(Joshua's POV - Fri. 9 August 2013)

"Thanks Spencer, you can prepare the CAPEX over the next two weeks while I am on vacation, and we can review this when I return so that you can proceed with the replacement of all the laptops," I reply to my CITO who has just managed to sell me his project of renewing the whole fleet of laptops of the company. I have to admit that the contract he has negotiated with our Apple Supplier is extremely attractive and I will most probably validate the purchase when I have the full details. "Ally, please schedule an hour with Spencer on the 26th when I come back," I add for the attention of my Personal Assistant who is sitting to my left.

"I'll see what I can do, Monday is already fully booked, as are all the other days of that week, Sir," she replies with a smirk. Damn! I haven't even started my holidays, and my return is already exhausting me. I am sure she must have wet her panties when she filled up my calendar with meetings and appointments, making sure I would regret coming back from my vacation.

"I trust you'll find a little spot..." I comment sarcastically. "Megan? Anything on Legal?"

"Yes, a few things..." my Legal Manager replies. There we go for the most boring part of the meeting! Please let me be twenty-four hours from now already!! I would be on a beautiful yacht, somewhere in the Caribbean Sea, and fucking my Sub instead of attending a pre-holidays management meeting.

I have been listening to my Leadership team since eight this morning; every single one of them who are sitting around this long table. Rather than listening to the annoying legal matters - it is not as if Pierce Construction had any real legal issues anyway; our litigations are usually minor - let me annoyingly introduce the best of the best. From my left to my right, we have Ally Davis, my beautiful and very pregnant personal assistant; Ally is like everything to me as far as work is concerned: she is my brain, my hands, my eyes and sometimes my tongue; I wouldn't have achieved so much without her - without any of the people in this meeting room as it is. Then we have Derek James, my Chief Financial Officer; he is addicted to figures and his favorite pastime is to play with Excel spreadsheets; much good may it do to him! After all, that's his job; Connie Sparks, Human Resources Manager; probably the only one in her profession who knows how to be close to the employees and to handle them respectfully; Kelly Sykes, responsible for Communication & Marketing; Kelly has the perfect looks to deal with all the public relations shit for me and she does that wonderfully.

At the other end of the table and facing me is Tony, my Security Manager but not only. Tony doesn't have much to do in this kind of meeting because anything he has to report to me is confidential but I want him to attend because I believe that it is important for him to be aware of whatever is going on within the company. The lucky bastard has another woman sitting to his left in the person of Megan Osborn, Legal Manager. I have always wondered what interest people could find in legal stuff; I think it's one of the most boring aspects of a company, but you need that because you never know what could happen; and the day something serious happens, I know that Megan will be the best to deal with it. Then there should be Denzel Orson, Compliance Manager, but he is on holidays at the moment; his seat is occupied by Conrad Dorsley, Manager of Pierce Works which is a subsidiary of Pierce Construction that manages a huge mass of builders, tilers, carpenters, plumbers and whatever professions used in construction. Spencer Ellis is my Chief Information & Technology Officer, a 32 year-old nerdy geek who spends his whole days working on our systems and makes his best to develop and protect them.

And last but not least, my university friend Allan Brightman, who is my Chief Operation Officer and second in command sitting to my right. Allan is one guy whose surname suits him perfectly because he really is a bright man. He graduated university two years ahead, after he skipped two years over his scholarship and he is a genius in business management; he is actually the only person that I would trust with my company in my absence, which is why he will take things over while I am on vacation. Thinking that after this meeting I will be off for two weeks lightens my mood. Goodbye Chicago, goodbye sixteen-hour days of work, and hello sunshine and dolce far niente. However, for the moment, I am stuck in this room with two walls of panoramic windows and among a crowd of nine people.

Don't get me wrong. I sincerely love my job and this team includes really good people. Being the CEO of my own company in the construction market is simply the greatest thing of all. I don't have to report to anyone because I am the boss; I am the Board; and I am the Shareholder. I am the only person responsible for myself and incidentally for two thousand people across the US. But after a full year of hard work, I really need these two weeks away from the stress. Other than that small amount of time, I rarely take days off; I work at least six days a week, often seven, and I do it because I can. At nearly 28, I am not married - and that won't happen at any point - I am fine with five hours of sleep, the rest of my family is not in Illinois, and I have the best pastime to relax from work on a daily basis; that is called SEX. However, I have been dearly waiting for this upcoming vacation and I well intend to wrap up this meeting as soon as possible so that I can go and enjoy one last evening with my pastime and fly out tomorrow morning first thing to the Bahamas.

The point of a stiletto heel suddenly crushes my left foot, making me glare at its owner who thoroughly ignores me and keeps staring innocently at her notepad as if she hasn't done anything. If I wasn't afraid to disturb the child in her womb who must be quietly sleeping at the moment, I would poke her ribs deeply enough to make her jump; but this poor kid doesn't have to suffer the consequences of his or her mother's wickedness, right?

"What was that for?" I whisper, seething through to my teeth.

"Something wrong, Pierce?" Allan asks, stifling a chuckle.

"The beginning of a cramp... nothing serious..." I reply amiably.

"Mr. Pierce," Megan says, "so do you agree with what I just said? I sincerely believe that you shouldn't bend over and give in to their request." I chuckle inwardly. The day you see me bend over will never happen. Oh by the way, I am gay; but not a bottom. Just for the sake of clarity, I don't hold any grudge against the 'bottoms'; quite the opposite, I love them! But it is just not for me. So... I must have zoned out because I absolutely don't know what Megan is talking about; certainly not about sex anyway... I quickly peek at Allan who is clearing his throat beside me. He nods his head with that amused look on his face which shows that he noticed my daydreaming and Ally's ploy. I take his nod as a sign that he followed the conversation and that I can approve Megan's proposition.

"Fine, Megan; you can go ahead, I trust you to make the right decision," I reply to her with my most charming smile, hopefully making her forgive my hesitation. "Right... Is that all?" I ask to the general assembly. It is already 4:00 pm and I still need to review a few things with Ally before I leave the office.

"I know how much you like talking about recruitment and headcounts Joshua, but for once I'll be quick if you wish. I also know how much you can't wait until your vacation," Connie chimes in. Eek... I forgot Human Resources.

"Sorry Connie... please go ahead," I invite her to talk.

"As I said there is not much. We are not in the process of recruiting any high level profiles at the moment and there haven't been any particular issues over the last month. I am thinking about upgrading our payroll system early next year, but this is something we can discuss later. Other than that, nothing important... Oh yes, we have a new intern starting on Monday; a personal assistant."

"Another intern?" I ask, a bit surprised. "I thought we already had enough assistants?"

"Jennifer in Marketing might leave us in the coming weeks; her husband has an opportunity for a job in Germany. And Carola, who works with the Finance team, has just announced that she is almost three months pregnant and sick as hell... The intern will be able to help in the various departments."

"Fine then... Anything else?" I look at each of them shaking their heads. "Good! So I'll let you take care of my baby for the next two weeks. Allan, I trust you not to make it sink... Please don't email me, don't call me, and just remember that I'll be back!" I conclude, wriggling my eyebrows.

They all sigh with relief, obviously happy to see their control freak of a boss finally go away. I admit that I like controlling things and I expect my highest levels to work a lot, and I definitely pay them good for that; but I believe that they really appreciate this fortnight without Big Josh popping in their office for an unexpected meeting at any moment. They all wish me a nice vacation and scurry out of the meeting room, except for Ally who is gathering all the discarded documents on the table. As I walk by her, I stop and gently lay my hands on her shoulders. Ally is a rather round young woman who lives in perfect harmony with her slight overweight; she is always all dressed-up to the nines, elegant and feminine, with a light makeup; I just love her temper even if she often gets on my nerves when she talks back; she is one of the rare persons who dare putting me back in my place, and believe me, there are not many of them. I can count them on the fingers of one hand.

"Next time you try to hammer a heel in my foot, I will add a new rule to the Company General Policy that says high heels are forbidden," I whisper in her ear. That should make her think twice next time. Ally is so stylish that she would die not being able to wear her stilettos. She slowly turns around to face me, wearing that mocking expression that I hate so much and that means she will have the final say.

"Please do so, Joshua... you'll get my resignation letter on your desk within the next hour," she says, pleased with herself. And once again, she does have the final say; and she knows it. I would never find someone like Ally; she is just perfect and she has gotten to know me so well that I nearly never have to ask her for anything; she always knows when I need something and how I want it. I'm not talking about how I like my coffee or at what time she has to bring me a cup of tea; although she does that too. But whatever the matter is, she has that ability to anticipate things and propose solutions that never ceases to amaze me. And she knows how I would do anything to hold her back and make her stay.

With a grunt, I head back to my office. Pierce Construction owns this twenty floor building just outside the Loop in Chicago. I bought it when I decided to move my headquarters to Illinois a few years ago; Ally and I have the whole top floor to ourselves, which consists of a hall that leads to the large meeting room on the left and Ally's open space on the right, which I have to cross to reach my own very large office. I stop by my private bathroom then go to sit at my desk, sighing at what I still have to do before I am officially off. For a few minutes, I just read and reply to a few emails, then check my phone which has been on vibrate all day. I sigh at the numerous calls I missed and texts I received. I ignore most of them, a large majority being from my mother, and answer a few texts from my friends, before I get back to work. Half an hour later, my office phone rings and I pick up, still concentrated on the report I am reading.

"Pierce," I announce.

"I have your mother on the phone," Ally informs me.

"Good for you, enjoy! And once you're done, come over here so that we can finalize a few things before I'm out of here."

She hangs up without a reply and I smile at whatever lie she is going to create for my mother. It will probably be the usual "Sorry Mrs. Pierce, I can't find him" or "He is in a conference call" or "He is in a meeting" excuses, but I honestly don't really care as long as she doesn't put her through directly. The last thing I need right now is to speak with my mother; she is certainly calling because she has already eaten up the allowance I send her each month and needs more money. Ten minutes later, a pissed-off Ally walks into my office and plops down on a chair across from me, slamming her notepad on my desk and making me smile. I got my revenge for what happened in the meeting room earlier.

"What good excuse did you provide her with this time?" I ask as I slowly turn from my laptop to face her.

"I told her that you were too busy wanking in your private bathroom to talk to her," she says sternly.

"That's not really in my habits...," I tell her, leaning back in my seat and crossing my arms over my chest.

"Oh yes, that's right... I had forgotten that you have a Submissive at the moment... I guess you don't need that for now..." she adds with a smug smile. Ally does know about my lifestyle, but that doesn't mean we have to talk about it.

"I'd rather we don't bring up the subject of my sexual life, young woman. You don't want to scare that little baby's ears," I say, pointing my chin at her already huge belly.

"Yes you're right... Let's bring that up when I come back from my maternity leave!" she cheers. Ugh... she also knows how much I hate the idea that she will be away for a few months; I don't have to admit it to her, but she is perfectly aware that I will miss her like hell. "Talking about this, I will start to look for a replacement next week while you are off."

"Yes, that's one of the things I wanted to discuss. Can you try and make sure that you get someone as effective as you are? I don't have any particular recommendations, but I really need someone who knows the job, someone who has some experience."

"Sure... not too effective though... you'd be capable to keep her instead of me when I return..."

"Not likely..." I grin at her. "I'll miss you too much." So I admitted it.

After a bit more teasing, we eventually get back to work and review all the things I need her to do over the next two weeks. Not that I am afraid that she will get bored in my absence, but we do have a few big projects coming up and I will need some reports to be ready when I come back. Once done, I quickly send a text to Tony to let him know that I am on my way downstairs. As I said earlier, Tony is not only my security manager but he is also my private driver, and still more. I gather all the things on my desk in my laptop bag, put on my jacket and meet Ally at the lift since she is also ready to leave. I press the underground parking button for her and the ground floor for me.

"Enjoy your vacation Joshua, and I'll see you in two weeks!" she cheers as the lift doors open for me.

"I will. Take care of you and that little peanut! And don't call me or email me! I have left all my electronics up there!"

"Yes right, I totally believe you... I bet that by Monday afternoon you'll be connected... if not earlier."

I shrug and wave her goodbye as the doors slide shut. With a blank expression, the only one that most people know here, I walk across the hall and out of the building. Tony is already waiting for me by the entrance, the back door of the car open. It is past 6:00 pm but the heat outside is still unbreathable. I like the summer and its warmth, but I prefer it when I am on the beach, not in the city. I quickly slide inside the air-conditioned SUV and loosen my tie to relax in the comfortable seat.

"The traffic is rather light, Sir; we should be home in about thirty minutes. I have to let you know that your mother called and asked that you call her back."

"Thank you Tony, let's just go home for now." Jeez, is she going to call the whole fucking planet to reach me?

I have to say, unless you haven't understood it yet, that I don't get along with my mother very well. My father was a successful business man who owned Pierce Construction and other smaller companies. He was also an accomplished miser and very absent father. I am not sure he ever loved my mother, but he did the minimum to let her live quite well-off, though not as much as she wished, and she always used the money he gave her as she wanted; she also used her husband's absence to enjoy the company of other men; she never did it openly, but I knew and I guess that it is what disgusted me of women forever. Now that I think about it, this was pretty ridiculous since I also had my share of cheating boyfriends; so in the end, the gender doesn't really matter; but when I was twelve, it did and I have always held a grudge against my mother since then.

See? This is why I didn't want to speak to my mother right now, even less think about her. It makes me angry and this is one of the rare moments when I lose a bit of my self-control. I need to think about something else. My vacation sounds like a good option. Tomorrow, I am flying out to the Bahamas with Devin, and we are going to enjoy two weeks on a yacht, fucking like rabbits. This is exactly what I need to brush off a full year's pressure. By the time we make it home, my mood has quite lightened. Tony stops by the front door since we are going out later tonight and to his utter annoyance, I open my door and step out before he has had the time to get out himself. I tell him to be ready in about an hour and walk in the ridiculously huge house that I bought three years ago; ridiculously because it could fit a family of ten people and I am single. I was expecting Devin to meet me in the entrance hall since I sent him a text five minutes ago, but obviously he is not. 

"Good evening Liz," I greet my housekeeper as she walks down the stairs. Liz is in her late forties and also Tony's wife; I have always known her since she used to take care of my parents' house in New Jersey and of their son. Tony is an ex-army who used to work in security and got shot while he was protecting some kind of politician or whatever the guy was. He also used to do some deeds for my father. When I proposed the couple to follow me to Chicago, they immediately accepted and I offered Tony a job as my personal driver and security manager within Pierce Construction. They have been living on my domain since then, but they have their own private area and little house at the back of the huge yard.

"Good evening Joshua, how does it feel to be finally on vacation?" she asks with her motherly tone when I bend down and kiss her graying temple.

"It feels great! Same feeling you'll get tomorrow morning!" I tell her. Since I will be out of town for the next two weeks, both Tony and Liz will also be on holidays; quite logical...

"Definitely! Joshua, your mo..." she starts to say, a bit worried.

"No!! Don't tell me! I don't want to hear it!!" I interrupt her, not wanting to hear my mother called her too. "Hasn't Devin arrived?" She tries to stifle a grimace, not very successfully; Liz doesn't like Devin too much.

"He went straight to the media room when he got here at 2:00 pm. I haven't seen him since then..." she says disdainfully.

"Thanks, I'll go get him."

"Are you having dinner here or at the club?"

"Here, thank you. We'll be leaving in about an hour. Can you prepare something light and quick?"

"It will be ready in ten minutes," she says with a smile and walks off to the kitchen.

I make my way to the media room in the basement of the house and find Devin palming his cock under his sweat pants. Now, let's make something clear. I am what is called a Dominant in BDSM language, and Devin is my Submissive. Even though we have been under contract for about three months, I don't consider him as my boyfriend, and neither does he. However, our lifestyle implies a lot of rules that are detailed in a consensual agreement. I order; he obeys. If he fails, he gets punished. It's as simple as that. Well, no, not really... but basically, this is how it works - at least for me. Devin was supposed to be ready to go to the club by the time I'd get home and here I find him, watching some porn on the flat screen TV and palming himself - which is strictly forbidden as well.

"Maybe you need some help, Pet?" I ask him, making him almost jump on the armchair. He scrambles on the floor until he reaches my feet. Fuck! How many times will I have to tell him that he is not a dog?

"I'm sorry Master... I'm so sorry... It's my fault... I didn't realize that it was so late... I can go prepare now if you want..." he mumbles.

"I sent you a text five minutes before I got home. Obviously, you didn't even care about getting ready as I had asked you yesterday over the phone. And here I find out watching some porn and touching yourself. That's a lot don't you think? Do you have any good excuse?" I ask, towering him from my height while he is kneeling in front of me, head down.

"No Sir, I do deserve a punishment..."

"And you will get it. You don't have time to prep now. Just go to the playroom so that I can put a cock-cage on you, and you will prep at the club. You are not allowed to come tonight. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Sir... All very clear..."

After I have secured Devin's cock in a chastity device, I let him change to better fitted clothes and we have a silent and quick dinner on the kitchen counter. I don't intend to drink tonight, so in the end, I finally dismiss Tony so that he can spend a quiet pre-holidays evening with Liz and drive us to the club. Nearly an hour later we arrive at the Black Diamond & Satin Moon downtown Chicago. The Black Moon is the best gay nightclub in town; I am not saying this because it is owned by one of my best friend, but it really is; the club is quite selective because the entrance fee is pretty expensive but it provides the best music and the greatest DJs regularly come to play on their record decks. To be honest, I don't really come here to dance at the Black Moon; my interest goes to that private side of the club that is called the Black Diamond. If the Black Moon is selective, I can't find a better word to describe the Black Diamond then because you have to be a certified member to get in and the annual fee is super expensive.

I drive to the back of the club and through the gate that leads into the private parking lot reserved for the members of the Black Diamond, which is surrounded by high walls and trees that guarantee our privacy. Not everybody wants other people to find out that they go to a BDSM club; because this is what the Black Diamond is. Devin and I walk to the staff door and I let him go to the Submissives' locker room to get ready while I stop at the entrance and walk into Aaron's office. Aaron Cox is one of my best childhood friends and the owner of this club. Obviously I am the last one to arrive because Mark and Camden are here and the three of them are already dressed in their leather pants.

"Hey!! Look who's finally arrived!!" Mark cheers before we all shake hands and hugs. Aaron, Mark, Cam and I spent all our childhood in a little town in New Jersey until we left high school and we have been friends since we were like 5 or 6 years old. We all come from different social classes, but the bond between us is very strong and these guys are like brothers to me.

"So? Finally on vacation?" Cam asks.

"Oh yes... tomorrow at this time, I will be enjoying a beautiful sunset in the Bahamas, drinking a good cocktail and eating tapas!"

"Is Devin still going with you?" Aaron asks and I can feel some kind of discomfort beneath his question.

"Yes he is; why?"

"It might not be the best time to tell you this, but maybe, if you have the opportunity to, can you try and talk some sense into him?" Aaron asks, clearly embarrassed.

"What are you talking about?"

"Ed and Mick have complained about Devin's behavior recently. You know how I want this place to be a peaceful atmosphere; there should be a good harmony between the Subs and they should support and help each other, but it seems like Devin was his bitchy self last weekend again, and the guys really have a hard time dealing with it because it is not the first time," Aaron explained.

"I'm not surprised; he has been really difficult recently. Thanks for letting me know. I'll take appropriate measures with him," I comment, quite upset to hear this. I don't blame Aaron for telling me this now, because that's his job and mine is to train my Submissive to be a good person.

"Anyway, if he doesn't have a better behavior shortly, I will have to terminate his membership," Aaron adds.

"That would be fair. Don't worry, I was going to allow some time to make things clear with him over the next two weeks all the same and if he doesn't change for the better, I am not going to renew our contract. I'll quickly go and change in my private room and I'll meet you at the Diamond in 15 minutes guys!"

As I change into my leather pants, I think about our conversation and how Devin has been such a pain in the ass over the past month. He is a cute guy, quite clever, but a bit too lazy for my taste and not quick enough to react to orders. As much as I can deal with this kind of issue, I have a harder time dealing with mean or disrespectful behaviors, especially when they affect my friends, or other Subs or my circle in general. I almost begin to regret taking him with me on holidays now, but I will give him another chance to make up for his bad manners.

Published on 22 Aug 2016

So this was the first chapter in Joshua's POV and you have been introduced some characters that you already know (like Aaron, Mark and Camden) or at least heard of in the first story (Mick who appeared in the opening scene of IWSFTM and spoke with Shannon during his training, Ed, another Sub, Ally), as well as a bunch of new characters. This story includes many, many more characters than the previous one and it has sometimes been a real puzzle for me to keep everyone coherent despite my file that sums up all the characters of all the stories lol, so I hope you readers will be able to follow up :) Basically, the most "important" ones are Allan, the second in command, Derek, the CFO, Tony of course, and his wife Liz, and others who will appear later.

Although this story belongs to the Black Moon series, this is going to be mainly what some people call Office Love and as much as part of the action takes place at the club, a large part will be related to Joshua's business. I chose the building market, because to me, it is one that is always in expansion and a valued asset, but I may be wrong, so let's just say that in my fiction, it is :)

The picture above shows the 21st floor (yeah, I'm back with my drawings...). Only the "top" wall is plain. All the other walls are windows, as well as the wall between Ally's open space and Joshua's office, which can be frozen ;) You can see the meeting room and how the leadership team is settled (important for chapter 3...). There are two main elevators and Josh has his smaller private one just on the right. He also has his private bathroom with a shower, a round table for meetings, a huge desk and a couch.

Next chapter will be Liam's introduction, and of course, Mister Shannon will also be there :) but not as a Sub obviously.