The following is a story containing explicit descriptions of sexual activity. If you are not of legal age to read such material, or are offended by this type of literature, you should read no further. Also, if you’re looking for a quick stroke story, you won’t find it here. If you happen to have any comments, I always look forward to feedback.
It All Begins in Dreams
by Stargazer
8.
Jack’s schedule had kept him busy the past few days and he hadn’t seen much of his family aside from a quick meal or a kiss before heading for bed. He still found it more enjoyable working from home when he could, and did that more and more these days. Meanwhile, his wife took to spending more and more of her time at the restaurant. She seemed obsessed with it of late, and rarely spoke of anything else. His daughter, on the other hand, took to spending most of her time in her room. He’d sometimes hear her in there, giggling with Simone.
One night he asked her what they’d been talking about.
“Oh, she’s just helping me study. She’s extremely helpful, you know.”
He nodded his head and thought for a second. It seemed that Simone was around more and more these days, not that he minded, of course. He asked his wife about it that night before bed—one of the few nights she was there when he went to sleep.
“Oh, well, I really felt we needed the help,” she said quickly, almost guiltily. “Things are crazy at the restaurant, you know. I should have stayed later, as it is.”
Jack sighed, noticing once again how Stephanie’s thoughts were all over the place. Instead of being more relaxed by the help of a maid, she seemed more anxious than ever.
“So, well, I asked Simone if she could start coming Monday through Friday. I thought I told you. You don’t mind, do you dear? She’s extremely helpful, you know.”
Yeah, extremely helpful, he thought to himself, wondering why that sounded odd. He shrugged his shoulders, and then frowned as his thoughts went to something far more important.
Stephanie saw the look cross his face. “What’s the matter? You don’t mind her being here, do you? I suppose I could ask her to cut back again,” she paused, as a look of distress crossed her face, “but that would mean. . . .”
“Huh? Oh no. Simone’s great. I was just thinking about work. Something I learned today really has me worried.” He proceeded to tell his wife about a visit he’d received that morning.
9.
Jack was going through his daily reports over a cup of coffee when Jeri poked her head in. “Jack, do you have a minute?”
Like Jack, Jeri had been on the board for a long time and they often conferred, especially in recent times, as events had become increasingly troubled. In her fifties, she was a no-nonsense type who kept her hair in a bun, hid behind her small wire-rimmed glasses, and kept a low profile. As a result, a lot of people overlooked her, which was just the way she liked it. She was one of the best at the game and had far more pull than anyone imagined. Her opinions held great sway among the senior members of the board.
The two of them had worked out a nice little arrangement at meetings. Jack would press forward, taking the glory, and sometimes the heat, while Jeri would sit back and observe. Afterward, they would debrief and decide on their next move. It was an arrangement that fit them both as she found that she could get more information and Jack found he could stay active, and in his mind, vital.
“Sure Jeri. What can I do for you?”
“We need to talk,” she said with concern, as she took a seat in front of Jack’s desk. He knew that tone and looked at her closer. Occasionally, it occurred to Jack that the woman bordered on being paranoid, but the way things had been going lately, he thought that less and less. He looked up, saw that she’d closed the door, then looked back at her.
After a few seconds, she asked, “Did you take a look at the list of candidates lately?”
“Yeah, it’s been shrinking, hasn’t it?”
“That’s right, and it’s gotten even smaller. I just heard that John Cuddy took his name out of the running.”
“He what??“
“You heard me.”
“Why did he do that?”
“I was hoping you’d know. From what I heard, he didn’t give a reason other than this wasn’t a good time for him.”
“What the hell does that mean? He hasn’t made any secret that he’s been focusing on this for years. Now, he suddenly doesn’t think it’s the right time? That’s crazy.” Jack leaned on his desk, rubbing his jaw thoughtfully. “He never said a word about it to me.”
“Don’t let it get around. Carl is going to try and talk him out of it. It would be a shame to lose him.
“But what if it’s true?” she went on. “After the other two dropouts, that leaves us with just three candidates: those two from the Northeast Division, and Pete DeMarco.”
Jack sat back. “Doesn’t give us much choice, does it?” The Northeast Division was the one headed by Regina. “I don’t know about you, but I wasn’t too impressed with the two from Regina’s section.”
“Me neither. And what’s even stranger is the fact that they weren’t the most qualified people over there. So, that leaves us just one choice, doesn’t it?” Jeri paused, and then added, “I don’t like having just one choice. It makes me feel like I’m being led around by a leash.”
There was a silence as they both considered that. Jack noticed Jeri shift uneasily in her chair.
“That’s not all you’ve got, is it? What else is on your mind?”
After a few moments she asked quietly, “What do you think about the high turnover on the board lately?”
“You know I don’t like it.”
“Neither do I, but there’s something you ought to know.”
He raised his eyebrows. By way of starting she asked another question. “Do the newer members seem to have anything in common to you?”
Jack thought for a few seconds, “Well, they haven’t been with the company very long.” There were five new members who had risen somewhat rapidly—just a few years. Position alone usually wasn’t enough, to earn a board seat, though. Normally, that went to people who’d been with the company a lot longer than that. Jack thought it was a result of the family atmosphere that had once prevailed.
“True,” she said slowly, but from her tone, Jack could tell that wasn’t what was on her mind. “Do they have anything else in common?”
He thought a moment, but couldn’t think of anything. “I haven’t a clue.”
“You should. We all should. Each one of those people has ties to one person.”
“Who?”
“Regina Ramos.”
Jack’s eyes went wide. “A few of them do, sure, but. . . .”
“No. All of them do. First it was Stuart Lymon and Edward Vance,” she rattled off, gesturing with two fingers. “Both of them came from her section.”
“That’s not unusual. They replaced members who had come from that division.”
“Then there’s Susan Hart,” she said, adding her ring finger to the other two. “She used to work with Regina at Preston Industries.”
“Okay. That’s three. But that’s hardly a majority.” Three of twelve members didn’t amount to much. He didn’t have to mention the fact that he and Jeri were part of six members that formed a rather close unit—the same six that had rejected Regina five years ago. Being the senior members of the board meant that they had the real power.
“And then we come to Emily Siler and Janice Webber,” she said, indicating the last two digits on her hand.
Jack waited, but she didn’t go on. “What connection do they have?” he asked finally. “They don’t come from her section, nor have they worked on any projects with her, as far as I know. Did they work at Preston Industries too?”
“No. On the surface, they don’t have any connection to her whatsoever. But as Emily Kasper and Janice Riley they do.”
Jack tilted his head a little as he gave her a questioning look.
“Those were their maiden names twenty-five years ago when they attended Rosemont College. It’s a women’s college outside of Philadelphia.” She paused, and then added, “The same college Regina Ramos attended.”
Jack shifted in his chair and cleared his throat uncomfortably. That seemed like quite a stretch. Once again he thought how Jeri was sometimes a little over-suspicious. She didn’t say anything, letting him consider that for awhile. The more he did, the more he realized it was a connection he didn’t like.
He leaned forward, “Are you sure about that?”
“Positive. With all the trouble we’d been having, what with missing records and the resignations, I was growing uncomfortable. After Dan Tyler stepped down four months ago, I decided to have an investigator look into the members of the board.”
Jack stared at her in shock. That kind of action could only have taken place with the authorization of the Chairman of the Board. But he knew Bob, and no matter what his state of mind, he would never have signed off on that, not without some serious proof. It would have been like having his children investigated.
Well, that explained why she’d been so uncomfortable. Then it occurred to Jack that just knowing this put him in an awkward position. If it had been anyone else telling him this, he’d probably report them.
“You can’t,” he started to say before Jeri cut him off.
“Excuse me for being blunt, Jack, but that’s bullshit and you know it. With what’s at stake here, we can’t afford not to know.”
She was right of course. With the defense contracts that Stocker held, they needed to know that they could trust every person on the board. If the wrong person or persons got in, it could be devastating to the company. Plus, with all the sensitive information they had access to, it could conceivably become a threat to the nation’s security.
“So, anyway,” Jeri went on firmly, “during that investigation we interviewed the ex-board members. We asked each one of them why they left. Well, they hemmed and hawed, but not one of them gave us a valid reason. Hell, they didn’t even want to talk about it. Each one of them was scared. I mean, really scared. You should have seen the look in their eyes when we brought it up. I’ll bet you anything, if we were to ask Bob Hill why he stepped down we’d get the same response. Someone got to them, Jack, and from the way they act, this person can still get to them.
“Now we discover that all their replacements have ties to one person. It kind of makes that person somewhat suspicious, doesn’t it? Especially since this is the same person we blocked from joining the board five years ago. So, do you still want me to stop my investigation?” Jeri sat back in her chair, crossed her arms and waited.
Neither of them said a word. Jack spun slowly and looked out his window. What Jeri said could be nothing, but most likely it amounted to what could only be described as a covert takeover. If so, they had no choice but to go on with the investigation.
All five new members had ties to one person, and once there were six, they’d probably try to vote her on. At the very least, they would be one resignation away from a majority.
When Jack didn’t say anything, Jeri added, “Do you need more proof they’re tied to Regina? After I learned this, I tried pulling up resumes on all the board members. Of all the members, past and present, guess which two were missing?”
Jack knew which ones: the only two that were supposed to have no ties whatsoever to Regina Ramos. Without turning, he quietly responded, “Emily and Janice.” He saw Jeri nod her head out of the corner of his eye. Someone was working very hard to keep those connections secret.
Jack tried to think back on their actions while on the board. Were they part of a voting block? He thought for a second. Their votes hadn’t seemed strange, not that he could tell. Even Jeri hadn’t mentioned anything unusual, and she usually picked up on that sort of thing. Could he tie their votes to Regina in some way? Not really. In fact, if he wasn’t mistaken, Emily once claimed that Regina was completely unprofessional; something about her being a glorified call-girl. It wasn’t much, he knew, but in this game, the slightest comment could reveal more than a person intended. Or, he thought frowning, could easily be used to mislead. Then he realized something.
“Hey, those two aren’t married,” he exclaimed. “You said—”
“Not anymore. They got divorced soon after they started working here.”
“Really?”
“The same goes for Stuart Lymon. In fact, none of them are married.”
Jack took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He knew that shouldn’t matter, but it was one more thing to add to an already suspicious list. He was past the point where he’d believe in coincidences.
10.
After Jack finished talking, his wife looked at him.
“That’s it?” she asked, obviously surprised. When he didn’t say anything she asked, “So what are you going to do?”
“Do? Until we find proof for any of this, there isn’t much we can do. We know something is going on, but at this point, it’s like trying to stop a sniper blindfolded. We know who it is, or at least, we think we do, but we have no proof and we don’t know how she’s getting to people. And we can’t exactly tell anyone Jeri’s been investigating members of the board. It would give them the perfect opportunity to get rid of another senior member.”
“So what are you going to do?”
“We’re keeping a close eye on those board members, and, of course, Regina.
“But the other senior members, they could be in danger. We could be in danger!”
“I haven’t spoken to anyone yet, but I know Jeri keeps well connected with them. She says they’re aware something’s happening.” He didn’t respond to her comment about their own possible danger. He didn’t want to have to admit that he’d been aware of that possibility for some time now.
“What concerns me,” he said, “is John Cuddy. He never showed up to work this morning. I’m hoping he’ll tell me about what really happened to him.”
“What about that Pete DeMarco?” Stephanie asked, recognizing the importance of that one remaining candidate. If he was somehow tied to Regina, then the board was split evenly.
“Jeri is looking into it.”
“That’s it?” she asked again, raising her eyebrows.
“Let’s just say, she has surprisingly good contacts. If there’s any dirt to be found, she’ll find it.”
“And if you find some?”
“We’re already considering a motion to postpone the election. That would give us time to sort this out while we still have a six to five majority. That may be our best option, regardless of whatever they discover about Pete. But if we do that, we’d be tipping them off that we know something’s going on. We have no idea what Regina will do in that case. Secrecy is our best weapon at the moment.”
“That sounds like Jeri talking.”
Jack gave her a wry smile. “Maybe so, but I happen to agree with her on this.”
Stephanie didn’t have anything to say to that and they soon finished talking. She nodded off a little while later while Jack lay there thinking back on something he hadn’t told his wife. After Jeri had gone, he’d had another visitor.
11.
Jack felt his guard come up the second Regina stuck her head in.
“Hi Jack, how’s it going?” she asked, sounding bright and cheery; unusual for someone who hadn’t greeted him civilly in years.
He was finishing up an email, and nodded for her to come in. As soon as he saw her he had to keep from rolling his eyes. As usual, her outfit, while technically a business suit, was borderline professional at best. Her tight dress hugged every curve, and the hemline showed off her legs and high heels. In addition, the low neckline and tight fit did a nice job emphasizing her bust. He had to admit, she sure did know how to dress, though it would have been more appropriate at a dance hall than work. The one thing he could have done without was the excessive perfume.
Regina sat gracefully in one of his chairs, crossed a leg and waited for him to finish. Just noticing her arrogant demeanor set his teeth on edge. The woman thought way too much of herself.
He sent the message on its way, gathered his thoughts, and then asked, “So, what can I do for you, Regina?”
“Oh, nothing? I’m just dropping by to see how things are going.”
Jack started to frown before catching himself. The woman never ‘dropped by.’ This was the first time she’d been in his office in years, when she’d tried to, uh, ‘win his vote.’ He still remembered her screams of rage when he’d thrown her out.
“Don’t do this, Jack! You’ll regret it. Mark my words, you will!!!” He’d slammed the door on her, but could hear her screaming at the door. “I’ll get you for this. I swear I will!!!” Then, as she turned away, he thought he’d heard one final comment, “And I know exactly how I’ll do it, too.” Clearly, Regina Ramos wasn’t used to being rejected.
Coming back to the present, he responded, “Things are fine. And you?”
He noticed her leg swaying gently back and forth, and made a point of ignoring it. As he recalled, that was how it had started five years ago. He wasn’t about to be lulled in again.
“Oh fine. You know how it is,” she replied and then went on for a bit about how business was always so hectic and there just wasn’t enough time in the day to get it done. She talked merrily about different projects she was working on before finally got to the real reason she was there. Almost as an afterthought, she mentioned, “Oh, did you hear that John Cuddy took his name out of consideration for the board position?”
Jack’s eyes met hers. Contrary to her careless attitude, he could see she was watching him closely. Careful not to show any reaction, he paused a moment, then asked, as if it was news to him, “Really? Where did you hear that?”
There was a moment of silence, before a small, almost imperceptible smile played at the corner of Regina’s mouth. Answering a question with another question was a good way to avoid telling the truth.
“Oh, I think I heard one of the secretaries mentioning it in the hallway.”
When he heard that, Jack knew he wasn’t the only one lying. He wondered where the woman had really heard it. John sure wouldn’t have told her. He couldn’t stand the woman. Jeri liked her even less, so it obviously wasn’t her. He went through the list of board members who might know and none of them seemed likely to tell her. He doubted the word had already spread to any of the newer members of the board. The older members didn’t normally associate with them. It wasn’t exactly a happy little family anymore. No, he was pretty sure that she was behind this somehow.
“So, you hadn’t heard it then?” she asked. “I was just wondering if it were true or just another rumor. We keep losing so many good candidates,” she added, almost flaunting it in his face.
“Yes, well, I wouldn’t worry about it. It’s probably just a rumor.”
“Yes, I’m sure it is. So, who are you going to vote for?” she inquired, knowing she had no right to ask. Jack gave her a steady look.
“Anyone from my department?” she prodded hopefully.
“That’s not something I can discuss, Regina.”
“I do like them,” she went on, oblivious to his response, “but I wonder if they have enough qualifications.” So, she was basically saying she knew those two didn’t have a chance. Jack was reminded of what Jeri had said about being led by the nose.
“So I guess that leaves Pete, um, what’s his name again?”
“DeMarco.” Jack’s voice was flat.
“Oh yes, that’s the one. I liked the two from my section better. He always seems so . . . so sour all the time.”
While he didn’t know Pete that well, Jack felt the man seemed capable enough. But he did know Regina, and saw how she was practically shouting how they only had one real choice. Worse than that, he had the strangest feeling she didn’t care one way or the other who got voted on. Were they all in her camp? That thought gave him a chill.
“As I said, Regina, that’s not something I can discuss.”
“Oh, I guess not,” she snapped, looking out the window. “I’m not on the board, so I’m not privy to those discussions.”
For a moment he saw a look of irritation on her face. By the time she turned back to him, though, she was all smiles again. “By the way, did you ever see Simone Galla about that maid job? At the party a while back your wife seemed really interested.”
“Yes. She’s been working for us almost a month now.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful! She’s the best, isn’t she?”
“Yes, she’s extremely helpful, you know.”
Regina’s smile grew before responding, “Yes, well, she’s very good at what she does.” Then, looking down at her watch, she exclaimed, “Oh, look at the time! I hate to cut this off, but I do have a meeting to prepare for.” Standing, she added, “See you later, Jack. It’s been so good chatting with you.”
Still awake in bed, Jack reflected on the encounter. It had been good to see her go, but their talk had left him feeling uneasy. The woman had seemed way too smug about everything. It was as if she was so sure of herself she didn’t care what he suspected. This wasn’t shaping up very well at all.
All they had at the moment were suspicions without evidence. Keeping an eye on Regina had proven useless so far. From what Jeri said, the woman never did anything even the slightest bit suspicious. That meant, at the moment, they had absolutely no idea what she was doing or how to stop her.
Jack didn’t fall asleep for a long time.
12.
Amanda was in the midst of yet another afternoon nap. But this was no ordinary nap. Once again she had come home from school, only to find herself unable to stay awake. As always, she was experiencing a dream that not only frightened her, but tantalized her, as well. She was afraid because a part of her secretly enjoyed them.
The mysterious woman had come to her again, as always, filling her mind with the most deliciously wicked thoughts.
Amanda had thought herself in her room, when it started to shift and change. Startled, she recognized the dream state and had tried to revive herself without success. Before long, she was floating somewhere in the dark, fighting to keep the panic down. Then she saw a light and moved towards it. Immediately, she found herself in a room with no windows and no doors. There was nothing but a bed.
There, on the bed, seemingly asleep, she saw the mysterious woman! The woman was barely covered by the sheerest of gowns which clung to her every curve. She was just as gorgeous as ever and Amanda gazed at her longingly. She really shouldn’t, she knew, but felt an irrational need to reach out and touch the sleeping woman. Just a little touch. She reached out a hand and—
Suddenly her world shifted! She looked around wildly. Now, it was Amanda who was on the bed, tied there by some kind of invisible bonds! Scared, she thrashed wildly, straining this way and that. She looked up and saw the woman gazing down at her with a knowing smile on her face!
Then the young woman felt something. It was almost like a touch. Amanda looked down to see what was happening. There was nothing. She looked up again and saw the woman watching her intently. She knew somehow it was the woman doing this. She could have sworn she actually felt where that gaze seemed to touch of her body! She shuddered, enjoying the sensation.
It was like a kiss or a gentle hand was working it’s way between her neck and shoulder. She loved that feeling, as it sent ripples down her arms and legs. All too soon, the focus of that ‘touch’ worked its way down her chest and lightly touched her nipples. She started squirming, breathing quicker, occasionally letting a grunt escape as the intensity of her need grew.
Finally, when she couldn’t stand it anymore, she cried out, “Oh god, please, please stop this!” What she really wanted, though, was to get off. She wanted that in the worst way. She just couldn’t bring herself to say it. She couldn’t bring herself to beg. Not yet.
“Give in to me Amanda. We both know you want to. Give in and it will feel so much better. Here, let me show you.”
The touch moved downward, to her legs, then finally, a light rub between them. Amanda cried out wordlessly. Then, she could feel it on her breasts again, even as the sensation between her legs went inside, filling her with delight.
She had never had sex before, and could only imagine what it felt like, but thought it could never match this feeling. It was like something was filling her up, sending gentle, throbbing sensations that quickly radiated throughout her whole body.
It was too much to bear, and her will crumbled. She quit trying to resist, no longer caring about whether she should or not. She was simply powerless to do anything more than writhe uncontrollably under the wonderful sensations. She moaned, knowing she couldn’t stop herself anymore, knowing she’d do just about anything to finally cum. She cried out, “Yes, please. Please let me—Please!”
“Please?” The woman left the question hanging, as if there was something more required.
No, Amanda thought. She never liked that one, unspoken, condition. It made her feel dirty, somehow. Amanda thrashed some more as the feeling inside her moved in and out, slowly, sensuously making love to her. In the end, that robbed her of her final dignity.
“Please . . . please, M—” She couldn’t say it.
“Yes?” The way she taunted Amanda made it clear that the woman knew she had her.
Finally, she said in a quiet, pleading voice, “Mistress?”
For her obedience she was rewarded as the orgasm finally crashed down around her, filling her with contentment, but opening her up to a woman who would haunt her dreams for a long time to come.