Convincing Rachel

While expanding his group of test subjects would be a great extra, Rachel would be his focus. At least, initially. "First things first", he thought, before setting his eyes on the receptionist in front of him.

"Hey, Mike, good evening. You're still here?"

Michael Grayson had been the reception manager at Rachel's firm for as long as Jack could remember. He was now probably in his late 40s, with salt-and-pepper hair and a well-maintained physique. Being very social and having built many personal connections with influential colleagues throughout his career, Mike was popular, respected, and a common presence in the office. Rachel often mentioned him in conversation, which irked Jack a little. Nonetheless, through regularly visiting the office to see Rachel, he had built a decent rapport with Mike over the years.

"Good evening, yeah, just getting ready to leave. As should Rachel, poor girl. You're here to save her, right?"

Jack gave Mike a smile and nodded as he made his way to the elevators, focused on his goals for the evening.

On the third-highest floor in the 40-story building, Rachel had a generous personal office space with large glass windows offering sweeping views of the city, a symbol of the professional success and respect she’d worked hard to achieve in her finance career. This room was often the backdrop for her intense, high-stakes meetings, but also where she'd regularly wind down with Jack over take-away dinner and beers in her lounge corner, which came equipped with an elegant couch and a comfy chair.

Before entering, he lingered at the doorway, observing Rachel. She looked exactly as he imagined he'd find her—still at her desk, manicured fingers gracefully tapping away on her keyboard, hair cascading over her shoulders. Her lips slightly parted in that familiar, frankly adorable, expression of focus.

His eyes traveled downwards. As he watched the outlines of her breasts softly rise and fall beneath her professional-looking silk blouse, Jack felt a stirring realization. For years, he had dulled his senses to her beauty, systematically burying his desires under years of platonic routine. But now, armed with this new technology, everything was about to change. His suppressed fantasies of Rachel were no longer out of reach. Trying to control the surge of excitement, he took a deep breath and stepped into the room.

After dinner, with him on the couch and Rachel on her chair, beers in hand, Jack decided it was the right moment to casually bring up the experimental device. The topic he had been obsessing over.

“Hey, so I’ve been messing with this new tech I got my hands on,” he said, leaning back, trying to sound offhanded. “It’s kind of wild. You know how they say music can change your mood? This thing takes it to the next level—like, it’s supposed to help with focus, confidence, even relaxation. I’ve been trying it out on myself with decent success, but I'm looking to expand the experiment to a select group of people.”

Rachel raised an eyebrow. “That sounds… a little sketchy, Jack.”

He laughed, brushing off her skepticism. “I know, I know. It sounds weird, but it’s harmless. Just some frequencies in the background that help your brain chill out, or get more focused. It’s supposed to help you get into the right mindset for whatever you’re doing. And you know, I’ve got that whole urban legends thing going on, so I’m testing it for that.”

Rachel took a sip of her beer, mulling it over. “And you want me to try it out?”

Jack shrugged. “Yeah, why not? I mean, you’ve got a ton on your plate with work and stuff. Think of it as a way to zone in, get rid of distractions. It could be big if it really works. You can help me test it out for a broader market use—people like you who have intense, high-performance jobs. Maybe it’ll help with that presentation you’ve been stressing over. No pressure though—just a favor for your old buddy. I actually brought a sample with me, in case you want to try it out first?”

Rachel’s skepticism softened. “Okay, fine. I’ll give it a shot. But no promises yet.”

“Deal. I’ll set it up.” Jack took out his USB. Rachel often listened to music while she worked. To not disturb her colleagues, she had a pair of high-end Bluetooth headphones connected to her stereo, which came in handy now. Rachel put on her headphones while he loaded the file onto the stereo.

As the track began to play, Rachel sat back, relaxing, her eyes closed. Jack watched her carefully, his heart pounding. She had no idea what was really going on, no clue what was beneath the calming melodies. Minutes passed while he waited patiently. Only after the track had already finished for several seconds, Rachel opened her eyes, a relaxed smile on her face. “Not bad,” she said, stretching. “I can see why you’re into this. It’s… calming.”

“Told you. We can try different settings over the next few days if you want. I’d love to get more feedback,” Jack offered.

“Sure, why not.” Rachel replied. “By the way, who else is in that select test group of yours?”

Jack grinned, trying to hide his thrill of victory. “Awesome. You're the first, but I have some others in mind that I'll talk to in the coming days. Actually, I was hoping you could talk to Veronica. She'd also be a perfect target user for this technology.”

Veronica was a confident, stylish marketing executive who worked with Rachel. She was young, talented, and ambitious, someone Rachel seemed to really click with. Jack mostly liked to look at Veronica from a distance. Her beauty was striking—she was tall yet curvy, with dark, sleek hair and sharp features—but it was her commanding, almost arrogant attitude that had always stopped him from getting closer.

“Veronica, huh?” Rachel raised an eyebrow, taking another sip of her beer. “I’ll mention it to her, but no guarantees. She’s not really one for experiments—unless it’s on her own terms.”

“That’s fair,” Jack said, hiding his eagerness. “But you know, it could help her too. We all have stuff to deal with. Especially someone as composed as Veronica.”

Rachel laughed, a soft, musical sound. “Composed? That’s one way to put it.”

Jack chuckled along, but his mind was racing ahead, already envisioning the next steps. Rachel was the key. Once she fully embraced the experiment and began to experience the results, Veronica and others would fall into place. He didn’t have to push. He just had to be patient, let the tech work its magic, and guide them all toward the versions of themselves he envisioned.

As they talked further into the evening, Rachel’s demeanor remained calm and relaxed, but Jack suspected it wasn’t just the beers winding her down. The first subtle shift was made. Little by little, she would change, and she wouldn’t even realize it until it was too late to question why.

“Anyway, thanks for being game to try it out,” Jack said, after taking the elevator down together. “I’ll check in with you tomorrow, see how you’re feeling.”

Rachel smiled. “Yeah, I’ll let you know. Thanks for thinking of me, Jack. You’re always looking out for me.”

Jack paused at the door, hearing the gratitude in her voice. A surge of satisfaction ran through him. In her mind, he really was helping her, unaware of the real seed he had just planted in her mind. Whether it had already been true or it was made so that evening, she completely trusted him, and that trust would carry him through the next steps of his plan. Soon, Rachel would be everything he had ever wanted her to be.

“Anytime, Rachel,” he replied, his voice steady and calm. “Anything for you.”