Too Good To Be True (Cowboy Bebop) (Patreon)

Smoke hung low in the air of the old dive bar, swirling around a purple haired vixen who was drinking herself into a drunken stupor. All of her family; gone. Everything she knew was long dead and on top of all that, she was in debt to the tune of billions. If that wasn't depressing enough, she had just broken things off with the only person who was helping her navigate this overwhelming future that was forced upon her. Still, she'd be lying to herself if she ignored the simple fact that she was using her ex boyfriend to try and recreate her former pampered life, milking him for all he was worth. The relationship was fated to fail, but he had made it so easy, he obviously wanted to spoil her.


Faye sighed, closing her eyes shut while slumped over the bar in defeat. The clicking of her long nails dominated the tavern as she tapped idly on the neck of a nearly empty bottle of beer. The atmosphere of the dimly lit, dinghy bar matched her mood rather well. She had just spent her last fistful of woolongs on bottle number four and was wallowing in self pity.


The young woman clad in yellow latex booty shorts and tube top looked around, hoping to spot a man to flirt with, in the hopes of getting another beer. Seeing none interested, she raised the bottle up, sipping back the remaining drops of amber lager. A little bit of the liquid ambrosia leaked down her lips, causing her to wipe her mouth with the back of her hand. She knew that she'd had enough to drink but she just wanted to drown her sorrow in an alcoholic sea. A sea the size of all of Ganymede wouldn't satisfy her at this point. She was broke, had no where to go and now was out of beer.


A frantic motion, the front door of the bar opened, catching her attention. Faye turned her head slightly to see who had just entered the tavern. What met her eye was a disheveled young woman, maybe a little older than herself. Rich black locks as dark as the endless void of space fell past her shoulders, framing a face as pale as porcelain. She looked like a doll, but her manor of dress was typical of a young woman: red t-shirt and a pair of black jeans which hugged her legs tightly. Wordlessly, the young lady hurried to the bar and took the seat next to Faye.


"A Vodka, neat." The newcomer ordered from the grizzled old bartender. The man nodded and poured her a generous serving into a small glass. She thanked him with a slight nod and slid a few woolongs his way.


Faye didn't think much of this woman until the brunette lifted her Vodka filled glass up to her mouth and knocked it back like any of the boys.


"Tough night, huh?" Faye asked.


"You have no idea." The young woman replied, tapping her glass, to let the bartender know that she wanted a refill. "I thought that bit of Goose would make me feel good, but I don't think there's enough liquor in the world to make me forget what I've been through."


"Shit, that bad?" The lavender haired woman was genuinely interested now.


"Yeah, I should've known that it was too good to be true." The raven haired lady explained, knocking back her second glass of Vodka.


"You get ripped off or something?" Faye wondered aloud, pulling out a cigarette before lighting it.


"It's hard to explain." The lady paused for a moment. "You ever heard of the owner of the Sol Broadcasting Network?"


"SBN?" Faye cocked an eyebrow, taking a drag off of her cig.


"Yeah, it was supposed to be my ticket out of this shithole." The brunette sighed. "Free housing, ample pay and all I was supposed to do was just be me."


"So, wait a minute. You're telling me that some old geezer was basically going to pay you to live in his house?" Faye stated in disbelief. Sure, she had heard of sugar daddies in her time, but the mere fact that this girl had just broken it off with one, and that she practically told her 'who' it was, surprised her. Faye couldn't believe her luck.


A scoff came from the woman opposite Faye. "It's not an old geezer. It's a fat old dyke."


"Oh, and you weren't expecting her advances?" Faye asked coyly.


"No one could've seen what this crazy old hag wanted." The woman shuddered.


"I see. Well, thanks for the tip." Faye smiled, ashing out her cigarette. She stood up from her stool and walked away from the newcomer.


The young woman sighed, looking towards the door as Faye left. 'She's got no idea what she's in for.'



*One Hour Later, On The Other Side Of The City*


Faye found herself in front of a rather imposing structure; The Sol Broadcasting Network building. A very modern facade of dark blue windows rising up about three stories stared back at her as she craned her neck up to take in the rest of the building. Above the sea of glass was a horizontal stripe of concrete which housed the bulk of the building. All of this was supported by pillars of red painted titanium which bore the weight of such a monolithic skyscraper.


The woman clad in yellow latex booty shorts and tube top sighed. 'I just have to seduce this woman and milk her for as long as I can.'


More than a few men and women stared as Faye made her way to the front desk. Her appearance was an annoyance to some of the women employed at the broadcasting headquarters but for the men, it was a most welcomed treat. Despite turning quite a few heads, her momentary disruption of the work day didn't last more than a few seconds at best. Still, Faye drank in the attention paid to her like it was a fine spirit.


"May I help you?" An older looking woman, with streaks of grey in her otherwise pristine black hair, clad in a professional blazer, asked as she glanced Faye over.


"I'm here to see Mrs. Reinhardt." Faye stated with as much confidence as she could muster, glad that she looked up who actually ran the SBN.


"Mhmm" The older woman appeared to be writing Faye off as another scammer until the young woman in the booty shorts added.


"It's rather important that I see her immediately. She's expecting me and I'm running late." The lavender haired woman gambled, hoping that her little lie would grant her an audience with the rich old bag.


"Your name?" The receptionist asked, still unsure if the lady before her was telling the truth.


"Faye Valentine."


"I'll check." A few clicks of the keyboard brought an annoyed sigh that pierced the tension between Faye and the receptionist. "Nothing is listed here."


"Of course I'm not listed." Faye pouted. "Look, just give Mrs. Reinhardt a call."


The receptionist knew that her boss occasionally saw questionable types, but they typically didn't show up in the late afternoon, dressed like a hooker. Normally, they were a lot more discreet than the girl which stood before her. Regardless of that, she didn't want to upset her employer by turning away a potential "date". That would surely get her ass fired.


A quick phone call was placed and Faye had to stand there, hearing only one side of the conversation. She really hoped that she could get a meeting with this Reinhardt woman. Once she was face to face with the lusty old granny, Faye felt assured that everything would go her way. After all, her body would do all the talking by that point.


"Mrs. Reinhardt will see you." A hint of disgust was evident in the receptionist's voice as she directed Faye to the express elevator. "Floor fifteen, at the end of the hall."


"Thanks." Faye smiled as the elevator doors opened, granting her access to the small vessel which would take her up to her next sucker.


*Top Floor*


The elevator opened was a chime, allowing Faye to enter a long hallway which had a few doors on either side of the expanse. However, other was the pair of mahogany doors at the end, standing about a football field's length away from her and her next opportunity. An odd mixture of apprehension, optimism and doubt swirled about in the woman's mind as she made her way closer to the doors. 'I've never seduced a woman before. Shit. What if she doesn't like me?'


Faye paused in front of the luxurious wooden doors, unsure of if she should continue. After about a minute, she finally worked up the nerve to knock.


"Come on in, darling." A sweet, almost motherly voice declared.


To Be Continued...