Chapter 1

Jenny was tens as she got ready to drive to the office. Her first assignment was very important to her and her fourteen-year-old daughter, Stephanie. Their futures depended on it. Ever since their divorce, Jenny had worked as a waitress at an all night diner, trying to make ends meet and take courses at the local University. She was now in her last semester, and one of the last requirements was an internship program. She had to get a job in an Architect's office for one semester and document what she had to do. She had worked summers for Higdon and Sink for several years now, so the internship was somewhat of a formality.

She had doing red-line, or pick-up work most of the time for the older architects. She was exceptionally good with AutoCADD, and Architectural Revit 3D, but was still a little green with the detailing aspect.

Jenny slid out from under the 1960 Volkswagen Beetle and yelled: "Try it again!" Stephanie made sure her mom was clear before pressing the clutch and starter button. The engine roared on the first try. The dual exhausts echoed a beautiful low reverberation like a Harley with their baffled ends which Stephanie had begged her mom to use instead of the old mufflers.

Jenny had to admit it was a nicer sound and a lot cheaper fix than replacing the German mufflers. Jenny took the coveralls off and flung them into the back seat, and threw the screwdriver back in the toolbox which was a permanent fixture in the old bug. Stephie inched it forward while her mother pulled the brick shocks from in front and back of two tires and threw them on the floorboards behind the front seat. Stephie scooted over and Jenny jumped in before it coasted very far.

"Are you going to need a ride home from school tonight after track practice?" she yelled out the open passenger window at her daughter. "No, Mom. I can catch a ride with Amy and her boyfriend today." Stephie yelled over her shoulder as she began a slow trot towards the front door of her school.

Jenny pulled out of the drive and headed towards the office. Today was a big day for her. She was in the middle of a new assignment.

The Mid Town area of Kansas City had been in decline for decades. Crime had been high and many of the buildings had been boarded up for years. Things had been changing. Lots of the Garment District had been converted to Condominiums, hotels, and boutique shops. The art students had transformed it into an area of growing popularity.

Jenny's boss had given her an assignment. An old apartment building had been boarded up for over thirty years. The old Jewish man who owned it was intrigued with the possibility of opening it up again; either as apartments, or condominiums. He had taken Jenny to the building and showed her how to get in. The doors and windows on the brick building on the first floor had been covered with plywood. He went up to the front door with her. He had a cordless drill with an 8mm socket.

There were two lag screws at the top, bottom and each side of each plywood panel on the doors and windows on the first floor. The two at the top and bottom were fake: with just the heads showing; but not actually going into the wood frame behind it. The two at each jamb were three inch lag screws that came out pretty quickly with the cordless drill.

Jenny's job was to take all the measurements of floor-to-floor heights, door and window openings to make new drawings for feasibility study. She had to show designs for condominiums, apartments, and an excel spreadsheet with costs, construction interest rates and vacancy rates. She was excited because she knew she could sell the ideas with her 3D drawings and walk-through animations.

Jenny was dressed in her high-heeled suede boots that zipped up the side; her form fitting black levis; a dark purple, oxford cloth dress shirt with a button down collar; and a thin leather sports jacket. Her long reddish brown hair was done in a French braid that went down her back almost to her waist. She needed the jacket for the pockets. She needed some scales, drafting pencils, sharpener, and eraser. She also had a black foam core board with several sheets of drafting paper clipped to them. Over her shoulder she had her laptop in a carrying case.

She would take a series of measurements, then add them to her computer drawing that she had started. She had already gone around the outside of the first floor showing overall length, width and location of all masonry openings. Today she had to get inside to show stair openings, floor to floor heights, sill heights and general finishes.

Jenny unscrewed the plywood over the front door and set it aside. She also had some large flashlights to see better. The rooms on the upper floors did not have their windows boarded up, so measuring there would be easier.

Jenny was stunned with the interior as she walked through the building. The building had evidently been an elegant hotel at one point; then turned into apartments. The front lobby / reception was covered with marble on the floors and walls. The columns, and walls were covered with intricate tooled carvings. It had truly been a lavish building in it's time.

Jenny noticed a barbeque grill in the middle of the lobby floor. At some time, homeless people had been in the building. Jenny went up the ornate staircase to the next level up. There was much more light. She walked down the corridor and peeked into the open doors.

One of the sinks had been lined with a plastic bag to hold water? She noticed a bedroom had lots of empty whisky bottles on a dresser. Down past another apartment she peeked in and noticed a large one-pound block of cheese. It had teeth marks in it but was not moldy. Jenny froze! She realized that people had been in there recently. She didn't know whether to run or stay.

Jenny was constantly fighting the perception that you cannot send a woman to do a man's job. She knew she could not go back and tell her boss that she was afraid to be there alone. Hesitantly, Jenny continued her reconnaissance mission to asses her safety before making a decision on whether to stay or not.

She went into another room; nothing there. When she came out, she sensed that she was not alone. Standing in the corridor, she had enough light to see that there were a couple of forms in front of her at the far end. She turned to run! It wouldn't work. At the far end in the opposite direction she could see a couple more huge figures in the dim light.

"Hello!" she said in a soft voice, trying vainly to sound confident. She could barely get the words out. "I'm sorry. I didn't know anybody was here. I will leave."

"Well, young lady, we can't really let you do that now that you're here; can we!" the biggest shadow in front of her said. In the dim light she saw a huge flash of light. As the man had approached her, he pushed the button on the 12" handle of a switch blade. It was turned sideways to her, so her mind saw the full 12" blade swing out in slow motion and click as it locked. It looked like a saber as it shown in the faint light. Jenny backed up as far against the wall as she could. She held the computer case in front of her for what little psychological protection it offered.

"P ... P ... P ... Please, please, please let me leave. I d ... d ... d ... don't want to be any trouble!" she stammered.

"What to do ... what to do... " the man murmured. "Let's go upstairs. There is more light there. The man extended his arm holding the switchblade, and used it to prod Jenny to turn towards the stairs. The shadows in front of her parted as she was guided down the corridor. Jenny started up the stairs towards the upper floor. The location of the blade changed its point of contact as she went up the stairs. It shifted from her waist, gradually down. He now had it between her legs at her crotch. The blade was down, but she couldn't tell. She could see the tip glimmering between her legs as she went up the stairs.

The situation seemed to be changing from life-threatening to one with sexual overtones. Either way, Jenny was terrified.

Fourteen steps later, they arrived at the top landing. It opened up to a marble duplicate of the first floor entry. There was a large oak picnic table, barbecue grille, several coolers and large leather couches. The windows were open and there was plenty of light. Jenny could see the windows of adjacent apartments across the courtyard. There were open windows with the drapes fluttering in the wind past flower boxes blooming with blue wave petunias and white pansies. Freedom and safety was so close, yet so far away.

"Well, young lady; tell us why you are here. You hardly seem to be here to buy or sell drugs. By the way you are dressed, I hardly think you are homeless; although that Volkswagen might make it believable.

Jenny explained that she was here to do drawings for changes in the building, and begged them again to release her.

The monster that had the switch blade was eventually identified as Marcel. He was at least six foot six inches tall, and had his head shaved. "I'm not sure how we can release you because we would have to give up this free housing which we have so diligently re-decorated." He said as he threw back his head while they all laughed.

"While we try to decide what to do with you, I think you should show how urgent you are to please us. What do you think?"

"W ... w ... w ... what ... what ... what do ... do ... you ... you ... want?" she asked, not really wanting an answer. "I think that you know exactly what you want. Don't you?" he smiled.

Jenny dropped to her knees and put her hands over her eyes and laid her face on her knees in the middle of the floor. "I can't do this" she whispered to herself. Without getting up or moving, she heard Marcel say: "Stand up!"

"I think you know how this starts. Hand me the bag." Jenny pulled the computer case strap over her shoulder and set it on the floor.

"The jacket."

Jenny was fighting with her emotions now. It wasn't about the jacket, she thought as she slid the leather outer garment over her shoulders and let it fall over the computer case.

"Next!" Jenny fought with herself. Slowly she reached for the "boy scout" buckle of her braided nylon belt. It had a brass clasp through which the belt ran. She opened the clasp. It was the only sound in the room as it clanked open and the belt slid through on its own. Jenny's face reddened as she reached up to undo the brass rivet snap holding the top of her levis together. The belt and snap were actually un-necessary as her slim athletic figure hardly needed them to keep the outfit together. Her countless hours of jogging and working at the restaurant hardly gave this forty-year-old goddess time to gain weight.

You could hear a pin drop as she grabbed the tab and lowered the zipper on her fly. Jenny was at a cross roads now. The jeans would have to come down. Slowly, reluctantly, the terrorized and humiliated mother reached her thumbs into the top of her jeans and worked them down her sides. Her French braid flipped down over her head, almost to the floor as she pushed the jeans down over the edge of her high-heeled boots. She had to bend down in order to get the garment around the ends of her heels. She used her heels to step on the cuffs to pull them off.

Jenny blushed as she was now bare below the long shirt tails of her dress shirt. Her long tanned legs shone in the medium afternoon light. She stood there, trembling, waiting for the next order.

"The shirt!" came the almost inaudible whisper from Marcel, who was mesmerized by her beauty.

Jenny could not hide the tears forming as she reached for the top button. Her fingers trembled as she fought to force the first button through the eyelet. She closed her eyes as she worked her way down the shirt. Finally, when she had finished with the buttons, she bowed her head in anguish as she clung desperately to the two sides of her shirt, procrastinating with what she knew she had to do.

"If you can't do it, I can cut it off of you. Then you won't have anything to wear home; if you get to go home."

A tear spilled from her cheek down to her breast as she arched her back to let the shirt slide over one shoulder; then the next. Jenny bowed her head again as she brought the tousled shirt over in front of her for cover. Marcel started to lean forward as though to take it from her. "No, no, I'll do it." She said as she slowly folded it and dropped it on top of her growing pile of clothes on the floor.

Jenny was standing there, now in her high heeled shoes and underclothes.

"We're waiting." Another voice snickered. Jenny's head bowed again as she crossed her hands in front of her for cover.

Her hair cascaded over her shoulder again as she bowed her head in order to reach up behind her for the clasp. The bra seemed to burst as the clasp opened. She was able to catch it between her ribcage and her arms so that it didn't fall off. She brought her hands around in front of her to cup herself and procrastinate the unveiling for a few more seconds.

"Give it to me!" Marcel whispered, in a threatening manner. Jenna walked the few steps over to him. She bowed her head in shame as she handed him the bra. Marcel placed the razor sharp point under her chin and used it to raise her head so their eyes met. He used the point again against her hands to force them away from her breasts. She stood there, looking Marcel in the eye with her hands to her sides.

Marcel looked down at her black lace panties. They were not thongs. They had a full panel in the back that covered her entire butt down to where her rear met the top of her legs. The front had only a small band that connected the front to the back. The high-waisted style only accented her incredibly long legs further. Marcel stuck the point between her skin and the edge of the panties. The knife went through the thin flimsy fabric like a razor through butter. Her panty fluttered down to the floor like a leaf in the fall breeze.