Burn Notice: I don't own it, I just like to play with it.

I made some edits to this since I posted yesterday in order to improve the first paragraph. Go ahead, read it again if you've already read it!

No Strings Attached

By WritePassion

When he got off the plane in Miami, Sam Axe was a broken man. If you would have asked him, he would have told you he was fine and that he was ready to leave his career behind and have fun in the sun, party, and enjoy as many women as he could in whatever amount of time he had left in his existence. On the surface, for an ex-SEAL who'd spent his career in one hairy situation after another and was now ready for some R & R, his desire to dive into debauchery seemed reasonable. In reality, he was on a path to self-destruction, because everything he ever fought for had been taken away from him. He was forced out of the Navy in disgrace. In exchange for his pension and a ticket to paradise, Sam agreed to keep mum on a certain admiral's indiscretions regarding his last mission. He had hoped things would end in a more prestigious fashion, rather than a quick tribunal that could easily have been a court martial. Embarrassed, it was easier to hide for awhile, and if anyone asked the details as to why he retired, he would lie. Florida, Miami in particular, was just as good a place as any to disappear. He didn't know anyone there, and with such a large population, he could easily get lost and no one would find him.

Sam had limited funds, and a pension that would only get him so far. He needed to think about more than just having fun. With a heavy sigh of longing, he gravitated away from the swankier hotels on the beach and found a little tucked away motel that required a short hike to the bars and beaches, but it would be easy to navigate back to after closing time.

The first day, he still hadn't quite acclimated to the idea that he was retired. He walked the area to get used to the lay of the land, scoped out the bars and the babes, and generally acted as if he were on a recon. He found one place in particular that caught his eye, Carlito's. Situated on a busy street, with full access to a constant stream of beautiful, scantily clad women, he parked his butt in a chair on the patio and watched the world go by. For a week, every morning he headed for Carlito's and spent hours there, building up a bar tab, and hoping that one of the charming ladies who passed by would respond to his best come hither looks.

To his chagrin, the younger ones left him alone. They either shook their heads or laughed at him. But no one could ever accuse Sam Axe of not being persistent. He kept trying, even as he soothed his ego with lies that they were closed-minded and they didn't know what they were missing. They'd be sorry, turning their noses up at a golden opportunity.

At the end of the month, his world came to a screeching halt. The server, Jeanine, came to him as soon as he sat down that morning. For an old guy, he was nice, charming, and even kind of cute. He flirted with her all the time, but she knew he was harmless. So she flirted back now and then, and their relationship blossomed. Which made it all that much harder to do what she had to do.

"Mr. Axe... Sam."

Sam grinned as he looked up at her. "Hey, Jeannie, doll. I'll start with a beer today."

Her face contorted into an expression of discomfort as she replied, "I'm sorry, Sam. Rico wants me to collect on your tab first before we start with a new month."

"Okay, well, how bad is it?" One eye squinted. He had a feeling it wasn't going to be pretty.

She slowly pulled out a long strip of register tape with two fingers holding it suspended between them. She watched as Sam's eyes dropped to the bottom line, widened, and closed down again. If he hadn't been so tan from sitting there every day, most likely he would have been as pale as the sandy beaches. "I'm sorry. Rico won't let us serve you any more drinks until it's paid in full."

"Look, it's the end of the month. I don't have that kind of cash! I'll get my pension check next week, and I can pay it off then. I promise." He looked up at her with pleading in his eyes. "You sure you can't float me until then?"

When Sam gave her one of those sweet smiles, Jeanine wanted to cry. He really was an adorable guy, but she had to obey her boss's rules or she would be without a job. "I'm sorry, Sam. I can't. I need this job, and if I don't collect, he'll fire me."

"It's okay," he said softly and patted her arm. With his other hand, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a money clip. "I can give you... half. Half now, half next week." He held up the folded bills and Jeanine took them. "So how about it?"

"Sam, I can't bend the rules!"

"Jeanine, is there a problem here?" Rico asked her while giving Sam a suspicious glare. When he looked at the older man, he saw the number one reason he had a policy of demanding that tabs be paid at the end of the month. He could tell this guy would stiff him if he had half the chance.

"No problem, Rico. We're just settling up." Sam stood and used his advantage of height against the little manager. He let his eyes wander over him for a second, then he put on his sunglasses and gave his attention to Jeanine. "It's okay, sweetie. I'll be back next week to take care of the rest." He pushed past Rico and headed south on the sidewalk. There were other bars along the street. He would find one that would be more hospitable to an ex-Navy SEAL who'd busted his butt serving his country. Hmmm, now there's an idea. Never played up the former SEAL angle. Chicks dig all that glamorous secret stuff!

Sam was not only stubborn, he was also resilient. He would get over this hump, find himself another watering hole, and hopefully a new crop of beauties to feast his eyes upon and maybe catch one or two. He was walking to the next bar when he spotted a familiar face that caused him to stop dead in his tracks.

"Lucy?"

The petite Asian woman in a suit that was too dark for Miami hurried north and glanced at her watch. She heard her name, looked up, glanced around, and her eyes fell on the familiar face ahead of her. She blinked and gaped at him. If it weren't for him taking off his sunglasses, letting her get a good look at his soulful eyes, she never would have recognized him. "Sam? Sam Axe?" She grinned and approached him.

"It's me," he replied with a grin, reached out, and his hands spanned her tiny waist. He slipped his arms around her and gave her a warm hug. "I can't believe it's you. Where have you been?"

"I was about to say the same thing." She hugged him back, then pulled away to get a better look. She shook her head. "Sorry to say this, but... you look like crap, Sam." Her hand brushed the side of his face where several days' worth of scruff grew. "You were always a lot more together than this." She glanced around quickly, then closed the distance between them. She whispered, "You're not undercover, are you?"

"The only undercover I do these days is between the sheets," he replied with a frown. "And let's just say it's been pretty lonely in that department lately." He could count on one hand the number of women he'd met that month.

"Oh, Sam." Lucy shook her head. "Hey, are you in a hurry?"

"No. Are you?"

"I'm supposed to meet with a client in an hour up there at the cafe. Come on, I'll buy you a latte or something." She threaded her arm through his and turned him to face north.

"A latte, huh?"

"Or whatever." Her smile brightened. "It's really good to see you, Sam, and I want to know what happened. Why you're here, what you're up to. And I'll tell you about what I've been doing since I left the CIA."

Lucy had always been a good friend, and he enjoyed working with her. He couldn't turn down her offer. "Okay. I have to warn you, it's nothing exciting."

"Well then, maybe I can help you there. Let's talk."

The journey to the cafe took him right past Carlito's. He ignored the glare Rico gave him and kept walking as if it never bothered him. Inside, however, he cringed. He'd hoped to make the place his base of operations, but now it appeared that those plans were on hold. He and Lucy situated themselves at a patio table at the cafe and ordered coffee, straight up. His friend leaned her crossed arms on the table and smiled at him, and after their coffees arrived, she began her interrogation.

"So, Sam, why are you in Miami? The last I heard, you were still running ops."

"It's a long story."

"Cut it down to ten minutes, if possible." Her smile widened.

"Okay. I screwed around with an admiral's wife, he sent me off to Columbia on a mission that was sure to fail. The admiral knew what was going on, and he set me up. If the truth came out, his career would have been over, so I became the scapegoat." He paused and took a sip of his coffee. "In the end, I walked away with a discharge, a one way ticket to Miami, a change of clothes, and an ice cold beer." He smirked. "So that's why I'm here. What about you? What's a nice girl like you doing in Miami?"

Lucy chuckled. "I should have known you'd get yourself into trouble."

"But I was doing the right thing."

Her eyes locked onto his. "I know. You never did the wrong thing, even if that's what the brass wanted you to do." She lifted her coffee cup and took a long drag. "That's one of the things I've admired about you, Sam. On a mission, you were always the moral compass."

"Yeah, I suppose. So, come on now, don't deflect." He grinned. "Why are you here?"

"I left the CIA. I got tired of the games and the red tape, and I decided to start my own company. I help people with all sorts of problems that the cops won't touch for one reason or another. I also do a lot of security consulting, background checks for employers, stuff like that." She smiled, and it lit up her eyes. "It's really satisfying work. Maybe you should come work with me. You look like you could use a boost."

"What kind of boost?"

"Money. Maybe then you could afford to shave once in awhile," she teased, then turned serious. "To tell you the truth, I could really use you on this case with the client I'm meeting in a few minutes. Why don't you stick around, see if you're interested, and you can help this poor woman?"

She had to say it, that it was a woman. "Okay. I'll check it out. But I'm not promising anything else."

"That's all I'm asking. I think once you hear her story, you'll want in."

Sam hated that Lucy knew him so well.