Some Guys Have all the Luck

I am Just a Concerned Employer

Disclaimer: We do not own the Matrix.

Warning: Contains explicit adult material of a sexual nature—one act is consensual and one is not. You have been warned.

lllll

Celia paused on the subway platform, craning her neck to see any sign of Lara but to no avail. Where could she be, Celia wondered. Just as the subway car was about to pull away, Celia dashed inside as the doors were closing.

Finding a seat, she sat down dejectedly. Normally, both women would be noisy and talkative while on the ride to work; what had happened between herself and Brown the night before was bursting to come out and Lara was the only one with whom Celia wanted to share the experience. It felt strange to Celia not to have her friend alongside her. Without a companion on the long ride to work, Celia sat quietly in her seat, staring out of the dirty window.

When the ride was over and as she prepared to leave, Celia brightened when a thought came to her. Maybe she went in early, she mused. I'll see her at her desk in a few minutes and will she be surprised at what I’m going to tell her! Elbowing her way firmly through the throng of people, Celia hastened to her workstation only to find Lara’s seat was empty and her desk was exactly as she had left it the night before.

Celia sat down at her desk. She turned on her computer, accessed the Company’s employee records, and opened Lara's dossier. Yup, I knew it, Celia thought, scanning the text before her. Lara has never missed a day of work ever since she started here. Opening yet another directory that required a minimum level 2 security clearance, Celia found what she was looking for: a note that Lara had called at 1:15 a.m. and would not be at work. Hearing the other women in the secretarial pool enter the office, Celia closed the file and prepared to look like she was getting work done, but her mind was nowhere near the list of assignments she needed to have completed by the end of the day.

Break time came and went and Celia was beginning to get nervous. Why did Lara call in sick, she wondered. Even though Celia knew that Lara would not be coming in that day, every time she heard footsteps her head jerked up, her eyes instantly zeroing in on the doorway hoping to see her friend before she realized it was useless. Lara was not coming and that’s all there was to it.

Celia could not be absolutely certain, but twice she thought she caught a glimpse of Jones hovering outside the doorway but whenever Celia looked up again to be sure, he had gone. She looked at the clock and sighed. It was lunchtime and Celia, normally a voracious eater, had no appetite. While all the other women in the secretarial pool left for lunch, Celia made no movement to get out of her seat.

“After what happened between us last night, do you still respect me in the morning?” Agent Brown’s voice said softly as he leaned over her, nibbling on her ear. Celia groaned with pleasure and closed her eyes in response. Images of their date from the night before flashed before her eyes and Celia could feel her nipples harden and her groin tingle.

“Never,” she murmured, as Brown trailed kisses down her jaw and neck. He chuckled deep in his throat as he fingered a small bruise on her neck.

“You’ve got one hell of a hickey on your neck, Ms. Alvarez. Wherever did you get it?” Brown asked, his voice sultry and teasing.

“An overly amorous agent who doesn’t know his own strength,” Celia responded in kind. She turned her head and eagerly kissed him, excitement flooding through her system. She felt Brown respond as his hands encircled her body. The feel of his lips on hers made her pulse rate jump and unless Celia was gravely mistaken, he was enjoying it as much as she was.

“It’s a shame that there is only one mark on your neck,” Brown said, a truly wicked grin encompassing his youthful face. “I think I should give you a matching set.”

As Brown leaned forward even closer with every intention of leaving a second love bite on her neck, Celia held him off. “I’m worried about Lara. She didn’t show up for work today. She called in sick.”

“I’m sure she’s all right,” Brown said. He could see how worried Celia was and gently stroked her face.

“But she’s never done that before! What if there is something really wrong with her? What about Jones? Would he know? I thought I saw him peering in here as though he were looking for her.”

Brown frowned. “Are you sure? I haven’t seen him at all today. He’s been in his office and the door is locked. Come on,” he said, taking her hand. “Let’s go out for a little bit and not worry about Lara and Jones for once. Let’s just concentrate on us.”

Celia smiled and nodded and put her arm around his waist. Brown smiled and tightened his grip on Celia as she leaned into him, seeking comfort and reassurance from his presence.

lllll

It was just after one p.m. when Celia’s phone rang and she answered it and was flabbergasted to hear Lara’s voice.

“It’s me. Are you alone?”

“Lara! My God, where are you? Why did you call in sick today?”

“I’m fine. Listen, I would like you to do something for me, will you? Jones will probably contact you at some point today wondering where I am. I want you to promise me that you won’t talk to him or answer any emails from him.”

“Did something happen between the two of you?” Celia frowned when she heard Lara’s voice tremble as if she were going to cry.

“You might say that. Just promise me, please? Come to my place after work and I’ll tell you everything.”

“You got it. If he sends me anything, I’ll delete it immediately.”

“One more thing—could you use your security clearance to find out if there was any rebel activity near my place last night?”

“I’ll dig up what I can,” Celia said, her brow furrowing in confusion at her friend’s request.

When Lara hung up, Celia turned back to her work. I only hope I can manage to evade Jones if I do see him. I have to try to stay out of his way so he can’t corner me. For if he did, all he would have to do to get me to tell him what he wants to know is to scowl or glower at me in that intimidating way he has and I’d spill the beans for sure.

lllll

During the afternoon, both Smith and Jones looked for Lara at her cubicle. After making his way to the secretarial pool for the fourth time that day in hopes of seeing her, Jones went back to his office disappointed and confused.

Why isn’t she here, he wondered as he sat behind his desk, periodically taking a drink from the now almost-empty bottle of alcohol from his bottom drawer. She has never missed a day of work before. Is she all right? I knew I shouldn’t have left her the way I did, but what else could I have done? Tell Lara that Smith was listening to us as we almost became intimate? No. Her absence has something to do with what happened between us last night I just know it does, Jones thought.

He stood up and swayed unsteadily on his feet until he regained his sense of balance. I have to find out how she is, he thought and opened his office door. Jones growled in annoyance when he saw Smith stroll leisurely down the hallway and enter his opulent office. You didn’t get what you wanted last night, did you, you son of a bitch, Jones thought, glowering at his boss who was flirting with yet another female conquest from the secretarial pool. If you so much as raise one of those highly arched eyebrows of yours at me, I will gladly rip you apart and to hell with the consequences. However, the fact that you would order Lara’s deletion just to punish me is the only thing that prevents me from killing you where you stand and making you suffer the way you truly deserve.

You may have a lot of material things Smith, Jones thought, but I have something none of your money can buy: the trust and support of Lara’s closest friend. Hastily, Jones lurched back to his desk, typed a message on his new keyboard and hesitated before reading it over.

Ms. Alvarez,

Would you consider meeting me in the north wing stairwell as soon as you can? I am worried about Lara and I need to talk to you.

Agent Jones

I simply cannot wait until after hours to see how Lara is. I have to know now, Jones thought, firmly pressing the “send” button and transmitting his note to the inbox of Lara’s friend.

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Celia groaned nervously when she saw the “You Have Mail” message bleep on her computer screen. She had a pretty good idea who sent it and remembering her promise to Lara, deleted the email before the temptation to read what Agent Jones wrote overcame her. She had seen him pass by the doorway several times and each time he stopped and peered inside for a moment to see if Lara had arrived. Celia ducked down as far as she could to avoid being spotted by the large agent and breathed easier when he continued on his way.

When an hour had passed and Celia did not show up for their meeting, Jones knew that he had to take matters into his own hands. Less than five minutes later, he went into the underground garage. Manfully resisting the urge to scratch the door of Smith’s personal car with his key, Jones took one of the nondescript company vehicles that were always available for the agents’ use and the smell of the burnt rubber from squealing tires lingered in the garage long after he had gone.

Jones knocked on Lara’s door. In his anxiety, he nearly put his hand through it as he continued to knock. Hearing no movement or response within, he used the key Lara had given him and entered her apartment.

“Lara? Are you here?” he called out. When there was no response, Jones reached for his sidearm and inspected every room carefully for her, saving the bedroom for last. He pushed the door open and found Lara safe and sound and asleep on top of the covers of her bed. Sighing with relief, he holstered his Desert Eagle revolver and sat beside her, wondering what to do.

She is obviously all right, he reasoned with himself as he watched her continue to sleep peacefully, I have been worrying myself for nothing. Bending down, he kissed her on the cheek before pulling a blanket over her sleeping form.

“I am so sorry for last night,” he said softly, brushing away some hair that had fallen onto her face. “I would never do anything to hurt you and I hope you know that, but I had to leave. I had no choice.” As quietly as he came, he left.

Not long afterward, Lara’s eyes flickered open and when she sleepily glanced at the clock beside her bed before remembering the late-night phone call she had made to the office. Now all I have to do today is wait for Celia to come by and see what she says, Lara thought.

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So far so good, Celia thought, picking up her purse and preparing to leave when the clock indicated it was quitting time. She leaned over to turn off her computer and when she straightened up, she gasped sharply as the bulky frame of Agent Jones stood directly in front of her.

“Oh, Agent Jones, I didn’t see you!” Celia squeaked, her insides liquefying into ice-cold fear.

“Have you heard from Lara today?” he asked, as he put his hand on her arm to stop her from leaving. It seemed like he hadn’t shaved and his clothes were rumpled as if he had slept in them. His eyes were bloodshot and if Celia wasn’t mistaken, he smelled as if he had been drinking. He was a far cry from his usual impeccably dressed self and when Celia looked into his face, she felt sorry that she had to lie to him.

“No, Agent Jones, I haven’t,” Celia said, hoping to fib convincingly enough so he would leave her alone.

“You’re not telling me the truth,” he stated. “What’s going on, Celia? Why wasn’t she at work today? Why didn’t you meet me?” His grip tightened on her arm and Celia winced.

Jones stepped closer to her and Celia gulped nervously at what he would do but her promise to Lara sealed her lips.

“She told you not to tell me anything, didn’t she?” Jones asked. Celia nodded.

“Could you let me pass by? I’d have to leave,” Celia said as quietly and calmly as she could so she would not run the risk of getting him angry. “Please?”

“I’m sorry,” Jones mumbled as he released her. “I am very worried about her, you know?”

“I know, Jones,” Celia said, patting his arm. “She just needs some time to think.” No sooner than the words were out of her mouth, Celia realized her mistake. As she expected, Jones had picked up on her slip of the tongue immediately.

“Then I was right, you have spoken with her. She doesn’t want to see me, does she?” he asked glumly.

Celia sighed and shook her head. “Look, I don’t know what happened between you two, but things will work out, you’ll see.”

Jones nodded and walked away, his shoulders slumped and his body language displayed his supreme unhappiness. “Could you tell her that I’m sorry about last night? She’ll understand what that means.”

“I will, Jones,” Celia said. Jones murmured his thanks and Celia watched him leave. Holy cow, Celia thought, he is built like a frigging brick shit-house! Maybe I am interested in the wrong agent, she mused, scrupulously eyeing the broad frame of the largest agent as he walked away. Nah, she thought, Brown is the man for me—tall, dark and handsome. And young.

lllll

At the appointed time, Celia entered Lara’s apartment. “Well, I’m here as promised, and boy do I have things to tell you!”

“Did everything go okay today? Did anyone say anything to you about me?” Lara asked.

“I got an email from Jones asking to meet me but I stood him up. Smith skulked around but didn’t ask me anything.” I won’t tell her what just happened with Jones; she has enough on her mind as it is, Celia thought.

“Well, that’s good because—” Lara broke off her conversation with Celia in mid-sentence when she heard the ringing of her doorbell. Peering through the peephole, Lara was surprised to see Smith standing outside her door.

“It’s Smith,” Lara whispered. “You better get out of sight,” she instructed and waited until Celia had closed the bathroom door behind her before opening the door. Taking no chances that her friend might still be seen by Smith, Lara took the precaution of putting her small form between her unwelcome visitor and the door to her apartment.

“What can I do for you, Agent Smith?” Lara asked apprehensively.

“You’ve never called in sick before, Ms. Rodgers. I am just a concerned employer who wanted to see how you were,” Smith replied smoothly. When he put forth the effort, Smith could almost charm birds out of their trees. He had learned a long time ago that many women respond favourably to a handsome, soft-spoken man in an expensive suit and Lara was captivated and charmed in spite of herself. The expression she saw in his eyes as he stood in front of her was that of worried concern.

Smith had learned that it did not hurt having a fair amount of acting ability as well and realizing that Lara was beginning to succumb to his wiles, he took her hand and held it in his own, his thumb running across her knuckles in a sensual manner.

“I can’t tell you how glad I am to see that you are all right,” Smith said, modulating his voice so that it sounded sincere. “This is the first time you and I have been alone in a long time, hasn’t it, Lara? While I have the opportunity, I wanted to ask if it were possible for you to forgive me for what I did to you all those years ago?”

“No, I haven’t forgiven you, how can you even ask me that?” Lara hissed angrily. “You threatened to hurt my mother if I told anyone what you did!”

“And you haven’t mentioned it to anyone, have you? What about Jones?”

“I haven’t said anything to him. How could I?” Lara asked, looking away and trying to blink back tears. Smith reached out and wiped away a tear that had slid down her cheek.

If I didn’t know better, he almost appears to be worried about me, Lara thought, frowning slightly. She involuntarily flinched when she felt his touch but did not withdraw her hand. His skin actually feels warm, she marvelled, her eyes widening in surprise. I always thought that his flesh would be as icy as his demeanour, but it isn’t. He feels….like a man.

But no man should have hurt you the way he did, Lara’s mind told her.

Smith’s hand was under her jaw, and he was gentle as he coaxed her face upward. “Is it too late for you to accept my apology?”

Lara could not believe her ears--in all the years she had worked with him, she had never, ever known Smith to apologize for anything or to anyone. He was a law unto himself.

She stared into his eyes and lost herself in their depths. Before this moment, Lara had never realized just how blue his eyes were or how tall he was in comparison to herself as he towered over her. Lara continued to gaze up at him, noticing for the first time how wide and soft his mouth was; his lips were warm and inviting—much like the expression in his eyes. From a long ago memory, Lara closed her eyes and remembered what it had felt like to feel those lips on her own and the passion that had flooded through her at the time.

Why are you gawking at him like that, her mind demanded. Have you forgotten he was the one who humiliated Jones? Have you forgotten what he did to you? Gasping sharply as if cold water had been thrown in her face, Lara shook her head to clear it of the spell that had held her staring, enthralled, into Smith’s eyes.

Mustering as innocent a look as possible on her face, Lara asked guilelessly, “do you always make it a habit of visiting every Agency employee who calls in sick, Agent Smith?” She tried not to smirk when for a brief moment, she saw Smith looking very ill at ease. You son of a bitch, she thought to herself, her eyes narrowing in dislike as she looked at him. I can see right through you. If I had continued to be a Plain Jane in your eyes, you would not give a goddamn second thought to me but now that someone else is attracted to me, you are suddenly concerned about my welfare? Even I’m not stupid enough to fall for that.

All this time, Smith had edged closer to her and even though Lara felt her personal space comfort zone was being infringed upon, she did not give in to the temptation to step back or let him inside her apartment. Celia was still there and whatever she had to do, Lara would not let him pass. Instead, she folded her arms and jutted her chin at him defiantly. However, if he barged past her and through the doorway, there would be nothing she could do to stop him nor did she have any kind of contingency plan if he did.

“I know Ms. Alvarez is in there, because I followed her here.”

“So? Leave her out of this. And just for the record--you can shove your so-called apology up your ass, Smith,” Lara said.

Smith sneered and stepped back. “Do not make it a habit of calling in sick too often, Lara,” he snapped as he turned to leave.

“Fuck you, asshole,” Lara muttered, slamming her apartment door closed behind her. “Sorry about that, he just made me so mad I had to do something,” Lara said, watching as Celia returned from the bathroom. “So what were you able to find out today?”

“Well for one thing, you were right—Jones did try to contact me to see where you were but I didn’t answer his e-mail like you told me and I found out that he came here looking for you.”

“He came here?” Lara asked, amazed. “I never heard him.”

“With those damn sleeping pills you take, I’m not surprised. I guess you were really out of it or something because he came back to the office almost immediately afterwards. But that’s not why I came over. I found out that there was no rebel activity anywhere near here last night that required the presence of any agents. Jones told you a lie when he said that.”

“But why would he lie to me? Why couldn’t he tell me the truth—that he just didn’t want me?” Lara cried, sitting heavily on her sofa. Celia sat beside her friend and patted her shoulder.

“Hon, believe me when I say this: he did want you—in the worst way and maybe he left because he was afraid he’d hurt you or something. Did you ever think of that?”

“No,” Lara mumbled and thought about what her friend had just told her. Well, it could be true I guess. If Jones was too eager or if I wasn’t ready, he could really hurt me with very little effort.

“Was Jones aroused when he left? Was he, you know, hard?”

“He was hard enough to cut diamonds,” Lara stated abruptly.

“Well, that explains it then. He did want you. Badly. So, how was it? What did you guys do?” Celia grinned wickedly when she saw Lara blush so deeply even her ears were red. Feeling very naughty, Celia pressed on. Like all women who are close friends, they talked freely and unreservedly about every subject possible, especially men and sex.

“How was he? I mean, how big?”

“Huge,” Lara said, grinning back at her friend.

“Exactly how big?” Celia asked, pressing the issue.

“If I tell you, will you tell me how big Brown is?”

Now it was Celia’s turn to blush.

“Don’t tell me you two haven’t had sex yet!” Lara exclaimed, her eyes widening in surprise.

“Yes and no. No, we haven’t had intercourse, Ms. Nosey, but we did do sixty-nine. Sort of.”

“Sort of? What the hell does that mean?” Lara asked, leaning forward eagerly so as not to miss any of the juicy details. “Was he really big? Could you even take all of him in? What happened when he came?”

“My God!” Celia laughed. “You have everyone fooled with that innocent girl-next-door face, but inside, you are almost as bad as me! Okay, I’m partly to blame for corrupting your morals, but I don’t mind. To tell the truth, he got me off by touching me and…”

“Where did he do this? And when?” Lara demanded.

“In a movie theatre. No one else was there except the two of us and…”

“You went down on him in a theatre?!” Lara exclaimed, her eyes wide with surprise and her mouth open. It seemed that there was no place as being off-limits when it came to Celia answering the call of lust.

“I’m not gonna tell you a thing if you don’t stop interrupting me!” Celia said, wagging a finger. “Now let me finish the story, will you? Here goes: As I said, there was no one else there. The movie was a real turkey and I stopped watching about fifteen minutes in. I think Brown tuned out earlier than that—it was some cheesy horror movie. You know the kind I mean: it’s heavy on the cheese and low on the horror. Low budget schlock. Just to prevent myself from trying not to yell “She’s hiding behind the door!” to the serial killer on the screen, I slid my hand along Brown’s leg and wouldn’t you know it? He had a half-woody and I, um, worked on it until it was completely hard. The next thing I know, he reached beneath my skirt and started touching me.

It has been a long time since someone other than myself touched me there and I spread my knees wider without a second thought. He laughed wolfishly in my ear as he felt how wet I was.

“It seems to me that you are just a little eager for more, Ms. Alvarez,” Brown said.

“And you aren’t?” I retorted, placing my hand over his crotch and feeling for myself how his rigid manhood strained against the fabric of his pants.

“Touché,” he replied and the more I continued to stroke him, the huskier his voice sounded. His breathing became rapid and short but then again, so was mine. I bit my lip to keep my groans of pleasure to myself—I was going to come very shortly and we both knew it.

His fingers brought me closer and closer to climax and I whimpered in anticipatory delight. When I came, Brown covered my lips with his and he moaned under his breath as I continued to stroke him. My orgasm was a big one and it was a while before I could get my breath back. Feeling the tenseness of Brown’s body, it took me a moment to go to my knees before him. But before I could get down to business, he took my hand away from his groin.

“No, Celia, not here. I have a better place in mind.”

He helped me stand up and we left through the side exit. As you know, there are two doors between the theatre and the exit itself; kind of a vestibule. Anyway, Brown had his hand on the outer door to open it but I backed him up against the wall and we started to kiss.

Brown’s lust had been roused to its fullest extent but I had no idea how much until kissed me. His passion was now full-blown, his mouth was hungry and eager and he kissed me as if my lips were some source of sustenance that he couldn’t get enough of.

I put my hands against his waist and he held me so close in an embrace I’m sure there wasn’t an inch of space between us. Our bodies were fused as one from the neck down but even so, he could not get close enough to me. Brown put one hand in the small of my back and groaned as he ground his hips into mine so I couldn’t help but feel his erection.

“See how much I want you, Celia?” he said hoarsely, his mouth next to my ear. The feel of his hot breath against my neck was driving me insane; however, I resolved to reciprocate what he had done to me. I reached down and stroked his rock-hard cock through his pants and he groaned again.

I looked up at Brown and his eyes were closed. His breathing was hard and heavy and to be honest, Lara, I loved the fact that what I was doing was giving him considerable pleasure. Just I was going to unzip him, my hand was suddenly jerked away.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Brown asked, his voice gruff with suppressed passion.

“Yes, of course,” I replied. “You gave me a great deal of pleasure and it’s my turn to reciprocate.” He gave me a narrow look and I sought to reassure him. “I want to do this, Brown.”

“Maybe this wasn’t such a great idea; someone might come this way and see us…”

“Let them see, I don’t care! Besides,” I said boldly, “the fear of getting caught only heightens the pleasure. Don’t you worry,” I said mischievously, “no one is going to come through those doors because, we were the only ones in the theatre, remember?” My hand resumed the activity it had been pleasurably engaged in. “Do you really want me to stop?” I asked Brown, looking into his eyes. He swallowed and shook his head. I caressed his strong jawline and kissed him again.

I went to my knees, unzipped his pants, and slid my hand inside. I started to stroke him, my hand gliding up and down his shaft. Positioning myself so I would be as comfortable as possible, I leaned closer and licked the tip of his penis, moistening it. Brown inhaled sharply and I could feel his entire body twitch when I gently blew on the spot that I had just licked.

As I continued to please him orally, to my surprise, I found that I was becoming very aroused listening to the sounds he was making as I continued to suck him off. The more he moaned and groaned, the hotter my pussy became. I had become so wet that had I decided not to wear panties, my juices would have run down the inside of my thighs and soaked the carpeting.

As surreptitiously as possible, I balanced myself as best I could and reached between my legs and zeroed in on my swollen clitoris. My fingers were slick and wet as I thrummed my finger back and forth across my clit. I doubled my efforts to please him, alternately deep-throating his member, and then withdrawing until only the head remained in my mouth as I applied just the right amount of suction.

I was the first to come and as my orgasm exploded, I took him inside of my mouth as far as it would go. Brown’s moans were loud and when he came deep inside of me, he cried out in rapture, his entire body twitching and jerking. Instinctively, he grabbed my head by the ears, telling me without words that he wanted to be as deep as possible inside of me. His penis pulsated in my mouth and I eagerly swallowed every drop of his ejaculate, milking him dry.

I zipped him back up and after he had composed himself to some degree, he gallantly helped me to my feet. I fumbled through my purse as I searched for a package of breath mints but Brown took the hand that I had used to pleasure myself and put my finger into his mouth, licking it clean.

“Don’t turn away from me, my love,” he said softly. He must have seen my dubious expression for he smiled a little and kissed me right on the mouth. Hand in hand, we left the corridor and went to his car.

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“Can’t that man take no for an answer?” Lara demanded when the doorbell rang again. She stormed to the door and yanked it open.

“Goddamn it, Smith, why can’t you leave me the fuck—” Lara’s mouth fell open with shock when she saw the Oracle standing there.

“May I come in?” she asked with a kind smile.

“I thought you were someone else,” Lara stammered, standing aside so that the older woman could enter. “I thought you were—”

“Smith, yes I know,” the Oracle said and sighed. “That’s why I came—to talk to you about that son of mine.”

She smiled and nodded when she saw Celia and graciously sat on the sofa between the two friends. The Oracle turned her attention to Lara. “I heard about your not going in to work today, Lara. Are you all right?”

Lara blushed. “I—I’m fine. I just didn’t feel going in because I might run into Jo—Agent Jones.”

The Oracle smiled kindly and patted the younger woman’s hand. “I understand, dear. And I know the reason, too.”

Lara blushed furiously and bent her head so that her hair covered her face.

“Don’t hide that pretty face of yours from me, child,” the Oracle said softly, “we’re all women here with experience of the world and men. Especially men,” she said coyly, a dimple flashing in her cheek. “Speaking of which,” she said, checking her watch, “your men are a trifle late.”

Lara and Celia glanced sharply at the Oracle, puzzlement written plainly on both their faces.

“What I meant was that Agents Brown and Jones are on their way here now. I took the liberty of asking them to meet us at your apartment, Lara. I know you don’t want to see Jones right now, but you must. We must put our heads together and figure out what to do about Smith. This has gone far enough, I think.” She took Lara’s hand and looked into her eyes. “You have to tell him. Jones has the right to know. Don’t you think you’ve kept it inside long enough?”

Lara jerked her hand away and stood up. “I haven’t told anyone, anyone about what Smith did to me. I can’t tell Jones, Mother! I won’t!”

Celia looked from one woman to the other in confusion. What the hell are they talking about, she wondered. Realizing that she would find out everything eventually, Celia said nothing, wisely not wishing to interrupt at this crucial moment. She had heard, as they had not, the ringing of the doorbell and without a word, she rose up and answered it, allowing Brown and Jones to come in.

It seemed that Brown had spoken to Jones at some point for the large agent looked much better now than when Celia had first seen him: he had obviously showered and put on a clean suit, but his eyes were still bloodshot.

“Hello boys,” the Oracle said cheerfully, “glad you could make it. Now let’s all sit down and see how to defeat Smith and Montgomery at their own game. But before we can begin, Lara, I think you should tell Jones what Smith did to you.”

Jones angrily opened his mouth to ask what it was that Smith had done but the Oracle indicated with a raised finger that he should remain silent and Jones grudgingly obeyed. The Oracle knew it would be difficult enough for Lara to get the words out and having Jones interrupt would only complicate matters immensely.

Abruptly, Lara rose from the sofa and went to the window, staring into the afternoon sun. Jones went to her side but Lara resolutely turned her face and body away from him.

“Lara, why won’t you look at me?” He bent his head and lowered his voice so that only Lara could hear him. “Is it because of last night?”

“No, it has nothing to do with that. I’m only turning away so that when I am done saying what I have to say, I won’t have to see you leave. It would kill me to watch you leave my life forever.”

“Leave you? Is that what you think I will do?”

“You will leave me, I know it! There is no way you will be able to look at me if I tell you!” Lara cried out.

The Oracle laid a hand on Lara’s shoulder. “Honey, what happened between Smith and you is bound to come out sooner or later. It would be best if Jones hears it from you first.”

Lara took a deep, shuddering breath. She knew what the Oracle had said was only the truth. She allowed herself to be guided to the sofa and sat down, holding Celia’s hand in her own. Lara looked up at the warm, chocolate-brown eyes of her best friend and Celia squeezed her hand comfortingly. Lara buried her face in her hands and began to tell the story of the worst night of her life.

What happened between Smith and me was during my first week of employment at the Agency. You weren’t there, Celia, because...

Lara had been about to say that Celia had been in the hospital because of what her previous boyfriend, Derek Steele had done to her. Celia squeezed Lara’s hand and shook her head slightly. Lara deduced instantly that she hadn’t told Brown yet and that Lara shouldn’t either. That would be between the two of them and this was definitely not the time or place to bring it up.

It doesn’t matter. During that first week, no one in the secretarial pool talked to me at all, it was as if I didn’t even exist. Every night I received a pile of work from Smith that kept me from leaving at five p.m. with the other women but I didn’t mind that much as the only thing waiting for me at my apartment was lots of unpacking.

I usually managed to make it to the subway stop on time but that Friday night, I missed it by a matter of seconds. As I didn’t have money for a cab fare, I had no choice but to wait an hour until the next train arrived. I didn’t relish the idea of waiting in a deserted subway station for there were always some rowdy gangs of teenagers loitering about and I was too afraid to stay. I had two options—stay and wait or walk home. I chose walking home as I had purchased a pair of running shoes earlier that day and I had left them at my desk. As it was the beginning of the weekend, walking home seemed safer than staying where I was.

I retrieved my shoes and began to walk home. To my surprise, I heard a man call out my name. I turned and discovered it was Agent Smith and he was in his car, apparently travelling in my direction. I did not know at the time that he had been following me.

“Would you like a ride, Ms. Rodgers?” he called out through the passenger window and as he had been the only one all week to offer me even a crumb of kindness, I gratefully accepted his offer. He even got out of his car to open the door for me and I was pleased by his Old-World gallantry. I told him where I lived and we set off.

As he proceeded to drive me home, he made some attempt at small talk. I can even remember feeling flattered as Smith told me how impressed he was with my work. After he said this, I blushed and thanked him. Sooner than I expected, we pulled up in front of my apartment building.

“Well, I suppose this is good night,” I said, turning to open the door.

“Not quite, Ms. Rodgers,” Smith said with a smile. For a moment, the moonlight reflected on his face made him look absolutely diabolical but as I looked closer, the expression of hungry lust was gone and I chided myself for thinking the worst of him.

He leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. I gasped as his lips lingered on my skin, his warm breath caressing my cheek. I know now I should’ve used any method necessary to get away from him, but at the time, I thought nothing of it.

Lara faltered in my recital at this point for what she was going to say next would hurt Jones.

“Go on, dear,” the Oracle gently encouraged her. Lara took a deep breath and concentrated her gaze on her fingers. It was far easier to do that than meet Jones’ eyes.

Smith kissed me and…I kissed him back. It had been a while since I had even been kissed by a man and…I liked it. After all, Smith could be considered an attractive man by any woman’s standards. Our kiss intensified and I felt my pulse rate increase.

Lara stopped speaking and bent her head even lower so that no one could see her face. Again, the Oracle was there to give her courage.

“Tell us only what you are comfortable with, Lara,” she said. Lara nodded, grateful that she wouldn’t have to mention how aroused she had been that night as she and Smith kissed.

When things began to heat up between us, I realized that it was not a good idea to get involved with someone who was my boss.

“No,” I said, trying to break out of his embrace before things could get out of hand. “This isn’t right.”

“The hell it isn’t,” Smith growled. “The time for you to say no has long since passed, Ms. Rodgers. You initiated this series of events when you agreed to get in my car. Now I am going to demand payment for driving far out of my usual route in order to see you home. And the only form of currency I will accept from you is this.”

In an instant, his knee had insinuated itself between my legs. He was trying to use his greater weight to force me to lie down and I struggled futilely to prevent that from happening.

I heard him chuckle in the darkness. “The more you resist, Ms. Rodgers, the more it arouses me. See?” He ground his pelvis into mine so that I could feel the truth of his words. The size and hardness of his member frightened me and blind panic flooded through my system, rendering me incapable of thinking or acting in a logical manner.

I redoubled my efforts to get away, but he was an agent after all and there was nothing I could do to get free; there was no weapon I could use to correct my predicament so I could escape.

He pinned me down with the weight of his upper body while he fumbled with his belt. When I heard the sound of his zipper being pulled down, I lost control of myself. I bit and scratched, pounding my hands against his chest as he moved his hips into position over mine.

It seemed that at least one of my blows struck home for he slapped me hard across the face and I moaned in pain. “I will fuck you as hard and brutally as I can if you resist me in any way. Furthermore, if that does not convince you to behave yourself, perhaps this might: I will see to it that your mother pays a very high price for your insubordination.”

My breath froze in my throat. “You can’t do that! Your jurisdiction doesn’t extend to Canada!”

I could hear the smile in his voice as he answered. “I would not underestimate the reach of my power if I were you, Ms. Rodgers. I can get to anyone, anytime, anywhere in the Matrix and your mother is no exception. Now spread yourself for my pleasure for you are going to get fucked like you never have before.”

He hiked up my skirt and pushed aside the crotch of my panties. “You women are all the same—you dress provocatively, adorn yourselves in perfume and makeup in an attempt to entice men and when we respond, you have the gall to tell us ‘no?’

“Please don’t do this,” I begged.

With a grunt of exertion, he entered my body with one hard push. I cried out as I felt myself being torn apart. I lay underneath him, willing myself not to move. Tears of pain and humiliation leaked from my eyes and I was dimly aware of them as they meandered lazily down my temple and into my ears and hair.

Each time he thrust into me, I prayed to die for I felt pain on such a level that death would be a blessing. The longer the assault went, the worse the pain became and I was not able to stop myself from crying. I stifled my sobs as best as I could for I was going to take no chances with my mother’s wellbeing by angering Smith in any way. His thrusts were faster and harder and I could tell by his movements that he could not hold out much longer.

I tried to tell myself that I would not give Smith the satisfaction of knowing how much he was hurting me but I could not. Through clenched teeth, I heard myself whimper.

Smith heard me and mistook my sounds of pain for those of enjoyment. “You like this, don’t you?” he crooned in my ear. “I knew you would and your body knows it too. I can hear what it is saying to me: Deeper. Harder. Faster.”

He picked up his pace and drove himself into me accordingly, again and again. I closed my eyes tightly and tried not to let panic overwhelm me. In an attempt to distance myself from the agony I was feeling, I frantically tried to see out of the windows, trying to think of a way to catch the attention of anyone walking by. Smith chuckled, his lips against my throat.

“Scream all you want. A Mardi Gras parade could pass by no one could hear you. In case you haven’t noticed, the windows are tinted so no one can see you either,” Smith said, his voice thick with lust and the promise of his rapidly approaching orgasm. His breath came hot and heavy in my ear and he groaned, clutching me so hard against his body that it hurt.

“Fucking you is turning out to be more pleasurable than I thought,” he said hoarsely, “you are so tight, so dry; I can feel your flesh is closing around me--aargh!” With the force of a cannon, Smith exploded inside me and growled deep in his throat as he continued to thrust until his orgasm was completely spent.

Now that it was finally over and he stopped pushing himself into me, I became angry even above the pain.

“I’m going to report you to the Architect,” I vowed. To my annoyance, Smith only laughed.

“Go ahead, report me. But consider this: whom do you think he will believe? A new employee of only three days standing or me, the lead agent who has been policing the Matrix decades before you were created? You are nothing, an insignificant cog in the wheel that is the Matrix. No one gives a damn about you and more importantly, no one will believe any accusations you could lob at me.”

The truth of his words hit me and I knew he was absolutely right. Who was I indeed, to threaten Smith and his shield of inviolability? Who would believe me if I did report him? However, the realization hit me that it need not be that way. Looking back now, I know that I should have just kept my mouth shut but at the time, the glimpse of his smug face stung me into saying something that I shouldn’t have.

“I have all the proof any court of law would need,” I hissed. “Physical evidence on and inside of me. Any first-year medical student who is able to perform a basic sexual assault examination will know that we did not have consensual sex.”

“We’ll see about that,” Smith said gloatingly.

When Smith withdrew his penis from me, an effusion of blood followed, soiling the pristine fabric of his car and Smith cursed disgustedly. Now it was my turn to gloat. “More evidence, Smith. Here is a bit of advice: the next time you rape a woman, give some thought to bodily fluids and how they will burn your sorry ass in court.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said with a sneer. He reached inside his jacket and drew out his Desert Eagle revolver. For a moment, I thought he was going to shoot me for daring to threaten him but he did not. “This is for threatening me,” he snarled, hitting me in the side of the head with the butt of his gun and I blacked out.

When I woke up, I was naked, cold, wet and in my own bed. The sequence of events since I became unconscious was easy enough to follow: Smith had taken me back to my apartment and washed me, eliminating all of the physical evidence that would prove a case of rape. Even with my limited knowledge of the Matrix’s legal processes and procedures, it would be a clear case of ‘he said, she said.’ Legally, and for all intents and purposes, he was untouchable.

lllll

Lara’s recital was complete. Her eyes had been tightly closed during all of it but now that she was finished, she hesitated to open them for fear of what she would see.

“It’s OK honey,” the Oracle said softly, “it’s all over now. Smith will never hurt you again.”

“Jones?” Lara whispered fearfully. “Is he gone?”

“I’m here,” Jones said as he touched her shoulder. Lara threw herself into his arms and held him as tightly as she could.

“You didn’t leave,” she said wonderingly and she buried her face in the front of his shirt. “I thought you would have left when you heard….”

“Lara,” Jones said, holding her at arm’s length so he could look into her eyes, “I hope I am a better man than you give me credit for. What he did to you was not your fault. Don’t go blaming yourself. What happened afterward?” He swallowed, trying to suppress his rage so that Lara would not see it and be frightened. “Did he ever bother you again?”

Lara shook her head. “He hasn’t looked at me twice from that day until this.” Taking another breath, she continued her narration, comforted beyond words that Jones was willing to stand by her side. Now that he knew the worst, the rest of what she had to say came easy.

For the remainder of the weekend, I debated what to do. A large part of me wanted to quit my job so I would never have to lay eyes on Smith again. However, that wasn’t an option. Since my father’s death, my mother had been ill and needed medical attention and the stipend I promised to send her from my paycheck would go a long way in making her life easier.

I could not afford to quit, no matter how much I wanted to. I had no choice.

That Monday, I went to work as usual but to avoid being noticed by Smith or any other man at the Agency who might find me the least bit attractive, I changed my appearance as much as I could. I did not use the slightest trace of makeup and dressed in only severe professional attire, wearing my hair in a bun. Dowdy and plain would be my mantra from that point onward and it worked: no man at the Agency looked twice at me since. I became invisible, nothing more than a wallflower; the kind of woman a man would glance at then glance away for there was nothing interesting in me to warrant further notice. I was lonely, yes, but lonely meant safe.

Lara reached up and stroked Jones’ cheek. “Two weeks after it happened, I met you, do you remember?” Lara smiled slightly when Jones nodded his head to indicate that he hadn’t forgotten. Her eyes never left Jones’ face and she spoke to him as if there was no one else in the room.

Whenever I chanced to see Smith, I looked through him as if he wasn’t there and he did the same to me, even though I quaked in my shoes every time he came near me. From time to time, I saw him in the company of two other men dressed exactly the same as he. One appeared to be much younger in age while the other was almost as twice as broad than Smith could ever hope to be. It was you, Jones. As I expected, the younger agent passed me by without a second glance but you did not. I could feel your eyes on me periodically and every time I looked back at you, you looked away.

One day I had to lock away some low-level security files in the vault and as I entered the doorway, I found myself at eye level with a silver tie clip. I gasped in fear, for I was afraid it was Smith in front of me but the barrel chest and broad shoulders blocking my exit certainly did not belong to him. Your shoulders seemed to fill up the entire doorway and you were so tall that I had to take a step back to look fully into your face. Like Smith, you wore a black, perfectly pressed suit and your jacket, shirt and tie were immaculate. You looked like you had just returned from a photo shoot for the cover of ‘GQ’ magazine. In my opinion, you were certainly handsome enough to grace its cover.

“Who are you?” you asked, tilting your head to the side and looking at me curiously if a little narrowly at the same time. After all, I was in a restricted area and you were only during your duty, ensuring that the secrets of the Matrix remained safe.

“Lara. Lara Rodgers,” I replied, trying not to let my embarrassment show too much.

“What are you doing in the vault?”

“I—I had to return some files,” I stammered, trying not to come across like a complete idiot. You extended your hand and told me you wanted to inspect my ID badge. I removed it from my jacket and you studied it for a long time—probably trying to detect if it was a forgery or not. I was relieved when you handed it back to me.

Even though I had promised myself to not get involved with another man, I could not leave until I knew your name. “Who are you?” I asked timidly, fully expecting you to not answer my question or tell me to mind my own business.

“Jones. Agent Jones,” you replied. From behind your dark glasses, you continued to stare at me and I fidgeted nervously, uncomfortable under your gaze. The silence deepened between us until eventually you stood aside and let me pass.

“Bye,” I said as I walked past and I couldn’t resist turning to look back at you. I was surprised when I saw you look along your shoulder at me. You didn’t say anything to me in return but I didn’t care. That was the first time any man ever looked twice at me.

“Until that day in the elevator,” Lara said, gazing fondly up at Jones. She felt herself being patted on the back by Celia.

“You never told me,” Celia said, her voice breaking. “You kept that inside of you all this time…” She was not the kind of woman who cried easily, but the tears flowed fast and heavy from her eyes.

“I’m so sorry, Cel, but I couldn’t tell anyone. I was afraid Smith would hurt my mother and that is why I’ve never breathed a word to anyone.”

“Your fear to speak out is precisely the reason he has to be punished,” the Oracle said. “We have to find a way to go about it, but we have to do it circumspectly and not draw any attention to ourselves or we will fail. I’m sure that if the five of us put our heads together, we’ll think of something.”