I Dated a Deadly Auditor

by Grace, Viola

  Being lucky was all she knew until the man from her past ends up auditing her active status, and she has to choose to run or stay. Run it is.

  Tirra has had it rough. She started out as a victim, turned into an asset, and ended up as a survivor. Her active life had started in an unorthodox way; her career was the result of years of focus, and working for Z-Tech as an executive trainer made it easy for her to transition into designing the training plan for the different escorts of the Blind Date Corporation.

  She spent five years working with the escorts and creating connections with restaurants, hotels, and other venues where dates would take place. As the resort was opened in Aksalla, she was chosen for the position of management when her past arrives to audit her active skills as an analyst. She is shocked by the appearance of the man she used to dread and desire with equal measure.

  Gorith had a party trick that could set any woman off with two points of contact. It had helped him carve out a niche when he was undercover, but when he met the manager of the resort, the echo from his past became a roar for the future. He might be classified as a monster, but he brought the same out in her, and together, they are going to have to fight their way through the dates, protocols, and a family wedding that he wasn’t prepared for.

  The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  I Dated a Deadly Auditor

  Copyright © 2021 by Viola Grace

  ISBN: 978-1-989892-83-1

  ©Cover art by Angela Waters

  All rights reserved. With the exception of review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the express permission of the publisher.

  Published by Viola Grace

  Look for me online at violagrace.com.

  I Dated a Deadly Auditor

  Blind Date Corporation Book 3

  By

  Viola Grace

  Chapter One

  Gorith stood in the headquarters of the Barnacorn crime family, holding the crime boss above his head. “Where. Is. She?”

  There were choked and gurgling noises from the crime boss before he gasped, “Gone.”

  “Where?”

  “Escaped!” He started sobbing.

  The peacekeepers and team members were around him, and Hron spoke softly. “Set him down, Gorith. He’s guilty, but not of this. The trackers have her blood, but it leads to a blank wall. Blockers are hiding her.”

  Gorith dropped the crime boss into a puddle of his own fluids. “Blockers? Where?”

  Hron put a hand to his arm. “Not here. Definitely not here. But you were worried about her, and she’s gone.”

  The crime boss sobbed. “Do you think you would have made it in if she was still here?”

  Gorith looked at him and smiled slowly. “Is that what she did for you?”

  “You know. You know what she was. You betrayed us all.”

  “I was never working for you.” Gorith picked him up again, and it took three team members to hold him back and nullify his powers before he tore the crime boss in half. Tarra Vell was gone, but he wasn’t going to stop looking. He had never met a woman so perfect in his life. If he didn’t find her, he would find the crime boss again and rip him in half down the centre.

  The luck for the Barnacorn crime family had definitely changed.

  * * * *

  Tarra curled up in the back of the vehicle as she was driven ten hours away from her prison. Breiada City was going to be her new home. She had bypassed the offered witness protection and had gone for organizing her own escape. Bribing people with luck was surprisingly easy.

  She had a list of the things she wanted to do. She wanted to make coffee, learn to drive, get an education, an apartment, and pick her own clothing. Tarra kept going through the lists of things she needed to learn how to do. Make money. Shop. Go to school. Buy clothing. Buy groceries. Learn to cook. Learn to be a person and not a pet. She was going to have a lot of learning ahead of her. She tried to think of it as an adventure and not an insurmountable hurdle. Tarra kept her focus on the future and not on the past four years with the Barnacorn crime family. That was something she was trying to put in her past as quickly as she possibly could. Her future had so many things for her to learn.

  * * * *

  Tarra chuckled at her co-worker’s joke about actives screwing in a lightbulb. The punchline involved the reference to size; they were both minimizers. Tarra had gotten good at humour. She was only a fraction of a second behind the others when she laughed, and no one ever noticed.

  Today, she and her team were working with the managers of Z-Tech and running them through new government policies on registering new biological chemical formulas and components. After their break, they were going to have to go back to it.

  One of the scientists looked at her, tapping his fingers. His activation had hit him hard—he had a huge rack of horns and shining blue skin. “Why do we need to do all this documentation?” He snarled the words.

  Tarra smiled and activated a projector. “Killfell City, Lucan Township, and the Village of Barneeth were all the victims of biological attacks. Investigations indicated that the chemical components of the attacks were designed in reputable labs, and if they had been registered, the counteragents would have had a chance to get dispersed, and the death tolls could have been reduced.”

  The citizens of the three areas had been blistered, boiled, and the village had been liquified.

  The researcher nodded. “Right. That makes sense in retrospect.” He calmed down. “Of course. Understood, Ms. Argent.”

  It wasn’t the first outburst from Researcher Krizt, and it wouldn’t be the last. But he had a lot on his mind. Literally. A few pounds of horn.

  Tirra Argent was the name on her tag and the name she now answered to. It was close enough to her first name that she answered to it, and no one had really used her last name before her escape, so answering to Argent was just like answering to Ms. It wasn’t anything she called herself, so it didn’t really matter.

  They went through the government documentation with the representative from the research division there and spent the day stepping through each form depending on the thrust of the research.

  At the end of the day, Tirra was exhausted but happy. It was an excellent day, and her company was getting a fat payday from Z-Tech.

  She cleared up the boardroom and was on her way out when a smiling woman stopped her. Tirra recognized her from news clips she had viewed regarding the company. “Good afternoon, Researcher Zera.”

  “It is nearly evening, Ms. Argent. Was it a productive session?”

  “Yes. I think they have it. We have a helpline who can walk the researchers or their assistants through any of the issues that will arise.”

  Zera leaned toward her. “That is very helpful. What are you doing right now?”

  “Uh, heading home and then going over the reviews that your researchers have filed on the session today.” She juggled her tablets and her bag.

  “Would you be interested in accompanying me for dinner? My sister can join us, and we can get a private room.”

  “What kind of food?”

  Zera grinned. “What kind would you like?”

  Tirra bit her lip. “I like sushi?”

  “That is doable. Come with me, we can get a transport, and Susa will meet us there.”

  Tirra blinked and thought about her options. Zera looked calm without any strange underlying urges. “Lead the way.”

  Tirra got everything in the bag and walked with Zera into the elevator, and they head
ed down to the main floor. One of the automated transports of the capitol arrived, and Zera urged her to enter first. Once inside, the directions to the restaurant were given, and Tirra’s eyes widened. “My clothing is not appropriate for that place.”

  Zera smiled. “Do you want to change?”

  “I have not laid in clothing that is appropriate.”

  “Don’t worry. I have a full selection and a few things in your size. You are taller than you seem.”

  “Oh, that is just how I carry myself. I try not to radiate an intimidating presence. The height thing was a late addition to my development.”

  “How late?”

  “I was in my twenties when the growth spurt hit. It was like something had been holding me back.” She chuckled.

  “Right. Not the weirdest activation I have heard of.”

  “Oh, I am not an active.” She smiled. It was a lie that was official, on paper. She had never been tested.

  “Really, Ms. Argent? If you are not an active, I am a lizard. You radiate power. How do you explain that?”

  “I think I should skip dinner.”

  “Don’t fuss about it. I am not going to demand you register. You are wanted in too many countries for me to want you exposed, and I believe I can offer you an interesting career path.”

  “What?”

  “I would like to hire you as our in-house educator and reference desk. I have plans for a resort on the Aksalla border in a few. Eventually, I would like to transfer you there to act as manager for the facility. You have the attention to detail and understanding of procedures that would really be able to get the job done.”

  Tirra was surprised. Zera seemed to have brushed past the issue that haunted Tirra. She tried to focus on her future, but her past was determined to bite her in the ass. “So, where are the clothes that you mentioned?”

  “Oh, in the headquarters of the Blind Date Corporation. It is a little side business.”

  “So, the escorts for actives... that is a real thing?”

  “You have heard of it?”

  “Sure, the guys talk in lunchrooms, and I go to a lot of businesses.” She smiled. “I have been working for the education program for two years since getting my degree. I would be interested in learning a new process.”

  “Will you help me design a training program? Mine has been mostly hit and miss.”

  “How involved do I need to be?”

  “Just help me develop a protocol and become the help desk.”

  Tirra paused. “I will let you know after dinner, but treat me like a client who wants companionship but not sex.”

  Zera grinned. “Deal, but first, we have to dress for dinner.”

  The transport pulled up at an elegant high-rise, and they walked in as Zera scanned through a series of security protocols.

  The stations set up were together, and Tirra frowned. It wasn’t right. If there were multiple escorts, they all needed their own stations. They could share a wardrobe for clothing that would be stored in a mass storage unit, and as she looked around, she started taking notes.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I have worked with some theatre companies, and I have some ideas for a more efficient use of resources.”

  Zera smiled. “You don’t say.”

  Tirra was measured by computer scan, and a selection of clothes that would fit was displayed to her. Zera leaned over and chose before Tirra could do anything.

  “It will be a few minutes. Did you want to look around?”

  Tirra smiled slowly. “This is why you brought me here.”

  “Ah, intuitive as well as lovely. Come with me.”

  They went on a tour, and Tirra made notes. When they returned to the dressing area, her clothing and makeup were ready, so she quickly got dressed and stepped into the shoes with her work clothes folded in her bag, shoes tucked in next to them.

  “That bag ruins the line of the dress.”

  Tirra looked down at the royal blue silk. “I do realize that, but I will not be parted from my data pad.”

  “I can give you something sleeker for the evening.”

  “I wish to leave for home right after dinner. I will courier the clothing and shoes back to you afterward.”

  Zera sighed. “Fine. Do you have ideas for the company yet?”

  “I have a few, but I am not working for you yet, so we will have to wait and see.”

  “So, I have until after dinner to win you over to our case?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then, let’s go.”

  They headed down the lift, got into a transport, and were whisked away to a very expensive part of town.

  A woman made of soft edges and cotton candy hair greeted them. Susara was the same age as Zera but looked about nineteen. Zera had timeless features.

  Susara smiled. “Hello, Tirra, is it?”

  “It is. You both seem very young for this.” They were all dressed elegantly and walked into the restaurant only to be bowed to by the hostess and led through the tables to a private room. Gazes followed them through the restaurant, and Tirra was surprised at how much attention they were getting.

  They sat on the cushions, and Susara smiled. “So, Zera is trying to recruit you?”

  Zera cleared her throat. “As an analyst and trainer only, Susa.”

  “Pity. You have a certain cool, aloof nature that would appeal to the clientele. You command attention.”

  “I am not an active.” She smiled gently and looked at her menu.

  Zera chuckled. “If that ever changes. Let me know.”

  They ordered and engaged in polite chitchat about working with actives and how Tirra handled the endless questions at the sessions, no matter how irate the staff got.

  “I have been asked a lot of questions, and the only ones I considered silly were the ones that were asked twice in the same session by the same person.” Tirra smiled. “Any other question is something that needs to be answered, so I answer it.”

  Zera chuckled. “Well, we are young, but you aren’t too much older. What are you, twenty-three?”

  “Um, yes.”

  Their food was brought in, and the discreet server disappeared.

  “That is a nice trick. It is hard to get discreet service.” She began to eat with the others.

  Zera looked at her and nodded. “I think that having you look for hotels and restaurants as well as other venues who would guarantee discretion would be part of your job.”

  “Really? Eating in four-star restaurants and five-star hotels? How would that be a function of my work?”

  “Well, we would put you in a mask and get a trusted patron to act as a stunt date. There would be no romance or interaction between you, aside from him getting to spend the night with a statuesque woman and you getting a good meal.”

  Tirra frowned. “Why is that important?”

  “We need to know if they are going to spy on our patrons, harass our escorts, or stalk them after the fact.”

  “They need masks.”

  Zera blinked. “What?”

  “They need a mask that can let them see via a HUD and thermal imaging. That way, their identity is protected, and so is that of the patron. They can’t circumvent your program and won’t seek each other out and possibly cause an issue outside the confines of the dating agency.” Tirra cocked her head. “Sex is the goal, yes?”

  Zera nodded. “It is the end game for most of the dates, yes.”

  “So, after I set up the connections and verify security in the different restaurants, you will need to actually come here and copulate in the venues with a patron who does not mind being seen.”

  Zera grinned. “It sounds like you are willing to work with us.”

  “Allow me that fried dumpling and then tell me what the pay scale is, and we can begin negotiations.”

  Susara handed over the dumpling, and the number was thrown out, and the negotiations started.

  Two hours and some iced mango later and a deal was struck. Tirra
would put in her notice at the corporate educator group and go to work for the special branch at Z-Tech with most of her workload assigned to Blind Date Corporation.

  Over the next five years, she had fun designing protocols, new masks, and going to dinner with the retired team member Harmik. He enjoyed their dates, and they had a nice time. He helped her on the days that the prototype masks shorted out and made sure she always got back to her base at the end of their dates. They attended the opera, sporting events, restaurants, and even went horseback riding. They went on a hundred dates in five years, and each one was different.

  When the time came to go work at the resort, she was ready to enjoy a new challenge. Designing a restaurant with private accommodations was fun, as was working through new aspects like running the spa and hiring specialists to run activities. Hiring medical staff to take care of any incidences was part and parcel of running the resort.

  Zera’s legal department had taken care of obtaining a ninety-nine-year lease on the area, and her contractors had built a top-of-the-line resort that made its own power.

  There was one thing that legal insisted on, and that was that Tirra finally register as an escort. She didn’t have to be matched with anyone, but it would provide her tax breaks on the work she did for the resort if she was considered on standby for a date.

  So, for the sake of a tax break, she agreed that she was an effect-based active, and she registered with BDC. She had no idea what she had just unleashed.

  Chapter Two

  “There are some jobs that you hate the moment you wake up.” Tirra looked around at the resort and the pleasant atmosphere for a dozen escorts and six patrons at a time. “This is not one of them.”

  She walked out of her house and headed to the beach down the path to the lake. Her loose trousers and fluttering shirt masked all sight of her body, and she carried only a towel out of her residence at dawn.