Freyja Inc. Ch. 02

It was about 1:15 in the afternoon when Shea awoke to the sound of the street down below. Her head was splitting with a terrible hangover. She had drunk way more than she remembered and had a horrible memory of the night's events. What had she done? She allowed her self to be manipulated into participating in some kind of twisted sexual act with the sales lady Trish. Looking at the clock she realized how late it was and then it hit her. "My story was about to escape me."

Jumping out of bed Shea hurried to dress. She only had an hour and fifteen minutes to get to NYC. Putting on a pair of panties and some old jeans Shea dressed as quick as her hangover would allow. She couldn't find her good bra, "Where was it?" She thought then realized she left it back at the store. Throwing on a hoodie she made her way to the kitchen.

"There was not enough time to make coffee, DAMN!"

Shea ran back to the bathroom brushed her teeth and hair. "Oh that won't do. I look like shit." she thought. Pulling her hair back in a ponytail she put on a ball cap. Racing down the stairs she went out side to catch the subway. It was about a forty five minute trip to NYC and she couldn't be late.

During the ride over Shea started to think about what happened last night. The inappropriate touching during the dress fitting, the conversation with the working girls, watching Susan Stansfield seduce and have sex with the waiter, and then her own actions in the dressing room of the store made her re-evaluate the situation. She remembered be turned on multiple times last night and couldn't explain why it effected her so much. Reliving the events I her mind awakened the arousal she felt last night. Shea became aware of her nipples hardening under her sweatshirt. The soft fluffy inside of the fabric brushed against her nipples sending a small amount of pleasure as they bounced around freely. "Stop it, you have to focus on the task at hand." She told her self.

Arriving at the campus Shea race across the complex to the Student Union to get there before the meeting was to start. Inside she found her way over to Union Station Café. It was a small dinner like bistro with a bar and lots of booths along the windowed wall. Shea looked around to see if she recognized anyone there. Besides the girl behind the counter there were only seven people in the place, three couples and a girl sitting in a both by her self. Shea thought she most be the one.

Taking up position in the both behind her with her back to her Shea sat down. The waitress came over and asked the girl if she needed anything and then asked Shea if she wanted a menu. Shea told her yes and ordered a large coffee to start. Sitting there Shea looked around again taking in her surroundings making sure she didn't seem out of place. Most of the people in there were college students dressed similar to her, jeans sweat shirts and caps, the typical college uniform for a Sunday afternoon.

Sipping her coffee Shea stared out the window watching people walk by when she noticed a very well dressed lady walk by. She had on $200 jeans and a white blouse tucked in with a belt she had seen in one of the fashion magazines. It had to have been around $600 to $700 dollars for the belt alone. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail but looked so muck better than the one she had. Her shoes were open toes heels at least four or five inches tall and must have cost her over a $1,000. Her outfit was classy yet functional and ran upwards of $2,000. She was definitely out of place her on this campus. Turning as she went by, Shea watched her enter the café. This had to be the lady from last night. Shea quickly turn back around not to be noticed and grabbed a napkins from the dispenser. Pulling a pen out of the pocket of her hoodie Shea prepared to take notes.

Sitting down behind her the lady started to speak to the girl. "I am pleased to see you made it. I wasn't sure you would be here."

Shea listened carefully as she spoke.

"Know as we discussed earlier there is an opportunity for you to become a very wealth person. I know your studies have led you to law school but we have the ability to make more money in one year than you could make in ten as a junior partner in any firm here on the east coast." She stated.

The girl asked, "What type of company is this that you represent?"

"We don't discuss the organization to anyone outside of the group. It is very secretive and not to be entered into lightly. If you complete the overall interview and training then you will be enlightened as to the goings on of the organization and all that it has to offer." She replied.

"Why have you chosen me to interview?" the girl asked.

"I have been looking for someone with the right look and background to fill a role in our organization. You have that look and I think you are smart enough to handle the training. You are not the only one we are interviewing though. We will start with around thirty five candidates and work our way down to the selected few." the lady responded.

"What do I have to do to start the interviewing process?" the girl asked.

"There is a computer based test you will take to determine your suitability for the interview. If you score high enough on it we will contact you for a follow up. If not you will never hear from me again. Know this, once I leave here no-one will mention our organization or the interview ever again. So it is up to you, do you trust me enough to take a leap of faith for a chance to move past the daily grind of corporate America or do you turn down this opportunity to settle for the security of a company that may or may not give you what you truly desire and want." The lady said in a strong tone.

"If I do decide to take the test where do I go?" the girl replied.

"That is what I wanted to hear. Go to the testing center on 8th St. down past the Produce Market. There you will find the test preloaded of you. The testing will start after 1:00 pm this Tuesday. You will have to pay $500 to take the test but if you pass it we will reimburse you the funds. The test you will be taking is called the ODEN it is a personality and knowledge test used only by our organization. There is a code you will have to use once you sit for the test, it is Valhalla." She said.

Shea was writing with a fury to make sure she got everything they said.

"Wait let me write that down." The girl replied.

"NO! Nothing is to be written. There can not be any paper trail for anyone to see. You must commit it to memory or you will be eliminated from the pool of candidates." The lady emphasized.

"This will be the last time you see me unless you are chosen for training. You have two days to make up your mind. The testing will start at 1:00 as I said but you can take it anytime after that until midnight. Once you log on you will have to finish it or the test will be voided and there will never be another chance again." With that the lady stood up thanked the girl for her time and excused her self.

Shea watched as the lady walked past her window again and out of view. She recognized her this time as the shorter one of the three she saw last night. Shea stayed in her booth until the girl left and then quickly read over her notes. "A test to become a thief." She thought. What is the world coming to?

Shea returned home tired and hungry. After a quick meal she decided to take the rest of the day for her self and relaxed on her couch watching old romance movies on AMC.

Monday Shea arrived to work ready for the ribbing she would receive from her coworkers about her date with Mr. Quinn. It went as expected with the ladies calling her a little trollop and the guys asking her if she got lucky. The day went by rather fast and no-one really accomplished much.

Tuesday Shea got to work early so she could read Mr. Quinn's article about the ball. The NYDC was always a day or two late getting their story out but then it wouldn't run until the following Sunday. As Shea read the article she noticed the announcement of the sale of a rather unique piece of art that went for far less than expected. She found it interesting because of the conversation she heard in the bathroom. Searching on line for the piece in question Shea found a story in the New York Post dated Tuesday that the painting was resold on Monday for a record amount, a full one and a half million more than at the auction. The art gallery was not mentioned but the buyer was quoted as being happy he was finally able to add it to his collection.

Shea worked on small projects until after lunch. Checking the time she noticed it was 1:30 pm. thinking to her self the test has begun, Shea contemplated what if she took the test. It would be a good way for her to get deeper into the story she knew would be her big break. Around 3:00 she finally decided to take a chance.

Leaving the office Shea made her way over the 8th St. there she found the Produce Market and searched around for the testing center. It was tucked away in an office building about half a block from the market. Once inside she milled around making sure no-one was there she recognized then approached the clerk at the desk.

"I am supposed to take a test here today but I don't think my name is on the list. Is it OK if I just take it anyway?" she asked.

The clerk looked up at her and said, "I don't care as long as you have the fee lady."

Shea paid for the test with her credit card maxing it out. The clerk showed her to a cubical with an open computer and said, "Have at it. Good luck."

Opening the window with the test selections Shea scrolled down searching for the name of the test. There it was ODEN just like the lady said. Clicking on it brought up a security window requiring a password. Shea typed in Valhalla and the screen sprang to life.

In the center of the screen an image of an amber flame appeared. It was actually three flames all arched into one. Seconds later the screen popped over to an information page. Shea looked it over and began filling in the blanks. Questions ranged from personal info, to educational history, to family and religion, to life experiences, and many more. Shea thought it odd that so much past history and what she thought was non-relative information was asked about the individual, she had never taken a test like this before! Once complete she hit ENTER, the screen changed and again a new format appeared. This time the questions were along the line of a personality test asking what one would do if, and how one would feel if, and would you ever try if. It took quite a bit of time to finish this portion of the test but Shea managed to get through it. Completed she hit ENTER again, only sending her to a third section of the test. This section was along the lines of an IQ test. It asked questions on math, science, literature, history, politics, and psychology. By the time Shea was through her brain was mush, she couldn't think anymore and her eyes hurt from looking at the screen so long. Submitting the test once it was finished brought back up the screen with the flames. That image burned in her mind as she leaned back in the chair and looked at the clock. It had been six and a half hours since she started. That had to be the hardest test she ever taken in her life.

Leaving the test center Shea returned home tired exhausted and in need of a long bath to relax her shoulders and neck from sitting at the computer for so long.

Over the next few weeks Shea's life had returned to ordinary, her job sucked, her apartment was too small, and her big scoop eluded her. She was trudging through the motions of her every day life when a letter arrived special delivery to her apartment. She wasn't home when it arrived so she had to go down to the post office and sign for it the next morning. As she walked out of the post office Shea looked over the letter, it was addressed to her but there was no return address. The envelop itself was of high quality and must have come from some very expensive stationary. Opening it Shea was shocked the see the amber flame logo she had seen on the computer at the test center.

Flipping it open Shea read the message inside.

"Ms. Egan your presence has been requested at a dinner to be held in your honor. The nature of the dinner will be revealed at such time. We strongly encourage you to make plans to attend. The event will be held August 23rd 2007. A limousine has been provided for your transportation, pick up time is set for 8:00pm sharp. Please no guests are allowed to accompany you at this time. This is a formal event so please dress appropriately."

Shea's heart leaped for joy. Her big break was still alive. She was hot on the trail of something big and she wasn't going to let it slip through her fingers. Racing back to the office Shea wanted to get her thought down on what she imagined the organization would be like, that way she would know what to look for when she got there.

Checking her calendar, she saw that there were only three days until the dinner. She had to do something fast to find an outfit. Looking over her finances Shea realized she was close to broke. There was just enough money in her account to pay the rent next month and her credit cards were near maxed out. She needed to get a formal dress that would impress. She had to look good enough at this dinner to make her fit in with this crowd.

After striking out all day trying to find a dress formal enough and free, Shea fell onto her couch with despair. What was she going to do? She was losing valuable time and there was no good answer. Then like a light bulb it hit her, Trish said anytime she needed a dress to call. That was it she was saved.

Smiling to her self for finding the answer Shea relaxed as she turned on the TV. The longer she watched the more her stomach started to hurt. Something just wasn't right. Trish said it would be OK to borrow a dress, it wasn't like she said don't ever try it again. Shea started to think about the situation. Trish let her borrow a dress for the ball without having to do anything for it. The deviant sexual behavior came after the fact when she didn't return it on time. Surely there wouldn't be any problem this time. She would just borrow it for the entire night.

Shea thought a while longer on the dilemma and then finally told her self to buck up and just do it. Grabbing the phone book she looked up the boutique at the hotel where the ball was held. Finding the number she call hoping Trish was working.

A female voice answered the phone and greeted Shea, it wasn't Trish. Asking for Trish the voice told her she was off for the evening and wouldn't be in until tomorrow.

Shea realized tomorrow would be too late so she kindly asked if the lady could get a message to Trish to contact her tonight. Leaving her the call back number Shea anxiously waited by the phone for hours on end.

It was about 2:00am when the phone woke Shea from her sleep. She was still on the couch wrapped in a throw, TV still on, and a half eaten sandwich sitting on the coffee table. Fumbling around for the source of the noise Shea hit the talk button and answered in a sleepy voice, "Hello."

"Hey this is Trish, did I catch you at a bad time?" Shea could hear load music in the background.

Shea snapped to attention when she heard it was Trish on the line. "No, I was just sitting here watching TV hoping you would return my call." She stated.

"What can I do for you?" Trish replied.

"Well I hate to ask but do you think it would be possible to borrow a formal dress for a dinner function on Friday night?" Shea asked.

"Is it at the hotel?" Trish said.

"No, I am not sure where it will be. They're picking me up in a limo and taking me to the dinner." Shea replied. "I think I will need it for the entire evening and won't be able to return it until Saturday."

"Oh that might be a problem. I would get into a lot of trouble if it was noticed being gone that long. Let me see what I could do and call you back." Trish said.

"You would be saving my life if you could do it." Shea pleaded as she crossed her fingers.

Trish told her not to worry and hung up. Shea sat there thinking what she would do if Trish couldn't help her. Around 3:00 o'clock Trish called back.

"Hey I worked it out with the other girls and switched our schedule so I could close tomorrow and work all day Friday. That means Saturday you will have to meet me at the store before it opens at 11:00am to get the dress back before anyone can find out it was missing, do you think that will be a problem?" Trish asked.

"No, I promise I will have it back to you first thing Saturday morning." Shea replied. "Do you want me to meet you at the store?"

"I think it would be best if we weren't seen at the store again so soon. Give me your address and I will bring it to you Thursday night after work. It wouldn't look good if you were seen taking out a dress just in case someone wanted to check on the sale. Give me an idea of what the event will be like so I can pick out the perfect dress for you. Oh and I will need your shoe size just in case you don't have any to match." Trish answered.

Shea gave her the address and some details of how formal the event could be. She wasn't to sure as to all of the details but thought Trish had a good grasp of the formality of the event. As they ended the conversation Trish mentioned, "I hope you understand how dangerous this could be for me if we get caught. I want you to know I will be expecting a favor in return."

That last statement sent a chill up Shea's spine. What kind of favor would she be expecting? Would it be like the payback for returning the last dress late? Could she live with her self if that was the case?

Shea begrudgingly answered, "I understand but please remember I'm not LESBIAN."

Trish laughed and said, "I know sweetie, I'm not asking you to have sex with me. It would be nice but I understand your fears. What I have in mind is just a little fun for both of us."

With that they hung up and Shea sat back thinking about what she just got her self into.

All day Thursday Shea had a hard time concentrating on work. Time crawled by at a snails pace. Arriving at home she set out picking up the place making sure it didn't look like a pig sty. Shea watched the clock ever so closely as it approached 10:00pm. Her stomach sank when she heard the buzzer announcing she had a visitor. Answering the intercom she greeted Trish with a friendly hello and buzzed her in. A few seconds later there was a knock at her door.

Opening it she saw Trish standing there with two big bags. One was a plastic bag with the stores logo on it and the other was a large leather satchel. Inviting her in, they made their way over to the couch. Sitting down they made small talk about the apartment and how work had been that day.

Finally Trish broke off the chatter and said, "Well lets get started, and I think you will be very pleased with the dress I picked out for you."

Shea smiled and asked what she needed to do. Trish told her to just sit back and relax. Reaching over to the clothing bag she pulled out the golden dress from the night before. "I honestly believe you will be the prettiest girl there in this. I didn't know if you had shoes to match so I took the liberty to bring a pair with me. I borrowed them from a close personal friend so don't worry about scuffing the soles. They aren't from them store."

Shea watched as Trish pulled out a pair of golden high heel strapped shoes. They were gorgeous and under close inspection she realized they were Manolo. Shea was floored at how beautiful and expensive the shoes were.

"Oh my, I couldn't wear such expensive shoe." She said.

Trish replied, "Honey if the shoes don't match the dress then everyone will know you're broke."

Shea asked sheepishly, "Well how expensive is the dress?"