Anna's Magic Ch. 11

"Fine, call the cops. I will let them in on your little secret stash of Stuart Miller and his corruption of Anna and Crystal, just off the top of my head. I'm sure that Holly will understand when I tell her that her father was off screwing around making porno flicks while his wife lay dying..." I continued but was cut off.

"That wasn't supposed to happen! I told Stuart to tend to his wife but he was in too far to back out and the website was making more money than we'd ever imagined!" Her angry tone was a telling sign that I was hitting some pretty sensitive nerves. "Anna was a willing participant in all of this! Same with Crystal! They both were getting paid handsomely until Anna decided that she wanted out! So I gave her an out, little did I know that she was going to start her own website and take paying customers away from me! Do you realize just how much you all have cost me? This home doesn't exist because of the job that I have! How dare that bitch!?" I watched as Wanda's trembling hand reached for the cue ball as she flung the object at one of the vases that sat on a table in another corner of the room, smashing the porcelain to pieces.

"That's because you and Stuart kept taking more and more of the share of the profits away from us!" Another voice cut through the room. I strained to make sense of where it came one and to me it sounded vaguely familiar. Wanda turned on her heel and headed for the corner of the room from where the voice originated.

"Shut up bitch!" Wanda screamed, reaching for the corner that produced a very dishevelled-looking blonde mane. It was Crystal! I couldn't believe it! Here I thought she was still in Europe with her boyfriend!

"What the hell is she doing here?" I spat, shifting in my chair against the restraints.

"Steve! Oh my god it's you! You have to help me! She's been keeping me here until I agree to..." Crystal tried to continue but she was cut off when Wanda threw her to the floor.

"I told you to shut up!" Wanda shouted as she stood over the young woman's prone figure. I could faintly make out a steel shackle that encircled Crystals' wrist tightly. It was attached to a length of chain that I assumed was secured to the wall behind Wanda, who stood over Crystal as she spoke. "It's just like you, always putting your two cents in when it's not required. I took care of you and Anna; helped pay your way into college and this is how you repay me?" By now Wanda's words came through clenched teeth.

"So this is how you repay them?" I paraphrased Wanda's words sarcastically. "By tying Crystal up, keeping her locked away from her family and friends who are probably worried to death about her whereabouts?" Wanda looked at me, her steely gaze cutting right through me.

"Should I tell him or should you?" Wanda asked Crystal, who was still lying at her feet. "Well, go on Crystal! Tell him the way it really is." I looked down at the younger woman who looked up at me; her tear-stained cheeks flushed bright red.

"I....I wanted this," Crystal stammered, looking for the words. "My boyfriend broke up with me in Italy, left me broke on the streets and I didn't want to call Anna, because I thought she was pissed at me because I left and I needed a plane ticket home so I called Wanda and promised to work the debt off by doing what the only thing that I do best." Her voice trailed off as she spoke the last few words, almost as if she were ashamed of what she had done. I gave her a reassuring look as if to say that everything would be okay, one way or another when Wanda continued her diatribe.

"So you see Steve, everything that you see here really is on the up and up. I bailed Crystal out at a time when she needed it and now she is doing me a favour by helping to become my websites' number one star! Soon they will forget about Anna, maybe some will even grow tired of her childish antics through 'Pleasure's Den' or whatever the crap she sells is called and come back to the quality that I produce on a daily basis." She sounded like she had it all figured out, albeit her intentions were a little misguided or even a little psychotic to say the least. Even if Crystal wanted to be here there still was this small little incident that we were all playing out at this very moment.

"I see you have it all figured out Wanda," I conceded to the woman. "But if Crystal is supposedly here to pay back a debt to you then why do you feel the need to put shackles on her wrists?" I asked, motioning to the chains.

"Haven't you learned anything today Steve?" Wanda spat back. "I know Crystal is indebted to me, she knows it. Let's just say that the shackles are a little insurance. I can't have my number one star run off like Anna did now can I?" It kind of made sense to me, yet I knew deep down inside that Crystal would have liked nothing more than to get the hell out of there, out of the house, out of Wanda's life completely. It was then that I had an idea, a revelation of how I was going to get both of us out of there.

"Very nicely played," I turned, looking towards Wanda, "I couldn't have thought out a better way to replace one star of the website with another! Bravo!" I urged, trying to sound as convincing as possible. For her part Wanda looked at me with a shocked expression, as if I had just lost my marbles. "I mean you can't have a website nowadays without a fresh cute face such as Crystal's." I wasn't sure if she was buying it but I pressed on, hoping that it would play into her ever-growing ego. "As for Anna, you're right, who needs her? I mean she obviously doesn't want me or you in her life anyway. Look at the way she dumped me out in the cold when I tried to get close to her. At least you didn't have to endure that crap. She just lied really well to the both of us!" As I spoke the anger of the whole scenario with Anna came through in my voice as I played it all out in my mind.

I wasn't really angry with Anna now that I knew the whole story, but I couldn't let Wanda catch on. I could tell that she was a little sceptical of me, so I decided to turn things up a notch or two. "Hey Wanda I just had an idea!" I added, looking directly at the older woman. "Wouldn't it be a great way to get back at Anna if we were to say, film her ex-boyfriend and supposed best friend having sex? I mean, wouldn't she just go nuts? Think of the look on her face and the amount of members that would pay to see real life played out on the screen; what do you think?" As I trailed off I looked at Crystal, a somewhat frightened yet calm look on her face. I smiled wryly at her to let her know I was up to something.

"Oh sure, and I'm supposed to believe that?" Wanda returned, placing her hands on her hips. "How do I know that as soon as I untie you that you won't overpower me and run?" I could tell that I was winning her over.

"Because you have me on videotape breaking into your house, remember?" I reminded the woman, suddenly realizing that I may not be dealing with the mastermind I had originally thought.

"Right...the videotapes!" Wanda chimed somewhat unsure of the words that she spoke. "Alright, let's do it!" She added, reaching around behind me to untie my restraints. She then went over to Crystal and picked her up off the floor. "Let's get you cleaned up for the show sweetie!" The older woman cooed; a gentler tone than I'd ever heard from the woman before. With that the two went off into the bathroom adjacent to the room that Crystal was calling home. As Wanda tended to the younger woman I walked around the room, quietly trying the various doors, all of which were locked from the inside. Obviously Wanda wanted to keep Crystal her little secret and made every effort to ensure that. The place was impenetrable; no windows with solid concrete walls behind the cheap wooden panelling.

Soon the women returned and I was greeted with the stunning sight of Crystal, hair combed back in a ponytail with the slightest hint of makeup on her brightened face. She seemed to be okay with the whole thing, and this made me feel better as I didn't want her to feel uncomfortable, for Wanda would likely pick up on that. As she walked over I could see that Wanda had somewhat of a theme planned for the scene, for Crystal was dressed in a white cotton blouse and short grey skirt, her legs encased in knee high stockings with black high heeled shoes on her feet.

Wanda came up in front of us and explained the scene. We were going to give the impression that this was a pool hall, using the table as the main setting where all the action was to take place. Crystal was going to play the part of a young pool hustler, skipping school and making money off of unsuspecting players who thought she was going to be an easy target. Wanda set up the camcorder in a corner of the room as I straightened myself up, ready for the action. I had to admire the woman, for she did have quite the imagination, yet as I went about straightening up I was looking for the perfect opportunity to get Crystal and me out of there...