She went down the list again. Might as well. Most of the basic stuff she was okay with. She’d basically been fingered and fucked in the ass already, and, well, she didn’t mind in the least, as long as things were kept clean and healthy and within constraints. She skipped most of the things she wasn’t familiar with. Getting slapped in the balls was not at the top of her priority but a little spanking never h– Well, she was okay with that.
Slapping?
She tapped the pen on the paper. Degradation in general was something she had little experience with but she had always wanted to try out. She imagined Winter tilting her head up and calling her a whole bunch of names and by the time her underwear strained to contain her, she had ticked the little box. Worth a shot.
She felt very vanilla going down the list, but she realized this was likely to cater to the tastes of the kind of people for whom the basics
didn’t
quite cut it anymore.
She tallied them up at the end.
Mental stimulation (affection)
Mental stimulation (degradation)
Mental stimulation (praise)
Penile stimulation (manual - other)
Penile stimulation (manual - self)
Penile stimulation (restriction)
Penile stimulation (artificial)
Penile stimulation (frottage)
Anal stimulation (oral)
Anal stimulation (manual - other)
Anal stimulation (manual - self)
Anal stimulation (penetration)
Anal stimulation (artificial)
Oral stimulation (manual)
Oral stimulation (penetration)
Mammary stimulation (manual)
Mammary stimulation (oral)
Penetrative intercourse (vaginal)
Penetrative intercourse (anal)
Public stimulation (as above)
Sensory deprivation
Multiple stress reduction professionals
Exhibitionism
Bondage
Impact play (light) (areas negotiated)
Doing a quick count, Epoc realized she was at 21. That was… she hadn’t expected that. She was surprised she got this many to begin with. There was a mixture of pride and shame rising inside of her. She felt her cheeks burn slightly, but she felt like she was taking it safe. There were drugs on there whose names she’d only ever heard in news reports – the scary kind – and the word “needles” was there on the page with no context that could ever make it better.
She briefly considered ticking ‘clowns’ if only to see what the fuck that was about, but decided against it. Similarly ‘pred/prey’ and ‘primal’. That felt like the kind of thing you didn’t want to sign up for if you weren’t ready to commit to it. ‘Tickling’ was a big no.
Epoc sighed and turned the page, relieved that she had now gone over the most difficult part of the contract, only to realize there was another table just like it. She wasn’t done yet. This section had a thicker, black border, and a note at the top.
“Should the pilot not achieve the required stress-reduction score, it is possible that some of the following techniques may assist in achieving the desired result. It is additionally possible and even advised that a pilot who has achieved a satisfactory stress-reduction score consider these techniques to increase the efficacy of the program.”
With gritted teeth, she went over them. There weren’t nearly as many, but that didn’t mean they weren’t significant. The list was… daunting.
Punishment and discipline (handler)
Punishment and discipline (third party)
Social conditioning and behavioral control (handler)
Social conditioning and behavioral control (third party)
Verbal conditioning and orgasm control (handler)
Verbal conditioning and orgasm control (third part)
Maintained chastity
Leash training
Public humiliation
Public use
Public urinal
Tentacles
Marking
Branding
Tattooing
The list went on a little longer, but most of the items mentioned were too much for her. Nonetheless, when she was done, she realized there were a few of these she was interested in anyway. With a slightly shaky hand, she ticked them off, then looked at the list and what she would be consenting to if she filled out the actual contract the same way.
Punishment and discipline (handler)
Punishment and discipline (third party)
Social conditioning and behavioral control (handler)
Verbal conditioning and orgasm control (handler)
Verbal conditioning and orgasm control (third part)
Maintained chastity
Tentacles
She took a deep breath and kept reading. The rest of the contract was less… it wasn’t a list of things that might be done to her. It wasn’t
normal.
It was an explanation of what the contract entailed. Any and all of what she agreed to, she could be subjected to at
any
time, by the agreed-upon parties.
Her coming and going was mostly up to her, unless stated otherwise by the company, and she couldn’t leave the complex, the city or the planet without explicit approval. She was to be designated as official company property and all damage done to her, either by herself or by third parties, would be considered a fineable offense.
She would lose the right to style and dress herself unless stated otherwise.
There were several more places where she had choices, however. She had the right to decide how much of the contract was publicly available information, both within and outside of the company – Epoc quickly and without hesitation selected ‘none’ – and had a little say in her appearance to third parties.
Her name would be her own, though her callsign was chosen by the company.
She could name third parties she was okay with fucking, and she wrote down a few old fuckbuddies. If Mako Group could dig them up, she was okay with them being around for a lay.
If there
was
a medical emergency as outlined in an extensive couple of pages – all of which were quite reasonable – treatment could be performed without her consent. That said, and like the CEO had already told her, without immediate illness that could impede her functioning as a company asset, she couldn’t be the subject of any medical intervention.
A guarantee for a rejuvenation treatment at the end of her contract, if so desired.
There was a voluntary and optional aural implant that sidestepped the need for a handheld communicator most of the time, which she decided to forego for now. Apparently she could still opt in later.
Not optional was an implant at the base of her skull that monitored her vital signs. In case she was in danger or being ‘damaged’. She didn’t look forward to that, but it did make a degree of sense.
The money, of course.
Term limit. Four terms of five years. Twenty year contract total.
And finally.
“Any and all modifications made to Nexus Alpha are entirely at the pilot’s discretion, provided these modifications do not substantially lower the market value of Nexus Alpha or reduce its combat effectiveness below acceptable parameters, as determined by an informed third party [DIANA MONTAGUE]. Additionally, no changes can be made to the cockpit or nervous center of Nexus Alpha that inhibit the effectiveness of the intra-mission neural stress reduction system.”
That was pretty huge. Nexus Alpha would be hers to modify, down to the minutest detail.
And she would have to maintain a healthy physique.
That was it.
Was she insane? Had she gone insane? Had the touch of a woman who had made her come her brains out twice driven her up to the brink and kicked her past it? Was she fully mad that she was not only considering this, but that she felt like this was all quite reasonable?
That this was something she
maybe
possibly
wanted?
With a feverish intensity, she looked down at the page again. Was this really it? Very carefully, she withdrew the real version of the contract from under the other. Her head was swimming again. Her underwear was now beyond tenting, she was hard and leaking through the fabric. That didn’t mean she was stopping.
The pen slid across the pages, selecting the options. She copied the choices she’d made on the consent forms and, on a whim, added ‘collaring’ as well. It was almost a game to try to make every tick mark look perfect. She giggled slightly hysterically to herself, being concerned with how neat her lines were on the contract to sign away her right to bodily autonomy.
Epoc was signing away her personhood, and it was suddenly very,
very
funny.
At the bottom of every page was a little spot for her initials, and she scribbled them, one after the other, until the last page appeared.
There it was. The post-it note.
“Epoc,”
it said,
“I trust you to do the right thing for you. If you’re reading this, you’ve made your choice already, so I’ve taken the liberty of signing this contract already. The rest is up to you.”
This was it. All or nothing. Not a thought experiment. A decision that would impact the rest of her life, one way or another.
Slowly, Epoc stood up and walked over to the chair and got dressed, taking care to tie her shoes. The contract was rolled up under her arm as she made her way through the complex. Would it have been possible to do this via the communicator? Of course. But that would be doing it wrong.
The elevator took her up to the offices, where Antimony Winter’s was, and she walked the rest of the way with a determination she hadn’t felt in a long time, even though it felt like her blood was on fire. With a tap on the sensor by the door, the bell rang, and she was let in only seconds later.
The CEO looked just as perfect as she had the last time. Wearing a loose-fitting tunic over a skintight black suit, with Mako-blue accents. One of those accents was in her hair, too, which was unexpected. Her lipstick was a dull, wet gold. Epoc couldn’t help but stare at it. Her lips looked like gold honey.
“Oh,” Antimony said, looking slightly surprised. Epoc could tell because her eyebrows moved up. The woman really did
not
emote much. “I hadn’t expected you up here. What can I do for you, Epoc?”
Epoc walked over to the desk and put the contract down, last page facing up. The line where her signature was supposed to be was still empty.
“Ah,” Antimony said, and her voice was… flat. She was dejected. “I’m sorry you feel that way, Epoc. I really did mean it when I said that we want you working for this company. Is it the pay? I’m sure we can negotiate that. Is it the stress reduction system? I understand that it’s a lot but–”
“Stop,” Epoc said, and then, a little daring, “handler.” The woman sat up a little straighter, confused. Epoc picked the pen up from the desk. “Handler Winter,” she said, “if I signed my rights over to you, I’d be less than an employee. I’d be your property.” The CEO stood up and walked around the desk and stood directly opposite her. She was wearing flats, barely any taller than Epoc like this. It was impossible not to stare at her lips.
“That’s right,” Handler Winter said.
“Then I have one request before I sign this.”
“Anything,” Antimony said, a desperation in her voice. “If it’s within my power, I’ll make it happen.”
“If I do that, then I want one thing from you, not as employee or property, but as an equal.”
“What?”
“A kiss.”
“It’s yours,” Handler Winter said. “If you sign.”
Without one more thought, she turned to the contract and signed it. She was halfway to turning back when Antimony took Epoc’s face in her hands and kissed her.
The CEO of Mako Group’s lipstick really did taste like honey. She tasted like honey and her breath was like a hot summer breeze and her body was like a coiled spring wrapped in the most expensive fabrics money could buy. Her skin was soft and perfect and unblemished and it made her want to sink her teeth into it. She wanted to
devour
this woman.
Epoc pushed back up against her and shoved the woman against the desk. Small objects fell over. Antimony wrapped her legs around Epoc and pulled her in, the kiss going from needy to positively animalistic in the blink of an eye. They ran their hands through each other’s hair and pulled. Her head pulled back, Epoc felt the woman’s teeth on her neck and she let out a low, happy growl.
She started to grind against Antimony, when suddenly she felt a hand on her chest, pushing her away ever so slightly. Despite her need and desire, she really was still recovering from yesterday, and it was probably a good idea not to overdo it anyway. On top of that, well… that kind of gesture was a pretty clear one.
“Epoc,” Winter said as she turned the windows of her office opaque once more. Memories of their first meeting jumped back at Epoc. “You got the kiss you wanted?”
“Yes, ma’am,” she said with a grin.
“You signed the contract, Epoc,” Handler Winter said. “You know what that means?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I own you, Epoc.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Now, you sh– hold on.” Antimony looked down and picked the contract up. “Let me just check something. I need to make sure that… oh, tentacles? Really? Interesting. Anyway.” She put it down again carefully. “I’ll read the rest later. But for now, Epoc, kneel for me.”
She pointed at the carpeted floor in front of her. Between her legs.
Epoc didn’t need encouragement. She dropped down on her knees and put her hands on the woman’s thighs, but they were swatted away.
“No touching,” Handler Winter said, “until I tell you.”
“Yes, Handler,” Epoc said.
“Good girl,” Winter said, unzipped her pants and let them drop to the floor. Her underwear was white lace, all frills and barely any cloth. “Closer.”
Moving closer, the smell of arousal met Epoc halfway. It filled her nostrils and then her whole head. She had never wanted to put her mouth on something more than what was right in front of her, but she had the very distinct feeling she was going to have to wait. She looked up at Winter, who looked down at her through half-open eyes.
Handler Winter hooked her thumbs through her waistband and pushed her underwear down, exposing her trim pussy to the office air. They fell to the ground and she carefully stepped out of them, lifting one leg and putting it on Epoc’s shoulder.
“Epoc,” she said, softly. “My Hound.”
“Yes?”
“Eat.”
She didn’t need much more. Epoc put her tongue on her Handler’s pussy, pushing the lips apart with her tongue. Despite her cool demeanor, the woman was deeply aroused, her taste filling Epoc’s mouth. Her scent filled Epoc’s lungs. Whatever Handler Winter wanted filled Epoc’s mind.
She tasted and ground her tongue against Winter’s folds finding a gentle rhythm, a hand in her hair forcing her to keep it up whenever she thought about changing something. Slowly, her Handler began to ride her face, moaning softly, and Epoc happily let her.
This genuinely made her happy. After the woman got her off twice in a row, she was happy to return the favor, and she was happy to finally be face-deep in her crotch to get her there.
The next twenty years of Epoc’s life were decided, and they had been decided for good reason. This woman had given her everything she wanted and right now what she wanted more than anything was for Winter to come on her face until she made the kind of noises that Epoc would take to bed with her. She was already making the kind of expressions a CEO shouldn’t be making in her office and it struck Epoc as funny and ironic that this was the most expressive she’d seen her yet.
But she could do better.
She redoubled her efforts. Handler Winter let out a high-pitched moan and shoved Epoc into her, who obliged without a thought, continuing her ministrations while she was being face-fucked, until her Handler finally shuddered to her climax, bucking against Epoc’s face.
She started to lick again, wanted to see if she could push for another, but she was pulled back by her hair. It was impossible to keep a grin off of her soaked face as she looked up at Antimony’s flushed cheeks, parted lips.
“Good dog,” Handler Winter said. “A little eager, but that’s going to deserve a treat, later.”
“Later?” Epoc asked.
“Yes, Epoc,” her Handler said, playing with Epoc’s hair. “You’re still recovering from yesterday. I don’t want to bruise you on your first day. Why don’t you go get freshened up, get some
real
breakfast, and you take the day off. Tomorrow, Diana is going to go over Nexus Alpha with you. I want you fresh and ready. Up.”
Epoc stood up as she was told. “Is there anything else, Handler Winter?”
“Yes,” Antimony said, getting dressed again. “There is. If you end up being aroused, you’re not allowed to masturbate past 5AM. Get it out of your system before then. You can go to one of your other hounds if you need help, call on one of the people in the contract – though any outside of the company will need to be vetted first – or, after 8PM, you can come to me, though don’t wake me up
too
late.” She sat down behind her desk, took the contract in front of her, and started reading.
“I… Thank you. I, uh, I’ll keep that in mind.”
“That’s all,” Antimony said, not even looking up.
“Handler Winter?” Epoc asked.
Her Handler immediately looked up.
“Thank you. For this. For the chance. For the kiss. For letting me touch you. Taste you.”
Winter smiled warmly at her.
“The pleasure is all mine, Epoc. I’m glad you decided to stay. You made the right choice. Now go! You’re keeping me from reading about you.” She held up the contract by way of demonstration.
As the door closed behind and the juices on her face started to dry, Epoc smiled. She put her hands in the bright blue pockets of the company hoodie.
For now, and for the next twenty years, she was going to be Epoc Mako, and she was going to make the best of it.