Part 28, Discipline.

"Be sure to have my briefcase packed," Sarah Wickland called down to her paralegal from the balcony above.  "I'm in court in an hour and I want to leave in 15 minutes!"

Nina waved without verbally replying, her concentration more on the phone in her hand than on her work.  Jim was on the line and he was talking about a trip he wanted to take.

"It's something I do every year before heading back to school," he was saying.

"Oh, I see," Nina said quietly, reminded now that Jim would soon be leaving town to continue his education.  Somehow she thought he would be around for much longer.  The thought of him leaving didn't settle very well with her.

"It's somewhat of a tradition," he continued.  "me and a few friends charter a boat and head west to the Angel Islands for a few days.  I'd love it if you could come along!"

Nina sighed.  "I don't know, I've only just gotten back to work and I don't know if I can take the time off again so soon."  Actually, she wasn't sure she wanted to celebrate Jim's leaving.

"Well, it isn't for a couple of weeks yet, I'm sure you can butter up your boss a bit to get the time off."

"We'll see," Nina replied.

"Something wrong?" Jim asked after a silent moment.

Nina sighed again.  "Nothing...let's talk later okay?"

"Sure, babe," Jim said, a smile in his voice.  The couple continued to trade endearments until Helen walked over, interrupting them.

Helen was still under work discipline and was dressed in just her panties and bra.  Her shoes and hose had been taken away from her by Donny earlier that day for what Helen was sure was a trumped up reason.  But Helen was determined not to let it go any further.

"Nina, do you have Sarah's briefcase ready?  We're about to leave!" Helen asked her.

Clamping the phone between her head and shoulder, the nude paralegal grabbed a thick folder full of papers and dropped them into the open briefcase next to her desk.  "That should be it," Nina said, holding a hand over the mouthpiece.

Helen snapped the lid closed.  "Thanks."

Nina winked at her.  This was a first trip for Helen to the courthouse with Sarah.  It had been decided that the two paralegals would take turns at this dubious duty.  "Hey, good luck," Nina whispered.

"Thanks," Helen said, a soft smile on her lips.

"Look at it this way," Nina said, "at least you get your clothes back for the duration."

Helen's smile grew, and she looked over her beautiful naked friend.  "Yeah, while you're stuck here with Mr. Eyeballs, naked."

"Donny isn't that bad," laughed Nina.

"You don't have to work with him that much," Helen replied.  "I swear, he would love to find a way to get me as naked as you and keep me that way."

Nina laughed again while a voice from the stairway got their attention.

"Ready to go, Helen?" Sarah asked, looking splendid as usual in her courtroom suit.

"Yes, Ma'am.  I just need to get dressed," Helen replied.

"I have your clothes here; you can dress in the car.  Come on, I don't want to be late!"  And she took off at a fast walk for the back entrance.

Helen's eyes were wide open.  "She can't be serious."

Nina had the case of the giggles.  "Well you certainly will be dressing in the car if you don't hurry!"

"Bye!" Helen replied, and she ran off in just her tiny bra and panties, carrying Sarah's briefcase.

Nina turned her attention back to the phone.

"What was all that about?" Jim asked her.

Nina explained a little about Helen's predicament, making Jim chuckle.

"You know, one of these days I'll have to come by to take you to lunch," he said.

Nina smiled.  "To do that, you'd have to bring me something to wear, which would mean you finally getting to see me in clothes."

"Oh I don't know about that, there are a few places I could take you where you wouldn't need them."

"JIM!" Nina exclaimed with a giggle.  The two lovers continued to talk.

---***---

The docket had been fairly full that morning, but Sarah had convinced the judge to let her slip in her case, with promises that he could make an immediate ruling on the matter that would close out the case.  Sarah hated going to court, but other avenues in this particular case had all been exhausted, so she had no choice.

She and Helen sat behind the bar while other cases were presented and quickly dealt with by Judge Harrison.  For the most part, they were pretrial hearings, a time for lawyers to first present their case before a judge, who then decided if it needed to go any further or what form the trial would take.  In this state, judges had a fairly free rein about how they wanted trials conducted in their courtrooms.

This judge was one of the harder ones.  He stuck to the book and used every law to his advantage to seemingly make the lawyers that came under him suffer.  He didn't joke around, didn't care for courtroom theatrics, and most certainly didn't allow the more casual atmosphere most of his fellow judges enjoyed.  But when it came down to it, the man was also one of the fairest judges on the bench at that time.  Bias was not a part of his make up, he hated both sides equally.  Sarah didn't care much for pleading in front of him, but then most lawyers didn't.

Their turn came up only twenty minutes later than was scheduled, and with a sigh, Judge Harrison looked over at the interruption of his busy morning schedule.  "You ready, Sarah?" he asked, hoping that he could get the morning docket cleared enough for his planned afternoon of golf.

"Yes, your Honor," Sarah said, maneuvering her way past the bar to the prosecutor's table.  She carried her briefcase with her, Helen staying on the other side of the railing.

Judge Harrison nodded and waved at the opposing lawyer, who was busy digging through his own briefcase for the file on this suit.

"Go on," he said, after the bailiff read the case into the record.  After a minute of silence, he looked up to see Sarah staring into her briefcase, her face white.  "Is there something wrong, Miss Wickland?" the Judge asked.

Sarah looked up; shocked was a good way of describing her.  "Your Honor, I...," Sarah said, not knowing what to say.  Her hesitation was such that the normal bustle of the busy courtroom started to die off as those still waiting noted something interesting happening.

"Spit it out, Miss Wickland.  You caused enough problems for me already getting your case inserted into the schedule, so out with it!"

"Your Honor...I'm afraid that we're not ready to proceed after all!  I'm sorry to have wasted your time."  Sarah said this carefully, closing her briefcase and trying not to show the slightest hint of emotion.

The judge wasn't buying it.  "Not ready?" he said.  "Not ready?  You bust heads to come before me this morning, and then tell me that you're not ready?  Your opponent is ready, is that right, Mr. Scott?"

"Aye, your Honor," said the other lawyer, wondering what the hell was happening.

"You see HE'S ready, Miss Wickland.  And I'M certainly ready, as is my staff.  This entire COURTROOM is ready to hear your undoubtedly important case, one that necessitated you jumping a three week long hearing backlog, one that you ASSURED me over the phone not an hour ago that I could rule upon right now and so save myself the time of a needless future trial!  And now you tell me you're not ready?"

Sarah's face was bright red.  That and the stiffness in her posture was the only indication of her mood.  "That is correct, your Honor.  We are not ready to proceed at this time," she said evenly.

The Judge sighed.  "Why NOT, Miss Wickland?"

Sarah swallowed.  "It appears, your Honor, that my staff put the wrong case file in my briefcase before coming here.  I do not have any of the necessary paperwork that I need to plead this case.  But if your Honor would permit me to make some verbal motions..."

The Judge's face darkened.  One of his cast iron rules was that all pretrial motions had to be in writing, no exceptions.  "No, Miss Wickland, I will NOT allow you to make verbal motions in my court!  Is that your paralegal sitting behind you?"

Sarah turned to look at Helen, who looked rather shocked herself.  "Yes, your Honor," Sarah said.

"Stand up, young lady," the Judge ordered, and Helen tentatively obeyed.  "Was it your job to see that Miss Wickland had the proper paperwork for court today?"

Helen glanced at Sarah, who nodded slightly.  "Yes...your Honor," Helen said quietly.

"I see," said the judge, and he then began to verbally dress down the young woman, calling on her lack of work ethics and inattention to detail.  Then he moved on to Sarah and spent ten minutes berating her for having such an incompetent staff and for the grievous sin of wasting HIS time, not to mention the court's.  By now the rest of the occupants in the room were completely silent, having heard of Judge Harrison's temper yet rarely having the opportunity to see it displayed.  The judge noticed this, and spent a further five, long minutes restating the rules of his court and how no one wasted his time, making all in the room wishing they were elsewhere.

During all this, both Helen and Sarah stood silently.  They took the abuse because they had to, but both were thinking of the real cause of their problem.  Nina.

Finally the judge wound down.  He took a sip of his water and looked squarely at Sarah.  "Miss Wickland.  You told me that I would be able to rule on this case right away.  Well, let me tell you that I am very much inclined to do just that and rule in favor of your opponent.  But...I'm not going to...yet.  You have one hour, Miss Wickland, to have that paperwork here, or I rule in favor of the defense.  And it had better be impeccable!  You understand me, Miss Wickland?"

"Yes, your Honor," Sarah said quietly.

"Now get out of my sight.  Next case!"

Without a word, Sarah picked up her briefcase and walked toward the back of the courtroom, Helen hurrying to keep up with her.  Around them, the noise level picked back up, but most watched the attractive lawyer leave the room, knowing that they wouldn't forget THIS day in court for a long time.

Sarah led the way up to another level of the courthouse and into a little used ladies room.  Inside, she let loose the anger she was feeling at the humiliation the judge inflicted upon her, and spent a few minutes swearing like a sailor while Helen looked on.  Then she gathered herself back together, taking off her jacket and splashing some water in her face.  She looked over at Helen.  "I'm sorry for telling you to take the blame," she said, "but it would have been worse for the firm if I had said someone back at the office had screwed up.  I hope you understand," she said.

Helen was surprised, although she had wondered why Sarah had allowed her to be yelled at by the judge.  "It's okay, I should have checked the case myself," Helen said.

"You shouldn't need to," Sarah replied, "Nina should have gotten it right in the first place."

Helen nodded, angry with her friend for screwing up.  "I guess we should head back and get the proper files."

Sarah almost nodded, but she stopped.  A thoughtful expression crossed her face.  "No.  I have a better idea.  I think it's only fair that Nina feel our wrath over this, don't you?"

Helen didn't know whether to agree or not.

Sarah dug her cell phone out of her jacket.  She dialed the office.

"Specialized Affairs, Nina West speaking, how may I help you?" answered the voice at the other end.

"Nina, this is Sarah," Sarah said sweetly, "how are you?"

"Er...fine, Sarah," Nina said.

"Nothing troubling you?  Nothing disturbing your work?"  Sarah grinned at Helen, who of course couldn't hear Nina's side of the conversation.

"No," Nina replied, "nothing really."

"That's a shame, because I was sure there had to be something, otherwise, WHY DID YOU PACK THE WRONG CASE FILE INTO MY BRIEFCASE!"

Nina gasped, stunned by her boss yelling into the phone.  "I did what?" she said shakily.

"You sent me here to court with the wrong case file, Nina.  I had to stand up in front of the judge and tell him why I couldn't plead this white elephant of a case in front of him.  I had to STAND there while he LECTURED me on how to properly run a law office.  NOT to mention that your friend, poor Helen, had to take the blame in your absence and endure her OWN lecture from a very PISSED OFF JUDGE!  Now Nina, can you TELL how much this upsets me?"

"Y...yes, Sarah...I'm sorry, I thought it was the right file...!" Nina tried to reply.

"No excuses, Nina, we don't have time.  Right now, I want you to transfer me to Donald's office and then go look for the correct file.  Judge Harrison has generously allowed me back in the court to plead this case if I get there in the next forty-five minutes.  Donald will bring you, and he will have some explicit instructions for you to follow, understood?"

Sarah heard Nina swallow over the phone.  "Yes, Ma'am," Nina replied.

"Good, now transfer me.  I expect to see you in courtroom C as soon as possible."

Helen watched as Sarah then talked to Donald, and Helen blinked at the instructions her boss gave the man.  As bad as it was being insulted by the judge, Helen was glad she wasn't in Nina's shoes.

---***---

Back at the office, Nina quickly gathered the proper files and saw that she had inadvertently picked up the wrong stack while talking with Jim on the phone.  Upset, and not a little scared, she wondered what her boss had planned for her.  It was a times like this that she wondered if she would be better off just saying no and taking the risk that Sarah would tell all about her nude lifestyle.  Surely it was better than whatever Sarah wanted to do with her.

Nina kept remembering what the waitress, Ashley, had told her.  That Sarah was going to keep making Nina do increasingly outrageous things.  Nina hugged the file to her naked chest.

At that moment, Nina heard Donny came out of his office on the upper level.  He apparently walked over to Sarah's office and went inside for a minute.  When he came out, he walked down the stairs, a scowl on his face and a pair of ladies shoes in one hand.  His other held a short coat, a replacement for the one Nina lost during the bank robbery.  Nina didn't like that coat; it was so short her long legs were practically bare all the way to the top.

"Here, put this on, I'm taking you to the courthouse," he said.

"I could drive myself," Nina said.

"No, I'm supposed to drive you.  You're in enough trouble already, Nina, do you want me to tell Sarah that you didn't obey orders?"

Nina shook her head.  She put the file down and stood up, aware of Donny's eyes on her nude body.  She put on the shoes first, the heels higher than she was used to, and then the coat.

"Just one button," Donny said.

Nina paled.  The coat was normally held together with five.  She chose the one at her waist and picked up the file.

"Come on," Donny said, pointing at the front door.  Donny parked in front.

Nina took a deep breath as she left the building, and instantly felt the sun and wind on her bare legs.  She tried not to draw attention to herself as she walked toward Donny's car, glad that passersby were not able to get too close.

Donny walked behind her, noting how the tail of the coat didn't quite cover her butt cheeks completely.  Nina was legally dressed, but only just, the white plastic rain coat a few sizes too small to do the job properly.  Personally though, he preferred her naked.

"Get in the back," he ordered once he had unlocked the car.

Puzzled, Nina did as he asked, well aware of how she flashed the neighborhood as she climbed in.

Donny got in the driver's seat but didn't start the car.  He looked up in his mirror at her.  "Give me the coat."

"What?"  Nina asked.

"Give me the coat, right now!"

Trembling, both with anger and with fear, Nina undid the single button that protected her modesty, and slid awkwardly from her only covering.  She handed it across to Donny and held an arm across her breasts as she looked about the area.

Donny put the coat on he passenger seat before looking at her.  "Okay, here's the deal.  You are to sit back, legs spread as wide as you can, arms at your side.  You are to hold this position no matter what for the drive over to the courthouse.  If I see you flinch or try to cover up, then I let Sarah know and she'll decide what more to do to you."

"You can't be serious," Nina said.

"I am serious.  But that isn't the half of it, Nina.  By the time you arrive, you are supposed to be...er...sexually excited.  You will be checked upon arrival."

Nina was horrified.  "No, I can't!"

"Nina, you have to.  Sarah is pissed, really pissed.  It's either this or she fires you outright.  Do you want to get fired?"

Nina shivered and tears began to form in her eyes.  Once more, it came down to debasing herself or losing out on her career.  She eventually nodded.  "How...how am I to...get excited?"

"I don't know, she didn't say.  I guess that's up to you.  Now, assume the position please," Donny said gently.

Nina scooted back in the seat and opened her legs.  She moved her knees very wide apart, and then sat back, blushing furiously as Donny adjusted his mirror to get a good look at her.  He started the car and they were on their way.

It took half the drive over, with Nina closing her eyes to the traffic around them, before she had the guts to start playing with herself.  She didn't feel the slightest bit erotic and had a lot of trouble placing herself in that state of mind, but she tried.

Donny tried to keep his attention on the road, but it was difficult with Nina in the back seat, her fingers dancing over her wide spread sex, occasionally reaching up to pinch a nipple to attention.  Soon the smell of female musk filled the car, and Donny felt himself grow quite hard.  He was glad he wasn't going into the courthouse.

Nina worked at herself steadily, thinking of Jim, imagining that it was HIS hands wandering all over her body rather than her own, and ignoring the occasional car horn from people seeing her nude.  It was very hard to do.

They finally got to the courthouse, and Donny tossed Nina's coat back at her.  "You can use only three buttons, and Sarah will be bringing you back," he said.

"Sure, thanks," Nina said, feeling awful.

Donny turned to look her in the eye.  "I'm sorry," he said sincerely.

Nina tried not to look at him.  Instead, she pulled on the coat, mindful of the traffic passing by, before getting out.  Again she flashed the public, but at least having two more buttons done gave her a bit more protection.  Her pussy was almost protected and her cleavage not so deep.  Maybe...just maybe...she wouldn't look so much like a cheap hooker on her way in to pay her fines.

"Court C," Donny said before he drove off, leaving Nina alone on the sidewalk with nothing on her person but a plastic coat, high heels, and a bundle of files.

A whistle from a passerby prompted Nina to head inside, and mounting the steps outside the courthouse, she gave the whistler another view to comment on.

Inside, she had to work her way through the busy building, and she drew a good deal of attention.  She blushed furiously as she made her way to the courtroom, ignoring the comments from the people around her and wishing she were home.  She didn't know how much more of this she could take.

She saw Helen waiting outside the courtroom and handed her the files.  "Here," she said.

Helen didn't look happy, and Nina didn't blame her.  Yet Nina sought a little sympathy from her friend; after all, Helen wasn't standing there almost naked.

"Wait here," Helen said, and she turned and went inside.

Nina stood, alone yet surrounded by other people, well aware of her state of undress.  The coat was not only short, it was also tight, and the plastic resisted any tugging she did to cover herself better.  Her breasts filled the top of the coat, and without the top button done, they threatened to spill completely out.  Nina tried to avoid looking anyone in the eye.

Helen came back out and waved for Nina to follow.  Up to now Nina had tried to limit her exposure by taking small steps, but Helen seemed to be deliberately hurrying and Nina had to move quickly to keep up.  Her stride and the high heels of course caused the front of her coat to flap, exposing her with every step.  Nina blushed and tried not to think about it.

Helen led her to the bathroom where she and Sarah had gone before.  Inside, Helen checked to see that they were alone.

"I'm sorry, Helen," Nina began, "I grabbed the wrong files!"

Helen turned to look at her, her face angry yet also showing regret.  "Take off your coat and shoes."

"What, here?"

"Yes, and hurry."

"Helen...?"

"Nina, you really screwed up; and believe me, you're not the only one getting punished here!"  Helen said, lying just a little.  "I have my orders too and one of them is to take your coat and shoes.  Now do it!"

Nina looked at her friend, pleading with her eyes, before undoing the buttons of her coat and shrugging it off.  In moments, she was barefoot on the cold tile floor.

Helen took the outfit and put it to one side.  "I'm...supposed to check you.  To see if you...well...I'm supposed to check you," Helen said.

Nina stood stoic as Helen approached.  The slightly older girl touched her, probing her intimate spots the way a lover might.  Nina felt no excitement by it, just the humiliation.

Helen stood up, her own face flush.  "Well, I'll tell her that you were...I can smell you.  But I don't blame you for not feeling it now."  She gathered up the coat and shoes.  "I'll come back for you when we're done in court."

"You're not leaving me here are you?" Nina said.

"Yeah, I'm supposed to.  Look, you'll be okay here; just hide in a stall or something, we won't be long."

"Helen?"  Nina said.

Helen looked at her.

"I'm sorry, Helen."

Helen looked away.  "Me too."  She left, taking Nina's only clothing with her.

---***---

"I'm really sorry I screwed up, Sarah," Nina said.

The three women were in Sarah's car on the way back to the office.  Sarah and Helen sat up front while Nina took the back seat.  She was again naked, having only worn the coat to get to the car.  She sat with her arms crossed over her breasts.

"Nina, are you aware that your mistake almost cost us the case?  Because of you, we would have failed to serve our client's interest.  Do you understand what that means?"  Sarah said with an angry edge to her voice.

"Yes, Ma'am," Nina replied meekly.

"No, Nina, I doubt you do.  And of course, there is that horrible experience you put myself and Helen through.  You have no idea how exposed we felt, standing in open court while the judge read us the riot act!"

Nina thought she had a good idea, actually, as she sat naked in a car going through downtown traffic.  She tried to ignore the eyes of the people in the cars surrounding them.

"Helpless, that's what I felt, helpless.  Wouldn't you agree, Helen?" Sarah asked.

"Yes, Ma'am," Helen said, not looking at either woman.

"I'm sorry, Sarah," Nina said.

"Oh, you will be," Sarah replied.  "Your cavalier attitude toward your work will NOT be tolerated!"

Nina looked up.  "Isn't forcing me to come to the court house practically naked enough for you?"

Sarah looked in her mirror at the naked girl.  "Evidently not, or you wouldn't be arguing about it."

Nina bit her lip in anger as the car pulled into the parking lot in front of their new offices.  Sarah parked about fifty feet from the front door, and she and Helen started to gather their things.  Nina waited patiently in the back seat for them to hand her the coat so she could put it on, but when both dressed women got out of the car, Nina said "Hey!"

"Stay here or come in; I don't care, Nina," Sarah said.  "But if you do decide to accept responsibility for your job, then come in and talk to me.  Otherwise, you are free to go home and I'll have your last paycheck mailed to you.  Your choice!"

Nina was stunned.  "But, I'm naked!"

"I'm sure you'll make do.  No one ever died of embarrassment.  Come Helen, we have work to do.  At least I can count on YOU to get things done!"  With that, Sarah slammed her door shut and walked away.

Nina looked at Helen, who stood next to her open door.  Helen looked very torn between following Sarah and helping her friend.

"Helen?" Nina said.

Helen took a deep breath.  "I'm sorry Nina, but I need this job.  Look, it's just a short way, you can make it inside."

Nina took a look at the busy ocean highway and the beach beyond, before turning back to her friend.  "Maybe I don't want to go back in there," she said.

"Nina, don't say that.  You have to come back; I need you.  I can't take...Sarah...on my own.  I know she's being a real bitch right now, but you really made her mad.  But it'll blow over; you know it will.  You can take whatever else she gives you, it's not like you aren't used to being nude a lot anyway!"

Nina sighed.  Maybe Helen was right, what else could Sarah do to her?

"Okay, I'll come in," she said.

Helen grinned.  "Thank you.  Now come on, I'll help hide you."

Nina shook her head.  "No, you go on.  Go tell Sarah to watch me come in.  I'll give you a few minutes to get her to the window."

"You sure?" Helen asked.

Nina nodded, so Helen left her alone.  Nina took some deep breaths, trying to calm the pounding in her chest.  There she was, naked in the back of a car and about to cross fifty feet of open space in broad daylight in full view of a highway full of traffic and pedestrians.  Nina knew that Sarah expected her to be frightened, to run like a scared rabbit for the safety of the building, hiding her body, her shame.  Well Nina had a surprise for the Legallady.

Nina opened the car door and got out, tripping the lock and locking the car behind her.  She stood up straight, standing normally in the bright sunlight, and began to walk at a steady pace toward the building.  She showed no fear, no embarrassment, and made no move to cover herself, not wanting to give Sarah the satisfaction anymore.  She was aware of the hot asphalt under her bare feet, the hot sun warming her back, the sudden honking of car horns as she made her way to the front door.  She smiled.

She reached the front door and pulled on it.  Of course it was locked, it could only be opened with a key or by someone inside.  Her key was with her things, the things she didn't have with her right then.  She had to wait until someone opened the door.  She pushed the buzzer and waited...and waited...aware that her naked back was on full display to the public behind her.  She knew that Sarah was playing another game with her, forcing her to be exposed for as long as possible, but Nina felt an odd calm settle over her as she stood waiting, and vowed to stay for as long as it took.

Then she heard the car pull into the lot.

Nina looked behind her to see an old car come toward her.  Inside were three young men, all of whom looked like they had been drinking too much.  Nina felt a stab of fear pierce her heart as they pulled up near her, their eyes drinking in her naked body.  All her confidence began to fade fast and she stabbed the buzzer again.  Surely someone inside could see what was happening!

"Hey, Baby!" one of the guys yelled, "You're looking fine!  What you doing out here with nothing on?"

"Yeah," said another, "turn around so we can see your tits!"

"Go away," Nina said, pushing the buzzer again.

"The man said to turn around, bitch!" said the driver, who opened his door and started to get out.

Nina pressed her body against the door, very scared now.  These guys looked like the drifters that came through town looking for work, and they smelled like they spent their pay at the bars.

"Nice ass on that girl!" another said and the men laughed.  The driver walked slowly toward her, his eyes roaming her body, a slick smile on his face.  Nina felt dirty just looking at him.

"It ain't safe for a piece like you to be running round without any clothes on," he said, "you don't know WHO you're likely to meet!"  This got a laugh from the other guys.  "Maybe we should take you home with us, keep you safe for a while!"

"I said, go away!" Nina replied, then she felt the door behind her move.  It was pushed open and Donald Bell stepped out.  He didn't look happy.  "Go inside, Nina," he said, not looking at her but at the three guys.  Nina didn't hesitate, and she slipped past him through the door.

"Hey, Man, we were just having a little fun with the naked chick!" the driver said.

"Yeah, I know," Donny replied, stepping inside and closing the door.

"Well fuck you!" shouted the guy, his voice now muffled by the glass wall.

"Thanks," Nina said to him, very glad to be inside.

Donny just looked at her, then he looked up at the balcony before walking away.  Nina followed his gaze and saw Sarah standing up their watching, with Helen at her side now back in just her bra and panties.  Helen looked very upset, but Sarah had a smile on her face almost as slick as the guy outside.

"So you decided to join us, that's good," she said.

"You're a bitch, Sarah!" Nina yelled.  "I'm tired of you and your games and I'm not going to cooperate anymore.  I'm going to get my clothes, I'm going to get dressed, and fuck your rules!"

Sarah smiled.  "That's your choice of course, but I think we should have a chat first."

"No chats, no talking, just get me my clothes!"  Nina was pissed, the fear in her body needing a release.

"The conference room, I'll meet you there," Sarah said, and she turned away.

Nina stormed into the conference room and paced, tired of all that was happening to her.  The near constant nudity both at home and now here at work was working on her nerves.  But then she thought that it wasn't the nudity but the motives behind it that was upsetting her.  With Jim, she didn't mind it at all, and she could see Brian's need.  But Sarah made it humiliating.

Sarah walked into the conference room carrying a file.  Nina had expected her clothes and her anger flared up again.

"Where are my clothes?" she asked.

"I thought you should look at this first," Sarah said, pulling a videotape from the file.  Nina didn't know what it was, but it was the same tape that Sarah had shown Donny to get his cooperation.  Nina had known tapes of her running around the old building existed, but this was the first time she had seen one.  She watched it play on the conference room TV in horror.

Sarah tossed the file on the table and told Nina to take a look.  The nude young woman found the statement by Mel of what he saw in Donny's old office.  Nina was smart enough to read between the lines.  She looked up accusingly at Sarah.

"There's no proof that you were doing anything more than simply streaking the building," Sarah said casually.  "But then, there is no proof that you weren't doing what it looks like you could have been doing.  I'm sure Donald's family would be very interested in deciding for themselves what is true and what isn't.  Shall we find out?"

"Bitch!" Nina said, wondering how she ever thought she could look up to this woman.

Sarah blinked, but otherwise didn't respond.  "Nina, you hold in your hands not only your own future, but the future of Donald and his family.  To...prevent this from getting out he has agreed to let me run this place the way I want to, and I think to be honest that he may be enjoying it a little here."  She smiled, then her frown returned.  "But you, sweet Nina, what are we going to do with you?  I'm quite willing to move on, to rebuild the working relationship that has made us so close.  Are you?  Or would you rather leave and maybe risk that file being discovered by someone else?"

Nina didn't know what to do; all the fight had been taken out of her.  She thought back to that night on the beach when she rescued Donny's son from drowning, the sight of his family, his beautiful kids, his wife.  Would this really destroy all that?  Then she remembered that his father in law was one of the senior partners, which meant that Donny's career as a lawyer would almost certainly come to an end as well.  Certainly he would be thrown out of the firm, and no doubt finding work elsewhere would be made much harder for him to do.

Nina sagged, her strength going away.  "All right, I'll stay," she whispered.

Sarah's smile returned.  "I knew I could count on you.  But I expect more from you, Nina, a lot more."  Sarah made her way around the table and stood right in front of Nina, who felt her left nipple being grasped.  Nina tried not to flinch.

"Think of the fun we're going to have," Sarah said softly.

Nina shuddered and Sarah let go, picked up the tape and the file, and walked toward the door.  "Cancel your plans for the weekend, you're coming to stay with me after work on Friday.  I'm not done with you yet!"

"Not done?" Nina said, confused.

"Your punishment, Nina, for this morning's mistake!  We'll be leaving directly from the office."  She smiled and licked her lip.  "There's no need for you to bring anything."  With a laugh, she left the room.

Nina grabbed a chair and sank into it.  She sat with her head in her hands for a long time.
 
 

End of Part 28.