Some Guys Have all the Luck

A Coward and a Loser

Disclaimer: We don’t own the Matrix, the Matrix owns us.

Summary: When Jones realizes that he had been bugged, he breaks his date with Lara, causing Celia to stand up for her friend and shame him into doing the right thing.

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Jones smoothed his clothes and jerked his tie into place before leaving the executive lavatory. There seemed to be more people than usual in the hallway; some were even craning their necks from doorways as he came abreast then whispering louder as he passed them. Jones frowned at the snickers and subdued sounds of mirth that was unquestionably being aimed in his direction. Brown was waiting for him at the door of his office and he took the arm of his friend and colleague, steering him forcefully inside and closing the door behind them so no one could overhear.

“What’s going on out there?” Jones asked, his brow furrowing with confusion. “Was there a joke that I missed or something?”

“Yes, there was a joke, Jones, and it was on you.”

“What do you mean?” Jones asked nervously, his face flushing from remembering the reason why he had gone into the bathroom.

“Everyone in the building heard what you were doing in there, Jones,” Brown said. “But not,” he hastened to add, “Ms. Rodgers or Ms. Alvarez. They left shortly before what you were doing became apparent to everyone.”

Jones looked into the face of his younger colleague and saw compassion, not ridicule in his expression.

“You mean to say that everyone who was in the building heard me when I was….”
“Gratifying yourself? Yes, I’m afraid so. I’m sorry, pal.”
Mortification and humiliation spread throughout Jones’ system, rendering him unable to say anything for a long moment. Had it been anyone other than Brown who was in the room with him, Jones would not have said another word. However, Brown was one of the few colleagues Jones trusted; more importantly, Jones knew Brown would not talk about anything that passed between them, even subjects of the most intimate nature.
“That son of a bitch set me up!” Jones snarled. “I should have known better than to trust him! Well, he’s not going to get away with this!”
“Where are you going?” Brown asked apprehensively.
“Where do you think? I’m going after Smith.”
“No, you’re not,” Brown stated, boldly stepping between the door and his furious friend.
“Brown, I don’t want to hurt you but I will if you don’t get out of the way.”
Brown jutted out his chin stubbornly. “I’m not leaving until you calm down.”
“Well, that‘s not going to happen until I pound the crap out of our so-called superior.”
“Jones, think about what you are doing! If you go into Smith’s office now, he will have you deleted! Is that what you want?” Seeing the livid look on Jones’ face, Brown knew that he would have to try another strategy in order to prevent Jones from leaving. “I know how long you have wanted to go out with Lara and I know you have wanted to do it for years. If you are deleted or exiled, what will happen to her? Because of her altered appearance—albeit it for the better--she has definitely caught Smith’s eye. You should see the way he looks at her when she is not aware of it. He wants her, Jones. If you are not here any longer, who is to stop Smith from turning his attention to her? Here, let’s just sit down and talk this over, all right?”
Jones nodded and acquiesced to the urgings of the youngest agent. Knowing that he had the advantage now, Brown continued in the same vein. “Just deal with everything one day at a time. Eventually, this will all be forgotten when some other bit of juicy gossip makes the rounds; you just have to ride it out, that’s all.”
Easy for you to say, Jones thought, scowling, you weren’t the one who was jerking off with everyone listening to every moan and worst of all, the cry I made when I came. How could I have been so stupid and listened to Smith?
“What should I do until it passes?” Jones asked glumly.
“Keep your head up and don’t dodge the shots and remarks that will come your way. Don’t let it get to you. You are an agent of the system. You are ruthless and one of best badass mothers I have ever seen in combat. You don’t take shit from nobody. Act like it! Show ‘em what you are made of, Jones. There’s one thing I have to know, though. Why did you go to Smith of all people for advice? Why didn’t you come to me?”
“To tell you the truth, Brown, I never thought you had had much experience with women and I felt I needed the advice of someone who did.”
“So you went to Smith?” Brown scoffed. “Let me tell you something my friend, even though I may look a lot younger than you or Smith, I am certainly not a virgin. Far from it. Okay, you made a mistake. You have to live with the consequences but I have to warn you that Smith will be watching for your reaction now that he knows you know what he did. He’s just itching for an excuse to get rid of you. Don’t give him a reason.”
Brown paused for a while, thinking of another choice of topic that would take his friend’s mind off getting his large deft hands around Smith’s neck. “On another note, I found out that he will be seeing Cel—I mean, Ms. Alvarez on Saturday night and you know how that date will end.” It was Brown’s turn to feel depressed and he stared down at his hands.
Jones welcomed the change of subject and the flush that appeared on Brown’s youthful face spoke volumes to his listener. “I wouldn’t be so sure, Brown. I have it from Lara herself that Celia will not sleep with him if she can possibly help it and she told me this before Smith had even asked her out. She detests him.”

“But you know how he is—every woman he asks out always ends up in his bed and then dumped the next morning. But if it turns out that she is really good in the sack, he might keep her for a week or a little longer. Eventually, he gets tired of them and goes on the hunt for someone new. He feeds them, fucks them and forgets them. In that order. What would really be a deterrent is if all those women that Smith has dated and dumped got together and threaten to sue the Company for sexual harassment. That would hit Smith right where he lives.”

Jones nodded and grinned wryly in agreement. “It sure would. Smith might be able to intimidate a couple of them if they got together, but the entire secretarial pool? No way. Even the Architect could not ignore that; a class-action lawsuit would definitely hit him where he lives—in his wallet. You like Ms. Alvarez, don’t you?”

“Yes. What’s not to like? She is beautiful, smart, spirited. I’ve always found her very attractive.”

“Then why haven’t you done anything about it? I admired Lara from afar and then yesterday, I decided enough was enough. Instead of continuing to dream about her, I asked her out and she said yes. The same thing might very well happen between you and Ms. Alvarez. You won’t know until you ask. C’mon, Brown. Let’s forget everything and drown our sorrows in a glass of good hard liquor. There’s still some left in the bottle, I think.”

Jones opened the bottom drawer of his desk and at the very back was a bottle of Jack Daniels. There were no glasses, but the two programs had shared alcohol in Jones’ office before, with each taking a deep swallow from the bottle itself.

“So what do you think of Lara?” Jones asked, passing the bottle across the table to his friend.

“I always knew she had a great figure under those awful clothes she wears,” Brown said, “and I was right, wasn’t I? Damn, that woman’s got a body! Don’t worry, I’m not going to go after her; she’s not my type.” I prefer someone with a little more spice to her personality, Brown thought, his thoughts dwelling on the fiery disposition and sharp wit of Lara’s friend Celia. Now that’s what I call a woman! She would be a handful for any man, I think.

When Brown had left, Jones leaned back in his chair before draining the bottle of its last dregs. He knew what had to be done now regarding his date with Lara. Jones was by no means a coward; he had been shot at point-blank range by rebels and never flinched from the oncoming bullets that he wasn’t able to dodge for one reason or another. He could not bear to see her face when she found out what he had done and the image of her possibly laughing at him was too mortifying to contemplate.

Writing this text message to Lara was the hardest thing he had ever had to do and if he had had a choice, facing certain death from the business end of a gun would have been much easier in comparison.

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“How do I look?” Lara asked, twirling herself around in the store fitting room mirror so that Celia could see and admire her own handiwork from every angle. “I feel a bit overdressed. It’s just dinner and a movie you know, not like we’re going to the opera or something.” I just wish that I could wear panties under this thing, but every kind of underwear the store had all left those damn lines. Celia said it spoiled the whole effect and she was right. I only hope Jones will not find out, for what would a man think if he discovered the woman he was going out with for the first time wasn’t wearing panties?

The deep crimson colour of the fabric made her face glow with colour and gave her hair a burnished sheen that had never been there before. The dress itself was not revealing; it was high-necked and all of the fastenings ran down the entire front of it. It was Oriental in design, made of the finest silk and form-fitting, hugging every curve but not showing any glimpse of breast or thigh.

“Sweetie, you look absolutely gorgeous,” piped up Celia from her vantage point. “If Jones doesn’t try to at least kiss you at the end of your date, then he’s got ice water running through his simulated veins. Either that, or he’s gay.” The two women giggled at the absurdity of that statement.

“Damn!” Celia cursed, checking her watch. “We were supposed to be back at the office by now! C’mon girl,” she said, “we gotta hustle or we’ll be late.” In less time than she would have imagined, the dress was paid for and the two friends were back in their respective cubicles with only moments to spare. They discovered that they need not have rushed; hardly any of the other secretaries around them were paying attention to their work, with the sound of whispered conversations that stopped abruptly when Lara and Celia entered the room. However, as soon as she headed over to her cubicle, the buzz of whispered confidences resumed.

What the hell is going on, Lara wrote in her email to Celia.

Damned if I know, came the response. But I am gonna find out right now. I have a few sources of info that I can tap into. Be back soon and I will fill you in on what I discover...

After Celia had signed off, Lara tried, without success, to keep her mind on her work. Her upcoming date with Jones and her curiosity about the strange behaviour of her colleagues made her think that the two events were related in some way. This only made her edgy and nervous and concentration was impossible until Lara was able to learn for herself what Celia had found out.

After what seemed an eternity, Celia returned and Lara was apprehensive at the expression on her face. Her friend’s countenance had never been so serious. Celia had obviously heard something that rattled her composure; which was something that had hardly ever happened since the two women had become friends.

“Hon, we need to talk. Come with me to the ladies’ room.” When she looked up, the faces of the secretaries that were nearest to her were expectant and all conversations had stopped abruptly in order to hear what was being said between Lara and herself.

“If you ladies don’t mind, Lara and I are going to powder our noses,” Celia said loudly enough for the entire room to hear, taking Lara by the elbow and almost yanking her out of her seat.

“What’s going on?” Lara asked as soon as the restroom door closed behind them. Celia placed a finger to her lips and she crouched to peek under every stall door to make sure that no one was about.

“Sorry about that, Lara, but I had to be sure that no one was eavesdropping.” She sighed and looked into her friend’s eyes. How the hell can I tell her, Celia wondered. It does have an element of humour in it, but if I know Lara, she will not see it that way.

“Is it…Jones? Has something happened to him?” Lara asked nervously. “Is it about tonight?”

“Just listen, OK?” Celia proceeded to tell Lara what had occurred earlier in the day….

“So that’s it?” Lara asked incredulously when Celia had finished. “By the way everyone was acting, I thought Jones was dead or something.” Lara turned away and looked at herself in the nearest mirror. I am responsible for what he did; he never would have felt the need to masturbate in the first place if I hadn’t let Celia make me over. But deep inside, she felt honoured. Jones became so aroused and anxious at my transformation, he felt driven to calm himself down so that he would not be tempted to take advantage of me, to possibly force himself on me to satiate the lust my new look might have made him feel.

“He did it because of me, Celia. I have to find him, to tell him how proud I am.”

However, before she could continue, she reached into her purse and took out her PDA. “Jones is text messaging me,” she said with a smile. The other day in the elevator, she had given him her street address as well as her email address. Her smile faded and tears formed in her eyes. “Read!” Lara said, her voice choked with tears as she passed Celia her Blackberry so her friend could read what Jones had sent less than an hour earlier:

Lara,

I have no choice but, unfortunately, I must cancel our date tonight. Please try to understand.

Agent Jones

Concerned, Celia read the message for herself. How dare he cancel their date, she raged silently. What a coward he is, caving in to pressure like that! Son of a bitch, I’m going to straighten him out right goddamn now!

“Lara, you stay here for a bit. I’ll be back soon.” Celia was careful not to let her friend see the true extent of her anger; Lara had enough on her plate right now without worrying about her friend on top of the cruel blow that Jones had delivered.

“Dry your eyes, honey, I’ll settle this, you can be sure of that!” Celia stormed out of the ladies’ room and headed to Jones’ office. What kind of a man would send a girl something like that, she thought angrily, when he doesn’t give any kind of explanation or reason. It was cruel and callous and I’m gonna give him a piece of my mind for sending crap like that to my best friend.

As she expected, the door was closed but Celia leaned over and detected no light underneath the door. However, a noise inside the office indicated that someone was inside and that could only mean that Jones was trying to hide. To hell with it, I’m not going to bother knocking. She yanked the door open and slammed it behind her.

“What the fuck was the deal behind that message? Huh?” Celia demanded. Her New York accent was more pronounced in times of anger or stress and if she let her guard down. Her eyes were hard and glittering like ice as she glared at Jones. “How could you do that to her? Do you have any idea, any comprehension of what she went through to get ready for tonight? No, you’re only a man; you have no idea how much it hurts a woman to get her pussy waxed.” Celia paused, mortified at what she had just told him. Hurriedly, she sought to get the rest of what she had to say out as soon as possible before she lost her nerve.

“Let me tell you something else Agent Jones: Lara is in the ladies’ bathroom crying her eyes out because of what you did to her and I’ll be damned if I’m going to just let you get away with it! Well? I’m waiting. What have you got to say for yourself?”

Jones could not meet Celia’s gaze and after a long moment when the target of her diatribe did not make an attempt an answer or explain his actions in any way, Celia gave a sigh of disgusted exasperation.

“Forget it, Agent Jones. Just fucking forget it.” She turned on her heel, her hand on the door handle. However, just before she opened it, Celia spoke again. “Lara really likes you, you know. But I guess that you care more about what assholes like Smith say than listening to your own heart. You like her, too, I know that. I also know that you are ashamed but if you turn away from her now, you will never find out if it could have worked between you. And that’s the greatest pity of all. But I guess in the long run, you did Lara a favour after all, Agent Jones, by showing her what you are made of.”

“What do you mean?” Jones asked quietly and even though Celia could not see him through the dimness of the room, she heard, in his tone, the sadness that had filled every digital byte of which he was comprised.

“You showed her, that despite your size, you have no backbone. You’re nothing but a coward and a loser and you deserve to be alone until the end of your existence.” Once outside the door, Celia breathed deeply, trying to quell the trembling in her body. In any other situation, she would have been petrified to address any of the primary agents using the words and tone that she did, but Celia knew she had had no choice: the welfare of Lara had to come first and the consequences be damned! Oh dear God, I can’t believe I just called the second primary agent a loser to his face, Celia thought, horrified.

But if Jones is the kind of man I think he is, I fully expect to find an email waiting for me at my desk, asking for my help in rectifying the situation. If this isn’t resolved before the day is out, I’ll resign my position and go back to the mailroom where I started, but I hope to hell it doesn’t come to that!

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Ms. Alvarez is right, Jones thought. I am a coward. I let the opinions of Smith and the others who mocked and laughed at me today get in the way of starting a relationship with Lara, someone whom I have always wanted to ask out but never had the courage. I am tired of coming home after work and having no one to talk to, to always being alone night after night with nothing to break the silence of my empty life.

Like millions of his male counterparts, Jones was a workaholic who submerged himself in his work, and only his work, for the lack of a female companion to enrich and fulfill his existence. There was a void in his life and he knew it. It wasn’t only an emotional need he had, it was physical as well. In his programming, he had needs that all men seek to fulfill. It had been years since his last meaningful sexual encounter, but Jones had alleviated his desires by burying them completely; strenuously working out until he was exhausted and the intoxicating sensation of sexual arousal evaporated. All agents of the System were strong, but because of the countless hours spent in weight training at the gym in the Agency building or in his apartment, he doubted that even Smith could surpass him in strength.

However, there were instances when physical exhaustion could not quieten the animal lust that still haunted him. Masturbation had eased his discomfort; however, while the act itself left Jones feeling satiated for the time being, he felt hollow and empty afterwards. From time to time, when he had craved the touch of warm feminine skin against his, he had sought out prostitutes to assuage his lust and while it worked in alleviating those demons inside of him, it was still meaningless.

He groaned in shame as he remembered the intensity of his orgasm earlier that day--how easily and quickly his penis became completely hard as sensual images and thoughts of Lara filled his mind. What it would feel like to suckle her breast until her nipple became hard in his mouth. Setting her mind and flesh ablaze with desire as he parted her labia with his fingers in preparation to bestow on her the most intimate act a man can perform on a woman. Feeling her fingers threading his hair, listening to her moans and whimpers of desire and longing as his lips and tongue brought her closer to her climax. Imagining thrusting inside of her, slowly at first so she could become accustomed to his weight and size, then faster and deeper, feeling Lara’s fingernails rake his back as passion overtook them both. The image that drove him to his orgasm had been the sensation of feeling her hot, wet mouth on his rigid manhood, swirling her tongue over the tip then applying the right amount of suction until he erupted deep inside her mouth.

Jones opened his eyes to his dark, lonely office and sighed. I should have known better than to go to Smith for advice. But after I saw Lara this morning, I didn’t know what to do and my stupid brain told me that my superior would be the logical candidate to broach my problem with. Everyone was right—I am an idiot. All muscle and no brains, that’s me all right.

Inhaling deeply, Jones imagined he could still smell the fragrance that wafted from her as she passed him in the hallway. When Lara looked at me, for once not wearing glasses, I saw her eyes for the first time and I felt aroused. I could feel myself starting to stir and awaken and I became afraid.

If I had that reaction from simply being with her in the same hallway, what would happen when we were alone? I could not afford to find out, for what if I had done nothing until tonight and found that I had to have her? Being the big brute that I am, she would not have any chance of defending herself against me. I have never forced myself on a female program, but from the moment I saw her today, I wanted her in the worst way. Even though the hallway was crowded, I wanted to rip her clothes off, to feel her skin next to mine, to satisfy myself by thrusting deep inside her up against the wall…

My mind was full of these kinds of thoughts, and I knew I had to ask someone for direction or some way out of this dilemma. And who did I turn to? Smith and the results of his so-called advice were played over the intercom system for all to hear. I balled up my fists in anger and wanted more than anything to be able to bury it in Smith’s face, to feel his nose break, to feel that scrawny pencil-neck’s blood on my hand.

Brown was right—I should have gone to him instead…but what’s done is done; I have to deal with the consequences and as much as I would dearly love to pound the shit out of Smith, that is simply not an option. However, it does make me realize that if I don’t stand up to those guys now, I will never be able to face them again. Since I am the largest of the agents, I will give any of those laughing baboons who ridiculed me this morning a taste of my fists if they so much as look at me cross-eyed.

I have a job to do, Jones thought, eyeing the stack of paperwork on his desk, his resolution and determination to get through this day flowing through him. If these reports aren’t done on time, Smith will take great pleasure in making me stay after work until it is completed. Besides, I cannot stay here all day—I have a date with Lara tonight. If she’ll still have me, that is.

But before I start anything, I have to make amends first. His fingers raced over the keyboard of his computer as he typed a query into the Company search engine. All programs were traceable anywhere in the building and the one program he was looking for, Lara, was still in the ladies’ room and close by her was another, most likely her friend who was just here and shamed me into coming to my senses. Since Lara is still there, she is probably very upset over my betrayal or she would have returned to her desk by now, Jones thought morosely.

However, I will do my best to apologize to her and make things right between us. Accessing another directory, Jones scanned it in order to find out what Ms. Alvarez’s email account was and quickly sent off the following message:

May I request that you keep Lara there until I arrive? Lara and I need to talk. Privately, if you wouldn’t mind.

Agent Jones.

He waited nervously, desperately hoping that she would respond soon and end his agony, whether the answer was yes or no. Less than one minute later, his computer beeped to indicate that an email had just been sent to him. With a sigh of relief, he read her message:

It’s about time, Agent Jones. I was beginning to think you would never write. I will make sure that Lara will be here when you arrive.

Celia.

Jones straightened his jacket, tie, and left his office. In less than two minutes, he had arrived. As he had expected, Celia was looking out for him and even she was surprised at his quick arrival.

“I’ll stand guard outside and ward off any weak-bladdered females from coming in so that you both can talk undisturbed,” Celia said with a grin. “I didn’t tell her you were coming, though. Talking in a john isn’t the most romantic locale for this kind of thing, but it’s pretty much the only place in the whole damn building that doesn’t have security cameras or listening equipment.” She cringed inwardly as she realized her faux pas and swallowed nervously, fully expecting Jones to say something on being listened to while in a bathroom, but he did not even notice her Freudian slip of the tongue.

Jones nodded absently and Celia gave him a reassuring wink as he went past her inside the lavatory. “Good luck,” she whispered and patted his arm.