A Blush With Death

by India Ink

  I glanced at the oils. All synthetic, and all low grade. I’d have tossed them out if I found them in Venus Envy’s inventory.

  “You will find, in the bottom left drawer, notebooks, pencils, and other supplies. You can replenish them from the storeroom on the back wall. When you remove something from the storeroom, you are to make a notation on the clipboard you’ll find just inside the door. We keep track of how many supplies are used by each employee.”

  Oh yeah, this was getting more fun with every minute! When the boss counted how many Post-it notes his employees used, there was either a severe theft problem or a control issue. And I had the feeling that Bebe’s employees weren’t using that many stickies.

  Leila ticked off the next few points on her fingers, and I realized these were the big rules…the ones that could make you or break you, depending on how well you followed them.

  “You will find a wireless laptop in that drawer. You will not remove the computer from this room. Every evening, before you leave this building, you will file a progress report. The forms are on the computer. You will use company e-mail to voice concerns. You will not use this computer for any personal business whatsoever. You will not discuss your work with your immediate coworkers, nor will you ask them about their work. You will keep your mouth shut about your progress outside this room, unless specifically asked to discuss it by either Ms. Wilcox or myself. You will not discuss your salary. Do you understand?”

  I swallowed and nodded.

  “Good. Now, to your job duties. You are here to develop new fragrance lines for company products. As you know, most cosmetics, shampoos, and other assorted beauty products possess a chemical scent in their natural state. It’s your job to make them smell good—therefore you will be receiving samples of our products, on which you will experiment. You will not remove these samples from the building. Do you understand?”

  She was talking so fast that it was all I could do to keep up with her. I scribbled frantically, deciding silence was the better part of valor.

  “In addition, to maintain your position, you will be required to come up with three new fragrances a week for our fragrance lines. If you do not have a product to work on at the moment, you will create sample fragrances for future products. Very few of these will be acceptable, but we hope you’ll come up with several successes. Your work has been noticed, you have what it takes to develop viable products. However, since you are in our employ now, you will never claim that you’ve created a Bebe fragrance. Do you understand?”

  “One moment, please,” I said, breaking in with the hope that I was misunderstanding her. “Are you saying that you actually create perfumes here?” Creating a perfume was far more complex in scope than what I did at Venus Envy, but even my perfumery at Moss Rose Cottage was better equipped than this place. There was no way in hell I could make anything resembling a modern perfume with what I had here.

  Leila raised her eyebrows. “What seems to be eluding you?”

  “Perfume making is an exacting art. I blend fragrances, I don’t make perfume.” I glanced at her. “Sometimes, I’ve added a cologne base, but that’s only when my clients requested it, and again, it’s not the same as perfumery.”

  She shot me down with a well-aimed look of derision. “You won’t be making perfumes—not in that sense. You are a cog in a wheel here, Ms. Vanderbilt. Your job is to cover up unpleasant scents of our products with ones of a more fragrant nature. Do you need any further clarification?” She folded her arms, waiting.

  Keep quiet, I thought. Don’t blow it.

  “So, do you have any more questions?” Leila asked, looking ready to pounce. It was obvious that she didn’t like me, and I didn’t want to give her any reason to fire me. Though, considering I was here at Bebe’s request, I rather doubted she’d do that without consulting the head honcho herself.

  I shook my head. “No, I just didn’t understand at first.”

  She held my gaze for a moment longer, then gave me an abrupt nod. “Good. I suggest you spend an hour getting familiar with your station. Make certain you know how to use the computer, and if you have any questions, knock on my door. I’m down the hall, to the right. I’ll have one of the girls bring you some samples of a new rouge that needs a light fragrance. You’ll come up with five options by the end of tomorrow. If you fail to perform satisfactorily after a week, we’ll reevaluate your employment.”

  As she turned to swish her way out of the room, I could have sworn I saw little horns growing out of her head, but of course, it was a trick of the light. The real devil in this joint occupied the main office.

  When my lab mates returned from their break, they stopped cold, staring at me. One of them introduced herself as Janette. I recognized her; she’d been the tall blonde having words with Sharon at the convention. It dawned on me Leila had been the one separating the two. That’s where I’d seen her before.

  Janette stood in front of the pile of sample cards from other companies. Tall she was, and very blonde, with a wasp waist that belied her use of a corsetiere. She winked at me. “We know who you are,” she said. “Persia, from Venus Envy. I heard they were trying to recruit you, but I’m surprised they managed. Rumor has it you liked your work there.”

  Amy, petite and wide-eyed in that Japanese manga way, flashed me an infectious grin. “Janette’s blunt. Don’t mind her,” she said, picking up her sketch pad.

  I shrugged. “Blunt doesn’t hurt my feelings. My aunt and I had words; she thinks I did something I didn’t. One way or another, it led to me leaving.”

  The third member of our little quartet was Rhonda, a cagy brunette to whom I took an instant liking. She kept her eyes on my face as she introduced herself. “So, welcome to hell. They probably have this place bugged, but what the fuck? I’m good at my job; they aren’t going to fire me. Our intrepid leader, Leila, is brilliant, if a bitch. Hear that, Lee?” she called out, a grin on her face. “I just gave you a compliment, you old biddy.”

  Janette and Amy giggled, though I detected a certain nervousness in their laughter. I had the feeling they were less confident in their staying powers at Bebe’s than Rhonda was.

  “So, we aren’t supposed to talk about our work?” I asked.

  Rhonda snorted. “Of course we aren’t, but that doesn’t stop us, unless Ms. L is in the room. You’re working on the fragrances to scent this crap? Good. God knows we need it. Smell this.” She shoved a small pot of what looked like rouge in my face, and an acrid smell wafted up, reminding me of ammonia.

  I grimaced. “I’m supposed to cover that up?”

  “Apparently so. Good luck. Whatever you come up with is going to have to nullify that mess. God knows what it does to the skin.” She tossed the pot on my counter.

  I rested my elbows on the counter. “Why are you working here? You don’t seem too confident of the products.” I’d expected carbon copies of the Belles, but instead I’d found living, breathing people.

  Rhonda and Janette burst into laughter.

  Rhonda shook her head. “Rent. And it’s a stepping-stone to a bigger and better job. All I do is figure out the best way to remove the products from skin, which means I have to try the damned things on first. I’ve had more breakouts in the past six months than I had during puberty. I swear, this stuff is pure crap. I’m just biding my time till I can move on to another company and get out of this hellhole.”

  “What about the noncompetition agreement? Didn’t you have to sign one?” Just how did they plan on getting around that little matter? I wondered.

  Amy shrugged. “What are you talking about? We didn’t have to sign anything like that.”

  Interesting. So I was hired with restrictions. I hoped for their sake that the room wasn’t bugged, but decided to ask anyway. I turned to Amy and Janette. “So I’m working on fragrances. Rhonda’s trying out cleansing routines. What about you two?”

  Janette grinned. “I’m going through these samples, trying to find something that I think would be good
for Bebe to replicate. Amy’s sketching out sample bottles and packaging—she’s a commercial artist.”

  Just then, the phone rang and she dashed over to the table to answer it. As the other girls got to work, I opened my lower left drawer and pulled out the beat-up laptop that I found inside. I had just plugged it in and turned it on when I overheard Janette laugh.

  “Yeah, thanks Auntie T. No, I haven’t found it yet, but when I do, I’ll let you know. I know, you need it right away, but I’ve only got so much leeway. Yes, I promise. Yes. I love you, too.” She hung up. When she saw me watching her, she shrugged. “I lost one of my aunt’s earrings. I’ve been looking for it, but so far, no luck.”

  Though her explanation made perfect sense, I had the feeling she was lying to me. And something else about her conversation on the phone rang a bell, but I couldn’t place it. I returned to the laptop and started poking around. During lunchtime, I’d start investigating the building. Until then, I’d better look busy, just in case the big bad Ms. L dropped in to see how I was doing.

  Chapter Thirteen

  I spent the morning playing with the laptop and double-checking all of my supplies. The selection of oils was worse than I thought. I wouldn’t have to worry about creating something I might lose to Bebe while I was here—I wouldn’t want my name on anything made out of this schlock.

  By lunchtime I was starving, and the band on my skirt was beginning to cut into my waist. I thought about running home to change clothes, but when I peeked out the window and saw Leila leaving the building with another woman who looked like a Belle in full uniform—bright yellow coat and cream skirt—I decided to have a look around while I had the opportunity. I’d still have to be cautious, but at least the dragon lady wouldn’t be around to smack my hands if she caught me getting into anything.

  I begged off lunch with my coworkers, pleading a headache, and waited until they’d cleared out of the room. A quick glance in the supply closets told me there wasn’t much to be found beyond the barest-bones supplies.

  Hurrying into the hall, I was relieved to find it empty. It seemed the third floor was in the unpopular section of the camp. With a glance over my shoulder, I strode the length of the hall.

  One set of double doors marked Testing, and Authorized Personnel Only caught my eye. The glass on the front was glazed, but I squinted through the frosty pane and, after detecting no motion or sound from within, cautiously pushed on the door. At first, it seemed to be locked, but then I realized it was just stuck. I shoved harder, and it popped open.

  The lights were on, but the room had a musty odor to it, one of dust and mildew and faded urine. Wrinkling my nose against the assault, I glanced around. There were animal cages lining the back wall, but they were devoid of anything resembling food, fur, or feathers. A thick layer of dust coated the counters and furniture, and the sinks were bone dry. Now, this was more like what I’d been expecting, but the room had obviously gone unused for some time.

  Puzzled, I shook my head. Maybe their testing facility had been moved to another room? The Animal Freedom Association had been adamant that Bebe’s tested on animals. Could they be wrong? Or had Bebe merely gone underground to prevent a backlash?

  The filing cabinets in the room were empty, too, and I decided not to waste any more time here. I made sure the doors were fully shut behind me, and headed for Leila’s office.

  Though I made sure my temporary badge was affixed to my lab coat, I didn’t have to worry. The halls remained empty, and nobody was around to ask me what I was doing. Since I’d seen Leila carrying her purse as she left the building, I felt confident that she was going out for lunch. I knocked on her office door, and when there was no answer, carefully cracked it and peeked in. Nobody in sight.

  I slipped inside the room and closed the door. I had the urge to leave it ajar, so I could hear if anybody was coming, but it seemed that Leila preferred her privacy, and an open door might attract suspicion.

  Two doors on the other side of the room caught my attention, and I opened the first, holding my breath. A half bath. So Leila rated her own restroom? She must be fairly high up in the company. I noted with interest that none of Bebe’s cosmetics or toiletries graced the counter. In fact, a bottle of Venus Envy’s Lilac Bliss hand lotion sat on the faux marble top. My blood began to boil.

  They were trying to put us out of business, but they used our products? No doubt they were just frothing at the mouth to re-create everything that had our name on it. Forcing myself to remain calm, I closed the door and peeked in the next one, which proved to be a supply closet that was almost empty.

  Keeping one ear cocked for the sound of any movement, I headed toward Leila’s desk. Fastidiously neat, the heavy oak bench was old; I’d place it at fifty years, at the very least. Nothing I’d seen in this joint was even halfway as nice as this desk. I slipped into her chair and glanced over the papers on the desktop. There was a memo from Bebe about me starting work, but nothing of importance on it. A file of employee time sheets. A long list that I guessed were either current Bebe’s cosmetics or proposed names.

  Carefully replacing everything, I opened her desk drawers. Nada. Except for the lower right-hand drawer, which was locked. I glanced at the clock. I didn’t have time to try to pick it, and if I did manage to wrangle it open, chances were good that I wouldn’t be able to shut it properly.

  Moving to the file cabinet, I opened the first drawer at random. There, staring up at me, were three huge files. One bore the name Urban Gurlz, another was titled Donna Prima, and the third—Venus Envy.

  Bingo! I’d hit the jackpot. I reached for the file on Venus Envy when I heard laughter in the hall. Shit! I couldn’t get caught now! And then, I caught a whiff of Le Jardin filtering in from the other side of the door. Leila, all right. I glanced around, frantically searching for a place to hide. The bathroom was too risky; no doubt she’d go in there to freshen up after lunch. My one chance was the supply closet.

  I had barely secreted myself inside when I heard the outer door open. Thinking quickly, I slipped off my shoes and held them in my hands before pressing my ear against the wood. I heard a soft sigh, then a noise that I imagined was Leila setting down her bag. After another moment, her heels clicked by into the bathroom, followed by the sound of a door shutting firmly. I had no time to waste. Biting my lip, I carefully opened the supply closet door and shut it gently behind me, then silently tiptoed out of her office. I managed to close her door, slip on my shoes, and hurry back to the laboratory before anybody saw me.

  As I entered the lab, I saw Janette, Rhonda, and Amy coming down the hall from the elevator. I waited for them to catch up.

  “How’s your headache?” Janette asked. “Are you sure you don’t want any Tylenol?” She lifted her purse.

  I shook my head. “Thanks, but it’s better.” In truth, I really did have a headache now. A hunger headache, and a stress headache all mishmashed into one thumping head-pounder. Amy was holding a McDonald’s bag, and I glanced at it, not realizing I was staring.

  She grinned. “You didn’t manage any lunch, did you?”

  Ruefully, I shook my head. “No, I tried to rest for a bit to get rid of the headache and forgot to eat.”

  Rhonda snorted. “I’ve done that way too many times. Here, I’ve got a candy bar, if you’d like that?” She pulled out a Milky Way, and I accepted it gratefully. Amy handed me the rest of her fries, and Janette dug through her purse and came up with a small package of beef jerky. As I settled in at my station, I gulped down lunch and, for just a moment, felt sorry that I was pulling one over on them. They seemed nice enough, even though they worked for the enemy.

  The afternoon passed slowly. I mixed up a couple of batches of fragrance that I didn’t particularly like, but that—when blended with the products I’d been given—covered their chemical scent. While I jotted down the proportions for the samples on the report forms, I thought about those three files in Leila’s office.

  What was in them? What cou
ld take up so much room in the drawer? Each file had been a good inch thick, and the drawer had been empty save for a few other folders in the back that I hadn’t had a chance to look at. I had to get back in there and see what was hiding in those dossiers.

  As I thought about the three companies listed, I looked for something they had in common. Urban Gurlz I knew of by reputation. They were an up-and-coming riot grrrl enterprise, and their products bore distinctly unpalatable names, but they were popular among the teen set and the Goth kids, and they were actually rather pretty. Somehow, the gentle silver-gray eye shadow seemed much nicer if you didn’t think about it as Zombie Surprise.

  At Venus Envy, we didn’t make cosmetics, but we did specialize in toiletries and fragrances. And Donna Prima, of course, belonged to Killian, and was more like a micro-brew setup of a full-scale cosmetics firm.

  According to Killian, the formula Sharon had stolen from Donna Prima had the potential to earn big bucks. I wondered whether it was Julian or Trish who had come up with it.

  It occurred to me that if the product was indeed that good, maybe one of my coworkers had put in some time on it. Or maybe, they knew something about it. Wondering how to go about finding out, I puttered around with my work for another hour or so, looking busy, then on afternoon break, I followed the girls to the lounge. Thankfully, it was smoke-free. While Amy stretched out with her head down on the table, resting on her arms, Rhonda busied herself with coffee.

  I sidled up to Janette, who was gulping a small can of apple juice, along with a small bag of chocolate-covered peanuts. She looked a little pale.

  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “Will be in a few minutes. I go through food fast, and need to eat every few hours. I’m on a starch-free diet, and it works great, but I can’t skip meals or snacks.”