Chapter 5

Three days later, Katerina told the manager at her mindless data entry temp assignment she couldn’t work the full day. The woman, in her late fifties with a thick waist and a disgusted expression on her face, shrugged.

“If you have to leave, leave,” she said. “Are you planning on coming back tomorrow?”

Kat said yes, just in case.

***

Hanging on to a pole on the R line subway, Katerina mentally reviewed her encounter with the long and lithe Lisa. In less than ten minutes she had decided to interview for a “consulting opportunity” with MJM Consulting. It was part curiosity and part flattered ego. Consultants were considered by invitation only. But what exactly was the position? As Kat slipped into a vacated seat, she remembered that Lisa’s answer to her question made her both curious and uneasy.

“You’re a fixer,” Lisa had said, “but the unofficial title is a ‘B girl’.”

When Kat eyed her curiously, Lisa explained: “You do the bitch work no one else can do.”

Katerina had done her due diligence on the internet regarding her potential new employer. She found an address for MJM but no phone number. The description of the company read “goods and services” or “consulting services.” Other than that, the company had no website, no listing of clients or customers, and no Mission Statement. For all intents and purposes, MJM was a non-entity; it might as well have not existed at all.

***

Kat trotted off the train, jogging up the steps to civilization. She passed The Plaza, making it to the building with five minutes to spare. She spotted the call box off to the right. She pressed the button and waited.

“Yes,” came an edgy female voice, cautious, impatient.

“Katerina Mills. I have a noon app — ”

The buzzer sounded. Kat tugged at the door and slipped inside. The open, airy marble lobby exuded elegance. Kat rode the elevator up to the fourth floor. When the doors slid open, she stepped out into the hallway, sinking into the thick ecru carpeting. Every office door was a rich cherry wood, accented with a gold plate etched with a company name. She wandered down the hall until she finally found MJM Consulting. Turning the knob, she stepped inside.

The office waiting room was just that, an anteroom, bare, with dark paneling and a tiled marble floor polished until it resembled glass. There was a short hallway that led to an office. The door was ajar. Kat floundered for a moment, unsure of how to proceed.

“Katerina,” a woman’s voice called out. “Come in.”

•••

Kat entered the office, what little there was of it: plush, burgundy carpeting and a massive ball and claw mahogany desk squatting in front of the window. An oversized black leather chair sat behind the desk. In the chair, a fortysomething woman in black Chanel with pearl teardrop earrings and raven hair swept off her face stared intently at a laptop. There was nothing else on the desk; no pens, paper, or any of the usual items associated with daily business life. Lisa had told Katerina the woman’s name was Jasmine.

“Sit down,” Jasmine said, gesturing to the one guest chair opposite the desk.

Kat took a seat.

Jasmine turned her attention away from the laptop and focused her laser look on Kat.

“Lisa recommended you. Based on the qualities you’ve already displayed, you’ve earned a trial period.”

“Thank you,” Kat said, folding her hands in her lap to keep from kneading them in anxiety.

“Did Lisa explain what we do here?”

“She said this is an exclusive concierge service.”

Jasmine sat back in her chair. “Mmm. We are an introductory service. There are people who need things. We introduce them to you; you provide those things. Requests may range from the workaday to the unusual. But make no mistake. These requests are not for the run-of-the-mill assistant. They require a specialist.”

Kat nodded her head.

“We do not, under any circumstances, handle requests that involve body to body contact.”

Katerina felt her eyebrows rise. Okay, she thought. That answers that question. This is not a high-end prostitution ring.

“Here’s how it works. I call you and tell you where to report and how much money you are going to receive. When you arrive at the meeting, the first thing you do is collect the envelope.”

“You collect payment first?”

Jasmine stared in response. Kat realized she had made her first mistake. Her stomach lurched.

“Once an assignment is accepted, it will be completed. No returns. No refunds. Is that understood?”

Kat nodded.

“The second thing you do is count the money in the envelope. Do not do anything else until that is done. If the money amount is not correct, state that. Do not negotiate. If the correct amount of money is not produced, leave the envelope and leave the premises. Is that understood?”

Kat nodded her head, her mind beginning to race.

“This arrangement requires you to have your own database of contacts to do whatever it takes to complete the assignment. If you cannot complete the assignment, there’s no reason for you to be here. Is that understood?”

“Yes. How — how do I get the money to you?”

“The money will be collected. All of it. You’ll receive your share after the assignment is completed. Is that understood?”

Kat nodded. This was not Philip territory. This was way beyond Philip.

“There are rules,” Jasmine continued, in an even, soft monotone. “You must follow the rules. If you don’t, there will be no reason for you to be here.”

“Do not share any details of your assignments with anyone. Ever. Any break in confidentiality and there will be no reason for you to be here.”

No reason to be working at MJM or no reason to be alive? Kat thought.

“Do not book any separate appointments on your own,” Jasmine continued.

“You may not accept gratuities.”

“You are permitted to decline one assignment per year for an undisclosed reason.”

“You may waive an assignment on the basis of illness.”

“Do I need to a doctor’s note?” Kat asked.

A smile lifted the corners of Jasmine’s lips. “We’ll know if you’re sick.”

Kat’s breath caught in her throat. She sat mute.

“You are not an employee and no employment contract exists between you and MJM Consulting. You are an independent operative providing exclusive services. We make introductions between you and the people who need your services. We take a fee for this introduction. MJM assumes no responsibilities for your actions. Any legal issues you encounter as a result of providing services are solely your responsibility. MJM will disavow any warranty or relationship between us.”

Kat did the mental translation: if I get arrested, I’m on my own.

“You may not engage with any other company or entity like MJM while you are using our client introduction service. Doing so is a conflict of interest and there will be no reason for you to be here. You may not place yourself in any outside situation or be involved with any outside person or entity that directly or indirectly jeopardizes MJM.”

Kat felt a stab of fear; Philip’s envelope burning a hole in her purse.

“You are on probation.”

“How long does probation last?”

“For as long as I say it does,” Jasmine responded. “You are prohibited from asking for help from other consultants and they are barred from helping you. However, you are permitted to have one meeting with Lisa during which she may advise you. You may decline to use our introductory service at any time. However, once you make that decision, it is final and irreversible. Understood?”

Kat became conscious of the fact that she was staring as she tried to wrap her head around everything she heard. She nodded.

“You’re going to Sixty, East Eighty-sixth, between Madison and Park. The envelope is twenty thousand. Your cut is twenty percent. The name is Reynolds.”

Kat nodded. Four thousand dollars. Only ten thousand to go.

Jasmine returned to staring at the laptop. The meeting was over. Katerina stood up and moved to the door; she had a thought and turned.

“Is the client male or female?”

Jasmine glanced up from her laptop. “It’s a man. The client is always a man,” she said.