Chapter 5

"You can relax. Allow yourself to enjoy."

The Winter Soldier wasn't sure what to make of those instructions. They would send another female here. Hopefully, this one was more suitable. The whole mission still confused him, but this time he was going to enjoy himself. When was the last time he had touched a female? He couldn't remember. Shouldn't he remember? No. It wasn't his place to remember. He was a soldier and soldiers followed orders.

He tried his best to be patient, but this time it was harder. This time he had expectations. He expected to see a soft womanly body and a willing and eager female. Hopefully, that would be the case. He couldn't remember longing for physical pleasure before this mission. Of course, he had seen many attractive females during his other missions, but he had never even considered approaching them. That hadn't been a part of his mission. Now it was. Finally, the door opened. Oh no. Not her again. The same difficult female. He was unable to hide his annoyance as she entered the room and looked at him nervously.

"Hi," she murmured, just like the last time.

"Why did they send you?" he asked sharply.

She tensed and shook her head.

"I don't know."

Well, the answer was obvious. He was the one who had claimed that the last mission had been successful.

"Weren't there any other options?"

She looked offended.

"Apparently not," she snapped. "If it makes you feel any better, I don't want to be here any more than you want me here."

He didn't reply, he was too annoyed. Now what? Would she start crying again? He didn't want to see that.

"What do you want to do?" she asked cautiously after a moment of silence.

Clearly, she didn't want him to touch her, but he couldn't lie again. Failing a mission wasn't an option. He was a soldier and soldiers followed orders. What was he supposed to do?

"I don't know why they chose me," she continued quietly. "I… I didn't ask for this."

He stared at her for a moment before replying.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Darla…"

"I remember. Who are you? You're not a soldier or an agent."

She shook her head.

"No. My father… he brought me here."

"Why?"

She pressed her lips together.

"Because he's a sadistic asshole."

The soldier raised his eyebrows.

"Who is he?"

"Victor Nolan."

"Dr. Nolan?" the soldier asked disbelievingly.

"Yeah," she murmured.

"Why did he give you this mission?"

"He didn't give me a mission, he gave me an order," she huffed. "I'm a prisoner. His lab rat."

The soldier considered this information for a moment. The mission was simple. There was nothing complicated about it. Why did it seem complicated? Why did the females will matter to him? She had been ready to complete the mission the last time.

"I don't know why they're doing this," she continued. "It's some kind of a project."

"That's irrelevant," he replied. "We must follow orders."

She was quiet for a moment, blinking her eyes and clenching her small fists at her side.

"What are you saying?" she murmured.

He wanted to say that they needed to get this over with. She needed to stop being afraid and she especially wasn't allowed to cry. He didn't say any of that.

"Listen, I don't know why you did what you did the last time, but do you think… Could you maybe…"

No. He needed to follow his orders. He was a soldier and soldiers followed orders. Failing a mission wasn't an option.

"Please?"

No.

"I would owe you."

He huffed, what could she possibly give him?

"This was supposed to be a pleasant night," he stated without bothering to hide his irritation. "A simple night. I wanted to enjoy myself."

She bowed her head.

"Okay, I see. I'm not going to fight if you want to… I know I can't win."

He sighed and rolled his eyes. This female was truly obnoxious.

"I don't touch unwilling women," he stated.

Her eyes widened as she looked at him.

"What?"

"I'm a soldier, not a rapist."

"Oh… So that's why…"

"Yes."

They were both quiet for a moment.

"What about your orders?" she finally murmured.

He needed to follow his orders. He was a soldier and soldiers followed orders. Failing a mission wasn't an option. Failing a mission…

"I don't like crying women," he muttered.

"Okay."

"Are you going to cry?" he snorted.

"Not right now."

He huffed carelessly. Unfortunately, he already knew how this would end and he wasn't happy about it. Damn female.

"The mission was successful," he snorted. "And you better not thank me."

She bit her bottom lip, apparently, she was nervous again. What now?

"I… I won't thank you if you don't want me to, but… There's something I would like to do for you. I don't know if it means anything…"

"What is it?" he cut in impatiently.

She hesitated for a moment before lifting her shirt. The next thing he realized was that he was looking at her bare breasts. He couldn't remember the last time he would have seen breasts. Soft firm breasts. He stared at them until she covered them with her shirt. Her cheeks were bright red.

"I… I'm sorry if…"

"That was good," he muttered. "I should probably thank you now."

Her very visible embarrassment was quite amusing. Neither of them spokes before the door opened again. She left the room as quickly as she could, avoiding looking at him. He had to admit that she had managed to surprise him. Maybe he hadn't gotten what he had wanted tonight, but right now he didn't feel like complaining.