Chapter 11

She continued to wander around the house for another week, wondering what she was going to do. She felt vaguely useless when Sandi, as she thought of her now, went to work. They hadn't hired any new staff, but when the three or four rooms they regularly used in the big house were clean, there wasn't much else to do. On Friday, a man, Mr. Reese, who said he was one of Bill's lawyers contacted her on the telephone. He had some papers that needed signing, he said.

She walked into Mr. Reese's office and stopped dead in her tracks. Something crawling up the back of her neck told her not to trust this man. She had never had such a strong compelling feeling before. Before she thought about what she was doing, she acted on it. She turned on her heel and left the ancient secretary standing there with an open mouth.

She only knew one person to ask. She pulled out her cellular phone and called Sandi at her downtown office. She told her about the lawyer's sudden call that morning. Sandi asked who the lawyer was.

"Mr. Reese, down in the Waterbury Building."

"That God-damned Mother-fuckin' no good SCUMBAG!"

"Oh, dear! I take it you know him, then," Karin said dryly. "A nice guy, is he?"

"Not even for a lawyer. Karin, did you sign anything? Anything at all?" Sandi demanded of her.

"No. I didn't even see him. I got this really weird feeling when I walked into his office. So I called you. Sounds like I'm glad I did, huh?"

The relief was evident in Sandi's voice. "Thank God, you didn't sign anything. Good. Now, do you know any attorneys you can trust?" She guffawed. "I take that back. Let me rephrase that. Do you know any attorneys?"

"No. But I could probably call Bill's secretary for a suggestion. She should know one or two that have done work for his company before."

"Well, I guess that's better than nothing. Yeah, why don't you do that? Uh, and Karin?"

"Yes?"

"When you talk to her, remember she was Bill's secretary. She lost her man, too."

"Oh, right."

Karin had to look up the number for Bill's office before she could call. When she was finally connected she asked for his secretary, Sally. She remembered Sally vaguely. The one time they had met, she remembered that Sally had been nice to her, almost like she felt sorry for her. Sally apparently had known more than she let on about Bill's sex life.

When she came on the line, Karin asked her for a recommendation for an attorney to talk with.

Sally exploded on the other end of the telephone. "Karin — excuse me, Mrs. Saunders, where have you been? Why haven't you called in? Everything is falling apart down here. Get down here right away! We need you!" she hesitated. Then she added, a hopeful note in her voice, "Boss!?"

Karin was confused, but made her way over to Bill's old office. She was definitely going to have to get a driver's license. Taxis were too expensive in this city for everyday travel. She walked into the large complex and made her way to the executive suites. Sally had apparently spread the word that salvation was on the way, as everyone seemed to know her name and looked so relieved to see her. Her bewilderment grew as men and women who were clearly senior executives treated her with respect and deference.

Sally was on the telephone when she arrived at Bill's office door. Sally had her back turned, and was digging in some files. She didn't see her. Karin stood there meekly waiting until Sally noticed her.

When the middle-aged secretary glanced up and noticed Karin standing there, she paled. The phone call ended with an abrupt; "I don't care how you do it, just get it done!" Shooing her hands at the small crowd of on-lookers, she put her arm around Karin and ushered her into her dead husband's old office. Sally sat her down on the expensive leather couch and got her a cup of tea.

They sat staring at each other for a long moment. Karin was never sure who made the first move, but suddenly she found herself in a sobbing embrace with the matronly older woman. Neither woman may have admired Bill, but his absence had left huge holes in each of their respective lives. They silently commiserated with and comforted one another until they had cried themselves out. They weren't mourning the man. They were identifying with the pain each had suffered from him. It was a new beginning.

Drying her eyes with the tissue provided by the motherly secretary, Karin asked, "So whatever do you need me for, Sally?"

Sally explained that there were several crucial contracts pending that needed immediate attention, or they would lose the business.

"But Sally, I don't know anything about Bill's business! What should I do?

"Listen, Mrs. S, it's not 'Bill's' business anymore, it's yours. That is, if you want it. We'll all help you learn what you need to do," she went on. "You'll get along fine."

Over the next several weeks and months, Karin learned about Bill's business and found she understood more about what she was doing than she had ever imagined. Of course, she worked hard at it and it wasn't easy. She knew she had to learn the business from the ground up. Many nights she stayed late, working a half-day with the night shift in the factory. She rolled up her sleeves and learned how to do every job in the factory, including sweeping the floor. She emptied the trashcans with the cleaning crew for a week. She may not have mastered each of the various tasks on the shop floor, but she definitely learned what her products were, how they were made and she had a good idea of any problems there might be in manufacturing.

Her time in the factory had other benefits. She was astounded to find she was the first 'suit' most of the line workers had seen. Ever. Even the shop stewards with seniority couldn't identify the VP of Operations from a set of photos.

She fixed that the next morning. Her new VP of Operations spent a lot more time on the floor and a lot less time on the golf course. Production and productivity improved tremendously following her visits, both in quality and quantity.

Karin also learned she was good at selling the company. At first, when customers found she was his widow, they gave her token contracts out of sympathy. When she turned in superior high quality products, she won the next contract from each of those customers on her own merits, not Bill's. They liked her simply because she made each them look good.

She also discovered the company accountant and the lawyer, Mr. Reese, had been stealing from the company. She debated a long time before doing anything. She didn't want to have a big scandal with her name center stage. She asked Sandi how to handle it. Sandi told her that if she wanted her to, she would take care of the scumbag for her. Karin would have to take care of the accountant, as he was her employee.

Karin fired the accountant and cash flow increased 10% overnight. So did profits. She decided to put a positive spin on the result and gave a 5% rebate to all her customers with current contracts. From that point on, there was essentially no stopping her. Over the next year and a half, news of her revolutionary business practices swept through their tight-knit industry. People pounded on her door to give her their business.

Mr. Reese found himself as the center of an ethics review by the state bar. Ostensibly, it was because his name had been submitted as a nomination for the State Supreme Court. The review was 'just routine' or so he had been told. He encouraged his staff to cooperate fully with the auditors. His ego was so big he didn't even stop to realize there wasn't a position open on the bench.

As it was, the auditors, under the guidance of Sandi's inside information, and with the eager cooperation of Mr. Reese' very own staff, put together a compelling case of fraud and legal abuse that had gone unchecked for years. Karin's company was never mentioned in the investigation or the indictment that followed. Mr. Reese went away for a long time.

Karin worked tirelessly to be the best President and CEO she could be. Her people loved her. Several times she thought of and suggested stepping down and letting someone more qualified take over. They objected each time that she suggested it. Karin was such a breath of fresh air, such a change from Bill. Even her surviving VPs had to admit they liked her better, although they soon found themselves working harder to keep up with her.

When Karin didn't know something, she asked plain questions. She listened to the answers her people gave her. She never asked the same question twice. Her people knew she was fair, but tough. That's all they asked of her.

She was also extremely lonely. As she rocketed to the top of her business world, she became more and more isolated. If it hadn't been for Sandi and their friendship, she would have been completely alone. Sally, her secretary, tried to mother her, and Karin let her, on occasion. But she needed Sally to be her assistant, not her mother. She promoted her to a Jr. VP level and gave Sally a secretary of her own. Sally laughingly told Karin she would never forgive her for causing her so much stress. Without Sally to mother her, Karin withdrew even more into her corporate shell. She was all business. Warm, but cold, at the same time.

There were a couple of brave men who tried to ask her out. None asked more than once. Each said jokingly that they got a severe case of frostbite. Karin became known as the 'Ice Maiden, ' and her reputation for success and untouchability spread. Soon no one even thought about approaching her.

Sandi tried to get her to socialize, too. She asked her to double date with her a couple of times, but Karin's blind date always went home horny. She was a delightful date, but her heart belonged to John exclusively.

Sandi had no shortage of suitors these days. She had taken Karin's advice to dress a bit more feminine at work. She also followed Karin's example and sent her dates home horny. Those few special men that did make it to her bed did so because they were discreet. That they were also hung like horses didn't hurt, either, but she also passed up some whoppers because she had heard they couldn't keep their mouths shut.

Sandi had been afraid that she would be immediately assigned to the Vice Squad to work undercover with her change in her wardrobe. It was a risk, she knew. She didn't want that kind of police work. She wanted to use her mind, not her body.

Shortly after she started 'dressing up', as she called it, a senior-level position opened up in the Commissioner's office for an inspector. With Karin's, and other's encouragement, Sandi put in her application. After a long and arduous selection process, Sandi was amazed to find she had been selected to be an Inspector. She knew she was qualified for the position, but to be able to do what she had dreamed of doing all her life was too good to be true. She kept pinching herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming.

Karin had met the Police Commissioner at a client's office unexpectedly, and surprisingly, they had hit it off. Karin immediately sensed he was an honorable man. They shared the occasional brown bag lunch in the city's downtown park, the public setting making the perfect cover for anonymity. He became a kind of father figure to her that she confided in. He was flattered that such an attractive young woman would want to spend time with him. His wife of 40 years met Karin and gave her blessing to the relationship. She trusted her man, and, truth be told, she liked Karin. She sensed a deep hurt inside her, too and decided she couldn't hold her beauty against her.

When Karin had told him of Sandi, and how she had handled the corrupt lawyer, the Commissioner's ears perked up. He needed a good inspector he could trust, one that was unaffected by HQ politics. He suspected there was more than one corrupt officer in the police department, and he was determined to root them out. Lt. Billings sounded like just the person he was looking for and he said as much.

Karin, knowing how Sandi would react to favoritism of any kind, made him swear not to just hand her the position. The Police Commissioner was a little miffed that Karin would think he would. Lt. Billings would have to apply and make it through the arduous selection process, of which he would have no part. But if she made the 'short' list that landed on his desk, she had the job. Karin also made the Commissioner swear Sandi would never find out that they had talked about the position. She was afraid that if Sandi found out Karin had had anything to do with it, it would mar their friendship.

For her part, Sandi threw herself into her new job with a zeal that frightened the senior members at Police headquarters. She was supposed to have been a low-powered, mousy bitch, not a dynamo with the ear and blessing of the Commissioner. Sphincters tightened in all the departments as she settled into her new position. She greeted each person at the headquarters building with an unassuming, ingenuous smile that lulled many into discounting her, to their own detriment.

What Sandi was doing was re-writing the standard of integrity to a higher level. One that befitted those whose task it was to 'Protect and Serve' the public that trusted them. She and the Commissioner felt that those who upheld the law should be worthy of the task. Not above reproach, as they were human, after all. They should, however, not be actively working to circumvent it. Her reports and investigations of her staff were flawless and air tight. She brought an element of original thought to the centuries-old methods of police work. Her suggestions for resolutions to problems were unique, often salvaging the best part of a person's training while removing them from the temptation of further indiscretions. Her suggestions were almost always taken. She became both feared and admired for her personal honesty and integrity.

As a side benefit to her new position, Sandi was meeting all kinds of eligible professional men and other men successful in their fields. She also seemed determined to date each one of them. The best ones got kissed, and the cream of the crop got invited to the mansion. The luckiest, and most discreet one or two, needed the next day off to recuperate after a night with Sandi. She was very thorough in that area as well.

Sandi made a standing offer to Karin after she had tested her with that first man she had brought to the mansion. If Karin ever took a shine to any of the men she brought home, all she had to do was call Sandi's beeper. When it became obvious that she never would, Sandi suggested that if she just wanted to scratch the itch, she should call. Sandi was merely passing time with her dates. Her 'Mr. Right' hadn't come along yet, but she was damned if she was going to cloister herself while he took his damn sweet time catching up to her.

Night after night Sandi listened to Karin sobbing herself to sleep. Her heart went out to the younger woman. When she couldn't stand it any longer, she would go in and comfort Karin. It always began innocently, just sitting by her on the bed, stroking her hair. Somewhere along the line, soft lips would wipe away an errant tear then linger on the hot damp flesh, cooling the fevered brow. A slight readjustment of her legs for comfort, swinging them up on the bed to lie beside the sobbing girl would eventually lead to a hot session in bed together that would leave both of them gasping for air. It was stimulating, fulfilling, but both of them knew it was not the answer. This, too, was just a pastime.

Lately, on quiet nights, Sandi heard soft moaning followed by sobs coming from Karin's room. This was a new twist. Her curiosity getting the best of her, she peeked in on Karin, only to witness a fascinating show. Karin was tying herself up, just as she had done when she lived in the apartment. It also appeared she was becoming more and more frustrated with the inability of the process to satisfy her. It was the only thing she could do, though, to bring back those feelings she had experienced with John.

She would tie her legs together at the ankles, calves, knees and mid-thighs. Sandi was frightened at how tightly she bound each of the thick ropes. Tight cords tortured every movement of her tits. A wicked looking rope with strategic knots went between her legs, pulled hard into her crotch. This was cinched up and held by a wide heavy leather belt around her waist. Karen would then get her hands tied with the safety knot and began flexing her hips to stimulate herself. She tried hard to make herself cum, but knowing her hands were loose was just too much of a distraction to let herself go. She burst out crying, sobs wracking her slim frame.

Sandi walked in on her and sat beside her on the bed. "Can I help?" she asked softly

Karin looked up at her in misery. She wasn't embarrassed at the situation, just terribly frustrated. "My hands. I have to leave my hands loose."

Sandi didn't understand.

Karin tried to explain to Sandi that it was the feeling of total helplessness that was the real turn on for her. If she was tied up, she could relax into it, let everything go. It was that contradictory freedom in bondage that brought on her explosive climaxes. But when she had to leave an 'out' it wasn't the same. She couldn't struggle too hard, or her hands would come loose.

Sandi didn't understand the feeling of total helplessness, having never let go of the control in her relationships, but she understood the request. "I'll be right back," she said.

She came back several minutes later with her hands behind her back. She walked over to the bound girl and backed up to the nightstand by Karin's bed. She set several items on it, just out of sight.

"Lift your head."

Karin craned her head forward.

Sandi slipped a blindfold over her eyes and settled it in place. "Can you see anything?"

"No."

"Good." Next Sandi took one of the Teflon® slip-ties the police corps used instead of handcuffs and fastened Karin's hands to the bedpost. Karin had to stretch to keep the thin plastic bands from digging into her delicate skin. The stain tensed every muscle in her body. She was quivering as she waited for Sandi's next move.

Sandi bent and smoothed Karin's hair back into a lovely fan on the pillow. She tenderly stroked her cheek. "Better?"

Tears moistened the blindfold. Karin just nodded her head, not trusting herself to speak.

"Planning to have some fun then?"

Karen gave her another blind nod, a curious wrinkle on her forehead at the strange question. Of course, she was going to have some fun!

Sandi touched her fingertips to Karen's lips. When she opened her mouth to kiss and lick them, Sandi gently urged her mouth open. When she was lying there like a suffocating blowfish, Sandi stripped off her own damp panties and stuffed them in Karin's mouth.

"Then that should help to keep the noise down!" she said softly. "Sleep tight, Karin."