Vanguard Security

by S. J. Bishop

  God, it had been so long since I had slept with a woman. I was long overdue for some action.

  I fell back, groaning. Stacey had been a good fuck, sure, but even she hadn’t turned me on the way Cassandra did. This woman was a modern-day Aphrodite.

  All I wanted to do was barge into her bedroom and have my way with her. But what was the point? She’d never give into her feelings; she was too righteous in her endeavors.

  I got up, about to undress when I became acutely aware of my ankle bracelet. Pulling up my pant leg, the red blinking light seemed to stare at me. I had to get this blasted thing off of my body. I couldn’t become VanGuard’s little monkey – it was humiliating. Plus, I had no doubt that they wanted me to do their dirty work. Why else would they keep me around?

  Looking out the window, I planned my escape. I knew just the guy who’d be able to help. I just had to figure out how to get there.

  Trying my luck, I unlocked the window. To my surprise, it opened. I grinned. Seems like Cassandra had made the mistake of trusting me too soon.

  Without an ounce of hesitation, I slipped out the window, trying to be as silent as possible. But as I jumped down, the window slammed down, the sound echoing through the night. “Fuck,” I cursed under my breath.

  Knowing Cassandra would investigate the sound in a heartbeat, I made a break for it, running as fast I could to the street. Unfortunately, I had no idea where I was. This part of town was wholly unfamiliar to me. At the intersection, I paused, looking up and down the street, trying to determine the best way to go. This hesitation would cost me because the sound of footsteps thundered in my ears.

  Looking over my shoulder, I saw Cassandra sprinting right toward me.

  “Shit.” I dashed forward, my feet booming against the ground.

  But I wasn’t fast enough.

  Like a streak of fire, she caught up to me, tackling me to the ground.

  I tried to push her off me, but she was a feisty one, wrestling with me and trying to pacify me. The thing that surprised me was that I was actually holding back. Sure, with one punch, I probably could have stopped her, but I really didn’t want to hurt her.

  In the end, she pinned me down, her fingers wrapped around my wrists, breathing hard as she straddled me.

  “Well, hello there, sexy,” I smirked up at her, knowing it would piss her off. “I knew you’d come onto me sooner or later.”

  She growled at me, her grip tightening around my wrists and her nails digging into my skin. “You’re in so much trouble right now.”

  “Oh, are you going to punish me, mistress?” I taunted.

  Before she could say something else, we were interrupted by the rhythmic click, click, click of high heels against the sidewalk.

  Looking up, I saw a shadowy figure approach us. I could tell it was a woman by the sway of her hips. As she got closer, the wide-brimmed hat she wore obscured her face, giving her an air of mystery.

  “Evita? What are you doing here?” Cassandra asked, quickly getting to her feet and brushing herself off.

  I got up as well, standing beside Cassandra almost defensively. I didn’t know who this woman was. She seemed harmless enough, but I couldn’t quite tell. I had never seen someone quite like her before. Nonetheless, I felt the urge to protect Cassandra. For some reason, I hated the idea of her getting hurt.

  What the hell had gotten into me?

  I’d never cared about anyone other than myself before. Was I growing soft?

  No.

  “Cruz told me you had taken on a rather… interesting… assignment.” She turned her head in my direction, but even so, her face was shadowed. “He’s told me a lot about you, Emil. I have high hopes for you.”

  “Who the hell are you?” I snapped.

  “He’s got a temper,” she commented. “You two must be butting heads.”

  “Tell me about it,” Cassandra grumbled.

  Evita chuckled knowingly. “I’m sure you two will eventually learn to get along.”

  “I doubt it,” Cassandra answered. “I just caught him trying to escape.”

  “I wouldn’t be so sure, dear. Men have a strange way of weaseling into your heart when you least expect them to.”

  Cassandra laughed. “If you’re implying that I’m going to fall in love with this man, then you’ve completely lost your mind, Evita. Not in a million years.”

  “Hey, I’m not that bad,” I protested.

  “You can keep dreaming all you want, but you’re never going to lay a finger on me.”

  “Is that a promise?”

  “Actually, yes,” she growled. “So don’t even think of trying.”

  Evita tilted her head back slightly, her red lips coming into view, revealing a knowing smile. “In any case, I was planning a visit because I have something that I need you to do for me.”

  “Oh?” Cassandra tilted her head.

  “I need some leeway into the city’s black market, both to stop it and for a bit of… information, shall we say.”

  “What kind of information?”

  “Don’t worry about it.”

  “It’s about him, isn’t it?”

  Evita did not answer. Instead, she lowered her head, the shadows consuming her features. “Well, what do you say? Think you could help me, Emil? I might make it worth your while.” She reached out a hand, her long, red nails trailing along my jaw.

  I smirked. “Depends on what my reward is.”

  “All in due time,” she answered. “Think it over.” With that, she walked away, disappearing into the night’s darkness like some kind of apparition.

  8

  Cassandra

  Evita always had a way of showing up when you least expected it. She was an anomaly among the company. No one really knew her story. There were rumors, of course, but no truth on the matter ever passed her lips.

  “Who was that?” Emil asked.

  “Evita.”

  “What was up with her Morticia Addams look? Or does she think it’s Halloween or something?”

  “She always dresses like that. Rumor has it she’s in mourning.”

  “Huh?”

  “Her husband died or something,” I answered. “So she wears black.”

  “I see.”

  We were silent for a moment. I wondered what it would be like to have a love so strong that it would transcend even death. I frowned a little, yearning for that level of intimacy and knowing that I’d probably never achieve such a thing.

  “So…” Emil tottered on his feet.

  “Don’t think this gets you off the hook. You’re going to regret trying to escape.”

  He gulped dramatically.

  I rolled my eyes. “You’re such a child.”

  “You secretly like it, don’t you, Cassandra?”

  “You’re delusional,” I growled, snatching his hand and dragging him back home. “I’m going to make sure you don’t run off again.”

  “What are you going to do? Shove me inside a cage?” he mocked.

  “You should be careful what you wish for,” I whispered, pushing him onto my bed. A second later, I jumped on top of him, smirking down at him, my eyes blazing. My smirk deepened when I saw the look of surprise on his face. “You know, you’re not the only one who can tease.” I leaned down, feigning that I would kiss him. Doing so, his scent wafted up to my nose, turning my mind to mush.

  Damn. That wasn’t supposed to happen.

  I took a deep breath, becoming intoxicated by the musky scent. I was momentarily dazed, my heart beating fast.

  He grinned up at me. “I don’t mind.”

  His voice broke me out of my trance. Quickly, I reached into my nightstand, pulled out some handcuffs, and slapped them around his wrists.

  “Oh, we doing this the kinky way, huh? I should have known a redhead like you would be into some freaky stuff.” He flashed a dazzling smile, which made my heart pound even harder.

  Pushing aside the arousal I felt building up between my legs, I tied him to
the headboard and tested the bonds, making sure they were strong enough so that he couldn’t get away again. Once I was satisfied, I got off the bed and headed for the bathroom.

  “Hey! What are you doing?” He yanked on the cuffs, making a raucous. “You aren’t just going to leave me here, are you?”

  “Pretty much.”

  “You can’t do this,” he protested.

  “Watch me,” I challenged.

  “I’ll scream.”

  “Do that, and you’ll be rewarded with a gag.”

  “You’re evil,” he accused. “All I want is to have some fun with you, but you’re adamant about making this harder than it needs to be.”

  “You seem hard enough to me,” I said, looking at the growing bulge in his pants.

  Before he could say anything in response, I disappeared into the bathroom. There, I turned on the shower, getting the water to the perfect temperature. As steam started to fog up the mirrors, I shrugged off my clothes. My skin was covered with goosebumps, sensitive from my lust.

  Why was I so turned on by that man?

  He was a criminal. It didn’t make sense. And yet, the fire in my stomach had erupted into an inferno, threatening to consume me. I wanted to quench my desire, to just give in and have sex with him, but I couldn’t let that happen. I would never stoop that low.

  So I stepped into the shower and let the water wash over my body. I moaned ever so softly, my fingertips dancing against my pussy.

  It had been so long since I’d had an intimate relationship. I craved that sense of closeness – the heat that built up in the moment.

  But Emil was not the man for me.

  He was hot, sure, but that’s all he was. I’d just be wasting my time.

  Still, by the time I stepped out of the shower, my cheeks were glowing with a deep pink hue and my thighs were shaking. Slowly, I dried myself off, careful of my sensitive areas. When I slipped on my pajamas, my stiff nipples poked through the thin fabric. I waited for them for them to calm down, but they seemed determined to cut through diamonds.

  I thought about putting on a bra, but I detested sleeping with one. So I guess Emil would get a little bit of eye candy.

  As expected, he was still lying in my bed. He turned to look at me, his dark eyes shining with lust as he drank in my figure, his lips twitching into a satisfied smirk. “My, my, what do we have here?”

  I didn’t bother to respond. Instead, I slipped into bed next to him, my back to him.

  “Are you seriously going to ignore me?”

  “Yup.”

  “You really are evil,” he grumbled. “How am I supposed to sleep like this? It’s not exactly comfortable. Plus, it’s unbelievably cruel to place a beautiful woman in bed with me only to say that I can’t have her.”

  “You should have thought about that before you tried to run away.”

  “Are you saying that you would have slept with me if I had been a good boy?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Dammit… Why didn’t you tell me that in the first place?”

  I held back a chuckle.

  We fell into a silence. Soon enough, I heard his soft, regular breathing. I turned slowly to find him fast asleep. As I watched him, I felt a stirring inside of my chest that I hadn’t felt in a long, long time.

  My heart was beating fast. My cheeks burned with blush.

  Was I really attracted to this man?

  9

  Emil

  In the morning, my arms were sore and my shoulders were stiff.

  Fuck.

  I rattled the cuffs, but they wouldn’t budge.

  Beside me, Cassandra slept on peacefully, a strand of her red hair strewn across her face. I wanted to reach forward and pin it behind her ear, but I was sure that if I attempted such a thing, she’d probably snap my fingers in half or something. She had one hell of a temper. I kind of liked it. She was probably a little vixen in the sack.

  Just then, there came a soft knock on the door. “Mommy?”

  Cassandra continued to sleep.

  “Mommy?”

  With my foot, I nudged the sleeping woman.

  She jolted up, her eyes wide. “What? I’m up! I’m up!”

  “Your daughter wants you,” I said, tilting my head toward the door.

  “Shoot. What time is it?” she asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

  “Mommy?”

  Quickly, Cassandra rolled out of bed and stumbled toward the door. When she opened it, little Kimmy stood there, still clad in her princess pajamas.

  “What is it, pumpkin? Is something the matter?”

  “Where’s Mr. Emil?”

  “Oh… he’s a bit busy right now,” Cassandra answered, closing the door behind her, leaving me alone in her bedroom.

  Sighing, I stared at the ceiling. How had I gotten myself into this mess?

  A few minutes later, Cassandra reentered the room. She grabbed the key to the cuffs and unlocked them. “If you decide to pull a stunt again, I won’t be so nice the second time around.”

  “You were being nice?” I questioned.

  “Yup.”

  “Could have fooled me,” I said, rubbing the life back into my arms.

  “Now, get dressed. Kimmy wants to have breakfast with you. I don’t know why, but she seems to have taken a liking to you.”

  I smirked. “Seems like your daughter has more sense than you do.”

  She glared at me. “Shut up. I’m really not in the mood today.”

  As I looked at her, I noticed that there were clear bags under her eyes. “Are you alright?” I asked before I could stop myself. For some reason, I was worried about her.

  “Yeah. Don’t pretend like you care.”

  I frowned. “Jeez, who the hell fucked you the wrong way?”

  “Shut it,” she growled.

  I had a feeling that if I continued antagonizing her, she would probably bite my head off. So I quietly donned some fresh clothes. They weren’t really my style but at least they fit.

  When I was done, I headed for the kitchen. Kimmy was already sitting at the table, coloring. “Good morning!” she chimed. “How’d you like your slumber party with Mommy?”

  I chuckled. “Oh, it was a blast.”

  She giggled. “Mommy is funny.”

  “She is,” I agreed, sitting down beside her.

  “Do you want to help me color?” she asked, handing me a crayon.

  “I don’t really color.”

  “Anyone can color!” she insisted, looking at me with bright green eyes. She had her mother’s eyes, but her hair was a dark, almost blackish brown. I wondered, for a moment, who her father was and why he wasn’t a part of their family.

  Relenting, I took the tiny crayon and started to color with the little girl, feeling a little ridiculous. But at the same time, it filled me with warmth to be sharing this moment with her.

  By the time Cassandra walked into the kitchen, we had nearly finished the page we were working on. Eagerly, Kimmy jumped up to show her mother. “Look! Look!”

  “Oh, wow! That’s really good, princess.” She leaned down, kissing her daughter’s head.

  “Emil helped!”

  “Did he?” Cassandra looked up at me. For a brief moment, our eyes locked. It felt like she was holding something back, trying to hide something from me. Before long, she looked away, working on breakfast.

  “Yes! He’s good at coloring,” she said with a nod of her head.

  “That’s good,” she answered a bit dismissively. “Why don’t you go get dressed for school?”

  “But what about breakfast?”

  “It’ll be done by the time you get dressed.”

  “Okay!” Happily, she ran off.

  “So, when are you going to tell me what’s wrong?” I asked, leaning back in my chair. “You know, you’re not very good at a poker face.”

  “Nothing’s wrong,” she said, her voice cold.

  “Don’t lie, Cassandra.”

  “It doesn�
��t matter. It’s none of your business.”

  “Alright.” I dropped the subject. Obviously, pushing her would get me nowhere. “But if you want to talk about it, I’ll listen.”

  She scoffed.

  “I’m being serious.” I got up and stepped behind her, my lips nearly touching her ear. I thought about slipping my arms around her waist but I’d rather not tempt her into breaking my nose or something.

  “I don’t need your pity.”

  “You can’t just bottle things up inside. One day, that bottle will shatter, and that’s when everything goes to shit.” I ran my fingers through my hair, leaning against the counter as she made pancakes. “And I’d hate to see the same thing happen to you that happened to me.”

  Suddenly, she pointed her spatula at me like it was a weapon. “Listen to me,” she hissed. “I’m never going to turn into you.”

  “There’s a thin line between good and bad, Cassandra,” I whispered. “There’s plenty of good people who do bad things.”

  “Well, I’m not one of them,” she said, ever so stubborn.

  “Alright. If you say so.” I shrugged my shoulders. With nothing else to do, I grabbed a few plates, setting the table.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  “Thought I would help. Do you want to shoot me for that too?”

  She looked at me for a long while but then went back to cooking, stacking the pancakes onto a plate.

  When she was done, Kimmy walked in just on time, dressed in her school uniform. “Mmm! Pancakes!” she squealed. “My favorite!” Excitedly, she sat down beside me, unable to keep still. “Mmm,” she mused with fork and knife already in hand.

  I envied her innocence.

  10

  Cassandra

  Emil followed me to the bus stop.

  “Have a good day at school, okay?”

  “Okay!” Kimmy chimed, giving me a quick little kiss. She was just about to get on the bus when she doubled back and hugged Emil with a fierce tightness.

  He messed up her hair affectionately.

  Kimmy giggled and scampered off.