The car trip home was silent as Kara replayed the night in her mind. She kept her left hand out of view of Paul fearing he would start asking questions about her missing engagement ring.
"You know, if you wanted to do it, you could have just told me." Paul said with a smile.
Kara knew he had no idea what happened. He did however find out that she was on display similar to their friend Penny. He found it amusing and didn't want to get in the way of his fiance exploring her sexual side or having fun. His disappointment was that he didn't get to see her in action.
"It was spur of the moment. I didn't think I would, but they sure know how to sweet talk you." Kara said softly.
They got home and went to bed. Kara replayed the night in her mind again. She thought of how it both turned her on and scarred her. She was helpless to do anything and although Rick never actually did anything physical to her, he let people take advantage of her. Now she had to see him again Monday morning. She closed her eyes and drifted off.
Kara got into work Monday morning and found a small box on her desk. She opened the box and found her engagement ring inside with a note tucked behind it. She picked up the note and it read:
- Don't say I never get you anything.
The note was signed with R which made it clear who returned it. She put the ring back on and was relieved one problem was off her mind. She had contemplated buying a fake one just to save face, but she knew Paul would eventually find out she lost it. This was a much better outcome.
Kara worked the rest of the day and never came into contact with Rick. She wasn't sure what kind of game he was playing, but it was starting to concern her. As she was wrapping up her work, her phone rang. She checked the name and saw that it was Rick Lawson Sr.'s personal line. Kara froze. Why would Rick's dad be calling her personally? What did Rick tell him? Questions without answers were popping in her mind at an alarming rate. Her hand shook nervously as she reached and grabbed the phone.
"Kara speaking, how may I help you Mr. Lawson?" Kara said, the nerves traveling through her voice.
Kara sat across the desk from Rick Lawson Sr. His office was massive with wood flooring and oak shelving lining the walls. There seemed to be another room that was also an extension but Kara was too nervous to take in all the perks. She didn't dare speak a word as saying anything could get her in more trouble than not saying anything at all. Mr. Lawson let the tension build. He could sense Kara was nervous and he wanted her to dwell in that feeling. Finally the silence was broken.
"Do you know why I called you here, Kara?" Mr. Lawson asked politely.
Kara shook her head. Again following her own personal rule of saying less.
"Well it's come to my attention that an incident occurred at the restaurant called Decor. Do you know what incident I'm talking about?" Mr. Lawson asked.
Kara had only one guess as to how her boss found out about what happened. Her cheeks flushed red with embarrassment of having to now discuss with her boss how his son basically made her a sex toy. She nodded.
"Good. We're on the same page. First of all, I apologize for Rick's behavior that night. Believe me, he will be punished. You may choose to have a sort of in-house private restraining order if you so please." Mr. Lawson explained.
Kara was appreciative of addressing the matter professionally. She didn't know to what extent he'd be punished, but even the restraining order would be ideal, if she decided to go through with it.
"I'm going to be straight with you Kara. I want Decor. The owner has been reluctant to sell, but with a sexual assault and rape lawsuit potentially coming at him, he might reconsider." Mr. Lawson started his pitch.
"I'm not suing Decor." Kara finally spoke up.
"No, of course you're not. And it will probably never come to that. But he needs to think it will." Mr. Lawson said letting Kara put it together herself.
"You want me to blackmail him so he'll sell the business." Kara said after a moment of thought.
"He gets a reasonable amount of money, I get the business. Win win." Mr. Lawson said smiling.
"What's in it for me?" Kara asked.
"Your fiance stays in the dark about your traumatic experience." Mr. Lawson said.
"No." Kara said.
"No?" Mr. Lawson repeated.
"I'm not putting my reputation on the line so you can buy a business. And then you have the audacity to try and blackmail me. Screw you." Kara said standing up.
"Kara, I didn't offer money because I knew I didn't have to. You can storm out here all pissed off, but you will be back. The one good thing in your life is Paul and I know you'll do anything to keep him. So let's stop playing games and get down to business." Mr. Lawson said confidently.
Kara thought about the repercussions of walking out. She loved Paul, but even the most loyal boyfriend would have trouble getting around what happened to her. He wasn't sure if he would see it as cheating or being helpless throughout the matter. It scared her that he might see it as cheating and what would that say about his character. She didn't want him to find out. She looked at Mr. Lawson who was pleasantly waiting. She did respect his straight forward tell it how it is approach. At least she knew there wouldn't be any hidden deals.
"What do you need me to do?" Kara asked.
Three Weeks Later
"Listen up people, we get a lot of news to get to, so if you could just gather around." Bill said making eye contact with the staff at Decor. Behind him was a black cloth covering a large item that Bill was hiding for his announcement.
"As you know with the recent incident that came to light a couple weeks ago there were talks of a lawsuit that would have shut this place down. But thankfully with the help of the new owner Mr. Lawson, there is no need to worry about that. It's all taken care of. However so this doesn't happen again, there is going to be a new process in place for guests to become decor. A process that I will help oversee." Bill said proudly.
"For her role in the incident of not properly securing the victim's table, Ms. Polnick, along with Ms. Meltzer, our former photographer, were both given a few options including dismissal. However both have agreed to the option of becoming apart of Decor's new logo which will be placed on the front of the building.
Bill pulled off the sheet and at the front of the room was the new Decor Logo. The logo was the name Decor but beside it was Hannah Meltzer now held and secured in place. She was naked in 7-inch heels with black tape covering her nipples. Her left hand rested on her hip and right arm was bent at the elbow with the hand parallel to the ground as if she was holding a platter. She smiled and as everyone finally caught on, she was frozen in place. Above the 'e' was Carissa Polnick naked and secured as the acute accent. Her face was blank and she stared ahead.
Everyone clapped for the new logo and Bill took one long look full of pride. It was he who had suggested using the girls in a different role. A role that they couldn't possibly screw up. The contract stipulated the girls were required to be on display from 6:00 pm until 1:00 am every night as the new logo. Bill walked over to Hannah and lightly groped her right tit. She never intended to get caught up in the mature nature of the place, but the money was too good to pass up and she knew she screwed up with that one girl. She felt Bill's hand grope her. He had done plenty of times so far while she was frozen as the logo. She knew he was harmless and wouldn't do anything further for fear of losing his job and power.
Bill looked at two of the hosts Brett and Tyler standing nearby.
"We don't open for another two hours, can you put the new logo sign downstairs in the basement." Bill said. His eyes shifted briefly to Hannah's.
"But sir, it's pretty dirty and dusty down there." Brett tried to object.
"It's a sign, Brett. Now get it out of here." Bill commanded.
Brett sighed. He and his friend Tyler grabbed the sign and moved it towards the elevator. After hauling the logo carefully from the elevator and through the hall, they turned the light on to illuminate the dark storage room. It was full of old furniture that was never thrown out and other miscellaneous items that probably should have been thrown out. There were cobwebs everywhere except one path which most employees took when they ventured down to the storage room to add to the chaos. Brett and Tyler gently placed the sign down against the only wall space they could find that it would fit. Right next to the old tables and televisions before the renovations.
The two hosts stared at the girls still tightly bound to the sign. The fact that the girls were frozen gave the illusion that they were realistic looking mannequins that were part of the sign. It was creepy and fascinating at the same time. The hosts did one last check and made sure they hadn't accidentally scratched or hit the frozen beauties before heading back to the main floor to watch the rest of Bill's presentation. As he left the room, Brett's hand lingered on the light switch.
"Should we leave this on?" Brett asked remembering how dark it was.
Tyler flicked the switch. "Not our problem, man. It's just a sign." Tyler shut the door behind him.
Brett stared at the door for a moment wanting to check, but he turned around and followed Tyler.
"Waitresses will now be fully naked." Bill continued as Brett and Tyler rejoined the staff.
"Rachel and Selena will remain as the host displays." Bill said directing his attention towards the two hosts. "You will arrive half an hour early so we can prepare you for display."
The girls sighed.
"Like whatever." Rachel said as she texted on her phone.
