1 Week Before the Masquerade

"That can't be your best line. What is it really?" Hector asked his new recruiting partner.

"It is, I swear. Women love hearing things like that. Some of them laugh, but they still like it," Jonas answered, while parking their black SUV.

"Whatever, man," Hector chuckled and continued. "I wouldn't tell you what my best line is either... But it's not even about the lines with me anyway."

Both men flipped the SUV's sun visors down, slid the mirrors open and made sure their nose and teeth were free of any debris. Jonas popped a mint in his mouth and offered one to Hector, who declined in favor of his own brand. They exited the vehicle and walked around to meet each other at the back of the SUV.

"I'm feeling good about this mall, Hector. Loser picks up the bar tab tonight?" Jonas propositioned, while making sure his snug, navy blue polo shirt was tucked into his jeans evenly, showing off his athletic build.

"I'll take that bet. They want a white-girl, right? That's why you're number one. They always want white-girls. You're like catnip for the pigment impaired ones," Hector said to the six foot, blonde haired, blue eyed Jonas.

Jonas laughed and said. "Come on man, like the white-girls don't go for your shaved head, chocolate milk, half black half whatever else you are ass."

"Dominican and German," Hector said, as the pair began to walk toward the mall.

"Oh, that's right. You can speak Spanish. You can play that whole Latin lover, papi chulo, Ricky Ricardo angle."

Hector laughed and said. "Come on man, angles? I heard you told a woman you were that Swedish vampire from that TV show once. Heard it worked though."

"They tend to leave out the fact that she was so drunk she was actually calling me by the Swedish vampire's name in the show."

Hector turned his head to look up at Jonas and asked, "Did you bite her ass?"

"No, but she bit my nipple mid-fuck! I damn near lost my hard-on."

The pair stopped bullshitting as they entered the mall and walked over to the first directory they saw.

"Do you know who the VIPs are this time?" Hector asked.

"It's the biggie... Have you worked the masquerade before?" Jonas said, as he made a mental note of what side of the mall had all the higher-end stores.

"No shit? We get that?"

"That depends, killer. Let's go get the finest white-girl we can find in this yuppy ass mall."

They switched on the battery packs to their tape recorders and made sure the tiny microphones were still taped securely to their chests. Hector flipped a coin for 'who got the food court' and the two went their separate ways.

Jonas bought a bottle of water and began to stroll down the walkway, pausing every twenty yards or so, to scope out any women shopping alone. Looks were his top priority, followed by age. Nothing over twenty-five was standard for the masquerade. A single female, perfect body, the face of an angel. They did it this way because the masquerade club desired innocence. They craved seeing the innocence stripped from the eyes of their young ravished playthings. The thousand-yard stare of a prostitute left them unsatisfied. Only real girls could quench their twisted, perverted thirst.

Hector arrived at the food court and bought a California Cobb salad (the addition of avocado makes everything "California"). He grabbed his tray and headed over to a table, where a gorgeous blonde was eating alone. Luckily every table was pretty much packed, giving Hector an easy "in".

"Mind if I share the table with you?" Hector asked and glanced to both sides. "Looks like it's pretty packed in here."

The young blonde looked up from her book and motioned for him to take a seat.

"Thanks. What you reading?" Hector asked, while unwrapping his plastic fork.

"The Catcher in the Rye," the young woman said and playfully asked. "Have you heard of it?"

Hector paused to think before answering. "Oh yeah, yeah... about that catcher? I love baseball, I'll check it out sometime."

The young woman laughed, unsure if her new friend was joking or not, so she decided to put the book in her purse. She gazed at Hector's muscles and changed the topic, so he wouldn't turn her off with another cringeworthy statement.

"So... you shopping alone? Or you hiding out from your girlfriend?" She asked.

...

Jonas finished his water and focused on a young brunette, looking at purses across the walk-way from where he was standing. The kind of status symbol purses that cost as much as your mortgage. He noticed she was wearing knockoff sneakers, cut-off jean shorts and a simple yellow tank-top, with her black bra straps showing. He noticed her perfect athletic physique, flawless skin and soft innocent face. He also noticed her looking at those purses, like a kid looking at a toy they just couldn't have.

Jonas strolled over to the brightly lit store, nodded at the greeter and began to browse around. He noticed the girl in the cut-offs look up at him the second he walked in. He made sure to get closer and closer to her as he browsed, until they were eventually looking at the same dark brown designer laptop bag with little tan logos covering every inch of it.

"That's a beautiful bag. Kinda funny how it costs more than the laptop that goes in it though," Jonas said.

"Oh I know. I have a crappy one too," she laughed.

"What's your name? I'm Jonas."

"Hi, I'm Valerie," she said and extended her hand.

...

"Are you serious?" The young blonde laughed, stood up and began to gather her things.

"Whoa, whoa girl, I am serious. We can both make a lot of money," Hector stood up and continued. "Just one night, it can be fun."

"A word of advice. You need to work on your game because that was the weirdest attempt at picking me up I have ever heard. Enjoy your salad. Goodbye."

Hector watched the blonde's perfect ass in her yoga pants as she walked away. He threw his salad in the trash and began to walk toward the higher-end stores. As he was looking for new prey, he saw Jonas walk out of a store with a young beautiful brunette. She was holding a large shiny bag emblazoned with the store's logo and tissue paper poking out of the top.

"Son of a bitch. You bought her a fucking bag, Jonas." Hector mumbled, ducking behind a pillar, hoping to shadow Jonas and his conquest.

...

"You hungry? Let me get you some late lunch," Jonas offered.

"Sure, I think the food court is this way," Valerie smiled and tilted her head in Hector's direction.

"How about that Italian place on the other side of the mall. I hear that place is great. Come on, my treat."

"That place is really nice. Look at me, I'm in my cut-off shorts. I look like crap," Valerie said and slightly curled her lip.

"Oh please, I'm one-hundred percent positive that you're gonna be the prettiest girl in that restaurant when we walk in."

Valerie blushed, looked at the ground and began to say, "Me? No, I'm so plain."

"Stop, come on." Jonas grabbed Valerie's hand and they walked across the mall to the restaurant, with Hector following close behind. Jonas asked for a table for two and the pair patiently waited for their name to be called. A few short minutes later, the hostess led them to their table in the corner of the restaurant.

"I need to go freshen up, I feel a mess. Watch my stuff for me, Jonas."

"Alright, I'm gonna order us some appetizers, any suggestions?"

"Surprise me," Valerie said and made her way to the bathroom.

Jonas pulled his phone out and began to text Hector. Hector felt his phone buzz in his pocket as he took a seat at the restaurant's bar. He pulled it out, unlocked it and looked at the screen.

1 New Message

Jonas: You need to not be seen if you're following someone. Sit tight, have a drink. This shouldn't take more than an hour.

"Cocky motherfucker," Hector thought and replied.

Jonas saw Hector's message light up his phone's screen.

Hector: That girl looks fine. They will definitely pick her. Good luck.

Jonas ordered frutti di mare from the waitress then replied to Hector's text.

Jonas: You'll be my driver and backup at the masquerade. 5% alright?

Hector read the message. He looked up at Jonas from the elevated bar, in the middle of the restaurant, and nodded his head in agreement.

Valerie returned from the bathroom, sat across from Jonas and said, "That's better, I was feeling icky. What did you order?"

"Some grilled seafood, I hope you like it. It goes great with this Sauvignon Blanc."

"Mmmm, I can't wait. So tell me about this proposition. I'm kinda nervous, to be honest."

"Don't be nervous. Like I said, the bag is yours. Just hear me out on this. Listen to the whole thing, okay?"

"Okay," Valerie said and took a sip of her wine. "Oh that's good, sauvig… what was it again?"

"Sauvignon blanc," Jonas grinned.

For the next hour Jonas explained every sordid detail of his proposition to a wide-eyed Valerie, as she enjoyed the wine, grilled seafood and risotto, followed by lemon cake, which she was savoring now. She would occasionally interrupt to ask him to elaborate on some of the more peculiar details. Like the one regarding her personal life.

"You want to follow me around for a day, with a camera? The whole day? Why?"

"So I can put together a short film about you. Part of the reason you would be picked is because you're normal. Just a normal girl. I would need to spend a day recording you."

"They won't let you film me at work. Like, in the supermarket."

"That's fine. I just need some shots of you at home, in the evening. Playing with your dog, doing your homework, getting ready for work... showering. Stuff like that, normal stuff."

"Oh okay," Valerie said and took another bite of her cake.

Jonas continued to explain exactly who they would be dealing with. Why these men were dangerous when cornered. Why it was important that she never mention the masquerade to anyone, ever. How she would need to plan a trip to Las Vegas and come back with a great roulette story explaining how she was now twenty-five thousand dollars richer.

"Twenty-five thousand?" Valerie blurted out, causing an older couple next to them to turn and stare.

Jonas smiled at the old couple then turned back to Valerie and said, "Yeah, twenty-five thousand. Not bad right? These are powerful men. I could see that look in your eye when I was telling you what the masquerade is all about. You want to do this don't you?"

"I do, I do want to do this. You'll be there with me, right?"

"I will, and so will Hector." Jonas turned to look at Hector and nodded his head.

Hector waved at Valerie and took another sip of his beer.

"He'll help me make sure no one gets out of hand. Tomorrow I'll film you and make a short movie. If they pick you, I'll give you a call and I'll take you to get pampered all day at this spa I know."

"Getting pampered at a spa sounds so great."

"How about I take you, whether they pick you or not?"

"It's a deal," Valerie said.

She smiled and ate the last bite of her cake.There was a bit of frosting left on her plate that she quickly scooped up with the tip of her fork and licked off. She turned the fork upside down and put it in her mouth. She tightened her lips on the prongs and slowly pulled it out, leaving it clean. Valerie's hazel eyes looked right into his, making Jonas feel almost uncomfortable with the intensity of her gaze.

"I don't care about eating all of my cake and not having any left, Jonas."

Jonas sat watching her in silence for several seconds before asking, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know, I just thought it sounded cool."

5 Days Before the Masquerade

Jonas put the finishing touches on his movie about Valerie. It was thirty minutes of her. Her small life. Talking about her hopes for the future. What she would do if she won the lottery. Her morning routine. Her favorite books. Her chocolate Labrador. Her apartment. Her face. Her body. Her.

He took a sip of his coffee, opened the drawer of his desk and pulled out a small piece of paper with ten encrypted email addresses printed on it. He typed them into the appropriate space, wrote a short message, attached the video and sent it off. He took another sip of his coffee and closed his laptop. He stood up and walked out to his balcony on the 21st floor. He lit a cigarette and let the smoke rip through his lungs, as he gazed out at the sparkling downtown skyline.

"Here we go, Valerie, supermarket cashier. I hope you're ready for this..."

3 Days Before the Masquerade

Valerie was laying on her living room floor, watching TV with her dog, when she heard her phone ring. She grabbed it off the coffee table and answered it.

"Hello."

"Hey Valerie, it's me."

"Hello, Jonas."

"I have good news, sweetheart. You were picked. We are going to make a lot of money."

A pang of caution hit Valerie deep in her belly, as the reality of this whole surreal situation hit her. It was going to happen. She felt a tingle and a rush of moisture between her legs when Jonas said the words, "you were picked". They wanted her. They wanted to ravish her.

"They picked me?"

"They did. Tomorrow I'll pick you up early and drop you off at the spa. I'll be there around six in the morning."

"Okay, I'll be ready."

"Bring a book with you, I got you the all day deal."

"All day?"

"All day. Bring some music too."

"Okay, I will."

1 Day Before the Masquerade

Valerie was startled awake by the buzz of her cell phone under her pillow.

1 New Message

Jonas: I didn't knock because I figured you were asleep. I left a box right outside your door. Try everything on before noon and let me know if anything doesn't fit.

Valerie stretched and groaned in bed, before crawling out and slinking over to her front door. She opened it, squinted her eyes when the sunlight hit them and reached down to pick up the large, shiny white box with a black bow, Jonas had left her.

Valerie placed the box on her bed and pulled the black ribbon, unraveling the bow, and tossed it to the side. She removed the lid and parted the tissue paper. Inside were a pair of thigh high stockings and lace panties, with matching bra, all black. They rested, in a neat pile, on top of a beige tailored overcoat. To the side of the coat were a pair of tall black heels and a paper bag. Valerie opened the paper bag to find two enemas and two douches. There was a note from Jonas, explaining that she was to stop eating at nine PM tonight and that she was to do an enema and douche tomorrow morning when she woke up and again, two hours before the masquerade.

Valerie showered, dried her body and walked over to her bed. She looked at herself in her full body mirror and focused on a tiny mole on her hip that she wished wasn't there. She tried on the lingerie, heels and coat. She exaggeratedly posed several times in front of the mirror, laughing to herself. She found a pose she liked, took a picture with her phone and sent it to Jonas. She heard her phone instantly chime with Jonas' response.

1 New Message

Jonas: You look absolutely perfect. Tomorrow afternoon my friend, Olympia, will arrive at your place. She will help you with your hair and all of that. Hector will pick you up at eight.

9 Hours Before the Masquerade

Valerie opened her front door and stepped out, to sit on the steps leading up to her second story apartment. She saw a silver coupe whip into her parking spot and a thin, tatted up young woman, with short pink hair emerge. The young woman grabbed a couple of tool boxes out of her trunk and made her way up the stairs where Valerie was seated.

"Are you Olympia?" Valerie asked.

"Oh honey, You're beautiful. Where in the heck did Jonas find you?"

"The mall."

"Figures. Come on, let's go inside. I'm gonna attempt to make perfection even more... Fudge, I don't know... Perfect!" Olympia said, as she followed a smiling Valerie inside.

Olympia waxed, plucked, manicured, peeled and moisturized every inch of Valerie's body for the next few hours. She reminded her it was time for her enema again. She listened to her talk for a long while, about her dog and what she wanted to do with the money after tonight. She listened to her go on about how attractive she thought Jonas was and how she felt he might be gay. Olympia agreed that Jonas gave off gay vibes, but she assured her, in detail, he wasn't. She instructed Valerie it was time to put on the lingerie and coat. She put two tight French braids in Valerie's hair and applied some very light, natural makeup.

"Your ride will be here in an hour, sweetheart. You can eat something now. Not a lot but have some fruit or something, you must be starving. Jonas gave me something to give you. I left it on your bed... I'm going to go now. Have fun tonight. You got my number."

"Thank you for everything. I love my French braids."

"You make them look good baby."

Valerie hugged Olympia and walked her to the door. She watched her get in her silver coupe, pull out, almost hit her annoying stoned neighbor and drive away. Valerie stood in her doorway, looking at everyone's shitty cars, their cluttered patios, the defeat in their faces. She focused her honey colored eyes on one of her neighbors, wearing sweat pants, a faded T-shirt, her stringy dirty blonde hair in a loose ponytail. She was holding her crying baby, while shouting at her boyfriend,...