The Lost Tablet

Lucas Barrett boarded the train after a long day, and a long week of work. The area he normally sat in was full of other people wearing a range of business suits to fast-food uniforms. He climbed upstairs where he saw several empty seats. This area was less popular as most passengers wanted to be near the door when their stop arrived. Since Lucas knew he'd be on the train for a while, he didn't mind. He set his jacket and briefcase in one seat and sat down near the window when he felt something odd underneath him. He stood up and realized he was sitting on a tablet in a dark case that looked very close in color to the seat.

Lucas picked up the tablet and sat back down. He opened the case and it was clear to him this lost tablet was expensive. He decided when he reached his stop he'd turn it in, so he slipped it into his briefcase and took out the latest manuscript sent to him for approval.

Lucas worked for his father at a major publication company and was learning the process of what makes a good novel. Though lately, all Lucas was seeing was, in his opinion, crap. He knew this was punishment for the mishap that had occurred a few years back when a jealous coworker gave him a manuscript that he loved and was ready to publish, only to find out it was a purely plagiarized work. Because Lucas didn't catch this mistake from a lack of research, he was blamed for it. That cost the company thousands of dollars and his father hit the roof.

Lucas was now forced to read new submissions that came in daily, research them for plagiarism, and send them to the next editor. Occasionally he'd find one that would achieve moderate success, and Lucas hoped he'd find that one diamond in the rough that would rescue him from purgatory. Unfortunately, he wasn't the one to assign the pieces, and thus, he always got the crap. This latest submission was exactly that, crap. Lucas knew it wouldn't go far.

The train arrived at his stop and he saw the tablet when he put the manuscript back into his briefcase. He knew he needed to turn the tablet into the lost and found before he went home. He exited the train and walked straight to the lost and found. However, when he arrived, he watched the young man working behind the counter put a cell phone that someone had just given him into his backpack. He decided to watch, and when someone turned in a lost coat, the young man dug through the pockets, and stole some money. Lucas knew the owner of the tablet would never get their property back if this guy got his hands on it, so he walked away. However, not before reporting what he witnessed to the proper authorities. Losing valuables was bad enough, but when honest people tried to do the right thing only to have the item stolen, was worse.

Lucas drove to his apartment thinking about what he should do about the lost tablet. He knew the owner would want it back, but he wondered how to return it. He parked his car and walked up stairs to his apartment. His roommate, Paul, was sitting on the sofa watching the local news. "Hey man! How was work?"

"Same shit, different day," groaned Lucas.

Paul and Lucas had been friends since college. Both "trust-fund" babies as they had been called their whole lives, were now trying to prove they were more than their fathers' sons. Paul's father ran a sporting goods store where Paul was learning how to run the company. Paul stood 5'7", with curly brown hair and brown eyes. His muscular build was helpful as he spent much of his time in the warehouse moving inventory. Lucas was 6'2" with blue eyes and dirty blonde hair. He too, was muscular; Lucas and Paul would often workout together in the gym inside their building.

"Read anything worth a shit today?"

"Fuck no!" snapped Lucas. "That prick Edwards will pay for screwing me when I find the next great erotica piece."

"You keep saying that, but you know that won't happen since he's the one who's controlling what you read."

Lucas sighed. "I know," he said, flopped onto the sofa and leaned back.

"Don't stress man," said Paul. "Wanna beer?"

"Yeah," sighed Lucas.

Paul walked into the kitchen and grabbed two cold beers from the fridge. "So, my old man says I've finally earned my way out of the warehouse. Starting next week, I'm working a cash register." Paul handed Lucas the beer.

"Thanks man. So, cash register huh? Well, at least you'll be able to show your dad you're more than just a strong back."

"No shit right. So why are you home so late?"

"Dad's monthly bitch session, I mean staff meeting."

"Ah... I totally forgot about that."

"Which reminds me," said Lucas, reaching into his briefcase. "I sat on this on the train today. I was going to turn it in, but the guy running the lost and found was helping himself to the stuff there. Do you know if I could find the owner?"

Paul looked over the tablet. "I'll bet this has one of those 'Find my Device' apps on it. Turn it on. The owner should know it's missing by now."

"Good idea," said Lucas. He took a sip of his beer and began to fumble with the device. "You wouldn't by chance know how, would you?"

Paul laughed and took the tablet. A moment later he had the device turned on. Paul played with it for a moment, then said, "I think a woman owns this."

"What makes you say that?" asked Lucas, sipping his beer.

"The apps. My girlfriend has a lot of the same ones on hers."

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to find out who owns this."

"Ah."

Paul continued to fumble with the tablet while Lucas untied his tie and drank his beer. The news droned on in the background, but neither man paid it much attention. Paul tapped Lucas on the shoulder and said, "I think she's a writer, man."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Her poetry isn't much, and there are a few unfinished stories, but this piece, this got my dick hard."

Lucas laughed. "What?"

"Read this story."

Lucas took the tablet and read. After a few minutes he straightened up and said, "Holy fuck! I think this is the answer to my prayers."

The story was about a beautiful and powerful woman into mild BDSM who would both dominate her partner, and be his submissive. The woman was petite, curvy, and blonde; the men she fucked were a wide variety of descriptions. The story was very well written, and exactly what Lucas had been looking for. Lucas pulled out his laptop and began researching. He was sure this had to be an already published story.

He spent the entire weekend researching this and the other stories on this lost tablet, making notes in a small notebook for minor editing that he felt needed to be addressed. He searched every site he could think of only to find there was nothing like this story anywhere. He used the best plagiarism sites available to find this was, for the most part, original work. He even viewed a few videos which only resulted in his dick getting hard and his roommate teasing him about both reading and watching porn. He had to find this tablet's owner now. He did find her email account and even though it was locked, the email address was there.

On Monday, from his office computer so his email would be official, he wrote to the address: "I think I found your tablet on the train Friday. Please let me know if it is yours and identify it if you can. I'd like to return it."

For two days there was no reply and Lucas feared his fantastic, new author was just a ghost. Then, he received an email that described the tablet perfectly, down to the scratches on the side. The author of the message asked where they could meet, and Lucas suggested a local Starbucks near the train station. The author agreed and said her name was Nadia.

Lucas arrived early and ordered a coffee. He sat in the large chair near the door, the tablet safely stowed in his briefcase. Several people came in and ordered drinks carrying tablets and laptops, but none were his writer. He sipped his coffee and watched the clock. About two minutes before their scheduled meeting, a petite blonde walked in. Lucas watched her closely as she ordered her drink, then began to look around. She was wearing a wine colored skirt with matching blazer, black blouse, stockings and black heels. Though her initial physical appearance matched the woman from all the stories he had read, her demeanor did not. She seemed timid and shy.

"Nadia!" called the barista.

The timid blonde walked over and took the drink. Lucas smiled and called out, "Nadia?"

Nadia turned and stared at Lucas. Lucas motioned for her to join him. She hesitated then slowly walked over and asked, "Lucas?"

Lucas smiled and extended his hand. "I'm glad to finally meet you. Sit down please."

Nadia sat in the chair next to him. "So where did you say you found my tablet?" she asked.

"On the train. In fact, I'm sorry to say I sat on it."

"Oh my," she said.

"Oh don't worry, I didn't break it. In fact, if I hadn't sat on it I never would have seen it."

"Was it on the upper level?"

"Yes it was."

Nadia chuckled and Lucas thought her laugh was beautiful. "I sat there on my way to work that day. It must have been when I lost it."

"You're lucky it was there when I got on the train then, especially considering that I was heading home."

"Well, most people don't like to sit in the upper section. But I do, less bullshit. Oh, I'm sorry."

Lucas was confused, then laughed. "Why are you sorry? I personally agree with you."

"About sitting in the upper section?" she asked.

"That and the less bullshit part."

Nadia laughed. "I didn't mean to swear."

"We're not children, we're adults. Speaking of which, I read your story."

"Excuse me?"

"Well, in an effort to find out who the owner of this tablet was, I kinda found your story about the business woman who is both a dom and a sub with her partners. I even wrote some notes on some things you might want to address. Mostly just some tense problems and a few things that need some editing. It would have been easier if I had a hard copy, so I tried to identify the paragraph as best as I could. Plus, I didn't feel right trying to edit on your tablet and screw up your master copy."

Nadia looked a bit pale. "No one has ever read any of my stories aside from the poems I did for a class I took."

"Well, I'm sorry if I upset you, but I thought your story was amazing."

"My story?"

"Um, yes. Unless someone else wrote it."

"Excuse me?" snapped Nadia. "Are you implying I plagiarized someone else's work?"

"Shit, no!" said Lucas. "I was joking. I'm sorry. It was cruel. I just mean, I think with a little work, your story could be published and I feel it could be a hit."

Nadia looked paler. She clutched a necklace around her neck and played with it nervously. "Look, can I just have my tablet back?"

Lucas looked defeated. "Sure."

He reached into his briefcase and pulled the tablet and the notes out together. He handed them both to her and said, "I stapled my business card on the top. If you decide you want to try to publish your work, call me and have my secretary make you an appointment for the same day. Insist on it. Make it for whatever time you want. Or, email me, and we can meet for coffee again."

Nadia took the papers and tablet, grabbed her drink and stood up. "Don't count on it."

As she walked away, Lucas called out, "It was nice meeting you all the same."

Nadia paused, looked over her shoulder, and said, "Thank you again for returning my tablet."

She ran from the restaurant and disappeared into the night. Lucas gathered up his things and headed to the train station. The ride home was quiet as he reflected on his foolish comment to Nadia about someone else writing her story and how timid she seemed. He arrived home and shared the bad news with Paul who agreed he had blown a grand opportunity. For the next two weeks, Lucas buried himself in his work, reading one lousy submission after another, but never forgetting the amazing story he read on Nadia's lost tablet.

Then, one day he received a message from Nadia that read: "I'd like to talk. Could we meet at the same coffee shop we were at last time? I promise not to storm off like I did before."

It was the first bright light of hope Lucas had felt since he found Nadia's tablet and read her amazing story. He quickly replied and said he might be a bit late, but if she was willing to wait, he'd be there. The rest of his day seemed to drag on. He wanted to leave early, but of course, he was called into a last minute meeting by Dean Edwards, the man who was responsible for his situation, and also his new boss. Edwards was a bit older than Lucas, with salt and pepper hair and brown eyes. Lucas didn't like him but knew he had to play along until he could either find the proof of the set-up, or find a new author to free him from his time in purgatory.

"Ah, Lucas," sneered Edwards. "Sit down."

Lucas sat down and asked, "You wanted to see me?"

"Yes. I see you haven't had a submission get past a second editor since you've been in this position."

"That's not true. I've had a couple. But what can I say? Poor quality of submissions lately. Nowadays, people think they can write the next million dollar hit. The only problem is, most can't write a complete sentence let alone a quality story."

"Yes well, then of course it seems you're using your email for personal use."

"Excuse me?"

"Who is Nadia?"

Lucas realized what this was about. "About two or three weeks ago I found a tablet on the train. Turns out it belongs to this Nadia person. I used my work email so she'd know I wasn't some creepy stalker."

"So why did she write today?"

"Well, when we met I made a damn rude comment and she left upset. I guess she's decided to forgive me. This is the only email she has for me. Hell, I'm surprised she didn't delete it from her email account."

"Need I remind you of the company policy about personal emails?"

"No sir," said Lucas with a thick air of sarcasm in his voice. "I didn't think the one about finding her tablet or setting up a meeting in a public place would be a big deal."

"Cut the crap Lucas. Your daddy may own this company, but I'm the real brains of this organization. Cross me one more time and you'll be out faster than you can say best seller. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal."

Lucas rose and stormed out. He knew if Nadia had changed her mind about her story, he'd have to bypass Edwards. He also knew he'd have to figure out a way to let his dad know about what Edwards was saying. For now, though, he had a potential new author waiting. He gathered up his things and headed out. He arrived at the coffee shop to find the place packed, and Nadia sitting in the same chair they met in, and a coat lying in the chair he sat in. She was wearing a dark pink sweater and black slacks. Lucas ordered his coffee and walked over to Nadia.

"Sorry I'm late."

"I was early and it's a good thing I was too," she said as she gathered her coat.

Lucas sat down and removed his coat. "Can I begin with an apology? I didn't mean to upset or offend you last time we met."

Nadia smiled. "I should be the one to apologize. It was very rude the way I left last time."

"Lucas!" called the barista.

"Excuse me," he said, and quickly grabbed his drink and the two cookies he ordered. As he sat back down, he handed a cookie to Nadia and said, "I hope peanut butter is all right."

"It's my favorite."

"Mine too!"

"So," said Nadia, "I looked over your notes. At first I was like, 'who is he to tell me how to write?' I was being a bit indignant. Then I looked them over again and realized most of what you caught was stuff I had overlooked multiple times. I made about eighty-five percent of the changes."

"Really?" asked Lucas, sipping his coffee.

"Really. And, if you really think this could be a success, I'd like to try."

Lucas choked on his coffee. "Seriously?"

"Yeah," she said, handing him a stack of papers. "And I remember you saying a hard copy would be easier to edit than an electronic one."

Lucas took the papers and smiled. "This will be much easier to edit. May I ask why you didn't make all the edits I suggested?"

"Some had to do with the dialogue, others I didn't really understand."

"I'm sure my handwriting might have been a bit sloppy."

"Did you really mean what you said? That my story was good?"

"Yes. In fact, I'd like it if you didn't use my work email anymore. My boss thinks... well, never mind what he thinks. But would you mind using my private account?"

Nadia bit her lip nervously. "Um, okay, I guess."

Lucas leaned in and said softly, "Listen, I know it sounds weird, but my boss is a real asshole. Five years ago he set me up with a plagiarized novel and when I didn't catch it because I was a new editor and the owner's son, he sabotaged me. Since then he's been making me read nothing but crap copy. I hadn't read anything worth a shit until the night my roommate found your story on that tablet of yours."

"Your roommate read my story?"

"Well, I couldn't figure out how to turn it on. I'm not very tech savvy. I can read a story and tell you if it's going to be a best seller or a piece of shit, but sometimes I can barely turn on my computer."

Nadia laughed. "You're lying."

"Okay," smiled Lucas. "But I really didn't know how to turn on your tablet. It's a model I'm not familiar with. My roommate is a tech geek and he loves anything technological. Plus, his girlfriend has a tablet like yours. He said he knew you were a woman based on your apps. He was probing around to see if you had a 'find my tablet' app or something to help us find, well, you. Anyway, he was snooping around and found your poems and story. He said your poems weren't that good, but he really liked your story. Actually, I think his exact words were, 'my cock got hard' when he read it."

"Really?"

"I'm not making this up. I spent an entire weekend reading it and making notes."

"Yeah, I saw that."

"So, I'll read this over this weekend, and I'll get back with you next week."

"Sounds fair. Did you want to give me that new email addy?"

"Oh yeah," said Lucas, smiling.

He pulled out a business card and a pen, wrote his personal email address on it, and handed to Nadia. "That will go to my phone, so feel free to use it anytime."

Nadia smiled. "Thanks. If I'm thirsty for more coffee drinks I'll let you know."

Lucas smiled. "May I walk you to the train station?"

"I'd like that."

They gathered up their things and walked to the train station. Nadia shared that she was a receptionist at a local accounting firm. It was brain numbing work, but she had been there for over six years and they were practically family. That was why she started writing, to kill the boredom. They discovered that they actually took the same train and got off at the same stop. Nadia only lived a few miles from Lucas, so he offered her a ride home when he discovered she didn't have a car due to it being stolen and no car rental on her insurance policy. She protested a bit, then accepted the ride.

Nadia's apartment complex wasn't the worst place Lucas had seen, but it wasn't the most expensive or lush either. Nadia explained that she too had a roommate and they shared everything, except men. They drew the line there. Lucas chuckled and said he and his roommate had the same policy about women. He escorted her to her door, and bade her goodnight.

*~*~*~*~*

Nadia was tied to his bed, naked. Her firm breasts seemed to glow in the light, and her nipples looked like two pink pebbles. The apex of her womanhood was covered in soft, blonde curls that glistened with moisture.

Lucas' cock ached and throbbed as he admired his prize tied to his bed. He wanted to feel her mouth and pussy surround it. He ran his fingers down her body, brushing her nipples and watching her body jump. He tugged them playfully and she gasped.