The Briefcase

It was now Friday, fifteen minutes to one. Eric Jackson had been in touch with Rebecca Norse and had sent her to Jessica's office. The call finally came from Rebecca and Sam had taken her information. Eric had left messages, probably about the drinks, but Jessica hadn't returned them. There's no sense in calling him back until the deal is made, why get his hopes up? Jessica thought. A loud tone came from Jessica's desktop phone while she stood next to an open filing cabinet.

"Your 1 o' clock is here, Miss Alexander." Sam informed her, as Jessica touched the speaker tab.

"Thank you, send her in."

A few minutes later, the door to her office opened as Rebecca Norse stepped in. She was attractive at first glance. Short-cropped brown hair, not overly thin with plenty of curves to fill out the beautiful long dress she wore. Rebecca had noticeably long eyelashes, which were hard to look away from as she raised her hand up, stepping toward Jessica.

"Hi. Nice to meet you, I'm Rebecca Norse."

Jessica took a step towards her, gripping her hand tightly. "Jessica Alexander. Great to meet you, have a seat." Jessica glanced down at the empty chair as Rebecca released her hand and stepped to the side too sit down.

"It's great to meet you too. Eric has told me a lot about your company. I'd like to use your services for a large party I'm throwing for a handful of friends." Rebecca crossed her leg, revealing the long slit that went up the side of her mauve-colored dress. "There will be about fifty people and I'm looking for high-end appetizers, if you know what I mean." She finished with toss to her hair, as she crossed her wrists together over her knees.

"I'm sure we can accommodate your needs." Jessica smiled, feeling a chill that came from Rebecca's tone.

Jessica stood and then reached into the filing cabinet. She pulled several colored brochures out and laid them down at the edge of the desk. "You can flip through these. There are tons of options and you can choose to your liking." Jessica took a seat. "There is a matter of a deposit. This is in case of the party's cancellation for any reason, in the allowed time frame. This covers the costs, but if the party holds, it becomes apart of your fee."

The meeting with Rebecca breezed past the scheduled time and Jessica tried not to stare at the clock.

I still don't have the new envelope. Jessica sighed. They can't have forgotten? Maybe the document handler didn't get the message. Jessica looked at the clock once again.

They continued to cover all of the possibilities of how the party could be handled. Rebecca listened and scanned the pamphlets, asking the occasional question while she took notes on a small pad.

"We have a deal," Rebecca said finally. "I'd like to pay you the deposit." Rebecca smiled, standing from her chair.

Looks like we are going to have that drink after all Eric.... Jessica sighed. ...What have I gotten myself into?

"Sam will give you the necessary forms to fill out and then you can give her the deposit." Jessica explained, standing up from her chair as she began walking around her desk. "And if you have any questions before your party..." Jessica shook her hand. "...Don't hesitate to call me."

"Thank you Miss Alexander. I'm looking forward to doing business with you." Rebecca squeezed her hand and then walked out of her office.

"Sam, can you give the new forms to Miss Norse, please." Jessica asked from the doorway.

"Sure." Sam took a moment to gather them and then placed them on the counter.

"Is my 3 o' clock confirmed?" Jessica asked, noticing it was twenty minutes after three.

"No, I never received a call," Sam answered.

Sam explained to Rebecca how to fill out the forms, after which, Rebecca wrote a check and then handed it too Sam. "Thank you. I'll be in touch." Rebecca smiled, gathered the forms and then turned towards the elevators.

Jessica watched her stroll down the hallway, as the silver doors opened to the elevator. A man in a suit stepped out, walking pass Rebecca. He carried a black briefcase in his hand, and a silver chain dangled just at the side of the handle.

Jessica took a breath. I'm staring... I can't just stand here in the hall. Jessica turned and went back to her desk, wondering where in the building he was headed to.

"Is Jessica Alexander available?" Jessica's heart stopped, hearing the man's voice coming from the hall.

"This gentleman is here to see you," Sam announced, standing at the edge of her door.

"Send him in, thank you." Jessica motioned, standing from her desk.

A very tall, clean-cut gentleman walked into her office. Not a hair out of place, his shoes shined and his tie set perfectly in the center of his collar. He wore a dark, navy suit and his cuffs shone with gold cufflinks. He stopped at the edge of her desk and then smiled.

Jessica found it hard to speak, her words stuck in the apple of her throat. "You-r-r, I mean, hello. What can I do for you?" Jessica bit her tongue.

"I'm here for you." He paused. "I'm the Document Handler." He lifted his briefcase, holding it up in front of her and then released the latches. The lid opened and he glanced down at the small, yellow envelope inside. "Feel free."

Jessica reached for the envelope marked with her name, and she took it from the case. "Thank you."

He winked and without a word, closed the case and then disappeared from her office.

Jessica looked down feeling the envelope with her fingertips as she sat down. She took the letter opener and quickly sliced it open. She blew air into the unsealed end and pulled out an index card.

*****

Location: "The Designers Edge" Building #2, Suite 500 The meetings are at; 5, 7, & 9 pm.

You have several new clients. You may choose to goto all meetings or just one. Arrive only at scheduled time. If you miss the first meeting, attend the next.

*****

Jessica placed the index card in her briefcase. She gathered her notes for Rebecca's party and tossed them in, and then closed the case. Shutting down the computer, the screen went black. She clutched the handle of her briefcase, pulling it off her desk as she walked toward the door.

"Your 3 o' clock is a no-show." Sam looked over her desk, watching Jessica lock her office door.

"An hour late is not promising." Jessica laughed. "I'm going to quit for the day. Have a good evening Sam." Jessica smiled, as she walked toward the elevators.

"You too."

***

Jessica arrived at Designer's Edge and made her way down the long corridor, reaching the triple set of elevators. She stopped to read the directory board, locating which elevator to take. The ride to her floor stopped abruptly and the doors slid open revealing another long corridor. Jessica glanced into the office windows as she casually walked toward the end of the hall. Most were lit with a small lamp, locked and closed for the rest of the day. A man stood next to a closed door at the end of the hall. A dark, black bag hung from his closed hand as she approached him.

"Suite 500?" She asked softly.

"Yes. You are correct." He smiled, reaching into the black bag. "I'm the Keeper. If you're ever in need of protection, of any kind or at any time, you can reach me on your cell," he stated, a mask appearing from the black bag.

"What sort of protection?" Jessica asked, looking at the white beaded mask, embellished with crystal's that outlined the holes of the mask, as the Keeper handed it to her.

"I see that you have arrived alone. You might want an escort to your car after your meeting has ended." He politely smiled.

"Thank you, I'll keep that in mind."

"Please wear your mask at all times during the meeting," the Keeper instructed. Jessica slipped the mask down over her face, seeing only the door in front of her, as her eyelashes brushed at the open holes. "When you leave, someone will collect your mask. You may now enter." The Keeper grasped the handle to doorknob and then pushed the heavy door, holding it open.

A heavy, black table filled the rectangular room. Large enough to seat fifteen or more, the polished table shone, mirroring the lights that hung above it. Matching leather chairs with high backs were pushed up against the wall on both sides of the table at each of the four corners of the room. It was five minutes past five, and four gentlemen and three women stood scattered around the room, all wearing a unique mask.

One couple stood together at the end of the table. In a suit just like all the other gentlemen, this gentleman wore red mask that glimmered from the lights. A small hint of his blinking eyes could be seen and his smile was showing just below the rim of the mask. The woman stood motionless in a long, midnight-blue dress. Jessica couldn't see her mask with her back facing the long table. Her small and narrow shoulders held the thin spaghetti straps of her dress against her bare shoulders. Long, flowing blonde hair brushed the exposed skin of her back as she leaned against the table.

Jessica looked around the room and then back at the door she had just passed through. Many briefcases lined the wall as she placed hers on the floor beside the others.

Jessica took her place in the center of the floor, standing beside the others. Her heart raced as she watched the couple. They appeared to be the main attraction with all eyes on them. Something was about to begin, as they waited, staring into each others eyes.

Just then, the Keeper entered the room. He shut the door behind him, giving a quick nod to the red-masked gentleman. He returned the nod and looked back at the woman in blue, taking a step toward her.

Jessica peered just over the shoulder of the man standing in front of her, as the red-masked gentleman increased his smile toward the woman in blue.

Slowly and secretly, Jessica glanced to her left side. Only steps from the boardroom door, another woman stood quietly. She gripped around a handle that held the blue antique mask against her face. Casting a look to her right, where another gentleman stood, this one with a gold mask, with his hands resting inside his pockets. Jessica watched him move suddenly and walk forward, sitting down in one of the leather chairs, just a few feet from the table. The couple before him turned and glanced in his direction, as he casually crossed his legs, studying them.

The red-masked man lightly touched his fingertips at the end of the woman's shoulders. Looped into the straps of her dress, her shoulders flinched at his touch. He lifted the straps and the dress fell to the floor in a rippled pile without a whisper of sound.

Ohhh... Jessica sucked in a breath. The woman's beautiful, nude body glowed in the room like a light. Jessica quickly looked around the room. The intense quiet filled Jessica's body with goose bumps, as she turned back to watch.

The red-masked gentleman leaned toward the woman, patting the top of the table. The waves of her blonde hair hung above the crease of her bottom, as her palms went to the edge of the table. Clutching the edge, she hopped up, printing the polished surface with the warmth of her skin. The masked gentleman moved closer, his hands pressed to the inside of her thighs, parting them slightly. He then moved between them, seductively sliding his hands up the side of her hips, pulling at her flesh, scooting her to the edge of the table.

Jessica could feel the heat radiating off her face, her mask feeling as though it was sticking to her skin. Her mouth was ajar, drying her tongue while she fought to remain quiet, like the silent audience in the room. Jessica toyed with the side of her skirt, wishing for a pair of slacks -- a place to hide her moving hands.

The red-masked gentleman brought a finger up to the edge of his mouth, kissing it with his soft lips. He then pressed the fingertip against the woman's lips. Her head fell back and her long hair poured down onto the table. Her back came to rest against the table, as she turned to look at the masked audience.

Jessica felt her legs, they were heavy, bolted to the floor with no possible way of moving. Her fingers moved frantically at her side, knowing that the cooled air was touching the wettest part of the woman's body.

Uh! Jessica flinched suddenly, feeling the nerve endings of her skin. A stranger's hand had grasped her moving fingers, steadying her left hand. Standing behind her, he folded his fingers into hers, pressing himself noticeably up against the form of her body.

"Breath-taking, isn't it?" the stranger whispered, the warmth of his chest felt at the back of her blouse. "Does it excite you?"

Jessica turned her head to the side to get closer to his lips, and his breath at her ear. "Yes," she muffled.

The red-masked man raised the woman's legs, and placed her bare heels at the edge of the boardroom table.

Jessica licked her dry lips and then swallowed, as she tried to wet the dry walls of her mouth. The strangers hand released her fingers and then squeezed her left shoulder while his other hand was suddenly felt at her right hip.

The red-masked gentleman knelt down on one knee. The form of his body blocked by the table, his mask and eye's seen at her parted legs. The blinks of his lashes changed in the light, while he gazed at her quivering stomach.

Jessica could feel a feverish spike between her legs, as her lower back began to ache with each passing moment. A thunderous heartbeat began in her ears while her nipples pierced the inside of her satin bra.

"Uhhhh..." The woman's mouth opened, feeling the first flick of the masked man's tongue, breaking the silence in the large room.

Jessica began to wobble with, her legs wanting to give in. The stranger squeezed her shoulder, steadying her stance. His right hand now caressed the side of her thigh. "Will I need to catch you?" he whispered against her neck, sliding his hand down her thigh, curling his fingers up and under her skirt.

"Yesss... I mean no." Jessica muffled softly, feeling his touch under the right side of her soft, cheek.

The stranger then released her left shoulder and dropped his long arm down in front of her, bracing her body against him. He lifted her skirt a little more, exposing her cheek to his moving hand.

The red-masked man moved his nose, drawing an unseen circle around and around, as his head moved between the woman's legs. Her panting changed its pitch, the room no longer silent.

The antique-masked woman who stood to Jessica's left hummed with pleasure. Her stick-style mask trembled in her hand, watching him devour the blonde woman's hot center on the cold table, as her body surrendered to his torturing mouth.

Jessica glanced over at the gold-masked gentleman in his chair, sitting just feet away from the couple. Restless, he tried to adjust the discomfort of his body, resisting the urge to be freed from his clothes, as he squeezed his hardness against the pants that trapped him.

The woman on the table whimpered and began to arch her back. The arches of her feet came to rest on the red-masked man's shoulders, as her fingers dove into his hair, pulling him aggressively into her. Her hips gyrated and twisted as the sounds crept from her aching channel, the white heat spilling into his open, thirsty mouth.

"Ohh, yes... make me cum!" she whined, the first words spoken.

Jessica began to pant as the stranger's fingers came in from behind, sliding into the wet folds of her pussy. The front of her skirt hid his moving hand, as his pace increased with each passing moment. Umm, ohh... She bit down on her bottom lip, hiding the cry that would soon rip from her throat as the edgy sensation began to creep up inside her.

The stranger deliciously stroked and teased the slick center of her enclosed excitement. He painted her heated tunnel with his fingers, like brushes, slowing gliding them along. He stopped, than slid them out over the taut, pink bud that flinched against the steady motion of his persistent fingers.

"Uhhh," Jessica whimpered, her voice now mixing with the cries of the uncovered woman, who lay crippled on top of the table.

The stranger grasped Jessica's breast with his other hand as his mouth bit at the edge of her ear. "Mmm" he growled roughly.

Suddenly the beautiful blonde rose her chin to its highest level, her breath stopped, and her body went rigid, the peek pleasure seen shooting straight through her. She finally shuddered, the outlines of her ribs appearing for brief moments as air filled them and then raced back out.

"Ohhh! Ohhh! Ohhh!" she whimpered, gripping the table.

Jessica pressed into the stranger's hand, triggering the bundle of nerves from his moving fingertips. Her eyes rolled back, as she gripped his thigh, digging her nails into his flesh. "Uhh, oh!"

"Mmm, yes!" the stranger growled, gripping her breast firmly, holding Jessica tight against him. "That feels so good, doesn't it? Mmm...." His soft moan against her ear, stroking every last sensation from her.

"Ohh... Yesss," Jessica muffled, out of breath and almost unable to stand.

"I've got you...mmm. I won't let you fall." He whispered into her ear, as he slipped his hand free from the grasp of her clenched thighs.

Jessica opened her eyes to watch the couple. The suited man was softly kissing his way around and down her shaking legs, as she jolted from the last of her shuddering release.

***

The room fell silent once more. The red-masked gentleman offered his hand too the woman, as she clutched his open hand and rose from the black, polished table. He embraced her with an arm around her heated body as her feet came to rest on the floor.

The lips of the masked man shone, painted by the sweetened gift she had given him and glistened from the light in the room. His hand slid up the arch of her spine, coiling the blonde curls of hair around his fingers while he placed the scent of her gift against her own lips. A slow-delivered kiss, and they shared the delight of her giving body.

His red mask disappeared, and he knelt before her, releasing her threaded hair from his fingers. His exploring hands caressed her skin, drawing unseen lines down her back, cheeks and thighs until they disappeared behind the table.

The glimmer of her blue dress returned to sight, the thin straps hooked in his fingers, as he slowly rose to his feet. Her beautiful, glowing skin was then covered as he set them onto her shoulders and then kissed her once more. They turned arm-in-arm and then walked away from the table.

Jessica's heartbeat steadied, her breath now panting at a slow pace. The stranger held her tightly, his softly-exhaling breath heard behind her. She turned her head to the side. "You can release me now," she whispered, over her shoulder. The stranger's arm slid off her shoulder as he loosened his grip around her waist.

"As long as you think you can stand," he softly replied, as Jessica slowly turned around.

His dark lashes blinked from beyond the holes of his green, feathered mask. Jessica gazed deep into his shaded, hazel eyes. His mouth slightly parted, as if he was about to speak again, but instead said nothing.

The sound of the boardroom door opening and closing were heard several times while she stood silently looking into his eyes. Not a voice could be heard in the room. Jessica broke her stare and then turned her head, the room had now changed, and several different masks had appeared, a new audience. The stranger and Jessica were the only couple left from the first meeting.

Jessica turned back to him, studying his warm inviting eyes. "Thank you..." she spoke just above a whisper. "...It was a pleasure."

Instead of words, the stranger reached for the line of her jaw, cradling it in the palm of his open hand. He leaned into her slowly as the softness of his lips sank into hers. Their masks scuffed together, the kiss began to build, and then suddenly he pulled away. Jessica's mouth was left open, still wanting more.