The phone rang unnoticed, for Clarice was lost in the throes of continued self-pleasure.
However, the caller on the other end was growing more upset with each unanswered ring.
Where is that woman? he asked himself, swiveling in his leather chair to activate his desktop computer.
A quick check showed him exactly what Clarice McDowell was doing, and as what.
"Insubordination will not be tolerated, even from management," he said aloud, while rapidly typing in a few commands.
Clarice the Lizard Woman had long ago lost count on the exact number of self-induced orgasms she had already experienced. Her nipples were rock hard and her tail thrashed in time with her bouts of bliss as her claw tipped fingers continued to stroke her reptilian body.
Yet despite how soaked the sofa cushions beneath her scaled form were becoming, Clarice was a long way from taking a break when she felt a sharp pain in her stomach.
Clarice bent over, clutching her gut during an intense muscle spasm far beyond what she programmed her pain threshold for. It felt like she was about to vomit everything she had eaten today and then some.
Instead, she found herself instantly reverting back to her human form.
As her vision cleared, Clarice saw she was still within the first hour of her off duty period.
Then she finally heard the phone.
Picking it up with a shaky hand, she managed to keep the nervousness out of her voice as she said, "Hello."
"Such behavior will not be tolerated," said the voice on the other end.
Clarice's blood ran cold as she recognized the speaker. "Yes, sir," she said.
"I expect ALL employees to be on call 24/7 in case of emergency, especially management, regardless of their actual work schedules. As punishment, I have altered the programming of your nanites. You have lost the ability to transform for the next 24 hours, and have lost the ability to experience an orgasm until your next scheduled day off."
DAMN HIM! Clarice silently swore, but only said "Yes, sir." aloud. At least this confirmed her fear about how even her own nanites could be controlled by someone else. She would have to be more careful in the future.
"How may I serve you, sir?" asked Clarice.
"Bring me up to date on the situation with Gloria Cardon and Amy Campbell," he ordered.
Meanwhile...