Flip Flop Black Tiger

by DreamWvr73

Things are not as we know them to be when good and bad change faces.... MacGyver, Gillian, Pete and Murdoc take on different roles.

Flip Flop:  a backwards somersault: the movement or sound of repeated flapping: a reversal : change of mind, turnabout, turnaround

What if … the world was not the same?

What if … a hero had a different name?

What if … a man we all love so dear…was not the same man that will soon appear?

What if … a heart of the purest gold… was now black and stone cold?

What if … a face of evil and hate… was now friendly and of a different fate?

What if … things were not as we know them to be?

Could things really be so different?

Maybe…just maybe…

MacGyver was lying naked in the middle of his king size bed, a flat sheet was lying across his waist. The blond haired man had his eyes closed and appeared to be sleeping. The bedroom door opened and in walked a young red haired woman.

Gillian MacKenzie was dressed in a short leather skirt and a form fitting white ribbed shirt. She had knee high boots on her feet that thumped as she walked into the room. She took her purse off of her shoulder and tossed it onto the nearby dresser. She smiled as she made her way over to the bed and looked down at the sleeping man lying in it.

Gillian got a good gander at his body; it was nice and lean with just a hint of muscle definition.  She reached out and put her hand on his chest and started moving down it. She was leaning over him enjoying the feel of his smooth skin. She heard the sound of a hammer being pulled back and lifted her eyes. She saw the barrel of a black 9 mm Beretta pointing at her head. She sighed and pushed the gun aside.

"Oh please, put that pea shooter away Mac, who else would be here?"

"Enjoying yourself?" MacGyver had his eyes open, they were staring at her.

Gillian grinned; her hand was still on his chest. "Immensely."

"Don't start something you aren't going to finish." He uncocked the gun and put it down beside him.

She sat down on the edge of his bed. "You know, seeing you lying there like that gives me all kinds of ideas."

"I just bet it does." Mac stretched and tucked his hands behind his head. "So what are you going to do about it?"

Gillian leaned over and brushed her lips against his skin. "I would love to be of service to you." She was slowly kissing her way down his chest.

MacGyver's face was impassive as he watched the young woman. "Yeah and get a knife stuck in my back?"

Gillian was halfway down his chest. "Oh Darling, you think me so cruel as to stick a blade in your back?" She lifted her eyes and met his, her face deadly serious. "I'd slit your throat, but I guarantee you'd die with a smile."

Mac looked at her sideways, a cruel sneer on his lips. "So confident in your abilities as an assassin are you?"

"I am one of the best, if Chancellor ever cuts me loose from being your little servant girl you'd find out." She was making her way down towards the sheet covering his waist.  

Mac put his hands on her shoulders and pushed them back. "I don't think so." He reached up and rubbed his hands down her bare arms. "I like you just where you are, right under my thumb."

Gillian frowned. "You're just afraid I'll kill you."

MacGyver's dark eyes were intense. He pushed back on her arms until she was sitting up. He was looking her up and down. Gillian had a gorgeous body and she always wore the kind of clothes that accentuated it. He put his hands on her legs and started caressing them. "I'm not afraid of anything, we both know you aren't good enough to take me out." He smiled at her. "I'm too much man for you to handle, getting together with you might give you other ideas."

Gillian sighed and closed her eyes briefly at the egotistical statement. "I'm not talking about love or commitment or marriage of any of that other garbage Mac. What I'm talking about is just sex, straight up sex." She leaned forward and ran her hand down his chest again, shaking her head slowly. "You have got an incredible body and I would love to take my time tasting every tiny morsel of it." She grinned wickedly; his warm touch on her legs was stirring her blood.  "I know you want me Mac; I've seen the way you look at me. I can see the lust in your eyes right now."

Gillian was right, he did want her. MacGyver moved his hands up her legs and skirt to wrap around her waist. He pulled her towards him and kissed her. His mouth was pressing to hers hard.  Gillian went to put her arms around him when he broke the kiss. He sat up and glided his hands up her face into her hair. He grabbed the red locks and pulled her head back, causing her to cry out.

MacGyver just looked at her and shook his head, he leaned forward. "It's not going to be that easy."

The young woman could feel her face burning, she was breathing hard from his kiss. A deep scowl bloomed on her lips. "You truly are a bastard Mac."

Mac only sighed; he released her, a sinister grin coming to his lips. "I could have told you that." He laid back down, tucked his arms under his head and closed his eyes.

Gillian wiped her mouth and sighed. "I will get you though; make no mistake that about that. But in the meantime, get up we have work to do."

"Chancellor?"

"Right, he contacted me earlier, we have a new target."

MacGyver sighed. "Oh all right, let me get up." He flung back the sheet and simply stood up; he walked over to his dresser.

Gillian was watching him; the sight of his naked body sent a shiver of desire down her spine. She narrowed her eyes and shook her head. He was purposely teasing her. "Oh you won't let me be of service to you but you'll walk around like that in front of me?"

Mac opened his dresser drawers and started getting out clothes, he simply grinned. "Just giving you a free show Gillian, the rest you'll have to earn."

MacGyver was in is trophy room, it was a large den with a red brick fireplace and wall to wall animal heads. There were animals of every shape and size covering the walls, even a few endangered species.

There was a white tiger head, a black tiger head, a stuffed gray wolf, a stuffed black rhino, and a pair of stuffed golden eagles. The hunter was behind his huge wooden desk. He was sitting in a tan leather chair, wearing a white t-shirt and a pair of black jeans. He took his gun out from his waistband and pointed it at the door. He pulled back the hammer and waited.

The double doors opened and Gillian walked into the room holding a folder in her hands. She saw the black gun being pointed at her and she stopped.

"And just what do you think you're doing?" She swallowed hard; the barrel of the gun was aiming right at her heart.

"Checking my sight." He was pressing the trigger with his index finger.

Gillian narrowed her eyes. "Well check it someplace else I'm not your target." She moved to the side and he followed her, still aiming his gun.

She was getting annoyed and sighed heavily. "Point that thing someplace else; I'm not going to tell you again."

MacGyver just grinned, he was making his partner nervous and he was loving watching her squirm. "Or you'll do what exactly."

Gillian reached behind her with her left hand and took a small silver dagger out of her belt. She turned it over in her hands, the point of it in between her thumb and index finger. She drew her arm back and threw it at her partner. The dagger flipped end over end; it zipped by MacGyver's right temple and landed in the wall behind him.

Mac looked to his right and saw it sticking out of the wall next to his head. He turned and looked at his partner. "Nice aim, but you missed."

Gillian shook her head slowly, her eyes cold and angry. "No I didn't. If I had wanted it to go into your eye, it would have."

He sighed and uncocked his gun, lowering it. "Satisfied?"

"Yes."

Gillian looked around the room and shook her head. She was never fond of that room, it was cold and dead.

"Is there any animal you haven't hunted down and slaughtered?"

MacGyver was taking apart his Berretta. He opened his desk drawer and took out a small kit. He was picking up each piece of his gun and cleaning it thoroughly.

"You're still standing there aren't you?" He lifted his head and glanced his partner. "Did you get the information from Chancellor?"

"Yeah, it's right here." She waved the folder at him.

"Well let me see it." He moved the bits and pieces of his gun aside and picked up a rag; he wiped off his hands.

Gillian walked over to the large mahogany desk and held the folder out to him. "You'll find it very interesting."

"And just why will I find it interesting?" He snatched the folder from her and opened it.

The folder contained a photo of who he was to execute along with a paper listing all of the most current information about the target.  There was a photo of a pretty dark haired woman. 

MacGyver leaned back in his chair and flipped to the paper. "Nicole Carpenter, current profession, Phoenix Foundation Operative." He closed the folder and tossed it on his desk. "Not for long."

Gillian sat down on the edge of his desk. "So how are we going to take her out?" She crossed her legs. "According to that paper she is on loan to the DXS."

Mac looked at her and scoffed. "Yeah so what?"

"So what? The DXS has a huge price on your head. Not to mention the fact that Peter Thornton is going to be right there along with Murdoc. You know they both have been wanting to catch you."

"I'm not worried about Thornton or Murdoc." He tucked his arms behind his head.

Gillian rolled her eyes and shook her head. "An attitude like that will get you killed. Despite what you think you're not that good. " She got off of his desk and turned her back to him. She was about to leave the room when she felt a pair of hands grab her around the waist. She gasped loudly, she wasn't expecting this.

"I'm not that good? Is that what you said?" Mac's voice was cold and cruel, he was whispering in her ear.

Gillian was breathing hard; she felt his hands tighten around her waist. "I just meant that-"

"I don't care what you meant!" He turned her around and grabbed her by the arms. "You aren't here to think Gillian you are here to learn."

MacGyver was angry, he was scowling and the look in his dark eyes was sinister. They were burning a hole right into hers with their gaze.

"You've gotten awfully cocky lately. Maybe it's time I reminded you of who is in charge here?"

He was squeezing her arms and the young woman shook her head. "No, I know you're in charge."

Mac let go of her right arm and pulled the dagger out of the wall. He showed it to her. "Oh yeah? If you had remembered who was in charge you wouldn't have thrown this at me; it almost killed me." He turned partially and set it down on his desk with a loud clang.

Gillian's heart was beating hard within her chest. He was digging his fingers into the flesh of her arm and she knew there would be a bruise because of it. She saw how he was turned away from her. She wondered exactly what he was going to do to her.

Mac looked at her out of the corner of his eye. He had his arm drawn back and let it fly. The back of his hand caught her on the side of her head. He still had a hold of one of her arms, that was the only thing keeping her from falling. Gillian's head was turned; the whole right side of her face was burning. She reached up with her free hand and gently brushed her hair aside. She turned and looked at MacGyver; her dark eyes were slightly shiny from the blow.

MacGyver smiled at this and drew his arm back and hit her again, harder this time. He let her go and she fell onto the cold hard floor. She was lying on her left side.

Mac shook out his hand and crouched down. Gillian had her head turned away from him. She slowly turned to face him. MacGyver reached out and brushed her hair back, her mouth was bleeding. He reached out and touched the blood.

"Remember your place now?"

There were tears in the young woman's eyes, she nodded slowly. "Yeah, I remember."

"Good." Mac straightened up and looked down at her. "Clean yourself up, we got work to do." He stuck his bloody finger in his mouth, tasting her blood. "Next time my reminder might not be so friendly." He stepped over her and left his trophy room.

Gillian's knees were still shaking as she went up the stairs to her teacher's bedroom. She had cleaned up her face and had put her hair up in a bun. The right side of her face was hurting her. There was as a large purple bruise that was already forming, she saw it in the bathroom mirror as she washed her face. She knocked on the double doors and waited for permission to enter.

"Come in."

Gillian swallowed hard as she reached out and grabbed one of the door knobs. She turned it and went inside. MacGyver was lying face down on his bed. He rolled over onto his back and watched as his student walked into the room.

"Feeling better?" He saw the mark on her cheek that was going from red to slight hints of purple.

"Yeah." She walked into the room, not wanting to approach the bed unless he gave his permission.

Mac lifted his hand and curled his finger at her. "You can come here."

Gillian walked over to his bed and sat down on the edge of it. She folded her hands in her lap.

MacGyver saw the way she looked, her head was down. He reached out and touched his fingers to her chin and lifted it.

"I believe you owe me something."

The young woman swallowed hard. "I'm very sorry for throwing my dagger at you and for my attitude as of late."

MacGyver nodded slowly. "That was good, but it wasn't great. You'll have to make your insubordination up to me. How you choose do to that is up to you."

Gillian was looking at her teacher. She hated him, with every fiber of her being.  But deep down she knew she would never be allowed to be on her own until both HIT and Chancellor were satisfied that MacGyver had made her good enough to be set free. When the day came, she looked forward to driving her dagger into MacGyver's coal black heart. But until that day came, she had no choice but to be submissive and subservient to him. "I'll think of a way."

"I know you will." He sighed as he reached out and touched her damaged cheek gently. "Perhaps letting you service me can be your way of getting back on my good graces."

Gillian smiled at him. "Yes that would be a way to make amends, wouldn't it?"

"Yes it would."

There was a complicated stereo system in MacGyver's bedroom, he rolled over and picked up the remote control for it from his nightstand. He raised his arm and pointed the remote at the metal shelf that was across the room. The CD player turned on and a rock song started to play.

The young woman turned around and looked at the player. She turned back and saw the way her teacher was looking at her. His face was very serious. "Take off your clothes, slowly."

Gillian's heart was beating hard as she stood up and stepped back away from the bed. She was listening to the music playing, letting it inspire her. She touched her hand to her skirt and unzipped it slowly. She had on light pink colored satin underwear that shined as she moved. She crossed her arms, her fingers curling around the ends of her shirt. She lifted it up over her head and dropped it on the floor. She had on the matching satin bra.

MacGyver was watching her; he had never seen his student with such a small amount of clothing on. Her body uncovered was a magnificent sight and he could feel his desire for her increasing. A slightly wicked grin came to his lips as he curled his finger at her.

Gillian was feeling very wicked herself, she shook her head slightly. "It's not going to be that easy." She was still in her knee high black boots. She saw a folded up chair leaning against the far wall, she got it and unfolded it. She put her left leg up on it and started to unzip her boot. She knew her partner had a thing for legs and she was going to exploit that. She unzipped her boot all the way and peeled it down slowly, revealing her leg. She took it off her foot, and dropped it on the hardwood floor. She did the same with the other boot.

MacGyver had enough; he got up from the bed and walked over to her. He grabbed her by the arm and dragged her to his bed.

Gillian was shoved onto the bed. She landed on her back; she thought that perhaps she had gone too far. MacGyver's face was serious, he looked rather angry. 

She swallowed hard as she got up on her elbows. "I'm sorry." She watched as her partner climbed onto the bed, she thought for sure she was going to be punished again.

Mac was on his knees, he moved over to the young woman. He was looking down at her and he could see the terror in her eyes. He reached out and grabbed her by her wrist and hauled her onto her knees. They were both face to face.

Gillian was breathing hard as she looked into Mac's face; she wasn't exactly sure what he was going to do.

MacGyver still had a hold of her arm; he pulled her even closer to him. Gillian could feel the heat of his body pressed against hers. She wanted to touch him but she was afraid of what he would do if she tried.

Mac saw the hesitation in her face. He let go of her arm and in one swift motion put his hand to the back of her neck and pressed on it, uniting their lips.

Gillian was a little taken back at the aggressiveness of his kiss but within seconds she was over it. She put her arms around him and returned it. MacGyver's other hand went around the young woman and touched her bra, he started unhooking it.

Gillian opened her eyes slowly; she was alone in the big bed. She rolled onto her back and stretched, thinking about what had happened between the two of them. Much of it had surprised her, MacGyver was cold blooded and cruel but in that bed he had been very different. He had been gentle and almost kind to the young woman. His heartless nature had temporarily disappeared as he held her tightly and gently kissed her bruised face. Gillian knew this was only because of what they had shared, there were no feelings or emotions attached to what had transpired in that bed. This didn't bother her a bit; it was better that way for both of them.

She sat up slowly and looked around the empty room. "Mac?"

There was no answer, she threw back the maroon sheet and got out of the bed. Her underclothes were on the floor; she picked them up and put them back on. "Mac, where are you?"

Gillian had her back to the doors. They opened and a man with black hair and a dark blue suit walked into the room. He had on a pair of small wire rim glasses that sat in front of bright blue eyes. The stranger adjusted his tie and cleared his throat.

The young woman turned around and gasped. She grabbed the sheet off of the bed and put it around her. "Who are you?"

The man walked over to her and took off his glasses. "Look closely."

Gillian looked into the man's eyes, they were blue but she recognized them. "Mac?"

He nodded at her. "Very observant aren't you?"

She sighed as she took the sheet from around her and tossed it back over onto the bed. "You scared me to death."

"What have I always told you?" He loosened his tie and took it off. "Never turn your back to an open door."

"I remember, so what's your cover name?"

Mac reached into his dark blue blazer and produced an ID. "Professor Alexander Worthington. I've arranged to get a tour of the Department of External Services as a diplomatic courtesy."

Gillian picked up her white shirt and slipped it back over her head. "Diplomatic courtesy? Where are you from?"

"Oxford." He spoke with a slight British accent and his partner nodded.

"Very good Mac. That's downright clever of you."

"I thought so." He sighed as he tucked his ID back into his jacket. He reached up and touched his hair. "I only hope this stuff doesn't dye my hair permanently."

Gillian picked up her skirt and put it on. She reached behind her and zipped it up. "It won't, it comes off if you wash your hair like three times."

"Oh good."

"So when do we go to LA?"

MacGyver picked up the young woman's boots and handed them to her. "In the morning, I have to be there by 10 am."

Gillian sat down on the bed and slipped her boots on her feet. "That won't be a problem; it's only about a half hour flight time from this island to LA. We can leave her at 9 am and still have time to spare."

"Good, I don't want to be late."

"Don't worry, I'm the best when it comes to flying and you know it. You'll be there in plenty of time."

Mac sat down on the bed beside her. "You're going to be my assistant, you need some proper clothes. There are some nice clothes in the spare room closet, choose something professional."

Gillian nodded. "Okay, I'll probably wear black or dark blue."

"Then I'll make the hit, and we'll very casually go to the roof and make our get away."

"How are you going to take her out?"

MacGyver smiled. "Very carefully and in plain view of Peter Thornton and Murdoc."

He lifted his hand and showed his student a class ring; it had a large red stone. Gillian looked at it and creased her brow. "With a ring?"

"No." He flipped his hand over and showed the underside of the ring, there was a very fine needle coming out of the band.

"What's that?"

"An acupuncture needle with a very effective and fast poison; she'll never feel the needle or know what hit her."

Pete Thornton was sitting behind his desk going over papers. He was wearing a white designer shirt and dark pants; he had a black Cashmere blazer over the shirt. He was going over paperwork when the phone buzzed loudly on his desk. "Yes Sandra?"

"Mr. Thornton, Professor Worthington and his assistant are here to see you."

Pete checked his watch, it was exactly 10 o'clock. "He's right on time, send them in Sandra and could you call Murdoc and have him come to my office please?"

"Yes sir, right away."

The door opened and the black haired man in the dark blue suit walked into the room. He was followed by a blond haired woman. She was wearing a black business suit, her blond hair was tied neatly into a bun and she had a pair of wire rim glasses. "Mr. Thornton?"

Pete smiled and extended his hand. "Yes, it is a pleasure to meet you Miss?"

"Miss Lord, Cassandra Lord." She shook his hand and turned to look at her Boss. "I have the pleasure of presenting Professor Alexander Worthington."

The Professor stepped forward. "Alex Worthington."

"Pete Thornton, Director of Operations."

The two men shook hands and Pete motioned to the chairs in front of his desk. "A pleasure to meet you both, please sit down."

"Thank you Mr. Thornton." He sighed and looked around the room.

"Long flight?" Pete looked at the young woman.

Cassandra smiled as she crossed her legs. "As a matter of fact it was, but it was very pleasant."

Alex nodded. "Yes it was and we are both looking forward to this tour. We have heard many wonderful things about the DXS."

There was a knock at the door and Pete looked up at it. "Come in."

The wooden door opened and in walked a middle aged man with medium brown hair. He had a handsome face yet there was something sinister about his eyes. He was dressed in a light grey suit.

Pete saw him and stood up. "Murdoc, I would like you to meet Professor Alexander Worthington and his assistant Miss Cassandra Lord."

Murdoc walked over to the two chairs and stretched out his hand. Cassandra stood up and shook it. "A pleasure to meet you Mr. Murdoc."

The finely dressed man with the dark hair and suave air about him smiled and gently pressed his lips to her hand. "No, the pleasure is mine, dear Lady."

Cassandra smiled, she felt her face blush slightly as she sat back down.

Alex stood up and shook his hand. "Alex Worthington."

The two men's eyes met and MacGyver thought perhaps his disguise wasn't good enough. It seemed for a moment that Murdoc could see through it.

Murdoc nodded his head. "An honor Professor."

Alex gave the man a nod. "Same for me Mr. Murdoc."

Pete watched this and waited until his right hand man took his place beside him. "Well now that introductions are over…"

Murdoc turned and looked at his Boss. "Are you going to introduce them to Miss Carpenter?"

"We will get to her as we tour." Pete stood up and motioned to the door with his outstretched hand. "Shall we?"

The two guests got out of their chairs and followed Pete and Murdoc out of the office.

Nicole Carpenter was sitting at her desk; she was turned with her back to the door typing on her computer. The young woman was dressed in a long black shirt and a black silk shirt. There was a knock on her door and the young woman sighed. "I'm never going to get this report done!"

She turned in her chair towards the door. "Come in."

The door opened and in walked Pete, Murdoc and the two guests.

"Nikki, I hope we're not disturbing you."

Nikki did her best phony smile and stood up slowly. "Of course you aren't disturbing me Pete."

The stout man smiled. "Good because there are two people I would like you to meet."

Alex and Cassandra walked into the room and stood in front of her desk. Alex had his hands folded over one another in front of him. He touched the ruby stone on his ring and the needle on the other side emerged from the band.

Pete stretched out his hand. "Nikki Carpenter, meet Professor Alexander Worthington."

Nikki smiled widely and stretched out her hand. "So nice to meet you Professor."

Alex took the young woman's hand and shook it. "Nice to meet you too Miss Carpenter."

"And this is Cassandra Lord his assistant."

The two women looked at each other. "Hello." Cassandra nodded her head slightly.

Nikki returned it. "Hi."

Pete cleared his throat. "Well we've taken up enough of your time, see you later Nikki."

The young dark haired woman nodded. "Sure Pete, see you later."

Murdoc smiled at her and raised his hand. "Bye Nikki."

"Bye Murdoc."

The 4 people filed out and Nikki sighed as she walked around her desk and sat back down in her chair. The collar of her silk shirt felt tight and she pulled at it a little. She didn't think anything about it as she turned back around in her chair and continued working.

Pete and Murdoc took Alex and Cassandra on a tour of the whole Department of External Services. It took an hour after which the Professor and his assistant said their goodbyes and got into the elevator. As soon as the doors closed Cassandra turned to the Professor.

"Think she's dead?"

MacGyver watched the elevator go through each floor on its way to the 29th floor. "Oh yeah, she was dead the minute the needle pierced her hand."

The elevator reached the floor, it dinged and the doors parted. Mac and Gillian walked out of it. They walked past a room full of people working on computers and down the hall to the stairs. MacGyver threw open the door and the couple raced up them. They wanted to be gone by the time Nikki's body was found.

They opened the door that led to the roof and ran across it towards the helicopter landing pad. Gillian's bright white helicopter was waiting for them.

Gillian unbuttoned her jacket and took it off. She had a white tank top underneath it. She opened the pilot's door and got in. MacGyver had his jacket off and threw it inside the copter as he climbed into it.

"Come on get this thing moving!"

"I am!" Gillian flipped the necessary switches and turned the key.

The helicopter started humming and the blades started slowly spinning. Within a few seconds the blades were spinning fast, Gillian pulled the stick back and the chopper was airborne. She flew it north towards the ocean and MacGyver's private island.

The Director of Operations was frowning; his face was serious with a hint of sadness to it. He was standing behind his desk, his arms crossed over his chest as he stared out the large window. Pete was in a rather somber mood, the body of Nikki Carpenter had been found by a secretary a half hour earlier. The police and Medical Examiner were in her office now to remove the body and try to find a cause of death. There was a knock at the door but Pete did not turn around to face it. He simply kept his back to it.

"Come in."

Murdoc came into the room; he had taken his jacket off and was now in his white long sleeved shirt. He had unbuttoned the cuffs and had rolled up his sleeves. "Peter?"

The stout man finally turned around. "What is it Murdoc? I'm really not in the mood for small talk."

His right hand man nodded slowly. "I understand your feelings, I'll be brief." He cleared his throat. "From what the Medical Examiner can surmise, Nikki was poisoned. She has only been dead about an hour."

Pete sat down in his chair, he leaned his elbows on his desk. He rubbed his hands down his face and thumped his fists into his desk. "Poisoned? How? From what?"

Murdoc walked up to his Boss' desk. "They're not sure; the police took her coffee cup. They'll be sending it to the lab for analysis."

Pete sighed and shook his head; he truly was saddened by the young woman's death. "She didn't deserve that Murdoc, to die like that."

"I know, believe me." Murdoc sat down in front of his Boss' desk. "Any idea who could have behind the assassination?"

"There are all kind of things in Nikki's past that could have gotten her killed Murdoc." The stout man shook his head again as he leaned back in his chair. "She once worked for a Senator that had this obsession with poking his nose into organized crime."

The brown haired man frowned and shook his head. "No, this was not Mafia related Peter.  The Mafia like attention, they would have been more elaborate if they had been behind this. Whoever did this was very quiet about it, almost nonchalant."  Murdoc looked at his Boss. "Any known assassins with that MO?"

Pete turned to his computer and started punching keys.  He accessed his file on known assassins and started going down the list he had.

"We'll see what we can find but it might take some time." Pete stopped typing. "Why don't you go check with security and have them go over the tapes from the lobby. See if any suspicious people came in or out over the last couple of hours."

Murdoc got up from the chair. "All right, I'll also contact my man at Interpol; ask him if he knows of anyone getting in or out of this country."

Gillian sighed as she pulled the wig off of her head. Her red hair had been put up in a bun, she pulled the booby pins from it and shook her hair out. She was in MacGyver's bedroom, changing out of her business suit. She heard the sound of the shower starting and an idea came into her mind. She smiled wickedly as she went over to the bathroom door and opened it.

MacGyver's bathroom was huge; it was practically a whole room by itself. He had an enormous shower; it was a massive glass box that had three gold colored shower heads that were on three sides of the square. The glass door was on the last wall. The bathroom was slightly hazy as she walked into it and peered into the steamy glass box. She could see her boss's form amongst the spraying water and steam. She reached out and touched the gold handle; she pulled on it and opened the door.

MacGyver was trying to get the black rinse out of his hair. He had washed his hair once and was just rinsing out the second shampooing when he heard the door open. He turned around and saw his student. She was in her underclothes. She only smiled.

"Hi, room for one more?"

Mac smoothed his hair back and wiped the water from his face. "Yeah, there's room." He turned around and grabbed a loofa sponge. He tossed it at her. "But you have to be useful."

Gillian caught the sponge and started taking off her underclothes.

The water was turned off and MacGyver opened the glass door. He wiped the water from his arms and face and shook out his hair. He took the nearby maroon towel off of the rack and wrapped it around his midsection. Gillian followed him, a small smile on her face. "Where's my towel?"

"Where the others are, the rack or the closet over there." He ran his fingers through his hair and walked out of the bathroom.

Gillian got a clean white towel out of the bathroom and wrapped it around her. She got out a smaller one and dabbed her face gently as she followed her teacher into the bedroom.

"Mac?"

"What?" He took a black silk robe out of the closet. He slipped it on tied it around himself. He flopped down on the bed and watched the young woman in the towel.

Gillian sat down on the edge of the bed. "Can I ask you a question?"

MacGyver rolled his eyes and sighed. "I suppose, as long as it isn't too complicated."

"Well I'm not sure if it is or not." She saw a flash of annoyance on his face. "I was just wondering why we killed Nikki Carpenter."

Her teacher only shook his head. "Why? For a quarter of a million dollars, that's why." He saw that she meant other than the money. "She stuck her nose where it didn't belong one too many times. Some very important men wanted to see her dead and were willing to pay." He glared at her. "And that's all you need to know."

Gillian nodded. "I was just wondering."

"Yeah well curiosity can kill in this line of work Gillian, remember that." Mac tucked his arms behind his head.

"I know that but I had to find out." Gillian got off of the bed and went to go put on some clothes.

"What are you doing?"

She turned around and looked at the man lying in the big bed. "Getting dressed."

"Did I say you could get dressed?" MacGyver's face was serious.

The young woman swallowed hard. "No."

"No I didn't, get back over here."

Gillian turned back around and walked over to the bed. She sat back on the edge of it.

Mac sat up, he turned towards her. "Lie back on the bed."

She did as she was told; she scooted down some and laid down on her back. Her mentor moved over her, scanning her body up and down with those liquid eyes of his. His eyes met hers as his hands reached out and touched her towel. He parted the terrycloth material and once more looked her over.

Gillian was breathing hard, the look in his eyes pierced through her, clear to her bones. She could feel herself start to tremble slightly out of fear and anticipation.

MacGyver saw the way his pupil shook.  He knew he was the cause of it and that absolutely delighted him. He licked his lips and pressed them together. "Hold still."

His stern voice made her jump, it almost echoed in the large room. She closed her eyes and tried to quiet her trembling.

Mac saw her body start to relax, the shaking eased and he reached down and took her hand. He put her hand on his robe parting the two ends with it. He placed her hand on his chest and started to glide it down.

Gillian closed her eyes; the feel of his smooth skin against the tips of her fingers was intoxicating.  She turned to look at him; his face remained passive as if nothing was happening between them.  He glided her hand down to the tie of his robe.

"Open it."

Gillian had her hand around the bow, she pulled it. The black silk parted all the way.  Mac was sitting sideways and the young woman swallowed hard as she looked at his body. The sight of him made her face begin to flush.

MacGyver still had a hold of her hand. He kept moving it all the way down and saw the surprise on her face as her hand came to rest on him. His flesh was hard yet silky, like the touch of velvet.  His face was still passive, not reflecting even the tiniest hint of emotion.  He reached out with his other hand and touched her cheek, stroking it gently.

This simple gesture gave Gillian the permission she sought. She took control of her hand.

Mac leaned forward; he moved close to her face and kissed her. It was a tender kiss; the gentleness of it was a surprise. The young woman started to say something but he put his finger to her lips.

"Remember…questions can be deadly."

Gillian nodded her head as their lips met once more in a kiss.

Pete rubbed his eyes as he studied the long list he had on assassins in his computer. He had been going over them for hours now and his eyes were beginning to feel the strain. He leaned back in his chair and sighed. A knock came to his door and he raised his head to acknowledge it.  "Yes?"

Murdoc poked his head in and saw his Boss. "Is this a bad time Peter?"

The stout man wiped his hand down his face. "No, what is it?"

The door opened all the way and Murdoc stepped into the office. He had a manila folder in his hands. "The security tapes show no one of any particular interest coming or going for the past two hours before Nikki's death."

"Interpol?"

"I just got off the phone with them. There has been no one suspicious entering or leaving this country for the past 48 hours."

Pete shook his head turned his chair from side to side. "So in other words, a dead end."

Murdoc walked over to Pete's desk and sat on the edge of it. "I didn't say that."

"Then you've got something?"

A rather proud smile broke out on the lips of Pete's right hand man. "I believe so." He handed the folder to his Boss.

Pete took the beige folder and opened it. He saw two pictures, one of a very young man and woman. The man had black hair and blue eyes and the young woman had blond hair and dark eyes. "Who is this?"

"Alex Worthington and his assistant Cassandra Lord."

Pete's eyes grew wide as they looked up at Murdoc. "But these people weren't just here taking a tour."

"I know, you see Peter. I had a hunch and took the liberty of calling Oxford. It seems that Alex Worthington and Cassandra Lord were killed in a plane crash off the coast of England 5 years ago."

The stout man glanced at the photos again. "But we ran a check on both of them, why didn't the file show them as being deceased?"

Murdoc took the folder from his boss and closed it. "Because, that part of their files had been deliberately removed."

"By who?"

"By the person that stole their identities and used them to take out Nikki."

Pete's eyes grew fiery and he pressed his lips together so hard they disappeared into his face. "Who? Who was it?"

Murdoc leaned forward and stretched out his arm. He pressed a few keys on Pete's keyboard and a file came up. "There's your answer."

The stout man glanced at the file and the picture in the top left corner of it. It was of a blond man. "MacGyver."

"Precisely Peter. I got word from the underground that HIT had picked up the contract on Nikki. And we both know that MacGyver is their best assassin. Who else would be clever enough to steal Alex Worthington's identity and that of his assistant?"

"But how did he kill her?"

"Now that I'm not sure, but knowing MacGyver it could have been anything from her lipstick to the shoes on her feet."

Pete shook his head and sighed. "I want his head for this Murdoc."

Murdoc nodded slowly. "Believe me Peter, so do I."

Gillian had on a pair of black coveralls. Her red hair was tied up in a bun tucked underneath a black baseball cap. She had a black Glock 26 pistol in her hands. She was in the Training Area located on the west side of MacGyver's island. He had turned one whole side of his island into a training ground at the request of Chancellor and HIT. The Training Area was nothing more than a few old brick buildings that had been destroyed by tropical storms.  MacGyver had rigged them with motion detectors and had booby trapped the buildings.

Gillian had managed to make it through all 5 levels of the buildings and had come out alive. All she had to do now was make it to the fountain for her prize.

The young woman peeked her head around the corner. She was looking out towards the courtyard in the center of the three buildings.

Gillian carefully made her way towards the fountain. She had all the agility, grace and movement of a jungle cat as she emerged from behind the building. The moment she was clear of the structure a rain of gun fire came straight at her. She threw herself on the ground and covered her head, kicking up a large dust cloud as she did so. She looked up towards the red brick building and saw a figure in black with a large rifle. He was in the second floor window.  

Gillian knew who it was; she began to crawl towards the fountain. She raised her arm and aimed at the window with her Glock and started firing. The gunman ducked back into the building momentarily. He only retreated for a few seconds before once again shooting at her.

The young woman sighed out of frustration. She reached down and took a grenade off her belt. She began to crawl along the ground. The bullets were still coming at her, kicking up bits of sand and rocks as she made it to the red brick building and stood up. She flattened herself against it and waited for her attacker to quit firing.

Everything was quiet, her time had come. She pulled the pin on the grenade and ran out tossed it towards the second story window. The explosion was very mild; it was not a true grenade she had thrown but a special one for training purposes. A large cloud of dust and emerged from the window. There was nothing but silence now.

Gillian was now standing in front of the fountain and picked up a black velvet box.

"Clear!" That was the key word that meant the training was complete.

The young woman opened the smooth black box and saw a diamond necklace. It was made up of large silver stars; each one was covered with diamonds and connected to each other by a diamond chain. She lifted it out of the box and looked at it.

"Very nice Mac. You have very good taste in jewelry."

Gillian put the necklace away and touched the pocket of her coveralls. She took out a walkie talkie and turned it on. "Panther…this is Vixen, do you read me?"

"I read you Vixen, nice move. I'm coming out…"

MacGyver stepped out from the second floor window and waved at her. He took off his ski mask.

Gillian turned off the walkie talkie and tucked it into her pocket. She sat down on the edge of the fountain and waited for him to come down.

MacGyver came out of the red brick building. His blond hair was sticking up and he flung the rifle over his shoulder. He saw his student sitting on the concrete fountain. She had her necklace on, it sparkled in the sunlight. It looked strange at it laid around her neck, the dark material of her coveralls making the diamonds all the more luminous. She grinned as she touched the diamonds.

"What do you think?"

Mac ran his fingers through his hair. He looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "I think it'd look better against flesh than with those coveralls."

Gillian smiled widely. "Is that a request?"

"Maybe... for later."

He took her gun from her and tucked it into his pocket. "You did good, your fastest time ever."

"So if I did so well what's with the rifle greeting me?"

His face was serious. "You have to expect the unexpected Gillian, the first rule of assassination."

The young woman nodded as she stood up. "Yes, I'll try and remember that."

MacGyver gave her a nod. "Good, come on let's go talk to Chancellor. I got a message this morning we may have a new target."

The teacher and his student returned to the large grey mansion. They went into the trophy room and moved the chair behind the desk out of the way. Mac pressed his hand to a small white panel on the back wall. It slid open and he picked up a small glass plate. He stuck out his tongue and pressed the plate to it. He put it down into the slot for analysis. After several seconds the light shining in the panel turned green. The entire wall slid to one side revealing a large television screen. 

Gillian looked at the screen. "When did Chancellor send the message?"

"This morning." Mac watched as the screen came on.

A monotone voice came over the large speakers on either side of the screen. "Password required for further communication."

MacGyver cleared his throat. "Codename Black Tiger."

"Accepted… Welcome Black Tiger."

The screen turned from black to white as a blank white room came into view. There was a snow white desk in the center. "Hello MacGyver. You're late."

A cool yet deep voice rang out as the camera focused on the empty desk.

"I know Chancellor I apologize."

"What is the reason for your tardiness?"

"We were training."

"And how is the lovely Gillian?"

Mac turned and looked at the young woman standing next to him. "She's right here Chancellor."

"Is she? How are you Gillian?"

Gillian swallowed hard; it always made her nervous to speak to Chancellor. Her heart was beating hard in her chest.  "I'm good, thank you."

MacGyver sat down on the edge of his desk, his feet in his leather chair. "So, what's the deal Chancellor?"

There was a slight pause that seemed to last forever. "Why don't you ask your apprentice that question?"

Gillian heard his words and her blood turned to ice. Her entire body was frozen. Mac turned his head and looked at the young woman.

"Gillian?"

She swallowed hard, forcing her voice to come back to her throat. "I don't know what you mean Chancellor."

"The hell you don't Gillian. Allow me to refresh your memory…Michael Pershing."

"The chemical engineer?" Mac creased his brow as he looked up at the screen.

Gillian closed her eyes briefly, she hung her head. "How did you find out?"

"We have our ways Gillian."

MacGyver was not getting any answers; he hated being kept in the dark. He reached out and grabbed his student by the arm and pulled her towards him. "What about Michael Pershing?" He was digging his fingers into her flesh.

Gillian was breathing hard out of fright. Her mentor's dark eyes spoke of deadly seriousness as he gazed at her. "He…he found out I'm with HIT and he threatened to go to the police and Interpol if I didn't…"

Mac jerked her harder towards him. "Didn't what?"

"Pay him 2 thousand dollars a week."

"And how long has been going on?"

Gillian swallowed hard. "4 weeks."

"That's why I sent you message to talk to me this morning MacGyver. We have decided that we want you both to take out Michael Pershing."

MacGyver nodded. "Money?"

"Your usual fee plus an extra 20 % if you make it a rather elaborate death."

"Done." He turned back towards Gillian. "And what of my student? Do I eliminate her too?"

Gillian tried to pull her arm away but he had a strong grip on her. She shook her head slowly.

"No, despite this little slip up, she has a lot of potential. I'm sure you will find some way of punishing her. We leave it up to you."

The screen went black and Mac narrowed his eyes at his student. "And just what should I do to you?"

Before she could answer MacGyver got up from his desk. He still had a hold of her arm and he dragged her out of the room with him.

The door to the cell opened and Gillian slowly raised her head. She had been locked in the dungeon under MacGyver's mansion for the past two days. Her arms were above her head, shackled to the wall. The cold cell smelled of must and wet rotting straw.

The dark coveralls she had been wearing were now torn and filthy. Mac had chased her all around his island, hunting her. He had finally caught her and had tossed her in that cell. She hadn't been given any food or water.

MacGyver walked into the cell and looked down at his student.

"Have we been enjoying our accommodations?"

Gillian didn't have the strength to move, her fingers wiggled in the shackles. She said nothing, only narrowed her eyes at him.

Mac crouched down and touched his fingers to her chin, lifting it slightly. "Are you ready now to help me take care of this little mess you got yourself into?"

Gillian only nodded her head slightly. "Yes…" Her voice was scarcely about a whisper. Her throat was so dry she could barely make a sound.

MacGyver touched the pocket of his jeans. He brought out a key and unlocked the shackles. He put one hand behind the young woman's neck, the other under her knees. He stood up, lifting her at the same time. He carried her out of the cell and closed the wooden door behind him.

Gillian was in a white terrycloth robe, sitting in front of the dressing table in the spare bedroom. She was putting on the finishing touches to her makeup. She had put her long red hair up in a French twist and was gently dabbing a deep red lipstick to her lips. The door to the spare room opened and MacGyver walked in.

He was dressed in a white silk shirt and black leather pants. The tight leather was clinging to his well muscled legs, outlining their form. He had put a dark brown wig on his head, giving him long straight hair that went well past his shoulders. He had light blue contacts in his eyes and had glued a goatee and mustache on his face. He walked up behind the young woman.

"Get up; let me see what you have on."

The young woman put her lipstick down and stood up; she walked around the little stool and stood before her teacher. She untied the robe and let it slide down her arms.

A very short red silk dress was underneath that robe. It had spaghetti straps and the top half of it was decorated with tiny red sequence. The dress only went scarcely past her panty line.

"You chose the Versace dress, good choice." He stepped back and looked her over. She looked incredibly beautiful in her dress. The tight silky material showed off very curve she had.

Gillian took this opportunity to look at how her teacher was dressed. She couldn't help but be wide eyed at his appearance. "Wow!"

MacGyver narrowed his eyes at her. "What?"

She took a few steps towards him and walked around him. "You look good enough to eat."

Her teacher sighed and raised an eyebrow. "I didn't dress like this for your approval."

"I know but you've got it and if we weren't pressed for time I'd lay you down and peel that leather slowly off of you."

Mac reached out and grabbed the circling woman and pulled her to him. "Believe me, the feeling is more than mutual." He grabbed her by the back of her neck and pressed her closer. He covered her mouth with his hard. His kiss was aggressive, and Gillian gasped when she felt his tongue invade her mouth. Her knees turned to liquid. He pulled back and smiled wickedly at the stunned expression on her face.

"Let's go, your ex has a date with Death and we can't keep him waiting."

MacGyver had on a pair of sunglasses. He had on a long black leather trench coat that hung open as he walked crossed the lobby of the Meridian Hotel. There was a large crystal chandelier that hung in the center of the room, under a square made up of snow white couches. The thick carpeting under feet was beige; the design of it was red roses with deep green vines. The top of the room had a fancy glass counter in a half circle shape. There were computers and phones placed a few feet apart all along the circle.

A young woman in a bright red uniform and light brown hair that was put up in a bun stood behind the glass counter.

Mac walked up to her and cleared his throat. "Excuse me?"

"Yes sir, may I help you?"

"I believe I have a reservation." He set his suitcase down and slowly took off his sunglasses. "Under the name Adrian Castillan."

The young woman saw his face and her eyes grew round, her jaw dropped open slightly. "Oh my God, Adrian Castillan? The Adrian Castillan? The famous model?"

MacGyver only smiled humbly and gave a slight nod of his head. "Yes, that's me."

"Oh wow! I am so thrilled to meet you." She stuck out a shaky hand. "My name is Tara."

Mac took her hand and held it in his. There was a brass key on the counter, he leaned over and swiped it as he pressed his lips to her hand. "It's nice to meet you Tara."

Tara's face turned a light shade of pink. She stood there totally stunned and awestruck. After a few seconds she came back to reality. "Oh your room! I'm very sorry."

He gave her a wide grin, showing all of his teeth. "It's no trouble at all."

She typed a little on the computer, looking at the screen. "Yes your reservation is right here, you reserved the penthouse?"

MacGyver nodded as he took a long black leather wallet out of his trench coat and placed a stack of hundreds down on the counter and fanned them out. "Will this cover the room?"

Tara gulped as she saw at least a couple thousand dollars. "Yes sir, more than cover it."

"Good." Mac held his hand out. "May I have my keys please?"

A pair of large brass keys was gently placed in the palm of his hand. "Here you go, if you need anything feel free to let me know." She gave him a slight smile that spoke volumes; her tone implied she was offering him more than the services of the hotel.

MacGyver tucked the keys into his left pocket. He smiled at the young woman as he slipped the sunglasses back on his face. "I'll keep that in mind." He picked up the small black suitcase at his feet. He started walking towards the elevator. His hand slipped into the right pocket of his trench coat and took out the pilfered brass key.

Gillian was walking through the lobby; a small beaded red bag was in her hands. She spotted Mac coming towards her.

MacGyver met Gillian and bumped into her accidentally; his shoulder lightly pressing into her chest.

"Oh, excuse me."  He pressed the key into her hand.

Gillian palmed it and stepped back. "No it was my fault, I'm very sorry. Excuse me."

He slowly turned to look at her as she crossed in front of him. The young woman was walking through a pair of glass French doors that led into the dining room.

MacGyver pressed the button for the elevator, he stepped into it and pressed the button marked P. The last thing he saw as the doors closed was Gillian being escorted to a table by a bald man in a black tuxedo.

Michael Pershing stood up when he saw the young woman being escorted to his table. His eyes were taking in the sight of her and he smiled widely.

"Well hello, don't you look beautiful."

The bald man pushed in her chair and left the couple alone.

"Thank you." Gillian set her purse on the edge of the table.

The small table had a deep green table cloth and a long maroon candle in the middle of it. Michael took out a lighter and lit the candle. "There, gives the table a much more romantic touch."

Gillian smiled as she sat sideways a little and crossed her legs. "I thought we were going to discuss our little arrangement."

A waiter brought over a bottle of champagne wrapped in a dark green napkin. He excused himself as he set two long crystal flute glasses down and filled them with champagne. Michael nodded at him and the young man handed him the bottle. He put in a silver bucket near his side of the table. He picked up one of the glasses and raised it. "We are going to discuss business, but it doesn't have to be all bad.  Am I right?"

"Of course, there's no reason why this evening can't be a pleasant one." Gillian picked up the glass and clinked it against his.

There was a knock on the black wooden double doors of the penthouse. MacGyver was expecting the company; he got up from the black leather couch in the living room and opened the double doors. He smiled at the young woman behind them.

Tara was still in her work uniform, she grinned widely. "Hi."

"Hi." Mac stepped aside and let her come in.

The penthouse was done mostly in black and white. The carpeting was snow white but the living room set was black leather. There was a black lacquer wooden entertainment center with a big screen television just off of the front door. At the top of the room was the door to the bedroom; it was open and Tara could see the fancy black comforter that covered the king size bed.

Tara looked around all the fancy decorations in the penthouse. "I always thought this was a very nice room."

There was a silver bucket with a bottle of champagne sitting next to a small shiny black dining room table with 4 chairs that was in the middle of the room. MacGyver walked over to it and picked it up the bottle of champagne. "Yeah it is."

Tara heard the popping of the cork; she whipped around and watched as her host poured two tall glasses of champagne. He picked them up off of the table and stretched it out to her. "Here, try this champagne."

Tara crossed the room and took the glass from him. She got a good look at her host. His trench coat was gone, he now was in his white silk shirt and black leather pants. His shirt was unbuttoned almost half way down; she could see his chest through it. She swallowed hard as she closed her eyes and had a drink. The champagne was very smooth. "It's good, what kind is this?"

MacGyver titled the glass back as he emptied it. "Dom Perignon, 1970."

The young woman nearly spit the champagne out. "1970? That's the best year we carry!"

"I know, its 900 dollars a bottle." He filled his glass and set the bottle back in the bucket. He walked in the living room and sat down on the couch. "Why don't you come over here?"

Tara could feel her heart racing as she carried her glass over into the living room area. She finished the champagne and set it down on the glass coffee table. "So what are you in town for?"

MacGyver leaned forward, setting his empty glass down beside hers. He turned towards her and smiled. "You want to talk? That's fine, we can talk but I thought you wanted action." He saw her hand resting against her red uniform pants. He picked it up and touched it to his exposed chest.

Tara could feel his thumping heart just under the palm of her hand. She looked up into his blue eyes. "You don't beat around the bush do you?"

"In my line of work there is very little time for such subtleties." Mac smiled at her. "You said to call you if I needed anything." He reached out and started unbuttoning the shiny brass buttons on her red uniform jacket. "You've got something I need."

Tara looked down and watched as he unbuttoned her red coat and opened it. She had a white cotton shirt underneath and his fingers found the small buttons. The young woman looked into his eyes again, her sudden bout of shyness fading like smoke in the wind. She smiled as she touched his hands and moved them away from her shirt. "It's my turn."

Her small hand moved down his chest and began to open the few remaining buttons on his shirt. She parted the silk, revealing a well defined chest. There was a slight trail of hair that went down the middle of it. She leaned forward and started kissing it, leaning him back as she did so.

Mac was watching her, looking at the top of her head. He put his hands in her hair.

Tara kissed all the way down to his belly button. She moved back up and brushed her lips against his. Her hand was fumbling with his belt as she did so. She unzipped his leather pants and stuck her hand inside them.

MacGyver was beginning to feel the actions of the young woman start to get to him. He put his hands on her back and pressed her against him. He began kissing her harder, his tongue slipping into her mouth. He heard the sound of surprise coming from the young woman.

Tara could feel her heart beating so hard she thought it was going to explode. She was getting more and more excited; her head was beginning to feel light.

Mac moved the young woman back a little and touched her shirt. He grabbed it and tore it open, sending little clear buttons everywhere. He pulled it off of her and dropped it on the floor.  MacGyver stopped kissing her and looked down at her back. Tara had a white lacy bra underneath her shirt and he put his hands around her and started unhooking it.

The young woman got very still all of a sudden; Mac noticed this and stopped after only getting one of the hooks on her bra opened. "Tara?"

She didn't respond and he put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her back. The young woman's eyes were closed. She had passed out from the champagne and the excitement.

MacGyver sighed and shook his head. "Terrific."

Tara had gotten him all worked up and now she was not even awake to finish the job. He sighed again in frustration as he rolled her off of him. He stood up and grabbed the young woman by the wrist. He pulled her over his shoulders and carried her into the bedroom.

Gillian had met Michael at 7 o'clock. By the time they finished with dinner, dessert and the discussion of their business arrangement it half past 10. Gillian glanced casually at her watch as she sipped her glass of white wine. Michael was drinking a large sifter of brandy. He had another sip and smiled at the young woman sitting across from him. He could feel the warming effects of the brandy course through his blood.

"Gillian, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

He leaned back in his chair and swirled the brandy around a little. "Why did you join that place? Was the prospect of a life with me that distasteful?"

Gillian grinned as she set her glass down on the table. "As a matter of fact, it was. I wanted excitement and danger Michael. You couldn't give me those things."

He was scowling; her words had hurt him a little. "And that cold hearted bastard partner of yours can?"

She leaned forward. "Yes, he can, and he has." She was the face he was making and she sighed. She picked up her purse and brought out a key. "Tell you what Michael, why don't we go up to my room."

Michael was a little taken aback but this. "Why?"

Gillian turned so she was sitting forward. She took off one of her shoes and lifted her leg. She put her toes right up against her ex boyfriend's crotch. She saw his eyes grow round. "For old times sake, what do you say?"

Michael swallowed hard, he down the last of his brandy and put the glass down. "All right, let's go."

The couple flopped down on the large king size bed, they were kissing pretty hard. Michael was on top of Gillian; he reached behind her and pulled the clip out of her hair, freeing it. He ran his fingers through the long silky red locks. He moved his hand down her face and chest, going all the way down her legs.

"God you always were beautiful." He whispered as he tugged up her dress, pulling it up her body. He bent down and licked at her belly button.

Gillian closed her eyes and sighed. She wrapped her fingers in his hair and tugged at it, showing her approval. She smiled to herself, wondering where her teacher was and if he could see what was going on.

Michael pulled her dress all the way up. He buried his head in her chest, fumbling with the front closures on her red satin bra.

Gillian put her hands on his shoulders and moved him sideways. She rolled him onto his back and knelt down beside him. She had a wicked smile on her face as she opened the button on his black suit coat. Michael sat up and took off his blazer, tossing it on the floor.

Gillian pushed him back on the bed; she leaned over him and started opening the buttons on his bright white dress shirt.

Michael was grinning widely as he reached up and touched her long hair.

There were 6 loud popping sounds that rang out, making Gillian jump. She didn't understand what they were and looked down at Michael. His face was rather passive; his eyes had a blank stare to them. His hand limply fell back against the bed.

Gillian creased her brow as she touched Michael's face. "Michael?"

Something on his chest caught her eye; it was a small red stain. It started spreading and it wasn't the only one, there were 5 more all grouped on his chest. She suddenly realized what had happened.

The queen size bed that Gillian sat on had a large wooden pedestal underneath it. The pedestal was about 16 inches high and a large square had been cut out of it. The cut section suddenly opened up and was pushed out of the way as MacGyver crawled out from underneath the bed. He had his 9mm Beretta with a silencer in his hand. He was in black coveralls and looked at the surprised face of his trainee.

"What?"

Gillian shook her head as she climbed down from the bed. "You could have warned me."

"How was I going to do that exactly?" He unscrewed the silencer and tucked it into the breast pocket. "When I was sawing the hole in the pedestal or maybe when I was underneath the bed cutting the frame and the box spring?"

His student picked up her dress and slipped it back on. She raised her arms to her head and put her hair back in the French twist.

"No one saw you right?"

"Of course not. Michael took the main elevator. I went out the front lobby, waved to the man behind the counter and went around to the back. I used the service elevator, no one was around."

Mac tucked his gun into his holster. He zipped up his coveralls and took two pairs of thick gloves out of his pocket. He handed the tan pair to Gillian. "Here."

Gillian picked up her purse from the nightstand and pulled the handle out of it. She put it across her chest and slipped the gloves on her hands.

MacGyver went to the balcony that was just off of the bedroom. He pushed back the vertical blinds and saw his blue rope, backpack and harness still lying against the concrete. He turned around and checked to make sure his student was ready.

"All right, let's go."

He pushed the blinds aside and opened the sliding glass door. They both stepped out onto the balcony and Mac took another harness out of the backpack and handed it to Gillian. "Here."

They both slipped their harnesses on and clipped them to the ropes as they started their ascent to the penthouse floor.

Tara groaned softly as she opened her eyes. Her head felt like a jackhammer was going off inside it. The white sheet was pulled up to her collarbone. She rolled over onto her side and saw MacGyver. He only had on a pair of red satin boxer shorts. He appeared to be asleep. Tara touched her forehead briefly as she reached out and patted him on the shoulder.

"Adrian?" The sound of her voice sent shockwaves of pain through her skull and she closed her eyes and groaned.

MacGyver opened his eyes; he turned to look at her. He gave her a small contented smile. "Hi."

"Hi." She swallowed hard, she could tell by the grin on his face that something had happened between them. She saw a few scratch marks on his shoulder. She reached out and touched one of them. "I'm sorry."

Mac shook his head. "Don't worry about it, it'll heal and so will the ones on my back." He rolled over and showed the young woman his back. It looks as though a rake had been dragged across him. He had long scratches on his middle and lower back.

Tara hissed through her teeth as she touched them. "I guess I better trim my fingernails huh?"

MacGyver rolled back over. "Yeah you just about clawed me bloody."

"I'm really sorry."

"It's okay, I'll live."

The time on the nightstand clock caught her eyes, it was 12 15. "I better get home."

Mac nodded as he tucked his arms behind his head. "Yeah you better."

Tara had a hold of sheet. She started to leave the bed but then stopped. She leaned over MacGyver and gave him a small kiss. "Thanks."

He nodded his head at her and watched as she pulled the sheet off of the bed. She dropped it and quickly put her clothes back on. She lifted her hand to him as she left the bedroom.

MacGyver waited until he heard the sound of the double door closing. He got out of the bed and went over to the patio, unlocking the sliding glass door. Gillian was sitting in one of the lawn chairs next to the pool.

"Is your little alibi gone?" She had her legs crossed over one another.

"Yeah she's gone, come inside." He pulled the wig off of his head and fluffed out his hair. He peeled his fake goatee and mustache off of his mouth.

The student had slight scowl on her face as she followed her teacher inside. She closed the sliding glass door behind her.

Mac flopped back down on the bed and sighed. "You need to get your nails trimmed Gillian. I don't think there is any flesh left on my back."

"You asked me to do it." Gillian sat down on the edge of the bed.

"I asked you to scratch me a little, not use my back as a scratching post." He saw the look on the face of his pupil. "Oh? Do I see a green eyed monster peering at me?"

"Maybe."

"No maybes about it. Your eyes are greener than emeralds."

Gillian lifted her head a little raising an eyebrow. "Why did you need that little counter jockey in the first place?"

"I told you, she's my alibi."

"Yeah an alibi you almost slept with. If it hadn't been for the champagne you would have had another notch to carve into your bedpost." She started to leave when Mac reached out and grabbed her by the wrist. "Where do you think you're going?" She tried to jerk her hand out of his grasp but it was no use.

MacGyver shook his head slowly, a wicked grin coming to his lips. "You really are jealous aren't you?"

Gillian tried to free herself again, only to be pulled hard. She was pulled on top of her teacher. "Let go of me!"

Mac's face grew serious. "You think you're the only one that can please me?" He was gripping her wrist tightly and started to squeeze it harder. "You think you're any different than the others that have shared my bed?"

Gillian's eyes were blazing with anger and defiance. "Yeah I do! I can do things to you that little hotel tramp can only dream of!"

Her teacher shook his head slowly. "You're wrong."

The young woman's face bloomed into a sinister grin. "No, I don't think I am."

Mac pulled her to him, they were nose to nose. He saw the confidence and passion stirring in her brown eyes. "Prove it." He let go of her wrist.

Gillian rubbed her aching wrist gently as she straddled her teacher's chest. She climbed off of him and shook her hand out. "All right I will. By the time I'm done with you, you'll be begging for me to take you."

MacGyver's face was passive. "Somehow I doubt it."

Gillian lifted her head in an almost arrogant fashion. "I don't."

The young woman lifted her dress over her head and dropped it on the ground. She climbed back on the bed, her legs on either side of her instructor. She leaned over and began touching his face gently with both of her hands.

Mac was looking at her, wondering what evil thoughts were flowing through her mind.

Gillian glided her hands down his face to his neck. She turned his head to the side and cupped his chin. She leaned over him and started sucking on the skin of his neck. She sucked it into her mouth and dragged her teeth along it. She heard no reaction from her teacher as she lifted her head and saw his stony face. She decided on another course of action. She scooted a little further down his legs and ran her tongue along the hollow of his neck and across his collarbone. She nipped at it gently, her teeth grazing his skin.

Mac closed his eyes briefly; he wiggled his fingers a little, resisting the urge he had to touch her hair.

Gillian saw him out of the corner of her eyes, she smiled as lowered her head and moved down. She brushed her cheeks against the tops of his pecs. She blazed a trail of kisses, covering his entire chest.

The young woman moved her legs out from beside him and stretched out on top of him. She moved down further, running her hands up and down his chest. She sat up and saw the red silk boxer shorts he had on. She smiled as she stuck her fingers in the waistband and began to pull them down. She slid them down his legs and onto the floor.

Gillian was staring down at the naked body of her mentor; she raised her head and looked into his face. He had a bit of a smug expression, as if daring the young woman to make him beg. Gillian saw it and she couldn't help but smile. She covered his body with hers and kissed him. Her hand slid under his neck and raised it as her mouth moved against his. She let his head fall back as she covered his body with kisses, scooting down as she did so.

Gillian kissed down to his belly button, she moved down a little further. She lifted her head and gave MacGyver one last look. She grinned at him before dropping her head and covering his flesh with her mouth.

The man lying in the king size silently gasped in pleasure.  Gillian's assault on a very delicate part of his body caused him to jump. He lifted his head and looked down at her. He opened his mouth to say something, but no words came to mind. He lowered his head and swallowed hard as his senses started to take in what was happening to him. He could feel his face start to grow warm. His fingers were flexing, he wanted very badly to touch her. He reached out and gently put his hands in her hair, playing with it.

This only seemed to encourage his student more, her attack became more assertive. MacGyver closed his eyes briefly. His hands went to her shoulders and he rubbed them.  His breathing was speeding up as was the steady pounding of his heart.

Gillian stopped what she was doing; she was out of breath as she lifted her head. She saw the expression of Mac's face. His cheeks were red, and his eyes were dreamy looking. She had cracked the passive mask he always wore when it came to the pleasures they shared.

"Had enough?"

MacGyver lifted his head; there was a look of intoxicating pleasure on his face. Gillian saw the absolute surrender in his eyes.

Mac swallowed hard as he felt his face and chest begin to break out in beads of sweat. He nodded his head.

Gillian grinned, she had won. "I want to hear you beg."

Her teacher scowled. "No, I won't beg."

The young woman shrugged her shoulders. "Okay, have it your way then." She lowered her head and continued to caress his ever hardening flesh with her mouth.

MacGyver slammed his head back against the bed. A slight whimper escaped from him as he dug his fingers into Gillian's shoulders. He felt as if he was going to die. "Okay…all right… you win." His reply was breathless and spoke of urgency.

She lifted her head, both of her eyebrows in the air. "Well?"

The cold blooded assassin was now at the mercy of his student. He sighed and shook his head. "I want you to take me."

"And what else are you supposed to say?"

He lifted his head and looked at her. "Please."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "You're going to have to do better than that."

MacGyver sighed and tilted his head back. "Take me… right now!"

"Much better."

Gillian started to get off of the bed only to have MacGyver sit up. He grabbed her by the arm and jerked her over to him. His dark eyes were smoldering, volcanic in their gaze as he put his fingers into the front of her bra and pulled the two ends of it apart, breaking the front closure. He pulled it off her arms and threw it on the floor. He put his arms around her, his hands covering her back. He laid back on the bed, taking her with him. His hands roamed down to her behind, his finger closing around the waistband. He tugged at the bikinis she had on. The material ripping away, he pulled at it until the elastic snapped, destroying the delicate satin panties. He threw the shredded remains of her underwear on the floor.

MacGyver was breathing hard as he rolled his student over and covered her body with his; their flesh uniting in a frighteningly urgent demand as they gave into the passion they had inspired in each other. The sounds of their heavy breathing, soft groans and deep sighs were echoing through the penthouse; their bodies meshing together as they sought fulfillment. Finally they found it, their passions peaking with strangled, breathy cries that sounded like mountain top echoes that seemed to go on forever before fading into nothingness.

The bedroom grew quiet as they laid panting in the dark. Both of them were covered in sweat, their hair stuck to their faces and necks as though they had both just came out of the shower.

MacGyver could feel the perspiration rolling down his back as he lifted his head and looked down at Gillian. The young woman stared back at him, a small sigh of contentment escaping from her lips.

"You were right." Those three words was the only thing Mac had to say.

Gillian only grinned. "I know." She saw the look in his eyes and she slowly nodded her head. "Don't worry; I won't let it go to my head."

MacGyver's face grew very serious. "See that it doesn't, or this will be the last time this happens between us."

The young woman knew her trainer was right. He had let her be in charge this one time but it wasn't something either one could afford to let happen on a regular basis.  The line of work they were in was too dangerous and too unpredictable for such shifts of power.

"I understand."

Mac dropped his head, leaning it against her chest. "Good, see that you do."

The conversation was over, the couple simply laid there in sated silence.

The sound of sirens and commotion woke the young woman up. Gillian opened her eyes to find she was alone.  She wrapped the sheet around her as she got up from the bed and walked out over to the open bedroom door. She peeked out of it looking into the living room, but didn't see her teacher. She turned and went over to the patio door, the blinds were open. She opened the sliding glass door and stepped out onto the concrete. The large square pool was right there. It was made of black and white checkered ceramic tile and had a diving board.  She walked up to it and saw her instructor suddenly pop up out of the water. He smoothed his hair back as he turned to look at her.

"Do you hear all the noise?"

Gillian sat down in one of the lounge chairs. "Yeah it woke me up."

"A maid found him at 6 this morning." He motioned to the bedroom. "There's some clothes and a wig in the bedroom closet. In ten minutes I want you to casually walk down to the lobby and leave the hotel."

Gillian nodded as she stood up. "Where do you want us to meet?"

"Meet me back on the island in one hour." MacGyver swam to the end of the pool. There was a silver railing and a small set of stairs. He gripped the rail, as he began to climb them.

Gillian watched him as he emerged from the pool. The water was cascading down his skin, making it appear to glow in the morning sunlight.  She swallowed hard; his shining wet unclothed flesh was heating up her blood. She watched as the rivulets of water slowly ran down every muscle of his lean body.

MacGyver picked up a towel from one of the lawn chairs and dabbed his face and chest with it. "I thought I told you to go."

Gillian was still gawking at him; she nodded her head slightly as she turned to leave.

Adrian stepped out of the elevator; he had on his black trench coat with a pair of black jeans and a black tank top. The lobby was filled with police, reporters and hotel security; everyone was scrambling around in a sea of chaos and confusion. He walked up the counter and saw Tara behind it.  The young woman looked very sad and guilt ridden. "You're checking out?"

He took his sunglasses off and looked at her. "Yeah, what's going on?"

Tara closed her eyes briefly and swallowed hard. "One of our guests was murdered last night."

Adrian lifted his head a bit and nodded slowly. "Oh really? Any idea what happened?"

"No, the police are still looking into it." Tara printed out his bill and tore it from the printer.

"Well you know where I was last night." He gave her a smile as he took the bill from her and folded it up, sticking it in his pocket.

Tara's face blushed as she nodded her head. "I doubt the police will even question you."

Adrian shrugged his shoulders. "They can question me all they want, I have an alibi." He bent down and picked up his suitcase. "If I'm ever back in LA I'll be sure and look you up."

"I'd like that." Tara gave him a smile. "I'm always here, come back anytime."

"I will." Adrian winked at her as he slipped his sunglasses on and turned away from the counter.

MacGyver walked past all the police and security as he made his way to the door. There were many people being questioned by uniformed men writing things down in small notebooks.  He shook his head, as he watched them. Little did they know that the killer of Michael Pershing was right under their noses. Mac took one last look at the chaos he had caused. A large grin appeared on his lips as he pushed open the glass door. He had a little over half an hour to meet Gillian back on his island.