The Rise of Rachel Price T-Girl Pt. 17

It was precisely nine in the morning when Lucy received a call on her phone. She had expected the call a couple of days after the breakup. It had been a while since Rachel's disappearance, and Lucy honestly never expected to see Rachel's number to appear again. She looked carefully at Rachel's ID appearing on the phone, let it ring again and decided to answer it.

"Hello?" said Lucy, "Mr. Levant's personal line."

"Lucy. It's Rachel. Rachel Price. I need to know... would he speak to Rachel again?" Rachel said down the line. She sounded worried. "Look, can you tell him... I'm very sorry. And I do want to talk. I need to talk. Will you do that Lucy, will you tell him?"

Lucy paused. "I think you will need to talk to him directly."

"Where is he? Can I phone him or something? I need to talk today. Now if I can," Rachel said.

"He's going to be in San Francisco later today," Lucy said formally, speaking slowly as she worked the screen before her. "I think he would like to talk in person. I can probably open up a meeting at three o'clock. Is that suitable?"

"Three, yeah, that would be good. Where?" Rachel's voice said.

"His office in the Thornbury. They can direct you from the reception desk," Lucy said.

"Three at the Thornbury. Great. Tell him thanks."

"Can I tell him what it's about?" Lucy asked.

The voice on the other end of the line sounded distracted and desperate. "Tell him... Errr, tell him... I'm sorry. Definitely that. And I want to talk. It's personal. And tell him he was right. Okay, yeah. Tell him that he was right. Is that okay?"

Lucy replied, "Okay, you're in for three. Thank you for calling Mr. Levant's personal line."

Lucy let out a deep breath. "Here we go," she said to her self, dialling Levant's mobile.

*****

Over forty-five minutes had passed while Denver stood nervously outside the Thornbury Hotel before he finally entered. The large clock in the ornate Art Nouveau ironwork indicated that he had half an hour before his meeting. He made his way up to the reception desk where he was greeted by Hector.

"Good afternoon, Hector," Denver said. His phone was in his hand, and he kept turning it over and over in his fingers.

"Good afternoon, sir," Hector replied. "It's so nice to see you again, sir. Welcome to the Thornbury Hotel, part of the Levant Hotels group. How can I assist you in your journey today?"

Denver's face looked drained. "Um, I have an appointment at three with Mr. Levant in his office. Has he arrived yet?"

Hector checked the screen in front of him. "Yes, sir. He's arrived. Elevator zero can take you to the penthouse, its just around the corner behind the stairs."

Denver half-grinned. He knew exactly where the private elevator was. "And is the manager around?"

Hector continued without skipping a beat, "Mr. Abercrombie is busy, Sir. Can I help you with anything else?"

Denver quickly interrupted, "Abercrombie is running the hotel? What happened to Charlie... I mean, Miss Bechtel?"

"I believe Miss Bechtel was promoted to a hotel in the Montana region," Hector said.

Denver looked away and said, "Oh... I'm sorry."

Hector responded, "Quite, Sir."

"Okay, err.. thanks, elevator zero," Denver said, walking off.

*************

The trip to the very top of the Thornbury tower was a long one, the longest ride Denver could remember having. The private elevator was probably slower than the others, he reasoned. He shivered Lucy was waiting in a reception area behind a laptop on a desk. Although Denver was ten minutes early, Lucy made him wait for about twenty minutes before allowing him in.

Levant was sitting at his desk, looking into his drawer, then pulling out a file and looking at the computer to the side. An iPad was in front of him with a pen in his hand. Levant was staring at it, then looked up, then down. He did a double take and looked back up again.

Levant's private office at the top of the Thornbury tower was a spacious room with large windows that offer breathtaking views of the San Francisco skyline. From the office, you could see landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge, the Transamerica Pyramid, and the Bay Bridge. The decor of the room was elegant and sophisticated, with high ceilings and plush carpeting.

The centerpiece of the room was a large, mahogany desk that dominated the space. The desk was cluttered with files and papers, and a sleek computer sat prominently on its surface. Next to the mouse sat a steaming Starbucks cup. On the wall behind the desk hung a striking green 1920s portrait of a woman, it added a touch of vintage glamour to the modern office.

A door to the side led to Levant's private apartment, but its was firmly shut. The rest of the room was sparsely furnished, with a few leather armchairs arranged in a small seating area, and a sleek bookshelf stocked with books on business, politics, and history.

"Where is Rachel?" Levant asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I'm Denver Shores," Denver said.

Levant looked at Denver as if he was trying out a new pair of glasses and wanted to make sure he could focus. His head twitched around like a starling.

"I can see that," Levant said.

Denver wasn't sure what that really meant. Levant pointed at the chair on the other side of the table. Denver sat down. The chair was low and comfortable.

"You're representing Rachel," Levant said.

"You could say that, yes," Denver said.

Levant sat back in his Herman Miller Aeron chair.

"What do you want?" Levant said.

"Well, firstly, err, Rachel and I want to apologize. Err, you were right. Well, perhaps it's better if we begin at the beginning. You see, Rachel's grandfather has this condition. His heart needs an operation. It's not that expensive, but I think Rachel was wondering if it might be possible to, you know, reboot things."

Levant moved and made a note on a pad. "Reboot things?"

"Sure," Denver said. "And might she or I, do something to make up for things and you know, possibly sort something out long enough to pay for my grandfather's operation."

Levant looked up. "So when I said, 'what do you want,' your answer was to come work with me long enough to pay off your grandfather's operation."

"Err, yeah, that's about it," Denver said, smiling nervously.

"And what would I get?" Levant asked.

"Well, that's what I wanted to negotiate. The sky is the limit, really," Denver began.

Levant rolled his eyes like he was watching a pendulum. Levant sat up to his full height.

"OK, straight off, I don't want to talk to you. Not now. Not ever again," Levant began. He was speaking firmly.

"OK," Denver said, conceding the point straight away.

Levant lifted his pen. "Two, how much are we looking at?"

"About fifty grand," Denver said.

Levant heaved a sigh. "Well, for that kind of money, I would expect Rachel to work for me for about twelve months."

"Twelve months? But she was hoping to go to university in the fall," Denver said. He shifted in his chair. Twelve months was far more than he had expected.

Levant shifted his body posture. It didn't look good.

"She can still go to university next year, and I would cover the costs of a better university for her if she delayed.So she would work twelve months as my directive assistant or something. As a member of my team, I can offer a significant package of employee benefits, including family member health," Levant continued.

Denver secretly felt overjoyed. The impossible felt suddenly within reach. Denver tried not to show it, Levant was famously a hard negotiator.

"However, I have a number of conditions, riders as they say. I want Rachel to work full time 24/7."

Denver knew what that meant, "maybe not during the night?"

"I don't have a problem with that, but this rebooting needs, well, certain upgrades if it's going to happen," Levant said firmly.

"Upgrades?" Denver said.

"Yeah, upgrades. Like eyebrows done, ears pierced," Levant continued. He looked at Denver's rather lank hair. "I want to dump the wig but dye and style her hair."

Denver relaxed. "I can promise that Rachel would be totally fine with any non-permanent changes like that."

Levant tilted his head. "Breast implants," he added experimentally.

Denver's eyes opened slightly. "Breast implants?"

Levant was now just staring at Denver's eyes.

"How are breast implants not permanent?" Denver said.

"Because they can be taken out as easily as they are put in," Levant said. "At no cost to her. The scarring would be imperceptible, so not permanent, no more signs than earring holes closing up."

Denver paused, and Levant waited for a moment before speaking. "I'm sorry, I have a meeting in ten minutes. What are you going to do?" Levant said.

Denver's shoulders slumped. "Okay, let's say Rachel agrees to that."

"Rachel agrees to that and hormones. Also reversible," Levant said.

Denver realized he had agreed to a lot. He was giving away far too much. He had to stand his ground. "Okay, let's say Rachel agrees to this. I think she might be less flexible about, um, sex. I mean, we can both agree she's not going to lose certain parts of her anatomy. That can't be temporary," Denver said.

"I don't want to force Rachel to do anything she isn't comfortable with. I want her to be happy. I want her to, let's say, be willing to explore herself more, up to certain regions or limits," Levant said.

Denver got the sense that Levant wasn't sure what he wanted out of this. How far did he want things to go? Levant wasn't gay, and keeping both sets of parts limited things.

"So what limits, might you be OK with," Denver said?

"Oh screw this.. OK, up to heavy petting. High-end fore play" Levant said, waving his arms.

Denver internally cringed. "OK, good. Maybe... Well, with a no penetration rule or something. Anything with clothes on is fine."

"I get the last say on how she looks, when I'm around, we sleep in the same room, maybe not in the same bed, " Levant jumped in.

"Well, I can't guarantee Rachel will be willing to go with that day one. But I think she's prepared to experiment and learn over a reasonable period. Speaking of which, what about Charlie?" Denver said Levant had talked about negotiating a lot. He knew he couldn't just give in to everything. Pushback was important now.

"What about Charlie?" Levant said.

"I think the hotel was run well by her. I think Rachel would need a friend, don't you?" Denver said.

Levant looked serious. "You would make Miss Bechtel part of the contract?"

Denver paused, he thought hard. His grandpa's life was in his hands. He had to fight and negotiate.
"Um, yes," Denver said tentatively.

"I think Bechtel could be included," Levant said. He leaned back and put his head on his folded hands behind his head. "But... it's getting complex. There will have to be a contract with a list and schedule. There will be a non-disclosure agreement, naturally. I will get my people on it immediately. The sooner it's signed, the quicker you can get medical care for Rachel's grandfather. And I would like to have dinner with Rachel on Saturday, like the old times. That happens whether the contract is signed or not, as a sign of goodwill."

"How about tonight?" Denver suggested. The sooner the better for Grandpa was Denver's thought.

Levant paused. "I have a meeting in New Mexico, a groundbreaking. Is Thursday good?"

"Rachel can do Thursday," Denver said.

Levant wrote Thursday down. "Tell you what, I'm going to do. I will get a contract to You and Rachel as soon as possible."

"If she reads it and signs it, could she start work Thursday?" Denver said.

"Yes, if she signs," Levant said slowly.

Levant took Denver's hand and grabbed it firmly, pulling Denver forward. He then took his other hand and placed it over theirs. Denver didn't have the largest hands, but Levant's squeeze was huge.

"Well, it's good doing business with you, Mr. Shore," Levant said, smiling. Then his face turned sour and serious. "I hope you don't mind me saying I hope I never meet you again."

Denver took a deep breath. "Well, it's been good doing business with you. I'm sure you're going to enjoy your time together."

****

It was four days later that Denver entered the Thornbury hotel again. He had been gearing up for the start of term, but this wasn't the university he had expected. Lucy had said the contract was ready to sign, and they could 'on-board' him on the day of the first goodwill date if he wanted. She mentioned the care package was ready to go the moment Denver signed the contract.

A short hour ago, he had picked up his rucksack and said goodbye to his mother. He had told her he was going to a corporate training center to begin, but he wasn't clear about what. Jay had told him to have a good time at college. Rachel's credit card had been enabled, and Denver had managed to hand over a deposit for the operation to the hospital. That morning, Denver had dropped in on his grandfather to tell him the good news. His grandfather had thanked him, saying his mother was finally sane again. Denver said he would be away for a few months and would definitely visit. He would stay in touch on the phone. The corporation was security-conscious, so no video.

Before he left, Grandpa grabbed him. 'Remember, family is everything. Everything. Coming up with this shows you're a real man. I'm proud of you Denver. Know that whatever you do, I'm proud of you,' Grandpa said. Denver nodded and left.

On the metro ride over, he took a photo of himself. It seemed like the right thing to do. He looked at the photo of the boy - worried, lanky, with unkempt hair, unsettled eyes, and a few days' growth on his chin.

**********

Denver walked in was bathed in the ornate fantasy of the Thornbury hotel. He walked up to Hector, who, as always, stood stoically behind the desk.

"Mr. Shore," Hector said. "So good to see you again. I believe we have you in the usual suite. If you would just mind signing.'"

Hector spun the large register around, and Denver took the pen and signed it casually.

"I will have your bags sent up to your room," Hector said. Thank you. Oh, and I believe the manager would like to speak to you."

'Really?' Denver said. He wondered what Apiachrombie wanted.

A presence formed behind Denver, and he turned to see Charlie walking towards him. She wore a new business suit which held a large white badge bearing the words 'Manager, Hotel Thornbury.."

Charlie came over and kissed Denver on the cheek. "So good to see you," Charlie said, "and I'm so sorry to hear about your grandfather."

"It helped me see sense," Denver said quietly.

Charlie led Denver away. "That's a good story, stick to it. You're late. We have to hurry."

They continued to walk past the familiar elevators to an escalator leading down to the mini-mall in the basement. Denver looked around, feeling slightly worried about where they were going. They stood side by side by the escalator.

"I'm really sorry about what happened to you," Denver said.

"Don't be," Charlie said. "I was better off out of his sight. By all reports, he's been a real pig. He was very upset by your... your... "

"moment of madness," Denver said as they entered the mini mall level.

"Yeah, moment of madness. I think Abercrombie was better off getting the blunt end of his frustration. You took a lot with you," Charlie said.

"I took a lot? No. I left the necklace, the jewelry, earrings, everything," Denver said.

"No, I mean I think you took his hope," Charlie said. "That, and Sam's sequin dress."

They reached the bottom of the elevator, and Charlie took off. Denver looked at the expensive clothes on display in the shops in the mall. "Sam's sequin dress. That was such a nice dress."

They turned a corner, and Denver saw a sign pointing to 'Thornbury Day Spa'.

"By the way, I learned about the ship and Cinnamon," Charlie said. "Apparently, she was his first wife, the one in the crash. They loved going sailing, and Cinnamon was his nickname for her. He's having the ship pulled into dry dock to work on the engines. Oh, and you know, I think he respected you, in a way. He was furious, don't get me wrong, but you left in a classy way. No petty acts of revenge, nothing to the newspapers. And about the jewelry, if you had taken it, you could have used the money to pay for the medical work you needed."

"Don't remind me. I know, I felt so stupid," Denver said.

"Don't worry, you're not going to regret this," Charlie said, grabbing his hand and then his arm with the other hand. "I'm glad you're back. It's good to see you. I know this sounds dumb, but I realized I missed you."

"Ten months," Denver said. "Ten months, and I'm out." That was his mantra. Levant wanted extra time penalties for small infractions of the new rules. Denver had negotiated a reduction in time so he could still get to university in time.

They turned a corner and saw a large, dark oak door with inlaid paneling and a sign above it reading "Thornbury Day Spa," with a notice in front stating, 'Closed for Staff Training.'

Suddenly Charlie pushed Denver against the wall and kissed him.

"That's for rescuing me," Charlie said pulling back smiling, Denver moved forward to kiss back. Then Charlie stopped him. "More later. If you're good." Then she smiled "Much more."

They walked into the spa and Beth was waiting for them.

"Beth!" Denver said.

Beth was sitting in a casual collection of chairs. The spar its self looked sleek and used lots of lime green, plants and carefully arranged pebbles to suggest a sense of Zen relaxation. Opposite Beth was an unoccupied reception desk. The light in this basement room was bright a pure brilliant white. Relaxing Music played softly in the background and the space smelt of sea grass.

"Have you had a chance to read the contract yet?" Charlie asked.

They had played contract Pong all day. A mail would arrive. Denver would read it, cross out the bits he didn't like, send it back. He had learned that from both Charlie and Levant himself. The quicker Denver was Rachel the quicker Grandpar was going to be

"Yes, it's full of all sorts of things. Like he gets to define my weight," Denver replied.

Charlie looked at the dresses hanging up. "He wants to make sure you don't do anything to try to force him to stop liking you. Did you get a lawyer to look at it?"

"As if..."

"Well, I'll go over it," Charlie said as they walked through some doors into a short corridor with rooms with fanciful names like 'serenity room' and 'deep deep cleanse' leading off.

"OK, tell me when you get to the bit where it says no hair cutting without permission and I have to pee sitting down," Denver said.

Denver walked into a space which had a large, fully-reclined chair, like a luxury dentist. He looked around and noticed some clothes hanging up on a rail. "Hey, you got the sequin dress!" Denver said.

Charlie looked up from the contract. "Yeah, Sam had one left. I wasn't sure about the size in case you had been binge eating. I thought it would really say 'reboot of relationship.' The shower and the razor are through there. Make sure your hair is really clean."

Denver went next door to find a large, comfortable shower. He began the routine of shaving every hair from his body then stood while Charlie came and checked over his back. It was nice feeling her hands on him again. As the hairs began to run down the drain and were pushed by the warm water, Denver wondered if he was doing the right thing. "It had to be," he convinced himself.

After stepping out of the shower and drying off, Denver sat down. The warmth of the shower always made tucking Denver's parts away easier. Rachel pulled up the gaff and slipped on the sticky hip and bum pads, then put on the bra and breast pads. Charlie handed over a simple white dressing gown that felt soft against Rachel's skin. Rachel wandered into the spa space and sat down on the large mechanical chair, where Charlie and Beth checked out Rachel's hair.