The next few weeks were the most dizzying that Gazelle had ever experienced. She hadn't needed to actually defend Valentine against anyone, since no part of the plan had been put into operation, though sometimes she thought that gunfights would be easier than the seemingly endless interviews, benefits, speeches, and business meetings she had to go to in connection with his legitimate business, not to mention the caffeine-fueled hours plotting world domination. She had even found herself wearing pink party dresses to certain events, especially when Valentine told her that the entire population of the world could die happy after having seen her in a skin tight, low-cut little number; really, who was she to refuse?
Soon, any formalities between her and Valentine were dispensed with. In the privacy of his soundproof office, she called him Richmond, took off her tight black jacket when it got too hot, and even the unthinkable, shared a couch with him while they looked over the seemingly endless charts and figures. Being in such close proximity all the time naturally led to innumerable disagreements and annoyances on both sides, especially since it was clear that Valentine wasn't used to being argued with. They had their unspoken rules, of course; no matter how heated their fights got, and how often they cursed and yelled, he never mentioned her legs and she never mentioned his lisp. None of her other clients had even bothered to ask her opinion on anything before, so she took it as a compliment that Valentine always listened to her and in spite of any initial misgivings, usually followed her suggestions. She sometimes marveled at his stupidity and insensitivity, but it was understandable. He had been something of a child prodigy, and had consequently spent those foundational years cloistered away in fancy prep schools and later at MIT. He had never been given a chance to grow, to interact with children his own age and learn how human relationships worked. Besides, all the pampering he had received from his parents and teachers meant that he actually believed he was some kind of savior sent to Earth to protect humanity from itself.
In spite of his innumerable flaws, she started to like him. Eventually, their closeness impacted what little time they spent at his—their house, as she had started to think of it, after having strong-armed him into getting rid of some old art pieces and buying new ones and after he changed the bedroom and the gym to her specifications. One day, she even let him watch her work out, hardly thinking anything of the fact that she only wore a sports bra and shorts. He teased her about her choice of music, insisting that anyone as "badass" as she was didn't listen to Iggy Azalea. She countered with a comment on his taste in movies, and when he argued that early James Bond films were "classics", she responded by playfully kicking his hat off.
"Jesus fuck, Gazelle! You could have taken my fucking face off!"
She couldn't help but smile at his consternation. "Richmond, you're going to be the leader of the world in a couple of months. What kind of fearless leader will you be if you can't handle blood or sharp objects."
"Well, that's your job, to protect me from all that stuff, not take my fucking face off!"
"I'm sorry, Richmond." Giddy from the intense exercise session, she leaned forward and kissed his nose. "I won't kick near your face again." She gracefully picked the hat up and put it back on his head. "I'm going to get dressed now. I don't think we have anything else on for today, so meet me in the living room?"
"Yeah, yeah, sure. I'll see if there's anything good on."
As the weeks went by, they finally started recruiting important people for their plan. At first, they only consulted with personal friends of Valentine's, people they knew would support him and were equally invested in both environmental protection and self-preservation. Some of them balked at the idea of a chip implant, but they all acquiesced eventually, especially when Valentine pointed out that everyone who worked for him already had one. Everyone except Gazelle. She questioned him about it; after all, she knew more details than anyone.
"Yeah, well, you know" Valentine offered as an explanation. "I don't really see the point. I mean, it's not like I give you any time off to tell anyone."
"Oh, is that the reason?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Nothing. I just thought that maybe it was because you didn't want my head to explode."
"That too. I mean I don't want anyone's head to explode." He put his arm around her. "But especially not yours."
So, that's how things were. After quickly checking to make sure no one was around, she gave him a delicate peck on the cheek. He grinned and kissed her softly on the lips. It was too quick to be good, but at least it was promising.
"Now listen," he continued. "That Prime Minister dude is gonna be here in fifteen minutes, do you have those files we promised him?"
"Of course, I'll go get them right away." As she turned to walk towards her room, he lightly smacked her rear. She flashed him a quick smile before ascending the stairs, contend and exhilarated with the knowledge that she would have him soon.
It turned out that not everyone was crazy about their plans, as they found out when they approached Merissa Manning, one of the many billionaires Valentine wanted to leave alive. Gazelle had wanted to kill her then and there, but Valentine, for reasons of his own, wanted her to be locked in on of his elaborate basement cells. To get her there, however, Gazelle had to fight her way through a multitude of security guards. Finally, a chance to do what she was really good at.
"Stay back, Manning," she shouted, as the woman complied. "Richmond, don't come out of the dining room until I tell you to." As she gave her orders, she unzipped her skirt and tossed it aside in one fluid motion, revealing the tight black pants underneath. She grinned, filled with adrenaline, as she raced forward, and plunged her bladed foot into one man's stomach. The rest was a glorious blur. She was a junkie who had been without a fix for far too long, and she got every bit of joy she could from the high. The blood and screams filled her senses as she slid and sliced her way across the long hallway. It was better than sex, she had decided long ago. Power was the greatest aphrodisiac, and what could give someone more power than taking someone else's life?
It was over much too quickly, as she stood above the dismembered and decapitated bodies. She took Miss Manning's hand and dragged the speechless woman to her cell, not hearing her complaints, and instead reliving what had just happened. She returned to the first floor, and after a self-satisfied glance at the hallway where it had all happened, she tripped lightly to the linen closet. With the help of numerous towels and sheets, the bodies, and more importantly, the blood, were totally covered up in seconds.
She straightened her jacket and gave little tap at the door. "You can come out now Mr. Valentine."
"Is Miss Manning in the basement?"
"Yes, sir."
"And there's no blood in the hallway?"
"Not a drop, Mr. Valentine. I'll make sure the carpet gets cleaned tomorrow and that the bodies are disposed of tonight." She heard him walk towards the door, then another thought occurred to her. "Actually, Mr. Valentine, give me a few seconds to get upstairs; I still have some blood on me, and would like to wash it off in the bath."
"You do that, Gazelle."
"And then why don't you come up later to discuss the plans for tomorrow? You're meeting with those Fox execs, and judging by how they sounded on the phone, I think the movie is definite."
"Will do!"
She made her way to her room and drew herself a bath, a full one, in spite of what Valentine kept telling her about wasting water. Nothing was going to stop her that night.
"Hey, Gazelle!" He called out a few minutes later, knocking on her bedroom door.
"Come in, Richmond" she purred, or at least tried to. "I'll be right out." She got out of the bath and pulled a slip over her head. She turned toward the bathroom mirror and admired herself. The sexy nightgown was just perfect, accentuating everything she liked, without being too frilly. Plus, it was black, the only color she really liked wearing.
"You know, I haven't properly thanked you for saving me yet."
Oh, this was perfect.
"No, you haven't."
"I feel like I owe you something now."
"Like what?" She opened the bathroom door and let him take in how she looked before walking over to him.
"Oh, well, I don't…I don't know."
"Maybe we can come up with something." She stood in front of him and gently put her hand on his chest. "You're so very clever." With a light flick of the wrist, she pushed him back onto the bed, and with a light tug on her arms, Valentine pulled her on top of him. She smiled and kissed him on the lips.
"Don't worry, I'm on the pill."
"You always have to be so practical?"
"Do I look like I want children?"
"You're right. And don't worry about me; I'm totally clean."
"I know, I checked your records."
"Of course you did." He laughed and rolled over so that he was on top. As he did so, however, the blade of her foot caught on his pants, neatly slicing off a chunk of fabric.
"Hey, you know, would it be possible for you to…"
"Yeah, of course." They both sat up in bed and she took her bladed legs off. "You know, you're the only person alive who's seen me like this" she admitted to him, trying to break the tension. "Thank you for never asking about it."
"Of course not. I only want to know if you want to tell me, and if you don't, it doesn't matter."
She took his hand in hers and ran it along the stump where her leg ended, just below the knee. With anyone else, she would have felt vulnerable, at least in the few seconds before killing them, but she didn't mind when it was Valentine touching her leg. Ironically enough, she felt safe with him because he was the only person she knew who wasn't afraid of her. She kissed him again and took his hat off before reaching for his glasses.
"Oh, no, I wanna look at you." He kissed her, letting his hand slide up her leg. She wrapped her arms around him and deepened the kiss. She pulled back, and without any hesitation, tugged the straps from her shoulders and let the nightgown fall off of her.
"Damn!" He gazed at her. "You know, you are gorgeous"
She grinned. "I know. Let's see what you've got."
"Yeah, well, you've got to keep in mind, I'm not so young…"
"Richmond" she admonished, before pouncing on him and tugging his shirt off. "You're not bad." She gave an approving nod and ran her finger down his chest. He returned the gesture, before gently cupping her breasts in his hands, and stroking her nipples with his thumbs.
"Is that okay? You like that?"
She nodded, inhaling sharply at the sensation. "Feels nice."
After a few more moments, one of his hands traveled down her back and gripped her rear as tightly as he could.
Gazelle let out a little groan at the double sensation, especially when he leaned forward and started kissing her nipple. She pressed his head closer to her, and he began using his tongue and teeth as well. When she couldn't take any more, she got off him, and lay down on the bed.
"Come on, Richmond." She took his hand and pressed it against her clit.
"Jesus Christ, Gazelle." He murmured almost adoringly as he took the rest of his clothes off. He got on top of her, gently stroking her hair, and she draped her arms around his shoulders.
"Let's see what you can do, Mr. Valentine."
He eased into her slowly and gently at first, as they got used to the feel of each other's body. His natural exuberance quickly took over, however, as his thrusts became more rapid and forceful, and as his hand pressed down harder on her clit. Her hips bucked against him as her fingers dug into his back. He came almost immediately, but kept working at her most sensitive spot, the two of them finding the perfect rhythm, until Gazelle found it harder and harder to control herself, and she finally came undone with a yelp.
"Jesus fuck." Valentine rolled off her. "That was amazing!" he panted, turning to look at her.
"You came too, right? I mean, you made that cute little noise and all, but I just wanna make sure."
"Yes, Richmond. You made me come very nicely." She couldn't help but grin and blush a little.
He slipped an arm around her. "You know, Gazzy, you're really extraordinary."
"It's 'Gazzy' now, is it?"
"Only if you like it. Just in private, of course."
"Sounds a bit dirty to me." She wriggled in closer to him. "I like it."
"Gazzy" he repeated, half to himself. "It'll be fun when all this is over, and we can just relax."
"Richmond, we'll have a whole planet to run, we won't be able to relax."
"You're always such a downer." He took a bit of her hair in his hand and tickled her nose with it. "Can I stay?"
"It's your house."
"Do you want me to stay? I know some people are weird about sharing beds."
"Yes, Richmond, I want you to stay." She kissed his nose before nestling her head against him again. "Now, the movie people are coming tomorrow at nine, and Rodney's bringing over all the necessary papers at 7:30, giving us plenty of time to triple check them ourselves, assuming he comes on time, then at eleven, we've got—what? Why are you smiling like that?"
"Nothing, Gazzy, it's just that you're so…I don't even know what you are, but I like it."
"Right, well, we can go over the schedule tomorrow morning."
"Yeah, that might be best; it's kinda hard for me to concentrate while you're all naked and next to me."
She didn't say anything, but instead reached down and intertwined her fingers with his.
"Seriously though, I probably should remind you about the meeting with Professor McLoud at eleven tomorrow."
He laughed. "I love you too, Gazzy. I think we're gonna be great together."
"I think we already are."
The End