Doll House: Book One

three | marble

Cecelia had arrived at the Doll House studio early to receive the news that Sweet Tooth, a brand of aphrodisiac candy, wanted her to be the spokes girl for the few sessions leading up to a nationwide sexpo.

Hodges had been riding on this deal ever since Cecelia ditched her contract with a photography company that designed erotica covers.

He had nothing against the dolls taking personal time when they needed it, but breaking a contract was a huge deal and with Cecelia he always wanted to make sure his prized doll stayed relevant, busy, and professional.

So Cecelia dismissed herself from Hazel's congratulatory meeting and walked several blocks to the Sweet Tooth office, arriving early enough to sample the breakfast buffet spread that had been set out.

She'd come to expect these types of perks because she knew that she was lucky. The best jobs went to her especially since she'd paid her dues with videos viewed by millions and uncomfortable casting couch moments.

However, the only aspect of this job that she couldn't fully enjoy was the boss himself. The nuclear family image meant everything to him and as much as he tried to keep his wife and son out of the spotlight physically, they made their appearance verbally.

It didn't matter that Hodges had five dolls on his arm at any given event, the only doll that dealt with the brunt of it all was Cecelia. Though she was the only one actively involved with him, their relationship was not spoken of amongst the close network of individuals. She preferred it that way because she refused to pressure him to be with her and only her. It might take time but she liked to think that she was willing to wait.

Cecelia stirred her cup of chai tea and glanced at the clock on the wall. It was relatively quiet in the office and the only noise came from the receptionist tapping her nails on the counter.

"Can you take me to the room that we're supposed to meet in? I rather just wait in there." She asked the blonde haired girl who pushed her chair back to lead Cecelia down the short hall.

She pointed to the frosted double doors at the end.

Cecelia motioned to enter the room but stopped when she heard two voices inside. Had the meeting started?

"Look, I don't know anything for sure." One voice said with a slight chuckle.

"You sound pretty 'sure' to me."

"Well a gig like this is hard to get so I wouldn't be surprised if the Doll House girl had to fuck around with her boss to get in. He looks out for them."

"No way, Hodges can't be that powerful. Victor isn't even that powerful."

"All I'm saying is the girl fucked Hodges to get a Sweet Tooth deal. And if she did it for Sweet Tooth then she does it for other shit."

Cecelia's face twisted in confusion and she fumed at what was being said. Who were they to speak on what they didn't know? Who were they in general? So what if Hodges helped her secure gigs, she couldn't have people guessing that she fucked him. It would ruin his life and her credibility. If she were accused of fucking anyone else that would be warranted, after all, she was in the porn business. But Hodges?

"Oh Cece, you're here!" She glanced over her shoulder at Dana, the Sweet Tooth marketing director, who grinned.

"Uh yeah, I was finishing my tea."

"You can drink that inside. C'mon." Dana waved Cecelia inside the large meeting room where she noticed the two men standing near the window that revealed a view of rooftops.

"Ah and the handsome star, in the flesh." Dana gushed. "Who's your friend?"

"A free loader, he came for the samples." The man with brown hair joked, nudging his red haired friend. He sounded like the main culprit! The one who thought he knew everything about Cecelia.

Cecelia rolled her eyes as she took a seat beside one of the women that Dana entered with and across from the brown haired man. She wore a tight smile as the conversation still rang through her ears. Just power through this meeting, Cece. She thought to herself. This is a job that you don't know the details of so keep calm and try not to choke anyone.

"I'm so glad that you were all able to make it." Dana tucked a piece of her black bob behind her ear. "I know you're wondering who all these people around the table are but I promise we'll get to that very shortly."

Cecelia glared at the brunette, shaking her leg in frustration. His brown eyes were focused on Dana and as his face rested in an expressionless position, the bold definition of his jaw made his freckles more noticeable.

She knew he was able to say what he wanted because he was so handsome. She'd been in the industry long enough to know that the more attractive the individual, the more privilege they exercised. All she could hope was that she didn't have to work with him on this project. Whatever his role in it was.

"...the lollipops will come in two distinct flavors so we have a female and male representative for each working alongside each other. A photo shoot is lined up for next week in order to prepare for the countdown to the sexpo reveal..."

Cecelia tuned Dana out again to shift in her seat uncomfortably and contain her anger. She hated people talking about her business. Especially when they knew nothing about her.

"With the announcement of the Rebel, Doll House crossover we decided to capitalize off of the trend. So let's start introductions from my left." Dana pointed to the brunette.

"Dax Cole, I've been with Rebel Room for five years as of August. It was hard getting with Sweet Tooth but here we are." He exchanged a glance with the redhead boy who smirked and shook his head.

"We don't pick just anyone but we definitely had our eyes set on you Dax." Dana smiled reassuringly but Cecelia was still stunned by his microaggressive comment. He was the Rebel boy that she would have to work with!

"Okay, next is-"

"Next is me." Cecelia stood up, straightening herself as her hands shook from the uncontained anger. She wore a tight smile as she looked straight at Dax. "I'm Cecelia Decker, or according to Dax, the girl who sleeps with the boss to get gigs." She watched his face fall at her final words. Then she turned her back to the room and stormed out with a fury, her heels pounding the white marble floor with each step.

She would have to pay for this later and it might even cost her the Sweet Tooth deal. But she didn't care because as of that moment, she felt that embarrassing Dax needed to happen. There was not an ounce of regret in her.