Devlin Carter knew how to talk. When he was a skinny door-to-door household products salesman, people would buy toilet cleaner they never used just to shut him up. A random suitcase filled with dildos and X-rated VHS videos crossed his path and, after selling the lot in one day, Devlin knew that his future lay in the sex industry. Years later the VHS video had gone the way of the dinosaur, but Devlin was now the official owner of Shooting Star Studios and the unofficial owner of so many sex-related websites, products and services that he had trouble keeping track of them. Fortunately, he had three very able staff members who did that for him. All three were overweight, middle-aged women who were in denial about being overweight, middle-aged women, but they also had wide experience in legal and financial matters—abilities which had served Devlin well for years. He liked to call them his Three Merry Wenches. Everyone else called them the Three Fat Cunts.
It hadn't started that way. When Devlin founded Shooting Star Studios he had hired women as receptionists, but men for the more responsible positions in administration. This was partly because of his innate sexism towards women doing 'men's work,' but he also worried about split loyalties. He knew full well that most of his actresses were being underpaid and he thought women in the office would act against him on behalf of their fellow-women.
Experience taught him the opposite. The men he hired, almost without exception, proved susceptible to 'persuasion' from young, attractive women in a way that other women were not. And as for women's loyalty towards other women, he discovered that envy trumped loyalty every single time—especially the envy overweight, middle-aged women felt towards slimmer, younger women. In the end, Devlin only hired overweight, middle-aged women as his top administrators and they rewarded him with profitability beyond his wildest hopes. Moreover, they were so invested in sticking it to their fellow women every chance they got, that Devlin got to play the hero and rescue the juicier girls from their clutches. Safe in his office, they could then demonstrate just how grateful they were.
But, at present, Devlin sat in his office alone. On his huge desk were three flat-screens, his gaze on the large central screen, wearing his glasses so he could see the photos of wannabe actresses who had written to him asking for work. Devlin was an old man who endeavoured to look younger. He still had a full head of dyed yellow-blond hair, his clipped eyebrows were dark and his tanned face hid the lines pretty well. The flowered shirt and a yellow jacket also distracted the attention. He wore more rings and bracelets than a gypsy fortune teller and they clanked slightly as he clicked his mouse, going through the images of pretty young girls, one after the other after the other.
A movement on the second screen caught his attention and he looked up. It was the security camera's view of his personal assistant's office just on the other side of his own office door. At the desk was Dolores Burrito—one of the Three Merry Wenches—a large woman wearing a floral dress two sizes too small and with hair that looked dyed even in black and white. She made Devlin think of a circus clown's cruel mother. Across from the desk, the door had opened—the movement which had caught his attention—and a girl entered, slim with perky tits; probably one of the fluff girls. It was clear by her body language that she was there under duress. The girl looked around, clearly staring at the movie posters that decorated the office wall. Dolores lifted her head with the look of a bloated hyena interrupted while feeding. She said something. The girl jumped, took a breath and then stepped up to the P.A.'s desk like there was a trap door in front of it. Devlin put on his headphones, clicked on the sound of his hidden microphone and sat back, making himself comfortable.
'Hi, Ms. Burrito,' said Shirley, trying to smile. 'I'm Shirley. I work in the—'
'I know who you are, sweetheart,' said Dolores. 'What do you want?'
'I, um ... I need a copy of something.'
'Of what?'
'There's an actor who works here—Roger Ramrod. Well, that's what he calls himself, I don't know his real name...'
Dolores leaned back, her chair creaking like a dragon's neck.
'Anyway,' said Shirley hurriedly. 'I need his latest check-up results. You know, from the doctor.'
'You want me to commit a felony?' said Dolores.
'No,' said Shirley. 'God, no.'
'Well, medical records are confidential and to hand over confidential records to a third party without authorisation is a felony and you were asking me to give you Roger's confidential medical records, so it does sound a teensy bit like you were asking me to commit a felony, wouldn't you say?'
'I didn't know it was a felony.'
Dolores looked at the girl with dead fish eyes.
'Well, now you do,' said Dolores and she went back to studying her computer screen, her podgy fingers clicking the mouse with a surprisingly light touch. Shirley stood awkwardly before the desk, hair in front of her face like an insecure schoolgirl.
'Listen, Ms. Burrito,' she said. 'We have a bit of a situation in Studio 69.'
The mouse clicking stopped.
'Lola?' said Dolores.
'Yeah. She wants to see Roger's O.K. from the doctor or she's not going to let him fuck her.'
Dolores leaned back again. The chair creaked and there was a loud 'Ping!' which made Shirley jump. When Dolores looked back at her, Shirley was shocked at the hatred she saw in the glittering eyes. It was so intense that it took the girl a moment to realise it was not aimed at her.
'You tell Her Pornographic Majesty this,' said Dolores. 'If she wants to know whether a man is safe to fuck, she comes here in person and—'
There was a crack of wood and both women jumped. The door to Devlin's office had opened and the man himself was walking in, hands waving as he talked.
'Dolores. I'm wondering about this lesbian website we're thinking of—why, hello,' he said to Shirley as though just noticing she was there. 'And what's your name?'
'Shirley, sir.'
'Call me Devlin. Everyone else does. Right, Dolores?'
'Yes, Mr. Carter.'
'Ha-ha! You see?'
Shirley smiled awkwardly. Devlin smiled back and ran his hand up and down her arm.
'Everything all right, Shirley?' he asked.
'More or less, um ... Devlin.'
'More or less?'
'Well.' Shirley looked at her feet and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. 'I was asked to fetch a document, but Ms. Burrito here said it was a felony.'
'A felony?'
Devlin looked at Dolores with raised eyebrows. The look he got back was deadpan, but the fat woman swallowed in discomfort. Shirley bit her lip to hide her smile.
'She asked for Roger's monthly medical report,' said Dolores. 'And I can't go handing out confidential papers without authorisation.'
'You can if I authorise it,' said Devlin.
The two oldies stared at each other—Devlin with a smile and Dolores without. Then Dolores struggled to her feet, the chair springing backwards and bumping against the wall.
'I'll go fetch the necessary paperwork, Mr. Carter,' she said.
'Thank you, Dolores.'
Shirley stared at the floor as Dolores left the room. Only when the door clicked shut did she look up. She saw Devlin smiling at her. Standing so close to him, she also saw the grey roots at the base of the dyed yellow hair, the groomed and darkened eyebrows and the loose skin around his eyes. But if she let him go a little out of focus, he might be a man of (maybe) fifty. She smiled back.
'Thank you, sir,' she said.
'I told you ... Devlin.'
'I like calling you "sir." Makes me feel like I have to do what I'm told.'