Binary

by Sarah Cole

  I fully expect her to ease her way onto me since I’m not exactly average size, but instead she impales herself onto me with so much force, we both let out a loud groan. She begins to move, and I swear on my life, nothing has ever felt more perfect than the way Anika’s tight little body grips mine. The sounds of our heavy breathing and grunts mingle with the sounds of slapping skin, creating a carnal soundtrack that fills the room, only fueling my desire.

  Her pace becomes more frantic, seeking its release, but I reach up behind her and grab her shoulders from behind to hold her down on me, stilling her pace as I hungrily leave my mark down the side of her neck. Setting our new rhythm, I take control. As I sink into her depths, she explodes, bringing me with her. The only sound in the room is the whisper of the other’s names on our lips as we look each other square in the eye. That’s when I see it – the panic. The moment she realizes she just handed herself over to me willingly without a fight. Anika Borkova will ruin me, and the worst part is, that I’d let her a million times over just to have her look at me the way she is right now, because right now she’s mine and she knows it.

  Anika:

  As I lay here on his office floor, my body is still humming from the way Carter completely took control and played my body like a well-practiced instrument. Not only did he manage to completely satisfy my needs in a way no one has ever managed to do before him, he somehow managed to work his way into my every waking thought over the past few weeks. The only thing I’ve ever been addicted to is revenge and the feeling of having control over my life and people, but quickly Carter Linwood is becoming my newest vice and that simply cannot happen. He was only meant to be a stepping stone on my way to finishing what I set out to do the day my father pulled the trigger and ended his own life. My father was left with no other choice as they waited inside our house for him to pull that trigger. It was either take his own life, or they would take his children’s, and of course as any father would, he chose to save my brother and me. He should’ve died the night my mother did, but the men that came didn’t account for the fact my parents shoved my brother and I inside a closet with a phone to dial for help.

  The day my father died changed everything for me, though. Before, I just thought I was a pawn in life’s cruel game. I thought everything that happened to my mother was just a horrific home invasion gone terribly wrong, but that wasn’t it, and I had almost learned to deal with my less than stellar life situation until that day I discovered that I was in fact a pawn, not in life’s game, but in someone else’s. Lance Jennings’s sick games. I know I am only a number – one of many that have fallen under the dark shadow of his crushing reach, and that’s why I need to end it. What I discovered when I pulled that bag from the floorboards of my father’s office was earth shattering.

  He worked for the government, brought over from Russia because he was the best at what he did. Hacking – finding information and manipulating it. What he discovered would have meant the end for Lance, the end of his senate career, and the end of his life as he knew it. Instead, it was the end of mine and my family’s. Lance already knew everything, and he came for it – to silence it. Papa uncovered the fact that the good senator is actually Russian and has strong ties to the mafia and to the country that his family’s roots are so deeply planted in.

  But that isn’t all – it’s everything else that would have destroyed him completely. The human trafficking, the drugs, and the countless lives he’s ended and destroyed. He sits on a mountain of bodies and money he stole from the very government that he’s sworn to protect and uphold. Now that very man is running for President, and he isn’t stupid. He knows what I’m doing… I’m still just a piece of this plan, but he’s about ready to learn what failure feels like as I’m the one standing above him holding all the power.

  “Have dinner with me. Let me take you out,” Carter says softly as he tucks his shirt into his dress pants. He’s looking at me differently now. It’s softer and it does things to me that I wish it didn’t. I’ve never had anyone look at me like that before, but it can’t happen with Carter. I’m destroying him and he doesn’t even know it. Not his company any more, but his heart and for the first time in years, I’m beginning to question my actions.

  “I can’t do that, Carter. I have plans already,” I say, taking his offered hand as he pulls me to stand in front of him. The way my breasts brush the fabric of his shirt has me wishing we had more time, and I know he feels the same way by the way his thick erection presses against me through his pants.

  “Because it’s your birthday?” he questions.

  “How did you know that?” I ask, quietly.

  “I make it a point to know everything about my employees.” If he knew everything about his employees, this conversation wouldn’t be happening.

  “No, not because it’s my birthday. I don’t typically celebrate it.” I turn away so he can’t see my face. For some reason, I feel like he’s the only person that can see through my walls and it makes me feel uncomfortably exposed. I quickly start to dress to give me any excuse not to continue this conversation with him.

  “That’s a shame.”

  “No –it’s really not. Nothing good happens on my birthday, so I choose to ignore it. It’s just another day. Another marker of time passing, and another reminder that I’m still here.” I button my shirt quickly as I steal a glance up at him.

  His brow furrows as he mulls over my statement. He takes me by the elbows, pulling me to him as he brushes away the hair that has fallen from my ponytail. “Let me take you out. Just let me take care of you,” he says, his lips lightly brushing mine.

  “I can’t do that.” I look into his eyes, and he’s searching me. He’s probing for a weakness in my walls that he can fit into and destroy me, but he doesn’t need to because it seems he’s already found a way in.

  “Why?” he asks, before planting another kiss.

  “Because I like control, Carter. I need it. It’s the way I live… the way I breathe even. I need control in my life, in my relationships, in my work. I say when, how much, where...” I trail off realizing it’s probably not the answer he’s looking for, but it’s the only honest answer I can give.

  “Anika, sometimes control isn’t the answer…sometimes, relinquishing it is. Give it to me and trust me to help you and make it better.” His intensity startles me, as his eyes burn into mine. Something about the way he says these words with such conviction, has me believing that he is talking about more than just my needs.

  “I’ve got to go. I have somewhere I need to be,” I say, ignoring is statement as I grab my bag and begin for the door.

  “I’m not letting it go that easily, Ani,” he says, and my heart thunders at the nickname. It’s what my parents used to call me. I only turn to give him a sad smile before walking out.

  ****

  “You never showed up at our meeting.” A familiar voice echoes off the concrete walls, stopping me only steps away from my car.

  “You must be an idiot. You shouldn’t have come here, Braxton,” I say, slowly turning around.

  He smiles that cocky smile that reminds me somewhat of Carter’s as he pushes off the pillar he was leaning against. “Why? Scared that the golden boy is going to see me? What’s he going to do, call security?” he laughs.

  “You shouldn’t have come here because there are cameras, you dipshit,” I grit out looking up and grabbing his arm to drag him behind the stupid pillar again.

  “So, I see you found a way in. What’d you find?” he asks like an eager puppy.

  “I’m not discussing this with you here.”

  “My associate is giving you six weeks. That’s it,” he says, still not giving Lance’s name.

  “You can tell your associate to fuck off. He’ll get the info when I can get it. You guys are fucking stupid if you think that those plans aren’t divided up and encrypted every which way. It’s not that simple, but obviously you wouldn’t understand.”

  “He chose you because
you’re the best,” he defends.

  “Oh, I’m sure that’s the only reason he chose me,” I say sarcastically. “I may be the best, but it doesn’t change the process or how this works.”

  “That may be, but you’re just going to have to make it work,” he mocks.

  “Why are you even doing this, Braxton? What are you getting out of it?” I ask already having a few guesses, but I want to hear it from his mouth.

  For a second, he looks almost ashamed, but it quickly disappears. “Let’s just say that my brother owes me and I owe someone else. This makes it even.”

  Makes sense enough to me. I know he has a gambling problem, and I have a feeling that he’s gotten himself into even bigger trouble than that.

  “Let’s just say, you’re an idiot.” It feels good to not give a shit as I tell him exactly what I think.

  He reaches out to touch me, and I can’t help it, I lash out, grabbing his hand and I snap his wrist as he howls out in pain. “God damn it! You crazy bitch!” he yells and clutches his newly broken wrist to his chest.

  “Oops.” I say with a smile. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have shit to do.”

  “Give my brother my love,” he says to my back as I walk to my car.

  “Go fuck yourself, Fortner. But you might want to get that wrist checked out. If it doesn’t heal right, you won’t be able to get yourself off anymore,” I say opening my door. His only reply is to curse under his breath as he cradles his arm. I watch him slink off into the shadows where he belongs.

  ***

  I zip up my black leather jacket and start up my bike before walking her out of my garage. It looks like rain, and I curse, hoping it doesn’t screw up my plans. After a quick ride to downtown, I find a fairly full parking lot, and park. I know where I’m going. I’ve memorized the address in my head, and I’ve calculated out each and every step. I’ve already hacked in and disabled the CCTV cameras. They’ll be down for the next thirty-two minutes, and that’s all I need. It’s all in the planning. The execution is the easy part. I laugh to myself at my own unintended pun. A passing couple gives me a weird look as I laugh and I smile sweetly at them as I pass.

  Slipping off the brightly lit, busy sidewalk, I turn down an unlit alley and walk with haste to the back alley that runs perpendicular to it. Breaking into a run, I count the doors at the back until I find the space between the two buildings I’m looking for. The space between the buildings is just wide enough for a person to squeeze through to maintenance the meters and electrical lines that run through. Once I’m where I need to be, I unzip the pocket at my hip and take my phone out to check the time. Two minutes to spare. I turn it to silent and zip it back into the pocket and unzip the front of my jacket just enough so when the time comes I’ll be ready. As I wait, it begins to mist just enough to coat everything with a slick, shiny wetness that pisses me off.

  I can hear my heart beating my ears just like it does every time, and I feel light headed and tingly with the simultaneous overload of adrenaline and anticipation. I hear a door open around the corner.

  “I’ll have the next delivery next week,” a deep voice sounds, speaking in Russian.

  “You need to be cautious, Yury. The feds have been sniffing around,” a woman’s voice replies.

  “Hush. You know we’re good. The boss has it on lock.”

  “Next week then,” she says.

  “Next week,” he confirms and I hear the door shut.

  I slide on my leather gloves, and edge closer to the opening of the alley. I watch him light up a cigarette and the cherry flares in the dark as he inhales. I ease out, the rubber soles of my boots help to cushion the sound. The sound of keys falling to the pavement has him stopping, but I continue to close in silently like the predator I am, using it as my opening to catch him off guard. Yury Volkov has nearly a foot of height on me and at least a hundred and ten pounds, but I’ve planned this out. I just have to find a way to get him on the ground, and I’ve found my opportunity when he squats down to pick up the keys he dropped.

  I make my move quickly grabbing both of his ankles and pulling with all the strength I have, causing him to lose his balance and topple forward with a curse. Before he even gets a chance to right himself, I’m on his back, using my body weight to force him back to the ground. He’s struggling to right himself as he grunts and curses, but I’m faster and I force his face into the pavement with an audible thump. To say that the sound is gratifying, would be a gross understatement.

  “That’s for beating my father senseless,” I say.

  “I was told to watch out for you,” he grunts as he finds a burst of strength and rolls beneath me. I adjust and move with him, and end up sitting on his chest.

  “You didn’t watch close enough,” I say with a cruel smile. And although at a disadvantage, he still manages to land a hard punch to the side of my head and stars dot my vision. I reach into my jacket for my holster and pull out my Kimber -1911 Custom TLE with a silencer. Taking the grip firmly in my hand I bash the butt of it against his cheek. Even in the dim lighting, I see where the skin has split open providing me with a certain level of satisfaction, but I’m not done yet. Not even close.

  “That’s for holding my mother down while they fucking gutted her like a fish,” I seethe, and he attempts to fight me off, hitting and clawing at any exposed flesh he can, but I barely notice as the demon that lives inside me begins to take over, suffocating the only part of me that feels anything anymore. I hit him again and again as his warm blood splatters my face and coats my lips. I name off reason after reason that he deserves everything he’s receiving until he stops fighting me altogether, and his face no longer resembles anything remotely human.

  I finally stand, righting myself as my friend, Yury lets out a weak, gurgling moan. I kick him as hard as I can in his crotch, but he doesn’t even respond this time. “That’s for fucking my mother’s cold dead body after your friends were finished with her.” I grunt out, steadying my breath.

  I raise my gun and line it up as I pop two muffled shots in the middle of his forehead for good measure. “And that’s for me, you sick motherfucker. I’ll see you in hell.”

  I know I only have a few minutes left, so I unzip my jacket and use my tank top to wipe my face and neck off. I look down to see dark smears against the light fabric, and curse myself for getting too carried away. This was supposed to be quick and clean, but something inside me snapped like it always does and I thirsted to feel that control, that peace that only the feeling and smell of my enemy’s blood can bring me. I click the safety back on and clip my gun back into its holster, tuck my tank into my leather pants, and stow my gloves in my inside pocket with my key and zip my jacket back up, mostly concealing my crimes from prying eyes.

  I take one last look at my handy work before I head back to the parking lot a few blocks over singing Happy Birthday quietly to myself.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Carter:

  I stayed late working on a new software update roll out that Lintech is working on and some new firewall issues one of our IT Security guys brought up to me. It was all I could do to keep my mind off Anika. Everything I do lately circles back to her and those blue eyes and pouty lips. God, that mouth. I’d give anything to taste that mouth again and fuck it until I cum. I nearly went to the club, but it wouldn’t be the same – not after experiencing perfection with Anika. It was only a little bit of rough fucking, but yet the way she surrendered, the way she gave herself up completely, even if it was quick, was so fucking satisfying I can’t go back.

  Not without her.

  So here I am, driving… aimlessly. Searching for what, I’m not sure, but I’m just about ready to call it a night and drive home when I see her. That glorious ass in those skin-tight leather pants walking hurriedly down the sidewalk. I turn on my signal and pull up next to the curb ahead of her.

  “Anika!” I say getting out of my car to jog after her.

  She stops and turns slowly, “Carter?” she quest
ions, looking around like she’s making sure no one is watching.

  “What are you doing out here all alone? This isn’t really the best part of town for you to be wandering around in by yourself,” I say getting a good look at her as I get closer, but she seems cagey and on edge.

  “I could say the same for you,” she says wrapping her arms tightly around herself, but her voice is odd like she’s completely isolated herself from any emotion.

  “Christ, Ani… What happened to you?” I ask, noticing some drying blood on her forehead and just below her eye. There are welted scratches on her cheek and down her neck. A panicked look crosses her features, giving me the first real glimpse that anyone is home inside her head at all.

  “Did someone hurt you? Are you ok?” I ask and I don’t care if she wants it or not, I pull her into my arms and just hug her even though she doesn’t hug me back since her arms are still wrapped securely around herself. Her warm scent mingles with the smell of sweat and blood and I’m suddenly freaking out a little bit as her body starts to shake uncontrollably and she pushes me away.

  “Anika, baby… talk to me. What happened?” I put my fingers under her chin to force her to look at me, and she does with tear filled eyes.

  “Some guy just tried to mug me,” she says suddenly.

  “Jesus Christ! Did the fucker hurt you?”

  “He tried, but I think I broke his nose. There was blood everywhere. I guess those advanced self-defense classes are paying off.” She laughs an odd laugh, although the tears continue to fall.

  “We should go to the cops, report this guy. Give them a description, something…” I start back towards my car pulling her with me.

  “No!” she shouts quickly. “He didn’t end up getting anything since I’m not carrying a purse, and I was able to fight him off. It just shook me up a bit.”

  “Jesus, baby. Let me get you some food and take you home at the very least.”