[tomb125]

A bit late...

The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, Naked, Part 1

I recently wrote this commissioned story for the winner of my ENF/EUF reference contest, featured in Primrose had Beginner's Luck, but Regina was Undone. The winner requested the clever plot for this fiction, and I believe we were both pleased with how it developed. The front-runner also graciously allowed me to share it with you all.

“…And if words cannot repay the debt we owe these men (and women), surely with our actions we must strive to keep faith with them and with the vision that led them to battle and to final sacrifice."

Please enjoy Memorial Day.

Cheers, tomb125!


*All characters are over 18 years old*


Daydreaming in the Boardroom



On a dreary fall morning in Puttyville, vice president Primrose Dubois, and other company officers attend a hurriedly prepared board meeting. At the end of a glistening mahogany table, the company president, Ernest Bastermats, rose from his seat.


“I have called you all here today to discuss my family’s concern about our regional rival, the Axis Chemical Company, and their advances into our market share.”


The foreign-owned competitor was rumored to be researching a new type of adhesive, and recently released a press statement indicating Axis would soon launch the product.


Ernest continued, “Ladies and gentlemen, we need to step up our efforts in all areas; Operations, Marketing, and Finance,” with a nod respectively to each functional area V.P. seated around the room. First to Primrose of Operations and Training, then to Finance and Edward French, and finally to Brooke Broadsheets, of Marketing.


“It is of paramount importance, that we as a company, form a united front, and hold the line against…”
As Mr. B droned on, Primrose found herself daydreaming. Currently, she was focused on spy novels and movies. Now, what her company president was talking about fueled her imagination. Her mind floated back to clandestine struggles, many reminiscent of the Cold War.


What she heard was: “Such times are when we need more than one (Third) Man” and “Today, we must not be (The) Quiet American(s)! We will press on to remote locations, to follow the (Icarus) Agenda to discover our real (Bourne) Identity!”


Her espionage-obsessed mind drifted first to an iconic European train station, like Keleti Pályaudva, in Budapest. Next, to post-war Vienna, the Riesenrad, followed by the nuclear submarine USS Tigerfish’s conning tower penetrating the polar pack near Ice Station Zebra, then a French steam locomotive puffing across the Perfume River, followed by the sultan of Oman, and finally to a jackal. These were all classic spy images and romantic Film Noir settings Primrose was so familiar with.


On she dreamed, recalling her classic spy thrillers. She imagined using covert methods to develop an informer at Axis. She would then arrange for an exchange to secure their rival’s secret glue formula. After such a coup, she could easily finagle Mr. B, take all credit, and get a big bonus. Bastermats Chemicals would be back on top. She then imagined being on top of her hunky flame, Edward, in only a fedora, stockings, and heels. Primrose felt her nipples stiffen and her panties moisten.


“That is correct Ms. Dubois, right… Primrose? Prim?”


Mr. B’s question roused her from her arousing reverie and back to the board room. She nearly bit off the end of the pencil in her mouth and crossed her legs to minimize the warm tingling between them.


“OH! Ahh… Uumm well… yes, sir…, of course…” the flustered and dry-mouthed Primrose babbled in concurrence to the conversation she was not following. An adept manager, Primrose quickly recovered, but regrettably realized she had just agreed to chair a stupid steering committee.



Primrose the Agent Provocateur



Back in her office, Primrose was unsure how to begin. Annie, seeing her boss perplexed, offered her assistance. Primrose waivered, but realizing she needed help with her plot, quickly revealed everything she was planning to her assistant.

She complained, “Oh, Annie…I just don’t know how to develop my contact at Axis.”


Annie thought for a moment then replied with a shout. “I’ve got it! Phishing…, no better yet, Whaling! I remember from our cyber security training. I’ll send out an email advertising a bogus engineering conference to get the traitor on the hook. Then, I’ll arrange for a clandestine correspondence via the classifieds in the Puttyville paper, The Exposé & News Fusion.”


“Miss Dubois, the logo for Axis Chemicals is a red bird, correct?” Annie asked.


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Three days later, Annie breathlessly brought Prim’s attention to a curious classified advertisement in the paper. Together they determined it to be a type of code.


Primrose immediately identified it as a simple Caesar's cipher she had read about. She quickly showed Annie how to decode the message.


It read: the crimson canary sings for the jay by the waterfront on south street, tomorrow at midnight-meet me alone on south street by the river-bring ten grand in c-notes and don’t be late-no double crosses!


Annie shouted, “We did it! I suggested a tryst down by the docks, and our “whale” took the bait! Okay, here’s what comes next…”


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Primrose told Annie to pick up her dry cleaning tomorrow and arrange for her to draw $10,000.00 in cash from the company’s discretionary fund, conveniently overseen by her dishy boyfriend Edward French, who wouldn’t raise an objection. She could not believe her plan was coming together so splendidly. Primmy smiled at Annie wickedly.


Annie smiled back and said, with her fingers crossed behind her back, “Primrose, I do hope you can keep this caper under wraps. I cannot imagine your compromised position if you were to be exposed.”