Claudia Alford was a very attractive young woman in her late twenties. Blond haired and blue eyed, she had kept the figure that had made her the head cheerleader in high school. Seeing Claudia in a bathing suit was often taken as proof that there was a God. Fortunately for the marriages in town, modesty prevented her from wearing anything other than a conservative one piece bathing suit.
There wasn't a man in New Millville who didn't lust after Claudia and she knew it. Knowing it and acting on it are two different things all together. When it came to dealing with wolves, Claudia was most often found standing next to the wife of the wolf. Single men who came chasing after her were soon introduced to her husband, a rather large and intimidating man. Her husband had a reputation for being extremely jealous and controlling despite the fact that it was unnecessary. The fact of the matter was that Claudia was a one man woman and willingly did all that he asked.
A woman of Claudia's beauty could easily gain the animosity of every woman in town. Claudia had escaped that fate. One reason was her attitude about infidelity, but the real reason was the fact that she was the sweetest and most even tempered woman anyone could meet. She never had a bad thing to say about anyone. Even jerks were turned away with a graciousness that was disarming.
Everyone loved Claudia. Thus it was a surprise to everyone in the library when Claudia came storming into it one morning. She stood there in the middle of the room glowering at everyone and everything around her. Once she was sure that she had everyone's attention, she shouted, "I want a book on divorce!"
"What?" Wanda asked. She had recently returned from her visit to see her husband in the hospital in Germany and wondered if she had missed something important.
"I want a book on how to get a divorce! There's got to be a Do-It-Yourself book on getting a divorce," Claudia said.
Having read many articles about DIY divorces, Wanda said, "I suggest that you go to a lawyer."
"I can't afford a lawyer," Claudia said. As soon as the words were out of her mouth she broke down in tears.
The sight of the sweet woman in tears nearly broke Wanda's heart. She led Claudia over to her office and closed the door. Leaning over the young woman, Wanda asked, "What's the matter?"
"My husband is a cheating lying bastard," Claudia answered.
"How do you know that?" Wanda asked.
"I caught him in bed with our next door neighbor," Claudia answered. She sobbed and then said, "It wasn't the first time I caught him cheating on me."
"I'm so sorry," Wanda said. She couldn't understand why Claudia's husband would cheat on her. As much as Wanda loved her husband, she would understand if he dropped her to be married to Claudia. In fact, she was pretty sure that if she was into women she would drop her husband for Claudia. She didn't think any human being could resist Claudia for long.
"What am I going to do?" Claudia asked.
"I can think of only one thing you can do," Wanda said.
"What?"
"Call Solutions Incorporated," Wanda answered.
Claudia said, "I don't have any money."
"A consultation with Magus is only ten dollars," Wanda said. She understood how Claudia could think a visit to Solutions Incorporated would cost hundreds of dollars.
"I don't even have ten dollars. My husband doesn't give me any money," Claudia said. She started crying even harder.
"Stop by the bank and get some money out of your checking account," Wanda said.
"I'm not on the checking account," Claudia said.
"How do you buy groceries?"
Claudia answered, "I have a credit card with a three hundred dollar limit on it. I use it for food and gas. My husband checks every expenditure."
Wanda grabbed her purse and pulled out a ten dollar bill. She handed it to Claudia and said, "Go over there now."
Claudia said, "I can't take your money."
"Don't worry about it," Wanda said.
Magus listened to Claudia's story. When she finished telling her tale of woe, he said, "Stand up."
Claudia stood up. She was wearing a skirt that came to above her knee, a tight fitting pullover blouse, hose, and high heels. The skirt and blouse were a vibrant blue that complemented her blond hair and blue eyes. By any stretch of the imagination, she was a stunning woman. He said, "Turn around."
Claudia turned around. When she was once again facing him, he said, "You're a very attractive woman."
"Thank you," Claudia said. She had felt like a piece of meat.
"That is a problem."
"It is?" Claudia asked. No one had ever told her that being attractive was a problem.
"Yes, it is. It would have been better if you were plain looking," Magus said.
"Really?"
"Will you wait in the reception area while I investigate what to do about your situation?" Magus said.
"Can you help me?" Claudia asked.
"Don't worry about that, I can solve your problem," Magus answered.
"Great," Claudia said.
"Now go wait in the reception area," Magus said. He watched Claudia walk out of the room. Once she was gone, he shouted, "Stephen! Get in here!"
Stephen left his office and nearly tripped upon seeing Claudia seated in the reception area. In a typical male fashion, he walked into Magus' office with his head swiveling so that his eyes remained on the beautiful woman. He nearly broke his neck trying to turn it too far.
Once in the office, Stephen said, "You bellowed."
Magus held out a fifty dollar bill and said, "Take Claudia out to lunch. Bring me back something."
"What would you like?" Stephen asked. He could barely believe that he was going out to lunch with the gorgeous woman in the reception area.
"You know what I like. Pick something out for me from wherever you take her," Magus answered.
"Yes, sir."
"Don't forget to bring back a receipt. This is a business lunch," Magus said.
"Yes, sir," Stephen said snapping a salute.
"Go forth and graze," Magus said. He pushed the button on the side of his desk and waited for his desktop to move out of the way and for the projector to start. He was busy typing before Stephen managed to get out of the room.
An hour later, Claudia was back in Magus' office. She had been sitting there nearly two minutes waiting for him to say something about her situation. He kept glancing at her and then shaking his head. She nearly jumped when Magus looked over his shoulder and shouted, "Igor!"
A very large man entered the room through the door behind the desk. He looked at Magus and then over at Claudia. He cracked his knuckles. She stared at the huge man wide-eyed. His hands were as big as her head. In a gravelly voice, he said, "My name is not Igor."
"You look like an Igor," Magus said dismissively. Gesturing between the two people in his office, he said, "Claudia, Phil. Phil, Claudia."
"Nice to meet you ma'am," Phil said while giving her a curt nod of his head.
"Nice to meet you," Claudia said wondering if she would get used to his gravelly voice. She hoped that he was a friend because the alternative was a very frightening thought.
"Igor, take her to her house and pack up all of her clothes," Magus said.
"What?" Claudia said.
"Don't worry about it, Claudia. I'm sending him with you for your safety. Igor is my security guerilla," Magus said.
Phil rolled his eyes at being called a security guerilla. He muttered, "I've got to come up with a reply to that."
"I can pack up by myself," Claudia said. She didn't think her husband would get violent.
"You may not realize it, but you are in grave danger. You husband is an immature insecure little man. He is the type who will react violently to any sign of independence on your part," Magus said. When he had investigated their finances he had been shocked at how completely dependent she was on him. It was likely that he was going to extend his control over her life in a more physical manner with time. The only thing stopping him was her father. Her father would kill him if he ever hit her and her husband knew it.
"I can't believe that," Claudia said with a frown.
"Believe it," Phil said.
Magus said, "Igor, he has eight registered guns including two pistols. Be careful when you go there."
"Should I bring a cop along to her house?"
"You might as well have one meet you there. I would hate for you to get in shoot out without a friendly witness," Magus answered.
Phil patted his shoulder taking comfort in the pistol he was packing. He asked, "What do I do with her once I get her out of there?"
Magus answered, "She's moving in with us for the next seven days."
Confused by the assertion that she was moving in with them, Claudia said, "I could move in with my parents."
"No you can't. You need the kind of fulltime protection that I can provide," Phil said.
Magus said, "Put her in the upstairs bedroom. It has a good lock on the door so that she'll feel safe from us."
"Are you sure it isn't to protect you from her?" Phil asked with a smirk on his face.
"Don't be absurd," Magus said.
"Far be it for me to argue. You're the brains of this outfit; I'm just the brawn."
"Bring her back here after you've moved everything. She's got a three o'clock appointment with a lawyer," Magus said.
"That will be cutting it tight," Phil said glaring at Magus. It was one o'clock. That would give them less two hours to drive over to her house, pack up all of her belongings, and drop the stuff over at their house.
"I have faith in you. Now run along. I've got to get Stephen's report on prostitution during the Civil War," Magus said. He bellowed, "Stephen! Bring your report!"
A very subdued and quiet Claudia followed Phil to a van that was parked in the parking lot of the office building. Acting in the manner of a true gentleman, Phil opened the door for her and closed it once she had entered. He walked around and got into the driver's seat. He started the engine before calling the police to have an officer meet him at Claudia's house. Wide-eyed, Claudia watched him talk to the dispatcher over the police radio. She didn't think that an average person could just call the police and get them to send an officer out like that.
While pulling out of the parking lot, Phil said, "You're a beautiful woman."
"Thank you," Claudia replied.
"That's a problem," Phil said.
"Magus said the same thing. Why is it a problem?" Claudia asked.
"Magus doesn't feel comfortable around beautiful women. He's going to spend the next seven nights squirreled away in his study. I won't see him for a week," Phil said.
"Why would you want to see him? He's pretty rude to you," Claudia said.
"You mean the Igor bit?"
"Yes."
Phil laughed. He said, "I'd be dead if it wasn't for Magus. He saved my life and hired me as a bodyguard all in the same day. The only condition of my employment was that he got to call me Igor. He's funny that way."
"I didn't realize that. I thought he was just being rude," Claudia said.
"He says that people will underestimate me if he treats me like I'm a brute force kind of person while we are in a public setting. Don't let him know that I agree with him," Phil said.
"I won't."
"Because of you being in the house, I'm going to miss our late night discussions over tea. Last night we spent hours discussing the Battle of Vienna. That was when the Ottoman Empire attempted to take over Vienna in 1683. Not many people know about that period in history and the extent to which control by the Ottoman Empire had reached. It is a most intriguing period of history if you ask me."
"Fascinating," Claudia said. She looked over at him out of the corner of her eye wondering what kind of person found a discussion like that interesting. Trying to change the topic, she said, "So he finds attractive women intimidating."
"Not exactly. Nobody intimidates Magus. He just isn't comfortable around extremely beautiful women," Phil said.
"Why not?"
Phil answered, "I figure it is a Sherlock Holmes thing."
"Sherlock Holmes?"
"He didn't feel comfortable around extremely beautiful women either," Phil said.
"I didn't know that," Claudia said. She looked around and said, "My house is just up the street."
Waving to the policeman that was standing by the curb, Phil pulled into the driveway of her house. He said, "We're here."
It took Claudia almost an hour to pack all of her clothes and personal items. The trip was a success despite the sudden arrival of her husband. The man was livid with rage at the idea that she was moving out. Violence would have resulted except for the fact that he had found himself staring down the barrel of what looked like an extremely large pistol. Things calmed down after he accepted that the best way to distance his head from the business end of the gun was to sit in the back of the patrol car while Claudia packed. Phil did an extremely good job of acting like an Igor.
Claudia rode with Phil to the fortress that was home to Phil and Magus. It was a two story house with iron bars on the windows. The house was surrounded by tall fence topped with barbed wire. Four Dobermans patrolled the grounds. It was with some trepidation on her part that they carried her stuff up to her room. She had to admit that her room was virtually assault proof. Phil had pointed out that the glass was bulletproof. There was even a bar on the door. He had commented that some third parties didn't like the solutions that Magus provided his clients and that this kind of security was necessary.
After getting her stuff stashed in her room, Phil and Claudia got in the van to return to the office. Phil said, "That went well."
"I couldn't believe Harry was going to attack me," Claudia said. She had been terrified at seeing the expression on her husband's face. He looked insane.
"He calmed right down," Phil said with a grin.
"After you put a gun in his face," Claudia said.
"That's all part of the service," Phil said. He pulled into the parking lot and said, "We made it in time for your appointment with the lawyer."
"I don't know how I'm going to pay for a lawyer," Claudia said softly.
Phil said, "Magus is taking care of it."
"He's paying the lawyer?" Claudia asked.
"The problem you have includes the fact that you can't afford a lawyer. Magus wouldn't be solving your problem if you had to pay for a lawyer. That's one of his rules — a solution doesn't create new problems for his client," Phil said.
They entered the office together. Magus met them in the reception area. He said, "The lawyer isn't here yet. Why don't you sit at your desk and fill out the tax forms?"
"My desk?"
"You're my new receptionist," Magus said edging back towards his office door.
"I am?"
"You need a job, right?"
"Yes."
"So there you go." Magus was now standing at the door of his office.
"I guess I can be a receptionist."
"Just keep your distance," Magus said while disappearing into his office.
Phil laughed. "Coward."
"Be quiet Igor."