Elevator Pitch · Part 1 (1/2)
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The massive door closed behind her with a soft click, shutting her out from the plush office. She was dismissed. She had just been told to search for 'new challenges' outside the company. Or more aptly put, she had been sacked.
Alice took a deep breath to get a grip on her rage. Thankfully, the anteroom was empty, her boss’s, correction, former boss’s assistant having momentarily abandoned her fortified post behind the massive desk facing the entrance. Alice was grateful for the opportunity to regain her composure. She did not want to face her (as of now former) colleagues in a troubled emotional state, heck, she did not want to face them at all.
She dreaded the thinly veiled schadenfreude of her rivals, who preferred to attribute her quick rise up the corporate ladder to her looks instead of her performance, and the palpable relief of her less intellectually gifted colleagues, glad at having been spared themselves. But most of all she dreaded the pity of the few people in the office she counted as friends. For the last two years, since the untimely death of her parents, she had thrown herself into her work and presented the front of an independent, tough, calculating achiever to the world. Now she feared she might break down, revealing the lonesome and frightened girl that still lurked inside. Better she held on to her rage.
Looking around, she weighed her options. Of course, like a well-behaved sheep standing in line for its turn in the slaughterhouse, she could wait here for security to arrive and escort her off the premises. Or she could take advantage of the assistant's rather exceptional absence. Let's misbehave.
Her gaze paused at the doorway to the right that was usually guarded by the assistant. With quick steps Alice passed through and went down the corridor. Actually, it was off-limits for lower echelon employees like her but what could they do? Fire her? She snorted at the thought.
Hurrying along the deserted corridor, she tried to make sense of what had just happened. She had come to the appointment expecting to be recommended for her diligence and resourcefulness in discovering some rather subtle financial irregularities in parts of the company's accounts. Granted, it had been suggested to her to cease this 'misguided and unproductive' line of inquiry repeatedly (and lately rather forcefully), but now she held irrefutable proof her suspicions were justified only to find out that her boss had shown no interest in her findings whatsoever; instead, he had referred to the company's unsatisfactory performance in the last quarter and stressed the deplorable necessity to 'close ranks'.
She rounded a corner and found another silent hallway stretching in front of her. At its end, the private elevator reserved for VIP's beckoned: her escape route for an ignominious exit. Of course, the universe at large did not care about fairness, but still, what had she done to deserve this?
The staccato click-clack of Alice's high heels suddenly faltered and her eyes widened. Had she really been so naive? Everything she had wondered about during the course of her investigation could be explained if her boss was somehow involved in the manipulations. But this would in turn imply that their scope was probably much broader than she had assumed up to now. She needed to bring this to the attention of the CFO, or even better, the company's founder and CEO. In his internal communications, the charismatic Mr. Kellermann always urged all employees to develop an entrepreneur’s mindset and take on ownership for their area of responsibility; he should be delighted with her display of initiative. And due to a stroke of luck, she already was deep within executive board territory, practically en route to his office. She rushed ahead with new found purpose.
When she reached the elevator, she pressed the call button, but nothing happened. Puzzled, she looked closer and swore. An unobtrusive slit next to the controls suggested that you needed a key card to operate the elevator. Well, she could always take the stairs, although she did not enjoy the prospect of climbing the additional eight floors or so to the skyscraper's top in high heels. At least the climb would give her an opportunity to practice her speech. Yet, how would she even penetrate the protective screen of his entourage? Lost in her deliberations, she was taken by surprise when there was a sudden electronic chime and the elevator's doors slid open. She was even less prepared for the stunning sight that was revealed before her disbelieving eyes however.
“Hello Alice! So good of you to join us.” Mr. Kellermann made an inviting gesture with his left hand. Impeccably groomed and attired with a bespoke suit that clung to his lean, hard body he looked even better in reality than in his public relation shots. Yet this unexpected confrontation with the man she had been about to seek out was not what kept her rooted in place, gawking. It was his companion.
Later on Alice could never remember what she noticed first. The whole scene had etched itself into her memory with complete clarity like it sometimes happens when you suddenly realize on a visceral level that a pivotal – usually disastrous – event in your life is about to take place.
Although only a few choice patches of skin were visible, the woman that stood at Kellermann's side appeared to be completely naked. This was doubtlessly due to the fact that the shiny black material clinging to her body followed its every curve and crevice perfectly, showing off her spectacular figure. Moreover, strategic openings in the suit left just her crotch and breasts exposed, like some kind of bizarre, reversed bikini. The revealed flesh was not completely bare, however.
Thick metal rods had been run through a horizontal piercing in each of her breasts just behind the nipple. From these, sturdy U shackles dangled and connecting both of them was a light, yet strong chain that twinkled in the glare of the elevator's bright LED lights. Clipped to its slightly larger mid link was another chain that terminated in an ominous, thick loop of black leather that Alice was afraid might act as the handle of a fiendish but certainly most effective leash.
At the woman's hairless crotch, her modesty had been partially preserved by a curved steel plate that had somehow been affixed to her body over her vulva. A thick band ran around its flanged rim, firmly secured with a miniature, tubular lock which evidently restricted access to her private parts to only those entrusted with a key. From the centre portion between her thighs, a short length of chain swung from what seemed to be some sort of button, serving as convenient anchoring point for another equally callous leash.
The latex suit ended at the top of her neck, leaving the dark-haired woman's head free. Otherwise, “free” was not a word Alice would ever associate with the pitiable sight it offered. For one thing, her face had not escaped the piercer's attention either: a heavy U shackle hung from her nostrils onto her upper lip, apparently anchored to her septum somewhere far up within her nose. True to form, yet another long chain leash was attached to it as well. This time however, there was no ambiguity with regard to its purpose. Kellermann held onto its other end negligently, tugging on it with small sharp jerks, thus compelling her head to minutely follow his hand’s every gesture. Moreover, the woman could not even complain about the careless manner in which he made her suffer.
A complex web of rubbery, black straps encircled her head, fastening a wide expanse of the same material over her mouth, without doubt to keep her from expelling the massive gag that distended her jaws and cheeks. The panel not only hid her lips, but covered the complete lower half of her face from just below her nose; in fact, it even captured her chin in a snug cup. No less than eight straps held it in place: two went up on either side of her nose, joining into one above its bridge like an inverted Y; the second pair ran across her cheeks, just below her cheekbones and passed above her ears, to meet with the joint strap from the first pair at the crown of her head.
The next pair went around her head just below the ears, while the last crossed below her chin before meeting at the nape of her neck. At that point all the straps were connected to a complex tensioning mechanism that had been cranked up to pull all of them cruelly tight, as was evidenced by the way they indented her skin. Or maybe – keeping Newton's third law in mind – their tightness was rather attributable to the counteracting pressure exerted by the fully inflated gag bladder that filled her mouth. Anyway, Alice was sure the woman would not strike up a conversation any time soon. This part fell to Kellermann.
“Don't be shy, my dear! Please join us!” he smiled brilliantly and repeated his expansive inviting gesture.
This forced his companion to scramble to protect her impaled and sensitive nose from serious abuse when the tether flickered, rose and snapped tight. The fact that she had to balance on the high-heels of her ankle boots while massive steel shackles chained her legs closely together made her turn and perform the necessary gyrations into an even greater challenge; her valiant efforts demonstrated a lot of practice. Even so, a single tear trickled from the corner of each eye and a hissing intake of breath told of her silent distress.
Staring in shock at this tableau, Alice instinctively took a step, albeit backwards, then another – and collided with someone immediately behind her. She whipped her head around and found herself facing a broad chest. Looking up, she recognized Paul Jones, Kellermann's new chief of security.
“Hi Alice,” Paul greeted her with a grim smile.
She had met him previously at a self-defence class he had taught for the company's female employees and had come to like the taciturn ex-military man. At one time she had even entertained fantasies of becoming romantically involved with him, but when he grabbed her upper arms and marched her forcefully into the elevator, a deep sense of betrayal added poignancy to her lingering shock. The soft “Sorry” he mouthed into her ear was rebuffed with a scoff.
“After I've heard so much about you, I'm glad to finally meet you in person Alice” Kellermann said with false cordiality when she was brought before him like a recalcitrant child. Angrily, she averted her head, but he grabbed her chin and forced her to face him again.
“I must say, the photos don't do you justice. A little short for my taste, but nicely proportioned. And such spirit“ he added with an amused smile while her eyes flashed murder at him. Then he turned serious, “Your stubborn insistence to stick your cute nose into matters that are none of your business has inconvenienced me a trifle. Normally, I'd arrange for an inconspicuous accident or suicide, but Paul has convinced me what a terrible waste that would be. So instead you'll become a fugitive.”
“What?”Alice asked numbly.
“Well, apparently you didn't think we'd figure out your little embezzlement scheme. Pretending to investigate elusive financial irregularities that you had in fact masterminded yourself, so no one else would start looking… Very clever. When your luck ran out and your boss confronted you, you attacked him and bolted. Unfortunately, we failed to anticipate your violent reaction and allowed you to escape – 'sorry about that, detective'. But don't fret Alice! Fortunately, we'll be able to recover all the money you squirreled away in your hidden offshore accounts.”
“That's… preposterous. Nobody will believe a word of that. You're behind all the manipulations and I can prove it!”
“And that's why you'll never get caught.”
“You won't get away with it. My friend's won't buy it. They'll start asking questions…”
Elevator Pitch · Part 1 (1/2)
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