by M F Adele
Problem solved.
Just kidding.
Kinda.
“You have fun with that. I’m going to go play darts with those guys over there. They look pretty good, but I wonder if they like to gamble.” I smirked at him as I eased away from the bar with my drink.
They saw me coming from across the room. With eyes locked on me, they stalked me like the predators they were, not sensing me as the bigger predator. Yet. That’s cute. They don’t know they’re my prey.
I threw a few hundred dollar bills on the table where they had their drinks and began flirting in my most sultry voice. “You boys up for a little fun? I’ve got a bill for each male that can beat me.” Take the bait boys, take the bait.
I made eye contact with each one, smirk still held firmly in place, and waited for them to make a decision. They all bobbed their heads and the leader of their little pack stepped up. “Do you know how to play or are we just gonna be taking your daddy’s money? Not that I mind. This bar is no place for a prissy little rich cunt or that faggot you came in with.” Ha. Ha. Jack would eat them alive.
I smiled brightly and let my canines elongate. They’d underestimate me if they thought I was just a shifter female. Without missing a beat, the condescending reply slipped beyond my full lips in a velvety voice, “Oh, daddy, show me how to lose, and then maybe you can teach me to submit.” I pouted a little for that extra effect. They didn’t notice my attitude at all.
I wanted to pat myself on the back for hustling them so effortlessly. I lost the first game on purpose, then dominated the next five before they seemed to figure out I was hustling them. When they couldn’t pay me anymore, I decided to make them strip in the middle of the bar. “Strip boys. You owe this rich cunt money so I’ll be taking your shit. Have fun covering your tab.” I gave them a sweet finger wave and strutted to the bar to pay my own tab with the money I had just won off them. Fuuuuck them. I would have paid their tabs too. If they hadn’t called Jack a faggot.
All in all... it was a good night. I did a fuck load of flirting with those burly shifters during the games we played. I left the bar and went home alone, which wasn’t anything unusual for me. Jack went home with that male I was sure wasn’t into other males, even though I had no idea which one he was talking about. That was his favorite drinking game though. So again, not that crazy for a night out with Jack.
When I roused the next morning it was 10am and my alarm clock was screaming at me. I had a headache from hell and someone was banging on my bedroom door. Lovely. Just fucking lovely. Whoever it was could wait. I needed to get dressed. I was in a foul mood and missing coffee. I did not rest well after coming home a few hours ago.
I didn’t need a ton of sleep, or really any at all, but resting my body was normally a good refresher. It wasn’t this morning. I had the same nightmare of a memory that I got whenever I drank too much. It wasn’t some made up shit in my head like a regular nightmare either. It was the past and it liked to come back to bite me in the ass when I least expected it. I just wished I could remember everything instead of that one scene. There were some things missing, but after years of the same dreamlike situation nothing new ever appeared.
Cold, damp stone floor touches my cheek as my eyes crack open. My head is killing me and I know there’s a large gash behind my right ear. I feel the wound throbbing and my blood still leaking into my hair. Why hasn’t it healed yet? It should’ve healed by now. Is it new?
I slowly sit up to look around, trying to get my bearings to see where I am or if anyone is nearby, but all I see is stone walls dripping with water. A mossy looking substance covers parts of the walls where the water drips down. Algae?
It smells like dirty water, not the ocean. That sort of helps me narrow down the location. Not by much though.
I close my eyes and try to focus more on my heightened sense of smell.
I can smell that people have been down here every couple of hours, wherever here is. The scents meld together but I can pick out four different people. Maybe five. One is familiar but I can’t place it. It’s too faint.
I know I’m under the ground near water or under the water, but I can’t catch much of anything else. No trees, no grass, no dirt. No exhaust from the city factories or cars.
Well, there is one more thing I become aware of as I sniff the rancid, moldy air around me.
Death. New and close by.
I pop my eyes back open and scan the cell I’m in, no one else is here with me. Then I walk to the bars and scan the cell across from me.
There. In the back left corner of the cell across from me is a body. His arms and legs lay in odd angles while his back rests in a pool of blood on the stone floor. His face is looking in my direction, but he’s looking past me. Long, dark grey hair is matted together with the blood around his body. It’s still draining down his face from his nose and eyes. His ice blue irises are cloudy and lifeless. He died terrified, but for himself or for someone else? I don’t know.
I argue with myself, but ultimately decide I need to take a closer look.
As I fade through the bars in front of me I hear a door open to my right. Heavy boots pound on the stairs, taking them two at a time.
I twist and back myself through the dead guys cell bars while keeping my eyes focused in the direction of the incoming male. I don’t fade back into sight. I stay hidden from the threat.
The male with the loud footsteps comes into view, peeking into my cell. He’s the familiar smell I noticed a moment ago, but who is he?
“I know you’re in here somewhere, Sweetheart. Come out, come out, wherever you are.....”
He calls quietly to me. Why is he looking for me?
I silently pad over to the dead male and look him over. I find nothing. Nothing except his eyes. They look familiar too. Have I seen this man before? Or maybe I’ll meet him soon. How did he get here and how did he die?
“Damn it, Sloane.” The man with the familiar scent whispers frantically. “Where did you go? I need to get you out of here while they still trust me. We talked about this last night. It’s time to go”
Yeah, maybe we did, but that last blow to my head won’t let me remember anything before waking up. I don’t know who this man is or what he wants with me. My heart aches a little when I decide it’s time for me to leave. They may have caught me, but they’ll never keep me in that cell. It’s time to run. I’ll come back to fight another day.
As I was saying, I didn’t need to sleep, but I did like to rest my body and meditate for a couple of hours every night, or morning. Or whenever I get the chance. It helped me in honing my Sight ability and let me relax after, uhm, stressful nights. Jack would say masturbation worked the same as meditation, but it didn’t. Definitely is not the fucking same.
When I haven’t been drinking, the premonitions were typically helpful. I could see the future of people, and sometimes the past. I only needed to touch them once to get more than a glimpse into their lives. I saw too much sometimes, but it was why I was so good at my job. Or jobssss. Plural. Two out of three anyway.
During the regular waking hours I helped run a billion dollar holdings company. A company owned by my Dad. Well, one of my dads. I have three of those too. They were all exceptional males. They raised me well and spoiled me rotten since I was the only child they got to have together, before my mother disappeared.
My life got a little complicated when explaining that I had three male parents. Usually people thought I was joking. But I’m not.
My mother was a powerful mage of royal descent and she had three mates. Together they united kingdoms. Blah, blah, blah... It was a really romantic story, the way they met and fell in love with the same woman. Honestly, it made me a little queasy every time I heard it. They are my parents!! Gross.
Basically, I’m a hybrid. The best qualities from all their genes, all thanks to my mother's mage magic. Yeah, thanks, Mom.
People flocked away from me because they thought I was an abomination. I shouldn�
�t have been created, let alone born... You know, the same old shit people said and did when something was different and they couldn’t understand or explain it.
Another knock at my door had me pausing on the pity party of my life. Franklin, the chauffeur my father, Charles, hired was standing on the other side of my bedroom door. He was a wiry vampire with a kind smile and a gentle voice. He looked more like a grandfather than a vampire, but looks could be deceiving.
“Madam, I’ve been trying to reach you for an hour. You have a meeting in 30 minutes and we have a 20 minute drive.” He kept eye contact with me while he spoke. Normally I loved it because so few people could look me in the eye before averting their gaze, either looking at my chest or away in general. Something about the way Franklin was looking around had me wondering if he was alright though.
“I’ll be down in a moment!” I shouted as I scanned my desk for the contract I needed today. Got it. I rushed downstairs in a flash of movement, but couldn’t quite shake the feeling that I had forgotten something. Where is my purse?
“We need to go,” Franklin called from the doorway.
“Okay, let me grab my purse,” I agreed as I rummaged around the foyer for it. I didn’t see it. There was no telling where it went since I stumbled in at 6:30 this morning, still drunk from my first night off in a month. I’m still a little buzzed, if I’m being honest. I needed to eat something so I could sober up before I went into this meeting.
Franklin cleared his throat, making it clear that he was uncomfortable. “Maybe you should put on some clothes and skip the purse for today?” He looked towards the ceiling to avoid me and a faint smile touched his lips. “I seem to have found your bag, Madam.”
I peered up, and sure enough, there was my purse. Hanging from the chandelier. I rubbed my hand down my face, feeling a smidgen of embarrassment. It must have been a hell of a night since I didn’t remember all of it.
Franklin cleared his throat again and bowed his head as he informed me he was leaving the room. “I’ll bring the car around. We need to leave in five minutes or you’re going to be late to your meeting with Mr. Rigid and his son.”
Right. Fuck.
Mr. Rigid, as Franklin and I liked to call him, was really Ronald Caplin. He happened to be one of the owners of Caplin Bowers Pharmaceuticals. Today I was supposed to be meeting him to finish the negotiations for buying his company. I slapped myself on the forehead while I scrutinized myself in the mirror to my right. That’s when I saw it and Franklin’s words finally clicked. Holy... what the fuck!? I AM naked. Shit, shit, shit.
With a quick snap of my fingers, and a silent thanks to my mom for giving me the magic I so often cursed, I took another quick glance in the mirror before rushing out the door to the waiting car.
The sooner I could get this meeting over with the quicker my day would end and my night would begin. One of my other jobs.
Vaughn
Friday Midday
I stood facing the mirror and scowled at myself while I straightened my tie. I hate wearing ties. “This is ridiculously absurd.” I muttered to myself.
Today the company that I work for was being sold. Sold for obscene amounts of money. I rolled my icy blue eyes in disgust. I couldn’t believe I had to parade around for a new owner instead of catching up on all of the bullshit paperwork I had sitting on my desk.
I heard what the previous owner of the company was asking for. We all heard. We also heard that the woman that came in to do the negotiations was a stickler and didn’t give them the over priced payment they were asking for. It was hard to put a price on a pharmaceutical company, I get it, but the man was asking for billions. Literally. I mean, the company just wasn’t that big yet. Maybe in the hundred millions, but billions? No way.
I knew the son of one of the owner’s screwed up the negotiations somehow. That thought made the side of my lip curl up a small bit. He was always a dick. I’m sure he thought he could hit on her and get what he wanted. That was Taylor’s usual MO. He’d throw a few lines out and expect to reel a woman in with his Daddy’s money making his pockets look fat. Let’s be honest. He liked thots. You know? That hoe over there. The easier they were, the more he liked them. Whatever floats his boat. I was sure this woman wouldn’t fall for his shit though.
I was slightly apprehensive about meeting the new owner, or the new owner’s daughter I should say. She’d be coming in today to do a walk through after their meeting wrapped up. Which meant there would probably be budget cuts and firing sprees in the near future. I had worked too hard to get to my position and I was not ready to give that up.
I stood by the window and sighed as I looked out over the floor that I managed. Five years in this company, five years kissing ass and moving up the ladder. It could all come crumbling down after the buyout. I didn’t need the actual job so much as I needed the intel from within the walls.
As I scanned the floor, I noticed some frenzied movement near the sixth aisle. Fuck. I’d bet Susan came in drunk again today. Of all the days to have visible fuck ups, today was definitely not the one.
Sighing again, I opened my office door and trotted down the stairs. My paperwork and inventory checks would have to wait until later. I needed to send this lady home, or to a rehab facility. The latter would be the best option. I couldn’t fire her today, but I also couldn’t have her on the line messing up the sorting rotation or dropping the pills. So, that would have to wait until Monday. I’d have to make sure to ask the new boss before I did it. I didn’t know if I’d still have that ability in my job description after today.
I approached the red headed woman in question and her neighboring coworker, John. He gave me an apologetic smile. He knew today was the worst kind of day for her mistakes. I tapped her on the shoulder as politely as I could and said in the most gentle voice I could muster, “Susan, I think you should go home.”
She reeked of alcohol so strongly that I wondered if she’d been bathing in it. The smell flared through my nostrils, making me nearly gag. It was cheap whiskey and cigarette smoke. She was probably wearing the same clothes that she wore last night under her white lab coat. If her strappy silver heels were anything to go by, I’d say she was wearing a short, glittery dress she found in the prom section of a local thrift shop. It was just an educated guess based on past experiences with her though.
She glanced up at me with dark, bloodshot eyes and batted her eyelashes. What’s left of her makeup was smudged across her face. Mascara flaking off her sparse eyelashes onto her sunken cheeks. Lipstick smeared on the edges of her thin lips. She was a fucking mess. I had to fight not to roll my eyes. “Sir, I’ll be fine. I just lost my balance and needed a hand,” she slurred in what I thought was meant to be a flirtatious tone. her voice came out thick and rough from years of smoking. Right. Sure she did.
From over her shoulder John shook his head. He was done with her antics too. She still had a buzz from her night out. “Susan,” I addressed her a little more sternly to take her attention off my covered body and bring it back to my face. “I need you to get off the floor. You have to go home. We’re expecting visitors today and I cannot afford you causing any sort of commotion. Please leave. We’ll talk about this on Monday morning.”
I didn’t give her a chance to say anything else. I need no more excuses from her. Turning, I exhaustedly muttered to John, “Would you mind walking her to the back to gather her things? I’ll call a cab to pick her up at the back exit.” I was already fishing my cell phone from my pocket as I spoke.
Today would’ve been easier if she’d have skipped work. Great. Now I’d be meeting the new owner and covering Susan’s shift. What a fan-fucking-tastic Friday. I thought through all the times I should have fired Susan as I mindlessly started sifting through pills.
John came back a few minutes later and thanked me as he took his position back on the line. He was a wise older gentleman who should be doing my job but said he didn’t want the added stress. I didn’t quite understand what he meant at
the time, but I damn sure did now.
I was 20 minutes in on the line-work when I heard the creaking of the large double doors on the other side of the factory floor open up. We never opened both doors so I hadn’t felt the need to request for maintenance to fix the hinges on the unused door. I’d add that to my to-do list after hearing the heinous noise though.
It’s showtime, I guess.
Sort of....
Taylor Caplin, the previous owner's son, was escorting a woman in, standing a little too close to her for propriety’s sake. He was the definition of a scumbag. He had nearly black hair that was gelled back, a patchy goatee, and a greasy grin. The guy had always rubbed me the wrong way. And not just because of the way he looks.
Last June I came nose to nose with him in a bar downtown. I wanted to beat his ass but didn’t want to lose my job. He took my date home that night, but not before I ran his tab up. Petty, I know... But that’s what happens when you are friends with the bartenders. Free drinks for everyone all night, courtesy of dicks-for-brains. That shit still made me grin.
I couldn’t see her well, though I could hear her edgy tone politely telling Taylor off. “You can let go of my elbow, now. I can walk unhindered on concrete flooring. Thanks.” I grinded my teeth together after hearing the revulsion in her rasping, musical voice. Have I mentioned how much I dislike him?
“I just didn’t want you to slip in those heels you’re wearing. Sometimes it happens.” Taylor’s tone grated on every nerve in my body. The sound of his slimy voice made me want to crawl out of my skin for a moment. I couldn’t imagine how she felt with him touching her. He didn’t want to let her go and she wasn’t sounding too happy about it. With my sensitive hearing I picked up on the growl she gave him as she snatched her arm away, making him stumble forward.