Name of the Game
If you up in the back room
When you rockin' with this
Come on
Keepin' ya speaker knockin'
Jumpin' bangin' bumpin' blazin'
Hot
Callin' all freaks (all freaks)
- Crystal Method
Viv stood in the round-about entryway of Duibne Industries, newly redesigned, and looked up at the identical three towers that loomed overhead.
'That is a lot of glass,' Viv whistled impressed as she looked back down at the doors in and considered what she was doing.
She was literally going to enter the den of the lion, but that's where Carol worked, as a simple secretary (her extensive background check confirmed this) and that's who Viv needed to speak with. According to her iphone, there was a Starbucks located in the lobby of DI - that alone gave her the incentive to brave her destination.
What were the odds that Carol wasn't what her bio said she was? Duibne Industries? The pack, both packs, knew what DI was and what it represented, but OK - Viv was willing to assume Carol's life was what she said it was - even though Carol's body language said different.
Entering DI, she walked to the left of the front desk and headed for the Starbucks nook in the vampire's state-of-the-art cranny. One boldly brewed coffee and pumpkin bread slice later, Viv approached the lobby's front desk and greeted the plains clothed security guard.
'Hey, hi. I was looking for one Carol Hedley?' The guard registered no sign of recognition, to which Viv smiled and added, 'Secretary?'
The guard looked down at his computer screen and typed in something. As he did this, he asked, 'Your name please?'
'Viv Sena.'
Picking up a cordless phone, he looked Vivienne in the eye and repeated her request for Carol. Checking her watch, she counted through the response time. Biting off the proverbial big bite, Viv winked at the guard as she waited.
Interesting Vivienne had come to her work, Carol thought. Viv had made a reasonably good impression on Carol, so she had no trepidations in meeting her. However, considering what Carol knew, or rather what she professed to know nothing about, someone like Vivienne (not that she was making assumptions, mind you) coming onto vampire territory did make her hesitant. Her own background on the Stafford Enterprise's employee yielded nothing but that she was a psychologist assigned to their home office, a nondescript address somewhere abroad. Carol had no reason to be suspicious so as she stepped out of the elevator, she waved to Viv with a genuine smile and yelled out to her.
'Viv! What's up?!'
Nodding her head, she waved at Carol and smiled. 'Hey, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pull you out of work.'
Carol waved dismissively and walked right up to Viv. 'Ridiculous,' the blond sang out, then hooked her arm around Viv's and tugged her toward Starbucks mumbling about a white chocolate mocha and something super sweet.
Viv tugged along after her, and after another purchase of wonderful caffeine, they both walked out of the main tower of DI to the center common area that was filled with more eateries and shops, connecting the three towers together. Carol chatted happily about this, that, and the other, and Viv found herself liking the petite bundle of energy even more. Finally Carol tugged her into a nondescript cafe and sat at a small table outside on the sidewalk.
A waitress came out and brought them water and small cups of coffee without even having to order. Nodding, she turned and left them to their drinks.
Crossing her legs, Carol smiled at Viv and sang her question, 'So what is going on, yo!'
Viv gave Carol an incredulous look and shrugged. 'I was in the neighborhood, thought I'd say hello.' As if to prove this, Viv lifted her hand and waved. 'Hello!'
Cut to the chase, why beat around the bush, jump straight into the shit! That was Carol and really she saw no point in pretending like Brian and Viv didn't have a thing for each other. Viv looked horrified and shook her head.
'Oh my god, I told him to stop being a dick and took off.'
'I bet the sex was great.'
'I...what wait?'
Carol laughed out loud at Viv's genuine surprise. Wiggling her eyebrows, she snorted. 'You trying to tell me you two didn't hook up?'
'No...'
'Lie,' Carol said quickly, interrupting.
'No really...'
'Lies and more lies.' Closing her eyes, she stuck her fingers in her ears and repeated, 'lie lie lie lie' until Viv slumped her shoulders. 'Good, now tell me everything. All the details - I bet he fucks like a maniac, huh.'
'I swear to god, I cannot STAND the man. I wouldn't.'
Carol took a sip of her coffee and raised her eyebrows.
Shrugging, 'He's not even my type.'
Carol nodded, 'Oh right, right, I believe you.'
'Oh come on,' Viv whined, 'you know Charlie is more my type.'
'Oh yeah, he likes you a lot.'
'Yeah it drives Brian crazy.'
'But why would that matter?' Carol smiled over her cup.
'It doesn't matter. I could care less.'
Carol nodded again and rested her chin in her hand.
Viv narrowed her eyes at Carol and they stared at each other for a moment. 'All right fine, we fucked last night and it was ridiculously good.' Exasperated, she slumped her shoulders, defeated.
'Shut UP! He came in through your window?'
'I know right, who does that anymore?'
'Uh, you had to fuck him on principal alone for that.'
'We didn't talk.'
'What do you mean? You didn't talk? Like...at all?'
'Nothing.'
Carol covered her mouth and snorted. 'You mean he came into your apartment, through your window, then just got into bed with you, fucked you, and then left...all without a word?'
Viv nodded.
'Man you are SO lucky!' Carol tried to imagine sex with Brian. Lothias and Brian were so obviously related that her honey bun could definitely be his son, if not a younger version of Brian, but the older Jameson was taller, bigger... 'Oh my god, is he...you know?'
'But I want to, I really really want to!'
Viv snorted and then recounted the entire evening to Carol who hung on her every word. On occasion Carol would cover her mouth or scream 'GET OUT', garnering much attention from the other patrons. Viv blushed recalling it all. The roughness of his touch, the softness of his kiss, the feel of his skin...
'So do you think he'll be climbing into your window tonight?' Carol asked completely enthralled.
'God I hope so,' Viv said with a blushing smile. She considered some of the things LT said about Carol and she felt now was as good a time as any to change the subject. 'So how serious are you and Lothias? He is really, really into you.'
Carol melted at the mention of LT's name.
'Oh, god, you are disgustingly cute about him,' Viv said with a genuine smile.
Nodding, Viv leaned back in her chair and Carol felt the woman's eyes on her, watching her every move. Viv's profile said she was a train psychologist and profiler. It made sense to Carol why Lothias' security team would need evaluating, but it was what Vivienne was looking for that made Carol hesitant. She also wondered what type of results she was getting from the Pipers, considering Viv's friendly personality and the fact that Lothias' team mates were all young men.
'So how's your review of Brian's security team going?'
Viv raised her eyebrows and shrugged.
'Lothias is worried,' Carol admitted sadly.
'I've talked to him already. He didn't mention anything about being worried.'
Carol shrugged, 'He wouldn't. He can really close himself off sometimes. Hard to read him or what he's thinking. But it's not about him, it's about his Uncle.'
The possibility that Viv's review might make things difficult for Brian and Lothias had occurred to Carol, but there wasn't anything she could do about it. Lothias' sudden change in demeanor did coincide with Vivienne's arrival (Carol checked her flight into Nachton and noted her diplomatic seal on the photocopy of her passport) but his attitude didn't get worse, just...different.
'When did you talk to Lothias?'
'Oh...couple days ago.'
Carol thought about it. 'Three days ago, right?'
Nodding, Viv agreed.
Carol began to chuckle. 'Ok, now I understand.'
'Understand what?'
'Your affect on the guys.'
'I don't understand...'
Adjusting her skirt, Carol recrossed her legs and leaned over the table, hands in her lap. 'Lemme tell you what happened the other day, the day you talked to Lothias.'
Carol almost felt sorry for Viv. Brown girl had no chance against her needling questions, but Carol did feel a teeny bit sad she dragged the truth out of her, that was until Viv began telling her about it.
'Shut UP! He came in through your window?'
'I know right, who does that anymore?'
'Uh, you had to fuck him on principal alone for that.'
'We didn't talk.'
'What do you mean? You didn't talk? Like - at all?'
'Nothing.'
Carol covered her mouth and snorted. 'You mean he came into your apartment, through your window, then just got into bed with you, fucked you, and then left...all without a word?'
Viv nodded.
'Man you are SO lucky!' Carol tried to imagine sex with Brian. Lothias and Brian were so obviously related that her honey bun could definitely be his son, if not a younger version of Brian, but the older Jameson was taller, bigger. 'Oh my god, is he...you know?'
'But I want to, I really really want to!'
Viv snorted and then recounted the entire evening to Carol who hung on her every word. On occasion Carol would cover her mouth or scream 'GET OUT', garnering much attention from the other patrons. Viv blushed recalling it all. The roughness of his touch, the softness of his kiss, the feel of his skin...
'So do you think he'll be climbing into your window tonight?' Carol asked completely enthralled.
'God I hope so,' Viv said with a blushing smile. She considered some of the things LT said about Carol and she felt now was as good a time as any to change the subject. 'So how serious are you and Lothias? He is really, really into you.'
Carol melted at the mention of LT's name.
'Oh, god, you are disgustingly cute about him,' Viv said with a genuine smile.
Nodding, Viv leaned back in her chair and Carol felt the woman's eyes on her, watching her every move. Viv's profile said she was a train psychologist and profiler. It made sense to Carol why Lothias' security team would need evaluating, but it was what Vivienne was looking for that made Carol hesitant. She also wondered what type of results she was getting from the guys, considering Viv's friendly personality and the fact that Lothias' team mates were all young men.
'So how's your review of Brian's security team going?'
Viv raised her eyebrows and shrugged.
'Lothias is worried,' Carol admitted sadly.
'I've talked to him already. He didn't mention anything about being worried.'
Carol shrugged, 'He wouldn't. He can really close himself off sometimes. Hard to read him or what he's thinking. But it's not about him, it's about his Uncle.'
The possibility that Viv's review might make things difficult for Brian and Lothias had occurred to Carol, but there wasn't anything she could do about it. Lothias' sudden change in demeanor did coincide with Vivienne's arrival (Carol checked her flight into Nachton and noted her diplomatic seal on the photocopy of her passport) but his attitude didn't get worse, just...different.
'When did you talk to Lothias?'
'Oh...couple days ago.'
Carol thought about it. 'Three days ago, right?'
Nodding, Viv agreed.
Carol began to chuckle. 'Ok, now I understand.'
'Understand what?'
'Your affect on the guys.'
'I don't understand...'
Adjusting her skirt, Carol recrossed her legs and leaned over the table, hands in her lap. 'Lemme tell you what happened the other day, the day you talked to Lothias.'
(Cough, cough) 'Wait, what?' (More coughing)
Carol shrugged and giggled. 'I'm telling you, I think you're having a profound affect on the guys.'
Viv covered her mouth with her fist and coughed up the rest of her coffee. She felt a high blush in her cheeks and she recrossed her legs as she shifted uncomfortably in her chair.
'Well...' Viv made a face and cleared her face. 'I...wait...ok I can't believe I'm asking this, but what happened next?'
'Well...' Carol started.
'My god what is your cholesterol like?'
Carol waved her hand. 'I'm 25 and have the metabolism of a hummingbird. I'm taking advantage of it while I can. Anyway, I made this awesome dinner and, like clockwork, Lothias comes home right on time. I'm at the kitchen, cleaning up...he says I'm messy so I'm dealing with that...and I'm at the sink rinsing it out, right? So he walks in and...'
~~~
Wiping the inside of the sink, Carol cursed herself for ruining her manicure but decides it's for a good cause and probably insane sex, so she can deal with it. The telltale click of the front door opening and closing makes her hurry with the sink and yell over her shoulder at Lothias coming into the kitchen.
'Hey, two seconds and then we can eat. Hungry?' Using the sprayer, Carol did a final rinse when Lothias came up behind her and pressed her up against the cabinet.
~~
'Shut up. Right there?' Viv asked as she chewed on a nail.
'Shhh, shhh. Lemme finish. See this dress I'm wearing?'
'I thought it was a handkerchief, myself,' Viv said with a grin.
'Don't be a hater now. Well, I was wearing one just like this one.' Carol pointed at her slip dress that bordered on underwear. It was a sheer pink with solid white bubbles in all the appropriate places. It dusted the tops of her thighs and had thin spaghetti straps. 'So he comes in and...'
~~
Immediately Carol felt Lothias' hands run up the sides of her dress; one pulling at her thong, the other reaching higher to her breasts. His entire body pressed up along her back and his teeth came down on her shoulder, threatening to break the skin. Carol gasped as he ripped her thong off and heard him unzip his pants.
'Wait. Dinner,' she gasped as he pulled her hips toward him, spread her legs with his fingers and pushed deep inside her without ceremony, preparation, or any type of pleasantries. His fingers dug deep into her hips as he simultaneously pushed her forward and lifted her so she was nestled tightly in his lap.
Lothias said nary a word, save for some grunting, but he fucked her so hard against the counter that Carol winced from the pain in front of her and behind her. Her blond hair flew forward into a tangled mess as he threatened to push her through the counter, his hips rocking and thrusting with a dedicated end in mind. Carol felt his hot breath against her ear, his tongue licking at her earlobe, sucking it into his mouth when suddenly she felt him slide out and then reenter her.
~~
'Ok, you know I barely know you, right?' Viv laughed as she leaned forward over the table.
'Did you want me to stop?'
'Absolutely not.'
~~
Carol grabbed the edge of the cabinet as Lothias reentered her, this time slowly, inching his way into the tight orifice. He pumped once into her, his grip on her left arm felt like it was going to break the bone, but she pushed back against him, easing him in until he was deeply in her. Lothias pressed his mouth up against Carol's ear, but instead of assaulting her earlobe again....
~~
'He starts talking in my ear.'
'Shut up.'
'Just the filthiest things I have ever heard! And I'm a total slut. I went to college.'
'What happened next?'
'The dining room table.' Vivienne covered her mouth and snorted. 'Oh yeah, completely fucked up the nice dinner I made, but I forgave him.'
Carol looked at Vivienne, her face bright red and flushed. She couldn't decide if Viv was mortified or turned on, but Carol gauged her reaction against her 'friend test' and she'd have to admit, either way, Viv was ok in her book.
'I don't think I'll be able to look him in the eye ever again.'
Carol laughed an unexpected laugh; more like a guffaw that she managed to make it sound feminine. Viv continued rubbing her hands up and down her thighs, as if wiping something off, and then stopped herself.
'Honestly, we talked about you. I had him meet me after I did my yoga,' Viv shrugged.
'What position?'
'Firefly, do you do yoga?' Carol nodded and laughed again. Shrugging, Viv smiled again, 'Well that's the dirtiest thing I have ever had another woman tell me. Thank you.'
Vivienne took a big breath and then puffed her cheeks out. Sighing heavily she shrugged.
'Just let it ride. Unless that's not what you want?' Carol watched as Viv lowered her eyes and considered the question. 'You want him, how could you not? He's the best kisser ever.'
'Yeah, wait what?'
Carol laughed at Viv's shocked face. 'I dated him before Lothias. He introduced us, actually. Said it was an age thing.' She blew a raspberry and snorted. 'Didn't sleep with him though, so I didn't taint him for you.' She winked at Viv.
'No, it doesn't. I guess he's that type.' Whatever that meant, Viv thought to herself. The pretty sun kissed brunette popped into Viv's mind, the woman he had lunch with the other day. It occurred to Viv that she had no idea if Brig was still seeing that girl. Suddenly a healthy helping of anxiety began stirring in her chest.
'What's wrong, are you ok?' Carol asked concerned, dropping her bubbling demeanor and leaning across the table to touch Viv's hand.
'I think he's seeing someone else. He was with her the other day, shit.' Viv looked back across the table and turned her hand up to hold Carol's and saw the blond shaking her head.
'Don't sweat it, Vivienne. If chick doesn't know how Brian is with women, then she's either blind or stupid. Besides, wouldn't she have come with him to Tinta Rojas anyway?'
Standing, she pulled Vivienne up and hooked her arms with the brunette's. 'If you care about him, you should probably tell him that. Then everything will work out.'
Tempering the hysteria she suddenly felt made her question the entire situation more than she probably should, but Viv wasn't a side dish, nor would she wish that on anyone else. At her age, Viv shouldn't be worrying about another woman's feelings - she had been down that road before (who hasn't) and it wasn't as if Brig was anything more than just a sweet smelling toy to her.
Right?
They walked out back out of the common area and toward the street. They chit chatted a little more before she saw Viv to a cab near the street.
'Hey,' she said as one pulled up to them. 'This is in the vault, right?' Viv's eyes went wide and Carol gave her a reassuring wink. 'Not even Lothias. Secret squirrel, in the vault. All that jazz.'
Carol wasn't sure Lothias would want to know about his uncle and the woman who had come to decide whether or not Brian kept his job. If you asked her, which no one had but it did not prevent Carol from voicing her opinion anyway, Brian and Viv weren't exactly being smart about their situation. Personally, Carol thought it was love, but she has been known to misjudge that emotion a time or two.
Viv ran her tongue over her teeth, touching the spaces in between her molars and thinking deeply about what she and Carol had talked about. Viv had put herself in a precarious position trusting an outsider, but it would be only a matter of time before the LT proposed. She didn't need a degree to figure one out - he loved Carol, balls to bones. Carol in the pack led to other questions and Viv decided to let that train of thought go before it bothered her enough to say something to the Alpha.
Pulling out her iphone, she checked her emails and saw that Dias had arrived in the city with the equipment she had procured for the Pipers. His message said he was en route to the Den and would see her there shortly. Without checking her watch Viv realized it was close to the end of the day shift in the city and traffic began to thicken. The Stafford Enterprises wasn't that far away though, so she sat back and closed her eyes, trying not to think of Brig.
((OOC Carol and Viv out))
Continues in Watch Carefully