Free Confessions of a Bad Boy by J. D. Hawkins

to talk. “You ran all the way here from my office?”
    “Well…” Jessie says, drawing the word out and glancing at Will quickly as if to say ‘let’s talk in private.’
    “He’s cool,” I say.
    “I’m very cool, you should get to know—” Will says, before I raise a hand to stop him.
    “I wanted to pay you back,” Jessie says uncomfortably, pulling out some folded dollars from the arm band that her phone’s attached to, “for the…um…bail money. I got paid, so…”
    “Come on,” I say, pushing her hand away. “It’s cool. Forget it.”
    “No way, Nate. I don’t work sixteen-hour days to have someone else pay my way. I’m leaving the money here,” she says, putting the money on the bar. “You can take it or leave it.”
    “A woman of principle,” Will says. “I like it.”
    “Okay,” I sigh, peeling a bill from the crumpled-up and sweaty twenties. “But let me get you a drink at least.”
    She smiles but then shakes her head. “I shouldn’t be drinking in the middle of a run.”
    “I’ll bet you do a lot of things you shouldn’t do,” Will says, his eyes still scrolling Jessie’s body like he’s reading small print off it.
    “What happened to the English being reserved?” I say, as the bartender takes the bill and replaces our beers.
    Will grins. “That was always a myth – much like that of Americans being unfit,” he says, looking at Jessie’s toned waist as he does so.
    “ Anyway ,” Jessie says, turning her head towards me. “I just wanted to say thanks a lot, Nate. I owe you one.”
    Then, all of a sudden, it clicks. She does owe me one. I turn to Jessie with determined eyes.
    “Come with me to a work retreat this weekend. My boss already thinks you’re Tessa.”
    There’s a split-second pause.
    “Wait. You’re saying this is the same girl?” Will says, incredulous. I nod.
    Will starts laughing so hard he has to stop himself from spitting beer all over the place. I clench my jaw and start preparing arguments in my favor.
    But Jessie’s already got her arms crossed over her chest, shaking her head no.
    “Hear me out, Jessie. My boss invited me to a big gathering this weekend – Hollywood types, decision-makers, that kind of thing. It’s a big deal. Thing is, he wants you – I mean, my girlfriend – I mean, the fake girlfriend I made up – to come along. I need Tessa to be there, and you’re the only one who can do it, Jessie.”
    “This is too good!” Will says, raising his bottle like it’s a cup of tea. “Positively Wildean!”
    “You want me to pretend to be Tessa for an entire weekend?”
    “Don’t think of it as an ‘entire’ weekend, think of it as ‘just’ a weekend. Two days, and it’ll be over before you know it.”
    Jessie looks at me with an expression that says she’s wondering if I’m actually crazy, or just plain pitiful.
    “Not a chance in hell, Nate. You’ve got plenty of ‘enablers’ around you already,” she says, glancing sideways at Will. “I’m not going to help you maintain whatever scam you’ve got going.”
    “It’s not a scam, Jessie. Come on...”
    She shakes her head again as she steps backwards away from the bar. “Here’s an idea: Try being honest, Nate. Tell your boss you made the whole thing up. He’ll respect you more for it, and you won’t have to lie anymore. Maybe you guys will even laugh about it together.”
    I feel the blood drain out of my face, imagining just how well that’d go over.
    Jessie goes on, “Thank you again for bailing me out, but I’m gonna have to say no on the whole ‘pretending to be your devoted wife while you sweet-talk a bunch of old dudes into promoting you’ thing. Sorry.”
    She turns quickly and starts making for the exit.
    “Jessie!” I call out.
    She waves behind her, and a second later is gone. I slump over the bar in defeat.
    “She seemed sparky,” Will says, sympathetically. “Probably could have even pulled it off with her.”
    “Yeah,” I say,