Brandon ran a hand through his hair, Fuck! I trapped her here against her will. She’ll never want to be with me if I do that.
Coming over to her, he put a hand on her shoulder, but she refused to look up at him. “Delish, I’m sorry I did that. Please look at me.”
“Ummm… You’re pointing at me,” her voice sounded almost like a whisper.
“What?” Just then he realized what she meant. Looking down, he saw that his one eyed monster still wanted to play. Grabbing the sheet off the bed, he wrapped it around him.
“Hey! I just made the bed!” She cried out turning to give him an exasperated look.
Brandon smiled. Her temper always did get the best of her. “Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to trap you here.”
She blushed, “Its fine. I better get ready for work. I have a big meeting and then I have to tell my drone, Lucas, what to do. Lunch. I need to pack lunch.”
Tell her! She’s nervous. She always rambles when she’s nervous! His inner voice yelled at him, but as he looked at the clock, he knew that he didn’t have time for a meaningful heart-to-heart.
“I’ll get dressed and make you some hot chocolate,” he called after her.
Pausing at the door, she looked over her shoulder and gave him a small smile. “Thanks.”
Just like that, he began to hope again.
Chapter Eight
Delilah
Normally she felt at home in Nebula One’s programming center, but today, she just couldn’t wait to get off work. She longed with every cell of her being to see Brandon again. She hadn’t wanted to admit it, but he had fueled a flame inside her that she wasn’t sure she could extinguish without some professional help or lots of porn. Just as she was imagining sitting on his hard cock after beating him in a game, her phone went off.
“Secret agent man! Secret agent man! They’ve given you a number, they’ve taken away your name!” her phone sang out in the cheesy 1966 Johnny River’s song that she had designated as Brandon’s ringtone. Normally her phone was on silent at work, so when it filled the surprisingly acoustically well designed room, she felt herself blush.
“Are you going to answer your secret agent man?” Lucas asked her from his cubicle.
Grabbing it quickly, she answered it trying not to sound out of breath, “Hey Brandon.”
“Hey, I was wondering if you wanted to grab some lunch?”
“Uhhh, sure. Can you pick me up around 11:30? I have a 1:00 meeting I need to be back for.”
“Sure.”
“Great. I’ll leave your name at the gate.”
“Are you in the same building?”
“Yeah, Building E, all the way in the back.”
“Got it. See you then, Delish.”
With that he hung up. Delilah held the phone for a moment, hoping that he didn’t pick up on the fact that she was just thinking of his giant cock sinking into her already wet pussy.
“I have to run to the bathroom, Lucas,” she called out. How she was going to make it to 11:30, she had no idea.
***
Time seemed to drag more than ever. Delilah would have believed it if someone told her that the clocks had been programmed to run slow. Even recalibrating the axis of the Celestine Planet in the Karrine Quadrant hadn’t made the time tick by any faster.
At 11:30 she grabbed her bag and all but ran out the door.
“Where’s the fire?” Lucas called after her.
“In my pants!” she heard herself respond before thinking. Mortified, she looked back to see that she had garnered the attention of all the cubicles near the door. Cursing her loose mouth again, she wanted to shoot herself when she then added, “Bad stomach cramps. You know.” Feeling her cheeks turn pinker, she whirled around and bounded out the door. Idiot! She called herself. Whenever she got nervous, her mouth ran like a faucet. It had been the bane of her existence for as long as she could string two words together.
She stopped in her tracks when she saw that Brandon was already waiting for her. Brandon looked as spectacular as always in his silver Aston Martin, she could tell that the other ladies were making excuses to ‘take a walk’ around the parking lot. Yeah, as if that was normal when there were beautiful nature trails not two minutes from the building.
“Hey,” she tried to sound normal as she slid onto the black, leather seat. “I see you made it to your storage unit.”
“Yup. I missed my silver bullet.” He ran a loving hand along the dashboard that probably cost more than she made in three months. “How does Mexican sound?”
“Good.”
“Great! You really can’t get good Mexican in many parts of the world.”
“Really? Like where?”
He reached over and tousled her hair again as he laughed. Every time he did that lately, her heart sank a little. It was the gesture of a buddy, not a perspective lover. She reminded herself that any touch was better than none.
“Nice try, Delish. You know I can’t tell you.”
“I know. I know. Okay, let’s head to Mario’s. They have Burrito Mondays.”
“Perfect.”
Chapter Nine
Ivan
It never failed to amaze Ivan how confident some of these operatives were. This one obviously thought that once on home soil he was safe; that General Bohalov or the bratva would not try to get him. Ivan let out a little chuckle. No one got away from the General or the bratva. No one.
Brandon Ryker may have gotten away with the credit card numbers they were using to finance their new investments, but he would never cross them again. Ivan would see to that. The General liked to make examples of events like this. Ivan was to capture the agent and bring him back to Inhovakia. Ivan pictured the General pinning the Medal of Loyalty on him and then asking him to head a governmental group. He may not have been appreciated by his bratva cohorts, but he would show them that Ivan Romanavich was a force to be reckoned with.
Agents like these were too dangerous to take on without a plan. Certainly Brandon Ryker, a man who had served as a marine and then an operative, was deadly with his hands and anything put into them. Ivan had to outsmart him to win. Things like this took time, but not too much time. The General would never wait that long.
As Ivan watched the traitor assist a nerdy looking woman into a Mexican hole-in-the-wall, he knew he had found his leverage. Even without the scope on his camera, he could feel the affection and desire rolling off the pair. Ivan knew if he played his cards right, he could head home soon victorious. Although he came with a team of men, he wanted to be the one to have credit for catching the thief. Victory would be his!
Chapter Ten
Brandon
“So, what’s going on at the office, Delish?” Brandon took a big bit of his carne asada burrito. He had missed this. There were so few places in the world that one could get decent Mexican food. As he enjoyed his burrito, he was charmed that Delilah was obviously liking her food. He always liked the fact that she was a woman who ate and didn’t peck.
“My overlord, as I’ve decided to call her, has asked me to have the main gaming sectors done within the week. Someone kill me now.”
Brandon gave her a smile. She looked so worn out. He was glad that he had managed to catch her at her most stressed so he could take care of her. She had always brought that need out in him. He knew that she was capable on her own, but he loved her more than anyone else on Earth and wanted to make sure that she was okay. She had a tendency to eat chips for dinner, if she forgot to run by the store, which was often, and drink too many sodas. He wished that he could take care of her boss as well. A small smirk appeared on his face as he thought about how he had taken care of a handsy college classmate a few years ago without her knowing about it. He felt that it was his mission in life to make sure that hers ran as smoothly as possible.
“You’ll get it done,” he encouraged her.
“Yeah! If I had a team of thirty and a few more months. What she is asking is INSANE! Like on the level of ta
king on four people by yourself insane. No way can Lucas and I get the whole thing done by the end of this week.”
“Can you ask for more people?”
Delilah sighed and tore away more of the aluminum foil around her burrito before taking another bite. Chewing thoughtfully she swallowed and then looked back at him. “I tried. The request was turned down. Anyway, enough of me sulking. What is your next assignment?” She asked him with a cute smile. She always did this. She knew he couldn’t say.
Brandon pushed his plate forward and leaned back in his seat. “I’m not sure. I thought I might take a break.”
“WOW! Are you okay?” She looked at him with such concern that he wished that he could kiss the little wrinkles marring her furrowed forehead.
“Yes. I’m just tired. I’m wondering if I want something more traditional.”
“Traditional?” she parroted.
“Yeah. You know, like a wife and kids and stuff…” he let his voice trail off as he looked at her closely, trying to gage her response to his confession. It was hard, since she continued to look down at her food, her curly hair blocking her face.
It was then that he noticed her shoulders shaking. Immediately he felt his heart jump in his chest. The rumble of laughter that followed surprised him. She looked up and her blue eyes glowed with humor and a touch of something else. Longing perhaps or maybe hope.
Reaching over she smacked him on his good shoulder. “You’re such a tease, Brandon! You? Traditional? You crave excitement! Remember when you broke into the school just to nail Principal Adams whole office to the ceiling?”
Brandon laughed at the memory. He and one of his other troublemaking friends had nailed the principal’s office furniture to the ceiling on a dare. They had been lucky that they were in his office so often, that when the police took prints, theirs were thrown out since they practically lived in there. “Yeah, well, I am an adrenaline junkie. Better than the kind of junkie that my parents were.”
“How are they?” Delilah asked as she took his hand. He loved how she didn’t hesitate to weave her fingers through his. It was like she was staking ownership to him without even knowing it.
“Alive as of last Christmas. I called them, but didn’t get much of a response.” He smiled as she squeezed his hand in support of his sad words. “I’m okay with it now. They have their lives and I have mine.”
“Yes! You are an International Man of Intrigue,” she joked. She then put her hands together and held her pointer fingers up to resemble a gun. “You’re Ryker. Brandon Ryker. ”
“Haha! I don’t have an accent,” Brandon laughed.
“But all the best agents do. You really should think of getting one. The ladies would love it and the bad guys would take you more seriously,” she suggested before taking another bite of her burrito.
“I think the bad guys take me seriously,” he pretended to be offended.
“Well, then maybe the ladies,” she joked as she sipped her soda. “I mean, I think that Sean Connery’s accent was what helped him be the greatest Bond.”
Brandon raised a brow, “Greatest Bond? Are we back to that? Everyone knows that Roger Moore was the greatest.”
Delilah rolled her eyes at him, “Pleeeeaaassse! Roger Moore was good, but he had nothing on Sean Connery’s suave moves.”
“He had a ton more action,” Brandon pointed out as he wiped his mouth.
“Maybe, but Sean Connery had the ladies,” she then gave him a wink which squinted up her whole face. It was cute in an exaggerated sort of way.
“I don’t have time for women,” Brandon gave her a smile. It was true. He had no time for any other woman but her.
Delilah balled up the aluminum foil she had peeled from her burrito and threw it at him, hitting him squarely in the chest. “Ouch!” He put his hand up to his chest, pretending that he was wounded. “Are you sure you don’t want a job with me? Your aim is pretty good.” A part of him was joking, but another part of him wished that she could be his personal hacker, since she had already hacked his heart.
“Hahaha! The only guns I shoot are in Call of Duty.”
“Na ah. Not true!” Brandon picked up the foil and threw it back at her as she gave him a questioning look. He loved that he had been laughing more than he had in months with her. Enjoying the memory, he continued, “I remember a time in our junior year where…”
She held up a hand and gave him a jokingly serious look, “Don’t you say it Brandon David Ryker or I may have to take you down.”
“Would you?” Brandon winked at her while she scoffed.
“Well, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted,” he continued as she started re-balling the foil with a fake menacing look in her eyes. “You hit me in the crotch! I couldn’t walk straight for a week.”
“It was an accident! I said I was sorry for that!” She threw the ball back at him. He ducked and it hit the elderly man sitting behind him in the back of the head. The man turned around and gave her a glare. Brandon bit back a laugh as she gave an embarrassed smile and waved at the man.
“Let’s get out of here before you are kicked out, Delish,” Brandon stood and offered his hand to her.
“Can I drive your car?” Her eyes twinkled as she asked. “After all, if you had to rent an apartment here, you might not be able to afford it. The way I look at it, my driving it is rent payment.”
“Thumb war?” He suggested. They had always settled their disputes this way, and what he didn’t let her know, was that he often let her win. She was so cute whenever they battled it out. She would concentrate so hard on the war that she would bite her bottom lip and squint her eyes. It made him think dirty thoughts of biting her lip for her.
“You’re on!” her eyes lit up as they sat back down and took their positions. After three rounds, he let her win two.
“Aha!” She laughed as she twirled the keys around her pointer finger as they walked out of the door of the restaurant. “Anything I should know? Will any of the buttons launch missiles or change the license plate?”
“Just watch out for the ejector seat,” he teased as he pulled open his car door, happy to see the joy that he had brought to her stressful day.
As she drove like a demon back to her office, he cringed every time she laid on the gas and yelled out, “Lightspeeeeeed!”
“You’re gonna hit someone!” He shouted at her as she floored the car through another orange light.
“Am not! It’s called defensive driving,” she defended herself.
“More like idiotic driving. Believe me, I would know. I actually was taught defensive driving.” He shot back at her. She let out a huff. Realizing he needed a different tactic he knew just where to hit, “Are you really in such a hurry to get back to work and Lucas?” He batted his eyes like a smitten schoolgirl when he said the other man’s name.
“Oh! You have a good point!” With those words, she brought the car down to an agonizing crawl, making the drivers behind them honk. Shaking his head, he knew she was a force to be reckoned with. He wished that she could play hooky with him. Instead, he would be headed over to the veteran’s hospital to meet with his physical therapist to work on his shoulder.
He knew that Delilah hadn’t gotten a look at his back, because she hadn’t mentioned it. If she had seen the nasty scar, she would have gone all mother hen on him. He didn’t want her clucking, he wanted her fucking. Laughing at his little rhyme as she pulled the car into the parking lot.
“What time are you off tonight?” He held onto the clutch to stop himself from reaching for her hand.
“If Lucas and I get the alignments right on some of the celestial objects, I might be able to skip out of here around 8:00. Mimicking the proper gravitational pull is really proving hard with some of the larger bodies.”
Brandon shook his head, he longed to say, I’d be happy to show you how two bodies can pull together, but he settled with, “The Task Master works you too hard.”
Delilah shrugged and push
ed up her glasses. He always liked it when she wore them. He knew she didn’t think they looked good, but he thought that she looked like a sexy librarian in them he was just dying to be checked out. Their time together was certainly overdue.
“I know. But once we get past the International Tournament, things will slow down again. I hope.”
Brandon sighed. “Okay, I’ll make some dinner for us.”
Delilah turned to him, her lips looking kissable as she wet them with her tongue. “You don’t have to do that, Brandon.”
Brandon put his hand on hers, “I want to. See you at 8:15, Delish. Don’t be late!”
Brandon never took his eyes off her as she got out of the car. He loved how she moved. As he watched her enter the doorway, he noticed that the ladies around here sure seemed to take walks around the parking lot at weird times. He also found the fact that she wore what she wanted refreshing. Her BB-8 jacket certainly stood out among the tight business skirts and pumps. Pulling away from the curb, he made a mental note of everything he needed to pick up to start winning her heart.
Chapter Eleven
Ivan
Sitting out for long hours in a crappy car was not Ivan’s idea of a good time. However, the opportunity to shine in the eyes of the General outweighed the downsides. He had spent hours sitting in front of the Nebula One complex, waiting for that woman to drive out. Now was the time. He couldn’t stand waiting much longer. Car after car left around five o’clock. Yet, she remained. As it got later, and the sun began to set, he was thankful for his heavy duty focusing lens that let him see the details of a fly in the dark.
Finally, just as he was about to go crazy, she drove out in a blue Elantra. Turning on his rental, he followed her a good two cars back. After about ten minutes they arrived at a nice apartment complex. Ivan hurried out of the car and approached her as she got out of hers, pleased that there was no one else in the parking lot.
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