City of Industry
Part 2
“Hey, Mike! You awake down there? Fish are a-bitin’ and they wait for NO man!” David yelled down the stairs, waking Michael up hard in more ways than one. He cracked his eyes open enough to see that it was six in the morning. He groaned and was about to give his overbearing soon-to-be-brother-in-law several pieces of his mind, starting with the ungodliness of the hour and finishing with a harangue about the nickname Mike.
But Polly rolled over and hugged him, rubbing her leg with his foot. “Go with him. I know you like the outdoors, and the rivers are beautiful in the fall. . It’ll be fun. Don’t worry, I’ll be here when you come back,” she said. . Michael could think of nothing more boring, but he obliged. Partly, he did it so he wouldn’t interrupt the friendly relationship he was building with Polly’s family, but the macho part of his brain that he tried to ignore reminded him, You just had the hottest sex with Polly that you’ve had since the third date! Don’t waste a good thing! He leaned over and kissed her, then called up to David, “Gimme fifteen minutes to shower and put on some clothes... Dave!” Polly rolled over and went back to sleep.
At nine o’clock, Christy walked into the living room and smiled when she saw Polly waiting there, dressed in an all-business black pantsuit and pearls, her eyes glued to the music box once again, completely out.
“You do learn fast, don’t you?” she said happily.
“Need to know next step,” Polly replied in a slurred monotone. Christy restrained her joy as much as she could. Most of the young execs she had seen come up the ladder at Three Sisters didn’t go for self-entrancement, but that just meant that Polly was determined to overcome what few moral qualms would prevent her from being the best at her job she could be. If Polly hadn’t chosen to enthrall herself, Christy would have had to do it so that Polly wouldn’t be able to share any information about the company in case she chickened out.
Christy led Polly to the car, strapped her into the passenger seat and drove to corporate headquarters. As she approached the security gate, she admired the one secret that they were most afraid of getting out: every Three Sisters employee at headquarters was female. The suits and scowls of the security guards made them all look alike, and between Polly’s glassy gaze and Christy’s youthful features, they looked more like twin sisters than mother and daughter. Christy leaned out the window and handed the guard her company ID and Polly’s driver’s license, and the guard grinned back at her.
“Well, paint me blue and call me a loser, I didn’t think she’d agree,” the broad-shouldered woman said with a wink.
“She’s a Mason,” Christy replied with a proud smile. “So who do we see?”
“Nikki’s waiting for you,” the guard replied.
“Nikki? Nikki Washington? Isn’t she the second in command to...” Christy stopped, hardly able to believe her daughter’s luck.
“With your bloodline and her degree? You thought your little girl was going to interview for anything BUT a board position immediately?” the guard asked. Christy put up her hands in mock surrender, parked her car in her personal spot, and walked Polly to the elevator, which took them to the top floor.
“So good of you and young Miss Mason to join us,” Nikki said, wasting no time. Her six-two height made her an imposing figure to face, and the purple ribbon that tied back her dark brown hair was aggressively feminine on her where it would have been girlish on a less intense woman. She waved her hand before Polly’s eyes and snapped her fingers, but Polly didn’t react to either. “Excellent job putting her under. I see she’s already accustomed to our procedure. Sit her down so I can begin my speech. These are not standing shoes.”
Christy pulled Polly down into a chair and sat down next to her, while Nikki took a chair across the table. “Your resume shows that your Master’s is in marketing. It’s not the most necessary skill for our company, but we can build on it. You went to Ohio State. Do you know anyone who can be hired here?”
“Several. Business school is full of ambitious women. We were all part of a tough group of go-getters,” Polly replied.
“Excellent. All in due time. Now, how is your Michael?” Nikki went on with a smile that even made Christy cringe.
“I seduced him hard. I need to know the next step to make him mine.”
“Good, good. We’ll get to that. Let’s see if you understand what you’re signing on for. You’re entering the most enduring all-female corporation in the Western world. We own twenty-five subsidiaries, have hundreds of employees, and have supplied millions of men to our clients. I know the common perception of mind control is that men control and women are victims. The true split of subjects is dead even, with lesbian controllers inflating the female subject number by a good ten percent. Of the men who are controlled, half are ours. We don’t run a beehive. Our men work, and when they die we get more. When we lose one resource we get another. When one client goes out of business, we seek out another. We do what gets us the most profit in the shortest amount of time. Do you have any moral obligations that would stand in your way here?”
“No,” Polly droned out.
“Good, you can proceed. Welcome to Three Sisters, Polly Mason,” Nikki said. She leaned across the table to the water pitcher and cups between them, filled a glass, and threw it in Polly’s face to awaken her. Polly shivered and brushed the water out of her face. Something was nagging at her just like it had the previous day, but this time it felt normal and expected.
“Did I pass?” was her first question, and she smiled sharply as she said it.
“First you need to finish off Michael, then you’ll be assigned to your thirty-day tour in field operations, during which you must hire at least three people for the company and collect at least one man a day for our industries. Then we can assign you internally as suits your aptitudes. But first you have to dispose of Michael. Come with me now,” Nikki explained with icy efficiency, and without waiting for an answer, she led Polly downstairs to the company store.
The store sparkled more than the glass-fronted building. Objects of all shapes and sizes lined the walls, and it took a good fifteen minutes, plus another free glass of water from Nikki, for Polly to regain her composure. The place had focus objects, subliminal generators, and other items for uses that would make anyone blush. Polly picked out several items, which made Nikki smile as she picked up the tab. Christy met her downstairs with the car.
“Where are we going?” Polly demanded.
“We’re taking the long way around, dear. There’s a lot I need to show you.”
They drove through the heart of downtown, which was more populated than Polly would think during working hours, yet there were more dolled up women and skirt-chasing men than she could remember seeing on a weekend in Columbus or the one spring break she had spent in Miami. “I’d think it’d be quieter during the day. Shouldn’t these people be working?”
“Oh, these aren’t locals... at least some of them aren’t. And some of them are working. Look a little closer, dear,” Christy suggested.
Polly did just that, and she noticed the looks of confusion on the men’s faces as the parade of tight pants, short skirts, revealing tops, and high heels swallowed them up, disorienting them until they could no longer fight against their desire and either asked out one of the girls with a bad pick-up line or ran into the Beehive. “Great control there, mom, just fuck their brains out. What’s with the hiring of skanks?” Polly said dismissively.
“Those ‘skanks’ are our local field workers, and they report to me. I’ll ignore that remark and assume you were just ignorant. Look even closer if you think you know what’s going on,” Christy said with a challenge in her voice. Polly did, paying attention to the interactions, and it became clear to her that the women were leading this dance, teasing naughtily with their legs, bending over to give the men an eyeful, tossing their hair, casting glances at their targets. She watched one tableau of a large frat boy being led by the hand by a woman with a sparkling top that the man couldn’t keep his eyes off of. The woman was whistling, treating the drooling figure behind her like he was just a puppy on a leash.
“So some keep their weapons inside and some like to be sluts until they get home? All right, then.”
“The word is ‘vixen’, and I wouldn’t be so high and mighty about them. That’s going to be you come Monday, for as long as it takes for you to earn your way up to outside fieldwork. That’s where we all start.”
“That’s one way to keep them young. If it’s all entry level, and there’s more to them, I guess I could deal with that,” Polly said with a sigh of relief.
“Oh, heavens no! Some girls just like sex more than others. I’m sure you’ve met a few in your time. I’ll have to arrange for you to meet Regina, I guess. She’s been an inside field worker for twenty years. Most here are veterans, either the ones who are born here and only get through high school, or ones we hire because they already know how to use their assets. These are your front line, Polly. Respect them and they’ll take care of you. Don’t, and, well, they’ll take care of you.”
“I guess they get paid well. I just hope they get good health insurance,” Polly said with a chuckle.
“Only the best. Free housing, too, even if it means living in a man cave to give the silly boys the impression that they’re in control.”
“So this is what sets them up for the takedown, I assume? And then the Beehive comes into play?”
“Something like that. When you take Michael down, you’ll get to see inside. It’s a very sophisticated place, run by our most veteran vixens. Don’t ever call them strippers. They’re good enough at their craft to make a straight girl lezz out to really get the boys off, and they’re very proud of their skills. Trust me on that one. A vixen with wounded pride is one of the most dangerous weapons in our arsenal.”
“I can guess,” Polly said with a giggle that clearly dismissed the concerns of the field workers as below her. Christy smirked. While in the short term, her daughter’s hatred of the field operations was going to get her in trouble, in the long term it was going to make her millions and bring them both up the ranks.
The next part of their route took them through the main residential area. The Steelers flags, charcoal grills, hammocks, unkempt lawns, and car parts strewn across the grass all screamed low-wage factory worker, but what few names Polly could see on the mailboxes were all female. As she looked out the window, she saw a woman about her age leaving one of the houses in a tight black top and tighter tan pants, her blonde hair in a tight ponytail and her face dolled up to kill. “Mom! Stop the car! I think that’s Taylor!” Polly squealed. She hadn’t seen her best friend from high school since graduation. All she knew was that Taylor had dropped out of college after less than a semester, then returned home. Polly, caught up in her studies at Ohio State and making the honor roll, cut off all communication with her after that. Now that she was back home, and remembering her naughty high school days, she was more than happy to see her old partner in crime.
“I think you’re right. Well, we certainly have time for a detour. Why don’t you stop and chat?” Christy said. While completely unplanned, Christy knew how to use this to her advantage. She’d raised Polly with the care of a craftsman working on a masterpiece, letting her run with the mean girls who would never be more than field workers until she turned sixteen, then locking her away and pushing her harder and harder to get straight As, using David to keep the boys away from her in a way only boys can. But the casual cruelty honed in high school was still a part of her soul, and though it had been dormant before, it was now coming to the fore; combined with Polly’s business sense and the training she would receive from her mother, she could be a CEO. She watched the two girls gossip and make small talk with a smile of maternal pride.
“So are you staying here?” Taylor asked the coded question.
“Of course I am, but I have to persuade my boyfriend first,” Polly said with a wink.
Taylor burst into laughter. “Oh, very good. C’mon in, I’ll show you around.”
Polly looked over her shoulder, and Christy waved that it was okay, so she followed Taylor into the house. Once inside, Polly was amazed. The front foyer led straight to a man’s dream of a living room, with a 72-inch widescreen TV, brass stripper pole, neon lights, five different beers on tap, and a well-stocked pantry of junk food. But that was the only part of the house that had even a hint of masculinity to it. Past that, everything was pink and girly; the only thing missing was the Shetland pony in the backyard. The only item that could cross genders was Taylor’s border collie, way too well groomed to be a man’s but still rugged enough to be a welcome addition to the pickup truck that would be in the garage later.
“Oh, don’t mind Dolly. I just figured that I couldn’t be a proper temptress without my own personal bitch,” Taylor giggled, sounding much more like the cheerleader Polly remembered. Dolly objected to being called a bitch with a loud bark. “Or should I say I like having something sweet and golden-haired as a pet. Better, Dolly?” Dolly licked her approval and bounded off down the hall when Taylor threw her a dog biscuit.
“I guess you trained Dolly to be smarter than most men,” Polly said with a smile.
“Yep, she keeps them entertained until I’m ready for them. So how’s your seduction going?”
“Eh, just one really hot night. Now that I’m hired I’m going to take him down good. I bought some good stuff at the company store. I’m thinking Michael will fall hard for the perfume- he’s such a romantic it’s sickening.”
“Too intimate. You want to be in charge, right? You want to hit him without warning.” Taylor smiled and turned around, lifting her shirt off to reveal a red corset top that shone so brightly that Polly was fighting her off. “Oh, do you want to see the rest of it? Then just kneel and obey, baby,” she continued with a come hither grin before she busted out laughing and threw her shirt back on..
“Whoa,” Polly said.
“You should have seen the look on your face. I’ve seen boys put up more of a fight. To be fair, I was heading out to the Interstate to pick up a traveler for stock. In this economy, we’re gonna be busy. This happens to be one of the most alluring things in my closet, but all my lingerie sparkles in that way. It just makes me feel sparkly. Oh, I’ve dispatched a few inconvenient girlfriends with this, lezzing them out until they can’t remember their boys and either wander off or get hired. You’ll learn all the tricks. The perfume will be useful-squirt it on between rounds to really break down his moral barriers. If the perfume doesn’t do it, the boobs will.”
“Omigod, Taylor, stop!!” Polly exclaimed.
“You have to learn to use your assets, girl. A low cut bra and G-string, at your size, would put him out with one look and he’d never wake up. I’d loan you a set, but you’d be too busy staring at yourself to knock him out. I was the first time I tried a set on. I’m flattered that with all your education, I still sparkle your eyes. Anyway. Go back to being smart shy Polly in the beginning, then hit him with everything you’ve got in a split second. The next time he wakes up, he’ll be an animal ready for the Beehive. Trust me.” She opened her coat closet and the collection elicited a whistle from Polly.
“Work part time for the Filipino government?” she asked, admiring the collection of mostly high-heeled shoes.
“Souvenirs. Every man I send to the mine spends his savings on me first. I may be a vixen, but I’m a frugal vixen. The stuff they buy me that might be useful, I then modify, so I don’t have to go to the company store. Remind me what size you take?”
“7,” Polly replied.
“Perfect, that’s my size. Try these tonight during dinner. Act like your innocent self, but play footsie with these. They’re treated to magnify your touch by the thousands. The shoe polish that goes with it will crank his lust up to eleven. While you’re being normal girlfriend upstairs, down below, he’s going to be all caveman. I don’t think I need to tell you what to do after dinner. Then you bring out the shiny objects. I prefer lingerie, but I know you, and I’m gonna guess you went for the bracelets. That’s your thing. I’d rather get them addicted to my body. You will too, once you realize how hot you really are. I can help you with that one day. Cheerleaders forever, after all!” Taylor said with a wide grin.
“Thanks so much!” Polly said, hugging Taylor, then skipping out of the house and back to the car with her new shoes. Christy was still waiting for her with a warm smile.
“So I guess I’m living in the basement until I get a place of my own after my first month?” Polly asked, sounding as giddy as a schoolgirl.
“That’s right. I’m so glad you decided to stay here, and that Three Sisters wants you as much as I thought they would. Now we celebrate. The boys should be home by the time we get back. Why don’t you show him your new things at dinner tonight, and then tomorrow we’ll leave you two lovebirds alone? By Wednesday morning he should be ready for the factory tour.”
“I can’t wait,” Polly said dreamily, looking over her devices and sorting them out for her use in the next two days. When she got home, she unpacked her suitcase in the basement apartment and picked out the outfit she would use to lower Michael’s defenses so he wouldn’t suspect the changes in her: a plain white blouse and black slacks, along with the shoes Taylor had given her. She put on the wide silver bracelets with their glittering rhinestones, but reconsidered, remembering Taylor’s advice. Taking them off again, she put them aside with a lacy black teddy and the unmarked perfume bottle to spring them on Michael after he was already worked up.
Her face split in a wicked grin. “One last time as the old me,” she said, letting her smile shift into the sweet one that Michael had fallen in love with and would soon lust over.