The Rise of Rachel Price T-Girl Pt. 18

'Within the contract' Rachel thought, it was quite strict.

Levant continued the tour.

As they walked, Rachel realized that her job was just to be impressed. This was all part of Levant's weird fantasy, and she was hired to play a part in it. She was a live-in actor, with enough episodes for ten months minus one day of work.

They carried on down an impressive entrance and emerged into the center. The central space in the house had to be a large semicircular arch. It felt like standing in a large wooden conch shell, with the open edge pointing towards a panoramic view of the sea beyond. The ground floor was a large open plan with modernist furniture located at points. A group of chairs was arranged around a fireplace which hung from the ceiling about three stories above it. The building was a huge atrium with two more stories of balconies behind them. It was like a theatre, but the sea beyond was the set and the main show.

As Rachel and Levant continued their tour, they moved into the central space of the house, which was a large semi-circular arch that seemed to encase them in a wooden conch shell. The open edge of the shell offered a panoramic view of the sea beyond, making it feel like the main show was taking place on a stage that stretched out into infinity.

Rachel couldn't help but be awestruck by the grandeur of the place, exclaiming "Wow" as they walked into the space for the first time. "This is amazing. I've seen buildings small enough to fit into just this room. It's exquisite beyond anyone's opinion."

Levant pointed to the mezzanine floor at the back of the curve, away from the sea, and said, "Up there are the bedrooms. Imagine coming out in the morning and seeing this? The master bedroom, well you've got to see that."

He then turned and led Rachel forward, saying, "The dining room is that way. The guest complex is that way, or is it the other way around? We'll find out." He moved off down a ramp in another direction, excitedly exploring the endless possibilities of the sprawling house.

"This area," Levant said, pointing to a space that needed a facelift, "needs completely redoing. I thought this would be something really wonderful for you to do. I think you could redesign this however you wanted. Really put your stamp on it, you know. Make it yours."

"This place is totally insane," Rachel said, looking around in amazement.

"Right, we need a name for this place. Insanity Hall. something crazy."

"The Asylum," Rachel suggested.

" Yes!" Levant exclaimed, putting his arms up in the air and spinning around. "That's exactly it. I'm crazy in love."

Rachel's eyes flashed up, and she grinned at him, mesmerized by the building's grandeur.

He stopped spinning and turned around to face her, taking her hands in his.

"You're smiling again, that's good," he said, leaning in to kiss Rachel, and she let it happen, feeling her heart race.

"OK, so let's look at the North wing. You can see the tennis courts and things from there. Then we will come back, you can meet some of your people, and we can get some lunch," Levant continued.

The tour continued, with Levant leading Rachel through room after room. "Gym, Jacuzzi, Japanese bath," Levant had said, opening door after door. He opened a room that was bare except for a table. "I don't know what this room is for," he said, shutting the door.

Rachel smiled. "It's a room solely for wrapping presents, it must be, because we have rooms for everything else, and that's the only thing left," she quipped.

Later, they returned to the triple-height living room where they had begun the tour. For a second, Rachel had wondered if the building had a second hall before she realized she had gotten lost and they were back where they had started. Levant pointed to a medium-sized nook, which was the size of Rachel's mother's entire living room.

"As soon as I saw that, I decided that would make a great space for all your games and gear," Levant said. "I can have a study that way."

"No, the library should be that way," Rachel said, joining in.

"I want to be able to look up and see you over here when I'm working," Levant said. "Good view, huh?"

They walked around the mezzanine level to where the indoor balcony stopped. Rachel looked out over the sea beyond. Jagged cliffs formed around the house, focusing the violence of the waves to the base of the cliffs far below.

"The guy who commissioned it heard they were building an offshore wind farm, so he sold it to me. I'm going to get the license revoked. What do you think?" Levant asked.

"She sang beyond the genius of the sea.

The water never formed to mind or voice,

Like a body wholly body, fluttering

Its empty sleeves; and yet its mimic motion

Made constant cry, caused constantly a cry,

That was not ours, although we understood,

Inhuman, of the veritable ocean." Rachel said, quoting Wallace Stevens. They had done it at school, and she had pulled things like this out for her poet persona.

Rachel looked around, and in the distance beyond the picture glass window looking out onto the sea, there was a veranda where four people stood. One of them was clearly Lucy, but with her were three others.

They walked unhurriedly through a glass door, and now outside, the raw intensity of the salt from the sea seemed to sharpen all of Rachel's senses. Levant was always out of the way, and the three people waiting seemed to straighten up like soldiers standing at attention.

Slightly closer was a young man with short-cropped hair, wearing some sports gear. His tight-fitting vest was tight enough to reveal a very muscular flat stomach. He had a wide neck set on broad shoulders. Rachel noticed his pale blue eyes, rugged face, including a nose which had been broken and fixed, not quite straight. Around his neck hung a blue stopwatch.

"You are Peter, right?" Levant asked.

Peter held out his hand to Levant, then reached over and held out his rather muscular hand to Rachel. "Nice to meet you," Peter said, smiling. He pushed aside his stubble for a firm smile.

"Rachel, this is Peter, your personal trainer," Levant said.

Rachel smiled back. "Oh, right. You're the personal trainer. I've always wanted my personal trainer." She laughed slightly.

"And," Levant continued, "this is Glenda. She is your nutritionist."

Rachel turned her attention away from the attentive Peter to the 25-year-old woman before her. She was quite good-looking, but not an astonishing beauty. She wore a long skirt that flapped in the wind coming from the sea. Her long hair was also moving like mermaid locks in the ocean breeze.

"Hi Glenda, I don't know any nutritionist jokes; perhaps you could feed me one," Rachel said. Next to Glenda was Mimi.

Glenda smiled and held out her hand. "You have a strong aura about you," Glenda said.

"You noticed Thanks," Rachel said, then realised this sounded too masculine, like she was making fun of her. "Sorry. I'm looking forward to getting to know you."

Now she sounded too English, Rachel thought.

Mimi waved.

"Hiya Mimi, how are you?" Rachel said, hugging her.

"Mimi is going to be your personal stylist on a daily basis," Levant said.

Rachel relaxed. It would be good to have someone who knew her secret.

"Hi Mimi. Um, I guess we should get out of the wind. It's quite strong."

"Yeah, that reminds me," Levant said, turning to Lucy. "You know they're trying to build an offshore wind turbine park over there. It would spoil Rachel's view. We need to stop that. Speak to the legal team, and if they come up dry, get the Governor on the line."

Lucy wrote it down. "At once, Mr. Levant," Lucy said.

Levant was about to walk away. "Oh, and we need to get some people in to upgrade the security. I mean, it's just motion sensors and cameras and so on. That's not gonna keep anybody out. I want a fence, a big fence," he said, pointing in the direction further down the coast. "Simple like wire, but one of those ones with a fence further behind and like dogs running down the gap."

Rachel shivered slightly. Was this a fence to keep people out or her in?

"At once, Mr. Levant," Lucy said.

"Rachel, let's go and see the pool. You're going to love this."

As they walked off, Levant leaned over. "Peter is a pre-op trans man, meaning he was female at birth. Glenda is a post-op trans woman. I thought Peter might have to get close to you, so it was for the best. Also, Peter has completed level one security training. I haven't put you on the list of dependents yet, but the insurance will want some security around. Peter can double as a bodyguard. Good choice, huh?"

Rachel was amused that Levant had to explain what a pre-op trans man was to her.

"Peter was a wo... Wow. That's crazy. I would have never guessed," Rachel said, surprised.

"And when you're done, people will think the same about you," Levant said. "Actually, they already do, but I think we can make some improvements."

Rachel didn't want to directly remind Levant about the time-limited nature of their relationship. "Well, as long as you remember my motto," Rachel said elliptically, referring to her mantra of 'nothing permanent'.

"Sure," Levant said. "So, Peter, Glenda, and Mimi know your secret, as does your doctor and therapist. They have all signed NDAs. The other staff won't know."

Rachel put her arm around Levant and shuddered. This still felt so gross, so unnatural. Rachel knew she would have to get used to it. She was reminded of Jim. Jim was her best friend at school. Over the summer, he had a job gutting fish near the docks. Rachel had wondered how her best friend could do a job like that. Jim hated eating fish. Jim had shrugged. "You do it, and you get used to it. The gag factor pays off quick. Mostly disappears with your first paycheck," he had said. If Jim could see Rachel now, there would be a shock, but maybe Rachel just needed to gut more fish.

They passed under an arch. Beyond it lay a sheltered space near the side and rear of the house. Here was a large open swimming pool; it was curved. "I could just imagine coming back from work and finding you by the pool," Levant said. Rachel felt slightly awkward; the hip Levant currently had his arm around was a piece of silicone. "I don't think I'm quite pool-ready," Rachel said. "Don't worry, you will be. That's what your people are for," Levant said. Rachel felt a slight sinking feeling at this. The more this went on, the more Levant seemed to be avoiding the reality of what was happening. "Look," he said, pointing at a small area off to the side. "That's like a mini pool area for the kids."

"That's a relief, I thought the house even came with a pool area for bikini-clad gnomes," Rachel said.

'Kids. Seriously. Kids' she thought to herself. One of them was in denial about what was really between Rachel's legs, and that contractually wasn't going away.

"My God, you are so funny," Levant said. "That's what I like about us. We both get each other's jokes. Isn't this place great? It's the most wonderful place you've ever seen. I think what makes it wonderful for me is that I can see you in it."

"Absolutely," Rachel said.

Levant pulled her away. "Hey, you like guns, right? This place has a great space for a shooting range. Just near the stables. Come and see."