Jade

by Dark Hollows Press, LLC

  Getting out of the shower she glanced at her watch on the counter and sighed when she saw it was seven forty-five. The town car would be there at eight-thirty, so she’d better get a move on. She had spent far too much time already on things that were not productive. First fantasizing about Twylla and then taking a somewhat dismal walk down memory lane. She blow-dried her hair and put on her makeup. It wasn’t arrogance to say she was beautiful; she knew she was. She usually liked what she saw in the mirror, but today a darkness lurked in her eyes that no amount of make-up could hide. Turning away from the too-honest mirror, she got dressed quickly and headed down to the lobby to the waiting car.

  She exited the elevator on the fiftieth floor of the Tanner Industries building and saw Anthony Dibenedetto, the COO of Jade Cosmetics New York, and Holly’s replacement, walking toward her.

  “Morning, Jade.” He smiled with all the charm his good looks afforded him then reached over and took her coat.

  “I expect everybody’s already in the boardroom,” she said, heading that way. The advertising firm Jade Cosmetics used was presenting an ad campaign for a new line of cosmetics simply called HH, which stood for Holly’s Heart. It had been a long time coming but now, on the tenth anniversary, Jade felt she was ready to launch a cosmetic line honoring her friend and business partner. As a tribute, part of the proceeds from each sale would go to cancer research.

  She took the empty chair at the conference table and listened intently to the presentation, impressed with the low key yet emotional element the advertising team had introduced. After it was over, Jade walked up to Zoey Lee, the mastermind behind the presentation. Smiling warmly at her, she said, “You’ve hit it right out of the ball park. This is exactly the way I want HH Cosmetics presented.”

  Jade could see that Zoey was taken aback by her praise. The cool and aloof Jade Tanner offering sincere words of praise to a lowly advertising team was simply unheard of. Usually she left these meetings to Anthony but, with this being dedicated to Holly, Jade wanted to be here.

  Zoey stood awkwardly for a moment before she managed to mutter a stilted, “Thank you, Ms. Tanner.” The silence lengthened between them.

  Trying to break it, Jade held her hand out. “Please call me Jade. Ms. Tanner is so formal and it’s not like we don’t know each other.” Right now she wished she had Anthony’s phenomenal ability to say the right thing and put people at ease.

  Taking her proffered hand, Zoey shook it, smiling a little shyly, “Thank you, Jade. Your words mean a lot to me.”

  She knew the truth and suspected Zoey did to. If she had to pick Zoey out of a lineup she would never have been able to do it. But the campaign had been so well done and she knew Holly would have approved. She wanted to give Zoey her heartfelt thanks.

  “Well now that we’ve got that squared away, I’ve got another meeting scheduled,” Jade said, glancing at her watch. She started to walk away then turned back. Giving Zoey a beautiful, stunning smile, she saw the effect it had on the young woman as she said, “Thanks again, Zoey.”

  She watched, a little amused, as a flustered Zoey managed to choked out another “you’re welcome” while almost dropping her expensive laptop on the marble floor.

  * * * *

  Anthony sat in her office waiting for their meeting to begin. He knew Jade was a very complicated person and somewhat moody. Recently he had noticed an increased restlessness and edginess in her. She was restless and edgy by nature but this time it seemed to have a different tone to it. It was coming up to ten years since Holly had passed away and he was pretty sure this anniversary was proving to be a trying one for her. With the launch of Holly’s line of cosmetics, it was bound to hit home hard.

  He wondered if Jade had figured this out. She wasn’t much for introspection when it came to Holly’s death. She preferred to shut the emotions down as if they didn’t exist. Maybe it was easier to do this in the short term, but it was definitely more painful in the long run.

  The door opened and Jade walked into her office, greeting him. They began by discussing in some detail a contract they were offering to two new fashion designers that she had found accidentally on a recent trip to Montreal. She had been so impressed with their unique and innovative designs she had immediately got to work ensuring it would become property of Jade Inc. and Tanner Industries. They would be meeting with the two designers tonight to seal the deal. Both Jade and Anthony could see huge profit to be made from these two young designers and it excited them.

  They dealt with a few more items that required their attention, discussing the financial standing of the company which was exceptional and the new name of the lipstick, which was now Riot Red.

  “What do you think of the name?” she asked Anthony.

  “I like it. Sounds dangerous, yet sexy at the same time.”

  She smiled. “That’s what I like to hear. That’s what the consumers like to purchase in a tube – dangerous sexuality.”

  “Well, I think you’ve done the job then.”

  “I think so too.” She glanced at her watch. “Anyhow, it’s noon. Why don’t we order some lunch, wrap up a few more items and then we can spend the rest of the afternoon dealing with our own stuff.”

  After the meeting, Anthony took his leave to deal with the never ending corporate issues – when one was resolved another one cropped up.

  * * * *

  Jade watched Anthony as he walked out the door of her office, wondering what she would do without him. Not many men would be comfortable in the role of COO with a woman operating as the CEO, but it worked with her and Anthony. They were a great team.

  She reviewed some correspondence for a couple of hours but found her mind kept wandering to Twylla. Leaning her head back against her chair, she closed her eyes and began imagining the young woman with her legs spread, tight little ass up in the air showing her pussy and her glory hole. She wanted to stick her fingers in both places. She visualized kissing Twylla’s anus, then inhaling the sweet scent of her before sticking her tongue deep into the wonderful, wet, slick, slit…

  “Jade? Are you ready to go?” she heard Anthony calling her. Startled, she realized she had been deep in an X-rated fantasy and had literally lost track of time. Looking at her watch, she saw that it was already six o’clock. They needed to be at the Ritz for seven.

  He knocked perfunctorily at the door and then opened it. “Did you fall asleep?”

  “Awww, yeah, I think I did.” She struggled to meet Anthony’s eyes. She felt like she had been caught doing something dirty. She had certainly been thinking something dirty.

  He looked at her strangely. “I’ve called the car and it’ll be here in forty-five minutes. That should give you enough time to get dressed.” Before leaving her office he said, “Don’t fall asleep again.”

  She uncharacteristically blushed. “Don’t worry, I won’t.” Opening a well concealed closet in her office, she picked out a pleated red halter dress to wear. Her bathroom was equipped with a shower, so she rinsed off quickly, making sure to avoid her hair.

  At the mirror she brushed her teeth then cleansed her face bare. She reapplied her makeup, going darker and more sultry for an evening look, and then topped it off with a flash of Riot Red lipstick. She brushed her beautiful black hair to a lustrous shine, leaving it loose down her back. She slipped the red dress over her head then pushed her feet into towering matching heels. Surveying herself in the mirror, she was pleased with the results. A knock sounded on her office door.

  Coming out of the bathroom, she yelled, “Come in.”

  Anthony entered and whistled. “You are a knockout. If I weren’t gay I’d ask you out on a date.”

  “I’d probably say no anyhow,” she said, sticking out her tongue at him.

  They headed down in the elevator in companionable silence. Jade found herself thinking of Twylla again. She had a wild urge to blow off the evening, going home instead to spend time fantasizing about this woman.

  The town car was waitin
g for them and they arrived at the Ritz in good time. They were meeting Jean-Philippe and Sophia Leclerc to secure a deal for their clothing line. They were already there and Jade smiled as she greeted the two extremely talented and innovative designers. She couldn’t believe they hadn’t been snatched up by another firm yet.

  The dinner went well, although Sophia and Jean-Philippe had initially balked at giving her the majority ownership in the company. So she had left it to Anthony to explain in his tactful manner that this was the best deal they would get and, once rescinded, it would never be back on the table. To have the backing of Jade Tanner was almost like having the backing of God Himself.

  After bidding the two designers good night, they got into the waiting town car. Dropping Anthony off first, the car continued on to Jade’s place. Entering it, she could smell the sweet scent of freshness left behind by the cleaning staff she employed.

  An extravagant flower arrangement had been left on the fireplace mantel, as she had specified be done every Thursday. She felt embraced by her home. It was such a sanctuary at the end of the day.

  Wandering into her home office she looked at her computer, which she’d left on that morning. What the hell, she thought, sitting down at it. She spent a pleasant couple of hours looking at Twylla’s beautiful, perfect, enchanting young body. She wanted to meet this woman that excited her so much.

  Yawning, she looked at the clock. It was after midnight and she didn’t feel like getting up for a five o’clock run. Texting Gavin, she said it had been a late night letting him know she was cancelling their early morning run. She got ready for bed, all the while thinking about Twylla. Jade had seen the invite on her website for a private chat and show online. She found herself pulling a credit card out of her wallet paying for an online chat and more.

  Using the screen name Jayden, she spent the next several hours in a chatroom with Twylla requesting several enjoyable positions where she could minutely scrutinize the woman’s beautiful assets. Her craving to caress, touch, and taste this woman increased with every erotic pose and sexual act she performed at Jade’s command. It gave her such an incredible high to order this woman to do whatever she wanted and have all her requests filled so delightfully. A couple of times she considered licking the computer screen. She headed to bed at three-thirty in the morning, wondering how much this little adventure was going to cost her. Not that it mattered. The billing would be discreet and the credit card company was used to big purchases, so it wouldn’t be questioned.

  Waking up at eight, she saw she had slept in. No wonder, she had spent most of the night online with Twylla. Stretching and yawning she realized she didn’t feel like rushing into work.

  She took a quick shower then wrapped herself in a towel. Picking up her cell from the bedroom she headed out to the kitchen, texting Anthony that she wouldn’t be in today but would be available by email or cell phone. Jade prepared herself an espresso and sipped on the delightfully strong beverage, feeling the caffeine jolt through her body.

  Hearing her phone buzz she saw Anthony had texted her back asking if everything was okay. It was unusual for her to take time off without notice. Texting him back, she told him she was fine. After all, she knew everybody at the office would enjoy a Jade-free Friday.

  She sipped her coffee as she sat in her immaculate living room, gazing out the floor to ceiling windows but not really taking in the view at all. She was thinking about the house in the Hamptons on Gin Lane she had purchased for Holly when she became ill. Holly’s favorite room had been the family room that looked out onto a wide green space with the Atlantic Ocean tossing up great restless waves on the distant shoreline.

  It was where Holly had spent the majority of her final days, until she became so ill. Upon doctor’s recommendations Jade had moved her to a luxurious, but impersonal, private hospital suite where Holly’s every need could be attended to. Holly hadn’t wanted to go but Jade had been so frightened of her pain and imminent death that she made Holly and herself both believe it was for the best. Now she knew she should have let her die in the home that had comforted her during her illness, gazing out at the powerful Atlantic Ocean as it swelled and sighed toward the shore.

  Shaking herself from her mental anguish, she wondered if she should go back to Gin Lane. In the ten years since Holly had died she had never once gone back there. She had thought about selling it but she couldn’t bear to let it go, just as she couldn’t bear to be there. The house had been sublet on and off during the past decade and the most recent occupant’s lease had ended. The management company was looking for another long term renter for her.

  She felt so intensely lonely and disconnected. It was as if she had been cast into some deep, dark black void where no light could get in. The feeling was so suffocating that she almost called Anthony to hear his deep reassuring voice on the line. Sitting down on her couch she held her head in her hands. She wanted, needed something, but she didn’t know what.

  Thinking about Twylla, she decided this was a good place to start for a distraction. Heading to her computer she saw she was available for an online chat so she signed in.

  Jade began chatting with Twylla every evening over the course of the next several weeks. Almost before she realized it, it had become a very intimate online sexual relationship. She found she could hardly wait for the day to end so she could get home and escape to the world where only she and Twylla existed. This beautiful young woman continued to perform beautifully every sexual whim she asked of her. So many times she had reached out and touched the flat impersonal computer screen wishing she were touching her. While watching Twylla perform a variety of sexual poses and acts, she stroked herself to mind blowing orgasms moaning and quivering as she came, fantasizing it was Twylla between her legs doing incredibly decadent things with her tongue. Fantasizing about delving her fingers deep into Twylla’s tight butt hole, loosening her up a bit, so the thick black strap-on she was wearing wouldn’t be painful when she entered into that beautiful small round hole. She imagined fucking Twylla’s tight little hole until exploding into a body shaking orgasm that would rock them both. Just the thought of doing this to Twylla’s young, firm flesh made Jade masturbate frantically until her body came again and again under her own stroking fingers.

  During one session, as she watched Twylla with a butt plug in her anus fucking herself senseless with a dildo until she orgasmed, Jade was overwhelmed with desire for her. She mentioned how much ‘Jayden’ would like to meet her in person. Twylla suggested booking a date through her escort agency and explained she was available hourly, or a flat fee could be arranged for a weekend date.

  Jade had typed in, “I’ll think about it,” and then signed off. Holding her head in her hands she tried to analyze why she was doing what she was doing. Deep down inside she suspected it had something to do with the tenth anniversary of Holly’s death and the launching of the Holly’s Heart line of cosmetics. But why would she deal with it this way and why with this woman who stood for everything she was against?

  She was surrounded by beautiful models every day. Approached by many with sexual offers, they were drawn to her power and her wealth. Those two things created a potent attraction for male and female alike. But she had turned them all down. The one she wanted was the one she connected with through a computer screen. Was she simply looking for a distraction from her feelings about Holly’s death? For some reason these seemed more painful and poignant than they had in the past.

  Not one to show her emotions at the best of times, she was desperate for some kind of relief and connection. Maybe because she’d be paying for Twylla’s services she’d have the sexual closeness with another woman, but not feel like there was any commitment. She didn’t want to get too close to anyone. Perhaps this could be a work around.

  Sighing she looked down at her computer screen. In for a penny in for a pound, she thought and booked the weekend date.

  Chapter Three

  The week dragged by slowly. Finally the weeke
nd arrived and she was on the plane heading toward Las Vegas. Landing right on schedule, she picked up her luggage – which was more like a month’s worth instead of a weekend’s worth, the rental vehicle that was waiting for her, and drove to the private luxury vacation home she had rented.

  Entering the spacious home which boasted a chef’s kitchen, heated Jacuzzi and swimming pool, seven bedrooms, eight and a half bathrooms plus a home gym, she thought they could both get lost in here and never find each other. Everything was perfectly appointed. The bar was well-stocked and the fridge filled as per her instructions. Now all she had to do was unwind a bit and relax before Twylla arrived.

  Luxuriating in the huge spa tub off the master bedroom, she sipped her glass of red wine and fantasized about the day ahead. The only thing she hoped was that she wasn’t going to be disappointed when Twylla showed up. Reality didn’t always live up to fantasy. Still, it might be fun to have an unfettered sexual weekend with someone she’d never have to see again.

  * * * *

  Twylla Star looked at herself in the mirror, checking her makeup and then turning around to make sure her outfit looked all right. She was on edge, as she always was before a date, wanting to cancel. But she needed the money and the money from this weekend’s date would help pay off some bills and next month’s rent. The money was decent but she wasn’t good at handling it. She spent it as fast as she made it, and had nothing put away. This line of work required having the right designer clothes, as well as going for weekly expensive salon and spa treatments to maintain her stunning looks. Her rented condo, owned by the escort company, was expensive, but other working girls lived here as well and she felt understood and accepted. She would never consider living anywhere else.