Page 3 of His to Correct

I tried to back away, but found myself hemmed in by the chairs behind me. “Don’t you dare touch me,” I hissed, but my voice lacked conviction. The fight had started to drain out of me.

Johnson and Ramirez approached me cautiously, their faces a mixture of reluctance and determination. I could see the conflict in their eyes—they didn’t want to manhandle a woman, but they also didn’t want to disobey a direct order from Sharon.

“Please, Miss Mitropoulos,” Johnson said softly, reaching out a hand. “Don’t make this harder than it needs to be.”

I jerked away from his touch, my heart pounding wildly in my chest. “Don’t you see how wrong this is?” I pleaded, looking from one to the other. “You can’t just go along with this!”

Ramirez sighed, his dark eyes filled with something that might have been pity. “We don’t have a choice. Neither do you.”

They moved in tandem, each grasping one of my arms. Their grips were firm but not painful, clearly trying to be as gentle as possible under the circumstances. I struggled against them, twisting and pulling, but their combined strength was too much for me.

“Let me go!” I demanded, my voice rising in pitch as panic began to set in. The room seemed to spin around me as they half-led, half-carried me toward the front. I could feel the eyes of every other recruit boring into me, a mixture of fascination and horror on their faces.

As we neared the dais, Sharon’s imposing figure loomed before me. She stood with her arms crossed, a slight smirk playing at the corners of her mouth. “Over the back of that chair, if you please, gentlemen,” she instructed, gesturing to one of the front-row seats, which she had pulled forward.

Johnson and Ramirez hesitated for just a moment before guiding me forward. I planted my feet, trying to resist, but they easily overpowered me. After a final, desperate struggle, I found myself bent over the back of the chair, my bottom raised, high and vulnerable.

CHAPTER 2

Melissa

I gripped the plastic chair’s minimally cushioned seat, my knuckles cramping with the tension in my hands. The rough synthetic fabric scratched my flushed cheek as I turned my head to the side, refusing to meet the gaze of my fellow recruits. The position felt utterly humiliating, my skirt riding up to expose the backs of my thighs.

Sharon’s heels were noiseless on the carpet as she approached. I felt a slight movement of air and then she was beside me, holding something in front of my face. My eyes widened as I took in the sight of it—a paddle. Stark white plastic emblazoned with Selecta’s bold red logo.

“This, Miss Mitropoulos,” Sharon said, her voice dripping with false sweetness, “is an official Selecta discipline paddle. I think you’ll find it most effective in curbing that rebellious streak of yours.”

I squeezed my eyes shut, willing it all to be a horrible nightmare. Sharon’s voice continued on smoothly, the feigned compassionmaking my stomach churn. “I’m sure that all of you, unlike Miss Mitropoulos here, read your contracts thoroughly. So I know you’re well aware that corporate discipline at Selecta is maintained through corporal punishment.”

My eyes flew open in shock. I lifted my head and craned my neck to look at the three or four fellow recruits I could see, off to my left side. I searched their faces for any sign of surprise or outrage. But I saw only a mix of nervous anticipation and resigned acceptance. How could they have known? How could they have agreed to this?

“That’s impossible!” I shouted, my voice cracking with desperation. “There’s no way that’s legal!”

Sharon’s laugh was cold, with a hint of real mirth. “Oh, my dear,” she said, running a perfectly manicured nail along the edge of the paddle. “You really should have done your research before accepting this position. The Corporate Laws give us quite extensive authority over our employees.”

The mention of the Corporate Laws sent a chill down my spine. I had taken a cursory look at them, of course, as part of my preparation for this role. But I had never imagined they could be interpreted so… broadly.

“I quit!” I yelled, struggling to push myself up from the chair. “You can’t do this to me if I’m not an employee!”

I felt a surge of hope as I managed to lift my upper body off the seat. But it was short-lived. Johnson and Ramirez, who had been standing nearby, quickly moved to restrain me. Their large hands pressed down on my shoulders, forcing me back into position.

“I’m afraid it’s not quite that simple,” Sharon said, her voice taking on a patronizing tone that made my blood boil. “Perhaps it’s time for a little lesson in modern government.”

She began to pace slowly in front of the assembled recruits, the paddle tapping rhythmically against her palm. “The Corporate Laws, as established by our esteemed administration, grant companies like Selecta a great deal of autonomy in how we manage our workforce. This includes the right to enforce our contracts through… shall we say, physical means.”

I felt my stomach drop as the full implications of her words sank in. “But… but that’s barbaric!” I protested, my voice muffled against the chair. I tried again to lift myself from the seat of the chair. The hands on my shoulders pushed me down once more.

Sharon continued as if I hadn’t spoken. “Moreover, these laws stipulate that any individual who signs a contract with a corporation is bound by its terms for a minimum period of thirty days, regardless of any attempt to terminate the agreement prematurely.”

She paused directly in front of me, her shadow falling across my prone form. “In other words, Miss Mitropoulos, you’re ours for the next month at least. And we intend to make full use of that time to correct your attitude.”

I felt tears of frustration and fear welling up in my eyes. How could I have been so naive? I had thought I could change the system from within, but instead, I had walked right into the grinding blades of the machine.

Sharon’s voice took on a more serious tone as she addressed the room. “I want to be perfectly clear about the extent of Selecta’s authority under the Corporate Laws. Our right to disciplineemployees includes administering punishment in the nude. I’ve personally witnessed its remarkable effectiveness in ensuring compliance and fostering the proper mindset.”

My breath caught in my throat as I processed her words. Surely she couldn’t mean… But even as the thought formed, I felt Sharon’s cool fingers at the hem of my skirt. With deliberate slowness, she began to raise the fabric, exposing more and more of my legs to the room.

“No,” I whimpered, squirming against Johnson’s and Ramirez’s firm grip. “Please, don’t…”

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