Page 46 of The Succubi's Choice

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Katya is sitting on her desk when Miri gets into work the next day, her face officious and severe.

Miri eyes her, then sits down in her chair and starts to boot up the ancient computer. “Good morning, Katya, what’s up?”

“The succubi at the house,” she starts, without any greetings, “before he charmed me, he was saying things about you being too skinny.”

Her computer slowly beeps into existence, and it’s way too early for this sort of conversation.

“Miri,” Katya repeats, when she doesn’t get any response.

“Yeah, he was under the opinion that I was being abused, it’s great, first other succubi I’ve talked to in like six months thought he needed to mother me,” Miri says, couching all her weird feelings behind sarcasm.

“So he doesn’t stick to a feeding schedule, I take it?”

“Nope, he’s in way too good of shape for that.” She doesn’t quite feel bad about ratting him out like that, but it doesn’t feel good, either. “Invited me to stay for a few days, said they would bring men to me. Don’t think that’s allowed, I take it?”

“No,” Katya says, but her voice is thoughtful in the way that sends all the hairs on the back of Miri’s neck way up, “But I have an idea.”

Whenever Katya has an idea, she declares that it’s in existence long before she actually tells people what it is, leaving them to wonder for up to weeks at a time. It’s infuriating.

* * *

BLOCKED NUMBER (3:45 PM):Are you busy tonight?

Miri looks up and around shiftily, as if someone would be looking over her shoulder when she’s sitting at her desk, but Katya’s on a conference call in the other room.

MIRI (3:47 PM): I don’t know, I’d have to check.

On cue, as if he was just waiting for her to have this sort of text, her phone beeps.

LUNDY HANDLER (3:47 PM): Say you aren’t busy and go along.

MIRI (3:48 PM): Great! I love bodily autonomy!

LUNDY HANDLER (3:49 PM): You hypnotize people into having sex.

MIRI (3:50 PM): If I die you’re getting nothing.

With a deep breath, she stares at the blank wall of their little office, before answering.

MIRI (3:52 PM): What’s up?

BLOCKED NUMBER (3:52 PM): I want to bring you someplace. Show you some of my world.

A thrill races its way down her back, not entirely one of fear. Not entirely not-fear, but yeah.

MIRI (3:54 PM): This isn’t Thomas, is it?

BLOCKED NUMBER (3:54 PM): No.

As if her phone will bite her, she sets it down on the desk and stares at it.

BLOCKED NUMBER (3:55 PM): 1120 Flower Ave, Downtown. Go up the stairs, past the restaurant, and knock on the double doors.

She takes another deep, steeling breath, but the room doesn’t change. It’s still her little reception area, with her aging computer, her old chair.

In the other room, she can hear Katya chattering away. Technically, Miri could always pick up her office phone on mute and listen in, but she rarely does. Katya’s notes for it are always better than any that Miri could take.

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