Tackling the Debt Ch. 02

"What mistake? You're making me nervous. Did something happen to my body?"

Matt called me not even one day after I signed my contract with his debt recovery agency. I was thrilled to hear his voice, I wished I could be with him, but it was just not possible. I was using one of his clones, and the law prevented him from providing me with any assistance outside physical maintenance if my borrowed body was damaged. Left to myself, I had to figure out a way to repay my debt.

My real body sat at his recovery agency for them to take care of until I finished repaying my debt; it acted as a security deposit that I could claim back once I successfully fulfilled my obligations. So, when Matt told me over the phone that he had made a huge mistake, I couldn't help but worry that my sleeping self was somehow involved in some nasty accident.

"No... No, Chloe. Your body is fine. But..."

"But what? Tell me!"

"Well, okay... But please don't be mad. I will fix this, I promise! Last night, after everybody left, I brought your body to my place instead of storing it at the facility."

"Oh, no! Don't tell me you got in trouble because of me?"

"No. I didn't. But did you hear what I said? I took your body home."

"I heard that. But you said you made a mistake, what is it?"

"Don't you get it? My company is supposed to protect you. I took you home for my benefit. That's wrong."

"No, it's not. I asked you to make love to my body while it was sleeping. Granted, it sounded a bit creepy, but I'm fine with it. I didn't know you were going to take me home to do it, but it's even better."

"... Better?"

Matt was freaking out for no reason; at least that was how I saw it. We hadn't had much time to talk about this before and after the transfer, but I had a crush on him and wanted to make him happy by offering him my body for sexual pleasure. There was nothing wrong with this since he liked me very much, and I was willing. It was my body, so I could offer it to whoever I thought deserved it.

Learning he had brought my body home was a pleasant surprise. The perspective of being stored in a cold and sterile environment for years was not appealing. I preferred to have Matt take care of me instead of nasty people like Amanda, his receptionist.

"Matt, am I safe at your place? I mean, do you have the equipment you need to keep my body alive and well?"

"Yes... but..."

"Will your staff find out I'm missing?"

"Probably not... I reserved a long term cell for you, and nobody is going to look into it. They think you are in there."

"Okay, so there is no problem then. I'm telling you. I like the idea of sleeping in a real bed and having someone taking care of my sexual needs."

"But... it seems so wrong."

Why was he so worried? What I was asking was not that weird. It was the nice guy in him who couldn't bend a few rules to get some innocent fun. I wished I could make him relax a bit. I had to find a gentle way to show him my trust and that it was okay to take full advantage of my offer.

"Matt... Can you send a picture of my body?"

"A picture? I guess... one sec."

It didn't take long before my phone whistled from a text message. In the picture he sent me, I was sleeping on a comfy lounge chair, like the ones at the agency, and different devices, plugged here and there, were taking care of my needs. It was a bit odd to see myself like this, but I was fully dressed and looked peaceful.

"I look great! So, what did you do to me last night? Was it good?"

"Chloe... I didn't do anything..."

"What? Why? I told you I wanted you to. You did nothing at all?"

"Well... I did undress you..."

"Ah! So you saw me naked. Did you like it?"

"Not naked. I didn't take off your underwear. I just couldn't... but... I cuddled with you a little."

"Aww... Were you too shy? Did I get a kiss, at least?"

"... No... I couldn't."

What a sweet guy. He wouldn't harm me even if his life depended on it. I was more and more confident my body was in a very safe place. It was a bit strange, but this unexpected fantasy was turning me on a little. Being taken care of, like a doll, by someone else was enjoyable.

"Matt, how much do you like me?"

"I lot... You got inside my head, somehow."

"Good. So here is my instruction for you. Tonight, you take me back to your bed, you strip me naked, and you make out with me. That's what I want."

"But... Chloe."

"Stop feeling guilty, please. You are doing it for me. I have a question, though. Can my sleeping body feel pleasure?"

"Mmm... Yes and no... It will react to any stimulus. It just won't be conscious of it."

"Oh? So I'll get wet and all if you play with me?"

"Chloe! Are you that much okay with this?"

"Absolutely! But only because it is you. Don't go lend my corpse to your friends. Else, I'll be furious."

"I would never do that! Hey, listen, I have to go now. I'm already late for work."

"I have to go too. Call me tomorrow, Matt. I want to know all the crunchy details. I bet once you kiss me again, you won't be able to resist and do more."

We said our goodbyes and hung up. I had the feeling I didn't convince Matt all that much. He was not nearly as comfortable as I was with this whole idea, so he would need some incentives to comply. I understood his discomfort, though; playing with an inert girl is somewhat deviant and borderline creepy, from a certain point of view. But it was my body and my love life; he had to accept it. I was the one who decided to do this.

I put my phone back in my backpack, stood up, and stretched my athletic clone limbs. I wasn't too sure what would be my next steps. Clothing was a need, and a haircut was unavoidable; my mane was way too long. I could afford it since I had a bit of money, but I didn't want to spend it all as every dollar would count at the end of the month. Underestimating the severity of my situation wasn't an option.

Somewhere in this city was 1.3 million dollars that needed to transfer from random people's pockets to my backpack.

***

All morning, I walked down the main street to turn myself into something else than a soccer mom. Because of my restricted budget, used clothes were my choice. I picked a few used items for 25$ from a store. I ended up with a cute charcoal summer dress and a nice pair of 3" heels.

They didn't sell used underwear, obviously, but I didn't mind walking around without panties. Nobody would notice unless there were a treacherous wind gust. I donated my old clothes to the store because I never wanted to see them again, but I kept my sneakers for long-distance walking.

The next stop was at a hair salon. Half of my hair fell and ended up on the floor. Why were they creating clones with such long hair in the first place? It was beyond my understanding. One fun fact was that the hairdresser quickly saw my small neck barcode, but she didn't freak out; she just enjoyed improving my hairstyle as if I was a mannequin head. This whole adventure cost me 35$. Asking the price before sitting down would have been the right thing to do; I wasn't happy with myself.

Those critical tasks completed, I was ready to start my day. The next 24 hours would undoubtedly go better than yesterday now that I was looking like a decent human being; I was pretty, my clothes were cute, and I was smart. There would be no reason not to succeed.

I sat on a bench in front of the salon and pulled out my phone. Making a lot of money in a very short time wouldn't be a piece of cake. I still wasn't too sure how I would go about it. My contract stipulated I couldn't start a business because I was a clone; I wouldn't be able to apply for a license.

I could probably work, but it was unlikely anyone would hire me. What kind of salary would I get anyway? Certainly not enough to stay alive at the end of the month.

The best option I could aim for would be to be self-employed. It was allowed, and I could run myself as a company even though I was not one. I think most people using the clone system to clear off debts were doing it this way.

Based on my experience from yesterday, I could see myself working in the sex industry. My high arousal feature and the fact I enjoyed letting people get pleasure from me, led me to believe it was something I could be good at.

Somehow, knowing I could make people feel good was attractive to me. I had this gorgeous body, so why not use it for a good cause? There were plenty of lonely men and women out there who would enjoy spending an intimate moment with me. That said, I couldn't afford to do it for free.

"Well, that is all nice... But what do I do with this now?"

I punched numbers in my calculator app and came up with an estimate. I would need 250$ per day to have enough to repay Matt at the end of the month. Ideally, more would be better if I wanted to build up a cushion for the following months or eventually start repaying my debt.

"What do I do? What do I do?"

I was hitting my forehead with my fist, staring pointlessly at my phone as if it was going to give me a magical solution.

Then, out of the blue, a female voice came out of nowhere.

"You! Stand up. Let me look at you?"

"Uh? I'm sorry!?

"Come on... Stand up!"

Standing next to me was a woman dressed all businesslike, with sunglasses, concealing her facial expression. Her tone didn't allow room for interpretation, though; it was severe yet not threatening. I obeyed, partly because standing up would help me confront her better. As soon as I did, she pinched my chin and tried to turn my head sideways, as if I were an object. I brushed her hand away.

"Heeey! What are you doing? Who are you?"

"You are a Cardinal? Aren't you?"

"A what? Do I look like a bird to you?"

"Ah, so you don't know. That means..."

"That means what?"

"Follow me!"

Convinced I would comply, she turned around and walked away. She didn't even attempt to justify her odd request. What did she mean by "you don't know?" Nope, I didn't trust her at all. Her emanating energy was not one I liked.

I slowly sat down on my bench, staring at her back. I was not her pet if that was what she expected me to be. I placed my phone in my backpack and threaded my arms through the straps. I was not going to stay here a minute longer; what had happened was too odd.

The lady was quite far already when she stopped, causing my heart to do the same. She turned around and looked at me for a moment, waiting for me to make up my mind; I was a bit scared of her. She took off her glasses and shook her head before saying something to me. I was not even close enough to hear her, yet, the gentle words effortlessly entered my ears.

"Lobelia Cardinalis... Follow me."

I stood up and started walking toward her... and I had no idea why. Why was I driven to do this? It made no sense. I just... wanted to. My feet were not moving on their own; I willingly went to the lady; it was so confusing. A few seconds ago, she was scaring me, and I didn't want to have anything to do with her. But now, it was the opposite. I quickly arrived at her side, puzzled like never before.

She grabbed my hand, and my fingers responded by gently wrapping around hers, once more, on my own accord. As if I was a child, she led me to her car and asked me to take the passenger seat. I had so many questions but couldn't get myself to ask them. She started driving away very smoothly as if everything was normal. Once on the road, she tried to reassure me... or something.

"Relax. There is nothing to worry about. I'm just taking you home to take care of you."

"Take care of me? Who... Who are you?"

"I'm Kate."

Well, that was not helpful. I didn't know what else to say; I had this strange feeling inside of me. I looked down at my hands and tried to move my fingers as if to test that I still had control over my body. After what just happened, it was fair to check. Kate saw what I was doing from the corner of her eye and sneered.

"Don't worry. I'm not controlling you."

"Why... Why did I follow you?"

"Because you wanted to. Simple as that."

"No... I mean... Yes... You said something to me and... I changed my mind."

"Yes, I persuaded you, but it was still your decision, was it not?"

"No! Well... Maybe... I'm so confused."

What was going on here? She was not lying, but I wasn't dumb; I knew I had no reason to follow her to her car. Something must have happened. A brutal question pulled me out of my head.

"How much money do you owe?"

"How... How do you know about that?"

"You are a clone. The only company around here using them is this stupid recovery agency, to my great despair. It doesn't take a genius to deduct where you are coming from. Those guys have no clue what they are doing. They are idiots."

While she spat her venom, I couldn't help but think of Matt. He was not an idiot! He was the most gentle and caring person on Earth. She had no right to insult him this way?

"Hey! Don't repeat something like this! Matt is not an idiot! He is a great guy."

"Is he now? I guess he had to be nice to keep his business afloat. He keeps your body hostage and charges you for it. Yeah, very nice guy."

"Stop! It is nothing like that. He is helping me! Stop badmouthing him."

"Fine. If you say so. What name did they give you?"

"They didn't give me a name. I'm Chloe, and that's my real name."

"Alright, then. So? Chloe? How much do you owe?"

"1.3 Million!"

Kate slammed on the brake and pulled over to the side of the road. As the gravel dust surrounded the whole car, she turned to me and scolded me.

"1.3 MILLION? Are you out of your damn mind? Please tell me you are shitting me."

"No, and this is none of your business!"

"Oh... Oh... It IS my business! If you are going to live under my roof, how are we supposed to pay that back?"

"Live... under your roof? We?"

What was she talking about? Why would I go live at her place? I didn't even know this woman, yet, it was what I wanted to do. My current desire, deep down, was to go live with her. It made absolutely no sense whatsoever.

That was the drop that spilled the glass. I knew perfectly well it was not what I was thinking a second ago, so how come all of a sudden I felt it was a good idea? I needed some answers. Something was going on, and I was going to find out what.

"Kate... That's enough! What did you do to me?"

"Don't worry about it... It will pass."

"What will pass? Tell me now or..."

"Or what?"

Kate took a deep breath and sighed loudly.

"Okay... Listen, Carole..."

"It's Chloe ... not Carole."

"Ah, whatever. I was going to tell you everything at home, but you seem to be a smart cookie. Earlier, I used a voice command on you to increase your susceptibility. The effect will fade away soon. I just needed you to come with me without making a scene in public."

While I was trying to process what she had said, the car started moving again. Could she use vocal commands on me as if I were a robot? Well, I guess I was a clone, so it was somewhat plausible. But, clones were not machines that could be programmed; they were just a synthetic replica of a human's body, both in look and functionality.

I feared to talk to her again in case she persuaded me to do other things. Forcing me to do something against my will was not cool at all. She placed her hand on my thigh and said one last thing.

"Don't worry. You are safe. I'll tell you more when we arrive."

***

Matt had gone back home early. He had tried to call Chloe back to continue their earlier conversation, but there was no answer; She must have been busy trying to make money and would probably call him back later.

After parking in his garage, he went straight to the room where Chloe's body was sleeping. Everything was normal; she was peaceful. The equipment taking care of her was working like clockwork and kept her out of harm's way. He ran his fingers in her soft hair and murmured his troubles.

"Why does she want me to do those things to her body? What does she have to gain out of this? Would this really make her happy as she claimed?."

He sat on the chair next to her and started playing gently with her delicate fingers. The hardest part for him would be to decide if he wanted the same thing as her. Yesterday he was drunk on desire, which clouded his judgment and caused him to bring her home to cuddle.

"Did I like doing this? Do I want more?"

Knowing the answer was a yes, he was torned by his moral code that was screaming mistakes. Yet, it was Chloe's body, and she insisted on pursuing this weird adventure. She was pushing him hard into something twisted, but consensual... as far as he could tell.

Professionally, there was no question about it; he had screwed up big time. But what he told Chloe was the truth; the probability of someone finding out about this was slim to none. Even if they did, he could always come up with the excuse that long term storage required close monitoring for safety reasons. Through the eyes of justice, it would be suicide, but if Chloe were to support his claim, it would possibly fly.

All in all, this was irrelevant at the moment. Matt stood up while placing her hand back on the soft lounge chair.

"Well, Chloe... You are a piece of work. You know that?"

He leaned forward and started kissing her passionately. He would tell her all about this later, as she requested the crunchy details if he were to commit.

***

"Is this your house?"

"Obviously, yes."

"It is big."

"It's not important, follow me inside. We have a lot to talk about."

This time, I didn't feel compelled to do as she wanted. Maybe she told me the truth, and the spell she cast on me earlier was only temporary. Getting out of the car was the only option anyway; it would be pointless to stay here and pout. Additionally, she could always use that command again if I played stubbornly, which I didn't want.

Her house was giant, at least to my standard. Whatever career Kate was pursuing, it was working for her. The entryway was as big as a small bedroom, which made me wonder how spacious the rest of her place was.

Kate attempted to grab my hand again, but this time I was able to reject it.

"Hey, why are you always trying to hold my hand?"

"Hmm... Just an old habit, I suppose. Just follow me to the living room, Carole."

"Chloe ... My name is Chloe."

Walking behind her made me think I could just club her or something and escape, but I was not that kind of person. I was way too intrigued, even to consider leaving before we had this anticipated chat. We got to the living room; she made me sit on the soft white couch and picked the matching chair. The ambiance was rather heavy while she was searching for her next words.

"Chloe... I created you."

"What? No! Matt did create me yesterday. What are you talking about?"

"That's not what I meant. I was on the team that designed you. You are our Cardinal model, or Type C, if you prefer."

As she said that, I got a small flashback from yesterday. Before the transfer, I selected model C when I picked my body type; maybe it was not a coincidence. However, this was a bit off-topic. Having worked on the technology didn't give her the right to abduct me as she did.

"How is this important? That doesn't give you the right to force me to do things."

"I didn't force you to do anything. You were happy to follow."

"That was because you triggered some weird shit in me."

"What I did lost its effect already, yet, you are still here."

"Aaah! What am I doing here, then? You even said I was going to live here with you. What was this all about?"

"I shouldn't have said that, but since you are bringing this up, would you like to stay here for a while?"

Why was she even asking me this? She knew I was buried in debt well over my head, which meant I had to work my ass off if I didn't want to end up in jail. It was way too important to me to reimburse my family and friends; I didn't have time for a vacation.