“Too long,” he admitted, frowning. “The world is such a terrible place right now, Megan. That bitch Sheida and her lackeys…”
“Paul,” Megan said gently. “You need to get some rest.”
“There’s too much to do,” he said, almost wailed. “I’m holding on with both hands, as tight as I can, and I can feel it all slipping away!”
“Paul,” Megan said, severely. “Go take a shower, maybe a bath. No, wait…” She thought for a moment and then nodded. “Stay here. Don’t go anywhere. Promise?”
“Promise,” Paul said. “But why?”
“Why do you come here, Paul?” Megan asked.
“Because I have a duty…” Paul started to say.
“And we have a duty, too,” Megan replied, cutting him off. “More than just to make babies. You’re the most important man in the world, right now. Our duty is to make sure you can do yours, and we’ve clearly been falling down on the job.”
“That’s what Christel says, but…”
“Christel, Schmistel,” Megan snorted. “I’m sorry; she’s good for keeping the girls in line but there’s a reason I’m doing the accounts. Face it, Paul, she’s not the brightest leaf in the tree. I know what you need, and you’re going to get it. So you wait right here.”
She got up and walked into the main room, pointing at Shanea, who was talking to Mirta, and then at Mirta. She walked over to Christel and squatted down.
“Paul is here and he looks awful,” she said to the woman.
“In the office?” Christel said, flustered and getting to her feet. “He’ll want to check the books…”
“I’ll handle it,” Megan said, laying her hand on the woman’s arm. “Let me handle this, okay? He needs rest. You’ve tried your arguments, let me try mine, okay?”
Christel looked at her, and at the door, frowning.
“Christel, I don’t want your job,” Megan said, softly. “I don’t want to try to keep the girls in line. I don’t want to hold the whip. I don’t, okay? But what happens if Paul kills himself from neglect?”
The woman gulped and shook her head. “I don’t know, I suppose…”
“You suppose what?” Megan said, softly but fiercely. “That Chansa would take us under his wing? Not hardly. We’d probably go to Reyes, who goes through women like a shark though a school of fish. Or to service the Changed. Or be Changed. Maybe even turned over to Celine.” The latter council member was the source of most of the monsters that had been created for New Destiny’s war. Most of them had started off as human beings. Under the rules pre-Fall they still were human beings. But nobody who had seen them or heard of them could think of them that way.
“They wouldn’t…” Christel said, desperately.
“Yes they would and you know it,” Megan replied. “So we have to make sure that Paul survives. You were right all along; we’re here for Paul’s needs. But he has more needs than the ‘duty’ to turn up from time to time and inseminate us. And I’m going to prove it to him.”
“Go,” Christel said, finally. “Try it.”
“I will,” Megan replied. “Shanea, Paul is in the office. Go get him. Take… Velva. Take him to the baths. Bathe him, don’t let him do a thing for himself. Don’t have sex with him. If he says he wants to, tell him ‘not now, later, just bathe now.’ Got it?”
“Give Paul a bath,” Shanea nodded, gulping. “Don’t have sex with him, even if he wants it. What if he really wants it?”
“Really tell him, ‘later.’ When you two are done, bring him to his room in a robe,” she turned to Mirta. “Mirta, get Amber into her costume, then go to the kitchen door. Get a platter. Light foods. Bread, fruit, cheese, a small carafe of wine. Then bring it and Amber to Paul’s room.”
“Paul has… problems with Amber,” Christel said. “Are you sure…?”
“I’m sure,” Megan said, looking around. “Girls, go get into your new costumes. When Paul comes through from the bath, I want you to stand up and move in around him saying nice things. Nothing important, just that we’re glad he’s here. Don’t be suggestive. And don’t try to follow him in. If this works out I’m going to keep him here for at least a couple of days.”
She looked at Shanea and Mirta, then gestured. “Go.”
Megan stood for a moment, pulling at her hair, then turned to Christel.
“I have things I need in the workroom,” she said. “If I could…”
“Go,” Christel said, “you’re doing fine. I think you’re right, okay? Girls, what are you doing just sitting around? Up on your feet, go get dressed…”
Megan rushed to her room and grabbed up various pots, then to the abandoned still-room. Shanea had taken to watching the bubbling substances for her but with the girl otherwise occupied Megan turned down the heat on all the crucibles, grabbed some bottles and headed for the toilet.
There were other girls in there jockeying for position in front of the mirrors but Megan shoved one of them out of the way with her hip and carefully deposited her bundles on the countertop.
“Ashly,” she said, looking over at where the blonde was brushing her hair in front of a mirror. “My next-stage perfumes; they’re a little more concentrated. And I need somebody to mix something for me while I do my makeup.”
Ashly looked at her as if she had grown another head, then nodded.
“Okay, Karie, you do the mixing,” Ashly said, walking over to look at the bottles and pots. “What is all that?”
“Perfumes, oils, massage creams,” Megan said. “Karie,” she continued, opening up a jar and dropping a few milliliters of oil onto the cream inside. “Mix that up for me, please?”
“What is it?” Karie asked, sniffing at the contents.
“Almond massage paste, the oil is sesame,” Megan said, looking in the mirror. “I don’t have time,” she muttered, picking up a flat of eye shadow.
“Vita, do her hair,” Ashly said. “Megan, calm down. What the hell is wrong?”
“Did you see him?” Megan asked, turning to the girl. “He looks like a zombie.”
“I saw. Megan, don’t tell me you’re falling in love,” Ashly said, smirking.
Megan closed her eyes and decided not to “explain” to Ashly the facts of life, again. But it was tempting.
“No, I’m not falling in love,” Megan replied, wondering if it was a true reply or not. “But if Paul dies, all this will go away and very bad things will probably happen to us, okay? I don’t want that to happen. Do you?”
“No,” Ashly said. “I hadn’t thought…”
“Neither had Christel,” Megan replied as Vita combed her hair and Ashly took the eye makeup out of her shaking hands.
“What are you going to do?” Vita asked. She was brushing Megan’s hair up and out to make it appear larger.
“I’m going to make him the one happiest son of a bitch in the world,” Megan replied. “I’m going to make him never want to leave. And then I’m going to convince him that, for the good of the world, he shouldn’t for a while. A few days at least. And we’re going to feed him up and primp him and pamper him until he’s able to take care of himself again.”
“And if you can’t?” Ashly asked, brushing on the makeup expertly.
“Lightly, please,” Megan said. “Then we might as well all cut our own throats. Do you want to be turned over to Reyes? Or the Changed?”
“Oh, God!” Vita said.
“Right, so we’d better make him really happy,” Megan said, looking in the mirror. “Got it?”
“Got it,” Ashly replied.