Issue #6

"I thought this was where you're supposed to store liquor cases and old refrigerators," Viv said with a laugh, causing you to jump with a startle.

"Oh shit! What are you doing down here?" you stammered out, swiveling from the desk chair to see her step down off of the last step and into your secret base. Well. It isn't like you had a spandex suit up on the wall. Or some superhero's face plastered up above the bed with creepy messages. But you were given this place as a secret hideout spot, which didn't exactly work if people knew where it was.

"I came down to ask for your opinion on the uniform... but now I'm much more intrigued with this. Do you live beneath the bar, boss?" she asked.

You calmed down for long enough to check out what she was talking about with the uniform. She had added a red stitching and gold detailing around the edge of the corset, and swapped out the lacing for a black string in contrast to the white leather. They were subtle changes but she seemed very proud of them and who were you to argue when she made the outfit look as good as she did. "Oh. Umm. It looks good Vivian."

"You didn't answer my question," Viv said as she walked further in to examine the space, running her hand along the edge of the bed.

You wanted to stop her and tell her to go back to work. You knew that if you did, that would even be considered reasonable. But confrontation was not exactly your forte, "I don't uhh- I don't live here. It's just for in case I get tired. Like, if it was a long day."

"You converted the entire basement into a giant living space, so that if you happen to get tired, you could crash here. And put in a king sized bed, a desktop, hardwood floors, and a-" she stopped and opened the doors on the far side of the room, "walk-in closet?" she asked skeptically.

Again, maybe you should have been angry that she was so casually invading your personal space, but she was too confident and you could not bring yourself to say something, "It's a queen sized bed actually."

She bust out laughing, "Fuckin a. This isn't your main place but you still bought all this shit for it? Are you having some elaborate affair or something? How rich are you?"

That was actually a really good question. Cid had said that you owned the land and weren't just leasing it out. But other than that, it had been difficult to get any information about your role or the specifics of the management of the restaurant without raising any suspicion about why you didn't already know that. "I'm not married. I'm not having any affairs. This is just my first time owning a business and I really wanted to be close to it. Especially while the wheels get off the ground. If you don't mind though, I've got some work to get back to," you said, throwing on a dash of Gullibility, something you realized probably could have helped when you first tried to make an excuse.

She nodded her head. "Damn. That's a shame. You'd be so much hotter if you were married," she teased, pressing her hand into the bed and pushing down a few times.

You rolled your eyes. Her flirting had gotten out of hand the past few days, "Speaking of affairs, what would your boyfriend think about you commenting on my appearance?"

That caused her to laugh and look you dead in the eyes, "It's not cheating to fantasize about having a married boss. To daydream about taking him taking me down to his hidden little queen bed and treating me like a dirty secret," she continued teasing.

"Viv!"

"Ugh. Honestly boss, I don't think I could control myself if you did get married. You'd have to keep me far, far away from you or I'd rip those khakis right off," she added with a growl and a laugh. She walked back towards the stairs, her hips swaying seductively.

"If that's all, could you please get back upstairs and see if Cid needs anything else. Grand opening is in three days," you instructed, still trying your best to ignore her attention grabbing flirting.

"Sure thing. And I won't tell anyone else about your little love shack down here, boss. Promise," she said and gave you one last look over the shoulder before heading back up.

"Thanks Viv."

You had only been around her for a few days, as the Watering Hole got set for customers. She flirted a little bit with everyone, though every cook or waiter that had shown interest or flirted back had immediately gotten the cold shoulder. Apart from your slightly intimate interview, you had tried your best to stay as even keeled as you could around her. This had only caused her to amp it up though.

A message popped up on your phone:

Hey. Ms. Chandler gave me your number. Leaving at 1800. Meet me at this address. Don't be late.

You texted back a confirmation and got to packing. You were not exactly sure what the trip entailed, but considering it was to Mexico, you figured you would probably need a change of clothes or two. After telling Cid you were going to head out and might not be back for a day or two, you set off for the attached location.

*a few hours later*

__

This dimly lit parking garage was the last place you wanted to meet a total stranger. Yet here you were. You pulled into a parking space and shot her a text.

Hey. I'm here. Where do you want me to meet you?

You hummed along to the radio while you waited for her response. Stacy's Mom, did in fact, have it going on.

She told me about your power.

What an ominous response.

Also not information you particularly wanted to be exchanged over messages, though maybe you were just being paranoid. You began typing out a reply when you got another message from her.

If you try to use it on me, I will kill you. I will skin you alive and strap you to the hood of your black Ford Focus. Then I will go for a joyride. Do you understand?

Your throat immediately went dry. You were not entirely sure if it was possible to detect Gullibility when it was successful, but this was certainly not the person to test it on. You looked around, knowing she could definitely see you. But none of the cars anywhere near you had people in them that you could see.

Understood. Will not use my power on you.

You figured that if you dressed it up anymore than that, it might sound like you were bullshitting her. And her not believing you was the last thing that you wanted right now. The wait for a reply was taking much longer, but you were no longer in the mood to be humming along to the radio.

Gray jeep. 7 cars to your left. Go to the passenger side.

You got out of your car, grabbing the backpack that you had brought along and began walking towards the car. Goosebumps raised up along your skin. Your stomach was twisting and turning in anxious knots.

You got to the car door and smiled at the pretty brunette in the drivers seat through the window. She was staring at you intensely. No smile returned. It was a wholly uncomfortable experience, like being stared down by a wolf. You moved to open the door, only to find that it was locked.

She pointed at you, then mimed a 'hands in the air' pose. You were not exactly in the best position to judge but this seemed a little bit overboard as far as the subterfuge antics went. You complied though, showing her that nothing was in your hands and that all you had on you was the backpack.

The door unlocked.

You pulled it open slowly and once again smiled at her, hoping to somehow defuse the tense atmosphere, "Hi I'm-"

"What's in the bag?" she asked, cutting you off. Though her tone was very serious, her voice was a lot softer than her intimidating aura would have alluded to. She was dressed in fairly plain clothing. Her white button down was a thicker material, clearly a sportsman style of shirt. Her olive green khaki shorts were short enough that they would probably look silly on you, but nowhere as revealing as the Lara Croft style of shorts.

"A couple changes of clothes. A water bottle. Some snacks."

"That's it?" she confirmed.

"Yeah. I honestly wasn't quite sure what to bring. Josie was a little vague," you stated with a shrug.

She looked you up and down for a few more seconds then gestured to the seat. "Weird to hear her called Josie," she commented, her voice a lot more relaxed than it had just been.

You hopped in and chuckled, "Yeah I guess so. She never exactly introduced herself to me. It was a uhhh, weird meeting," you said, before adding, "Though that seems to be happening more and more often to me recently. Ummmm. I'm Monty."