Vivian

Michael

“She stole Mikey’s business and now she’s here to steal your heart! It’s Vivian Knight!”

Vivan opened the door and strode onto the stage like she owned the place. The same way she enters every room. The reason I brought her onboard in the first place. Michael had known her for years, and he hadn’t seen so much as a single hair from her short blonde bob cut out of place, not one loose eyebrow, not one wrinkle on her immaculately cut red pencil skirt and white blouse. Ever. She had somehow managed to maintain that perfection even through her own damned ****. Vivian didn’t need to be dragged like the others, she took her mark on the edge of the stage and gave everyone the same smug look: Michael, the hosts, the other women, the audience, everyone.

If I didn’t hate her lousy guts, I’d have to admit she looks great tonight.

But he did hate her lousy guts, and that emotion quickly swamped out any male instincts about her appearance. He called to mind all the vile things he had promised himself he would say if he got in the same room with her again. Recognizing the danger, Ruby turned on Michael and dropped into his lap before he could stand. He outweighed her by at least seventy pounds, but like Al, her strength was somehow more than he could have overcome. Ruby is starting to look pretty tired though, maybe this power of hers has some limits.

“Let’s allow her to have her moment, shall we?” Ruby asked. “You’ll have lots of time to get reacquainted later.”

Al continued his introduction. “Vivian is 37 years old, and formerly Michael’s right hand at Axiomatic. Until that right hand popped him in the mouth, snatching half his clients right out from under his nose!”

“I didn’t steal anything, Al. I simply explained how much better they’d be with me than Michael, and they agreed. My only regret is that I couldn’t take them all.” With Ruby’s attention focused upon Michael, she failed to notice the true risk: Al lightly tapped Vivian’s arm, and she gasped as his power jolted her.

“I take that back. My second regret is being **** to compete against these gutter-trash whores!” Vivian’s hands covered her mouth, but the crowd was already excited and primed for what was coming next. Al calmly walked behind the row of contestants, tapping each of Ruby’s selections on the shoulder as he passed. Sarah, her brain still reeling from Ruby’s influence, just looked even more confused as Al influenced her. But Janet and Danica had no such counterweight. They bared their teeth in animal rage, each jumping off their stools to rush Vivian.

“Who are you calling a whore!?!” Danica screamed as the pair tackled and laid into Vivian.

“Mom?! Jan!?” Mallory yelled, but they were beyond listening.

“Get these bitches off me!” Vivian screamed as they slapped her and ripped at her clothes. Danica and Mallory grabbed her neckline and split her sleeveless blouse straight down the front while Janet dropped on her legs and clawed at her skirt.

“Stop that immediately!” Ruby’s soft timbre was gone now, just pure command. It didn’t take, however, and Ruby was **** to dive into the pile and try her best to grab one of the struggling women. Any of them. She took Janet’s foot in the midsection for her troubles.

As much as she deserves it, I have to stop this. Michael leapt up now that Ruby had released him and joined the fray. He grabbed Danica around the waist and lifted her off the mass of writhing females.

“Put me down! I’ll kill her!” Danica screamed.

“What has gotten into you!?” He said, unable to think of anything more sensible. “I’ve never seen you act like that!” The crowd was on their feet cheering and chanting for this fiasco, while Al stood to the side and enjoyed every second. With the odds slightly changed in her favor, Ruby was able to take control of the situation and bring Danica and Janet back to their senses. The pair stopped and climbed off, allowing Vivian to slide on her backside out from under them.

Vivian’s air of invincibility had been thoroughly breached - Her makeup was smudged and ruined, her blouse and bra were torn to tatters. She had to cover herself with one hand and hold her skirt up with the other when she got back to her feet. For some reason, she looked accusingly at Ruby.

Ruby stood, smoothed herself out, and forcefully directed everyone back to their chairs. The moment had passed, and all six of them didn’t want to push their luck any further.

“Better keep your team on a shorter leash or we’ll have to start handing out penalties.” Al hissed at Ruby, but for the cameras Al acted as if nothing had happened. He just reclaimed center stage, casually kicking one of Vivian’s lost heels off the stage as he resumed the show.

“Well folks, if you like fights you’ve come to the right contestant!” Ruby’s final card rotated…