This choice: Let Tessa deal with Ashley • Go Back...Chapter #20A Taste of Gloria by: Nostrum   After all you’ve done for Tessa, even her promises feel empty. She has claimed your family for her use. You feel disgusted by not seeing it before – why would she care for you when you’re a complete stranger to her?
But going against her would be foolish, like Cassie said. She’s a criminal mastermind, carefully playing against the very chauvinistic nature of organized crime. And she has the ability to turn people into skins, meaning a false step will make you disappear for the rest of her life – and probably more.
Yet, if it weren’t because of you, she wouldn’t tighten her grip on the Mafia and the drug business. You’ve proven your usefulness. Will she really betray you after all you’ve done?
You bide your time and watch as all unfolds – as Ashley questions her mother’s decision. “What felony? I figured you’d like to see what his family offers.”
“He was the only one that offended you, my dear. Not his family.”
“He must learn a lesson.”
“And he learned it,” Tessa insisted. “Do you feel my decision was incorrect?”
You feel how Tessa has put a great weight in her daughter. “I feel it was incomplete.”
“Trevor,” she says, invoking his true name. “That someone found what you were doing shows your incompetence. And he has proven his worth. Why would I punish a valuable asset any further?”
“Then why agree to turn them into skins for our use?”
Surprisingly, Tessa slammed her hand on Ashley’s cheek, sending her down. “I have agreed to nothing,” she replies, soothing your weary heart. “I agreed to your idea because I see its worth – I didn’t agree to use them specifically. I can always change my mind, after all.”
Ashley’s confused look must mirror yours, as Tessa’s decisions are near impossible to fathom. Yet, her anger is focused on her, which means whatever she – or he – planned for you has struck a nerve. “The scales were balanced, both then and now. Yet I see you're a slave to your old sin. Wasn’t I the one that saved you from that limbo you called life?”
“Yes, Mom, but--”
“And wasn’t I the one that deemed your ‘offense’ was to be repaid by replacing her? What she did to you was unthinkable, Mr. Lachlan, but it was you who started it all. What you are doing to Mr. Anderson’s sister may prove my daughter right.”
“What did he do to Claire?” you ask.
Tessa only gives you a look, sparing you from her fate. “You asked me if your family was to be safe. I seek to keep my promise, but I won’t deny an opportunity like this.”
“Mrs. Wright...” You clench your fist, strangling your anger to avoid invoking hers. “I thought you wouldn’t touch them.”
“I had to see the assets they would bring first, my dear. I cannot let sentimentalisms blur my decisions, after all.”
“Does that mean you’re gonna keep them as skins?” Cassie asks, holding you. “That’s not you, Mom.”
“They could be valuable assets, though. The older one – Christina – especially.” She lifts your sister’s deflated face to hers, watching with delight. “Truly a diamond in the rough.”
You’re about to break down when Cassie makes an unusual offer. “How about cloning them? Y’know, like some of the Five.”
Tessa nods slowly, a small smirk growing on her lips. “That seems a fair move. To live their lives unaware of what their doppelgangers will do.” She looks at you with a tender glare. ”I hope this pleases you, my dear.”
Then, she grabs Ashley’s chin brusquely, giving her a fiercer glare. “And as for you... I don’t want to hear you messing with the Andersons, you hear? The cloned skins will be enough.” She then dug her nails on her daughter, issuing a final warning. “And the younger one is off-limits for you. You want to satisfy your needs, find yourself another.”
Ashley glares at you, then sighs. “Yes, Mom.”
“Good.” Tessa then focuses on you. “Sorry about that, dear. Sometimes, a mother must set boundaries.”
“I still don’t feel comfortable knowing--”
“Do recall that you’ve lived the lives of several girls,” she warned. “You are no different.” She tells Cassie to draw the last of the Five, handing it to you. “Now, tell me how she fits, and we can discuss business later.”
--
She fits like a glove, but you’re unsure if you fit her.
Like the other girls of the Five, Gloria Isabel Alcocer is every man’s dream. You get what Cassie says about her – light-skinned, freckled, long ash blonde hair and muted green eyes hinting of European, but with large breasts and sharp, plump cheeks and lips. Just like Rachel, her legs are her biggest trait – but while Rachel has long legs with large hips, Gloria sports supermodel legs and a thin waist making her ass explode.
Her only flaw is – as all Latinas south of the border – her native language. Every answer she gives is in Spanish – and that’s when she understands the question. Cassie and you figured it was a language barrier issue, rather than the brown pen malfunctioning – as she checked herself with another of the skins.
With Gloria, you need to do more than immerse in her personality. You need to hand her some of the reins – and that’s difficult. Just giving her a little control involves losing yourself in her fiery personality.
Which helps when you’re on the job – especially with fellow Latinos. And especially with your current client – an urban artist by the name of Danny Fresh. A fellow Colombian like Gloria, he’s riding the waves of his success all the way into international crossovers after great success in venues like Mexico and Puerto Rico.
And Gloria has more than vested interest in him. Not just for his money and fame, but also because of his chiseled body – the one you’re currently riding as you let her do the talking. “¡Ay, papi, que rico!”
“<Who’s your man?>” he asks in a flowery Medellín accent, contrasting her more neutral Bogotan.
You sway your way atop him, rubbing his frosted tips contrasting his dark brows and goatee. “<Of course it’s you.>”
That small act of submission was all the magic you needed. Full of vigor, the two of you exchanged the most heated sex session of your life (but certainly not hers), leaving you both begging for more.
But of course, between sessions comes small talk, and you take the opportunity to confirm a bit of juicy gossip. “<Say>, Danny... <You haven’t told me about> el man <that helped you through your career. When will you do so?>”
“<Why would you want to know, my dame?>” he evades with cool swagger.
Because everyone says the old cartels back you up, you think to yourself. That was after a little exploration, where your time and skills acquired through your school newspaper club shone. Danny Fresh – real name Danilo Buenaventura – often sings of money and women, like other urban singers, but the gossip mill has singled a gesture in his videos that reeks of a gang sign.
You don’t press him on it, but you do follow the next lead. “<I bet it must be that Freddy, isn’t it?>” (That would be Freddy Cabellos, long rumored to be associated with the Oficina del Envigado, the alleged successor to the Medellín Cartel.)
Hearing his name draws a cold wedge on you. “<Come on>, mi Gloria... Vos no prestás atención> <to those gossip shows, aren’t you?>”
Yeesh... Must’ve touched a nerve. (Nothing a little sugar can’t fix – one of the things you recall from your time as Nyssa.) “Danny... <You should clear those rumors sooner or later! They’ll damage your image!>”
“<They’re nothing but lies and slander,>” he replies coldly.
“<If you say so...>” You stop the inquiry, feeling it will lead nowhere. His answers suggest he does, but also that he and Freddy Cabellos must be very close. You know, as a man, that you wouldn’t betray a friend like him. “<I don’t want to break your friendship, after all. Compared to him, I bet I’m nothing to you.>”
If sugar doesn’t work, then pressure will. This is his test of loyalty. And his first move is to look at your eyes, with his coffee brown own, and confirm what you suspect. “Fresco, fresco. <Why would I leave a woman as hot and sexy as yours>, mi vida?”
“<Like I said – I don’t want you to have to choose between your friendship and me.>” You grasp his chin, kissing him on his lips. “<I know how important he must be to you. Compared to him, I’m simply a-->”
He binds your lips, giving you that sweet smile that melts thousands of his female fans. “<You are a princess, and deserve much more than this life.>” (God, what a tool!) “<And I really like that you think of our relationship. That tells me a lot about you.>”
Or at least, what you want him to know. Though, not all of it is false. Through him, you could confirm if Freddy Cabellos works for the Oficina – and if he does, Tessa will be very happy to know she can extend her tendrils and make a crossover of her own.
But you’ll need to fight Gloria’s own feelings for Danny to do so. And with his money, fame and beauty, that would be a shame.
--
As tempting as that may be, however, it depends on your choice. It’s the end of your time with Gloria, and you visit the by-house one last time.
The Five have now expanded, with Tina’s skin making the sixth. But they will be Five again, because Tessa reminds you of the deal she made almost a month ago.
“I give you the chance of a new life,” she said then, and she repeats now. “Choose the one you like the most, and I’ll let you do whatever you want with her life.” (Save for Tina, she remarks, as she’ll be the replacement.) “But remember – there is one client you must please over all others.”
Five extraordinary beauties – all with missions you left unfulfilled. Which one will you embody?  indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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