Engravings of Wraith

by Kiera Dellacroix

  “You read my file, you know what I’m responsible for, Mr. Satterfield,” she said frostily.

  “I think the Organization would have found a way with or without you,” he said honestly.

  “That may be true, but I can’t change the fact that it was me. And how do I look her in the eyes and tell her I’m responsible for the deaths of so many?” she said sadly. “I can’t even look myself in the eye,” she added in a whisper.

  “If she loves you, she won’t question how, she’ll want to know why.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “She’ll want to know why,” he repeated. “And if she knew why, she’ll know that you didn’t have much of a choice.”

  “I could’ve optioned for retirement,” she whispered.

  “I think you know better than that,” he chided gently. “If you were to have died, they would have immediately eliminated your family. You know better than I do that they can’t afford or allow loose ends.”

  Bailey closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair for several minutes. “You seem a decent person, Mr. Satterfield,” she stated. “Sometime you’ll have to tell me how you came to be involved with the Organization at all.” She stood again and walked quietly from the room.

  Martin watched her go and sat silently until he noticed that the book she had been writing in was still on the desk. He debated for all of a millisecond before curiosity got the better of him and he decided to investigate, noting with slight surprise that the book in question was an American Heritage Dictionary. He absently flipped it open and the pages that she had been writing on displayed themselves obediently.

  He studied the work in front of him and wondered sadly what it must be like for her. To be so innocent in some matters, but to be so awesomely knowledgeable in others most never imagine. It was becoming ever more apparent with each passing day in her company, that she was just a woman with the same hopes and dreams that everyone had. He suspected that if one were to look hard enough, they would discover that she possessed an easy going nature and a tender heart. Perhaps, the person with the initials P.T. already knew that. He hoped so.

  He closed the book and left it exactly as he found it.

  ———

  Bailey rounded the corner to her office and noticed with a touch of disappointment that Piper had already moved her things. It seemed kind of silly in retrospect to have had her move things twice, but she didn’t know she was going to be John’s replacement until she had met her face to face. She walked into her office and around the desk before she saw the teddy bear and an envelope in the seat of her chair. Grinning like an idiot, she picked up the bear and placed him on the desk facing her, excitedly tearing open the envelope.

  Heya,

  I’m sorry I fell asleep on you last night. I promise I’ll do better tonight. Better dust off your cowboy hat!

  Piper

  Smiling, she put the note on her desk and studied the bear in front of her, running her hands over the shaggy black hair. She thought it was adorable. She sat the teddy in her lap and held it with one hand while she opened a line with the other.

  “Personnel, this is Marta.”

  “Marta, this is Bailey. Do you have a moment?” she asked, absently playing with the bear’s ears.

  “Sure, Miss Cameron. What can I do for you?” she asked politely

  “I need an executive assistant for Piper Tate. Hopefully, one with experience in corporate operations or administration. Temp to hire. Could you look into it for me?”

  “Of course, when do you need one?”

  “Immediately, it would be ideal if any of the agencies you deal with could send someone out today to interview. If not, early next week would suffice.”

  “It’s kind of short notice but I’ll make some calls, I could probably let you know by lunch if they can find any qualified candidates.”

  “That would be great, Marta. Do you have my cell number?”

  “Yep.”

  “Alright, let me know, thanks,” she said and hung up.

  She unlocked her desk and placed Piper’s note in the top drawer. Her nose crinkled and she looked down at the teddy bear suspiciously, bringing him up to her face and sniffing at him curiously. She smiled when she realized that the bear was wearing the perfume she recognized as Piper’s and the urge to see the woman overwhelmed her. She stood and relocked her desk on the way out the door but hesitated, and after a second of consideration, she put the bear on her desk and exited the room. Piper’s new office was surrounded by staff and it would raise more than one eyebrow if she showed up carrying a teddy bear.

  She gradually left the more isolated area her office was located in and quickly came into view of the executive offices and cubicles that took up most of the floor. She became aware of the paused telephone conversations and stares as she neared Piper’s office. She knew it was rare for her to make an appearance but all of the attention began to make her uncomfortable. Fortunately, she spotted Piper outside her office with her back turned and talking to a salesman she recognized as Julio Martinez, a man of Hispanic descent who was short and as thin as a reed. She stopped several paces away and waited politely, since neither of them had noticed her approach.

  “Julio, you know I can’t sign off on that until their account is no longer in arrears. I told you this earlier. If we lose the contract, we lose the contract.”

  “Accounting said they received payment,” Julio said argumentatively.

  “Accounting informed me they received partial payment and until the account is up to date and no longer overdue for the work that we’ve already done, we won’t be sending anyone else out there.”

  “Piper, look at the size of the contract.”

  “I don’t care how large or profitable it is. They still haven’t honored the terms of the last one. Talk to them, Julio. If they bring their account current, I’ll be happy to sign off on it. You should know better, it’s always been policy not to enter into renewal negotiations unless the account is current. “

  “I’ll take this to the Board,” he threatened.

  “I think that your time would be better spent if you convinced your client to pay the balance of their account,” Piper said dismissively.

  “I can’t believe…” he started outraged but stopped abruptly when he noticed the figure several feet behind Piper.

  Piper had been bracing herself for the man’s inevitable explosion and looked at him confusedly when he cut off suddenly and began to pale.

  “Please continue, Mr. Martinez,” came an Irish purr from behind her and she felt her body tingle pleasantly.

  “Uhm…” Julio stuttered.

  “Miss Tate has the authority to act in the best interest of the company,” Bailey interrupted. “That’s why she’s in charge, Mr. Martinez.”

  He didn’t say anything and Bailey nonchalantly stared at him until it became apparent that he was looking for an escape. “If there isn’t anything else, I’d like to speak to Piper?” she said casually and he shook his head to the negative.

  “Very well. Piper can I see you in your office for a moment?” she asked politely.

  “Of course,” Piper said and led Bailey into her office.

  As soon as she closed the door, Piper turned to her with a smile. “Well hello there, Miss Cameron,” she said brightly.

  “Kiss me,” Bailey stated simply and Piper happily closed the distance between them and complied.

  “What a nice surprise,” Piper said cheerily. “You taste good.”

  “Thanks, I brushed my teeth this morning.”

  “Good to know,” Piper chuckled.

  “You got a moment?” Bailey asked.

  “Sure,” Piper stated and withdrew from Bailey’s arms to take a seat in one of the chairs in front of her desk. “What’s up?”

  Bailey seated herself in the chair across from her. “I have Marta looking for an assistant for you. So you need to be prepared to interview some people this afternoon at the earliest and next
week if you don’t find anyone to your liking.”

  “Alright,” Piper said agreeably.

  “Try to find someone you would feel comfortable handing the reigns over to in your absence.”

  “Will do.”

  “Thanks for the teddy bear, he smells like you,” Bailey said shyly.

  “Is it a good or bad smell?” Piper asked teasingly.

  “I’ll run him through the washer and let you know,” she replied with a grin and Piper chuckled.

  “I see that I’ve met my match in the arena of witty remarks,” she laughed. “I’m sorry I passed out on you last night. Thanks for tucking me in, although I’m embarrassed you saw what a slob I am.”

  “Don’t worry about it.”

  “So, you still up for tonight?” Piper asked excitedly.

  “Sure, but I don’t have a cowboy hat. In fact, I only own one hat.”

  “I was just kidding about the hat, goofy.” Piper rolled her eyes. “Do you just want to leave from here and eat leftovers while I get ready?”

  “Okay.”

  “I should be ready to leave here around five.”

  “I’ll be here,” Bailey said with a smile. “Oh, I almost forgot. Would you send a memo out to everyone reminding them that Joshua Anderson will be here Monday to start his evaluation?”

  “Sure,” Piper said and walked around to her side of the desk and sat down. “I’ll do that now, anything you want me to add?” she asked as she opened her mail program.

  “Just that he is to receive everyone’s cooperation and is not to be interfered with.”

  “Alright,” Piper said as she typed. “Are you really going to sell the company?”

  “No,” Bailey said. “But that’s a secret between you and me.”

  “Goody, I like secrets,” Piper said with a smile. “You wanna make out?”

  “Yes.”

  Piper made a show of going through her calendar. “Great, I can pencil you in for fifteen minutes at 3:30. Can you come back then?” She chuckled and came around the desk when Bailey sighed dramatically.

  Piper stopped in front of her and extended a hand. “Come sit on the couch with me,” she said and Bailey let her lead her across the room.

  Piper took off her suit jacket and threw it across the back of a chair, plopping down beside her on the couch. She looked at Bailey with a smile and leaned in until she felt lips on her own. She started out gently for several minutes and gradually increased the intensity. She was delighted to feel Bailey respond enthusiastically and was surprised to feel her hands raise from their normal position on her hips to roam tentatively over her back and into her hair. Suddenly glad she wore slacks instead of a skirt, she rose from her seat to straddle her and situate herself in her lap. She gasped a little and experienced a bright flash of desire when a hand brushed her left breast; it was short lived however because Bailey immediately broke all contact.

  “Uh… I’m sorry,” Bailey stated fearfully.

  “Don’t be sorry,” Piper said a little breathlessly and Bailey looked at her confusedly.

  “It’s alright,” she said sympathetically as she pulled her blouse from her slacks. “Here,” she said soothingly, taking Bailey’s hand in her own and moving it under her shirt until it rested on her breast.

  As soon as the hand made contact, she felt Bailey try and pull away but she held the hand firm. “It feels good when you touch me there.”

  Bailey looked at Piper carefully before she tentatively began to explore the flesh beneath her hand. She tried to withdraw again when she felt the nipple harden through the fabric of her bra, but again Piper held her hand firmly in place.

  Piper began to place gentle kisses on Bailey’s mouth, slowly releasing her grip as she felt the hand on her breast become more confident. She groaned softly when she felt fingers tenderly rub over her nipple, gasping pleasurably when Bailey’s other hand suddenly rose to knead her other breast. She halted her kisses and arched her back to give free reign to Bailey’s explorations, closing her eyes and breathing heavily when she felt both hands cup her and run thumbs back and forth over her nipples. Suddenly, one hand was gone and the other stopped moving altogether. She opened her eyes and watched as Bailey clinically examined one of her own breasts and repeated the action on her with the hand still under her shirt. She found this action to be incredibly erotic but acknowledged it as an act of curiosity, so she patiently waited for the experiment to conclude. Bailey abruptly dropped the hand from her own breast and looked at her.

  “Touch me.”

  “Gladly,” Piper whispered and gently brought a hand up to cup Bailey’s breast as she leaned forward to again capture her mouth. She felt her tense stiffly but she slowly relaxed and Piper smiled when she felt the nipple harden. She gently kneaded her palm over the erect nipple and softly pinched it between her fingers. Bailey gasped loudly and hurriedly broke contact.

  “I’m sorry, but I need to go,” she said hastily.

  “It’s alright,” Piper said sympathetically and slowly rose from her lap until she was standing before her.

  “I’m sorry,” Bailey said with an apologetic expression.

  “I understand, Bailey,” she said soothingly as she tucked her blouse back in. “Trust me when I say it gets easier. We can do that again whenever you want.”

  “Really?” Bailey asked shyly her eyes studying the floor.

  “Really,” Piper said getting her purse from behind her desk. “Come here, I got lipstick on you.”

  Bailey got up from the couch and quickly readjusted her own clothes before she dutifully sat in one of the chairs and let Piper clean the lipstick from her mouth with a Kleenex. When she was done, Piper produced a brush and affectionately straightened her hair for her.

  “There, all set,” Piper said cheerily. “You really are beautiful, you know?”

  “Thank you,” Bailey said with a blush.

  “Now, if you’re done ravishing me, I should get back to work,” Piper said teasingly and smiled when Bailey’s blush deepened.

  Bailey stood up and took a few seconds to compose herself. “Piper… uh… I’m very glad that you’ve come into my life,” she started slowly and finished rapidly. “I’ll be back at five,” she said hurriedly and fled the office as casually as she could.

  Piper beamed a brilliant smile at the fleeing back and as soon the door closed behind her, she launched herself face first into the sofa and groaned, her body humming with desire for the inexperienced woman. Uninvited, the memory of another woman and another time intruded upon the happy moments of just a few seconds ago.

  “You don’t mean that, Piper,” Lisa said condescendingly.

  “Yes, I do,” she said honestly. “I deserve better than you.”

  “Piper…” Lisa started, the smug tones she had been using conspicuously absent from her voice. “… I made a mistake…”

  “No, you made several,” she interrupted and watched as the confidence that was as much a part of Lisa’s appearance as the breath she took began to waver ever so slightly.

  “What do I need to do to fix this?” Lisa finally asked.

  “There’s nothing you can do, it’s over,” she said determinedly.

  “But I love you,” Lisa said quietly.

  With that she got angry. “Don’t you dare say that to me,” she said hotly. “I don’t think you even know what those words mean.”

  “Do you?” Lisa shot back in challenge.

  “I know they don’t apply to you or to myself in regards to you,” she said bluntly.

  “You’re just upset, we can work this out,” Lisa said assuredly.

  “Well, you’re right about one thing, I am upset,” she admitted. “I’m upset with me for allowing myself to hope for all the things I know now I won’t be sharing with you.”

  “Jesus Christ, Piper,” Lisa exclaimed loudly. “I made a mistake. That doesn’t mean I don’t love you.”

  “I don’t think you know what love is,” she said calmly. “Maybe
I don’t know either, but I do know that as long as I’m with you, I’ll never find out.”

  “If not me, who?” Lisa demanded. “Is there someone else?”

  “Yes!” she hissed. “There’s someone out there right now, someone who needs me. Someone who wants me and who completes me. Someone who would give their life for me as I would them. Someone who would give me their heart, their devotion. Someone who would know that as long as I was still breathing that the gift of their love would be cherished above all other concerns, earthly or otherwise.”

  “My God, Piper,” Lisa said shaking her head. “What you just described is a fairy tale.”

  “For you maybe,” she said indifferently. “But I know in my heart that person is out there right now waiting for me, and you know what, Lisa?”

  Lisa flung her arms the air in exasperation. “What?”

  “I’ll be waiting too,” she said meeting her eyes. “Without you.”

  “And there it is,” Piper said out loud rolling over and covering her face with a sofa pillow. “She’s the one, Pippy,” she mumbled into the cushion.

  ———

  Bailey stopped by her office to retrieve her teddy bear and proceeded quickly to the elevator. When she entered her flat, she made a beeline for the bedroom and threw herself onto the bed. She rolled over on to her side and snuggled the teddy to her chest tightly.

  “Please, don’t let her leave me,” she prayed to no one in particular.

  ———

  Bob Spicher looked around the room and saw a lot of tired faces, yet the one that should be present was missing. In fact, no one had seen Terry since his explosion yesterday afternoon. He wished the situation would resolve itself, he was already tired of staying in the building and he missed his wife. Discreetly, he studied the faces around him and he surmised that he wasn’t the only who felt that way. He turned in his chair at the sound of someone entering and was a little relieved to see that it was Terry, although the man looked like hammered shit.

  “Good morning,” Terry said as he took a seat in his chair. “Updates?”

  “Cameron left the building last night at 6:45pm and after a stop at a liquor store, proceeded again to the residence of Piper Tate. She remained at that location until 1:47am before she returned home. No movement since,” Bob reported.