ZEBRA CAKES By Jolie du Pre' Copyright 2002 "Ms. Foster, Mr. Morgan would like to see you in his office." That morning, Harry Morgan had entered the building of Joseph and Grant sullen with his eyes to the floor. "Hi Harry," Jessica Foster had said, with a smile, when they met in the elevator. Normally, Harry would have smiled in return. Then he would have given Jessica a once-over. First he'd glance at her tight silk blouse, which hugged her ample chest, and then at her shapely legs. "You're looking very nice today," he would say. But today, Harry avoided looking at Jessica and grunted a nearly inaudible "hello." When they reached the 19th floor, Harry hurried out of the elevator and dashed to his office. He had what the others called "the look." It was "the look" he displayed the day he fired David Gibbons and the day Don Adams had to go. Jessica clenched her paper cup of hot Mocha Latte. The heat from the coffee warmed her hands as she breathed in its chocolate aroma. She had become a low-producing broker. Morgan had given her 90 days to sign 12 new customers. Now it was the 100th day and she had added only five accounts. She was down customers, down commissions. She was next to go and she knew it. Taking one last sip of her coffee, she placed her cup on her desk, rose from her chair and walked to Harry Morgan's office. "Come in Jessica," said Harry. Jessica entered Morgan's office and sat in the black chair in front of his large mahogany desk. The room was spacious, with floor to ceiling windows that showed all of downtown Chicago. She wondered if she could concentrate if it were her office, or if she would stare out of the windows and forget about cold calls and clients. "Jessica, let me get right to the point," said Harry. "When we hired you, you appeared to be a promising broker. But this year, you've failed to reach our quota. I gave you time to build your client list. We agreed on 12 new customers. You've given me five. I have no choice but to ask you to resign." "Forgive me," said Jessica, "but in our present economic environment acquiring 12 customers in three months is very difficult, sir. I need more time." "Brokers have signed twice as many customers in less time. Look Jessica, this is out of my hands. I can't afford to keep you." Harry leaned into his desk. "You'll need connections, and I can help you. Why don't you have dinner with me tonight so we can discuss this further?" "I'm assuming this is okay with your wife?" Harry leaned back in his chair. "You're going to need me Jessica. It's rough out there." "The only thing I need to do is get out of here, Harry. Goodbye." Jessica left Morgan's office and walked back to her desk. She asked the receptionist to help her find a box, and when she had one she began to empty the contents of her desk into the box. No one noticed her. As soon as the ticker began, so did the voices. Most were loud, some were angry, but they were always frantic. When she completed her degrees in finance and economics, five years before, she thought that being a stockbroker would be the most exciting job she could ever have. Sometimes it was when she landed that difficult client or made large sums of money for another. But somehow she had lost the edge. Perhaps it was the accumulation of lack of sleep and long hours and a diet that usually consisted of whatever she could grab on the run. She was tired and weak. A dull ache in the middle of her back, that had begun a year ago, grew more intense after a couple of hours at her desk chair. She knew she was stressed, but that was the nature of the job. If you couldn't keep up, you were fired. Outside Joseph and Grant, the sun shone through the tall buildings of downtown Chicago. The number of people on the streets had dwindled. Most were inside, ready to pounce back out again for lunch. Jessica stood on the pavement in front of Joseph and Grant, box in hand. Her long red hair blew in the crisp air of the windy Chicago fall. She looked at her box. Why hold on to it? She thought. She dumped the box and its contents into a garbage can, then hailed a cab to take her home. It didn't hit her, fully, that she was fired until she stepped inside her loft to silence. It was the same silence she experienced every day, yet the utter stillness was a stark reminder that Joseph and Grant was a thing of the past. She sat on her couch, turned on the television and stared at the screen. Then she cried, until she was exhausted and spent. At 6:00 a.m. the next day, Jessica rose as she always did. Her body clock was use to it. Later that morning, she turned on the television to CNBC and watched the ticker scroll along the bottom of the screen. She could feel the dull ache in her back tightened a bit as she thought of the fact that now she was an outsider. She turned off the television and looked around at her loft. It was a mess. A week's worth of dirty dishes were stacked in the sink. Items were scattered across her kitchen counter. Old Wall Street Journals were piled in the corner. Her clothes and shoes didn't seem to make it into the closet. Books and CD and DVD covers were strewn across her carpet. The only thing clean was her refrigerator, because it was empty. When was the last time she cooked herself a meal? And sex. She hadn't had sex in two years. Not that she was opposed to it, and not that she didn't want it. But a quick fuck, which was all she had time for, was not what she wanted. And the thought of another stockbroker in her apartment, after spending all day with them, sickened her. I need coffee and a paper, Jessica thought. She threw on jeans and a top, pulled her hair back into a ponytail and headed out the door. The trees lining her street were beginning to change with the onset of fall. It was quiet. Only a low murmur of distant traffic could be heard, and no one appeared to be near except for a mother with her stroller. A leave fell to Jessica's feet. It was orange with a slight touch of brown down its middle. Jessica picked it up and ran her hand over its center. She thought of her childhood and how she had climbed trees as a child. "Pretty leaves this time of year, aren't they?" Jessica looked around to see who was talking to her. There stood a white Little Debbie truck and its driver. He was tall and fit with broad shoulders and strong arms. His dark brown hair lay thick on his head, and he had bright blue eyes and straight white teeth. Drivers are getting better looking these days, Jessica thought. "Yes," Jessica said, "I think I'll take this one home. I used to love these as a kid." "This is a nice neighborhood with the trees and everything," said the driver. "Yeah, I guess I never really noticed before. Been too busy working. But now that I've lost my job, I'll have to walk around and take a look." "Oh, you've lost your job? Hey, that's a tough break. Been happening to a lot of people these days." The driver climbed into the back of his truck and came out holding a small box. "Here take this. It might brighten your day." Jessica smiled. "Well thanks, it just might." At home, sitting on her couch, Jessica stared at her gift. It was a box of Little Debbie Zebra Cakes. She opened the box and pulled one of the clear packages out of it. Inside the package were two octagon cakes, covered with white frosting, with chocolate stripes over their tops. She took a cake out of the package and took a bite. "Nothing like a nutritious breakfast," she joked to herself. When she glanced back at the box, she noticed a phone number written in the top left corner next to the words: Jim, call me. The image of his strong arms and perfect white teeth remained vivid in Jessica's mind. She had never considered a date with a truck driver, until now. That evening Jessica gave Jim a call, and they arranged to meet at Lincoln Park Zoo the following weekend. Jessica had moved from New Jersey to Chicago five years before, yet she had never visited Lincoln Park Zoo. She watched as Jim took delight in looking at the various animals and she was fascinated by how much he knew about some of them. They laughed and held hands. Jim was relaxed and having fun and Jessica took it all in. Later, over pizza and beer, they chatted about the Chicago Cubs and about their favorite television shows. For Jessica it felt good to talk about something other than the stock market. The day had been one of the most enjoyable that Jessica had ever had. "May I kiss you?" Jim asked. "Yes, please do," said Jessica, as they stood outside of Jim's apartment. Jim's kiss was unhurried and deliberate, and he had the softest lips Jessica had ever felt. Jessica placed her hands on Jim's shoulders and then to his thick, dark hair. Jim pulled Jessica close and continued to kiss her passionately. When he asked her to come inside his apartment, Jessica agreed without hesitation. Inside, they kissed on Jim's black leather couch. It felt good for her to be in a man's arms, to be in a man's apartment. She could feel the rapid beat of her heart and the throbbing between her legs intensify. She lowered her hand to Jim's crotch. His penis was hard and stiff under his jeans. "That feels good," said Jim. "I want you too Jim," Jessica assured him. Jim lifted Jessica from the couch and carried her to his bedroom, placing her gently on his bed. Jessica pulled her sweater over her head and removed it from her body, and then she took off her jean skirt, revealing a black silk bra and matching panties. She had always put money into her lingerie, even if no one but her had seen them lately. "Oh, this is nice. You're so beautiful," said Jim. "Now you!" said Jessica. Jim took off his shoes and shirt, then he undid his belt. But before he could remove his jeans, Jessica rose from the bed and yanked off his jeans and underwear in one swoop. Jim's cock, long and erect, stood at attention. Jim watched as Jessica lowered her head to his cock. Her tight buttocks rose in the air and her large breasts heaved gently out of the cups of her bra. She sucked slowly at it at first, and then she moved her mouth rapidly up and down. Saliva began to run down the sides of her mouth as she hungrily swallowed his shaft. "Stop! I don't want to come yet. Jess, let me have you a bit." Jessica looked up at Jim, wiped her mouth and smiled. Slowly, she laid down on the bed and sprawled out in a sexy pose. Jim grinned as he removed her bra to let her firm breasts escape. Then he slipped off her panties, leaving her completely naked. "You are so damn beautiful Jess," said Jim. He lowered his lips to her breasts, sucking and licking them, while Jessica held his head to her chest. "God, that feels so good," said Jessica. Afterwards, he moved down to the soft red curls on her mound and snuggled his face between her thighs, lapping at her juices. "I want you now Jim!" Jessica shouted. She pulled his face out of her crotch and pulled his body down to her. Reaching down to his cock, she grabbed it and pushed it into her vagina. Jim held her legs in the air and madly pounded into her. Sensing that Jessica was as close to orgasm as he was, he shouted, "Do you want to come with me?" Then Jessica screamed as she reached orgasm as Jim moaned and exploded into her. Afterwards, Jessica lay silent with her head on Jim's shoulder. She was keenly aware of her limp body and lucid mind. The dull strain she had felt in her back was gone. At that moment, she felt content. "May I ask you something?" said Jim "Sure, what?" said Jessica. "Why were you fired?" "I couldn't get enough clients." "Well, what are you gonna do about money? What are your plans?" "I've got money socked away Jim. I don't know, clean my loft, organize stuff. Got any room on that truck for a partner?" Jim laughed. "Yeah, I wouldn't mind staring at a cute redhead all day." Jessica laughed back. "Hey, you're not too bad yourself." She kissed him on the lips and then placed her head back on his shoulder. As her eyes glanced over his room, she noticed a box of Zebra Cakes on the dresser. She looked up at Jim and grinned. "You want one of those?" said Jim. "I thought you'd never ask!" said Jessica.     FUCK ME CALL ME 1-888-629-1661       to see more about this author click here