Sarah Connors had antagonised so many people on the rise to the top in Medworth Council that it was inevitable that a lot of people would enjoy it if she were to fall from grace. But that would never happen, would it? Sarah was contentious, hard working, officious, pedantic, in fact everything you would expect from an elected official – including crooked! At just 33 she had done so well for herself and become a Councillor three years ago, on a great pay package and expenses she was living the high life. The problems came for her when her spending started exceeding her earnings and the temptation to bend or break rules and take advantage of her situation was too great for her. So she took a few bribes and kickbacks from a couple of local builders and got away with it. So she did it again, and again until it was not even a moral decision for her. After all no-one got hurt, it was a victimless crime. She started rationalising it as not even a crime (but she was a smart girl and knew that it was). Still she was bullet-proof, no-one would find out, it wasn't even worth thinking about.
That was what she thought, and it was indicative of her attitude. She genuinely thought she was better than everyone else, that she knew better and could do better. It was an attitude that had alienated her from many of her colleagues and subordinates but she was so full of herself and her importance, she didn't care. No one else's opinions mattered to her. Certainly not her ex-husband Dan, who had lasted a mere year and a half of marriage before coming to the inevitable conclusion that she was impossible to live with. It wasn't so much that she was mean and nasty, more that she was selfish and self centred and if something didn't affect her she wasn't bothered and if it did then only her opinion had any weight or merit. But she was smart and good at her job, she wouldn't have risen so quickly otherwise. She certainly never flaunted her looks. Severe haircuts and styles hid her beautiful long blonde hair and business suits and jackets carefully disguised her very petite body, while she rarely ventured out without her thick, business glasses (she was extremely short sighted without them). But under all that was a very sexy young woman, she just did her best to hide it from her colleagues. Ah, her colleagues! It did not take her long to reach the rarefied heights of the council and this particular one was lop-sided in favour of males with Sarah one of only six women councillors. But male or female, Sarah managed to put their (and their staff's) noses out of joint in quick time. She certainly wasn't going to win any internal popularity contests.
It was Mark Lee who discovered Sarah's illegal activities and dishonesty and to be fair there was more than a hint of irony in that. He wasn't without a shady past himself and had seen himself as the "wide boy" of the council before Sarah arrived. But as Sarah swept all before her Mark had been forgotten about almost and he had watched with annoyance and a trace of envy as the younger woman gained more and more kudos and power.
He actually found out what Sarah had been up to almost by accident. He had been 'bunged' a sweetener to help out one of his friends to get a building contract and when it hadn't happened he had made some discrete inquiries with the successful contractor and he had let slip how he had been successful. Which initially really angered Mark and he very nearly set off to confront her and expose her corruption but before he got far he had stopped and reconsidered and realised that if he could gather proof he would have a very strong hold over this woman who had not only annoyed him with her attitude but was evidently ruining some of his more 'profitable' little sidelines. It was a thought that brought a wicked smile to his face.
He spent the next three months surreptitiously monitoring Sarah and her council activities and gathering pieces of evidence that demonstrated her illegal activities. Mark was amazed that Sarah was so lazy at hiding her tracks; he by contrast had gone to all kinds of lengths to hide his own antics. He guessed, correctly, that Sarah was so sure of herself and arrogant that she hadn't taken the same precautions. Well, more fool her, he thought. As a final piece of evidence Mark hired a friend to pose as a corrupt construction agent and got him to put forward a crooked and dangerous proposal to Sarah along with a promise of a sizable bribe. The hidden camera and microphone captured her perfectly agreeing to the deal and demonstrating that she didn't care what proposal she passed so long as she was adequately recompensed. Mark was overjoyed, he had her where he wanted and by a quirk of fate there was an event coming up that he would be able to use to increase the humiliation of Sarah, oh things were going to be just perfect!
He chose a Monday afternoon to confront his fellow councillor. Enjoying spending the day watching her act so aloof and haughty in the office and just so superior. Normally Sarah stayed an hour or so later on a Monday so Mark waited ten minutes once most people had gone home and entered her office. Sarah was visibly annoyed that he hadn't knocked.
"How can I help you?", she asked in a hurried voice, obviously not wanting to help him at all.
Mark just smiled at her annoyance and closed the door and sat down in the seat across from her desk. He deliberately placed a bulging A4 brown envelope in front of him on the desk and smiled across at her.
"it's more what I can do for you Councillor Connors."
She was detecting something was up by his demeanour and actions and was worried about that envelope – was that the corner of a picture hanging out the end of it?
"Oh? And what could you possibly do for me Councillor Lee?"
Brave words but there was no hiding a little concern in her voice as she met his eyes over the desk, and it was her who broke contact first as he continued.
"Well, for a start I could keep you out of jail, how about that?"
The words stung Sarah and at once she knew that she had been found out, she tried to bluff but he cut her off and showed her the evidence in the envelope piece by piece. The pictures, the notes, the tapes, the signatures. She sat open mouthed as he reeled of names and dates and numbers and assured her that he was going to take all to the authorities. Of course he saved the best for last and the last thing to come out of the envelope was a couple of newspaper clippings on a case from two years ago where a Councillor caught taking dangerous bribes was sentenced to two years in jail (of course he didn't bring the report of their release after a mere three months). Finally the enormity of her mistakes were facing her and the confident, cocky young woman so often seen in these offices disappeared and Mark could see, with satisfaction, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.
"W-What do you want? What are you going to do? P-Please don't hand it over, Please, I'm begging you, I couldn't handle it. It was all a mistake. I'll stop, never do it again, anything. Please I couldn't face it."
He was getting turned on listening to this smug, cock-sure bitch grovelling like this, he even reached down and took a quick stoke of the hard ridge in his trousers as she pleaded before slapping his palm on the desk to quieten her.
"Shut up Bitch! Or should I say Councillor Connors? Or maybe Ex-councillor Connors? Yes, that has quite a ring to it doesn't it? What you are going to do, if you don't fancy a stint in prison Sarah, is resign. Resign immediately. If they ask why you say you couldn't handle the pressure. NO, no questions, no arguments. Just do it first thing tomorrow. Second, you work to Friday and then on Friday straight from here come to this address (handing her a piece of paper), if you do what I tell you, exactly as I tell you, then I'll give back all this and you'll be safe, OK? Good, I can't wait to hear the news break tomorrow. Goodnight."
It was to prove to be a very trying and traumatic week for Sarah. That Monday night she wasn't even fully aware of driving home and wandering into her house. She kept asking how this could have happened to her? She was in total denial and was dazed and confused. She was untouchable, she had a great career ahead of her, she couldn't resign now. It would ruin everything. This expensive house, her sports car, her upcoming Caribbean holiday – she couldn't lose her wealthy lifestyle that she had fought and cheated to achieve. But as time passed that night she became more and more aware of the predicament she was in. The thought of going to prison was horrific, and if she did she would surely lose all this anyway, plus what chance would she have to get another position of any merit. It became evident to her that her only choice was to resign her post and do whatever the scumbag wanted. As bad as she felt about that, there was no way she wanted to get banged up.
Her resignation caused shockwaves throughout the Council offices and there was no hiding a lot of people's smiles and smirks once the news broke. They only grew when it became clear that she would be gone by that Friday to whatever the rest of her life would hold. There were few people sorry to see the back of her. Mark just smiled and stayed out of the way, content with arranging things for Friday. And what was Friday? Well one of his mates from the accounts department was getting married in a few weeks and Mark, as best man, was arranging the stag night. The bridegroom was Paul Chambers, one of Marks best friends at the council and Mark had promised him a send off he would never forget!
Once everyone knew she was leaving, Sarah kept her head down for the rest of the week. She didn't want to be faced with everyone's smiles and questions, sure that nobody would be too sad to see her go. But as she sat alone in her office her thoughts turned to that Friday. What did the jerk want her to do? He really was an asshole and she just wanted to leave the council and disappear for a while and plan her future moves. She had checked out the address Mark had told her to come to and found it to be a bar down by the river and hadn't been too impressed by it. The only thing she could think of was that he intended to throw her a leaving party, no doubt enjoying her discomfort as loads of people she had looked down on, ignored and worse came up and relished her leaving one more time. The more she thought about it that week, the more she believed that must be what he had planned.
Friday came and went and Sarah managed to sneak out with a minimum of fuss being made, she had made a supreme effort to put on a defiant front that day and was dressed in her best power suit and skirt with her blonde hair tied severely back. She had all her personal effects in her briefcase and she sneaked out to her car and made off. She drove about aimlessly for a bit, waiting for six o'clock (the time Mark had told her to turn up) and again, considered if she could get away with not turning up. But no, Mark would have no problems in handing her in so she knew deep down she would have to turn up and go through with it, however bad it would be.
The car park at the bar was stuffed and she had to park in a side street when she drew up (if she had ever shown any interest in her fellow council workers then she would have known many of their cars were already in the car park). Mark was waiting for her as soon as she had locked her expensive car and without much of a greeting guided her to the back of the bar and entered the establishment through a fire exit.
Suddenly, Sarah was plunged into a whole different world. Outside it had been a bright summer evening with a pleasant breeze, here, she was in a small, pokey hole of a room. It was dank and dark and smoke hovered at ceiling level. Some lockers and cupboards lined the wall and a tattered chair sat in the centre of the room. Sarah was aghast at being in this place, she was used to pleasant, nouveau establishments and she abhorred smoke. It only got worse when a woman banged open the door and stormed in carrying a hold all and chewing gum furiously. She nodded a greeting to Mark and Sarah looked at him angrily and questioningly.
"Right, Sarah. Glad to see you saw sense and resigned and came here, now all you have to do to get the evidence is do exactly as you are told tonight. And I mean exactly, understand?"
She nodded, obviously unhappy.
"Right well this is Crystal, she's a stripper and she's is going to be entertaining the crowd out there. It's a stag do and they expect a good show."
Sarah's heart was already sinking at this news.
"But it is not just going to be Crystal entertaining us, you are too."
