by Viola Grace
He moved up her body when there was half an hour left, and he sucked at her slowly and carefully, stroking her clit in time to the nursing.
She gasped and shuddered silently every time he teased her to climax. When she got her ten-minute warning, she stroked his hair and his pointy ear. “I have to get dressed.”
His hands clenched on her waist, and he sucked hard before lapping until he had cleared all drops from her nipple. “Fine.” He sat up, and she caught a glance of his erection that the mask refused to read.
She remembered her training. Just because they are aroused is no reason to extend your time. They are not your significant other or a partner. They pay for your company, and you don’t want to blur that line.
He helped her back into her dress, fastened it, and kissed each of her breasts farewell. She put her cloak back on, and she bowed to him. “It has been an honour to spend this time with you. Be well.”
He pulled her to him and kissed her hard. “It has been illuminating, escort Eleven. Get home safe.”
She nodded and walked out. Her guard bot stepped out with her, and she returned to the lift. Her transport was on the way, and she exited the hotel with the sensation of being watched. The bot led her to her transport, and she slid into it; her token gave it the address back to the hub.
She thought she saw an exhalation of breath against the outside of the transport, but nothing else happened as the small vehicle pulled away and headed into the night. Eleven got to the home base with relief and went up to the Blind Date secure floor and changed back into her normal grubby clothing. In the waiting area, Zera was sitting with a smile. “So, how was your date?”
“Good. Weird. But good.” She rubbed the parts of her face that had been obscured by the mask. She braided her hair into a thick column and flicked it over her shoulder.
“Why weird?”
“Um, I actually had a good time, and I think he did, too.”
Zera chuckled. “Do you think you have a regular?”
“Oh, no. Maybe six times a year. He won’t need me again for sixty days at the earliest.”
Zera frowned. “Why?”
“Because I expressed enough milk for him to keep the packs on ice for two months.”
“Oh. Yeah, that wasn’t really accounted for in the contract.”
“It’s fine. It was going to happen anyway. I am sure that I am the only spontaneous lactator on the books, so it would be a rider in my contract.”
“I will have legal look into it.”
“Thanks, but I don’t see it being an issue. I don’t see any harm in giving it away.”
Zera sighed. “Give it away, and it loses value. If you don’t value yourself, they will start to take it, and they can do it. This corporation was developed to keep people like you safe. People with good hearts and a need for money. Or folks who just like screwing but who have generous souls.”
“Why is that so important?”
“I looked up your client. He qualifies as special needs. You fulfill those needs, and he will want more. In fact, he tried to get it. He got this address from the transport display, and he tried to enter the building a few minutes ago.”
“Who is he?”
Zera looked at her with a grin. “You really want to know?”
“Yeah. He didn’t have a team code.”
“He wouldn’t. He’s the premier assassin of the Aksalla government. They send him out to murder terrorists and slaughter them without trial.” Zera used her tablet to bring up the information, and she smiled. “Do you wanna see him?”
Eleven got nervous. “Um. No. I am pretty sure that I will know him if I see him again.”
“Are you sure? He’s really handsome. Just the kinda guy you would want to curl up with on a cold night.”
“Um, that isn’t what I am in this for. I am tired of going to bed hungry. I just want to get a few months ahead of my bills so I can go back to school. Today should get me mostly there.”
“Good.” Zera smiled. “Would you see him again?”
“Definitely, but I know it won’t be for a while, so I am not holding my breath.”
“Okay. I will make a note in your file. You did good. Have a nice night.”
Eleven left the building with a surge of hope. Her com pinged, and the money was in her account. It pinged again, and she sat on the sidewalk. An amount twice the first had been dropped in as a performance bonus.
She got into a transport, set it to take her home, and she cried.
* * * *
Zera lifted her head. “Salat, you can be visible now.”
From on top of one of her cabinets, a beautiful cat man appeared. “I want her.”
“I know, but she is free to do as she wills. If you want her, you are going to have to convince her. For that, you will need another date.”
He grunted and ran a hand through his hair. “I am going tomorrow. I have other assignments I need to attend to. I wish to give her some extra funds. May I do that?”
“Certainly. There are performance bonuses allowed.”
Salat grimaced. “Can I send her things?”
“Of course. Send them here, and I will make sure she gets them.”
“Thank you, Zera. Is it possible to make her exclusive to me?”
“No, but she is a very specific taste, so I do not think she will gain much attention. I will definitely keep the curiosity seekers away from her.”
He smiled. “Thank you. She’s exceptional. I would like her protected, but in her occupation, she has no opportunity to be sheltered.”
Zera chuckled. “She told you about that?”
“Eleven cannot stand up to torture or even light foreplay with some interrogation.” He grinned.
Zera snorted. “So, not a fan of the rules all the way around. Fair enough.”
“What is her name?”
“Will you mug my computer system to get it?”
“If I have to. I need to know before I leave. What is her name?”
Zera looked at his cold black eyes. “Khytten Danforth.”
He laughed, his sharp teeth exposed. “Khytten? Yes, that suits her. Wait, if she is activated, why does she have a last name?”
“She insisted that her activation was stupid, and she was refusing to go into the program or give up her last name. She said the only thing the program could have done was teach her how to squirt milk at her enemies.”
He grinned. “It would have worked for me. I would have been on my knees.”
“Yes, but you are the only big cat I have met and definitely the only one she has met.”
He sighed. “Hopefully, the space between us will dull the burn. Thank you for your help.”
“No problem. I am just getting into the idea of matchmaking. You two would be my first match.” Zera inclined her head. “Get out, Salat. I am going to increase my security.”
He snorted. “Do as you like.”
He got up and walked through the doors and out to the lift.
Zera snorted. Khytten was going to have her hands full with that one.
Zera headed back to her office with the two test uniforms hanging up on the wall. Hers had been custom-made. She had five hours to sleep, and she was wearing both Susa’s coms and her own. It was going to be a very busy day.
At three in the morning, Zera’s alert went off. She pulled on her suit, grabbed Susa’s, and went to get her dressed. In the middle of the night, she had had a brainstorm. She was going to get into Susa and simply expand herself around her to her normal height. It would slow her down a bit, but since she was called first, she could possibly put Susa in the maintenance cupboard while she ran her test.
If she could move them together, it would help when the active part of the test began. She didn’t have to get best in class; she just had to pass so that her application to the research teams could be considered.
Getting Susa into her bodysuit took precious minutes, and Zera realized that she could have just jumped into Susa’s b
ody and gotten dressed that way. She wasn’t good on three hours’ sleep.
With both her and Susa dressed, they ran to the testing grounds. The huge warehouse of a building studded with guards was waiting for her in the predawn. She skidded to a halt at registration.
“Researcher Zera reporting.”
The registrar smiled. “Twelve minutes is not bad but could cost a life.”
“Understood.”
“Your team and assignment are inside.” The hand gestured, and Zera winced. She wasn’t going to have a chance to put Susa somewhere. This was going to suck.
She entered the space, and a city under siege was in front of her. The team members that stepped out of the grouping made her happy and irritated all at the same time.
Hron stepped up. “Researcher Zera, we need your assistance in locating a missing person.” He showed her a familiar image.
“You have got to be fucking kidding me.”
Naima frowned. “We do not joke about rescuing personnel. Torun has fallen somewhere in this mess, and we need to find him.”
“Right. Well, we need to find the rubble that appeared at the moment that com contact was lost. Do you have a record of the collapses?”
Hron smiled. “We do. It is narrowed down to these three.”
“Which was closest to non-combatants and which was in a combat area?”
The combat area was in red. “He’s in there.”
They snorted and said, “If that is your choice.”
They ran off into the rubble and found the spot where Torun was likely covered.
She looked to Naima. “I am running a little heavy. Can you help me?”
Naima blinked and nodded. “You want to be at your best when you try the next move.”
They found a spot without cameras or scanners, and Susa was gently set on the ground before Zera looked at the pile. “I am going in. I would step back a bit. This could get messy.”
Astel smiled. “I think I said that recently.”
She flipped him the finger and walked up to the pile. Hron asked, “What are you going to do?”
“Hop.”
She sank through the stone and found the prone body under the rubble. She slid into him and felt a chuckle in his psyche as she pulled his body around her and then used his strength to punch their way out of the rubble.
She staggered out of the pile and looked at Hron before she slowly fell out of Torun’s body. She landed on her hands and knees, cutting her palm before she was able to get back to Susa’s body. She staggered into her, overgrew her, and then forced herself to her feet.
Hron wrapped Torun’s arm around his shoulders and asked, “You okay?”
“I am fine.”
Astel frowned. “You are bleeding.”
She looked down and huffed. “It’s fine. I will heal.”
Naima frowned, and they started hiking back to the starting point. The team was upset.
“Don’t worry. I give hand jobs with my right, not my left.”
Three sets of angry eyes glared at her, and one pair looked at her through slitted lids.
She shrugged, and they returned to the entryway with their missing man. Applause broke out, and Torun straightened and walked up to her.
She looked at him with exhausted eyes. “Did you have fun pulling the building down on yourself?”
He grinned. “Like bubbles in a bubble bath. You used to like those.”
“That was when I had a life outside studying and work. When I had you.” She swayed.
Torun caught her. “Easy. You have passed with flying colours. You need to rest.”
“I can’t. Susa just got called for her exam, and I need to be there for her.” She chuckled. “You are going to be here all day?”
“Yeah.”
“I will see you later.” She pressed her forehead to his.
He whispered, “Take some of my strength.”
“No. It would be noticed. She’s supposed to be sickly, and this is the last thing that I can do for her.”
“Fine. Do it for Susara then come and find me.”
She nodded and headed out of the warehouse. She exited, walked into a group of trees, and became Susa for the final time.
She straightened her shoulders and fluffed her hair out, stalking toward the warehouse and keeping steel in her spine. She signed in and stepped through the doorway. Her team came to her, and she smiled politely. “Zurad, Menfall, Tiyak. Pleased to meet you.”
“Ah, the Suit Bait.” Zurad sneered.
She sighed. “Ah, the flying twit.”
Tiyak chuckled.
“We have to engage an attacker. You are coming with us.”
Zurad grabbed her, and Menfall grabbed Tiyak. Together, they all rose high, and Zurad huffed and tried to keep himself up. He was carrying close to three hundred pounds of female, and he had not been counting on it.
They landed on a roof and faced the crackling energy of Torun. She didn’t roll her eyes.
“What do I need to do?”
Tiyak leaned close to her. “Convince him to surrender.”
Aw. Shit. “How about he just beats you a little? I am pretty sure that I can do that.”
Torun grinned. “Come on, little kitten. You can do this. Use that activation of yours.”
She growled at him and walked forward, using the allure that Susara had in her body and projecting it. She walked forward, step by step, and Torun’s expression grew less focused. She used her hypersonic frequency. “Come on, you are feeling nice and relaxed. Everyone around you is friendly. All you want to do is go and have a beer with the guys and watch a game. If you surrender, I will set you up with my sister. Zera’s tall. Pretty hot. Likes being tied up and controlled during sex. You like control, don’t you? You want to hold her down and do all kinds of things to her. Maybe tie her up, maybe a light whipping. If you ask, she would give in. She loves to give in. She loves you. All you have to do is surrender so I can pass this test and Zera can be happy.”
His knees wobbled. He whispered on the same frequency. “How long can I have with her?”
“Two days. She will give you two entire days of your choosing two weeks from now, and if you are busy, she will bump anyone off the schedule to get you in. Sound fair?”
She kept herself on slow approach, and when she was close enough, she moved slowly and slid her hands up his chest, pulling his head down to hers. Their kiss was intense, but his eyes widened. “Venom?”
“I can’t just be a pretty face.”
He thudded to his knees.
She turned to the team. “That is going to hold him for forty seconds. If you have cuffs, I would say to use them now.”
The three men sprang into action, and Torun was cuffed. The two fliers headed to the gate with him, and she and Tiyak slid down the exterior piping before sprinting toward the gate.
She staggered up an instant before Torun snapped the cuffs. He ruffled her hair. “Clever little minx.” He pulled her toward him. “I am going to hold you to that date.”
She chuckled. “Over my dead body.”
Susa got her passing grade with honours for doing what no other team had yet. Brought Torun to his knees.
She staggered out and past the incoming students and walked back toward the research lab. She turned off the monitors, draped Susa’s body over the bed, and went outside. She turned on the cameras and said, “Hey, Susa! How did the testing go? Susa! Susa!” She grabbed her sister in her arms and held her, rocking as the pain of loss ran through her.
The body was dead, but it had gone for its final ride. The test was done, and now, the hunt could begin.
Chapter Twelve
After Susara’s parents had died, both the girls had their own funerals arranged. They didn’t want to leave those decisions to their grieving survivors.
The autopsy showed that Susara’s body had suffered an aneurysm. Zera stood in the funeral home’s lobby and selected a coffin for her. Susara would go into her family crypt.
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Standing there in black, she made the choices that she had to make. Susara had chosen her colour scheme, music, and even written her own final letter to be read out.
She would be interred in two days.
Zera couldn’t stand still. She paced while the undertaker walked off to check on the dress that Susa had picked out.
The door opened and closed, the bell chiming a whisper of sound. She poked her head out and stared as Torun came toward her, wearing a black shirt and trousers. He was dressed all normal, and it was for her.
He came into the room and held her. Just held her. “I am sorry that I wasn’t here sooner, Zera.”
“It’s fine. This wasn’t a surprise. I am just glad that I got her through the program.”
“You did good. Is she really venomous?”
“Yeah, she makes designer toxins, but she has to kiss you to administer them. And guys think that the teeth are the most dangerous part of a blowjob.” She spoke softly against his chest.
He chuckled, and when the undertaker came in, he paused. “Team Leader Torun. Please be welcome.”
“I am here for her. Continue on as needed.”
“Right. Ah, Ms. Zera, we have the dress, and it went on without any trouble. Would you like to see her again before the service?”
Zera nodded. “Yes, please. Is she ready?”
He nodded.
She pried herself off Torun’s chest. “I will be back in a moment.”
“I am coming with you.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and they walked to the prep room where Susa was cold and dressed in her favourite gauzy gown.
Zera pressed a kiss to her cold forehead. “I miss you so much, Dainty.”
The soft pastel hair didn’t move when she touched it. All signs of life were well and truly gone.
She stepped away, and they wheeled her off for storage until they put her in the coffin.
Zera felt Torun’s arm come around her, and he led her back to the office. He turned her toward him for another hug, and she stood there with tears wrecking his shirt. She lifted her head and brushed her hand across his chest. “Sorry. Here you dress up in a favourite fantasy of mine, and I get you all wet.”