Tech Gods
Lem stepped off the elevator and
realized he didn't have any change. He slapped his pockets, looking
for something smaller than a 10. Margie would kill him if he blew $10
on an elevator ride. She didn't believe in propitiating the gods
anyway. “They wouldn't have given us this technology if they didn't
want us to use it,” she always said. This attitude was why he
hadn't been promoted beyond second-grade, he was sure, but try
telling her that!
Someone nudged his arm. It was Jenelle,
the new IT specialist whose office was still being painted. Someone
had forgotten to propitiate the God of something or other and the
painters had refused to work until it was taken care of. Jenelle was
holding a nickel.
“Oh thanks,” Lem said. He dropped
it in the brass dish, muttering "Thank you for this lift."
"How is your office coming?”
She frowned. “I'm still camped in the
coffee room.”
“Share my office,” he said. That
evening on his way home, Lem put $10 in a streetside kiosk dedicated
to Libidos, patron of deceivers.
Margie was not affectionate, even
downright cold. Could she read his mind?
Lem helped Jenelle carry the old wooden
desk into his office. He moved his desk over so hers could fit in
front of the window too. He emptied one drawer in his file cabinet
for her. He couldn't help staring at her whenever he thought she
wouldn't notice. As the days passed, her attire seemed skimpier and
more transparent. All he could think about was her flesh moving under
her blouse and skirt. In his fantasies, she wore nothing underneath.
One day they both stayed late. The floor was deserted. He closed the door, leaned on her desk. He looked her in the eye. "You know what I'm thinking," he said.
"I'll draw the curtains," she replied, and did.
--
"This was a high-dollar job," the inspector said. "The blood has been completely drained. Not the work of your standard succubus. He moved the extra desk into his office about three weeks ago?"
The office manager shrugged. "No one else wanted it. More room in the lounge. No idea why he wanted it in here."
The inspector rubbed his chin. "Any change in his behavior? Apart from the desk."
The office manager shook his head. "Nothing beyond staying late alone almost every night."
The office manager reached out to catch the inspector's sleeve as he turned to leave. "Who called the succubus?"
"It's usually the wife. That's where my money is."
Publ. Daily Cabal 2011
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