A Typical Day at the Office

* Closed for Scuttle Buttin'

OOC

Grace Simpson
26
Private Investigator


IC


One o'clock. Who the hell goes to a bar at one o'clock in the afternoon? Oh yea, a cheating bastard who is meeting his mistress for a little afternoon delight. Grace sat in a secluded corner of the bar, her camera phone aimed at the couple sitting in the booth across from her. The woman was clearly giving the man a nice little hand job beneath the table, at least she was if his groans of pleasure and the not so subtle mummers of "ooo baby don't stop" were any indication. The woman dipped below the table.

And there's the blow job, Grace thought. Come on slut, give me a money shot.

The camera snapped photo after photo as Grace watched the man reach down, presumably to force his cock further into the woman's mouth. After only two minutes the woman emerged from beneath the table, wiping the man's come from her lips.

Two minutes...that's it? Okay, maybe he has a huge dong. Otherwise I don't know what this woman sees in him. Grace smirked to herself as the man readjusted before paying the tab and vacating the booth with his mistress.

Her work done, Grace headed back to her office to upload the photos and send them to the wife. Now two in the afternoon, Grace was completely exhausted. She had been up since three that morning tracking cheating spouse after cheating spouse. Once these new photos were sent to the wife, Grace was looking forward to going home, taking a long hot bubble bath and downing a large glass of wine. Stepping into her office, her hopes of a relaxing afternoon were dashed when her assistant pointed to a woman reading a magazine just outside the door to Grace's private office. With a sigh, Grace moved to greet the woman.

"Hi, I'm Grace, how can I help you?"

The woman stood and shook Grace's hand with her own, showing off her carefully manicured fingers.

"I'm Charlotte," she said, a light Southern twang to her words, "I need you to follow my husband. I believe that he's been seeing someone else."

Grace showed Charlotte into her office. Charlotte, she guessed, was not too much older than her, probably in her early thirties. Her appearance was that of a woman who spent hours in the gym, the spa, and the salon, which probably didn't leave much time for her husband. Obviously she was from money, whether it was her husband's money or family money Grace wasn't sure.

"So, Charlotte," Grace said as Charlotte took the offered seat across from Grace's desk, "tell me everything you know or assume about your husband's infidelity."


***

The next morning, Grace climbed into her car and headed to the address that Charlotte had provided. It was their home address. Supposedly, after leaving the house each morning, her husband headed to the gym where he worked out then headed straight to the office. Grace saw the husband emerge from the house and get into his car. As he pulled out of the driveway, Grace counted to ten before starting her own car and following behind him at a safe distance.

Scott Gerson was 30 years old and already an account executive at Schwartz & Silva, a position usually not obtained before the age of 35 at the earliest. It happened thanks to a nearly-instinctual understanding of numbers - the reason he'd considered going into physics before he learned it didn't typically pay much - and it allowed him to find patterns and anomalies in data that others seemed to miss, making him an almost invaluable person to have in charge of your numbers. He had been headhunted by more than one rival firm, many offering him more pay, better benefits, a quicker shot at becoming partner, or some combination of the three, but so far he remained loyal. S&S had given him a shot when he was unproven, had promoted him when he deserved it instead of using his age against him to hold him back, and had promised him he'd be partner before he was 40, which would make him the youngest in the company's history by nearly half a decade. Other firms might be able to offer him more money, but few could offer the loyalty he'd been shown.

And so, he was up at 6 a.m. when his alarm went off, out of bed without need for a snooze button. Dressing quickly, he stepped into gym shorts and a plain t-shirt, then stepped into running shoes. His suit was on a hanger and in a bag, and a small bag of toiletries sat next to it, ready for his shower at the gym. He was out the door by 6:20, leaving a kiss on Charlotte's cheek as she slept, the cool morning air helping to wake him up without the need for coffee. Without a look around the neighborhood - why would he need to, after all? - he laid his suit across the backseat and slid behind the wheel of his silver Lexus, starting up the engine.

It was only a few miles to the gym, and he was on the treadmill and sweating by 6:40, his heart rate already making it's way towards his target range. His eyes were on one of the muted TV's in front of him, showing Matt Lauer talking to someone he did not know or care about, but his mind was going over reports, turning over numbers, making plans. Women were scattered around, toned asses and thighs working on treadmills and elliptical machines, flat midriffs and bouncing breasts on display. His eyes would occasionally drift over them, more out of instinct than any real interest, but his gaze wouldn't linger for long. There was just too much else going on in his mind to waste time focusing on all the scattered ass around him.

He pushed quickly through the first mile and worked his way, steadily and swiftly, towards the second, a thin sheen of sweat standing out on his skin, his eyes back to staring blankly at the TV.

For three days Grace had been following Scott Gerson and she had yet to find any evidence that he was cheating on his wife with anyone other than his gym membership. He spent more time in the gym than any man that Grace had ever known, and she couldn't help but wondering exactly what type of physique those suits of his were hiding. This was one of the rare occasions that Grace didn't mind meeting with the suspicious spouse and telling her that her husband was one hundred percent loyal to her.

Charlotte Gerson was waiting in Grace's office when the young investigator arrived from yet another afternoon of surveillance.

"Well, what did you find out?" Charlotte asked before Grace even had a chance to sit down at her desk. She could tell the other woman had just come from the salon, her nails had that freshly manicured shine and there was a bit of red to show where her eyebrows had been waxed.

"As far as I can tell, he's completely clean." Grace responded, popping open a can of cherry Coke, her only addiction. "I've been following him constantly and the only places he ever goes are the gym, the office, and sometimes the country club. And I haven't yet seen him with another woman."

Charlotte's brow furrowed and she shook her head vehemently. "No, this can't be right. He has to be cheating on me."

Warning bells went off in Grace's mind. Cocking her head, she surveyed Charlotte Gerson, her eyes raking over her six hundred dollar extensions and three hundred dollar highlights down to her, what were those...Prada, alligator skinned boots.

"Mrs. Gerson, if I may be so bold, why exactly are you so adamant that your husband is cheating on you? And I want the truth, Mrs. Gerson."

Charlotte sighed as she ran a weary hand through her hair. "Alright, listen, I want out. Out of this stupid marriage because, let's face it, Scott just doesn't do it for me anymore. But I signed a fuckin' pre-nup so if I divorce him I don't get anything. The only way that I walk away with money is if he cheats on me. There, you happy?"

Anger welled up inside Grace. She was not in this business to help people get out of their prenuptial. She did this so that lying, cheating bastards could get what they deserved.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me. How pathetic are you that you would hire me spy on your husband knowing full well that he's not actually cheating on you." She spat out angrily. "Get the hell out of my office right now."

"Look, I know that you're upset about this, but I can't stay married to Scott. He has to cheat on me. I'll give you three times your normal rate if you seduce him for me."

Grace paused. Three times her rate...that was fifty thousand dollars.

Times had been hard lately on Grace's business. Despite the fact that people wanted to catch their cheating spouses, nobody was willing to fork over the cash for her to do her job. The past due notices were piling up both in the business accounts and her personal accounts. Fifty grand would go along way to getting rid of some of those bills.

But to seduce someone? To basically pimp herself out in order to help some woman prove her husband would stray? This was far beyond what Grace had ever done. Could she really compromise her morals in order to help the rich get richer?

It's not like I actually have to sleep with the guy, she thought, just get some shots of him kissing me and maybe a hand job then the money is as good as mine.

She looked at Charlotte. "Make it seventy-five grand and we have a deal."



The next day, Grace donned a yellow sports bra and black shorts and headed to Scott Gerson's gym. She had gone the day before to sign up for a membership (on Charlotte's dime of course) and was all set to start her seduction. Working out on the punching bag, Grace waited for Scott to enter.

Another day, another dollar. 6 a.m. arrived bright and early, as it always did, and Scott was out of bed and dressing for the gym five minutes after his alarm went off. His routine was much the same as it always was: Wake, dress quickly, grab the clothes and showering items he'd packed up the night before, drink a glass of juice - he avoided coffee, and most all caffeine - and head out the door for the gym, and then work. He was right on schedule, backing out of the driveway at 6:19 a.m., and at the gym shortly after.

His routine remained the same, taking his things to the locker he rented and grabbing a drink of water on the way to the row of treadmills in front of TVs tuned to various morning news programs and The Weather Channel. As he passed by the area where the punching bags were, a rather striking redhead that he'd not noticed there before caught his eyes, and he allowed his gaze a moment to linger on her before he moved on to the treadmills.

Scott began at a slow jog, giving his muscles a bit of time to get warmed up before he increased the speed and worked his way into a good running pace. His eyes were staring, blankly for the most part, at the row of TVs as he ran, but occasionally he'd catch a flash of red out of the corner of his eye as the woman moved, and he couldn't help but to glance over at her once or twice. If he'd seen her here before, which he didn't think he had, she'd certainly been sporting a different hair color at the time. You didn't forget a color like that. It was likely fake, at least enhanced, and yet still somehow appealing, continually drawing his attention when so few other things at the gym did.

He realized as some point, as he passed the 1.5 mile mark, that he'd been looking at her far too much, and he silently chided himself for allowing his mind to drift like that. It had been a while since he and Charlotte had done anything, there seemed to be a growing distance between them that he didn't quite understand or know how to solve, and their sex life had been one of the first things to go. Because of this, he'd pondered giving up his time at the gym, or at least cutting back, because he found that a good workout always got his libido revved up. It was an easy thing to ignore when you went to work and were quickly drowned in charts and numbers, but on the weekends it became significantly more difficult.

Still, he was hopeful that whatever the problem was could be solved, and they would eventually go back to a sex life that had been, while not terribly adventurous, at least mostly satisfying.

As he closed in on two miles, curiosity got the best of him, and he let his eyes drift from the TVs again in search of the red head that had somehow nabbed his attention without even trying to.

One. Two. Breathe. One. Two. Breathe.

Grace could feel the sweat dripping down her body as she worked on the punching bag. Hitting the solid mass with quick, one-two punches, gave her an outlet for pent-up emotions. She wasn't used to working out in a gym where anyone and everyone could watch her, instead liking the privacy of her own home gym. But now was not the time to be self-conscious of being watched. After all, that was why she was here; to get Scott Gerson to watch her and, more importantly, to want her.

Already the set up was working. Grace had seen Scott looking at her every few minutes as she watched him in the mirror that faced out into the gym. She had chosen the punching bag for just that reason, its location in front of the mirror. Now that she had caught his attention, it was time to initiate contact.

Wiping the sweat from her forehead with her towel, Grace took a long drink of water as she moved to the elliptical machine beside Scott's treadmill.

Watching him from the corner of her eye as she got situated on the machine, Grace couldn't help but wonder what the hell Charlotte Gerson was thinking. Scott was an attractive man, there had to be some flaw though, something that would make his wife want to leave him. But, based strictly on his appearance, his looks were not that flaw.

She caught him glancing over at her again. Better get to work. Grace put on her brightest most girl-next-door smile and said a simple, "Hello."

At some point, not long past two miles, Scott glanced in her direction again... and found that she was gone. He was mildly surprised that he'd missed her leaving, but the fact that his mind had drifted to something other than her was not that shocking. There was a time, back in the day as they said, when Scott was something of a lady's man, dating frequently and with more than his share of sexual partners.

As he began getting promoted at Schwartz & Silva, however, he settled down, marrying Charlotte two months after he turned 26. They were approaching four years now, and it was still a bit surprising to Scott the way things had cooled between them. He feared that the money had corrupted her somehow - Charlotte had not come from a family of means, and the only reason he'd even been advised to have her sign the prenup was because of an inheritance he stood to get from his father, a not-so-small sum of money that he was told must remain in the family, to be passed down to his eventual children - but, he hoped he was wrong that it was just a strange phase they were going through. Still, something in the back of his mind said that she'd take a way out if she saw one right now, and so he didn't give his eyes permission to wander much. It was much easier to just-

His thoughts were interrupted by a voice to his left, and he found himself looking right at the red head he'd been watching at the punching bag. Had he been on an unforgiving treadmill that cared not whether he was running on the moving belt or standing and staring stupidly at a woman next to him, he probably would've fallen right out of his run. Instead, he just blinked, struck silent for moment, before forcing out a bit of a laugh and nodding in her direction, momentarily embarrassed at the way he was caught off guard.

"Hey," he said, the smile he gave her genuine and friendly, the flush in his cheeks from running thankfully hiding any blushing he may've done at his reaction to her, "How's it going?"

It was confirmed, Charlotte Gerson was out of her ever-lovin'-mind. At least, to Grace she was. Who could ever want to leave a man who had such a beautiful smile?

Grace gave herself a quick mental shake. Get it together, girl. We are not here to flirt...well OK, we are, but it's work not play. It felt too weird for her, being attracted to the person she was investigating, but Grace couldn't deny that Scott Gerson truly was a fine looking son of a bitch. And it suddenly occurred to her, at that moment when she found herself subtly checking him out, that Charlotte had never told her how far she needed to go in order for Scott to break the pre-nup.

Shit, she thought, I really should have figured that out. The man is fine and all, but no way am I pimping myself out even if it is for seventy-five grand.

Realizing that she hadn't yet responded to Scott's greeting, Grace quickly forced herself to focus on the task at hand. She could work out the details with Charlotte later.

"Sorry, I don't mean to bother you." She said. "I'm new here and just wanted to introduce myself around. I'm Grace, by the way."

At her apology, Scott laughed lightly, shaking his head. "No need to apologize," he said between breaths, still feeling a bit silly at being caught off guard by this woman he'd probably been not-so-subtly checking out. "I'm Scott, it's nice to meet you."

His gaze flickered down to the digital readout on the treadmill, noting that he was nearing three miles with only more to go in his typical run, meaning he had maybe ten minutes. That thought made his mind stop short, surprised that he was calculating how long he had with a woman he had just met and didn't know from any other person walking around this gym... with the lone exception that she had, somehow, someway, caught his eye. It had been a while since that had really happened, at least a year now and even then it had been a temp secretary in the office who was gone only a month after first arriving. They had flirted a little in her time in the office, but the gold bands around both of their fingers kept it from going anywhere beyond casual flirting at the copier, and when he'd looked back on it later Scott found that he was relieved she was gone, because he could feel himself starting to direct the sexual energy he wasn't releasing at home in her direction. It could've gone quiet badly.

Realizing that a silence had fallen between them, Scott pulled his eyes away from the treadmill's monitor and back to Grace. The ring around his finger felt like a lead weight pulling him down, and he was suddenly hyper-aware of it's presence. There was a strange energy in his chest when his eyes settled back on Grace, that desire to flirt that he'd not felt since the secretary flaring up inside him, almost as if there was some kind of electricity between the two of them that existed with no other person in this room.

"I'd imagine it's about like any other gym, but if you have any questions feel free to ask," he said with a smile, a bead of sweat running down his temple, "I've probably spent more time here in the last couple years than I should, really."

"I just might do that," Grace replied, her voice gone slightly husky and her lips pulled into a seductive smile as her eyes slowly went up and down Scott's body. "It would be nice to have somebody who could show me the ropes around here."

Grace glanced down at the elliptical's clock. She had to take things slow with Scott, build up some sexual tension between the two of them. She had been observing him long enough to know that he wasn't going to jump right into bed with her. No, he needed to feel that there was something between them, some form of connection.

She hopped off the elliptical and grabbed her towel. Slowly, she rubbed some of the sweat off her body, paying special attention to her neck, stomach, and, of course, breasts.

"Well, I'm headed to the showers now," she said. She gave him another once over, as if to commit his appearance to memories that she could call up later that night in the privacy of her own bedroom. "I hope I'll see you again." With a little wave she made her way towards the women's locker room, making sure to put a little extra sway in her hips as she walked.

Grace's eyes seemed to linger over his body, almost as if she was openly checking her out. There was, perhaps, a little room for ambiguity in it - distraction from her workout, lost in her own thoughts, whatever - but it was a reach to interpret it as anything but her boldly looking at his body, and not caring if he saw. It threw him a little, made him feel a little off-balance, an impressive feat considering the fact that he'd been talking to her for only a few minutes. It was not hard for Scott to forget he was married when she looked him like that, her smile reaching up into her eyes.

And showing her the ropes? he wondered to himself, Was that a double entendre? Was she subtly implying a desire to be tied-

Scott shut the thought down before it could even be finished, fighting the urge to roll his eyes at himself as he did. He was clearly letting his mind run away with itself, disappear into a fantasy world where he was having sex far more regularly - preferably with his wife, yes, but it was hard to ignore what they said about beggars and choosers - and there was no reason to interpret her words as anything more than one friendly person talking to another one.

He was a bit relieved when she stopped the elliptical and jumped off, hoping it wouldn't make the silence that had descended around them seem as awkward as he felt it was. Were he a single man, he would have been quite confident that Grace would be joining him for a drink after their workout here. Instead, he would drink alone and go home to a house that was likely empty while Charlotte was out shopping. It was enough to make...a......man........

He realized with a blink that he was staring as she toweled herself off next to the machine, his eyes freely roaming her toned arms and firm breasts and strong legs. With considerable effort, he forced his eyes onto one of the muted TVs in front of him, staring blankly at it while she moved just on the edge of his peripheral vision. He was thankful his legs continued to move on their own, or he would've been ejected off the back of the treadmill without question.

Her voice brought him back to reality, his eyes drawn right back to her before he even realized they were moving, and he was just in time to see her look him over once again. Either his zipper was open and he was hanging out of it - an impossibility since the shorts he was wearing didn't have one - or she was quite clearly and openly checking him out. Still, he managed to nod, trying desperately not to picture her in the showers as he did.

"Yeah," he replied brightly and breathlessly, "Hope to see you around!" He nodded as she waved, then turned his eyes back to the TV, although yet again he was looking but not seeing what was displayed there. He saw her moving again in his peripheral vision, this time on the other side, and his eyes were drawn to her like a moth to a flame. His gaze descended quickly, from red hair to strong back to swaying hips to firm ass, and he watched her until she disappeared around the corner.

Once she was gone, he blinked and shook his head, swiping a hand towel across his face as he did. What the fuck had gotten into him? He felt like a ridiculous high school boy. Maybe it was just being tired from the past week, distracted by the tumbling thoughts of his marriage problems... hopefully it was just a strange, one-time problem, whatever it was. It was a busy gym, so the chances he saw her again were slim anyway.

Feeling a little more relaxed, Scott finished up his run and hit the showers himself, though thoughts of her under her own hot spray of water lingered a bit in the back of his mind. He was, mostly, free of them when he stepped back into the bright weekend sunshine, and with a stop to toss his bag into the back seat of his car, he made his way towards the small coffee shop at the end of the plaza where the gym was located. He often stopped by here after a weekend workout, usually to waste a little time reading the morning papers before he headed home to discover whether or not he'd actually see his wife that day.

Stepping through the open door, the temperature nice enough that they could leave the store open without the need to use the air conditioner, he ordered an iced coffee and bought the day's Wall Street Journal, and made his way over to the counter to wait for his drink. Leaning against the counter, he held the folded paper and let his eyes scan the headlines, looking for anything that might catch his eye while he waited.

Showered and refreshed, Grace gathered up her things from the locker room and headed out of the gym.

It was clear that Scott was fascinated by her, at least if his covert glances at her were any indication. But Grace couldn't help feeling a bit dirty. True this was just another job, but she had never had to seduce someone's husband before. The whole situation was leaving her with a bad taste in her mouth.

Making her way down the street, Grace contemplated whether or not she should call Charlotte and tell her to find someone else to do her dirty work.

But it is a lot of money, Grace thought, and I do have all those bills...

Heaving a frustrated sigh, the distracted young detective decided to get some coffee. Caffeine always helped to clear her head. There was a small coffee shop not far from the gym, and Grace made her way inside, her mind still preoccupied with her current case.

"Shit." She muttered as she walked through the open door. Her outburst brought glares from a group of older, white-haired ladies. But they would have sworn too if they had seen what Grace did. Leaning against the counter, dressed in a fresh suit and with his hair still slightly damp from the shower, stood Scott Gerson.

Damn, why does he have to look so good right now, Grace thought as she took a moment to look him up and down. She couldn't deny that she was extremely attracted to the man, and perhaps that was why she felt so horrible seducing him.

Grace paused in the doorway, debating whether or not to go further into the shop. If she went up to order he would undoubtedly see her and then Grace would have to continue what she'd started. But, if she just turned and walked out, that would give her more time to figure out what she wanted to do. She was torn. Grace could only pray that Scott didn't look up and see her standing there like a complete idiot.

"Scott!" the barista called out, nabbing his attention away from the story he was reading about prices on the Dow responding to the credit crisis in Europe. He was about to turn and take the waiting drink when a shapely silhouette topped with red, like a sundae with a cherry on top. A grin touched on his lips, and he quickly forced it away, realizing it might not seem proper for a married man to be excited at seeing a presumably single, obviously attractive woman he'd just been speaking to in the gym. The last thing he needed in his marriage was for someone that knew Charlotte to see that reaction and get the wrong idea.

Instead of waiting to see if she noticed him, and knowing the barista was just over his shoulder waiting to give him his drink so she could return to work, he turned and accepted it from her, nodding his thanks and slipping a coffee clutch around the cup. Folding the newspaper, he tucked it under the arm of the navy suit he wore and lifted his cup, turning back to find Grace still standing in the doorway. Pausing where he stood in front of the counter, he frowned slightly as he considered her, wondering if she was thrown by seeing him there, or if there was some strange social anxiety disorder at work. Perhaps she had OCD and had to count to 50 before entering a room...

Stepping away from the counter changed the angle of the sunlight, and he could see that Grace's eyes were on him. Meeting her gaze, Scott smiled and nodded causing a damp strand of hair to fall across his forehead, not wanting to call out to her across a coffee shop, only making the potential for a scene that would make it's way back to his wife someway, somehow, that much larger. With the paper still tucked under his arm, he crossed the floor to where the little cart with cream and sugar stood, coincidentally near the door closer to he. Once he was within a more conversational distance, he allowed himself finally to speak as he reached for the container of half & half.

"Hey, Grace," he said, his eyes glancing down at his cup as he popped off the lid and added a bit of half & half to the dark coffee. Looking back up to her, a teasing grin crept across his lips, "If I don't quit running into you like this, I'm going to start thinking you're stalking me."