I wasn't just shown inside the building- which I'm realizing is a manor. Jack's manor.
No, I was given the VIP treatment.
Shown inside, handed off to a butler. An honest-to-god freakin' butler.
After I was shown to the 'master bedroom', the Butler brought me tea and honey ham cubes, like I asked for.
God, I love honey ham cubes. It's one of those little pleasures in life that I never get tired of. Ham that's been chopped into little cubes, cooked in a honey and brown sugar glaze- then pulled out and allowed to dry with the crust of sugary sweetness hardening on top.
It's got the perfect taste, the perfect texture…
"Huh," someone says.
It startles me out of my meat-enjoying reverie and I blink at the door.
It's Jack… but it's definitely not actually Jack.
"Uh… hrm," he coughs and clears his throat. "Who let you in here?"
"Jack did," I reply and go back to my meat. "He'll be here soon. Have a seat. Have some ham."
The double stares at me for a minute before obeying my instructions and sitting ramrod straight on the couch next to me at the little settee area.
"How did you… um…" he stutters and coughs, clearing his throat again.
"For one, Jack was wearing something different and there's no way he'd stop to change his clothes right now," I explain. "And for another, Jack has a… thing about him. An energy. You don't have it. His eyes are like… magnets. Yours are pretty, but they don't draw me in with their intensity. It's just an intuition thing. You'd look like him from a distance, so that's all that matters, really."
He purses his lips and nods. "Uh… who, who are you?"
"Arabella Mainstream," I reply. "My parents are Tediore executives. Jack invited me to the Demo and I helped him with his little problem. You won't get in trouble for sitting with me. As long as you don't do anything Jack wouldn't like. So just sit there and talk, yeah?"
I don't know if this is Tim or someone else. Tim would be good to talk with, but these doubles could be anybody.
"Okay," he says, awkwardly. "Uh… where did you meet Jack? He doesn't, um. I mean he goes to those mixer parties, but he doesn't usually…"
"Bring people home?" I ask with some amusement.
"Y-yeah," he replies.
"He's playing games with me," I reply. "He does that a lot, I'd have to guess?"
The double actually seems to relax then, leaning back in the seat and putting his ankle on his opposite knee. "Maybe," he says. "What kinda game, if I can ask?"
"A flirty one," I reply. "Does it matter?"
"Usually," he says, then hesitates. "Usually, Jack doesn't like it when the doubles are around the people he's… ah… dating? So if that was happening, I'd prefer not to… be here."
"We're not dating," I reply. "But… why not?"
He bites his lip and looks away. "Dunno, but he just doesn't like it."
Ah. That makes me consider…
Jack's face, but without all the emotional hang-ups and suspicion and danger.
A lot of people might prefer Tim to Jack. Moxxi did. Because it's got the 'character' with none of the… 'asshole'. Or maybe just less. But… I think they'd be missing out on all of the 'Jack', considering it's some intrinsic… nature thing. That makes him so magnetic.
"Maybe you should go, then," I say and grab a plate of the ham, shoving it into his hands when he stands up. "Take this and just tell him you wanted to show me hospitality."
I relax into the sofa and pick at the cubes on the second plate. I'd asked for a lot, in case it took Jack forever to be finished with his work. And I tend to eat a lot when I'm nervous.
"Y-yes, ma'am," he says and then grimaces, heading straight for the door. He pops one of the ham cubes in his mouth as he goes and I see him blink and smile for a moment before the door opens ahead of him.
"What are you doing in here?" Jack looks annoyed.
"He was trying to entertain me," I say loudly. "I was just sending him off, as I'm plenty entertained with these little snacks and drinks."
Jack glances at me, but stares at his double for a moment before eventually clicking his tongue and gesturing at the guy to go.
The double dashes out the door and Jack closes it quietly behind him. "You didn't get fooled by the face, did you?"
"Jack," I give him a look. "He was wearing your usual outfit. You're wearing a suit. I'd have to be a complete dumbass with no observational skills."
"Ha!" his laugh is a bark and he saunters over to settle in almost the exact same place as the double'd been sitting before. "Right… well. We caught everyone. Your pet wasn't happy about spending time in the cells but considering I didn't kill him…"
"You did very well," I say with a smile, holding out the plate of ham cubes. "Have some?"
He tilts his head and examines the snack before reaching out and skewering some cubes on a toothpick. When he tastes the first one, he slows down, chewing and really tasting it. "What is this, manna from heaven?" He then proceeds to gulp down like half the plate.
Considering it was a heaping pyramid that'd been arranged, that is quite the accomplishment.
"You didn't eat before the Demo, did you?" I ask and sigh. "Go ahead and take it all. I already had dinner."
He doesn't quibble, just continues to pop the squares in his mouth, chew and swallow. He looks so happy, it's… very cute, actually. I'd never usually attribute Jack with 'cuteness' but. Well, here we are.
"Anyway, are you injured at all?" I ask when he pauses to take a long drink of tea from the pitcher on the table. Thankfully I still have a full mug. Shit's delicious.
He puts the pitcher down, somehow managing to look in-control and perfectly composed. He doesn't gasp at the end like a normal human would. He just breathes deeply through his nose, just once. And his breathing evens out.
Is he even human? Jesus, at least look a little disheveled!
"Nah," he cracks his neck. "Those Pansy-asses couldn't land a single hit on me. And when I collected 'em up, they didn't put up a fight. Just went to their deaths with their tails tucked between their legs. It was weird."
"Were they bottom-rung workers?" I ask, just out of curiosity, mostly.
He pauses in skewering some more ham, to give me a look. It's thoughtful. "Sure. Why?"
"Just makes more sense that way," I reply. "This was their last-ditch effort to climb the corporate ladder all the way to the top. It didn't work, so they gave up on living. Which is really terrible decision-making, they should've aimed for lower hanging fruit first…"
"Well, what can ya do?" he says and shrugs. "Some people are dumbasses. But it seems like you aren't? Gotta say, I like that about ya."
I chuckle a bit, "you like that I have the rock bottom amount of observational skills and common sense?"
"You know, you say that, because you haven't spent time in a boardroom," he says. Rolling his eyes "None of my goddamn executives can do anything but calculate numbers and draw diagrams. I can calculate numbers and draw diagrams, I don't even know what I need them for."
"So you don't overwork yourself into an early grave?" I offer.
He huffs and puts the now-empty plate down on the table. "I'm still overworked anyway, what's twenty more hours work a day?"
"What, and no play time? And here you were, getting my hopes up," I say with some overdramatized hurt. "Shame shame, Jack."
The laugh he releases is like a pressure valve being let off. His entire body relaxes back into the couch under him. "Maybe they have a few uses."
He just looks so inviting, I can't help myself.
I get up in a smooth movement and take one step over before splaying over his lap.
Jack didn't move until I was resting across his chest, grasping the legs on either side of his lap and tugging until we were hip-to-hip. And then…
We just sit there for a minute, kind of staring at each other. Figuring out where this was going, I guess.
Eventually, I settle down against him and just trace little designs over his dark red vest. Feeling him breathe.
His hands move then, pressing against my back, pushing me down firmly against him as he strokes, up and down.
It makes me remember that this man was married once. Twice, even, if it's around the time for that.
"Would you object to a probationary period for this?" I ask, flicking my eyes up to meet his.
God, that actually makes my knees weak, and I can't even articulate why. I've just always found those eyes to be the most absorbing ones I've ever seen in my life.
"Seems like a good idea, since we don't know anything about each other," he says. "How long?"
"That depends," I reply. "We should probably just spend normal time together for a bit until we get comfortable and then move me in with you to see if we can stand each other in any kind of living arrangement. So I guess it depends how long it takes you to decide you're not going to get sick of me too fast."
He hums and grips around my hip area, smoothing his thumbs up and down, keeping his eyes on me. Liquefying my insides.
The smirk on his face is annoying, though.
"I doubt that's gonna happen, but sure, let's give it a few weeks," he says. "I've got a condition, though. You might not like it."
"Go ahead," I reply. Tilting my head.
"I'm gonna pay for an apartment," he says. "In Hyperion holdings. Stay there while we do this and come to work with me."
I blink. "I don't know if I'm allowed? I'm not clear on all the laws here…"
"Your parents' jobs don't mean shit, Babydoll," he says. "And since you've had amnesia recently, even if you had signed something, my lawyers could get you off on a technicality. Have you signed anything since you woke up?"
"Nondisclosure agreement," I say, instantly. "Apparently they wanted to make absolutely sure I didn't leak whatever information I got from my parents, anywhere. But I read it and-"
"You read it?" he laughs suddenly. "Fuck, I don't think anybody reads the nondisclosures."
"I didn't want to be accidentally indentured for the rest of my life," I reply, rolling my eyes. "So yeah, I read it. And when I didn't understand it, I got my parents' lawyer to explain it to me. And then I got a second opinion from their other lawyer and… it was a whole thing. Anyway, there wasn't anything in there about not going to other companies, I think?"
"Then there shouldn't be a problem, right?" he asks. Head tilting, hands slipping down. Curling around my backside and over my thighs.
I shiver, and grasp at the vest under my hands. "Shouldn't be. But my parents will probably freak out. My mother really doesn't like you."
"Ha," he does the thing where his pointed eyetooth catches on his bottom lip. "Yeah, most of those uptight old family money types don't like me."
Never occurred to me before, that Jack is like. The myth of the self-made man. He stole everything he has, but to the people from this universe, it would look like it was all hard work. Like he was just competent and did his job and won his way up. Which is a myth that the rich elite tell so that workers won't rise up against them.
That must be why Jack was allowed to keep his position at all. He's like a living example of the 'self-made man' so everyone can think 'that could be me'.
…god. That's depressing.
"Not sure I like that look on your face," he says and rubs his thumbs over my thighs. "What are you thinkin'?"
"That people suck," I reply. "And that I really badly want you to kiss me."
"Yeah?" his smirk gets a little wider. "You gonna convince me?"
I quirk an eyebrow and move before he can stop me.
Apparently this was the correct answer. Or at least a correct answer, which is great- cause if he was going to get annoyed by my resistance to total submission, he really wouldn't like living with me.
Don't think he wants me touching his face, that would probably give him anxiety about the mask coming off…
My hands stay down on his chest as we kiss, though his do travel. A lot. I remember then that he's kind of hypersexual to a certain extent and feel slightly… intimidated.
It's not like I don't like sex or I can't do it, but… all at once, and a lot, that might freak me out slightly.
Pulling back, I grasp his hands and sit up. "Mmm, I'm thinking there need to be rules around this for the probationary period."
"Oh yeah?" and just like I thought, his eyes are doing that dark and urgent thing that I thought they might be doing.
"I mean, if you get to sample the goods before we ever make a contract, I get nothing out of that," I reply while lifting my eyebrows and smiling. "So no touching me more than I'm touching you."
He huffs and removes his hands, then grins. "S'at mean I get to put my hands where yours were?"
I roll my eyes. "No. Your clothed chest is not an erogenous zone. It'd be the same as laying your palms flat on my back."
Tsking, he sits up a bit straighter. "That's gonna be hard to remember."
"Mm well if you forget, I guess I can just shoot you," I say.
He snorts. "Do you even have a gun?"
"I'm sure you're gonna give me one," I reply. "You're the type that loves having your designs all over the people you feel are 'yours'. You'd probably also give me armor and shielding if it meant I had 'Hyperion' wallpapered all over me."
The grin he gives me then is pleased but wary. "And how do you feel about that?"
"I'd rather it said 'Jack'," I reply. "Because frankly 'Hyperion' is too unwieldy."
It's a concession on my part. I'd rather wallpaper him with my name but… there's ways to do that without him even knowing, so let's just… wait on that.
"Yeah?" he leans up in one swift movement and pins me to his chest with his hands planted on my back. "How about a tattoo?" His eyes are staring right into mine. Probably really important to him. But…
"Fuck no," I reply. "Needles are painful!"
He laughs, "can't handle pain, Babydoll?" Thankfully, he seems more amused by the refusal than anything.
"It depends on the type and intensity," I reply, leaning in and nipping at his jaw. "I'm open to a pinch here and there."
His hands press me in tighter and he turns his head and plant a kiss right on my jawline. "That is good to know."
Then he stands up and my feet plant themselves firmly on the floor. "Damn it, I'm getting a call. I'm gonna send you home."
He cups my face and plants one more kiss on my mouth before letting go and tapping his left temple. "Yeah what?"
Taking my wrist in his right hand, he leads me to the door of what I assume is either his room or a guest room. He probably doesn't stay down here much, so it's no wonder the place isn't super personalized.
He chats on the line, but I mostly ignore the words and listen to the cadence of his voice.
At least until he stops and stares at me, obviously expecting an answer.
"Oh were you talking to me?" I ask, flustering. "I was- um-"
He yanks me in and kisses me again, this time pulling away violently and walking away. "You are lucky I've got shit to do today. Take 'er home, Jeeves!"
I blink and turn to see the butler. "Your name is definitely not Jeeves."
The butler sighs. "It is. I had to have it legally changed."
That's awful. Don't laugh.