As Evil Does Read online

  That required her to shut the door and get on her knees, in his office. He wasn’t exactly quick as he groaned and made a funny face as his body released, but she handled things for him, not really getting anything from it for herself. It left her feeling horny, but she used a bit of magic to calm that portion of herself, having already set the rules for the day. She was busy and had to hurry.

  The man smiled at her when she stood up, closing his trousers back up at the front.

  “Thanks, doll. I knew you were a great gal. I feel off now, not getting you a better part. Maybe something with more lines in RW?” He meant it, oddly enough.

  She just winked at him.

  “Nothing like that, Don. We’re friends. You don’t have to pay me to do things with you. Just, you know, manage that addiction? You didn’t do too badly here, but a lot of women would have taken you even asking the wrong way. Make sure that you only ask the right ones?” It was a question, not an order, but he nodded at her.

  “Got it doll. That… I don’t love being a slave like this, but I have to admit that I’m doing better. I still have needs, but it’s manageable, you know?”

  She nodded, since she truly did understand what he was saying. She hadn’t hidden that he was hers now, after all.

  “We need to work out a program so that you can manage it on your own. Really, you’re already doing that. It will stick, even after you stop being a slave, later. It should only take about a month. Then we can get Tyler to free you. Really, once you’re done with him, we should do that for Nick as well. Set him free. I don’t care enough to actually fix him. That might happen anyway. He can’t do drugs anymore. Physically, I mean. He’ll get sick if he even tries. That will last even if we cut him free. If he sees that working hard is fun and gets him more than playing does, he might come around.”

  There was an abstract nod then.

  “That’s… We should do that? I don’t know if I want to be a monk, exactly, but I can see that my addiction means that I end up arrested or driven out of work, otherwise. Really, I can’t see how I haven’t been yet, you know? Enough women from the past have gone to the tabloids about me. Some of them even have things on me. You know, like what we just did? Only…”

  He seemed embarrassed by it. Not toward her, interestingly. They were friends, and nothing had changed hands, monetarily or in a job. About the women from his past. She had to read his mind to get at the information. She used the link between them to do it, the salty taste of him still on her lips.

  “Only you paid off. Eventually. With all of them. Plus, all of them are actually good actresses. The big issue is that girl from when you were in the tenth grade. She just flat out lied about you. If it makes you feel any better, you didn’t do anything other than what a perfect gentleman would have at the time. She honestly remembers it differently, having made up a story for herself over the years. On the good side, she won’t be a real problem. Even she doesn’t think it was rape. Just that you were pushy about things, when you really weren’t.”

  If the woman was ever a problem, Keeley could make that go away, by simply reminding her of what had really happened, then forcing her to do the right thing with the information. The other women… Well, Don knew the score there. Other producers and directors had gone down for things a lot less than what Don had actually done. A few had been derailed for basically flirting a bit with the wrong woman.

  The difference there was that Don had always played fair with the women he’d gone after. If they put out, he got them into good projects. If they didn’t, well, he didn’t try as hard for them, but there were no rumors of him black-balling anyone. They all got to move on, or even keep working with him, without it hurting their careers at all.

  Meaning most of them were fairly successful, so they didn’t want to make waves that would force everyone else in the industry to think they weren’t worth working with now. A few of them were older, since, even if he looked to be about forty now, in a well kept and fit fashion, Don had been around in the industry for a long time.

  Moving in, she gave the man a hug. He did it back. It was friendly, instead of a passionate embrace.

  “Obviously, don’t tell my boyfriend about this. The blowjob portion, not the rest. We have an open relationship, but also that slave link, between us. I don’t want him to think I was abusing you.” That was, more or less, her real worry there. Plus, Ravi was a Human, and lived by those kinds of rules, still. Not that she was going to lie about what she’d done, exactly. She might just not tell him about who she’d done things with.

  He was also an immortal line walker now, so needed to get past that kind of limited thinking. Jealousy over things like sex was beneath that kind of person. No immortal could be wasted on petty things like that. So the problem, to her mind, was really what she’d just said. It wasn’t an order. Not that Don had a choice that way.

  “Got it. Is that… Would he really think that? I mean, sex addict here, right? That kind of means it was my idea. At least most guys would think that.”

  She nodded.

  “Really, I doubt that it would be a big issue that way. To me it’s the real issue. To him… Well, he’ll probably have a bit of a problem with it for the normal reasons. Human’s guard their property, after all. They can’t help it, for the most part. Ravi isn’t a he-man, maybe, but he’s still a man. So, if it doesn’t come up in conversation, try not to mention it? Really, I should go and do Steve as well. I probably would have been dating him, if I hadn’t… Did you catch that part? Where he was the one accidentally bringing up the magical attacks on you?” She didn’t bother to check on that. It wasn’t really important.

  Don just looked interested.

  “He was? I didn’t get that at all. Why?” He seemed truly baffled about the whole thing.

  “Mainly because of the thing with all the women. It was a subconscious drive on his part, to protect them from you, if that makes you feel any better. I took him over to prevent that from happening. He’s in training to control it, though we need to do more that way. My point is, if I’m not going to need knee pads, we should get Steve a date or two. He likes women, but actually takes drugs to lower his libido, so he can do better at work, here.”

  Don blinked for a bit, then shrugged.

  “Okay. I’m reeling a bit here, from the part where he was trying to kill me. Even if he didn't mean it, really. Not consciously. I could… Maybe Cynthia Remark? She’s a little older but not bad that way. I was going to try and see if she wanted to get with me, tomorrow, but actually dating Steve is a better option for her. He’s an up and comer that way. We could… maybe get him an upgrade in looks? Nothing major, since he’s fit already. You know, the whole thing with a bigger package and a better jawline?” He touched his own face.

  The rest of what he’d talked about was nice enough for him, but nothing that would require a porn career. Real men didn't need things like that. It was actually a detriment, with most women. Keeley hadn’t really considered doing that for him, since it hadn’t come up at all. To her, Steve was mainly his job. That’s what he was to himself, as well. That and an ability to call up energy constructs on a subconscious level were how Steve Moore was defined in her head.

  Which didn’t mean he didn't deserve more than just that.

  “I’ll let you suggest the part with Cynthia? That could be good for PR. Really, it might even explain why she’s getting work now. She’s been out of things for a bit, hasn’t she? She’s hit the actress wall, after all.”

  Don nodded.

  “She’s still got it though, last I checked. If she doesn’t… I can’t really afford a million for her to get a magical face lift. Not for someone I have that little to do with.” He made a face then, like he was being a monster and knew it. “We, back in the day we were friends. I mean, she’d sleep with me on occasion and I hooked her up with some good roles. Really, I should have kept up with her. I had to let her go, since it got too hard to place her anywhere, even if that’s a waste
of talent. It’s easier with men. They can work until the wrinkles get too bad. The gals get screwed, coming and going.” The man had enough grace to wince at the imagery on that one. Even if it was true. Then, the young men generally got fucked as well. That wasn’t how Don did it, so his mind wasn’t jumping to that kind of conclusion.

  Keeley just nodded, then pushed her hair back.

  “No doubt. I’ll let you and your new secretary handle Cynthia on that? I can do it, but I’m probably going to be busy for a while. The work comes first. If worst comes to worst, we can get a lot of women to be with Steve. Maybe Krista Hall wants a crack at him? We should ask, before setting him up with Cynthia. That would work, too.”

  She grinned at the idea, since the woman had only just bothered to notice that Steve was a man at all. At the same time that he’d gotten a promotion at work, in fact. She wasn’t really that shallow, but women liked powerful men. Steve had promise that way, but it had to pay off a bit before the woman was going to really notice him. She had started down that line, so, if Steve made a move, it could work.

  Not that he would on his own. Not in the current anti-male climate. Doing that and being shot down would be career suicide. It could be, anyway, even if she said yes. Not that Krista Hall would really go to the press to whine about someone asking her on a date. Steve couldn’t know that. Not on a deep enough level to feel safe.

  She winked then.

  “I need to get out of here. I’ll call her up and see if we can start a bidding war, with Steve as the prize? I mean, if we aren’t going to care about what he actually wants out of life.” Keeley was fine with that, of course. Even Don just grinned.

  “She’s a good gal, too. Krista. Even if she did get snooty on me after she made it. That happens. I mean, I was kind of ugly, back in the day. Thanks for that, by the way. The new face and body? It’s helped a bit. Not as much as I would have thought. It’s hard to get women to have sex, if you can’t bribe them.”

  Which was more or less the truth. At least if you didn't have mental powers or pheromones that would overwhelm a woman’s social instincts. Things were harder now than they had been since the Victorian era, for men. Most of them could manage, mainly by watching a lot of porn and putting up with women who were otherwise so hard to deal with that no one would bother, if it weren’t for the payout. At least until they got bored and blamed the man they were with for their unhappiness.

  That wasn’t her problem. She wasn’t there to save the world. At least, she didn't think that was her job. She nearly shrugged, thinking about it. It wasn’t that men were perfect, of course. They tended to judge women on looks, instead of perceived economic and social value, which was what women did. They always had, too. It was simply that time had made it easier for women to improve their looks, while men still lived in the same work environment as always. One that had women in it now, preventing them from getting ahead as easily as they once had.

  Then, a few women had swooped in and tried to cut their balls off, in order to serve their own interests of the moment. It was a horrible idea, over all. It also wasn’t working for the women who’d done it. They’d thought they were going to get rich from it. Instead, no one male would work with women who had turned on other men. They couldn’t risk it.

  Krista wasn’t a bad person that way, but she was hard enough on men, if Keeley were going to be honest about it. Cynthia was probably a better person that way, really.

  She walked out, waving over her shoulder, making a rift in space as she did it, in the outer office. That was poor form, but she wanted Don to see her vanish. The other side of the rift came out in the third-floor ladies’ room, next to the stall where her clothes donor was busily diddling herself. That was a bit of a surprise, since Keeley had only suggested she imagine herself doing it. With the door unlocked, though not open.

  Keeley didn’t even blink at it, just moving in and stripping, grabbing her own clothing from the pocket universe to her left side. The woman had her right hand down her panties, and was staring directly at Keels. She wasn’t young, though she managed to be cute, in a slightly anorexic fashion.

  She blinked when she realized someone was there.

  “Oh, um…” Then she looked around and noticed where her fingers were. Instead of blushing, her brain filled in a story for her. She was in a restroom stall, with an attractive, half naked woman. She was mainly naked and clearly turned on. “Um… Can you… With your mouth?”

  Keeley was actually tempted, but didn’t have time. Instead she nodded.

  “I’m doing that now. Here…” She pretended to kneel, then touched her mind with magic. Changing what she was thinking and seeing as Keeley got back into her own clothing, shifting into her new Linda shape. Then she leaned in and kissed the woman who was still fingering herself, not realizing she was doing it.

  “Bye, love. Until next time?” That would fit with what the woman was seeing. Eventually, anyway.

  Then, moving quickly, she left the woman there. She’d been in there for nearly an hour, which would be noticed back in the office. It could be, at any rate.

  Linda hurried though, going to the little space on the fifth floor where they had a coffee room, stealing the tea and coffee she needed for her act. That was delivered to Don directly, the man on the phone already when she poked her head in. That had her waved in.

  “Marty! Marty, you’re killing me here. She’s perfect for the role. At least she will be if we do a bit of age makeup on her. We can sell some kid for this role. She has real acting chops…” He grinned then, as if whatever was going on wasn’t a problem. After listening for a bit, he laughed. “You know, for once I can honestly say no? My new assistant, Linda, she’s setting this up. Solid woman. Linda Demeny. You should meet.”

  He looked up, and then rolled his eyes.

  “I don’t know, let me ask? Linda, are you good to go on having sex with Marty Hagemann to get Cynthia a shot at this role?” He smirked about it, as if she were going to go ballistic on the man. Not on him though, from his body language.

  Linda chuckled.

  “Well, I’m sixty-three, but if he wants to do it that way, we can work something out?” She didn't really mean it, since being blackmailed for someone else’s television role wasn’t going to play in her world.

  Donald laughed again.

  “See, there you go, Marty. She’s even cute. I suggest you bring flowers though if you really want to win her over. Seriously, we’ll audition Cynthia and send you the tape, so you can see that I’m right. I always am, so that won’t be too difficult for you. This is the real deal, which you already know. Just let the idea sink in. This role needs some real woman power behind it, not some barely legal teen who got the part on her knees. Especially in this day and age, am I right?”

  Apparently, the other man, whoever he was, agreed with that portion of things. There was laughter at least. When the man got off the phone, he winked at her.

  “Sorry about that. Marty can get a bit raw, at times. He’s the casting director for The Department. Don’t worry, he almost never actually does the casting couch thing. I was teasing him that way. Unless you like balding middle-aged men? He has a wife, but I bet you could hit that, if you wanted?” It was inappropriate for him to say that kind of thing at work, but she just smiled at him.

  After all, he was really trying to give her the option, if she wanted it. Then, to him, his new secretary, picked by the old one, was almost certainly a real player. When hit with a request to get a client a role by putting out, she’d actually seemed willing to do it. That meant she might be a kindred spirit.

  Which, given that she’d just been doing a woman in the third-floor bathroom, as far as the other woman knew, she more or less was.

  She put the coffee down in front of her new boss and winked. It was a purposeful call back to Keeley, but the man didn’t get it. He couldn’t, with her looking so different at the moment.

  “Bald is beautiful. Still, I try not to do the married ones. It�
��s less messy, over all. Now, I need to get that script off to Cynthia Remark. I’ll be leaving at five, unless you need me for something later than that?”

  The man could have hit on her, she supposed. She decided that Linda, much like Keeley, would put out, if he did. Only she was going to get a bit more off of him if that was the case. After all, Linda wasn’t his slave master. That meant he could spend some time on his knees, without her feeling bad about it.

  Instead he just shook his head.

  “Not that I know of, so far. Things can change. Oh, could you get Steve Moore in for a meeting? Some things came up.”

  She nodded, since she probably could make that happen, if she tried.

  Chapter four

  Linda Demeny didn’t get to leave for the day before Keeley’s phone rang. She answered it without pause, shifting her voice before picking up. She spoke in a normal tone, knowing that Donald wouldn’t be able to hear her from the other room. Not consciously. On a deeper level, well, the man would know that she was Keeley, if he thought about it. Regardless of how she looked, there was a link between them. The office space was a virtual vault, sound wise. It needed to be, since he liked to have noisy sex in there, whenever he could.

  Actresses that were faking it tended to be loud, after all. As if it would seem more real if they screamed their heads off.

  “Keeley Thomson, how may I help you?” She didn’t know who was calling, since her phone wasn’t telling her at the moment. The trick there was that only a few people had her number.

  Whoever was on the other ended sounded dry, as they inhaled. That probably meant it was either a vampire or someone faking that state of being, really well. She could have done it, so didn’t jump to any conclusions that way.

  The voice that spoke was a high tenor. Familiar as well.

  “Miss Thomson? This is Marissa, of the Vampire council? I…” She hesitated then, speaking in a rush after a moment, as if she might be nervous. “We have a problem. I was hoping to enlist your aid, as a friend?”