“I’ll still pay them,” Anubis mumbled to himself, grabbing a bunch of tissues to clean off his cock before tucking it into his pants but leaving them unbuttoned.
He slouched and stretched his long arms on the back of the couch, staring up at the ceiling. Maybe his brother, Horus, was right, and he needed to take another break from directing and producing and return to the company. But he still needed to complete the contract he had signed with Azazel. Directing those four episodes was hardly enough for all of the help Azazel had given him so many years ago when Anubis ruled a version of the underworld. He was a god of death, but he wasn’t alone; there were Hel and Hades, to name a few.
Anubis was the only one who grew tired of being among the dead. Twenty years ago, he had become complacent in his responsibility as the judge of souls. And over a billion souls had escaped their judgment. Anubis had asked Sobek, Thor, and Azazel to help him retrieve most of them. They had worked tirelessly for days on end. However, when Azazel returned home, he discovered his mate Uriel, an angel from the heavenly realms, was gone. Even though Azazel did not blame him, Anubis felt guilty for what happened. If Anubis hadn't asked Azazel for help, maybe it wouldn’t have taken him twenty years to find his mate. But his guilt was also why he was working so closely with Azazel.
He would say they were more business partners than anything else. Although Azazel had been pushing for him to sign on to Abandon Entertainment, the talent agency that supported many of the actors associated with Valleywood Studios. As a sign of trust, After Life Inc., which had a streaming company with the same name, worked closely with Valleywood Studios, producing some of the popular shows likeThe Omegas of Valleywoodand a few others, with more in production. He was a businessman, but his knack and passion would always be for directing, yet he couldn’t deny he was yearning to be in front of the camera just a bit more than normal.
His new desire left him feeling a bit confused since his desire was never to be rich or famous. He’d been there and done that. Anubis had given up not one but two thrones in his lifetime. He was an immortal god known as the jackal, the judge of souls and mummification. And to this very day, he’d been viewed as one of the wealthiest kings of Egypt who historians believed died in battle; however, after being king of Egypt for roughly twenty-five years, he returned to the underworld, but instead of fully taking back his throne, he aided his father in judging souls.
Anubis had never considered himself a fickle person. He didn’t give up on things until he felt he’d succeeded. Anubis had more wins than losses, yet he did not feel satisfied with his recent accomplishments. With the help of his friends and family, anything he put his hands on turned to gold, which just happened to be his favorite color. At one point in time, he was given the name Midas by people who knew his true identity. With business ventures, Anubis Ahket was a winner and had the awards to prove it, so he didn’t understand what he considered his lack of success in the entertainment industry. But the double-edged sword was that even though he hadn’t gained any accolades, Anubis refused to give up.
Maybe I should start acting more instead of directing. Hell, I know I’m not fucking bad at it.
But even saying that, Anubis didn’t want to do it as Michael Schultz, the director. He actually wanted to use his real name. However, he didn’t want to jeopardize the progress he’d made in the business world if things failed. Anubis had been considering getting rid of the Michael Shultz identity for a while now. And since he was thinking seriously about his entertainment career, he figured it was time to use a little influential magic to accomplish his goals.
When he first went with the Michael Schultz persona, Sobek was against it, but at the time, Anubis thought it would have been better for him and Horus not to be lumped together as one, which sometimes happened in the entertainment field. Not only that, he didn’t want to be pitted against or compared to Horus. Even though some gods fought like cats and dogs, he and Horus got along just fine, and he didn’t want to ruin that relationship.
The good thing about using magic was that, as a god, he could change his appearance including gender, even shape shifting. And other than the ones who knew, the public had never correlated the accomplished businessman Anubis Ahket with Michael Shultz; the two had different personalities but similar work ethics.
Work hard, and play even fucking harder.
“You’re a hard customer to please.” Anubis didn’t need to turn to the source of the voice. He knew who it was—Thor, the new owner of the Hook & Collar.
“Train better subs,” he grumbled.
“They aren’t the only ones getting complaints.” Thor sighed. “I didn’t want to do it, but I will have to shut down for renovations and dom-and-sub training. I was really hoping to keep it running while I made the changes.”
Anubis finally looked at his friend. “How long do you expect that to take?”
Thor sighed. “The place isn’t in terrible shape, but with what I have in mind, it will take about six weeks, and that’s only because I hired Imhotep to help me.”
That surprised Anubis. What he knew of the immortal was that he preferred to create magnificent art and architecture that would bring him boundless recognition and thought home renovations were beneath his talents. Anubis could not deny the man's creative mind and vision could revolutionize the world with what he designed. There had to be a catch for him to help Thor, and Anubis was sure it was not out of the kindness of his heart.
“I thought he wasn’t interested in doing renovations and the like? What changed?”
“He found someone he wants to chase after,” Thor answered.
Anubis’s eyes widened, and he chuckled, shaking his head. “He’s got a crush, now isn’t that sweet? Who is it?”
“Chase,” Thor answered, and Anubis sat up and stared at his friend.
“Are you kidding me?”
Chase Grimlock was the youngest child in a family of grim reapers who had served the underworld from the beginning of time. All the higher gods like Zeus, Ra, Odin, Dio, and Osiris gave their bloodlines the gift of immortality to guide dying mortals to their afterlife. Chase wasn’t like his siblings and wanted to do something different with his life, so until he could figure things out, he was working as Thor’s assistant.
“Would I ever joke about something like that? But Chase isn’t giving in easily. He says he’s not ready for a commitment. Imhotep has to work hard to gain his attention, and I figure, why not let him help me renovate the club?”
“That’s not a bad idea.” Anubis leaned back, staring at his friend. “I still don’t know why you bought a club. You usually stay in the middle realm monitoring things.”
Thor sighed and leaned back on the couch. “This isn’t my first investment, Anpu,” he said, calling Anubis by one of his many nicknames.
“I know that, but why now?” Anubis wasn’t sure what bug had whispered or crawled into Thor’s ear, but one day he upped and bought the BDSM kink club, the Hook & Collar. Thor, who only helped Anubis and a few other gods out when they needed legal advice, normally stayed in the middle realm, minding his own business.
“Things are changing. Over the years, I’ve played around and got into things with Loki and Eros, but now it’s time I put down some roots.” He smirked. “Plus, I’m trying to follow your lead.”
Anubis quirked a brow. “My lead.”
“Investment and reinvention of oneself. You don’t need the money but keep striving for more in life. You never limit or put yourself in a box. ”
