Chapter #39The Confidence Game, part 1 by: Nostrum   “Miss O’Leary?” the secretary calls. “Mr. Hoover is ready to see you.”
The first part of your plan is running. You chose a modest attire – a pastel peach blouse, salmon-colored blazer and mid-length skirt, sheer pantyhose and functional pumps – but your body makes it less than modest, and you notice how many heads turn to your direction.
But you’re not here to seduce. You’re here to get a job on the degree you studied to satisfy your father. And you’re aiming for a specific job, for Mr. Hoover’s consulting firm needs a replacement for someone that was recently ascended to handle most of its direction.
The dossier helped you understand the organizational structure of the company. While small, Hoover Consulting provides a variety of solutions – between connections to real estate, accounting and government permits – to help small and medium-sized businesses expand, and as a start-up incubator. The solutions offered, of course, make Stanley Hoover a wealthy and very connected man.
And since he’s been in the position of Alderman, his connections have expanded greatly. You’ve heard rumors that he wants to challenge Mayor Walters for his seat. And with his squeaky-clean resume and intentions, he may have a lot of support to help clean Tyneside of organized crime – the very thing that’s keeping the city safe and sound.
Which makes Stanley Hoover, to his dismay, a desirable target.
You walk inside, seeing the man in person for the first time. You immediately detect the odor of his cologne – musky, almost like liquor – on your nostrils, and as you extend your hand to shake, you sense the callouses in his hand. That, and his pleasant look, makes him very trustworthy.
You also notice your presence makes him very uncomfortable, as his eyes flutter away from your chest. “Good evening, Miss O’Leary. I was informed you’re here for the position of Assistant Logistics Manager?”
“Yes,” you curtly reply.
“I see you have an solid curriculum,” he says as he studies your documents. “What made you step away from Walton & Rushdie? That’s a big company.”
Like you studied, you tell yourself. “I’m... looking for growth opportunities, sir.”
“I see...” He studies the document again. He’s not wrong in his impression of Walton & Rushdie. Many businesses depend on their warehouses to store and move merchandise. Tessa herself is one of them, and she has “invested” enough in the company to let you count as an “ex-employee” as a favor. (And in an impressive position, even – Warehouse Logistics Assistant.)
Of course, those investments make it the kind of business Hoover wants to root out – the ones with a sense of legitimacy. You “worked” about a year there, after shifting away from another equally shady company – Gersheim Imports - for the same reasons.
All to set you as a loyal employee, uneased by shadiness. You just hope he gets the bait. “How was your experience in Walton & Rushdie?”
--
“Everyone...” Mr. Hoover calls for attention. “I’d like to present the newest acquisition to our company. Give a warm applause to Miss Rachel O’Leary, our newest Assistant Logistics Manager.”
It was easy to snatch the position. A little backstory, guiding him towards the reasons you left, until he asked if you heard about the allegations of corruption. That’s when you drip-fed him the gossip, arguing that management was good, but that you felt uncomfortable with the “investors”.
That, Tessa suspected, would convince him. A competent manager willing to tell him the dirty stuff of the bigger firms out of a desire to do justice. An insider that could easily provide leads to the very kind of deals that his Proposition 15 wishes to eliminate.
But you know that even his own company must have some shady deals. Thus, you’ll root the corruption in his own company, or ensure there’s none, and to earn his trust – a classic confidence scam. And even then, you’re biding your time until you can get into his records. Into his mind. Into the plans for Proposition 15th.
Your instincts already identify the hurdles you’ll face to gain everyone’s trust. The women, naturally; not the secretaries, but Darlene Meyers, the other Assistant Logistics Manager, and Shauna Richards and Emily Heckenmeyer, two long-standing employees who likely felt cheated from a raise. But also some of the men, who see you as an eye-candy hire, better as a secretary than in an administrative position.
Your main priority is to handle the lion’s den. Prove yourself you’ve got the talent. And if not? Well, you have ways to make yourself efficient.
--
You’re stripping yourself of your chrysalis back home – an unfortunate but necessary move – as you prepare the first step of your revenge. Darlene made a daring power play in a corporate meeting by testing your business acumen. You still have your knowledge fresh in your mind (as much as the pen allows you), but that rarely beats experience, and your script can only take you so far.
And that made you look stupid. Inexperienced. A fraud.
Hence, why you chose to escalate – by getting into the skin of one of her lackeys, Genny Breckenridge, and “celebrate” the show-off with drinks. Of course, as Genny, you chose to be the designated driver, letting you spirit her away to your home.
And your plan is simple. You’ll make a replacement of Darlene. You’ll imbue that replacement with her memories, and then she’ll be under your skin – literally, and not just because of the anger and jealousy. The idea tingles your bits, but not because she’s hot – she's almost fifty, slim, with tight curves, but a withered hag face.
No – you'll use her own memories against her, her own experience, combined with yours. You’ll play her at her own game. You’ll use her credentials to let Cassie have another backdoor to Mr. Hoover’s mainframe. And of course, if worse comes to worse, you’ll get her fired, without her even knowing.
You just have one little hurdle. Jessica’s there, overseeing the process. “Now what?”
“We’ve got to wake her up,” Cassie says. “We’ll use the green pen to clone her skin. Then--”
“The brown pen. Yeah, I know that, but that means she must be awake. Won’t she remember?”
“That’s what this’s for,” she says as she grabs the white pen. “This handy little one makes you forget recent memories.”
“So she won’t remember anything.”
“And if she does, ‘Genny’ here can say she was drunk, which will make it plausible.” You have a pliable table placed beside your bed, alongside the brown pen and some fake documents requiring a signature.
“So let me get this straight,” Jessica says. “I’m gonna put on this ski mask--”
“Balaclava, but it’s the same thing.”
“Alright, whatever! Ski mask, sunglasses, turtleneck. I’m gonna hold Babe at gunpoint, then force Ms. Meyers to ‘sign’.”
“No. You’re gonna threaten her, while naked...”
--
You notice a groggy Darlene waking up. You’re still inside Genny’s skin – yours on the other room – as Jessica – wearing Leah under the mugger clothes – points a gun at you. The chamber’s empty but the magazine is loaded, the safety on as a further precaution.
“Genny?” she slurs, proving she’s still under the influence. “Where are we?”
“Ms. Meyers?” you tell her, feigning fear. “We’ve... been kidnapped.”
“Caught?” Almost immediately, Cassie points the green pen at her, and you see her squirm. “What was that? What’s happening?”
“Help her take it off,” Jessica says, lowering Leah’s tone. “Quick!”
“Alright, alright!” You strut to Darlene on Genny’s bloated legs, imitating her sissy jog. You’re surprised by her roughness – is it Leah guiding her, or is she still pissed by your deception?
As soon as Darlene feels her skin tearing, the bloat pulled off her, she shrieks. “What’s this!?”
“Shut up or I swear I shoot!” Your girl harasses her rosy skull with the cannon, rubbing it near her temples. “You, peel it off!”
“What are you doing?” you ask in Genny’s nasal voice. “What’s all this?”
“Nothing you should care about.”
“B-but...! Her skin’s peeling!”
As expected, that wakes Darlene off her influence. She tries scanning the area but Jessica intercepts her before she can notice Cassie. “Ah, ah! Neither of us wants to clean your brain bits, so keep your eyes straight!”
“Listen. I work for one of the aldermen of the city. I have connections.”
“I got a gun and your phone. So?” You finish stripping Darlene off her old skin, prompting the second phase. “Now, I need you to sign those papers.”
“Why?”
“You don’t need to know!” your girl says as she threatens her. “Take the pen and sign!”
As Darlene clicks on the table, she realizes something. “How does this work!?”
“It’s got a little trick. How about you point at that lump of flesh? Maybe then the point will come off.”
“Like...” She points the pen at you, and clicks. “Like this?” Soon, you feel the shock running all over you, and the world goes black...
--
“You got her mind?” You finally grasp your mind away from Genny’s influence. Darlene is deflated once more, set aside from her cloned skin.
“Yeah,” Jessica says as she leans near you. “Cassie erased her mind.”
“Good. Let me change into--”
Jessica mounts atop you, grinning with Leah’s spunk. “There’s still time, Babe. What if we make another replacement and have some hot, steamy sex?”
That makes you blink. The possibility of having a skin of Gennifer Breckenridge didn’t cross your mind – she's cute but unassuming. She could become a weapon against Darlene. But that’s not the reason why you were shocked.
You didn’t come with that idea. She did. Did Tessa notice something you didn’t? Is it your influence? Or is she finally evolving, as you did? You have the following choice: 1. Continue |
| Members who added to this interactive story also contributed to these: |
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
More by this author