Excited for the first day of her internship, 18-year-old Candace considered all the possible outfits she could wear to make just the right impression. A melange of skirts and jackets and shoes were scattered on her bed Sunday night.
After much deliberation, Candace set out a navy blue skirt and matching one-button jacket, with a pale pink chemise blouse. She tossed and turned that night, excited for the day to come.
Monday morning, Candace primped and dressed. She stood in front of the full-length mirror and admired her look. The skirt rode fairly high on her slender toned thighs and her strappy navy sandals gave her calves that tapered look. Her pale pink mani-pedi matched her chemise quite well. Her large bosom was camouflaged by the chemise when the jacket was worn; when it came off, she looked disproportionately top-heavy considering her slender waist and hips.
She had been sure to fix her white blonde hair just right, combing it with a perfect part in the middle. She pulled her hair into a high ponytail. It was a futile effort to seem professional and serious when her body screamed with sexual appeal.
After applying some makeup on her cheekbones, and mascara on her lashes to highlight her ice blue eyes, she applied pale pink frosted lipstick to her lips. Silver studs in her ears and her Tiffany silver chain necklace finished off her accessories.
She took a deep breath and uttered out loud to herself, "Well, here's to an exciting summer!"
After fighting moderate traffic she arrived at the office building, parked in the garage and took the elevator to the top floor to the office of Sommet Partners, arriving precisely at 8:30 a.m.
Ashanti was first to greet her. The 6-foot French African amazon said, "Good morning, Candace!" and looked her up and down. "You look fantastique! First day, non? Let's take you down to Danielle."
Danielle appeared before they had even moved from the office lobby, looking as stunning as always in a green sheath dress with black closed-toe pointed pumps. Candace thought she saw a glimpse of red sole, indicative of Louboutins. Her long hair was tied in a french braid, and she smiled a wall of teeth.
"Candace, it is so exciting to have you!" Danielle exclaimed. "Let me give you a tour. Come!"
She led Candace through the sleek office once again, only this time she stopped to show her the break room, the handful of staff offices, and Candace's office, which was next to Danielle's.
After showing Candace where she would sit, Danielle took her past two dark doors. "What are those doors?" asked Candace.
"Those are the offices of Monsieur Bienfait and Monsieur Diarra. When they are here, it is imperative that you do not linger near their offices. And you may never enter without permission. They are not here, so I think there is no harm in showing you them.
Danielle opened Charles Diarra's office first. Unlike the main office decor, it was darker, with closed blinds. It had a number of carved wooden statuettes; many seemed to have a phallic theme to them, to which Candace was oblivious. "Monsieur Diarra is very well-traveled. He is originally from Cote d'Ivoire and has many interests that bridge France and Africa. He also collects sculptured woodwork from tribes in francophone Africa. It's quite the collection.
Candace got a bit of a chill as she stood in the office. It was unlike anything she had seen before. It felt almost sinister.
"Come, we can get a glimpse of Monsieur Bienfait's office, too. He should be back tomorrow afternoon," said Danielle.
"Can't we just go that way?" said Candace, pointing to a subtle door that would seem to go to Manuel's office.
"Oh no, dear." said Danielle. "That's a private room that only the two founders have access to."
"What is in there?" asked Candace.
"I'm afraid that's very private and only the founders can disclose that. Just pretend you didn't notice that door, ok?"
"Sure, ok," said Candace, now intrigued.
They exited Charles' office and walked a few paces to the door to Manuel's office, which was more consistent with the rest of the office's modern look. Candace noticed the Le Corbusier chaise longue in front of the window.
"What a view," she exclaimed. "You can see downtown Washington from here!"
"Yes," Danielle agreed. "You can. It's even more spectacular at night... Well let's sit down and talk about work, shall we?"
Over the next hour or so, Danielle explained the company's mission and the roles expected of Candace, orienting her to the business.
At one point, Candace said, "Danielle, I'm confused about a couple things - we say we are traders, but what is it we trade? And, also, we say we provide services, but that's not really explicit either. Is there more I can read up on?"
"Well, Candace, we trade in many things, and we provide lots of services. Our clients are very rich, but also very discreet, and very exacting - so we don't share more than we have to. Our company gets by on word of mouth."
"I see," said Candace, still unclear.
"I know a great little place we can get salads for lunch. Let's do your onboarding luncheon at this little cafe I know in Tysons - maybe we can sneak in a tiny bit of shopping."
Candace grinned. "Okay, sounds like a plan!"
"Let's shoot for 1 p.m. then. It's a date, non?
Danielle drove Candace over to the cafe adjacent to the Tyson's mall in her convertible 2-seater Mercedes. As she drove she got quite an eyeful of Candace's slender, toned thighs as her tight skirt rode up her legs as she sat. At the light, she said, "I like your pedicure. It matches your chemise. You have such pretty feet you should always show them off like that."
"Oh thank you, Danielle," said Candace, equal parts proud and embarrassed.
Upon arrival they settled into a booth and conversed over Thai salads.
"So, Candace, let's get to know each other a little better, off the clock as it were. What do you think so far?"
"I'm just kind of overwhelmed it's so much to process - but I'm really excited - the company seems really cool. I'm really curious to meet Monsieur Bienfait and Monsieur Diarra. I tried to look them up on the internet but there are no photos of them. Do you have any?"
"I'm afraid not, Candace. The founders prefer to keep their profiles quite low. Discretion is valued by our clients as much as it is by them. But I assure you, they are very smart...and very handsome!" Danielle laughed at the end of her sentence. "Oh yes. Very handsome."
"Really? Can you describe them?"
"Well, I think you will meet them soon enough and you will see for yourself. I think it's nice to have a surprise, no? They are very eager to meet you, I know."
"So, Candace, tell me...you are so beautiful, if petite. You must have many boyfriends!"
"Oh, gosh, yeah, just one boyfriend, actually."
"Just one? My goodness you must have had many lovers, non?"
"No, not really. My current boyfriend is pretty hot though."
"Un moment - Candace you are telling me that you have not had lovers other than your boyfriend and you are already 18? You have been missing out! When I was modeling in Paris I had several lovers. It was nice that it helped me pay the rent! Now, Candace, I know what you are thinking...I was not some prostitute!"
"I wasn't saying..."
"No insult - I understand I did not explain clearly. I just meant that men would give me gifts. I pleased them, they pleased me. It wasn't transactional but it was an understood exchange of favors, you might say. All older men, powerful men. Men who wanted possession - you understand?"
"I think so?"
"May I be frank, Candace?"
"Of course." Candace replied, both discomfited and intrigued.
"You aren't tall enough to be a fashion model, but you have a face like Helen of Troy. And it is both sexual and innocent at the same time. And your body - mon dieu! Your tits are too large for your petite frame, but they are all natural. You are every man's wet dream. You need to exploit your look of sexuality and innocence with experience. You need to learn what men want and how to please them - to act submissive when it is called for without submitting. You have a gift and you need to use that gift!"
Candace gaped at her, taken aback.
"My dear, don't be shocked. I'm a french girl who has seen a lot. I can tell you - 1000 percent - I wish I had known then what I know now. Young women have incredible power to get their way with men - and women - if they play their cards right. I can help you. Do you want my help?"
"Of course I want your help, Danielle. I just don't know what to say."
"You need to say little. You need to listen and to observe. Then you will learn. Trust me"
Danielle looked in Candace's icy blue eyes, searching for a sign of agreement. She smiled back, hesitated a moment, and then nodded, uttering a quiet "okay."
Danielle smiled proudly at her new pupil. "That's a good girl." She tapped Candace's hand with her own. "Come, I have something on order I have to pick up. It's in this area of the mall."
The two women's heels clicked on the floor as they began walking in the mall, Danielle walking a modified model strut like a woman on a mission. Candace could barely keep up with her shorter strides.
Danielle suddenly stopped in front of a lingerie boutique, featuring displays of mannequins in merry widows and babydolls in the windows. "Here we are! Hopefully my friend Marianne is here."
She led Candace into the boutique and heard a french accent say "Danielle!" and then run on in a mix of French and English. The two women conversed for a couple minutes, with Candace oblivious to their banter. Marianne was older - Candace guessed maybe 50 and possibly of Middle Eastern origin, with a fair amount of plastic surgery to enhance her face and boobs.
She went to the back and emerged with a box, handing it to Danielle. "Oui, try it on!" said Marianne. "You know where to go!"
Danielle turned to Candace, "Will you come with me? I may need some assistance."
"Uh, sure," said Candace, admiring the various expensive lingerie items - this was a far cry from Victoria's Secret and far out of her budget!
The three of them entered the changing area which had four private rooms but in the center was a slightly raised platform and three angled mirrors.
Danielle stepped up on the platform, facing the central mirror with her back to Candace. She reached back but had trouble with her zipper. "Candace, can you help me with this zipper, please?"
