A/N: when we last left our favorite couple they had disagreed about Jessica's role in the investigation. How did they overcome the issue? And what big step well Jessica take next? Read on to find out.
By the way, this chapter is definitely an M, so be cautious if reading at work.
Almost three hours later, Aubrey went by the lab, now unencumbered by his undercover moustache and hat. When he got Jessica's text message a couple hours before, letting him know that she was staying there to work, he knew he was still in trouble As he'd gone over April's budget after lunch, he kept thinking about what Brennan had told him. The more he considered it, the more he realized how unreasonable he was being. Jessica knew the dangers of his career as a law enforcement agent. However, she also understood that he did everything he could to take care of himself. Not once did she pressure him to leave the FBI, even after he'd almost been blown up with Hodgins almost 18 months earlier and getting shot by a suspect last November.
Now that she was needed to help the FBI on a dangerous undercover assignment, he'd unfairly held her to a different set of standards. To make matters worse, he'd also let his lingering fears about her assault cloud his professional judgement. Jessica wasn't just a colleague he worked numerous cases with, but also his partner in life...and he needed to stop forgetting that.
Dr. B was right...they needed to work together as a unit for this operation to be successful. To do that, he had to treat Jessica like the equal partner she was in this operation. He still didn't want her to go, but if she refused to help because she wanted to make him feel better, she wouldn't be the woman he fell in love with.
Aubrey cringed as he remembered his reaction when he saw her dark brown hair for the first time. He had been a whiny brat who had really hurt her feelings, and he was lucky she had let him sleep in their bedroom that night instead of kicking his ass across the hall again. Hopefully, she would be accepting of his apology for his behavior over the last couple of days.
After checking himself in at the sign in desk and scanning his badge into the lab, he looked around for her to no avail. Seeing Brennan leaving Cam's autopsy room, she directed him down to Limbo where Jessica was doing an inventory of the large storage closet. Finding his way there, he hesitated as he arrived at the top of the stairs, flashing back to that Sunday morning again before shaking it off.
"She's not beaten...she's not traumatized...she's just working on the storage closet...NBD."
Walking down the steps, he followed Brennan's directions as he made his way through the large underground floor before hearing noises. Finding his way to an open door, he peeked in and was relieved to see Jessica, still in her curling clothes, marking off items on a clipboard.
"Jessica…"
The intern was still for a moment before returning to her work. While she was not as angry at her boyfriend after talking to Booth, she was still hurt about his attitude towards her role in the investigation. "Aubrey...what can I do for you? I don't have time to get yelled at by you again...or hear your commentary on how changing my hair color is ruining your life."
'Ouch…' Aubrey said to himself. "I'm...I'm not here to yell...or be a dick about your hair."
'Jessica, stop being a bitch and at least listen to him.', Turning herself around, she saw him still in his FBI work clothes from this morning, complete with his badge hanging out and his sidearm in his holster. Seeing the look on his face, her icy exterior melted. "Then why are you here, Superman? I don't want to fight anymore, okay?"
"I don't either." He walked up to her slowly, seeing that she was still apprehensive. "I...I wanted...to apologize...I'm sorry for being mean about your hair. I was...immature...and just mean and it was not a way a boyfriend treats his girlfriend. I'm partial to your red hair, but I know that this change is temporary and...you do look nice as a brunette."
Jessica went back to her work. "Aubrey, this isn't about my damn hair and you know it."
"I know…Jessica, please stop what you're doing and look at me." The agent tossed her clipboard and pen on a nearby table and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry that...I'm sorry for being an ass the last couple of days. Thinking about you getting involved in the undercover stuff kept making me remember how I found you with Gerald down here, all beaten up and…I was so scared that morning...I'd almost killed the son of a bitch…"
Jessica nodded. "I know. I still think about that too, sometimes when I come down here, but then I remember that Gerald Maxwell is in prison now and he can't hurt me."
"Yes, he is...and I have to get over that and trust that you're smart enough to take care of yourself, like you have faith in me to do the same thing while I'm doing my job."
Jessica jumped in his arms and held on tight. "I'm sorry, too. I should have at least taken your concerns more seriously instead of being all bitchy and acting like you were just being a macho pig."
Aubrey let her go and touched her face. "A part of me might have been a pig. I couldn't help you last time, and I'm terrified of something will happen to you again before I can get there."
"Aubrey, you did help me...by saving my life that morning and you'll always be my hero for that." Jessica combed the silver streak at his temple. "I'm scared...really scared about going undercover...but...I know that if I need you that you'll be there to help me. That...and all the crap with your dad is why I've agreed to do this."
"Jess, my father-"
"Still hurts you, James. He does.", Jessica interrupted when she saw him try to deny it again. "I don't think you're going to be able to reconcile your feelings about him until you know for sure if he's involved in that agent's murder...or a part of all that other stuff. I can listen if you need to talk, but I can't just sit by and do nothing while it tears you apart. Your POS father...Stephenson...Stevens...Clark...all the others who are doing all this stuff...they're…"
"...hurting people and possibly their country...for greed. That thing is what pisses me off the most about all this." Aubrey nodded. "This is something that had to be in the works for years. My father may have been mixed up in all this shit before he took off almost twenty years ago."
"I'm sorry…"
"Don't be sorry, Jess...just help me nail these bastards, even if my father is part of it. If you do that, I promise I'll protect you with everything that I have. Just promise to take care of Skinner if anything happens to me."
Not liking the implication of her boyfriend's last comment, Jessica stiffened. "Aubrey, that's not funny."
"I'm not trying to be funny, Jessica. What we're going to do this weekend...is dangerous and risky, but…" The agent rubbed his girlfriend's arms, remembering what Brennan told him earlier. "...if we work together as a team...as partners...I think we'll be okay."
Jessica smiled and kissed her boyfriend. "I think so, too."
Relieved, Aubrey smiled. "Good...now, I'm hungry. Dr. B wouldn't let me eat at the rink and I've only had a tuna melt, slaw, and onion rings for lunch. Want to head down to the diner for a snack?"
'I'll give you a snack, Agent Aubrey.' Jessica thought with a smile. "Actually, I'm not in the mood for the Royal Diner."
"Oh, well what about Founding Fathers?", Aubrey asked as she walked away towards the door. Seeing her shut it, he got suspicious as he heard a click. When she turned around, he saw that mischievous gleam in her eyes.
"Jessica...what's going on?" Instead of getting an answer, he watched her walk back to him and as he opened his mouth to ask again, she pushed him onto the table, knocking the clipboard and pen onto the floor, causing him to wince.
"Ow my ass…be careful, Jess. I fell really hard on the ice." Aubrey rubbed his ass gingerly. "I probably have a big bruise back there…"
Jessica made a face. "I'm sorry, Aubrey…I forgot..."
"That's okay...now tell me what's going on in that genius Mensa brain of yours?"
Jessica tenderly rubbed his leg, smiling when she felt him shiver as her hand moved towards his inner thigh. "Well, we just made up verbally after a really big fight, Aubrey…" Jessica quickly discarded her green sweater. "...and now we need to make up in other ways, too."
Aubrey looked around the small room. "That's a tempting offer, but we're on working hours...whoa!", he yelped as she pushed him back and groaned as her fingers tickled across his groin area, making him very hard. The agent was torn between relieving his stress and maintaining a sense of propriety as he moved into her touch.
"Oh Christ...Jess...I...what is someone comes down here…"
Jessica caressed his groin area even harder, pleased when he moaned loudly. "No one is coming down here, Aubrey...except maybe me and you. Now secure your weapon and badge so we don't trigger more than one explosion."
Mollified, he quickly secured his side arm and moved it out of the way, his eyes fixing onto his girlfriend's breasts as they heaved up and down. Unable to stop himself, his hands kneaded her ass until Jessica undid his belt and pulled his pants down until his jeans and boxers hung off one ankle. As she gently grasped him, Aubrey moaned loudly before his hands moved towards her zipper.
"Shit...Jessica, get your pants off right now. I want to be inside you..."
Together, they opened her pants and she barely pulled them off when he pulled her to him, kissing her with passion as his frustration of the last three days faded away. After enjoying her posterior, he moved his hand between her legs, pleased to feel wetness.
"Oh, God...Aubrey…don't stop.", Jessica moaned, trying not to scream as she enjoyed his ministrations. As she came, they suddenly heard voices outside.
"This is our Modular Bone Storage unit. While used most often by the Medico-Legal lab, as cultural anthropologists, you will sometimes utilize this facility while you complete our internship. This is the storage closet with the equipment you may utilize down here."
"Oh shit...it's Clark with his new interns...I forgot they started this week…", Jessica whispered.
Frustrated at having to wait while feeling Jessica's warm body pressed into his, Aubrey kept his growl to himself. "Hurry up and go away, Clark...I want to fuck my girlfriend. It's been three long days."
"Shhhh…", Jessica quietly admonished before both sets of eyes widened as they heard the door handle jiggle. They waited anxiously, knowing there was nowhere to hide.
"Is there a key, Dr. Edison?"
"Yes, in Dr. Brennan's office, but she stepped out for an hour. It's not important to get in here right now, but know that this room contains the equipment to be used down here while the upstairs store room contains the Mikrosil and other substances needed for casting. Now, follow me and we'll head back to our department."
They waited impatiently until the footsteps retreated. "Jess, maybe we should take this home…." Aubrey's voice faltered when Jessica mounted him and rubbed against him. "Oh, hell with it. Ride the hell out of me, woman. I'm about to explode…"
Their pace was intense as Jessica rode her boyfriend hard on the table. Aubrey held onto her as his lover moaned loudly into his shoulder so she wouldn't give their activities away, turning him on even more..
"You...feel so...good…", Aubrey panted. "No other...woman...has ever turned...me...on...like you...Jess...oh fuck…"
"Yes...James...yes...James...auuuugggghhhh…", she screamed into his shoulder as her climax came.
Feeling his girlfriend crest and then milk him pushed him a few more strokes before he joined her in crossing over. "Auuhhh, yes…"
The couple panted as they held each other tight before they slowly came back to reality and shared kisses while remaining close. "That was amazing make up sex...so dirty, too….I love my dirty girl...", Aubrey whispered as he kissed her again.
"I Iove dirty make up sex with you, too, Aubrey. What's it with us and tables?"
"Hey, don't knock tables. The first time we were together was on your dining room table because we couldn't make it into the bedroom." Aubrey held onto her softness a few moments longer before he reluctantly prompted her to get up. "I should let you get back to work…"
"Actually, I was about done when you came here. I just have to put this list on Dr. B's desk and I'm all set for the day."
"Yeah…", Aubrey said while pulling up his pants and boxer shorts. "Man, we have a lot to do to get ready for this tournament thing Saturday-"
"Bonspiel, Aubrey. Now hand me my underwear, please. They're under the table by your right foot."
"Bonspiel...sorry." Aubrey handed her the panties he found in a wad on the floor and watched as she pulled her lingerie back on.
Now dressed, Jessica gestured to herself. "So, do I look professional and not like I just humped your brains out in a supply closet?"
"You'll do.", Aubrey replied, dodging Jessica's attempt to slap him on the arm. "Yes, you look fine. This afternoon is turning out better than this morning, that's for sure."
Jessica hugged her boyfriend. "I'm really sorry…"
"Hey, so am I, but we got through it." Aubrey hugged her back. "We're going to get pissed at each other again, Jess. We're both stubborn, strong willed people, but we'll always figure it out."
"Yeah, we do…" Jessica let him go. "Shit, I didn't take anything out for dinner tonight. Do we have any ham left?"
Aubrey grimaced slightly. "Um, no...I did some emotional eating last night...and I ate all the salads, too, along with the rest of the naughty sex cheesecake from Saturday night."
Jessica smiled. "Maybe I'll take out some swordfish for dinner...or we can order a pizza in between sessions of 'Hide the Ham Bone?'"
"Hey, that's a great idea!" Aubrey's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree before he grew serious again. "So, as much as I want to get your home and naked, for my own piece of mind, there's something that we need to do."
"More important than going home and getting naked together?"
"Yes. Now, let's get out of here before Clark brings another group of interns here."
Giggling, she unlocked the storage closet. Cautiously poking their heads out of the door, they both peeked out and when they saw that the coast was clear, they held hands as they left Limbo. After leaving the clipboard on Brennan's desk, the couple walked out of the lab area.
From the platform, Hodgins observed them and chuckled. "Looks like a certain couple made up. Better watch out for those security cameras, you two."
Signing out, the couple made their way out of the lab wing. "Aubrey, where are we going that's so important?"
"You'll see, Jessica."
*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*
An hour later, after giving his girlfriend a safety lecture and observing how she held her weapon of choice, a Sig Sauer .239, Aubrey set up the target and sent it down the line.
Jessica shook her head. "I still can't believe we're doing this. Are you sure we need to do this? I thought I was just gathering information at Maxco."
"You are, but I want to know that if something happens, you'll know what to do. "Okay, Jess, whenever you're ready. No rush."
Jessica was nervous but she steadied her nerves and took the stance Aubrey had recommended. Pointing her weapon, she focused on the bullseye and fired all the rounds in the weapon, not noticing her boyfriend's surprise. When done, the agent pulled up the target, which had two shots in the head, one between the eyes and the other on the nose. The other six were either in the bulls eye or in the large circle before it.
"Wow, Jess…"
Jessica grimaced. "Yeah...I'm a little rusty."
Aubrey's eyes grew wide as he pointed to the bullet holes. "Rusty? Jessica, do you not see where your shots fired? I watched you shoot. You were cool and steady…"
"Well, when Grandpa taught me how to use a gun that summer I spent at the vineyard, he said to use something that angered me as a focus and then shoot to kill. He had me practice on similar targets with head and chest shots." Jessica shrugged. "I think he was worried about me because I was a girl and I was going to school alone out of state."
"What did you focus on today?", Aubrey asked nervously.
"It wasn't you, Aubrey. That was just with curling earlier." As the agent shrugged his shoulders, Jessica kissed him on the cheek. "I focused on Gerald Maxwell...particularly that smug expression he always got when he thought he had one over me."
"Good target." Aubrey put up another target as Jessica loaded her weapon. "Ready?"
"Sure." When the target was in place and he gave the go ahead, Jessica shot all the rounds from her gun, once more aiming her shots towards the head and chest.
Pulling the target back, Aubrey and Jessica looked at it together. "Jess, I think we're good here. I'm pretty impressed with your accuracy."
"But I'm not carrying for this operation, right?", Jessica asked.
"No, but it's good to know your abilities and that you're more than capable of taking care of yourself." Rolling up the target, Aubrey smiled. "Now, let's clean your gun and turn our gear in, pick up a pizza from DiAngelo's, and head home. We have a lot of time to make up for."
Jessica rolled her eyes as she picked up the spent shells from her booth. "Three days, Aubrey. It had only been three days since we made love until today-"
"Three days too long, Jess. I'm okay with a night...two is pushing it, but not three. Especially since you wore those sexy pajamas last night to mess with me."
Jessica rolled her eyes again. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"You're a liar, but I love you. Now come on, Skinner is probably hungry."
"Sure...for Skinner.", Jessica retorted as they returned her cleaned gun and the other items into the clerk manning the practice facility.
*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*
Four hours later, Janus Street was quiet as most of the residents were watching television, working, or settling in for the night. In one particular house, an orange tabby was eating from his dish, not caring about the noises he heard upstairs, noises he'd grown accustomed to hearing several nights a week.
"Oh my God...James...yes…holy shit..."
In their bedroom, Jessica once again rode Aubrey as she sat on his lap on the bed, both only covered with a bed sheet. The agent held onto her for dear life as he moved from below, meeting her as she gyrated on him until she came. He moved harder a few more times until his release came and he moaned loudly. Each spent, the couple dropped back down on the bed.
"Wow...either I need a steak or I need a nap."
"I could go for both right now…", Jessica giggled as she wrapped her arms around Aubrey.
The couple continued to lay in a comfortable silence in their darkened bedroom, each lost in their own thoughts. Suddenly, Aubrey spoke up. "It's going to be okay, Jessica...I will do what I have to do to keep you safe."
"I know, Aubrey. I trust you and I'll be here for you. Just don't shut me out, please.", Jessica whispered quietly.
The agent held her closer to him and kissed her hand. "Never again, Jessica. I promise you that."
*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*
After slowly driving Wendell's truck through Maxco's parking lot for several minutes on the next morning, Jessica exhaled softly as she found a place to park. Things were about to get very real, and even with all her previous experience doing undercover work for Greenpeace, she couldn't help but be nervous. There was so much riding on her success today. She desperately wanted to help Aubrey find out the truth about his dad's involvement with Maxco and Histavark, even if it meant that the man turned out to be a real bum. One way or the other, her Superman deserved some closure as far as his dad was concerned..
She checked her phone once more, smiling at the wallpaper of Aubrey and her from the Star Wars convention before shutting it down and putting it in her bag. She didn't want to take any chances with someone calling her and accidentally blowing her cover. She'd text her boyfriend at lunch, just to check in so she could ease his fears, but otherwise she wouldn't talk to anyone else today unless it was 'Aunt Wanda', 'Uncle Buck', or even 'Cousin Genny'.
Glancing in the visor mirror, she looked at her reflection with an appraising eye, combing her brown hair back softly. She already knew by the way Craig Stephenson had leered at her at the ice rink that he found her attractive, but she'd decided to up the ante by wearing more makeup than she normally did. A little extra sparkle...some bright mauve lipstick...it doesn't hurt to make the bait a bit more enticing…
Climbing down out of the truck, she smoothed her short black skirt and tugged at the hem of her pale blue sweater. The dress code for Maxco was business casual, whatever that meant, but she figured what she had chosen would be close enough.
Smiling to herself, Jessica thought about the discussion she and Aubrey had engaged in earlier that morning...she'd wanted to wear one of the dresses she normally wore to the lab, and he wanted her covered from head to toe...preferably in something that would completely hide her curves, like maybe a flannel nightgown or a heavy sweat suit. The long sleeved pullover had placated him somewhat, but he was definitely not a fan of the mini skirt and three inch stiletto heels...
oooooooooo
"You look so hot in that sweater…so I don't think you should wear it to work this morning.", Aubrey whined as he ate his breakfast. "I don't want that bastard to get any ideas about you…not any more than he already has..."
"We want him to get ideas about me, remember? That's why you needed a young woman to take the undercover part of the job...because Stephenson is a perv, right?"
"I guess." Aubrey paused as he noticed her black hose. "Wait...are you wearing a garter belt with those stockings?"
"Maybe you can find out for yourself when I get home this evening…"
"Good Lord, Jess...how am I gonna be able to concentrate at work today when I have to think about you being at Maxco in that outfit when that bastard is sniffing around? And then knowing that you may be wearing a garter belt, too? Seriously?"
Smirking at his annoyance, she gave him a kiss as she got ready to leave. "See you later."
"Don't forget to text me at lunch!", he said, grimacing as she waved goodbye and left the house. "I can't wait for this case to be over…"
oooooooooo
Taking a deep breath, Jessica gave herself a pep talk as she marched up to the building's front door. "You can do this...no problem...remember your first day at MSU? You were a scared teenager...you were alone...but you survived, right? This is just like when you worked for Greenpeace. You are a brave, independent woman. You've done things like this before...it'll be fine. Just relax…"
As she entered the lobby, she found the receptionist's desk and smiled shyly. "Good morning. I'm Jessica Gordon. I'm supposed to start working here as a temp today…"
"Oh, yes...here we go." The woman handed Jessica an ID badge. "You'll need to wear this while you're here at the facility." She pointed to a set of chairs. "If you'll have a seat, I'll call Mr. Stephenson…"
"Thank you." Fastening the badge to her sweater, she sat nervously on the edge of the chair, tapping her foot as she looked around the well appointed lobby. I wonder what he's going to expect me to do today...hopefully I can fake it well enough…
"Ms. Gordon?" Craig Stephenson gave her a slight wave as he came over to greet her. "Hello! Follow me, and I'll show you to your work space…"
He led her down a corridor towards a medium sized office, which had been furnished with small cubicles. Several people were already typing away at their computer keyboards as he directed her to a vacant chair.
"Here we are...here's your desk, and you can put your purse in that drawer." He gestured around the room. "This is our accounts receivable department. You'll be posting payments as they come in...simple, really. It's basically a computer program similar to Excel. You take the information from the invoices and you enter the data in the program, okay?"
"Yes, that sounds easy." Jessica pulled out a chair. "I'll get started...it won't take me any time at all to figure it out…"
"Oh, I'm sure you'll do fine, but before you get involved with that, there are more people I'd like you to meet…" Craig ushered her from the office into an adjacent room. "These ladies are part of the curling team that you'll be playing on. Meet Sandra, Lori, and Alma. This is Jessica. She's going to take Helen's spot on the team this weekend. She has a lot of experience as vice skip."
The three women nodded silently as they cautiously studied Jessica. Finally Alma cleared her throat softly. "Nice to meet you, honey. Lookin' forward to seein' how well you operate on the ice." She turned as the phone on her desk rang. "We'll talk at lunch, okay?"
"Okay." Offering a shy smile, the intern shrugged at her new boss. "I guess I should get busy…"
"We haven't finished our tour yet." He pointed down the hall towards the main entrance. "If you didn't see it when you came in the front, our cafeteria is on the right.
Jessica played with her hair and played as she was in awe. "It looks really fancy with those tablecloths and other nice stuff you have in there."
"Well, Harold Maxwell...my dear friend and our CEO until his unfortunate death a couple of months back, as with his father before him, felt that at Maxco, we need to take care of our employees. That's why we offer benefits like paid holidays, Casual Fridays for work attire, company picnics as well as staff cafeteria where we serve top quality items, such as a salad bar that would rival any bistro. It even has…" Stephenson made a face of disgust. "...a Pixler's Pig Out Palace stand if you're interested...in that sort of thing…"
'What an ass…' Jessica shook her head. "My Uncle Buck loves their barbecue, but I'm not a big fan. I wasn't impressed by their cuisine when he took me there a few weeks ago. I prefer more...refined choices."
Happy that she wasn't a heathen, Stephenson smiled before pointing towards the other end of the hall. "...and around that corner is the ladies' room. We don't really have prescribed break times except for lunch...most everyone eats at noon." Licking his lips slightly, he wore a sly grin as he stepped closer to her. "Maybe you and I could go out for lunch today. I'd like to get to know you better."
And I'd like you to get out of my personal space. "I can't today, Mr. Stephenson. I'm expecting a phone call about...about whether or not I qualified for a car loan." Seeing his surprise, she cringed slightly. "I found a Jeep I want to buy, but I need to borrow some money...only two thousand dollars, but still...that's a lot of money for someone like me, who's new to the area and all…the only reason I can stay and work all day today is that Aunt Wanda doesn't need the truck. I don't want to be a burden to her…I want to make my own way. Anyway, Alma mentioned me having lunch with her and the team today."
"Aw, honey...if I'd known you needed some cash, I coulda helped you out. Uncle Craig's got plenty of money." He reached over to rub her back, but she quickly stepped away. "Okay...no problem. Maybe some other time."
"Maybe." Shifting from one foot to the other, Jessica looked back over her shoulder. "I think I better get started entering that data…"
"Right you are. That's what I like...a real responsible girl. You go on back to the data entry room and get settled in. I'll check on you in a little while."
"Thanks. I appreciate it, Mr. Stephenson…" She wiggled her fingers in a wave as she turned and walked away.
"Craig, darlin'. Call me Craig. See you later.", he called to her, pausing to admire the view before going back to his own office. "Pretty soon Uncle Craig is gonna give that little girl a ride...and it won't involve some broken down Jeep, either. You've still got it, buddy...that cute little brunette is just playing hard to get."
Oooooooooo
Jessica worked at her computer for a couple of hours, entering numbers into a spreadsheet. It was mind numbing work, and she wondered how anyone could manage to do this sort of thing day after day, year after year. She smiled, once again realizing how lucky she was to have a career that allowed her mind to be engaged as she worked doing something she loved.
She yawned and stretched, trying to shake off her boredom as she entered the next set of numbers. This stack of receipts was different...the invoices had been paid by companies from countries that were a part of the European Union. The exchange from euros to dollars had already been computed, so she just had to enter the cash amounts.
She worked quickly for the next few minutes, entering the numbers with ease, until she came to a page at the bottom of the stack. It was a large payment from CEP Enterprises, headquartered in Zagreb, Croatia.
'That's the company that is partnered up with Histavark which may have been run by Aubrey's dad...but he's been in prison…and their CEO has been MIA for over a year..."
The location stuck out at her like a sore thumb. Croatia wasn't exactly a hotspot for international business and that's where Aubrey's dad had been hiding out until he came to the States last year. 'Something is not right here. This is too much of a coincidence.'
Pretending to yawn again, she reached for her purse and carefully removed her phone. After looking around the room, she furtively took a picture of the invoice before entering the data into the program. Setting her phone aside, she looked at the next page, which was from a company in Turkey.
Nothing interesting about that…I hope...but better safe than sorry, I guess. After looking quickly glancing over her shoulder, she took a picture of that page as well.
As she thumbed through the rest of the pages, she checked again to see if there were any other invoices from Croatia or the surrounding area, but the rest of them were from France or Great Britain. She was so engrossed in her work that she jumped when someone spoke her name.
"Jessica?"
"What?!" Turning suddenly in her seat, she bumped Alma with her hand. "Oh...I'm sorry. I guess I was really concentrating on these numbers…"
"No problem, honey. I was just gonna see if you wanna have lunch with me and the girls...we'd like to get to know you a little bit better."
"Sure. I'd like that." Still shaking, Jessica quickly picked up her phone and put it in her pocket before grabbing her lunch. "I'm just going to run to the ladies' room for a minute and then I'll meet you in the lunchroom."
"Okay. We'll save you a seat." Wearing a benign smile, Alma waved as she left the room.
Racing down to the restroom, Jessica found a stall and closed the door. Pulling out her phone, she sent a short text to Aubrey to check in with him, and then sent a copy of the pictures she'd just taken to Genny, asking her to forward them to Hunter.
Exhaling slowly, she tried to calm her nerves. She needed to act normal for her lunch with the girls on the curling team.
Oooooooooo
Fortunately, lunch was uneventful. Sandra and Lori, both being in their late teens or early twenties, chattered and giggled throughout the meal, basically ignoring Jessica as they discussed the upcoming bonspiel. Alma sighed in exasperation as the girls left the table.
"They're not bad curlers, but both of them together have the attention span of a sparrow.", the middle aged woman remarked, giving Jessica a sidelong glance. "Craig told me that he was really impressed with your skill at throwing stones. That's good to know. As the skip, I need someone I can count on during an end."
"Wow...that's good to hear." Jessica pretended to be bashful as she noted Alma referring to Stephenson as 'Craig' while everyone else seemed to call him 'Mr. Stephenson.'. "Thanks...but I hope I can live up to that praise. I don't want to let anyone down."
"I'm sure you'll be fine, honey." Alma sipped her tea before continuing. "So have you got a boyfriend?"
"No...my cousin and I just recently moved here from Michigan to live with my aunt and uncle. I don't have any more relatives up there, and Genny's husband is in the service, stationed in Kuwait, so we thought it'd be better to be closer to what family we have left."
"Yeah...family's important. A lot of my brothers and sisters live in the area, and I like having them around."
Interested in why there were so many curling leagues in the area, Jessica asked, "Are all of them curlers?"
"Three of my brothers are." Shrugging, Alma took another drink from her glass. "A lot of the folks who live around here have Scottish roots, and with curling being a Scottish game, it just seems to fit us, I guess. Besides, it doesn't take a lot of equipment, so it's not that expensive, and you can field a team of four or five pretty easily...most of the time." She laughed humorlessly. "Of course, it doesn't help when one of your players goes and gets herself arrested by the feds."
"I can see how that might put a kink in things. Does anyone know what happened?" Jessica asked.
"Stupid woman did some insider trading thing while working for the SEC, which interfered with an FBI case. Craig showed that twit the door when she came here a couple days ago for a job, and she had the nerve to demand that Maxco pay her legal fees. Whatever."
"Yeah, that was stupid.", Jessica agreed. 'So she only knows what was on the news. Stephenson didn't tell them everything.' Figuring that Alma would be a good source of information, she smiled happily and rubbed her hands together. "However, I'm glad her problems gave me a chance to play with your team. I love curling...and Mr. Stephenson as been so nice, getting me a temporary position here so I can participate in the bonspiel this weekend. I could use the money from this job, too. I'm trying to buy a Jeep so I don't have to borrow my uncle's beat up old truck all the time."
Nodding thoughtfully, Alma pursed her lips. "Craig can be a nice guy...when he wants to be." Leaning across the table, the older woman patted Jessica's hand. "You just need to watch out for him, okay? He can get real handsy...if you know what I mean. Don't let him catch you alone in a dark corner around here...he can be a real horn dog. He's even worse now that Harold's gone. At least he tried to keep Craig in check."
Remembering how Stephenson had invaded her personal space earlier in the day, Jessica sighed, also noting Alma's apparant familiarity with Harold Maxwell. "Thanks for letting me know. I mean, I need to work, but…"
"But you don't need that kind of trouble. I know." Checking her phone, Alma rose from her seat. "I gotta get back to work. I'll see you at practice tonight."
"Okay. Thanks." After making sure Alma had left the room, Jessica checked her messages. There was text with a 'thumbs up' emoji, along with a set of bright red hearts from Aubrey. Genny's message, on the other hand, was very intense.
Hunter says if you find any more of those forms to send pics but be careful. Big bucks means they have a lot to lose if you're caught
Running her hand nervously through her hair, Jessica swallowed hard, wondering if there was any way she could look at the invoices that her fellow employees had processed, but she quickly decided there was no way to do that without stirring up lots of curious questions. "I'll just stick to my own work…", she told herself quietly. "Maybe I'll get lucky…"
Oooooooooo
After working the rest of the afternoon without seeing any more suspicious invoices, Jessica was ready to get home. She wanted to see Aubrey and have a bite to eat before she went to curling practice with her new team mates that evening. Besides...I promised to show him whether or not I was wearing a garter belt…
Giggling softly, she shut down her computer and was gathering her belongings when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Hey, Darlin'." Craig Stephenson was standing close behind her. "How about I give you a ride to curling practice this evening? Maybe we could stop and have some dinner along the way…"
"Um…" Looking around the room, Jessica was unhappy to see that everyone else had already left for the day. "...I need to get home. I promised my aunt I'd help her with the cooking tonight, so I'll meet you at the rink instead. You said 8 o'clock, right?"
"That's right...eight." He edged closer, reaching for her arm. "Aw, come on, honey. I bet your Aunt Wanda can fix supper by herself just this one time…"
She slipped out of his grasp and hurried to the door. "Maybe some other time. See you later."
"Yeah." Disappointed in his lack of success, Stephenson grumbled to himself as he left the room. "Sooner or later, honey...sooner or later, you and me are gonna have some quality time together."
As she drove home, Jessica debated with herself about whether or not to tell Aubrey that Craig had put moves on her. It wasn't unexpected, and she had avoided any trouble...but maybe the less her boyfriend knew right now, the better. Anyway, she'd be able to offer him plenty of distraction between having lasagna for dinner and a few minutes of hunting for her garter belt, and then, when she got back from curling, they could go upstairs for round two.
Then another thought occurred to her. Maybe Aubrey should go with her to practice. That might put his mind at ease about her being undercover...he could see how well she fit in with her new 'coworkers' as they practiced together. Yeah...I think that'll work...he won't mind...
Satisfied with her plan, Jessica puffed out a sigh. Now all she had to do was to keep away from Craig Stephenson at practice that evening.
Oooooooooo
After a little bit of pleading and an extensive search for her garter belt, Jessica had finally convinced Aubrey to go with her to curling practice. They made a quick trip to the FBI so he could pick up his 'Jimmy' moustache and baseball cap before heading over to the rink.
Glancing at her boyfriend as he drove, Jessica explained the ground rules. "Okay, now listen, Superman. I don't care how creepy Craig acts, you've got to keep yourself under control in the bleachers, okay? No caveman heroics...I can handle pervy guys like him. Besides, I don't think he'll want to mess with me too much while the rest of the team is there, except for maybe copping a feel...which is gross, but…"
"Huh uh. He keeps his hands off, or I break his fingers." Gripping the steering wheel tightly, Aubrey clenched his jaw. "I mean it, Jess…"
"I don't think he's going to do anything overt. He's the kind of guy that talks a good game, but when push comes to shove, he backs down." Sighing softly, she stared out the passenger window. "He tried to make some moves on me today while I was at the office, but I shut him down."
His blood boiling, Aubrey blew his stack. "Okay, that does it. I'm calling Booth and telling him that you're done."
"You'll do no such thing." Turning to him, she crossed her arms across her chest. "Listen...I'm an attractive female in a typically male career field. Do you have any idea of how often I've been hit on, just because some stupid man felt like he had the right to put me in my place? The Jeffersonian is the first place I've worked where rules against that sort of thing are enforced, and then only because we had to hold some feet to the fire. Of course, I don't like being treated that way, but I know how to handle it, because I have experienced it many, many times. So trust me, okay? I can shut the guy down."
Aubrey paused as he thought over what Jessica had said. "You're right...I need to trust you. Let's go to curling practice."
Sitting up in the stands at the ice rink, 'Jimmy' had a birds-eye view of the lane where Jessica and the rest of her team were practicing. Although he still wasn't familiar with all the nuances of the game, from what he could tell, Alma knew what she was doing as skip, and seemed quite able to direct traffic from her end of the lane. Jessica had thrown several stones that had landed in good position, either close to the button or on the edge of the house as a guard. The younger girls seemed to be there more for 'jiggle' factor, laughing and acting silly as they swept the lane, but they still managed to assist in getting the stones lined up correctly.
Everything was going well enough for his satisfaction, and then Craig Stephenson showed up, wearing a smarmy grin as he greeted the women on his team. It was hard not to notice how the bastard fondled the younger girls, who seemed to eat up the attention. After offering a wink and a smile to Alma, he then turned his notice towards Jessica. More than once he tried to hug the intern, but she always managed to slip his grasp. If Aubrey hadn't been so annoyed, it might have been funny to see Stephenson's pathetic attempts to get his hands on her.
Finally, after about thirty minutes, Jessica pretended to yawn as she casually glanced up at her boyfriend. Clearly, she'd had enough of the jackass and his lame attempts to feel her up. Aubrey watched as she shrugged her shoulders and rubbed her eyes...she was telling her teammates that she was tired, so she was leaving.
Gathering her belongings, he let her get a five minute head start before following her out to the SUV. "Ready to call it a night?"
"Yeah...I can't handle being around that jackass anymore tonight. Let's go home."
Oooooooooo
As she came down the stairs the next morning, Jessica did a model's twirl to show off her outfit. "What do you think?"
The dark green knit dress clung to her curves like a second skin, and Aubrey gasped in horror. "Really? The guy tried to grope you last night and you're going to encourage him like that?"
"We've already been through that, okay?" Pulling out her phone, she sent a quick text. "So...since I'm new to the team, they want me to practice with them again tonight. 'Aunt Wanda' is going to pick me up at work and go with me so she can help me keep an eye on Craig and give him another distraction."
"Booth isn't going to be happy about that…"
"He's also a big boy and will be fine. Now, I won't be home until about nine, but there's some leftover lasagna, or you can get some ham out of the freezer if you want."
"Hmph…", he grumbled into his coffee cup. "I think you're taking this curling stuff way too seriously…"
"Are you jealous of the curling team?", she laughed. "Really?"
"Of course not...but I do feel better that Dr. B is gonna be with you this evening."
"I thought you would." She gave him a quick kiss. "She'll be here in a few minutes to take me to work."
"Alright." Putting his plate in the dishwasher, he shrugged. "So I'll see you when you get home...but don't wear yourself out. I have plans for later tonight, and they involve you…"
"I see." She wore a flirty smile as she smoothed her dress. "With or without my clothes?"
"I don't know yet...that dress is pretty...inspirational. We may start with clothes on and then work our way to being without clothes later."
Hearing a car honking in the driveway, Jessica giggled. "You'd better make lots of plans to rest before I get home…"
Oooooooooo
That day at Maxco seemed to drag on as Jessica entered what seemed to be an unending stream of numbers into the program. No unusual paperwork came across her desk...all of the invoices she'd processed were from domestic purchasers. Even though she knew the division of the work in the data entry center was random, she wondered if someone had figured out that she'd taken pictures yesterday and had changed things up a bit as a result.
No...I don't want to overthink this. I'm just here to observe...maybe pick up bits of information here and there…I'm not supposed to go looking for trouble.
Glancing at the time, she decided to walk down to the lunchroom to fix a cup of tea. Knowing that lunch crowd had been gone for a few hours, she expected the place to be deserted, but she was surprised to see Alma and Mr. Stephenson huddled together, discussing something animatedly.
The skin on her arms and the back of her neck prickled as they stopped suddenly and looked up at her with a mixture of surprise and tension. "Oh...Jessica…", Alma began in a flustered tone. "I didn't see you come in…"
"Don't mind us, Darlin'. We're just going over some strategy for the bonspiel this weekend. Alma thinks you've got a lot of talent for hitting the button." Licking in his lips as he looked her up and down, Craig suggestively raised an eyebrow. "How about a lift to practice tonight?"
"No, thank you. I appreciate it, but my Aunt Wanda is picking me up and taking me to the rink. She said she'd be glad to help Sandra and Lori with their sweeping technique, Alma."
"Um...sure." Biting her lip, Alma glanced at Craig. "I need to get back to work…"
Picking up a mug, Jessica filled it with hot water and grabbed a tea bag. "Me, too. See you tonight…"
Oooooooooo
Checking the time, Booth sent Aubrey a text. Wanna go watch the girls practice tonight? I'll pick you up at 7:00.
Sorely tempted, Aubrey tried to be strong. Nah. I told Jess I trusted her. She'll be pissed if she thinks I'm checking on her.
Booth chuckled as he replied. What's the matter? You scared of her?
Swearing under his breath, Aubrey fired back. Hell yes. Have you seen her throw those big stones? She could kick my ass...just like Dr. B can kick yours if she finds out you're checking on her.
However, after careful consideration, Aubrey sent another text. See you at 7.
ooooooooooo
Stretching her snug, low cut tee shirt over her breasts, Wanda chomped her gum as she nodded at Alma. "Nice to meet ya. My Jessie was telling me about how excited she is to play with such a competent skip…"
"Yeah...I said she was good…real good.", Jessica stressed as she gave Wanda a pointed look.
"Yeah...that's what I said." Leaning on her broom as Craig walked over, she used her arm to prop up her breasts so he'd get an eyeful over the shirt's low neckline. "Howdy, Mr. Stephenson…"
'Wanda is so trashy...but I'd still like to get her alone somewhere…' Stephenson couldn't help how tight his pants felt as he gazed at the uncouth woman's ample bosom and impressive curves. "Wow...um...hey, Aunt Wanda...and girls." He turned to wave at the rest of the team. "Hey, girls."
Alma was becoming frustrated with all the distractions. "Can we please practice?"
Everyone took their places, and Jessica launched the first stone out of the hack. It slowly cruised down the lane toward Sandra and Lori, as Alma tried to direct their sweep. "Hurry...hard, hard, harder...hurry harder…real hard...real hard..."
Craig snorted as he elbowed Jessica. "That's what my last girlfriend usually said when we were in bed together…"
"Ew…" Disgusted, she crouched down to throw the next stone.
"Aw, just a little curling joke, Darlin'. I think you need to lighten up a bit…you know, get a sense of humor. I can help you with that..."
Suddenly Lori stopped sweeping and pointed up into the stands. "Look...there's Jessica's boyfriend, sitting up there next to that old guy with the mullet..."
Insulted, 'Wanda' glared at the girl. "Buck is not old!"
"What are you talking about? I don't have a boyfriend!", Jessica turned and glared along with her mentor as they saw Booth and Aubrey in the bleachers. "That's my Uncle Buck and his hired helper, Jimmy. They probably just came back to check on the ice again…"
Lori wore a knowing smile. "Then that Jimmy wants to be your boyfriend. He's been checking you out when you've been squatting down in the hack."
Giggling, Sandra pretended to grimace. "Nah...he's too skinny for Jessica. She probably likes those body builder types."
"Can we please practice?", Alma roared. "We have a bonspiel this weekend, remember? And don't forget about the bonuses if we win the thing. I think we can all use an extra thousand dollars, right?"
Surprised, Jessica nodded. "Well, yeah…" She hunkered down into the hack. "Let's get to work."
Oooooooooo
Resisting the urge to use the siren, Booth still broke the speed limit on the way to Aubrey's house, wanting him to make it there before Jessica did. Squealing the tires, he pulled into the driveway and his passenger jumped out. "Good luck, buddy…"
"Yeah...thanks. Same to you." Racing up the front walk as Booth peeled out of the driveway to beat Brennan home, he unlocked the door and charged upstairs to his bedroom, hoping to get changed before his girlfriend got home. He knew she'd most likely realized he was at the ice rink, but just in case….he wanted to be ready for bed by the time she got there.
Deciding to skip brushing his teeth for the moment, he rushed to change from his 'Jimmy' clothes into his pajama pants, taking a tee shirt from the dresser drawer as he heard the lock click open downstairs. He jumped under the sheet and picked up his tablet so it would look like he'd been reading.
Jessica arrived upstairs a few moments later. "Hey, Aubrey. Skinner's bowl was empty so I gave him some food. Did you forget to feed him?"
'Son of a bitch…' Aubrey thought quickly. "I guess so. Thanks for taking care of it."
"No problem." Jessica shimmied out of her curling clothes. "So a quiet evening at home, huh?"
'I love that ass…' Aubrey enjoyed the view as she bent down to pick up her clothes and put them in the hamper. "Yeah, you know...watched Mothra on TV...nothing special."
"Really? Cool." She put on an old sleep shirt and went to brush her teeth.
"How was curling practice?", he asked when she came out. "Are you feeling better about playing with them?"
"Well, Stephenson was still a pig, even with Dr. B there as my Aunt Wanda, whom he was also checking out by the way...ugh...but Alma can really play. I also found out that if our team wins, we each get a thousand dollar bonus."
"Wow...I wonder why curling is such a big deal for these guys…" He smiled as she turned down the covers. "What are you going to do with the money?"
"I don't know." She giggled as he put his arm around her. "You know, there were some really hot guys at the rink tonight. I may have to go back after my undercover assignment is over so I can meet some of them."
"Nope. No way." He narrowed his eyes at her. "Besides...you get to come home to me every night. That beats any guy there, right?"
"Yeah, but there was this one guy in the stands who had this big black moustache, and there was just something so attractive about him…" Laughing, she pointed at Aubrey. "In fact, it looked a lot like the big black moustache you have…"
Stammering a denial, he reached up and was surprised at what he felt on his upper lip. "Dammit...you saw me there tonight, didn't you? Listen, I wasn't checking up on you...I was just curious, and Booth was going because...well, you know…so we went together..."
"Relax. I wouldn't have noticed except one of my teammates pointed you out because she caught you staring at my ass every time I got ready to toss, asking if you were my boyfriend, which I denied. I told them that you're Uncle Buck's helper, nothing more."
Relieved that she wasn't angry, he shrugged as he threw back the sheet. "I'll be back in a minute."
"Where are you going?"
He rolled his eyes at her as he pointed at his face. "To get rid of this overgrown cookie crumb catcher."
She shook her head as she grabbed his hand. "Aubrey…", she purred. "Leave it on…it's time for Luigi to rescue Princess Toadstool from Bowser. She needs help that only you can give..."
"Kinky girl…I love it. Okay, Princess, Luigi is unavailable but his cousin Guiseppe is coming to save you…" Aubrey dove under the covers and in a short time found his target.
"Oh my God!" Jessica arched her back in ecstasy. "Oh yeah...we're definitely keeping the moustache."