“Good evening, Dr. Stevens. I’m glad you came.”
Standing
outside her apartment looking unsure, adjusting wire frame glasses, he studied her
with aqua blue eyes. “Erika?”
An
amused smile stretched her lips. “No, not Erika.”
Maybe it was the dress. She wore head to toe,
black, Chantilly lace, including a mask. Erika favored black for its morbid
pretensions. She favored it as an eye
catching canvas for lips painted in Cadillac Red and grey eyes.
“Faith,
then?”
“Wrong
again, Doc.”
Her smile widened. He had no idea.
“You’re
new, aren’t you?”
“If
you mean ‘new’ in the sense that we haven’t met before, then yes, I’m new. But I’ve
been around for some time.”
“May
I ask for an introduction?”
“I’m
Joy.”
She extended a hand with red lacquered nails.
He took her greeting with a large, firm grip.
Joy experienced a delicious shiver. Her body
tightened. She appreciated men with strong hands and long fingers. A caress to
his wrist with her fingertip caused his pulse to jump.
“It’s
a pleasure to meet you, Joy.”
“Please, come in, Dr. Stevens.”
She led him towards the living area with a
deliberately provocative swing in her hips, willing him to watch. She turned as
they stepped into the room.
Joy watched his face with anticipation, to
see his first reaction to the décor. Tawny eyebrows rose, a full, wide mouth
went slack, before his features schooled into a professional mask.
Smoke and mirrors was the theme.
Contemporary furniture with gray upholstery and
clean lines had been arranged around a low, ebony table. Providing a stage like
quality, the flat furniture piece dominated the room, four feet square and a
foot off the floor.
Walls covered in charcoal silk brocade were
hung with smoked mirrors and huge black-and-white photographs even intervals. The
pictures seemed abstract, until the eye focused on the larger than life depictions
naked female parts.
Splashes of red broke the monochrome scheme. Deep
red Calla Lilies in a crystal vase, a blood red decanter set on a bar and a red
dragon incense burner that wispy strands of patchouli escaped.
“Interesting room.”
“Glad you like it. Want a drink?” She
strolled to the bar.
Dr. Stevens wandered around the room as if
deciding where to sit. He would discover no angle existed where an illicit
picture couldn’t be viewed. Finally, he settled into a single chair.
“Uh, no, thank you, Joy. I don’t drink when
I’m working.”
She gave a blasé shrug and poured herself a
healthy drink. Taking the opposite seat, she crossed her legs giving a Basic Instinct flash. Soft lighting glittered
off the patent leather, stiletto decorating a dainty foot.
Dr. Stevens cleared his throat.
“I must say your call came as a surprise. Of
course, I recognized the voice. I think you know that.” The gaze leveled at Joy
dared her to challenge the statement.
She didn’t even try. “Of course.”
“This address isn’t in my case file. It’s an upscale
side of town. I was curious what I would find. I take it this is your place?
The others are not aware of it?”
Joy took a swallow and chuckled. “Hell no,
doctor. I know about them. They don’t know about me.”
“Why not? What purpose do you have?”
“Look around you.” She indicated the
expensive and suggestive nature of her home. “I’m the money maker, the manager,
the one who keeps everything together. Do you think they could manage without
me? Balance a check book? Pay bills? Hold a real job?”
She shook her head dismissively. “Erika and
Nancy only work part time for obvious reasons. They can’t shop. They buy the
same things and end up with double and don’t know why. Faith is complete
recluse. She won’t leave the house. Cable and Taryn are just children. The
others, worse.”
“So, you know them all?” Dr. Stevens’ features
scrunched in curiosity.
“Yes.”
She could hear the wheels turning in his mind,
pondering the implications. “You do seem to know… more than the rest. Where are
you when they visit my office?”
Now they were getting into it.
“I’m there, sort of. I hear most of it. Like
voices in another room, talking low, enough to get the gist of what you want to
do for them.”
“Them, not you?”
“Not me.”
She leveled him a hard stare. Grey eyes
reflected back at her in the mirror behind him as ice chips of determination. “I
don’t want to be integrated.”
Thanks everyone for your support. Comments are always welcome. As always, Happy Reading!
