Cam growled, then caught the humor in my tone of voice and smiled back. "I love you."
"Then I guess you won't mind if I pepper you with questions all the time? I feel like I've walked into hour two of a three-hour movie, and there's a lot going on I don't understand."
Cam thought about it, then nodded. "Sure, I can deal with that. But to be honest, I don't even know all of the pieces in this game. I find out when I can, but there are gaps in even what I know."
"That's all right. We can start with two very easy questions."
"Shoot."
I sat back, resting my head on the back of the couch, and stretched out my legs. It was an immediate improvement in my neck pain. "First question is, just how smart are you? Are we talking super-genius?"
Cam laughed. “I’m not sure what qualifies you to be a super-genius, but I do have an Eidetic memory," I said. "Once I read or hear something, I don't forget it. What's your other question?"
I grinned and laid my head back all the way, relaxing. "What're you making for breakfast? Now that I know you're a super-genius who can do anything, I'm going to domesticate you fully."
* * *
I felt strange going into work. School started up for Cam in a week, and while I was feeling a bit better, my neck still ached. It was jarring, the normality of going into a part time job knowing what I knew.
"Melina, can I see you in my office?" Jay said when I came in, and a sliver of worry worked through my heart before evaporating.
"Sure Jay. What's wrong?"
Jay led me into the office, leaving the door open which I took as a good sign. "Hey, Cam called me from work yesterday, said you two had a traffic accident on Saturday. He said you had a stiff neck?"
"I've been called worse," I joked, sobering when Jay didn't laugh. "It was minor. Cam's already getting his truck fixed, and I'm taking some ibuprofen for it. It's feeling better from Sunday already."
"All right, but if you feel any pain or limitations, you tell me. I can get Jerry on the evening shift to take care of any restocking or heavy lifting."
I was touched by his concern. "I'm fine Jay, really. Although if you let me borrow your key to the real good stuff you keep locked away in the pharmacy, I won't tell anyone."
He laughed this time at my joke, waving me off. "All right, get up there and do your shift. Just take it easy today."
I headed back up front, taking over the register from the person who’d opened the pharmacy. With school starting, Jay said he would use me mostly in opening and mid-day shifts in order to try and let me and Cam have similar work times. Of course, that didn't mean I wouldn't sometimes be asked to do a weekend shift, but that was unavoidable.
Since it was the middle portion of a Tuesday, I really didn't have too much to do. There were about at most three or four customers an hour until four o'clock, when the after school moms and some of the older kids from the nearby junior high school would begin to trickle in. I didn't even have another co-worker to talk with, as the pharmacist, a nice guy named Tim who'd I'd exchanged a total of two dozen words within the entire time I'd been in Truth or Consequences (normally consisting of Hi, Tim and Good night, Tim) stayed behind his counter the whole time.
About fifteen minutes before I got off shift, I saw something that caught my attention. Glancing up, my blood ran cold as I recognized the same two guys I'd seen the week before, once again hanging out near the snack aisle, which gave them a clear view of me at the front of the store. This time, though, I had a whole laundry list of other things to associate with them besides just being weirdos.
The two guys approached, again with an intense, ugly look on their faces. My relief was counting out the register, so they had to wait a minute, both of them staring at me almost the whole time. With them so close, the malicious intent practically radiated off of them, and I decided to take a risk. Grabbing my phone, I turned around and took a ‘selfie’.
I quickly snapped the photo, making sure that the two guys were visible in the background. One of them was very clearly shown, in what would have nearly been a photo-bomb if it had been unintentional. I immediately turned back around and gave my co-worker a shoulder hug. "See you tomorrow!”
Not giving the two guys a chance to react, I went to the back and clocked out, hanging out for a good ten minutes just to make sure they were gone. While I was waiting, Jay came in. "Hey, Tim just said you were taking a selfie up front?"
I nodded. "Yeah, sorry. I wasn't trying to actually take a selfie, just that the two guys who were at the register had come in when I was in training. They really give off a creepy vibe, so I wanted to get photos of them. If I see them again I'd like to look at what can be done. I'm not saying they're dangerous, just . . . creepy."
Jay considered it, then held his hand out. "Can I see? I'll keep my eye out if they return."
I handed over my phone, and Jay took a look. “Well, that one guy definitely doesn’t seem like the nicest fellow. I'll walk you out today just to be safe.”
I didn't feel the need for it but was grateful as Jay escorted me to my car. "I'll keep an eye out. And make sure Cam knows, okay?"
He didn't need to worry about that. As soon as Cam got home, I showed him my phone. "Those two guys were back," I said. "But this time, I got a photo.”
I thought Cam would have been happy, but instead, he seemed a little peeved. "What?"
"I should have told you earlier, after the last time I slipped a hack into Jay's computer system," he said. "I could have pulled the images off his security cameras just as easily as downloading them from your camera."
I blinked then shook my head. "Just how much of this town do you have wired up?"
“Most of it. I can monitor traffic cameras, access city and county records, and I have full access to everything in the school district as well. Jay's is one of the few private businesses I've tapped.”
"Seriously? So the last time I said something, you pulled up the footage."
Cam shook his head. "I went by and slipped in the tap afterward, but Jay's security isn't all that great. By then, his system had already looped around and deleted the security footage from his hard drive."
"So you can go in there now and get images as well as these, right?"
“I plan on it. I should be able to figure out who they are and who they work fore.”
"So what do we do in the meantime?" I asked. Cam grinned and I felt a warm flush go through me. "Okay, that's one idea."
But first things first. It was actually pretty cool watching Cam pull out Albertine and download my images. He established a link through his other computer to Jay's security system. "Hey, you want to see the payroll for last month?" Cam asked jokingly. "You know, if you want me to add a zero somewhere."
“Stop playing around,” I said, smacking him on the shoulder. "Come on, just find the footage you need.”
We found the security footage and we watched from the time the guys came in until they left, looking for the best angle of their faces. "The selfie you took is good, but I want more to work with. Like this."
Cam tapped his touchpad and the image froze, the other guy looking directly at the camera that was above the front door as he tried to turn away from my selfie attempt. "See? Taking that selfie was useful."
"Dangerous, though, and until you know how to protect yourself, I don't want you taking risks like that again," Cam said. "Now, a few taps of the screen later . . .”
He trimmed out the faces of the two men and copied them into a database search program. There was a lot of little squares and circles that appeared on their faces, and then Cam went over to what looked like a standard search box.
"To save time I'm going to have the database constricted to men in American payroll," he said. "Still, that's a lot of people, most of whom aren't in agencies that you'd think of as being intelligence related. These guys, if they’re American, could be listed as mail carriers or park rangers or hazardous materials handlers. It's rare you'd find them as anything close to what they are."
He clicked a few items to refine the search, then started. Faces started to blink by at high speed, and Cam sat back. "That's all there is to it, now we just wait, it'll take at least a few hours unless we get really lucky."
Cam stood up and swept me into his arms. It was really the first time we'd been romantic since the traffic accident, and it was long missed.
"I love you, Cam."
"I love you too," he said, kissing the top of my head. "I'm sorry I wasn't honest about everything."
"I don't think it’s the sort of thing that comes up very often. Let's not dwell on that right now."
Cam dropped a CD into the tray and smooth saxophone jazz came from the stereo. "That's nice, who is that?"
"Miles Davis," Cam answered, holding his arms out for me. We left the music on, Cam leading me to the big bedroom where there music filtered in softly. The lights were off, only the reddish sunset outside giving us any illumination at all, but I didn't need it. Turning to face away from Cam, I unsnapped my pants and pushed them off my hips.
“What's this?"
I blushed as Cam's hands came up and rubbed the naked skin of my buttocks. "I wanted to feel sexy today, so I wore them,” I moaned as he rubbed and massaged the skin. God, it felt so good, all I wanted to do was bend over and let him keep doing it, but I resisted. It wasn't time yet.
I lifted my head, turning around and kissing him. Our tongues wrapped around one another as passion seeped into our tenderness. I could feel his cock pressing against my hip through his pants, and I smiled, cupping it. "I know just what you need. Come on."
I led him to the bed, pushing him playfully over and onto his back, where he bounced twice on the springy surface. Reaching for my shirt, I pulled it over my head in one motion before unclasping my bra and letting my breasts free. "Your turn."
It's amazing how quickly a man can get undressed if he wants. I barely had the words out of my mouth before he’d stripped every last stitch from his body, including his socks even. Yet, Cam being Cam, not a single thread was torn, and no buttons were sent flying across the room. Instead, he lay gloriously nude in front of me, his cock standing stiff and proud in the now orangish light.
I climbed onto the bed, kissing his kneecaps and thighs before grasping his cock. "This . . . I’d never felt pleasure before this entered me for the first time," I said as I stroked him, relishing the hard and soft together. "I thought I had, but I hadn't. So now, every time we make love, I try and return that pleasure to you."
I lowered my head again, licking him from the base of his perfect cock to the tip, spitting on it to add more fluid to my hand. I repeated over and over until his cock glistened in the light, overjoyed when he added his own dollop of sweet precum to the mixture. I resisted the urge to lick up every drop of it and instead sat up slightly, pushing my breasts together. "You like these, don't you?"
Cam nodded, grinning.
Leaning forward, I let Cam's cock slip between my breasts, the hard wetness sliding up and down. I know the biggest turn-on about a so-called 'boob job' for men is the image. There isn’t a whole lot of pleasure in it for me, but I love pleasing my man. Every time the tip of Cam's cock peeked out from between my breasts, I gave it a little lick, relishing the sweet nectar.
Soon, I could tell both of us were ready for a little something more. Tit fucking isn’t exactly something I enjoy doing until completion, but its fun naughty foreplay.
I crawled up and our bodies entangled and caressed each other. I reached between my legs, feeling for the thick root of Cam's manhood, grinning in between kisses when I held it in my hand.
"Now we don't have to hold back," I groaned, raising myself up and lowering myself onto his thick shaft. It felt so good, spreading me open and making me his. I was filled with passionate power as our lovemaking took on a new purpose, a conclusion of our instincts that lent a flavor to our passions.
Cam's smile as he lifted his hips told me he could feel it too, and he raised me up slightly before he started to thrust in and out of me with short little rapid motions.
We rode each other, Cam's cock moving in short little waves while I rode back and forth, holding hands with him as he supported my upper body. Faster and faster I rode him, my insides clenching around him, knowing that I never wanted to ever let him go. Let the whole damn world stand against us, I'd still be here next to him, his heart mine and my heart his.
His hips sped up some, driving conscious thought from my brain and my eyes flew open. I hadn't even realized they'd been closed, but suddenly I was looking into his eyes in the dim light, our souls joining. My body filled with a pure, noble energy that I'd never felt before, my heart swelling and tears coming to my eyes. Our hips moved faster and faster, my heart hammering in my chest. The only sounds in the room were the dual rushes of our breath and the soft slap of our hips coming together.
I felt my orgasm building within me, rising like a tidal wave from somewhere beneath me. It felt like it was starting in my toes of all places, everything curling and pulling in towards my center, my body tightening as my hips rode back and forth, faster and faster. My hands clenched too, squeezing Cam's hands painfully as he said nothing but kept supporting me, his hips meeting mine. Each time I came down, I felt my clit grinding into the base of his cock, hot sparks shooting out to try and find the dynamite that was building deeper within me. It was only a matter of time.
Cam swelled inside me, and I felt the last of my inner gates opened, the last barrier between me and the immense pleasure of my climax penetrated like it was nothing. I cried out, the hot joy exploding through me and filling my body with energy. Cam's body clenched beneath me, and I wailed in ecstasy as I let myself go, joining with him in the completion of this most meaningful of acts.
When I finally came down, I leaned over, Cam's skin sweaty from our exertions. We'd forgotten to turn the air conditioner on that day, and the room was tropical with the effects of our lovemaking. “Perfect.”
“Couldn’t have said it better myself,” Cam said, kissing my lips tenderly.
Chapter 24
Cam
I should’ve been doing last minute preparations for the start of school the next day. I should’ve been pressing my best khakis and making sure my bag was ready to go, since I invariably forget something in the morning of rushing out the door.
I should’ve been doing any of a hundred different things. Instead, I was sitting in front of Albertine, watching as every three or four seconds, another file was scanned, compared, and dismissed.
"No luck yet?" Melina asked, coming in from the other bedroom. She'd spent the morning rearranging the spare bedroom, stripping it of the furniture and propping the mattress against the wall. Since eleven, she'd been working with my socket wrench set, putting together the two spin bikes we'd brought back from Las Cruces. She looked cute with a streak of grease under her right eye and across her fine cheekbone.
"Not yet. You look like you're having fun," I commented, turning away from Albertine. "Any problems?"
"Honey, I may not be Bob Vila, but I've done a few home repairs in my time," Melina answered with a chuckle. "As to your question, things are fine. We don't have the tools quite like what the instructions say, but I’m making it work.”
I laughed. "You want any help?"
"Maybe in about an hour or so, I was thinking you and I could break in the cycles together," Melina said. "And then afterward, you can start my education."
"I doubt you need me to teach you the finer points of avoiding the run-on sentence," I joked. "What are you talking about anyway?”
"About what to look for to keep my ass safe," Melina said. "I mean, I’m not looking to be like Angelina Jolie, but I’d like to learn a few things, you know? Tell me Cam, those guns you have, are you a good shot with them?"
"I can hit pretty well," I answered. "I'm better with the rifle than I am with the pistols, though."
"And you’re good with your hands? I know you’re good with your hands, bu
t you know what I mean,” she said with a wink.
I grinned and nodded, thinking of some of the training I'd been through. Sometimes, when I was sitting in English class while trying to stay awake through another one of the mandatory standardized tests I had to give the students, I’d count the ways that I could use what was in the room to kill someone. I’d tried to put it out of my mind given that I wasn’t in the game anymore, but it was a hard habit to break. I normally could get up to about twenty different items. It provided a strange comfort at times, and at least it kept me awake.
“You could say that. There are talents that I have that you're right, you don't want to know. Hell, I hoped I’d never have to use them again, and I still do. But, I’ll see what we can do to help keep you safe."
Melina gave me a kiss on the cheek and ruffled my hair. "I look forward to it. Well then, back to work for me if we're going to actually have bikes to ride. Enjoy your work, and I'll call you when it's ready."
The computer search had been going on for nearly twelve hours already, working its way through the CIA, the FBI, and the NSA. I’d set it to go through the minor federal agencies first before tackling the big cheese, the Department of Defense. Their personnel list was massive, and most of it male.
I pondered trying to pack my bag for tomorrow when Albertine beeped, telling me it had a potential match. I sat up, opening the file. "Well, we have a name."
"What's that?" Melina called from the other room. "What did you say?"
"I said we have a name," I called back. "Want to check?"
Melina was next to me in five seconds, looking over the picture on the screen. "Yeah, that's him. The short one with the angry eyes."
"Short one is Victor Pinzetti, originally from, oh get this, your neck of the woods. Cleveland."
"No wonder he works for the government. Cleveland's nearly as bad as Lima."
"Oh, I don't know," I replied. "It does have LeBron. And Drew Carey."
Melina rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to the screen. "It says he belongs to the Environmental Protection Agency."
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