Shifted

“I’d say he fell asleep a happy man.”

Kelly looked away, but her smile widened.

“So, what’s your story with Andi?” Nicolla was curious.

“Haven’t you already figured it out? I’m a workaholic. I ignored him and everybody else who wasn’t to do with my work. By the time I wanted to reconnect with him, it was too late. We had drifted apart. Plus, I’m hopeless in bed.”

“That’s silly. Take classes. See a sex therapist.”

“It’s no use. I’m too embarrassed to do…all that kinky stuff.”

“Andi likes kinky sex?”

Kelly’s face flushed. “Well, when we first married, he hinted to me about trying new things to spice up our marriage, but I just couldn’t do it. And after a while, he stopped hinting, and we’ve been vanilla ever since. Then, we stopped having sex all together when I busted my ass for that partnership.”

Nicolla shook her head. “There’s one thing you should know. Men need loving on a regular basis. Otherwise, he’ll be looking for somebody else who can give him what he needs.”

Kelly sighed. “That’s what I’m afraid of. About two weeks ago, I found some flirty messages in his PDA.”

“Your husband is having an affair?”

“No, Andi would never do that. I did some digging and found out that some secretary in his office has a crush on him. She knew we had a snag in our marriage. Andi ignored the woman, but she was quite relentless. I’m just afraid one of these days he’ll cave in and leave me for that woman.”

“Slut, Kelly, slut. We call chicks who try to get our man sluts. You need to broaden your vocabulary a b

it.”

Kelly turned to her abruptly. Fear flashed on her face. “But you can help. You’re good in the sex department, and you know how to deal with men. Make Andi love me again, and I’ll get you out of Strickland’s contract.”

“What about us being switched?”

“One problem at a time. Once we fix these problems, we’ll figure out how to switch back.”

“Deal.”

“Come on, we have work to do.”

Nicolla gave Kelly the once-over. “Yeah. But we must get you some clothes first.”

Chapter Seven

Kelly glanced at her wrist comp, checking out the time before she sashayed into Strickland’s office. She schooled her face to look blank, acting as if she was inebriated. Strickland’s personal assistant, a plump woman named Margie, was about to leave the office for the day. “Wait, wait, wait,” Kelly slurred. “I need to see Harry right now.”

The PA abandoned her attempt to put on her coat. “Miss Evers, Mr Strickland left the office a few hours ago. And you know it. You saw him this afternoon.”

Kelly blinked, pretending Margie was talking to her in a different language. “Really?” She gave a sheepish grin. “I, uhm, left something in his office. I need it now. Very fucking bad.”

Margie rolled her eyes, then drew in a heavy sigh. Kelly had the impression that Nicolla often pulled this stunt. “Very well,” Margie conceded. “I’ll escort you to Mr Strickland’s office. It won’t take long, will it?”

“Nope.”

“Follow me.” Margie put her coat on her desk and padded to Strickland’s private office.

Having lived life as Nicolla Evers for the past couple of days, Kelly had learnt a great deal about Harry J Strickland, the porn mogul. One, Strickland was paranoid about his personal security and the privacy of his office. Two, Strickland hoarded great secrets. He had an inner sanctum in his office where he received and entertained selected business partners. Nicolla had told her that she used to entertain Strickland’s friends in her early days, before her stardom. Strickland would be holed up at his desk, discussing his business while Nicolla did whatever lewd things Strickland asked her to do to keep his guests happy. Kelly felt sure she would find what she was looking for if she could hack Strickland’s data vault.

Margie punched her password into the security panel and leant forward, looking into the eye-scan. The computer ran a verification sweep, taking Margie’s retina imprint into the system and processing it. She passed. Strickland’s office door whispered open. Kelly strode in. She scanned the room then headed straight towards Strickland’s desk.

“What is it exactly you’re looking for, Miss Evers?”