"Good morning, Mr. Errol!" the secretary called out cheerfully.
The CEO nodded briefly to her, then paused and did a double take. The young blonde woman sitting at the desk was eye-catching, but not just on account of her looks.
As if reading his mind, she smiled sweetly.
"Kitty couldn't make it in today, so I'm filling in for her! Don't worry though, I have everything under control. Your favorite coffee is waiting for you on your desk, and your 9:30 should be arriving any minute."
The stern faced man softened his expression slightly.
"Ah yes, thank you, miss..."
"Carly! Carly Schmidt."
"Miss Schmidt. Pleased to make your acquaintance." He looked her over from her neat black heels, to her tweed skirt and tight-fitting blouse, to her sly, sultry smile. The corner of his mouth turned up. "If you would please, let my wife know that our lunch will need to be rescheduled. If you're going to be filling in for Kitty, then I think I'll need to get to know you a bit better, and make sure your... capabilities... are up to her level."
Carly batted her lashes as she put her long golden locks up in a ponytail.
"I think you'll find that I won't disappoint, sir."
He nodded again, taking one last opportunity to ogle her before stepping into his office. Carly held her flirtatious grin until she was certain he had settled down at his desk. She let out a breath and stood up from her desk, walking across the room towards the hall. She made her way down the corridor until she was almost at the stairwell, then turned to the old supply closet. She pulled the keyring from her pocket and opened the door. As the light flicked on, her captive looked up, grunting in surprise.
She knelt down in front of the bound woman and placed a hand on her cheek. In one swift motion, she ripped the tape from her mouth.
"Gah!" she gasped, "Please, let me go!"
"You didn't tell me about his wife." Carly stated bluntly.
"I didn't know! I swear!"
"Oh Kitty, you don't really think I'm gonna fall for that, do you?"
Despite the blindfold over her eyes, Kitty looked up pleadingly to her captor.
"I promise! I just forgot about it! He blows her off so often, I don't know when he actually meets her for lunch!"
"Makes sense." Carly nodded. "Credit where it's due, your choice of fashion was indeed impeccable. He didn't suspect a thing past eyeing up the new goods. To be totally honest, I'm surprised that he even noticed a different blonde at the desk. I guess I do have more boob than you..."
"Why are you doing this?"
She rolled her eyes.
"Do I really need to explain it? Is money really not good enough of a reason for corporate espionage?"
"No," Kitty retorted, "I mean this! Why go through all this trouble of taking me hostage? If it's just money, why not just hack his computer? Or just swipe his laptop? I don't get what I or my clothes have anything to do with this!" She struggled briefly but impotently, and Carly chuckled.
"Because, my dear, only a fool invests everything into one stock. If ever he got suspicious, I figured that the knowledge of his precious little mistress locked away in peril somewhere would be good insurance against any unaccounted for behavior on his part. Besides that, trade secrets and a full suite of internal records are valuable, but blackmail is priceless. With you tied up here, I can get him into all sorts of compromising situations with no interruptions. Sure, from the front we're pretty different looking, but from the back not so much. Even if he can prove later that it wasn't you, the damage to both of your reputations will be done. Oh, and if I really need to, I can always attach some pictures of you all wrapped up like a Christmas present and dressed down to your skivvies on an email to the company email list. That'll make for some fun gossip I bet!"
"Ok, ok! You made your point! I'll cooperate!" Kitty relented.
Carly grinned.
"That's a good girl." She said, stroking her fingers through Kitty's hair. She suddenly grabbed down and tugged, eliciting a short gasp from the captive secretary. "Now I'll ask you one more time: are there any other surprises I need to be aware of?"
"No! No! I promise!!" She yelped.
Carly released her hair, and her head fell forward. As Kitty sat hunched over, Carly took the roll of black duct tape from the nearby shelf and tore off a short strip of it. She firmly placed it over Kitty's lips then rose to her feet.
She strode out of the room, flipping the lights off as she did.
"Sit tight now, darling. I suppose you don't have a choice, but still." she went to close the door, but then paused and poked her head in once more. "Oh, and don't get too comfy now. If Mrs. Errol decides to show up today anyway, then you'll likely be getting some company. Anyways, ciao for now!"
With the lock clicking shut behind her, Carly strode triumphantly back down the hallway towards her next unwitting prey.
