TDWP: The Devil's Mistress Ch. 6
-TDWP-
They didn't run, but neither did they hesitate. In a few short moments, Miranda was on her knees, holding both her girls; one in each arm. She kissed their cheeks. Her words floated up from the lapel pin she wore, quiet, but firm. "I love you, Carolyn. I love you, Cassidy. I am sorry."
For so many things, but she left that open. They tightened their arms around her and she returned the strong embrace.
"We knew you were close," whispered Carolyn.
"Andy told us." Cassidy whispered in her other ear.
"I'm glad she told you." Miranda pulled back to look at her girls, to run her fingers through their fiery hair. They were vibrant and alive and worried and far less stressed than she would have anticipated. "She's been taking good care of you?"
"Yes."
"Are you going to come live with us? With Andy, I mean?"
"Andrea and I have decided to wait until after the operations, but yes, I will be eventually. Would you like to see where I'm staying right now?" She unfolded from her kneeling position and offered a hand to each daughter.
They clasped it without hesitation. She marveled at the trust they still had in her. She smiled down at them, and squeezed their hands gently. "I think you'll like it."
-TDWP-
Lisle said, "Emily has been retrieved. Word is that Serena has returned to her family in Brazil."
"Be very sure that she made it. Hire people to guard her unobtrusively while she's there." Andrea appeared to be immersed in what she was doing. Lisle was used to her boss' multi-tasking ways.
"I have people on it. Do you want Emily anywhere in particular."
"Yes. Here. As soon as possible."
"Done. She's none-to-happy."
"She's Emily. That's how she is. She'll be happier when she's home with us." Andrea said firmly, not looking up. It wasn't until she heard Lisle leave and thought about it for a moment that her head jerked up in surprise at herself. "Well."
-TDWP-
Later, Lisle arrived with less pleasant news. "We've had contact from someone claiming to be one of the previous owners. They are demanding the right to see how their slave, 4289, is being cared for, citing the Law."
"How interesting. They invoke the Law of Care. The contact, was it direct or via assistant?" This time Andrea swiveled away from the terminal. Her expression hardened.
"Assistant, I'm sorry to say." Lisle grimaced, but she did not shy away from the question.
"Not that anyone would have had anything to complain about, in the whole day and a half that we've had the slave." Andrea sighed. "Drop in or appointment?"
"Appointment. They'll be here in an hour and a half."
"I see. Contact our lawyers and have them here. Make sure the paperwork is very clean and clear as to who owns whom. It pushes up my agenda tremendously. I wished to be there for the imprint, but have Addison mark Miranda and the girls, immediately. We will refine the data contained in the chip later, with better information when we have the chance. I will be changing their status at some point, regardless, but they need the basics now. Then tell Miranda best case scenario and worst and what this is about and get her dressed in something provocative. You might give her the opportunity to choose. She can be positively wicked when she wants to be. Check the list for what I've forbidden and permitted for her so far. I've updated. Send the children back home, put guards at the are not to let anyone in, but myself, you, Miranda, and/or Addison, until the all clear. Call Jason and have him here. And Derik, of course. He can choose agents of protection if he think it is warranted. Is it me, or do you think this is a very great risk for someone to take?"
"High stakes equal high risks. It's also arrogance. I doubt they know who you are. If they did, they wouldn't try to manipulate the rules, but would have tried for an outright fiscal exchange. They must want slave 4289 very, very badly."
"They can't have her. She's mine." Andrea waved her hand at her suddenly smiling minion. "Go."
-TDWP-
A French accented tirade occurred outside of Andrea's office. "I demand to see whomever is running this establishment! I insist on my slave's return! Number 4289. My lawyers have the papers. She was not to be sold. It says so right here!"
"I can not take those, Ms. Follett." Lisle spoke calmly, though her voice also carried. "As you had the foresight to make an appointment, my Mistress awaits. If you will follow me, please?"
Jacqueline Follett found there was nothing else to do, but follow the blonde. The new editor of Runway America was dressed to impress, with a dark grey pinstripe jacket and pencil skirt, white blouse, very expensive jewelry and accessories and black high heels. Her dark, short hair was fashionably spiked, her makeup refined. Brown eyed daggers tried to pierce through Lisle's receding back, but had no impact on the assistant. The Frenchwoman snapped her fingers for the lawyers and her usual lackeys to follow.
They did not enter, as expected, an office, but rather a spacious conference room. People in suits were already seated, with a brunette in a classic short black dress sitting at the obvious head of the table. Behind her stood two very big men, also in suits, but with official looking badges on their belts. The men who were seated in the room, stood up politely.
"Please," the brunette said. "Make yourselves comfortable." She indicated the free seats at the outer perimeter of the desk. She smiled at one of the lawyers that accompanied Jacqueline. "Hello, Stephan. Welcome back. I am sure you are looking forward to working with Quincy." She nodded at one of her own. Stephan cleared his throat as he took a seat, waved meekly at Quincy, and could not quite meet the brunette's eyes.
Jacqueline glowered at Stephan, but was distracted when the brunette continued. "Lisle, you may take the paperwork now and hand them to our lawyers." The Frenchwoman took a second look at the woman at the head of the table, trying to place where she had seen her before and then dismissed it as an illusion of her profession. She'd seen hundreds of women in her time and it was probably a blend of features trying to fool her memory.
"Yes, Mistress." Lisle approached Jacqueline's lawyers and waited. Jacqueline was suddenly aware of the documents still clutched in her hands. She pressed them quickly at Stephan and waited impatiently while papers shifted hands until they reached the blonde.
"We would also appreciate electronic copies. They are so much more reliable than paper, which tends to get lost so easily. Would you mind transmitting them now?"
Jacqueline looked at the man who was supposed to be heading her team. He smiled reassuringly at her and then offered a shark's smile to the Mistress of the establishment. "Of course, Mistress Six." He pulled out a handheld device, and in a few moments sent the file on.
"Thank you. Mistakes do happen. So you won't mind, of course, if I verify the timestamp of the documentation? My people are very good a determining whether a file has been manipulated."
"I assure you our paperwork is in order. And yours?"
"We have several files for your perusal, including, of course, the receipt and some very interesting medical files." Andrea tapped her fingernails on the surface of the table. "Ms. Follett. Have you, by any chance, been watching the news?"
"I fail to see what that has to do with you returning my slave."
"Mere chit-chat, as we wait for file exchanges to be adequately parsed." Andrea sat back and pressed her fingertips together. "I saw the most interesting interview very early this morning. Something about a magazine losing an editor recently. I understand congratulations are in order."
The flash in Jacqueline's eyes came and went so quickly, that Andrea would have missed it if she hadn't been watching for it. "Oh. Yes. A terrible tragedy that. We are all quite devastated. I was called in to help out."
"Indeed. Lisle, would you mind fetching 4289? Thank you." She didn't bother to watch the blonde scurry away. Andrea's smile was quicksilver and gone. "Let us begin with receipts. I have mine. Do you have yours? For tax purposes, of course."
"I frankly don't see how this applies."
"Anyone can come in waving papers, Ms. Follett. In fact, that happens quite often here. We might discuss the why later, but I can say it happens enough that we follow several procedures. One of which is to demand proof of purchase, or, barring that, we have other options. For instance, tax receipts. After all, if you own a slave and are honest, you pay the taxes on them. Thus creating a nice, healthy 'paper' trail that is most handy for days like this one, where there is a dispute. And I, of course, dispute your claim of ownership."
"Taxes. Receipts. I never look at those. That's something my accountant handles. Naturally I don't have them with me."
"Oh. Well, then we shall address the topic in another way, when 4289 arrives."
"It doesn't change that 4289 was not supposed to be sold..."
"Shall we consult the public documentation on the date of purchase? My country's laws are very particular on that subject. Very stringent. One might even say brutally clear about the consequence of failure to list the deposition of a slave correctly. Derik?"
"Yes, Mistress." The big man on Andrea's left stepped forward and handed her a slate, which she handed to the nearest lawyer on her left. The slate was then passed down the row until it arrived in the hand of one of Jaqueline's people. "You will note the date-stamp, the official signatures of two state officers, the table of available slaves for purchase and their status on that particular date and time. A copy is included in the files we have ported to you. You may keep the slate if you wish. It has all the documentation."
The head shark cleared his throat and handed the slate over to the next lawyer in line. "It is understood that perhaps there are differing opinions as to the status of the slave. However, my client is prepared to reward you handsomely for the slave's return."
Before Andrea could opine that there wasn't a sum large enough, the doors to the conference room swung open. Lisle, followed by the slave in question, walked in.
Even as a slave the woman who strolled in was a commanding presence, moving with grace and power. Short, styled, silver hair that was nearly pure white, glinted and moved in natural waves with each step. She wore six inch black stilettos, obsidian silk stockings that sculpted the length of her legs. That was revealed by the long slit in her tight cherry red skirt, which displayed her thigh with even her even steps. A red leather belt, stitched with black and with a wide silver buckle wrapped around her waist, decorative, rather than needed. The black silk blouse, opened to a deep "v," revealing delightfully rounded cleavage and toned midsection. A long, single silver chain only emphasized her curves, while silver hoops finished the whole.
Andrea's breath was stolen by how strikingly sensual Miranda looked. She was not the only one.
Meanwhile, Jacqueline stood up rapidly, pointed beside herself and barked, "Slave. Come here."
The silver-haired woman stalled visibly and pivoted, turning toward the person making the command. She grimaced, obviously distressed.
Mistress Six barked, just as firmly. "4289, belay that. 4289, disregard all slave directives from Jacqueline Follett, her permission to command is denied. 4289, come here." This time it was Andrea who was pointing at a particular space on the ground.
Once again the woman pivoted, but this time she walked most firmly away from the Frenchwoman.
The Mistress narrowed her eyes. "That was a thoughtless thing to do, Ms. Follett."
"Thoughtless!"
"Among other things. Slave Stephan, you may return to your seat." Jacqueline looked startled as she realized the lawyer was standing right beside her, at the point she had indicated. Mistress Six continued, "It is common practice among many industries to search for people of skill who might have landed on the wrong side of the block. They buy the contract and let them work it off. If it is a good company, it happens in a reasonable amount of time. A bad one... well... they will up the stakes. But really, that wasn't what I was addressing. One should always, at the very least, specify the slave one is commanding. Especially in group. It leads to misunderstandings otherwise, and some owners are quite possessive."
Andrea took that moment to glance up at her quivering lover. Miranda's hands were fisted, her body ramrod straight even though she was shaking. The color on her cheeks, while a lovely shade, really emphasized the killer look on her face. The only reason she wasn't speaking was that the brunette had the forethought to order silence before the meeting.
She planned on making up for it later.
She took one of the fisted hands in her own, tugged on it. "4289, focus on point." Miranda turned to look at Andrea. "I will be asking questions and tapping into your protocol database. You may answer only my questions and protocol commands. Nod once if that is clear."
The silver-haired woman nodded in one sharp motion.
"4289." Andrea turned her seat slightly and patted her lap. She tugged, lightly. "Sit, comfortably."
Miranda slid onto Andrea's lap, wrapping one arm around the brunette's shoulder. She leaned against her, but did not melt into Andrea as she had previously.
Mistress Six turned the chair slightly, wrapping her arm around the slave's waist. She caressed Miranda's cheek with the knuckles of her free hand and smiled when her lover pressed against the touch, even with the spark in her eyes. "Lovely." She could get lost in those eyes.
Andrea turned her attention to the Frenchwoman and reluctantly stopped touching Miranda's face. She brought her hand down all little lower, letting her fingertips rub in gentle, lazy circles and strokes just at the end of the "V" of her lover's blouse. Miranda settled more firmly against Andrea, but her attention turned grimly back toward the people at the other end of the table.
Andrea said, "Now that those of us who are supposed to be sitting are, I suppose we have an opportune moment for me to bring up another topic, related but different. You may recall the newscast I spoke of earlier."
Jaqueline was staring at the woman in the Mistress' lap, her hands were clasping and unclasping. The slave's eyes were cold and hard, shooting daggers of hate across the table. "Of course I do," Jacqueline snapped.
"The news agencies do love their photos." Andrea slid her hand soothingly along Miranda's side. "One in particular stood out for me. The previous editor, the one said to be demised. She had the most interesting shade of hair. Don't you agree, Ms. Follett? Of course, there is nothing unusual about it. But, that this slave you are attempting to ... well, I won't call it steal, just yet."
"Steal!" Jacqueline sputtered. "How dare you!"
"Save the histrionics. I'm not finished speaking."
"Are you going to let her talk to me like that?"
"Ms. Follet, continue to interrupt me, and I shall have my guard escort you out of my building." The words were sharp, the discipline behind the vocalization just emphatic enough to cause the other woman's mouth to snap shut.
The Mistress continued. "As I was pointing out, 4289 bears a striking resemblance to that photo. Or so I thought. Lisle, did you see the similarities this morning?"
"Yes, Mistress. I did."
"Do you think others might have observed the similarities?"
"I hesitate to speculate, Mistress. I would have to see the photo again, I suppose."
"Lisle, would you mind retrieving that broadcast. Search and then pause at that image. We might be displaying it for our common perusal in a few minutes. I'll let you know when, so do come back after your preparation."
"Of course, Mistress." Lisle bowed slightly and then exited the conference room again.
"Ms. Follet, let us return to the case of ownership. You don't have receipts with you. You don't have tax statements. You do have papers of demand, drawn up recently by your lawyers. You may note in our documentation we have papers of stop, drawn up recently by mine, as well as the sundries previously indicated.
"I mentioned that once 4289 arrived we might be able to clarify states of ownership. Before we do that, however, I'd like to give you, Ms. Follett a chance to withdraw your claim." Andrea's expression was nigh unto benign and permissive.
"How dare you! I will not!" Jacqueline exclaimed.
The young Mistress' expression became much cooler. "I have several reasons. Not the least of which might be the messy application of penalties, should we go much further."
"Penalties," Jacqueline's eyes were narrowed and she was glancing back at her lawyers. "What are you blathering on about. This is a simple case of returning a slave."
"Well, there is the personal. What do I do to people who lie to me, 4289?"
"Punish them." Miranda's vocal reply was a simple declaration, but her expression was completely dire. She definitely had a target in mind.
"As she learned only recently. Didn't you, 4289?" Andrea's gentle soothing motions expanded to something more comforting.
Miranda exhaled and her expression softened a smidgen. "Yes."
Andrea offered a tight smile to Jacqueline. "And then there is the professional. 4289, protocol discovery search, vocalize equal yes for the purpose of answering the discovery; define original status, define originating date and induction to current status of slave, the reason listed for enslavement. End protocol discovery search. Then explain, in your own words, how you came to be a slave."
"Original status, 4289, American Citizen, Freewoman," Miranda's words erupted from the speakers, cold and mechanical. She then continued, pinpointing an exact date that was quite recent and the place and point of creation. She then described in simplified detail, how she had arrived at the state of slavery. While the word kidnapped was never used, it was obvious from the story told that was what had happened. The story made worse by the fact that the last thing she remembered were her childrens' terrified faces.
Andrea's gaze turned toward Jacqueline, who had blanched, her eyes narrowing as she tried to conceal her rising panic beneath an expression of shock and surprise. "So. Now, let us add a query to the pool, shall we? 4289, please list any previous owners to myself."
The silence was deafening.
Andrea let it go on for a good minute. "4289. End list." She smiled coolly. "Ms. Follett, I find myself confused. You come here with claims of previous ownership, yet you are not listed as a prior owner. Can you please explain this discrepancy? I would truly hate for there to be a misunderstanding. Your lawyers might be able to go into more detail, but filing a false claim is the same as theft, and carries equally harsh punishments."
"You surely aren't taking the word of a slave over..."
"Ms. Follett, has no one explained protocol features to you? Well, let me pose a query to your lawyer friends. Stephan, while the mere word of a slave may fall under question in the legal system, please share with us the current ruling regarding the admissibility of protocol database queries."
The gentleman in question cleared his throat and glanced at his boss, not at Ms. Follett. Upon receiving the nod, he spoke. "The database queries have been found to be admissible in all courts, so far. One stated purpose was to provide accurate detail for sellers, buyers, and owners. A secondary purpose was to provide accurate records for the courts and state."
"Have these records ever been successfully falsified?"
"Not to my knowledge." He answered hesitantly. "It would require extensive investigation into the database in question and that would require a court order. For a court order to be issued, a slave would have to convince his or her owner that their records are false, and the owner would have to request the investigation and be willing to pay the fees."
"Thank you Stephan. Now, Ms. Follett, here are some facts that you should be aware of before we proceed. I am a wealthy woman. I am also a former slave myself. One who was falsely entered into the system. As such, I have always taken such claims very seriously. I will not and have not hesitated to pay any fees required to ensure that any slave I have purchased, has not come into this life under false pretenses or if they have, to rectify what can be. Nor will I hesitate to allow any of my slaves to take the stand, if necessary. I will ask this one final time. Do you wish to go forth with your claims?"
Andrea supposed she had to admire the other woman for her calm state. Jacqueline, though obviously taken aback, appeared to settle into back into her chair. Andrea could clearly see the panic in her eyes, but none of it was evident in her face or voice. "That slave is mine. I don't know what kind of games you are playing, or what hackers you've used to erase my information, but she is mine and I demand her return. I will take this to the courts, if necessary."
Andrea smiled, her eyes suddenly cold and hard. "Excellent. Produce your proofs of ownership, and we will go from there. Until then, 4289 remains safely within the walls of this facility, and you will know both where she is, and that she will be adequately cared for. Ladies and gentlemen, have a good day. Lisle, escort them out, please."
Jacqueline stood up with the rest, but waited until her people had filed out. She started toward the door, then abruptly closed it. Then she turned, and, as if the idea was one she had been contemplating for hours, said, "If I said that I was here to rescue the slave?"
"4289, answer honestly, do you need to be rescued from this facility or myself?"
"No." The look in her eyes gave the word all the inflection the mechanical voice could not.
"Ms. Follet, I can't help but question your... integrity at this point. You are excused." Andrea deliberately turned her chair and attention away from the Frenchwoman. She leaned in and whispered to Miranda, "Just a few more minutes, darling."
The door clicked behind them. Andrea turned enough to reach a button. "Lisle, once Ms. Follet and company have gone, please have our lawyers, and Derik and Jason rejoin us please, as well as yourself. Thank you."
She pulled Miranda closer and used two fingers to draw her face around. "Well, that just fit another piece to the puzzle, didn't it?"
The older woman would have growled if she could, but the snarl at her lips sufficed. It was a sexy expression despite the anger inherent in it and tempted Andrea beyond belief. She leaned in, snatching a kiss from her lover. The older woman held back, very briefly, then hummed and sank into the deepening caress. When Andrea pulled back, again, very reluctantly, Miranda's expression was much softened.
"I will say this. Even if she doesn't have anything to do with your enslavement, which I highly doubt, I would make her pay just for trying to snatch you away from me. Oh, you may count on it."
Miranda's gleaming smile in return was very toothy.
-TDWP-
"Thank you for returning so soon."
Quincy indicated his fellow lawyers. "We never quite left. I thought perhaps you might wish to consult."
"Such foresight. Lisle, if you would engage the projection please?"
An image displayed at the center of the table. "This, gentlemen is Miranda Priestly. According to her former employer, she's dead. According to my sources, no remains have been found or buried. Interesting, yes?"
"Very."
"4289, would you please stand over there." Andrea pointed to a space just behind the projected image. "You have read the briefs regarding her condition upon arrival at my facility, so I believe you must be aware of her current status. Regardless of entry into the system, she is, of course, legally mine. However, I find I resent highly, her means of arrival to me."
"As always," Lisle commented quietly.
"Yes. As always." Andrea's eyes narrowed. "So, Quincy, ladies and gentlemen. Do you observe what I see?"
Quincy stared at the projected image and then at the slave. "Ms. Follet hasn't a leg to stand on. I'll start the paperwork."
Andrea lifted a hand. "Ah. Details. Let us confirm, shall we?"
"4289, please identify yourself by your legal name, previous to your enslavement."
"Miranda Priestly."
"4289, thank you. Please come take a seat by me. We're almost done here." Andrea waited until Miranda was seated. Then she reached out and took the woman's hand in her own. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like you to open a new case on behalf of one Miranda Priestly and her two children. We would like to fight the battle in our courts here, as they favor us, but must be prepared for courts elsewhere. When it's time we will contact her lawyers. I am very sure they will be interested in joining us in the pursuit of justice for their client. We will just have to make sure that they understand the rules.
"Also, I would like, Lisle, to hire two teams of detectives. One for Mr. Irv Ravitz and one for Ms. Jacqueline Follett. I want this air tight, ladies and gentlemen. They made my Miranda afraid. They made my girls afraid. They wrongfully enslaved not only her, but two innocent children, and killed a friend of mine." Andrea's expression turned hard and implacable. "I want long-term suffering. Fair means or foul. Understood?"
-TDWP-