Accidental Woman - Chapter 5

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The next morning, Daryl busily prepared for the day ahead. He wanted to blend in, not to be noticed by anyone. He decided to wear a conventional women's basic business suit; a white long-sleeved top, a beige vest and knee-length skirt, shaded hose, and low unflattering heels. 

Daryl styled his wig in  a conservative manner and used unflattering makeup. The outfit gave him a  charming but not exceptional look. He checked his appearance in the mirror as Jordyn entered the room.  "You know you're going to get caught," she said in an angry tone. 

"No one at work will ever suspect it is me," Daryl retorted. "And you said  yourself that I can easily pass as feminine."  

"Why do you need to go?" Jordyn asked in a pleading voice. "Just stay here and live with me. Is that so bad?"  

Daryl turned and faced her. Tears slide down Jordyn's rosy cheeks. Daryl stepped forward and embraced her. "It's alright sweetie, it's alright," Daryl whispered in her ear.  

"I don't want to lose you," Jordyn whimpered. "Not now, not when everything  is going so well." 

"I know, I know," Daryl replied. "But I've got to do this; I have to clear  my name." Daryl broke their embrace and held Jordyn by the shoulders. He  looked her deep in the eye and said, "I won't abandon you; not now, not ever." 

Daryl suddenly realized what he had found. It was more valuable than any of the trinkets he used to own. It was more powerful than any position he held. It was more precious than any recognition he received. He had someone who cared for him.  Jordyn turned her head away and said, "Go on, be careful."  

"I'll see you tonight at the club," Daryl said reassuring her as he stepped out of the door.  The lobby was nearly empty as Daryl entered the building. The corporate office hadn't changed much in the three months that he was away. 

Although he had been coming to work here for nearly twenty years, he still felt uneasy. He felt like he did not belong there anymore.  

As Daryl approached the security desk, he became very nervous. Joe Lawson was sitting at the desk this morning. Joe was a sixty-year-old, retired Marine who Daryl had greeted every morning for the past few years. 

They often chatted about the week's football games, the weather, etc. Joe was the type of employee that Daryl liked, loyal, patient, and with a good disposition. 

There wasn't any way to avoid getting a security badge since he was a visitor. Daryl took a deep breath and kept moving.  He stopped at the security desk and said, "Hi, Daryl Taylor. I'm working for  Mr. Evan Wilson today." 

Daryl purposely spoke in almost a whisper, so he wouldn't give away his identity.  Joe looked through the papers on his clipboard until he found Daryl's name.  

"Here you go," he said while handing a badge to Daryl. "Wear this at all times while you are in the building. Be sure and return it here before you leave. Mr.  Wilson's office is on the seventh floor." Joe never made eye contact with Daryl the entire time.  

"Thank you," Daryl chimed as he stepped toward the elevator. He moved carelessly through the office, not getting anyone's attention. He saw many friends that he had worked with for years and several people he didn't recognize. The merger effectively made everyone strangers. 

Nobody took notice of the new woman on the floor.  Daryl knocked on Evan's door and entered without waiting for his response.  

He quickly shut the door behind him before Evan could say his name. 

"Daryl,  right on time as usual," Evan said.  "Well, I'm anxious to get started," Daryl replied.  

"Oh, this is Nicole Austin," Evan said motioning to his right. 

"This is Daryl  Caldwell."  Daryl looked to his left and immediately made eye contact with Nicole. Nicole stood up with her mouth slightly open. 

"Uh, hello," she said with surprise in her voice. 

"Hi," Daryl replied, "Evan, told me some great things about you." 

It was clear that Nicole was shocked by his appearance. Daryl was equally shocked. Nicole had a golden blonde hair pulled away from her face in a tight bun. She wore a very conservative grey business suit that did not present any of her feminine traits. She was tall, very tall. She towered over Daryl and Evan. She was at least 6'4" and wearing flat heels. 

"I forgot to tell Nicole you would be in disguise," Evan said sheepishly.  "I was expecting a middle-aged businessman, not his trophy wife," Nicole responded with a laugh. 

"Thanks," Daryl said as he laughed with her. He instantly liked Nicole's upfront attitude.  Daryl and Nicole went to search in the records department while Evan covered for Nicole and attempted to keep other people out of their way.

Daryl and Nicole poured over the records all morning and into the afternoon. They covered every detail of both companies' transactions, before and after the merger. They worked straight through lunch and never took a break. 

All their effort produced no leads.  

"Could you hand me the Dallas expenditures file, please," Nicole said.  

"Sure," Daryl said. He slowly turned his chair and walked the file cabinet. The file was slightly out of his reach, so he moved a small stool into position and stepped on it. He retrieved the file, handed it to Nicole, and sat back down.  

"That's amazing," Nicole said.  

"What," Daryl asked with a blank look on his face. He thought he had missed something in one of the files.  

"You," Nicole replied. "Every movement you make is so feminine. You stood up and straightened your skirt. You moved the stool by bending at the waist. You stepped on the stool gracefully. You sat back down with your legs together. 

It's sampling amazing."  Daryl smiled and felt his cheeks turning red. "Thanks, I've had a lot of practice," he replied. "Have you been doing this long? I mean dressing like a woman," Nicole asked.   

"Just about three months," Daryl answered.  "You act as though you've been doing it all your life," Nicole said. "You are  more feminine then most women I know, including me."  Daryl giggled. "You're very feminine and beautiful," he said. As he was finishing Evan entered the room.  

"Having any luck," Evan asked.  "Yes, all of it bad," Daryl answered  "Let's face it," Nicole said. "I don't think we'll ever find the money. The companies are too large."  

"She's right," Daryl sighed. "They could have hidden the money anywhere from the Harper and Wilson New York office, to the Bethel Los Angeles processing plant. It could be in the Harper and Wilson Miami port facility to  the Bethel warehouse in Kent Washington."  "Bethel doesn't have a warehouse in Kent," Nicole said. 

"Of course they did," Daryl replied, "I saw the listing on the new company's assets. I know Harper and Wilson never had a facility there." 

"I'm sure Bethel didn't," Nicole said. She opened a file and dug through some papers. "Here's a list of Bethel's assets before the merge, no warehouse in  

Kent Washington listed."  

"What's the address of the Washington Warehouse," Evan asked as he sat down in front of a computer.  

"754 South 240 Street," Nicole answered.  Evan typed the address into Microsoft MapPoint. "That would put the warehouse in the middle of Puget Sound," he said.  

"That's it," Daryl exclaimed. "They've set up a fake facility to launder the money through. What are the warehouse's assets?" he asked Nicole. Nicole looked through her papers. "I don't see any," she answered. She  feverishly typed on her computer for a few moments and said, 

"They do have  a payroll transfer scheduled next week."  

"How much?" Evan asked.  Nicole typed a bit more then smiled and said, "About 1.5 billion dollars."  

"How do you like that," Evan said sitting back in his chair. 

"They hid the  money in plain sight."  "Who could pull off something like that," Nicole questioned.  

"It would take several people," Daryl answered. "Someone at the top would have to approve the facility. Someone in finance would have to do the payroll.  Someone in IT would have to make sure there wasn't a paper trail."  "What about the SEC," Evan questioned. 

"Shouldn't they have caught this?" 

"Maybe they weren't looking for it," Daryl responded. "Maybe they told the  SEC it was going to be a new facility. Either way, we have to make sure the  payroll doesn't get transferred."  "We need to dig through the records to find out who set this up," Nicole said. 

"I can stay here all night," Evan said.  

"Oh what time is it," Daryl asked suddenly realizing the amount of time he  spent at the office today.  "About four," Evan answered, "Why?" 

"I've got to get to my job," Daryl said as he stood up and gathered his things.  "Job, what job?" Evan asked.  

"I'm a cocktail waitress at the Gemini Club," Daryl answered.  Evan began laughing hysterically. Daryl felt angry and snapped, "What's so funny about that? I'm paying my way and I'm a great waitress."  Evan tried to calm down. "It's just hard to imagine you, a corporate executive,  as a cocktail waitress," Evan said still snickering.  

"Hey, I was a waitress in High School," Nicole said as she slapped Evan on the back. "It's very hard work." 

"You don't have to imagine me as a waitress," Daryl said, "You can see for yourself. You two stay here and see what you can dig up on this Kent,  Washington warehouse. Come by the club later tonight and we'll talk more." 

"Okay, but don't expect us to tip you," Evan teased.

Daryl entered the elevator and pressed the button for the lobby. Just as the door was about to shut, someone stuck their hand in and stepped on. It was Linda  Berman, the new CIO who replaced Daryl. Daryl had only met her once,  so he wasn't too worried about being discovered. 

He gave her a glancing smile and looked away. She didn't even acknowledge his presence. That was typical of her behavior from everything Daryl had heard about her. She never concerned herself with employees, especially temporary workers, who were beneath her on the corporate ladder.  

The elevator stopped on the next floor and Adrian Harper stepped on. He was the CEO and grandson of the founder of Harper and Wilson Ltd. Cold chills went down Daryl's back. He had worked with Adrian for years. He and Adrian were never friends but they were friendly for business purposes. Daryl gave him a quick glancing smile and looked away. Fearing detection, he dared not look Adrian in the eyes. Adrian didn't seem interested in Daryl; he was more interested in chatting with Linda.  

"When will the Kent project be wrapped up?" 

Adrian asked Linda.  Daryl's ears perked up. He listened closely hoping to get a clue. He was amazed at the hubris of the two executives. They discussed the project openly in front of strangers.  "Soon," Linda answered. "We should open the project in two weeks."  

"Good," Adrian shot back with, "I need to get this done. Is everyone on  board?"    The elevator doors opened and the two executives exited and turned to the right in the direction of the company meeting rooms. Daryl thought about following them, but he didn't want to be so obvious. He decided to continue home and talk to Evan and Nicole about the incident later.  "Hey Miss, come back here," a familiar voice yelled. Daryl froze with fear.  

Who had discovered him? Daryl slowly turned to see Joe motioning for him to return to the security desk. Daryl slowly started walking to the desk and  Joe said, "I need your security badge." 

 "Oh yes, I forgot," Daryl said with a pleasant smile. He handed Joe the badge and began signing his name under the 'Out' column.  

"Did you find everything you needed, Daryl," Joe asked.  Daryl looked up from the paper to see Joe with a whimsical grin. He didn't  know what to say, but managed to blurt out, "Yes, I did, and I may have to  come back soon."    

"Let me know if I can help you in any way," Joe said as he put the badge away.  "Thanks," Daryl said. He turned and walked out of the lobby. 

It was good to know that there were still some people who believed in his innocence. That brief encounter with Joe made Daryl feel much better about everything he had gone through. He was now more determined than ever to find out the truth.  

"I hope this is the right place," Evan said as he squeezed his cheery-red  Porsche 911 into the parking place.  

"It's the only Gemini Club listed in the phone book," Nicole said reassuringly.  "It's hard to believe that Daryl works here," Evan said. "When he was our CIO  he was always in charge. Now he's waiting tables."  "I'm sure he is doing what he has to do to survive," Nicole said as they entered the club.    It was Friday night and the club was crowded as usual. Evan and Nicole looked totally out of place in their business attire. 

Everyone else was dressed to party. A glance across the room surprised, amused, and shocked the two outsiders. 

There were cross-dressers, young couples, and some people they just couldn't seem to figure out. But the crowd seemed very well behaved and everyone was enjoying themselves.  

"There you two are," a familiar voice in an unfamiliar outfit said. 

"I was  beginning to think you weren't coming." Daryl walked toward them carrying a tray of half-empty glasses. He did not look like the same Daryl who was once a leading executive.

 He didn't look like the Daryl they had worked with earlier that day. He was wearing in a short black mini-dress that showed plenty of cleavage, towering stilettos, and black-shaded nylons that showed off his taunt legs. His makeup was heavy and his lips and nails were as cherry red as  Evan's car. His red wig, styled to please, topped off a fantastically sexy look.  

"Wow, look at you," Nicole exclaimed.  

"Daryl, you look so, so ...," Evan stammered. He couldn't seem to get the words to come out of his mouth.  

"So sexy," Nicole said finishing his sentence.  

"Thanks," Daryl said, "I'm sure you say that to all the CIOs."  Evan and Nicole laughed a hardy laugh as Daryl led them to a table. 

"Evan, I  know you'll want a Michelob, Nicole what can I get you?" Daryl asked.  "Do you have a nice white wine," Nicole asked.  

"We have beer," Daryl giggled, "and a few liquors."  "I'll just have a lite beer from the tap," Nicole answered.  "Do you have any food here," Evan asked.  "Haven't you two had any supper?" Daryl asked. "It's nearly ten o'clock."  "No," Nicole answered, "we've been to busy at work. We did find some interesting things." 

 "We'll talk about that later," Daryl said. "I'll get you a hamburger and fries.  You two sit back and enjoy the show."  

"What show?" Evan asked.  "You'll see," Daryl answered with a mischievous grin.  As Nicole and Evan got comfortable in their chairs, the house lights went down. A spotlight hit the stage and Jordyn appeared. She was simply stunning. She wore a bare-shouldered red gown with a subtle cross bust that flattered her already ample breasts. The waist clung tightly to her hips and a slit ran down the right leg giving the onlooker a peak at her incredibly long legs.  

She began singing as the applause died down and the music began. Her first number was "Betty Davis Eyes" by Kim Carnes. Jordyn seemed to be scanning the audience as she sang. While the crowd applauded her first song,  Jordyn stepped down off the stage and made her way into the audience. 

The spotlight followed as she approached the table Evan and Nicole were sitting at. The music started and Jordyn began singing Sade's "Smooth Operator" to  Evan.    

Evan's face turned a bright red. He had been with his share of women, but none of them had ever done anything like this to get his attention. He didn't shy away though; instead, he savored every moment as this striking vixen sang to him.  After the song, Jordyn made her way back to the stage and continued her performance. She sang for the next hour, much to the delight of the crowd. 

 Nicole and Evan finished their meals and Daryl kept them happy with more drinks. After the show was finished, Daryl spotted Jordyn sitting with Evan.  The young couple was having the time of their lives, and Nicole looked like  the third wheel.