Beverley 03: Confidential Translation

Author's Note: All characters in this story are 18 years or older.

There is some boy-girl sex in this one.

* * *

Chris Lowe looked at his partner and smiled. "Well, the soft skills course is almost running itself. We've fine-tuned the slides, and you have the teaching nailed."

"Seems so," said Beverly Carney thoughtfully. "But a class of 20-year olds is inherently unpredictable. They keep throwing curveballs at every lesson."

"Well, you deal with it fine," said Chris, waving a hand. "You're on top of it." He smiled uncertainly at Beverley as he went on. "You remember the translation job you did for WJM Systems last month?"

Beverley had lived in Europe for many years and was fluent in German, French, and Spanish. WJM Systems was a tech company that had started and grown in their own town and was now looking to expand their operations overseas. They had sought help from CB Solutions when a potential partner had sent over a bunch of documents in German.

"Do I ever!" Beverley exclaimed. "What's worse than a mass of legalese? Legalese in German!"

"Yes, well," said Chris, refusing to be subdued. "They're exploring the possibility of moving ahead, and the German firm's CEO is coming over to hold talks. They want interpretation services."

"I don't think we can handle that." Beverley spoke after thinking for a minute. "With documents, I could take my time, look up anything I wasn't certain of, and then type the translation. A lot of their stuff was technical and legal, and an interpreter would need to do everything instantly."

"They've got the tech and legal stuff all worked out." Chris looked at Beverley carefully before continuing. "They don't need subject matter expertise. Just someone who can facilitate conversations."

"Yes, I know what an interpreter does." Beverley leaned back and asked the obvious question. "Why are they paying that much? Do they want me to spend a month in Africa or something?"

"They're paying for confidentiality," said Chris. "Walsh is paranoid about keeping things under wraps until the deal is done. It has the potential to alter the landscape of their industry, and he doesn't want any leaks and insider trading. Their German partner is, apparently, even more security-conscious."

"Well, I've no interest in talking about what I learn while translating." The extraordinary fee being offered had Beverley interested. "So they want us to sign a non-disclosure agreement with threatening clauses?"

"Yes, of course," said Chris, now looking distinctly uncomfortable. "But they're enormously worried about their conversations being recorded and later being used against them. They don't want to take any chances about the interpreter hiding transmitters or recording devices in their clothes."

"Well, they can use a metal detector or whatever devices they trust." Beverley was puzzled by Chris's strange behavior. "What is it, Chris? Do they want to bring in security personnel to search me?"

"No, they went on about listening devices hidden in clothes and shoes and so on," said Chris, looking at the dead plant on his windowsill. "So I told them we would do the interpreting without shoes or clothes."

Beverley was still for a moment, her mind splintering at what Chris had promised on her behalf. About to burst out at him, she controlled herself and stood up. "Well, remember to shave your legs."

"Bev, wait," cried Chris in a panic, as Beverley moved towards the door. "I don't know German. I can't do this."

"But, Bev." He bleated as he followed her out of the door and into their office's anteroom. Their office was just this small waiting area and the inner room which Chris used as his office. Their company, CB Solutions, had no other employees besides the two of them. "We need to get some contracts. The course will end in the next week, and a new batch of Juniors won't be along for several months."

Chris followed Beverley out into the building passage all the way to the elevator doors, talking. Beverley was quiet in her fury, but listening to him as she waited for the elevator. "... and they're so obsessed with secrecy, no one will ever know."

"You clot!" Beverley hissed. "I'll be nude in their office with a hundred people ogling me. How do you think it'll remain a secret? We've been to their office, remember? It's all open plan and glass partitions."

"No, no, Bev," Chris pleaded. "The German CEO is coming on Friday, and WJM are closing their office early. There'll just be a bare bones staff around."

"And bare-assed me." Beverley shook her head, but allowed Chris to steer her away from the elevator. "Do you really expect I'll stand nude in their office from morning to night and translate German to English?"

"It won't be that long," said Chris, as he led Beverley back along the passage to their office. "The Vorwurts CEO will get to the WJM office at 3 pm or so, and..."

"You're crazy if you think I'm going to work naked because a paranoid CEO believes I'll tape their secret negotiations if I have clothes." Beverley was shaking her head as she sat down in the chair Chris held for her.

* * *

Beverley debated what to wear to the WJM office. Since she would be getting nude, she didn't want a slutty look entering the office. Would she be offered some privacy for undressing and getting dressed? Chris hadn't been able to answer that.

Looking through her lingerie drawer, Beverley selected black boyshort panties and a matching front closure bra. Choosing an outfit for her nude outing was more difficult and she spent long minutes rifling through her closet. In the end, she opted for a lightweight cotton blouse and gray pencil skirt with a dark blazer.

"I should kill Chris," she thought for the hundredth time as she drove down the highway. WJM Systems had an enormous office building a few miles outside town, and she parked a few minutes before her appointed time. As she sat in the car to collect herself, she saw a stream of employees leaving the building and driving off.

That was a relief to Beverley. WJM employed hundreds of people, and she didn't want to expose herself to all of them. Chris had assured her that only the two CEOs and a few essential staff would be around when she started work.

"Hello, I'm Derrick," said a fresh-faced man who met her in the office reception area. The two receptionists behind the long counter were winding up their work and preparing to leave as Beverley walked in. "You must be Beverley, the interpreter."

Derrick looked almost too young to have a job, and Beverley hoped he wouldn't be among the bare essential staff she would be working with. CEOs were usually senior people with self-control. Youngsters like Derrick were likely to get too enthusiastic when faced with a nude woman.

"Yes, I'm Beverley," she said, noting that Derrick's handshake was firm but damp. He seemed to be nervous, and Beverley wondered if the CEOs wanted him to be nude for the meeting, too. Heaven knew she herself was nervous and sweating because of that requirement.

"Most people have gone home," Derrick informed her as they rode the elevator. "Happy to get an extra half-holiday! Only the people actually participating in the discussions are here now." He looked at her and then away quickly. "So very few people will, uh, meet you."

Good save, thought Beverley. He had been about to say "see you," but changed at the last moment. She followed him out of the lift and into a small office. Opening a closet, he brought out a box and placed it on the small desk.

"This is my office," he said, proudly. "I'm just an intern, but I work long hours so I have my own office." Beverley gave him her "I'm deeply impressed" look and smiled. "Mr. Binson recommended me to the CEO for today's job. All the other interns were sent home at two, but I'm here."

"It's a large office," said Beverley, making small talk to cover her nervousness. "How long have you been working here?"

"Six weeks," Derrick said, proudly. "I have a handle on all the action here and report directly to the HR Head."

"Is Binson the HR Head?" asked Beverley, making a guess. "Has he offered you a permanent position?"

"Oh, it's too early for that," said Derrick. "I'll be a sophomore when I go back to college next month. But I'm sure Mr. Binson will save my resume and contact details."

Beverley smiled at his enthusiasm and confidence. Inwardly, she groaned. Derrick wasn't even a regular employee -- he was a 19-year-old student. She hoped he would leave before her translation duties began.

"I'll see what instructions the CEO has for us," said Derrick, gesturing to Beverley to sit in the only chair in the small office. As so often happens when only one seat is available, both people had remained standing. "I shall be back shortly."

Getting more anxious by the minute, Beverley watched a few people passing by the glass walls of the tiny office. They seemed to be leaving for the day, and she noticed that the office was very quiet now. She wondered if the German CEO had arrived yet.

"We're almost ready," announced Derrick, bursting into the tiny office. "The Vorwurts team arrived a minute ago, and our people are showing them where they'll be working." He looked Beverley up and down and she saw he was trying to suppress a grin. "Please put all your clothes in this box. Mr. Scales will be along to brief you."

Beverley frowned. "I thought your CEO was Gary Walsh." She unbuttoned her cuffs, trying to be casual about it.

"That's right," said Derrick, busily rearranging the sheaf of documents on his small desk. "Scales is our security consultant. He's been brought in to make sure no papers or data about this meeting leak."

"So is he going to be around while the CEOs are talking?" Beverley had unbuttoned her blouse and now pulled it down her arms as Derrick pretended to ignore her. She had hoped it would be just the two CEOs while she was nude, but apparently, two more men would be around.

Beverley heard a muffled gasp as she unhooked her bra and opened it. Without looking up, she knew Derrick was staring at her bare breasts. Wanting to get the undressing part over, she unhooked her skirt and pushed it down her hips together with her panties. Sitting down on the chair, she pulled off her shoes and put them with her clothes into the box on the table.

"Well, I'm ready to work," she said, and her voice sounded strained to herself. "Please inform Scales. Derrick?"

Derrick was lost in staring at the nude woman before him. He'd had dates that ended with sex, but always with partial undressing in the back seat of his car in a dark place. Beverley sitting completely naked in his brightly-lit office scrambled his thought process and she had to repeat his words before he came to.

"Yes, yes, I should tell him," he said, flustered. Turning to the door, he bumped into it before passing through. His actions and speech would have been funny if Beverley had not been so nervous herself.

The door swung open and Derrick held it as two men entered. Beverley gulped and turned to face them as one of them held out his hand.

"I'm Philip Scales," he said, and his eyes dropped to Beverley's breasts for only the tiniest moment. "Please call me Phil. I'm managing security for this meeting. This is Pascal Bleckewehl, my counterpart from Vorwurts."

Beverley shook hands with both of them and murmured indistinctly. She hoped no more people would be in the office during the meeting. She realized the German was walking around her and looked at him over her shoulder.

"This wasn't my idea," said Scales, indicating Beverley's nude body. "I just use a handheld metal detector and simple frisking. But since you've stripped down, we just look you over to make sure you have no wires."

"So that's what he's doing," said Beverley, looking at Bw again. He spoke to her in German, and she lifted first one foot and then the other, letting him see the soles of her feet. She spoke again to Scales. " I was wondering why he was circling me."

"I would've enjoyed checking you, Beverley," said Scales, smiling. "But he beat me to it." Then he became serious as Bleckewehl joined him. "So this is how the bigwigs have arranged it." He opened the door and held it.

Bleckewehl passed through the door and turned in a circle, looking into all the offices through their glass walls. Beverley hesitated, wondering if all the regular office staff had left yet.

"Yep, everyone gone," Derrick replied when she asked. "Only the people participating in the meeting are here now." He followed Beverley as she stepped out of the office into the wide passage.

"Now, this is the Tech room," said Scales, stopping before a door. Beverley saw a man and a woman inside, setting up their laptops and talking in low voices. "You must remember which office is what room. If you're asked to come to Tech, this is where you come."

"And this is Legal 3," he said, stopping at another door further along the corridor. "Opposite it is Legal 1. They deal with different aspects of the deal. The CEOs will be in the office right at the end."

"Uh, Phil," said Beverley tentatively. "How many people are at this meeting? I was expecting just the two CEOs."

"That doesn't happen, Beverley," said Scales. "CEO's just discuss broad outlines. At every such meeting, people from operations, technology, research, finance, law, and so on hammer out the nuts and bolts."

Beverley's heart sank as Scales spoke. This was turning out very different from what Chris had described. Already she could see several men and women settling into the different offices pointed out by the security consultant.

"You'll be working with about ten people, I guess," said Scales, gently, and Beverley nodded. Turning, she caught him looking at her breasts and glared defiantly at him. "Oh, and if you find me looking at you," he went on, with a grin, "know that I am just checking for microphones and other electronic espionage devices on your body. Just doing my job, you know?"

In spite of herself, Beverley grinned back. "If your ogling is work-related, I don't mind." She nodded at him as he excused himself and moved away to hold a conversation with Bleckewehl. People within the offices were deep in discussion but she heard nothing and realized the offices had excellent sound-proofing.

"Right, this is how you'll be working," said Scales, coming back to her. "You don't have a phone, of course, so Derrick will stay with you while the meeting is on. Whenever one of the offices needs you, they'll inform him and you go to that office." Lowering his voice, he went on, "I'm trying to let everyone know why you're working nude, so you don't get awkward questions."

"That's great." Beverley grinned at him, hoping he could get the message to all the teams before she met them. "How long do you think this will last?"

"Difficult to say, Beverley," he said, scratching his chin. "I tried to ask Bleckewehl what he expected, and he just shrugged. He's a full-time employee, so he doesn't think of time as us independent contractors do."

"I don't have an hourly rate," said Beverley, trying to remember if Chris had specified any time limit. "I have to stay till their meeting is done. Have you been told hours?"

"Up to eight, my contract says," replied Scales, giving her a sympathetic look. "Until the Vorwurts team leaves the premises. Let's hope it doesn't last that long, eh?"

"Hell, yeah!" Beverley agreed wholeheartedly. "I don't want to wander around bare-assed till midnight. I'm freezing, for one thing."

"That I can help with," said Scales. "They set their thermostat for dressed people; I'll change it to make it appropriate for naked people." He shook his head and went on with instructions. "If anyone wants help with a document, they'll place two sheets of paper to cover it and only show you the relevant part. Be careful not to move the covering sheets and see the concealed parts."

"Got it," said Beverley. "I've never before worked with so much confidentiality."

"Ah, we do it all the time," said Scales. "Industrial espionage is lucrative and unfortunately common. Keeps my firm in business, of course."

"I guess." They had been standing near the two offices earmarked as Legal 1 and Legal 3, and Beverley noticed the men and women staring at her through the glass walls. She turned to Derrick who'd been standing behind her. "Say, can we go into your office instead of hanging around in this passage?"

"I guess that would be fine," said Derrick. "I have the communication set up," he told Scales. "Our company people in every office have my number, so they can call for interpretation services. I will be alert and ready."

"That's wonderful," said Scales, keeping a straight face. "And Beverley seems ready, too, I think." He ran his gaze up and down her body slowly, and then met her eyes with a smile. "Yep, you're clean. No bugs or devices. Some days, I love my job."

"Pig!" said Beverley. Scales laughed and beckoned to her to follow him.

"Walsh wants to meet and instruct you before you start work," he explained. "Most of it will be what I've already told you, but in greater detail and at an eighth-grade level. Just nod and say you follow, and we'll be done sooner."

Beverley had spoken with Gary Walsh when working on the documents, but was meeting him for the first time. He was much younger than she had expected, being in his late thirties. Standing six inches taller than her own five feet five, he had a slim build and was dressed in a dark gray suit. Looking at him and the Vorwurts CEO, also in a business suit, immediately made her acutely aware of her own complete lack of clothing.

"Ah, Beverley," said Walsh, extending his hand to grasp hers. He ran his eyes up and down her body and smiled. "Thank you for accommodating our security concerns. Maybe we're being too careful, but better than being sloppy, isn't it?" Without waiting for an answer, he turned to the other CEO and introduced her.

"Konrad Leiler," said the German, holding her hand carefully and smiling briefly. "Yes, it is very good of you to help us today. We are in hope of completing an accord that will advance our industry forward."

Beverley nodded as he released her hand, and spoke a few words in her fluent German. As Scales had predicted, Walsh then gave her detailed instructions on how she was to work and help the two teams with interpretation and maintain secrecy. She noticed that Scales had left soon after bringing her into the CEO's office.

"I think I understand, Sir," she said formally, as Walsh paused. "I shall wait in Derrick's office and interpret for you and Herr Leiler, or any of the other teams, when summoned."

Beverley saw Walsh perk up when she started speaking. It's not every day that a naked woman addresses you as Sir, she thought, suppressing her smile. Leiler had opened his briefcase and was arranging papers on the desk, showing unmistakable signs of wanting to get on with their discussion.

Letting the door close behind her, Beverley walked towards Derrick's office. She saw heads in the offices turn as she passed and hoped they would get used to it. It would be awkward working with them in these small rooms if they continued to stare at her body.

Derrick saw her coming and sprang to open the door. Scales was already inside the tiny office, and she slid in sideways to avoid bumping into him. Her position put her under the vents and she felt the cold air on her skin. She felt her nipples hardening and hoped they wouldn't become too obvious.

"That finished sooner than I thought," said Scales, grinning at her. "Usually Walsh likes to explain everything at least three times." Turning to Derrick, he went on, "Make sure your phone isn't on silent mode. Better not miss any calls while this is going on."