your job really begins

Tammy’s lips curled in a satisfied little smirk when you didn’t immediately protest. She slid the Blu-ray back onto the shelf, tapped her manicured finger against its edge, and said, “We’ll save that one for later. No point in breaking your spirit on the first day.”

She straightened up, clapped her hands once, and the whole mood shifted—like she flipped a switch from joking Randall to full-**** Tammy Barnes. “Come on,” she said, striding down the hallway with the kind of sharp, heel-clicking confidence that didn’t leave much room for hesitation. “Time to show the world I have an assistant.”

Out front, her garage door hummed open to reveal a gleaming white Range Rover, polished so perfectly it reflected the neighborhood palms like a postcard. She swung herself into the driver’s seat, sunglasses sliding down the bridge of her nose as naturally as breathing.

“Hop in. We’re hitting a couple places today,” she said, tossing her bag into the back. “You’ll carry things, hold my phone when I need hands free, and”—she glanced at you over the rim of her glasses, smirking—“basically be my bitch until you learn the ropes.”

The drive out of Long Beach was a strange collision of worlds: her manicured hand loosely guiding the steering wheel, pop hits spilling from the speakers, while her voice—Randall’s voice, Tammy’s tone—filled the car with chatter. She talked about needing to pick up some designer heels from South Coast Plaza, maybe swing by a juice bar for a collab she’d been roped into, then a quick stop at a salon where she had a standing appointment.

It all sounded so absurdly her. Not the Randall you knew from gaming nights, but not… totally alien either.

At one red light, she caught you staring. “You look like you’re still trying to find the wires,” she teased. “Like any second you’ll see me unzip this hot bodysuit and step out as your old buddy.” She flicked her blonde hair with a practiced toss, her glossy lips quirking. “Hate to disappoint you, Timmy. This _is _me now.”

The light changed and she pressed the accelerator with a smooth surge.