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Now that was the way to get people to do your bidding. Act like they’re doing you a favor.
As soon as I got to the office, I saw that everyone was wearing a mask, which was probably mostly because they weren’t directly ordered to do so. The contrarian response, strongest in adolescence, often carried over into adulthood. Doing the right thing for the wrong reason still counted, though.
We were all assembled in a conference room most of us hadn’t known existed, chairs spaced six feet apart, masks securely on. Seth was already there, sitting in an ordinary chair at one side of the table— not at the head of it, like the petty and hubristic were known to do. He was never one to lord his power over people.
“As you likely know, the city is going into lockdown,” he announced, once we had all settled in. “As such, the label will be going on hiatus. Recording will be suspended for the time being, with forthcoming albums having their releases postponed. Royalties will be paid for albums already released. Everyone else will be given emergency pay while on hiatus.”
“So, we’re not being laid off?” Claudia asked.
“Goodness no. Suspended with pay at worst. I prefer to think of it as a paid vacation.”
Of course he did, with Seth having gained a rather famous reputation for being a constantly disappointed optimist. His good mood and mellow vibes were generally contagious.
“Meeting adjourned?” Holly asked.
“It isn’t court, Holls, and no, there is another matter to address,” Seth said. “I’m aware that not everyone has permanent accommodations, especially our friends from Europe. This will not do during a lockdown coming down so quickly. If there is anyone who either needs accommodation or is willing to offer it, please let me know.”
One by one, needs were mentioned, and general offers were made. No one was willing to leave their comrades in the cold.
One of the first things I’d learned about the label was that it was really more of a family. Seth acted as the cool dad and his sister-in-law Stephanie acted as the sometimes stern but often comforting mommy figure.
Despite my instincts, when it came for offers of a place to stay, I put up my hand, my house being both large and empty, aside from myself. That situation was entirely by design, since I preferred to keep my social interaction to a tolerable minimum. Scruple outpaced cynicism on this occasion, though, given that we were in the middle of a pandemic.
One by one, the assignments were announced, as decided by Seth, with all sensitivity and consideration given to everyone’s situation.
“Petra,” Seth said, moving to the next decision. “Are you okay staying with Adam?”
“Uh, sure.”
Even with the mask, there were things I could tell. Petra was young, 25 at most, her skin smooth and creamy in a way that spoke of youth.
She was also foreign— Dutch, with a similar accent to her brother Theo’s. A touch nervous, likely put somewhat on the spot, her blue eyes were wide as she spoke, a light sheen of perspiration on her forehead.
She was also gorgeous, in her face as well as in addition to her body being curvy in all the right places. A Herculean effort required not to stare at her huge breasts, sitting snugly in her sweater, from where they peeked out due to the slightest bit of cleavage.
I could only imagine how her hips might look as she rode my cock, which was getting hard at the very thought.
“Great then,” Seth said. “See you all on the other side.”
Mingling as they assembled themselves, everyone formed into new cliques, made up mostly of couples and college students.
“Hi,” Petra said. “I’m Petra Vermeer.”
“Theo’s sister.”
“Yes, you know him?”
“Certainly, in a passing anyway. He’s a great musician. I love his one-man act.”
“Mad Alchemy. Yes.”
“Yep. Our studio scheduling seems to overlap.”
“I see. Which band are you in?”
“Dante Street Massacre,” I said, and she nodded her head.
She was really but so much younger than me. I wanted to devour her, but I told myself to be a good boy. I didn’t want to mess anything up at the record label. Even though I wished I could have my way with her right here and now.
Chapter Three – Petra
Electric excitement buzzed through the car, as if filling it with bright blue shocks. Seth had arranged for my car to be parked indefinitely at the company lot as we took Adam’s ride back to his place.
My saying yes to staying at Adam’s place was more reflex than anything that was based in sober reflection, but I knew from an email I’d received on my phone that the school had just closed down, and that I had lost my dorm.
At that moment, it was Adam’s house or the streets. At least that was how it felt, and I knew which I preferred.
