by Nash, Lisa
“They want money, of course,” Davis said.
“They do? You’ve heard from them?”
“No,” Davis admitted, “but what else could they want?”
The Senator chuckled. “Let’s hope that’s all they want. Despite popular perception, I’ve learned over the years that money isn’t the most coveted commodity on the market.”
“Then what is it you think they want, Artie?”
The Senator placed the photo of the redhead on his dark maple wood desk and turned to a framed black and white picture of the Capitol in Washington DC under construction in 1860. “Control.”
-9-
Thomas followed Cora out of the cantina and across the street. She stopped once she stepped up on the curb and playfully admonished him for following too closely. “You have to study your prey from afar before you pounce, Mr. Miller.”
“Is that what you are, my prey?”
She squinted slightly and flashed a playful smile. “Maybe. I suppose it’s entirely possible that you are my prey, and I’m just luring you into a trap.” She turned and walked away. Her dress danced across her ass as she put one foot in front of the other over and over again.
He waited until she turned the corner before he continued his pursuit. His pace was slow and relaxed at first, but as he felt the distance between them grow, his steps got quicker, and he felt an inkling of panic seep into the back of his brain. He couldn’t let her get away.
He dashed around the sidewalk and his stomach turned. The street was empty. No cars. No pedestrians. No Cora. He counted the stores. Seven. She must have gone inside one of them, but which one?
He took a few steps down the sidewalk examining the first two shops on either side of the street. Peering through the window of the first one, he was startled by someone tapping on his shoulder. It was her. It had to be. Please, let it be her. He zipped around only to find a man with disheveled hair, both on his head and face, staring back at him.
“You Mr. Miller?”
Thomas backed away from his horrendous breath and said, “I am.”
“Lady give me money to tell you that you only got one shot.”
“What?”
“Choose wrong and the hunt is over.”
“Choose what wrong?”
The dirt-covered homeless man shook his head. “She went in one of these here shops on this block. You pick the wrong one, and she’s done with you.” He smiled and revealed a grin with more gum than teeth. “If I was you, I’d pray to the heavens above for guidance because that was one pretty lady. Hate to lose my chances with her.”
Thomas looked up and down the street and then pulled some cash out of his pocket. “How much to tell me which store she went into?”
The homeless man licked his lips as he stared at the money in Thomas’ hand. “If I was a dishonest man, I’d say fifty.”
“What does that mean?”
“Means she made me close my eyes so I couldn’t see which shop it was.”
Thomas sighed. “You sure you didn’t peek just a little?”
“I was tempted to.” He leaned with his atrocious breath. “Lady that pretty, I could look at her all day.” He pulled back. “But like I said, I’m an honest man. She paid me to pass you the message and close my eyes. I done both as per our agreement.”
Thomas groaned and gave him some money anyway.
“What’s this for?”
“For having such good taste in women.”
The homeless man smiled with his lips tightly closed. “Mister, you just paid me for having a heartbeat ‘cause that young lady is the prettiest thing on any street she’s on.”
Thomas nodded in agreement and stepped off the curb. He could discuss how beautiful Cora was with the old guy all day, but he had prey to hunt.
The next three stores on his side of the street were a shoe store, a bagel shop, and a liquor store. The shoe store was a possibility, but it was too risky to jump to a conclusion based on his assumption that all women liked shoes.
He turned to the other side of the street and quickly dismissed the pizza by the slice place and souvenir shop. He felt the sense of panic creep back in his head, and he grew more and more convinced he was going to make the wrong choice and lose Cora. Was he going to be the only idiot who ever lost his Bio-Syn? If he did, he knew he could kiss the job goodbye.
He was about to move down the sidewalk when he noticed the sign for the last store on the other side of the street. The name practically slapped him in the face. He formed a fist with his hand and gave a quick jab above his head to punctuate the excitement that was pouring through his veins. He had found his prey.
The red neon light flickered, and he could hear the hum of it from where he was standing. It was so far away he wasn’t sure how, but he could. He turned to the homeless man, and said “I found her.” Smiling, he trotted to a store called The Intimate Chase.
Inside the store, he stood and soaked in the merchandise. Lingerie, costumes, porn downloads for virtually any portable device, and adult toys were all neatly displayed on racks and pegs throughout the small shop. He immediately started to question his choice. Would Cora really lead him into a XXX shop? That was extremely risqué. Even for a woman whose primary personality was that of a porn star.
“Mr. Miller?”
Thomas turned to see a surprisingly well-dressed woman approach him from the register. He had visited his share of adult toy stores in his life, and she did not look at all like the salespeople he’d encountered. Most wore khakis and golf shirts with the name of the store embroidered above their left breast pockets. Their hair was dyed colors that did not appear on the natural spectrum. But this woman wore a sophisticated pants suit and had paid a fortune for a dye job that didn’t look like a dye job.
“Yes,” he said.
“I am to give you this.”
He looked down at her outstretched arm and nearly gasped at the sight of Cora’s blue dress draped across her forearm. He took it while trying to conceal his shocked expression.
“Cora made a purchase and has decided to wear it out of the shop.”
“I see,” he said trying to sound cool.
“She’s asked that you pick out a pair of shoes for her,” the woman said stepping back and motioning towards the back corner of the store. Dozens of high heeled shoes and boots sat on shelves and display tables.
“I’m afraid I don’t know anything about shoes,” Thomas said.
The woman smiled and said, “When picking out shoes for a lady, Mr. Miller, one’s knowledge of footwear is far less important than one’s knowledge of women.”
“But shouldn’t I at least coordinate with the outfit she purchased?”
“Indeed you should.”
“I don’t know what she purchased.”
“Mr. Miller, look around the store. What colors do you see in our apparel?”
He did as she suggested and took in three colors: black, white, and red.
“Cora has a fantastic body, Mr. Miller. She likes to be noticed. You can imagine she’s chosen an outfit that will do just that. You should look for shoes that will draw attention to the magic she creates when she walks.”
He looked at the sales lady. “You know Cora?”
She shook her head. “No, but I’ve been doing this long enough to get a sense of what my customers want and need.”
“Any hints?”
“Yes, Mr. Miller, of course,” she said returning to the register. “What Cora wants is a pair of shoes that you’ve picked out for her. What Cora needs… well, I’m sure you’ll be giving that to her later.”
He felt his dick jump as the word ‘later’ left her mouth. “Can you tell me what size, at least?”
“Six.”
Thomas walked past the register and stood in front of the racks of shoes. He had never before purchased shoes for a woman. He picked up a pair of pumps and examined the dangerous spiky heel. How could anyone walk in something so precarious? They might as well have been
stilts. He gave cursory attention to a few more pairs and then dropped his chin to his chest. He was going to fail this test. He was going to pick the wrong pair and Cora was going to run screaming out of the store.
He was about to plead with the sales woman for help when a pair of suede zebra-print thigh-high boots caught his attention. Once he saw them, he could not look away. He didn’t just want to see Cora in those boots. He had to see Cora in those boots.
The sales woman approved his selection. “For someone who doesn’t know what he’s doing, you certainly have interesting taste.”
“Is ‘interesting’ good?”
“We cater exclusively to interesting people, Mr. Miller.”
Thomas smiled out of joy, excitement, and relief.
“Those are sixes. You can take them back to the dressing room to Cora.”
“Now?”
“She’s waiting for you.”
“Is she dressed?”
“Not if you’re lucky.”
Thomas scooped up the boots and nervously navigated his way through the store to the dressing rooms. He wasn’t sure what had him so flustered. He had seen her nude just about an hour ago. She had begged to suck his cock… but she hadn’t really. Not Cora. The bio-synthetic that was named Cora begged to suck his cock at the request of a severe looking woman who was cold and lifeless. This Cora that he was about to possibly see naked was alive and vibrant and entirely unpredictable.
He stood at the doorway that led to the short corridor of dressing rooms. There were three rooms. Two doors were open. The one on the end was shut. He let out a long breath and moved quietly down the hallway until he stood in front of the closed door. “Cora?”
She did not answer right away. He knew what she was doing. She was letting the anticipation build. She was making him suffer just a little bit longer. “Yes,” she finally said with a cheery tone.
He settled his nerves and said, “I have your boots.”
“Boots? My, my, someone has bold taste.”
He gritted his teeth. It almost sounded as if she was scolding him.
He heard the handle being pressed down and then watched anxiously as the door slowly opened.
“Bold is good,” she said.
She was not naked. But, she was nearly naked. She wore a black sheer cami and a black, barely there g-string. He could not speak. This was not the woman he saw naked in the conference room. This woman was entirely different. The body was the same. But there was something more there now. It wasn’t just that she was wearing clothes, skimpy and revealing clothes, but clothes nonetheless. There was something vital about her that was missing before.
“I hope you don’t mind,” she said. “I wanted your opinion on the panties and cami.”
He didn’t answer. He wanted to say something suave and cool, but it was impossible to think anything but ‘Holy shit!’
“You don’t like?” She asked with a pulse pounding pout on her face.
Thomas fought his way out of his shock, and decided he needed to turn up his game a notch. “I like very much, but I’d love them even more if they were on the floor.”
She giggled. “Don’t be bad, Mr. Miller.”
He looked hurt by her scolding.
“Not yet.”
“It’s kind of hard to be good with you standing there looking like that.”
“I should hope so,” she said turning so he could see the back of her outfit.
He nearly passed out from the sight of her tight, perfectly shaped ass adorned by so little fabric.
She turned back around and looked at his crotch. “And I see you meant hard in the very literal sense.”
His cheeks flushed when he realized for the first time that his dick was as stiff as a steel beam.
She bit her lip and stepped forward with her eyes locked on his erection. “Mr. Miller, you should be ashamed.”
He fumbled for a response, but had no idea what was an appropriate apology for sporting wood in front of a half naked woman.
“That is far too much… inspiration you have hidden in those pants.”
“Inspiration?”
“Oh my, yes. The things I could do with that. The places I could put it. What I’d like to see you do with it.”
Thomas’ mouth went dry. He turned to see if anyone was at the end of the hallway and then looked back at her.
“You probably think I’m such a whore, but I promise you I’ve never done this sort of thing before. I’ve never said these things before. I’ve barely even thought these things before. There is just something about you. Something that makes me want to be naughty for you… no, that’s not quite right. I want you to want me to be naughty. Do you want me to be naughty, Mr. Miller?”
He swallowed even though there was no saliva in his mouth. “You have no idea.”
She smiled. “Do you really want to turn me on?”
“I would jump in front of a bus if that would turn you on.”
“Nothing that drastic. I just want you to help me get dressed.”
He tried to hide his confusion. “Get dressed?”
“Yes, Mr. Miller. Dressed.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him into the dressing room. “Did you think I would fuck you in a dressing room in an intimate apparel shop?”
“Think? No. Hope? Absolutely.”
She slapped him playfully on the shoulder. “The thought did cross my mind, but there’s something you should know about me.”
“What?”
“I’m a screamer. I’m not going to lie. I love to get fucked, and I can’t hold back. I moan and groan and beg for more. I’m afraid we’d be arrested for public indecency.”
Now the saliva in Thomas’ mouth was working overtime. He found himself on the verge of drooling.
“Besides you’d never do it.”
“Do what?”
“Fuck me. Here. With Linda the friendly saleswoman out front. You’re not that type.”
He shook his head. “No, I’m not, but I find myself not really wanting to be my type around you. I want to be whatever type you want me to be.”
She stepped back and crossed her arms. “I do think you’re trying to charm your way into my pussy, Mr. Miller.”
Thomas leaned in closer.
“Before we go any further, we should even the playing field a bit,” she said.
“Meaning?”
“Meaning you have on too many pieces of clothing.”
Thomas chuckled. “You want me to get undressed? I thought I was supposed to help you get dressed.”
“I’m adapting to the whims of the moment, Mr. Miller. Take off your jacket, tie, and shirt.”
Thomas looked back at the door and then gave into the once-in-a-lifetime atmosphere that was brewing. He calmly removed the items of clothing she’d requested, tossing them on the floor one by one as he did.
Cora reached out and ran her fingers across the hair on his chiseled chest. “I’m happy to see you are a real man, Mr. Miller.”
“You had doubts?”
“It’s just that too many men today think that a hairless chest is sexy. I find nothing less sexy than a man who grooms himself to look like a boy.” She squeezed his biceps. “My God, I love the feel of a man’s arm.”
He avoided the need he felt to tell her that he worked out. It sounded unimportant and conceited in his head, and he was sure it would ruin the moment.
“I’m impressed enough to see more,” she said.
“More?”
“The pants.”
His hands were on his belt before he had time to chicken out. He was going to fuck the hottest woman he had ever seen in the dressing room of The Intimate Chase. He would probably get arrested with this dick out and a smile on his face, and he didn’t care.
With his shoes, socks, and pants off, he stood in front of Cora in a pair of green boxers. His penis had almost stretched the fabric to the tearing point.
She gently raked her hand down his stomach and playfully dug her fingertips jus
t inside the elastic band of his underwear. “Do I turn you on, Mr. Miller?”
He looked at his erection. “Isn’t it obvious?”
“An erection on a man is as hard to elicit as a hump on a camel, Mr. Miller. Your biological response, while massive in size, is not an indication that I turn you on. You’re simply under the control of your hormones.”
“I promise you that I have never been this turned on, and it’s not just because you’re a woman. It’s because you’re… you.”
“Then prove it.”
“How?”
“Do something with your hard on.”
He cocked his head to the left. “What would you like me to do with my hard on?”
She smiled coyly. “You’re going to think I’m so, so bad.”
“Cora,” he said, “I think you’re the bad I always wanted.”
“Well then.” She said changing her smile from coy to sly. “Let’s kill two birds with one stone. There is an act that can prove to me that you are turned on by me and, at the same time, make me unbelievably wet.”
“I’m listening.”
“Stroke your cock.”
Thomas felt a bead of sweat run down his forehead. “Excuse me?”
She rose up on her tiptoes and whispered, “Pull down your boxers. Wrap your hand around your cock and slowly start stroking it. That’s not biological. That’s a conscious act. If you’re moved to masturbating in public, I’ll know you’re turned on. And that, Mr. Miller, will turn me on.”
Thomas involuntarily closed his eyes as he soaked in her scent. He wanted her more than he’d wanted anything in his life. He stepped back, placed his fingers under the elastic of his boxers and pulled them down. His dick bounced wildly as he stepped out of his underwear.
Cora put her hand over her opened mouth. “God damn, Mr. Miller.”
“What?” he asked with bright red cheeks.
“That fucking thing is gorgeous. Long and thick.” She placed her hand on his chest. “That’s a power cock.”
Thomas laughed. “Well, I’m glad you like it because it’s the only one I’ve got.” He stepped toward her, but she pushed him back.
“No, no. Let’s see it. Put your hand around that big cock.”
