“You have to be fucking kidding me. Not today. Please not today.” As though targeted by divine retribution, the front passenger tire of her car sagged to meet the earth, completely empty of air. If someone had chosen a moment deliberately to fuck with her, Mia wasn't convinced that they could have picked a better moment. She almost looked at the tire for signs of foul play, but she didn't have the time.

In less than fifteen minutes, the shareholder meeting would start. Five minutes after that, she was due to begin presenting on the last quarter. She had enough barriers to overcome to keep her job already without giving every single shareholder reason to think she was incompetent. Perhaps they would shift the schedule if she was not there, or god forbid have Michaelson or O'Donnell give the presentation instead? Both of them had skipped out on overseeing the final contract review, and had likely made it to the meeting with time to spare. Without them there, of course it had gone late. How was she supposed to review three times the contracts in the same amount of time?

Mia rummaged through her purse for her phone. Gabriela wouldn't be able to help her; she was at work for another hour, and across the river anyway. She needed an Uber, and she needed it a half hour ago. Whoever picked up her ride request, she prayed that they had some actual balls and could navigate rush hour traffic with a little goddamn haste. Mia huffed a curl that had escaped containment out of her eyes, scrolling past ride after overpriced ride that still wouldn't get her there remotely in time. The urge to scream in frustration built slowly in her throat, and she forced herself to close her eyes and take a deep breath.

“Mia? What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be downtown?”

Mia turned and was immediately confronted with the bane of her existence. Shannon Marcellus was half the reason she had been held so late. Her contracts were among the sloppiest that Mia had reviewed in her entire time at the company. Somehow, no matter how many times she screwed up, requests for disciplinary proceedings disappeared as soon as they were sent to HR. Mia had long suspected that Shannon had used her dazzling smile and charm to wrap someone around her finger, she just had never been able to figure out exactly who.

“My tire,” Mia said, but Shannon just kept watching her with a half-smile and one eyebrow raised. How had she gotten so close? Mia gestured at the flat in the hopes that it would communicate more than she had managed with her words. “Why aren't you there?”

Shannon tilted her head, and her earrings caught the light to perfectly frame her face. Not a hair out of place, while Mia clawed more of hers back into her bun. How did she manage it? Did she spend half her day in the bathroom touching up her hair and makeup? Or did she just look like this? “Why aren't I there? Mia, I'm not in the leadership team. I don't go to those meetings.” Shannon turned to consider the tire before Mia could even stammer that of course she knew that Shannon wasn't invited to the meetings, and that she had just been distracted by the circumstances, and that there was nothing Shannon could do to fix this.

“Whoof, rotten timing,” Shannon said. “Need a lift? I'm heading that way.”

Two opposite responses leapt to Mia's tongue on impulse, each warring to escape her clenched teeth before her brain could process the offer. This was exactly the kind of out-of-office seemingly-innocent interaction that could lead to allegations of inappropriate behavior with a subordinate. It wouldn't have been the first time that Shannon had reported a department head, and the last had been forced to resign.

“It's fine if you have another ride,” Shannon said, sensing Mia's hesitation. “I just thought I would check. Good luck with the presentation!” She turned and walked down the parking lot, the clack of her heels on the pavement punctuating each step like a ticking clock. Mia checked her phone. Her Uber wouldn't even arrive another seven minutes. Could seven minutes make the difference?

“Wait!” she yelled. Shannon turned, and Mia jogged after her. No heels for her, there were too many skills to learn after transition and only so much time in each day. “I really appreciate the offer. Can I please take you up on it?”

Shannon smiled, and something like genuine glee touched her eyes. “Of course. Let's hurry along. We don't want you to be any later.”

Shannon took her by the shoulder and led her to a vehicle at the end of the parking lot, moving quickly enough that Mia could tell that she was hurrying but not anywhere near as much as Mia wanted or needed. Mia wanted to sprint. By the time Mia buckled her seat-belt, she was tapping her fingers on the center console and had regretted her impulsive decision a half-dozen times.

“Girl, you need to take some deep breaths if you're going to give a presentation worth listening to,” Shannon said. “Let me find something calming.” Mia hated the casual way that Shannon addressed her, even as she found it slightly affirming. Shannon had never been one of her coworkers that gave her grief after she had come out at work, but she had never really had confirmation of her support either She watched as Shannon reached down and fiddled with the audio settings on her central console, and soft music began to play through the car speakers. The music had a few audio layers, all peaceful strings and the trickle of water, like Shannon had stolen a CD from a masseuse. Was this really what she listened to when she drove to and from work? There was another track that she could barely hear, a whisper that brushed against her ear as though there was a speaker embedded in the headrest of the seat.

Shannon reached behind Mia's head, jarring her from her thoughts as she placed one hand against the headrest and reversed out. Mia shook her head to clear the sudden fuzziness. She had almost thought that Shannon was reaching out for her, to rest a hand on her shoulder or to brush a thread of hair behind her ear. She tried distracting herself by looking at her phone, but all she could see was the impending meeting notification and incoming slacks asking where she was.

“None of that,” Shannon said, snatching the phone out of Mia's hands despite her squawk of protest. “That will just stress you out more. You're tight as a drum. Just sit back, I'll get you there as quickly as I can.” Shannon tossed the phone back onto the seat next to her, and Mia bit back her protest. Shannon meant well. She might even be right, which would be a first for Shannon. And she was doing Mia a favor. Mia could put up with her for a short car ride.

But the car ride wasn't short. Even as Mia appreciated the speed at which Shannon tore out of the parking lot, they quickly hit a patch of traffic that ground them to a near stop. Mia tried her strategy of deep breaths, but whatever air freshener Shannon had in her car was sickly sweet, and she felt like she was breathing in deep breaths over a vat of cotton candy. Her tapping returned, a short staccato on the center console, which Shannon noticed immediately.

“Let's try something else, okay? Sometimes when there's something out of my control, I use guided meditation to try to regain a sense of control. It's the only reason I've managed to keep afloat at work some days.” Shannon must have seen Mia's eye roll, but she just laughed. Mia almost understood how everyone slid into Shannon's orbit, with a laugh like that. “Just try it for a few minutes, okay?”

“Yeah, fine. Sorry. I know you're trying to help.” Frankly, anything that could keep Shannon afloat at work with her work ethic sounded like a literal miracle, and Mia needed one of those.

“Just focus on something. Something on the horizon, something you'll be able to keep watching even as we move. I usually focus on this,” Shannon said, reaching up to grip a small crystal hanging from the rear view mirror. Mia had barely noticed it, but as Shannon spun it between her fingers tiny slivers of rainbow danced around the interior of the car.

“Whatever you choose doesn't matter,” Shannon said, her voice growing steady and confident. Mia had already chosen the crystal. It was a little gaudy, certainly, but the way it caught the setting sun was certainly pretty. “The important thing is that you've chosen, and that you can let your focus gather on that object rather than all the pressures and timelines you have outside the car. Once the ride is over, you can think about them again, but while we are in the car there's nothing you can do to affect them. They're out of your control, Mia. Thinking about work can't make the car go faster. Whenever we arrive is when we will arrive. So if you focus on the crystal, you can also let those worries and fears slip away.”

How had Shannon known what she would pick for her focus? It still spun slowly, its motion continued with each gentle start and stop of the car as they inched forward. “When I watch the crystal,” Shannon continued. “I always try to see what the crystal is reflecting. Is it the sun's light? Hitting such a small object from so far away? It always makes me feel so small, knowing that the light has traveled so far and for so long just to hit this tiny crystal and create such a beautiful display. No matter how much darkness it travels through on the way, the end of the journey is happy, and worth it. No matter how long the trip takes. The sun travels for so long before hitting the crystal, but its worth it because the dancing lights center and calm me, and I feel how large the universe is. How many things are outside of my control. And sometimes I see myself. My own eyes looking back, my eyelids heavy from focusing so long at one spot. Seeing myself like that always makes me realize just how much my deep breaths have calmed me down, and steadied my heart. Is that what you see, Mia?”

She could see herself. Mia hadn't even realized that her breathing had slowed. The calm that she had fought for moments ago had been handed to her by Shannon seemingly without effort. She barely even noticed the sweet smell in the car anymore as it filled her lungs.

“That's so good, Mia. That's exactly what you need. When you're this calm and focused, everything starts to slide into place. You begin to breath at the pace you need, because your breathing is out of your control. It's not the crystal, and the crystal is all that you're focusing on right now. The crystal, and my voice. Besides, as soon as it leaves your control, it improves. You don't have to worry about the things you aren't focusing on right now. All you need to worry about is the crystal, and deciding what you see in its depths.”

Mia's head spun. She could see herself, but it wasn't her. This version barely maintained eye contact, her eyelids fluttering without ever managing a blink. Her mouth hung open, a whisper of drool at the corner, but her reflection never noticed. There were no emotions on her reflection's face, just a blank calm that Mia envied more than she had thought possible. She could feel something buzzing on the seat next to her, but she knew it wasn't as important as the calm emptiness she was feeling.

“In fact, the deeper you focus on my words and the crystal, and the less you focus on other things, the more things slip out of your control. As your breathing slips out of your control, so do your thoughts. Why think about anything that isn't the crystal or my voice?” Mia couldn't think of any reason not to. Her eyes burned, but focusing on the crystal was all she could remember that was in her control. She couldn't give up that too. “And if I am your guide on this guided meditation, it makes sense that everything that slips out of your control can be guided by me. My words dictate your deep breaths, and the flutter of your heavy eyes, and your sense of peace and calm. I've guided you to this place, and all the things you've given into my control can be safely left with me. Your thoughts. Your focus. Your emotions. Your body. I control those things now, and that's exactly what you needed. You're free now, freer with me than you've ever dreamed of being. In a moment, I will narrow your focus even more. Right now you're focusing on the crystal and my voice, but your eyes are so tired. They need to close, and to sleep. Not just yet. No, not yet my pet. Focus for just a moment longer. Because if you truly focus, you will still be able to hear my voice when you sleep. That's what you want, sweet girl. A deep sleep with nothing in your head at all except for my voice. My voice controlling you. As soon as you close your eyes, I can make that a reality. Keep watching the crystal. Keep watching, and dream of how peaceful your reflection will look when she's finally able to close her eyes. Are you ready, Mia? You're so much calmer and relaxed, hardly a thought in your head, focusing on just the crystal and my voice. As soon as you only have to focus on my voice, your head will be even emptier. Just like you wanted. That's what meditation is, Mia. Emptying your head, and letting my voice become your thoughts. In a moment, I will snap my fingers. And your eyes will finally close, and you will only have to focus on one thing. On the most important thing. On all you have ever needed to focus on, on all you will ever need to focus on again. Are you ready, Mia? Dropping deep into my control as soon...as my fingers...”

Something snapped next to Mia, or maybe within her, and her vision and her head went dark. Her head lolled, but she didn't worry about it. Something caught her, perhaps the voice, nestling her back against the headrest with the sweet whispers.

The voice kept talking to her, but Mia didn't bother trying to think about what it was trying to tell her. It asked her questions, but there was another Mia deep in her head that supplied the answers without any need to think through them. Her responses, the voice informed her, were also out of her control.

“Yes Shannon,” Mia heard herself say. “I am the one who kept reporting your work as substandard.”

“Yes Shannon, I like women.”

“Yes Shannon, but not for several years.”

“Yes Shannon. Her name is Gabriela.”

“Yes Shannon. We've been dating for six months now.”

“Yes Shannon, I've stared at you when I thought you weren't looking.”

“Yes Shannon, I've masturbated while thinking about you.” Was that true? The voice noticed her hesitation, and assured her that it was another thing that was out of her control. Of course she wasn't in control of her memories right now, she was focusing on the voice.

“Yes Shannon, I'm hard right now.” Even focusing on the voice, Mia was aware of how hard she was. The voice had informed her that she wasn't in control of her arousal, and she certainly wasn't in control of her cock. Her cock was Shannon's now, and it brought Mia such incredible peace and calm to know that.

“You're focusing so well, Mia. You're being so good for me, and it feels incredible, doesn't it? We've arrived at the end of the journey, but you don't have to stop. You can stay in the car, and stay here with me in this incredible state where you only control what you're meant to. If you want to control your memory, and your body, and remember all the horrible stressful things that you did before, you can leave. Or you can stay here with me, where you are meant to, and let me tell you things about who you are and what you want. Is that what you want, Mia?”

“Yes Shannon. I want to stay here with you.”

“Of course you do, sweet girl. Let me take you back to your car. When we arrive at the end of our journey, you'll be a new woman.”

The voice kept talking to her, words moving in and out of Mia's mind. The voice told her which ones were important and should stay forever, and which ones were wrong and should be removed. Each time it made a change, Mia melted in pleasure. The voice had told her she would, and the voice was in control. The voice had always been in control. The voice would always be in control.

Mia woke up, gasping. She was still in Shannon's car? But the sun had set completely, and the moon had risen. How long had they been driving? “What? Where are we?”

Shannon laughed, and the very sound of it sent shivers down Mia's spine. Down her spine, and deeper. Mia shifted her hips, suddenly acutely aware of how blatantly her erection poked out from her slacks. She thought she could feel a wet patch, as though she had been leaking for some time, but she was terrified to look and draw more attention to it. What had happened? Had she fallen asleep? What about the meeting?”

Shannon reached over and brushed her fingers along Mia's chin, pulling her focus. The gesture felt intimate and personal, and that had certainly never been their dynamic, but Mia didn't recoil. She melted.

“That's better. Whatever you're worrying about, don't let it bother you. It's out of your control.”

That made sense to Mia. And it immediately made her feel better. She couldn't even quite remember what she had been so worried about. She was too horny to feel particularly worried about anything. Something caught Mia's gaze, a familiar sparkle at Shannon's chest, and she dared a quick glance.

A crystal hung around Shannon's neck, one that she had seen before but never as a necklace. It was small, but gorgeous, nestled just above Shannon's cleavage. Mia had intended to look quickly, but she forgot about the second step of her plan as she watched the crystal. Her thoughts slowed, as though someone was slowly turning off all the lights in her brain until nothing remained but the crystal. Someone laughed, and whispered a few things in Mia's ear about staring and breasts and arousal, and she moaned without knowing why. She didn't know what was happening, but it was the hottest thing that had ever happened to her. The voice had told her so.

Something snapped. “Are you finished staring?”Shannon asked, and Mia tore her eyes away from the crystal and Shannon's breasts.

“I'm sorry,” Mia stammered, wiping at her chin. Was that drool? “I didn't mean to-- I mean, I think I fell asleep and--”

“Don't worry about it, Mia.” Shannon opened her car door and stepped out into the night. “Let me walk you to your car.”

Mia shook her head. Why was it so hard to think about anything that wasn't Shannon? What was she thinking, staring at her tits like that? Wasn't that exactly what she had been trying to avoid? Or had it been all she ever wanted? She was glad Shannon had gotten out first, as it meant she could try to hide her erection before standing. Mia didn't understand. This hadn't been an issue for years, not since she had first started injections. Why now, and why with Shannon? The front of her pants were absolutely soaked, and she could only hope that it wouldn't be noticeable in the dark.

She paused before exiting the car, her hand hovering over the handle. It felt monumental, to leave the car. To end the journey. Like it was something final, like something would have changed. But what? She was being silly. Shannon was waiting. She pushed the door open and stood, welcoming the evening air to cool her flushed skin.

“What happened with the meeting?” she asked, hoping to distract Shannon somehow.

“Oh, you must have hit your head a little harder than I thought. We were in a minor auto accident while trying to get you to the meeting. I told everyone what had happened. Don't worry about missing the meeting.”

Mia didn't. She was worrying about the silver chain of the necklace glinting in the moonlight around Shannon's neck, and the color of her lips as she spoke each word into Mia's brain. She was worrying about the deep heat she felt in her core, and how she couldn't seem to stop thinking about doing anything besides quenching it. She was worried about the casual way that Shannon flipped her red hair over one shoulder, sparkling opal nails drawing Mia's eyes like a magnet. She was worried about the mounting pressure in her crotch, which felt like she might explode if Shannon so much as glanced at her.

“Well, this is you,” Shannon said, stopping in front of Mia's car. Mia didn't remember crossing the parking lot, but she did remember the shape of Shannon's perfect ass as she had taken each step. “Are you okay, Mia? You look a little...flushed.” Shannon reached out a hand to touch Mia's forehead, and Mia bit her lip to keep from letting out a moan at her touch. “If you're feeling any symptoms of a concussion, maybe I should stay with you longer. Does everything feel normal?”

Mia thought so. What was abnormal? She had been drooling over Shannon for as long as she had worked in the same building, she just hadn't been this close before. But her response was certainly normal. What else could she possibly do when Shannon touched her?

“Um,” Mia said, losing her train of thought as she glanced into Shannon's eyes. “I thought my car had a flat.”

“We called to have it fixed, remember?”

Mia didn't, but as soon as Shannon mentioned it she began to. “And your car? How did we take it back here if it was in an accident?”

“A minor accident,” Shannon said. She kept her fingers on the side of Mia's face, stroking her cheek and keeping her eyes fixated on Shannon. “Don't worry about it.” And Mia didn't. All she had to worry about was her cock. “Is there anything else you need from me before I go?”

“I don't know,” Mia admitted. “I can't think.”

Shannon nodded knowingly, but her eyes sparkled with a hidden smile. “That does sound like a possible concussion.” She stepped closer, until there was almost nothing between them. “I almost don't want to leave you alone, but you are my direct supervisor. I would leave if you told me to, but it would require you to be able to make an executive decision right now. Can you do that?”

Mia wanted to say no, but she wasn't able to. She shook her head instead.

“And why not, Mia? Be specific. It might be medically important, you know.”

“Cock,” Mia said. “Too hard.”

Shannon gasped, her smile widening. “Why, Mia, what an inappropriate thing to say to one of your employees. I must have misheard you. Did you just tell me that you can't make a decision right now because you're too horny?”

Mia nodded frantically, and Shannon's smile turned predatory. She ran a hand down Mia's shoulder, fingertips light as they drifted closer to Mia's breasts. “And what is making you so horny, dear?”

“You,” Mia gasped.

“Then let me help you, pet.” Shannon reached a hand out, and snapped the button on Mia's slacks. Mia mewed as Shannon tugged her slacks down to her ankles, baring her strained cock to the cool air of the work parking lot. “Oh Mia, you have such a pretty cock. Although, it's...mine, now. Wouldn't you agree?”

Mia nodded, beyond words as Shannon reached out her slender fingers and gripped Mia's shaft. Mia dissolved, beyond words or thoughts. She knew deep in her bones that when Shannon was around, all she could focus on was her own cock. Whenever that happened, she would only be able to find relief through Shannon. She couldn't even try to avoid Shannon, the feeling would build in her over time until she couldn't think of anything besides finding Shannon and tracking her down. She knew this was true, because the voice whispered it in her ear as it stroked her cock, punctuating each sentence with a tender kiss that sent refracted, prismatic colors bouncing across the inside of Mia's eyes.

She came. She couldn't help it. She could never resist Shannon's touch. She leaned back against her car for support, her cries of pleasure echoing through the darkness as the voice whispered about how important this experience was and how desperate she was to repeat it.

Something snapped, and Mia snapped back into herself. She was standing in the parking lot at work, her panties around her ankles, dribbling cum onto the pavement. Shannon stood next to her, as perfect and unruffled as ever. Fuck, she was beautiful. Just the sight of her made Mia's cock twitch again.

“Damn, Mia. And in the work parking lot, too. I didn't think you had it in you.” Mia blushed. What was happening to her? 'Well, now that your cock problem has been fixed you should be safe to drive. But if you have any...lingering symptoms, you should call me, and I can give you a ride to work tomorrow. Don't worry, I'll even take you back home after. Sound good?” Mia nodded, dumbly and Shannon leaned in for a kiss. “Perfect. Looking forward to tomorrow. Work was getting a little stale, you know? Always nice to shake up the dynamics. Tell Gabriela hi for me, yeah?”

Shannon turned, giving Mia a small wave as she left. Mia stared at the sway of her ass, knowing she should be thinking about Gabriela but instead her mind slid away, imagining Shannon's hand on her cock. And there was nothing she could do to stop it from happening again, Mia knew. It was out of her control.