Contractual Obligation Ch. 01

This story is about a guy who puts his legal knowledge to some odd uses with the help of some magical paper. Note: I appreciate feedback that is constructive. If you found spelling errors, editing problems, have advice or ideas on how it could be better, please do share. If you post nasty stuff that is just crap with no input on how I could get better, I will delete it. Thanks, hope you enjoy.

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CHAPTER I: IN A SMALL STORE CALLED "ODDS AND ENDS" IN NYC

Mark sneezed as the dust blew up from where the old man blew on a stack of old books. He waved his hands and coughed. "Cripes, do you ever dust this place? Next time I come in I'll wear a bio-hazard suit and a gas mask."

The old man chuckled. "I used to, then figured why bother. I'll just have to do it again. Well, I do believe this is what you were looking for?"

He held up an old leather bound book. It was a very rare legal text from the early 1500's in England, and Mark had tracked it down to this place. Mark grinned and nodded. He carefully took it and just as carefully opened it. It had been properly stored and the paper while old was not crumbling. He carefully leafed through it and his smile grew broader and broader.

"This is exactly it! First edition, only seven like it in the world and two are in such bad shape they can't be touched anymore. This is awesome, thank you."

"My pleasure. It's good to see people who are still interested in old things and books and so on." The man sighed and for a moment he got a faraway look in his eye. He shook his head and led Mark to the front to ring him up.

Mark was a notary public, legal clerk, and general office assistant to a major legal firm on Wall Street. He was going to be finishing law school soon and he was more than ready for the bar. Several of the senior partners made it a point to always tutor clerks who worked for them and clerking at the firm was a major notch in anyone's belt. Mark was hoping to get a job there afterwards, but he knew the competition was tough. And he did already have a standing offer from a smaller firm on Long Island that he had from a recommendation from one of his law professors. So either way, Mark felt he was okay in what was coming up.

"This is rather interesting. There is an entire section on witchcraft in this legal text." The old man said as he leafed through it making sure there was no damage (he refused to charge full price for any damaged book).

Mark laughed. "Well, this thing was written in King Henry VIII of England's time. Right after he chopped off old what's her name's head, Anne something. He suspected her of witchcraft, I remember, and this was written to reflect some new laws in support of the King's contention."

The old man smiled. "How strange the world must have seemed to them back then. A whole new world being found, the Reformation, and then of course the wars. One could forgive them for thinking in terms of magic and sorcery."

Mark shrugged. "Seems to be kind of goofy to me. Hunting witches, deals with the Devil. Cripes, I always thought that was funny actually. Just get yourself a good lawyer before making a deal. He can find the loopholes for you. It would be worth a lot for a lawyer back then to say he was so good he could find you a loophole in the Devil's Contract."

"Unless the Devil hired that same lawyer to make sure it was full proof." The old man said.

Mark snickered. "Well, I guess that's true. Heck, I could probably do it. They have me do tons of contract review at the firm. They tell me I really have an eye for catching stuff. One of the senior partners has been pushing me to go into contract law."

The man looked at him with an odd smile. He carefully packed the book and then looked at him. "What if I told you there was a way to find out how exactly good you were at writing a full proof contract?"

Mark looked at him with a puzzled expression. "You mean getting it reviewed by someone?"

"No. What if I gave you something that would make any contract, ANY contract fully binding in the mind of the person signing it and the world at large. It could be on anything you wanted like a car lease, or rental agreement, or sale of goods or services. Anything. The trick would be that the person under the contract's influence would know it, and would be seeking a way out of it, actively."

Mark was now looking at the man like he was crazy and the man chuckled. "I see you don't believe me. I don't blame you; I didn't either, when I got the ledger. But you are a clever lad, smart, driven, and also very kind. You have never tried to cheat me, and have always had time to talk to me. I think a reward for you is in order."

The man reached under the counter and pulled out a box about the size of a ream of paper. He opened it and Mark looked at an old leather bound ledger. It appeared to be a bit off color and Mark looked closer and realized that it was very old. He reached in and picked it up. He sniffed it and it had a very old musty smell. He slowly opened it and found that it contained a bunch of hand written contracts in odd English.

The man nodded. "Now allow me to explain how this works. This ledger was created by a witch hunter back in the days of Cromwell. He used alchemy and some rather un-Christian spells to create this book. It was a special book to bind demons and witches. The witch hunter was a clever man who would trick evil beings into signing a contract with him. But the paper is magical you see, any agreement was fully binding. Once that contract was signed they were in his power and he could vanquish them back to hell, or reform them, if human. He had been a very clever lawyer, but his wife had been bewitched and died from the curse and he became a hunter to avenge her. He sent seventeen demons back to hell and defeated forty six witches with this before he died of the plague."

Mark looked at the old man and was amazed at how animated he was. "Damn, I really think the guy believes this." He thought. He didn't want to be rude so he let him continue.

"This paper makes things written on it binding. Not as in legally, per se, but it works for that as well, but by your soul, binding. If I was to write "I will be the slave of this young man for ten days and do all his housework for him without complaint" and sign it, and then have it stamped by a notary, I would be bound to fulfill the contract."

The old man turned to a page about halfway through and pointed it out to Mark. Mark looked at it and realized it was a typed rental agreement. Mark watched the man carefully undo two clasps on wither end of the binding and realized it was actually a very well made ring binder with numerous small rings holding the book together. The man pulled it out and handed it to him. Mark started to read it and realized it was the original lease to the store. Mark read that the rent was only $50 a month, utilities thrown in, and some other sweet deals. Signed in 1945 and stamped. Mark looked at the man and said "Okay, but how does this prove anything?"

"I still only pay $50 rent for this location. Rather cheap for just off of Wall Street yes? This part here, about my landlord selling his shares off? If he sells out, it clearly states that this contract carries over to the new landlord, who must sign here as accepting the contract in full until such time as a mutually agreed upon change has been emplaced and that no new rental agreements can be created unless negotiated for. All I do is say no. See this little part down here? If I say no, the new landlord has to thank me and leave and not return unless he/she is selling out and we have to repeat it."

Mark looked on the last page of the seven page document and was amazed at the signatures. Various rich men, banks, even the City had signed on this and apparently every one of them had kept it untouched for nearly 80 years now. He looked at the man and said "This is pretty wild. I'm kind of tempted to believe you, but still, this is crazy."

The man nodded and replaced the contract. He handed it to Mark and said "Here, take this and try it. Write up something harmless, get someone to sign it and then you'll find out how crazy reality can be. Then you can test your idea on how well you can actually write a full proof contract."

Mark was going to say no, but after a moment shook his head yes and said "I think you are a bit loopy, but sure I'll give it a shot."

So Mark had left with the binder and some instructions. They were fairly simple. One, he had to be the one actually writing it, but could use a printer or typewriter. In other words, his words only. He could get advice but the wording had to be his. Two, he had to have a legal signature, no forgeries. Mark had asked exactly what that meant and the old man said that it had to be something that would stand up in court. So that could be hand signature, electronic, or even a stamp depending on how the owner had authorized it. Three, the only way the contract would end is if someone found a loophole and used it, or if Mark tore it up and declared it null and void. Four, the signer of the document didn't have to read it, or even know what he/she was signing. Given that this was a weapon to use against demons, trickery and deception were expected. Five, if the contract was destroyed by fire or water or whatever but Mark had legal notarized copies on hand, the contract would still be binding. It was the original signatures that made it stick according to the old man. The last bit was also important; it made people "understanding".

Mark asked what that meant and the old man chuckled. "Think about the time period. Someone ordering a demon-possessed human around to do an exorcism would probably get a mob formed up really quickly and that would get out of control fast with maybe the demon getting away or the witch hunter getting burned at the stake. This clause made people understand what was going on in that "Oh, of course he is doing that, he is a witch hunter and he is binding a demon" would be how they looked at it. Took the emotion out of it in a sense. Same thing here, when I get new landlords they don't come in all fired up to crush me for ripping them off on rent, they come in thinking "Well, he did sign a contract and he has abided by it, so no problems. I can't simply kick him out or raise his rent because then I would violate the contract and I can't do that."

Mark had taken the ledger, put it away and had kind of forgotten about it for a few weeks until one day he was unloading his backpack at his desk and found the ledger tucked away. He chuckled at it and put it in his desk drawer. But now that he had been reminded, he decided maybe he should try it out for a gag.

During lunch Mark pulled out the ledger and started thinking about what kind of contract he could write up. He didn't have any property really, just rental. No car as he took the subway. No debts needing refinancing (scholarship winner for everything). He was really stumped when he noticed Kathy Jones at her desk reading.

Kathy Jones was an older woman who worked as one of the administrative assistants for the senior legal team. She was at her desk, eating lunch and reading a cheesy romance novel. The cover had a sexy woman dressed like an Arabian Princess and was titled "The Concubine's Tale".

Mark suddenly got an idea and snickered. He remember reading once in a law history course that back in the really old days women would sell themselves into a type of slavery as Concubines to rich or noblemen. They actually got a legal agreement that laid out their "Duties" and what they got in return including clauses for early death, accidents and even retirement when they were too old to please the man anymore. Mark remembered thinking about how complex they had been for the time they were used.

Mark snickered again and fired up Google. "Time for some research. This could be fun!"

SEVERAL DAYS LATER

Mark was a bit nervous as he walked into Mrs. Willard's office. It was past five o'clock on a Friday, and he had stayed late with some work so he could try his contract out.

Mark had done a ton of research on concubine contracts of the old days and had decided to try one out as a gag. If he got caught he would simply put it down as a lost bet that he had to pay off. Lots of the clerks did that for fun, usually involving having to do something minorly stupid or embarrassing if they lost a bet on a case or game or whatever and it was considered a bit of a tradition at the firm. So If Mrs. Willard caught it, he had his cover story.

Mrs. Willard was actually not that much older than he was. She was a junior partner, but an up and coming one. Everyone expected her to be a full partner sometime within the next five years, at most. Her husband was a junior VP in a hedge fund firm and they were both only about maybe seven or eight years ahead of Mark in terms of age.

Mrs. Willard was also pretty fucking hot. She had been in gymnastics in college and while her tits were at best a 32BB, her body was smoking. Taut, tight, and VERY flexible, Mark had seen her out running once and had gotten hard as she zipped past him in a pair of short shorts and workout bra. She had dark brown hair, green eyes, and a perfect manicure. She always dressed impeccably, and was very professional. She wasn't a bitch or anything, but always professional at work to the point of only letting her equals or the senior partners call her by her first name Breanne.

Mark had been working his ass off on his full proof contract and was convinced he had it perfect. He had researched the hell out of it, gone down every possible rabbit hole, had had each section double checked (carefully set up so you couldn't tell it was about a concubine contract) by proof readers in the firm and at his law school, and was certain it was set.

Mark still didn't believe the old man, but he had decided aside from the fun he had researching (some of the old contracts had been rather graphic in explaining what duties were expected of a concubine), it would make for a funny joke at the office Christmas party at the very least. Mrs. Willard was actually an easy target too. She tended to get way too involved in things and if you slipped in to get her to sign something she often just did it without really reading it so she could stay focused on her work. She was especially bad at this after five when she was trying to finish up to go home.

Mark knocked on the door and Mrs. Willard didn't even look up from her brief as she waved him in. She had a major case next week and was finishing up her arguments. She said "Signatures? Or do you need something else?"

"Signatures ma'am, have the docket review set, have the final intern list for your approval, and a couple of administrative things. The intern list was accepted as stated in the review meeting so this is just to formalize it."

Mrs. Willard nodded and pulled out a pen while reading. Her lips moved as she read to herself and started to sign the various documents. Mark had six files needing signature total and had slipped his contract in as number two. Mrs. Willard had a habit of starting to actually check items on or about the third one to make sure no one got anything past her.

Mark held his breath as she flipped open the folder with his hand-typed contract on it, flipped to the last page. It was eighteen pages long and had taken him nearly all night to carefully type it on an old Smith-Corona the office kept for occasional use. He hadn't wanted to take a chance on using a networked printer and wasting paper, especially if this crazy thing actually worked.

Mrs. Willard didn't even break stride as she signed and he moved the document out and she signed that one. She actually did read the next two and then signed the last one as she got back into her brief. Mark thanked her and left.

Mark was actually shaking a bit when he pulled out his notary seal. He stamped the contract, signed it, and then carefully placed it in his book. Mark looked around and listened. He didn't hear anything and he sighed. "Well, I'm not sure what exactly I expected, a thunderbolt or something, but how the hell will I know if this actually worked?" he muttered. He thought and then got an idea.

He put on his coat and picked up his backpack. He headed towards Mrs. Willard's office and stuck his head in the door. "Mrs. Willard, it is getting late. It's time to go."

Mark had to focus on not trembling. He figured that if she gave him a nasty look or chewed him out he could play it off as the clerk trying to be nice. She stopped reading and looked at him. "I need to finish this first so I need a few more minutes please."

Mark gulped. Remembering his contract and how he had worded it he recalled that a concubine could request a favor of her master if she felt she had something very important happening. As she could until her master gave her strict orders forbidding her from doing so. But that was still not exactly perfect proof that it had worked but it gave him enough hope to push it further.

"Mrs. Willard, I didn't ask. As per our contract, when I give you an order, you must obey it. In the future you will not question an order unless it is a matter of life or death."

Mrs. Willard looked at him with odd expression. After a moment she said "May I see this contract? I don't recall signing anything like that."

Mark pulled it out and set in on her desk. "If you look at section one, sub paragraph a, you will see that you agreed to be a concubine and harem slave who would fully obey her master's every order, desire and wish without question unless said concubine felt she had a valid reason and had not been prohibited from doing so by her master. I have now prohibited you from doing this unless it is a life or death situation. So pack up your things and let's go."

Mark was sweating as he said that and waited for this to crash down on him and Mrs. Willard to crush his skull. Mrs. Willard read the entire contract from front to back, and then she simply sighed.

"Well, I guess I should have read the contract before signing. Very well, I'll get my things."

"I will get my things, Master." Mark corrected.

"My apologies, I will get my things, Master." She stated with a resigned sigh. Mark nearly fell over from relief and shock. Mrs. Breanne Willard simply stood and packed her things and got ready to leave. When she was done she turned off her office lights and they headed towards the elevator. While they waited her cell phone rang. She answered it and Mark heard her say "Oh hello Dear. I'm actually leaving now. Yes a bit earlier than I planned. Maybe we should do something tonight, catch a show."

Mark looked at her and then decided to test her obedience and the reality changing powers of the contract. If the old man was right, now that she had signed people were supposed to accept that she was under contract to be his slave and wouldn't have a problem with it. He motioned for her stop talking and she said "Dear, hold on a second." She cupped the phone and said "Yes Master?"

"You need to explain to your husband that you have signed a contract to be a concubine harem slave for another man. You won't be home this weekend as you have to attend to your Master. Tell him that you will call him during office hours, but until the contract is completed you belong to him."

Breanne sighed and looked a bit sad. Then she made a tutting sound and said "Well, my own fault for not reading it." She uncovered the phone and Mark said "Put it on speaker so I can hear him."

Breanne did and started talking. "Dear, I won't be home this weekend due to a contractual obligation."

"A what? What are you talking about?" a confused male voice replied on the other end.

"I signed a concubine contract with a man at work and now I'm his harem slave. I have to attend to my Master this weekend, but you can call me at work on Monday. I'm sorry about this; I should have paid more attention, but nothing I can do about it. I signed a contract after all and it's properly notarized and binding. Talk to you Monday then?"