Shiv's long day of negotiating had finally come to an end. The swanky hotel room felt like a sanctuary away from the stuffy boardroom. Her back ached from sitting so many hours in the leather chairs, but her feet seemed to throb with the most anticipation. After all, her secret weapon, her delightful reason to smile, was waiting on the insole of her shoes to come out and play. She undid her sleek ponytail, stretching her head back as her soft brown waves cascaded to her shoulders, a sigh of relief escaping her lips. She could hardly wait to release her precious captive, Jesse. Walking into the bedroom, she glanced at the wall clock; the midnight hour was approaching, but her tiredness would have to wait. Shiv's excitement needed attending to first. Slowly, she collapsed onto the plush, burgundy armchair, sinking into its heavenly embrace. Shiv stretched out her legs, her shapely calves bare against the air as her feet awaited freedom. She crossed one delicate ankle over the other, her blood-red fingernails tapping a rhythm against her black, open-toed stiletto. "I do hope you survived Jesse," Shiv whispered with a sly grin, her eyes glinting like a mischievous child. "You'd hate to have failed me twice, wouldn't you?" She wiggled her toes with a giggle, as if envisioning Jesse's reaction to the sudden movement in the confined space beneath her foot. Gently, she slipped off the stiletto from her left foot, enjoying the sensation of the cool air between her sweaty toes. She reveled in the smell of worn leather and the lingering scent of the day's stress. "Missed it, haven't you, Jesse?" As she slowly peeled the other shoe away from her right foot, she couldn't help but think that she had never imagined the pleasure she'd derive from having an employee underfoot. Yet it seemed the perfect punishment for someone who had been so incompetent. It was merely two weeks ago that Shiv finally took the bold step of taping Jesse to her insole. And life had never been the same since. Reaching into the shoe, she traced the insole with her fingers, feeling the small, crumpled figure stuck there. She smirked at the thought of Jesse's new life, one that had him constantly underfoot, squished and sweaty beneath her luxurious shoe. "Are you still squirming down there, Jesse?" she asked placidly, her eyes cold with a cruel glee. She unfurled the strip of tape, peeling it away from the sole, watching as the pathetic little figure clung desperately to its secure little prison. Her laughter filled the room. "Must've been a bit...tight down there, hasn't it?" Raising her foot to inspect her tiny underling, she wiggled her toes once more, the air drying the lingering perspiration. It wasn't enough to have him bound, helpless beneath her; she needed him to see her in her element. To know why he could never measure up. To understand that he was fortunate to be so near her divine presence. Shiv draped her legs languidly over the arm of the chair, her black stiletto dangling from her perfectly pedicured toes. Elbow resting on the armrest, her chin perched on her delicate hand, she propped Jesse up on her toned thigh. "I'd say you've had quite an interesting day, haven't you Jesse boy?" She caressed the tiny man's cheek, fingers tender yet authoritative. As Jesse shook helplessly in response, she pressed him closer to her leg. Lamenting his failure, his wasted potential, Shiv harvested his desperation for her own selfish pleasure. With him in her complete control, she professed, "Don't worry, darling. You'll be back down there tomorrow, and the day after." Whispering these secrets satisfied a craving she'd never before imagined - a craving that grew stronger with each passing day. Under the soft glow of the chandelier, Shiv flashed her sinister grin once more, taping Jesse back to the insole of her stiletto. Placing her shoes by the bedside, she stared longingly at them, already anticipating the sensation of her foot pressing down on Jesse's crumpled figure.