Grey Skies in Mourning

© 2010 Mr. David R. Dorrycott

Chapter Five

edited 12/12/2012

Kab Langly currently stood in his office with his jaw open. He had been watching the daily visitors come and go through a side window of his office door when his nine o’clock appointment showed up. Now Kab was a bear, thus he didn’t have much interest in mares but the one that was talking to his secretary was a Goddess in the fur. “I am so screwed” he told himself, taking the time to close his mouth before flies flew in. In his entire life he had never seen such a beautifully proportioned mare, nor one with anything like her well developed muscles. Taking a deep breath he steeled himself for this encounter, because if this woman was coming for a screen test and could even partially act she was going to blow his entire stable of actress’s out of the water. It would be a blood bath, a complete and utter blood bath even though the mare was a blackfur.

Setting down he looked back down at the script before him and tried to focus, it was a Western he remembered, something probably stupid about an unknown mud hut in Texas called The Alamo. He was still trying to find his place again when his secretary rapped on the door. Looking up he gave her the signal to come in.

“Your nine o’clock is here sir” the doe said in warning, then pursed her lips as though whistling.

“Very well, I’m getting nowhere with this. Send her in and lets see what she wants.” He stood, waiting for the woman to enter.

“Yes sir.” His secretary, hired by him for her intelligence not her looks, turned and spoke, then opened the door wide. “Mr. Langly, Mrs. Benevedo to see you sir” the doe announced. She then stepped in, allowing the black furred mare clear entry. “Coffee sir?”

“Mrs. Benevedo?” Kab asked.

“Thank you no” Nikki answered. “I fear that I have no taste for American coffee, it is a learned trait I am afraid.” She looked down at the busty though plain faced doe, who looked back up apparently uncowed by Nikki’s best huntress look. “Ice water would do nicely, if you would be so kind” Nikki finally decided.

“Certainly, Mr. Langly?”

“Coffee please and thank you Rose.” He waited until his secretary had left, then offered Nikki the chair of her choice. Once the two were seated Kab gave the mare a searching once over. ‘A woman to crush a mans soul’ the bear thought. ‘And everything else about him.’ “Good morning Miss Benevedo, how may I be of assistance to you today?” he asked, forcing himself to be professional.

“I come representing my family” Nikki answered, appearing somewhat bored. She knew the effect her Songmark toned body was having on the bear, it was an effect she used against men and women on a daily bases. “My sister, two years younger, has shipped a screen test reel to your company completely without the families knowledge or permission. I have been sent to assure the family that this studio is not a den of, shall we say lessor moral values? This event though has also brought to their attention the possibility of a new source of income.”

She gave the bear a smile that had melted stronger hearts before, quite willing to use natures gifts in any way that was to her and the Althing, an advantage. “I am a business woman Mr. Langly, because I have business interests in the Spontoon Islands my family decided that I should be the one to do this investigation. After all, it is but a short travel from my location to Hollywood, verses the much longer distance from the Fillyppines.”

“I see, I understand your problem Miss Benevedo but I cannot see how I could be of any assistance to you in this matter. You see I do not view any screen tests until that have been through the mill so to say. There are two groups below me that filter out the wheat from the chaff you understand. Yet you mention another source of income?”

“Yes Mr. Langly, you see my family is now quite interested in starting a movie production company of their own, thus as you are the most knowledgeable in this matter I have come to you for advice as to what such an endeavor required, whom you might think that they should hire to be in charge of production.”

Langly felt his heart flutter, advice? Why, this could be his escape from under the hoof of that dark hearted stag Yade he realized, or a position much worse depending upon this woman’s family. “I see, well then I would need to know something of what you intend to create before I could offer any assistance Miss Benevedo.”

“Musicals yes” Nikki answered, “Not the Buckly style, they are much too complex and expensive for the average Fillypino’s taste. In truth Mr. Langly, much as your studio creates itself though until America we have no foolish Hays Convention to bind us. Yes, the Catholic church is very powerful in my home country, my family though, we are much more powerful. Irritating church officials seem to have difficulties when they involve themselves with our business so years ago the Archbishop of Manila decided to turn his eyes away from our dealings. Of course the gold and silver that my family donates to his personal, private office may have something to do with that as well. Thus we are quite willing to pay for professional, honest information Mr. Langly, in cash.”

“Ah then, well. I will need a few days to research this, then to discover if your sisters reel actually made it to us. Tell me Miss Benevedo, would she be allowed to come to America for work?”

Nikki gave the bear a knowing smile. “She would have to be persuaded I fear as she has gotten cold hooves since sending that reel and waits for my report. I understand that the public tour is on Saturdays, I will make my inspection then.”

“I think that I can manage something better than that.” He turned to his intercom, calling his Secretary in. “Rose, get Henderson in here. I want him to escort Miss Benevedo around the studio to see how things are done here.” To his surprise Rose gave him a certain signal before answering.

“Henderson has a visitor sir, what about Charleen van PugPug? She is between scenes and will not be needed further today.”

“Charleen? All right” he agreed. “But make it snappy Rose.”

“Yes sir.” With barely a glance at Nikki the doe turned and left, gently closing the door behind her.

“Who is this PugPug” Nikki asked as if she didn’t know. “A hound?”

“A B actress Miss Benevedo, but probably our very best B actress and what she doesn’t know about this studio no one knows but Yade himself. It shouldn’t take too long to get here, I think you will like her.”

It took Charleen eleven minutes to arrive at Kal Langly’s office, still breathing heavily after her run. She waited in the Rose Goring’s little office until she had her breath back, knowing that the doe was enjoying the view. “I am ready Miss. Goring” she finally announced. Surprising to the vixen, the doe simply walked over to Langly’s office door and rapped lightly.

“Miss van PugPug is here sir” she announced, standing aside as Charleen walked past to enter.

Again, there was no expected pat of her buttocks or touch on her tail as there had been every time before. Charleen knew that Rose Goring walked both sides of the tracks and had experienced her interest often. What, she wondered was different now? As she stopped in front of Mr. Langly’s desk the answer hit her, she was engaged and Rose never made passes on those who were engaged or currently married.

“Mr. Langly? You wanted to see me sir?” she asked, completely ignoring Nikki who was now sitting to her right.

“Yes, this is Miss Benevedo, perhaps you may have heard of her while you were on Spontoon. I want you to escort her around the studio, show her how we do things, let her talk to a few people. Just do not interrupt a live set understand?”

“Yes sir, I understand sir.” She turned to face Nikki, finding it so easy to act as though they had never met even though the mare had come within a furs thickness of breaking her then selling her away. “Miss Benevedo? When you are ready I shall be delighted to escort you.”

Nikki stood with the fluidness of all Songmark graduates, took a moment to say her good-byes to the bear then she followed Charlene out of the office. It was a good five minutes before either spoke, even then it was Charlene who broke the silence.

“I must speak with you in private” she whispered, knowing from experience that the mare could hear that level of her voice. “Critically important.” A slight nod from Nikki was enough to give the actress hope, if anyone could save this sinking ship it was Nikki Benevedo.

After the two women had departed Langly turned to his Secretary. “All right Rose, what was that all about” he asked.

Shutting the door the doe leaned against it, looking at her boss for a few seconds. “That sir, is the Red Lily. She has zero interest in men unless it suits her and then only in business. She is whom she says she is sir, and she does live in Spontoon where she is co-owner in a small airline. Her family really is very rich sir, very very rich and we do have a reel from one of their daughters.”

“You have been doing your research” Langly noted with approval. “But so much so soon?”

“My little library sir” Rose explained. “The one by my desk has the complete current Who’s Who. It was simple to look up the information while the two of you talked. In fact sir, Miss Benevedo’s family is top of the list in that country in regards to private power and money.”

Leaning back in his chair the bear looked up at his ceiling. “Do you think that her story is a lie? Or is she telling the truth about her family being interested in starting a studio.”

“Sir, the Red Lily’s reputation proceeds her like a storm front proceeds a hurricane. She sir in the least is interested. I could not say about her family, you know that I am not a mind reader.”

“No Rose, though it would be useful if you were. So what will happen to our little Charleen?”

“Ground up, digested and, if she’s interested, collared” the doe answered. “Red Lily is a trainer, a breaker of women sir and only the fact that I am the same myself allowed me to stand up to that gaze. Even then I almost turned away, a fatal mistake around that woman.”

“I see, when is my next appointment Rose?” Langly asked.

”Seven minutes sir.”

“Then you had best return to your desk, but please do inform me if you discover anything else about our visitor that you think I might need to know.”

“Yes sir.”