Lyon's Den

It took a while, but Mary finally fell asleep. Having Daniel's warm flesh against her back was nice, but unfamiliar.

Monday morning came too soon. Slamming her palm down on the blaring alarm clock, her eyes flew open. She rolled over to find the other side of the bed empty.

"Dan?"

No answer.

Throwing back the covers, she stood, and slipped on her robe, smiling at the fact she was naked underneath. Mary never slept naked. Well... never used to.

As she approached the kitchen the smell of fresh coffee grew stronger. Someday she'd have to wake up first and make him breakfast in bed. Someday - a wonderful thought, because there was absolutely going to be more days and nights with Daniel.

Before entering the kitchen, Mary untied the robe and let it fall open. Teasing a man became a new found thrill. Maybe there was even enough time for a quickie. That would be a wonderful way to start the week.

Unfortunately, the kitchen was empty. In front of Mr. Coffee sat a note that read, 'Sorry to leave without saying thank you and goodbye. I have an 8:00am meeting. You looked so peaceful I didn't want to disturb you. See you soon, Dan.'

"Oh well. Maybe next time." She carried the note and a cup of coffee to the table, reminiscing about last night.

Mary returned to her mundane life, and made the twenty minute commute to the office. The parking garage seemed peculiarly empty for a Monday. She grabbed her lunch bag, rode down the urinal-smelling elevator to the ground floor, and walked two blocks to One Financial Plaza, a drafty two story cube farm built in the sixties. A small group of her coworkers milled around out front, and they didn't look happy.

"Hi, Guys. What're you doing out here?"

Larry, one of the office managers, spoke up. "Haven't you heard? We've been locked out. The Feds have a warrant for Frank Sloan's arrest on embezzlement charges."

"What!" Mary looked at the front doors for the first time and saw the chain threaded through the handles, held secure by a monstrous padlock. "How long? What're we supposed to do?"

Larry put a hand on her shoulder, and in a voice of despondency said, "The company is broke, Mary. Frank stole everything - the health benefit withholdings, social security, 401K money. The rumor is Frank left the country. We're screwed. Time to look for another job."

The group wandered away, while Mary stood staring at the doors, her secure life gone in an instant. When a cold wind penetrated her shock, she walked back to her car and sat inside for ten minutes, trying to decide where to go. Heartbroken, she drove home and cried for an hour.

"You are the Sunshine of My Life" began to play on her cellphone. Mary wiped her eyes, blew her nose, and answered her son's phone call. "Hi Honey."

"Hi Mom."

She knew by the tone of his voice something was wrong. "How's school going?"

"Great! I love it, but..." then silence.

"But what? What happened?"

"Well... someone stole my backpack. My laptop was in it. I know you told me a hundred times not to leave it lying around, but I was studying in the library. I thought it would be safe while I went to the bathroom. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Honey." Tears began to well up in her eyes, "Sometimes bad things just happen when you least expect them. I'll transfer some money into your checking account. Can you get a new one soon?"

"After my classes tomorrow. Thanks, Mom. Bye."

"I love you. Bye, bye."

"I love you too."

Realizing she was in financial trouble, Mary switched from mother mode to accountant mode and tallied up her liquid assets. She had two thousand dollars in her checking account, plus the money she received for her paintings. Something had to go right soon or she'd be homeless.

Quickly, Mary updated her resume΄, knowing she was competing with everyone else in her office for open positions. Next she searched online job listings and applied to a number of local openings, even though they were well below her previous salary and experience. This was survival of the fittest, and as the day wore on, Mary realized her meager office skills and age didn't make her very competitive. So many people were looking for work that employers could hire MBA's for less than her salary. Seniority became another lost benefit.

The unemployment office was next on the to-do list. She filled out all the appropriate forms, but then learned she'd have to wait weeks, and the payout would barely cover her living expenses. Nothing left for emergencies, much less William's college expenses. No health insurance. No dental plan.

When she couldn't think of anything else to do, Mary drove home, turned the thermostat down to sixty degrees, and sat in the dark shivering, not from the cold, but from fear. Life suddenly became directionless, like landing in the middle of a mine field, not knowing what the next step would bring.

In the morning, after a restless night, Mary began her day differently. Instead of dressing in her office attire she donned jeans and a sweatshirt, no makeup required. She scanned the job websites for any new openings and found none. She checked her cell phone for messages and discovered she had one. The phone had been set on vibrate since the unemployment office. She'd forgotten to turn the ringer back on.

Daniel's pleasant voice made her smile. He just wanted to say hi. How sweet. Since she had no other place to go, Mary decided to go to her studio and start on the portrait of Crystal and Sally. It would bring in some money eventually.

With her phone pressed to her ear, Mary walked out to her car. Daniel answered on the second ring.

"Good morning, Mary. How are you?"

"Good morning, Dan. I'm fine." She swallowed the lump in her throat, and started her car. "Has Crystal sent you the pictures they chose for the portrait?"

"Is everything all right? You don't sound yourself."

"Well..." she wasn't sure if she could talk about losing her job without crying. She choked up just thinking about it. "I have some free time. I'd like to get started."

"Let me check my email. I'll call you right back."

"Don't bother. I'm coming over to work in my studio. I'll see you in a few minutes."

"Okay, Mary. See you soon."

When she arrived, Daniel was already in her studio setting up large photos on easels. He turned at the sound of her entrance and smiled. "Good morning. What do you think? Can you work from these?" His smile disappeared. "What's wrong?"

Trying to be strong, she walked up beside him, and stared at the photographs. "Nothing. These are great."

One photograph depicted Crystal and Sally on the studio bed, smiling at each other. Sally's palm cradled Crystal's baby bump. Mary had forgotten how transparent their lingerie had been. The other photo was taken of their garden and showed a patch of grass in the middle of an explosion of flowers.

"Something's wrong. You look like you've been crying."

A tear ran down her cheek, but she ignored it.

"It's personal."

He took her by the shoulders and turned her to face him. "Mary, tell me. Let me in. I want to know everything about you - good and bad. That's what lovers do."

She wouldn't look at his face, knowing if she did all self-control would be lost.

When she didn't respond, Daniel pulled her to him, wrapped her in his arms, and hugged. "Whatever it is, I'm here for you."

The thin veneer of strength cracked. Mary hugged him tight and sobbed. Daniel held her until she regained some composure.

She spoke into his shoulder. "I lost my job."

"I'm so sorry," he said, stroking her hair.

"I need to find a new one soon. Do you know anyone looking for help?" She broke free from his embrace, and busied herself setting out art supplies. "I've been a waitress before. Is Martin looking for anyone?"

"Would working part time be enough money?"

"No... not really?" Mary stopped, took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "I just don't know what else to do."

"How much were you making?"

She looked at him and frowned. "Why do you ask?"

Now it was his turn to take a deep breath, as he appeared to be thinking. Then he said, almost in a sad voice, "I'll hire you."

She gave him a puzzled look. "Hire me? To do what?"

Daniel didn't answer right away. He just stared at her with a blank look for long seconds. The he said, "I've been thinking about renovating my photo gallery into a real art gallery. Your work has inspired me to create a place where emerging artist can display their work for a minimal commission. Maybe even for free." Daniel began pacing, becoming energized. "If things go well, this building has plenty of space for other artists to have a studio." He turned to study her. "With your office skills and artistic talent, you'd be the perfect person to manage things. I don't have time, but I can provide financial support. Besides," he gave her a shrewd grin, "I can always use another tax deduction."

"You're serious?" Mary felt a rush of excitement, already thinking about what could be accomplished.

"What do you say, Mary? I'll match the salary you lost, set you up with health insurance. All I need to do is call my accountant to get things started."

"It sounds great, but -"

"No buts, Mary. No guts, no glory."

A little less animated, she said, "Okay. I'll do it. When do I start?"

"Follow me."

They walked down the hall to the photo gallery, and approached the room that had the 'No one under 21 admitted' sign over the door.

"The pictures in here need to be taken down. You'll find empty boxes in the storeroom behind my photo studio. Put the full boxes back in there when you're done."

"Yes, Boss." Mary smiled warmly at him to show her appreciation. She wanted to throw her arms around him and kiss him, but that would feel awkward now.

Daniel asked again about her salary. When she told him he frowned.

"Too much?"

"No, it's fine." He patted her shoulder, as he walked by. "I'll see you later," he said, and headed toward his apartment.

Mary had too much pent up energy to start on the portrait, so she decided to pack up the photographs first. After loading the empty boxes on a cart, she wheeled them into the over 21 room and turned on the lights.

"Whoa." The photographs were explicit, with more positions, variations, and combinations than she thought humanly possible. They were strikingly composed, but the raw sexuality overwhelmed any artistic value, at least in Mary's opinion. Still, she couldn't help looking from one photo to the next. Who were these degenerate people? Then she recognized one, Jennifer.

She appeared in a string of photos with multiple partners, men and women. Jennifer hadn't lied; obviously she was good at sex. Seeing someone she knew in such intimate detail made Mary warm. She felt her body respond to the pictures, felt aroused at the sight of Jennifer having sex, knowing Jennifer had tried to seduce her. A tingle ran down her spine.

After looking at the photos for a few minutes, another observation came to mind. In all the photographs, Jennifer was the submissive partner and her lovers much older. Knowing Jennifer's aggressiveness, this seemed oddly backwards. Daniel said Jennifer had been abused as a teenager. Were these photographs some kind of emotional exorcism, casting out her demons by role play?

The next picture in line showed Jennifer with just one partner, her husband. Now the content of subsequent pictures changed dramatically. Jennifer and Bruce having intercourse in many positions, but Jennifer shared dominance. She was equally the aggressor, to the point of tying and blindfolding Bruce. A carnal metamorphosis occurred in Jennifer.

As Mary moved down the row, she came upon a sequence of photographs with other familiar faces - Crystal, Sally, and an unknown man, probably Sally's husband Martin. These shots were taken after Sally's accident. Some showed her in a wheelchair, most were in a king-size bed with Sally sandwiched between Crystal and Martin. Although sexual in nature, they evoked poignancy in Mary, about a love shared beyond the physical world.

Finally, at the end of the row, Mary stared at the last picture. Two naked people entwined on a blanket. In the background was a lovely stream, the water frothy from its speed across boulders. She could almost hear the soothing sound as it rushed downstream. She recognized the man. He was a much younger Daniel. The woman must've been attractive at one time, but in the photo looked emaciated, skin and bones, hips like sharp outcroppings, arms puny. They smiled sweetly into each other's eyes. The woman had to be his deceased wife, Laura, closer to death than life when the picture was taken. Their love had endured in sickness and in health.

All these pictures, salacious as they were, seemed to show a transformation from tragedy to happiness, all except Daniel and Laura's. Were these photographs his way of celebrating life in the face of adversity?

Mary wiped away a tear from her cheek. "Enough already. Get to work."

In an hour the walls were bare. The emotional turmoil they created remained. Mary felt a powerful desire to be in Daniel's arms, to be his transformative muse. Until he returned, she focused her energy on the portrait of Crystal and Sally.

So engrossed in her work, Mary lost track of time, until hunger began to dominate in the middle of the afternoon. She put down her brush, and went to see what Daniel had in his refrigerator. But when she tried to enter, the door was locked.

"That's strange." Instead, Mary walked a block to a sub shop and had a quick bite. When she returned to the studio, she heard voices coming from the storefront and went to investigate.

Daniel was there with Bruce and two other people she didn't know. One man had a measuring tape extended along the wall and made notes on a legal pad. A svelte redhead in a business suit stood quietly off to the side, while Daniel and Bruce spoke to each other.

Mary moved into the room, and said, "Hello."

Immediately, the redhead approached. "Hi, you must be Mary. I'm Daniel's accountant, Gail Ferguson."

They shook hands. Then Gail opened her briefcase, handed over several documents, and said, "I need you fill these out as soon as possible. Give them to Mr. Lyons when you're done."

"Okay."

Gail turned away, saying, "Daniel, I have to go. I have a meeting in 30 minutes."

"Thank you, Gail. I'll be in touch."

Mary walked over to Daniel and Bruce. They continued their discussion for a little while without acknowledging her presence. Then Daniel turned to her, and said, "Mary, Bruce is going to build a website for the new gallery. Talk to him about it. Let him know your ideas. The man taking measurements is Fred Drake, my contractor."

Fred raised a hand like attendance had been taken, still concentrating on his legal pad.

"Let him know what you need for display purposes. I have to run."

Overwhelmed by the sudden responsibilities, Mary stood with her mouth open, as he walked away.

Bruce laughed. "Don't worry, Mary. He's in business mode. Fred and I know what he wants."

"Okay. Good. I wasn't expecting this."

Fred walked over and handed Mary his business card. "Nice to meet you, Mary. My email address is on the card. Send me yours, and I'll send you my preliminary drawings. We can work out a plan of attack. I have a key to the front door, so I won't bother you when we start work. Have a good day."

After Fred walked out the front door, Mary and Bruce stood quietly for long seconds.

Bruce walked to the front window. "This is a surprise."

"I know! Daniel offered me a job just this morning. He moves fast."

"He's a good man."

She walked up beside him to stare out the window. "I know. I can't thank him enough for all he's done. I'm very fond of him."

"From what he's told me, he's very fond of you. So don't hurt him."

Stunned, she turned to look at him. "Hurt him? Why would I? How could I?"

"You'd be surprised how vulnerable he can be." Bruce looked at her and pointed at the 'over 21 room'. "What did you think of the pictures?"

Sensing he was asking about more than their erotic nature, she said, "At first I saw only the sex. But as I looked at the series with people I knew, I saw a... story... or maybe a transformation. The pictures touched me emotionally, because the people in them had overcome a tragedy."

"That's very astute of you. Most people just see porn." He turned his gaze back to the window. "Did you notice anything else?"

"Yes," she paused to control her emotions. "Daniel didn't."

Bruce nodded. "He sacrifices a lot for the people he cares about. I thought maybe you were the missing piece to his happiness. But now..."

"What do you mean, but now?"

"Now that you're working for him it's over."

"Over?" Mary frowned. "It's not over. We're just beginning."

"Now that you're working for him, your relationship will be strictly business. He dated a woman he hired a few years ago. Turns out she was just after a quick buck, and sued him for sexually harassment."

"I wouldn't do that!"

"Doesn't matter. He won't put himself in that position again. He'd rather sacrifice his own happiness to help you, than risk another legal nightmare."

Mary's heart sank into her stomach. Just when all the parts of her life seemed to come together fate took her down a dead end street. "What can I do? I want him, but I need this job too."

When Mary looked up, Bruce smiled and waved out the window. From half a block away, Jennifer waved back.

"Are you guys taking pictures for your website, today?"

Bruce continued to smile and watch Jennifer, his love evident. "Can you keep a secret?"

"Yes."

"There is no website. It's all fake. Jennifer thinks we have a website, and that it makes money. I post the pictures on a private server and fabricate all the people who are subscribers. Until Jennifer overcomes her lack of self-confidence we'll keep posting pictures." The look of surprise on Mary's face made Bruce laugh. "What can I say? I want her all to myself, but she thinks sex is all she has to offer, all she's good at. So, I will play along for as long as it takes."

"Aren't you afraid she'll find out?"

"A little. But look at her, she's happy."

Mary looked at Jennifer. She was smiling, until she saw Mary standing in Bruce's shadow. "I think she's worried about losing you."

"I know. She's worried I'll leave her because I want to start a family. Her bad childhood left a lot of emotional scars. She's afraid. Afraid of failure as a mother, afraid of... well... a lot. Sex is her comfort zone. That's why she's been acting so... uninhibited lately."

"Oh? I hadn't noticed."

Mary and Bruce looked at each other and laughed.

Coming in the front door, Jennifer asked, "What's so funny?"

Bruce put his arms around her, kissed her forehead, and said, "I was saying how hot you look, just walking down the street."

"You were not. Tell me the truth."

Taking her hand, Bruce led her toward the photo studio saying, "You can't handle the truth. Now show me this portrait you've been so excited about."

Jennifer looked back at Mary and winked.

Alone once again, Mary retreated to her studio and filled out the employment paper work, all the while feeling despondent over the loss of Daniel's affection. Why couldn't she have it all?

'There must be something I can do to reassure Daniel I'd never intentionally hurt him.'

Nothing came to mind. Mary picked up her completed forms and carried them to Daniel's photography studio. Camera flashes illuminated the open door, the session apparently in full swing. She braced herself to witness sex in progress; feeling less disgusted knowing it was all for the benefit of Jennifer's ego. In fact, she felt compassion for Bruce.

That's when the 'What if' moment hit her.