Audit

“This is most definitely not a good day.”

That was the thought uppermost in Kelly’s mind as she sat there, looking round the office she worked in and wondering what the hell was going on.  When she had arrived this morning, it had not been a huge surprise that the office was already open.  Lesley Hunt, her boss, always arrived before she did.  What had been the surprise was the fact she was not in the outer office, as was her usual practice.  That was only the start…

“Lesley?  Are you in your office?”

Kelly put her overcoat on the coat hanger and looked round.  She was dressed in her usual conservative manner, in a grey pinstripe jacket and skirt and a dark blue open necked blouse, the collar of which was carefully arranged over the collar of her jacket.  She looked round, wondering why her boss had not responded, before shrugging her shoulder and taking her seat in front of the computer.

As she booted up the computer and waited for the login screen to appear, she heard some noises coming from the inner office where Lesley held court.  Locking round, she wondered if Lesley had an early meeting, but as she checked the calendar she found no entries before twelve noon.  Wondering what was happening, she started to stand up.

As she did so, however, the door to Lesley’s office opened and a tall dark haired woman walked out.  She smiled warmly, and held her hand out saying “Good morning, Kelly.  My name is Miss Dawson, and I am an inspector with Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs.”

“Do you have some form of identification?” Kelly asked as she looked over the arrival.  She was thin, and wore a dark dress suit with a black silk top underneath her jacket.  The skirt was short, and she wore short black heel shoes on her feet.

“Of course,” the woman said as she handed Kelly a card.  Examining it, she could see that this identified the woman as a tax inspector, and Kelly started to wonder what she was doing there.

“You’re wondering why I’m here?” Miss Dawson said as Kelly handed her back the card.  “We are here to perform a snap audit on your accounts.  My colleague is currently discussing a number of issues with Miss Hunt, but she has authorised access to your account spreadsheets.”

“I see,” Kelly said with a slight hint of suspicion, “May I have that confirmed from her?”

“Actually, I could order you to do so, but if you insist…”  Miss Dawson lifted the telephone and dialled an extension number.  “Miss Hunt?  Your secretary needs a confirmation from you.  Can you oblige?”

She handed the handset to Kelly, who heard her boss say “Kelly, do exactly what she tells you.  You are not to blame for this.”

The line went dead, and Kelly wondered what she meant by that last comment.  “All right,” she finally said as she punched in the codeword to grant access to the files.  A few minutes later, the screen was filled with the accounts of the company.

“Excellent,” Miss Dawson said as she looked over Kelly’s shoulder.  “Now, there is something else I need you to do for me.”

“What is that?” Kelly asked without looking round.

“Put your hands behind your back and say nothing,” Miss Dawson answered as Kelly saw a gun pointing at her from the corner of her eye.

That had been half an hour earlier.  Kelly had indeed put her hands behind the back of the chair, and sat still as Miss Dawson produced a bag from under the desk and took out a length of rope.  She then used that to bind Kelly’s wrists together, crossing them and wrapping the rope between and around her arms to secure them together.

She’d asked why she was doing this, but Miss Dawson said nothing as she took the longest length of rope she had ever seen, doubled it over and wrapped it around her waist and the chair back where it joined the seat.  This had pulled her right back so that her back was firmly against the rest, before her wrists were secured to the loops resting against the fabric.

Again, she’d asked what was going on, but in response this time Miss Dawson had pinched her nose.  As she opened her mouth to breath, a small piece of cloth was stuffed into her mouth, and then a strip pulled between her lips to keep it in place.  Lifting Kelly’s long light brown hair out of the way, the woman had then tied the ends of the strip tightly together at the neap of her neck, allowing the hair to fall back into place and cover the knot.

Miss Dawson had then knelt in front of Kelly, placed her ankles next to each other and bound them together with more rope.  Kelly had watched as the loops were passed around her legs, pulling them tightly together before the ends were passed between her legs to cinch the binding.  Her black court shoes stayed on her feet, even when the woman took another longer length and passed it around the front legs of the chair, around her already bound ankles to further secure them.  To finish off, she had wrapped rope around her arms and chest, both above and below her breasts and not over the chair back, finishing off with rope passed around her neck and under the chest binding.

As Kelly sat there, questions still in her eyes as her chair had been pulled away, Miss Dawson had spent the time looking over the account sheets, typing in various queries and printing off sheets before downloading the files onto a flash drive.  Removing the device, she started to shut down the computer while sitting on the desk and looking at the bound secretary.

“Well now, Kelly, what are we going to do about you?”

Kelly looked over her shoulder and stared at Miss Dawson as she sat there.

“Yes, yes, I’m sure you have a lot of questions, but I’m afraid I can’t let you answer them just now, even if I could give you the answers.”

“Wht’s gng n,” she tried to say through her cloth gag.

“Kelly, just relax,” Miss Dawson said as she stood up, walked over and checked that the gag was still tightly in place.  “As Lesley said, you are not to blame for this, but we still have a problem on our hands.”

“We?” Kelly thought, and she suddenly realised that there had not been a lot of noise or talking coming from her boss’s office.

“You see,” Miss Dawson said as she bent over Kelly’s shoulder and placed her cheek next to her, “Your boss has been a very naughty little girl, and has been doing things with the money she was entrusted with by my employer that was – well, not what was planned.  My employer found out, and sent my colleague and I to have a little word with her.

We knew you would be coming, but you of course would not have known the part my employer played in this.  So, you are indeed an innocent party, but with what my colleague and I have discovered this morning I am afraid my employer is going to want a longer discussion with Lesley Hunt – one she will not be coming back from.”

Kelly’s eyes widened as the full implications of what Miss Dawson was saying sunk in.

“Ah, I see you begin to see our predicament,” she said as she sat back on the chair and picked up the telephone.  “Let me talk to my colleague – I think we may have a few things to say that will explain things.”

She caressed Kelly’s neck with one hand as she waited for the call to be answered.

“Dominique?  I have the information from the computer, and I have been having a little chat with Kelly.

“Yes, a one-way chat” she said as she and Kelly looked at each other.  “The logs suggest she has no knowledge of the dealings between Lesley Hunt and ourselves, but she still needs to be – dealt with.”

Miss Dawson leant over Kelly’s right shoulder and looked at her as her hand moved towards her chest.  “Yes, I had considered that, but I actually she think she may be more of an asset to our organisation.  Her skills should not be allowed to go to waste.

“All right, I will let you talk to her.”  She held the handset next to Kelly’s ear.  “Say nothing, just listen.”

Kelly listened to the voice on the other end of the telephone.

“Good morning, Kelly.  As you have realised, Miss Dawson and I are not from the tax office, but we are here to conduct an audit of your boss’s activities.

“I should introduce myself – my name is Dominique, and I work for our employer as, well, as a trouble-shooter.  I deal with situations that my employer feels require my own special touch, and in the case of Lesley Hunt that seems to have been fully justified.”

Kelly looked up at Miss Dawson who simply nodded.

“Now, I am not going to go into the boring details of what has and has not happened, but here are the salient facts.  My employer invested some money in this company to carry out a very specific task in terms of head hunting staff, but recently we have not seen any results from that investment.  We did, however, hear tales of other activities Lesley Hunt was involved in.  All I will say at this stage is it involved children, and illegal activities.

Naturally, my employer needed to verify this, and sadly that has been done by our surprise audit today.  We will be taking care of Lesley Hunt, but what are we going to do with her loyal secretary?  At least, loyal up to this stage.  You do understand what I am implying by children and illegal activities?”

Kelly’s eyes had narrowed when she first heard the term, but the light of realisation was dawning in them, and she listened attentively.  She heard Miss Dawson laugh behind her, and say “I think she understands.”

“Good, good.  Kelly, you do not to accompany us when we leave with Lesley Hunt, and I have a proposal to make.

“If you are agreeable, the story will be that you arrived at the office this morning to discover a robbery in progress.  You were bound and gagged after you were forced to give the password, and left in the ransacked office.

“And yes, the office will be ransacked before we leave.  At the same time, you saw nothing of your boss, who will simply vanish.

“In return for your silence, and the fact you will lose your job, you will be offered a new and more senior position in an organisation under the control of my employer.  I guarantee you will never hear from or see myself or Miss Dawson again, and this will become a distant memory.

I have to be blunt, Kelly, and say that if this is not to your liking, you too will disappear and start a new life elsewhere.  One that may not be to your liking.  So, is our offer acceptable?”

Kelly nodded and mmphed “yss”.

“Excellent.  We will be in touch soon.  Miss Dawson will take your personal details and we will be in touch.  Good morning, Kelly, and congratulations on your new position.”

Kelly watched as the phone was replaced, and her chair turned so that she was facing Miss Dawson as she sat against the desk.

“Very sensible choice, Kelly,” she said with a smile.  “Now, we have a little time before I have to rejoin my colleague – how shall we spend it?”

Dominique put the telephone receiver down and turned to Lesley.

“A very bright girl – you don’t need to worry about her future.  Madame has many legitimate business concerns that she can find a position for her in.  Let’s talk about you, however.”

Lesley glared at Dominique as she stood there, hands on her hips.  She had arrived at the office early that morning, having been woken by a phone call to tell her that she was likely to have her private business dealings exposed, and had only just started to get rid of the evidence when she had been grabbed by the two enforcers sent by her major backer.

On the floor in front of her were her red blouse and skirt, along with the wide leather belt she had put over her blouse.  Dominique had forced her to strip, before the woman she had called Miss Dawson had taken a length of rough rope and pulled her arms up behind her back, bending her forearms and crossing her wrists between her shoulder blades before tying them together.   Dominique had then pulled the top of her black basque down to expose her breasts, before Miss Dawson had used rope to lash her arms to her side, secure her wrists in their raised position and pull the ropes above her breasts even tighter by raising them towards her chin.

Sitting her down on a small stool, Miss Dawson had crossed and bound her ankles, passing the rope around the red leather shows she was wearing as well, before tying her legs together above her knees, the tops of her stockings still held to the body stocking.  That was when they had heard Kelly walk into the office, and Miss Dawson had left Lesley with Dominique to deal with her.

The call had come a few minutes later.  After she replaced the receiver, Dominique had stuffed her Hermes scarf into Lesley’s mouth and wrapped a large bandage roll around her mouth and jaw, trapping her brown hair and effectively silencing her.

“So, what are we going to do with you, Lesley,” Dominique said.  As with her colleague, she was wearing a smart dark jacket and short skirt, with small heels.  Lesley glared back at her, her eyes filled with anger more than fear at this stage.

“You see, Lesley, Madame really has no problem with those in her employ pursuing other interests, so long as they do not interfere with hers.  She does take a dim view, however, on some activities – and the trafficking you have been involved in most definitely fall in that category.”

Lesley looked back up at Dominique as she stood there.  “Oh – and before I forget, we also found the mole you had placed at our central office.  She is even now enjoying a long, leisurely chat with Penelope – and I’m sure you know what that means.”

For the first time, Lesley looked at her captor with a worried look.  She hadn’t meant to get that girl into trouble – especially with the number 2 in that organisation.

“Relax – she will get a stern telling off, nothing more – and possibly a week at Madame’s farm.  But that still leaves us with the problem of what to do with you?”

Lesley glared again at the woman.  What could she possibly do to her?

Dominique sat beside Lesley, as if in response to her unasked question.  “I’m not going to make that decision, Lesley,” she said as she took a phone out of her jacket pocket.  “That is going to some from someone else entirely.”

Lesley looked at the small screen on the phone, and recognised the number that Dominique had dialled.  The ropes that constricted her small breasts were starting to itch against her skin, and she just wanted this over with.

“Let’s see if she is available,” Dominique said as she turned to one side.  Lesley just started straight ahead, her eyes still filled with anger, and as Dominique listened she extended a finger in mute protest.

“Manners,” Dominique said as she turned round and saw the gesture. “Ah, good morning, Madame.

“Yes, I am afraid the results of our audit are conclusive and confirmatory.  We did have to restrain her secretary, but she has agreed to a relocation package in return for her silence.”

“DMMN HR” Lesley shouted out as she stared at Dominique’s back.  She understood why Kelly may have decided to save her own skin, but it still rankled.

Dominique looked over her shoulder, a smile creeping across her face.  “I see – I did not realise she had also invested over there.  Is this something you wish me to take care of?

“Of course – I will see you when the two of us return.  In the meantime, may I have your decision in regards to Lesley Hunt?”

She turned round and placed the handset next to Lesley’s ear.

“Good morning, Lesley,” a voice like warm chocolate said, “I trust you recognise my voice?”

Lesley glanced at Dominique and nodded.

“Good.  I am very disappointed, Lesley, very disappointed indeed.  You have done things I find personally abhorrent, and your role in the kidnapping group in the States is beyond comparison.  I will take care of that one personally.

“As for you, Lesley, I am sending a very special friend of mine to collect you.  He has done me a number of favours in the past, and he will ensure you are made most comfortable before you start your new life.

“Do not worry about your secretary – she will be taken care of.  Your assets and funds will be transferred to one of my own organisations, and the relevant authorities will be informed of the names you have been dealing with.

“Goodbye.”

As the line went dead, Lesley started to scream for help.  In response, Dominique simply put her phone away, and held her hand over Lesley’s mouth.

“Hush now, Lesley,” she whispered, “Dave will be here soon, and eSlave will take good care of you.

“Very, very good care of you……”