2 Alliance Square

"Ash," Tiffany said. "Good God, it's the weekend..."

"Ashley. Told you, I hate 'Ash,'" Ashley said.

"Ashley, don't you own any jeans?" Tiffany asked.

"Of course, but I'd rather be comfortable," Ashley said, opening the door of the condo.

At the Burns & Burns grocery store, Ashley and Tiffany were pleased to find out that they had similar tastes in food. But when Tiffany tried to veer into the aisle with the cookies, Ashley firmly guided their buggy past that aisle.

"You want cookies? I'll make you cookies," Ashley said firmly.

"What? But these are already made, just open the bag and start eating," Tiffany protested.

"I said..." Ashley stated.

"Period's about to start," Tiffany confided to Ashley. "When that happens, I just eat the shit out of peanut butter cookies."

"Peanut butter with chocolate chips?" Ashley suggested.

"Oh! Well, yum," Tiffany agreed.

"And root beer drop cookies?" Ashley continued.

"Root, never had them," Tiffany said.

Home again, Ashley quickly mixed up the batter for peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies. While the first sheet of the cookies baked, Ashley trotted up the stairs.

"Jesus," Ashley murmured as she sat on the corner of her bed, skirt hiked up to her waist. "Had to wear those shorts?"

In her mind's eye, while she rubbed her pussy, Ashley could see Tiffany's cute backside as the girl squatted down to get the six pack of bottled root beer. Ashley could imagine raking her fingernails over the two beautiful hillocks of flesh, then gently biting, nibbling on Tiffany's cute buttocks, before pulling the two hillocks apart so that she could taste Tiffany's sweaty anus.

Just before cresting, though, Ashley imagined kissing Tiffany's light pink, pouting lips. She bit down on her cry of pleasure.

"Fuck, you need to get laid," Ashley grunted to herself.

Ashly washed her hands in her private bathroom, then opened the door of her bedroom. Lady tried to enter Ashley's bedroom.

"No ma'am," Ashley said firmly. "Mine."

While the second batch of peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies baked, Ashley quickly mixed up a bowl of root beer cookie batter. She then covered the bowl and placed it into the refrigerator.

"I'll make those when I get back," Ashley promised as Tiffany was already chomping through the second of her peanut butter cookies.

"Tee time's not until two?" Tiffany mumbled.

"Need to eat lunch before I hit the course," Ashley smiled tightly and left the condo.

At the country club, Ashley did greet a few people, acquaintances she'd made over the years. As she chewed her way through the Waldorf salad, Ashley mused over the fact that she knew nearly everyone in this dining room, but could not call any of these people a friend of hers. She smiled as the cute waitress placed her rare tuna steak down to her right.

"Thank you, Abigail," Ashley said.

"I uh, yes ma'am, thank you," Abigail stammered, surprised that the diner had remembered her name. "I uh, ma'am, more iced tea?"

"Hmm, no, no thank you," Ashley said, eyeing her glass.

"Hey, Dunn! A thousand I beat your score this year," an unsmiling giant of a woman declared.

"With or without your handicap?" Ashley calmly asked the six foot three inch woman.

"Stroke for stroke," Melinda Loos stated firmly.

"Okay," Ashley agreed. "I win? Donate the money to Collier Children's Hospital in my name."

"Thank you," Abigail whispered, taking Ashley's salad bowl away.

"Hmm?" Ashley asked, looking at the waitress's shiny eyes.

"My sister, she..." Abigail started, then abruptly turned and walked away.

Ashley left Abigail a ten dollar tip, then went to the locker room. She greeted a few more people, smiling as some assured her that she would win the tournament easily.

"Stroke for stroke, Dunn," Melinda Loos called out just as Ashley prepared to tee off.

"Going give you a stroke do that shit again, Loos," Ashley muttered and sent her ball blazing toward the green.

"So? How'd you do?" Tiffany asked as Ashley returned, hot and sweaty and exhausted.

"First in Women's, second overall," Ashley wheezed.

"Yay!" Tiffany smiled and gave the sweaty woman a hug and kiss. "Oh, and supper's about ready; veggie lasagna, okay?"

"Oh, yeah, just need take a shower," Ashley said. "Took one at the club, but damned AC's out all of a sudden."

"Oh no," Tiffany sympathized.

In her shower, Ashley again masturbated. She used her small latex vibrator, first rubbing the humming toy over her hard nipples, back and forth, spreading the suds over her full breasts.

Then she trailed the buzzing toy down over her gasping belly to the small triangle of dark brown curls. Her bath gel created a slick area for her to work witt as she dragged her vibrator up and down her slit.

"Ung!" Ashley grunted out as the toy made contact with her clitoris.

"God yes," Ashley hissed as she held the vibrator over her clitoris.

She finally had to pull the toy away from her clitoris; it was becoming too sensitive. Then she swabbed her underarms and then rinsed off.

She was about to pull on another skirt and blouse, but then decided, even as the sun was still high in the sky, she would pull on a pair of tap pants and matching top. The pajamas were made from very soft combed cotton and seemed to shimmy and caress Ashley's skin as she moved.

"Lady, damn it, no!" Ashley cried out when the willful beast dashed into her bedroom.

"What'd she do?" Tiffany called up the stairs.

"Oh, ran into my, Lady! Don't you dare! Lady! Get out of there," Ashley fussed as Lady dashed underneath Ashley's four poster bed.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Tiffany said, climbing the stairs.

"Lady, come here, oh you brat," Ashley complained, on hands and knees.

Tiffany came into Ashley's bedroom and looked around. She'd not even seen glimpses of the bedroom before; Ashley kept the door tightly shut.

The bed was a beautiful, intricate cast iron bed. The armoire and low dresser and bedside tables were of a highly polished wood, as was a full length mirror that matched the furniture perfectly.

The bed itself had a fluffy comforter on it, and several matching pillows. The bed was neatly made; Tiffany would have been shocked if it had been unmade.

"Lady you come here, I can see you," Ashley fussed.

Tiffany was looking at Ashley's compact buttocks as her loose tap pants had fluttered upward. She was also looking at Ashley's neat triangle of dark fur and slightly puffy inner lips peeking out of the dark curls.

"Get on that side, I'll get on this side," Tiffany suggested.

Ashley wiggled around and now Tiffany was looking at Ashley's large breasts as they hung down. Tiffany got down on hands and knees on the left side of the bed and lifted the comforter.

Lady saw that she was trapped on the left and the right, so dashed out from the foot of the bed. She raced into the closet through the narrow opening.

"Ha! Got you," Ashley cried out, closing the door of the closet.

Tiffany put the comforter back down, face bright red. Ashley smiled, nodding with her head toward her closet.

"Okay, I'm going open it, you grab that bad girl," Ashley instructed.

Ashley did open the door. Lady lay on top of some of Ashley's shoes, perfectly content to stay there.

Tiffany grabbed the beast and stood up. Lady popped her tail a few times, to let them know she was not happy to be moved.

"Sorry. Oh, supper's on the table," Tiffany said.

"Be right there," Ashley promised as she closed her closet door.

Pulling on her slippers, Ashley wondered at Tiffany's heavy blush. She made sure her bedroom door was closed, then walked around to the opposite side of the bed.

"Oooh!" Ashley said, seeing the strap-on vibrator just underneath the bed. "So that's where it wound up; thought Penny had..."

Ashley put the instrument into her bedside table's bottom drawer, next to the three other toys and the tube of lubricant.

"Sorry," Tiffany apologized again when Ashley came down the stairs.

"Cats are like that, Tiffany," Ashley said, placing her hand on Tiffany's shoulder.

"That is a really cute set," Tiffany said, looking at Ashley's sleepwear.

"Mm-hmm," Ashley said, cutting a forkful of lasagna. "Think I ought to wear this for Pajama Monday?"

"Oh my God no!" Tiffany laughed.

On Monday morning, Tiffany followed Ashley to Townshend Motors so that Ashley could drop off her BMW, to have the AC repaired. Then the two rode into work together.

Nina Crowder looked up when Ashley came into the Call Center. She looked at Ashley, eyebrow raised.

"Uh, ain't you management now?" Nina asked.

"Uh, don't you worry about it?" Ashley asked.

Looking around the call center, Ashley walked the periphery of the room. She paused from time to time, head swiveling. Finally, she nodded her head and left the room.

Emily Ashford looked up and smiled when Ashley entered the room. She indicated an empty chair and Ashley took a seat.

"Okay, so, ready to get started?" Emily asked.

"Catrina needs to move to my old chair; I'll take her chair," Ashley said. "Its right there, at the far corner; that way I can keep an eye on the whole room, keep an eye on everyone."

"But, but management's up here," Emily said.

"Which is why half of them aren't meeting quota," Ashley said firmly.

"Um, how you know that?" Emily asked, glancing at her computer screen. "I'm only one..."

"...with the network log in," Ashley finished for Emily. "But I've got eyes and ears. Now, if they know the eyes and ears are right there, right next to them? I will bet you my first month's salary we see a fifteen percent jump in those numbers."

Clancy Roberts was severely hung over, so sent Xavier Cantrell down to do the switch. He also authorized the network tracking software to be loaded onto Ashley's computer.

Maintenance was alerted and a dry erase board was mounted on the wall next to the door. Wesley Smith simply shrugged his shoulders when a few of the women asked him what the board was for.

"Thursday..." Tiffany, Nina, and a few other women asked, reading the email that Ashley had sent out.

Thursday afternoon, at precisely four o'clock, Ashley stood up. She waved her hand to get everyone's attention.

"Finish the call you are on," she instructed in a strong voice. "Finish the call that you are on, then hold your hand up to indicate that you are finished."

When everyone had indicated that they were done, Ashley strode to the dry erase board. She pointed to the board.

Every month, I will tally up your logs. On the last day of the month, at twelve noon, I will post the top three producers for the month. First place gets a fifty dollar gift card. Second place gets a twenty five dollar gift card, and third place gets a ten dollar gift card."

Ashley let the small ripple of excitement die down. Then she fixed them with a steely stare.

"The lowest three? Will receive an email from me. My office is on the fifth floor. If you receive an email from me, you will be given an appointment time and you will report to my office at that time. At that meeting, we will discuss your numbers, we will discuss how to improve your numbers."

She looked from face to face. She kept her face neutral as she looked from worried face to worried face.

"Please, please do what you can to get your name on this board. Please, please do what you can to avoid getting an email from me," Ashley said. "Any questions?"

"I uh, how many chances you get, you know, if you get an email from you?" one of the women asked.

"One. The next email from me will be to let you know you are terminated," Ashley said firmly. "But listen. Being fired? Is not the worst thing in the world? Some of you just are not cut out to be collection agents. Some of you are just too damned nice. Fortunately, I don't have that problem."

"Boy, I'll say," someone murmured.

The woman froze when Ashley's eyes locked onto her. She blushed hotly and looked down at the floor.

Nina Crowder was elated to be the first one to win a fifty dollar gift card. Tiffany Powell was shocked to be one of the first to receive an email from Ashley Dunn with an appointment time of two o'clock.

"Our relationship outside of Prescott has nothing to do with our relationship inside of Prescott," Ashley stated when Tiffany took a seat in the austere office.

Tiffany mulled over Ashley's words. She honestly wasn't sure what their relationship was outside of 2 Alliance Square. They lived together. They ate together most of the time.

Even within the walls of the Eastlawn Condominium, though, there was very little interaction between Ashley and Tiffany. Tiffany had tried hugging Ashley, had tried giving Ashley affectionate kisses, but Ashley never seemed to fully warm up. Ashley never initiated the hugs, or the kisses, so Tiffany simply stopped with the displays of affection and friendship.

"This is not an indictment of you as a person, Tiffany," Ashley continued to drone. "Again, I am well aware of how difficult it is to be a collection agent; people are hostile, resentful, and many do become verbally abusive and threatening."

After five minutes, Tiffany was given a sheet of paper with the numbers she was expected to achieve. She signed it, Ashley signed it, then Ashley surprised Tiffany by giving Tiffany a firm hug.

"Again, Tiffany, it is not personal," Ashley whispered into Tiffany's ear. "Believe me, I tried to come up with excuse after excuse."

"No, no, I get it," Tiffany assured Ashley.

In the hallway, Tiffany was surprised to see Sarah McNaughton waiting to see Ashley. Ashley's ass had Sarah's lipstick smeared all over it from the continuous ass kissing Sarah did. Tiffany gave Sarah a reassuring nod then jammed the button for the elevator.

After the five minutes with Sarah, Ashley wanted to tell the forty year old woman to wipe her nose; there was a ring of brown around it. Sarah and Ashley both signed the paperwork and Ashley gave Sarah a firm handshake.

"Again, Mrs. McNaughton, I sincerely hope you can pull these numbers up," Ashley encouraged.

Ashley arrived home, pulling her BMW next to Tiffany's Nissan. It had been a long, grueling day, and she had gone to the gym to work out some of her frustrations. Again, some muscle bound cretin would not take her polite rebuffs. She had hoped to work off some of the pent up frustrations, but instead, managed to become more agitated.

"There she is. There's the mean woman," Tiffany teased when Ashley came into the home.

"Don't. Tiffany, please, just don't," Ashley begged.

"I'm sorry," Tiffany immediately said and wrapped her arms around Ashley.

Ashley held Tiffany firmly. Neither woman said anything for a long moment. Then Tiffany gently kissed Ashley's lips.

"Chicken stuffed with spinach and feta," Tiffany said. "Be ready in about..."

A soft 'ding' was heard from the kitchen.

"...um, now. Let me get the noodles out and we'll eat," Tiffany said.

On the last Friday of the month, Ashley reported that their numbers had seen a twenty three percent increase. She again talked about the dry erase board, the cash prices for first, second and third place, and spoke about the emails for the three bottom performers.

"Thank you, Emily," Brad said. "Remember, them phones ain't ringing..."

"Ashley," Penny snapped.

"Hmm?" Brad asked.

"You called her 'Emily' but her name is Ashley," Penny snapped.

"Oh," Brad said.

At the end of the next month, Ashley came down to the breakfast table. She ate the crepes Tiffany put on the table, sipped the coffee, then grabbed Tiffany's hand.

"I'm firing you today," Ashley blurted. "God damn, Tiffany, your numbers went down, not up."

Tiffany sat, mouth open in shock. She moved to jerk her hand out of Ashley's hand but Ashley was too strong.

"Listen, Tiffany, listen to me," Ashley ordered. "Your numbers are horrible. I don't fire you? There's no way I can fire anyone else, ever."

"God damned bitch!" Tiffany screamed at Ashley, finally jerking away from Ashley.

Tiffany stormed up the stairs. Lady waited in the kitchen, hoping Ashley would get her a few treats out of the bag on the counter.

Ashley did drop a few treats, then left the condo. Overhead, she could hear Tiffany marching back and forth. She could hear things being dropped, doors slamming.

Tiffany did not come into work that day. Sarah McNaughton also did not take being fired very well. Samantha Sanders actually cried when she received the email asking her to see Ashley Dunn at two thirty that afternoon.

Catrina Lookingland, the third person Ashley had called in on the previous month smiled when Ashley sent her an email, congratulating her on pulling her numbers up. She sent Ashley a reply, thanking her.

Ashley stayed in her office the rest of the day. Her end of the month paperwork was completed; she just had no desire to return to the call center.

Leaving 2 Alliance Square, she also had no desire to return home. She was sure she would find an empty home. She might even find some destruction. Tiffany had confessed to Ashley what she had done to one ex-boyfriend's prized Houston Texans towel.

Tiffany's Nissan was in its usual parking space. Ashley felt a weight fall from her shoulders, looking at the compact car.

But she was still wary, not knowing what awaited her behind the door. Ashley felt for and located her .38 snub nose pistol in her purse.

There was no chaos, there was no destruction. Ashley entered and smelled one of Tiffany's soups. She could also smell bacon so knew she would be dining on soup and a blt sandwich.

"You have a job interview tomorrow, at nine thirty with Ms. Recendez at Alliance Square Health Facilities," Ashley stated as she put her purse onto the small table.

"Oh?" Tiffany asked listlessly.

"She's in their billing department," Ashley said. "I was honest with her about everything, so please, you be honest with her too."

"Okay," Tiffany said flatly.

Supper was quiet. Afterward, Ashley went into her den and turned on her computer. Lady followed Ashley, then decided she wanted to jump onto the bookcases.

"Going swimming," Tiffany said from the doorway.

"Mm-hmm," Ashley murmured, letting Tiffany know she'd heard her.

The following evening, Ashley smiled as Tiffany prattled happily about the job interview with Charlotte Recendez. She had a good feeling about the interview, had a feeling she'd be hired on with the hospital.

"Did you do that for Sarah too?" Tiffany asked; already hearing through Catrina that Sarah had also been terminated.

"No. She's not my friend," Ashley said bluntly. "So, when did Ms. Recendez say she'd let you know?"

Again, after dinner, Ashley went into her den and sat at the computer. Lady again invaded the space and 'terrorized' a stuffed mouse Ashley had bought for her.

"You don't get enough of looking at a computer all day? "Tiffany asked, towel draped over her shoulder.

"That's work," Ashley said, not looking up. "This is personal. I'd fire anyone for doing personal stuff at work so I'm sure not going to do it."

Ms. Recendez called Tiffany the next day, Friday, and let Tiffany know she'd see her at 8:30 on Monday morning. Tiffany thanked the woman, verified the dress code, then hung up.

"Ashley, I got it!" Tiffany squealed into the phone when Ashley's voice mail answered. "That job at the hospital? I got it! I start Monday! Oh, I love you so much..."

Ashley listened to Tiffany's message over and over as she drove home from another grueling week of work at Prescott Conglomerate. She was sure that Robert Prescott was cursing himself, his wife, whomever was responsible for him having only Bradley Prescott as an heir to his enterprise.

"The man is an idiot. A complete and utter idiot," Ashley murmured as she pulled into her parking space.

"Did you get my message?" Tiffany squealed when Ashley entered the condo.