Jake Morrissey gathered his papers. All in all his first class had gone smoothly, except for his decision to call upon Allyson Roberts. He’d figured there’d be no harm in asking Allyson to participate in his little demonstration. In fact, he’d done it on purpose to prove to himself that he could ignore his attraction to her, that in fact there was no attraction to speak of. He’d thought this through beforehand and had almost managed to convince himself of it. What a mistake that had been. He had been barely able to maintain the presence of mind to lift the flash drive out of Allyson’s jacket pocket. Good thing it was a classroom demonstration and not a real-life assignment. The proximity of her, the smell of her hair, which he knew was standard-issue dormitory shampoo . . . but somehow the ordinary scent became extraordinary when mixed with Ally’s own smell. Stop it, Jake thought, you’re starting to sound like a pervert. It was sad but true. He was mortified to think of his conversation with Allyson after class; he’d meant to reassure her that he didn’t single her out on purpose, but instead he’d completely bungled things up and ended up talking about her sore muscles. Talk about a touchy subject. And his face had flushed as though he were a dorky teenager. What the hell was wrong with him? Jake clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white. This wasn’t a game. He had to put these dangerous thoughts out of his mind, but the more he tried not to think about her, the more he ended up doing so. If things continued this way, the next three months were going to be torture. Still, even if he couldn’t control his thoughts he could control his actions, and there was no way his relationship with Allyson Roberts was going to be anything other than professional.
He hadn’t always been this principled and regimented. There’d been plenty of times he’d bent the rules in the past. The old Jake Morrissey wouldn’t have waited long to ask Allyson Roberts out and would find his way into her bed by the end of the first date, second at most. Women were his specialty. Whenever men were in a tough spot they always needed someone to confide in, to build up their confidence, and when they were victorious they needed someone to brag to, to glorify their victories. Women were the vessels men poured their secrets and emotions into, and Jake was damn good at getting those secrets out of them. It was, after all, part of his training, part of his job to secure information by any means necessary. Correction: it used to be part of his job before things had gone horribly wrong. Now his job was to teach, and he was determined to keep his hands off his students.
***
Ally slid the electronic key though her room’s lock, pushed the door open, and dropped her bag onto the floor. She had spent the past hour swimming long, determined strokes at the pool. At first she’d felt too exhausted to go. They’d had another marathon of running and push-ups at the hated phys ed class, and all she wanted to do by the end of it was collapse onto her bed. Despite the awkward circumstances in which it was given, she decided to take Morrissey’s advice about the pool, and was glad to find that it worked. The pool had been soothing, both physically and mentally. The soreness in her muscles was almost gone now. It would probably return tomorrow, but at least she had relief for a few hours. She’d never been anything more than a casual swimmer, but now she was thinking of adding swimming into her daily routine. She felt lithe and pliant, re-energized for the night of homework that awaited her.
As if it wasn’t bad enough that they spent hours cooped up in class, they had homework too, and it wasn’t easy stuff either. By her estimate it would take at least three hours to complete. She felt like she were back in college, cramming for finals. The only difference being that college finals had lasted a week, but this program was going to last three long months. Still, it wasn’t anything she couldn’t handle, or at least she was determined to think so. Convincing herself was half the job.
In a way she was grateful for this unrelenting pace; it kept her mind focused on the present. She was stunned to realize that she hadn’t thought about her father all day long. The realization made her feel both guilty and relieved. Guilty because forgetting him felt like betrayal, and relieved because her mind desperately needed a break. She shook her head. There was no reason for her to feel guilty. Her father’s memory would always be with her. She was as determined as ever to clear his name, but in order to do that she needed a way to distance herself from her grief and find focus and clarity of mind. This program, this regimented lifestyle, gave her the means to do just that. She wasn’t forgetting anything. She was going to grow strong enough to carry out her vengeance.
Ally heard a loud sigh and turned around. She had been so caught up in her thoughts that she hadn’t noticed Delilah hunched over the computer desk, muttering incoherently.
“Delilah, you okay?”
Delilah jumped up in her chair. “I didn’t hear you come in.”
“We must both have lots on our minds. I didn’t see you sitting there until just now.”
“You can say that again. I think my mind is about ready to burst from trying to do homework for Reed’s class. I can’t make heads or tails of it. I don’t know why they put me into this program. I don’t know anything about this stuff.”
“Calm down,” Ally said, squeezing her roommate’s arm. “It’s not that complicated. I remember covering most of this material in college. Sure, Reed’s made it a little more complicated, but once you get past his convoluted presentation style—”
Delilah groaned. “You don’t get it, do you? I didn’t study any of this in college.”
“What was your major?” Ally asked, suddenly remembering that of all the topics Delilah and she spoke about college was never one of them.
Delilah lowered her eyes. “I never went to college.”
“Never went to college?” Ally blurted out before she could catch herself. “I didn’t mean for it to come out like that. Lots of people don’t go to college,” she added hastily. “On-the-job training can be just as effective, better even.”
Delilah’s lips parted in a crooked smile. “You could say that again.”
“There was an engineer who worked for my father’s company: he was one of the best, and he was completely self-taught. He’d started as an apprentice at a manufacturing plant and worked his way up through the ranks.”
Delilah shook her head. “Do I look like someone who’d work at a manufacturing plant?”
“I never judge people by their looks.”
“Well maybe you should.” Delilah picked up her purse from the floor and reached inside it, producing a pack of cigarettes. “Want one?”
“No thanks. Smoking isn’t allowed in the dormitories.”
“At this rate they’ll kick me out anyway. So I’m not worried.” Delilah lit her cigarette and took a long drag.
“Do you want to tell me what’s bothering you or you do want to mope around?” Ally asked, losing her patience.
“What the hell, I might as well tell you now.” Delilah took a deep breath. “I didn’t go to school and I didn’t work as an apprentice—well at least not at a factory or a plant. I was an escort, and I was very good at it, one of the best.”
Ally’s mouth gaped open. “How did you end up here?”
“The woman I used to work for ran this high-class escort service. I’m talking crème de la crème—our clients included actors, executives, high-flying politicians. It was an escort service, but for an extra fee you could get anything you wanted. The minimum rate was two thousand per fuck. My services started at five thousand. Of course I didn’t get to keep all of it—thirty percent went to Clarissa, but there was still plenty left over. I was making money hand over fist. My clients were powerful, wealthy men. It was a very glamorous lifestyle, and I enjoyed it. Maybe there’s something wrong with me, but I would’ve kept doing it if we didn’t get busted.” Delilah took a drag on the now almost burned out cigarette. “Before the whole thing went south, Clarissa started talking about retiring and she promised to hand over the business to me. I would’ve been damn good at running it, too. Instead I had to give evidence on all of my clients, and now I’m stuck in this hole.”
Ally stared at Delilah with wide-open eyes. Come to think of it, many of the things about Delilah didn’t fit the picture from the beginning, and now it was all adding up. It’d be too easy to pass judgment on her roommate, but Ally was determined not to do that. Instead she was amazed by Delilah’s honesty.
“One of my clients was involved in a price fixing scheme. The authorities were on to him for a while and that’s how they got to me and how Clarissa’s operation got exposed. She was offered a deal—no jail time and she got to keep all the money she’d made from the business, but she had to stop her operation and give up all the dirt on her clients. Of course she took the deal. She was thinking of retiring anyway. The FBI and DOE were working together on this, so I had no choice but to cooperate. Afterwards they gave me two options—either witness protection or this bullshit. I figured the training program would be the safer choice. I was told if I flunk out, I’d be back in witness protection anyway. No one told me it was going to be this science crap. They probably knew that I’d flunk out, but I’m through doing what they tell me. I’ll take my chances from now on. I’m getting out of here.” Delilah pushed her hair behind her ears and wiped her eyes with her fists. “I’ve had enough. I’m sure I could get the girls back together and start the business over.”
Ally could scarcely believe what she was hearing. “Hold on a minute. Don’t you think it’d be dangerous? Your former clients are your worst enemies now that you ratted them out.”
“But I didn’t rat them out on purpose. I was forced to.”
“It doesn’t make a difference. As far as they are concerned, you’re a liability and a traitor.”
“I’m such an idiot.” Delilah covered her face with her hands. “I’ve made such a mess of my life.”
“We don’t always choose our circumstances. I’m sure there were reasons you made the choices that you made.”
Delilah shook her head. “I wish I could tell you that I grew up in a foster home or that my parents were alcoholics who beat me, but that’s just not true. My parents own a chain of delis in New Jersey. We were never rich, but we were always comfortable. They always wanted the best for me. As a kid I took gymnastics—it wasn’t cheap, but they paid the gym fees without ever saying a word. I bet they would’ve reconsidered if they knew how handy gymnastics came in my chosen profession. I ruled the stripper pole and it drove my clients wild that I could put my legs all the way behind my ears—” Delilah broke off. “At least the prosecution was considerate enough to spare my parents the sordid details. It would’ve killed them to know that their daughter became a whore.”
“Delilah, don’t put yourself down like that. The past isn’t important. It’s the future that matters.” Ally did her best to sound convincing. Delilah’s confession was bewildering to put it mildly, but Ally was determined not to judge her.
“You’re so sweet, Ally. Always trying to see the best in people. Sometimes I think you grew up in a nunnery or something. I did the things I did because I’m a bad person, a shallow person. For as long as I can remember I only cared about having a good time. I did go to college, but I flunked out after the first semester. I was too scared to tell my parents, so I was just bumming around, idling in bars and clubs. That’s how I ran into Clarissa. She approached me and asked me if I wanted to work for her. I know I should say that I regret doing it, but I don’t. The truth is that I loved it. Sure, not all the guys were glamorous, but they were powerful and important and it flattered me to be a part of that. And as far as the sex part . . . sometimes it was great and sometimes it wasn’t, but I loved knowing that a night with me cost five thousand dollars. It made me feel special.”
Ally’s eyes widened. She didn’t want to sound like a prude, but having sex with strangers was outside of her comfort zone. But to be fair, Ally knew plenty of girls she’d gone to college with whose sexual conquests could probably rival Delilah’s. “So what?” Ally said, her voice nonchalant. “So you slept with lots of men and enjoyed it. Believe me, you’re not the first woman to do that. You caught a tough break, and now have a choice—you can either go on moping about your ‘bad choices’ or you can start fresh. I’m sure there’s a reason why you were selected for this program. The authorities didn’t have to give you options—they could’ve just stuck you in witness protection, but they decided to give you a chance.”
“Yeah, a chance. Throw you in the water and tell you to swim when they damn well know that you can’t.”
“So learn.”
Delilah looked stunned. “This is the first time I’ve seen you acting so tough. I like it.”
“Thanks. I thought I’d try it on for size. How about we make a deal? I’ll help you with the theory part of the classes, as you call it, and you help me get tougher.”
Delilah nodded. “I don’t think you need much help from me. I think you’re already pretty tough. You just don’t show it, which is smart of you. It makes people want to take care of you.”
Ally frowned. This wasn’t the impression she wanted to project. She didn’t want to look like some stray puppy, desperate for help. She wanted to be strong and confident and independent. She thought she was doing just that, but apparently she still had a long way to go. “We’d better get started on the homework, or we’ll never get done.”