Some Guys Have all the Luck

Chapter Five: The Date

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

A/N: This story could not have been written at all if it wasn’t for my co-author, smithsbabe65, for this was her brainchild and it is only through her hand-holding and butt-kicking me through my steady bouts of writer’s block that it is even being put into print….so to speak.

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Lara dabbed at her eyes. Damn it, she thought, my makeup is ruined and I should be at my cubicle. I am sure there is a huge amount of work on my desk and not only that, I know there is a gaggle of twittering gossips just waiting to see if they can glean any more information to torment me with. She reached over and fumbled blindly for the pack of tissues that Celia had left. She had foreseen Lara’s need and handed her one.

“Thanks Celia,” Lara mumbled quietly and blew her nose.

“You’re welcome, Lara,” Jones said.

Lara looked up and saw him standing in front of her from where she sat on top of the bathroom countertop. “What do you want?” she said sulkily. “Did you come here to see me cry? Well, you’re too late, I’m done.” Actually, I’m far from done crying because of what you did, but I’m not going to tell you that, she thought defiantly.

“I deserve that.”

“What are you doing here? This is the ladies’ room!”

“I know. I wanted to see you and explain why I cancelled our date. I am very sorry if I hurt you. I don’t know if you’ve heard, but earlier today…”

“I heard,” Lara said, getting up the courage to look at Jones. He looks sad, she thought, as she studied his face closely. He must be humiliated after he found out that everyone who was in the building heard him over the intercom.

“I know what you did,” Lara said, “and I am flattered, really I am.”

“You are?” Jones said incredulously, his eyebrows raised in surprise.

“Of course I am. What woman wouldn’t be? I mean, you did, um, that because you were, er, affected by the change in my appearance. You didn’t want to run the risk of possibly taking advantage of me on our date, knowing that you are so much bigger and stronger than I am.”

I’ve had a raging hard-on ever since I saw you this morning, Jones thought, but did not say it aloud for fear of her reaction.

“I have to ask you, Lara, why did you change your appearance so drastically? Not that you weren’t attractive before, I mean…” Jones hastened to add.

“I just wanted to look as nice as I felt after you asked me out,” Lara said, angry with herself for blushing yet again. “You really thought I was pretty? Before Celia worked me over, I mean?” she asked.

“Yes, definitely,” Jones said softly, his hand going out to touch her cheek as one last tear slowly slid down her face. “I’ve always thought you were pretty. Don’t cry, Lara, it hurts me enough to know that I’ve made you hide yourself in here for the last twenty minutes, let alone that you’ve been crying all this time.”

He felt her quiver when his fingers touched her skin. “I won’t hurt you,” he said, stepping closer to her. All right, here goes, Jones thought to himself as he put his hand under Lara’s chin and was encouraged when she did not slap his hand away or scream in fear as he did so.

I really should get back to work, Lara thought, but the hope of Jones kissing her made all thoughts of work exit her head as she tilted her head upwards in preparation for his kiss and uttered a small whimper of anticipation….

“How’s it going….oh, I’m sorry!” came a startled enquiry at the door. For the second time in as many days, someone caused Lara and Jones to break apart when the last thing either of them wanted to be separated. Fortunately, it was Celia this time, not Smith, so there was no censorious displeasure in her face. Realizing that they could hardly remain in the lavatory any longer, Jones and Lara left. Ignoring the curious stares of the people around them, each headed off to their respective work areas.

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Standing at the copy machine, Jones was aware of the snickers behind him. Gritting his teeth, he bristled in angry silence, ignoring the snide remarks and slurs that were being directed at him.

“Hey, Jones, will that girlfriend of yours turn back into a dog at midnight?” came a remark from right behind him. A chorus of raucous laughter met the speaker of that loathsome remark and out of the corner of his eye, Jones saw Jeffery Montgomery bow theatrically to his audience as if he were onstage.

Jones stopped what he was doing and turned around slightly. The movement caught the eye of Montgomery and knowing that he had at last gotten through to the large agent, he decided to press his luck.

“Because since you jerked off once already,” the man unwisely continued as he now saw he had Jones’ undivided attention, “you might not be up to the task of fucking her the way she deserves. But someone’s gotta do it. Does anyone know if she charges by the hour or by the night?” A louder cacophony of laughter rang through the room. Just about all the men in the room had seen her today and compared with the severe-but-professional attire Lara had always worn, her choice of apparel this morning did seem to suggest that her morals had been considerably loosened overnight.

“She’s in probably in so much pain right now from having her entire pussy waxed, I guess fucking her is out of the question anyway. That’s too bad. If I give her a hundred bucks, think she’ll give me a blow-job under my desk, Jones? Just because her pussy is out of commission, that doesn’t mean her mouth is, right?”

It was too much for Jones to bear. They can say what the hell they want about me, he thought, but Lara is off-limits and I’m going to prove it to them once and for all!

Whirling around, the large agent met the bold gaze of the man who had led the others in ridiculing him that morning. Jones reached down and grabbed the man by his crotch, effortlessly lifting him up with one hand and holding him at eye level. Jones was well over six feet tall while Montgomery, in comparison, was skinny and short, the top of his head barely reaching the agent’s chest.

“I’m sorry, what was that you said?” Jones asked mildly, squeezing the obnoxious man’s testicles until he gulped—unable and unwilling to say anything for fear of Jones tightening his grip on his balls.

“I didn’t say anything, Agent Jones. It was a mistake.”

“You are damn right it was, Montgomery,” Jones replied, a tight and humourless smile on his face as he squeezed his adversary’s groin harder. “And that goes for the rest of you,” he said, his eyes flicking around the room until he had made eye contact with everyone who had been watching the two men.

“If anyone says anything, and I mean anything about Ms. Rodgers or any other woman in this building again, I’ll rip the balls off of any man I catch doing it. Is that clear?”

No one dared to answer. With a dismissive scoff, Jones released the repugnant man who had ridiculed Lara so blatantly and he fell to the floor, immediately curling into a fetal position and holding his groin, moaning in agony.

“Get up,” Jones ordered, kicking Montgomery hard. Understandably, the man on the floor was in no position to either obey or deny Jones’ demand.

“Why?” the prone man croaked.

“Because you are going to repeat each and every word of what you said to Ms. Rodgers personally and beg for her forgiveness, that’s why,” Jones sneered, hauling the grovelling man by the collar and dragging him out of the office and down the hallway, out of sight of the other co-workers.

Like all cowardly men who like to make derogatory or sexual remarks about a woman behind her back but would never dare do it to her face, Montgomery recoiled at the idea.

“No, man, I don’t wanna…I can’t.”

“Why not?” Jones asked, shoving Montgomery’s back against the wall so that he was facing Jones. “Oh, I see. It makes you feel like a man when you do it behind her back, but you can’t to her face, is that it? Well, I will tell you what—I won’t make you do it this time, but you will complete all the paperwork I am going to give you. You will do it perfectly without any mistake whatsoever: every ‘t’ will be crossed and every ‘i’ will be dotted. If I find any kind of error, you won’t be able to fuck any woman for a month. Do you understand me or is that in any way unclear?”

Montgomery nodded his acceptance of Jones’ terms and slouched against the wall until he felt capable to stand on his own power. Not surprisingly, he made himself scarce for the rest of the day and when Jones picked up his report from Montgomery’s desk, he smiled, satisfied with the results. Every ‘i’ had been dotted and every ‘t’ had been crossed to perfection. Montgomery had taken Jones’ threat seriously, it seemed.

From his unseen vantage point, Agent Brown had heard and seen everything. Willing and able to assist Jones in any way his friend required, he discovered that Jones had had the situation in control.

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Just before Jones was to pick her up at seven, Lara gave herself an once-over glance when the doorbell rang, smoothing her dress and answered the door. OK, kiddo, it’s show time, she thought, opening the door.

“Come on in, make yourself comfortable,” Lara said, and she gave a gasp of surprise when she saw the bouquet of long-stemmed red roses that Jones held out to her. No man had ever given her flowers before and she knew that what he had just given her must have cost a lot of money.

“Thank you, Age—Jones, they are lovely!” she said enthusiastically. For God’s sake, girl, she chided herself, you almost called your date by his title, not his name! “Let me put these in some water. Sit down,” she called from the kitchen and watched surreptitiously as her date chose a chair at random and waited for her to return with their drinks.

They sat together in silence, each of them at a loss of things to say.

“You look very nice,” Jones finally ventured, straining to break the silence between them. In a way, Smith was incorrect: self-gratification does not take the edge off a man’s desire for a woman, especially one as attractive as Lara is at this moment. When I am this close to her like I am now, I find her irresistible. I want to take her in my arms and….

He cleared his throat uncomfortably and tugged at the collar of his shirt to loosen it a little. Damn, he thought. I almost forgot to remove my earpiece! It was bad enough when everyone at the office was aware of how I had gratified myself, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to let everyone connected to the Mainframe--not to mention Brown and Smith--know every detail of my date. With a flick of his finger, he tucked the earpiece inside his shirt collar.

“Um, where would you like to go for dinner?” he asked, trying to take his mind away from the erotic images that had been on his mind since he entered Lara’s apartment.

“Not the Frenchman’s place, that’s for sure,” Lara stated, shaking her head vigorously from side to side.

“Why don’t you want to go there?” Jones asked curiously.

“Because he likes to put programs into the food just to see the effect it has on whoever eats it. He’s a sick bastard who gets off on drugging people for his own amusement. I even heard that he sends some of the more attractive female patrons a dessert as compliments of the house but hidden inside is a program that makes them have an orgasm! Not only that, after they start eating the cake, he watches them closely to see how they handle the effects. So, no, I would rather not go to his place if you don’t mind. How about that new Italian place that just opened up downtown? The one that everyone has been raving about? It doesn’t look like much from the outside, but from what I’ve been told, the food is to die for.” As long as we are together, it wouldn’t matter to me in the slightest where we end up going, Lara thought. I’d be perfectly happy going to a monster-truck rally followed by eating at a hot-dog stand!

Jones nodded his agreement with her choice of dining establishment and after they had finished their drinks, headed downstairs. I wonder what Lara would do if she ever ate a piece of cake laced with that well-known and highly stimulating program of the Merovingian’s that would make her climax at the dinner table of a five-star restaurant, Jones thought. Would Lara just sit there, prim and proper, pretending nothing untoward was happening, or would she allow herself to enjoy the sensations of having an orgasm in a public place.

Jones had the wicked feeling that Lara would allow herself to thoroughly enjoy such an experience. Her face would be flushed with passion, her eyes half closed and slightly glazed as she felt the sexually arousing effects of the cake rushing through her system. The skin of Lara’s breasts would be pink with suffused blood just under the surface and her large nipples would be at their hardest, straining against the barrier of her brassiere to broadcast her heightened state of arousal to every male in the room who cared to look at her resplendent bosom.

She might even squeeze her knees together to keep her feelings of lust at bay; or, if I were with her and I knew what was happening, she might even part them to grant my foot access to stimulate her between her legs. When her orgasm was upon her, Lara would bite her lower lip to keep herself from crying out as the tingling in her loins reached their peak and she came, clutching the tablecloth and moaning deep in her throat so as not to disturb the other patrons…

Lara nudged his arm playfully, for the expression on his face suggested that his thoughts were very far away and said so.

You have no idea how right you are, Jones thought, as some part of his mind apologized to Lara for his inattention.

Lara smiled when he opened the car door for her and again when they arrived at the restaurant. On arrival, Jones had his doubts about how good the food could be from an eating-place that had such a plain exterior. Once inside, his doubts were not alleviated much for the inside of the place was just as nondescript. However, if Lara wants to try this place out, then I am all for it.

They found a secluded table for two at the back of the dining room. The ambience was pleasant and Jones forgot his doubts as the smells from the kitchen promised tantalizing hints of that culinary wonders that were to follow shortly.

Like all couples on a first date, they were initially ill at ease at being alone together. While their food was being prepared, both of them drank generously from the bottle of good wine their waiter had recommended. The opportunity of finally being able to talk face-to-face plus the effects of the wine removed their difficulties at finding topics of conversation to engage in.

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“I had a really nice time tonight,” Lara said shyly as they stood outside her apartment door. Now was the awkward moment in every couple’s first date: what do you do when the date is over and it is time to go? From a man’s point of view, he wonders if he should merely shake her hand and/or kiss her primly on the cheek. For a woman, the dilemma is whether to invite him in for the proverbial cup of coffee that neither wants or to simply say goodnight and leave it at that.

Lara glanced at her watch: 11:45. Damn, it’s still too early. I do not want this, our first date, to end so soon, she thought. But if I invite him in, won’t he get the wrong impression of me? Will he think that I have more in mind than sharing a beverage with him? That I want him to share my bed tonight? Not that I wouldn’t mind, but definitely not on our first date. But, damn it, I don’t want him to leave just yet!

Lara sought to find a solution before Jones would think her silence was a signal for him to go; after all, it had been a few minutes since they arrived at her apartment.

“Um, Jones, I just remembered that I have to pick a few things at the store, will you walk with me? It’s getting late and I’d rather not go alone.”

Lara repressed a smile when she saw Jones’ face soften as he nodded. So he doesn’t want to part from me either, she thought, happy in the knowledge and exultant in feminine pride that the mild pain for all of the waxing and the expense of her dress and shoes she had purchased specifically for their date had not been for nothing.

I know she is not telling me the truth, Jones thought, as he walked beside her tempering his long gait to match the much smaller stride of his delectable companion, for programs such as ourselves do not have to eat, but I do not care. I liked being with her this evening and if she wishes to prolong it, I will go along with any ruse in order to remain in her company for as long as possible.

As they walked to the store, they strolled slowly together in silence and Lara took the liberty of holding his hand and was relieved when his warm fingers closed around hers, squeezing them gently. The coolness of the night evaporated and Lara trembled for a moment.

Jones paused to look at her and realized that Lara did not have her coat on. Her arms were bare as her dress had had no sleeves and when he analyzed her code, he saw goose bumps racing up and down her arms as well as definite jump in her heart rate.

“Here, take my jacket,” he said, as he took his coat off and put it over her shoulders. “Put your arm around me and keep yourself warm,” he said and Lara happily obeyed. The night wasn’t that chilly and she really wasn’t cold at all, but she wasn’t about to tell him so. She delighted in this closer intimacy as his jacket retained the warmth of his body and slight smell of aftershave.

Lara put her arms through the sleeves of the coat and slipped her hand around Jones’ waist. The feeling of his arm around her shoulders was indescribable. For the first time in a long while, she felt safe and unconsciously she leaned closer to him, rejoicing in the feel of his hard, well-muscled body against hers.

After Lara had picked up what she needed from the store, the pinching of the new high-heeled shoes she had bought was causing her feet a great deal of discomfort, every step hurting her more and more. She tried flexing her toes inside her shoes as much as possible, but the ones she had picked were simply not meant nor made for taking lengthy, romantic nighttime strolls and her efforts were futile to unobtrusively relieve her discomfort.

“Damn,” Lara cursed quietly. “Hold on for a minute, I have to take these shoes off or I won’t be able to walk tomorrow.” Holding Jones’ arm for balance, she removed the shoes from her feet. However, the damage had been done: no sooner had her foot touched the pavement, she felt it throb. Lara tried putting her shoe back on, but her foot had swelled up as soon as she had removed it. She groaned in exasperation. I can’t walk with them on and I can’t walk without them either, she thought. How am I going to get home? No matter what I do, it’s going to be one hell of a painful walk back, that’s for sure.

She laughed wryly. “I’m going to have to use your arm as support, Jones, do you mind?”

“I have a better idea, if you will permit me?” he said, looking at her. She was about to ask what that solution was when all of a sudden, he picked her up in his arms with no effort. Lara giggled and placed her arms around his neck.

“You are a genius, Jones, do you know that? I never would have thought of this,” she said with a laugh.

Jones was glad that the night was very dark as it hid the rush of blood that effused his face. Women have called me many things in my time, but not one of them, especially not one as pretty as Lara, has ever referred to me as being even remotely intelligent.

“It’s a long way back though,” Lara said concerned, “can you really carry me all that way?” She had no doubt he was capable of it for she was able to feel his strength just by the remarkably easy way he handled her. His touch was exceedingly gentle, although the muscles in his arms, chest and shoulders felt like iron against her body. He is one hell of a man, Lara thought; solid like a rock and gentle as can be. What would it feel like to sleep next to him, she wondered, to feel those incredibly strong arms holding me, protecting me all through the night and she blushed at the thought.

In less time than she wished, they had arrived back at her apartment door and with much gentleness as if she were made of glass and might break in his hands if he handled her roughly, Jones lowered her so that she could stand up. At this second leave-taking at her door, Lara was ready, her mind made up.

“Would you like to come inside?”

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After Jones left nearly three hours later, Lara leaned against the door and closed her eyes in happiness. It had been a long time since she had been on a date and her time with Jones had surpassed even her highest expectations. And from what she could tell, he had had a good time too. Of course since Jones hardly ever smiled, it was hard to be sure, but there had been a softening of his usual dour and impassive expression and his eyes became warmer and inviting as they conversed that told her he liked being in her company. Not only that, she told herself, he placed his jacket around me when he could have just handed it to me.

I should have made the date for tonight instead of yesterday because now I have nothing to look forward to until Monday when I see him again, she thought sadly. If I can get up the courage and ask him, I wonder if he would like to see me again. Maybe even tomorrow, she thought hopefully.

Pulling herself out of her reverie, she changed her clothes and put on a movie, knowing that sleep would be a long way off for her tonight. She had too much on her mind to even think of sleeping.

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For his part, Jones was feeling the same as Lara when he went home. He sat on his sofa and the smell of Lara’s perfume brought her constantly to his mind. It was slightly spicy but not overpowering and even though his olfactory senses were in perfect working order, he brought his jacket to his nose to inhale her intoxicating scent deeper.

He analyzed every detail of their time together and could find nothing in his examination that indicated that Lara had not had a good time. Relieved, he could only conclude that the date had been satisfactory for her as well. It certainly appeared that way for she laughed and talked and participated in every facet of their date with honest, wholehearted enjoyment.

Both of us were a little shy at first, but that did not last long owing to the excellent wine we drank. Perhaps she already knew that I am far from being a great conversationalist and she compensated for it by using her higher ability of social skills to make me feel at ease very quickly.

I wonder what she is doing now, he thought idly. It’s too bad that we have to wait until Monday to see each other again. Now that I have a far greater understanding of what constitutes a proper date between a man and a woman, I would like very much to see her again. To feel her close to me, to feel my fingers slide up her arms as I bent my head to kiss her, my arms wrapped around her slim waist, her breasts pressed tightly against me as our lips met for the first time….

Jones sighed contentedly. His groin stirred, filling his system with desire--wanting, needing to be close to Lara again, to hear her voice, to feel her arm or hand brushing his. I will call her tomorrow to see how her feet are, he decided. It’s a poor excuse at best, but it’s all I’ve got. And who knows what may happen?

For the first time in a very long time, he allowed himself to fall asleep. With his jacket held close to his nose so he could inhale Lara’s perfume, Jones felt certain that, for once, his nocturnal downtime thoughts would be pleasant for they would be solely about Lara and not the dark images that usually permeated and disturbed his rest.