Satyr Play

"Sure. Close the door and pull up a chair," the large man said, gesturing to the seat in front of his desk.

Once seated, he suddenly felt silly for wasting the Chief's time. "It's probably nothing... but on the way back from the store, I think I was followed by the same car that was used in the attempted abduction last night."

Mr. Duncan looked at him until he began to squirm. "You think, or you know," the big man asked.

"You're right, I'm just being paranoid," Stanley apologized and began to rise.

"I didn't say that. Did you see the car this morning or not?"

"I did."

"Where?"

"Driving slowly past the front of the building."

"When?"

"Just a few minutes ago."

Mr. Duncan turned to his computer and selected the camera feed on the street in front of the building. Stanley winced at the low-res quality of the image. Mr. Duncan nodded his agreement with a growl. He rolled the time back on the camera until Stanley could be seen holding the bags. He slowed the reverse until the car's back end could be seen. He froze it there. There was no way they could read the rear plate.

"This car?" Duncan asked.

"Yes."

"Pretty distinctive. Very expensive. One is owned by someone Ms. Villamor knows quite well. I'll let her know he's still a problem. She can deal with him. Thanks for bringing this to my attention."

"Oh! Great! Well... thanks, and I'll see you around," Stanley said as he definitely got the impression that their little chat was over.

He was almost out the door when he turned back. "Can you send me a count of how many cameras you intend to upgrade?"

"Sure."

Stanley nodded and headed upstairs. When he reached his office, Siobhan looked up from her desk. She smiled when she saw the packages he was carrying.

"Oh! You've bought yourself a new computer! Is it the ultimate gaming rig with all the megabytes and the video thingy?"

"Video thingy?" Stanley asked.

She waved her hand dismissively. "My younger brother is always going on about the floppity flips or the Giga-whatcha-ma-call-its! He likes to play games and is saving up for his ultimate gaming rig."

"Oh, well... no. This is strictly a business machine. I won't be playing any games on it. I actually don't play video games," he replied with a shrug.

"You don't—My, aren't you a serious young man!" she said with wide eyes and a smile.

Stanley grinned smugly. "I guess that's what it takes to become CIO and have a lovely assistant!" His face froze when he heard the words coming out of his mouth. He might have somehow miraculously been cured of his stutters, but that didn't mean he was suave enough to pull off a line like that without his face spontaneously igniting.

"Oh my god! I'm sorry—"

"It's all right this time. I'll let you off the hook. But if you're going to get all charming and flirty with me, I'll feel obligated to tell your true love that you're a bit of a player," she scolded him with a false scowl on her lips.

"True love?" he mumbled in confusion.

"Have you forgotten her already? My, you are a player!" she grinned, enjoying how his face got hotter and hotter. "The lovely Ms. Villamor junior, of course!"

"She's—she's not—I mean... I've got work to do!" Stanley huffed and went into his office. He pulled the notebook PC out and quickly finalized the software installed on it to make it usable. He heard a sound from the doorway and looked up to see Siobhan standing there leaning against the door jamb, a contrite look on her face as she bit her lip.

"Yes?" he said, just a bit guarded.

"I'm sorry if I teased you a little too much."

Stanley nodded his acknowledgment of her apology.

"It's just that you were flirting with me, so I thought—"

"I'm sorry about that. I really am. Until yesterday, I couldn't even look at a pretty girl, much less talk to one—" Stanley's voice ran out on him again as he realized he'd just called Siobhan pretty. He gave her an apologetic look, and she just nodded her acceptance of the compliment.

"You may not be intentionally flirting, but you do know how to make a lady feel special," she said. With a grin, she turned and went back to her desk.

Stanley tried to get his head back in the game, and the name of the game was saving VRL from its technical debt before it collapsed under its unstable foundation. He connected to the mail server with the credentials Sigrid gave him this morning. Apparently, HR had an interface for defining accounts for their network resources.

He read the messages Ms. Villamor sent him with the information he needed on the diesel generator and air conditioning units. He read over the building code restrictions and then did some research on units he thought he might need. He wouldn't know the actual requirements until he'd completed his server room design, but it looked like the building codes wouldn't hinder him.

He'd just begun assembling a list of replacement equipment based on the inventory he and Paloma had created when Sigrid poked her head in his office door.

"Hey, are you ready to look at the condo?"

Stanley blinked at her, then looked at the time on his screen. "It's lunch already?"

"Actually, it's one o'clock. I spoke with your pretty assistant earlier, and she let me know you'd gone out. I figured you'd need at least an hour to get some actual work done."

He put his face in his hands when he heard her emphasis on pretty.

She grinned. "As head of HR, I have to tell you that you're treading some dangerous waters with all this flirty talk. Lucky for you, I am the head of HR, I know you're not some kind of player, and I like you."

He pulled his hands away from his face and gave her a defeated look. "My mouth is just as troublesome as it was when I stuttered... just in a different way."

"Come on! Let's go look at the unit I got a line on. The property manager said he would only hold it for us until this evening, so we have to view it now."

Stanley signed his PC out and followed her out of his office. Siobhan smiled and gave him a wave as he left. He waved back, then followed Sigrid out of the building.

They took a subway and transferred to the Path train to Jersey City. The building was apparently right on the Hudson and had a view of Manhattan. When they walked toward the building, Stanley looked around at the neighborhood. He saw a lot of expensive-looking cars and well-dressed people in them. He looked questioningly at Sigrid.

"What?"

"I might have lived in an old cottage with no electricity in a swamp, but I'm not so sheltered that I can't recognize real estate I can't afford," he said. He was puzzled why Sigrid was taking him here as she knew how much he made.

"Normally, that would be the case, but I talked with Camila last night. Given your special circumstances and nature, VRL will purchase the property as an investment if you find the unit satisfactory. You will then be able to live in it at a reasonable rental rate you'll pay back to VRL." Sigrid explained.

Stanley stopped dead and stared at the woman. She took two steps before noticing he wasn't beside her. She turned to look back at him. "What?"

"A reasonable rental rate? Again, the rental price of a condo in this neighborhood would be way too expensive. Wait, is that how VRL intends to get my salary back?" Stanley said with a scowl.

Sigrid scowled back at him. "No! We don't work like that!" She pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. "Okay, I get that it might look like that, but when I said reasonable, I meant a rental rate of fifteen hundred a month. It can't be free for legal and tax reasons, and even at that rate, we'll do some clever bookkeeping." She saw he was beginning to relax. "Look, VRL sees you as a major investment as well. We think you can help us in critically important ways. How we got into this mess is a black mark on us. We need you to help us get back to a safe and secure position. We hope to build a long-term relationship with you. That means we want you to be happy."

Stanley was seriously flattered by her honest words and sincere tone and tried his best to not let that show. When she smiled, he knew he'd failed at keeping it from his face. He sighed. "Okay, I get it, and I appreciate it. I do. Seriously, though, I would be fine with a small studio apartment in a much lower-scale neighborhood."

"But VRL couldn't invest in such a property unless we bought the whole building, and that's not really an option," she explained. "And trust me, the apartments like that are still stupid expensive or way too far from the office. We'd prefer you to be closer. Even this is farther than we'd like, but there's no availability within Manhattan."

He nodded his understanding, and they continued on. They followed a tenant into the lobby and went to the security desk. Sigrid let him know they had an appointment with the property manager.

A few minutes later, a very short but stout man approached them. Stanley noticed he was old, though he couldn't exactly say how old he might be. The man was wrinkled and had moles and hair growing from them, and—Stanley caught himself staring but noticed the man was staring right back at him.

"Hello, I'm Sigrid Gunderan from VRL. Camila Villamor set up our appointment?" she said, wondering if the man would acknowledge her. Finally, old eyes flicked to her, and the man nodded.

"My apologies. I am Johann Bruger, the property manager. Please follow me to my office."

He led them down a hall to a tastefully decorated office and gestured for them to enter and take a chair in front of his desk.

Stanley saw the man run his hand over the door jamb as he closed the door and wondered at the gesture. Mr. Bruger made his way behind the desk, and they soon heard the hum of a chair lift as he rose into view.

"I'm very sorry, but there seems to have been some misunderstanding about the availability. The unit in question is on the ninth floor," he said, emphasizing the floor number as he looked Sigrid straight in the eye.

"Ah, yes. I see the confusion," she smiled.

The man behind the desk relaxed and smiled.

"Mr. Garin is one of us. His protection is stronger than ours. It cannot be detected." Sigrid said calmly, and the man's smile fell away, his eyes darting to Stanley and back to Sigrid.

"I don't understand." A nervous smile replaced the man's earlier confused one.

"I can tell you've enabled a sanctuary rune as well as..." she paused momentarily to close her eyes. "An integrity compulsion?" She frowned at the property manager. "What kind of people do you normally allow into the building?"

The old man's brows came down in his own scowl. "If you can detect the rune, you can obviously counter-act it. You also know I cannot allow... others to inhabit this unit!"

Stanley was looking between the two in confusion. He finally settled on just looking at Sigrid. "Is he saying... what I think he's saying? I'm too human to live on the floor the unit is on?"

Sigrid sent him a warning look.

"What? You said he has a sanctuary rune in place. It's safe to talk, right?"

She turned to face him. "Yes. The sanctuary rune is active. However, what you are is not something we will discuss."

He caught the implicit warning in her eyes and nodded reluctantly. He turned to face Mr. Bruger and saw the man giving him an evaluating look before returning his gaze to Sigrid.

"Am I to take your word on this matter?" Mr. Bruger said carefully.

"Mine, Camila's and VRL's," Sigrid stated.

The old man looked at Stanley closely one last time and nodded. "Ya." His accent leaked out, possibly indicating an emotional response to the mystery that sat in the chair across from him. The property manager looked back to Sigrid. "Shall we go to see the unit then?"

"Yes, please."

They stood and followed Mr. Bruger to the elevators. The building was only nine stories, so this unit was on the top floor.

"Unit nine-oh-one is an eight-hundred square-foot, one-bedroom condo with a south and east view. Unfurnished. The asking price is seven-hundred-and-ten-thousand dollars." He glanced at Stanley, who made a choking noise when he heard the price. Sigrid just nodded, so the man opened the door and led them inside. The space was functional, if not exceptional, but the view made up for some of that. The floors were hardwood except in the kitchen and bathroom, where it was a neutral grey slate tile. There was a good-sized balcony facing south and a mostly unobstructed sightline to the Hudson River to see some of the Manhattan skyline. They looked at the kitchen, bathroom, laundry facilities, and finally, the bedroom, which Sigrid noted was spacious enough to accommodate a king-sized bed.

"But I only need a single," Stanley insisted.

Mr. Bruger did his best to stifle his snort and hide his smile as Sigrid leaned in to speak softly. "You may one day have company in that bed, so maybe a queen makes more sense."

"Oh, right!" Stanley said, his face burning.

They returned to the open living room, and Sigrid looked at Stanley. "So, what do you think?"

He blinked at her. "I think it's really nice and has everything I could need. But you know I don't need something this nice—"

Sigrid held up her hand and turned to the property manager. "Let's return to your office to work out the details." The man nodded with a smile.

Stanley took a final look around at the condo he would need to furnish. It was so much nicer than his attic room and made him feel like a grown-up. Of course, he had no idea how to furnish a condo... cook a meal, or wash his own clothes, as his Baba had insisted on taking care of these things. Something else to learn. So much for feeling like a grown-up.

The thought of the old woman also dimmed his spirits. He missed her, gruff as she was.

As they traveled back to the main floor, Stanley's mind took him through the myriad of things he had yet to do to replace VRL's sick network. How was he supposed to do all this domestic stuff, too?

"Stanley, could you give us a moment? Wait for me in the lobby?" Sigrid asked as they exited the elevator.

"Uh, sure," he managed before the statuesque blond followed the small man down the hall back to his office.

He wandered down to the lobby and made himself comfortable on the couch in the sitting area. As it was early afternoon, there wasn't too much traffic in and out, but he saw a few people. He thought about that. Were they... people? Humans or members of the Hidden Races. He had to accept that both were now people to him.

He heard the sound of someone struggling and looked to the inner door. A woman with long blonde hair and too many parcels was trying to hold the door open and get her bags inside. He looked over to the security desk, but the man behind it showed no signs of noticing.

Stanley got up and jogged over. "May I lend you a hand?" he asked.

The bluest eyes he'd ever seen froze him in place. He noticed the woman was young, probably his age, and was wearing scrubs, so she probably worked in a hospital. When she realized he was just trying to be helpful, her eyes softened, and she smiled at him. He was once more locked in place as she had such a wide and brilliant smile with just a hint of an overbite.

"That would be much appreciated, thank you!"

Her words broke his paralysis, and he picked up the six grocery bags at her feet while she took the remaining four. He was surprised she was trying to carry so much. "This is a lot to carry. You might want to consider one of those—"

"Grocery buggies? Yeah, mine died about two blocks back. The wheels came right off! Cheap piece of crap," she explained and looked at him expectantly.

As her eyes were level with his, he realized they were the same height. He blinked at her, wondering what she was expecting.

"I'm Sandy."

"Oh! Uh, Stanley. Stanley Garin."

"Are you visiting someone, Stanley?" she said with a coy smile.

"No, I'm looking at buying one of the units, or rather the company I work for is, and I'll rent it from them," he answered.

She gestured towards the elevator, and he moved. "Who do you work for?"

"VRL. They're an investment house in Manhattan," he said, watching her press four. Something clicked in his mind. Fourth floor. Human. Damn.

"What do you do at VRL?" she asked, still smiling as he watched the numbers absent-mindedly.

"CIO," he replied, but his mind was reviewing the implications of making friends with humans in the building. He missed her skeptical look as they exited the elevator and went down the hall a little.

"Really. You're the CIO?" she smirked.

Stanley came out of his thoughts as he realized she didn't believe him. He considered that and knew she had every right to be doubtful. It sounded crazy to him as well.

She was unlocking her door. Four-zero-four. "Yeah, I know. I just started yesterday, and it still seems like a dream." He glanced back at the elevators. "Can I leave them here? I'd better get back. It was nice meeting you, Sandy!"

"Yes, thanks for the assist. It was nice meeting you! Wait! Which unit are you looking at?"

He started back and looked over his shoulder. "Nine-oh-one."

"Maybe I'll see you around, Mr. CIO!" she said with a wide smile, which was a little dazzling. He smiled and nodded as he stepped back onto the elevator.

When he stepped into the lobby, he spotted Sigrid standing in the waiting area, looking more than a little worried.

"Where did you go?" she asked with her brows furrowed.

"I just helped a woman carry her grocery bags up to her unit," he answered.

She stared at him incredulously. "Stanley, what the hell?"

"What?"

She pitched her voice so only he would hear it. "Would you get into a stranger's car if they offered you a lift?"

"No, of course not!" he scowled.

"You were just in a kidnapping attempt yesterday, and I heard from Mr. Duncan that the same people were following you today! You have to start being more careful! There are people in this building that might... not have your best interests at heart," she said, glancing around.

He gave her an exasperated expression. "Well, that's less than helpful."

Sigrid shook her head. "I can't talk about it here. What did she look like? What unit does she live in? Please tell me you didn't enter her condo!"

Stanley was starting to worry if he would be safe living here. "She's young like me. Long, straight blond hair and blue eyes. A nice smile. Her name is Sandy, and she lives in unit four-oh-four. I left her groceries outside her door and returned to the lobby."

"Ah, an even floor. Good. Good." Sigrid mumbled to herself as she relaxed. Then her eyes snapped to Stanley's. "Wait a minute, nice smile?" She looked troubled.

"Yeah, I know. Maybe we could talk tonight so I can get instructions on how I'm supposed to live my life now?"

Sigrid heard the pain in his voice and nodded as they left the building and headed back to the office. A talk was a good idea.

Chapter 4

Paloma sat quietly in her living room, concentrating on the flame of the lit candle on the coffee table before her. She'd closed the blinds, and the room was dark except for the tiny flame. She used this one source of light to focus her mind and close out the deluge of images that now flashed through her mind unbidden.

The sex she'd had with Stanley the night before had been unlike any she'd ever had. Even now, she felt the echoes of her epic release, and she craved more, but she knew she wouldn't need to feed, and probably shouldn't feed, for a long time. The wild magic coursing through her cells made her feel like, at any moment, she might instantly transcend into a state of pure energy and leave her flesh behind.

The drawback of this intense energization was that her minor psychic gift had been supercharged. The Wild energy had found someplace to go.