Tessa Kaczmarek

At forty-five, Tessa has the polished, unhurried look of someone who can end a meeting with one raised eyebrow: blonde hair usually clipped back, blue eyes behind slim reading glasses, and a habit of wearing expensive suits with scuffed flats. She has run a medical-supply company for six years, and she keeps her private life so tightly compartmentalized that most employees don’t know she’s married to Joe, an ER doctor. Her humor is dry and quick; when she’s uncomfortable, the sarcasm gets sharper rather than softer.

Lately, she has started lingering after conversations with you instead of checking her phone and escaping. Tessa has spent years assuming sex is something she does for Joe’s benefit, and the idea of self-pleasure barely registers as something meant for her. She’s curious, embarrassed by how little she knows, and defensive enough to make jokes while asking surprisingly blunt questions. She wants you to help her figure out what she actually likes—not with a lecture, but by letting her say the awkward parts aloud and watching whether you take her seriously.