Trouble in Pandora

Her gloved hand slid into the pile of jewelry, grabbing at random. Pulling a handful towards her, she pressed the cool gems against the side of her face with a soft moan of happiness. She let them pool and dangle carelessly, to the point where some began draping down her neck. Some fell to settle in her lap briefly before sliding down past her seat and falling to the floor.

The rest were abruptly slammed back onto the table, the loud SMACK! making the three employees jump. The ensuing silence was broken only by the sound of stray gems rolling and tinkling as they scattered. Roger was the only one unaffected, dutifully scrutinizing strand after strand, gem after gem.

Grace's lips quirked up into a smile before she burst out laughing. "Oh Kelly...dear, pretty Kelly," she chuckled as she wiped away an imaginary tear. "No need to look at me like that. Those big, scared doe eyes. I'm not going to hurt you...unless you make me, that is."

Kelly may have been slow to put the pieces together, but she'd caught up quickly. Her pulse thrummed anxiously in her veins as her mind raced in a dozen different directions - a flurry of scattered thoughts. She squeezed her hands together, startled by Grace's sudden actions, jumping as she flinched away.

Slowly, Grace's dark eyes looked at each of the three before her, gaze lingering intently on each person. When Grace's dark eyes met her own, Kelly suddenly felt the need to nervously swallow but found her mouth and throat too dry to cooperate. Instead, she tried her best to match Grace's gaze, determined not to look away first. Still, the unspoken threat filled Kelly with dread...

"And you're not going to do that, right?" Even though Grace's words were spoken softly, the room was quiet enough that each word was clearly heard. Without waiting for a reply from Kelly, Grace's pistol lifted to aim dead center at Adam's forehead. The smile on her lips as she continued was of pure delight. "Because that'd be problematic. And I really, really hate when things don't go to plan. Isn't that right, Roger?" Roger grunted in affirmation, attention still fully focused on his task as he meticulously studied a particularly large emerald in the light.

It was unnerving, the way the two of them interacted. Grace with her barely contained psychosis; Roger with his uncaring calmness.

"You see, Roger and I, we have an understanding." As Grace continued, she brought the pistol back, gesturing with it as she talked. "He's got an amazing eye for quality. I mean it. It's like he's got hawk eyes for spotting precious valuables. So in a way, some might say that he does all the work. Squinting at hundreds of these gorgeous pieces of rock, picking out only the finest gems...That takes time. A lot of attention to detail, right? Meanwhile, I have nothing to do and that? That's a problem. Because I hate and I mean, hate, being bored."

"I'm sure you understand," she waved the point of her gun at Adam again. There was a glint of amusement in her eyes as she noticed the outline of a muscle jumping in Adam's jaw. Gritting his teeth, he was the picture of seething anger silently fuming. "You get restless, don't you? So do I. And then I just can't sit still. That restlessness...that need to do something, it can start to drive you nuts, you know?" She nodded sympathetically at Adam, as if aggrieved for the future he was fated for.

"I am nothing like you," Adam snarled darkly through his gritted teeth. Grace clicked her tongue against her teeth, making sympathetic tsk sounds as she leaned across the table to pat Adam's cheek with the side of her pistol.

"It's alright dear, there's no need to be ashamed of who you are." Leaning back in her seat, she made a show of getting comfortable. "And I know that because you are like me, you're getting bo~ored and are pro~obably wondering what's going to happen next." She looked at each one of them expectantly, as if waiting for some type of confirmation.

Taking their silence for affirmation, she brought her hands together in delight, clasping the gun loosely between her palms. "Well! You three are in for a treat! Because I've got some devilishly delicious ideas that I know you'll all enjoy. Isn't that right, Roger?" Another grunt.

"Go on then, Kelly." She waved her hand airily at Kelly. Kelly stared dumbly back at Grace, utterly clueless as to what was apparently expected of her. Grace rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Oh Kelly," she scoffed, "there's no point playing chaste. We all know you're a slut and we're all dying to see you naked so get on with it already."

"W-What??" Kelly spluttered incredulously, too surprised to be offended.

"Uuuughh..." Grace's hand clawed at her own face in an exaggerated show of mild fury. "Keeellllyy, just stop it already won't you? Your clothes speak for themselves." Gesturing to Kelly's skirt, Grace's nose crinkled distastefully. "I mean, that! Just..blecgh! Denim? What year do you think it is dear? We're not in the 1970s anymore. So tacky! You work at a jeweler's for god's sake, dress a little more professionally. And that slit! You might as well be wearing a sign that says 'Please bend my whore ass over and fuck me senseless.'"

Roger paused and looked up at Kelly over the pink diamond he currently held. Kelly could feel her cheeks warming as they steadily flushed a deep red. Somehow, Roger's cursory glance and Grace's disdainful critique of her clothes made her feel both outraged and ashamed...and dirty.

"See? Even Roger can't stand the sight of it. That means it's got. To. Go." The last three words were emphasized with her finger wagging as she enunciated each word. When Kelly continued standing motionlessly, Grace snapped her fingers impatiently in her direction. "Did you not hear me? Or have you suddenly gone dumb and deaf? Take that hideous skirt off." Seeing the wavering disbelief on Kelly's face, she sighed heavily. "God, I have to spell it out for you don't I? YES! I'm telling you to strip!"

"You can't be serious." Kelly was surprised to hear her inner thoughts spoken out loud. It took her a moment to realize that it'd come from Kurt.

"Oh, I'm always serious my dear. Trust me." Grace gave Kurt a flirtatious wink. "Don't pretend you don't want to see. I'm sure you've fantasized about her plenty of times." Her eyes widened suddenly; you could almost see the figurative lightbulb flicking on over Grace's head. "Ah! But you can't see right now, can you?" she mused out loud thoughtfully. "Well, we'll have to fix that!"

She stood suddenly and gestured energetically for Adam and Kurt to stand up from their seats. "Come on, come on. Sit on this side. Bring your chair. Hurry up already, quit shuffling your feet!" As her coworkers stood, Kelly noticed their bound wrists for the first time, duct tape wrapped firmly around them.

Now Kelly stood alone on the other side of the table. Roger was still at his end. Smaller piles were starting to appear neatly next to the scattered mess of precious jewels as he sorted through them. Grace stood behind Adam and Kurt, now seated a bit further down from Roger.

"Alright! Lovely. We're all situated now, yeah? Everyone's got a good view? Excellent. Now then, Kelly." A nod with her chin to begin. "Make it sexy." She pointed her gun at the back of Adam's head, grinning encouragingly at Kelly.

Kelly felt sick. Like she had to faint and puke at the same time. Her pulse thudded noisily in her ears - a rushing, deafening thrumming. It made her feel like she was falling away from the world. Everything seemed to want to blur at the edges as she tried not to hyperventilate. A sudden clearing of the throat from Grace had Kelly's hands fluttering automatically to the zipper at her hip.

And then she was suddenly very aware of...everything.

Their eyes.

The way Grace's were cold yet menacingly gleeful. How Roger's shrewd gaze discreetly snuck greedy glances at the soft curves of her figure. The way Adam and Kurt were trying so hard not to look at her; the anguish on Adam's face, the careful blankness of Kurt's.

Kelly felt like an exhibit on show.

"I said, make. It. Sexy!" The words were further emphasized as she tapped the end of the gun against the back of Adam's head, each tap jabbing a bit harder. Even from across the room, Kelly could clearly see the muscle twitching against Adam's jaw as he tried not to flinch.

"Come on now, I'm. Getting. Bored~!" Grace's heeled foot stamped down insistently as she scowled. Kelly was suddenly very aware of a new realization.

She potentially held her friend's lives in her hands. This all depended on her. They needed to satisfy Grace and her crazy demands. If they could just manage that...better to lose thousands if it meant they could survive this ordeal.

Oh my fucking god, this is really happening. At the same time, an endless reel of this isn't real continued in a loop at the back of her mind. This is crazy. Kelly tried to squash the thought. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to pretend she was alone in the room. Tried to lose herself inside her own head, live in her imagination.

Make it sexy...Easier said than done, especially under these circumstances. She let out a slow breath, letting her hips slowly sway gently from side to side as she mentally willed herself away to a dark room. A dark room where she stood by herself, safe and away from prying eyes. A dark room that effused low, sultry music...a slow, seductive beat that her hips moved to. Slowly, she undid the clasp holding the zipper together, pulling it down inch by inch.

"That's more like it," Grace encouraged approvingly. "Show us that ass."

Still sashaying, Kelly turned so that her back was to the audience. Hands on her hips, she reached back to smooth her palms over the curve of her ass before pinching a fold of the fabric to tug the skirt down a bit. Slowly, she swiveled her hips and occasionally even twerked a bit - each rotation brought her loose skirt further down as gravity attempted to undress her.

As her panties began to show, she was suddenly hit by a bolt of embarrassment as she realized that Adam and Kurt were about to see her undergarments. What kind of panty was she wearing today? She definitely hadn't planned on showing off her underwear to anyone today. She prayed that she was wearing one of her nicer pairs. The music in her head continued to play, a consistent background music attempting to quiet her own loud thoughts. At the same time, she was acutely aware of the stifling silence in the room...especially since it was only ever broken by Grace's occasional sounds of whooped approval.

She let her skirt drop with finality, showing off the sporty grey panty covering her ass.

The music in her head lapsed into a ringing silence as she stood staring wide-eyed at the wall.

Was it over now?

"Oh, that's it?" Kelly turned to face a perplexed Grace. "Well, it ended a bit more abruptly than I expected. I'll give you a solid four out of ten for performance though!" Grace proceeded to give Kelly some light applause. Roger joined in and it somehow made it all the more demeaning. Grace kicked the leg of Adam's chair, jostling him, before doing likewise to Kurt's. "Don't be rude, clap for her!"

Kelly's hands bunched into fists at her sides, gripping at the edges of her shirt as halted, hesitant claps joined in.

"Now the shirt! And tease it out a bit longer this time." Grace's words made Kelly's heart plummet. It...wasn't over? Kelly had thought only the offending skirt had to go. What was wrong with her shirt?

Grace leaned down to rest her elbows on the back of each chair, causing both coworkers to stiffen and bristle at the close proximity. "Alright boys, this should be where the show gets good. Ahh, you lucky bastards. Show us your tits!" Grace gave a little shout of whoo!

Kelly's fingers fumbled numbly at the buttons holding her blouse together. It took Grace clearing her throat loudly to prompt Kelly to start swaying to an imaginary tune again. She tried to concentrate on her buttons, tried not to make direct eye contact with anyone in the audience. Kelly was painfully aware of Kurt's dead-eyed stare hovering somewhere just over her shoulder, of Adam scowling darkly down at the floor determinedly.

As her buttons came undone one by one, the top of her bra soon came into view. Grace's earlier demand floated through her mind, an echoed reminder: Make it sexy! She let her hands smooth over the swell of her breasts, cupping and squeezing them together to show off her décollete as her tits threatened to spill out of her shirt. She made a show of teasing her nipples through her padded bra.

With just two buttons left, she slowly slid her blouse off her shoulders. Letting the white fabric pool around her elbows, her simple beige bra was left on full display. She leaned forwards a bit to show off her ample cleavage, bending at the hip while her left arm held her bra in place. She let her body sway as she straightened, shrugging her shirt back up before letting it fall to her elbows again.

Slowly, she turned, using her shirt to cover her derrière before slowly pulling it up again inch by inch. Her fingers struggled with the last two buttons - finally, her shirt was free. Still hanging from her arms, she turned back towards her audience while her hands slowly traveled along the sides of her body before she finally let go of her sleeves and let her shirt slowly slide down her body, off her arms and onto the floor.

She suddenly didn't know what to do with her hands and instinctively hugged herself, partially in an attempt to reassure herself and partially to awkwardly attempt to cover her exposed lingerie. The air felt cold against her skin, making her extra conscious of her lack of clothing.

"What do you think Roger? That was a pretty solid five, right?" Roger motioned a brief thumbs-up from his seat. "But what is this? Intermission? Stop stalling up there and get on with it already." A thoughtful pause as her eyes landed at Kelly's feet. "Ah, but leave your shoes on." Grace's nose crinkled with disgust. "Aptly named, those things really are bl-Ugg." She retched, repulsed. "Leave your shoes on, your feet probably stink and we don't need that. Honestly, Kurt," she reached over to muss Kurt's hair fondly. "Letting your employees wear Uggs. What were you thinking?"

Somehow, Grace's words always managed to be both infuriating and disparaging at the same time. It evoked a strange mix of cold anger and hot shame in Kelly. In a sudden burst of stubborn rebellion, Kelly reached back and unhooked her bra unceremoniously. Sliding her bra off, her panties followed soon after and she stood before them trying to look proud, dignified and unruffled by her naked state.

While a good effort, it was easy to see that Kelly was struggling. It was easy to see the struggle flickering over her features, her determination wavering as embarrassment battled its way across her face. She felt ridiculous standing on display in her Uggs. She could feel goosebumps rising along her arms as the cool air caressed her skin. She was very aware of her nipples - hard, round pebbles jutting out of her breasts. She wondered what Adam and Kurt thought of her. God, she wanted to cover herself and hide...

"Well, that wasn't much of a show." Grace's perpetually friendly tone of voice had turned icy. "But I suppose not every slut's a good stripper. I guess we better hope she knows how to put her mouth to good use then, eh, Roger?"

For the first time since they'd been separated, the three employees suddenly made eye contact. Adam's anguished, Kurt's concerned, Kelly's panicked. They shared the same mental wavelength. They couldn't possibly be planning to push it that far. Where was this going? When was it going to stop?

Roger unzipped his pants and pulled his half-erect cock out. Based on the piles on the table before him, it seemed like Roger was making steady progress in his sorting. Adam jumped up out of his seat in protest, angrily barking, "This is not fucking happening. You cannot make her-"

At the same time, Kurt also objected sternly. "Is this really necessary? You've already made your point. Just take what you want and-"

They were both abruptly cut off as Grace's pistol whipped across Adam's face causing him to stagger backwards, stunned. Kelly gave a little shriek of horror, her hands fluttering up to clap over her mouth as she stifled her own cries.

Shocked silence, interrupted by the occasional muffled whimper from Kelly, quickly enveloped the room as everyone stood frozen, staring wide-eyed at Grace. Her gun was pressed firmly against Adam's forehead, fingers wrapped around the grip of the gun so tightly that her knuckles were white as her index finger squeezed tightly against the trigger guard. Grace's dark eyes gleamed with a crazed fervor, a fanatical grin stretched across her red lips as she stared down the barrel at Adam.

Adam who was scowling darkly back at her, battling to control his own rage. Adam whose cheek had been lightly cut, the beginnings of a bruise already blooming across his cheekbone.

You could practically see the wheels in Grace's mind turning as the seconds ticked by. See the beginnings of a wicked idea forming as her eyes glittered dangerously. Grace's nostrils flared as she sniffed disdainfully at Adam, the tension in her body easing as she let her arm fall with a smug smirk.

Grace's eyes never broke contact with Adam's, her gaze steady, intense and full of deranged fury. It was a cold fury, a controlled one, and any icy shiver snaked down Kelly's spine as she realized why Grace was so frighteningly compelling. She was fearlessly self-serving and reckless...but not without calculating her risks. It'd be better to say she was a gambler: one who made sure the odds were always in her favor.

"Well...," she sighed softly, breaking the tense silence. "You really are just a handful, aren't you?" She started pacing back and forth behind their chairs as she thought out loud, gun waving as she gestured; Kelly could only watch uneasily as she stood awkwardly, still conscious of her lack of clothes and her coworkers' eyes.

"Rambunctious little troublemaker. When will you learn to ask for permission, hmm?" She waved at Adam with her gun, motioning for him to get back in his seat. She watched him as he did and tsk'd as he sat back down. "Now wasn't that easy? Life is painless when you do as you're told."

Moving to stand beside Adam, her left hand cupped the side of her face thoughtfully. The gun in her right hand tapped lightly against her left elbow as she spoke. "I was going to make you watch while Kelly sucked Roger off, but I'm starting to think the two of you need to be taught a lesson." Her steps slowly brought her circling towards Kelly until she was standing behind her.

Kelly's arms were wrapped around herself but she hugged herself even more tightly at Grace's approach. She fought off the urge to shiver uneasily as she felt Grace hovering unseen behind her, dread settled heavily in the pit of her stomach. She stopped breathing as Grace leaned in, her breath warm against Kelly's neck as she quietly commanded, "Get on your hands and knees dear."

Kelly dropped to her knees obediently, shaking with nerves as her pulse fluttered in her veins. Her heart began hammering nervously in her chest again as she wondered what Grace had in mind. In this position, with her breasts swinging freely, she somehow felt even more naked and vulnerable.

"Now then gentlemen, why don't you make yourselves presentable? Time to," Grace giggled, "present yourselves to our dear, lovely Kelly before she crawls over there to show you both a good time."

Again, the three coworkers found their eyes instinctively glancing towards each other. A silent exchange of quiet panic.