Cat And Mouse - A Cresswell Industries Story Pts 13 And 14 free porn video

XIII: Back To Work Tamara couldn't help but linger on the dream she had last night during the ride to Larry's new office on her first day of going back to work before the unavoidable 'sick leave' period. Her dreams were related to memories of being a younger version of the boy she used to be. Happy times he had spent with his mother. The former boy was consequentially silent, but at the same time, looking forward to getting back to work. She worried, too, that she and Maggie might somehow be discovered by the Cresswell women, and dragged back to Bullchester. After thanking Maggie for the lift, Tamara clacked up on her high heels to the office home, which looked a bit nicer, and even had a metal plaque by the front door: LAWRENCE HANEL Attorney-at-Law Hmm. Very subtle. Tamara mused to herself as she knocked on the door. After about a minute, the door opened and Larry flashed a smile to his returning secretary. "Mornin', Sport!" Larry remarked, opening the door wider so the former boy could walk on in. "My, my, my, you're lookin' awful snappy there." Tamara giggled sweetly as she stepped past him. "Thank you, Mr. Hanel." "So...how does it feel t' be, y' know, one of th' girls?" Larry asked as his returning secretary slowly scanned the surroundings of the new office, which looked a lot nicer, and a little more rustic in appearance, compared to the Bullchester locale. Larry found it very difficult to take his eyes off of the plus-sized, but very shapely female Timothy Portnoy had become. Tamara was attractively curvy in her shape, and certainly a little taller than the last time he saw her. He felt a little ashamed that his own cock was stirring between his legs over how sexy a young woman Tamara was. "Well...I now know how it feels for a girl like me to be stared at, for one thing," Tamara responded. She then turned and walked over to him. "By the way...I...want to apologize if I seemed a bit...provocative the last time we talked. As you might expect, I...wasn't myself." Larry smiled, raising a hand to dismiss the concern. "We both know what kind o' people we're dealin' with, uh...Tamara, is it?" The former boy nodded. "I happen t' be a happily married man, though, so y' don't need t' worry 'bout me bein' all flirtatious. May come a time when we'll need t' pull stakes an' move, though...but for now? Let's get you all set up at your new desk." Tamara was quite surprised to see that her desk area was much, much nicer in its design compared to the Bullchester locale. Upon a desk surface of thick, clear glass was a black computer that looked a little more state-of-the-art, and had an all-in-one Laser Printer nearby which also served the functions of scanner and fax machine. Its 34" flatscreen monitor was curved, and Larry boasted of the display being 4K in picture quality. Larry also presented Tamara with a headset which was connected to the nearby phone so she could take calls without needing to pick up the receiver. The main phone unit had buttons to transfer calls, as well. Larry only had to help his secretary set herself up with logins and ID setups before giving her a bunch of written documents for her to convert to data files. "Take your time with these. I don't need 'em right this minute, but try t' get through 'em all by th' week's end, OK, Sport?" "Will do, sir," Tamara replied, smiling. Larry nodded, smiling, before moving to the door to his adjoining office. Tamara could only imagine what Larry's office looked like, but she was a little more interested in getting back to work, so she opened a fresh blank page file with WordProc and started dancing her fingers around the flat, comfortable keyboard as the door gently closed behind Larry. She was midway through the two-page document when a soft chime sounded on the headset. Larry's voice followed, his voice speaking with perfect crystal clarity. "By th' way, sport...I found this real fancy place called Prime Cuts. Steak House with a lunch menu. Y' game for it come lunchtime?" Tamara smiled. "Sounds good." "Great! See y' then, 'less somethin' comes up, an I need t' call you in here." The headset then went quiet as Tamara resumed her typing work. On a somewhat ominous hunch, Tamara stopped typing for a moment and minimized the WordProc window. She then scanned through the desktop items on the large screen for a moment. Thankfully, the Speakabout app was not there. With a relieved smile, Tamara maximized the WordProc document window and resumed her work. Although she was able to concentrate on her typing for the most part, Tamara began to feel a bit of discomfort as she neared the end of the long document's second page. Almost as if something was missing, somehow. She had no explanations for this unexpected sense of unease. Fortunately, it was not so bad as to get in the way of completing the document, and when she did, she felt a little bit better. As she prepared a second document file, the chime once again sounded in her headset, followed by Larry's voice. "Hope I'm not interruptin' ya, sport." "No, I...I just finished your first document, sir," Tamara explained, now feeling much more at ease upon hearing Larry's voice. "I was just gonna start up the second one." "Ah, good, good...but, uh...before y' start, can y' get me a cup o' coffee?" Larry asked. "There's a kitchen area near your desk there, an' I warmed up a pot on th' coffee maker in there. I like it black." Tamara now felt strangely anxious as she rose from her seat. "Yes, sir. I'll be right in." The kitchen area looked quite nice as well, and most of the necessities of a typical kitchen were state-of-the-art compared to the Bullchester office. Tamara was able to spot the coffee maker, and she grabbed one of the large Styrofoam cups from a large stack of them right by the machine. Pulling the full pot of coffee, she stepped out of the kitchen and headed for the door to Larry's office. Just as she was going to use a knuckle of the hand that was holding the empty cup to knock on the door, the door buzzed, and Tamara pushed the door open. The office was definitely larger, and much nicer-looking than Tamara's area, and she saw Larry reclining in a large office chair as his head turned to his secretary. Smiling meekly, Tamara clacked her heels over to Larry's desk and placed the cup on a clear area of the desk. Bending down somewhat provocatively, Tamara began pouring Larry's steaming drink into the cup. She could feel Larry's eyes on her the whole time, and she couldn't help but feel a bit excited herself. Tamara had to keep herself from shaking as she filled the cup. Before the coffee level reached the rim, she stopped and looked to Larry. "Did you want more, sir? I can fill it to the rim if you..." "Huh? Oh, no, no. That's...that's plenty, Sport. Thanks!" Larry interjected, flashing a somewhat nervous smile. Tamara then stepped over in front of her boss. "Is there...anything else I can get for you, sir?" Her sense of inner excitement was rising as she spoke. She could not let this show, however! Larry stared at her for a moment. Tamara wondered if he was undressing her with his very gaze, and she could not help but feel more excitement about this, despite herself. But then, Larry shook his head. "No, Tamara. Thanks." Tamara tilted her head to the side. "Are you sure?" She quietly asked. "Yup, positive." He then flashed a cordial smile. "Uh...you...go on back an' finish those documents." The former boy flashed a smile of her own. "Yes, sir. I...I'll see you at noon for lunch." As she turned towards the door, she could once again feel his eyes on her. She knew there was a part of him that was interested in her, and the very thought of this excited her considerably as she returned to her desk to get started on the next handwritten document. As Tamara busied herself with her typing, the anticipation to please her boss rose. To get the documents done, to respond to whatever little requests he might have during the work day, and of course, to join him when it was time for lunch. As the restaurant he mentioned would be a public place, she figured there would be little she could do to subtly show her appreciation for her boss. She then stopped typing, and tightly shut her eyes. This was a dangerous line of thinking! Tamara now worried about the possibility of a relapse. Manifesting lustful thoughts about her own boss was the kind of thing *Tammy* had thought about, and she was no longer that manner of female. With a deep, relaxing breath, and the hope that she would not be entertaining that thought again, she opened her eyes and resumed her typing. Her first phone call of the day rang in, and Tamara was initially fearful that it would be one of the Cresswell ladies, but it turned out to be an old woman looking for legal representation in an accident-related lawsuit case. Checking with Larry after putting the woman on hold, Larry confirmed that he would take the call, and Tamara transferred the woman through. Afterwards, Larry had Tamara take down the date for a meeting with this woman, and reminded her to be ready to take notes during the meeting. He then asked Tamara to come back into the office for a coffee refill. Tamara dutifully rose, smiling with anticipation as she went to the kitchen to get the coffee pot. Before she went into the office, she stopped herself for a moment, temporarily putting the coffee pot down. Because she felt a need to unbutton the top part of her blouse before going in. * * * To preen is to show off. To posture. Brianne loves to preen. When she knows she's being watched, Brianne must preen. Always watched, so Brianne must preen. Preen that sexy body, Brianne. That's right. Preen. Preen. And preen again. Follow Madame Rita. Obey. Obey. Obey. That's right. Preen. Obey. Preen. Obey. The onslaught filled young Brianne's mind as she slept. Hopelessly overriding any personality she may have had as Brian Parker. Specific audio tones and the sweetest of music assisted in breaking down any mental barriers, and any manner of resistance, Brian might have tried to summon up. But Brian's willingness to trust and follow Rita Noble proved to be the downfall of his waning psyche, until there was no turning back for his mind. Rita's voice commanded he embrace these words, and even in his conscious hours, they rang through his mind. Even as he trained through Rita to be an effective personal secretary. She would follow the debutante no matter where she went, and what she did, unless she specifically told Brianne to leave her alone. Rita's voice...and Rita's alone...speaking the word "dismissed" would be Brianne's trigger phrase to this end. As Brianne's mental conditioning deepened, so did the effects of the Cresswell drugs upon his formerly male body. Days ago, when he met Rita Noble, Brian Parker was a skinny, undeveloped male geek. A College student hiding behind a female chat handle. Now, Brianne's smooth, hairless body had the shape of an hourglass. Ironically, Brian Parker had become every horny geek's wet dream come to life. The swell of her large, firm breasts bounced lightly with every step she took. Her posterior was just as large and fetching, and visits to a tanning salon in Rubie's Mall, at Rita's behest, bronzed her personal secretary's developing body quite beautifully. Her outfits were specific in their design. Tight, somewhat skimpy(even in her appearances as Rita's secretary), and capable of accentuating Brianne's hyper-sexy assets. There was only the matter of the large bulge between Brianne's legs to betray what she used to be, and although Rita had initially thought to let it dwindle, a new development in the Cresswell labs produced a feminization catalyst which permitted the penis to begin a radical development...becoming larger, rather than diminishing...even as the body of the male was becoming female. Celeste had specifically requested for Brianne to be the guinea pig in this regard. She had decided in that moment, after all, that it was going to be Brianne who would help her restore the slut Rita wanted Tammy to be. * * * *KLIK* *KLIK* *KLIK* "A little more to the left now...that's it...angle the head back...aaaand, pucker!" *KLIK* *KLIK* *KLIK* "Now, face me...head angled back, very good...push out those breasts now, legs wide apart...yeah, beeeeaaauutiful..." *KLIK* *KLIK* With every click came a flash as the photographer continued snapping photos in the studio, giving quick instructions to Tamara...who was picked up from Larry's office by Maggie and brought right to the photography studio...about how she should pose for the next shot. She was being posed around a snazzy-looking, 1950s-style Hot Rod. She was also dressed quite provocatively, with an emphasis on the cleavage of her large breasts, and her hair had been styled in a manner similar to a '50s pin-up girl. But even as she complied with the photographer's every request, something was bothering her about it all. Finally, the photographer called for a break, and Tamara headed over to where Maggie had been watching, and smiling the whole time. "Hey there, good lookin'," Maggie mused, handing Tamara a large cupcake. "You're gonna have the guys drooling over these shots. I guarantee it." "I know you told me to trust you, Maggie..." Tamara remarked, still holding the intact cupcake. "...but honestly? I fail to see how this gets us closer to rescuing my mother." "What we're doing is setting up a means to piss off those Cresswell bitches," Maggie explained. "When someone's angry, there tends to be a lack of focus in their response. They know you're with me, and they're angry enough about that. But they don't know what I'm actually doing with you." Tamara frowned after swallowing the bite she took out of the cupcake. "I had thought you were more the action-heroine type. You know...swing in, grab mom, get her out of the Mall." "Well...that's still an option," Maggie replied. "But I'd rather have Rita Noble all hot and bothered over what we're setting up here. She always keeps an eye on the fashion scene. This should definitely get her attention." At that moment, Maggie's cell phone began blaring its ring tone. Checking the ID, she confirmed it was Larry, and allowed the call to connect. "Hey you. You're lucky you caught us on our break. Huh? Oh, really? Hmmm...alright. I'll think of something. Got any more info I could use? Uh-huh. Mmmm. Yeaaaah...that is juicy. Kinda messes with my original intentions, but...I can always salvage it afterwards. Thanks, Larry. See ya!" As Maggie hung up, Tamara waited for the impending explanation as she chewed on the rest of her cupcake. The raven-haired woman turned to Tamara, and feigned confusion. "What?" Tamara smirked. "'Splain, Loo-cee?'" "Oh, that was Larry," Maggie replied. "He was telling me how much he wants to fuck your brains out." For a moment, Tamara thought she was serious, but Maggie giggled in the next moment. "Kidding! He gave me a bit of interesting info on the guy your mom was set up with. Seems Demetrius is a bit of a shady character. My guess is that he wants Celeste and the Cresswell crew to wipe his criminal record clean." Tamara arched an eyebrow. "What kind of record?" Maggie's expression went dead serious. "Do you know anything about human trafficking?" Tamara's face went pale. "Godde..." She shook her head for a moment. "...Go...G-Goddess..." She then sighed out loudly, knowing this was a lingering effect of the initial Cresswell brainwashing, which Tamara had been trying to suppress. Maggie smiled. "You'll get over that. Just needs a little more time, obviously. Anyway...I shudder to think what kind of person your mother would become if she's with a guy like him long enough. I'm gonna need to improvise something. I just hope they haven't gotten hitched already." "Mom told me that if she ever married again, she'd want to get to know whoever it is for a few months or so," Tamara explained. "I know that much, at least." "Unless Celeste or Rita messed with her head otherwise," Maggie countered. "Still...if this was something deeply seated in Ruth's mind, then such a resolve may still linger no matter how thoroughly they screw with her mind. Kind of like you and the 'Goddess' thing you're trying to shake." "Honestly...I don't think she remarried." Tamara spoke with a tone of conviction. "Not yet. I'd be totally surprised if she was." Maggie nodded. "If you really think so, then you know her best, and I'm willing to trust your conviction, Tamara. So how was your first day back in the office with Larry?" Tamara sighed. "Complicated." "Oh? How so?" "I spent the whole day trying to concentrate on being...well...professional," Tamara explained. "But...it was difficult." Maggie arched an eyebrow, and her expression darkened a little. "You didn't...do anything other than legal matters with him, did you?" Fortunately, Tamara shook her head. "Not at all...but the fact that I wanted to was starting to drive me crazy as the day dragged on. But that's not the worst part." Maggie sighed, her eyes closed. "He felt the same way about you, didn't he?" Tamara shamefully hung her head. "Three cups of coffee, which he wanted me to bring to him personally. I kept expecting him to rub my butt as I left, but...he didn't." "No wonder the top buttons of your blouse were unbuttoned when I saw you come out of the office," Maggie noted. "Rita's conditioning is obviously trying to re-assert itself. You've gotta fight it harder, Tamara. One little slip, and you're back to being Tammy Porntoy." "There's also a court case coming up," Tamara then revealed. "He needs me to go with him to the trial, which is in two days." "Oh, jeez...and we can't get you out of that, can we?" Maggie wondered aloud. Tamara predictably shook her head. "Fuck. Well...if there was ever a time to put your professionalism to the test, it'll be that." "Couldn't you do anything?" Tamara asked. "I mean...whatever you did to, you know, get rid of Tammy Porntoy." "I'm not as good with mental re-conditioning as the Cresswell people, Tamara," Maggie explained. "They can really drive a spike into a fresh mind real good, and Rita is no exception. I did what I could, but...we may need to establish a kind of middle ground." The former boy blinked in his confusion. "How do you mean?" But Maggie shook her head, raising a hand in restraint. "I don't want you to worry about that right now, Tamara." She then saw the photographer walk back over towards Tamara. "Besides...your break is over." Tamara turned to face the photographer, who smiled back and gestured to the vintage car. As he began explaining the next set of shots, Maggie pondered her own wisdom...this 'middle ground', so to speak...as the sounds of camera clicks once again filled the air. She wondered if it would have been wise to explain that to her. Combining Tamara Portnoy with Tammy Porntoy, after all, potentially presented more grave problems to the former boy's psyche than any manner of helpful solution. Was it truly worth the risk? * * * XIV: Salad Dressing The idea of being another Jackie Onassis seemed quite appealing to Ruth Portnoy, and her future husband...Demetrius...certainly looked wealthy enough to make such a dream become a reality. Through her now routine visits to the Butterfly Salon, she looked as youthful and as shapely as ever, with her girlish, curly 50s-era hairstyle and her own buxom figure. Rita had impressed upon her about the benefits of fashionably "bronzing" her skin through makeup, but she wanted to hold off on this until after she finally decided to tie the knot with Demetrius. A lingering frustration, however, existed in that Ruth did not have a domestic housemaid to tend to the extensive and upscale residence Demetrius shared with her. She often dreamt, since her former son had abandoned her, that Tammy would eventually surrender herself back to her mother, and she would immediately put the former boy back to work, and wearing the tight maid outfit she looked so perfect in. Such dreams often ended in Ruth approaching Demetrius with the marriage proposal he was obviously waiting for. Demetrius almost always made himself available to Ruth during the evening. During the day, however, he was never around. This became a source of frustration in and of itself in the days since Tammy's departure, particularly with Ruth deferring to housekeeping after coming home from the Loris International offices despite the constant promises of her future husband that he would one day find someone suitable enough to serve as their maid. With another day's worth of housekeeping done, there was only the two or three hours that went by before the well-built Grecian suitor called Demetrius would once again come through the front door. There were times when this did not happen, although she would get a phone call sometime during the night explaining that his business required him to work overtime, which was a fair excuse. Sure enough, the land-line phone rang within the house. Rolling her eyes, Ruth headed for the phone in the kitchen to pick up the receiver. "Let me guess," Ruth began, somewhat irritably. "You need to..." "You need to stay on the line and listen to me, Ruth." The voice was far too effeminate to be that of Demetrius, even with the electronically-assisted voice distortion that made the voice sound spooky. "Who is this?" "Mutual acquaintance, and we'll leave it at that," the distorted voice replied. "I have your cell phone number. Wait for a text. It will be an address. Go there once you get the text. I don't care how long it takes for you to get there. I will be waiting. We need to talk about Demetrius. You're not going to like it. If you're not alone, you will never see Tammy again." Before Ruth could reply, a click followed, and the line went dead. Seeing as how she knew nothing of the business Demetrius always refused to elaborate on, Ruth could not help but get nervous. Especially if whatever matter this was that the stranger wanted to talk about was somehow related to her...daughter. Her anxieties mounted up until she heard the chime on her smartphone, which signaled the presence of a text from "Unknown Caller" which was indeed an address. The address, however, seemed to be a locale which was outside of Bullchester. Ruth wrestled with her own thoughts regarding the possibilities in that moment. A trap, she initially surmised. Perhaps from someone who Demetrius had somehow crossed. It would be easier for her to make assumptions if she knew what kind of work the well-built Grecian busied himself with during the day. Especially with the kind of money he was apparently capable of earning. The stranger wanted her to get moving the moment she got the address, so she ultimately decided to accept whatever risks would come with this situation, going right outside to her car. Setting the GPS she had purchased to the address in the text, she began following the graphic display map, and the female voice giving her the perfunctory instructions that went along with it. The route indeed took her across one of the bridges leading into the Bullchester region. Even after she had crossed the border, she still had a bit of distance to cover. Such a trip even justified a visit to a gas station to get more juice for her radically expensive car. She finally arrived at the address, which turned out to be a restaurant. Pulling into a parking space a block away, Ruth hurried to the restaurant locale and went right in. When she was approached by a perky young greeter, all she could say was that she was here to meet someone, and she could give no further details. "Hmmm...I thiiiiink I know who it is you're talking about," the greeter responded. "Someone came in here earlier saying she was expecting a guest. Someone who looked worried...aaaand judging by the way you look right now, I'd say you fit that bill. Follow me, please." The greeter grabbed two menus on the way over to a back table in the restaurant...which was practically a secluded area where privacy could be more or less assured...where a single woman, who now looked very familiar to Ruth, waited for her with a cheshire cat's grin. "Is this who you were waiting for?" The greeter asked, upon arriving at the table. "Bingo, babe," Maggie answered. "Tell our server to give us about five or ten minutes before coming for our food order." The greeter nodded as she dropped the menus in front of both women. Ruth settled into the empty seat opposite Maggie with a wary expression on her face. Maggie, on the other hand, smirked as her gaze lingered on the radically-altered appearance of Tamara's mother. "Coming out of your Cresswell cocoon, little caterpillar?" Ruth smirked in response. "Let's just cut to the chase." "No, let's just proceed at a pace I'm comfortable with, Mrs. Portnoy," Maggie quickly countered. "I'll first assure you that Tamara...who used to be your son, Timothy, not that you care much about that anymore...is doing just fine. She's still working, and earning a nice little salary for herself, which is being supplemented by a second job." Ruth arched an eyebrow. "Second job?" She immediately assumed the worst. "You're prostituting my child, aren't you?" "Oh yeah, I've got her sucking plenty of dick for me out here. She's such a profitable little fuck." Maggie's tone was obviously laced with sarcasm. "Don't insult me, Ruth. I'm not like the people you're working for, who were quite frankly going to do just that to Tamara before I stepped in. They were even going to go so far as to change her last name to 'Porntoy'. What does that tell you about the woman who's writing up your paychecks?" As much as Ruth found this hard to believe, she didn't want to pursue that line of thinking any further for the moment. "You told me you had something to tell me about Demetrius?" Maggie paused a moment to drink a bit of the water from the glass that had been filled for her by one of the restaurant's busboys. "Good thing I'll be telling you this before we eat." "Assuming we eat at all," Ruth shot back. "I could wait until after we've eaten," Maggie mischievously added. "I'm feeling reeeeeal hungry all of a sudden." Ruth slammed a fist down on the table. "Goddamn you, bitch." She spoke through gritted teeth in her anger. Maggie giggled in response to this. "Y'know, if you're gonna look so freakishly young for your true age, you really need to lighten up a little." The dark-haired woman paused as Ruth calmed herself a little. "Alright...now I wonder if you know anything, anything at all, about an illegal, but quite disturbingly profitable manner of business called...human trafficking?" Ruth's angry expression slowly transitioned to one of complete horror as Maggie dropped the bombshell. "Demetrius is a part of one of these trafficking rings, Ruth. I have evidence on me to prove this, and not just papers with words. Photographic evidence." After a moment, Ruth's expression darkened once again, thinking back to the possibility that this would be a trap. "You're full of shit," she angrily intoned. Maggie, however, handed a folder to Tamara's mother. When Ruth opened it, she went through the documents and singled out the photographs, which were blown up to single out individuals that were being investigated. Prominent in this folder, of course, was Demetrius Konstantinos. Ruth remained skeptical, even though the folder was, to all appearances, a genuine criminal file. "How did you get this?" Maggie shrugged. "I have a friend who works with people that hunt these fuckers down and put them away." The dark-haired woman leaned in closer to Ruth as she continued studying the folder's contents. A sympathetic expression was on Maggie's face as she spoke. "I'd hate to see you become an accessory to a guy like this once they're ready to drop the hammer on the organization, Ruth. They'll put you away for a long, long time on the suspicion that you're one of his accomplices. I don't want to see that happen to you." The tone of Maggie's voice was now quite difficult to perceive as being deceptive. Ruth tried to fight back tears as her gaze lingered on a photo of what was definitely the image of Demetrius, looking a bit more criminal in appearance than the man she was used to gazing upon. There was also the threat he laid upon Celeste that he would find someone on his own if the search for Tammy ultimately proved fruitless. The very notion of her own daughter...who used to be her son...playing maid to a criminal like this was enough to shatter some of the mental conditioning that had been laid upon Ruth that apparently made Demetrius seem like the perfect match for her. Ruth squinted her eyes as the tears began to flow freely, and she lapsed into a quiet sobbing fit. "W...what the hell am I supposed t' do?" Ruth whined through her sobbing. "Get the fuck outta dodge, for one thing...or in this case, Bullchester," Maggie replied. "Ruth...I don't think even Rita or Celeste knows about this guy's involvements. I can't dig that deeply into it...and if you try, they'll probably just make arrangements to make sure you stop caring about the guy's criminal associations. But the real question is...do you really want to continue associating yourself with a business that secretly employs guys like Demetrius??" As Maggie spoke, Ruth was reading up on some of the records regarding the Grecian criminal. The file confirmed that he was at large, and had disappeared just before one of the group's gathering points...somewhere in Crete...was raided by federal agents. Maggie remained sympathetic in her tone. "I'm sorry, Ruth. I know you've been living it up, but...sometimes you need to accept that when a dream life is too good to be true? Nine times out of ten, it is." Ruth tried to compose herself now, closing the file and picking up the thick napkin by the silverware to wipe her face clean of her own tears. Anger laced her words as she spoke. "Those lying bitches," she hissed. Maggie reached over to place a hand on Ruth's arm. "Get out of Bullchester," she quietly asserted. "And stay out of there. Otherwise, they'll just set you up with someone just as bad, if not worse, than Demetrius." Before Ruth could respond, her smartphone lit up and began chiming a ring which clearly identified Demetrius. Maggie mouthed silently as Ruth reached for her phone. Demetrius? Ruth nodded as she placed the phone to her ear. "H...hello, honey. I...I imagine you're gonna be late home again?" She tried not to make her voice sound too fearful as she spoke. "No, I...I'm fine. I just...I stepped out to get something to eat." Ruth went quiet as she listened to the Grecian criminal's obviously disarming and deceitful words of affection and assurance. "OK...dear. I...I'll see you when you get home. We can...we can talk about the future. You know...you and me? Like I've always promised?" Ruth went silent again, but then spoke up to interrupt the words of her suitor. "Oh, honey...my order is arriving. I'll talk to you when you get in, all right? Ant?o, agapit?. I love you too." As Ruth cleared the line, Maggie smirked. "I'll bet that last line hurt to say." Once again, Ruth found herself trying to fight back tears as her head drooped a bit. Her eyes closed in her undeniable shame. Maggie's face now looked a little more sympathetic. "At least you know now, and you know at a point where you can do something about it, and you only have one real option." Ruth was able to keep the tears from flowing this time as her eyes opened back up. "And what option would that be?" Maggie leaned in towards Ruth again. "Do exactly as I tell you. You do that, Ruth, and I'm telling you right now that there's a very good chance we can clear your name, and make sure that bastard never bothers you again. Are you willing to do that?" Ruth raised her head up so her eyes could meet Maggie's. "You're suggesting something like...like witness protection, or something?" Maggie shrugged. "Something like that. You have to show that you want to help put this guy away if they're gonna believe that you have nothing to do with his activities." Maggie grabbed the file and hid it away before signaling for a nearby busboy. "Let them know we're ready to order." Ruth took a deep breath before speaking out once again, her tone a little more relaxed. "You said Tammy is still working. Is it for that attorney?" Maggie nodded. "Yup, same guy. He actually helped me get some of this info on Demetrius, too." "And...the 'second job' you mentioned?" Maggie smiled now. "Modeling. Don't worry...it's not pornography. I'm aiming for publications independent of the Loris International mags. '50s Pinup Girl kind of thing." Ruth tilted her head to the side curiously. "You mean like...Bettie Page?" Maggie had to giggle at this. "Something like that, yeah...but Tamara did ask about you. She still feels for you, Ruth. Even after that last time we all saw each other at that Halloween bash. Ruth thoughtfully lowered her head a little. "I miss her too." Maggie arched an eyebrow. "Why?" Ruth frowned now. "Have you so soon forgotten that she's my...my daughter?" Maggie wanted to see if there was more to this. "Why, Ruth?" Ruth shrugged. "Because I...because I miss her. Why else? She...she's very good at what she does for me. She...she cleans, and...she washes...you know, housekeeping." Maggie smirked now. She had hoped that she would not hear this kind of a response. Ruth was still conditioned to believe that Tamara could only be a maid in her eyes. The dark-haired woman was at least thankful to know that Tamara only wanted Ruth to be freed from Cresswell's grip, and not necessarily in a manner that meant a permanent reunion afterwards. Especially if Ruth still felt this way about the woman that used to be her son. Still, Maggie felt a need to challenge Ruth's response. "Is that the kind of thing Timothy used to do for you? Before you came to Bullchester, that is?" Ruth shrugged. "Sometimes." A waitress finally arrived at their table to take their food orders. When they were done, Maggie reminded the server that she would pick up the tab for both meals, which visibly surprised Ruth. Maggie smirked when she saw Ruth's reaction. "Don't get any ideas, Ruthie." The raven-haired woman's expression then turned serious. "Now...here's what I need you to do first..." * * * - QueenCel '< : Get on the line right now, you dumb BITCH. - QueenCel '< : Rita. - QueenCel '< : . . . . . . . . - QueenCel '< : RITA!!!!!!! - LovlyRita '< : OK! OK! I'm here! I'm sorry! I was in the bathroom. What's wrong? - QueenCel '< : Demetrius Konstantinos. THAT'S your latest fuck-up, dearie. - LovlyRita '< : Huh? Why? He's big money. - QueenCel '< : Did you ever bother to find out HOW he amasses his fortune? - LovlyRita '< : Well...um, Celeste...I have to apologize there. I mean, I got so caught up with Tammy. I was going to do the background check, but...I figured that if there were complications, you could find a way to clear them. I mean...you always do, don't you? - QueenCel '< : Oh! You just, quite casually, forgot about the background check that would have informed us that 'big money' gets his income from HUMAN FUCKING TRAFFICKING. HE'S SNATCHING FEMALES OFF THE GODDAMN STREETS AND SELLING THEM, YOU TWAT!! - LovlyRita '< : Oh. - LovlyRita '< : Oh Goddess. - LovlyRita '< : Oh Goddess...this is...no. No, no, NO... - LovlyRita '< : I feel like throwing up right now. NO FUCKING JOKE. I have to check the backgrounds of the women he was giving us. Oh Goddess Oh Goddess Oh GODDESS... - QueenCel '< : I'm only going to say this once, Rita. We are CUTTING HIM OFF. Understood? This is NOT negotiable. - QueenCel '< : Rita? - QueenCel '< : . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . - LovlyRita '< : Sorry, Celeste...I needed a moment. I'm feeling very nauseous right now. Today's lunch and breakfast is now in the nearby toilet. - QueenCel '< : Awww, poor dear. Want a breath mint? - LovlyRita '< : Went over your chat text. Yes, yes, of course. We're done with him. Permanently. I'll need to fix things up with Ruth, too. I just hope we can get to her before HE does. Goddess...I'll get right on this with Brianne. - QueenCel '< : Brianne? - LovlyRita '< : Remember the boy I told you about that uses a female handle on Speakabout? - QueenCel '< : Oh, the sockpuppet. You did give him the Phal-69 prototype, yes? - LovlyRita '< : As per your request, yes. - QueenCel '< : Good. Finally, something in your favor. Judith tells me his friend is becoming the perfect picture of a dumb blonde. His jugs are pleasingly huge. - LovlyRita '< : Who will you want us to set Ruth up with once we've ditched Demetrius? - QueenCel '< : Just keep her busy once we've washed our hands of the Demetrius matter. She's always been going on about having Tammy back with her as a maid, and I'd like to leave that option open once we get Tammy away from Maggie. - LovlyRita '< : Celeste, I am so, so, SO SORRY about this! I PROMISE that the next time, I'll give full priority to a background check on anyone we bring in as new partners! - QueenCel '< : We might be able to spin this in our favor anyway. Cooperating with authorities outside of Bullchester to 'aid the cause', so to speak, should earn us a nice little merit badge in the eyes of the world. - LovlyRita '< : Whatever you need to have done, I'll get right on it. - QueenCel '< : Just get rid of Demetrius first, and snap up Ruth for re-conditioning. Let me think on everything else. If the effort to eliminate Demetrius proves difficult, we can always call in a favor with Xavier. - LovlyRita '< : Demetrius is as good as gone, Celeste. I'll try calling Ruth as well, and get her over to the Salon as soon as possible. By the way...may I be so bold as to ask you a related question? - QueenCel '< : I'm pissed off enough as it is, but go ahead. - LovlyRita '< : How did you find out Demetrius was involved with Human Trafficking? - LovlyRita '< : Celeste? - LovlyRita '< : Hello? - QueenCel '< : Good night, Rita. ----===*CHAT TERMINATED*===---- * * * ==================================================================== ~= THE DAILY BULLHORN =~ LIGHTNING RAID ENDS HUMAN TRAFFICKING CARTEL Rescued Trafficking victims to offer testimony Information offered by an unidentified source proved fruitful in a raid set up by federal agents shortly after confirming the source's claims. In a violent gun battle, six members of a Human Trafficking cartel were killed, and two of them...among them a Grecian man who has been at large for over two years...suffered crippling injuries from the gunfire and were detained. Eight young women were found at a derelict warehouse in downtown Bullchester which was apparently being used as a headquarters for the cartel. Three of them...whose names were not released...were pronounced dead. Two from apparent drug overdoses, and the third from a fatal gunshot wound, suggesting an execution. The remaining five were rescued and were taken to area hospitals, where they are expected to recover from their ordeals, and they are also expected to offer their own testimony to assist in the ongoing effort to shut down related organizations operating beyond the borders of Bullchester. The Grecian man has been identified as Demetrius Konstantinos, 53, who was wanted in connection with various kidnappings of young women between the ages of 14 and 25 in his hometown of Corinth, Greece. Many of these women were discovered dead or in critical condition. Those who survived are still mentally recovering from their ordeals at the hands of the cartel. No information has been released as to the identity, or the relation, of the source close to Konstantinos who revealed his whereabouts, but federal agents are praising said source for being brave enough to share the location of the Grecian trafficker despite the obvious risks. ===================================================================== * * * For the past couple of days, Larry had been explaining the trial procedure to Tamara, and how to properly conduct herself in so doing. This upcoming trial was of a criminal matter. A cellular provider's store had been robbed of expensive cell phones. Larry was to represent the prosecution and prove that the defendant did in fact steal those phones, while the Defense Attorney was to prove that the defendant was not guilty. Larry would of course do all the talking, which suited Tamara just fine, seeing as how she had no experience at all in courtroom matters. During the time Larry spent training his secretary, Tamara had made an effort to keep things professional during the lessons, and not put forth any manner of suggestive innuendo. There were times that Larry had paused during the lessons as well, which compelled Tamara to believe that he was making an effort of his own to keep their association with each other on a purely professional level. The following day, Larry had business to take care of outside of the office, and said business would last for the entirety of Tamara's work shift, so the former boy would have the office all to herself once again. She nevertheless stuck to her routine of making sure the office was prepared to receive visitors with fresh pots of coffee and the usual coffee embellishments of milk and sugar, and keeping post- it notices on hand to take down any messages should any of Larry's clients, existing or otherwise, call in. Larry always provided enough bagels for the both of them, and a toaster oven was added to the office in case they wanted their bagels warmed up. Truly, the pair made for quite a team on a typical work week. Tamara would always worry, however, as to how long it would take before unspoken urges would be acted upon. It helped Tamara's situation to know that Larry was a married man, but there were times when even a man as loyal as Larry looked like he was fighting temptation whenever Tamara walked into his office to respond to his coffee requests. Fortunately, nothing had ever actually happened, and Tamara certainly hoped it would remain that way. Aside from two calls which were follow-ups for past business Larry had played a part in, the morning was eventless. No visitors stepped up to the front door, and Tamara went to the office's kitchen to prepare a meal she had grown accustomed to since resuming work with Larry: a salad. Such had been Maggie's dietary suggestion. While it was necessary for Tamara to maintain her plus-size curves, it was important that Tamara refrain from any kind of over-eating, lest she gain too much weight. The phone rang once again. Tamara sighed out, hoping that this was not some manner of business that would effectively put her lunch hour on hold. Regardless, she picked up the receiver and grabbed a pen in the event that this would be another message for Larry. "Lawrence Hanel's office, may I help you?" Tamara began. "Hello, Tammy." The voice was not Rita's, nor was it Celeste, or Judith. These were voices that were hard to shake when it came to lingering memories in the mind of the former boy who had once been Tammy Porntoy. The only other voice that this could possibly be was one she had heard in a state of total inebriation. Someone whose feet she had been ordered to lick despite the woman being drunk. A brief moment of silence followed, after which Tamara arched an eyebrow as he spoke the name. "Julia...?" Tamara heard the voice of the Mayoress giggle infectiously. "I was hoping you would remember me." Tamara stayed quiet, seeing as how she was now a little petrified with fear over her being discovered by a woman she knew to be a part of the Cresswell conspiracy. Her first instinct was to finish the phone call quickly and forewarn both Larry and Maggie, who were now easy to reach for the fact that the former boy now had a smartphone of her very own. "If you're worried that your days as a fugitive are numbered, don't be." Julia spoke gently and softly, and in a tone that Tamara found undeniably pleasant and disarming. She found herself wanting to hear more of that voice as Julia spoke. "I haven't revealed anything to anyone. Rita, Celeste, Petal...none of them know anything about where you are, but I hope you weren't thinking that with the kind of resources I have at my disposal as Mayoress, that I would never actually find out where you are?" As much as Tamara wanted to remain on the line, she had to find a way to end the conversation, and so she tried the only tactic that had immediately come to mind. "I...I have a lot of work to do, Julia...I'm so..." "It's lunchtime, sweetheart," Julia amusedly interjected. "Unless you're the kind of secretary that works through her lunch hour? What are you having for lunch today, dear?" "I-I..." Tamara's eyes went down to the greens in the salad bowl in front of her, all of it covered in salad dressing. "...salad," she finally replied. "A salad, eh? I'm having a salad, too. Delicious, isn't it?" Julia's voice continued to hold Tamara's attention as the Mayoress spoke. "Keeps you in shape, too. I bet you wondered, back when you were a boy, what it must have tasted like when you saw your mom...or maybe your sisters...eating it. Did you make that salad yourself, Tammy?" Tamara swallowed hard before replying. "I did." "Mmmm. I am soooo curious as to how well you did," Julia mused. "If only I could come out there and taste it for myself. I bet I would approve. What kind of salad dressing did you use?" "Uhh...B-Balsamic Vinaigrette." "Really? I use French dressing myself," Julia replied. "Although I will be sure to look your Balsamic Vinaigrette up and try it myself. The next time you make a salad, I think you should try French dressing. Will you give it a try the next time you make a salad for yourself, Tammy?" "Ye...I...I'll try...try it..." Tamara tried to keep from stammering. She squinted her eyes in frustration, hoping that Larry would suddenly burst through the door and interrupt the moment with emergency business he needed Tamara for. Unfortunately, no such moment manifested as Julia continued speaking. "Good. Very good. You will not be disappointed," Julia responded. "One reason why I am calling you, Tammy, is because I never actually apologized to you for the way I behaved the last time I saw you. According to Jemima, I was...well, drunk. She and Xavier had to intervene and take me away, remember?" Tamara closed her eyes as the memory came back to her. "Yes." "About the only thing I can remember..." Julia paused a moment for effect. "...was how good your tongue felt as it ran against my bare foot. Jemima told me that's what you were doing when they found us." Another pause, this one longer. "Do you remember my scent, Tammy? As I recall, you were once very enthralled by the scent of worn feet." "I-I don't do that anymore...Julia," Tamara managed to stammer out. "I'm...I'm sorry." "Awww, a shame. You were so good at it, too," Julia mused. "I will be completely honest with you, Tammy. I have been thinking about you. In fact, I'll just come right out and say it." Her tone sounded surprisingly sincere as the Mayoress spoke the words that followed. "I miss you. Thinking about you has been a bit of a distraction as of late from my work as the Mayoress of Bullchester. I want to be able to see you without being drunk off my ass. I...hope I didn't look too bad in your eyes, Tammy. If I did, I will want to make up for that sometime soon. Would you like that, dear? Would you want to see your Mayoress again?" "U-ummm...I..." Tamara glanced up to the nearby clock. A mere 10 minutes had passed. Not even an hour. The former boy found it difficult to admit that she would not want to see the very attractive Mayoress again. She even found herself remembering how her feet tasted. "Well? Yes, or no?" Julia's voice calmly, softly asked. "If you say no, I will understand, and you will never hear from me again. I promise. Even though I'm going to be very sad. So...what's your answer, Tammy?" Tamara's more sensible side wanted to say no, thereby keeping her, Maggie, and Larry safe. But the idea of upsetting someone as beautiful and as powerful as Julia Stroud seemed like a terrible thing to the former boy as well. "I won't betray you, dear. I promise, you and your friends will be safe," Julia softly remarked. "Please say yes. Your Mayoress misses you so much." Tamara remained silent, lost in her indecision. Julia delicately whispered now. "Say yes, Tammy." Her soft voice sounded very compelling. "Say yes. Say yes. Whisper it if you have to. Say yes." Tamara squinted her eyes shut. She knew that if she denied the Mayoress, her friends would somehow suffer. She figured that her mother would suffer in some way, too. "Yes," she finally responded, feeling terribly regretful in that moment. "Say it again." Tamara swallowed hard. "Yes." The former boy could hear the Mayoress giggling quietly. "Does it give you a thrill to hear a woman like me tell you what to do, Tammy? Answer." "I...y-yes..." "Yes it does. I know that about you. I pulled your file, so I know everything about you," Julia purred. "Your loves, your hates, what schools you've gone to, your whole family unit, your late father, and how he tried to get you into the kinds of things he liked. But you didn't like his man's world, did you, girl?" Tamara closed her eyes. It was obviously no use trying to lie if Julia had her file. "No." "No. You preferred to be your mother's favorite," Julia remarked. "It should please you to know that your mom just became a hero, too. Have you seen the news lately? About the Human Trafficking raid? Your mother played a very big part in making that happen." Tamara's eyes widened. "How?" "Rita Noble tried to set your mother up with the very same guy they talked about on the news. Demetrius Konstantinos," Julia explained. "He was the man who was with your mother that night at the Halloween party." The former boy nodded her head slowly. "I remember him. I didn't like him the moment I saw him." "He turned out to have a past in kidnapping and extortion. White slavery, too," Julia noted. "Rita never did a background check on him because she was, well, concentrating on you at the time. Celeste only recently found out that he was one of the figureheads of an international Human Trafficking ring, and she was plen-ty pissed, believe me. Ruth was taken aside by federal agents, and she gave them a lot of information in exchange for witness protection. She's practically off the map now, but at least she's safe. Especially with the rest of Demetrius's network on the run, and as far away from Bullchester as possible." Tamara could not help but wonder if Maggie had played any part in this veritable stroke of luck as Julia continued speaking. "I...could be convinced to get you her present address, you know. Seeing as how you're family, after all...but you couldn't see her right away. Ruth needs to lay low for a while until time goes by and all this dies down in the eyes of the media. I can also find out what new identity they gave her." Tamara knew such favors would carry price tags. "What do you want?" "Ohhh, I don't know..." Julia's voice paused for a moment. No doubt she was thinking on some manner of advantageous perk. "...let me play mommy with you for a while? If not your legal guardian?" "Julia, I...I can't go back to Bullchester," Tamara whined. "I just can't. Not after everything that happened to me." "Don't whine, girl." Julia's voice sounded firm now. "You need someone to take better care of you. When is the last time Maggie ever did anything with you that was not business? How often does she see you when you're not working? Has she even tried to visit you on your lunch break?" Tamara wanted to give a feasible explanation. But she couldn't, as the minute-long silence that followed indicated. "I want to see you again, Tammy." Julia kept her voice a little more authoritative and direct as she spoke. "And I will see you again, because you told me...twice...that you wanted to see me again. Now get a picture of yourself with your smartphone and send it to me. I want to see as much of what you look like now as possible. Do it now." Tamara rose up from her seat and engaged her smartphone's photo app. She figured a shot of her mirror image in the office's bathroom would be ideal. She just stood in front of the mirror without making any kind of a pose, and clicked a shot of herself. As the photo app included an option of sending the resultant photo to a text messenger's phone, she was able to send it to Julia in the next moment. She knew Julia would be waiting, so Tamara brought her smartphone back to her ear, feeling a bit defeated. After a long moment, Tamara heard a slight gasp on the other end of the line. "Oooooooh. You're looking so much better than before, Tammy. I like the curvy look. You wear professional outfits well, too. Mmmmm...I could masturbate to this image, girl. Before I see you again, I think I will. For now, however, I'm going to text you an address outside of Bullchester, along with a date, and a time. If you're not there, Tammy, I'll feel compelled to betray your location to Celeste. I wouldn't want to see you become a 'porntoy' again, girl." "How do I know you're not going to give me up to Celeste anyway, Julia?" Tamara countered. "How do I know she's not somehow tapping your phone, or something?" A pause followed. Tamara imagined Julia was trying to come up with a feasible explanation, if not a white lie. "I will openly admit that Celeste did play a role in making me the Mayoress of Bullchester..." Celeste thoughtfully began. "...and if you knew anything about the politics of the city, you'd know that it would have been otherwise impossible for women like myself to have made such an achievement by 'going through proper channels', so to speak. But I'm not lying to you when I tell you that my contacting you is something I'm doing on my own. Celeste doesn't know I'm doing this, and I'm using a secure line, so I give you my word as the Mayoress of Bullchester that Celeste is not eavesdropping on us." Silence followed once again as Tamara struggled to figure out how to perceive this. Julia sounded genuine enough. Although the former boy was no expert in figuring out a lie from the truth, Julia did not sound like she was fabricating things. She wasn't sugar-coating her words, at least. Julia broke the silence once again. "Have you been through your first period yet, Tammy?" Tamara blinked. "Huh?" "Your first period," Julia responded. "Have you menstruated yet?" The question obviously caught Tamara off-guard. "Uhhh...n-no?" "Maggie never told you about that part of being a woman, did she, Tammy?" Indeed, Maggie's business away from Tamara had obviously kept her from explaining such things. If the former boy lied, she knew Julia would immediately call her bluff. "No." "Heh...I'm not surprised," Julia mused. "You need to learn about such things, dear. All women have menstrual cycles. They're also called periods. You need to start buying tampons for yourself. If your breasts start feeling overly sensitive, if you're feeling cranky all of a sudden, or you just find yourself in mood swings...you should really read up on this stuff. There should be a free encyclopedia online. Read up on it, Tammy. You've made the full transition to a woman. That much I know. Now you have to embrace the responsibilities of being one, and handling your menstrual cycles has to be one of those necessities. After you've finished work today, get yourself to a store and buy a box of tampons. Understood?" Tamara nodded as she spoke. "Okay." "You're talking to a Mayoress, dear," Julia gently chided. "In most cases, the proper response is 'yes, your honor'. Or, you could say 'yes, Madam Mayoress'. I don't care which you use. Understood?" The bewitching gentleness of Julia's voice had made Tamara a little more compliant by now. "Y-yes, Madam Mayoress." "Good girl," Julia answered. "See how much you can learn from me? I could show you so much more, and I will. Remember the address, the date, and the time that I text you." She practically purred her next statement. "Remember, too, who it was that taught you about the importance of your periods, Tammy. You let me help you, and you'll feel more like a real woman than anyone...even Maggie...could ever help you to be." "Yes...your honor," Tamara replied, a hand unconsciously going between her legs thoughtfully. "Lunch break is over, my chubby little office worker," Julia cooed. "Finish your salad and get back to work. See you soon, girl." A click followed, and the line went dead. Looking up at the clock, Tamara saw that Julia's estimate was off by about five minutes... ...but this was all the time she needed to finish her salad anyway, and get right back to work. Just as her Mayoress had wanted her to do.