Some Guys Have all the Luck

Hidden Talents

Disclaimer: My co-author, smithsbabe65 and I, do not own anything associated with the Matrix trilogy, blah blah blah.

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Lara stretched and felt beside her in the bed she and Jones shared but the sheets were cool to the touch. As she lay awake, Lara knew that he had not wanted to leave her alone in bed that night, especially after they had finished making love for the first time but the task he had been assigned was too important. Obviously, he had left her as soon as she had fallen asleep and begun to work on the prototype for the bugging device the Oracle had suggested.

Wearing only his trousers, Jones sat in front of his computer and was relieved that his task was finally done. All the programs and files had been downloaded into a listening device that was so inventive in shape and appearance, one would never figure out its true purpose. Jones sighed heavily, glad that it was over. After working for hours, he was exhausted. So much depended on the success of the listening device, it had been on his mind ever since the Oracle had brought up the idea. He had to get it right for there would be no second chances.

If all went well, the bug would be able to record and save all the conversations between Jeffrey Montgomery and Smith. In the Oracle’s opinion, the treatment of most of the female employees at the Agency by those two men had been overlooked for far too long and they deserved to be punished.

However, it was the Architect that she had been most angry with: because of his reluctance to penalize Smith or Montgomery for their actions against their female co-workers was what made her bring up the idea of planting a listening device in the first place.

Once the necessary information had been gathered, it would be an easy matter to present the evidence to the Architect and with the Oracle’s assistance and guidance, Smith and Montgomery would both be sued for sexual harassment and stripped of their rank and privileges. The Architect would no doubt demand hard proof of their philandering before he would agree to any form of punishment and the bug would give him all the evidence that was required. In that case, his hand would be forced into performing disciplinary action on the two programs.

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Jones leaned back in his chair and rubbed his eyes. He smiled when he heard soft footsteps come towards him and a pair of gentle hands begin to massage his shoulders.

“Mmm, that feels good,” he murmured.

“Is that it?” Lara asked, leaning over his shoulder to see the finished product.

“Yes and because of it, we are finally going to be able to get the goods on Smith and Monty. With any luck, we will be able to present the Architect with enough proof that those two need to be punished.”

“The design you came up with was absolutely brilliant, do you know that?” Lara said, kissing his cheek. “Now that it’s done, are you coming back to bed anytime soon?” she whispered, her lips against Jones’ ear. Her tongue had begun tracing the swirls and convolutions of his ear and Jones groaned in pleasure.

“What are you doing?” he asked, pulling Lara onto his lap.

“I’m trying to make you so horny so that you will come to bed. Is it working? If not, how about this for an incentive?” She was still wearing his white shirt and she set to work on undoing the buttons so he could get a glimpse of what she was offering.

“Definitely,” Jones replied softly. He growled in his throat as her hands roamed over his bare torso. If he had not been so worn out, Jones would have liked nothing more than to feel Lara’s body against his, as they lay entwined in a passionate embrace. In his case, the spirit was willing but the flesh was another matter.

Lara looked up and saw dark circles under his eyes. Rest was what he needed most, not sex, and even though she wanted him to make love to her again, Lara was not the kind of woman to put her own needs over that of her lover, friend and soul mate. Jones was all three and more. She put her arms around his neck and nestled her forehead against his.

“It’s okay, Jones, I know you’re tired. You’ve satisfied me enough for one night.”

Jones held her in his arms and hugged her tightly. Her understanding of his current state of fatigue made him love her even more. He reached over and put the prototype in a safe place before turning his attention back to Lara as he picked her up and carried her to the bedroom.

They lay on the bed together and having an idea that might ease the stiffness Lara could see in Jones’ face, she instructed him to lie on his stomach.

Kneeling beside him, Lara began to massage his shoulders and neck again. The tension evaporated and Jones began to fully relax, the muscles between his neck and shoulders became more pliant and loose. He groaned with pleasure, as calm spread through his system. Jones gladly submitted to Lara’s ministrations, feeling a sense of well-being and completion he had never felt before.

“Where did you ever learn to do that?” Jones said drowsily, allowing the need for sleep to take command of his physical sub-routines as they slowed in preparation for his rest.

“Do what?” Lara asked quietly as her hands continued their therapeutic manipulations down his back.

“Give massages.”

“You’d be surprised at what talents I was programmed with,” Lara said in a suggestive manner. “The Architect was very thorough.”

Some boyfriend I turned out to be, Jones mused wryly, the woman I love offers me a night of wild, uninhibited sex and I prefer to have a backrub. He stretched his long frame and yawned so deeply that it made his eyes water. He turned over onto his back and looked at Lara’s face as she smiled at him.

“Lara, I’ll have to take a rain check on your offer—I’m just so tired right now,” he said sadly but Lara shook her head to silence him as she placed a finger on his lip.

“You don’t have to say anything. Just go to sleep. You need it and more importantly, you’ve earned it.”

“I need you,” Jones corrected softly.

“Another time. Now get some sleep, that’s an order,” Lara said, playfully wagging her finger at him.

“Yes ma’am,” he said meekly. “But only if you’ll stay with me.” Jones moved aside so that Lara could pull the blanket over them. He nestled his head against her breast and fell asleep.

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Jones awoke the next morning and upon hearing the shower running, he scrambled out of bed, hoping that he could catch Lara before she was finished and if he was lucky, he might be invited to join her in her ablutions.

“May I join you?” he asked nervously, hesitant to enter the shower enclosure in case she would not welcome his presence. The shower curtain was flung aside quickly and Lara stood before him, naked and unashamed. Her lips parted in a smile of such joy that Jones could only stare at her, enthralled that the desirable woman before him showed no sign of regret after their passionate lovemaking from the night before.

Once he was inside the tub with her, she reached for him, her hand slipping behind his neck to draw his head down for a kiss. Jones pulled back slightly and Lara frowned.

“What’s wrong?”

“I—I haven’t brushed my teeth this morning...”

“I don’t mind. Besides, I know where your mouth has been,” Lara said with a sly look. “But we can’t stay too long in here; we both overslept and we have a lunch date with Celia and Brown. Turn around.”

Jones obeyed and Lara proceeded to wash his back, making quick work of her task. With a pull of her hand, she turned him around and proceeded to wash the front of his body. In less than time than he would have liked, Jones was washed and other than shaving his face and brushing his teeth, he was done.

“You can give a man one hell of a sponge bath, Ms Rodgers. Is there any other special talents you possess that I should know about?”

“You’ll see,” Lara said with a mischievous look that made Jones raise his eyebrows.

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Lara and Jones were silent as they walked down to his car. The sphinx-like smile on her face roused his curiosity and Jones wondered what it meant. When both of them were seated in the car and after Jones had driven out of the garage, he discovered exactly what Lara had been smiling about.

Lara edged closer to him and it wasn’t until her hand moved from his knee up his thigh did he give her a sidelong glance. Jones twitched when her hand touched his groin. As quietly as she could, Lara pulled down the zipper of his trousers and reached inside, wrapping her fingers around his shaft. The warmth that was radiating from her hand instantly aroused him, as an involuntary little groan escaped past his lips. Lara smiled to herself as she watched with amused fascination the mixed expressions of surprise and lust flash across Jones’ chiselled features. Then, with a mischievous little smirk, Lara slid her hand out of Jones’ pants and brought it up to her mouth. Next, like a sensuous serpent, her pink wet tongue slithered out from between her lips. With deliberate measured strokes, Lara licked the palm of her hand then brought it back down onto Jones’ quivering, waiting member.

Without a word spoken between them, Lara began to slowly move her small, moistened hand up and down the full length of her lover’s erect phallus. Soon enough she found the easy steady rhythm that elicited another hearty growl from deep within Jones’s throat.

Casting a quick sideways glance at Lara, Jones began to ask, “Lara, what are you …?”

However, the index finger placed on his lips from Lara’s free hand silenced him. “Shh. Just keep your eyes on the road, big boy, and enjoy the ride.”

Jones was hard-pressed not to close his glazed-over green eyes and give in to the sensations Lara was making him feel. He tried his best to concentrate and obey the rules of the road, but it was getting more and more difficult for Jones to do anything other than focusing on the continued ministrations of Lara’s hand.

Just when Jones thought he couldn’t take much more, it wasn’t until she lowered her head between his legs that he realized what her true intentions were. Oh my God, he thought, she is going to go down on me in broad daylight! Inhaling a deep shuddering breath, Jones waited for the undeniably pleasurable sensation of feeling Lara’s mouth on him. Up until this point in their relationship, she had only done it twice. Because of his circumference, Lara had not been able to deep throat him very long, but the two times she had put her mouth on him had been bliss itself and the notion that she was going to try to go all the way made his head spin.

Jones could not suppress a moan of desire when Lara enveloped his member with her mouth, swirling her tongue around the head of his penis. He clutched the steering wheel with a death-grip that turned his knuckles white with the effort of concentrating on avoiding a collision with either pedestrians or traffic and keeping his eyes on the road ahead.

“Lara, I have to pull over, I can’t—” He was unable to say anything else as Lara proceeded to apply suction, and the sensation was threatening to send his circuits into overload. Hastily, he pulled the car over onto the shoulder of the road. His entire body began to tremble and shake as Lara’s tongue and mouth were slowly but surely threatening to drive him insane.

Lara felt Jones’ fingers bury themselves in her hair. Faster and faster she went, gliding her tongue from the base of his rock-hard penis to the engorged bulbous tip. Next, she spiralled down all the way to his scrotum and began to suck on the skin, stimulating the testes encased within.

Jones, meanwhile, was completely and utterly enraptured by the supreme pleasure of it all. He was amazed by the intensity of Lara’s need to please him and the ferocity of his own desire. Never had he experienced such an intimate act performed on him in such a public venue, and if it had been any other woman, he would have put an end to it right then and there. But this was Lara, his Lara, and with her, it just felt so good, so right. The touch of her lips and tongue on his sac was driving him wild, causing him to pant and grunt like a ferocious beast. What enhanced his pleasure even more was the knowledge that Lara was enjoying this as much as he was. Lara was actually revelling in the fact that she could gratify her man in such a manner; it was empowering and liberating.

I will definitely have to do this again, she thought, for he is enjoying it so much and it is the least I can do for everything he has done to please me whenever we are in bed together. I don’t know what it is like to eat out a woman but it cannot be easy and I have never heard the slightest complaint from Jones, nor has he ever hesitated to perform cunnilingus on me. He knows I love it and in his mind, that is all that matters. Well, now it is my turn to please him.

Unable to restrain himself any longer, Jones threw his head back and squeezed his eyes shut. His orgasm was only a few strokes away and Lara exhibited no objection when Jones thrust himself inside of her mouth as far as he wanted. With pleasant surprise, she discovered that she was able to easily accommodate his entire length and width without any difficulty whatsoever.

Then suddenly as she moved back up to surround his cock once more in the tight little sheath of her hot wet mouth, Jones felt the familiar build up in his groin as his scrotum tightened and his phallus began to spasm uncontrollably. Before Lara could properly put him back into her oral cavity, Jones’ orgasm was already upon him. Quickly, she greedily swallowed the length of his girth to the hilt, allowing his warm salty ejaculate to slide down her gullet. As Jones moaned out her name and proclaimed his love for her, Lara silently rejoiced in the knowledge that she had just given her lover the best oral sex he had ever had.

His penis continued to pulsate for a long time afterward until it became unbearably sensitive to the touch and Jones hoarsely informed her that it was enough. He flinched when Lara withdrew her mouth and groaned when she gently tucked his now-flaccid member back into his shorts and carefully zipped his trousers up.

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“Now it’s your turn,” he said with a smile that made Lara gulp as he pulled her into the backseat. He chuckled smugly as he felt her nipples harden as he caressed her breasts through her clothing. Dipping his head lower, he nibbled playfully at the tender flesh between her neck and shoulder and Lara unashamedly arched her neck as she moaned, inviting him to taste her flesh.

Without any further ado, Jones ripped her blouse open, sending buttons flying in every direction. His eyes smouldered at the sight of her ample bosom encased in her sheer, harlot-red bra and inadvertently Lara gulped at the look in his eyes; the animalistic lust she had aroused in him shone undeniably from his devouring gaze. He pushed aside the lacy barrier of her brassiere and suckled her taut nipple, taking enjoyment in his ability to drive Lara wild with his ministrations.

Now it was Lara who was making animal noises and Jones could not help feeling pleased. A desire was growing inside of him to return the ecstasy that Lara had given him; he wanted to hear her moan and feel her body shudder as she experienced her orgasm. He wanted to know without a doubt that he was giving her pleasure as freely and unselfishly as she had bestowed it to him not long before.

His hand slid beneath her skirt and Lara groaned when his large, deft fingers hiked it up above her hips and began to stroke her moist, eager womanhood through the crotch of her panties.

“I’m going to taste you, Lara,” he said huskily, his voice barely a whisper.

“You don’t have to do that,” Lara responded hoarsely, caressing his face. “Just having you touch me is enough.”

“Not for me, it isn’t,” Jones stated firmly. “Don’t you like it when I do this to you?”

Lara whimpered in response as his lips travelled down her belly and she unconsciously parted her legs in expectation of feeling his lips against her folds. Jones had his answer and needed no further encouragement. However, Jones did not comply immediately with her unspoken request. Instead, he suckled her clit through her underwear, revelling in the musky taste and smell of Lara’s most intimate flesh, separated as his mouth was from her by a thin layer of cotton. He smiled to himself when he pulled away from Lara and heard her moan of disappointment as he did so.

“Do you still want me to just touch you, or would you prefer something else?” he asked slyly as he pushed aside the barrier of her panties with one finger, teasing apart her wet folds as Lara moaned. “Tell me what you really want.”

“Please, please eat me,” Lara beseeched him, her hips writhing and twisting in anticipation.

“Your wish is my command,” Jones whispered and Lara squealed when his hot breath skimmed over the surface of her outer genitalia. Lara clutched at his hair and begged him not to stop when his tongue slid along the entire length of her slit. Even that cursory action revealed how hard her clitoris had become. Accordingly, when he latched onto that hard bundle of nerves that lay at the centre of every woman’s femininity, Lara cried out as the exquisite movements of Jones’ hot, wet tongue became almost too much to bear.

The sound of him eagerly slurping up her intimate juices only added to her pleasure, which was increasing with each passing second. She parted her legs even further when he gently but deeply thrust one, then two and finally three fingers inside of her. Lara screamed as her climax flowed through her, the intensity of it making her toes tingle and curl. Wave after wave of pleasure that crossed the border into pain shot through her until her system could take no more and she passed out.

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Jones raised his head from between Lara’s legs and the question he had been about to ask froze in his throat as he looked at her. Lara’s face was white, her eyes half-closed and she was not moving. With fear flooding through him, Jones frantically grabbed her shoulders in his hands and shook her hard but to no avail. Lara did not wake up. In desperation and with cold sweat dripping from his brow and upper lip, Jones slapped her face in an attempt to get a reaction of some sort but Lara still did not respond.

“C’mon Lara, wake up!” Jones whispered, trying desperately to think of something he could do to revive her and bring her back to him. His normally stoic and impassive face crumpled, his mouth twitching in anguish at the thought he had lost her and he held her unresponsive body in his arms. “Don’t leave me!”

“I’m not going anywhere,” came Lara’s weak reply.

“Lara! Are you all right?” Jones asked, wrapping his long arms around her with a possessive strength that made her gasp and wince. Apologizing profusely, he eased his iron embrace and held her more gently. “What happened?”

“I’m fine, Jones, but don’t ask for an explanation about what happened right now, I’m kind of tired and need to reboot a few files, that’s all. I’ll be perfectly all right soon. I just need a few minutes,” Lara said faintly.

She drew his head down until it rested on her breast and held him with the same tenderness as a mother would comfort a hurt child. Her jaw ached from where Jones had slapped her but she said nothing. Jones had been upset enough as it was when he thought he had killed her and he did not need to be reminded of his actions just yet in trying to resuscitate her. He would see her marked cheek for himself soon enough and Lara judged it cruel in the extreme to mention it now.

She stroked his hair lovingly and kissed his forehead, cradling him in her arms until she felt some strength returning to her body. A small smile curved Lara’s mouth. If sex for the third time with Jones was enough to make me faint because of the intense pleasure he made me feel, what will it be like between after we’ve had some practice?

When she was feeling stronger, Lara sat up and straightened her clothing. “I’m going to have to pick up a blouse from my place before we meet Celia and Brown for lunch,” she said with a mischievous tone. Her smile faded when she saw that Jones was not looking at her--he seemed determined not to meet her gaze and Lara was hurt. He reached into his pocket, took out a handkerchief, and proceeded to wipe all evidence of his activity with Lara off his face.

“We should go now, Lara or we are going to be late,” Jones said, opening the back door so Lara could get out. Jones’ voice had all the warmth of an ice cube and when he saw the hurt look on Lara’s face, it took all of his will power not to take her in his arms and say how sorry he was for the cruel tone he had just used with her.

Once they were on their way again after a brief stop at Lara’s apartment so she could pick up a different blouse, Lara merely stared out of the window, wondering how a day that had started out with such promise had spiralled downward while Jones focused on driving.

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Forcing a smile on her face, Lara and Jones entered the bar and grill where Celia and Brown were waiting for them. Sharp-eyed as always, Celia noticed Lara’s sad and distracted gaze. She glanced sidelong at Brown and Jones who were deep in discussion and Celia stood up, indicating with a jerk of her head that she wanted to sit at the bar with Lara.

Lara followed willingly but was hard-pressed not to burst into tears.

“Honey, what’s wrong?” Celia asked.

“I—I can’t…” Lara mumbled.

Celia sighed and leaned closer. “OK kiddo, I’ll back off for now; but you’ve been living at Jones’ apartment for two days now. Can I assume some of that time was fun?”

Lara bent her head and tried not to smile. “It was wonderful being with Jones all the time, Celia. Seeing him all the time…”

“…sleeping with him most of the time,” Celia said with a knowing gleam in her eye.

“Well, not all the time,” Lara said, glancing at her friend. She frowned as she watched Jones sit at the bar and order a drink. After a few moments, Brown sat beside his friend. Jones stared morosely into his glass of beer, not meeting Brown’s gaze. He reached into the breast pocket of his jacket and handed the small electronic device to the young agent.

“I finished it. It will pick up and record every sound within a 5-yard area. Once we plant this in Montgomery, all we have to do is wait until Smith opens his big mouth and we’ll have him.”

“Good work, Jones,” Brown commended. “Now will you tell me what’s got you so depressed? You’ve just spent two whole days with Lara, yet you seem sad. What’s going on?”

Jones sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping. “Before we came here, Lara and I had sex in the car and I hurt her. She even fainted at the end of it! I should have been more careful! Maybe everyone is right; I am nothing but a brainless brute that doesn't know my own strength. If I'm not careful, I could really hurt Lara. If that happened, I couldn't live with myself. Maybe it would be better if we break up, I don’t know. Lara deserves a man who is gentle and considerate, not a clumsy beast like me." The thought of losing Lara caused a sharp pain that wrenched his emotional processors.

“Whoa, hold on there, pal,” Brown said, laying his hand on his friend’s arm. “Don’t go rushing into acting on that.”

“Why not?” Jones asked, his voice strained. “I mean, I could have really hurt her today, Brown! I have to consider that!” With an effort, Jones lowered his voice and forced himself to calm down. “The last two days with her have been wonderful! I mean, yes, I couldn’t stay with her during the day, but knowing she was at home waiting for me is what kept me going! I loved the idea of knowing that I finally had someone to come home to. Do you know what that meant to me?”

Brown nodded his head as he listened. He had been friends with Jones long enough to have noticed his abhorrent feelings of loneliness and detestation at his solitary existence. Brown understood these feelings all too well for he too had almost given up on finding a woman who could give him a sense of completeness; a reason for being. But now Jones wanted to throw all his happiness away, Brown thought, and if he does that, he will regret it for the rest of his life. I have to try to get him to change his mind.

“Jones, listen to me: don’t act on your feelings. Don’t do anything in haste. Will you promise me to think this over?”

Easy for you to say, Jones thought. You weren’t the one who nearly killed the woman you love by having sex with her. He drank his beer and ordered another. Brown turned away and went back to the table where Lara and Celia sat.

“Lara, I think you should talk to Jones about this morning,” he said very quietly, his lips barely moving. He was staring at Celia as he said it; in case Jones looked over, all he would see was Brown speaking with Celia.

“Why? What did he say?” Lara asked, instantly worried. She blushed when she realized that Jones had told his friend what happened in the car.

Brown fidgeted. He did not want to betray his friend’s confidence, but what Jones had in mind would affect Lara the most and she had a right to know what was in the wind.

During the last two months, he had come to know Lara and he liked her a lot. If there was any way possible to prevent Jones from making what Brown knew would be the biggest mistake of his life, he would do it. He patted Lara’s arm and turned his attention back to Celia. Lara straightened her shoulders and went over to Jones.

“We need to talk,” Lara said.

“Did Brown say anything to you?” Jones asked suspiciously.

“No,” Lara said, hoping that Jones would never learn that his friend had indeed betrayed his confidence. “But I’ve watched you all through lunch; something is on your mind and I know it has something to do with—with what happened between us.”

Jones could not meet her gaze. “Yes, it does. I could have really hurt you, Lara. I can’t risk us being together and hurting you again.”

Lara placed her hand on his arm and laid her hand over his. “You didn’t hurt me, Jones.”

“Yes I did! You fainted!”

“What you gave me was the best damn sex I’ve ever had and caused my circuits to go into overload, that’s all. Never in my life has anyone given me such pleasure as you did today. You’ve made me realize what intimacy is supposed to be like: the giving and receiving of pleasure. Why? Are you breaking up with me because of this morning?” Lara asked, her face frozen with shock.

Jones could not look at her as he answered her. “I think it is for the best that we stop seeing one another, Lara.”

All the breath went out of Lara’s body and she felt like she was going to faint. She took a few deep breaths and managed to steady herself.

“If you want me to leave, then all you have to do is say so,” Lara said, as she tried to keep her lips from twitching. “You look me in the eye and say that. If you can do that, then…then I will turn around and leave and you will never see me again.”

Jones felt like the bottom of his world had fallen out, leaving him adrift and bereft. He was afraid to open his mouth for fear of what might come out. He did not want Lara to leave him, but on the other hand, he did not want her to stay, for fear of hurting her again, either physically or emotionally.

Lara blinked back tears as she waited for him to answer. When he did not respond, she slowly turned away and started to walk to the table the two couples had shared and took her purse, moving like an automaton. Celia was about to make a remark when she saw Lara’s face.

“What’s wrong? Where are you going?”

With an effort, Lara focused on the worried face of her best friend and chose to ignore the first question but answer the second.

“Home. I’m going home.”

“What? You can’t go back to your place! What if Smith…” Celia widened her eyes when the true meaning of Lara’s words became clear. Lara was not referring to her apartment, but her home and native land. Canada.

“Why the hell are you going back? You live here now!” Celia said.

“I can’t stay here anymore. I’m sorry, Celia, but I have to go.”

Without another word, Lara left, and the sound of the door closing behind her reverberated through Jones’ bulky frame and shook him from head to foot like a thunderclap. He turned his head and stared at the door, desperate to see Lara come through it and back into his arms but she did not.

She was leaving behind everything in the Matrix that meant anything to her. The only thing she could concentrate on was putting one foot in front of the other for she knew if she stopped moving and started thinking, the realization of that she would never see Jones again would break her already broken heart beyond repair.

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Celia and Brown sat there in shock, simply staring at one another. What had gone so horribly wrong between Lara and Jones neither of them could fathom.

“I’m going after her,” Celia declared, surging out of her seat. The bright sunlight streamed into the restaurant and Jones looked up as the door opened, hoping that Lara had come back but when he saw Celia, his face fell. Not Lara.

“I don’t know where she could have gotten to,” Celia said breathlessly to Brown. “She wasn’t outside. There isn’t a trace of her anywhere.” Narrowing her eyes, she met the gaze of Jones.

Storming towards him, Celia was in a bad mood. Brown saw the look on her face and decided to go with her; when she was as angry as she was now, the possibility of saying or doing something she would regret later was extremely high as Celia had a habit of acting before thinking. And if the look on her face was any indication, Jones was in for it.

“You jerk,” Celia said, “What the hell did you say to her to make her leave?”

“I—I…”

“I—I—I what? Don’t just stand there, tell me!”

Brown laid a conciliatory hand on Celia’s waist but she shook it off angrily. “Let me be, Brown!”

“No, Celia, I won’t,” Brown responded. “Jones, what happened?”

Jones sighed and closed his eyes. “We broke up.” He cringed when he heard Celia’s sound of expostulation and waited for her to continue her diatribe against him, but Brown’s presence tempered her anger.

“How do you feel, Jones?” Celia asked and both men looked quizzically first at each other then at her.

“What do you mean?”

“How do you feel?” Celia repeated. “Sad? Empty? Depressed?”

“All of the above.”

“Get used to it, you big…” Celia had been about to call him a name but stopped just in time. “What you feel now, the pain, the loneliness and whatever else, is what you will be feeling for the rest of your life if you don’t go after her.”

“But…”

“Lara told me what happened in the car, Jones,” Celia said. “And let me just tell you a little something about women: an intense orgasm like the one that Lara had never killed a woman. What you gave her was the best sexual experience she has ever had.”

Jones pondered her words but said nothing. Celia uttered a scoff and turned away. “C’mon Brown, if he wants to be alone and live his life in a cold and empty bed, then let him.”

Brown followed and gave his friend a parting glance and shake of the head. “If you don’t’ go after her, you’ll regret it, Jones. There is still time to take action; if you wait too long, all trace of her will be gone and you will never find her. But if you do decide to look for her, I’ll be glad to be your wingman.” Then he, too, turned his back and left.

Determination to find Lara flowed through Jones and he stood up. With long, hurried strides, he left the restaurant.

Celia nodded in satisfaction. “I knew it! He’s going after her. Good!”

Brown nudged Celia playfully. “How come you’ve never fainted when we make love?” He tried hard not to smile when Celia focused her gaze on the ceiling and began whistling a little tune, pretending she didn’t hear him.

The door opened again and Jones poked his head in. “Aren’t you coming, Brown? I’m going to need all the help I can get.”

“You can be sure we will continue this discussion later, Ms. Alvarez, in a more private and intimate setting. Then we will see who faints,” Brown said, winking at her suggestively and giving her a look that made her knees turn into water in anticipation.

Never a woman to let a man have the last word if she could possibly help it, Celia retorted, “Promises, promises, Agent Brown! Now get out of here, Jones needs you.”

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Once outside the restaurant, Lara started walking. The grief of never seeing Jones again made her cry and she stumbled along, not caring or knowing where she was going. A bullet in the head now be a mercy killing, Lara thought, and for a moment considered returning to either her apartment or the Agency Building. If I am lucky, Smith would be able to oblige me and put me out of my misery for nothing could make me feel worse than I already do, Lara thought miserably.

Continuing to walk, she abandoned the idea for she knew that if she died, there would be no one left to care for her mother back in Canada. An idea occurred to her and Lara jerked her head up and resolutely started walking toward the nearest place that might offer the opportunity of catching a cab.

Luckily, Lara managed to hail a cab two blocks from the restaurant and stated where she wished to be taken. I may be heading home but I am leaving behind everything I care about, Lara thought numbly looking out of the cab window as she went to the airport. Her eyes glistened. I didn’t even get to tell Celia a proper goodbye, Lara realized sadly and tried to blink her tears away.

The cab driver heard a sniffle coming from the back seat and stole a look at her passenger “It’s always hard leaving someone you love behind, isn’t it, honey?” she asked kindly.

“I’m leaving my whole life behind,” Lara said. “Everything. And I’m never coming back,” she stated resolutely.

lllll

“She can’t have gone far,” Jones said to Brown. “She was only out here for a couple of minutes at the most. Maybe she caught a cab?”

“Check the airports, bus terminals and train stations,” Brown suggested. “Put an APB out on her. We can use the authority that was given to us and stop all methods of quick transportation from leaving the city, starting with the airport.”

Picking up the nearest phone, Brown issued his orders brusquely to the chief of security of the airport. “Well, I’ve halted every departing flight until you, me and the police can search every plane.” He patted his large friend’s shoulder. “Don’t worry Jones, we’ll find her; she can’t have gone that far so quickly.”

“I hope you are right,” Jones said, as the two friends hurried out the door to the waiting police car. With lights blazing and the siren blaring, the car that had the two agents in it sped through traffic with no trouble. Jones and Brown bailed out of the car before it had even stopped moving, running wildly for the entrance of the terminal.

lllll

“She could be anywhere,” Jones said, trying to hide his exasperation, his optic sensors scanning for Lara in the throng of people scurrying back and forth.

“I don’t think so,” said Brown. “Remember what she said in the restaurant: she was going home. And home to her is Canada. That narrows our search significantly.”

The director of terminal security entered a search parameter on the computer. “I found her! Ms. Lara Rodgers is on Flight 303 to Toronto but it leaves in 5 minutes from Gate 10. That is in the new wing. You’ll have to hustle if you want to make it.”

“I can do it,” Jones said. “Meanwhile, inform the plane that they cannot take off yet. Make any excuse you have to but stop them from leaving the tarmac.” He turned and ran towards the exit of the control centre.

lllll

The moment her flight to Toronto was announced, Lara stood up and entered the gate. No tagging of her belongings was required because all she carried was her purse.

She was directed to her seat and she watched as the other passengers began to board. Resisting the urge to look out of the window at Mega City, Lara instead focused her gaze on the back of the seat in front of her.

lllll

Jones rushed onto the walkway and past the flight attendants. When they tried to prevent him from entering the plane, he flashed his Agency badge, making certain they were aware he was armed and accordingly, they gave him no more trouble. He inquired where Lara had been seated, and brusquely thanked them when they had checked their passenger manifest, providing him with her seat number.

lllll

“Lara?” Jones asked, hardly daring to believe that he had made it in time.

“What are you doing here?” she asked. She tried to suppress the feeling of joy upon seeing him again and for the most part, she had succeeded except for the glow in her eyes.

“I came to say that I am sorry for what I said to you.” Jones was aware that other passengers were turning around, craning in their seats to see and hear the exchange between himself and Lara but he ignored the whispers and averted glances. He met the gaze of the most inquisitive of Lara’s co-passengers and gave each of them his most intimidating glare. Every one of them gulped and turned their attention elsewhere. But if they couldn’t watch, they could still hear. Having fifteen extra pairs of ears listening to every word he and Lara said did not please Jones, but he couldn’t do anything about it now.

“Please don’t go, Lara.”

“Why not? You’ve hurt me twice, Jones. Why should I stay and suffer for a third time?”

“Because I promise not to do it ever again and I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”

“What are you saying?”

“Damn it--I didn’t want to do this in such a public place, but I don’t care about that.” He took a deep breath and held Lara’s hand in his own. There were subdued gasps and murmurings from Lara’s co-passengers when Jones lowered his tall frame on one knee. “Lara, will you marry me?”

“Oh!” Lara gasped, covering her mouth with her hand as tears welled up in her eyes and slid down her cheeks. The plane got very quiet as everyone who had heard Jones make his proposal from this highly unorthodox location waited to see what Lara’s response would be.

“Is that a yes?” Jones asked, a small hopeful smile forming around his mouth. Lara could not speak but she nodded her head and threw herself into Jones’ waiting embrace to the delight of the onlookers who clapped and cheered enthusiastically.