the folds of my neglected secret place, my body shivered and I slowly touched my clit. Imagining Renee’s pink tongue behind those full lips nursing greedily on my juices. As I moved my fingers back and forth, more and more my juices slicked my hand. I knew he would be packing and in my fantasy he was just that; big black and bulging and I was ready to receive him. The story was mine to create and as the narrator, I decided that I was ready to receive this cock and in my head that’s just what I did.

  In my mind he forced my legs back and with male mating aggression as he entered me filling my cup to the brim. My hand was slippery as three fingers found my entrance. I tried as best I could to fill myself as I was filled in my fantasy, but my hand was not enough. His mouth was moving in this fairy tale I was creating and I could just imagine our conversation.

  “What will you do next time?”

  “Tell you I want it!”

  His pace was getting faster and his tone deepened.

  “I wanted you from the first time I saw you Mrs. Evans.”

  Harder and faster still he went and my fingers tried to keep the pace.

  “I imagined how your face would look when I got inside you… so pretty…”

  Words escaped him as he went the final stretch. He was hitting the bottom of my very wet passage and I was in a trance. I felt his lower back clench and the muscles in his thighs tighten as the climax over took him. As he pulled out his shaft from my crevice, he and I exploded together.

  My fingers felt numb as I climaxed there on my bed with my hand covered in my own juices. After my body relaxed I realized I was still clutching the cell phone quite tightly and there was a ping alerting me to another message. It was only then that I knew I had sent it to an involuntary recipient- Renee. The news got worse as I realized it was a voice note. I think my heart stopped. I played back the note with trepidation massaging my temples as a headache suddenly came over me. It quickly faded when the playback of the message revealed muffled sounds that could be interpreted as a TV running in the background. That was my story and I was sticking to it. Renee’s simple response to the voice note was a series of question marks indicating his confusion. I chose not to answer and went to bed rehearsing the explanation I was going to give him tomorrow.

  3

  The bus pulled to a stop and both Renee and I disembarked. He wasted no time asking why I sent him a muffled recording of a TV commercial. I smiled at the embellished story. It was never mentioned again and he would never know the truth.

  Victor, AKA the fashion police, was the first to point out my change of style this morning. I was wearing the pink dress was from yesterday’s shopping spree with khaki wedges and matching purse from my closet. My hair was in its usual twist out style showing off the bleached ends and my make up was understated but obvious since I usually wore none. The hoops in my ears belonged to Amanda.

  Rolling my eyes at the nosy queen, I proceeded to my cubicle at the back. Traffic at my desk was slower that the previous day because the females were taking a different approach to hunting; they were texting him and I laughed as I was guilty of it as well.

  Today Renee handled his own calls and reviews and occasionally leaned over to ask clarification on small matters. At lunch in the café, he shared with me that he was looking forward to going to the Jamaican club and I was trying to listen, but his knee was so close to the spot he touched in my imaginings that it was difficult to concentrate. Every time he spoke and I saw his tongue it made me wetter and wetter.

  Collecting my thoughts, I let him know I was nervous about the whole affair. Honesty prevailed and I told him my two-hundred-pound ass was no match for the Skinny-Minnies that were sure to be present. I laughed at my comment, but he remained serious. Leaning forward, he spoke in an equally serious tone. “Your ass is just fine, sister…just fine.”

  The booth was small and he was big; so big that when he leaned forward, his knee was so close to my clit that if I breathed I would get knee fucked. To prohibit that from happening, I stopped breathing. Biting into his sandwich, he stared into my eyes and I interpreted everything he did and did not say. After licking his lips, he added, “I’m certain your husband tells you that all the time.”

  If only he knew that I didn’t see my husband until morning when I passed him snoring on my couch in his boots; obviously too tired or too drunk to make it upstairs to our bed. I kept that thought to myself and just smiled.

  That day Renee left work early. His daughter was in a cooking completion at school and he wanted to attend. My cubicle felt empty without him so I took a break and went to the coffee shop. Upon my return I noticed Emily and Natasha waiting to pounce. Emily started the ambush.

  “We have had confirmation from everyone about next Friday’s event except you!”

  Her voice was nasal and annoying and I didn’t like her.

  “Well, I’m confirming now.” My reply was in an equally nasal voice and she knew she was being mimicked. I took her clipboard, signed my name and shoved it back into her hand. As I said I didn’t like her and plus she was being too friendly with Renee. The Jamaican accent chimed in.

  “Girl spaces real tight, ya hear? You need something made for this party or not?”

  I liked Natasha. She was a hustler and a no nonsense person.

  “Come sit with me, let’s see what we can come up with.” And with that Emily walked away knowing she was dismissed. Online we found an outfit of Natasha’s liking. I hated it because it was short… too short to be decent. The camouflage jumper had brass buttons on the front, small cargo pockets at the back and the bustier top she was sure she could make.

  She took a long while to convince me that it was appropriate for an event like this. She advised me that thick was the new sexy, and I reluctantly agreed to wear it after this new revelation. The hustler informed me of the 50% down payment and I graciously agreed. After tucking it into her bosom, out came a miniature tape measure that was disguised as a key ring. She took specific note of my desired length and skipped off to a reggae beat that only she could hear.

  4

  The weekend was here and that meant art classes at the community center for the children followed by swimming at the YWCA along with the school play. Sunday was church and I prayed for forgiveness. It was wrong to lust after another man while still married. As my prayer came to an end, I decided to look up the definition of husband for loopholes.

  On Sunday nights Amanda came over and we, as custom, killed a bottle of red wine over stories of her latest sexual escapade. She had arrived as the children were going off to bed and they were excited to see her. They knew she always brought gifts and today was no different. With the tiny earrings in their lobes we sent them off to bed with a smile.<
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  As we sat on the sofa a slender red box appeared and was presented to me with a smirk.

  “I was out shopping and this screamed your name.”

  I cautiously opened the box knowing that my friend was up to no good. Encased in bubble wrap there was a plastic penis- a big black plastic penis. She all but fell on the floor laughing at my dumbfounded expression. Grabbing it, she switched it on and it began to dance in circles. This was the first time I had seen one in person and it seemed to hypnotize me.

  Lord Jesus, I was a sinner and my friend was sending me to hell in a hand basket. We were both enchanted by the spinning phallus for a minute before our loud laughter returned. Little did my friend know that I was planning to get one with my next pay check.

  5

  Monday morning started the routine all over again. Kids, school, bus, work - the monotony was killing me. My husband had decided he wasn’t too tired on this Monday morning and volunteered to take me to work. Kissing him on the cheek, I declined his offer and trotted out the door. He slapped me on the ass as I was leaving. Maybe there was hope for us yet.

  Today I was wearing a red dress. The zipper was running down the entire left side of the front and stopped just above my breasts, opening back into a half collar. I brought out my imitation red soles and my $29.99 Versace duffel styled purse from the back of the closet. Makeup and sunglasses on, I was stepping. The brother in the suit who passed me daily smiled and said ‘good morning,’ and that was a first. This was turning out to be a pretty good day.

  Several things happened or didn’t happen that week:

  1. I decided not to try out my gift from Amanda.

  2. My mom decided to keep the children for the entire weekend

  3. Natasha and I nearly fought when she produced my outfit.

  It was Thursday afternoon and Natasha had taken a personal day to fulfill all her fashion design orders. She arrived just before quitting time so I hurriedly handed her the remainder of her money and tucked the parcel in my bag before rushing through the door for the bus. I sat next to Renee on the way home, but he wasn’t his usual talkative self and I didn’t pressure him to chat. As my evening progressed, I forgot about the outfit in my bag.