Truth or Dare (Book 2) Read online

  “Wow, invasion of privacy, hidden cameras, sounds a little familiar,” Lucy said with a giggle.

  Melanie swatted Lucy, “Not funny, chick. So when do we get the folders?”

  Almost as if she was waiting for Melanie to say that line, Judith pushed a mail cart into the Pen, “Here is the first batch. The other four are on the way up from the vault. Mr. Granite wanted me to make sure you know that he expects these to be done by Monday morning.”

  Melanie smiled at the older, pudgy woman, “Thank you Judith. We will get right on them.”

  “Dear, I don’t give a shit,” Judith said and walked out.

  Lucy laughed at the stunned look on Melanie’s face, “She’s a sweet old lady, don’t you think? Just like my grandmother.”

  “Yeah, if the Big Bad Wolf tired to eat her, I think she’d give him indigestion,” James said.

  Chapter 2

  While the four worked, not a sound escaped the Pen, except the tick of the clock. Melanie looked up from her fifteenth folder and was surprised to see that lunchtime had passed them by. So far, every folder had an example of the Steubens documenting personal information in their employees’ folders.

  “You guys have to check this one out!” Lucy said, standing up in her cubicle. Dave and James stretched as they made the short walk, and Melanie got their last. “Here are Sheffield’s notes in the folder of a female employee who works on the cleaning staff of a hotel in Flagstaff, Arizona. ‘Mary Neilson appears to have a vestigial tail. I have spotted a lump in the back of her underwear several times as she changes into her uniform. There is further evidence during the bathroom breaks she has taken on March 5th, 2013, January 12th, 2014, and June 8th, 2015. Please keep an eye on this employee, watching for any reason to terminate her. When that happens, make sure to burn her uniforms.’”

  Dave said what they were all thinking, “What does that have to do with how the woman does her job?”

  “Good question,” Melanie said, “and I think that is exactly why they are getting sued.” She sat back down at her desk and opened a new folder. After reading for less than a minute, Melanie knew she had to share it with the group. “I have a real winner here. Listen up, this has commentary from Sheffield and Shelly. It seems there is a camera in the manager’s office at the hotel in Rochester, New York. It recorded a sexual encounter between the manager and a clerk.”

  James said, “Well don’t keep us hanging. What do the Steubens have to say?”

  Melanie cleared her throat, “Their comments are like a play-by-play and are very detail oriented. Here we go, ’On May 25th, 2013, Rebecca Smith entered the office of Dan Turner. They exchanged pleasantries for approximately five minutes, and then Turner pushes his chair back from the desk and Smith walks in front of him and sits on the desk and places her feet on the arms of Turner’s chair. This obviously gives him a clear view up her black miniskirt. Turner moves his chair closer to the desk, making Smith’s legs open wider. He then pushes her skirt higher up her legs, revealing that she isn’t wearing any underwear. Smith is fully shaved, with no signs of razor burn or errant hairs. She is either very skilled at shaving or she has it done professionally done. Must check to see if she is taking any cash to pay for the procedure.”

  Dave interrupted, “That is almost a good reason to have the video cameras.”

  Melanie nodded, “I’d agree, except for this. Sheffield writes, ‘Smith should be commended for her hygiene, but is her lack of underwear costing us when it comes to cleaning floors, chairs, or increasing our heating expenses?”

  “Wow, they seem to be fully obsessed,” Lucy said, “is there anything more about the couple?” She fanned her face a couple times.

  Melanie said, “Getting heated up? Yeah, there’s much more. Listen, ‘Turner bends down to lick Smith’s vagina, using a flat tongue technique to cover the entire area. Smith finds it very pleasing, throwing her head back, eyes closed, mouth open. Turner continues to stimulate her orally for 4.5 minutes, which is when Smith closes her thighs on his head. She may have used enough force to damage his hearing. Please note that if Turner visits an Audiologist, we should dock his pay for the day.”

  “Holy crap! These two are unreal,” James said, “Melanie, are you adlibbing any of this?”

  Melanie held up the folder, “Nope, it is all here, written in black and white. Shelly continues, ‘Turner stands up, undoes his belt and pants. He pushes his underwear, navy blue boxer briefs, to the floor. His penis is at full erection, roughly 6.5 inches long, 2 inches thick. It is surrounded by a thick layer of black hair. Turner places Smith’s feet over his shoulder, and then places his penis inside her vagina. He completes fifty strokes in that position--’”

  “She counted each stroke? That is crazy!” Lucy said.

  Melanie laughed, “You’re just now coming to that conclusion? Do you want me to finish?” The other three traded glances and then nodded to her, “Okay, almost done, ‘He completes fifty strokes in that position, and then pulls out and says something to Smith. She dismounts the desk and turns over, presenting her buttocks to Turner. He bends down, appears to lick her vagina from behind, and then penetrates her with his penis. Turner completes forty strokes in this position, while Smith digitally stimulates herself to achieve an orgasm. She lies prostrate on the desk while Turner completes twenty more strokes and then ejaculates inside her. His penis retreats from her vagina, and Turner pulls up his underwear and pants. Smith stands up and pulls her skirt down. They kiss three times, and Smith walks out of the office. Note that spends the next fifteen minutes in the bathroom, using copious squares of toilet paper. Note that their next reviews should reflect their lack of professional decorum, but Turner should be commended for going above and beyond when it comes to employee relations.’”

  All four laughed at the last line, “Does she really think that is good employee relations?” Dave asked in amazement.

  “I don’t know. Our work increased when we spiced up our work experience,” Melanie said, and then regretted it almost immediately when the others turned to stare at her. She was about to apologize, but then they all laughed.

  “Melanie, you have a knack for bringing people back to reality, y’know?” Dave said, “That isn’t always a good thing, but I guess you raise a good point. Let’s get back to work.”

  At five o’clock, Granite appeared at the entrance of the Pen and coughed. The four associates stood up at the sound and looked at their boss.

  “How are you four coming on the personal comments. Anything damning so far?” Granite asked.

  No one spoke for a second, and then Melanie said, “Every folder has something odd in it. There are also a few that tie personal habits that have nothing to do with work to denial of raises or promotion. We even found a few instances of imagined concerns that led to firings.”

  Granite nodded, “I expected as much. Keep at it. If we find enough, it may be possible for me to convince the Steubens to settle out of court.” He turned and left without one word more.

  “You’re welcome, Max,” James muttered, “No we couldn’t possibly accept a bottle of scotch for our troubles.” Lucy giggled at the joke, and Melanie caught a wink between the two. Interesting development, she thought.

  Dave said, “Okay, it’s dinner time, and if I remember correctly, someone has a little extra cash on her. Any chance you can treat, Melanie?”

  “Sure, I’ll buy as long as someone else flies. What does everyone feel like?” Melanie asked. They debated dinner choices and settled on Thai, and Lucy called a place that would deliver. Melanie gave Dave the money and he and James left the office to wait for the delivery boy.

  “So,” Melanie said, joining Lucy in the women’s restroom, “is there anything I should know about you and James?”

  Lucy inspected her makeup in the mirror and gave her hair a shake, “Not really, Deary. James and I are just enjoying extra rounds of the game you developed.”

  “Really? So how serious is it?” Melanie asked.
r />   Lucy chuckled, “Not serious at all, but it is very fun. That’s all either of us want at this time. Some fun to counteract the work we’re doing.”

  “Makes sense,” Melanie said. They walked out of the restroom just as the boys came back up with the food. They ate their dinner while working, and then kept at it after the food was gone. When midnight arrived, James called a halt to work and the rest agreed. Lucy did a quick count of the folders they had completed and compared them to the number they still had to do.

  “We’re on a good pace to finish these folders by Friday evening,” she announced and the others cheered. “But that’s only if we keep on the same pace. If our energy dips, we’ll be spending the weekend in the Pen again.”

  “Got it,” Melanie said as she headed for the elevator, “no stopping for anything. One track mind. We will have a single focus.”

  Melanie stayed true to her plan of single focus on Wednesday, they all did, but it wasn’t on Granite’s case. Kennedy Jenkins pulled them all into the conference room as soon as they arrived at the office. They all had the same thought, that he was about to fire them. Either he was the mystery note writer and decided he couldn’t afford to let them stay there anymore or the actual writer had decided not to play after all. Melanie could feel a film of sweat forming on the back of her neck. She saw the same thing developing on the foreheads of James and Dave. The only one who looked calm was Lucy.

  “Do you know what this is about?” Melanie whispered the smaller woman.

  Lucy smiled, “Yes I do, but it is fun watching you three sweat it out.”

  James overheard her whisper and made a small move that made Lucy squeal, “Tell us!”

  “Fine, the Federal Court indicted Jenkins’s biggest client on federal money laundering charges. It was all over the news this morning. Don’t you watch?” Lucy asked.

  The others were spared having to answer because Kennedy Jenkins walked into the conference room at that moment, “Good morning. I am freeing you from the clutches of Max for the next two days. I need you to work with me on the Spindle case. We have a court hearing Friday morning, and I need you all to dig up reasons why Mark Spindle should not spend the weekend in a jail cell. Mark is an old friend and owns the biggest car dealership in Illinois. The Feds seem to think he has been using those dealerships to launder money for a Colombian cartel. We will be burning the midnight oil on this, but I’m pretty sure you’re already used to that.”

  James said, “Yes, sir. So where do we start?”

  With that question, the four associates got to work on the new case. They were each given a specific task. Melanie started digging into past cases, searching for any precedents that would flush the case against Spindle down the toilet. Lucy looked into the past of the federal prosecutor, searching for any weaknesses or habitual blind spots. Dave took on the actual case against Spindle, with the help of Junior Partner Frank Teller, while James went over Spindle’s past with a fine tooth comb. Jenkins wanted him to find the dirt before the feds did, so they would know what they would need to clean up or create excuses for.

  Melanie could not help but be amazed at the differences between working for Jenkins and working for Granite. Where one yelled insults and slurs, the other offered words of encouragement. At lunch and dinner, Jenkins ordered food in and paid the bill. He sat next to the associates, eating the take out and sharing in the work and jokes. They all worked until midnight, but none of the associated felt as tired as they had after putting a long day in for Granite.

  “Good work, team!” Kennedy said, “We have the foundation for dismissing the case, and should have it all fleshed out by closing time tomorrow. I appreciate all of your hard work!”

  The associates were all smiles as they rode down the elevator. Only one thing could ruin the mood, and Dave was the one who said it, “I enjoyed today a thousand times more than almost any other day we’ve worked for Granite.”

  “Man, did you have to say his name?” James asked, punching his friend in the shoulder, “Next you’re going to bring up the fact that we will have to work this weekend because of the day we just lost.”

  Dave slugged James back, “No, I wasn’t, but now that you mention it, we will have to probably, and I hate that.”

  Melanie said, “Yeah, me too, but we have something new to look forward to.”

  “What’s that?” Lucy asked. She had been all smiles during the day, but at the mention of Granite, her shoulders had slumped, along with her lips.

  “When we finally get done with Granite’s case, we’ve all proven that we can work at Kennedy Jenkins’ level. So maybe we will be given the chance to work with him more,” Melanie said.

  Dave wrapped one arm around Melanie in a sideways hug, “And that’s why we like you Melanie. You are an eternal optimist. I’ll leave you with one thought. What if Granite’s case never ends?” He walked off, leaving them all behind. Melanie turned to James and Lucy, who were giggling.

  “What are you two laughing about? You don’t agree with Mr. Pessimist do you?” Melanie asked.

  James and Lucy looked at each other and then back at Melanie and shook their heads. James said, “No I don’t agree. Your optimism isn’t why we like you. I like your tits.”

  “Me too!” Lucy said, and they both walked away laughing.

  Chapter 3

  Kennedy Jenkins turned out to be right and wrong at the same time. They did finish fleshing their case out Thursday, but it did not take them a solid nine hours. They had it done by three in the afternoon. Kennedy thanked them all for their hard work, saying that because of them Mark Spindle not only would stay out of jail during the weekend, but the feds might even drop the case against him. The associated headed back to the Pen, but Frank Teller stopped Melanie.

  “So how’s it going back there? I hear Granite is working you four pretty hard,” he said.

  Melanie nodded but smiled, “Yeah, but every associate goes through it, right?”

  Frank smiled, “Oh yeah, believe it! I remember when I was an associate. I lost count of how many nights I worked. One weekend, one of the fellow associates convinced us to make a game out of completing the work. Boy, we got kinda wild!”

  Melanie’s eyes grew the size of plates as she Frank spoke. He was not really looking at her, so she could study his face for any signs that he was dropping hints, but Melanie could not read him. So she said, “Well, we haven’t gotten to that point. I’d be worried about what management would say when they found out.”

  “These guys? Please. They pay associates for getting cussed out. Can’t really do that and then get all upset about associates blowing off some steam,” Frank said, “well anyway, great work. I’m going to cut out early so I’m fresh for court tomorrow. See you tomorrow.”

  “Yeah, see ya,” Melanie said, watching him leave. Once he had ducked into his office, Melanie ran back to the pen to tell the others what Frank had said.

  Lucy spoke first when Melanie had stopped, “So, you’re thinking Frank may be the note writer?”

  “I hope not,” Dave said.

  Melanie turned to him, “What, are you afraid of a little competition, someone else trying to spend time with me and Lucy?”

  “Yeah, that’s not a problem with Frank,” Dave said, “I’m guessing you haven’t heard that he prefers eating hotdogs over tacos. That’s not an issue, but he may be sorely disappointed that no one will want to play with him.”

  James said, “Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.”

  Lucy turned to James, “Is there something we should know?”

  “What can I say, I’m open to all kinds of experiences. I kiss is a kiss, a touch is a touch. A beautiful body is a beautiful body,” James replied.

  “Well aren’t you the Renaissance man,” Melanie said, “Ok, well I don’t know if Frank is the writer, but I also don’t know if he isn’t the writer. What I do know is we still have lots of work to do. So shall we get to it?”

  The other three agreed and took thei
r places in the Pen. They quickly fell back into their work habits, immersing themselves in the details of each folder to find the point when the Steuben siblings crossed the line from observant employers to voyeuristic perverts. Folder after folder, Sheffield and Shelly amazed Melanie with how detailed their observations were, and how out of bounds their reactions where to what they had witnessed. She felt like she was bolted to the floor of a tank filled with sludge, and every folder she opened dropped another gallon. By midnight, the sludge was at her neck, and the happy feeling she had developed while working for Kennedy had drowned.

  Looking up as the rest of the associates put on their jackets, Melanie was sure they shared her feelings. They did not talk in the elevator or as they went off in different directions. When Melanie arrived at her apartment, all the lights were off except the one over the sink. She walked over to it and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. She heard Shirley’s door open and turned to say hello, but it turned out to be her roommate’s sometimes boyfriend, Ted. Like the last time Melanie had seen him, Ted was naked. His highly aroused state told Melanie that they were taking a break in their lovemaking.

  “Hey Melanie, looking good as always,” Ted said, scratching the hair just above his dick, drawing her attention to it. It was a douche bag move, and completely unnecessary. Melanie had no interest in Ted, but his dick would grab the attention of a nun in a coma. It had the thickness and length of a tallboy can of beer.

  “Thanks Ted, you look the same. Did Shirley kick you out of bed for under performance?” Melanie said, trying to keep things light.

  Ted’s smile would rival a shark’s, “Yep, she sure did. So I thought I’d come to you for help. Can you teach me a few things?” He advanced on her, his dick leading the way.