by C Paradee
"I don’t think so," Megan retorted. Turning around in Tony’s arms, she raised her hands to the back of Tony’s neck drawing her head down and meeting her lips with her own.
Ending the kiss, she asked, "How did it go?"
"Fine. We can talk about it over dinner. You hungry?" Tony asked, glad the business portion of the trip was over and ready to start the fun part.
Megan smiled, "I’m starved. I worked up quite an appetite at the pool this afternoon."
"Oh no. Hope we have enough money," Tony teased.
"Very funny!"
"Well…" Tony grinned when Megan gave her a mock stare and said, "Ok, ok. Let me find something to wear." Slowly drawing her eyes down Megan’s body, she said, "I think maybe you should get dressed too or we might not make it to dinner."
Megan looked at her partner, cocked her head to the side and said, "Ok. But keep that thought."
Tony winked and said, "Count on it."
At Tony’s suggestion earlier they had decided to go to Chesapeake Bay Seafood House. It wasn’t known for atmosphere but it had great seafood and the dress was casual.
Megan sat at the table across from Tony and sipped on her coffee looking at her partner. The room was well lit and had a steady turnover of diners.
"You weren’t kidding when you said they had great seafood," Megan said before adding, "I’m stuffed."
Tony looked at Megan and smiled. "I used to come here a lot when I was in D.C. It’s probably my favorite seafood house."
"You never did tell me how your meeting with Huey went," Megan said. They had talked about where they would go sightseeing over dinner, and just enjoyed the good food. But Megan wanted to make sure Tony was ok with her meeting and that she was comfortable with turning over her suspicions to someone else.
"It went ok. I told Huey what I thought and he said he’d check it out. He did mention that if anything came of it, I might be required to return and testify."
"Do you think that’s likely?" Megan knew that most cases never ran according to schedule and she was not enthused about the possibility of Tony having to return to Washington.
"It’s really hard to say. He only has that one case to go on. It’s not much. But Huey’s quite tenacious and he has access to a lot of resources. Time will tell I guess," Tony said, shrugging her shoulders.
Megan finished her coffee and Tony asked her, "You ready to go? We can start walking until we see a cab. It’s nice out tonight."
"Sure. I could use a walk after eating all that food," Megan commented.
Tony laughed and said, "We both ate a lot. It’ll do us both good."
The earlier rain had cleared some of the humidity from the air and the night was clear and warm. Noticing the streets were still busy, Megan commented, "There’s a lot of people out tonight."
"D.C. is known for its night life. It wouldn’t matter if it was three in the morning, there would still be people on the streets."
"But not us," Megan said, a sultry smile lighting up her face.
Tony looked at Megan and saw the sexy provocative smile. Her heart skipped a beat before quickening and she agreed, "No. Not us."
Brushing against Tony’s body without losing a step, Megan said, "We have other plans."
Tony smirked at her partner and said, "Yes we do, so let’s find a cab."
Both women felt the cab ride back to the hotel lasted forever prolonged by the teasing touches passed back and forth that held the promise of what was to come.
Entering the hotel room they kicked off their shoes and embraced. Tony lowered her head and when her mouth met Megan’s soft moist slightly parted lips she felt a sudden jolt of pleasurable sensations. Raising her head and looking into the eyes of her lover she was captivated by the swirling gold flecks in the sea of green. Tony’s heart fluttered wildly, and placing a hand on either side of Megan’s face, her voice husky with desire, she said, "I want you."
Megan felt shivers run up and down her body at the sound of Tony’s low throaty voice. Looking into blue eyes almost black with passion, she placed her hands in the thick dark hair guiding the taller woman’s head down and meeting her mouth with her own. The lingering kiss quickly became deeper and more urgent as tongues sought and gained entrance thrusting around and against each other in a sensuous dance.
The passionate kiss ending, Tony moved her arms from around her lover and began unbuttoning Megan’s blouse. Her eye’s never leaving her lover’s, she eased the blouse down over Megan’s arms, her fingertips trailing its path until it fell to the floor. Moving her hands behind her partner she unfastened the bra and with fingers just grazing skin, she freed it from her lover’s arms.
Megan’s breathing quickened at Tony’s touch, pleasurable sensations running rampant. "Tony… hurry," she murmured and placed her hands under Tony’s top slowly moving upward until she reached the full firm breasts. Taking one in each hand, she began gently kneading them encouraged by her partner’s sharp intake of breath.
Tony leaned into Megan’s hands, moaning, the throbbing between her legs growing in intensity. She moved her hands down to her partner’s slacks unbuttoning and unzipping them. Sliding a hand inside, she ran her fingers across the soft skin above the curly hair. Feeling the shudder course through her lover, she moved her hand lower the middle finger gliding between lips laden with moisture before beginning its upward journey.
"Oh God, Tony wait…" dropping her hands from Tony’s breasts, she began pulling her pants and underwear down. Tony quickly drew her top over her head and tossed it across the room. Removing her bra, she undid her slacks and kicked them free of her legs along with her underwear.
Reaching for Megan, she said, "You are so beautiful." Pulling her close, she began backing up toward the bed her lips meeting the full sensuous ones of her lover. When they reached the bed, Tony fell onto it pulling her lover with her. Lifting them the rest of the way onto the bed, she began turning until she was stopped by Megan’s sultry voice and a restraining hand on her shoulder. "No. I want you here." A shiver ran through Tony’s body at the words and the throbbing between her legs became more insistent, her heart thundering uncontrollably as she relinquished control to her partner.
Megan looked into her Tony’s passion filled eyes and placed a fleeting kiss on her lips. Kissing her neck, she could feel her lover’s racing pulse. Running her tongue across her upper lip, she slowly moved her body downward urging Tony’s legs apart with her own. Running her tongue around the nipple, she caught it in her mouth grazing it lightly with her teeth, every moan her partner made driving her on. Her fingers moved to the other breast rolling the nipple between them. Tony moaned, "Please… Megan, I can’t wait… now," her hips moving against Megan’s abdomen her hands wrapped in her hair.
Megan felt her own desire escalate with each thrust of her partner’s hips. Shifting her body over until her legs were straddling one of Tony’s and still sucking on the firm sweet breast, she moved her hand down to the dark curly hair and separated the folds with her fingers placing three into the warm wet opening. With each thrust of her fingers, and the corresponding rhythmic movement of Tony’s hips, Megan’s own center was stimulated pushing her toward the brink along with her lover. Her senses on fire and her voice just a throaty whisper, she said, "I love you Tony." Tony’s hips raised off the bed and biting down hard, she stifled a scream of sweet release, her partner following her a few seconds later. Her body still shuddering from the aftereffects of the powerful orgasm, Tony held on tightly to her lover and murmured, "I love you so much."
* * *
Even though it was the weekend, the metrorail was just as busy as it had been the previous two days. Several stops later, Tony and Megan exited the train and began walking toward the mall. Emerging into daylight, Megan commented, "We have to get through the last three today because I still want to see the monuments."
Tony smiled at her partner, the dancing hazel eyes and winning smile contagious. Anything Megan wanted to see was fine with her.
Tony had been through all the museums and wanted her partner to enjoy their brief vacation.
Several hours later, Tony and Megan were sitting in the restaurant area of one of the Smithsonian’s eating cold turkey sandwiches and drinking Coke and Pepsi respectively. Tony nudged Megan under the table with her leg. Megan looked up and smiled, "And what was that for?"
"What are you thinking about?" Tony had watched Megan drift off and was curious.
"I just can’t believe that we’ve been here all morning and have only been in one museum. Some of those portraits were gorgeous. There’s just so much to see."
"We’ve still got all afternoon. We may have to be a little quicker about going through them though," she teased her partner.
"This is probably really boring for you since you’ve seen them all before," Megan commented hoping she wasn’t boring Tony to death. She knew Tony would never complain and she wanted her to have fun too. But this was the third day they had visited the mall.
Tony reached across the table, brushing a wisp of hair out of Megan’s face. She looked into the hazel eyes gazing at her and was overcome with the love she felt for the young woman. Her eyes conveying the depth of emotion she felt, she said, "Megan, nothing I do with you is boring. If we sat home after work every evening and watched TV I wouldn’t be bored if you were right there with me."
Megan felt a warm glow fill her inside at the softly spoken words. A smile covered her face. Tony always made her feel so special. She knew her cheeks had reddened with the compliment, and said the first thing that came into her mind, "You are so sweet."
It was Tony’s turn to blush and she said, "Sshh. Somebody might hear you," grinning to lighten the moment.
Megan chuckled knowing Tony’s self image did not necessarily include the word sweet. "I know, I know, we have to keep your image intact."
Tony walked beside Megan through the American History museum content to follow her partner’s lead. She remained attentive to Megan, but had donned her public persona with all senses tuned to their surroundings.
Hearing a commotion Tony quickly located the source. A little boy was expressing his unhappiness vocally while lying in the middle of an adjoining aisle. His small legs were steadily beating a rhythm of their own against the floor.
Her attention momentarily diverted to the child, Tony didn’t see the man who came barreling around the corner of another aisle in time to stop him from clipping Megan hard almost knocking her into the American flag display she was looking at.
Reflexes automatically took over and she grabbed her partner’s arm stopping her momentum into the display. Tony’s eyes narrowed as she tracked the path of the rude tourist. Knowing Megan was ok, she said, "I’ll be right back," with every intention of explaining some manners to the idiot.
The hard impact against her shoulder had caught Megan unaware and before she even realized her balance had been disrupted, she felt a strong hand on her arm steadying her.
At her partner’s words, she quickly placed a hand on Tony’s arm. "It’s ok. Forget about him." She had seen the look on her partner’s face and knew just how overprotective she could be. "He didn’t do it on purpose. He never saw me."
In an unforgiving voice Tony growled, "He could have stopped and apologized," but the hand on her arm had dissipated some of the anger she felt and the rest drained away when she looked at the gentle kind face of her lover smiling up at her.
Megan was enjoying herself. Even though Tony was a little overprotective, it was so reassuring to know she was there for her. She felt safe and protected.
Tony heard a peal of delighted laughter and looked to see what Megan was looking at.
Megan turned to her with a wide smile on her face. "Look. It’s Dorothy’s shoes from the Wizard of Oz and the Fonz’s jacket. I can’t believe they’re in a Smithsonian museum."
Tony smiled warmly back at her companion. Megan’s enthusiasm was so special. She was such a delight to be around. I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but I’m going to do everything I can to make you always want to stay.
"Kind of cool, huh? I guess someone decided they must be part of the American tradition," Tony said unable to wipe the matching grin off her face when she met the happy sparkling eyes that greeted hers. Chuckling to herself, she thought, we probably look like two silly teenagers. But right now, I really don’t care. When she’s happy I’m happy.
The Natural History museum was less crowded than the American History museum had been, and the two women were able to look at the exhibits in a more leisurely manner.
"Hey look at this. I didn’t think those things still existed. I can’t believe there is actually an expedition looking for them right now."
Tony stood next to Megan and looked at the large display. Grinning she said, "When you were a kid, did you ever watch those Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea repeats? The submarine was attacked by one once."
Bumping her partner with a hip, Megan said, "I’m being serious. I thought they died out a long time ago," she said, turning her attention back to the giant squid display. "I wonder if they’ll find one? When we get home I’m going to go online and check for the updates on this web site."
Tony shook her head amused that Megan found giant squids so interesting. "Come on. Let’s go see the dinosaurs."
Megan feeling the need to get back at her partner, said, "Don’t tell me, Jurassic Park is your favorite movie."
Tony laughed. "Maybe not favorite, but I liked it. I thought the T-Rex was cool."
"You would. I’m surprised you didn’t like the raptors the best," Megan retorted before looking into the mirth filled blue eyes watching her and breaking into laughter.
Walking along, trying not to miss anything, Megan looked up when she heard Tony call her name.
When Tony had the smaller woman’s attention, she continued in a stage whisper, "Your stomach’s growling."
"What do you expect? You walk my legs off all day and all we eat is a sandwich."
Tony gave Megan an affectionate adaptation of her look, and said, "Excuse me? And just who was originally going to try to see all the museums in one day?"
"I know you’re not talking about me. I’m the tourist, remember? I don’t know any better. You’re supposed to be the tour guide. Just because you tried to starve me today, don’t blame it on me."
Tony rolled her eyes and said with an exaggerated sigh, "Somehow I don’t think I’m going to win this one."
"Got that right," Megan said grinning.
"Would the tourist care to join the tour guide for dinner back at the hotel? Room service with all amenities?" Tony asked, bowing her head.
Laughing, Megan said, "The tourist would be delighted to."
* * *
The wind blew softly bending the blades of grass around the water. Standing in front of the Lincoln Memorial facing Reflection Pool, Megan was filled with a sense of peace and well being. Tony stood next to her, their bodies barely touching, but both comforted by the contact. It was a quiet moment in an otherwise busy day.
Megan thought about all they had crammed into the last several days and of how considerate Tony had been making sure she got to see everything she wanted to, culminating in their visits to the monuments today. She had been a patient, attentive guide and saved this stop for last.
Megan thoughts turned to the remaining stop on their vacation. She wasn’t sure what the next few days would bring, and for now she didn’t want to think about it. Later would be soon enough. Megan raised a hand to brush a stray piece of hair out of her face. The breeze felt good after the hot afternoon sun.
The sun was beginning to sink but the Washington Monument was still mirrored in the water and Megan glanced up at her partner and found the blue eyes watching her.
Smiling, she said, "It’s really nice here. It’s so peaceful."
"I know. I used to come down early in the morning and sit on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and watch the sun come up." Tony knew a moment of pure contentment
just standing there with her lover.
A short time later the two women began walking back toward the mall entrance to catch the metrorail back to the hotel.
* * *
The alley was devoid of light and quiet except for the muted sound of soft-soled shoes striking the pavement at regular intervals. A lone figure moved confidently down the alley at home in the darkness. Stopping in front of a door that would have been invisible except for the faint hint of light where the door met the frame, he opened it. His ears were assaulted by a cacophony of sound amplified by the deep bass of musical instruments reverberating off the walls. Walking down the dimly lit hallway, he stopped at a door with the word private written across it in gold script and entered, the din left behind.
The room was designed for comfort with four overstuffed chairs and two love seats arranged around a large marble top coffee table. The furniture was soft earth tones accented by plush beige carpeting. Lamps covered with ornately decorated glass shades lit the room creating uneven shadows on the wood grain paneling. On the other side of the room was a table that provided a large wood surface for anything from playing cards to holding a meeting. Tonight it would be used for the latter.
Looking at the five occupants sprawled comfortably around the room he nodded in greeting and received nods and murmurs of, "Hey Ben," in return.
Ben walked over and set his briefcase on the large table. Turning to the fully stocked bar he quickly perused the labels. Settling on MacAllan, he poured two fingers and then added ice. Ben was in his forties with chestnut brown hair that was just beginning to gray. At 5’10" and 180 pounds he was in top physical condition, and moved with the grace of a natural athlete. He was dressed casually in black chinos and a blue, button down sports shirt worn open at the neck.
Taking a large swallow of the scotch, he said, "Let’s get started." He waited for the three men and two women to take seats around the table, cognizant of the puzzled expressions on their faces. He had never called all the operatives to a single meeting before. It was the first time most of them had seen the others.