AN: A lot of People will probably be very, very surprised to see an update from me. After all it has been almost 4 weeks. For what it's worth, I can't even start to explain why I haven't been updating, cause... I have no idea where the time went. I spent every single week for the past 4 working 65hrs. And before anyone assums I am a manager or someone high up in the food chain - I'm not. I actually believe all my supervisors, managers or whoever worked a lot less than I did LOL Thanks to all of you who keep reading and not giving up on me. For what it's worth, 4 more chapters are left. And this one is revealing quite a lot. Cause I don't wanna spoil anyone and I believe there might be a tiny bit of confusion with the chapter, there is a small, tiny explanation at the end of this part! Enjoy.


Penelope really didn't like this. What were the odds that she walked into Morgan twice while snooping around? Great, just great. Exactly what she needed now. Then she heard the blonde woman next to Morgan and his partner continue to speak.

"This is Annie, or Raven. Our most successful dominatrix. And with her is…?" she started, looking questioningly at Penelope. And did she just say dominatrix? Annie? Did that mean she was technically, hypothetically applying for a job as… domintraix?

"This is Jennifer," Annie said a moment later to the blonde. "Jennifer is here for a job interview. To replace Mistress Slater. I am just giving her a tour…" Annie said, and Penelope could hear the happiness in the other woman's voice. Penelope however was feeling more like passing out. This was not happening. She knew the job interview thing would have been too easy. A dominatrix. She, of all people.

"So… Jennifer, how come this is the job you want to do?" she heard Morgan asked a moment later and saw him smirking. It took Penelope a moment to realize that she was Jennifer. He was speaking to her. Oh great, now he was playing with her, yanking her chain. She would make sure she'd get payback. If he of course wouldn't rip her apart for not keeping her promise of staying off the case.

For a moment she wondered whether she should just ignore his question, but then she had an idea. If he wanted to play games and yank her chain a bit, she could do the same.

"Um… because… well, it is good paid, has flexible hours and you meet a lot of people. Good conditions if you ask me," she smiled at him. Seeing him smirk she wondered whether that actually worked at all, but she saw him look interested for a moment, as if he just had gotten what she had said. Maybe he now wondered whether this would be a job she actually could consider. Ha, maybe she should.

"We would have a few questions about Kevin Lynch?" she heard Morgan's partner Prentiss say a moment later towards Annie, who just nodded and turned around a second later. Penelope didn't see a lot, but didn't wonder too much, until she heard the other blonde speak and was faced with a guy a moment later. A guy who was clad in leather from head to toe, wearing a mask over his face, and carrying whips and stuff like that in his hands.

"Taylor, can you do me a favor and show Jennifer here around until I am done with the detectives?" Annie said, pushing her softly towards Taylor. Penelope didn't really feel anymore like she needed that tour. Or like she needed to be accompanied by Taylor.

"Um… I… that really is not necessary. I actually think as a matter of a fact that maybe I have already seen enough of this place. I mean… Annie was very … thorough. Maybe I should just find Melissa again and have my interview…" Penelope more or less stammered, trying to think of a way of getting out of here.

"You sure? Cause there are a quite a few things that are worth looking at. I mean, work-wise of course," she heard the softest, most velvet and buttery voice she ever heard, Like molten lava. She might actually have fallen in love with his voice – which was ridiculous.

Maybe she would follow him to the end of the world, if only he kept talking… wait. She had a boyfriend. A very handsome, very hot, very attentive boyfriend. What was she thinking? Especially considering the guy next to her was wearing leather and latex from head to toe? Just last night she freaked out on Morgan because she thought he might be into this.

"I… okay," Penelope decided. What was the worst that could happen? He surely wouldn't tie her to a pole and use that whip he was carrying around. Or would he?

"So you think of working here, hu?" he asked a moment later, holding a door open. God, how many doors did this place have? It seemed like she hadn't done much more than walking through doors. Like a maze really.

"Yes, I … um… I am looking for something different job-wise."

"Cool well, I hope you'll be successful. You are something else around here. Usually the girls that work here are all skinny and model-like, which, don't get me wrong, is good, but personally I think not every guy is into that type. I for example like my girls curvy and with a bit of meat on their bones…" he said and Penelope saw him smiling at her. Was he coming on to her? Was a guy dressed in fetish, with a collar and a dog leash attached to such collar, and who carried around a whip and several other things, coming on to her?

"I… I… my boyfriend probably agrees with that," Penelope simply said, smiling at him softly, almost apologetic.

She saw a flicker of regret in his eyes – and had to admit, it really did feel good to know she wasn't unattractive.

"So… um… I heard a lot about this girl – who works her. Though I don't remember her name, Annie just mentioned her. That she was … a new girl, but already quite successful. Having planned on getting married in Italy and then…. Not ending up to get married. Must have been hell to live through," Penelope said and saw Taylor smile for a moment.

"Well, Mistress Morgana, or Tasha, just got finally what she deserved. The amount of bad karma this woman collected over the years… "

"So, she wasn't popular?" Penelope asked innocently.

"Well, if you count stealing other people's boyfriends and jobs and the likes… nope, she was not popular," Taylor said, before pointing to something, saying a few things about what he pointed at and they moved on.

"So she didn't get married cause her boyfriend found out about her job?"

"Oh no…" Taylor was quick in saying. "He knew about her job. Sure, he wasn't super-happy or excited about it, but he was okay. He somehow learned to live with it. He decided on cancelling the wedding more because of the stealing other people's boyfriend part. Apparently she slept around a lot, which in all fairness all of us knew about. I mean, she constantly tells you about it. There is no way of not knowing. He found out about her infidelity and called it quits. Two days before the wedding. I heard she was furious."

"Wait, he was okay with her having this job, but not when she… um.. strayed?" Penelope asked confused. And okay, maybe her head for sure was messed up when she now started thinking like that.

"Well, I guess there is a difference between knowing your girl spanks guys and is doing other rather 'dark' things but definitely not sleeping with them and knowing your girlfriend willingly screws around behind your back with other guys – that have no connection to her job."

Penelope wondered whether it was just her or if what Taylor just said last sounded like prostitution again would have been fine.

"I guess so…" Penelope just agreed, not sure what else to say to this and that rather weird thinking. They made another turn, walked past a few people who looked like Taylor and greeted them happily.

"But since she is back she is…. I mean she was kind of a mean bitch before she left, but when she came back, she was even more of a mean bitch. Loved to pick fights with others and she was just…. bad. I don't think a lot of people would be sad if she should decide to leave again."

"She picks fights?" Penelope asked curious. Yes, she seriously didn't care what the affair – or one of the affairs – of her ex-boyfriend did or didn't do, but… well, maybe it would lead to something. And maybe – instead of asking these questions – she should worry about Derek Morgan.

"Yes, she picked one with Raven, Annie, sorry. Over a guy, a customer. Strangely enough it was a customer that had been pretty much passed from girl to girl, cause no one really got along with him. But for whatever reason Tasha wanted this guy all of a sudden. It ended with Raven just giving in and letting her have the client. Kevin certainly was not a guy to fight over, but well, what do I know…"

At that Penelope got curious, and suspicious. Kevin? Sure, Kevin was a name that existed by the millions, but… what if this Kevin was the only one she knew? That also would explain Morgan's appearance here, which she had been wondering about in all fairness.

"I think I really would like to see her, if you don't mind…" Penelope said and wondered how that made her sound. Wanting to see the girl that picked fights, stole boyfriends and apparently was new to this. "For…um … since she is new. Would be good to hear how she made the transition and stuff like that…"

"Trust me, sweetheart, that transition isn't hard if you are Satan in person…" Taylor just said, taking a corner and stopping in front of a door. "That would be it. Let me just check whether she is… with someone. You sure you want to definitely speak to her?" Taylor asked, looking hopeful that she might say she had changed her mind.

"I am…" Penelope said and had no idea what to do now. What if she was not with someone and had time, and then she would be facing the woman who had slept with her boyfriend for the second time. Great, her life right now was like a freakin' Hollywood movie. Or a Jackie Collins novel – just without the glitz and the glam.

Taylor had walked inside, instructing her to wait here, just in case she was with someone and a moment later appeared again, telling her to follow him. The inside was dark, with sparsely any light. She was able to make out who she assumed was Cherry, her long red hair now short and back. Could also have been a wig for all she knew. The closer she stepped, the more she saw of Cherry and was sure it was her. The dim lights would hopefully make it impossible for Cherry to recognize Penelope. Not that she thought she would remember her much.

"Who are you?" Cherry almost barked and Penelope thought for a moment she'd jump.

"I'm… um… Jessica. I am possibly gonna start here soon…" Penelope said, seeing Cherry turn her back towards Penelope. Charming. Too late Penelope realized that she had called herself 'Jessica' rather than 'Jennifer'. But the only other person in the room who could have noticed her mistake was Taylor and he didn't even flinch. Maybe he hadn't heard her.

"And you are in here why exactly?" Cherry asked, her back still towards Penelope.

"Gezz, Morgana, cut her some slack, will you? I mean she surely isn't here to take your client away from you. Not like others," Penelope heard Taylor mutter, which had Cherry react just second later.

"Are you guys still upset about Kevin Lynch? My god, relax. It is done. Over. Chill out…"

"Well, you should maybe chill out and let all of us do our job, without interfering or us needing to worry that someone from within the company is after our own customers…"

"It happened once…."

"That doesn't mean it won't happen again, Tasha," Taylor said, sounding now a bit pissed off. Not that Penelope could blame him.

"Listen… it won't happen again. Okay. I mean, Lynch won't come back here anyway," Penelope heard her say.

"Probably because you chased him away. Or crap like that."

"Or maybe because he is dead…" Penelope found herself saying all of a sudden. And although she didn't see a lot due to the lighting, she could see both, Taylor and Cherry, look at her surprised.

"What?" Taylor asked shocked.

"Who are you?" Cherry asked at the same time and Penelope was not entirely sure what to do now. She kind of hadn't planned that far ahead.

"She is with me," Penelope heard the next moment a very familiar and very welcome voice. Derek Morgan to the rescue. Like a knight in shining armor.


Post-AN: Morgana, Cherry and Tasha are the same person. Tasha is the real name, Cherry the nickname (because of the hair) and Morgana the Dominatrix-name.