SHIFT FOR HIRE EXCERPT
Tara leapt over a trashcan and hurtled full force down the
narrow alley. She felt the sting of something cutting into her
arm and ripping the flimsy blouse she wore. Still she didn’t
stop and refused to look behind her. She could hear his pounding
steps in hot pursuit. If she wasn’t careful, he’d catch up and
then she’d be in trouble.
“Come on, Tara . You’re easily faster. Which way?” She exited
the alley onto a crowded street and glanced left and right. An
opening presented itself in the gridlocked traffic, between two
buses. Tara squeezed her plump frame between the two vehicles
and picked up her speed again.
Her chest was tight, her breathing labored. She judged
herself to have been running for at least fifteen minutes. Still
he followed, never dropping behind. Lacy had not been kidding
when she’d told Tara he was a distance runner. He might not be
able to match Tara ’s speed, but she was beginning to lose that
advantage with the wear on her body to keep her form.
“This is ridiculous. I’ve got to lose him.”
She sped to the opposite side of the street and rounded a
corner. Just ahead was the park. She was hopeful of losing him
there. Even his endurance couldn’t match her ability to jump.
She’d use her last reserves to get away.
Fate was not on her side. A car suddenly pulled out in front
of her, cutting off her access. She crouched and tried to leap
clear, but one foot caught on the bumper, clipping her jump.
Tara crumpled across the hood and slid to the other side of the
car onto the ground. The jarring pain in her ankle told her she
was done for the time being.
The driver of the car, a wizened old man, stepped out and
bent over her anxiously, “Are you ok, maam? I didn’t see you.
I’m so sorry.”
“She’s fine. Get lost.” He didn’t seem to be breathing hard
at all, Tara noted. And the hatred she’d seen earlier was still
present.
“Look, just leave me alone,” she told him boldly.
Ignoring her command, he pulled her up by the collar of her
blouse and dragged her spent body to the side of the road.
“Hey, now. That’s no way to treat a lady,” the driver
protested.
“She’s no lady.” He tangled his hands into her hair and
pulled hard. “She’s a Shift. Do yourself a favor and go now.”
Tara cried out, fighting against his hold. She tried to close
her eyes, to keep the driver from seeing her face. But he saw.
Her eyes grew, for an instant, into their natural form—overlarge
and pearl black. She knew they revealed very little white,
unlike human eyes.
The driver hesitated. “Still, there are laws…”
His hand moved to a pocket of his jacket where a bulge was
unmistakably a weapon. No other convincing was necessary. The
little old man shuffled into his vehicle and tore off, his tires
squealing.
Tara had since gained control of her eyes. They returned to
match the pretty face of the human woman she was mimicking. But
the man was not fooled. He tightened his grip on her hair.
“Where is she?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about?” Tara struggled
against his hold. She kicked violently at his leg with her one
good one, causing herself pain.
He was not deterred, “I said, where is Lacy? You’ve got two
seconds before I kill you.”
Tara gasped. She thought hard of a way to escape. “Look, this
is crazy. You’ll go to jail. There are witnesses.”
He laughed cruelly. “Who cares about a Shift?”
“The law!” She was angry, at herself for not having the
physical ability to outmaneuver him. She’d have to use her head.
“Think about what you’re doing, Jay. I just decided to try on a
new face today. I don’t even know your girl.”
He sneered, “Is that right? Then why did you come into my
office telling me it’s over, acting like Lacy. And why do you
know my name?”
Damn it! “It was a joke. I saw her in a restaurant somewhere
talking about breaking up with her boyfriend. Just a joke.”
He slammed her head against the pavement and she nearly
blacked out from the pain. “Liar! Try again.”
“I…” Her voice trailed off. She felt her control slip. Her
mind was too mottled to hold the form. Her skin darkened to a
smooth caramel brown, poreless to the naked eye. It was the
quality of her people that made them appear ageless. Tara ’s
eyes took on their natural form, expanding to one and a half the
size of a human’s and darkening to a black deeper than a pearl.
She cried out as her limbs narrowed and lengthened. She was at
least four inches taller than Lacy and much thinner. The
transformation in her legs caused the injured ankle to throb and
she braced herself against the tenderness. Her smooth skin and
the size of her eyes were the only physical characteristic that
pegged her as an alien. Now, she was fully exposed.
Tara took a deep breath to try again to convince Jay to let
her go, to accept that his girlfriend no longer wanted anything
to do with him.
“Let her go.”
She held her words. Jay froze and glanced back. Tara could
just make out a man, standing in the light of the sun. She
couldn’t see his face and wondered if he was a Shift.
He spoke again, “I said let her go.”
Jay stood, his hand still tangled in Tara ’s hair. He pulled
the gun from his pocket. “You need to mind your business.”
The man stepped from the glare and Tara got her first view of
him. He was beautiful—tall and muscled. His eyes, normal-sized,
human, were an incredible green. Tara was sure she’d never
glimpsed that shade before. All of her people’s eyes were black.
She stared, drinking in his form, perfectly proportioned with
his broad shoulders and long muscled legs. He must be at least a
head taller than Tara ’s five foot ten inches.
Jay was not impressed. He raised the gun to level it at the
beautiful stranger, but an instant later he was unarmed. Tara
blinked. How had the man moved so quickly? He’d stepped forward
and with a twist of his wrist, he held the gun in his own hand.
Now Jay sung a different tune, “Alright look. I’ll let her
go. It’s not a big deal.”
The stranger narrowed his eyes, “Isn’t it?”
“No, see?” Jay released Tara ’s hair and she pulled herself
away from his reach.
She examined her ankle to find it swollen and changing color.
She winced
A few more meaningless phrases and Jay took off at top speed
down the street and around the corner out of sight. The man
didn’t follow. He bent instead over Tara .
“Are you ok?”
“Yes.” She struggled, attempting to stand.
“Here I’ll carry you.” He reached for her and she shrank
away.
“Don’t be ridiculous!”
He frowned, “I wasn’t aware that I was being ridiculous.
You’ve obviously hurt your ankle.”
“So?”
“So, I will help you.”
Tara was annoyed, “I don’t need help. I can handle it.”
“Just like you handled that guy back there?”
Tara bit off more rude words. After five years of living on
this planet, she was still not used to the overbearing males. It
boggled the mind that they treated the females as the weaker of
the two species.
“I appreciate your assistance. However, I was just about to
free myself from him.”
“How?”
:She glared up at him from the ground. “What?”
He grinned, his teeth very white. “How were you about to free
yourself?”
“I…What does that matter?”
“Well,” he said, stooping in front of her, arms resting
casually on his knees, “I hear that your kind are not very good
at physical combat.”
She was offended, “My kind can do anything yours can do.”
He grinned again, “No offense. Then why do you not learn to
defend yourself properly? I mean since you have a problem with
accepting the help of us human males.”
Tara wondered if he read minds. She slid herself closer to a
nearby tree and used the trunk to haul herself up to her good
foot. A wave of dizziness assailed her and she gripped the tree
tighter, wrapping her arms around it.
“You know,” he spoke just behind her, too close, “it would
have been more comfortable if you were gripping flesh like that
rather than hard scratchy bark.”
Tara turned her head toward him to give him a piece of her
mind and noticed he was not looking at her at all—at least not
at her face. His attention was absorbed by her rear. She looked
down and remembered too late about her clothing.
Tara had insisted she wear Lacy’s clothes to meet the girl’s
boyfriend. Unfortunately, Lacy preferred very short skirts. Now
that Tara was in her own taller form, Lacy’s skirt had ridden
very high. So high that nearly half her bikini-covered butt was
on display for this stupid human. And he looked like he was
enjoying the view.
Angrily, she yanked on the skirt, but it didn’t budge. She
used one hand to block his sight and one hand to hold on to the
tree.
“What do you intend to do now?” He laughed at her plight.
“None of your business,” she snapped. “I don’t need you.”
“Fine. Have a nice day.” He turned and began to stroll away.
Tara growled. “Damn it! Ok, wait.”
He stopped but didn’t face her.
“I…”
“Yes?”
“Help me now!”
He pivoted, “Is that a command? I’m sorry I don’t follow
those.”
She gritted her teeth. “Arrogant piece of—“
“Excuse me?”
She sighed, “Ok, please help.”
He nodded, “That’s better.”
With little effort, he whisked Tara into his strong arms,
smiling down at her. She was shocked by the lightening sense of
pleasure that coursed through her body at contact with his. It
was unheard of. Never had she been attracted to a human male.
She turned her head away rudely and waited for him to move.
“I’ll take you to a hospital. There’s one just a few blocks
away.” He started down the street.
“No, take me to my office on Belmont .” And then as an
afterthought, “Please.”
“Your wish is my command.”
“Sure it is.”
Tara soon learned her rescuer was named Drew Pierce. He
didn’t admit to her his occupation, but she expected he had
money. His car was an expensive one, a Mercedes Benz. It looked
brand new to Tara ’s eyes. She ran her hand over the black
leather and sighed. Even with a hundred jobs like the one she
just finished, she’d never be able to afford a car like this.
“You have money then?”
He spared her only a glance, his attention on the heavy
traffic, “Always so blunt?”
“I thought you knew my kind. We have not learned tact. Well,
I haven’t.”
“Slow learner?”
“Human!”
He laughed, “I’m supposed to be insulted?”
She said nothing.
Within a half hour they pulled up to her tiny office. Looking
up at the peeling paint and handmade sign, she felt embarrassed
knowing he must be judging her based on the condition of her
business. What could she do? It wasn’t easy for a Shift to make
a living here. They did the best they could.
Drew was just lifting Tara into his arms, when Coltech threw
open the front door and flew down the steps toward them. “Oh,
Tara . I knew it. I knew this would happen sometime. I told
you.”
Tara was annoyed, “Shut up, Coltech. It’s not a big deal.”
Her assistant wrung his hands, worry pulling down at his
large alien eyes making him look like a mutant bull dog. Tara
tried not to laugh.
“ Tara . You’re hurt. What will we do?”
“You’ll move and let me get her inside,” Drew commanded.
Used to following orders, Coltech obeyed and followed on
frightened dancing feet.
Drew set Tara on a tattered love seat in her small waiting
room and stood over her, taking in the layout of her office. She
couldn’t help but notice every flaw he must be seeing. There was
the torn fabric on the arm of the chair, the missing tile in one
corner and the most obvious lack of clients or employees, except
Coltech. She felt conspicuous and moved to stand, but the pain
in her ankle precluded it and she fell back into the chair
gasping.
Coltech let out a high pitched whine like a dog and Tara ’s
thin patience snapped. “Coltech, stop being an idiot and look at
my ankle!”
He jumped and cut off his frantic cry before falling down
dramatically at Tara ’s feet. She dropped her head against her
chest and pressed her lips together.
“Perhaps I’d better take you to the hospital after all,” Drew
told her.
“Don’t be ridiculous. Coltech will take care of it.”
He frowned, “Doesn’t look like Coltech can do anything other
than make a pest of himself.”
“Shows how much you know.”
At that moment light flashed bright from Coltech’s hands and
warmth followed to heat Tara ’s swollen appendage. She forced
herself to relax and wait for the healing to begin. Coltech may
be a typically weak male Shift—though the males were unable to
shift—but he was very useful in some respects. Tara trusted him
completely to make her feel better.
Her gaze returned to Drew to find the expected look of
astonishment on his handsome face. “What? You didn’t know this
about male Shifts? And I thought you knew simply everything.”
He roused himself, “I know you felt overwhelmed with my
physical prowess, but there is no need to think I know all
things.” Again the self-satisfied grin.
Tara frowned, “Smart ass.”
He tsked, “Such language. You’ve learned so much since you’ve
come. Pity you haven’t learned self-defense?”
She curled her nails into the palms of her hands, her eyes
flashing all the dislike she could toss at his head. He
chuckled, unruffled.
“For your information, I went to one of those schools where
they teach people self-defense.”
He crossed his arms, “And?”
She looked away, “And I was not allowed to take classes. They
didn’t want to teach a Shift.” She blinked several times. He
didn’t need to see her cry too.
Drew softened, “I’m sorry.”
“I don’t need your pity,” she growled. Shoving Coltech away,
she stood, wobbling slightly on her weakened ankle. But the pain
was gone and she patted Coltech’s shoulder before he stood up.
She looked again at Drew. He was contemplating Coltech. “Is
he your husband, Tara?”
“Of course not. He’s my assistant, my life assistant.”
“Life assistant. What does that mean?” Drew moved closer to
Coltech as if he was some strange phenomenon needing to be
studied.
Tara slid between the two men. “Never mind. You’re not
getting him in some lab. I know others have sold their
assistants to science. Coltech is not for sale.”
Drew stared at her as if she had two heads, “What do you mean
for sale?”
Tara turned her head to Coltech, remembering her state of
dress. “Coltech. Clothes!”
He immediately scurried from the room without comment.
Drew was apparently not to be deterred, “Why would you even
think of selling him? He’s a person.”
“I wasn’t. Isn’t that what I just said?” She plopped down in
the chair again to cover her butt, and yanked on the shortened
top to cover her belly.
Drew noticed and stared distractedly for a few moments. “Tell
me.”
Tara found herself confessing, “I’m not going to tell you my
whole life history. I’ve got things to do and I don’t know you.
Suffice it to say Coltech belongs to me. I’m not giving him up.
Case closed.”
Coltech returned to the room carrying jeans and a t-shirt.
Drew glanced from Coltech to Tara and back again. His confusion
was obvious, but she wasn’t going to explain herself. Let him
wonder.
“If you’ll excuse me,” she told him.
Coltech leapt forward and pumped Drew’s hand, “Thank you so
much for returning Tara . I was so worried.”
Drew nodded distractedly, still watching Tara . She ignored
him and pretended to be absorbed in examining her clothes. Soon
he got the hint and left.
“Coltech, lock the door.”
He did and Tara slumped back against the chair, forgetting
the clothes. Coltech, from years of practice, calmly undressed
her and helped Tara into her jeans and top.
“You’re attracted to him,” he said simply.
“That’s crazy.”
Coltech pulled her to her feet, holding the jeans for her to
step into them. She sighed and looked out over his head as he
stood to button the pants. He shrugged his shoulders knowingly.
“It may be crazy, but it’s true.”
“You don’t know everything,” she told him, annoyed.
Coltech didn’t answer.
Tara ’s micro business, Shift for Hire, was on its last leg.
She couldn’t get enough clients. With the changing laws, said to
protect all man and Shift kind, Tara was finding clients a
precious and scarce commodity. No one wanted to risk being on
the wrong side of the Shift Laws just in case a new one cropped
up to make Tara’s work illegal.
“Mrs. Jessup, as I told you, scanners are only in financial
institutions and government buildings. I will not be violating
anything.” Tara was fed up with trying to convince this silly
woman, she would not be breaking the law.
“How can you know that?”
Tara sighed, “Because I keep up on the laws. I have to, to
make sure I’m legal. My livelihood and that of my assistant
depends on it.”
“Well,” Mrs. Jessup chewed on a nail. “I just want you to
tease my husband. Nothing sexual. I want to know that he is
still faithful to me. This old girlfriend was very nearly his
wife and she’s very beautiful.” Here the woman had the nerve to
look Tara up and down, apparently gauging whether Tara could
measure up.
Tara resented the look that said she was doubtful. “Give me
the picture!” she snapped. The woman complied and Tara slipped
into her back room. Whenever possible, she did not shift in
front of anyone, except Coltech.
She clicked on the light and studied the photo. The woman was
beautiful, with long flowing blond hair. Her sweet almond eyes
made Tara wonder why Mr. Jessup chose Mrs. Jessup rather than
this woman. “Must be the money. It was always a matter of
money.”
Tara stepped out of her clothing and stood naked in the empty
room. She had no shame of her figure. By human or Shift
standards, she knew she was considered beautiful in her own
right. Her breasts were full and pert, her waist small rounding
out to nicely shaped hips and long legs.
She studied the picture again and then closed her eyes,
visualizing the young woman in the photo. Her skin was lighter,
a soft cream. Tara had no trouble fading her skin tones to match
and enlarging her microscopic pores to mimic a human’s skin. She
felt her eyes shrink and her nose lengthen. It was a relief to
know from Mrs. Jessup’s description that the girlfriend was just
about the height of Tara , so she didn’t need to shorten or
lengthen her legs. It was a good thing. Changing the length so
soon after her injury would not be advisable, according to
Coltech. Tara would respect his expert advice on the matter.
Within five minutes, she had donned a large housedress and
returned to stand before Mrs. Jessup. “Well? Do I look like
her?”
The woman gaped. “How? It’s impossible. I’m overwhelmed…”
“Do I get the job?” Tara said flatly.
“I’ll have to think about it,” she snapped, grabbing up the
picture. “I’ll call you.”
The woman slammed out of the office just as Coltech entered.
“Damn it!” Tara yelled.
“What’s wrong, Tara ?” Coltech rushed forward, dropping his
bags by the desk.
“I’ve blown another one,” she grumbled.
Coltech tilted his head to the side. “You look beautiful with
all that long blond hair. Who are you?”
“Some fart’s old girlfriend.”
Coltech chuckled.
“I was too…too…” She struggled for the words.
“Blunt?” Coltech offered, unconsciously echoing Drew’s words
of a few days ago.
“Don’t say that!” She yelled again. She did not want to be
reminded of the man she hadn’t been able to keep out of her
mind. This was a strong, self-confident human male, and she
hated that type.
Coltech patted her hand comfortingly, “There, there, Tara .
You’ll see. I’ll get you a case. You let me handle it.”
“I suppose I must,” she sighed, transforming to her natural
state and allowing the housedress to slide to the floor. “You
are better than I am at talking to these people.”
Coltech reached down for the housedress, completely
unaffected by Tara ’s naked form. He wrapped the dress around
her and guided her to the back room. She lay down on the couch
there and closed her eyes to rest a few moments. Sleep had
eluded her over the last few days. Worries of where she would
get the money to pay the rent on this place and her tiny
apartment three blocks away, weighed heavily on her. If she just
had herself to worry about, it wouldn’t be so bad, but she had
to think about Coltech and he could eat as much as any female
Shift. She groaned into her arm, slung across her eyes. What was
she going to do?
“ Tara , I got one! I got one!”
“Ha?” Tara lifted her head, still groggy from her brief
sleep. “Got what?”
Coltech’s black eyes sparkled happily, “ Tara , I got you a
new case. And it pays big.”
Tara was fully awake, “I was only sleeping a minute. I think
you better explain, Coltech. You didn’t sign anything did you?”
He laughed, “Of course not. I don’t have that authority. And
you were asleep for three hours.”
“What? Well what’s the assignment?”
Coltech bounded beside her on the couch, “You’ll never guess.
You’ll never guess.”
Tara reached out and took hold of his shoulder, “Keep still.
I’m not going to guess. Tell me what you have.”
Coltech pouted, “Ok, spoil sport. This man came in and he
wanted someone to mimic his wife. He showed me her picture.
She’s pretty. He wants you to mimic for one week and he’ll pay
you a lot of money for it.”
Tara considered this news, “How much?”
He named a large sum and Tara whistled, “Wow, that much?”
“Well it is for a week.”
“Sounds havey-cavey to me. Just where is his wife?” Tara had
turned down more than one assignment in which men wanted her to
be the third person in a ménage a trois where she would be the
identical twin of the wife or girlfriend. She wanted no part of
such disgusting schemes. When it wasn’t something sexual, the
potential clients wanted her to take on illegal assignments,
hoping she wasn’t well-versed in the new laws. She’d disabused
them of those notions as quickly as she could and sent them
packing. That had only left the more scarce jobs of mimicking
shy girls who wanted to brush off their abusive and jerky
boyfriends or their anal bosses. It didn’t pay much, but it had
pulled her through up until now. She fully expected this
high-paying job to be one she couldn’t accept. Although she had
to admit, she was sorely tempted.
Coltech shrugged, “I don’t know where his wife is, but he
said he will come back around five when you are available, to
talk with you about it in more detail.”
:”Why didn’t you wake me?” Tara pushed herself to a standing
position and brushed irritably past Coltech. “You know how
important it is for us to have clients. I’ve told you again and
again.”
Coltech’s wide eyes filled with tears and he twisted the end
of his shirt. “I’m sorry, Tara . I thought I should let you
sleep. You know how I worry. I thought your health was more
important. I didn’t want you to get sick and—“
“Ok, ok!” She did not feel like getting him started. Coltech
was way too emotional and Tara was still too tired to face it.
“When is he returning?”
Coltech dried his tears with his shirt and grinned. At least
his bad moods didn’t last. “He’ll be back at five like I told
you.”
“Don’t be smart,” she snapped. “I’m hungry.”
Coltech bounced, “I have some kootoo for you. Wait just a
second.”
Tara rubbed her temples. Coltech was very useful in finding
innovative ways to recreate their native foods, but his
over-enthusiasm sometimes grated on her nerves. She sighed and
shuffled off to the bathroom for a shower. Maybe she’d have a
better attitude herself after she made some money and the worry
stopped weighing her down. It was obvious she and Coltech
reacted to pressure differently. She laughed softly as she
turned on the tap. Coltech descended into little more than a
whimpering puppy and she resorted to…well she’d been called some
pretty nasty words lately and it wasn’t originating from the
humans alone.
Cole Stevens stood as arrogant as they came, his feet planted
solidly apart and coldly assessing Tara just as Mrs. Jessup had
done earlier. Again, Tara felt she’d been found wanting. She
longed to tell him what he could kiss, but resisted. She’d at
least hear him out and had insisted Coltech stay in the room to
help her smooth the rough spots.
“Just what is it you want me to do, Mr. Stevens?”
“You’d better call me Cole, to get in the habit of it now.”
She gave him a cold look of her own, “I have not accepted the
job yet. I am still deciding and need more information.”
“But you will.” He looked dispassionately around the tiny
office, taking in the walls in need of a paint job and the old
worn out furniture. “From the looks of things, you need the
money.”
She frowned, “I do not have to sit here and be insulted,
sir.”
“Calm down,” he growled. “I was making a simple statement of
truth. I understood you people appreciate plain-speaking.”
Bastard!
Before she could say anything out loud, Coltech spoke up.
“Mr. Stevens, would you like a cup of tea or coffee? I know just
how to make it like humans like it.”
Tara smothered a laugh. In his innocent way, Coltech had been
just as patronizing as Stevens had been a moment before,
assuming all humans were exactly alike. Stevens got the point
and apologized.
“I’m sorry if I have offended you,” he told Tara . “I think
we can help each other.”
She nodded, “I simply need to be reassured that you aren’t
asking me to do anything illegal. I do know the law.”
“Yes, as do I. I made sure of it before I came.”
What did that mean?
“And all I’m asking you to do is pretend to be my wife while
I am on a business trip on John's Island , for one week.”
“John's? I’ve never heard of it,” she frowned.
“It’s a private island, owned by a potential business
partner. The man who owns it is very family-oriented. He expects
me to show up with my wife. Unfortunately, she has chosen this
crucial time to walk out on me with her lover. I could not
jeopardize the deal to battle it out with her. It’s as simple as
that.”
“I’ve only been here five years, Mr. Stevens, but I’ve
learned that nothing is as simple as that,” she told him.
“Have we a deal?” he said impatiently.
She wanted to tell him to get out. He didn’t even seem to be
hurt that his wife had left him. It was all about the business,
the money. Well, she guessed that was what made this world go
around. She might as well accept it and get some of the worry
off her mind. Maybe she could even afford a small vacation to
Florida as Coltech had been begging for for some time now.
“Ok, Mr. Stevens. Cole. We have a deal.”
He stood, straightening his tie which hadn’t been out of
place. “Great. I will send someone to pick you up at your
apartment tomorrow. Eight in the morning. Please be ready.”
He started for the door, but turned back. “Oh and Ms.
Barnes.”
“Yes?”
“There’s no need to bring anything.” His eyes flicked over
her well-worn clothing. “I will supply the wardrobe. Nothing you
have will be up to par.”
Bastard!
.
