Locked Down with Mr. Right

“I’m getting kicked out.”

“Well, hello to you to,” Mercy said, “why are you getting kicked out?”

“The hotel I’m at is being shut down for the quarantine.”

“Ouch.”

“You said it. I either have to find another place to stay or I’m faced with the exciting choice of either coming home or sleeping at the bus station for the rest of the shoot. I’m not sure which one is more appealing.”

“Hey, it’s not that bad here,” Mercy objected.

“No, not really. The main drawback is Dave knows my address there. Here I’m just another one of millions. Like looking for a needle in a whole pile of other needles.”

“Interesting turn of phrase.”

“I do my best.”

“Is there any one at the show who might be able to help? I mean, you are the star. I’m guessing they’re pretty rich if they put you up at the Sixty for that many nights and they’re hardly going to want you to be living on the street, right?”

“Mercy, you’re a genius!”

“I know, but it’s still nice to be recognized from time to time.”

The number for Tobias was still in my phone from our call the night before. Pushing down the heat I could feel rising inside me, I tapped the screen and crossed my fingers.

“Hello?” came his manly but gentle voice over the line. I could just feel my pussy melt.

“Hi. I um, I have some trouble here,” I managed.

“Your ex again?” he asked, not unreasonably.

“No, nothing like that. The hotel is shutting down because of the lockdown. I have until lunch too find a new place to stay or I’m going to end up on the street or something.”

“No, you’re not,” Tobias said, as if he could control how things went through sheer force of will.

I was actually starting to wonder, after how he had dealt with Dave so effortlessly. At least it had seemed effortless to me. I had spent so many years being afraid of him. Hating him for what he had done to Duncan and me, and Tobias had deflected him with a wave of his hand, like swatting away a troublesome mosquito and how he had managed the raging asshole on the first date. Now, he was saving me from this. He truly was amazing.

“Mornin’, sugar,” Clementine said, leaning against the gleaming side of the car.

“Hey,” I said, Clementine was always able to cheer me up with her irrepressible good humor.

I kind of wanted to sit in the front with her, but social distancing would not allow it. Getting into the spacious back, Clementine closed the door and sprinted around to the driver’s side. I didn’t know exactly what Tobias had planned for me, but I was confident that he had something, and it would more likely than not turned out to be good.

“Here we are, darlin’,” Clementine said as car came to a complete halt.

“Really?” I asked dumbly.

“Yeah, pretty sure. Not to brag or nothin’, but I’ve been here an awful lot.”

“This is -”

“It is,” Clementine said.

“Wow.”

The house wasn’t quite a mansion. Not technically. It would need a few more rooms to meet that designation, but it was still fuck-off huge and massively impressive. The gates hummed as they slowly parted like the Red Sea.

Without a word, Clementine got back in the car and backed up down the driveway until she was on the street. Looking back at the house, I steeled my nerves and started moving forward, remembering what the Buddha said about a journey of a thousand miles beginning with a single step. The distance from the gate two the beautiful French doors was not a thousand miles. Not even close. It was both the shortest and the longest distance in the world.

The doorbell song was the famous section of the 1812 Overture because of course it was. I had already learned, even by that relatively early point, that when it was to Tobias Ford it was really best to expect the unexpected. That way you were never disappointed.

“Clem still here?” Tobias asked. He was framed by the door like a Flemish painting.

“No, she left, almost as soon as she dropped me off. It was kind of weird.”

“No argument there. Especially considering today was supposed to be payday. Oh well, I guess you’d better come in.”

I couldn’t be sure, but I got the feeling that he wasn’t super happy to have me there. I could actually see his point. It wasn’t in the plan and could affect the show. But, honestly, if there was anyone who should be able to work around the unexpected, it should have been him.

“Is this okay? Me being here I mean.”

“It is not ideal, but the best of all scenarios given the current circumstances. The board of the studio won’t like it at all. At least they wouldn’t if they knew about it. I don’t see any reason why they should, and Clementine is perfectly discreet.”