by P. S. Power
What the man didn’t have going on, what no one in the room with her particularly did, was the ability to hold her interest for even one moment longer. Linda had to force a smile to her lips, then use magic to change how she was feeling about the matter. That didn't just help, of course. She made the people with her completely fascinating, so she could stand being around them.
It was interesting, really. Logically she needed to sell the role she was playing, since she was hiding from the government, instead of just fixing the situation she’d found herself in. That, of course, was a game for her. She could, potentially, even sell it as being an exercise for Division Six, to allow them a chance to flex their muscles, protecting her from incarceration.
A thing that wasn’t needed. Not really. The DHS head had asked for her to be picked up. The Agents on the scene had forgotten to do that, since it could have been a problem. So far no one had spoken of a warrant for her arrest or anything like that. If she wanted, she could simply take over the head of the DHS, making the man her slave, then alter the orders he gave. If that wasn’t enough, there was always the President.
Given that she could do that to both men, from the room she was in, all the way across the country from either, sort of meant she wasn’t in any real danger at all. That her life, at the moment, was a game being used to try and keep her from feeling too bored.
She nearly blinked, then suppressed that desire, since there was no reason for Linda to be doing that sort of thing. Not in shock. Instead she checked the camera angle and the sound levels as the others read their lines.
Those, she analyzed closely, but didn’t comment on. After ten minutes, they were done for the day.
Donald gestured for the cams to be turned off, at least.
“Great work, Honey. We’ll get these to Bill and Sarah today. Linda, can you see to that for us?” He looked at her then, smiling, but with enough attention to show that he actually meant what he was saying. He was asking her if she’d do it. Not using the question as a covert order.
Linda was already on her feet, so simply nodded. A single sharp and efficient looking move.
“I’m on that then. I need to use an editing program first. Just to make certain we present this correctly.” The computer on her desk had enough power for that, if not the correct software.
The others just looked at her funny, for some reason. As if editing was hard or something like that. Then, most of the time the people doing casting were lucky to get raw footage with good sound. Even in the modern age when such things were cheap and easy to come by.
Steve smiled at her.
“Thanks. That sounds great.” It was clear he didn't know if it would be yet, but it was nice that he bothered to say anything at all.
She didn't wait to see if Cynthia bothered to set up a date properly. Really, that entire line of things, while nice enough, wasn’t her business. They seemed like decent people and matchmaking was a pastime, she supposed. There was simply no real way for her to particularly benefit from the whole thing. Not unless she was collecting Cynthia Remark as one of her people. Which, well, she probably was.
Keeley simply didn’t have a real plan for her, other than helping her out to be nice. At least she was pretending that was the case, at the moment.
It took her about two hours to have an edited copy of the line reading, ready to go. There were three scenes, which mainly focused on the actress from several different angles. A few flubs were removed, those mainly belonging to Don, since it made the whole thing run just a bit smoother not to have them. The extra noise in the room, mainly from people moving and breathing, was taken out as well.
Cynthia didn’t stick around for that part, but had waved on her way past. Steve did something similar, but Donald actually moved behind her desk and leaned over her, his body pressing against her back in a way that probably would have led to either sex or a lawsuit, if she were anyone else.
“This is… Good. Solid work. I didn’t know you had a background on the tech side. Then… I talked to Joan last night. She mentioned that she hadn’t set anything up at all here. I’m sure she just forgot.” He tensed a bit, his words low.
A bit suspicious sounding, really. As if temps didn't just show up on their own or something. Clearly, they did. At least part of the time.
Instead of lying, she just snorted at him.
“I didn’t think you’d bother to do that. Were you asking her about how she’d found a gem like me?” Keeley could have made a bigger deal of it. Really, if she’d wanted to be bothered, she could have talked him around to thinking that Joan had done it and then just forgotten.
Instead she simply glanced at him, her wrinkled face attractive enough, for her apparent age.
The producer simply took a deep breath and then stood up.
“Basically. I was thinking about getting you in as my new assistant. Really, I still am. It takes balls to just walk in and take over like that. You nailed it, too. Not that I don’t need to know more about you. I mean, who sent you, if it wasn’t Joan? A different agency? I’ll match what they’re paying you, if you’ll tell me why you were sent in the first place.”
That was interesting to hear, since she hadn’t really considered the idea of infiltrations as a huge problem for a production company. They might steal each other’s ideas, but that didn't take having a person on the inside really. A few bugs would do the trick and be a lot easier to get, and keep, in place.
She just snorted.
“It’s me. Keeley Thomson? I’d noticed that you had this nice desk available the other day, so stayed for a visit, that’s all. I really do have people coming in this afternoon though, if you want to meet them. At four? Karen and Kait, along with a visit by Judy Swan. For now, I should get this sent off.”
She started to send the compiled file to the correct places, even as the man stood there for a moment, taking in what she was saying. Instead of going ballistic at the betrayal or seeming put out, he laughed. It was genuine seeming even.
“Keels? That’s insane, girl! I love the new look, by the way. Is this the face you’re using for Reality Wars? It’s perfect for it. Just the right split between grandma and actress. You need an accent though, I think. How are you with things like that?”
She shrugged, not bothering to put one on at the moment.
“Pick the one you want, or give me a list of a few to test out? Really though, I should get with Krista on that part. I can do pretty much anything. I’m fluent in… Well, more languages than you know exist, as well. I can do an English language accent from any of those.” Without it even being a hardship.
As she tapped the last few keys, making certain the right people were going to see the reading, Keeley stood up.
“I’ll stay, for the rest of the afternoon? Right now, I need to get with work, to see if the DHS has bothered to become reasonable overnight. If not… Well, I’ll make some phone calls. I’m not a Greater Demon anymore. That doesn’t mean I don’t know all the old tricks.”
She didn’t mention what those might be, of course. Donald could amuse himself thinking she meant torture or what not. Then again, he knew first hand that people could be bent to her will, without too much of a struggle. He was even cold enough, inside, to have her take someone else as a slave just to have his work day needs met.
For his part, the man just patted her on the arm.
“Thanks, Doll. I appreciate the help here. Really, I should get you to stay on. You’re nearly as good at this as Steve is. I didn’t realize how much of my job he’d been doing for me, until he got his own projects going. Not that I’m going to whine about it. It was time for him to strike out and fly on his own.”
Patting her shoulder again, taking time to rub a bit, he finally moved back, into his own office space. Leaving her to get her own things done. Which didn’t happen, of course. The phone didn’t just start ringing, but kept up at it for over an hour, without letting up. Most of the things were just people asking for appointments.
A few of them were a bit more hostile than that, since they involved subtle attempts to blackmail Don. She took the messages down, but also noticed a pattern in the mix. The three women that had called, seeming to be digging for money or acting jobs, weren’t in the computer system at all. They were all actresses, of course. Young ones. Girls that were too young to have had much of a past with Donald.
Searching his memories, she found two of them. They’d met the man in passing at the same party. Given how young they were, they’d pretty much been invited as prostitutes. Ones with acting aspirations, but a lot of the lower talent women in Hollywood started out that way. The rent had to be paid and doing things with producers and directors not only made them money, but could and sometimes did, lead to other work.
She was willing to bet that the third would be blackmailer was in that same group. Probably from the same party. Keeley looked them up, using a reverse phone directory, plus by cracking their cell phone service providers. That told her a lot, really. All three of them lived together.
Giving them ample time to come up with a plan. It wasn’t that brilliant of one. They’d each hinted that they knew Donald really well. That he’d promised them things. They weren’t specific however. Each of them had also mentioned that, if he didn't play ball, they’d go to the tabloids with their stories.
At about three, she had a package of information ready on each of them. It was one thing for a woman to put out and then regret what she’d done later. That was foolish, but normal, really. Hatching a blackmail scheme out of whole cloth, based only on a person’s reputation as a sleezy producer was taking things to a whole new level, of course. She was mildly impressed by the effort.
Not that she was going to let it take place.
When Don came back out, she waved the files at him. They were on the computer, but had also been printed out and placed in vanilla colored files. That just seemed a bit more professional. She even had pictures of each of the women inside.
Don took the things, and seemed baffled.
“Are these talent you want me to look at? They need glossies. Cute enough, I suppose. Can any of them act?”
She giggled, which got him to smile a bit, if hesitantly.
“These are the women that are planning to blackmail you. With lies, even. As far as I can tell they’re all fairly medium level as far as acting goes. Considering you threw two of them back into the pool at a party, even while addicted to sex, that probably means they aren’t really worth putting a lot of effort into. We can destroy them, if you want?” That would take her about ten minutes, if she wanted to do a good job. Or she could take them as slaves and order it done, without ever meeting one of them in person.
Don just sighed.
“Crap. One of those kinds of things. Again. It happens about twice a year. It didn’t used to be as big of a problem, but since people have caught on to the whole me-too thing, the blackmail has been kind of thick on the ground. Bad enough dealing with the ones that I actually slept with. I didn’t even hit on any of them though? That’s different. With a few drinks in me, I tend to just sort of… Um, you know, not be as discriminating or polite as I should?”
She could see that one from his memories.
“No doubt. Still, these young ladies should know better than to come after one of my people. How would you like it handled?” She was willing enough to have them killed, even. Mainly for being a nuisance. Sighing, she made herself not think that kind of thing. She only used focus though, not magic. That left a small trace of the feeling inside of her.
The one that spoke of violence as the answer to a relatively petty issue.
Donald just shrugged, looking at the papers again and what was written on the third page of each. That was a transcript of the phone calls that had been made.
“None of them actually asked for money? There’s a hint about the papers, but no direct threats… You know, call them back and have them come in for a reading? If they can act at all, we might find them a bit part or two. If not, then I’ll have to have them talked to. I have a guy for that. I try not to use him.”
He looked guilty then, since having people roughed up to silence them wasn’t exactly what a nice guy had done. Then again, if people were going to lie about you in order to take your money or damage your reputation, it sounded fair to her. It wasn’t like he could handle it in court. Not if women were going to lie about him having tried to have sex with them.
She nodded at him.
“I’ll set that up. Let me… I need to make sure that I’m here for that. Keeley me, by then, most likely. So… Call it next week?”
He didn’t really seem thrilled, but agreed.
“That sounds right. Thanks. One of the hazards of the job these days, I’m afraid. It was better back in the day when they either put out or they didn’t, and a guy asking for a bit of attention wasn’t going to lose everything if a woman got a little neurotic about things.”
She snorted at him.
“Times change. Either change with them or lose all you have. That’s pretty much a constant of life. As it stands, you’ll probably have to leave the business inside the next few years. There are too many women from your past who are going to realize that having slept with you twenty years ago means that they can use you as a golden ticket, now. Not all of them can be given jobs, either.” Looks faded, over time, after all.
The man grunted, and seemed sad. Then he tapped the closed files in his palm.
“You know… That’s probably right. I don’t really know how to do anything else. I could retire, but I look good now. I feel better than I did at forty, even. It seems a shame to go and sit by a beach all day, with all this energy.” He seemed to mean it.
She understood the idea, at least.
“It’s important to keep busy. The thing is, if women come after you, then you need to be out of the public eye. Move into something like writing or pottery. Things where you can be almost invisible, while still making things of value.” Not that either of those would be a great fit for the man.
He was right, after all. He’d pretty much nailed down his own personal best life, early on and then created a world around himself that worked for him.
On the good side, she could pick something for him, and just order him to get good at it, when the time came. That wouldn’t give him talent he didn’t have, of course, but most people were capable of a lot more than they thought they were. He could even do something like learn to sing or become a musician or song writer. That or, as she’d mentioned, learned to be a potter.
That was probably the better idea, really. Something like that. A craft. Possibly one with a slightly higher return on investment. Working in ceramics was a good way to go broke.
Don just seemed a bit glum, and headed to his office again. Leaving her to set up the appointments for the three would be blackmailers. She was just finishing up on that when Judy Swan walked in. Alone, and holding a clutch bag.
She smiled, her eyes lively as she took in Linda. Who, older or not, seemed Human and like she might just be able to provide a good time. Alede weren’t picky about who they had sex with. They just needed the energy that was provided by the act itself, after it was expelled from the host. As feeding styles went it was probably the most economical one possible. It didn’t actually take anything from the Human at all.
The actress locked eyes with Linda then, flirting.
“Hello! I’m actually meeting some people here, as strange as that might seem. I’m Judy Swan?” She seemed a bit nervous, as if she realized how very odd it might seem to a third party. Meeting at someone else’s office, not even asking to see anyone who worked there.
Linda grinned back.
“Hi, Judy. It’s me. Keeley. Well, Linda, for the moment. You get the idea. Shape shifting.”
The woman was quick, mentally, for all she seemed to get by in the world based on looks and acting talent. A lot of good actors were a bit smarter than average, so it wasn’t a surprise.<
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“Hi! I wasn’t sure. You look… Good, actually. Different. Is everyone here? I could call Kait and see what the plan is?”
Linda let her head move side to side for a bit.
“That… Really, I should get with Karen and make sure she managed to get up at all and at least called Kaitlyn to ask if she wanted to come. There’s a risk in having others do things that way. It’s the point here. Trying to get Karen hooked up with the right people. She suddenly has powers and no training at all in how to deal with any of them. The truth is that she’s a bit flaky, or has been in the past. We can’t have someone like that running around, able to kill hundreds of innocents if she does the wrong thing. That or enslave them. It’s inside her abilities to use pleasure for that. I don’t think she understands that yet.”
Judy didn’t wince at the news.
“That’s something all my people have to learn to deal with. We know how to teach people not to do that. Plus… Alede are the poster children for being flaky. Should you call, then?” She didn’t even sound nervous about the idea.
Keeley winked at the pretty Alede.
“Let me see to that. I’ll…” She was pleasantly surprised, if not shocked, when both Kait and Karen walked in then. The two girls were similar looking. Gorgeous on a level that left the universe aching, in their passing.
Kait had curly dark hair, which made soft ringlets. Her eyes were brown. Other than the color, Karen looked similar enough to be her sister. She was a bit better looking, since Kait always dressed down, wearing ugly glasses with thick rims and things like jeans and t-shirts. She tried to sell a hot nerd girl look. It barely worked, but standing next to Karen she faded a tiny bit.
Judy was less attractive by a good bit than either of them. Even if she was considered a beauty in the real world. She was also a blonde, even if she was Kait’s grandmother. They all looked to be about twenty-three, of course. Alede did and Karen was built on that model.
They all hugged, with Judy making a point to rub herself all over Karen’s front. It was sexy enough that three sets of nipples were at attention when Donald walked out into the front space.