Everyone's attention was glued to a small, white ball as it spun around and around. As the wheel began to slow, everyone took in a deep breath and held it, awaiting the final stop of the little, plastic object. The wheel finally stopped and the ball ceased its journey in one of thirty-eight spots.

"Red, twenty-one."

There were a loud number of groans from the surrounding crowd with few shrieks of success intertwined with them. Among the winners was Lucretia Ren, a classy-looking woman wearing a bright red dress and high heels. She had a confident smirk on her face as she looked at the ball, then to the croupier.

"Congratulations on your winnings, Ms. Ren," said the croupier as he paid out her winnings, which amounted in the several hundreds.

"Why thank you, Jean. Could you be a dear and color me up? I think it's about time I retired to the bar," said Lucretia, pushing her highly-stacked piles of chips towards him.

Jean the croupier gave her a nod and exchanged her chips, passing back a small tray of high-denomination chips. She smiled and took the tray, leaving a chip on the table as a tip for him. "Thanks again," she said before making her way to the chip exchange. Once she got there, she handed over her tray of chips and her debit card.

"Another large take, eh, Ms. Ren?" said the chip exchange teller.

"Got really lucky on the Blackjack tables and a bit on the Roulette. Not my best night, but at least I didn't end up in the negative," she said with a smirk.

"As always, ma'am." Before she took the tray, the TV next to her caught her attention as another report about a pirate raid aired on the news. "Oh dear, another ship was attacked by space pirates. Have you been keeping up with the recent attacks in the area?"

Lucretia nodded her head. "Yeah. They've been keeping everyone busy at the office. It's weird how they've suddenly started sprouting up."

The teller nodded and took the chips, digitally adding the amount to her debit card. When she was done, Lucretia took the card and thanked the teller before making her way to the nearby bar. She walked along the luxurious, gold and scarlet carpet as she held her dainty purse in hand, smiling as she watched the other people gamble away their paychecks, life's savings, and inheritance. She had been coming there for quite some time whenever she had a break from her work, and she had seen her fair share of disappointments. Fortunately for her, she was a smart gambler and relied on common sense and skill, rather than emotion and a need for instant gratification. And as previous winnings had demonstrated to her, perhaps a bit of luck factored in to her success as well.

She entered the dimly lit bar, which was a large contrast to the lively and brightly-lit casino floor next door. It was moderately occupied, but still had plenty of secluded spots to relax. She approached the bar and took a seat, tapping on the touch-screen order system on the countertop and ordering the usual, a cherry-mint daiquiri. The bartender received her order, and within a few minutes, came by with her drink, placing it in front of her on the counter. As the drink was set down, the countertop's holo-display showed Lucretia the drink's ingredients, alcohol content, and other nutritional facts.

Taking the drink in hand, she thanked the barkeep and took a long swig, nearly finishing half of the beverage. She sighed with relief, licking her lips as she set it back down on the counter, the statistics changing on the display to match the new volume of liquid in the glass.

As she was sitting there, the seat next to her was suddenly occupied by a man wearing a tailored black suit. He ordered his drink using the holo-display as well then turned to Lucretia. "That was some pretty fine gambling. You won quite a lot at the Roulette table. Do you come here often?" he said.

Lucretia took another sip from her daiquiri then turned to him. "Indeed, but not as much as I'd like. I only get so many weekends off." She swished the contents of her glass around, examining the man before her with his slicked-back hair and cheap smile. "But why the sudden interest?"

He shrugged, taking his drink from the bartender when he came by with it. "Is it a crime to share a drink with such a beautiful looking woman such as yourself?" He tapped her glass with his and took a sip.

"No, I suppose not." She drank her beverage as well, setting her empty glass on the counter.

The man smiled and set his glass down. "The name's Rayff, by the way," he said, outstretching his hand for a shake.

Lucretia scoffed quietly at him, returning his handshake. "Lucretia. Nice to meet you, I guess."

He withdrew his hand and noticed that her drink was finished. "Looks like you're empty. Mind if I buy you another round?"

She looked at her empty glass, then back to him, shrugging. "Sure. Why not?"

For the next hour or so, the two of them continued to talk, purchasing over six drinks between the two of them. Lucretia was definitely inebriated and Rayff was too, but not as much as she was; it was all going according to his plan.

After getting her nice and drunk, he decided it was time to continue with his plot. He smiled and turned to her, setting down his drink. "So, did you drive here? You don't look like you're in the best condition to be driving anywhere."

Lucretia groaned a bit, holding her head. "Yeah. I think I had one drink too many." She let out another sigh as she winced from the stinging sensation in her head.

"You know, I got a room on the 20th floor with a nice view. You can sleep off your headache and leave in the morning, I mean, if you want." He looked at her, trying to seem as genuine and honest as possible despite his evil intentions.

Hearing him talk about bringing her back to his room, she looked up and tried to get a read on him. As she took a moment to think it over, she didn't have many choices. She could hail a cab or call someone to pick her up, but that wouldn't look good if she returned drunk, and she would still need to pick her car up later. She sighed and nodded her head; she'd been in worse situations before and she could take care of herself. "If you try anything funny, I'll rip your balls off and shove 'em down your throat. You get me?" she said, giving him a stern look.

Rayff gulped at her sudden aggressive nature and nodded. "Um, of course. You can trust me." He smiled weakly, trying to put her at ease.

Lucretia gave him one last intimidating glare before nodding. She grabbed her purse and got up from her seat, but stumbled a bit, quickly grasping the back of the chair to prevent herself from falling.

Seeing her wobbly on her feet, he got up as well and helped her keep her balance. "Here, let me help you," he said, taking one of her arms and putting it around his neck to use himself as a support.

"Thanks…" she barely managed to say.

She and Rayff made their way out of the bar, taking an elevator up to his room. Throughout the trip there, the two of them remained rather silent. Lucretia was just focused on getting to a bed while Rayff was still slightly intimidated by her tough-girl demeanor. Perhaps she was more trouble than he thought, something not worth the hassle. When they arrived at his room, he slid his keycard in and opened the door.

"Well, here we are. You can use the bathroom if you need or just crash on the couch… or whatever," said Rayff as he helped her inside, shutting the door behind them.

Lucretia broke away from him and made her way over to the bed. "Couch? What kind of gentleman are you? I'm taking the bed." She sat on the side of the bed, taking off her red high heels and placing her purse on the bedside table. She stretched her arms high into the air as she yawned, looking to the bathroom. "You got any extra towels in there?" she asked.

"Um, yeah. There should be some extras in there," said Rayff as he leaned against a nearby wall. "What are you going to do, take a shower?"

She got up from the bed and made her way over to the bathroom, opening up the door. "I might. We'll see." She shut the door after stepping in and the sound of the lock clicking was heard.

Rayff remained standing off to the side until he heard the sound of rushing water. Once he felt it was clear, he meandered over to the bedside and sat down, looking at Lucretia's purse. "Hmm…maybe a sneak peak wouldn't hurt," he said to himself as he took the purse. He opened it up, only seeing a few items: her wallet, cell-phone, and a few other womanly things. Smirking, he took the wallet and set the purse back down on the side table, still hearing the sounds of water splashing in the bathroom. He opened it up and the first thing he saw were the various debit and credit cards stashed away in it, making him grin with delight. But just as he began to get his hopes up, they were soon extinguished as he gazed upon her ID card.

He quickly began to rethink his scheme once he realized that he was looking at a military ID. He read the card and learned that Lucretia Ren was a staff sergeant in the army, stationed at the nearby base. And not only that, she was a member of the Crimzon Roses, an elite Special Forces unit. Upon realizing who she really was, there was no way he planned on robbing her and getting away spot free. He was dead certain that Lucretia would find a way to track him down and make him pay for taking advantage of her. Suddenly, the sounds of rushing water stopped in the bathroom, prompting him to close the wallet and return it back in the purse.

Just as he got the purse to the way it was, he returned to his place at the side of the bed as the bathroom door opened. Lucretia stood in the door way, her dirty-blonde, shoulder-length hair still slightly wet. For some reason, she had a sultry look on her face as she seductively stood there, looking at Rayff.

He just sat there, looking at her with mixed feelings and thoughts. "So…how was the shower?" he asked with a casual smile, loosening his tie and removing it.

Lucretia smirked and ran a hand through her hair. "I just washed my face. I decided that I'll take a shower in the morning to help wake me up." She continued to stand there, and to Rayff's amazement, she started to undo the zipper on her back. She kept her gaze on Rayff as she undid her dress, letting it fall to the floor as she stepped out of it, pushing it off to the side with her foot.

As she stood there wearing only her black, silk lingerie, Rayff couldn't help but get aroused and worried at the same time. On her right thigh were three silver, stainless-steel throwing knives, sheathed in a concealed holster secured by a garter belt. He gulped and tried to avoid looking at them, instead focusing on her body, which was rather fit yet still retained its alluring feminine curves.

She noticed him glancing at her knives, and looked down at them, chuckling a bit. "Oh, don't worry. These aren't for you." She slipped them off and set them on the dresser before walking towards him, her hips swaying alluringly as she pushed him back on the bed, straddling his waist.

Seeing her on top of him like that, he started to loosen up and placed his hands on her hips as she gazed into his eyes. The two of them looked at each other for a few moments, saying nothing as they just listened to the beating of their hearts in their chest. Before Rayff could react, Lucretia moved in and gave him a passionate kiss, the two of them losing themselves in each other's embrace for the rest of the night.

#

"Say, where were you this weekend?"

Lucretia looked through her scope at the metal target down range, factoring in several variables before making her shot. "What's it to ya? I was out enjoying my weekend off," she said, still adjusting her sniper rifle.

The shooter positioned on the spot next to her set his rifle down and looked to her. "You missed Sgt. Andrews' cook-out. I thought you were going," he said.

She took aim with her rifle and held her breath, depressing the trigger mid-heartbeat as her shot hit several inches away from the center of the target. She exhaled and cursed to herself as she reloaded her weapon, pulling back on the bolt and pushing it forward to load another round into the chamber. "The Sharpshooter's barbecue was this past weekend? Damn. Sorry, bro. I forgot."

"It's fine. So where did you go? I didn't see you around all day yesterday and you seem kinda out of it today."

Before preparing for another shot, she set her rifle down as well, turning to meet his eyes. "I kinda…got piss drunk and had a one-night stand with a random guy I met at the casino." She sighed slightly, remembering bits and pieces of the night before. From what she could remember, it was a fun experience and she yearned for more. "But to tell you the truth, he was kinda cute and I was really in the mood, I guess you can say."

"Did you get his number?" he asked out of the blue.

Sadly, she shook her head. "I was too freaked out when I woke up to find myself naked in bed with him. I just got everything and bolted. I guess I should've stayed a bit to talk things out or get an explanation, but whatever."

The other shooter just nodded his head, surprised at her straightforwardness with him. "Wow. Well, that's… interesting. But you should be more careful, Lucky. That guy could've been a creep or some psychopath. You could've ended up dead for all you know."

"Nah. I can take care of myself. Besides, he seemed harmless enough." She smirked haughtily and focused back on her shooting, re-shouldering her rifle as she looked back down range through her scope.

"Yeah, I guess that you can," said the other shooter before returning to shooting as well.

Before firing again, Lucretia couldn't help but think about Rayff and the night they shared together. That was one of the few times she truly felt alive and wanted by another. She needed that feeling again, the one of being in a man's loving embrace. Hearing the soldier next to her fire off his weapon, she snapped out of her fantasy and returned to her own shooting, readjusting the scope on her rifle.

#

Over the next few days, Lucretia went back to the casino to try and find Rayff again, but to no avail. She continued to win big as usual wherever she went, be it at the Blackjack, Craps, or Roulette tables, but she still couldn't find him. It wasn't until her next full weekend off that she caught a glimpse of him at the casino. She had just doubled her money at the Roulette table by betting on red and wanted something more exciting. It wasn't until she spotted Rayff wearing the same suit that she almost jumped for joy. He was sitting at a Blackjack table, so she hurried over to him, taking the empty seat beside him.

"So, look who it is. The Lady Killer," said Lucretia as she set her tray of chips in front of her.

Rayff nearly jerked out of his seat as he heard Lucretia beside him. He had been watching another potential sucker to seduce and rob until she showed up out of nowhere. After calming down, he turned to meet her enthusiastic grin. "Oh, it's you. Um. Lucinda, right?"

"Lucretia. It's Lucretia, Rayff." She gave him a stern look, somewhat disappointed that he had forgotten her name already.

"Oh, right. Right. So… how've you been? I didn't… expect to see you around after what, you know, happened last time we met."

Lucretia blushed a little, placing her bet down so the dealer could begin the round. "Well, actually, that was kinda why I wanted to talk to you again. I sorta… liked what we did and… you know, wouldn't mind doing more things like that."

He raised an eyebrow, turning back to her after losing his hand against the dealer. "You… do?" He gulped nervously, diverting his gaze from her.

"Well, yeah," she said with a smile.

"I mean, it was pretty unbelievable that you were so… willing, and all. But yeah, I guess I wouldn't mind having sex with you again." As soon as he said that, he cursed under his breath to himself. What was he doing, he thought. She worked for the military and could have his head on a platter if she were to find out. But he couldn't help himself; Lucretia was unlike any other woman he had been with in the past. She was attractive, rich, and had an amazing body, but then again, she was also military. Weighing the risks, he decided to go for it. "Um, you know. I got a room at the hotel again… if you want to relive old memories."

After collecting her winnings from getting a 21, she smirked, using her hand to brace her head on the table as she looked at him. "Eager, are we?" She continued to smile at him, biting her lip a little in a seductive fashion. "Then lead the way."

#

"Yo, wake up. Briefing's about to start soon."

Lucretia shook awake, sitting up straight in her chair. She was sitting in a small room amongst other soldiers awaiting a mission briefing. "Huh, what?"

"The Major is on his way. He'll be here soon," said the soldier sitting next to her, shaking his head. "What's the matter with you? Ever since you got that new boyfriend of yours, you've been completely out of it. How long have you been with him now?"

"Urgh, a few months I think. But who cares. Once I'm on duty, I'm good to go and I get the job done, so don't worry about me. Geez," she said, crossing her arms over her chest as she yawned.

When the major arrived, the room stood at attention as he entered the briefing room. After stepping in, he promptly put everyone at ease as he made his way to the front of the room. "Good morning, ladies and gents," he said in a hurried fashion. As everyone took their seats again, he tapped the projection screen and began the briefing. "We have a situation on our hands that requires our utmost attention. As you all know, there has been several instances of pirate attacks in the area by a professional pirate crew, mostly in the main shipping lanes." He swiped his hand across the screen, showing the soldiers present several pictures of ships that had been targeted in the past. "But we have current reports of a high-profile transport ship getting attacked by a pirate crew, its crew being held hostage. This pirate crew we're dealing with is a no non-sense outfit. They are ruthless in nature and wouldn't think twice about executing hostages, even if it's just a feeling they have of us trying to move against them. We don't want a repeat of the Kesner Operation where ten hostages were summarily executed when they caught whiff of our inbound strike team."

Suddenly, there were murmurs from the crowd as they reminisced about the military blunder. Lucretia remained quiet in her seat, focused on the screen. "So what's our POA, Major?" she asked loudly over the chatter.

The major looked at her and continued the briefing. "Our objective is to take out the pirate leadership to buy us some time. Once the main leaders are taken out, we're going to send in an orbital strike team to take care of everything else. That's where you come in, Sgt. Ren."

"Me, sir?"

The major nodded. "We're sending in a deep-strike sniper team to take out the pirate leadership. You'll be leading this mission, sergeant."

Lucretia looked surprised, but confident. "Roger that, sir. Do we know who the leader is?"

The major tapped on the screen, revealing a file photo of the pirate leader. "Indeed we do."

As soon as the picture appeared on the screen, Lucretia cringed, glancing away momentarily before looking back to make sure she was seeing it correctly.

Seeing her sudden flustered expression, the major decided to probe a little. "Is there a problem, sergeant?"

Lucretia directed her attention to him and shook her head. "No, sir." After the major nodded and continued on, she cursed under her breath. "Why didn't you tell me sooner, Rayff?"

###