You’re wondering if Tessa is trying to test you or set you for disaster. If you fail, you’ll put Jessica in great risk. But if you keep her away, you're leaving her in her hands, to an uncertain future. If you want to keep her safe, you’ll need to bring your girl along.
Which means only one thing – she'll have to learn the ropes on the way. But then again, that was how you learned. If you can guide Jessica into success, Tessa will see her worth. She’ll earn her trust. And she’ll become so dependable, she’ll have no option but to accept your demands.
“That depends on the task.”
“Think of the tasks I rely upon you to complete. I need someone else like you.”
You take a deep breath. “Tess, you know I didn’t start knowing.”
“Does that mean she can’t do it?”
“What it means is that I need to know what’s on stake so I can gauge if she can handle it. I trust she’ll learn quickly, as I did. But if the job’s that important, I don’t want her inexperience to ruin it.”
“I see....” She nods, then hands you a folder – a dossier, full to the brim with documents and news articles and photos, with the first one showing a man alongside his (apparent) wife and daughter. Your memories immediately let you identify him.
“Stanley Hoover? The 2nd District alderman?” You carefully study him as Tessa tells you about the job. His bright and easy smile doesn’t tell you why he caught your mistress’s attention, but the fine jacket and shirt, the short-cropped graying hair and the gold cufflinks tell you he’s a wealthy man. “What has he done to you?”
“Very perceptive. Mr. Hoover wouldn’t land in my radar if he was a quiet man, like his counterparts, but he has intervened in some of my businesses. What have you heard about Proposition 15th?”
“I haven’t been up-to-date with politics, Tess.”
“It’s not on the news yet. The goal of Proposition 15th is to allow the city’s Department of Permits to collaborate with the Police Department’s Organized Crime and the county District Court to expedite investigation of businesses with possible ties to organized crime.”
“I see...” Your eyes dance to Mr. Hoover’s family. His wife gives you a vibe of someone in her mid-forties, given her short curly blonde hair and wide curves, but she still retains a youthful face. Of his daughter, you gauge her no older than Jessica, with a pretty face but nothing that would make her stand at school other than her wealthy parents. “And you want to see if he’s got dirty clothes?”
“If he had, I would’ve given him a stern talk already. No, my dear. He’s clean – to my dismay.”
You hum. “I assume you want me to dirty his clothes, then.”
“No.” You almost drop the dossier, leaning to grab a news article detailing some of his history, written months before the last aldermen elections. “Mr. Hoover is too clean. Too tidy. While staining his reputation would be incredibly helpful, it’s also very short-sighted.”
“Then what do you want? You said you relied on my skills.”
“What I want is something very complex, my dear. First, I need you to find and destroy all information pertaining to Proposition 15th before it gets evaluated by the Council of Aldermen.”
“That’ll be difficult.”
“Unless you infiltrate his family and use his memories to find out where they are.”
“You want me to be a man again?”
Tessa cocks her head. “If necessary. But that’s not your only task. I also need you to create a replacement, complete with his memories.”
That tells you very little, but you can infer what she wants. “If you want that, it means you have plans for him after all. May I ask what those are?”
“I’m afraid I’ll have to keep some details to myself, but the replacement is extremely important. There’s one more thing I need from you.” She hands you a document, and you can see your name atop.
It’s a resume. “I need you to get a job at Hoover Consulting.”
That’ll make it difficult for me to do everything, you think to yourself. But that’s where a partner might come in handy. “Is that why you want me to work with a partner?”
“Indeed. You’ll need to work alongside them to do what one person cannot.”
“I’m curious, though. You asked me to use my skills, but as far as I can see...” You glance at the resume, noticing a couple of jobs you’re sure you never did. “I’ll have to rely only on my degree and good looks.”
“And in your ability to seamlessly become whoever you wear, of course.”
“Right,” you admit, dismissively. “But I’ll need some of the pens. The green one, especially.”
“That won’t be a problem.” Tessa opens one of her drawers and hands you a large pen case. Inside, you notice all five pens she lent you – the black and brown, as well as the green, purple and white ones. “I’ll only give you this one set, of course.”
“I see...” You grab the pens, placing them on your lap. “How long I have to complete this job?”
“As fast as you can. Of course, I’ll give you free reign to do what you want – as long as my three requests are fulfilled. The Council will reunite in two weeks’ time, though, so I need one of those dealt with promptly.”
“I understand.” You fix your eyes on her, gauging her next response. “One more thing. I suppose you need me because I’m the only one you can trust. Is this also payback for bringing my old flame here?”
“Payback?” Tessa tilts her head, quizzingly. “No. Why would you think I’d punish the father of my child?”
“I could ask you the same. Asking me this... favor all of a sudden, when you were offering the world to me before.”
She grins, crossing her leg seductively. “My love, this isn’t a favor. I know what you want to say. What's the purpose of all this? Will this be the price for your new partnership? All I can say is, I mentioned she’d be tested. That will be the price she pays.”
She stands up, stretching her arm. “That will be all, my dear. As always, I expect only the best from you.”
“Thank you, madam.” As you leave, you feel her clearing her throat. “Something else?”
She feigns anger, lifting her eyebrow very conspicuously. “Aren’t you forgetting something, my love?”
“Now?”
She looks at the door, taunting you. “Yes. Why not? I am laying a claim on you. What better way than to show your new partner who’s the one holding all the cards?”
--
Jessica has been very silent on the way back. You glance at her with genuine shame. You tried so hard to keep that part of your life a secret, yet Tessa herself, in a power move, has forced you to admit it.
She was decent enough to make it that your girl only knows you sleep with her. Perhaps she hopes you’ll be honest, or perhaps she enjoys the tease, but she didn’t say anything about her desire to form a relationship with you, or the way she wants to seal it by bearing your child.
As you arrive, she storms away. You give her time to cool down, but she’s sullen and wounded when you find her. You timidly approach her, but as you tap her shoulder, she turns around and knocks you with her closed fist. Then, and only then, she addresses you with unbridled fury. “You BITCH!? Why didn’t you tell me!?”
“Because I was afraid!” you shriek. “Because I feared this’d happen! Because it took being away from you to realize where my emotions really lie!”
“But despite knowing, you still please her.”
“It’s not a good idea to piss off Mom.” You shake your head, asking Cassie to stop.
“Babe, listen...” You feel her distancing from you, but you’re unwilling to give up. “I know you’re still sore about my actions--”
“Rachel, I barely know you anymore. I was in love with a good boy. I... I still am.”
“People change, Babe. But there are some things that remain the same. Maybe I’m not a boy anymore – maybe I don’t want to anymore – but that doesn’t mean I’m bad. And maybe I...” You close your eyes, breathing hard and deep. “Maybe I sleep with my boss out of business and pleasure--”
“And you tell that to my face?” she says between tears.
“Would you prefer that I lie to you?” Your response comes out of spite, out of pain and fear of rejection. “I could say it’s only business, but I enjoy it. You know what else? I enjoy doing it with Cassie. You think I see her as my wife or something?”
Jessica snaps at Cassie, snarling. “Well?”
“I’m the one that thinks close friends should sleep together and fuck every now and then, so don’t look at me like your rival! Think about this. I'm her friend, but also an outside observer. I know more about Rach’s deals with Mom than I know yours. And I can see from a mile away that, if Mom forced Rachel to choose between her and you, she’d choose you.”
Cassie, you’re the friend everyone desires...
“So, stop being a jealous pussy and let your girl fuck whoever you want! At the end of the day? Only you will own her heart.”
You notice how Cassie’s words stir Jessica. She approaches you, cozying up once more. “I’m sorry, Babe. It’s just that... When you’re with her... I feel like second pickings.”
“Sometimes I have that effect on people,” you joke. “Guess I learned well.” You kiss her forehead, snuggling. “But I want you. You, and no one else.”
After a moment of tight cuddling, Cassie finds the time to deliver a timely, and needy, distraction. “So, what’s that business Mom talked to you about?”
“Something she needs to be done,” you tell her. “Something she wants Jess to help me with.”
“But, Rachel! How can I help you? I don’t know anything about your job! I don’t know if I even like your job!”
“Don’t worry, Babe. I’ll make it an easy and delightful learning experience for you.”
“And what’s the plan?” your bestie asks.
“Well, it all starts with...”
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