The Empath Cycle: 2013.1 Tamed

2013.1 Tamed

Chapter 1

"Sorry to interrupt your meeting, boss, but there's something you really need to take care of." Nancy told Jean.

"That's okay. We were just about done here. Fred, I will need the latest update on the Vancouver investigation. We need to know if we have to send the whole team or not. Maria, good work in South Carolina. Anything else that can't wait? Good. Let's get to work people."

"What is it, Nancy?"

"There's this lady on the phone. She insists that she needs to speak to you, but she won't give me her name. When I told her that you were in a meeting and couldn't come to the phone, she started swearing at me. I mean, boss, that's some creative cussing. I think part of it is in Yiddish, but I know a lot is in Spanish. I put her on hold ten minutes ago and checked every few minutes. Would you believe she hasn't stopped yet?"

"I think I know who it is." Jean laughed. "Does she sound like a black woman from New York?"

"Not at all. I think she's a Brit or an Aussie. I love that accent. I can just imagine her whispering sweet nothings in my ear as she's..."

"Woah there girl. Too much information. What would Carlotta say if she knew you're fantasizing about some woman on the phone?"

"She'd want all the details, of course. She's been practicing her accent too. When she calls, she uses it because she knows what it does to me. She..."

"Can we talk about your use of company time for phone sex with your girlfriend at another time? What about the woman on the phone?"

"That's all I know. She wants to talk to you. She had the foulest mouth I've ever heard. And she won't tell me her name. Your private line, boss."

"All right then. Disengage the recording, engage security and no peeking."

"Give me a sec, boss."

When the light turned to blue on her phone, Jean picked up.

"Does Amy know you're seducing my secretary?"

"Hi there, Jeanie. How's life in the colonies?"

"We are all feeling secure over here. How about in the old country?"

"I'm in New York actually. I came especially to see this new play on Broadway. You know how it is here. You just can't feel safe anywhere with all the muggings and everything."

"Sounds like you need a good woman to take care of you."

"Are you offering, darling? I have a few extra tickets. Why don't you bring your South American friend too? I heard of this authentic Peruvian restaurant. I'm told it's to die for."

"I'm a little busy right now. How about on the week-end?"

"Aww shoot! I was really hoping to see you tonight or tomorrow for lunch. I'm in a bit of a rush. I'm flying to L.A. to read for a part in three days at the latest. They need me for the role of an old English matriarch."

"You know what? Now that I look at my calendar, I'm sure I can move some things around. I'll have my secretary book us a room at the Marriott. See you tonight for a late supper?"

"Looking forward to it, luv. Tata!"

After hanging up, Jean replayed the conversation in her mind.

"Nancy, call Barbara and tell her I'm coming. If she can get Lee Ann too, it's even better. Book us two tickets for New York and a suite at the Marriott for one or possibly two nights."

Nancy looked at her screen where the details of the flight was already scrolling in one window and the reservation form for the hotel she was filling in another. That had sounded like heavy shit and Jean running to see Barbara confirmed it.

Barbara was waiting for Jean at the elevator when the door opened.

"Lee's waiting for us." Barbara told her, worried by the serious expression on her friend's face.

When they entered Lee Ann's office, Jean reached over and engaged the security measures herself before sitting.

"Are you girls engaged in something in South America? In Peru, specifically?"

The two women looked at each other.

"How do you know about that, Jean?" Lee Ann asked. "There are only five people in this building who do and I can trust that they didn't talk about it."

"Whatever it is, you're about to get hit. I got a call from New York..."

"WHAT?" Lee Ann shouted, slamming her fist on her desk. "What the fuck is going on here?"

"Wait, Lee." Barbara stopped her before turning to Jean. "Is this the friend you told me about?"

"Yes. She called my private line. She used a British accent and invented this cockamamie cover story, but she made sure to tell me to bring a friend who knows about South America and Peru in particular."

"That doesn't tell me how she could know about this deal." Lee Ann growled. "This is beyond hush-hush. You wouldn't believe the security measures we used."

"If you're doing business in Peru, like in any other such countries, it means you're talking to the government. She has contacts in high places all over South America. She wouldn't call and ask me to fly over tonight or tomorrow morning at the latest if it wasn't important."

"Who do you want to send, Lee?" Barbara asked her boss and partner.

"It has to be you. I wish I could go, but I can't miss tomorrow's meeting. If this is going to blow in our face, we need as much advance warning as possible. I'll alert the team to be on stand-by and prepare an emergency pull-out strategy."

"I'll have Carlotta book..."

"If I know Nancy, it was done before I arrived here if not before I left my office."

"I may just have lunch with her while you're gone. Mrs. Parker is retiring in a few months and I haven't found a replacement yet. You wouldn't believe the bimbos HR keep sending me."

"Nancy knows. Mrs. Parker's successor is presently being fast-tracked through HR or should be. Nancy gave Mrs. Parker her cousin's résumé and she interviewed the person last week."

"Are the assistants running the company now? Why didn't I hear about this before?"

"Didn't you figure it out yet, Lee? What would you have done without Mrs. Parker all these years?"

"You've got a point. When will I meet this woman?"

"Who said it's a woman?" Jean grinned. "He's moving from New York over the week-end. Guess who he was working for?"

"How would I...? No! You're not serious."

"Yep. Your childhood idol in person. He has a glowing letter of recommendation signed by the big man himself. I told him you might want to buy it from him."

"His file is in HR, you say? I'll have to see about that. Have Nancy tell him to report here Monday morning at 8:00am sharp."

"Will do, boss."

"What are you two loafers waiting for? Don't you have a plane to catch?"

When they were gone, Lee Ann hit the intercom.

"Mrs. Parker, would you come in here, please."

"What can I do for you Lee Ann?"

"You were going to tell me about this young man eventually, were you?"

"Of course I was. I'm waiting on HR to approve him."

"What about you? Do you think he could do your job?"

"He rose through the ranks to Executive Assistant. He worked at that position for eight years. He has the training and the experience. He's better than I am with the new technologies too. The only reason he's leaving his current employment is that his fiancé is from Montreal and he doesn't want to uproot her. They were waiting for him to find work here to be married."

"I'll call HR and have him..."

"His temporary desk will be in my office this afternoon and I asked Julien to be here at 7:30am on Monday so you'd have time to talk to him before I start his training."

"Snooping again?"

"Certainly not. It would be unethical. I requisitioned the desk and computer last week and called him yesterday... I only sent the emails to confirm it all in the last five minutes."

"Get out of here, you old fraud." Lee Ann laughed.

"By the way, Mr. Roberts is on his way about the Peru deal."

Their flight had been delayed by an early snow storm in New York so they were tired by the time they landed at JFK, but the car Nancy had hired was waiting for them and the commute was easy.

"Do we have time to shower and change before we go down for supper, darling?" Barbara asked once they were in their suite.

Jean was sweeping the rooms for surveillance equipment.

"Sure, babe, but make it a quick one. I'm hungry."

By the time she came out, Jean was done.

"We're fine. I set the white noise emitter, just in case."

"Now we wait. Should we call room service? I'm famished."

"Let's give her a few more minutes. Then we'll decide if we eat here or go down to the restaurant and continue to play the airhead game."

"We can stay here and give a show to the bellboy when he delivers the food. The whole staff will be gossiping about us within the hour and if anybody's watching, they won't be able to miss it. But I still think you're being too paranoid."

"Better safe than sorry. If she took these precautions, there must be a reason."

They didn't have to wait long before there was a knock on the door. Jean arranged her robe so it would be slightly open and Barbara lounged on the couch in her underwear.

When Mona slipped in the suite, she looked at the two women and laughed.

"All this white booty for me? Sugar, you shouldn't have."

She was still laughing as she slipped her arms around Jean's waist, inside the robe, and rubbed her face between her breasts before pulling her down for a kiss.

"And you, Blondie? Won't you welcome me properly?"

"Why the hell not? I can't let Jean have all the fun."

Once they were all sitting on the couch, laughing, Mona took out a burner phone and sent a text.

"Señor Hernandez will be here soon. He has a room on another floor. You, Blondie, is the one who knows about the Peru mining deal?"

"My name is..."

"I don't need to know and I don't want to know. I told you his name because he's the one who approached me. The way he spoke, I'm guessing you already know him. Ah! This must be him. Go to your rooms and get dressed properly. I'll let him in."

When they came back, dressed in their business suits, there was a middle-aged man with Mona. It was a good thing she already knew his name or Barbara would have been hard pressed to conceal her surprise at his presence in New York. He was supposed to be in Lima working to broker their deal.

"Buenas noches señora Ryan. Me alegra que llegaste a tan corto plazo." The man said.

"Buenas noches señor Hernandez. Por favor entra en mi habitación por lo que podemos hablar en privado."

Once the two had left, Mona and Jean sat on the couch with bottles of water from the minibar.

"Sorry for the cloak and dagger stuff, honey, but he was pretty spooked when he came to me and, considering the methods of the secret police in his country, I thought it was safer to err on the side of caution."

"I figured as much. I must tell you that my boss was very upset that you called me. She was afraid there had been a leak."

"If it only were that simple. He approached me because he needed a quiet way to reach out to your company. We know each other from his previous visits to the UN as Energy Minister. This time, he's here to try to get support for his government. I had already heard rumors, but he confirmed them. If nothing is done, there will be a coup soon in Peru and the new people in power will nationalize all the mines."

"Why would they do that? Aren't they getting a lot of revenue from the mining industry? And I'm not even talking about all the bribes."

"Did you read about the dozens of people killed by the army to put an end to the strike last month? The mining companies take advantage of the fact that life is cheap in poor countries like Peru to skimp outrageously on even minimal safety measures. It's the same all over Africa too. Why do you think there are so many companies with their head offices in Canada? The government turns a blind eye to these abuses for the same reasons. Tax revenues and bribes."

"I didn't think it was that bad."

"It's worse than you know. Most of the investigative reports are quashed at the editorial level or so watered down, they end up almost being promotional spots for the mining industry."

They talked for about forty-five minutes before Barbara and the man came out of her room. She walked him to the door.

"Gracias señor Hernandez. Nos encontramos en su deuda."

"Lo siento solo que pude no advierto antes, señora Ryan."

"Buenas noches, señor."

"Buenas noches, señoras." He told the three women.

"Buenas noches, señor Hernandez. Buena suerte mañana." Mona answered.

Barbara stood leaning against the door for a long moment, thinking.

"Jean, I have to go to our local office. I need a scrambled line. You stay here with your friend. Get some food for yourselves. I'll grab something on the way. Lady, I don't know how to thank you for your help."

"Go take care of business, Blondie. Don't worry about us. I'm sure we can manage to entertain ourselves."

"Right." She walked out the door.

Grinning, Jean went to wait by the door with Barbara's handbag and briefcase. She handed it to the sheepish looking woman when she knocked on the door.

"So. Are you hungry?" She asked her friend when they were alone again.

"You're kidding, right?" Mona laughed. "You have an expense account, all I get is a meager per diem. I imagine the peep-show earlier was for the benefit of eventual watchers. What if we gave them something to really gossip about?"

"Mona says hello." Jean told her partners as she unpacked her go-bag to refill it with clean clothes.

"We know all about your escapades in the Big Apple." Kayla said. "So, you're an exhibitionist now?"

"Am not." Jean protested. "I had a robe over my underwear."

"That's not what Amanda told us." Carole teased.

"Mona's the one who came out of the bedroom bare-breasted with her hair tousled and opened my robe to fondle me while I was signing for the food."

"I think dost protest too much, love." Kayla said as she undid the buttons of Jean's shirt.

"What she said." Carole added reaching around Jean's waist to unzip her pants.

"And we don't want to hear about it."

"Yeah! We want to see it."

'Show us.'

'Voyeurs!'

'You betcha!'

"Morning, boss." Nancy said, getting up from her desk to follow Jean in her office.

"Good morning, Nancy. Did anything happen while I was gone?"

"No, boss. All's quiet on the home front. Can I help you unpack? Or something?"

"Nope, all I have is my briefcase. No unpacking to do. And I see that my morning coffee is already on my desk. I'm fine."

"If you're sure. I could take the files from your trip and..."

"Sorry, no files for me on this trip."

"What's with the overnight jaunt then?"

"I can't tell you this time. Let's just say I had a good time."

"Boss! You didn't..."

"Take your mind out of the gutter, perv. Sheesh! What would Carlotta think if she heard you?"

"She loves my mind, actually, along with my..."

"What did I tell you about giving me too much information on your sex life?"

"Kayla tells me all about yours when she comes to pick you up for your long lunches."

"Does not."

"Does too. I know you have a mole on your left..."

"Don't you have work to do?"

"I was only trying to help."

"You wanted to know what I brought you back, didn't you?"

"Now that you mention it... Well?"

Laughing, Jean took a four by four box from her handbag.

"What is it, boss?"

"Open it."

"It's... an apple."

"A Big Apple."

"Thanks, boss. That's really nice of you."

Jean grinned as she watched her assistant shuffle to her office. A minute later, she heard her shout of surprise. Nancy came running back in the office. She caught herself a few feet before Jean and blushed when she realized what she had been about to do. Jean smiled and opened her arms. The woman leapt through the intervening space and hugged her. There were tears in her eyes when she pulled back.

"You're the best boss ever."

"And don't you forget it. Now scoot. You have five minutes before I expect you back at your desk."

Nancy ran out the door, impatient to show her girlfriend the two gold interlocking halves of a heart her boss had given them.

Jean was sipping her coffee when the expected call came.

"Hi, Barbie. Did you sleep well?"

"As a matter of fact, not much, but that's not why I called."

"No? Cam looked positively radiant when she picked you up last night. I was sure you were in for a great welcome home evening."

"That's why I said I didn't sleep much. You know you're a bad example for all of us."

"How so? Didn't Carlotta like the locket you brought back? And I heard that Mrs. Parker positively gushed over the first edition Sherlock Holmes Lee Ann found on her last trip to London."

"That's the point. Now they expect those trinkets and things."

"You don't have to do it, you know. I only like to remind Nancy how much I appreciate all her good work. She's well worth it."

"So is Carlotta. You're right. I should know better."

"While we're on the subject of our assistants, I have a suggestion for you."

"'Shoot', she says, dreading the answer."

"It's nothing so bad. Since Christmas and New Year fall on a Wednesdays this year, I'm giving Nancy the two weeks off. For her bonus, I'm paying her plane tickets to Fort Lauderdale, a car rental and a condo. That way she can cook her own food and save on restaurants."

"All I was planning on giving Carlotta was the weeks off and a measly thousand dollars check."

"Oh, she's getting that too. All in all, I figure I get away cheap for all the times she saved my ass during the year."

"I know what you mean. Okay, make the reservations for two. I'll go halfsies with you."

"Already done, silly. Here. The itemized bill is in your email."

"You're a terrible woman, Jean. I'm glad you're not in business."

"Naw. Too much stress. I'd rather hunt crooked accountants."

"Are you sure we should be doing this?" Carlotta whispered.

"You liked it last Saturday when I told you to go commando and took you on the crowded dance floor." Nancy reminded her while she unbuttoned her top, kissing the skin as it appeared. "I'm so glad you wore your front-snapping bra today."

"I only... nghh... buy those now. Oh! Yes, darling! Don't stop."

Nancy smiled as she pushed her girlfriend's D-cups together so she could suck both of her nipples at the same time.

She was proud of herself for having teased the inner slut hidden in the reserved woman to come out and play. In the last few months, she had managed to take her from a shy woman who would only make love in her bed with the lights out to a passionate lover who would fuck anywhere and whenever Nancy told her to drop trou. Not that she ever wore pants anymore. Her conservative underwear had been replaced by provocative lingerie too. When they interacted at work, Nancy loved to visualize her magnificent breasts in a frilly push-up bra and her freshly shaved pussy barely covered by a g-string.

Much like the one she had just pushed aside so she could finger her wet vagina.

"Yes! Yes!" Carlotta hissed behind the hand covering her mouth. "Take me! Make me come!"

Nancy wished she had the room to suck her clit while she fucked her. She loved how she tasted, how she bucked against the invading fingers as she was doing now.

When they heard the bathroom door open, Nancy thought her girlfriend would start to cry, she looked so panicked.

"Climb here." She whispered. "Put your knee on the dispenser."

Carlotta's proper-length skirt was pushing against her face, so she lifted it over her head. She quickly discovered another benefit on top of breathing better. Pushing the tiny piece of fabric aside, she leaned forward and put her lips on her girlfriend's for a wet kiss that had her moaning despite her best efforts. When she flicked her tongue on the hard clit, Carlotta's knees threatened to buckle, but Nancy held her up with both hands on her cheeks.

"You young ladies are certainly not as discreet as you might think. I will see you in my office at quitting time."