Playing with Bad Boys

The day after they'd checked into an inexpensive motel near the Newark airport, Darren and Shannon made a trip to Manhattan to go on another "shopping" spree. They returned with a complete wardrobe for her, including lingerie from Agent Provocateur, an Armani woman's suit in dark gray from Saks Fifth Avenue, and a pair of Burberry high-heeled ankle boots in black suede. As before, her only actual purchase was the boots, for which she paid cash.

The two of them spent the rest of the evening going over what Shannon was supposed to do and how she should handle whatever questions or issues Gordon Sesterman might raise. Darren had already been in contact with Sesterman's office at the Foundation to set up the appointment and to introduce "Ms. April Johnson," Vice President of Sales for "Global Resources," as the person who would call on him.

"All marks are the same," Darren reassured her. "If you can get them to focus on the rewards, they'll convince themselves that everything else you're saying is true. Once they start to visualize the prize, they want to believe you."

Shannon spent a restless night. Not only was she nervous about the role she was supposed to play, but she was especially uneasy about her increasing involvement in Darren's schemes. Yet once again she could see no way to get off the path she had chosen.

The next morning she was so jittery that she couldn't eat anything before her appointment. But she began to feel a little better when she put on her power suit and ankle boots. Just before she left to get in the taxi to take her to the Foundation's offices, Darren told her, "Remember, baby, you have a secret weapon. You're a sexy bitch -- it's hard for a man to say 'No' to someone like you."

Shannon hoped he was right.

Once she was settled in Sesterman's office, she quickly launched into the spiel that she'd rehearsed with Darren. Global Resources, she told him, had acquired a container load of 10,000 iPads at distressed prices. These were the deluxe $800 models, but her firm was in a position to offer them to the Foundation at half price if it could take the entire lot. It was a preposterous story and Shannon was sure that Sesterman would kick her out of his office in short order. But as she went through her proposition, it soon became clear that Sesterman was paying more attention to her body than to her words. To see if she was right, she crossed and uncrossed her legs several times, and each time he followed the motion closely, like a child looking at toys through the window of a store.

"I can use this," she thought, and her confidence began to grow. She quickly shifted away from the details of the deal and began to praise the work the Foundation was doing and the importance of the role Sesterman played. When she saw him respond positively, she began to describe the coup he would score by acquiring so many tablet computers for the school system. From there she went on to speculate about the favorable publicity such an achievement would generate and the political implications of success. "The people of Newark are looking for a leader who has the vision to address the city's problems and the decisiveness to get things done," she said. "This could be a real inflection point for the right man."

As she spoke she kept leaning toward him, and the motion caused her jacket to gape open, revealing tantalizing glimpses of her bra-clad breasts. "My company would be interested in supporting such a leader," she went on silkily. "We'd be prepared to contribute seed money to help get a political campaign in motion. We'd be talking in terms of 1% of the sale as a sort of commission. That would go quite a way toward getting a mayoral campaign rolling."

She could see him do the calculation. "Yes," he said slowly, "$40,000 would certainly be helpful. . ."

She deliberately interrupted him, just the way Darren had suggested. "No, Mr. Sesterman, not 1% of our price to you, 1% of the retail value."

His eyes widened. "$80,000?"

"Exactly," she said, with a little smile.

He seemed to be staring off into the distance; then his eyes refocused on her face and narrowed. "You've given me a great deal to think about, Ms. Johnson," he said slowly. "I'd like to have a little more time to consider your proposition before coming to a final decision."

Shannon's smile broadened. "Of course, Mr. Sesterman. But you must realize that we have other potential opportunities for moving this merchandise. Rapid inventory turnover is the key to success for us."

Sesterman looked at her shrewdly and nodded. "I completely understand. Why don't we plan to meet tomorrow at this same time to continue our discussions?"

Shannon smiled, rose daintily and extended her hand to shake his. "I'll be looking forward to it," she said smoothly. Then she turned and left his office with just the slightest added sway in her hips.

When she got back to Darren, she was bursting with excitement in her eagerness to describe everything that had happened. "Oh, God, Darren, I think it just might work! He hardly asked any questions, and when I began to talk about what this would do for him, you'd have thought I was giving him a handjob!"

Darren was equally excited. "You know what this means, babe? If we can pull this off, we'll walk out of here with 2 million bucks! We can go anywhere, do anything!"

In his fervor Darren grabbed her and kissed her passionately. Instantly, her excitement turned to lust, and the two of them were soon shedding their clothes as fast as they could before falling to the unmade bed in a sexual frenzy. As he plunged into her, he exulted, "Do you miss your old life now? Do you miss good old SpongeBob?"

She clasped him to her in ecstasy. "The hell with him, the hell with them all. This is what I want. Just give it to me . . . now!"

When Shannon returned for her follow-up appointment the next day, she was wearing another shoplifted outfit which, while still suitable for business, featured a shorter skirt and a blouse with a dipping neckline. She strode into Sesterman's office with an air of confidence, and his opening response only served to reinforce her attitude.

"Ms. Johnson, I've given your company's proposal a great deal of consideration and I find it extremely interesting."

"He's hooked!" she thought, working to keep the triumph from showing on her face.

"However, in the course of my research I came across an interesting situation I'd like to share with you," Sesterman continued. "About nine months ago, the school system in Philadelphia contracted to purchase a large quantity of cleaning supplies from a new vendor. When no supplies were ever delivered, an investigation was conducted. The head of purchasing ultimately confessed that he had accepted a bribe from the phony supplier."

At his words, Shannon's excitement metamorphosed into fear. "Oh, God," she thought, "he knows about us! The police must be outside ready to arrest me!" Her heartbeat doubled and sweat began to run down from her armpits. It was all she could do to keep from dashing for the door.

"But what I really found interesting about the story," Sesterman went on, "was that the bribe the purchasing director received came in the form of a cashier's check. Ironically, that cashier's check was as phony as the supply contract itself."

Shannon wondered if she was going to faint.

Sesterman smiled smugly at her. "The philosopher George Santayana famously said that those who fail to learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat them. So rather than risk repeating that ugly lesson, I'm going to accept your proposal, but with three conditions. If you cannot meet all three, then we have nothing further to discuss."

Shannon was stunned, unable to comprehend what was happening. "He's not going to arrest me? He's actually going to take the deal?" she asked herself in confusion.

Oblivious to his visitor's inner turmoil, Sesterman went on."Here are my conditions. First, the campaign contribution your company so generously wishes to make must be in cash, deliverable concurrent with the delivery of the merchandise."

Shannon had recovered somewhat from her panic, but Sesterman's condition was a disturbing development. "How are we going to get $80,000 in cash?" she asked herself. But she kept her face impassive, and Sesterman went on.

"The second condition is that I have to see the merchandise myself. I'm not buying anything until I see all 10,000 of those iPads."

When Shannon remained silent, Sesterman smiled and cleared his throat. "My third condition is of a different, more personal nature. Before we conclude our transaction, you will need to spend a night with me at the Meadowlands Hilton."

Shannon gasped and jumped out of her chair, staring at Sesterman in shock. But before she could tell him where to stick his conditions, she caught herself and slowly sat back down. Struggling to control herself, she told him, "I was not expecting something like this from you, Mr. Sesterman. I am taken aback by what you're demanding. I believe the best thing for me to do is to discuss this with my colleagues. Good day, sir!"

With that, she arose again and stalked to the door. Sesterman's parting words caused her to stop. "Please don't take too long thinking it over, Ms. Johnson. My offer is time-sensitive. Rapid inventory turnover, you know?"

Shannon ground her teeth in fury, but said nothing further.

When she got back to the motel, her angry scowl told Darren that things had gone awry. Before she could even speak he demanded, "What happened? What went wrong?"

When she told him about Sesterman's demand for his money in cash, Darren didn't see it as an unsolvable problem. "I didn't expect that, but I think we can work around it. Let me talk to the Russians and see what they say."

Likewise, Sesterman's requirement to see the merchandise didn't faze Darren either. "The Russians have got the container at Port Newark. I'll work out a special showing for Sesterman when I call them about the $80 big ones. This can work for us, Shannon. It'll be okay."

Shannon was becoming angrier by the second. "No it won't," she shouted, "because I'm not going to sleep with that bastard!"

"That's his third condition?" Darren exclaimed. "He wants to fuck you? This is great -- it means he's in! We've got him, baby, we've got him!"

Shannon was taken aback by his response. "I'm not a hooker," she protested. "I don't want to spend the night with that sanctimonious shit."

Darren grabbed her by the shoulders so tightly that Shannon winced. "Grow up, Shannon," he yelled at her. "It's time you understood that in this game you use every trick you've got. Yesterday you were bragging about crossing your legs and showing him a little tit. You're already using sex to sell, now just use a little more to seal the deal."

"But what about you and me?" Shannon asked, almost in tears. "How are you going to feel about me if I fuck him?"

Darren put his arms around her and hugged her. Then he raised her chin so he could look her in the eye. "Oh, baby, I'll love you even more if you pull this off. This is like winning the World Series, it's huge. One night with a mark means nothing to me."

Shannon looked up at him, wanting to believe it was okay, but she still wasn't happy. She hadn't wanted to be part of the con in the first place, and now felt like she was being used by Darren. For that matter, the look that she'd seen in his eyes just now hadn't reassured her. Yet she wanted to make him proud of her, and, she had to admit, she wanted the rewards this job could bring to them. After a few minutes she reluctantly told Darren she would do what he wanted.

With that crisis averted, Darren wanted to return to Sesterman's other conditions, and he'd already come up with a plan. "Now that we know we've got him, I think that we can use the cash as a lever against him."

With Darren's coaching, Shannon called Sesterman to tell him that the deal was acceptable, and she agreed to meet him at the hotel two nights hence. Sesterman was obviously elated, but "Ms. Johnson" brought him back to earth quickly. "We have a condition of our own. If you want our campaign contribution in cash, you'll have to deliver payment for the computers in cash as well."

Sesterman began to rant, but Shannon cut him short. "Fair is fair, Sesterman. Just as you're ensuring that you won't be scammed by a phony cashier's check, we have to ensure we won't be scammed by a phony order. This way, everyone is on an equal footing, and there can be no misunderstandings."

Sesterman was outraged. "How in the hell do you expect me to get my hands on $2 million in cash? And even if I could, the biggest bill in circulation is $100. Do you have any idea how much that much cash would weigh?"

Shannon put her phone on mute and looked at Darren with a worried expression, but Darren told her, "Hold firm."

She took the cellphone off mute and said, "If you can't do the cash, then give us another option. Otherwise, the deal is off."

Sesterman continued to fume, but after a few minutes he calmed down. "What about Eurobonds?" he asked suddenly. "They're just like cash. The Foundation has a substantial quantity of Eurobonds in its endowment. I could tap those for this purchase. Would that work?"

When Shannon looked over at Darren, he shrugged his shoulders uncertainly, then quickly scribbled on a piece of paper and held it up to her. "Let me consult with our financial people, Mr. Sesterman," Shannon said. "I should be able to call you back within the hour."

When Shannon had hung up, Darren quickly made a call to his Russian contact and began to explain what had happened. Then he listened for quite a while before hanging up.

"What did they say?" Shannon asked apprehensively.

"The Russians told me that Eurobonds are issued by corporations and governments in Europe. They're just like bearer bonds: whoever possesses the certificates can redeem them for cash at any time. The Russians said they use them frequently as a way to launder money. As long as the bonds are legitimate, they'll take them."

"So what does that mean?" Shannon asked uncertainly.

Darren began to dance her around the room. "It means we've got him!" he crowed. "He wants this deal bad. I'll bet he's probably already started writing his campaign announcement!"

When they calmed down, Shannon called Sesterman back and confirmed that payment in Eurobonds would be acceptable. The deal was on.

After her initial elation wore off, Shannon's emotions began to fluctuate up and down. Darren kept praising her, telling her that the scam could not succeed without her, and she liked the feeling that she was so important to him. At other times, however, she felt like she was nothing more than a pawn being used in Darren's game, and she wondered how Darren really felt about her. Having sex with Sesterman didn't bother her that much; what she really resented was the idea that he could force her into prostitution. The fact that Darren was so willing to put her in that role rankled even more.

Despite all her misgivings, two days later Shannon found herself walking through the lobby of the Meadowlands Hilton. She was wearing a dark gray maxi dress that fluttered around the heels of her Ferragamo pumps. The knit fabric hugged the curves of her figure enticingly, but the most striking feature of the outfit was the cowl back that draped low enough to reveal her braless back. The outfit, which Darren had helped her "procure" the day before, was a perfect mix of sexy and sophisticated.

She had purposely arrived early and positioned herself on the far side of the lobby. When she saw Sesterman walk in, she waited until she knew he had spotted her, then turned away from him to display the arch of her back that her dress revealed. He almost broke into a run in his haste to get to her side.

Over a dinner accompanied by several bottles of wine, Sesterman talked at great length about the work of the foundation. His boastful description made clear that all its achievements were directly attributable to his leadership. Shannon made a point of appearing fascinated, but her thoughts wandered.

As she listened to Sesterman, out of the corner of her eye she spotted a man who looked a lot like her father. The resemblance triggered memories of her father lecturing her: "You can't do that, Shannon. Good girls don't act that way. You don't want people to talk about you."

Shannon had been headstrong growing up, and with that memory all her teenage rebelliousness welled up in her again. "I'll do what I want," she thought, "and nobody can tell me otherwise." All her previous reluctance evaporated, and she actually began to relish the idea of playing a prostitute.

Impulsively she leaned across the table and interrupted Sesterman's monologue. "That's very interesting," she said in a purr, "but wouldn't you like to take a bottle of wine upstairs and continue the conversation in your room?" The fire in her eyes gave him all the incentive he needed, and he quickly settled the bill.

In the elevator, her new-found aggressiveness kicked in full force. She grabbed him by the tie and pulled him to her mouth for a passionate kiss that took Sesterman's breath away. "I knew you were hot," he moaned.

In the room she continued to take charge. Once the door was locked she grabbed the bottle of wine and took several large swigs directly from the bottle. Then she pushed Sesterman down into a chair and stood before him, slowly sliding the dress off her shoulders, allowing it to slip down her arms a little at a time. She held the top of the dress over her breasts coquettishly before suddenly letting it fall all the way to the floor, revealing her body clad in nothing but her pumps and a black thong.

Once she'd stepped out of the dress, she pulled the panting man to her by the back of his head until his face was in her crotch. "Eat me," she commanded, and Sesterman hungrily began to lick and kiss her pussy through the fabric of her thong. She forced him to continue for several minutes before pulling him upright for another open-mouthed kiss. Then she pushed him back a step and ordered, "Now, strip." He hastened to comply.

When he was naked, Shannon saw with approval that he was fully aroused. It was obvious that he liked the way she had taken the dominant role. "Now, get on the bed on your back," she ordered him, and he quickly flung himself on the bed. She followed and straddled him, intending to rub his erect cock against her clitoris to heighten her lubrication. But she discovered that she was already dripping; the combination of rebellion and sexual dominance had aroused her to a fever pitch that couldn't be postponed. She pulled the crotch of her thong to one side and impaled herself on Sesterman with a groan.

As she began to flex up and down on him, the sensations she experienced were amazing. It felt as though his cock, even though it was only average in size, was precisely targeted on her g-spot. On every downstroke her clitoris seemed to rub perfectly against the base of his cock, adding to the stimulation. "Pinch my nipples!" she yelled, and Sesterman hastened to comply. The pleasure-pain drove her arousal even higher, and she rode him even harder, reaching toward her climax.

"Fuck them!" she exulted to herself. "Fuck them all -- Sesterman, Darren, Robert, Daddy -- all of them! I do what I want!" With that she arched her back and screamed as her orgasm overcame her. Sesterman's orgasmic pulses only prolonged the sensations within her. Finally it ended and she slumped down on his chest. After a minute she rolled over on her side and quickly fell asleep.

Several hours later she awoke in confusion, uncertain where she was. But the view of the lights of Manhattan through the window quickly brought back everything that had transpired that evening. As she came more fully awake, a feeling of elation came over her. She reveled in the idea that she had conned and seduced this mark who would soon turn over $2 million in cash to them.