A/N: Had this idea and decided to write it. Don't like, don't read. NSFW/S. Enjoy!

The car touched down just a short distance away from Donovan Hock's mansion, the many windows glittered in the setting sun and Shepard had to admit that she was impressed. For a moment she thought of asking Hock who the architect was and how much it cost him to build it, she could definitely see herself living in a place like this someplace far away from Cerberus and her past. She was so engrossed in the house she did not see Kasumi walking ahead of her, she quickly jogged to catch up.

They arrived at the front of the house just as the statue of Saren was rolled out of the shuttle that had brought it, Shepard saw Hadley at the helm and he winked at her before taking off. Two of Hock's men began moving the statue while another one waved his omni-tool over it a couple of times.

"Hold on a moment, ma'am," said the guard as he looked at his omni-tool. "There seems to be something wrong with this statue."

Shepard looked up at the golden statue of Saren, wondering what the guard could possibly have found in the statue to cause alarm. She glanced over at Kasumi who was acting remarkably calm in the face of this possible set back.

"Is there a problem here?" asked a voice, Shepard looked over and saw a man coming down the stairs. He was rather handsome, olive skin and dark hair with a matching beard, she could tell through his white suit that he was well built. His voice held a distinctive accent and she wondered if he was originally from Earth.

"No, sir, Mr. Hock," said the guard, as he activated his omni-tool. "Just doing a scan." He waved his omni-tool over the statue again while Shepard looked at Hock only to find him already looking at her. "Nothing's showing up now, sir."

Hock nodded curtly. "I don't believe we've met. Donovan Hock."

Shepard prevented herself from smirking. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Hock, I'm Alison Gunn."

"I am glad to make your acquaintance," said Hock with a slight lilt in his voice and interest in his eyes. "And please, call me Donovan."

"I will," said Shepard with a slight grin.

He returned the smile and turned his attention back to the guard. "I do not think Miss Gunn would have traveled all this way from Illium to cause trouble, do you?" The guard shook his head and Hock smirked. "Now, move this gift to the vault and do not trouble Miss Gunn any further."

"Yes, sir," said the guard and he quickly gathered some men to move the statue before Hock could say anything else.

Hock then looked at Kasumi. "I don't recall your invitation including an extra person, Miss Gunn."

Shepard looked at Kasumi and thought up a plausible excuse. "She's my bodyguard, an expert in her trade and I didn't think bringing her would be too much of a problem."

"We have plenty of security in and around my house," said Hock curtly as he scrutinized Kasumi. "Would you mind if your bodyguard remained outside? I don't want any of my guests thinking that my protection is so inadequate that you found it necessary to bring your own."

"Of course," she then looked at Kasumi and made a gesture with her head, indicating that the thief should get lost as soon as she could. Kasumi was smart enough to start walking, acting like she was going on patrol and then Shepard turned her attention back to Hock.

"Would you permit me to escort you into my house, Miss Gunn?" asked Hock, extending a hand to her. "You were invited after all and it's the least I can do to make up for my guard's rudeness."

With a quick glance to Kasumi who was still walking, she accepted his hand and walked into the mansion, leaving the thief to wait outside thinking of a new plan.

It turned out that Kasumi was more than happy with how things turned out, it gave her an opportunity to skulk about Hock's house without him noticing, allowing her to instruct Shepard on what she needed to do in order for this to work. She did not mind the change in plan, it was rather pleasant to sit back and let someone else do the heavy lifting for once. According to Kasumi all she had to do was get a sample of Hock's DNA and a voice recording to bypass the vault's security system. However, this was proving difficult since Hock had been whisked away to speak with someone else.

"How are you enjoying the party?" asked a man to Shepard's right. "I don't believe I've seen you here before."

"I've only just recently entered the field," said Shepard evasively. "I'm actually surprised that Hock invited me, I'm not as well known as the rest of you."

The man laughed. "You must certainly know that your reputation has reached beyond Illium, many people here are eager to speak with you about possible deals."

'What the hell did you tell these people, Kasumi?' Shepard wondered somewhat angrily as she gave a fake smile to the man. "Tell me, what part of the trade do you take part in?"

"Rare weapons," replied the man with a wink. "I can get you almost anything for the right price."

"I'll definitely keep that in mind," said Shepard with a smile around the rim of her wine glass. "So, where's Hock's wife?"

"Wife?" asked the man, somewhat amused. "Hock isn't married, sure he has flings and an open tab at the Azure, but he hasn't met that special someone. I don't think any woman could stand to be with him, in my opinion. You aren't considering going after him, are you?"

Shepard shrugged. "Not really, I was just curious. He seems like the type to have a pretty woman constantly on his arm."

"You know, I am surprised that he doesn't have someone tonight," commented the man. "Then again, the night is still young." Suddenly his omni-tool went off. "Excuse me, beautiful, I have to take this."

"No problem," said Shepard calmly and when he left she went about observing the room. Her eyes scanned the people slowly, mentally keeping track of whom she saw and what they looked like before her gaze came to a rest on Hock. He was speaking on his omni-tool wrist feature but she noticed that he was watching her with immense interest and she coyly looked away. If it was DNA and a voice sample Kasumi needed, then she had a plan on how to get it.

Putting her glass of wine on a passing tray, she slunk back into the crowd, trying to remain hidden as she headed towards a room she was sure she would at least find part of the lock's requirements. She found the door she had been searching for and repressed a groan when she saw a guard standing outside of it, this was going to be a little more difficult than she thought. With an idea she went over to the guard who looked at her with mild interest before she made a bold attempt to go into the room.

"I'm sorry, miss, you can't go back there," said the guard as he gently ushered her away from the door. "No one is allowed in Mr. Hock's private rooms."

Shepard sighed. "I was just looking for a quiet place to take a call, are you sure you can't make an exception? I promise I won't tell anyone."

The guard seemed really tempted to let her in, especially when she pouted just then but he remained steadfast. "I'm sorry, but you're going to have to find someplace else to take your call. Please move along."

"Fine," sighed Shepard and she went over to a slightly secluded area.

"Nice try, Shep," said Kasumi as she materialized beside her. "Guess we should try a different approach, maybe you should try to get the voice sample."

Shepard looked at where Hock was standing, surrounded by several people as they spoke rather animatedly with each other. "How am I supposed to get close? It's not like I was invited to speak with him directly."

Kasumi chuckled. "Is Commander Shepard afraid of a worthless little crime lord?"

"No, but there are rules about this, Kasumi," explained Shepard, somewhat testily. "In this world you can't just walk up to whomever you want and start speaking if you're the newcomer, you have to be invited. I'm relatively new in this world so everyone will be wary of me and start to suspect I'm up to something if I just begin talking to someone, especially someone as high up as Hock."

"Did the Alliance teach you all of this?" asked Kasumi and Shepard shrugged, a vague reply at best. "Anyway, don't worry so much, if you look this uptight then people will definitely suspect something. I overheard a group of people expressing interest in you, you should walk by them casually and that'll start up a conversation for sure. Seeing you in the center of group is sure to grab Hock's attention, considering he's been looking at you a great deal already."

"Probably because he suspects something," said Shepard, not really thinking that it had anything to do with her dress or looks. "Alright, which group is talking about me?"

Kasumi pointed to a group of about six people standing near what she assumed was a priceless artifact and without another word, headed in that direction, picking up a wine glass on her way. She stood around for less than a minute when someone from that group heralded her.

"Miss Gunn," called one of the men. "Miss Gunn, a moment of your time please."

Shepard smiled appropriately as she went over. "How can I be of assistance?"

"We were hoping to discuss some business with you," said a woman to her right. "I'm Esmeralda White, a pleasure to make your acquaintance Miss Gunn."

"Please, do call me Alison," replied Shepard as she shook hands with the woman. "What exactly do you wish to discuss with me?"

A man stepped forward and took her hand. "Ethan Parker, a pleasure. We were hoping to open up a few shops in your district, Alison. You've become so successful we were—"

"You were wanting to move in, correct?" asked Shepard stiffly, slipping into the role of arms dealer seamlessly. "Let's say I agree, what are your terms for being in my territory?"

The people looked at each other before Ethan spoke up. "35% yearly cut of the profits plus black market items of your choosing."

Shepard snorted. "You must be new at this. I won't accept anything less than a 45% cut yearly at minimum and a chance to buy whatever I like before you put it on the market."

Esmeralda was obviously offended but she was more of an upstart than Shepard was so she knew better than to act insulted. "45% seems a bit much, could you settle for 40%?"

"I'm not going to play nice with you just because you're new to the game," said Shepard sharply, then she acted as if she were pondering over something seriously. "Perhaps in exchange for the 45% I could offer some protection of your more . . . collectible items? I know the ins and outs of getting things past customs on Illium, which is certainly a benefit to you. Does that sound more reasonable?"

"Indeed it does," said Ethan smiling briefly. "You'll of course be able to purchase whatever you like before we put anything on the market, as our way of paying proper tribute."

Shepard smiled then stuck out her hand. "So we have a deal?"

Ethan shook her hand. "We do indeed." He then let go of her hand and raised his wine glass at something behind her, looking she saw Hock watching the group with an expression of curiosity. He finished speaking with someone then came their way, his eyes locked on Shepard though she pretended not to notice.

"I see my guests are getting well acquainted," he said as he stood between Shepard and another woman. "Did you just make a deal with Miss Gunn, Parker?"

Ethan nodded. "Yes, she's agreed to let us sell in her territory in exchange for a yearly cut of 45% and first chance at merchandise, she's also generously offered to assist us in slipping our more delicate merchandise past Illium's rather strict customs."

Hock looked at Shepard. "That is quite generous of you, Miss Gunn, your reputation paints a much different picture."

Shepard shrugged. "I'm just giving them a chance, after all it is not easy to get into this line of work without some help. If I hadn't have been given the chance I was, I wouldn't be standing with you all today."

"I can fully appreciate that statement," replied Hock, putting a hand on her shoulder. "If not for a chance given to us by those we must respect and honor, none of us would be standing in this room. We would be fending for ourselves, trying to scrounge by on a meager salary provided to us by people who by definition are our inferior! We must stick together, provide each other help when needed and protect those of us who cannot protect ourselves. At the end of the day, we are the only ones who can understand the struggle we have all undergone to get to where we are now, we are family at the very core. And family looks out for each other, isn't that right?"

There was deafening applause as everyone in the room agreed with Hock's assessment of their situation and Shepard could not help but agree with him, he made this way of life seem almost more beautiful than being a soldier. He gave her a small bow then headed off someplace else to speak with another group.

'I hope Kasumi heard all of this,' she thought as she looked down at her omni-tool.

"The man certainly likes to talk," said Kasumi through Shepard's earpiece. "That should be enough of a sample for the code, plus he was touching your shoulder the entire time, there should be some DNA if you hurry back here."

"Give me a moment," said Shepard to the group when she was really speaking to Kasumi.

"Fine, find a good way of excusing yourself then meet me down at the vault," said Kasumi somewhat hurriedly. "I'm ready to cut the power but I can't do that until I have every part of the key."

Shepard sighed as she walked over to a wall where she was sure no one would spot her right away, swirling the remaining wine in her glass as she thought about what Hock said. Honestly she felt a little bad about deceiving him, especially after his passionate defense regarding the sanctity of the syndicate way of life. Finishing her wine in two large sips she walked over to what appeared to be Hock's library, she knew no one would be back here, books were not something that many would find interesting in a mansion full of priceless artifacts. She ran her fingertips across the worn spines of the many books that lined the walls, most of the titles she recognized and had read but there were still many that she had not read and desperately wanted to crack open.

"Find something of interest, Miss Gunn?" asked Hock, startling her.

Shepard's hand moved away from the books. "These books are incredible, I haven't seen some of these titles before."

Hock nodded approvingly as he looked at some of the titles. "You have good taste, Miss Gunn, these are some of my favorites." He then took a step towards her. "But this is not everything, I've kept the best of my collection in my private rooms, would you like to see them?"

"I would love to," said Shepard somewhat enthusiastically, "and please, call me Alison. 'Miss Gunn' sounds far too formal."

"Yes, Alison," said Hock and he took her hand. "Please come with me."

Shepard followed willingly behind him, not missing the surprised looks and hushed voices of the other guests as they approached his private rooms.

"I hope I haven't distracted you from something important," she said in a low voice as they walked.

Hock shook his head. "Don't worry about that now, Alison, right now my only business is to show you my best books."

They made it to Hock's private rooms and he gestured to the guard to move away, the guard looked at Shepard who merely smirked at him then motioned towards Hock who was by now glaring at him. The guard quickly stepped aside and let them pass, Shepard saw the air shimmering close by and knew Kasumi was close but she gave no indication that she was in trouble. When they were safely inside the room, Hock led her over to a smaller but more well decorated bookshelf.

"These are the jewels in my collection," he said proudly. "There are all first editions and titles you will not find in almost every library in Citadel space."

"They're beautiful," said Shepard reverently as she reached out to touch them but stopped, remembering herself almost too late. "Sorry, I guess I was just too eager."

Hock smiled kindly. "Don't worry, Alison, you have nothing to fear from me."

"I wish I had time to read them," she admitted, not knowing whether or not she should reveal this much about herself to him. On second thought it did not bother her that she had said that, for some reason she felt a kindred spirit in Hock, and that was not something she had felt with anyone else she had met before. "But I'm afraid to say I must return to Illium after your party concludes."

"So soon?" asked Hock, he almost sounded disappointed. "No matter, you may borrow whichever one you like and return it to me when you are finished."

Shepard was surprised. "That's far too kind of you, and trusting."

Hock shrugged. "I'm not worried, you seem to know how to appreciate properly treasures such as these." He took a step towards her. "Besides, it would give me an excuse to find you again."

"Are you trying to flirt with me, Hock?" asked Shepard seductively as she took a step forward. They were so close now she could feel the heat from his body.

"If you have to ask, perhaps I am doing something wrong," said Hock, putting a hand back on her shoulder.

Shepard smiled wolfishly. "I prefer action to words, personally."

"What a coincidence," said Hock and before she could blink, his lips were pressed against hers in a burning kiss.

The heat of the kiss trickled through her body like a good whiskey, warming her throughout as she struggled to keep up with his movements. His tongue slipped easily past her lips as his arms wrapped around her body, she could feel one of his hands going to the zipper of her dress and she made sure her hands were twisted in his shirt. As he tugged down the zipper, she pulled hard on the fabric, smirking against his lips when she heard the buttons give way moments before her dress hit the floor, leaving her only in her heels and black lace panties. The colder air sent goose bumps across her skin and hardened her nipples almost instantly, she hardly cared, as the heat from Hock's gaze was enough to warm her. He had stepped away to discard his shirt and she could see that she was right, he was well built and his muscles almost perfectly defined as the light and shadows danced across him.

"I believe you are more beautiful than most of the art in my home," said Hock as he reached out and twisted one of her nipples roughly, not enough to hurt but not gently either. "I wonder how you would look against my silk sheets?"

Shepard ran a finger down his torso, tracing each abdominal muscle carefully. "Perhaps we should find out, I mean, so you can have an accurate comparison of me to your art collection."

"I might have to find new art," he said in a husky voice before trailing his hand down to the waistband of her panties, using both hands he pulled on the seam, ripping the pair effectively on one side, then he did the same to the other. He pulled her panties away and put them in his back pocket. "There, the first piece in my new collection."

"I hardly find it fair that I'm standing here exposed and you're still half-dressed," said Shepard with a pout and she heard Hock growl.

"Then perhaps you should do something about it," said Hock, his eyes devouring her naked form.

With a smirk, Shepard stepped out of her heels and over to Hock, her hands immediately going to his belt, which she took off in almost no time at all. She made the mistake of looking up at Hock who immediately captured her lips again, this time pressing her flush against him as his hands wandered across her flesh. Shepard lost herself in the sensation of being kissed properly for the first time in what felt like years, she had almost forgotten what it was like to be pressed up against someone while their tongues danced together in a shared space. Hock's hands continued lower until his fingers were digging into the flesh of her backside, groping and rolling it in his hands before spinning her around, his mouth at her neck as his hand worked its way between her legs while the other one cupped and fondled one of her breasts.

"That's hardly fair, Hock," moaned Shepard as his fingers found her core, slipping inside of her as he rolled her nipple between his thumb and index finger.

"Who said I played fair?" asked Hock, his voice low as he nipped at the sensitive flesh of her neck. He then moved the hand fondling her breast to the hand of hers that held his belt, without warning he extracted his fingers from her core and swiftly pulled her arms behind her back, securing them with his belt. "Now, we'll have some real fun."

Shepard struggled for a moment but then stopped as Hock guided her over to his bed, which did indeed have silk sheets, something she found out when he pushed her face first into the mattress. He moved her body so she was on her knees with her ass in the air while her face rested against his sheets, her body trembled with excitement as Hock ran a finger up and down her dripping slit.

"Now, you are mine," he growled as he teased her. "Tell me that no one else will have you."

"No one," she groaned, her hips following his hand willingly.

Hock smiled wickedly. "Tell me that you belong to me body, soul, and heart."

"Everything I am is yours," she said thrusting her hips to try and guide his finger in but he moved it at the last second.

"Good," said Hock and she heard more than saw him remove what remained of his clothes.

Soon she felt a presence behind her and then something teasing her slit, it went up and down several times, causing her to whine in protest before it finally slid inside of her. She moaned wantonly against the sheets as he began to thrust deeply into her, her body moving on its own as she met each of his thrusts with equal strength and passion. It had been far too long since she had been with someone, the last person she could think of was someone who no longer mattered, all she wanted now was for Hock to continue his assault. He went deeper than any man she had been with, he exerted such control over his movements that every thrust sent his manhood straight to that spot that made her see stars. She could tell he was getting close because of the way his thrusts became slightly more erratic and she knew she was close by the way her body trembled. It was over far too soon and her walls clamped down on Hock's length as he spilled deep inside of her. They stayed connected for a moment or two before they both fell over onto the bed, Hock pulling out of Shepard then holding her close, making sure she could see his face.

"I know who you are," said Hock between breaths. "You're Commander Shepard."

Shepard tensed and tried to move away, but Hock had a strong grip on her body, preventing her from doing so. "If you kill me, people will come looking."

Hock chuckled. "Why would I want to kill you? If that was my intention I would have done it when I saw you at my door." He kissed her lips lightly, tasting the sweat that had accumulated around her mouth. "Actually, I wanted you to come here tonight. You fascinate me, Shepard."

"How so?" asked Shepard, trying to figure out his end game.

"You allow yourself to be used by such insignificant people," said Hock, caressing her cheek. "Your so called crewmembers use your generosity against you, such as your friend Kasumi. Did she mention to you that her colleague lost his greybox when they broke into my house?"

Shepard shook her head. "No, she left that part out."

Hock nodded. "I thought so. It would seem that despite asking you this favor, Kasumi doesn't trust you enough to tell you the truth about how the greybox came into my possession. She seems to be playing you for a fool, what with talent like yours being wasted on such a meaningless mission."

"And you're just playing," said Shepard as she tried again to move away, only to find herself with Hock above her, finding his way between her legs again.

"I would hardly call this playing, Shepard," said Hock. "I admit that I have had numerous lovers and make no secret of the time I spend at various locations across the galaxy where I partake in pleasures of the flesh. But that does not mean I am a man who cannot commit to a woman, so long as she is the right woman."

Shepard raised an eyebrow. "What the hell are you saying, Hock?"

"I'm saying that I want you, Shepard," said Hock, thrusting his half-hard cock against her entrance. "I want you in everyway a man can have a woman."

"Are you asking me to marry you?" asked Shepard, seeing through his words.

Hock nodded sternly. "Yes, I am. If you agree to marry me, I will assist in funding your mission to stop the Collectors. Once you have done so, you will come back here where we will be married and together we will rule over my empire. Tonight you demonstrated a working knowledge of how this type of life works and you would be invaluable to me for many reasons such as I would be to you. Think about it, Shepard; a new life, someone who will respect you properly, people willing to do whatever you want not you doing whatever they want. I would be a good husband to you, provide you with an easy life where you will want for nothing."

The idea did sound appealing. "And what do you want in exchange?" she wondered, knowing that getting into this world required some kind of demonstration of loyalty.

"I want you to kill Kasumi Goto," replied Hock as he slipped back into her entrance, his cock twitching to life within her core. "You know she is a thief, hardly worth the effort that will go into saving her life, and with her death you will gain everything your heart desires."

Shepard wrapped her legs around his waist, pushing him in farther. "Always the business man, huh?"

"For you I will mix business with pleasure," said Hock as he began thrusting. "Just know that if you reject my offer, Kasumi will be killed by my guards and you will be just another notch in my headboard."

"You certainly make a convincing argument," groaned Shepard as she arched her back. She knew that the next time she was allowed to leave this room, she would be expected to either fulfill his proposal or fight for her life.

"Shepard, where have you been?" demanded Kasumi as Shepard entered the vault area. "You've been gone with Hock for almost two hours, what were you doing?"

"Discussing business," said Shepard calmly, her appearance not betraying her true activities with Hock. "I got a DNA sample from his private room." She held up a tube with a swap in it.

Kasumi snatched it from her, a wide grin on her face. "Perfect, and I've just shut down the electric field to the vault. This coupled with the voiceprint is everything we need in order to get into the vault." She turned around and began inputting the information.

Shepard watched her work, Hock's orders coming to the forefront of her mind. She liked the idea of having an easy life where she would be respected and feared, no longer a tool of someone else's to be used. Then again, Hock could just be trying to use her for his own ends, supplying her with honeyed words that will make her bend to his will. She looked at Kasumi and sighed inwardly, one person stood between her and everything she could ever want, but could she really trust Hock's promise? He could just be using her to kill Kasumi and say he slept with Commander Shepard in the same night, after convincing her to kill one of her crew.

Her hand went to her sidearm. 'To hell with all of this!'