A New Life Series - Finisher Set

by Samantha Jacobey

  Reaching up, she slid her fingers into his, mildly surprised that he would want to be close to her after the way she had behaved. Their palms mingling as they moved through the tables, he guided her towards the parquet floor, then turned to face her and positioned their hands. Giving her a brief explanation of the steps, he smiled and ended by commanding her to relax and follow his lead.

  Tori did her best, and he praised her often as she moved her body in sync with his, “You’re doing great, baby girl. That’s it, look me in the eye.”

  She smiled at the tenderness of his voice, “You’re really better than I deserve, you know that?” His hand moved against her waist, causing her brain to go fuzzy.

  “Deserve’s got nothing to do with it, love… focus,” but he squeezed her hand and grinned at the same time.

  His body pressed against hers, she could feel the tickle as his hand caressed her back beneath her long tresses. His cheek often moved close to hers, his warm breath sending shivers down her spine, and it surprised her that as long as they had been together, he could still make her weak in the knees with a simple touch. Adjusting her fingers inside of his grasp, she wondered if he would always have that effect on her.

  The couple twirled around the floor for over an hour, stopping a few times to have a drink of water and refresh. Each time, he would give her compliments on what she did well, and pointers where she could improve, and she took each lesson in stride, finding herself eager to please him.

  Eventually, they made their way to the elevator, where Tori leaned against the mirror in the back and stared at her mate. “Why do you put up with me?”

  He laughed at her silly question, “You know, someday, you’re going to figure out that I’ve been telling you the truth all along. We each have a half that makes them a whole, and you’re mine. It’s that simple.”

  Grinning, she pulled herself up straight so she could wrap her arms around him as if an evening on the dance floor hadn’t been enough. Leaning her forehead against the hair above his ear, she exhaled warm puffs against the curved cartilage, “Make love to me tonight?”

  Looping an arm around her, “You won’t have to ask me twice,” he replied.

  Talking quietly as they made their way down the hall, the couple slipped inside the room and turned on a few lights. Taking it slow, they removed their boots and stretched out on the over-sized bed for a bit of petting; eventually removing her shirt and pants. Michael made sure he gave her all that he had to offer, confident in the end that she belonged to him, no matter what anyone else might have believed.

  How the Other Half Died

  Things were hectic the following morning, and the group piled into the car to make their way over to the Music Maniac to meet with Terry. Tori found her palms were sweaty at the idea of returning to the store, and she briefly wondered if any of the guys still worked there.

  She had grown particularly fond of Max, and of the three young men, he was the one she would be most interested in seeing again. Arriving at their destination, her questions were answered right away as all three of them were waiting for the group to arrive.

  “Oh, my God, look who’s here!” she squealed, holding her arms above her head as she raced towards her favorite and grabbed him first. However, not to be impolite, she hugged the other two as well, and for a moment it seemed like she had never left.

  “This is incredible!” Derrick congratulated her, “I can’t believe you’re actually playing in a band!”

  “Well, since I never let on that I could play, I guess that’s understandable,” she grinned at her young friend, noting his attempt at growing a beard, “You look rather handsome, by the way. I like the…” she rubbed the back of her fingers against her chin to indicate what she referred to, and he laughed.

  “Yeah, it’s still pretty scraggly, but I’m sure it will fill in if I give it time.” His eyes sparkled as he stared, “It really is great to see you.”

  “Alright, knock it off,” Terry came over to send the three back to work. “Hi, baby girl,” he took the young woman in his arms himself and gave her a firm squeeze. “I have a message. Sharon Tate says that if you don’t at least make time for a lunch date, she’s disowning you.”

  Tori laughed out loud, “Oh, she did? Well, I guess I need to find out what day that can be arranged and give her a call.”

  “Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Hello, Mike,” turning to her husband he shook his hand, and they exchanged pleasantries before he made his way around to the rest of the group, being introduced to Brett and Enrique as well. If he were surprised that their number had grown, he never let on, and a short time later everything had been determined, and they were off to the next stop.

  Back inside the car, Tori called out to their manager, “Hey Mark, what time will I be free for a girl’s day out with my friend?”

  He nodded slightly, and pursed his lips, “Our schedule is actually pretty tight since you’ve requested to be off starting the first of February, but we do have twenty-nine days that we are looking at here, so I’m sure we can squeeze in a lunch date somewhere in there.”

  “Thanks, hun; you’re the best,” she grinned at the thought of having a little time to catch up with her old friend.

  Arriving at the studio a short time later, they went in to take care of making some spots for radio stations to use across the country, and Tori found that she had grown very relaxed in the company of the group. Anything she didn’t understand, they readily explained; all she had to do was ask. It turned out to be an exciting, and maybe even pleasant afternoon, as far as she was concerned.

  For the three men looking after her, the day seemed a bit more stressful. The group pulled up in front of the studio and made their way inside. Standing next to the car during the process, Enrique caught a glimpse of a familiar face before it vanished around the corner of the building, “Wow, that’s disturbing,” he muttered to himself as the dark haired man disappeared.

  Glancing around at the rest of the group, he slapped Michael’s arm, “Hey, mind if I hangs around down here for a bit? You know, whiles the rest of you go up and take care of business.” The other man appeared lost in thought, staring at the same corner Enrique had been interested in. “Hello, Earth to Mike,” he waved his hand in front of his face.

  Snapping back to reality, Michael glanced around to find that the rest of the group had moved on without them, and the two of them stood in front of the building alone, “What? Where’d everyone go?”

  “Upstairs.” Enrique squinted at the corner, “You saw him too, didn’t you.”

  “Saw who?” Michael tried to play it off, surprised that Enrique would know anything about Eli Founder.

  “I dunno his name. Some federal guy; gave me some grief here a whiles back.” He paused as he recalled that the man had actually ordered him to kill the one standing next to him. His brow furrowed, he probed, “You got some kinda beef with that guy? I don’t think he likes you very much.”

  Michael cut his eyes over at him, considering his words carefully to form a reply, “I married his girl. So yeah, we don’t like each other very much.” He looked around on the street another half a minute, “I think we should follow him, see if we can find where he went. What he’s doing here. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that he’s this close to us.”

  Enrique grinned, “Sure thing. But if we follow him, he’ll run and hide. We need to set a trap. Between the two of us, if he’s up to no good, we’ll get him.”

  “Agreed. If he’s tailing us, we can be on the lookout, catch him when he’s not expecting it. Let’s head upstairs, check on the others.”

  Locating the group and making sure that all was well, Michael briefed Brett in private about the tail. Giving him a quick rundown on their plan to catch the guy, the older man gave him a surprised look before agreeing to keep an eye on the group so the other two could see if they could find him.

  Back downstairs, the pair took a secondary exit out of the building, hoping to catch
Eli with his pants down, so to speak. Spying a coffee shop across the street, Michael grinned, “I bet he’s in there. Perfect place to hide. You hang out here by the exit, and I’ll go in to confront him. If he comes out, don’t be seen, but follow him. If he don’t come out, you can come in and join us.”

  “Got it,” Enrique nodded, putting on his game face.

  Michael strode over and pulled on the glass door, removing his dark glasses as he entered. His eyes quickly scanned the patrons, and sure enough, he found the one he wanted.

  Eli sat in the corner next to the window, pretending to read a magazine and watching the front of the studio. Walking straight up to him, he slid into the booth next to his target to prevent him from leaving, “Hello, Eli; long time, no see.”

  Stunned, Eli shut the set of glossy pages, almost dropping it in his lap, “Mike Anderson, what the hell are you doing here?”

  “What am I doing here?” he pointed his hand at his chest. “Whatever the fuck I feel like. What I wanna know is why you’re following us,” Michael demanded, deciding to get right to the point.

  “Following you? What makes you think I’m following you?” he stammered at being caught. “Oh great, and what are you doing here?” he addressed Enrique as he moved into the seat across the table from him.

  “Enrique, this is Eli. Special Agent Founder as a matter of fact. He’s been on Tori’s case since the beginning.” Michael pointed his finger at the other man as he spoke.

  “Oh, thanks, Mike; nice to put a name with a face. So, got any more missions for me lately?” Enrique taunted the other man. “Oh, I guess not. I haven’t heard from you in a while, so I guess you’re all done with me.”

  Eli clenched his jaw, trying not to panic as the anger brewed beneath the surface, “Look, I have no idea what you guys are up to, but I’m here on official business and you two clowns are interfering. If you don’t get out of my way, I’m going to arrest you for obstruction of justice.”

  “Arrest us?” Michael sneered with a chuckle. “We’re having lunch, man. We saw you and thought we’d join you. Of course, if you want to tell us what’s really going on, we would be more than happy to get out of your way.”

  “Yeah,” Enrique tossed in. “Or we could drag you out back and beat it out of you.”

  Michael stared at the other man in a state of mock shock. “Hey! We’re not here to torture the guy. I’m sure he’s gonna tell us everything, aren’t ya, Eli?” Michael grinned at the man next to him, laying his arm on the back of the booth behind him so he could bump the back of his head periodically.

  “I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing, but I’m a federal officer. Touching me is assault –”

  “Oh yeah?” Michael moved his hand, tagging him firmly, “I don’t think we’re scared of that, Eli. Maybe you should call your friends, get some help in here.”

  Eli’s blue eyes glared at him coldly, “You really are an asshole, you know that?”

  “Yeah, I am,” he wacked him a little harder. “Oops, sorry about that. Maybe you should start talking before I’m forced to give in to my friend’s request and haul you outside.”

  “Ok, I’m following her, ok?” Eli smoothed his hair. “One of our agents was killed, and I want to make sure nothing happens to her. For a few weeks, until we know that things are taken care of,” he kept his cool, spitting out the lie without blinking.

  “Agent? What agent? It wasn’t that jerk off, La Buff was it?”

  “No, it wasn’t him. It was someone else, who may or may not have had connections to her case. That’s why I’m worried. You know that I care about her, and I sure as hell don’t want to see anything happen to her. So why don’t you go back where you belong and let me handle this? Before you get me in trouble…” his voice trailed away as he finished his plea.

  Michael shifted, muttering under his breath, “Just ‘cause you fucked her don’t mean that you care, dickwad.” Staring out the window, he wanted a moment to think.

  Enrique started to laugh, “You knows, last time we met, you talked down to me like I was shit. Now you seems nervous as hell. How do we know you ain’t lyin’ to us?”

  “You’re going to have to trust me,” Eli indicated the man seated next to him. “Mike knows. Knows I wouldn’t put her in harm’s way.”

  Michael snorted, “I don’t know anything of the sort. But I do know this: if anything does happen to her, you’ll be the first person I come after.” Standing abruptly, he headed for the door, Enrique hot on his heels.

  “You think that was the truth?”

  “Don’t matter, we scared him, and that’s enough. We watch more closely though; for him, for anyone else who looks like a Fed, and for anything out of the ordinary.”

  Enrique swung around nervously, feeling like a caged animal now that he was aware they were being watched. “You gonna tell her?”

  “No. We can’t do anything about it at this point, and she don’t need to know,” he cut his eyes over at the other man. “And you’re not gonna tell her either, ya got it?”

  “Sure, man. I won’t say nothing. We gotta tells Brett though, so he can help us keep an eye out. Damn, looks like he was right, too.”

  “Who, Brett?” Michael asked as he punched the button inside the elevator.

  “Yeah, Brett. He said The Organization would come for her. If the Feds are watching her, it may happen pretty soon.”

  “Yeah,” Michael agreed. “I bet we don’t have to wait long.”

  Arriving back in the lobby area, where Brett and Mark were seated, Michael pulled the red-headed man aside to fill him in on what they had discovered. Brett quickly agreed they should keep an eye out, and they looked around to find some coffee while they waited for the taping to be completed.

  Memory Lane

  A few days into their hectic schedule, the band received a small break in the form of a dinner invitation at the half-way house. Tori felt ecstatic to accept the request, and it was arranged for them to spend a few hours there with the Tates.

  Pulling up in front of the massive structure, she could feel her fingers tingle, and clenched them into fists repeatedly, a small grin curling her lips. As the seven of them exited the vehicle, Michael reached to take her hand, and she gladly curled her fingers into his, ready to present her spouse to her surrogate parents in the first real home she could remember.

  Giving a quick knock and making her way into the kitchen through the back door, Tori inhaled deeply, the sight and smell of the place magically transporting her back in time. Finding the mistress of the property alone in the kitchen, preparing their meal, Tori gave her friend a small wave hello and urged the guys to move inside.

  Sharon came forward to welcome her guests, hoping the girl who had touched her heart so deeply would be receptive to a hug. Meeting her in front of the bar, the taller woman clung to her friend, pangs of regret at not keeping in touch wriggling into her gut.

  After a lengthy embrace, Sharon explained that the current residents had relinquished the house for the evening, and they had some other guests who would be joining them. “Your room is currently vacant if you want to have a peek, for old time’s sake. We’ll set the table and wait for the others.”

  Tori smiled at the surprise, and wondered who the mystery participants would be, “Haha, you know I’d love to have a look around. You sure you don’t need any help down here?”

  “No, ma’am; you go make yourself at home. We’ll call you when we’re all set down here,” Sharon gave her a squeeze on the arm, a bit concerned at the tiredness the young woman’s makeup didn’t cover.

  Casting a quick glance around, Tori excused herself from the group of men, who were busy making themselves glasses of soda and iced tea, the snickers at the selection audible. Heading up the stairs, she laughed at their amazement. It’s a half-way house after all; surely they didn’t expect to be served alcohol. Her foot reaching the landing, she froze, the air hanging in her chest at the sight of the two portals to the rooms at her
left.

  Her digits resting on the corner post, she recalled the morning Enrique had pressed her against the wall between the two doors, placing his hand beneath her towel and staking his claim. So much has happened since then. She blinked at the space as the moment of recognition replayed in her mind, and the fear it had brought crashing in around her.

  Moving into her old quarters, she exhaled a deep sigh, nothing to fear these days. Enrique watches over me, as does, Brett, Michael and the rest of our little group. Making it to the window, she propped her right knee onto the seat, placing her palms on the glass and peering down at the storage building below her. Still visible in the fading light of evening, recalling the excitement of the treasure she had found inside it widened her grin.

  Feeling a hand grasping at her waist, Tori jumped, “What the fuck?” Spinning around with a jerky movement, she put her foot back on the floor, facing the intruder. Her pulse pounded in her ears for a moment from the jolt and anger at having been interrupted.

  “Sorry, baby girl; didn’t means t’ startle you,” Enrique’s brown orbs danced as he pushed the hand around to her back, drawing her against him.

  “What’re you doing up here?” she managed, gasping for breath, her hand shoved against his chest to keep him at bay.

  His palm moved up and down her spine, “Oh, enjoying the trip down memory lane, alongs with you, I guess. I never made it into this room back then.” He flashed his pearly whites, eyes darting around the small space. Leaning forward slightly, he kept his voice low, “Those was good times for me.” His nose nuzzled her cheek, and she felt the shivers the air brushing against it unleashed.

  Her hand finding its way up from his chest to his neck, she caressed his mandible with her thumb, enjoying the tickle of his short beard beneath it. “Yeah, it wasn’t so bad, was it?” The two of them rocking side to side slightly, he placed his forehead against hers.

  “You knows,” his voice steady, “I always wished I’d taken you with me that night… when I left you in the bar.”