For Thomas Dern, the morning had offered a rare opportunity to sleep in. All of the machinations, reversals, and improvisations of the past week had culminated in the wee hours of the morning. Sloan Taylor was starring in Soft Kill, with Celia Cole in a strong supporting role. It was the kind of coup that agents only dreamt of, and it had been a nightmare to pull together. Now that the shattered pieces of Brandin Jessup's shattered life had been sorted, it brought a fresh breeze into the life of 'The Mormon'.

Of course, that was on the professional side. On the personal side, Brandin's death was a crushing blow. There are several reasons why an agent needs to maintain emotional distance from a client. It was a rule that Dern usually had no problem maintaining. After all, many of his clients were tedious and self-centered. In many ways, Brandin Jessup had been that way, but beneath it all, Thomas was able to see an underlying vulnerability that touched him deeply. He had developed a true love for Brandin. He shook his head at the realization, for he never lied to himself. He had loved Brandin in a variety of ways.

Thomas Dern was not really motivated by sex, nor was sexual release as an overriding motivation in his life. To most of those who knew him, he was remarkably asexual. He was seen with many women, not just his own clients, but women of wealth, station, and prominence. He was also on the boards of many Hollywood charities and attended functions for various organizations on a regular basis. His opportunities to indulge himself in all ways carnal were fairly regular, yet he never partook of them. With Brandin, it was not sexual, but sex was at least a part of the equation.

It was difficult to admit that to himself, but he had fallen in love with Brandin almost from the day they met. Brandin was just a child, and Thomas Dern did not covet him sexually, not really. He was just drawn to this mesmerizingly beautiful child. Brandin was not the typical child star, despite the influence of that horrid woman who was the quintessential Hollywood mom. She would have gladly pimped her son for a shot at fame, in fact, she had done everything but state that in so many words. It seemed so cruel that she should still be alive while he was dead.

Looking back over Brandin's career, it was easy to see how deeply the child had imprinted himself on the life of his agent. It was a gross indulgence, almost an obsession. It had also had a detrimental effect on several careers. It was unprofessional, which to a man like Thomas Dern was the ultimate insult. Only his own ability to look within himself with stark and rigid tenacity had kept him from making more serious mistakes. He was overindulgent with Brandin, but he was aware of it and strove mightily to overcome it. Maybe if he had been stronger, Brandin might still be alive.

That kind of thinking was counter-productive. It served no useful purpose, and the momentary pain was immediately quashed by strength of will. That was one of the strengths of being who and what he was. In any event, he had a funeral to plan, and he still had to determine what to do about Brandin's mom. She was in an assisted-care facility following a stroke. From all accounts, she was completely incapable of communication and barely responsive. She had yet to be told of her son's death.

The door opened, and George Hadley walked in with a grim look on his face.

"Trouble in Riyadh. Someone tried to take down the Sheikh. Our guys took down at least three, possibly a fourth. They got him out to a safe house. The Saudi police and military are going nuts. At present, there's a news lockdown, but apparently some info is filtering out from witnesses. Luckily, nobody seems to have shot any video."

"The team?"

"Good. Fred took two in the back, covering the principle, but the shots didn't get through his vest. He thinks he may've busted a rib, but not sure without x-rays. I have another team moving to hand-off. As soon as they do I'm pulling them out before they can be grabbed by the Saudis."

"Alright. So where did this take place?"

"At the Hotel. The driver was in on it. We have people looking, but my guess is that he is either dead or long gone. No idea how high up the chain this goes, but someone pretty high up had to leak it. I'm pressing our people over there to find the leak in a hurry."

Thomas frowned, hands steepled under his chin, considering the news.

"Contact all parties. Negotiations are on hold until we say otherwise. If the Sheikh balks, we cancel the contract and he can find someone else. We took this contract with that stipulation. We decide when and where and if he wants to cancel the contract, point out the high cost his funeral would be if we had not been covering him."

"On it."

George turned and headed out as Thomas 'The Mormon' Dern continued to gaze into space, his mind deep in contemplation.

Danielle Sharp was striding across the studio lot, Taylor hurrying along in her wake. The woman seemed to be constantly in motion. She was like a force of nature. As she walked, she kept up an endless dialogue with her phone.

"...has to be completed yesterday. Listen to me very carefully. I really don't give a flying fuck what the union wants, we have a contract and the studios should already be set up. If they are not, I am going to kick someone's ass. We start shooting next week and if there is a single delay, I know at least one rep from I.A.T.S.E (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees) that will be singing soprano before sunset, capisce?"

Taylor spent these moments absorbing the physical mannerisms, vocal inflections, and language of his stunning boss. She was so sexually exciting to watch. There was an aura that literally flooded the senses of anyone that came within her sphere. It was devastating. She was overwhelming on so many levels, and almost everyone around her was dimmed in comparison.

Almost everyone.

It was almost shocking to realize that despite the power that seemed to radiate from Danielle, Matt Sharp was the only person who could not only hold his own but could surpass her. If she was an unstoppable force, her husband was an immovable object. They made a formidable team, and it was scary to realize that they had set their sights on Sloan and Dana Taylor.

What was happening to them? Sloan loved his wife, and he had no doubt that Dana loved him back with a depth and passion that he had never before imagined. Why was that not enough for them? Why did they both feel the need to explore this thing with the Sharps?

So far, Matt and Danielle had been true to their word. There had been no demands made. There had been nothing sexual between them, with the small exception of what happened at the party. Taylor blushed deeply at the memory of kneeling at Matt Sharp's feet and worshiping his rigid cock. That had been one of the most intense sexual experiences of the young actor's life. It had also been the revelation to Matt of Sloan Taylor's true gender.

Taylor could recall everything about that event with a heightened sense of realism. He could feel every vein in Matt's rigid shaft, smell the heady masculine scent, taste the sharp and salty flavor of his semen. A flavor that could be described as both repulsive and immensely satisfying. He could also see the hunger in his wife's eyes as she watched her husband pay homage to her boss' cock.

Even now, the shame of that moment was eclipsed by the passion that they both felt under the spell of Matt and Danielle Sharp. Maybe they had yet to agree to serve as submissives to the dominating duo, but he knew that it was almost a fait accompli. It was as good as done.

Taylor was shocked back into the now as he felt Danielle's fingers lightly caress his cheek.

"Someone looks like she is having happy thoughts."