Mailgirls on the Run Pt. 13

Chapter Nineteen

/* Just over a week to go until race time. If only I could write that fast. Much appreciation for those who have hung in for the last four years I've been writing this. Still don't know how the race turns out, but I've already written a draft of the second epilogue. This chapter stands alone better than most, but it really is meant to be read as one continuous journey. */

Mailgirl Twenty-two had just completed her first delivery of Monday morning -- copies of the Wall Street Journal for those executives on the fifth floor that hadn't made the switch to on-line -- when her MMU buzzed to call her to Human Capital. She searched her mind trying to think of something that she had done that would get her called to the office that managed the Mailgirl Program, but thought she was clean. Yesterday's workout had been too strenuous to allow her leisure to flirt with Richard or anyone else. Well, Ms Barnes would let her know what she was in trouble for when she arrived.

Miss Bradley, the Admin, waved her into the inner office where Ms Barnes was seated behind her desk.

"Inspection."

Twenty-two was conscious of the timer ticking down as she went up on her toes, arched her back, and clasped her arms behind her head. Ms Barnes came around the desk and tapped Twenty-two's MMU just after it chimed, indicating a late delivery. "Oh dear, another demerit. Mistress V will have you back over the spanking bench before you know it." Ms Barnes circled around the naked mailgirl before allowing, "Well, your grooming is acceptable. Knees."

Twenty-two dropped down into a kneeling position, knees widespread, feet together, arms clasped behind, eyes down, breasts and pussy thrust out.

"The new Mailgirl Thirteen is on her way from the airport. When she arrives at the Security Desk, you will meet her and take her to Legal by way of the Employee's Dining Room where you can observe Mailgirl Fifteen in the courtyard. From there you will lead here to Payroll, then back here. After her orientation, you will escort her to the Med Center, and by then Fifteen should be properly chastised. You will turn her over to Fifteen for training and put yourself back into service. Now, out and await your summons."

Twenty-two rose and turned, departing Ms Barnes' office to sink back onto her knees on the repurposed yoga mat by Miss Bradley's desk. Most mailgirl mats were in heavily trafficked areas which suited Twenty-two's exhibitionist streak. Miss Bradley's desk and Ms Barnes' office were at the end of a corridor traversed only by those actually visiting Human Capital. There was a fair amount of foot traffic partway down the corridor by people checking out the framed collection of mailgirl panties on the wall, one frame for every mailgirl except Twenty-three who had arrived nude in a shipping crate. Twenty-two was sure that some mailgirl would be handed the task of searching through the crate of Twenty-three's possessions when they finally arrived from her previous employer. Mr Fforde had sicced SG&T San Francisco's legal office on Mohr Brothers to make sure that Twenty-three got what she was due. SG&T may mandate that mailgirls be nude 24/7, eat dog food (well, Mailgirl Chow) out of bowls on the floor, and have them beaten in public, but they were scrupulously honest in matters of finance and property. Well, it was a bank after all. And their probity did not extend to keeping their hands off of mailgirls' panties -- those disappeared, never to be seen again, except for the one pair in a frame on the wall of the corridor leading to Human Capital. Still, to get back to the matter at hand Twenty-two would prefer to be kneeling where she could see and be seen as befitted a mailgirl.

Finally, Twenty-two's MMU buzzed, directing her to make a pickup at the Front Desk. The new Mailgirl Thirteen had arrived. She raced to the central corridor ignoring the display of lingerie, made a right to the service stairs, down two flights, then to the front of the building where a young woman in a nondescript cotton sundress was standing being carefully watched by the receptionist on duty. Twenty-two arrived with twelve seconds to spare and the woman at the desk promptly acknowledged her arrival, sparing her from accruing another demerit.

"This mailgirl has been directed to escort this person to Human Capital."

"Well, that means she'll be a person for what, another five minutes."

"This mailgirl has been directed to escort her by way of the courtyard off the Employee Dining Room, then to Legal, and Payroll so it will be a few minutes longer."

"I saw that Fifteen was strung up. Ms Barnes wants to show her what she's in for, I guess."

"Ms Barnes does not explain herself to mailgirls, and this mailgirl is not authorized to speculate on her motives."

"Welcome to Sloan Guaranty & Trust..." the receptionist glanced towards Twenty-two.

"Mailgirl Thirteen."

"...Mailgirl Thirteen. I'm sure that I will see you about."

Twenty-two looked at the apprehensive woman in the sundress and said, "Please follow this mailgirl." The not-yet mailgirl nodded and followed the naked woman past the front desk and back into the building.

"I'm Misty Greene, what's your name?"

"Per Human Capital directive I can only respond when addressed as Mailgirl Twenty-two. As of this moment, you're Ms Greene. Before we leave Human Capital you will respond only to Mailgirl Thirteen or just Thirteen. Any other naming leads to demerits and demerits lead to physical correction."

The two women made a left turn into a large space, "This is the Employee Dining Room." Twenty-two gestured at some mats in the middle of the floor, "Mailgirls eat lunch and sometimes dinner kneeling on those mats."

They continued across the room to the glass wall looking out onto a pleasant outdoor space, and then through a door. Misty made a bee-line to stand in front of the naked woman standing on the gravel with her arms wrenched up behind her back, chained to a horizontal bar. There was a large red ball strapped into her mouth and she was teetering on a pair of black high heels.

"This is Mailgirl Fifteen. She'll be training you this week. Friday will be her last day as a mailgirl. In two weeks she'll be behind a desk in Chicago working as a financial analyst. She just returned from a week-long seminar at MIT, where she wore clothing for the first time in nearly two years. The shoes are to protect her feet from the gravel, because she's on the racing team and Human Capital is not allowed to inflict punishment on runners that will impair their ability to run before the big race."

"Mailgirls attend seminars? Racing team?"

"SG&T is hosting the Corporate Challenge in two weeks which is a 10k race involving teams from companies and government agencies throughout central Maryland. Community Relations' job is to promote the bank as part of the local community, so they do things like sponsor the race this year. The fifth floor -- that's the executive level -- is intensely competitive and if the bank is involved they want to do well. Last year our teams sucked, especially the women, and the only SG&T person who placed well was my sister -- a mailgirl until six weeks before the race. So, the deep thinkers on the fifth floor decided to field a squad of mailgirls to represent the bank. Participation in the trials was mandatory and six mailgirls were selected for the racing team. Fifteen was one of the six, but her contract runs out before the race and she's transferring to Chicago so they decided to hold off on the transfer after the race and sweeten the deal by sending her to external training."

"But mailgirls don't wear clothing."

"And we ran the trials bare-ass naked. Megan and Mr Starnes managed to convince the fifth floor to allow running shoes and bras -- not like any sports bra you've ever seen -- for training and the race."

"I had a track scholarship to college, but lost it when I got injured. The money ran out and decent jobs were scarce so I signed up to be a mailgirl, not a decent job, but it pays well."

Twenty-two looked at the short, bespectacled, somewhat chunky blonde in surprise. "Are you still hurt?"

"No, I'm healthy. I just couldn't handle the increased mileage going from high school to college. With limited scholarships they couldn't carry an athlete that couldn't compete."

"We'll have to talk to Megan. Actually, Fifteen has it easy. When I was strung up like that there was the added feature of a sign hanging from my clamped nipples. It was a toss-up as to what part of me hurt worst. Enough exposition, next stop Legal Services."

The two women left the Dining Room and headed for the service stairs, "Mailgirls are only allowed on the elevator if pushing a cart and then only the freight elevator." Three flights later and into the wood paneled offices of Legal Services. Twenty-two stopped at the receptionist's desk and announced, "Ms Greene to see Mr Smythe."

The kindly looking fortyish brunette reached over and tapped Twenty-two's MMU to acknowledge her arrival and spoke to Misty, "He's waiting for you. The mailgirl knows the way to his office."

Twenty-two led the way to a door just down the hall and motioned Misty to enter. The nervous new arrival turned the knob and entered, "Mr Smythe?"

The young lawyer stood as the women entered and gestured to the chair in front of his desk, "Please take a seat, Ms Greene." Then he looked at Twenty-two and barked , "Inspection." The mailgirl rose up onto her toes, arched her back, and clasped her hands behind her head. "I do enjoy the close up display of feminine beauty.

"Now, Ms Greene, we're going to go over your contract. Your preliminary contract covered your transportation to DDE Mailgirl Training Enterprise, your four weeks of instruction plus meals and lodging, the packing up of your personal belongings, your transportation here, and shipping your belonging here. As a corporate customer SG&T gets a heavy discount on those charges, should you walk away from the contract that you sign today you will be billed at the individual rate for those services which is frankly nothing short of extortionate. By signing your mailgirl contract today and carrying it through to completion in two years those fees plus a cash signing bonus will be covered by SG&T. Walking away from the contract you sign today will incur heavy financial penalties that you will not have the resources to repay. The folks in Payroll will walk you through all the financial details.

"Once you sign the contract you will be obliged to stay in uniform for the length of your service -- that is just the collar around your neck and the Mailgirl Management Unit in the armband on your arm. You will adhere to the grooming standards as promulgated by Human Capital -- you can see what they are by looking over Mailgirl Twenty-two there.

"Ankles." Twenty-two dropped down onto the balls of her feet, spun around and leaned forward clasping her ankles thus providing Mr Smythe and Ms Greene an enchanting view of her ass and anus. Misty gulped.

"You will notice that she and all mailgirls keep themselves completely hairless below their eyebrows. Human Capital can and will dictate your hairstyle, your cosmetics, everything about your appearance. Any SG&T employee is entitled to direct you to take any of the positions in the Mailgirl Handbook. You should have been drilled on those in your training. For any shortcomings in your behavior or appearance you will be assessed demerits based on the severity of the offense."

"Yes sir," Misty said quietly.

"From the time you sign your contract until the day it is fulfilled you will only refer to yourself as Mailgirl Thirteen and will respond only to Mailgirl Thirteen, Thirteen, Mailgirl, or just Girl. Should you be addressed by any other sobriquet including the name on your driver's license, your family nickname, slut, whore, or whatever you will calmly inform the person addressing you that you are to be addressed solely as Mailgirl Thirteen. Should you respond in any other way to any other salutation you will be assessed demerits based on the severity of the offense. Corporal punishment, not to include permanent impairment or lasting marks, is authorized for excessive demerits as well as a wide variety of transgressions.

"Beyond making deliveries and responding to employee's questions and orders there is to be no interaction between mailgirls and other bank employees, customers, and visitors There is an exception for a approved visitor for you personally. For instance, your father or mother could come to see you at the bank and could schedule a fifteen minute meeting during working hours under supervision. It happens very rarely. There is especially to be no physical contact between mailgirls and other bank employees, customers, and visitors. I will note that contraception and maternity benefits are specifically excluded from Mailgirls' health coverage.

"And finally, as part of your contract you give power of attorney to the bank to act in your stead in all respects. Read over the contract and initial where indicated. You won't sign until your meeting in Human Capital."

Despite long practice Twenty-two began to wobble in her stressful position. Smythe noted that and said "Knees," assessing her a demerit for breaking position, which she hadn't quite done, but any objection would just engender more demerits. She unbent, spun gracefully around and sank down onto her widespread knees, palms flat on her thighs, feet together.

Ms Greene definitely had the deer in the headlights look. She paged through the contract, barely skimming over it, carefully initialing where indicated.

Smythe concluded their meeting saying, "Thank you, Ms Greene, I hope to see more of you." Twenty-two rose and led Misty out of Legal Services and back to the service stairs.

Heading down Twenty-two commented "That joke has grown very tired."

"What joke?"

"He meant that he literally hopes to see more of you as in your naked body. And he will unless you run away screaming now, which would be very expensive for you. You went through DDE's mailgirl training, none of this should be a surprise."

"I know, but it's like my time at DDE was training and this is the race which always ramped up my anxiousness."

The two women exited on the second floor and headed towards Payroll.

The new payroll clerk handing mailgirl accounts was female. After a year plus as a mailgirl, Twenty-two reflexively evaluated every new woman she saw as to mailgirl potential. This, Ms Devaney it said on the nameplate on her desk, looked to have potential: twenty-something, heart-shaped face, decent tits, no ring on her left hand. She could be a future colleague.

Ms Devaney offered Misty a chair; Twenty-two dropped down into 'Knees' beside the desk.

"Ms Greene, I'm going to walk you through the financial aspects of being a mailgirl. You will receive a signing bonus upon executing your mailgirl contract. We will apply those funds against your current debts: student loan, credit card debt, auto loan. We'll sell your car, it's not cost effective to let it sit for two years paying for tags and insurance."

Twenty-two zoned out, she'd heard it all before. The girl from the running store was a potential mailgirl, she and Twenty could have long discussions about art, maybe assess asses for artistic merit after Mistress V had a go at them. Megan's new friend Charlotte certainly had potential -- mailgirl lore had it that one of the suits on the fifth floor was really into redheads -- if not for the husband. Maybe Human Capital could recruit marrieds, say offer limited conjugal visits. Would the proscription of mailgirls not being on furniture be waived in that case?

"As an hourly employee you'll be paid $15 an hour, from the time Mistress V or her designate approves you in the morning until you are released from duty at the end of your day, less half an hour for lunch and another half hour for dinner if you work through the dinner hour. You get time and a half for work over eight hours in a day or forty hours in a week, that is $22.50 per hour. Our records show that most mailgirls routinely exceed those limits both daily and weekly."

Maybe instead of the hospitality industry she could get into the management side of mailgirls at the end of her contract. She wouldn't ask Ms Barnes, or Megan, but Ten could likely give her some advice as to how to break into the business. Ms Devaney droned on.

"If the signing bonus did not clear your debts, fifty percent of the gross of each paycheck will be directed towards debt repayment. We will also fully fund your 401K from your paycheck. Mailgirl 401Ks are invested in an S&P index fund and a variety of government bonds, our administrative costs are lower than any other program outside of the government's Thrift Savings. What remains of your earnings after taxes will be kept in an account at SG&T. Your room and board will be credited to your account as income at a special mailgirl discounted rate, essentially at cost. In the spring our department will prepare your tax forms for a competitive fee and present them to you for review and signature.

"At the conclusion of your two year contract you will receive a completion bonus and will be eligible to receive help from SG&T's Residential Real Estate and Travel departments for post-mailgirl relocation."

That was all the carrot. Twenty-two knew that you could come out of mailgirldom -- was that a word? -- in terrific financial shape even making minimum wage what with no expenses beyond taxes. But if you bailed....

"Should you not complete your two year contract, there are significant financial penalties. You would have to repay the signing bonus, you would be billed for transportation, shipping, and training expenses incurred from the time you signed your preliminary contract until your personal effects arrive at SG&T. You would be billed for the storage of those personal effects and your room and board as a mailgirl at the commercial rate. And you assume the cost of all legal expenses incurred by SG&T in recovering those monies. It works out that you would be nearing the end of the contract before you would break even financially as opposed to staying the course and coming out substantially ahead.

"Unlike some mailgirl programs that you may have heard of, SG&T does not play games with its fiscal commitments, we are a bank after all. If any doubts about this promise crop up over the next two years you could ask this one's -- pointing to the kneeling Twenty-two with some disdain -- sister who subjected my predecessor to an intense grilling at the end of her contract. Mr Ambrose commented that Ms Brooks had been wasted as a mailgirl, SG&T would have been better served by not interrupting her career as a financial analyst."

Twenty-two saved that up to tell Megan, Misty looked a mixture of terrified and confused.

"Should you continue on to Human Capital and sign your contract, that is the last chair you will sit in for the next two years. Mailgirl Twenty-two will lead you to Human Capital."

In the stairwell Misty inquired, "Your sister?"

"My sister worked for SG&T in Chicago and when she transferred here she was coerced into becoming a mailgirl, Mailgirl Two to be precise. I was in college, tired of going to school, not ready to become a 9-5 drone and I thought that being a mailgirl sounded like fun."

"You thought it sounded like fun?"

"Yes. Megan was horrified when I showed up two months before the end of her contract. Looking after me is the major reason she stayed with the bank, I know it's been hard on her assimilating back into the professional work force. Meanwhile, I consider myself as a two year long cos-player wearing a classic costume. Megan did not find the joy in being a mailgirl, she always was too serious. Being a mailgirl here is not a bad gig. Twenty-three came here from some place on the West Coast where she was basically a sex slave, was gang-raped for her going-away party, and was arrived here in a crate in really bad shape. Here it's dog food from a bowl on the floor, periodic paddlings or canings, occasional more inventive corrections, and most of the employees treating you like an animal. At the end of my contract I'll have a good stake to start my professional life and a new appreciation of normality."