Xander jerked his head to the side and his mind frantically tried to gain control of the situation. He forced his emotions under lock and key into a small corner of his brain. Lifting his head to look at her again, he wiped away all the emotions that threatened to drown him.
"I'm sorry about that. You look like someone I used to be close to, but she's dead now. You must be Stasia," he said and held out his hand to shake.
"I'm so sorry for you Mr. Dorman. She must have been someone special to you," she replied and shook his hand slowly.
"Used to be special but she isn't anymore. Being betrayed by a lover will do that to you."
She lifted her eyebrows slightly as Andrew and Shelly appeared by their side. Shelly looked between Xander and Samine and was shocked at the hostility she sensed between the two. Andrew wrapped an arm around Samine's waist and kissed her softly on the neck. He motioned for Shelly, Xander and Cory to follow Samine and him as they moved through the crowd and climbed the stairs to Andrew's private area. Two large men stood in front of the curtains and pulled the curtains aside to allow them entrance. The music was muted a great deal but was still hearable from the open side that overlooked the dance floor. Carpets were scattered around the room along with large overstuffed couches and almost created a homey, cozy feeling. A private bartender stood behind the bar and Xander was sure that there were a few guns back there for emergencies. Andrew sat in one of the plush chairs as Shelly and Xander sat on the couch. Cory stood behind the couch and partially in the shadows. Samine went to a dark corner beside the bar and stood with another woman.
The other woman wore a short, black leather skirt with knee high boots that didn't succeed in covering up ample tanned leg. She wore a white tank top that contrasted sharply with her dark almost black hair and dark tan. Standing next to Samine, the two looked like completely opposites in appearance. Samine was day and the other woman was night. Night concealed the predators and allowed the stalkers to strike with swiftness and stealth to bring instant death. Night was silent and deadly to all those who mustered up the courage to venture into the impenetrable shadows of night. Xander would have to keep a close eye on this one and what part she played in his mission. She was quietly speaking with Samine before glancing at Xander and Shelly. Xander saw this out of the corner of his eye. He tried to control the twitch at the corner of his eye that only people close to him personally would notice. Soon the twitch ceased and he could join the conversation without blowing his cover. He almost groaned in pain when he realized what Shelly and Andrew were talking about. His one loathe: opera.
"You were in Fiddler On the Roof?" Shelly asked Andrew as he nodded.
"Yes I was. It was several years ago, before my father died. When I was on tour it was one of my happiest times."
"A good friend of mine once filled the role of Christine Daaé in The Phantom of the Opera. Every show was sold out," Shelly smiled and Xander looked at her curiously.
"Oh really? How long did she tour with the opera?"
"I believe about three or four years. Then she was hired into an occupation that didn't mix well with the arts."
"What occupation was that?"
"Teaching."
No one heard the clatter of glasses over the music when Samine's hand hit a small clutter of glasses on the small bar. The other woman looked at her before moving closer and leaning against the bar. Not waiting for the bartender, Samine leaned across the bar and grabbed the bottle of vodka.
"Funny, I never saw you as a big vodka drinker," the other woman said as Samine pulled back a shot and grimaced.
"I'm not; it was the closest bottle I could reach."
"Want to talk about it?"
"Not here and not now Lexxiss. I just want to simmer on it right now."
"Who is he?"
Samine took another shot before answering. "An old flame."
"Is he the one?" she asked shocked and Samine nodded.
"Yup, that he is."
"Well damn," she commented and looked Xander over. "Nice body. How is he in bed?"
"Like fucking Zeus," Samine replied with a straight face.
"Serious?"
Samine looked over at Lexxiss but remained serious and Lexxiss's eyes widened slightly. She glanced back over at Xander and eventually turned her gaze to Shelly.
"Who's the bitch?" Lexxiss asked and reached for the vodka bottle.
"Do you mean Jackie Dorman?"
"Who is the other bitch in here except you and me?" she said sarcastically.
"Touché. She's Shelly Hillside, temporary NSA but CIA by blood."
"Why is she on loan to the NSA?"
"Gibbons brought her in to keep an eye on Xander after my death," Samine replied and tightened the cap on the bottle of vodka.
"It isn't Patrick?" she asked and looked at Xander again. "He looks more like a Xander anyway."
"Glad you agree with me," Samine answered and held out her hand to Lexxiss.
Lexxiss handed Samine her guns and holster. Once she had it on, the two walked to stand behind Andrew and play the role of bodyguards.
"Are your wife and you pleased with your rooms?" Andrew asked as Samine and Lexxiss started listening to the conversation.
"Very pleased Andrew. We were hoping to repay you somehow for your hospitality," Shelly said and drew a few small designs on Xander's thigh.
"That is not necessary."
"It would please us greatly."
"There are a few things that I would like, but I do not know how far your reach is to get it," Andrew replied as Samine stepped closer and rested her left hand on his right shoulder.
"Tell me what you desire and I'll tell you if I can reach it," Xander said as Andrew slowly nodded.
"I am a collector of rare artifacts and there is one that I would like to add to my collection."
"Where is it?"
"British National Museum," Andrew answered and looked up at Samine.
"I wouldn't trust him with this task Andrew. I don't think he has the resources to pull off that kind of job," she said as she looked down at him.
"If I can't do it then I'll find someone who will and won't freeze or run when it gets a little difficult," Xander said coldly as Samine slowly looked at him.
"A wise soldier knows what battles he can win and which ones he can not. This is one you can not win Mr. Dorman, at least not against me, so do not even attempt it," Samine said as she narrowed her eyes.
"Listen here whore. Your boss and I are talking about business and I do not remember including you in the discussion; so back off," Xander said dead panned and held gazes with her.
Samine sneered and stepped forward towards Xander intending to rip his head off. A sound suddenly caused her to stop and pull out her guns just as Lexxiss did the same. Four guns were pointed towards the curtained side that everyone had come through. A second later, the curtain was pushed aside and one of the big bouncers walked in. He barely paused upon seeing four guns pointed at him and stepped aside to reveal a forty year old looking gentleman.
He wore a solid black suit and looked like a normal business man except for the scar running from the corner of his eye to under his jaw. When he saw the guns, he squealed and jumped behind the bouncer. Samine groaned and lowered her guns to slip them back into her shoulder harness.
"I almost shot you Charles," she snapped at the gentleman.
"Should have; he's a liability," Lexxiss muttered as she returned her guns to her holsters.
"Mr. and Mrs. Dorman, this is my accountant Charles Whiteside. He watches all of my books for me," Andrew said as Charles dipped his head slightly to everyone. "What do you need Charles?"
"The books are done for the week sir. May I go home now?"
"Yes Charles, give my love to your wife," Andrew replied, before turning his attention back to Xander and Shelly. "Will you be able to accomplish that job for me or shall I ask someone to do it for me?"
"I can get it," Xander said and locked gazes with Samine.
"Stasia, please get the information about the artifact," Andrew requested as he gently touched Stasia's hip.
She broke the gaze with Xander and turned on her heel to walk out. Before reaching the curtains, she stopped next to Lexxiss and leaned close to her to whisper.
"If any three of them pull to shoot Andrew, stop them. Shoot them if you have to but not fatal; and don't let Andrew kill them either. I do not want any corpses when I get back," she instructed to Lexxiss.
"Can I play with their body guard?"
Samine turned her head slightly to look at the tall figure standing behind Xander and Shelly. Turning back to Lexxiss, she shrugged her shoulders and smiled.
"Sure, but be easy on him. I don't know how resilient he is."
With a chuckle, she pushed aside the curtain and stepped past the bouncers. Nearing the crowds, she straightened her back and set her shoulders to project the bodyguard image. She couldn't describe the shock she felt when Xander appeared at the edge of the dance floor, watching her dance. If her face hadn't been flushed from the heat on the dance floor, then everyone would have seen her blush in embarrassment. She knew that a Mr. and Mrs. Dorman were coming from London with Andrew, but she didn't know any facts other than those. Years of schooling her expression had helped her when she confronted Xander. No matter how elated she was at seeing him she couldn't help the cold weight that settled in her gut when he spoke.
Samine could hear the barely restrained anger in his voice and knew she was responsible for it. She knew that he would be angry but thought that he would understand her reasons for leaving. The fact was the more she thought about it the angrier she got. He had no right to speak to her like he did.
With a snarl, she pushed open the hidden door and stepped into the small hallway. The music was a dull beat here and everything else was eerily silent. Eyeing the closed doors, she walked down the hall as her heels echoed on the cement floor. Reaching one door and unlocking the door by the electronic key pad, she stepped in and allowed the door to slowly swing shut behind her. Walking behind the desk, she pushed aside the rolling chair and knelt on the floor. Pulling up a plank of wood, she reached her arm in and pushed a button. Glancing over her shoulder, she watched as a small square of cement pulled in and slid to the side as a safe was lowered on a metal frame.
"Asshole is just too damn paranoid," she muttered and replaced the plan and chair.
Spinning the dial for the combination, she swung open the door and pulled out the folders before choosing a specific file. The other files went back into the safe as she held the one under her arm. She pushed it up slightly to trigger the retract mechanism and watched it lift into the ceiling. Walking out of the room and down the hallway, she stepped back into the club atmosphere and paused to let her eyes and ears adjust. Taking a step towards the crowd, a pair of arms suddenly wrapped around her waist and a pair of lips captured hers. The wandering hands were unfamiliar to her and it took her a second before pushing the person away. With a snarl, she wiped her bottom lip with her thumb before looking at her "attacker."
"You sonofabitch."
"Miss me Stasia?"
"There's nothing there to miss Justin. And if you think there is, then you're living in a dream hon," she said to the young man.
"Oh and all the things you're doing to me in my dreams," he smiled and looked over her body.
"So sorry Justin, but I'm a bit too much for you too handle," she said and slapped the folder against his chest.
"We'll never know for sure until we have a go at it."
"Oh I can tell that you can't handle me and besides…my ass belongs to someone else and you are not him."
"Who? That Hodges ass? He doesn't have anything on ya."
"You are so right that he has nothing on me, but he is not my bitch and neither are you. So back up out of my face you little pussy," she said and pushed him away.
Without another look at him, she stepped past him and walked through the crowd and up the stairs. The bouncers stepped aside when she came into view and pulled the curtain aside for her. Her eyes hardened as she looked around the group and noticed no new faces. Standing behind Andrew, she handed him the folder over his shoulder and glanced at Lexxiss. She shook her head at Samine's questioning look, implying no threats were spoken.
"I'm going to smoke," Shelly said before kissing Xander and standing up.
Cory held out a pack of cigarettes to Shelly and looked towards Xander. Samine stepped forward upoin seeing the opening that she wanted.
"I'll go with her."
Casting Andrew a look, Samine led Shelly up another set of stairs and onto the roof. The door closed behind them and silence met the two. Samine already had a pack and a lighter out as Shelly looked at her.
"Where in the hell did you have those?"
Samine lighted the cigarette before answering. "That's none of your damn business Jackie."
"Whore."
"Slut," Samine replied as she held out the lighter to Shelly.
The conversation hit a momentary lull as both women looked down the street and towards the beach. The street was busy and noisy despite the late hour of night. Samine finished her cigarette and stubbed it out on the ledge that she had her foot propped on.
"Are you going to give me a hug or do I have to beat it out of you?" Samine asked as she turned towards Shelly.
Before she could take a breath, Shelly launched herself into Samine's arms and tightly hugged her. Samine laughed and patted her on the back before releasing her.
"What are Patrick and you doing down here? I thought you two were still in Washington," Samine asked as they sat on the ledge.
"We're just following some merchandise around that we would like to get a hold of."
"How is prick?"
Shelly sighed and looked at the roof top. To tell the truth, or not to tell the truth. Tell the truth, definitely. Samine would crucify her if she didn't.
"He's slowly getting better. It was hard for a few weeks but he slowly got over it. It was real difficult for him."
"It was real hard on those close to him too. His friends and lovers miss him, but I've heard that he has remarried," Samine said as she looked over at Shelly.
"I wouldn't worry about her; she's having an affair on the side. They will probably get a divorce as soon as possible," Shelly laughed as Samine chuckled.
Samine looked down at her lighter and slowly passed it back and forth from hand to hand. With a sigh, she looked up at Shelly and she saw tears glisten in her eyes.
"I miss him."
The stairwell door opened and Samine hastily wiped her eyes just before Cory struck his head out. Both women stood as he looked between the two imposing women.
"Mrs. Dorman, we're ready to leave."
"Thank you Cory."
He retracted his head and the door clanged shut. Shelly tossed the remainder of the cigarette over the edge before looking at Samine.
"We'll try to find time tomorrow to talk. Your room is not bugged but it is not sound proof so you can talk but no screaming or yelling."
"I'll have to remind Patrick of that one," Shelly said grimly.
"I'm sure you will."
Samine held open the door to the stairwell and followed Shelly down the stairs. Everyone was standing and waiting for them when the two women walked in.
"We are all here, good. Time to go home," Andrew said and started to walk down the stairs and onto the dance floor. Samine and Lexxiss cleared the way and through the doors to walk out the back of the club. Everyone moved towards the limo except Samine and Lexxiss, who walked to a familiar car.
Xander recognized the dark blue Toyota Celica that Shavers suped up for Samine. An idea suddenly struck Xander and he pounced on it.
"Is that a 2001 Celica?" he asked Andrew who glanced over at Samine's car.
"I believe it is a 2003. Is that correct Stasia?"
Samine bristled slihglty when she realized what Xander was trying to do. With a quiet snarl, she lifted her chin slightly to the two men.
"That is correct. It's a 2003 Limited Edition Toyota Celica."
"I would very much appreciate it if I could ride with you and see it in action," he smiled and could almost sense her anger.
"That would-"
"She's be happy to. Stasia wouldn't mind; would you Stasia?" Andrew asked, putting her on the spot.
Samine clenched her jaw and tried to keep her breathing slow and relaxed. "It would be my pleasure."
"Take him out on the empty roads and give him a feel for it. No rush to be back to the villa any time soon," Andrew advised as Samine opened the driver's side door.
"I sure will boss."
Lexxiss joined everyone else in the limo and drove off the leave Samine and Xander in the parking lot alone. They stared at each other across the top of the car as Samine leaned against the open car door.
"Get in."
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Okay everyone here is the new chapter to his story and I hope you like it as much as I like it. And I am so sorry that it didn't get up quicker but I have having some communications problems with FF.net and I finally got it figured out. Operator error. Work is being a serious pain in the ass, my manager keeps passing me over for "promotions", I guess you could call it a promotion but it really isn't but being advanced in position. And he's also being investigated for discrimination charges but we won't get into that because then I'd get up on my soap box and I'll never stop *sigh*. ANYWAY! I'm sorry it took so long to get out but life is just getting so damn hectic and I'm about to have a mental breakdown. Seriously, I am.
Furry Creature- Sorry about the minor spelling mistakes, those are just ones that I seem to just look right over.
Ivorybrowneyes-I hope you like this chapter chica. I worked really hard to get it posted up for you and everyone. I really enjoyed your review, I thought it was hilarious. And I'm sorry about screwing up the boyfriend name but I went back and changed it because I couldn't live with myself. And I never said that Samine looked better than you, I just didn't get into great detail with your outfit. Love ya anyway, hope you liked this chapter.
Eadha Ohn-I certainly hope that you cleaned your seat. That would eventually start to stink a bit. Valium is our friend.
Lexxiss-Oi chica! Come on hon! You have to stay on the ball here and keep up with me. I know, summer classes suck total ass. Have you decided on whether you like Samine back or not? Please, please tell me. I really want to know. Anyway, where's my next email from you? Come one, I'm anxious to know.
AsaHekA aka Slone-Very entertaining review. I started to laugh when I read that and have been trying to figure out how to review back.
Demon of Shadows-Well I hope this chapter makes up for you expecting the return of Samine. Please review more for me.