by Noah Layton
Cassandra turned back to face me, staring at my intensely as she bit her lip.
She descended to her knees, moving between my legs and wrapping her fingers around my throbbing cock. Her touch was perfection, but the press of her tongue to my shaft and her ascent to my head, which she passionately wrapped her lips around, was somehow even better.
I collapsed back against the bed and ran my fingers into her auburn hair, feelings its softness as she bobbed her head up and down on my cock, pushing herself deeper and deeper until she was filling her mouth up with my dick.
I managed to raise my head long enough to see her devilish eyes gazing back at me. She proceeded to lap her smooth wet tongue against my cock, and it sent my head straight back down against the bed.
‘Fuck…’ I moaned out as she drew herself away from me.
She panted for breath, licking my cock ferociously before moving onto the mattress and straddling my waist.
‘Looks like we weren’t kidding about tipping the gold out and rolling around in it,’ Cassandra whispered, positioning herself over my waist and lowering herself down slowly.
I took my wet, throbbing cock in my hand and touched my head to the dripping wetness between her legs.
‘Looks like I wasn’t the only one who wanted it,’ I said as Cassandra suspended herself over me, her hands pressed tightly to my chest as just the head of my cock rested inside of her.
‘Can you really blame me?’ She grinned, sinking herself down and taking every inch of me. ‘Oh, god…!’
Her walls gripped my shaft as I filled her up, her wet hot tightness feeling incredible against me.
I relaxed against the bed as she straddled me, supporting her weight with her hands on my chest as she worked her hips up and down against me.
My hands were upon her hips, but I didn’t have to do a thing; she was using my body to pleasure herself, desperate to have me.
And I was achingly happy to let her.
‘Yes, yes…’ She moaned as I locked eyes with her, gazing back at her intensely. I sat up, wrapping my arms around her and she around mine as our bodies grinded against each other, as close as two people could possibly be.
Our skin was searing hot and our faces smeared with sweat in the warm room, but neither of us cared; if anything it only made my mind more dazed, more willing to give myself up completely to this incredible woman.
She filled herself up with me, holding my length within her as she grinded her hips against me, finally letting out an almighty scream as she came around me. The sight of her, the sound of her and the sensation of her was all too much for me too.
I groaned out, pressing my lips into her neck as I emptied my seed into her. My whole body shuddered until my orgasm finally subsided.
For half a minute I stayed within her, our bodies wrapped up together as we shuddered and twitched in the aftermath of the heat and the adrenaline taking us over.
‘Oh my god…’ Cassandra panted, pressing her forehead to mine as an uncontrollable laugh escaped her lips. ‘That was incredible…’
‘Yeah…’ I breathed as we collapsed back onto the bed. ‘You’re unbelievable.’
‘So are you, Drake. Now I certainly don’t regret coming and knocking on your door…’
9 – Hideout
We laid on the bed together with our heads in a daze, quietly dozing for a little while. Eventually the room became so hot that I had to get up and throw the windows open, giving a view onto the rooftops over the district.
‘You want a drink?’ Cassandra said.
‘I think the beers will have gone warm by now. That’s the last thing I want.’
‘Well then, how about something that’s supposed to be drank warm?’
Cassandra pushed off the bed, stretching her arms over her head. She was still completely naked, and even though I had just experienced her body in a way few men had, I still couldn’t take my eyes off her as she crossed to the door.
‘Where are you going?’ I asked.
‘I’ve got a bottle of whisky in my bedroom.’
‘You’re naked, in case you didn’t know,’ I said dryly.
‘I know,’ she said casually, batting her hand at me, ‘it’s only next door.’
She unlocked the door and peered out into the hallway as the sounds from the bar below grew louder.
‘Coast is clear,’ she winked at me over her shoulder, sliding out and heading to her quarters.
I shook my head in disbelief and couldn’t help but smile as her round ass strolled out of sight for a moment.
I turned in the messy bed and took up one of the pieces of gold that had gotten lost in the sheets.
I flicked the coin up into the air caught it, then scraped up the rest of the coins and piled them back into the sack from which they had been poured.
Cassandra returned just as I dropped the bag down on the bedside table next to my journal, still completely naked, but this time brandishing a bottle of whisky.
‘Successfully evaded capture,’ she said with faux-seriousness.
‘What was that thing you said again about people distracting themselves with drink?’ I replied.
‘Hey, this is just a celebratory reward for the both of us. It’s a totally different thing.’
She sank onto the bed and unscrewed the top, taking a sip from the bottle. I stretched out beside her and she snuggled up to me, handing me the bottle. I examined it.
‘This is pretty nice stuff,’ I said, examining it and taking a drink. ‘Where’d you get it?’
‘I found it.’
I shot her a look.
‘Okay, I stole it, but from a big refinery and only because I was broke at the time.’
‘Lucky you didn’t get a price put on your head. The big companies in this city have a lot of sway with the High Council.’
‘You have no idea how bad it really is.’
‘You saw that when you worked at the Spire?’
‘Oh, yeah. I was a grunt. What I saw hardly scratched the surface, but however bad you think it is, it’s worse.’
‘I don’t know, I’ve seen some shit in this city. My mind can plum deaths that scare even me sometimes.’
‘Then it’s what you would expect. Corruption scattered all over the place. The whole shebang.’
‘At least their half-assed attempts at law enforcement mean people like me get paid well.’
‘People like us,’ Cassandra said. ‘After our little outing tonight… I don’t know, but I kind of like this line of work. Really feels like I’m actually doing something useful. And forget half-assed. It’s no-assed.’
I chuckled and took another drink from the bottle of whisky, then handed it back to her.
‘So what’s next?’ She continued. ‘We hit up another bounty?’
‘We pool our gold and go get set up in our own quarters somewhere. Somewhere secluded and private that we can use as a hideout.’
‘Keep talking.’
‘And then…’ I leaned over to the bedside table and took up my journal. ‘We get started.’
‘Get started on what?’
‘Take a look and see for yourself.’
Cassandra set down the bottle of whisky and flicked through the journal.
‘What is this…?’
‘That’s my own detailed guidebook to the real criminals in this city. The gangs. The ones who run things.’
‘Damn, you’ve got everything,’ Cassandra said with an impressed tone. ‘Locations, rackets, members, even… Are these illustrations?’
‘Some I snatched from the bounty offices, others I drew myself from having passed them by. Just a little hobby that I’ve been working on since I got started in this thing.’
‘These aren’t half bad. But you’re not seriously thinking of going after these guys, are you?’
‘The gangs are where the real money is. The only problem is getting caught. Most bounty hunters are happy with going after the small-timers and coasting from day to day, but the
bounties on the heads of the gangs are huge. Only problem is-’
‘They’re much more competent at killing than the usual goons you hunters probably go after.’
‘Exactly. Which is why, when we do get around to taking them down, we have to do it quietly, anonymously, and piece-by-piece. But we’ll get to that later. Right now we need to take down a few premium lone-wolfs.’
‘What does that mean?’
‘A premium lone-wolf is the name I give to the guys who are stupid enough to commit a grand crime but smart enough to make a successful run for it. They’re a threat to the public, and their heads are worth a small fortune.’
‘Well, then,’ Cassandra said, snapping my journal shut and tapping me on the chest with it. ‘I guess it’s time to go on a spending spree, and not the frivolous kind.’
***
We got a good night’s sleep and dressed the next day before heading out and grabbing some breakfast from a vendor. After walking the streets and wolfing it down, we journeyed to the local real estate office.
She kept watch outside while I headed in to find our new digs.
A spectacle-clad goblin sat behind the desk and looked up from a large scroll as we entered. The walls were scattered with maps that were scrawled with edits and amendments.
‘Good morning,’ he started. ‘What can I do for you?’
‘I’m looking to rent some new quarters in the district,’ I replied. ‘Something in the centre that’s high-up and well-hidden. You got anything like that?’
‘That depends entirely on how much you’re willing to pay.’
‘Money isn’t an issue. As long as its secluded.’
‘That’s always the answer that I like to hear,’ he chuckled, standing stiffly from his wooden chair and hobbling over to the wall of maps to my right. ‘Where is that new spot…?’
He surveyed it for a moment from behind his spectacles, then-
‘Ah-hah! Here we are. You’ll like this one, it doesn’t even exist.’
‘… Come again?’
‘Long story short is there’s a landlord of a building in the centre of the district. Kicked out a warlock a few weeks ago, and while he was cleaning the apartment out he came across a secret room that had been built next to the room in question. It can only be uncovered with a magic spell. He wanted rid of it, but we convinced him he could make more coin if he rented it out.
‘Large space, has its own balcony, kitchen, living space. Completely clean, too, seeing as it’s never been used.’
‘That sounds exactly like the kind of place I could use. How much?’
‘200 gold pieces a month.’
‘I’ll take it.’
I paid the first two month’s rent in advance and received a deed, the key and the charm word needed to gain access in return – acalancia.
I met up outside with Cassandra and she took the lead to our second stop – a weaponsmith.
‘How does an ex-High Council employee even know about a weaponsmith?’
‘My knives, remember? Plus I used to browse there on more than a few occasions. I mean, who hasn’t fantasised about killing their boss every now and again?’
‘You joined this trade way too late.’
We arrived a short time later on the street in question. Some districts – the places where the higher-ups and well-to-do’s lived – had streets occupied by nothing but bakeries and market stalls that sold the freshest fruits and vegetables, but most weren’t like those. Weaponsmiths and armorers didn’t have to hide down alleyways, they were right out in the open, and they were proud that they sold items of destruction.
Two huge trolls stood outside off Smith and Smith Weapons, with large war-axes sheathed over their backs. Both Cassandra and I were armed, as half of Spire City was, so the trolls didn’t have to check us for weapons or remind us not to do anything stupid.
Their presence alone was enough of a warning.
We passed them by and headed inside. A range of well-organised weapons of all kinds adorned the walls and sat behind glass cases; melee, ranged, concealed and explosive.
It was an assassin’s dream.
‘Now I see why you liked coming in here.’
‘You didn’t have a weaponsmith in your old district?’
‘I did, but not one quite as well-stocked as this. Didn’t often have the need to go shopping for new equipment, either. It’s nice to be back in a place like this.’
A third troll stood behind the counter opposite the door, his arms crossed. There was less of a brunt force to his character and more of a sense of quiet intelligence, especially for a troll.
Not that he couldn’t probably rip my arms off while I was still breathing and beat me to death with them, but the consideration in his eyes suggested to me that he was smart.
‘What can I supply for you today, human?’ He said with a gruff but serving tone. ‘See you’re already kitted with a sword, a dagger, two for your lady-friend…’
‘We’re good for melee weapons,’ I started. ‘Ranged is what I’m looking for.’
‘A bow? Or something a little more powerful? I’ve got some lovely crossbows in stock.’
‘They’ve never been for me.’ I leaned over the counter and ushered the troll closer. He leaned towards me with a fish-hooked eyebrow, so close that I could smell the disgusting cologne he was wearing. ‘You got any guns?’
The troll raised his other eyebrow and leaned back sharply.
‘Something even more powerful?’ He said curiously. ‘There aren’t many people carrying firearms in the city. Too expensive and clunky for most. But it’s your coin.’
‘You’re going to purchase a gun?’ Cassandra whispered over my shoulder as the troll fished around for another trunk. ‘I’ve never even seen one before.’
‘I’ve always wanted one. Hopefully it won’t backfire on me… Literally.’
Firearms in Spire City were an obscurity, and an experimental technology at that. They were heavy and unwieldy, and could take minutes to reload if you weren’t a practiced hand.
But one good shot from them was enough to take out your enemy easily.
The troll flipped the lid on a crate and displayed the contents to me.
‘I’ve got two cutting-edge pieces. Firstly you’ve got your standard rifle. It’s got decent range, reasonable accuracy, the usual deal. Single-shot, and reload time is about as long as you’d expect, but it depends how fast your hands are, much like many things in life.’
The troll lifted up the rifle, checked the chamber was empty, and handed it over to me.
I got a feel for the weapon. For somebody who had killed so many small-time bad guys over the course of my life, I had never been one for firearms before. I had handled them on plenty of occasions, but never owned one. They weren’t my style of fighting, but considering the dangerous nature of the jerks I would likely be going up against in the future, it was prudent that I handled something with a little more of a kick.
‘What about the other one?’ I asked, handing it back to him and nodding to the small metallic shape half-buried in the hay.
The troll replaced the rifle and lifted out the second item.
‘Standard pistol, and good for one shot, just like the rifle. If I’m being completely honest with you it’s reasonably useless at long-ranges. That said, don’t be fooled by it’s size. It’s easily concealable and if fired at close-range it can cut down your enemy like that.’ The troll clicked his fingers slickly.
Another check of the chamber and he handed it across to me. It was still a heavy piece, but lightweight in comparison to my other weapons, aside from my dagger.
‘How much do you want for both of them?’ I asked.
‘I’ll give you both for 500. I’ll even throw in 5 shells for each.’
I set the pistol back down in the crate and examined them both.
‘Throw in the crate and you’ve got yourself a deal.’
Five minutes later Cassandra and I left Smith and Smiths 500
gold pieces lighter and with the crate tucked under my arm.
‘Hopefully it will be a worthy investment,’ Cassandra said.
‘Cleaner and faster kills,’ I replied. ‘What could go wrong?’
‘Just hope that their faces don’t get obscured.’
‘I’ve planned for that, don’t worry.’
‘Okay, I’ll take your word for it. Now let’s go check out this apartment.’
Our hideout was on the top floor of a three-story building only a five minute walk from the weaponsmith.
I used the key to unlock the building’s front door and we took the stairs to the top floor. Much like the rest of the Adler District, this building was bohemian and echoing with freedom. Fast-moving tenants who came and went without paying much attention to their neighbours.
I liked that. I liked it a lot.
Cassandra and I ascended to the top floor and arrived at the end of the corridor, finding nothing but a blank brick wall past two doors on the wall behind. Music was playing somewhere.
I fished out the spell word and read it back.
‘Acalancia.’
A doorknob flicked out of the brickwork, and the vague outline of a door cracked into place.
I took the second key from my pocket, looked over my shoulder once more and unlocked it. Cassandra and I ducked inside, and I swiftly closed the door behind me.
The large open-plan quarters were filled with natural light courtesy of high-ceiling windows on the opposite side of the room, and a pair of windowed doors that gave out onto a small balcony overlooking the district.
Furniture was sparse, but I liked it that way – a large bed was set up against the right wall, along with a new bathtub, an armchair, a desk and a further chair pushed into it.
‘A little bare, Drake,’ Cassandra remarked, moving into the room and throwing her arms up as she spun gracefully on the ball of her foot, her tail flicking up in the air behind her. ‘But it’ll do nicely.’
‘Just getting started,’ I smiled, crossing the room to the balcony and opening the doors. A warm breeze hit me as I looked out over the rooftops and down onto the bustling streets below. Up here we couldn’t be seen. We could plot and plan in private.
