Part Nine - The Bargain

Part Nine
The Bargain

Lara slammed her mouse against the table again loudly, her frustration boiling over as she stared at the obscure error message displayed on the screen. It was as if the computer was mocking her.

“What was that?” Alan asked her from down the phone.

Alan was on speaker phone as Lara’s phone sat on the desk in front of her. They were mid conversation from their daily call to each other when she had abused her mouse in anger.

“I’m getting that stupid error message again,” she said to him. “It won’t let me export the file.”

Lara had spent the last day and a half editing the blowjob video she had filmed with Dave. Stitching together footage from different angles. Syncing up the original audio explanation to the video. Adding a little royalty free music to certain parts.

She had also recorded some fresh audio for the part where Dave had thrown her over the side of the bed and fucked her face. That part had been challenging. He had been brutal and tonally, it didn’t really fit with the rest of the video. But she had managed to put together a product she was proud of putting out to the world.

She had mostly avoided angles showing Dave’s face and body. It wasn’t an appealing image. His dick was impressive, though. So she had focused there. And obviously, on herself. And she was nearly done. She was trying to export the finished product from her editing suite into a file format that would play on any device. And her computer was not co-operating.

“Maybe save it and restart the program again. Might help,” Alan said, his voice coming through clearly from the phone.

“Yeah, I’ll try that one more time,” Lara said, a little exasperated at this point. As irritating as this minor setback was, she had enjoyed the experience. The satisfaction of the project slowly coming together had felt really good. She had told Alan this already.

What she hadn’t told him was how aroused she had gotten from watching herself blow Dave. So much high definition footage, from a multitude of angles. It had made her incredibly horny. She had to admit to herself that this wasn’t some fleeting thing. It was a pattern. Her amateur video with Alan, walking in on Jenny with Dave in his office, and now spending hours watching herself fellate Dave in all manner of ways as her own voice described everything. There was no denying it any more. She liked watching people have sex. She liked it even more when it was her on screen. It was a kink, for sure.

When Alan had called her for their regular chat, she had almost asked him to come over. She needed to be fucked. But she had resisted. He had a big exam later today and it wouldn’t have been fair on him. He would have jumped at the chance, she knew that, but he needed to concentrate on studying. So she had clamped down the urge, her plan being to finish the video and reward her hard work by spending some time with her favourite toy. But inches from the finishing line, her laptop was not behaving itself. She had gone nearly the entire project without a single hitch or technical problem. Until the last few minutes.

“No joy. Same error,” she said, sighing.

“Okay. Just do a full restart. You haven’t tried that yet. Save everything and shut down the laptop completely. Let it sit for a minute and then start it up again,” Alan said, trying to be helpful. His technical knowledge was limited but he figured that the old “turn it off and on again” approach was worth giving a go.

“Yeah, good idea,” she replied. “How is the studying going?” she asked, filling the time as she waited for the laptop to shut down.

“Well, it’s going. How good or bad, I won’t really know until I’m put to the test. It’s a lot harder without Lenny’s help, I’ve got to admit,” he said.

Lara had asked Alan to stop using Lenny’s “help” on his exams. Help being a euphemism for cheating. Lenny had been supplying Will, Rob and Alan with the answer keys for their college course. Lara didn’t like the thought of them using him and making fun of him behind his back. Alan had taken some convincing as he didn’t see the harm in a friend helping another friend out. But she had insisted, reminding him that if he finished college without doing it himself, he was only cheating himself. He had admitted that she had a point.

Lara had followed up the moral argument with a more physical one. She had told him teasingly that she only fucked honest guys. That little titbit had sealed the deal. Alan was now taking the exam under his own steam. Pass or fail, it would be all him.

“You’ll do great,” she said, trying to encourage him. “When you get your results back, let’s go out to celebrate,” she said, her laptop now whirring to life again as it booted back up.

“Yeah. Definitely. I can’t wait to see you. In person, I mean. Don’t get me wrong, talking every day is great but.... um.... what I mean is....” he said, worrying he was about to say the wrong thing.

“Trust me, Alan. I know exactly what you mean. It will be worth the wait. I’ll make sure of it,” she said giggling down the phone at his obvious desire.

God, I wish he was here right now. I’d jump him.

“Sounds great. Where would you like to go? There is a decent restaurant I know halfway between your new apartment and my dorm. I could book something for the two of us?” he said, sounding excited. Lara didn’t answer him.

“OH MY FUCKING GOD!” she shouted in disbelief.

“What? What’s wrong, Lara?” Alan said, concerned something had happened to her.

“It’s gone! Everything is gone! The files. The project file. Even the raw footage. It isn’t here!” she said, panicking as she clicked into random folders hoping it would all reappear.

“Are you sure you are in the correct directory?” Alan said, privately relieved that she was fine and that it was just a technical hiccup.

“Yes, I’m sure!” she replied back irritably. “It was here before and now it’s just.... gone. Fucking hell, Alan. All my work. Fuck, fuck, fuck! What do I do?” she asked him in desperation. The line was quiet for a moment.

“I don’t really know, Lara. I’m more of an email and pornhub type of guy,” he said, wanting to help but not knowing exactly how.

“Alan, you’re course is in engineering for Christ’s sake!” she said, confused on why he wasn’t helping.

“Yeah. Lara I know how to use engineering stuff. AutoCad and the like. You are hardly using that to edit your video,” he said, defensively.

“Right. Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Sorry, Alan. I didn’t mean to snap at you,” she said.

I shouldn’t be blaming him. It’s not his fault.

“It’s fine. Listen, the rest of your files are there, right? The drive isn’t wiped. So they can’t have just disappeared on their own. They might still be stored somewhere. We just have to find out where,” he said, trying to work through the problem.

“Yeah. Yeah, good thinking.”

“Oh shit,” she heard Alan say down the line. “The time, Lara. I have to go. My exam starts soon. Are you going to be okay?” he asked.

“I’m fine, don’t worry. You concentrate on your exam. You’ll do great. I’ll talk to you later,” she said.

“Bye,” he said hanging up the phone.

Lara just stared at the screen. Hours upon hours of painstaking work, meticulously editing the blowjob tutorial into something presentable, had all been for nothing. Her computer's inexplicable behaviour had wiped out over a days worth of progress, leaving her with nothing but a bitter taste in her mouth and the urge to smash something.

She dragged a hand through her hair, tugging at the brunette locks in agitation as she tried to think. Alan was right. There had to be a way to salvage this. She couldn't let all that effort go to waste, not to mention the money Dave was counting on from the sales.

If the footage was lost, she would have to go back to Dave and explain. He’d want to film it again. He had gotten carried away last time. Who knew what he would try if they had to reshoot it? Plus, she had assured him she knew what she was doing. It would be really embarrassing. She had worked hard to prove she wasn’t just some bimbo. This setback would not help her case to be taken seriously. Then a thought occurred to her.

Lenny!

If anyone could help with this sort of thing, it was him. He could probably do it in his sleep. And he was besotted with Lara, she knew. If she asked, he would come running. Lara picked up her phone and scrolled to the “L” section of her contacts list and clicked on his number, tapping her foot impatiently as she waited for him to pick up. After a long and frustrating wait, he finally answered.

“Hello?”

“Lenny, it’s me. Lara. Listen, I could really use your help. I'm in a real bind here. My computer just randomly deleted some files. Files I need. Lenny, it’s the footage I made with Dave. You know the footage I’m talking about?” she asked, not wanting to spell it out completely.

“Uh, yeah. I do. And it’s just gone?” he asked.

“Yes. The raw footage. The edited footage. The entire project file. I was getting some error when I tried to export the finished product and I restarted the machine. When it booted back up, the directory was completely empty. Lenny, I don’t know what to do here. Can you come over and help? Please?” she asked. “You made me a promise once to help with any tech issues I had, remember?”

He didn’t answer straight away. The silence down the end of the phone made her worry. After a long pause, he finally answered.

“Lara, you know I’d help normally. But today is just, really bad timing. Can it wait?” he asked.

He was busy? Lenny? Really? She thought in surprise. She had assumed he would just be home alone, as per usual.

“Not really, Lenny. Dave wants it by tomorrow and part of me is afraid the longer I leave it, the less chance there is of recovering my work. I’ve spent hours on this. Can’t you come? What are you in the middle of?” she asked, trying not to sound too demanding.

“I’m LARPing,” he replied, simply.

“Lenny, I’ll be honest with you. I have no idea what that is,” she said.

“Live Action Role-Playing. We dress up. Cosplay, ya know? We each have characters and roles and we play out a story. It’s a lot of fun,” he said, excitedly.

“Right. And you can’t LARP some other day?” she asked, hopefully.

“Lara, I’m Knight Harold of Cumbersnatch. He’s kind of important to the story. If I leave, it sort of fucks everything up for everyone else,” he said, doubt in his voice.

“I’m sure they’ll understand,” she said, trying to convince him. “Lenny, I’ll make it worth your while,” she said, her voice low now.

“Okay. I’ll tell the guys and be on my way shortly. Give me an hour or two,” he said.

“Thanks, Lenny. I mean it. You’re one in a million,” she said, hanging up the phone.

She didn’t feel good about it. She had chastised Alan for taking advantage of Lenny and here she was doing the same thing. He was leaving his LARP thing for her and she knew he didn’t get out much. But one thing was for sure. She wasn’t filming that scene again with Dave. She’d work Lenny if she had to. Besides, she had said she’d make it up to him so it wasn’t like he wasn’t getting anything out of it.

He loves my tits, she thought. She headed into her bedroom to go put on a push up bra.

***

“Say that again?”

“Mike, I know who the hacker is. The guy who hacked into The Pearl’s system and siphoned money from Dave’s accounts,” Jo said.

The pair were sitting in their usual booth in the Rise and Grind cafe. The place was bustling with activity. The lunch rush, Mike figured. So he hadn’t quite heard Jo the first time. But there was no mistaking her the second time. He couldn’t keep the shock from his face.

“Who? How?” he asked, pleased but also baffled at how Jo had discovered such a vital piece of the puzzle on her own.

“You know the I.T. guy?” she said.

“Leonard Kowalski?”

“Yeah, Lenny. Well, he left his computer logged in when he went to take a leak or something. I had a good look through his files,” Jo said, lying.

Jo had surreptitiously installed an electronic infiltration and monitoring device inside The Pearl’s system. She had asked an ex-boyfriend who worked in the cybercrimes division to scour the system for anything useful. They were still on good terms so he had agreed. And he had struck pay-dirt. But it hadn’t been legal. They had no warrant. Jo didn’t care but Mike most certainly would. She didn’t like lying to her partner but she figured it was the only way to advance the investigation at this point. The priority, for her at least, was nailing Captain Price to the wall. If she had to break a few rules along the way, so be it. She just hoped Mike bought her story. They needed the information and this was the only way she could think of to get it to him.

“What did you find?” Mike asked quietly while looking to his right. Somebody had jostled by him as he sat there. He didn’t like meeting at such a busy time. They could be overheard or spotted. But Jo had called the meeting urgently.

“A lot. I don’t know if Lenny just hasn’t made the connection yet or he knows the information and is just discounting it. Maybe he just missed it. I don’t know. Either way, the answer is staring him in the face,” she said.

“Okay, Jo. Suspense has been built. Well done. Spit it out.”

“Lenny doesn’t spend a ton of time at The Pearl. He works from home when he can. So he remotes in. He is the only one who does it. But here’s the thing. The logs show a second IP address doing the same thing. And it’s not his,” she said. “I wrote it down before Lenny got back.”

“We’re going to have to request some help with this. Find out where exactly this IP address leads,” Mike said, trying to formulate a plan on how he was going to use department resources without Price finding out.

“No need,” she said, pre-empting him. “I called in a favour. From outside the department. I’ve got it all, Mike. Name, address and occupation” she said, sliding a piece of paper across the counter towards him. Mike looked at it.

“This is great, Jo. Amazing work. Now, we know where to find this guy. We offer him immunity, he gives us everything he has. Once we have Dave’s off the books accounts, I’ll get my financial forensics guy to give it the once over. We’ll finally be able to link payments from Dave Miller to Price. That’ll be enough to get Dave into an interrogation room. He’ll flip to save his own skin. Fuck, Jo. The domino’s are lining up,” he said, grinning.

She didn’t smile back. “Not quite. Mike, look at his job title,” she said with a grimace.

“Translator. Yeah, so?” Mike said confused.

“Yes, but a translator where Mike....” she said. Then it dawned on him.

“Oh for FUCK’S sake! Are you kidding me? The United fucking Nations?”

“Yeah, he works at the big building in New York. The UN doesn’t employ him directly, he works for one of their translator agencies, but still. It’s a problem,” she said.

“So why is he living here?”

“No clue. The good weather? Maybe it’s a second home or something. Regardless, you know what this means. I mean, diplomatically speaking we....” she started saying until he finished her sentence.

“It means we can’t touch him without setting off a bunch of alarms way above our pay-grade,” Mike said with a deep sigh.

“Dammit, Jo. I finally thought we had it. We can’t go near this guy.”

“Yeah. We can’t,” she said, her meaning clear. Mike looked at her.

“If you are talking about Lara, I wouldn’t ask her to do that. This guy could be dangerous,” he said, shaking his head.

“I’m not suggesting she go tackle him, Mike. Just scope him out,” she suggested. Mike thought about it for a moment.

“Maybe. I’ll think about it.” He frowned as he mulled the whole thing over. “Jo, this makes no sense at all. Why would a translator who works in New York be hacking into a strip club owners system, here, to steal money? We are missing something with this.”

“It get’s weirder. Mike, take another look at that address. The physical address that the IP leads to,” Jo told him. He looked down and then made the connection.

“Wait. Hang on. Is this address right? Is this the same building?” Mike asked, surprise on his face.

“Yes. Pretty big coincidence, wouldn’t you say?” Jo said.

“I don’t believe in coincidences, Jo,” Mike answered, his mind putting a couple of pieces together. “I’m meeting Lara later tonight. I’ll get her take on this.”

***

Lara continued to pace as she waited for Lenny to show up. It had been over an hour. She was starting to worry that he had changed his mind when she heard the bell for the front door. Relieved, she headed towards it and opened it.

“Hi, Lara,” Lenny said, standing a little awkwardly outside the door. She ushered him inside and linked arms with him. She was surprised to see him dressed normally, in jeans and a t-shirt. She had expected him to be in some sort of costume, considering what he said he had been doing.

“Hi, Lenny. Thanks for coming. You’re a star. No costume?” she asked as she led them towards the computer desk.

“I changed. My knight costume is in the car. It is difficult to drive in so I took it off before I hea.... headed off,” he said, his stammer showing up slightly. She nodded.

“Well, costume or not, you are my knight in shining armour,” she said with a giggle, pressing her breasts into his arm slightly. Lara had noticed Lenny had already stolen a few glances down her top. She had chosen a low cut one, and her push up bra was doing it’s job well. They reached the laptop and Lara started to explain.

“I was basically done editing. The file wouldn’t export, I kept getting this random error. So I restarted the machine and when I went back in, everything was just gone. Lenny, tell me you can recover them for me,” she said.

His eyes flickered from the screen to her face a couple of times and then finally, predictably, back to her chest. Lara thought he had a strange look to his face though.

“I think I can. Yes,” he answered. Lara felt relief flush through her. But before she could thank him again, he spoke up.

“Before I do, let’s talk compensation,” he said, his expression steely eyed.

Wow. Straight to the point. No waffling. Very un-Lenny like.

“You want to be paid?” she asked, surprised.

“Yes. But not in money,” he answered back.

“Ah, I see,” she answered, a lot less surprised.

“I have two requests in exchange for my help,” Lenny started. “Firstly, Lara I pissed off the guys by coming here. They were really upset with me for leaving, especially when I told them why. Bros before hoes, they told me. Obviously, you aren’t a hoe but you get their point. I have a feeling some of them are, at this very moment discussing kicking me from the group. You know that it can be difficult for me to make friends so this was a big deal for me,” he told her.

He started to shift a little as he talked. Lara was beginning to regret the urgency she had asked him over with. It wasn’t fair to him. She listened as Lenny continued on.

“With this in mind, I’m going to have to make it up to them somehow. Well, five of us are in a Dungeons and Dragons group together. Two of the guys can’t come on Friday so we were considering cancelling it. You can’t have a good DnD session with only three people. But, if you came and brought a girl friend along for the session, we could play. And I’d be the hero for saving the session. Plus, we’ve never had girls come to a session before. So they might.... keep me around.”

Lara couldn’t help but feel more and more terrible the longer he talked. He had a life too, and she hadn’t given a second thought to what the consequences would be for him. She felt like a hypocrite again, thinking back to her lectures to Alan about using Lenny.

She would do it. Giving up a Friday night was the least she could do. She’d swap shifts and maybe ask one of the girls at The Pearl to come with her.

“I’ll do it Lenny. No problem. You can tell the guys that you saved DnD night. I’ll be there. With a friend. And we’ll wear something slutty,” she said, smiling at him. His eyes lit up at that comment.

“The thing is, I’ve never played it before. I doubt whoever I get to come with me will know the rules either. I know the basic gist of the game, but like spells and dice rolls and the rest of it, I’m clueless,” she said honestly.

“Don’t worry, we’ll explain everything. Besides, I’m the dungeon master for this campaign so I can keep it fairly basic for your first time. Ease you into it,” he said, reassuringly. Lara felt like laughing at his unintended innuendo but let it pass.

“Who are the other guys. Do I know them?” she asked. He shook his head.

“I doubt it. Both guys live in my building actually. One from the first floor, the other from just across the hall,” he told her. “We take turns hosting. It’s in my place on Friday.”

She nodded. “You said there was a second thing?” she asked. She saw him take a deep breath before answering and then a slight smirk appeared.

“Yes. I want a night. With you. In a fancy hotel,” he said. Lara was floored.

Holy crap. I wasn’t expecting that. Way to go, Lenny. Of course, the idea was out of the question.

“Not going to happen, Lenny,” she said sternly. She softened somewhat as she went on. She didn’t want to upset him. “Look, I appreciate the ask. It took balls. But you had to know I’d say no, surely?”

“Why? Because I’m not attractive enough?” he said, frowning at her. Lara knew she had to tread carefully.

“Come on, Lenny. Knock that off. You know I like you. But what you are asking. It’s a little transactional,” she retorted.

“Life is transactional, Lara. Besides, you asked for my help. And my therapist says I need to recognise my worth and portray an air of confidence when dealing with other people. Make them recognize my worth too,” he said, as if repeating a mantra he had learned.

“Well, that’s good advice I suppose. But Lenny, I’m not spending a night in a hotel with you. That’s off the table,” she told him.

“Well that is your right. No deal, so. I understand. I’ll be heading back. Maybe I can catch the end of the LARP session,” he said as he turned to leave.

What the fuck? Is he seriously going to leave? Lara thought in a panic. She really, really didn’t want to have to reshoot the video with Dave. She needed those files back.

“Are you actually leaving? I thought we were friends!” she called after him, realizing for the first time that he really might leave without helping. He turned back towards her, now near the door.

“We are friends, Lara. But I need to establish not only my worth, but some boundaries. And stick to them,” he said, back in mantra mode. “I’m putting my foot down. Um.... metaphorically,” he said after he realised he hadn’t moved a foot.

Fucking hell. He’s serious. What happened to Lenny being putty? She needed him to stay. Time to turn on the charm. She’d negotiate.

“Okay, Okay. I get it. I value you, Lenny. You do have worth. You’re right. When you give, you should get back,” she said as she slinked sexily towards him. She stopped and stood close to him. “So let’s talk about how thankful I am that you came to help me,” she said softly, putting emphasis on her words.

Lara relinked arms with him and led him back to the computer chair. She **** him down onto the seat, and stood in front of him. She bent at the waist and leaned down towards him. He could see straight down her top.

“How about you go to work on my laptop, and I go to work on you,” she said as she reached for the zipper of her top and started to inch it down. He watched as she did it.

“Just like the time at your apartment. Remember how much you loved feeling my tits around you? There is plenty of room under the desk. I’ll take real good care of you. Show you how much I value you. And you can enjoy yourself as you work” she finished, laying out her pitch. He looked to be considering her offer.

“That sounds.... amazing. But I need to stick to my guns. I am a confident man, who knows his worth,” he said, one finger in the air.

These fucking mantra’s. What sort of quack shrink is he seeing? Lara thought in irritation. Okay, he clearly isn’t going to settle for less. Still, there was just something so formal and organized about going to a hotel. The thought made her feel like she was having an affair. As if she was a mistress. Or a hooker. And a full night was overkill, especially for Lenny. She didn’t want to do it. Not like that. She’d offer a more palatable alternative.

“Come on, Lenny. Lets talk about it. Find something we are both happy with. You can’t be so rigid,” she told him as she leaned down to feel his rigidness. He gasped as she brushed her hand against him.

“Compromise with me. No night. No hotel. But when you are done recovering my files, when you have recovered all of them, you join me in my bedroom. Thirty minutes. We can do whatever you like....” she said, leaving the sentence hanging. Letting his imagination wander.

But she never intended to let it get that far. She’d make him come as he worked. She figured he would be one and done. She could promise whatever he wanted now, but when she was done with him, he wouldn’t be able to follow through on their deal anyway. He’d be spent. In no condition for sex.

“In your own bed?” he asked, surprised.

“Yes. It’s really soft. I’m soft too,” she said whispering the last part into his ear.

“Deal. Deal. We have a deal,” he said repeating himself.

She grinned at him. “Well, lets get to work, genius,” she said as she slid under the desk and took her position. She noticed the wood panels of the desk creaking softly above her as she settled herself between Lenny's legs.

“Scooch back a little,” she told him.

He rolled the chair back a couple of inches. He could still reach the keyboard if he stretched out, and she now had enough room without the table interfering. She zipped her top all the way down and took it off, putting it to one side. She was about to reach for the clasp of her bra when Lenny stopped her.

“No. Leave it on. I want to try it with the bra on. The bra will squeeze them together. I want to know how it feels different,” he said, firm in what he wanted.

She nodded. She wasn’t thrilled about getting cum on the bra. It was black and had delicate lace, making it difficult to clean. Bra’s like this were never quite the same if they got drenched in cum. Still, she’d cross that bridge when she came to it.

Or rather when he comes to it, she thought to herself.

She reached out and unzipped him. She then grabbed the sides of his jeans and pulled. They didn’t come down straight away so Lenny leaned down to help. He pulled his boxers off himself and sat back down.

His dick pointed straight at her face from this position. It was exactly as she had remembered. Not girthy, in fact rather thin but a decent length at around six inches. He was fully hard. She could see it bob slightly in time with his heartbeat, the veins along his length pulsing. She felt the slight tremble of his thighs as she settled her hands on his knees.

She heard some typing on the keyboard above her as she leaned in and started to lick him. She wanted to slick him up as much as possible. She licked from base to tip several times before leaning directly over him and letting her saliva drip out on top of his head. She then took the entirety of him into her mouth and down her throat. She heard him groan loudly as she held him there, making gurgling noises while drooling around him.

“Fuck, that’s good. I can’t believe you can deep throat me,” he said, his voice wavering as he said it.

I’ve managed much bigger than this, Lenny. You have no idea.

She pulled off him with a wet, loud pop and admired her work. He was coated with her spit. Satisfied, she leaned down and with a loud and performative sound, she hawked and spit on her own breasts several times.

He’s probably enjoying this. I’m his very own hawk tuah girl.

With her cleavage now sufficiently slick too, she took his cock and placed it under and into her bra. He nestled in between her tits, completely enveloped. She didn’t need to hold them in place, the bra was doing that for her. So Lara simply started moving her body up and down.

She looked up at him, his face a mix of concentration and pleasure. Her bra was high quality. She figured the lace of her bra chafed only slightly against his sensitive skin. As far as Lenny was concerned, she was right. He could feel it create a delicious friction that only served to heighten his pleasure.

“Oh, man. Wow. F12 and then enter.... jeez that feels incredible.”

This was easy for Lara. All she had to do was move her body and chest. It gave her time to take things in she would normally miss while in concentration. The sound of him grunting under his breath. The way Lenny's cock throbbed beneath her touch, growing harder and more insistent with each pass of her soft breasts. She could feel the heat radiating off his skin, could sense the growing urgency in his movements as he clearly struggled to concentrate on his work. She noticed the slick sounds their bodies made together as she worked her breasts over him coupled with the clacking of keystrokes and the odd mouse click.

Lara could feel the weight of Lenny’s gaze on her as she worked, could sense the way his eyes lingered on the swell of her breasts as they rose and fell with each movement. She felt a flicker of satisfaction at the knowledge that he was watching her, was drinking in the sight of her as she worked on him.

He can’t help himself. I guess I’m more interesting than the screen, she thought, pleased in spite of herself.

She may be on her knees, but she had the power here. She could stop at any moment. Of course, she wasn’t going to stop. She needed the video back. But she could. It made her feel like the one in control, despite their situation.

Deciding to pick up the pace, her movements became more urgent. Lara ramped up the sensual dance of her body from beneath the desk. Her magnificent breasts bounced and jiggled with increasing vigour as she rocked into Lenny. She began to swivel her hips in tight, circular motions, grinding her barely-covered breasts against Lenny’s cock in a deliberate, erotic rhythm. She added her hands to the mix now, squeezing the sides of her bra tightly, trying to increase the tightness he would feel.

As she felt Lenny’s body tensing, his breathing growing more ****, Lara added a new dimension to her sensual ****. She began to rise up on her knees as much as the desk would permit, allowing her bra-clad breasts to engulf the head of Lenny’s cock with each upward stroke. She held him there for a few seconds while shimmying and jiggling herself back and forth before slamming back down. She repeated this several times before resuming her steady pace.

“Making much progress?” she asked, her tits still gliding up and down his length.

“Yeah, I’m nearly there,” he said, his voice ragged. Lara wasn’t sure what he meant. Nearly there recovering the files or nearly there he was about to drench her? Or both?

She got her answer. Lenny moaned loudly and started to come. The first spurt shot up like a rocket and hit her under her chin. Lara made an immediate decision.

Save the bra.

She released him from her cleavage and dove down quickly to wrap her lips around his cock and catch the rest of his release in her mouth. She stroked him quickly with her hand as she sucked hard, creating a vacuum. Lenny fired the rest of his load into her mouth as he spasmed and jerked on the chair. Lara did her best to hang on to him while he convulsed unpredictably. At one point she banged the top of her head against the bottom of the desk painfully, but she kept sucking, staying latched to his dick as his orgasm continued.

He eventually stopped squirming. She held his dick in her mouth as it dribbled out the last of his release. With her lips still tight around him, she slowly backed off and released him. He looked down at her. She hadn’t swallowed yet. She had held all of his cum in her mouth. Her cheeks were full. She closed her eyes and swallowed dramatically in one big gulp. The lewd sound was loud and echoed around the room. She opened her eyes back up and licked her lips.

He won’t forget that in a hurry. And there is no way he’ll be able to get it back up to have sex. Mission accomplished.

“I’m done,” he said, leaning back so she could get to her feet.

“I know you are. It was difficult not to notice,” she smiled wryly as she got to her feet, reaching for a tissue to wipe off the first shot of his cum that was still sitting on her chest.

“No, I meant the files. The video, the project file. It’s back,” he said, pointing at the screen. Lara looked over at the screen and her heart leaped at the sight of her hard work, both with a mouse and with her breasts, returned to her.

“Oh, you little techno wizard, Lenny,” she said as she stared at the screen. “Okay, help me out with the next part before Jeff Bridges tries to erase it again.”

“You mean before Sark tries to,” Lenny corrected her.

“What? I meant the guy from Tron, Lenny,” Lara said, confused.

“Yes, I know but Jeff Bridges played.... you know what, never mind. What was your problem?” Lenny said, shaking his head.

“Open it up. When I go to export the finished file I get this error message. Why? What does it mean? Google didn’t have a fucking clue,” Lara said as she watched as Lenny moved the mouse with impressive accuracy and speed that she knew came from thousands of hours in front of a computer. He nodded, and started to explain his solution to her problem.

“You have two problems. Firstly, don’t use punctuation in your file names. It causes issues. So delete this dash here and this exclamation point here. Secondly, your file format is incorrect. When you want a video file this large, with this high of a bitrate, you need to select this drop down box and click on this,” he said.

He followed his own advice, and then clicked export. No error message appeared this time, just a progress bar that appeared immediately. Lara just shook her head. He had known exactly what to do and had done it in about five seconds flat. She knew who to call the next time she needed to edit something. Hopefully, next time this could be sorted over the phone.

“This video is big and your laptop is slow as shit. It’s going to take about thirty minutes,” he said, smiling. “Just enough time!”

He stood, still naked from the waist down and headed quickly over to her bedroom, it’s double doors already open. Lara watched in amusement as he whipped his t-shirt over his head and leaped several feet in the air and onto her large, queen sized bed, bouncing a little as it settled beneath him.

“You coming?” he said, lying naked on his back with his hands locked behind his head.

Why isn’t he spent?

“Are you serious? You really want to go again? Lenny, don’t pretend you didn’t just empty your balls into my mouth. I know we made a deal, but let’s be real here. There is no way you are ready to go again. I’m not fucking a wet noodle,” she said, unable to stop herself laughing at his misplaced sense of confidence in his own refractory period. She followed him into her bedroom ready to tell him to get dressed and go home.

“Come on Lara, we had a deal,” he said.

“We did but I already told you, you’re in no fit state. You should have stopped before you came. Look, you’re soft!” she said, pointing to his dick, flopping about on his stomach as he played with it.

“Alright, alright. Fair point. But you have to at least try. Blow me for two minutes. If I’m not hard again by then, we’ll call the game on account of rain. Or rather lack of a hard bat to hit with,” he suggested.

She sighed and joined him on the bed. She leaned over him and took his soft dick into her mouth. It was unpleasant. She rather enjoyed giving head but this barely classified. It was, for lack of a better word, bendy and squishy against her.

She had read that some women enjoyed taking a guy soft and feeling them harden in their mouths but Lara didn’t get the appeal. Frankly, she usually found it a non-issue. Whenever she was down here, they were always harder than steel. Not this time though.

She couldn’t really do much so she just started to massage it with her tongue. Slow licks and flutters, assuming it would be in vain. To her surprise, it wasn’t. Lenny’s cock started to lengthen. After another few seconds of tonguing, he was semi-erect again. He was hard enough to take properly now so she started bobbing her head. Easily inside the two minutes, he was rock hard again. Lara stopped blowing him and just stared.

“I told you! I am invincible!” he said, imitating a Russian accent while he thrust his arms into the air. She scoffed at his weak impression, recognising the Bond film he was referencing. Still, he was right.

Well, that’s me shown. Who could have guessed it? Lenny of all people.

“I guess our deal still stands. Lay back,” she said as she removed her bottoms and threw them to the side. She was now almost completely naked, clad only in her bra.

“On or off?” she asked.

“Your tits are perfect without it. Off, so I can see them move,” he answered, lustily.

She rolled her eyes but did as he asked. She saw him lick his lips as she removed her bra and her breasts fell free. Lara moved to mount him. She figured there was a good chance he was a virgin. Even if he wasn’t, she was confident he wouldn’t last long. She’d likely need less than five minutes, and not the thirty they had agreed upon.

A minute man. A lazy bottom. It wouldn’t take much work. He’d likely be a lot less enjoyable than her rabbit, but it might still feel good.

Taking a deep breath, Lara slowly lowered herself onto Lenny, feeling his length rub against her most sensitive spots. Lara reached down and gripped Lenny’s shoulders for support as she began to sink onto him, inch by inch. As she settled herself fully onto his lap, she took a moment to compose herself before beginning to move.

Lara moved her hands from his shoulders to his chest for balance as she started to grind her hips against his, working the length of his shaft inside her. She rolled her hips in slow, sensual circles, savouring the sensation of him. He wasn’t big enough in girth to stretch her but he was long enough that she could ride him properly.

She rose up slowly until just the tip of his manhood remained nestled inside her. For a moment she paused and then with a swift, downward thrust, she impaled herself on his full length, taking him to his maximum inside her. He winced a little, possibly still sensitive from earlier. But he didn’t ask her to stop.

Lara moved one hand to her head, moving her hair so it fell around her shoulder as she really started to get into it. Lenny moved his hands to her waist and held her as she rode him. She had to bite her lip hard to stifle a moan. It felt surprisingly good.

She felt a sudden pang of guilt that this was Lenny and not Alan but she quickly moved past it. Her and Alan weren’t technically together. At least not exclusive, anyway.

I can fuck who I like, for whatever reason I like.

Not able to fully convince herself, she ignored that part of her mind. She closed her eyes and started to pick up the pace while also increasing her rise and fall. They continued like this for several minutes, Lara straddling him as she rode him up and down.

Lara leaned back slightly, bracing her hands on his thighs as she rode him with increasing speed and intensity. She knew he would enjoy the view as her breasts bounced and swayed with the **** of her movements. He reached out and held them in his hands as they fucked. He flicked his thumbs over her nipples. The feeling of her nipples being played with combined with his dick moving inside her was exquisite. She couldn’t help herself.

“Ooh....” she moaned aloud for the first time during their coupling. She straightened back up a little and looked down at him, continuing to ride. Lenny was grinning from ear to ear, looking as if he couldn’t be more pleased if he tried.

Admit it, Lara. The nerd’s not bad. He made you moan. He’s fucking thrilled with himself. She now knew that this was not, in fact, his first time. She had pre-judged him perhaps.

She started to ride aggressively now. Her hair flew about in disarray as she fucked him. Slamming down on him with **** and grinding herself into him as she did it. She figured he wouldn’t last much longer. They’d been going at it for a while. She started to do some kegels and squeezed herself around him. His eyes shot wide open at the feeling and she was the one smiling wide now.

Gotcha. There are levels to this, Lenny.

But apparently, Lenny had his own level to go through. Abruptly, Lara felt Lenny’s hands suddenly grasp her hips with a newfound urgency. While gripping her tightly, he pushed himself off his back and towards her. Before she could react, Lenny had roughly flipped her over onto her hands and knees on the bed, leaving her momentarily startled and off-balance.

Lara now found herself bracing herself on all fours, her hair tumbling loose around her shoulders as she looked back at Lenny over her shoulder with a mix of surprise and trepidation clearly visible in her brown eyes.

“Lenny, what....”

Before she could voice her surprise, she felt the sharp slap of his palms on her ass cheeks, the stinging sensation quickly replaced by a thrill of excitement. Lara gasped as she felt Lenny’s hard throbbing cock plunge into her slick pussy in one swift, brutal thrust. He gripped her hips with bruising **** as he began to fuck her hard and fast from behind, the lewd sound of flesh slapping against flesh echoing through the room.

Holy fuck. Okay, definitely not his first time. Wow. Where has this Lenny been hiding?

Lara couldn’t hold onto her thoughts as she whimpered and moaned as Lenny pounded into her, his hips smacking against her ass with each powerful thrust. Each plunge of his cock deep into her pussy sent jolts of pleasure shooting up her spine.

She was acutely aware of the sounds around them. The creaking of the bed frame. The sounds of their breathing. He was panting much heavier now. But the loudest sound of all was the slick, wet sound of a cock driving into her. Lara's tits bounced and swayed beneath her as Lenny fucked her with wild abandon.

God, this feels great. I just wish he was a little bit thicker.

Even so, she was getting there. She backed into him as hard as she could every time he thrust forward. Lara dug her fingers into the expensive sheets as she tried desperately to anchor herself against his relentless onslaught. She really hadn’t thought him capable of this.

He continued to piston in and out of her. She was no longer on all fours. Her face was buried in the sheets beneath them, her arms splayed out in front of her with her ass raised up towards him.

“Fuck, Lara. I don’t think I can hold on any more. I’m going to come,” Lenny said, his breath now ragged and wheezy.

Fuck don’t. I’m so close!

“Try to hang on Lenny. Let’s make it last,” she said to him, her eyes lidded and droopy as she looked over her shoulder at him.

“I can’t. Sorry!” he cried out as he stopped thrusting and just buried himself inside her, starting to come while rocking slightly.

Dammit, no. I’m almost there.

**** to reach her own climax, she quickly reached her own hand down and started to rapidly rub her clit. She rubbed the sensitive nub in tight, feverish circles and combined with the feeling of his cock moving ever so subtly inside her, it got her over the finish line.

“Ugh.... FUCK!” she cried out, her eyes rolling back in her head as her pussy clenched and spasmed around Lenny’s spurting cock. Waves of uncontrolled bliss crashed over her as the **** of her climax ripped through her body. She rode out the intense, toe-curling feeling as she frigged herself.

God fucking dammit this feels amazing. I really needed this.

Eventually, she felt Lenny’s cock slip out of her and he rolled past her onto his back beside her. She also rolled on her back and the pair of them lay there, side by side and panting. Neither said anything for over a minute. Then Lenny suddenly turned to her and she saw a strange look on his face. Lara thought he looked almost worried. As if he had sone something wrong.

“Oh my god, Lara. I hope that was okay. Are you mad at me?”

“No, Lenny. I’m not mad. That was great. Sometimes women like it when you take control, you know?” she answered, trying to reassure him that a little bit of roughness could be fun. Still, it surprised me. What came over you?” she asked.

“I was just laying there, looking up at you as you rode me. God you looked like such a goddess. And I thought, WWDDD,” he said.

She looked at him, confusedly. “Huh?”

“What Would Don Draper Do,” he answered her.

Lara threw her head back against the sheets and burst out laughing. It was a snorting, wheezy kind of laugh, the kind of laugh that you struggled to control and breathe properly. He joined in. Eventually, she got her breath back.

“Yup, that is exactly what Don Draper would do. But Lenny, neither of us smoke so I think we should skip the next thing he would do.”

“Sure thing. And thank you, Lara. That was epic,” Lenny said.

“No problem, dude,” Lara answered back, mocking his “dude-bro” use of the word epic.

“You’ll still come to DnD on Friday, yeah?”

“As you just witnessed, Lenny, I keep my word. I’ll be there,” she said.

There was an audible ding, that sounded like it came from the living room. Lara figured it was her laptop, alerting her that her video was finally finished exporting.

“Well, I guess thirty minutes was right on the money, Don.”

***

Lara scanned through the tables of her local pizza place, looking for Mike’s face. Mike had texted her not long after Lenny had left saying that he wanted to talk. She had suggested the pizza shop because it was always crowded, it was close to her apartment and frankly, because she was hungry. Her impromptu session with Lenny had worked up an appetite and she had a craving for a meat feast.

You’ve had plenty of meat today already, Lara, she chortled to herself as she walked through the restaurant.

Mike had spotted her first. He raised his hand slightly and she clocked him seated in the darkest corner of the room.

“Good evening, Boris,” she said to him as she sat down, unable to help herself.

“Good evening, Doris,” he replied back, as sharp as a tack.

Their eyes met for several seconds before Lara broke. She couldn’t help but laugh. He followed suit. She liked that he had remembered their “True Lies” code name banter from before and had played along.

“My muscles aren’t quite as big as Arnie’s, I’m ashamed to admit,” Mike said, holding up his arm and looking wistfully at it.

Jesus, they are close enough, Lara thought to herself as she stared at his bicep.

“Well, he was Mr. Universe. Three times. Don’t feel bad for not measuring up. You haven’t ordered yet?” Lara asked, looking around for a waiter. He frowned at her.

“No. You want to eat?” he asked, surprised.

“Yes, I’m famished,” she told him. She then stared around the room, her eyes narrowed.

“I used to wait tables for a living. Somebody should have been over to us when I sat down. Poor showing, guys,” she said to nobody in particular. “Maybe I should go get their attention.”

“Well, we’ll have a quick chat first and then I’ll order us a large to share. Sound good?” he asked.

“Sounds good,” she answered.

“I did order you a Coke,” he said, gesturing off to the side of the table.

She hadn’t seen it. “Great. Thanks,” Lara said, delighted.

She reached across the table to grab the Coke. It stretched the fabric of her top and he scolded himself for glancing at her ample cleavage.

Lara grabbed the large drink, dipped her head down, took the straw into her mouth and sucked. Mike couldn’t help but stare. His eyes locked onto the dainty straw between her ruby red lips. Her eyes were low and she was gulping down the Coke. His mind conjured an image of him and her back in the VIP together. Only she wasn’t sucking on a straw and swallowing a drink. She was sucking on his cock and swallowing his load. The memory flashed through his mind as he watched her drink. He knew it was wrong. He half coughed and looked away, embarrassed.

Lara stopped drinking and looked back up at him, confused about why he was so red and averting his eyes.

Oh fuck. Was I? Does he think?

Lara hadn’t intended it to be teasing. Sure, she had done something similar before to get guys going. It could be an erotic sight. She knew that. But this time had been truly unintentional.

He must think I’m such a tease. Maybe I should tell him I’m just really thirsty? Oh God, he could take that the wrong way too! Not thirsty for sex. Just parched.

“So you were a waitress before, didn’t you say?” Mike said, trying to distract his dirty mind. She latched on to the excuse to move on.

“Yes. Back home. In the local strip joint, The Pussy Cat. For over a year. I used to watch the girls and wonder if I could do what they did,” she said.

“So The Pearl is your first job as.... a dancer?” Mike asked.

“Yup.”

“You could have fooled me,” he blurted out, immediately regretting it. “Sorry, that was unprofessional.”

“No, its fine. It’s always nice to hear compliments. Thank you,” she said, smiling at him. She took the straw out of the glass and took her next swig of Coke the traditional way. He seemed relieved.

“So, you have news?” she asked, her stomach grumbling and eager to get to the food portion of their meeting.

“I do. We’ve been able to track down the person who hacked The Pearl and was siphoning money from Miller’s accounts,” Mike told her. She frowned at him.

“We? Who is we? I thought you were working this case alone?” she asked him, confused.

Fuck a duck. You idiot. Mike was furious at himself for nearly outing Jo. He had to recover quickly before she got more suspicious.

“We is you and me, of course,” he said, hoping she’d buy it.

She started to smile. “Oh so we’re a team. All official, like. Cool. What’s our name? Are we Mira? Or Larke?” she said, trying to mash their names together. “I quite like Mira.”

“I do too,” he said chuckling at her, privately relieved he hadn’t fucked Jo over. “Anyway, we know who this person is now. We can use it. But we have to be careful,” he told her.

“Why? Who is he?” Lara asked, the curiosity rising in her. Mike slid a thin folder across the table to her. She looked inside.

“His name is Alderson Kalikow. He is a translator. He works in New York for some diplomatic bigwigs at the UN,” he told her as she looked at the information sheet in front of her.

“No picture?” Lara asked

“Not yet. I’m working on it.”

“So a guy from New York hacked The Pearl? How? Lenny told me that whoever did the hack had to be physically in The Pearl. I texted you about this, remember? It can’t be this Alderson Kalikow guy,” Lara said.

“He might work in New York but he has a place right here. In the city. That’s where the IP address of the hacker leads to. Look at the bottom of the page, at the address.” Mike said. Lara read the address on the page and then looked back up at Mike in shock.

“Thats....” she began.

“Yes. Your friend Leonard’s building. Not just the same building, Lara, he lives right across the hall from him,” Mike said.

“This is so trippy,” she said. “It can’t be a coincidence, surely?” she asked him, already knowing the answer.

“Not a chance,” Mike said.

“So you have a theory, I take it?” she asked him. He nodded.

“I do. This Lenny, the IT guy. You’d say he is a bit socially inept?” Mike asked.

“Well, at times, perhaps,” Lara said, unwilling to bash Lenny, even to Mike. Lara didn’t want to put the guy down.

Maybe it’s the fact that his cum is still inside me. Yeah, could be it alright.

“Well, here’s what I think is most likely. This, Alderson Kalikow guy is sick of the cold. New York would freeze your balls off in the winter. He buys a place out here for the warm weather and sea air to enjoy during his time off. He befriends Lenny. Lenny brags about where he works and invites Alderson to The Pearl to show off. Alderson plants whatever gizmo he needs and then steals however much he needs from the comfort of his own apartment,” Mike told her, laying out his theory in full.

“So you think it’s Lenny’s fault?”

“Maybe. Or maybe Lenny doesn’t even know the guy. Maybe Alderson just followed him to the club and tailgated in behind him. Who knows. But it’s clear that Lenny was his way in. It’s too big a coincidence for them to be right across the hall from one another,” he finished. Lara thought back to an earlier conversation between her and Lenny the other day inside The Pearl.

“There is only so much I can do, only so much that Jack can do with this type of budget. But even with more cameras, our weakness isn’t technological. It’s the human factor.”

That’s what Lenny had told her. She couldn’t help but notice the irony in that the “human factor” weakness could very well be Lenny himself. Lara was jolted out of her thought process when something else hit her like a truck.

“Wait. Mike, did you say this guy lives right across the hall from Lenny?” she asked, excitedly now.

“Yes.”

“Fuck me sideways. Mike, this guy is in Lenny’s Dungeons and Dragons group. They play it together! That means he does know him. It confirms your theory. What’s more, I’m fucking invited to their next game. At Lenny’s. On Friday!” she said grinning. Mike leaned forward in his seat.

“This is perfect. Finally, a stroke of luck. His proximity to powerful diplomats means I can’t get within a mile of this guy. If I put his name into NCIC or NIBRS a dozen red flags will go off. Price will be onto me in a flash. And I won’t be able to explain it. But Lara, you’re invited! You have to go to this thing. Talk to the guy. Get a picture if you can,” he said, willing her to agree to what he was suggesting.

“Yeah, I can do that,” she said, confidently.

“Try to get an invite into his apartment, too. Anything you can tell me about the place would be helpful,” he said.

Lara raised her eyebrows at him and smirked. “Uh Mike, if a girl asks to see inside your place it’s usually only for one reason,” she told him.

Mike visibly balked, as the understanding of what he had asked her to do finally hit him. “Oh no, that’s not what I meant. Uh, yeah. Obviously don’t do that,” he said, embarrassed that he had even suggested it.

“Don’t worry, I’ll figure something out,” she said.

Mike reigned himself in a bit. Her last comment had him concerned. “Lara, you don’t have to do any of this. I’m not forcing you to. I can’t, and even if I could, I wouldn’t do it. This is entirely your choice. You can walk away right now and I won’t bother you again. I’ll get to Price another way. Kalikow can’t be the only lead,” he told her.

“No, I can do this. Trust me,” she said back.

“Lara, we don’t know a lot about this guy. He could be dangerous,” he said, worry evident on his features now.

“Mike, he plays DnD. How dangerous could he be?” she said, trying to reassure him.

“Even so. Maybe I should wait outside for you. I can stake the place out in a car. You could call me if you need me,” he said, now regretting the entire thing.

If I get this girl hurt, I’ll never forgive myself.

She shook her head. “And if you’re seen? What then? This guy doesn’t know who you are. You should keep it that way. Besides, you could get in trouble. You’ve no official reason for being there. You said it yourself. I’m an invited guest. Relax, Mike. It’s a bunch of nerds. They’ll be putty in my hands. Plus, I’m bringing a friend from work so I’ll have backup.”

“Okay. Bringing a friend is smart. Yeah, okay. That might work,” he said, calmed now.

“It will work,” she said.

“So I guess that’s the plan. So, member of “Mira” your mission, should you choose to accept it, go to this DnD thing on Friday, chat to Alderson Kalikow, grab a sneaky photo of him on your phone, and then come home safely, okay?”

“Sure thing, partner,” she said with a grin.

“And seriously for a minute, Lara. If anything bad happens or feels off, you get out of there and call me immediately, okay?” he said, pleadingly.

“Scouts honour,” she told him, sticking up her left hand.

“Wrong hand, Lara. Scouts use their right hand,” he said, grinning now.

“Okay, you caught me. My scout street cred is in ruins. Now, can we order, please? I’m starving here.”

***

Lara sat down on her Italian sofa, and sunk into the cushions. She had eaten her half of the pizza, and then eaten most of Mike’s half as well. She was pleasantly full. She’d have to work it off in the gym tomorrow morning, but it had been worth it.

But first things, first. She needed a sexy partner in crime for the Dungeons and Dragons on Friday. She had promised Lenny she would bring a fifth person and also promised Mike she would have a friend there. But she had limited options.

Sarah would laugh in her face. That was a non-starter. No point even going there. Jo was the obvious choice. She’d say yes, Lara was sure of it. But she had gotten no answer when she tried to call her on the way home from the pizza place. She could try again tomorrow morning. But part of her thought it wasn’t fair to always have to rely on just Jo. She needed to expand her circle of friends.

She made the decision right there and then. She’d call the new girl, Britney. She was near the top of her contacts list. She clicked the call icon and waited.

“Hello, Lara?” Britney said, answering the call.

“Hey there, Britney. Yeah, it’s me. How are you?”

“I’m doing great, Lara. Couldn’t be better!” she said cheerfully in her southern drawl.

“Good, good. Listen, the reason I’m calling is that I was wondering if you are free on Friday night?” Lara asked, hopefully.

“Oh my god! Girls night out? Count me in. Oh, Lara aren’t you just the sweetest little thing ever, inviting me out with you and your friends. Being so welcoming to the new girl. I knew you were good people when we met,” Britney said.

“Well, it’s not so much a night out as a night in. Kinda,” Lara said, struggling to explain DnD in an appealing way to a nineteen year old southern belle.

“Like a house party?” she asked

“Yeah. Listen. I’m going to level with you. Have you ever heard of Dungeons and Dragons?” Lara asked, expecting this question to be the end of their conversation.

“Like what they played on Stranger Things?” Britney asked, a certain understanding clear from her tone. Lara jumped on it.

“Yes! Exactly like that. Only, with adults. And beer,” she added.

“Wow. I’ve never done that before. Have you?” she asked.

“Nope, it will be my first time too. Have you met Lenny? He is the one inviting us. It’s his game,” Lara said, hopeful for the first time that Britney might actually say yes.

“Yes, I did. He didn’t say much. He seemed a little shy, bless his heart,” she said, sweetly. “I was almost completely naked though. That might have been why.”

“Yeah that sounds about right,” Lara said, smiling to herself as she pictured their meeting in her mind.

“Sure thing, Lara. Count me in. Can we dress up? Oh, please tell me we can dress up!” she said, giggling down the phone now.

“Absolutely. Let’s both do it. We can co-ordinate outfits. We’ll blow them away,” she said, happy to have found her willing accomplice.

“This is going to be such fun. Thanks for inviting me, Lara. It means a lot. Most of my friends back home were guys. I really need more gal pals. I’m so glad you asked me. You’re the best” she said.

Her innocent sincerity made Lara feel a little emotional. She was glad she had made the effort to introduce herself now. Lara knew now that her instinct about the girl was spot on.

“Don’t mention it, Britney. And thank you for saying yes. It means a lot to me too,” she said.

“I’m going to go before I tear up. Talk to you later, bestie!” Britney said. Lara couldn’t help but smile at her infectious positivity.

“You too.”

***

“Alright, impress me,” Will said arrogantly. The P.I. across from him didn’t react to the comment and just started to talk.

“Well, that packet in front of you contains the information I discovered along with my analysis, Mr. Kane,” the private detective told him, pointing to the folder.

“Summarize it for me,” Will said.

The P.I. sighed and just launched into a summation of his report.

“Right, well. Our girl grew up in a smallish town two hours north of here called Cliffton. Pretty unremarkable place. Mediocre student, dabbled in cheerleading but didn’t appear to take it that seriously. Graduated high school but has no college record. So her education appears to end there. She seemed to have an interest in history but never pursued it. Worked in a car wash as a cashier for a while, and then as a waitress in a small cafe.”

Will listened, his face clearly showing signs of being unimpressed so far.

“Her next job is a little spicier. She worked in a strip club called The Pussy Cat for over a year.”

Will perked up upon hearing this.

“As a stripper?”

“No, a waitress again. Her current job at The Pearl would appear to be her first stint as a dancer,” he told Will.

Interesting. Wouldn’t have expected that with how well she moved.

“Mother is Molly, a part time waitress, now retired. Father is Frank, career postman, also retired. They still live in Cliffton in the family home.”

“So they are poor?” Will said, sneering a little.

“I would say middle class. Barely. Anyway, she has one sibling, a brother named Shawn. He’s a little more interesting. High-school football star. He was highly rated, apparently. Full ride scholarships on the cards. That was until he got smashed up in an automotive incident.”

“Was he driving?”

“No. A pedestrian. He got run over. The family hired a lawyer and sued in civil court. And won. His award was over a million dollars, so he’s flush with cash at the moment. And letting people know it.”

“Has he given Lara any of it?” Will asked, leaning forward now.

“It’s difficult to tell. The family house recently had it’s remaining mortgage paid off so he may have given the parents a portion of it. He still lives at home so that could have something to do with it. If I had to guess, I’d say he hasn’t given her anything. Not yet, anyway. I did find out that he is banned from The Pearl though.

“Why? What did he do?” Will asked.

“I wasn’t able to find out. Just that he visited once. On his next visit, he was turned away at the door. He may have gotten into it with his sister. Perhaps he isn’t pleased she is working there? It’s hard to know.”

“But he knows she works there?”

“Yes. The parents do as well. They dropped her to work one morning.”

Fuck. If they know already, I can’t use that against her.

“What else?” he asked gruffly.

“She has a mountain of credit card debt, again supporting the idea that her brother isn’t funding her.”

“How much are we talking?” Will asked.

“Roughly thirty-two thousand, most of it on credit cards. And a long term car loan. But she has been paying it all off slowly. So, I think she is financially independent. I doubt he is bankrolling her lifestyle. Her job at the strip club is her sole income, it seems. Her spending has increased dramatically though. She has money for the first time in her life and is spending it. Jesus, the girl can shop. I’ve spent more time in clothes shops this past week than I have in my entire life.”

“She buy anything else?”

“Not really. Just clothes. And some lingerie. The expensive kind. Probably work related, considering what she does for a living.”

What a slut, Will thought.

“She did order a new laptop online about two hours ago, but I’ll remind you my surveillance ends as of this meeting, so if you want me to continue monitoring her, you’ll have to tell me today, Mr. Kane.”

“Perhaps. We’ll see. Continue,” he said simply, not willing to commit to anything yet.

“Okay. Where were we? Ah, yes. Purchases. So we have the clothing and this new laptop. She got her car fixed too, that looked expensive. Proper pimp my ride kind of stuff. It came out looking like a new Beetle. Oh, and she moved.”

“Where?”

“The address is in your packet. Very upmarket. Very expensive. So she is living a little larger. Lot’s of take-out too.”

“Boyfriend?”

“It would appear not. She has had one male visitor since you hired me, one Leonard Kowalski. Today actually. He stayed for an hour and then left.”

Will just snorted, derisively. “That’s Lenny. They aren’t fucking. She probably called him round to fix her cable or something,” he said dismissively.

“That was my guess as well. He works with her at the club.”

“I know that already,” Will said, irritation in his voice.

“Mr. Kane, I can only find out what there is to find out. If you are looking for skeletons, this girl just doesn’t have any. She’s never been arrested, spends her time working, shopping and sleeping. She took one visit to the beach. That’s it. She is rather unremarkable, if you want my opinion.”

Will ignored him and continued his questions. “So, no boyfriend. Any friends?”

“Well, you already appear to know about Leonard. She seems close with the clubs head of security, Jack Spencer. She met up with him recently at a mall about forty minutes from here.”

“What did they talk about?” Will asked.

The P.I. sighed. “Despite what you might see on TV, I’m not running around with laser or parabolic microphones. I’m not a spy. I follow, I observe. I haven’t got a clue what they talked about,” he said showing his own signs of irritation now. He carried on with his report.

“As for friends at the strip club, I spent two of her shifts in the place. You owe me for that, by the way. It is part of your itemized bill. She spent most of her free time at the bar, talking to Mr. Spencer and another dancer named Jo,” he said. The P.I. got noticeably more animated at this point. “This woman, this Jo. She is not what she seems.”

“How so?” Will asked.

“Her identity is a complete black hole. Work history, residential history, credit history, social security number, nothing. I couldn’t find a single solid thing about her. And believe me, Mr. Kane, I looked. She is a complete ghost.”

“What does that mean?” Will asked, finally feeling like he was getting somewhere.

“Could be somebody on the run. From the law. Or possibly from an ex-partner. Maybe she bought a new identity to escape ****. You see it from time to time. Either way, she is suspiscious. Very suspect, in my eyes.”

“What does this Jo look like?” he asked.

“Small, taut, petite. Pretty, but a little light up top for a strip club. Short blonde hair to just below her shoulders. She appears to be growing it out.”

“Interesting,” Will said.

“Very. Much more interesting than my target anyway.”

“Lara is interesting. And dangerous, trust me. She put one of my friends in the hospital. Nearly killed him,” he said, darkly. The P.I. raised his eye brows in complete surprise.

“I’ve been following her, Mr. Kane. If she had gotten into an altercation, I’d know it.”

“Trust me. She did it,” Will said, firmly, not wanting to argue the point.

“If you say so. Regardless, that about covers everything. Any queries?”

“When you were following her, did she meet with or contact anyone working for a catering company called “Caesar’s Catering?” Will asked.

The private detective looked confused, but answered. “No. Not that I’m aware of, anyway. Certainly not in person. She may have called this catering company, I don’t know. I don’t have access to her phone records, just her purchasing history.”

Will looked visibly frustrated at this news.

“Do you want me to continue my surveillance?” the P.I. asked.

Will thought for a long moment before answering. “No. Hold off for now. If I need you down the line, you’ll be available, yes?” Will asked.

“Mr. Kane, for what you are paying me, I’ll be there in a flash,” he said, smiling for the first time.