Vinny, understanding what was at stake, agreed. Male, female, old, young—it did not matter to the mission. Standing, he nodded to the leader he trusted with his life. “When do I leave?”
“I’ll have the details by the end of the week and you need to be ready to fly to California in a couple of weeks.”
His cocky grin back in place, he nodded as he said, “You got it, Sir.”
Tony looked back to the file in front of him, a slow smile beginning to spread across his face. This mission will be good for Vinny. Good for the agency, but good for Vinny.
*
Sherrie ended her meeting with her bosses and organized her files on her desk. Looking at them, she realizes that Mr. Marks’ needs for her had decreased while Simon’s had increased. As she continued to ponder the workload, she realized that Mr. Marks was definitely taking on less and less. I’ve been so busy with my CASA case, I hadn’t even noticed. Is he ill? The more she thought about it, the more concerned she became.
She checked the time and hurried down the hall to his office, wanting to catch him before he left. His door was opened, but she knocked on the door frame anyway. He looked up, smiling, and invited her in.
“Did we forget something at our meeting?” he asked.
“No, sir. I just…um.” Now that she was there, she was not sure what to say.
Laughing, he pointed to the old, comfortable leather chair in front of his desk. “My dear, just come right out with it. I think we’ve grown familiar enough with each other that you can just ask me what is on your mind.”
She settled in the seat, resisting the urge to lean back in the soft leather, instead perching at the edge. “Sir, I’ve noticed that you’re not giving me as many assignments as before and I was, well…are you still satisfied with my work?”
“Sherrie, of course I’m satisfied. You are one of the best paralegals I have ever worked with in my long career.”
Noticing he emphasized the word ‘long’, she was unable to ascertain what he meant by that. She watched as he took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes, then brought out a cloth from his jacket pocket to clean his spectacles off before replacing them. Sighing, he said, “I’ve been thinking of something for a while now, but until I talked to Simon to get things settled, I hadn’t wanted to say anything.”
“Are you well?” she could not help but burst out.
His eyes widened in surprise and he quickly said, “Oh, yes. I’m fine. I’m so sorry that you worried. I never thought that you would think of illness.” He looked over at her with a gentle, fatherly look on his face and said simply, “I’m retiring, my dear. It’s been a long career in law that I have loved. But now, I’m feeling my age. My wife’s mother needs more care. My wife and I would like to travel more and see the grandkids. The time is right.”
Sherrie did not know what to say. The idea of him leaving the office filled her with sadness, but the idea that he could be free to do what he needed or wanted certainly was deserved. “I…I’ll miss you so much,” she admitted, “But I can see why you want to retire.”
“Thank you, Sherrie. I’ve been slowing down, turning more over to Simon but I realize that I’ll need to have someone replace me. Simon and I have talked. He’ll buy out my share of the business and then will hire another lawyer since it will be important for him to have a say in who he works with. As far as you and the receptionist, of course your jobs are safe.”
She was grateful, especially since she had not even considered that her job might be in jeopardy. “Do you know when you’ll retire?”
“I was thinking in about another two months. That will give the office a chance to make more changes and time for us to make all of the arrangements. My wife and I will sell our home here and be moving to North Carolina to be nearer her mother and our daughter. And it will satisfy my need to get out on the water and do some fishing,” he added, a smile on his face.
“Um…what about your cabin?” she asked hesitantly, wondering if they would keep it so that she and Tony could return sometime.
“I’ve got a buyer for it and will have it off my hands soon. My wife and I are trying to simplify everything.”
Nodding, she tried to keep the disappointed look off of her face. Lifting her gaze back to his, she said honestly, “I’ll miss you, Mr. Marks. You gave me a chance when no one else would.”
He rose from his seat and walked over to her, taking her hand and pulling her from her chair. Holding both of her hands, he said warmly, “You have been like another daughter to me these past two years. I appreciate everything you do and wish you nothing but the best.” With that, he lifted her right hand to his lips, giving a soft kiss.
*
Sitting in her car, Sherrie watched Betina as she left school and hopped on a Richland Transport bus. She followed her, noting that she did not get off at the grocery or the laundry. In fact, she followed her all the way to the large, downtown bus station. Parking, she quickly found Betina standing near the edge of the building talking to two young women, their luggage at their feet.
What the hell is she doing? Sherrie moved closer so that she could hear, but not be readily seen. A group of tall lockers stood between her and Betina and she prayed that they stayed on the other side.
“You don’t have any family here?” Betina asked. The two others must have indicated they did not, because Betina continued. “I was like you too. Came into town not knowing anyone and was on the streets in no time. Costs a ton of money to rent an apartment. And food? Totally outrageous.”
“So how’d you make it,” another girl’s voice asked.
“Finally met a great guy who runs a grocery. He likes to hire teens because it helps them and keeps his costs down too. Plus I get some food every day and he’ll help find you roommates to share an apartment with.”
“How lucky you are,” came another female voice. “You think he’s looking for more help?”
“He’s always looking,” Betina answered. “I hear he’s opening a club and he’ll need help there as well. How old are you?”
“I’m eighteen and she’s sixteen,” was the answer.
“That’s perfect. He’ll train you as a cocktail waitress and you can make a ton of money in tips.”
“What about me?” the younger voice asked.
Sherrie heard a hesitation in Betina’s response. Leaning closer to the end of the row of lockers, she strained to hear.
“He’ll…take care of you too. He’s got…um…different jobs he can give for… um…different stuff.”
“Well, we just got off the bus with nowhere to go. How do we get in touch with him?”
“I’ve got a card with the grocery’s address on it. You can stop by there anytime and if he’s not there, just ask for the assistant manager, Juan.”
“What about now? Can you show us?”
Sherrie heard the soft sigh coming from Betina. What is she doing? It’s like she’s recruiting them for jobs. There’s no way Hernando can take all of these kids to work. And club? What club? Her mind racing with thoughts, she almost missed the fact that they had walked over to one of the buses. Peeking around the lockers, she saw Betina buy the tickets before handing them to the other two girls. Getting a good look at them now, she could see that the older one had auburn hair pulled into a ponytail with a top-heavy figure showcased in a tight t-shirt. The younger girl had stringy blonde hair and was very slim.
What kind of club is she talking about? Having worked as a cocktail waitress before, Sherrie knew that if it was a slimy place like she had been in, the expectation was that the waitresses would perform any service just like the strippers on stage. Sherrie had resisted, but she was in her early twenties at the time and capable of making her own decisions. These girls? They looked tired, hungry and willing to take what was given.
She quickly got back into her car, now that she knew they were heading to the grocery. Getting there before the city transit, she parked close enough to see what was going on without being intrusi
ve.
She saw when the three girls alighted from the bus and walked to the store. Juan was outside placing new sales signs on the windows when they approached. Damn, I wish I could hear what they are saying. She rolled her window down and strained to hear anything from the conversation.
*
Tony’s phone rang and as he glanced at the identification, he saw it came from his surveillance room. “Yeah?”
“Got a visual of Sherrie sitting in her car outside the grocery. That girl she works with is standing outside also with two other girls and a man, not Hernando. She’s not in trouble, but just thought I’d let you know. She’s obviously trying to see what’s going on.” Chuck, the newest hire for Alvarez Security, laughed. “Yeah, she has her window down and is half hanging out of the car trying to listen. I’m not sure her surveillance skills are quite up to your standards, boss.”
“Fuck,” Tony said, rubbing his hand over his face. “Keep watching and let me know when she leaves.”
“Got it,” came the affirmative.
Tony sat back in his chair, thoughts of Sherrie filling his mind. Lily walked in to hand him some information on a case and noticed his pensiveness.
“You okay, Tony?” she asked.
Starting to just agree, he hesitated.
“It is work or Sherrie?” she prodded, then smiled. “I know business is good, it must be Sherrie.”
Chuckling, he nodded. “It seems…harder. Or different. I…” He knew he was not making sense, but had difficulty putting into words the emotions swirling around.
Lily sat in the chair across from him and asked, “Tony, were you around much with your first wife?”
“Truthfully? No. I was usually away on duty.”
“So, even though you loved your wife and she must have not minded being alone while you served overseas, you were removed from a lot of the day to day annoyances. You know, like who squeezes the toothpaste from the bottom, kind of stuff.”
He sat, thoughtful. Did Marla resent me being gone? She always seemed so in control of everything and when I was home, we just enjoyed each other. His mind rolled to Sherrie and the corners of his mouth began to turn up.
“Living with someone, day in and day out, isn’t easy. It’s not all naked fun,” Lily giggled. Then her face sobered as she thought of the issues she and Matt had had to work on. “I guess what I’m saying is that the relationship you have with Sherrie is nothing like what you had with your wife years before.”
Tony nodded as he turned his gaze to the wise woman sitting in front of him. “You’re right,” he agreed, knowing that Marla had been easy-tempered and complacent, exactly what he needed then. But Sherrie? She was fire and ice…and he love it.
Lily stood, nodding to the papers on his desk. “That’s some of the work I’ve been helping Matt and Shane with. I’ve done some digging on the missing girls that Gabe and Jobe are working on as well. There may be a link, Tony. Give me another day and I think we may need to meet.”
Trusting Lily’s instinct, he nodded as she left.
*
Finally, the man outside the grocery walked inside with the two girls from the bus station. They were all smiling, but Sherrie could not get the feeling that something untoward was happening and it directly involved Betina. The young girl started walking down the street, so Sherrie jumped out of her car and called to her.
A startled looked appeared on Betina’s face instead of the usual smile that Sherrie received.
“Um…hey,” Betina said, adopting an air of nonchalance.
Not wasting time, Sherrie approached her. “You want to tell me what that was all about?”
“What?” Betina asked. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Those girls. The bus station. Hernando being such an altruistic guy. The club. Talk to me, Betina. What is going on?”
Eyes wide with fright, Betina glanced around quickly to see if anyone was around. Grabbing Sherrie’s arm she pulled her over toward the parking lot. “You shouldn’t be following me,” she hissed.
“What’s going on?” Sherrie repeated. “You can’t tell me that something’s not happening and I’ve got a bad feeling.” She saw tears in Betina’s eyes and a look of agony.
“I’m just trying to help,” she answered. “That’s all.” Glancing around nervously, she said, “We really can’t talk here. I’m fine. I promise.”
Betina turned to walk back down the street, then stopped when she heard Sherrie call, “I care about you. Please let me help.” Twisting around, she said once again, “My life is in my art.”
“Betina, I don’t know what you mean by that,” Sherrie admitted, her frustration at an all-time high.
Glancing around once more, she leaned in slightly toward Sherrie and said, “The eyes are the mirror of my soul.” Her quote was accompanied with her eyes filled with pleading.
With that, Betina hurried around the corner, leaving Sherrie standing on the street, as perplexed as ever. Getting into her car, she drove home, determined to re-examine the art pad and not stop until she discovered what Betina was talking about.
*
She missed the man in the car, listening to their conversation. Hernando had driven up and saw Betina and the nosy bitch having what looked like an argument. Betina was his best recruiter, easily manipulated by threats against her mother. Maybe it’s time to move her to the club. A few nights being used by the men looking for young pussy would go a long way to keeping her under control. The idea had merit, but then he watched the bitch drive away. But if Betina disappears, Ms. Mullins would be looking for her, and that could get messy. Unless, he thought with a smile, Ms. Mullins is taken care of. After all, there are more clubs than just his that can always use pussy. She would bring a good price. Smiling, he left his car and walked into the store to meet the two new recruits.
*
That evening Tony found Sherrie sitting at the kitchen table, an art pad in front of her as she poured over each picture. She looked up guiltily as he walked in.
“Oh, no. I lost track of time and didn’t even think about dinner.”
Walking over, he pulled out his phone and quickly ordered pizza to be delivered before leaning down to kiss her. Taking her face in his hands, he deepened the kiss, determined to take away the look of fatigue on her face.
“You never have to worry about fixing dinner for me, babe. I’m just as capable of getting us something. Anyway, you look like you are hard at work.” He leaned back in for another taste. His dick reared to life as his hand slid down to cup her breast. Rubbing his thumb over her nipple, he captured her moan in his mouth.
“Food’s not gonna be here for at least twenty minutes,” he pointed out.
Her answer to his unasked question was to suck his tongue into her mouth while palming the straining erection pressing against his jean zipper.
Lifting her in his arms, he felt her legs wrap around his waist. Backing her a few feet, he carried her to the stairs before laying her down. Pulling her yoga pants over her hips, dragging her panties along with them, he tossed them to the bottom of the stairs. She leaned up and fumbled with his zipper, trying to get it over his swollen cock.
“Thank God you don’t go commando or I’d be afraid of zipping your dick,” she said between breathless kisses.
“Don’t even joke about a zipped dick, baby,” he warned, pushing her hands away and taking care of his jeans himself. He watched as she lifted her shirt over her head and threw it across the banister to land somewhere in the hall below. He grabbed the front of her bra and with a flip of his wrist had it unsnapped and tossed it somewhere behind him.
Laid back against the stairs, she was perfect. Toned figure with her natural breasts free and her legs parted, her glistening pussy bared for his perusal. Not able to wait, he pulled her legs over his shoulders and dove in, latching his mouth on her clit before licking her folds. God, I love the taste of her.
The mini explosions sent her head back against the stairs as her hands
grabbed his hair, holding on for the ride. It did not take long for her inner core to tighten like a spring ready to snap. Lifting his hands to her breasts while keeping his tongue deep inside, he tweaked and pulled each nipple. Moving quickly back to suck her clit deeply into his mouth, he felt her shatter as he lapped her juices.
Screaming her release, she pushed her hips up keeping them in contact with his face. Not that he was going anywhere; at least, not until he had ridden out her orgasm. Gently pulling her legs from his shoulders, he watched as her satisfied smile filled him. Feeling more connected with her than with anyone ever in his life, he knew what Lily meant. This woman was worth everything to him.
“Over baby,” he ordered, assisting her in turning over to face the stairs, her gorgeous ass in the air. Dragging the end of his straining cock through her juices, he knew she was ready. Plunging to the hilt, he pushed as deeply as he could. “You okay?” he asked, loving the feel of her tight pussy already grabbing his dick, but wanting to make sure she was comfortable.
A moan and the backward push of her hips, further impaling his erection into her, was her answer.
Grabbing her hips, he pounded into her. The time for slow and easy had passed. With the slapping of his balls against her ass sounding in the stairwell, he reached around finding her breasts bouncing with each thrust. Pinching first one nipple and then the other quickly had her panting, trying to find her release again.
He looked down at the woman in front of him. Her back, smooth and silky, ending in a lusciously curved ass just perfect for his hands. He moved his thumb over her rosebud opening and, expecting her to stiffen, was surprised to find her pushing herself back toward him even further.
“You’d like that sometime, baby?” he asked, applying slight pressure to her opening without penetrating.
“Yes, anything with you,” she admitted between breaths.
Smiling, he glanced at the mirror on the hall opposite of the stairs, catching a glimpse of their bodies. Seeing her breasts bouncing up and down as he pulled out and pushed back made him even harder, if that was possible. She quickly reached the peak again and screamed his name out once more as the explosion rocketed from her pussy outwards to her whole being. Within a few more strokes, he felt his balls tighten as he released deep inside of her. Throwing his head back, he roared as he powered through his own orgasm.
Tony: Alvarez Security Series Page 22
