Chapter 1

Karen sat staring morosely at her desk, lost entirely in thoughts of her past. The busy life of the office went on around her, but for now she was oblivious to all of that ... Hers was the most barren desk on the administrative floor, even the lowest interns made more personal statements with their work spaces, but the only thing that adorned Karen's desk was a full desk planner that minutely detailed her entire working life for months at a time.

"Karen, Mr. Randolph would like to see you in his office immediately." Karen looked up and found while she had been lost in contemplation, Kirk Reynolds had slithered his way over to her desk. She regarded him with equal amounts of disgust and fear; in theory, he had no authority over her, since they were both administrative supervisors and in fact Karen held seniority. In actuality, Karen had no illusions about her position; Kirk was Mr. Randolph's right hand man, his heir apparent, and so whenever Karen was tempted to inform him that he resembled nothing so much as an over grown snake she forced herself to hold her tongue.

"Alright I'll go see him right away. Thanks for letting me know." As always, the sweetness she pushed into her voice made her want to vomit, but she pushed that sensation aside as she made her way towards the imposing double doors. She entered without knocking like she always did, it was though such small acts of rudeness that she maintained some sense of herself.

Mr. Randolph lounged comfortably behind the vast stretch of his oak carved desk. He was looking at something on his computer, scrolling though some page with a look of pleasant disinterest on his face. Karen didn't make anything of that though, for by now she had learned that Mr. Randolph wore that look whether he was chatting about the weather or plotting murder. She stood in his doorway and waited, until after several minutes he made a show of noticing her for the first time. "Ah, Karen! Have you been waiting long? How terribly rude of me. Please, have a seat." He arose from his chair and made a gallant show of escorting her into the most elegant and uncomfortable of the chairs in front of the desk. Returning to his seat, he made another few moments examination of his computer before turning to address her. His pleasant look had morphed into one that was far more predatory. It was the sort of look that Karen had always imagined that hyenas wore before tearing into their prey. "I was just reading an email from Mr. Tozaku. Apparently you succeeded in making quite an impression on him and his associates. He is now proposing to increase his organization's business with our firm. Well done."

Karen could feel her embarrassment as though it were tangible, spreading through her body like a wave. She wanted to look away from his shining, hungry eyes, wanted to stare ashamedly at the floor or the wall or anything else, but she knew that this was exactly the sort of reaction that he wanted from her so she fought the urge aside and maintained his steady gaze. "Thank you sir."

"In particular," Randolph continued, his eyes never wavering in the slightest, "Mr. Tazaku thought that you possessed certain skills and attitudes that other young American women lack. He said..." Mr. Randolph made another show of consulting his computer, pretending to search for the right word, "that you were exceptionally conscious of your gender's place in the world, and the duties that you owe to your social betters." He smiled at her, and then dived in for the kill. "In future therefore, you shall be assuming the additional responsibility of acting as our liaison with Mr. Tazaku and his associates in all of our transactions. And in all those cases I must insist that you continue to show him and anybody else he wishes that same attitude that has impressed him so."

At this news, Karen's resolve finally broke, and she could not hold back her dismay. "I am not going to be a whore for your Japanese crime syndicates!" At once she realized that she had made a mistake.

"A whore?" Randolph's voice was still calm, but hinted at barely constrained anger. "I think that there is a misunderstanding here. I sent you to have a business dinner with some very important business partners of mine, thinking I could count on you to help them enjoy their stay in our country and encourage them to increase their business with my firm, the firm that you are dependent on for your bread and butter, you and your infantile brother. I was hoping that you would realize that without increased revenues in these times of recession, that nobodies job was safe. You, without any direct orders from me, engaged in sexual acts with not one but three men, with I can only assume the eventual goal of convincing them to support me going forward. I was so ... proud of you." He looked at her with an expression that was equal parts scorn, disappointment, and pity. "But if you think that I am being unreasonable, if you don't want to be a team player, well, I'm sure that Mr. Tazaku would understand." He paused again, making sure that he had her full attenion before he continued. "But would James? Would he understand losing the cushy jobs I've provided for the two of you? And how about your son? Quentin? How old is now, 5? 6? Oh, how time, would young Quentin understand why his mommy can't feed him, why she lost her home? Make no mistake about it, Ms. Farley, there is no room in this organization for selfish people. If you don't want to do this, say the word and I'll find someone who will." His speech concluded, he peered at her expectantly, waiting for a response.

Karen wished desperately that this could be the day when she said 'no' to him, the day when she stormed out of his office and straight to the police, but she knew exactly how futile that would be, for the checks he wrote to to the campaign funds of both the sheriff and the district attorney made their way across her desk periodically. Edmund Randolph owned this town, and everybody in it. Everybody including her. "I'm sorry, Mr. Randolph. I spoke rashly, without thinking. Of course I want us to succeed I'll..." She swallowed her pride, which at this point only amounted to precious few scraps. "I'll serve a liaison with Mr. Tazaku."