James:
I step out of the shower and grab a towel. The window is steamed over, so I wipe a spot with my hand and take in the view.
28 years old, 6'3, broad shoulders. I'm fit, with a six pack and muscular arms. No one would accuse me of skipping leg day. My brown hair has a light wave, which I coax out with some curl enhancer. My beard is thick, and neatly trimmed. I know I'm handsome, with a strong jaw and romanesque nose.
I'm also a lawyer at one of the most prestigious firms in the country.
You'd think I could have any woman I wanted.
But the only one I want absolutely fucking hates me.
Tonight, I'm being inducted into the Coxwell Country Club. And by next month, Sara will be mine.
----
Sara:
The young paralegal barges into my office, a magazine in her hand. "It's here! Page 12!" She slaps the magazine on my desk.
I'm caught up in her excitement and open it up to page 12.
"30 Lawyers Under 30" the page reads. "No. 2: Sara Kent - human rights lawyer, Fletcher & Associates."
She is looking over my shoulder. She beams at me.
It's a huge honour to have been selected for this list. It's also a huge opportunity for the firm. We take on a lot of pro bono cases and my boss is constantly worried about making payroll. With this kind of publicity, we can attract a few paying clients.
The blurb under my name gives a brief biography. "Sara, age 27, graduated Yale Law in 2020. She began working for Mr. Fletcher upon graduation. She recently won a civil suit against the Federal prison system in Turner v. USA."
The photo is my firm headshot. I'm wearing a charcoal grey suit jacket and a burgundy blouse. My long brown hair is tied back in a pony tail. My makeup is natural and subdued. I'm looking into the camera, arms crossed. I look like I mean business.
We go through the rest of the list, gossiping about each young lawyer. We didn't know who else had been chosen until today.
I turn the page and see him. James St. Clair. Number 26.
I laugh knowing how much he'll hate being so far down the list after me.
"He's cute," the paralegal says behind me.
"In an entitled sexist way, sure."
"Oh my god, you know him?"
"Yeah. We graduated law together."
"I mean, you don't need to talk to him," she winks at me.
I close the magazine. "Uh huh. Can you please get me the Samson draft?"
She looks at me, eyebrows raised, and goes back to her desk.
When I'm sure she's gone, I reopen the magazine to James' photo.
She's not wrong. James is devastatingly handsome. But he's also one of the worst people I came across at law school - which is saying a lot.
I was attracted to him when I first met him. It lasted until I heard him speak. Entitled trust fund kid.
In first year, after a criminal law class, I overheard him joking loudly to friends that he could never be found guilty of rape because there's not one woman who wouldn't consent to sex with him.
I wrote a piece in our student paper about how harmful the joke was. I never named him, but enough people had heard him say it, so everyone knew it was him.
My piece kicked off an avalanche of other female students writing into the paper about their own experiences with sexual assault. They explained how rape jokes like the one James said made them feel unsafe and unwelcome.
The experience created a community of women. We went on to found a feminist collective, which got me started with human rights law.
James experienced some dark looks for a few weeks, but people mostly forgot about it. He had no problem womanizing his way through our classmates, including a few of my feminist friends. They always regretted the hook-up but never gave me details.
I often found him looking at me as if he wanted to say something. He never spoke to me since, even if we occasional run into each other at industry events.
---
James:
I arrive at the Club a few minutes before 8pm. I'm in my most expensive suit, a black bespoke set. I sign my name in the non-members' log for the last time and am led to the Business Centre.
By its name, you'd think the Business Centre is where you take a work call or set up your laptop while the wife tans at the pool. It's not.
Only platinum level members are allowed in, and only men of certain caliber are accepted. My $500,000 platinum deposit cleared this morning. I sign every paper the Matron, a strict looking older woman, puts in front of me. She's the only woman in the room.
I'm given a fob to access the grounds, including the Business Centre, which has numerous closed doors around it. I'm here for the door which leads to the spa. It's why I joined the Club.
The Matron puts away my membership paperwork and slides a binder across the table.
"Mr. St. Clair, I understand you have an interest in our Matchmaking services. Have you selected a wife?"
"Yes, I emailed over her details this afternoon."
The Matron swipes on her tablet. "Yes, Miss Kent. An excellent choice. Mr. St. Clair, are you familiar with our methods?"
"Only the most basic idea. I understand you can make any woman my wife, but not how. I should disclose that Sara dislikes me."
"I'll make a note and adjust our program accordingly. Mr. St. Clair, you would not be privy to this information before you became a Member, but we don't just make the women willing, we make them into whatever you desire."
I blink. "I'm not sure I understand."
"Indeed. Selected women, we call them fiancées, are brought to the Coxwell Spa for a week. They undergo intensive drug therapies and physical conditioning. The combination allows us to hijack the fiancée's personality, inserting whatever the Member wants there instead."
A good person would be horrified, but I am not a good person. Since learning about the Matchmaking services, I've spent years networking to be invited into the Club, knowing they would make Sara want me somehow. All I can think about is Sara, not just in love with me, but also sweet, simple, doting, agreeable. Horny. Nothing like the woman I knew in law school. Or the woman who outranked me in that damned list today.
"We've included more information about our most popular traits in the binder. Please send us your list of desires. If what you want is not listed, it can likely be accomodated for an additional fee. When would you like to begin the process?"
"Immediately."
"We can send her the invitation tomorrow. Though she needs to enter the spa willingly, we have methods to persuade her." The Matron does not elaborate. "When she is in treatment, you will be required to stay on the Club grounds to ensure she properly bonds to you."
"I'll make myself available."
"Excellent. I look forward to receiving your notes Mr. St Clair. Welcome to Coxwell Country Club."
-----
Sara:
Since the list was published on Monday, I've been getting all sorts of congratulatory cards and emails. Some businesses in the legal community sent packages as well - a gift card to a trendy new restaurant, a box of text books, an expensive watch, chocolates, and champagne.
I'm enjoying the influx of luxury gifts. On my salary, I can't afford these things. Not even the text books.
Today I get a big gift basket filled with expensive-looking makeup and skin care products from the Coxwell Country Club. I'm surprised to see their logo on the basket.
Coxwell has a reputation of being exclusive and conservative, where the members fund the same political causes I march against. The only women allowed in are the wives and girlfriends of members, and they tend to all have that same bleach blonde fake boob look.
I understand why they'd send gifts to the men on the list, but don't understand why I got anything. It's not like I'm their target audience.
I open the attached card.
"Congratulations Miss Kent on your success! We hope you enjoy these little treats, and look forward to seeing you in the red lipstick. We are extending an invitation to Coxwell Spa for a week-long retreat at no charge. Simply call the enclosed number to arrange the dates. Our best."
What a weird note, which I toss directly into the recycling bin. I have no intention of accepting even a free spa week. I don't want to spend any time with those people.
I rummage through the makeup to find the red lipstick and open it up. As I take off the cap, I notice a mild floral perfume. The colour is a bright shade of cherry red. Not something I'd ever wear. I place it in the basket and turn back to my work.
I can't focus. I keep smelling that faint perfume. I look back at the basket. At the lipstick. Is that where the smell came from? I really like it, and I have been thinking of finding a signature scent.
I go back to the basket and pick up the lipstick. I open the cap and breathe in deeply. Yes, that's definitely the scent.
I turn to the little mirror on the bookshelf left behind by another lawyer. The colour of the lipstick will stand out on my pale skin, but at least I'm in all black so it won't clash with my outfit.
I apply the lipstick first to my upper lip then to my bottom lip. The sweet perfume invades my senses. I notice a slight tingling in my lips and I wonder if I'm allergic to any of the ingredients. I return to my desk.
My head feels lighter, but it's kind of pleasant. Like I'm floating. Or maybe a little high, which doesn't really make any sense. I'm not worried either way. Just relaxed. It's nice.