Beneath The Surface (Trample x Your Little Project)

[Your Little Project]

It was business as usual at The Law Offices of Jaffe & Ross, a thriving practice nestled just at the edge of the city. Founded half a century ago, their reputation had grown as the office continued to win case after case no matter the odds. It all boils down to the truth. At least that’s what the most recent advertising campaign had slapped all over it and with each shift in advertising the office itself also reflected the change. Every new client’s journey began the same way: two large, glass double doors opening into a spacious sitting room with a small secretary’s desk towards the back. From the lobby a small hall branched into two different wings of the office. The West end held conference rooms and smaller consultation offices while the East wing led to the heart of the company: The Pit.

The Pit was a vast sea of neutral-toned carpeting and open cubicles surrounded by the private offices of the lawyers and higher-ups that required a more private work space. At the very bottom of the totem pole were the handfuls of paralegals. Their desks formed a barrier of sorts between the cubicles and offices and were devoid of any privacy. Accessibility was the goal especially when paralegals weren’t assigned to specific groups or cases; they were scooped into cases as necessary and generally floated between tasks. While most of the paralegals detested the lack of privacy, Leah didn’t really have an opinion on the matter. Still in school, she was just thankful for the ability to have a job related to her degree of study. Her work reflected that opinion. Generally one of the first ones into the office and last one out, she’d been mentioned several times by leaders as a “promising up comer” upon graduation and passing the bar.

Leah was completing some forms before taking her lunch break. As everyone slowly filtered out of the Pit for lunch, a strange hush fell over the work space. Peeking up from her screen, a brief survey of her lack of coworkers was taken before saving her progress and minimizing everything to her desktop. Just as she moved to stand, she paused for a moment before settling back into her chair and opening a new web browser window and sign into her personal mail account. Glancing about once more, Leah ensured no one was behind her before hastily opening her inbox. What lie within would have shocked everyone. Dozens, no, hundreds of emails filled with perversions of a deviant nature. Some correspondences were nothing but erotic fiction; others were filled with selfie-like photos with darker sexual themes. She was apparently corresponding with countless strangers, yet the majority of them held one underlying theme: losing control.

While responding to one of her emails, a coworker walked up to her desk but couldn’t see the screen. Leah had been hiding this for months at work, so she was cool as a cucumber as she casually hit the power button on the monitor before standing to join in the conversation. “Sure, I’d love to get out of here for an hour!” She didn’t even think twice before sliding a loose-knit sweater over her button-up and grabbing her purse. No one had ever touched her computer or desk before and she’d only be gone for lunch. Feeling safe, she continued with small talk as they made their way out of the office.

 

[trample]

Ben Norris was fucking swamped. From behind his desk he had a view of the whole office, his rank on the totem pole not meriting a corner office or even one a few steps away from the comparative clamor of the office. Normally he didn't mind, as if nothing else he could see the pool of paralegals who were, every one, a lovely young lady. Some of them even dressed as if they knew that certain men in the office might be looking, and Ben was guilty of that from time to time. Nothing more, though. God forbid his promising legal career be derailed by some stupid office fling.

Today he didn't have time to look through the wall of windows and clear glass of his door for even a second, though. If he'd thought of it before he sat down he would have closed the blinds, actually, but he was so busy that by the time it occurred to him, he couldn't afford the two minutes it would take to do it. These contracts needed to be rewritten and sent to the client's legal department by four PM or the deal simply wasn't happening. Ben had come in early and he hadn't even taken off his jacket.

And now it was past noon and he couldn't find his notes. He scrolled through his files on his computer, brown eyes scanning every single label and opening every document that seemed plausible. He had been on a roll. It was going to be done hours early. There would be time for a final polish if needed.... and now he couldn't find his notes!

He went through his calendar and saw it was Leah who had been assigned to the meeting that day. He was sure she had the notes and would remember the language that they wanted amended. He didn't know much about her except that she seemed careful and very precise. And that she wasn't here?!

Ben rushed out to where the paralegals ought to be and saw nothing but empty desks. He realized it was lunch time and that kept him from becoming angry, but he did not have time to wait for anyone to get back. He sat down at her desk and turned on the monitor. And read. And looked.

After a few minutes of sitting there with his mouth falling open slightly, he shook himself out of it and pulled his keys from his pocket. Mesmerized as he was, he was aware of his situation. The thumbdrive on his keyring got every single bit of those amazing emails and photographs, and then he found the notes he needed in hardly any time at all. Her organization was impeccable.

He turned her monitor off and literally ran back to his desk, leaving things precisely as she left them while he, only mildly distracted, got back to beating the deadline by as much time as possible.

 

[Your Little Project]

Lunch came and went just as any other and when Leah finally made her way back to her desk, the first order of business was to power her monitor back on and close the browser with her personal email. Finally logged out, a small wave of relief soothed her nerves. There wasn’t much time to appreciate her comfort before a fresh stack of paper crammed into a manila folder was dropped on her desk by one of the senior members of the staff. “You’re going to have to proof this for me and get it back to my office by tomorrow morning, got it? Make sure the verbiage isn’t too complicated either. This client likes to feel in charge.” All she could muster was a weak nod before sliding the folder open and exposing the fat stack of paper to the light of day. Her heart sank as she gently thumbed through random sections; everything was a wreck. Typos, horrible grammar, even the fonts changed half way through. Was he drunk again?

It was obvious that this was a project that would be taking over the rest of her day. With a deep sigh and a jealous glance to the other paralegals, she began to write up a new draft. The task at hand felt as if there would be no end in sight, but eventually all things had to end, right? She worked diligently, tapping away at the keys and only looking away from the screen if directly addressed.

She certainly didn’t look like the type who would take sexy pictures or email lewd stories to strangers. Most days Leah wore plain pencil skirts hemmed just at her knees paired with a long-sleeved dress shirt that was always buttoned all the way up. Sometimes perfume was applied, but very little effort was applied to her wardrobe or makeup. While plain and simple, she was easy to overlook compared to some of the other girls. Many nights Leah pondered the consequences of choosing her appearance as secondary to her career and school. After all, a lot of the girls just sat there and giggled. She’d even heard a few of the men comparing them all in the break room; what did she rank?

It took her several hours just to try and decipher the meaning of the document followed by several more necessary to re-word and organize the contract in a manner that seemed structured and orderly. Once again, just as he saved the revised overhaul, she noticed the entire lack of staff. She glanced to a window; the sun had already set. Huffing softly, she began the process of printing out the revised contract and emailing it back to her senior. Knowing he preferred paper copies, the revision was tucked back into the manila envelope and placed atop his desk so that it would be the first thing he saw in the morning. Yawning softly, she gathered her things and began preparations to leave and head home.

 

[trample]

As he'd expected, Leah's notes had made it a routine matter to finish the task at hand. It was a good thing, too, because the unexpected discovery on Leah's computer had made it difficult to focus on his work. He implemented a kind of motivational rationing wherein Ben would force himself to proofread and finalize a certain number of pages before giving himself five minutes to peruse the contents of the thumb drive or just stare from behind the shades of the office window at the blonde who was furiously typing away.

He'd never really engaged in the sort of office shenanigans that many of his colleagues did, whether it was the objectifying discussion of the girls in the office or the few who took things further and actually wielded their power and influence for favors. He and Leah were actually probably viewed similarly by their respective peers. Ben was younger than his colleagues, modest and straight-laced as could be. The other attorneys were known to tease him about his apparent lack of a social life, accusing him of working too hard and not enjoying himself (even as they gave him more and more work so that it would be harder to actually follow their advice).

He tried hard not to be like them in some ways. He didn't leer or participate in the rankings, though he wasn't blind. He knew some of the girls were aware and were even trying to bump themselves higher. Sally had walked in on a conversation along those lines in Jerome's office just a few weeks ago, and her outfits had gotten progressively more risque ever since. Slacks went to skirts, and tops got tighter and lower. As far as Ben knew, it had worked and the exotic brunette was now arguably #1, not that he paid all that much attention to such nonsense.

He liked Leah for being above it and now he was looking at pictures of her on her hands and knees, pouting at the camera with her hand barely covering her nipples while he ran his finger along the hardening ridge of his erection through the wool of his trousers. He bit his lip and closed the browser window and got back to work.

He still beat the deadline and the documents were revised and signed before all parties (except for Ben, of course) jetted off to celebrate. Ben quickly typed up a memo to let the senior partners know of his success and then sent that off while a stack of documents he needed to read printed. He'd take them home and read them over dinner. A late dinner, actually, as he noticed the time... but dinner and a couple of drinks and some hard copies would keep him from distraction. The distraction being the thumbdrive in his pocket.

To his surprise, the very distraction herself was still sitting at her desk when he got up to head to the printer, and he froze in the doorway, staring for a second. Hard to imagine just how sultry and enticing the body under that outfit was.... the thoughts concealed behind those eyes straining at the monitor. Ben cleared his throat and said, "If that's for Marschack, he's not approved for overtime... you shouldn't have to stay this late to clean up his typos." He headed to the printer and got out the several-inches-thick stack of papers from the tray, not trusting himself to say anything more. As he passed back, though, he made a show of looking at the name plate on her cubicle. "Leah..." he smiled what he hoped was professional and perfunctory. "Have a good weekend."

And with that he headed back to his office, clenching his fist and memorizing the subtle perfume as he felt the thumbdrive in his pocket seem to radiate heat.

 

[Your Little Project]

With the majority of her attention focused on work, the sound of the printer whirring back to life caught her by genuine surprise because she hadn’t prompted it. The document took several minutes to print; not something that happened often with the industrial-sized hardware they had on hand. As Leah was finalizing the title of her document and saving backups on a hard drive, the somewhat comforting hum of the printer ceased. As if on queue, Ben emerged from his office to promptly collect the papers and point out that their co-worker was over stepping boundaries. As he spoke, her lips slowly parted as a blush of embarrassment crept over her cheeks and face.

She felt like a rug for being treated in such a manner by Marschack and, out of everyone in the office, it had to be Mister Ben Norris to point it out. They hadn’t exactly spent much time together, but working with him was always a very calming experience. Ben was a natural charmer but also firm when necessary; He always seemed to have a plan and it wasn’t easy to knock him out of stride. Leah, on the other hand, was struggling to find her voice. “Yeah,” she finally offered up with a soft chuckle. “I just have trouble saying no sometimes…” To anyone else that could have been innocent but, after his recent find, her words made a rather bold statement.

Who wouldn’t have noticed the strain he went through to read her name plate before addressing her? In an attempt to look un-phased, her response to it all was little more than a sweet smile and a few gentle nods. Something about him prompted an odd desire to be considered memorable and she acted upon it. Just as he stepped into the threshold of his office, a soft inquiry rang through the silence: “Mister Norris?”

She paused to give him a moment to turn and address her before approaching, only to stop a few feet from each other. “Are you leaving soon as well? Could you walk me to my car?” Okay, so it wasn’t the best bonding option, but at least there were now a few minutes that could be used to think of something clever to say. With no clue that Ben had already seen her nude and at her dirtiest, the way she spoke and acted now served as a stark contrast.

 

[darthwader]

It was business as usual at The Law Offices of Jaffe & Ross, a thriving practice nestled just at the edge of the city. Founded half a century ago, their reputation had grown as the office continued to win case after case no matter the odds. It all boils down to the truth. At least that’s what the most recent advertising campaign had slapped all over it and with each shift in advertising the office itself also reflected the change. Every new client’s journey began the same way: two large, glass double doors opening into a spacious sitting room with a small secretary’s desk towards the back. From the lobby a small hall branched into two different wings of the office. The West end held conference rooms and smaller consultation offices while the East wing led to the heart of the company: The Pit.

The Pit was a vast sea of neutral-toned carpeting and open cubicles surrounded by the private offices of the lawyers and higher-ups that required a more private work space. At the very bottom of the totem pole were the handfuls of paralegals. Their desks formed a barrier of sorts between the cubicles and offices and were devoid of any privacy. Accessibility was the goal especially when paralegals weren’t assigned to specific groups or cases; they were scooped into cases as necessary and generally floated between tasks. While most of the paralegals detested the lack of privacy, Leah didn’t really have an opinion on the matter. Still in school, she was just thankful for the ability to have a job related to her degree of study. Her work reflected that opinion. Generally one of the first ones into the office and last one out, she’d been mentioned several times by leaders as a “promising up comer” upon graduation and passing the bar.

Leah was completing some forms before taking her lunch break. As everyone slowly filtered out of the Pit for lunch, a strange hush fell over the work space. Peeking up from her screen, a brief survey of her lack of coworkers was taken before saving her progress and minimizing everything to her desktop. Just as she moved to stand, she paused for a moment before settling back into her chair and opening a new web browser window and sign into her personal mail account. Glancing about once more, Leah ensured no one was behind her before hastily opening her inbox. What lie within would have shocked everyone. Dozens, no, hundreds of emails filled with perversions of a deviant nature. Some correspondences were nothing but erotic fiction; others were filled with selfie-like photos with darker sexual themes. She was apparently corresponding with countless strangers, yet the majority of them held one underlying theme: losing control.

While responding to one of her emails, a coworker walked up to her desk but couldn’t see the screen. Leah had been hiding this for months at work, so she was cool as a cucumber as she casually hit the power button on the monitor before standing to join in the conversation. “Sure, I’d love to get out of here for an hour!” She didn’t even think twice before sliding a loose-knit sweater over her button-up and grabbing her purse. No one had ever touched her computer or desk before and she’d only be gone for lunch. Feeling safe, she continued with small talk as they made their way out of the office.

Would you like to continue this date?
I have some questions I would ask you.

xoxo,
The guy from the other side.