The Company (AU,M/M,ADULT) Chapter 35 9/22/13 [WIP]

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Pixie-Maria
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The Company (AU,M/M,ADULT) Chapter 35 9/22/13 [WIP]

Post by Pixie-Maria »

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Title: The Company.

Couple: AU, All, mainly M&M

Rating: Adult.

Disclaimer: The characters of Roswell belong to the Powers That Be. They are not mine and no infringement is intended. No infringement is intended with the film ‘Wanted.’

Summary: The Company is an elite group of assassins. All are in some stage of their 20’s. No aliens involved but there are some ‘abilities’ floating around there. (sorry I suck at summaries).

AN : I got the idea for this fic after watching Wanted again, so if you’ve seen the film some things might seem familiar. I started to write this the other week and it’s not finished but I thought I’d go ahead and give you a teaser with the first chapter to see how it is received. This is a new fic as opposed to my other fic’s that were written 10 years ago.

Anyway please tell me what you think, should I continue or stick to my day job!!!!!
Enjoy, I hope.



The music was loud and thumping as the strobe lights vibrated widely to the beat, making the throng of people dancing flash in and out of vision. The figures moved; arms flying, hips swinging, bodies pulsating to the deep throbbing rhythm. The air was hot and dry as sweat dripped from those dancing in the heat and the flashing lights.

The person at the center of the mass of gyrating bodies was receiving a lot of attention from both male and female. Her hands were above her head and her eyes closed as she swayed sensually to the beat that resounded around her and echoed deep in her body, seemingly unaware of the male bodies that surrounded her.

She lowered her hands to pull her blond hair away from her neck, the sweat glistening, and she twisted it up slightly, holding it in place. She opened her eyes and flashed a flirtatious smile at the new body that appeared in front of her. She watched him intently as his eyes took in her body and she tried hard to repress the bile threatening to escape as his hands landed on her hips. She watched as he licked his lips and she pressed her body against his, turned her head from him slightly, her eyes searching for the figures at the bar.

“She’s too good at this,” Kyle Valenti said as he watched the blond wrap herself around their man on the dance floor, no light visible between them.

“Why does she have to get so close?” Billy Darden asked standing next to Kyle at the bar, drinking his 'beer' and wishing it had an alcoholic content to it.

The owner of the bar worked for the company so their beers were water in a beer bottle to give the illusion of beer drinking friends on a night out and the only drink they were allowed to have whilst on duty. Alcohol was strictly off limits, the ramifications were expensive and the dressing down from the boss even worse.

Kyle looked at Billy and laughed. “Man you’ve got no chance with her. Not in a million years.”

“It could happen,” Billy lamented, “I’m an attractive healthy heterosexual, and she’s a smoking hot chick….,”

“And there’s your problem, dude,” Kyle interrupted him, “don’t call her a chick. She’ll kill you with one look and a flick of her oh so delicate wrist.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” Billy said softly.

Kyle’s eyes had never left the woman on the dance floor and he smirked at the look she sent to him. “She’s so pissed off right now. One false move from him and we’ll lose our target.”

“What the fuck is she wearing?” a new voice said in anger.

“Deluca,” Kyle greeted. “I think that outfit came out of her ‘I’m a slut; do me now’ wardrobe.”

“Fuck,” Sean cried as he signaled to Brett, the bartender, who grabbed one of the ‘special’ beers for the newcomer. “She’ll be the death of me ya know.”

Billy and Kyle looked appreciatively at her. The piece of sparkly cloth that served as her top was barely there, covering the essentials and leaving nothing to the imagination, held in place with two lengths of ribbon that criss-crossed over her shoulders and across her back.

Her skirt was leather and indecently short with scandalous slits up the sides, which showed to perfection the glorious length of her slender legs. Dangerously high, and probably very expensive, heeled shoes finished the look accentuating her legs, making her taller than her 5ft 4 height; the whole outfit was working perfectly as all eyes in the club were on her.

“I thought the plan was to blend in?” Sean said, taking a quick drink of the water in his beer bottle.

“Guess she had other ideas,” Kyle laughed. “She’s incapable of ‘blending in’.”

“How the hell is she supposed to work in those heels?” Sean whined to his companions.

“Do you actually doubt her abilities?” Billy asked seriously.

Kyle shook his head at Sean and Billy as they argued the difference between the ability to do things properly and the art of screwing up gracefully. Kyle knew it was pure talent on her part. He straightened as he watched the guy snake his hand down to grasp a handful of her ass, pulling her closer to his lower regions, and saw her whisper something in his ear, her hand by his shoulder sending a silent signal to them.

“I think she’s had enough,” Kyle said pulling away from the bar. He looked at Sean, “Who’s gonna be the boyfriend this time.”

The three guys looked at each other, each lifting a hand in the classic pose of rock paper scissors.



Out on the dance floor Maria had had enough of the slime ball slobbering all over her. She took a lot of crap in the line of duty but this was definitely the downside.

Oh she loved the dancing, the drinking, when she could get others to buy her drinks and therefore bypass the no drinking rule, she loved the clothes and the music. She even didn’t mind the wandering hands on her body, if they had the right face and the right body, but this guy was definitely neither. She’d had enough and her eyes wandered the club again, barely glanced over the tall body at the far end of the bar as she double checked the layout and peoples positions. Then her eyes insistently returned to him. Now he had the right face and the right body. Tall, dark hair, though in the dim lighting she couldn’t determine what color, just brushing his shoulders and framing a face that begged to be looked at, with soft inviting lips. A tight fit body, enhanced by the simple black t-shirt he wore. Dark jeans that hid what she imagined to be strong powerful legs. He was watching her and she met his heated regard over the slob’s shoulder. The very air became charged with an electric wave and everything seemed to slow down. The air particles paused and the atoms that made up the atmosphere in the club stopped moving. She shivered delightfully in his scrutiny and said slob took this as an invitation to grab a handful of her ass.

That broke her gaze with the body by the bar and the room rushed back into movement. That was it, she’d had enough and she inched forward to whisper seductively in his ear as she sent her signal to Kyle over at the bar. She made a mental to note to return to the club later and hope the guy with the body was still here.

She risked another look over to Kyle and rolled her eyes when she saw them doing the age old ritual of who was going to ‘rescue’ her. Why they didn’t decide in advance was beyond her. Her eyes flickered back to the hunk of maleness further down the bar and she tensed a little when he pushed off the bar and headed over. ‘Shit’ she whispered.

She felt his hand, 'wow now that’s a big hand', wrap around her arm and pull her out of the slimes clutches.

“Babe, what have I said about picking scum bags up”’ he growled at her, their eyes almost level thanks to her shoes. “Threesomes only work if I’m involved in the selection process.”


“Oh fuck,” Kyle said low as he watched a tall man walk over to Maria and pull her from their target. Sean spun to look at his cousin. “What the fuck?” he said.

“Old bed buddy?” Billy said, hopefully as Sean took a few steps toward the dance floor.

“Sean,” Kyle called stopping him, “just wait. Let’s see what she does.” They turned as one back to the drama playing out on the dance floor.


Maria shook her arm out of the Neanderthals hands, “Well honey,” she said through her teeth, “if you were giving me what I needed, I wouldn’t need to would I.”

He turned to the thing he had pulled away from the babe he had christened ‘sex on legs’ and pushed the rejected man slightly, “Get lost loser,” he said as he pulled the girl to him.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Maria asked, only slightly shocked, noticing her three guys taking a step toward her but then stopping at the minuscule shake of her head. She could salvage this situation.

“Nice mouth you’ve got, babe,” the brute said, and Maria wondered if he meant her language or her actual mouth. She knew that was a drawing feature to many a man, the benefit of her full lips, they had never failed her yet. Maria placed her hands on his chest, to push him away she reasoned, but her fingers had their own mission as they moved slowly, feeling his muscles under the thin cotton of his t-shirt, scraping slightly against a nipple that strung to attention.

He wrapped his arm around her waist, his own fingers dancing across the bare skin of her back, and pulled her even closer. Maria could feel him completely as he plastered her body to his, his other hand held her face, pulling it to him and she instinctively closed her eyes. His lips met hers with a ferocity that took her breath away as he kissed her with relish. She couldn’t stop her lips from opening at his silent request and she melted against him as their tongues battled delightfully for dominance. She refused to give in and so did he as he held her head in place, not letting her move away. Her arms found themselves around his broad shoulders, one hand dancing lightly with the ends of his hair where it laid against the nape of his neck. She felt his lips and his tongue all the way down to her toes and whimpered into him at the pull of her womb. Eventually he pulled back and Maria slowly opened her eyes and found herself lost in his golden whiskey ones. She fought to regain her breath and her composure when his hold slackened.

“You wait here,” he whispered and Maria groaned at the huskiness of his voice. She could only nod, strangely not trusting her own voice, not knowing why she wasn’t kicking this guy’s ass. He turned to her target. “You outside, now.”

That spurred Maria into action. “What! No, wait,” but it was too late as he turned and pushed her target out in front of him heading for the exit.


“What the fuck happened,” Sean called as they met Maria out on the dance floor.

Maria was gazing in the direction her brute had taken their stolen target. “I have no idea but I think I’ve either peed myself or I’m lubed and ready to go.”

“Can we discuss your sexual depravities later and try to rescue our mission,” Sean growled as they headed as one unit out of the same exit their target had been pushed.


Out in the dark alley Maria shivered as the night air hit her sweat soaked body, her eyes roaming the alley for the two men. From the corner of her eye she saw Billy eyeing her. Knowing her nipples were standing to attention through arousal and the cold air, she huffed at him, “For fuck sake Billy, buy Playboy or something and stop ogling me.”

She moved as she spotted the men further into the alley, arguing, the guys following behind her.

“Please tell me you’re packing something in that none outfit,” Sean whispered in her ear.

“Do you see any likely hiding places?” she retorted, her eyes never leaving the arguing men.

“Shit Maria,” he grumbled, “I want a new partner.” His hand flashed down quickly and he pulled a small hand gun from a holster at his ankle, hardly breaking stride.

He handed it to Maria and she slipped it in the waist band of her skirt in the small of her back.

“I want that one back, Ria,” Sean said.

“Sure you do, honey,” she laughed, her hand patting his cheek as they stopped a few feet from their target.


The boorish oaf, who now fuelled her erotic fantasies, turned at the sound of her voice. He scowled when he saw her, with three other men behind her. “I thought I told you to wait inside for me,” he growled out.

Kyle leaned forward slightly to Maria, “You know this guy?”

Maria stared into the eyes of the man in front of her. “Not yet,” she said with a smile.

Ever impulsive and showing his operative immaturity, Billy stepped forward, his gun pulled and aimed at the two in front of them.

“Fuck Billy,” Sean swore, as the man pulled his own weapon, and then he and Kyle reached for theirs.

It looked like a standoff, but 3 guns against 1 were pretty good in Maria’s eyes, plus hers that remained in place for the moment.

“Back away,” the body god said, his eyes flickering, trying to keep all the new people in his sight plus the deadbeat next to him. Where the fuck was Jason when he needed him? “LAPD,” he said.

“Shit,” Sean whispered. “You see what you did with that outfit, M. I ought to have you mentally assessed.”

“Shut up Sean,” she said, with a not so gentle smack to his stomach with the back of her hand.

“Guys, we’ve got additionals,” Kyle said and sure enough, out of the darkness further down the alley 3 huge guys were walking toward them.

“Oh this just gets better and better,” the body god called, sarcastically.

“I like this,” Sean said with a smile, “it’s no fun when their outnumbered.”

The slime ball that had been pawing her in the club stood taller. “Yeah, that’s right. What ya gonna do now, cop,” he said tauntingly, as he backed down the alley to the new arrivals.

“Hey, Dickless,” the oaf called, “I said don’t move.” He looked into the eyes of ‘sex on legs’ and in a instant he made up his mind and swung his gun around to ‘Dickless’ behind him, away from her and the men behind her.

They were now equally divided or so dickless thought, the men in front of him and him and his men. Of course he discounted the piece of ass.

Maria made a small movement of her head and sprang into action, moving with incredible speed for one in such high heels as she spurred forward and swept her leg out, hitting the backs of her fantasy man’s legs, knocking him out the way as she dropped with him, holding him down as the barrage for gun fire sounded above them.

He huffed on his way down, surprised by this slip of the girl as she took him out and landed on top of him.

“Stay down,” she whispered into his ear and for a moment he obeyed. Then he swung around, catching her unaware as he rolled them on the dirty concrete, so he lay on top of her.

Maria hissed as the hard, cold, ground scraped her back, “Fuck,” she swore as god knows what cut into her back.

“Not really the right time, Blondie,” the man above her growled with a lopsided grin, before placing a swift kiss against her lips, “later” he added and then he jumped up to a half standing position his gun wavering, undecided in which direction to point it.

Maria moved again, and he found himself pushed out of the way by her small frame, his body slammed against the wall. “Keep out of the way cop, or there won’t be a later,” she growled.

“Maria,” Sean’s agitated voice called to her. “Put the boy toy down and get to work.”

“What’s wrong Seanie,” she called, her body pressed against the lust worthy man, who she mentally had named The Body God, by the wall, her eyes not moving from his. “Need little old me to give you a hand?”

Her head turned as she heard Billy call out and watched as he fell to the ground, holding his leg.

“Shit Billy,” she whispered.

“Nice friends you’ve got,” The Body said with a smirk, and then both their heads swung around the other side as one of the others fell, and didn’t move.

“Three against two,” Dickless taunted again, “I like them odds.”

Maria moved away from the heat of ‘The Body God’ against the wall, one hand stretched out against his chest, telling him silently to stay, as her other hand pulled the gun from her back and before the men could register anything, the two behind Dickless fell.

“Now that’s what I’m talking about,” Sean said with a smile, as she walked over to his side, her gun trained on Dickless.

“What the fuck?” LAPD said, following her away from the wall. “Who the fuck are you?”

“Your worst nightmare,” Kyle said with a laugh.

“Kyle, call the team,” Maria ordered as she advanced on Dickless, “Get Billy out of here.”

Kyle turned to his fallen partner and pulled his cell out.

“You think you can take me,” Dickless called, as he pulled another gun from somewhere, to which The Body God stepped beside Maria and pointed his own gun at him, Sean on her other side.

“I should arrest you all for inferring in a police matter,” he said to the two beside him. ‘Where the FUCK was Jason,’ he thought again.

“I’d like to see you try,” Maria smirked at him, her face unmoving from the target.

“Shit,” Dickless said, “You’re from The Company. Mason sent you.”

“Bingo,” Sean called cheerily.

The Body God looked from the young slip of a girl to Dickless and actually saw fear in his eyes for the first time that evening. The words, ‘The Company’, registering in his mind.

“You’ve been a very bad boy, Derek,” Maria said, in an unbelievably sexy voice as she sauntered forward to him.

Derek/Dickless actually took a step back from her.

“That money was mine,” he stammered out.

“The money means jack. You betrayed a trust and took something you had no reason to take,” she replied. “Now we were supposed to take you in but I think we’ll just hand you over to The Body God here,” she tipped her head to indicate the cop beside her. “I hear prison can be very memorable for the likes of you.”

“Maria,” Sean cautioned.

“5 Minutes,” Kyle called from further down the alley.

“Tell me,” Maria asked steadily, “did you ever think you’d be in this position when you held that poor girl down and took away from her what you had no right too.”

“Maria,” Sean tried again, this time stepping forward to her.

“Is the money worth it now that you’ll be someone’s bitch for the rest of your life?”

She looked at him sideways, as if pondering the situation, “although I doubt anyone would want you, but there are some fucked up shitters in prison aren’t there.”

She saw the motion half a second too late as dickless pressed against the trigger of his gun, her eyes wide as she realized her grave mistake. This is it, she thought, as she distantly heard the gun go off, half a smile gracing her face. Her body fell as the wind rushed out of her lungs and she waited for the searing pain she knew accompanied a gun shot. It never came. All she could feel was blood spilling over the bare skin of her stomach and a dead weight against her. She looked down to see The Body God sprawled across her.

“Oh Shit,” she called, feeling more of the warm blood soak onto her. “NO!” She rolled him off her, her hands sweeping his body until they landed in the bloody mess just below his lung on the right side.

“Oh fuck,” she cried, her hands, soaked in his blood, reaching up to his face, turning it to hers, her eyes catching his.

“What the fuck were you thinking?” she cried.

Sean was there in an instant and they both turned their heads at the sound of retreating feet. Maria picked her gun back up and aimed with deadly accuracy. Dickless fell without a sound, her bullet through the back of his head.

“Give me your shirt, Sean,” she demanded and Sean quickly complied with her order, stripping it off over his head. She bunched it up and held it against the wound.

“How long, Kyle,” she shouted, her eyes again on the man bleeding out and struggling to breathe, her body leaning forward over his.

“2 minutes,” Kyle called, helping Billy to stand.

“Shit!” she said. Maria lifted her head to Sean, her eyes holding her question.

“No Maria,” he said, shaking his head. “No way, he’s a cop”

“He’s a dead cop if we leave him here, Sean.”

“We’ll call for an ambulance,”

“They won’t get here in time,” she said, her voice frantic. “Sean, he saved my life. If he dies his blood is on my hands,” she looked down at his blood all over her hands and held them up to Sean, “literally.”

Sean looked back down the alley to Kyle and Billy. “Shit, Maria. You’re explaining this one to the old man.”
Maria looked back down and into the golden depths of his eyes; they were getting darker.

“Hey,” she said, her blood stained hand on his face. “Stay with me ok. You need to stay with me if we are gonna have our later. I don’t fuck dead people you know.”

She smiled when his eyes sparkled a little. She heard the scurry of movement down the other side of the alley and knew the team had arrived. She glanced up and saw them rush to Billy.

“Leave him, he can walk. Over here,” she commanded.

They immediately obeyed her and ran to where she was.

“You’ll be ok,” she said to the bleeding man. He moved his lips slightly and she bent closer to him, her ear to his lips.

“Maria?” he asked softly in question.

She pulled back slightly and smiled, nodding.

“Michael,” he breathed out.

“Michael,” she repeated softly.

His lips moved again and she leaned forward again to hear him as the medics pulled away her piss poor attempt the stop the bleeding. “I hope you’ve got good stamina,” he whispered against her ear and Maria couldn’t stop the shiver that ran through her at the feel of his breath on her ear.

“You’d better believe it,” she whispered back and kissed him gently on the lips. He smiled against her lips as his eyes drifted closed and she sat back. She grabbed some gauze from a medic and wiped the blood from her hands. She looked down at the blood smeared on her top and the exposed skin of her stomach. “Shit, I loved this top,” she whined to no one in particular.

She felt arms pulling her back. “Maria, what the fuck have you been doing, your back is shredded,” Liz said her eyes wide.

“I’m ok, just get him into a unit,” she ordered,

“Rolling around the concrete with LAPD here,” Sean offered with a cheeky grin to the small brunette.

Liz shook her head at her friend. “Jesus Maria, you always find the most inappropriate times to play.”
Then she looked at the wound on the man on the ground. “Fuck,” she said, “this is gonna be a close one.”

Maria smiled at her friends cussing, feeling proud of her on-going corruption of sweet Liz Parker, as another pair of hands grabbed her and lifted her from the ground.

“Here,” Kyle said, and slipped his shirt over her shoulders, “let’s try and keep some of that deadly bacterium out of those cuts.”

“Did you at least get the target?” Liz asked as she worked quickly to stabilize the man before they could move him.

Maria turned and looked down the alley at the four bodies laid haphazardly on the ground. “Didn’t quite go as planned but yeah,” she said.

“I called for clean up too,” Kyle said, watching Liz work and just as the words left his mouth a loud booming voice called, “This just stinks of the She-Devil.”

Maria turned and smiled at the huge burley man as he bore down on her. “Gotta give you something to do other than eat all the pastries, Charlie,” she said with a gracious smile.

“Sweet cheeks, you always inspire me to do my best work,” he returned her smile; a large gentle hand sweeping along her cheek, as he walked passed her.

“Mariya,” a softer accented voice said, “are you ok, malinkaya?”

Maria looked at the dashingly handsome man before her; tall, slender, with tanned skin, dark hair and an unbelievably sexy smile. “I’m fine, Vladimir, you won’t lose your drinking partner that easily. I have to win my money back remember?” she smiled.

“That I do, Mariya. And I have a new batch arrived this morning straight from the motherland,” his eyes twinkling.

“You’re on Vladimir,” she smiled back; her eyes wandering unconsciously back to the medics working on Michael.

“Please Vladimir, let her heal before you poison her with that shit,” Liz said, standing up. “Ok he’s ready to go.” Liz turned back to Maria and pulled back Kyle’s shirt to inspect her back. “Shit Maria, you might need time in a unit yourself.”

“Yeah, ok, but when he’s ok,” she said as they walked behind the gurney that Michael was laid on.

“Are you sure it’s wise to bring him in Maria?” Liz asked skeptically.

“If it wasn’t for him, you’d be talking to a dead person right now.” Maria swallowed. “I made a mistake and he’s paying for it. I have to help him.”

“Ok,” Liz said with a smile, “but you’re explaining it to the big man,” not knowing that she was echoing Sean’s earlier words.

Maria nodded as she watched them place the gurney in back of their private ambulance. She looked back down the alley to see Charlie, Vladimir and their team, prep the bodies to be removed and disposed of.

That was another 3 deaths to add to her tally now, she knew she was still in the lead but that didn’t make her want to do her happy dance. Her life was great but the deaths were taking their toll on her.
She made a mental note to talk to Paul again and soon, even though she knew it would be mandatory after their mission. She smiled when Billy hobbled passed her and was helped into the back of the ambulance.

“You owe me some porn, Deluca,” he called to her as the doors shut.

“Whatever Billy,” she called out as Sean and Kyle came up beside her, both in just their undershirts.

She put an arm around each of their shoulders.

“Now that was a rush,” she said with a grin. “You can’t deny you have a buzz going right now,” she
continued looking side to side at both of them. “Who’s buying?” she asked as they walked down the sidewalk, the boys each putting an arm around her waist, mindful of the deep cuts on her back.

“I believe it’s your turn,” Sean said.

“Do I look like I have money on me?” she asked with a smile.

“Shit Maria, where’s my gun?”

Maria just smiled at him as they climbed into a SUV that was waiting for them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So do you guys want more?????
Last edited by Pixie-Maria on Sun Sep 22, 2013 5:56 pm, edited 37 times in total.
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Pixie-Maria
Addicted Roswellian
Posts: 101
Joined: Sat Jul 14, 2012 5:58 am

Re: The Company. (AU,All, mainly M&M, Adult) Chapter 2 10/1

Post by Pixie-Maria »

Hey guys, here's a surprise update for you.

Thank you so much for your words of encouragement about this new fic.

and thanks to Ginger for my fab banner :D :D :D

Candyliciouslovah: Thank you so much, I was beaming the rest of the day after reading your comments. :D

Ginger: Yeah I think she should just shoot them too, except Michael of course because that would wrong on so many levels :lol:

Carolyn: Thank you, and here's more :D ..........



Chapter 2.




Maria smiled appreciatively at the feel of the soft sheets against her bare skin as she drifted into consciousness from a deep sleep.

It had been a very long night and after two hours in a unit she had demanded to be released. She hissed a little as the silk caught on the remaining unhealed wounds on her back, and she knew could use another few hours in a unit. But first she needed to check on Michael.

She slipped from her bed and walked over to her closet, her hand wandering down to pat her ever faithful dog, Jacob, as he followed her dutifully. She found a button down pale blue shirt with short sleeves and pulled it on, forgoing a bra, her wounds even protesting against the soft silk of the shirt. She then found a pair of shorts, white, and slipped into them with ease. A simple pair of pale blue and white converse shoes finished her casual outfit, she was nothing if she didn’t co-ordinate well. She washed her face and brushed her teeth quickly and ran a brush through her long blond hair. With a slight covering of lip gloss, she left her room.

She walked through the corridors of the huge house with ease, smiling and greeting the people she met along the way. She was well known here, this was her home as it was to many who were part of ‘The Company’, some there because they had no other option and others, like her, out of choice and loyalty.

She looked at the long winding bannister that skirted the impressive marble staircase and resisted the urge to sit on the polished dark wood and slide to the bottom. Instead she walked down the stairs with a bounce in her step. At the bottom of the stairs she looked down to Jacob at her heels and his eyes followed her hand as she pointed to a door that led outside and he obediently followed her silent command and walked through the door.

She set off down a corridor and then stopped short when she came up to the kitchen. She quickly glanced into the huge room and looked around for the cook Gregory. Not seeing him, she silently stole further into his domain. She hunted through his well-stocked pantry and clapped with glee when she found her prize. A box of S’more flavored Pop-Tarts. She quickly pulled a foil packet from the box and headed for the toaster.

“You carry on eating those chérie and you’ll be the size of a cow,” Gregory scolded as he rounded a corner in the vast room.

Maria guiltily held the sweet pastry behind her back. “But I missed breakfast,” she pouted.

“Maria, do not pull that pout with me, you have no power over me remember,” he smiled at her.

“Gay men suck,” she said, with a bigger pout.

“That we do,” Greg smiled at her.

“Beast,” she said with a laugh.

Greg laughed with her as he pulled the packet from her hands, “And if you think I’m going to let you near any of my appliances again you’re as deluded as you are beautiful.”

Maria kissed his cheek and settled on to a stool by the breakfast bar that was hardly used. They all tended to eat in the large dining room that had been set out like a cafeteria.

“So I hear you brought us a delectable specimen home from your last excursion,” Greg said as he popped her pastry into the toaster, and then he poured her a cup of coffee.

“Yes I did,” she said with a lazy wistful smile, thinking of the man still resting in a unit and the main object of last night’s dreams, one in a unit and one in her bed. She took her coffee gratefully and then she looked at Greg with a steady gaze,

“Hands off buddy, that body is mine,” she said evenly.

“Staking your claim early, chérie,” he said with a pointed look.

“Absolutely,” she said, taking the small plate from him with her Pop-Tarts on.

“He saved my life and he deserves my gratitude. And I plan to thank him over and over again,” she said with a sexy grin.

“You go for it girl,” Greg said with his own smile.

“You know I will,” she said, taking a much needed drink of her java. “Plus he needs to help me work off all the Pop-Tarts I eat, apparently I’m getting fat!”

“Chérie, if there is an ounce of fat on your body, I’ll fuck a nun,” Greg said straight faced.

“Nice imagery, Greg,” she said with a wrinkle of her nose as she finished her coffee. “What’s the main for dinner tonight?” she asked.

“I haven’t decided yet,” Greg mumbled pulling a recipe book from a shelf.

“Oh, oh,” she said, bouncing a little on the stool, “lasagna please,” she asked with a smile, “with your special sauce.”

“Maria, I think the others are fed up with lasagna,” he laughed.

“But I could have died last night,” she said, not realizing the pout was back.

“That pout has too many outings Maria, you’re a spoiled brat, you do realize this,” Greg said putting the book back.

Maria laughed as she jumped from the stool, her other Pop-Tart in her hand. “I’m not spoiled, I’m well loved,” she said, “and I’m 23. I’m not a child anymore and I haven’t been for a long time.”

Greg caught her before she left the kitchen, her chin in his hand, “You will always be a child, Chérie. The child of our hearts,” and he kissed her on the lips. “Now scram you brat,” and he slapped her ass as she left the kitchen.


By the time Maria made it to the medical center, an addition built onto the back of the sprawling mansion, she had finished her other Pop-Tart. She pulled open the double doors that led inside, smiling at a young medic on her way through to Liz’s office.

She walked straight in to see Liz sitting behind her desk, tapping rapidly on the keyboard to her computer,

“Hey, Lizzie,” Maria called out cheerfully, “have you even had a break?”

“Yes Maria,” Liz answered, her eyes not moving from the computer screen. Maria looked over to the small cot that Liz kept in the corner of her office.

“I mean in a real bed,” Maria said, “preferably a man’s bed, with said man in it,” she added with a smile.

Liz stopped typing and looked over to the younger girl. Maria was 2 years younger than her but way older in many ways. “And how would that lead to me taking a break?” she asked.

“Well it’s a good way to unwind and relax,” Maria said with a smile and a wiggle of her brows.

Liz shook her head with a smile and turned back to the computer and started typing again.

“Still no luck with Max huh?” Maria probed with a gentle smile.

Liz sighed and stopped typing again, this time turning her chair to face Maria where she was perched on her desk.

“I don’t know Maria, I just don’t understand him. One moment he’s all hot and passionate and ……..”

“Ripe for jumping?” Maria supplied, hopefully, her eyebrows rising.

“Yes,” Liz said with a smile. “And other times it’s like he’s on another planet.”

“Men can be dicks, Liz, big dicks,” Maria stopped. “Actually, the bigger the better,” she said with a huge smile.

“Maria,” Liz cried.

“Strike that,” Maria said, not hearing Liz, “Size doesn’t matter, it’s how it’s used that matters”

“Maria,” Liz tried again.

“No, forget that, size does matter,” Maria finished.

“Are you done?” Liz asked, her eyebrow rising in question.

“Yes,” Maria said with a nod and a cheeky smile. “Back to Max!”

“OK,” Liz said, scooting her desk chair a little closer to Maria. “It’s like I’m getting all these signals from him…”

“Vibes,” Maria interjected.

“OK, vibes, whatever Maria, will you just shut up and let me finish,” Liz said with exasperation.

Maria nodded.

“Right, so I’m getting these ‘vibes’ and all but when I try and implement….,"

“Implement, who the fuck uses the word implement,” Maria interrupted her again.

Liz narrowed her eyes at her annoying friend, “Me, I do.” Liz sighed deeply. “When I try to progress things, he shuts down and I’m left with nothing.”

“Nothing but a serious itch that needs scratching,” Maria huffed.

Liz rolled her eyes at Maria. “So what am I supposed to do? I can’t just tie him down and take advantage of him.”

“Some people like that Liz, for all you know he’s just waiting for you to come at him with a pair of fluffy handcuffs, a whip and wearing nothing but a wicked smile,” Maria paused as Max Evans jumped into her mind. “Never mind, forget that, I think he’s too vanilla for the whip.”

“Maria, your sexual escapades scare me,” Liz said with a laugh.

Maria looked sideways to her friend. “Have you been talking to Sean?” she asked with seriousness.

Liz laughed as she shook her head.

It was good to hear Liz laugh, Maria decided, her job was too stressful. She had the whole Company to take care of medically under the watchful eye of their top notch doctor, Dr. Brody Davis, and they sure stretched their abilities sometimes.

“OK,” Maria said after Liz had stopped laughing, “what we need to do is to make Max wake up and see the hottie.”

Liz looked confused. “Me!” she said, pointing to herself.

“Of course, you fool. You know for someone so bright you’re shockingly dumb at times.” Maria thought for a minute. “What we need to do is to get him jealous,” Maria said.

Liz began to shake her head as Maria continued. “Flirt with someone else, go on a date with someone else.”

“I don’t know Maria,” Liz said, her face very skeptical.

“Come on, there’s plenty of bodies around here, most of them will be willing and hopefully able, and if you don’t want them we’ll go out and find you a new body to jump,” Maria smiled. “It’s been ages since we had a girl’s night out.”

Again Liz laughed at her. “Maria, we had a girl’s night out two days ago!”

“God was it that long ago,” Maria said dramatically.

“Don’t you remember Paolo?” Liz asked between her laughter.


“Ah, Paolo,” Maria smiled blissfully to Liz, “now that was a body that just begged to be jumped.”

They looked seriously at each other and then they both laughed.

“OK, talking of bodies,” Maria said, “how’s mine doing?”

“Well,” Liz said as she stood and walked over to her filing cabinet and pulled a file out, “you could probably do with a few more hours in a unit. Those cuts were pretty deep.”

“I wasn’t talking about my body,” Maria said with a roll of her eyes, “I was talking about ‘The Body God’,” and she gestured through the double door where the units lay.

“Oh,’ Liz smiled and moved to picked up another file.

“Hey,” Maria said, jumping off the desk and walking over to her, “is that my file?” she asked leaning over Liz’s shoulder. “What shit does it say in there? Are my psych exams in there?”

Liz quickly shut Maria’s file. “No Maria, this is just your medical file, you know your body medical file, not your mental file, because that shit would make me run for the hills.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” Maria said with half a smile.

“Okay so back to ‘The Body God’,” Liz said, quickly putting Maria’s file away. She wasn’t working for The Company when Maria was first brought to them but she had read her file along with everyone else's when she had been assigned to work directly under Dr. Davis who headed the medical unit.

Maria’s file had given her nightmares for weeks and earned her several trip’s to Paul’s office, the resident psychiatrist. The thought that one person could take so much abuse and still live the life Maria did was awe inspiring to Liz.

“I actually think he prefers to be called Michael,” Maria said, as she looked through the windows in the door to the room that housed the units. “Pity, I think The Body God suits him better.” She turned back to Liz. “So what can you tell me?”

Liz pushed open the doors and they walked into the room. The room was large and the walls and floor were a deep grey marble, cold to the touch. Maria had intimate knowledge of that as when you were in a unit you were butt naked and when you got out, the floor was bitching cold to sit on naked and to walk on without slippers or shoes.

The room housed what they called ‘the units’ which looked like sunken baths in the ground without faucets. Once a wounded body was placed in the ‘bath’ a warm liquid surrounded them, filling from the bottom of the unit. The water then hardened and cocooned the body, with only the head free to breath. In its solid form it had a healing property that a doctor of the company had created 10 years ago. What was in the gunk Maria wasn’t sure and it made her head ache when she thought about. It could heal most wounds as long as they were put into the units in time. They had 12 baths in total, but they very rarely were all in use at the same time. In fact Liz had an inclination that apart from training, Maria was the one who used the units the most. During the training periods, everyone was in a bath at least once a day for a few hours.

“We know his name is Michael Guerin and he’s a cop from LAPD.”

“Well I knew most of that anyway, Liz,” Maria said with a smile.

“He lives in Sherman Oaks, he’s 26 and his father recently died.”

Maria nodded to show she was listening.

“His work record is pretty impressive, nine times out of ten he always gets his man, but apart from that and old medical records that’s all I have at the moment.”

They came to a stop by the unit that housed the man that Maria owed her life too and she looked down at his almost serene face.

Liz looked at her friend with interest. Maria was not one to be shy in coming forward and she knew that his man had tugged at something in her. She wouldn’t have insisted on bringing him back with them if she hadn’t, she wouldn’t have risked everything that they were; she would have trusted him to the local hospital.

“Maria, I get the feeling that the higher ups know more about him than I do,” she said.

Maria looked sharply at the smaller girl. “Higher ups, as in as high as you can get.”

Liz nodded. “And you know you’ve got some explaining to do to them.”

Maria nodded absentmindedly. “Yeah, I’m expecting my summons as soon as they realize I’m awake.”

“And don’t ‘forget’ your appointment with Paul this time,” Liz said, knowing that Maria hated her sessions with Dr. Paul and always tried to be elsewhere when her appointments came up.

“I won’t Mom,” Maria said with a smile. She bent down to Michael, asleep in the unit, and brushed wisps of his hair away that had fallen over his closed eyes.

“We needed to give him a sedative while he’s in there,” Liz explained. “He awoke in the night and nearly killed Sam trying to get out, despite the fact that he’s injuries are far from healed.”

Maria nodded again. “He will be okay though?” she asked looking up at Liz, her concern evident in her eyes.

“Yes Maria,” she smiled. “It won’t be long until you can have your wicked way with him.”

“Good,” Maria said simply. “I owe him a good long hard fuck.”

“Only one?” Liz asked with a laugh.

Maria tipped her head, her eyes wandering over his soft lips. “How long do you think we could hole up in my room before they send the search parties out?”

Liz faked concentration. “At least a couple of days,” she said in all seriousness.

Maria sighed deeply. “Then that will just have to do.” She looked back up at her friend. “You could always use your powers and say I have to have bed rest for a week.”

Liz laughed. “And how much ‘bed rest’ would you actually be getting?”

Maria grinned wickedly. “Hopefully none.”

They both laughed. Liz wasn’t a virgin by anyones standards but she still found it strange having these open conversations with Maria. Liz wasn’t blatantly sexual and Maria seemed to ooze sex from every pore of her body.

Maria looked over to another unit that had held Billy earlier. “How’s Billy doing?” she asked.

“He’ll be fine; he’s back in his room sleeping I hope,”

“One can only hope,” Maria laughed.

Liz shook her head as she looked down at her friend. “For Christ’s sake Maria, what made you wear a silk shirt,” Liz cried. “You know blood is almost impossible to get out.”

Maria looked over her shoulder to see blood seeping through the shirt from wounds that had obviously reopened.

‘Oh shit!” she cried, standing up. “Do you think Isabel would be able to work her magic with this?”

“I don’t know Maria, remember the last time you asked her to get blood out of one of your dresses,”

“Oh yeah, that was my favorite dress as well,” she said with a sad smile.

“You need to get back in a unit,” Liz said. “Another couple of hours and you’ll be fine.”

Maria sighed, relenting, and then stopped. “Hey, do you think it would be better for me to face the boss with my blood on show. It might make him take pity on me and not throw me to the wolves.”

Liz turned and walked back to her office, knowing she had lost Maria again. It would be another couple of hours before she would be able to get her back in a unit, she just hoped the cuts wouldn’t start to heal; scars were harder to remove.

“What the hell were you thinking anyway, rolling around in broken glass?”

“Hey that was entirely his fault,” she said, tipping her head back in Michael’s direction, “I was on top at first.”

Liz stopped, her hand on Maria’s arm, forcing her to stop to. “Please don’t tell me you were having sex out in that alley.”

“No,” she said sadly, as they continued back to the office. “Nothing remotely that entertaining. Only saving his life.”

As they entered Liz’s office the phone rang. “Forget it,” Liz said, walking over to her desk, “I don’t want to know.” She picked up the receiver. “Parker.”

Maria walked around Liz’s office, listening to her side of the conversation and guessing it was the boss looking for her. She eyed the filing cabinet that housed her file and her fingers itched to open it and look, but she knew Liz was watching her every move. Maria turned back to Liz when she said, “I’ll let her know,” and hung up.

“Was that my call?” Maria asked.

Liz just nodded.

“Okay, it can’t be that bad can it, I’m a Deluca after all,” she said as she walked to the doors that led out of Liz’s office and out of the building.

Shaking her head Liz laughed a little. “That excuse will only hold out for so long Maria.’

“Yeah I know,” Maria said dejectedly. “And I think I’ve already used up my quota for this year.”

“For this year, shit Maria, try for a lifetime,” Liz said with a smile. Her friend just couldn’t help getting into trouble.

“Maria,” Liz called, “please come straight back or I’ll send someone to find you.”

“I will,” Maria said as she opened the door, “and when the Guerin Body is up and about we’ll have our night out,” she said with a smile.

“Sure we will,” Liz laughed, “it will be at least 48 hours before we see you again after Michael gets out from the unit.”

“At least,” Maria agreed with a smile as she left.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Maria stood outside the huge doors that led to the grand library. They always had their post mission meetings in this huge room, Dr. Paul said it was better to create a calming, relaxed environment for the often harsh business of debriefing.

“It’s easier to talk when you’re all in the same room," a voice said to her left.

Maria turned her head and smiled to Josh. He always stood guard during the debriefings so no poor unsuspecting person could wander in and hear things that they shouldn’t. It was the only time the library was off limits.

“How about I tell you what happened and you let them know,” she said, as she flashed him her most beguiling smile; a smile that could disarm many a man.

“Not gonna happen, Maria," Josh said as he returned her smile, though feeling the effects of her wily ways.

“What kind of mood is he in?” she asked her eyes flickering to the door.

“Do you want me to tell you the truth or lie through my teeth,” Josh said.

Maria thought for a minute. “Lie to me.”

“It’s all sunshine and roses in there.”

“Thanks Josh,” she said with a smile.

“Shit Maria, you do know your bleeding all over that shirt right,” Josh said, concern in his voice.

“Really,” she said with fake surprise. “Maybe I should go see Liz.” She patted her hand on Josh’s chest. “Be a pal and tell them I’ll be back later.”

“Maria, get your cute ass in there,” Josh said and opened the door before she could reply. “Miss Maria, Sir” he announced formally.

“Traitor,” she whispered with a sly smile as she slid passed him and entered the room.

The library was usually her third most favorite place in the house. The first being her bedroom and the second the music room, but she seriously hated the library on debriefing days.

She walked over to the large oversized chairs and sofa that were always in place by the fireplace and saw that Sean, Kyle, and even Billy had beat her to the meeting. Charlie was there from Clean-up as well as Doc Brody, and Dr. Paul.

“Am I late?” Maria asked, trying for innocence.

“Aren’t you always,” Sean quipped.

“Fuck off, Sean,” Maria said sharply.

"For Christ’s sake, will you two stop acting like children,” a deep voice boomed.

“Sorry Dad,” Sean said, with a cheeky grin at Maria.

“Maria, will you please sit down so we can start this,” Mason Deluca said.

Maria smiled sweetly at her uncle and took a seat beside her cousin on the large sofa. The sofa was huge so all four of the active agents were able to sit with ease.

Mason Deluca sat in one of the arm chairs, with Doc Brody in the other. Charlie waited for Maria to sit and then he perched on the rolled arm of the sofa beside her. Dr. Paul was over by a desk, to listen and take notes which he used in his private sessions with the agents. The only other occupant in the room was Edward Harrison, who was Mason’s PA and always attended the meetings to record what was said.

“So, what happened last night?” Mason asked and all the people in the room turned to Maria.

Maria closed her eyes and wished someone would look at her back and take pity on her. She opened them to see all other eyes on her. ‘Typical,’ she thought.

“Well, we had the target on track, and things were working as planned,” she started.

“Until Maria’s outfit caught the attention of LAPD,” Sean interjected.

“That’s a load of crap, Sean,” Maria cried.

“I think her body might have had an effect too,” Billy added in an attempt to help.

“Which wouldn’t have been a problem if she had more clothes on,” Sean retorted, glaring at Billy. Of course he’d take her side, he was led round by his dick and he’s been trying to bury it in his cousin ever since he stepped foot into the house.

“My clothes are not the issue,” Maria said. “I was dressed exactly as I should have been.”

“Moving on Maria,” Mason said calmly.

“So I was on the dance floor with the target when Michael…,” Maria was interrupted by her uncle’s hand in the air.

“Michael is the cop I take it,” Mason asked for clarification.

Maria looked at her uncle. Of course he knew that, why did she need to say it.

“Yes.”

“And did you know this cop before last night?” he asked her, his eyes narrowing at her.

“No,” she said evenly.

Mason again indicated for her to continue.

“Michael pulled me away from the target, whilst these three dicks were trying to decide who should intercede, which they should have decided beforehand,” she said, sending them her signature death stare.

“By the time they got to me, LAPD had sent the target out of the club,” Maria finished.

“After trying to taste what you had for breakfast,” Sean huffed. “And you did nothing to stop him.”

“He surprised me,” Maria said in her defense. She looked at her uncle and continued when he didn’t say anything. “By the time we had left the club, the target and LAPD were talking in the alley. Things might still have gone more smoothly if Dick number 3 over there,” she indicated to Billy at the opposite end of the sofa, “hadn’t had pulled his gun.”

All heads swung to Billy and he suddenly became interested in a thread on his jeans.

“So then three of the targets men arrived and things got a little hairy,” Maria said. “I dropped LAPD so he wasn’t in the line of fire, hence the wounds to my back.”

“How did you get wounds to your back if you dropped him, Maria,” Doc Brody asked in his gently voice.

Maria shrugged. “He didn’t want to stay down; there might have been a little rolling.”

“Should have had a camera, porn is a lucrative business ya know,” Sean said with a wide grin.

Maria whacked him, hard, on his arm.

“Ow, Shit Maria,” Sean cried out. “I bruise easily, you know.”

“Oh poor little baby,” she said sarcastically, pinching his cheek. “Have you seen my fucking back?”

“Maria!” Mason bellowed sternly. “Ladies do not cuss.”

“There’s a lady in here?” Sean said, looking around the room.

“Sean!” Mason said in the same tone of voice he’d used on Maria.

Sean and Maria exchanged quick grins.

“Moving on,” Mason said.

“So I got LAPD out the way again, when Billy was shot in the leg,” Maria said.

“And I shot body number 1,” Kyle said with a smile, pleased that he had taken at least one of the other men out, and the only one of the guys to get a solid hit that night.

“So then Sean got all pissy,” Maria picked up from Kyle with a smile.

“Because you weren’t doing any work,” Sean turned to his cousin again with a sardonic grin. “You were having a party against the wall with LAPD and discussing when you were gonna fuck.”

“I was not,” Maria cried indignantly, and then she offered a sly smile. “We’d already discussed that.”

Mason shook his head at his niece.

“I was trying to keep him out the way,” she added, “but like I said you got all pissy.”

“Then what happen?” Mason asked.

Maria just shrugged, “I got the other two bodyguards so that just left the target.”

Mason looked to Charlie and he nodded, confirming that the two other bodies were shot by the gun Maria had been using.

“Might I point out that Maria had to borrow one of my guns, again,” Sean said, with his eyebrows raised, “because she couldn’t conceal a gun in her chosen outfit.”

“Hello, I had to attract the dead beat somehow and the more skin you show the better it works,” Maria said.

Mason sat thoughtfully for a minute and then turned to Edward. “Make a note for me to speak to Alex about making something for Maria so she can always carry a gun, no matter what she wearing.”

Sean laughed. “Yeah, good luck with that, Dad.”

Mason leveled his eyes on his son, to which Sean turned to Maria, eagerly waiting her next comments.

Maria squirmed a little in the comfortable sofa and looked back at Sean, silently begging him to continue, but he just smiled at her, not giving her anything.

“I made a mistake,” she said quietly. “Michael seemed quite impressed with my marksmanship and after a taunt or two the target realized who we were.” She shifted and looked at Sean again, and then shook her head when she realized she wasn’t getting any help from him.

“I might have goaded him a little, scared him I think, and I didn’t notice him pull the trigger before it was too late,” her voice had dropped slightly, barely above a whisper, her eyes on the luxury rug in front of the fire.

She looked up in the silence and noted her uncle looking at her intently.

“Go on Maria,” he said, tenderly.

“I fell, expecting to feel the gun shot, but it never came,” she paused, her eyes on the rug again. “That’s when I realized that Michael had pushed me out the way and had taken the bullet.”

She looked up to see her uncle nod to her. “And who’s decision was it to bring him here?” he asked though she knew he already knew the answer.

“Mine,” she said quietly. “Sean was against it, but Michael saved my life, Uncle Mason.” Now she had pulled put the big guns. She hardly ever called him uncle during a debriefing. This was business not family, though Sean never had a problem addressing him as Dad. “I couldn’t just leave him there to die in a dirty back alley. An ambulance would have been too late.”

She paused and took a deep breath. “It was my decision; this was my outfit, my mission and I take full responsibility.” She looked at her uncle, firmly holding his gaze. “And I don’t regret it one bit. Like I said; He saved my life.”

Mason just nodded at her. Then he leaned over to the small table beside him and pulled a file toward him.

“We have learned from our sources at LAPD, that Detective Guerin had been tailing our target for a couple of months. We have come to the conclusion that he knew nothing of your mission and it was purely a coincidence that his own operation was coming to a head last night. Of course we can’t clarify this until Detective Guerin wakes up.” Here Mason turned to Doc Brody. “Do we have any idea when that is likely to happen?”

“Well he already fought the original sedative we gave him, so we had to administer another. Maybe another 24 hours at best. Then we’ll re-assess his wounds to evaluate if he needs further time in a unit.”

Mason nodded before turning back to the agents on the sofa, namely his niece.

“Then we’ll just have to see if Detective Guerin would like to join our organization.”

Maria swallowed nervously. “What if he doesn’t?”

Mason actually smiled at her. “He might need an incentive to stay.”

Maria returned his grin with one of her own, silently thinking, ‘God I hope he needs an incentive.’

“I take it that in all this mess, the target was actually taken out?" Mason asked, getting back on track.

“Yes, Sir,” Maria said.

“Good,” Mason said with a nod. “So despite the fact that we almost lost a target, almost lost an agent and gained a wounded cop, the mission was completed.”

“Yes, Sir,” she repeated.

Mason nodded again. Then he turned to Charlie. “How did the clean-up go?”

“Clean,” Charlie said, simply. “Four bullets removed; confirming one kill to Valenti and three to Maria.”

“Using my gun,” Sean added.

“Yes thank you Sean,” Mason said, sharply.

“And the bodies,” Mason asked.

“Disposed of,” Charlie smiled. “I know the original plan was to leave the targets body to be found sans bullet, but since we had no clue how much of Maria was on the body……..”

“EWWW” Maria cried, interrupting Charlie, “my hands barely touched him.”

“Good job you can’t get prints from nipples,” Billy said, gruffly.

“My nipples were perfectly under control,” she huffed, then she thought about it, “until I was pawed by LAPD anyway,” she added with a shrug.

Charlie placed his hand on Maria’s shoulder, “as I was saying, we had no idea if her FINGER prints were on the body so we disposed of the body with the others.”

“Thank you,” Maria said smiling up at him and Charlie squeezed her shoulder affectionately. Unfortunately his fingers brushed against one of her wounds and she hissed at the pressure.

“Sorry sweet cheeks,” he mumbled.

Mason looked over at his only niece and sighed. “Let’s get this finished so Maria can return to a unit,” he said. “I have research looking into Michael's back ground, there is something niggling at me about him and I’ll be more settled when we have all the facts.”

He looked at the faces around the room. “Okay, I’m closing this de-briefing. Dr. Paul, who would you like to see first?”

“Well I’d really like to take Maria first but her health is more important at the moment, so I’ll take Kyle, then Billy, then Sean.” It was always a toss-up who he saw first; the wounded or the shooters. He turned to Maria. “You come and find me when you’re out. And I mean it Maria; don’t make me hunt you down again.”

“Okay.” She said simply.

“Then I want to see you Maria,” Mason added.

“Okay, Uncle Mason.”

Mason stood, indicating the meeting was over. “Thank you gentlemen,” he nodded to the men and the agents, “Maria,” he smiled at her and then he swept out the room, Ed Harrison following him quickly.

Doc Brody stood as well. “Come on Maria, let’s get you healed.”

She stood at the same time her fellow agents did, and turning she swiftly kicked her cousin in his shin.

“Shit Maria,” Sean cried out, his hand coming down to his shin. “What the fuck was that for?”

“That’s for helping me out, dick,” she said in disgust.

Then she swiftly turned to follow Doc Brody out. The remaining men all hissed painfully at the blood that had seeped through her thin shirt, showing the criss-cross strands of blood that echoed her shredded back. She turned back to them, “yeah and I’m not bitching about it either,” she said and then she left the library with the doc.
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Pixie-Maria
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Re: The Company. (AU,All, mainly M&M, Adult) Chapter 2 10/1

Post by Pixie-Maria »

Thanks to all who are reading this fic.

CandyliciousLovah: Thanks as always for your kind words. Yes, Sean is a great cousin for Maria.

Ginger: I was obviously having a blond moment (I seemed to have had a lot last week!) It happens, let’s move on. :lol: :lol:

Carolyn: Thank you for your words of encouragement. I’m sorry S’more PopTarts are my fav especially when I need that sugar rush. I think Michael makes a prefect cop! :D And don’t worry Liz will have her Max!!


Chapter 3.


Maria found herself back in Liz’s office with her friend and Doc Brody. Whilst they were discussing the amount of time she would need in a unit, Maria wandered through the doors and over to Michael, who was still asleep and healing.

She sat down on the cold marble and stretched her legs out in front of her, crossing her ankles.

“It could have been worse,” she said, though perfectly aware he couldn’t hear her, not with the sedative they had given him. “Although, I’m not looking forward to my private meeting with the boss. That’s when I’ll get the real dressing down.” She looked across at the head sitting free of the solid mass healing his body. “Please don’t make me regret bringing you here Michael,” she whispered. “Take the offer to stay. It’s not so bad here. There are worse places to be, worse jobs to have.”

She didn’t hear Liz come through the door and Liz listened as her friend quietly pleaded with the man to stay. Liz didn’t know what would happen if Michael decided he didn’t want to become a member of the Company. It hadn’t happened whilst she had been working there, but she knew Mason Deluca did not like people to know too much about his elite organization. Liz hoped, for Maria’s sake, that Michael took the offer too.

“Are you ready, Maria?” Liz asked quietly, not really wanting to disturb her friend.

“Sure, Liz,” Maria smiled as she stood and moved over to the unit on Michael’s left.

“Unit 4,” Liz called to the technicians that Maria knew were there but were out of sight.

“How long do I have to be in there?” Maria asked, shaking her head at Liz’s offered robe and slipping off her shoes.

Liz shook her head when Maria refused the robe. Generally the agents all wore robes and undressed, is they were able to, in a room off the main chamber, waiting until the last minute until they were in the units and the liquid was about to be infused. But Liz was used to the two younger Deluca’s, and their inhibitions were legendary. Maria unbuttoned her shirt and slipped it off, and at Liz’s hand instructions, she turned so Liz could take another look at her back.

Liz’s delicate fingers traced softly across Maria’s back, and she withdrew them quickly when Maria flinched. “Two hours at the most,” Liz said, as Maria turned back. When Maria slipped out of her shorts, Liz turned quickly away; her eyes flickering to the observation window where she knew the technicians in their office were getting an eye full. She never had a problem finding technicians when they knew it was Maria or Sean getting in the units. Tess was just as bad.

“Jesus Maria, do you have a problem with underwear in general?” Liz said, amazed that the girl could still shock her.

“It just gets in the way sometimes.” Maria said as she stepped into the unit. “Shit,” she cried as she sat on the cold marble floor. “You’d think the brains could come up with a way to warm this stuff.”

Liz pointed a finger in the direction of the observation window and the warm liquid started to seep into the unit. Maria sighed blissfully as the warmth spread over her.

“Who’s enjoying the Maria show today?” Maria asked as she relaxed back.

“I think it’s Dane, Kurt and Alison today.” Liz said as she walked back over to her office.

“Hey boys; Ali,” Maria said with a cheeky smile and a small wave of her hand as she flickered her eyes over to the blank window. She didn’t know why they bothered with the one sided window. She reasoned it was to give the users of the units a sense of privacy but they all knew their every move was monitored.

“Hey Maria,” a smooth voice came from nowhere. “Looking good as always, babe!”

“You know it, Dane,” Maria smiled, her eyes closing, a small grimace on her face as the liquid hit her wounds.

“What do you feel like today?’ Liz asked, coming back into the large room, her hands holding an iPod.

“Anything, just put it on shuffle,” Maria replied. She always forgot to bring her iPod so she had bought one to keep in Liz’s office. Liz often used it, too.

Liz slipped the headphones over Maria’s head but didn’t turn the small machine on yet.

The liquid was rushing in and the unit filling quickly, it didn’t take long before it was up to Maria’s chin, and Liz signaled for the technicians to stop the flow.

“OK, sit forward now,” Liz instructed and Maria complied, grimacing again when her wounds protested against the movement. In an instant, the liquid started solidifying and before long, Maria couldn’t move. She relaxed as the cocoon nestled her completely.

“Two hours, Maria,” Liz said again, reminding her. She turned back to the observation window. “Two hours, guys. Don’t let her talk you into letting her out early again.”

“Sure thing, boss,” Dane’s voice echoed again.

Liz bent and picked Maria’s shirt from the floor. “I’ll get this over to Isabel and see if she can do anything to save it.”

“Thanks, Liz.”

“Rest Maria, sleep if you can,” Liz looked over to Michael. “He’s not going anywhere and he’ll be right there when you wake.”

Maria nodded, closing her eyes. The music playing would have made her jump if she could move, so she just shot Liz’s back a look, before she closed her eyes again.


An hour and half later, Maria was feeling fidgety, even if she couldn’t move.

“Hey Dane,” she called out, thankful Liz hadn’t left the music playing too loudly.

“Yes Babe,” Dane’s smooth voice called out after a minute.

“I think I’m cooked,” she said turning her head as much as she could in the direction of the technician’s booth.

“Not gonna work, Maria. I was put on nights for a month the last time I let you out early,” he said with a laugh in his voice.

“Ah, come on Dane,” Maria whined.

“Not gonna happen,” Dane replied.

“Dane.”

There was no answer.

“Dane!” she tried a little louder.

“Erhm, he’s gone to the bathroom,” a female voice called back.

“Oh fuck,” Maria whispered. “Tell him he’s a chicken,” Maria called out louder, knowing she had no luck turning the charm on with Alison.

She shifted her eyes to the unit beside her to see a tiny movement of Michael’s eyelids.

“Hey Alison,” she called again, her eyes not moving.

“Sorry Maria, but orders are orders,” came the reply.

“No, I think he’s waking up again,” Maria said.

A few minutes later, Liz walked back in, followed by Kurt, the other technician. They made a beeline over to Michael and checked him out.

Liz looked at the portable pad she had with her, checking his vitals, tissue regeneration levels and for any signs of infection. The portable pad was an amazing piece of technology. It let the doctors know what was happening in the units; showed the patient’s vitals and the progression of the healing process. “Yep, he’s coming out again,” she confirmed.

“Hey Liz,” Maria said. “How am I doing?” her eyes hopeful.

Liz didn’t even look at her. “Another half an hour Maria,” she said, her eyes intent on the technology in her hands. She looked over to the window, “Prep another sedative just in case,” she called.

“Just check my stats, Liz,” Maria said in a firm voice. Liz looked over to see Maria’s determined face, and shook her head as she switched screens on the pad.

“Am I done?” Maria asked again.

“Maria,” Liz groaned with frustration.

Maria eyes were drawn back to the movement from Michael as his head twitched slightly.

“Liz, if I’m healed, let me out,” Maria said firmly. “I can help with Michael, trust me.”

Liz looked back at her pad and then turned to the window. “Dane, let Maria out.”

“Thank fuck for that,” Maria whispered.

Kurt brought over a robe for Maria and dropped it on the floor as the cocoon around her shifted back into liquid and drained away through holes that opened in the bottom of the unit. As soon as Maria could move, she gingerly turned and looked as best she could at her back. She smiled at the smoothness of her skin, no scarring this time, not that she could see anyway. She refused to acknowledge the thin pale line just a below her shoulder blade; a relic from a time best forgotten. She stood quickly.

Kurt, who was fairly new to The Company tried not to stare at her and failed miserably as Maria climbed out of the unit and glided her arms into the robe. She patted his cheek as she passed him on her way the Michael’s unit, fastening the robe loosely around her waist. “Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it.”

Maria lay down on the marble next to Michael’s unit, her head propped up by her elbow, and she watched his eyelids flutter. Liz walked around to his other side, and Dane joined Kurt just behind him, leaving Alison in the office in case they needed anything from there.

After a few minutes Michael’s eyes drifted open and Maria actually held her breath.

It took a minute as his eyes scanned the area around, him taking in his new surroundings as best he could without moving. Then his golden brown eyes finally settled on her.

“Hey, Sexy,” he said, his voice low. “Are we gonna fuck now?” he asked, his eyebrows rising.

Maria chuckled softly at him. “You certainly have a one track mind,” she said, her voice surprising husky.

“Babe, I feel like I’ve been dreaming of you for a lifetime,” Michael said.

Maria smiled at him, surprised at his frankness, until she realized it was probably the medication they had given him talking.

Michael licked his lips and swallowed thickly, and Maria felt her heart speed up a little at the sight of his tongue running across his lips.

“Can we get Mr. Guerin some water?” Liz said quietly to Kurt, and he turn to comply with her order as Liz knelt down on his other side.

Michael’s eyes flicked to Liz and then back to Maria. “Am I dead?” he asked. “Am I in heaven?”

“What makes you think that,” Maria asked.

“I’m taking it that you’re naked under there,” he said simply.

Maria just nodded with a smile.

“And another cute girl on my other side,” he eyes turned to Liz and she blushed deeply and Maria laughed.

“You’re not dead, Michael,” Maria said with a laugh.

Michael looked down and then around the room. “So where am I?”

Maria swallowed and looked at Liz. Liz just shrugged, leaving this to Maria.

“You took a bullet,” Maria said simply.

“I remember,” was all Michael said his eyes intent on her.

“You were dying,” Maria added.

“And you don’t fuck dead people,” Michael confirmed.

“How the hell do you remember that?” Maria said with a smile.

“I remember everything, Maria,” he emphasized her name.

“You took a bullet,” she said again, her face serious. “For me.”

“Didn’t want that body marred,” he said with a grin.

Maria looked fleetingly to Liz and then back to Michael.

Liz took the cup of water with a straw that was offered to her and held it out to Michael. Michael took a grateful drink through the straw, licked his lips again and then turned back to Maria.

“Where am I, Maria,” he asked seriously. “I remember what happened and I know I should be dead.”

“You were gonna die, Michael, and I couldn’t take the chance with an ambulance,” her eyes shifted to Liz again. “I brought you back with me. To our doctors.”

Liz and Maria watched as Michael took this information in. His eyes again taking in the room, emotions they were not sure of playing across his face.

“Why can’t I move?” he asked.

“You’re in a sort of re-generation bath,” Liz said, leaning forward a little.

“Re-generation,” Michael scoffed. “Really! I never did like sci-fi movies.”

Liz looked at Maria and when the younger girl nodded, she continued. “I won’t bore you with the particulars, but the liquid contains a healing agent that speeds up the process. You can heal in hours instead of days.”

Michael’s eyes drifted down to the solid mass surrounding him. “Liquid?”

“It solidifies,” Maria said.

“No shit,” Michael said with a slow grin.

“Absolutely no shit,” she returned his grin. “And Liz here can tell you how you’re healing,” she added, indicating to Liz with her head.

“Liz,” Michael said, looking at the brunette.

“Hi,” Liz said with a shy smile.

“Don’t let that shyness fool you,” Maria laughed. “She can be one mean bitch when she wants to be.”

“Maria!” Liz said, her eyes wide with shock.

“So what you’re telling me is,” Michael said, “I was shot, close to dying, and you dragged my sorry ass from that alley and brought me to your mysterious lair so you can heal me.”

“Right,” Maria said with a smile.

“Are you gonna have your wicked way with me before you send me on my way?” Michael asked with a lopsided grin to Maria.

“Absolutely,” Maria said, returning his grin.

Michael swung his eyes to Liz. “So am I healed, Doc?”

Liz laughed, no one called her doc, or Doctor here, she was just Liz. “Yes, it looks like you’re healed.”

“Then let me out, I’m wasting precious time here.”

Liz laughed and thought this man was perfect for Maria as she indicated to Alison to drain the unit.

When the solid mass began to liquefy, Michael turned a little in the unit.

“Who’s behind me?” he asked Maria, who hadn’t moved.

“That’s Dane and Kurt, the hired muscle,” Maria laughed, and motioned for them to go.

“A lot more than hired muscle, Babe,” Dane called, as he walked from the room.

“You wish,” Maria called after him with a smile.

“You have a lot of pull around here,” Michael stated.

Maria smiled at him but didn’t confirm nor deny his statement.

“Here,” Liz said from his other side, “you’ll need this,” and dropped a robe beside the unit for him.

“Thanks,” he said as the liquid started to drain and Liz discreetly turned her back.

Maria remained exactly where she was, her eyes riveted to him as more and more of his body was revealed. She unconsciously licked her lips when his smooth chest came into view and the liquid level dipped lower, exposing a taut abdomen and soft downy hair leading further down. Her eyes briefly shifted to inspect the area where the bullet had penetrated his luscious body, thankful that the skin was unmarked. Maria’s eyes wandered back to continue ogling Michael’s body, lowering as if on their own accord. ‘Oh my,’ she thought, the words jumping into her mind before she could stop them, and she groaned in anticipation.

Michael also checked out the wound site and couldn’t stop his sound of surprise that there was absolutely no indication he had ever been shot. He looked up, his face full of shock and turned his gaze upon Maria, to see her eyeing him hungrily.

“See something you want, Blondie?” he said to her.

Maria tore her eyes from Michael’s body and back to his face, with a glorious smile crossing her face as her eyes twinkled.

“Are you two done?” Liz said, her back still to the now openly naked Michael.

“Not in the least,” Maria laughed.

Liz huffed and made to move, skimming the edge of Michael’s unit carefully and keeping her eyes off the man. “I’ll be in my office.”

Maria swung her legs down into then now empty unit so she was sitting, effectively, on the edge of the ‘bath’, and Michael moved onto his knees, kneeling up and moving toward her. Maria pulled him closer, to settle between her legs, and she wrapped her arms around him, enveloping his bare body. Michael’s eyes held hers as he slowly untied the loose knot at her waist, and then he slipped his arms around her, returning her embrace, then pulled her even closer, mating her chest to his.

“Thank you for saving my life,” she whispered against his ear.

“Thank you for saving mine,” Michael returned in her ear.

They pulled back at the same time, and Michael pulled his arms back from around her waist. He held her face tenderly and without hesitation, their lips met.

Maria had never believed in the cliché ‘I saw fireworks’ but she truly did. The sparks seemed to fly around them as she melted into Michael’s kiss, his lips soft and enticing; and his tongue delicious and demanding. She wanted to crawl inside Michael and stay there forever. His hands wound into her hair as he pulled her closer still, deepening the kiss as Maria equaled his exploration of her mouth with her own mission of discovery.

Michael’s hand trailed down her neck and lower until he gently held the weight of her breast in his hand, softly brushing his thumb over her nipple. Maria moaned at the sensation of his large, calloused hands holding her and stroking her skin tenderly. She reluctantly pulled away from his lips breathing hard, and brought her hand to his neck, stroking his skin softly. Michael, mirroring her breathing rested his head in her shoulder.

“Hey,” Dane’s voice called through the intercom from the booth, “We can see you. You know that.”

“I know that,” Maria rasped, her voice anything but steady.

“I didn’t,” Michael said, his head still on her shoulder, and Maria chuckled.

“Maria,” Liz’s voice called from the door to her office. “The boss is on his way. He knows Detective Guerin is awake.”

Maria sighed, “Impeccable timing as always.”

“The Boss?” Michael asked, looking at her. Maria nodded to him and indicated to the robe left by the side of the unit. “You’d better put that on. He’s gonna want to talk to you. We’ll have to wait.”

“Shit. I’m fed up of waiting,” Michael growled. He held her face between his hands again and kissed her tenderly.

She laughed when they pulled away. “Michael, you were unconscious, I was the one waiting.”

“I was still waiting,” Michael said, his face serious.

“Put the robe on, Michael.” She drew her legs back and stood, wrapping her own garment back around her waist and retying the belt. Michael climbed out the unit, grabbing the robe and wrapped it around him.
Maria held her hand out to him and he took it with a smile, interlacing her fingers with his and they walked together back to Liz’s office. They entered the same time as Mason and Sean did, followed by Doc Brody.

“Detective Guerin,” Mason said, walking forward his hand held out before him, “I owe you a debt of gratitude for saving the life of my niece.”

Michael noted the man behind the tall imposing figure as one of the men who had been with Maria in the alley. He looked at the offered hand before him and, after a swift look to Maria, he accepted the handshake with a firm grip, his other hand remaining in Maria’s.

“Don’t mention it,” he replied. “I think we’re even.”

“Yes,” Mason said with a short nod of his head. He looked at Maria and her hand firmly locked with the detectives. “Could I trouble you for a meeting in my office, Detective Guerin?” he asked courteously.

Michael eyed the middle-aged man in front of him, dressed in expensive clothes and carrying an air of arrogance and authority. He remembered something else from the night in the alley. ‘You’re from The Company. Mason sent you.’ The Company was a subject that he, his partner and many of their colleagues in the LAPD had discussed on numerous occasions. It was one of those organizations nobody could touch. There were doubts it even existed. There was never any evidence to point a finger at anybody. Generally the un-discussed consensus of many of the city’s police units was that The Company was helping them. They took out many of the miscreants that eluded the police, and in his opinion, that was all for the good of the city and its citizens. Was this man standing in front of him Mason Deluca, the rumored head of the elite Company?

Michael felt Maria squeeze his fingers in reassurance. “Of course, Sir,” he answered politely, “If I could just get my clothes back,” he gestured down to the white robe he wore.

He watched as the man in front of him looked to Liz, who he’d almost forgotten she was there, and she stepped forward.

“Your clothes are through there,” she indicated to a door leading from her office, “though your shirt was wrecked so there is a new one waiting for you.”

“Thank you,” Michael said, smiling at the girl.

“Maria,” the man said, “let me walk you to your room so you can change for your appointment with Paul.” He turned back to Michael, gesturing to the man standing behind him. “Sean here will show you where my office is, Detective Guerin.”

Michael turned to look at Maria. “I guess later then,” he said with a smile.

“Later,” she repeated with a smile. “I’ll wait for you.”

“You’d better,” he said with his slow grin, and despite the room begin full of strangers, he pulled her to him for another kiss, sweet, gentle and promising so much more.

Maria sighed as she pulled away from Michael. “Maria,’ her uncle called, impatient as always.

“I’m coming,” she huffed, then smirked at Michael when he grinned at her.

She dropped his hand and turned to go back into the unit room, as Liz led Michael into the small changing area where his clothes were located.

“Maria,” Mason called, “I don’t have all day.”

“I’m just getting my shorts and shoes. It’s not like I don’t know where my room is, Uncle Mason,” she said as she pushed through the double doors.

Mason bristled where he stood, muttering about impertinent children and wasting his time. Liz had to turn so she could hide her smile. He always made comments about his son and his niece being children but strangely none of the others, despite them being the same age or younger. She herself was one year younger than Sean but she had never been classed as a child by her boss. She put it down to the fact that her boss had seen Sean and Maria as children and sometimes, despite their jobs and their incredible responsibilities and the fact that these two handled both with unsurpassable levelheadedness and precision, they would always be children in his eyes.

Maria returned with her shorts in her hand, shoes on and fastened, and Mason turned his head to Liz. “Miss Parker,” he said with a nod in way of a farewell as he turned to leave the office.

“Catch ya later, Liz,” Maria called as she followed him out and before the door swung shut, she stuck her head back through, “Tell the Body God, to wait for me outside the boss’s office if I’m not there,” and then she was gone.


Maria walked through the house next to her uncle. “Are you really gonna walk me to my room?” she asked.

“Yes, Maria,” Mason said. “I want to make sure you get to your appointment.”

“I’m not a child, Uncle Mason,” she huffed.

“Then stop acting like one and attend your appointments when they are made.”

“Why don’t you just say what you really want to. You’re pissed at me for bringing Michael in.”

Mason stopped walking and turned to her, forcing her to stop as well. “Maria, you can’t just pick men up off the street and bring them back just because, I believe the colloquialism is: you want to ‘nail them’. We have rules here and I expect you of all people to respect those rules.”

Maria’s eyes flashed as she looked up at her uncle, pulling her own body up to stretch out every inch she had, and she glared at him.

Mason looked into the eyes of his niece and instantly saw his brother when he was about to blow up at him.

“It wasn’t like that and you know it,” she said through gritted teeth. “If I wanted to just fuck him,” Mason cringed at her use of words, “I would have taken him somewhere else. The man was dying, Uncle Mason. Dying because I made a stupid, idiotic mistake. I let my emotions get the better of me and believe me that was a mistake I will never make again. What was I supposed to do, leave him to die with the scrum we hit, to die with the rats? I’m sorry Uncle Mason, but I was raised to recognize the difference between cold-heartedness and benevolence.”

She paused, looking at her uncle, standing tall in front of her, so different from her father, yet strangely so similar. “If that had been Sean, wouldn’t you want someone to take care of him, save him if they could?”

“Yes, Maria, without a doubt,” Mason conceded. “But you know as well as I do that this place,” he held his hands out indicating the house, “this whole organization prides itself on our secrecy and understanding of the need to not flaunt our achievements or abilities.” He looked down at his young niece. So young and beautiful, her whole life spread out before her, despite the horrors of her past and her incomprehensible losses.

“Maria,” he said tenderly, “Can you honestly give me the reassurance I need that Detective Guerin will keep this secret for the rest of his life if he decides not to join us? He’s a cop, my dear, and cops are not to be trusted.”

“Uncle Mason,” Maria started.

“Maria,” he stopped her, “let me handle this one, OK? I hope he does decide to stay, I really do.” He moved his hands up to her face and tipped her head forward a little to kiss her gently on the forehead. “Now go, change into something less comfortable and go to your meeting with Paul. He’s worried about you, you know.”

“I know, “she said, quietly.

And then he turned and continued down the corridor. “Oh,” he called back to her, “and please try and find the time to visit with your grandfather.”

She nodded though he couldn’t see as he continued on his way.
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Pixie-Maria
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Re: The Company. (AU,All, mainly M&M, Adult) Chapter 3 10/1

Post by Pixie-Maria »

Hey guys,



CandyliciousLovah: Uncle Mason still tends to see Maria as a little girl, despite what he expects her to do when out on a mission. And Ginger was right. He was acting more like a boss than an uncle.

Carolyn: Blondie definitely saw something she liked!!!!! :lol: Thanks.

Sarammlover: Hey, new reader, welcome. I agree, when you know, you know.

Cardinal: Max, Tess, Isabel and Alex are definitely lurking just around the corner, keep reading. And thanks so much for your kind words.


Warning: Adult chapter, don’t read if offended.


Chapter 4.



Michael wandered around the room, taking in the décor and noting the money paid to make the room what it was. The rich dark wood and the deep red of the leather upholstery covering the furniture showed this was a man’s domain.

“So,” he started, staring down the figure standing in the doorway, “have you been here long?”

“Me, personally?” Sean answered, “or The Company?”

Michael shrugged. He knew he’d learn nothing about The Company from the man before him. “So how long have you known Maria?”

“Forever,” Sean answered simply.

“Literally or metaphorically?” Michael probed.

Sean raised an eyebrow, and Michael was strangely reminded of Maria. “Forever,” he repeated.

“Does she have a boyfriend?” Michael asked, dreading the answer.

“Would it make a difference to you if she did?” Sean questioned, moving further into the room.

Michael thought about Sean’s question for a minute. He really wanted that girl and for more than just a one-time thing. He couldn’t explain it, but there was something about her; there was something that pulled at him deep down somewhere inside him whenever he saw her. It almost felt primal, like some primitive urge he couldn’t control. He needed to protect her and possess her ever since he had laid eyes on her in the club. He couldn’t stop himself from moving to her, from kissing her. And by all indications, she felt the same. She was just as drawn to him as he was to her. But yes, it would matter if she was already in a relationship. He didn’t break people up. OK, well, maybe he’d make a one-time exception for Maria.

So he just smiled skeptically at the man.

Sean sighed at the expression on Michael’s face. “No, she’s not in a relationship at the moment.”

Sean studied the man who was making his cousin act crazy. OK, crazier than she already was. He was exactly the type she always went for. That stereotypical, rugged bad boy, that sent parents running for the shotgun. He unconsciously slipped his hand to the small of his back where he always kept his glock and brushed his fingers lovingly over the cold metal. Sean shook his head, clearing his thoughts and wariness of Michael, as he moved his hand again and held it out to the cop in front of him. “Sean. Sean Deluca.”

Michael looked warily at him, but the name registered. “Deluca,” Michael repeated but took the offered hand. He was a cop, he knew what that name represented. Deluca meant power, wealth and a little bit of fear within the business world.

“Yes,” Sean said with a smirk. “Deluca.”

“And the man I’m waiting to see….”

“My father,” Sean provided. “Mason Deluca.” Well, that confirmed Michael’s earlier thoughts about the smooth-talking, arrogant man being the head of The Company. “That makes Maria…”

“My cousin,” Sean smirked.

“Shit, she’s a Deluca?”

“Yes she is,” Sean said, finally releasing the cop’s hand.

“Michael Guerin,” Michael said mindlessly.

“I know.”

The door behind them opened with force, causing Michael to jump slightly, as Mason Deluca entered the room. He walked around to the chair behind the large mahogany desk that dominated the office.

“Detective Guerin,” he began as he sat, “Thank you for waiting. I’m afraid my niece can be a handful at times.”

“I bet she can,” he muttered in a low voice, smirking and aware that both men heard his commentary.

“Won’t you please take a seat?” Mason said, indicating to one of the large wing back chairs in front of his desk.

Michael walked over and settled into the comfortable chair, Sean lurking somewhere behind him.

“So, Detective Guerin, tell me a little something about yourself.”

Michael shifted uneasily under the older man’s piercing gaze and was instantly transported back to his high school days and his frequent meetings with the principal.

“Well, I grew up in Roswell, New Mexico. I was raised by my father because my mother died when I was five. I lived there until I graduated high school and then I went to UCLA on a football scholarship. I joined the police force after I finished school and what you see now is what I am.”

He watched as the man, who still hadn’t introduced himself, nodded in all the right places as he provided a shortened biography of his life.

“And your father?”
“He died a few years ago,” Michael said simply, swallowing hard.

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

There was silence for a few moments. “And what do you know about your father?”

Michael looked at him quizzically, narrowing his eyes at the elder Deluca. “My father?”

“Yes, Detective Guerin, your father.”

Michael looked between the two men. Sean had moved almost silently around the room and was now leaning against a mahogany bureau situated between two large windows along the far wall that matched the large desk.

Michael found it disquieting that Sean had moved, and it hadn’t registered with him. It was eerily similar to the way Maria moved in the alleyway. One minute she was behind him, and the next, he was on the cold concrete with her on top of him. Not that he found that position uncomfortable; it was the lack of her movement and the obvious fact that she had moved that unnerved him.

“He worked in construction, specializing in carpentry,” he finally said, answering the older man’s question.

Mason nodded at this. “I believe you have quite a respectable reputation within your precinct, Detective Guerin.”

“I enjoy my work, Mr. Deluca,” Michael said, dropping the name so this man would know he knew who he was.

Mason nodded. ‘Trust Sean to tell the cop who he was,’ he thought. ‘That boy drops the name all too easily.’

“My Company has a good reputation, too,” Mason said, leaning back in his chair.

“That it does,” Michael conceded.

“So you have heard of us?” Mason said with a smirk, his eyes twinkling.

“Every cop in LA has heard rumors about The Company, Mr. Deluca,” Michael remarked.

“And what have they heard?”

“That The Company is a glorified vigilante group, helping to keep the streets clean,” Michael offered.

Mason laughed. “That we are, Detective Guerin,” He looked at the young man in front of him before continuing his train of thought, “but we are so much more.”

There was silence for a few seconds as Mason considered his next move.

“How would you like to join our ranks, Michael?” Mason asked, his eyes steady on the cop.

Michael looked shocked. “Excuse me?”

“It takes a certain amount of courage to throw oneself in the way of a bullet, Michael; a courage that we embrace here.”

“It wasn’t courage,” Michael said, evenly. “Anyone would have done the same to stop a woman from being shot by a dickless shit.”

Mason’s eyes shot to his son, “Apparently not.”

Sean shifted uncomfortably in his chosen position against the bureau.

“Maria rarely makes mistakes Michael but, last night, I believe she nearly made a fatal one.”

‘Last night, was it only last night?’ Michael thought.

“And as I’ve said, I will be forever indebted to you for her life.”

“And I said we are even,” Michael responded through gritted teeth.

“As you wish,” Mason said with a tilt of his head. “But my offer still remains.”

“To come and work for you?” Michael clarified.

“Yes,” Mason answered. “Though it might be possible to still work for the LAPD. Many of our agents have outside jobs.”

Michael looked warily at Mason Deluca sitting behind his impressive desk.

“I don’t know,” he said honestly.

“Of course, please forgive me,” Mason said sitting forward. “This is a lot to take in.” He stood and walked around his desk.

Michael stood also, feeling that the meeting is over.

“Take some time, Michael,” Mason said kindly. “Think about my offer. You have some time off work….”

“What!” Michael exclaimed in disbelief.

“Your sister has informed your precinct of your recent illness and the need for sick leave,” Mason said with a smile.

“My partner knows I’m an only child,” Michael said with a sideways glance. How can they just do that without his knowledge?

“And he has recently won a luxury family vacation for two. Two weeks on a remote and privately-owned island in the South Pacific,” Mason countered.

Michael laughed at that. Jason was always complaining he never went on vacation. Charlotte, his wife, would be ecstatic.

“A few days, Michael, that’s all I ask,” Mason said, and he turned them both toward the door. “Think carefully.”

“And what if I refuse?” Michael asked as they stood at the door.

Mason smiled shrewdly at him. “We’ll cross that bridge if we come to it.” He pulled open the door to see Maria leaning against a window frame outside his office. “Ah, Maria,” he said, his smile still plastered on his face, “I trust your meeting with Dr. Paul is complete.”

“Yes, Uncle Mason,” she answered with a roll of her eyes.

Michael’s face lit up at the sight of her there, obviously waiting for him, just like she said she would.

“I will be checking with Paul, Maria,” Mason said sternly.

“You do that,” she countered, her eyes narrowing.

“Yes, well,” Mason turned back to Michael, “I’ll see you in a couple of days, Detective Guerin.” He turned back to Maria. “I trust you’ll make sure Detective Guerin gets back home safely, Maria?”

“Yes, sir,” she said with a mock salute to her uncle.

“Insolence is not attractive, Maria,” Mason chided.

“Sure it is, Uncle Mason,” she responded as a cheeky smile crossed her lips.

“Go,” Mason said, pointing down the corridor.

“I’m gone,” she said as she pulled on Michael’s hand and led him down the corridor.
Mason shook his head at his head-strong niece and walked back into his office.

“Why didn’t you tell him about his father?” Sean asked as his father sat back down at his desk and opened the file in front of him.

“Not yet, Sean,” Mason told him. “You have to hold some cards to your chest, boy. And I
don’t want you to say anything either, not to Michael and not to Maria.”

“Yes, Dad,” was all Sean said as he, too, left the office.


Michael and Maria walked side by side down the wide corridor. The ceiling was high and the walls covered in egg-white wallpaper with a silver pattern running through it. The maple hard wood flooring was waxed and covered in places with rich rugs.

“This is some place,” Michael commented, his eyes unable to stop wandering over the opulence that surrounded him.

“I guess,” Maria said, looking around her. She had been living here for almost seven years now, plus she had visited often when she was a child, so the house was commonplace to her.

“You gonna show me around?” Michael asked, taking her hand in his.

Maria looked sideways at him. “What did my uncle say to you?” she asked.

“I don’t know, Maria,” he said with his own surreptitious look to her. “It’s pretty much a cloak and dagger thing here. I could tell you, but then I’d probably have to kill you.”

Maria laughed. “Oh please, Michael, you could try. And I know exactly what was said in that office.”

“And what was that, oh wise one?” he asked.

“He invited you to join The Company,” she said knowingly.

“Well, maybe I won’t have to kill you anytime soon,” Michael laughed.

“And what did you say?” she asked, her eyes flickering to his, showing her nervousness.

Michael stopped and turned to look at her. She was unbelievably beautiful. He didn’t think he’d ever seen anyone more gorgeous than the girl in front of him. Her lively green eyes called to him and made him want to lose himself in them. Her blond hair hung below her shoulders in golden waves that made his fingers twitch with the need to run them through its length. Her lips were full and plump and begging to be kissed. Her body was just perfect; tight in the places it was supposed to be and luscious in others, and he could feel the pull of her all the way in his groin.

Maria mirrored his scrutiny with hers of him. She could now distinguish his hair color as being brown, and she remembered the softness of it when her fingers had stroked it when they kissed in the club. His features were gentle and striking at the same time, his eyes a golden brown like malt whiskey. He was again wearing his dark jeans, but now wore a deep brown button down shirt, as his own t-shirt was covered in blood and had a bullet hole in it. She yearned to run her finger across the smooth chest she had seen earlier.

She tugged slightly on his hand, and Michael went willingly toward her, his other hand moving up her arm in silent reverence, continuing along her shoulder and up her neck until he again held her head in his palm.

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered as he leaned in closer to her, his lips an inch from hers.

“So are you,” Maria echoed, and Michael laughed.

“Men aren’t beautiful, Maria,” he smiled.

Maria lifted her eyebrow at that as her hand mirrored his, journeying up his body to rest behind his head.

“Handsome,” she said, kissing one side of his lips. “Sexy,” she commented with a suggestive grin before kissing the other side of his mouth. “Beautiful,” she repeated as she covered his lips with hers, immediately demanding entrance in to his warm mouth.

Michael moaned against her at the feel of her velvet tongue gliding against his, stroking, probing, and daring him to respond. He rose eagerly to her challenge and pulled her body full against his, wrapping the hand that still held hers behind her back, drawing her tightly to him. His other hand moved from her face and down her body, sliding over her pert ass, his fingers clenching against the softness, and Maria whimpered as his nails bit into her slightly through the thin material of her shorts. He continued with his hand, moving it down to her thigh until it reached the hem of her shorts and then he brushed his fingers under the edge and gripped the flesh on her outer leg tightly. As they continued to map out each other’s mouths, Michael’s hand slipped to the back of her thigh, his fingers under the material, and he lifted her leg easily against his hip, giving his fingers more room to maneuver as they glided dangerously close to her center.


They had to separate their lips as breathing became a problem, and they stood there in the corridor, holding on to each other, breathing harshly and staring at each other with equal need and want.

“Michael,” Maria whimpered at the feel of his long fingers brushing against her inner thigh. He let go of the hand held behind her back and immediately lifted her into his arms. Her arms and legs wrapping around him as their lips met again, ferociously and unrelenting.

He stumbled with her until she thumped against the wall, her lips pulling from his with the force of her body hitting the wall. He didn’t apologize at the roughness, only grinded his body into hers, growling deep within his throat, which made Maria tremble delightfully.

“Geez, get a room,” he vaguely heard someone chuckle as they walked past the two against the wall, and he pulled away from where he had nestled his lips against her throat to look at her, taking in her smile and sparkling eyes.

“Better get me to a room, Deluca,” he growled, “or I’m gonna fuck you against this wall. And believe me, you’re gonna need somewhere to lie down when we’re finished.”

Maria closed her eyes and moaned deep in her throat at his words, savoring the harshness of his voice and the throbbing hardness between her legs. “That way,” she indicated down the corridor with her head.

Michael dipped his head back to her neck and sucked gently, and asked, “How far?”

Maria opened her eyes as if to get a bearing on where they were. “To the end of the corridor, up the stairs, then down the west corridor to the end and the door in front of you.”

“Fuck, Maria,” he growled again. “That’s too far. Anywhere closer?"

Maria could hardly think about breathing, the way his lips were caressing her, never mind anything else.

“Ahmmm,” she fought to get her brain in gear, thinking of the rooms around them. “At this time of day? No, not unless you want an audience.”

“Fuck that,” he said, his voice low and deep. “You’re all mine. First time’s just for us.”

Maria felt herself gush with wetness at his possessiveness and all she could offer was a weak, “Yeah.”

So Michael pushed off the wall, with her in his arms and set off in the direction she had given, Maria’s head buried in his neck, nibbling seductively.

“Shit, Maria,” he groaned, halfway down the west corridor, “this place is fucking huge.”

Maria smiled lasciviously at him as she dipped her hand between their bodies and palmed him through his jeans, the back of her hand surreptitiously rubbing against her own ache at the same time as her body pressed against his. “Yes,” she said, with a slow grin. “Huge.”

Michael had to stop walking, and he again braced her against a wall and ground into her hand, forcing more pressure on her hand and her own core. “How much further?”

Her eyes fluttered closed at the pressure he was creating against her, the pleasure building within her already. “Almost there,” she whispered as she pushed herself against him.

He laughed at her double meaning, “Really?” Maria echoed his laugh as she opened her eyes and looked at him.

“For fuck’s sake, Michael, I was almost there in the club when you kissed me,” Maria said with her sexy grin. She turned her head to the side. “Just follow the corridor around that corner, and my door will be in front of you.”

Michael crushed his lips to hers in another brutal kiss, pushing into her again.

She pulled her lips from his, “Shit, Michael, just move it, will you?”

“I thought I was,” he said with a grin.

Maria actually rolled her eyes at him. “Move your feet, Michael, down the corridor and into my bedroom.”

“Oh, I love a woman who knows how to command,” Michael said with a lopsided grin.

“And I love a man who knows when to shut up and do as he’s told,” she said, her eyes irridescent with mischief.

Michael pushed them from the wall again and followed the corridor,leading around the corner, and finally to the door that led to her room, again leaning her against it so he could kiss her without having to concentrate on keeping them upright.

Maria’s hand moved behind her back, and she opened the door. They fell through, Maria landing on the floor with Michael on top of her.

“Shit,” they said in unison, and their eyes met as they laughed. Their laughter stopped when their look changed to something they both recognized; Lust, with a capital L.

Maria’s hands went straight to the shirt Michael was wearing, pulling at the opening and tearing the buttons until they flew across the room. Her hands pushed the two panels aside so she could finally feel his hard chest beneath her small hands.

“We need to get a little further into the room, babe,” Michael moaned, his eyes closing at the feel of her thin, delicate fingers on his chest.

“Screw that,” she said, lifting her head slightly and sucking one of his nipples. When she was satisfied she had teased it to perfection, she pulled back. “Let’s just fuck here.”

“Ok,” Michael said and knelt up so he could shrug his shirt off. He threw it over her head into the room, and then he leaned down, grasped the hem of her t-shirt and pulled it up over her head. It landed on top of his shirt somewhere in the room. It wasn’t until he looked back down that he realized she wasn’t wearing a bra. He lost no time in closing his lips around one pert nipple, convinced it was taunting him and daring him to touch it.

Maria moaned under him at the feel of his lips encasing her hard nipple, the wetness of his tongue as he suckled her and the bite of his teeth as he bit down gently. Her pelvis bucked up to him, silently demanding attention, too. She wound her fingers into his long hair, holding him to her breast. Her fingernails scraped his scalp lightly, sending shivers rippling down his back and causing him to moan against her nipple.

“Michael,” she rasped, breathlessly.

Michael’s hand found itself at the top of her shorts, and he pulled on the button, popping it easily, and sliding his fingers in, causing the zipper to lower at the bulk of his hand. He immediately came into contact with her heated core.

“Shit,” he moaned as a finger glided smoothly over her slick folds. Maria lifted her hips, trying to maneuver him deeper into her as he added another digit to the one already drenched in her juices.

“Oh God, Michael,” she cried out. “More ……..” She pulled him from her breast and brought his lips to her, demanding more, taking more.

Michael pulled away from her lips. “Maria, are you gonna be loud?” he asked with a smile.

She grinned up at him. “There is a possibility,” she said as she squirmed under his touch and moaned as he fleetingly touched her clit. “How about you?” she asked.

“God, I hope so,” he laughed then attacked her neck with his lips. ‘Wait,’ he thought, ‘I was going somewhere with this question, wasn’t I?’

He pulled his head back when he remembered. “We have to get inside then,” he said as he lifted his lips to just below her ear. “And shut the door.”

Maria lifted her head slightly and laughed as she realized they were sprawled across the doorway to her room, the door still ajar. “Maybe that’s a good idea. Billy can be a bit of a prev.”

“Billy?” Michael looked at her. “One of the guys from the alley?”

Maria nodded. “His room is just over there,” she said indicating with her head over his shoulder, liking the territorial look she found in his eye.

“Then move your ass, Blondie,” he said and he pulled away from her body, so he was again kneeling between her legs.

Maria grinned at him as she sat up and grabbed hold of the front of his jeans. Then she started to wriggle back a little, further into the room, pulling Michael by his jeans as he followed her on his knees, her shorts sliding down as they went and polling around her ankles.

When her shorts were against Michael’s knees, he stumbled a little against the material; his hand landing on Maria’s hip to steady him.

“Sorry,” he said with a smile.

“I think the door can close now,” she said looking over his shoulder.

Michael tipped his head and agreed with a grunt.

Maria reached out with her leg to knock the door with her toe, but her movements were limited due to the shorts around her knees.

Michael smiled at her as he pushed her back down onto the floor, then he lifted the leg that she was trying to shut the door with, bending it at the knee, and, with only a small amount of difficulty from him and incredible flexibility from her, he pulled her leg free her shorts.

Maria grinned at him as she stretched her leg out again. This time, she concentrated, and the air around the door shifted, pulsating with energy. The molecules stopped moving, and the very fabric of the space around the door altered, as if it bent in on itself, then she tapped the door slightly with her toe, and the air shifted again, bouncing back into place and the door slammed shut with force. Her eyes shifted to Michael to see if he had noticed the change in the air, but he was too busy freeing her other leg from her shorts, and they whizzed over her head to join their tops.

Michael stared down at the body that was laid out before him, and he shook with a raw emotion he couldn’t understand. Oh, he understood the need, the want and the lust, but there was something else that smoldered just below the surface of his emotions that he didn’t understand. She was smiling up at him, a lazy, sexy smile that shot straight to his groin and made his dick twitch in anticipation.

“You’re overdressed,” she stated, her eyes on the zipper of his jeans. She moved to sit up, her hands reaching out to assist.

“Wait,” Michael said, his voice low and sensual.

Maria raised her eyebrow at him. “Wait!” she said incredulously.

He smirked at her as he again pushed her back onto the floor, “I just want to look at you a moment.”

Maria relaxed back onto the floor again, her lips twisting into a smile as she watched him rake his eyes over her. She lifted her right hand and trailed it up her body, lightly touching the side of her breast as she watched his eyes widen. He slapped her hand away, and she chuckled low in her throat.

His eyes wandered over her body, and he licked his lips, causing Maria to squirm more before him. He placed his hands on her body, feather light touches to her abdomen and sides that made Maria moan. He brushed his fingers against her breasts, following their natural curve, pressing lightly against the plumpness and cupping them as if to feel the weight, liking the way they fit neatly into his hands. His thumbs brushed against her nipples delicately, circling to include her areolas.

Maria had to close her eyes, the sensations running through her body too much. She wanted to watch him as he devoured her body with his eyes and he touched her with reverence. His hands lowered, sweeping softly against her skin, and his fingers glided over her, touching her seemingly everywhere at once. He stopped his movement again as the heels of his hands came to rest on her hip bones.

“Interesting tattoo,” he said as he bent forward and licked the area marred with black ink, two swirling lines, one going up and one going down, surrounding a small odd shape in the middle, just above her pubic bone and the small covering of blond curls that glistened with her wetness. “What does it mean?”

“Fucked if I know,” she breathed out haltingly, the feel of lips so close to where she desperately needed them almost too much for her.

Michael lifted his head slightly and smirked at her. “Then why did you have it tattooed onto your body?”

Maria shrugged, noncommittally, “Seemed like a good idea at the time.”

Michael lowered his eyes to her body again, pleased that he was now closer to her skin. He frowned slightly at the thin white line that traced beneath her right breast came into view. It was so faint he hadn’t noticed it when he was kneeling above her, and he reached a finger out, tracing the scar and wondering how she had gotten it. It was his understanding that the units healed completely, leaving no scars, as he did not have one from his gunshot wound. “And this?” he whispered, his breath tickling her.

Maria shuddered and flicked her eyes to his. He was studying the scar intently. “Bad puppy,” she said softly.

He looked up into her eyes to find they were dark. He pulled back slightly, his eyes again roaming over her. He saw another scar line across her ribs, low on her body, and another just above the hip bone on her left side. He looked back at her, and her eyes were closed this time. He wasn’t sure he believed a puppy would scar her like this, and he filed it away with other questions to be asked at a later date.

Maria opened her eyes again and smiled at Michael. “Michael,” she whimpered, wriggling a little, bringing his attention back to her.

He smiled gently and he leaned up and into her, kissing her fervently, his hand finally returning to her heated core, and he brushed his fingers against her again, slipping way too easily into her.

“God, yes,” she breathed out, her hips lifting a little from the floor and into his touch.

“You’re so hot,” he whispered against her shoulder where he was sucking not so gently.

“So are you,” she chuckled, her hands brushing over his wide muscular back. She shifted her arms so she could reach further down and slid both her hands into the back of his jeans, pulling him closer to her.

“Michael,” she moaned as his fingers stroked her clit oh-so-lightly, then they danced away again, moving lower and back inside her body. “We need to get rid of these,” she said, pulling on his jeans as she opened her legs a little wider, giving him more access to her.

“Shit, Maria,” Michael grunted, feeling her juices running down his hand. Now how was he supposed to remove his pants without moving his hand from her?

While his mind was trying to come up with a solution to his problem, Maria shifted her legs up. Again, the air shifted around them, and in a flash, she moved, and Michael was on his back, the wind rushing from his lungs and a bewildered look on his face as he stared up at the pixie above him, straddling his thighs and unfastening his jeans.

“Holy fuck, you can move,” he said, his grin wide as she pulled his zipper down.

“You have no idea,” she laughed.

He lifted his hips so she could tug his jeans down as much as she could with her body restricting his movements. Maria pulled both jeans and boxers together, and finally he was free, his dick waving at her, invitingly, hard and pulsing.

“Fuck, Michael, you’re huge,” she groaned. He had looked big earlier when she had blatantly ogled him in the unit, but now she was closer she could say without a doubt he was huge, very impressive, and her insides quaked in anticipation of what he would feel like buried deep within her.

She looked at him to see him watching her intently with a wicked smile. Her hand reached out, and she took hold of his dick firmly, pumping slowly as Michael let his head drop back to the floor with a slight bang. “God, Maria,” he said, his eyes closing at the feel of her small hand surrounding his dick. He pushed his hips up, forcing himself more into her touch, and she added a little more pressure.

“Is that ok?” she whispered and giggled softly at his quick nod. Her thumb swept quickly over the head, catching the pre-cum already glistening there, and Michael moaned deep in his throat. Maria leaned forward and blew over the top of his sensitive dick, watched as it twitched in her hand, and chuckled when Michael cussed loudly. She brought her lips to the tip, kissing it almost chastely, and Michael had to laugh at that.

When she heard him, she lifted her head to grin wickedly at him, and then she lowered her head again taking him fully into her mouth. She sucked softly on the tip and then moved lower, her lips gliding easily over his length.

“Oh shit, Maria,” Michael groaned at the feel of her hot mouth surrounding him, “Oh yeah,” he added when she moved up and down, her hand pumping him from the base, her mouth providing a delicious mix of pressure and softness.

“Fuck,” he said and pulled at her arm. She lifted her head from him, her eyes concerned.

“What?” she asked. Michael shook his head. “Now, Maria,” he said hoarsely, his eyes dark with his need. “I need to be in you,” he pulled her body up his so he could kiss her, deep and hard. “Now.”

He watched as Maria’s bright green eyes darkened several shades until they appeared almost black, and she grinned back at him and said, “Now,” softly.

Michael just nodded and watched as Maria inched back down his body, her lips grazing against his chest, lifting her hips so she could skim her core against his hard dick until she was resting again against the tops of his thighs just above where his jeans remained. He could feel her wetness on his thighs, and he growled at the sensation.

He’d had enough with the foreplay, and he just wanted to bury himself in her soft, wet center. He lifted his upper body, his hands on her hips, and he lifted her, moving her forward as she held his dick while he pulled her down onto him, impaling her in one swift stroke.

Michael watched as Maria’s face contorted into a dozen emotions at once, but the most prominent one being bliss: pure bliss. He would have bet serious money that his own face mirrored hers.

She looked far better than any erotica he had ever seen, sitting there with his dick buried deep inside her, stretching her most intimate places, her eyes dark with need and lust, her lips swollen from his kisses and slightly open, her nipples pert and begging to be touched. And the best part was that she was his.

“Mine,” he growled before he could stop himself, and Maria looked down at him in surprise, her mind racing at his implication. She could feel her brain start to work, trying to reason out that one word, mine, but she shook her head, pushing the thoughts away. This wasn’t exactly the right time or place for deep and meaningful conservations with herself.

“Shit, Michael,” Maria gasped out as a smile spread across her face.

“Did I hurt you, babe?” he asked, suddenly thinking of the force he had used to get her where she was.

Maria just shook her head as she savored the feel of his steel hard dick inside her. His hands on her moved around to clasp her ass, and he rocked her forward. “I need you to move, Maria,” his hissed.

Maria moved her hands to his chest, her fingers brushing against his nipples, and she twisted one gently between her fingers as she pressed down on her hands and began moving above him, slowly and gently.

Michael’s head hit the floor again at the feel of her moving above him, his dick moving easily within her slick walls, her juices running from her like a dripping faucet. He hissed when her nails dug into his chest as she moved more, her hips rolling and pumping against him. His eyes were drawn to where their bodies crashed against each other, and he watched, mesmerized, as her body swallowed his over and over again.

“More,” he said, breathing hard.

“More!” she answered with her eyebrow raised. At his wordless nod, she added more pressure against his chest and moved quicker.

“Oh shit, Michael,” she panted.

“Yeah,” he said, one hand gripped her hard on her hip, the other lifted to caress a breast, pinching her nipple. He sat up quickly, changing the angle of his shaft within her as his lips latched onto her other breast, and Maria’s head fell back in pleasure.

“Oh fuck,” she cried, his dick hitting her in just the right place and his teeth grazing her nipple. She clung to him desperately, her body moving as if independently of her mind.

“I need more, Maria,” Michael said, against her breast.

“OK,” she said simply and pulled his face up to her, kissing him gently, despite the frantic movements of their lower bodies.

He moved her, rolling them so she was beneath him and didn’t even break his stroke.

“You ok?” he asked softly, looking down at her, his body slowing slightly. He needed to make sure she was all right before he really went for it.

She looked up at him, her hands on his sides, stroking gently. “Fuck yeah,” she grinned.

She watched as his eyes closed at the new sensations brought on by their different position. She moved her legs, wrapping one around him, as he lifted the other up high against his ribs, opening her more, and he sank deeper into her. He leaned down to her, moving against her as she answered him thrust for thrust, his lips crashing against hers, their hips met again and again, demanding, persistent and unrelenting.

He pulled away breathing hard against her shoulder, his movements never haltering.

“Harder, Michael,” she panted, her hands again reaching for his ass, pulling him against her, “More, oh God, please more.”

“Shit, Maria, yeah” he growled as he moved faster, pounding into her at a ferocious pace. He moved his hand to grab hers from where she had grabbed his ass. He entwined his fingers with hers and moved their hands up and over her head, his other hand on the floor beside her body, holding as much weight off her as he could. She moved her other hand to rest on his shoulder as she smiled at the feel of him hammering deeper and deeper into her, and that blessed swirling sensation began to build within her.

Their bodies slid easily against each other, their sweat mingling and becoming one, as their bodies became one.

“Michael,” she whimpered and she closed her eyes, her face a picture of pure pleasure.

“God, you’re so tight, so fucking good.” Michael growled and she opened her eyes to look at him again as she contracted her inner muscles around his length. “Oh God, Maria, you feel fucking amazing.”

“You….feel..…amazing,” she answered in an haltering breath as he pushed her harder and harder, their bodies moving hard against the floor with every thrust, and Maria shivered at the feeling, thankful her back was healed.

“So close,” he said, his lips on her neck, sucking and biting.

“Yes, God, yes,” was all she could answer, with her body ready to explode.

“Oh God, cum Maria, cum for me, oh fucking God Maria.” Michael couldn’t stop the words from tumbling out of his mouth, his body balancing on the edge, leaning over and just waiting for her to join him.

“Shit, Michael, you’re so good, so fucking good, I……..I……. shit,” and then she exploded, screaming his name.

“Maria,” was all he could articulate as he followed her over the edge, exploding within her, her walls milking him as he fell freely with her. He thrust into her a few more times before he collapsed upon her, no longer able to keep his weight off her and burying his head in her neck.

They breathed in sync with each other, as if their hearts had mated together just as their bodies had, both trying desperately to catch their breath and regain some sort of control. Michael could feel her legs twitching around him and even her inner muscles convulsed slightly in time to their hearts, and she wrapped her free hand around his shoulders holding him close to her, her other hand still entwined with his above her head.

Michael turned his head slightly and tipped it back so he could see Maria. She still had her eyes closed, her lips parted and a thin sheen of sweat covering her. Her breasts rose with each intake of breath, and he found it intoxicating. He was still buried deep inside her, and his dick twitched again.

Maria smiled when she felt his tiny movement within her, and she couldn’t resist moving her hips against him.

Michael couldn’t even move, he just groaned and smiled at her. She opened her eyes and turned her head to his.

“You know,” she said, breathlessly, “I was under the impression that you had good stamina.”

“Yeah, usually,” he said, his breath tickling her neck.

“That’s false representation, buddy,” she said, running her hand up and down his back.

“Give me a minute,” he said, then kissed her neck. “I was shot yesterday. You do remember that, don’t you?”

“A poor excuse if ever I heard one,” she responded with a laugh.

He finally let go of her small hand and traced his fingers down her arm and onto her breast, stroking the side gently.

“You are incredible,” he stated, his voice slightly in awe.

“You’re not too bad yourself,” she replied, her hand moving to his ass.

He looked down to the place where their bodies were still joined “I’d better move,” he said but still didn’t make any movement.

“Yeah, probably,” she said slowly, though her one leg was still wrapped around him and the other caught under his body. Michael moved his hand further down her body to her hip and then along the length of her thigh wrapped around him. “You have the most fabulous legs, babe.”

Maria tilted her head to him. “You think?” she asked.

“Good God, Maria, I know,” he said, “I knew the moment I saw you in that club.” He reached over and kissed her tenderly. “Shit, Maria, the whole club knew it.”

Maria giggled, “I was always told to show off my best attributes.”

“One of many,” he said with a grin as his hand palmed her breast.

She chuckled low in her throat at his innuendo.

“The very air stopped in that club when I saw your legs, you know,” he continued, his hand constantly moving over her. “I could hardly breathe.”

Maria looked at him, her eyebrows furrowed slightly, “Really?” she queried. “The air stopped moving?”

“Corny, I know,” he said with a laugh. “Don’t hold it against me. It probably won’t happen again.”

Maria laughed nervously, but luckily Michael had fastened his lips around her nipple so he didn’t catch it.

“Michael,” she shivered. “We need to get up from the floor. It’s kinda hard.”

Michael looked up at her, “Not yet, Maria, but it won’t take long,” he said wriggling his eyebrows.

She laughed at him, slapping his shoulder half-heartedly. “Move it, Michael.”

Michael finally moved away from her, moving her legs from him and pulling his half flaccid member from her. They both moaned at the loss.

“Shit,” Michael said, looking down at her dripping core, his eyes drawn to their combined fluid that trickled from her.

Maria leaned up on her arms. “What’s wrong?”

He looked at her, “I’m sorry, Maria. We forgot the condom.”

“Shit,” Maria echoed, and she, too, looked down at herself and then at him.

Michael looked at her, his eyebrow raised. “Are we ok?” he asked.

“I’m on the pill, if that’s what you’re asking,” she said as she sat up more. Michael rocked on his heels and stood up and then laughed.

“What?” she asked, also standing.

“Not only did we forget the condom, but I didn’t even get my shoes and socks off.”
Maria laughed as she took him in, standing in front of her with his jeans and boxers around his thighs and his shoes still on.

“Well, Michael, better get rid of them if you want to join me in the shower,” she said as she walked away from him and headed to a door on the other side of the room.

Michael walked over to the huge bed along one side of the vast room. “Shit, Maria, I think your room is bigger than my apartment.” He heard Maria’s low laugh from the bathroom.

It was an impressive room, tastefully decorated with expensive-looking furniture. The large bed that dominated the room looked like even he could get lost in it, and there was an expanse of windows along one side letting in the late afternoon sunshine. At least, he thought it was late afternoon. He heard the shower start and quickly took off his shoes and socks. He removed his jeans and boxers and laid them across a piece of furniture he thought was called a chaise longue, but he would never admit to anyone he knew that. He pulled his wallet out oh the back pocket of his jeans and opened it. He took the couple of condoms out that he had stored in there, not sure if she would have any, and dropped them on the bed on his way to the bathroom.

Even the bathroom was massive. It had a sunken tub along one wall with a double vanity across it, while the third wall housed an incredible walk-in shower and a door that obviously led to the toilet. He opened the door to the shower and stepped through.

“Shit, Babe,” he said, “Can I move into your shower?”

The shower had two big shower heads and seven more that jutted out of the walls, one clearly removable. There were built-in shelves in the tiled wall that held bottle upon bottle of Maria’s shower stuff. She obviously thought she needed that many bottles for that perfect shower and a music system in the wall. There was even a large bench strategically located across the back of the shower.

She laughed when she saw him eye the bench. “I can be extremely lazy sometimes,” she said.

“I bet,” he laughed.

Maria stood under one of the shower heads and looked at him as he stood under the other.

“I bet you can fit 10 people in here,” he said.

“More like 12,” she countered with a smile.

“Can I ask you something?” Maria said before tipping her head back slightly and running her fingers through her wet hair.

“Sure,” he said, the warm water cascading around his body.

Maria looked back at him and her eyes caught on a rivet of water, and she tracked it with her eyes, moaning slightly when it finally disappeared into the dark curls surrounding his semi-hard dick.

“Maria,” he prompted with a smile.

“Mmmm,” she said, slowly bringing her eyes back to him. “Oh right,” suddenly remembering she was talking. “Do you often have sex with a condom, Michael?” she asked, and then she turned and grabbed some shower gel from the shelf.

Michael watched her pour some sweet-smelling gel onto a sponge and rub it over her body. He was mesmerized as his eyes followed the soap suds as they glided over her body sensually.

“Michael,” she laughed, watching his face as he watched her.

“Yeah, what?” he said, snapping out of his haze to look into her radiant green eyes. He shook his head. “Sorry, no, not as a rule. I don’t have sex without a condom, but there may have been a couple of exceptions to that rule.” He took a step toward her, no longer able to keep away, his hand following the suds. “How about you?”

She shook her head, a smile on her face, leaning into his touch a little.

“Do you want me to get tested?” he asked, sliding his hand down to her ass.

“Do you mind?” she asked, bringing the sponge to his body and rubbing it gently across his chest.

“Not at all,” he answered, sighing at her gentle caresses as she washed him. “A person has to protect themselves.”

“I get tested every six months,” she provided. “Company policy. For STD’s and drugs.”

“Ok,” he said.

“You can check my most recent results from Liz, if you want,” she said as she knelt in front of him, washing his legs.

“No need, Maria,” he said, as she swept up the inside of his leg with the sponge. “I’ll make an appointment at my clinic as soon as I leave here.”

Maria looked up from where she knelt between his legs, “Liz can do it for you. And you’ll get the results quicker than if you use a clinic.”

“You think she’ll do it for me?” he asked as he held a hand to her face.

“Yeah, she’ll do it,” Maria said as she dropped the sponge and took his dick in her hand and she glanced up at him as she moved her hand in slowly torturous strokes and watched his eyes close as he leaned into her a little. She gripped him a little harder increasing the pressure but didn’t speed up her movements and smiled when he groaned with frustration. She trailed her other hand from his hip around to grip his ass, digging her nails in slightly and he growled low in his throat and pushed further into her hand, trying to make her go faster. She ignored his silent request and continued at an agonizing slow pace.

“Fuck, Maria,” he growled out. “Faster.”

Maria just smiled mischievously up at him and blew across the tip slowly.

“You’re killing me here, babe,” he said low.

“Torture’s a bitch,” she laughed.

“Yeah, but I have to admit,” he twisted a hand into her wet hair, “I love your torture method.”

“Yeah,” she smiled with a raised eyebrow.

“Shit, yeah,” he sighed. He couldn’t really believe it, but he thought he was actually gonna burst without her speeding up, and he had never cum through slow movements before. Just with her on her knees between his legs, her delicate hand encasing him and her luscious lips so close to his dick was sending him dangerously close to the tipping point.

“You know payback’s a bitch, too, right?” he asked with a smile.

“God, I hope so,” she countered and leaned forward a little to lick just above her hand on the underside of his manhood; wet, short, torturous flicks of her fantastic tongue. Michael moaned in response to this new torture, the feeling of his release building already.

“Oh God, Maria, just….. please,” he said.

“Please what?” she said, looking up at him from under her lashes, surprisingly demure.

“Please just…… anything, babe just ……please,” Michael begged, this was also something new to him: him begging. Normally, it was whichever woman he was with that did the begging.

“I think I like you begging, Michael, though it would be better if you were on your knees,” she looked down at his dick again, “though that would make this harder to do.”

And she took his dick into her mouth and pumped her hand quicker. She moved her mouth up and down over his velvet flesh in a steady rhythm, sucking every time she reached the top. Michael wound his other hand into her hair, trying hard not to force himself further into her mouth. He knew he was bigger than the average man, and he didn’t want to hurt her.

It wasn’t long before he felt the familiar tightening in his balls, and he held Maria’s head gently, pulling her from him. He just managed to twist his hips away from her face when he exploded into the air, his semen landing on the shower floor and washing away.

“Michael,” Maria pouted. “That’s twice you’ve denied me.”

‘Oh shit,’ Michael thought, watching her pout, panting slightly from his orgasm. ‘Now that is an evil weapon.’

“Maria,” he said tenderly, helping her up off her knees, “I don’t want to cum inside you without a condom until you’ve got the results of my test.”

“A bit late for that, isn’t it?” she laughed as she stretched up to kiss him.

“Yeah, and I’m sorry, Maria,” he said, holding her cheek in his hand.

“We were both involved, Michael, you can’t take all the blame on yourself,”

Michael nodded and pulled her to him to kiss her passionately. His hands moved gently over her back, caressing her, until he reached her ass and then lifted her into his arms.
He pulled away and looked into her eyes, so open and full of passion. “What are the chances one of those shelves holds some condoms?”

Maria leaned in to kiss his neck, sucking softly on his pulse point. “Second shelf, waterproof box, near the back.”

“You know, you are unbelievable,” he said with a smirk.

“It has been mentioned a couple of times,” she said with a sexy grin. He moved her over to the wall beside the shelves and braced her there so he could reach for the box she indicated. She hissed slightly at the feel of the cool tiles behind her back, and he smirked at her. It took him a minute or two, but eventually, his hand came away with a foil packet between his fingers. Of course, it would have been easier if she hadn’t have been intent on leaving her mark on his body, just above his left nipple.

He kissed her deeply again as he ground his rapidly hardening dick into her, one hand on her ass with a condom between his fingers, holding her against the wall. His other hand tightly gripped her thigh, and he trailed it upward until he reached the apex of her legs, gently caressing her.

Maria’s head snapped back against the wall at the feel of his fingers against her clit.

“Shit,” she moaned, and Michael chuckled against her shoulder.

Maria wound her hand between their bodies as well and clasped his dick, pumping quicker than she did earlier. It only took a few strokes, and he was hard and needy again. She took the foil packet from Michael, opened it quickly and covered his erection with the latex.

She moved his dick to her opening, and Michael removed his fingers from her and watched as she guided him into her. When he was halfway inside of her, he lifted her hand away, kissed her palm and placed it on his shoulder and then he watched her intently as pushed all the way in.

“Oh, Michael,” she said, her voice light, as if in awe. “You fill me completely.”

“Is it good?” he asked, not moving yet.

“Soooooo good,” she answered with a smile. She rotated her hips against him in a slow movement, watching him as she moved against him; he was smiling at her.

“Are you gonna move or are you expecting me to do all the work here?” she asked, with a slow grin.

“Well you seem to be doing perfectly well on your own,” he said with his sexy half smile.

“Please, Michael,” she whimpered, “Will you just move?”

“Now who’s begging?” he said as he latched on to a breast, tasting the shower gel she
had used earlier to wash herself, and he moved against her, matching her movements.

“Yes,” she let out slowly.

“God, Maria,” Michael said, pulling away from her breast. “You feel so good.”

“Mmmm, you too,” she said moving her arm against the wall as if looking for some purchase as he moved quicker, her other arm holding him close.

“It won’t be long, babe,” he growled against her neck.

“OK,” she said and she moved her free head to her clit and rubbed gently.

“Shit, Maria,” Michael laughed, slapping her hand away and taking over the job himself, his other hand holding her up between his body and the wall.

“Fuck, yeah,” Maria cried, her arm back against the wall.

“Fuck, yeah,” he echoed, pounding into her mercilessly now. Scared he was going to drop her, he abandoned her clit and prayed he could finish her without the added stimulation. He held on to her hips, gripping almost painfully, regretting the bruises she would have but unable to stop himself.

Maria’s hands grasped at his back, pulling him closer, her nails scraping painfully at his shoulder blades, and she silently cursed the marks she was leaving.

He grinned against her as a string of expletives fell from her oh so luscious lips, followed by, “God, Michael. Yes, fuck me.”

He couldn’t answer her. Hearing her ask him to fuck her, that sent him into a frenzy, and he was sure he was hurting her as he slammed into her relentlessly. He managed a soft, “Sorry,” against her shoulder, though he was unsure if she actually heard him.

Maria moved her hands from his back to turn his head to her, and she kissed him with abandon. Their tongues battling, echoing their lower bodies until she tore her lips from his with a scream of his name as her orgasm ripped through her.

He followed her straight over the edge when she opened her eyes and looked straight into his. His body pumped into hers a few more times as he filled the condom, watching her flushed face glow and her eyes sparkle.

“Holy fuck, Maria,” was all he could say as he finally leaned against her, praying the wall would hold her because he didn’t think he could anymore.
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Pixie-Maria
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Re: The Company. (AU,All, mainly M&M, Adult) Chapter 5 10/2

Post by Pixie-Maria »

Yay, it’s update time.

CandyliciousLovah: Now we all know you’re not ‘just kidding’ ! :lol:

Carolyn: Thanks :D

Sara : Glad you liked that part! And I think you’re intuitive. :roll:



Chapter 5.



Hours later, Michael and Maria lay breathing hard next to each other on her Baroque custom-made bed. The finish was a high gloss walnut with an elegant inlaid pattern of cream suede, and Michael had been right. The bed was so large, even his tall, broad body was lost in it. They turned their heads to each other at the same time and laughed, the moonlight was seeping through the thin gossamer material at the windows, dancing shadows upon their glistening bodies.

“Now that was intense,” Maria said with a grin.

“You’re kidding me, right?” Michael answered with his half smile. “We’ve been at this most of the afternoon and all evening. We’ve nearly used a full box of condoms, and that last time was intense?”

Maria just nodded, her eyes sparkling with amusement. “That thing you did with your tongue? Oh. My. God. I thought I’d died and gone to heaven.”

“You liked that, huh?” he asked rolling on to his side to look at her sprawled recklessly across the bed.

She nodded enthusiastically, her dazzling smile growing, and Michael feared he would strive to see that look time and time again.

“Well, it was a thank you for the thing YOU did with your tongue,” he returned, reaching out and stroking the breast nearest to him.

“Then we’re even?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Until next time,” Michael confirmed.

“Next time,” Maria agreed.

They looked at each other for a few moments, and then Maria turned her body to the clock beside her bed.

“Holy shit, it’s after 11!” she exclaimed as she looked back at Michael. “We’ve missed dinner. Shit, and it was lasagna tonight,” she added with that pout.

“We were kinda busy, Maria,” Michael said with a laugh. Most women won’t admit they have an appetite, but then again, Maria was definitely not most women.

“Let’s go raid the kitchen,” she whispered as she sat up.

“Why are you whispering?” Michael asked, his voice as low as hers.

“Because Greg is a dictator about his kitchen, and he won’t allow me in,” she mumbled, again with that blessed pout, and God help him, his dick responded again.

“You have a cook?” Michael asked, ignoring her look at his lower regions.

Maria snapped her head back up to his face. “Don’t call him a cook, Michael, he’ll boil you alive. He’s a renowned French chef.”

“The Company really looks after its employees eh?” he asked impressed.

“Only the best for the best, Michael,” she answered. She pushed him gently against his shoulder, rolling him on to his back, she then movied closer to him, settling her head on his chest, her arm across his body and one leg entwined between his.

Michael grinned as he brought his arms around to hold her closer to him. “I thought we were going to raid the kitchen?” he asked, quite content to stay exactly where they were.

“In a minute,” she replied softly, her fingers moving lazily over the smooth skin of his chest.

They lay there for a few minutes in each other’s arms, each with their own thoughts.

“Have you decided yet?” Maria asked her voice low, as if reluctant to break the silence.
“Maria, I’ve kinda had my mind on other things,” he laughed low, knowing she was asking about his decision to join The Company.

“Ok,” she said. “But you will think about it, won’t you?” she asked, tipping her head up to look at him.

He looked into her eyes again and felt truly mesmerized. “Yes, Maria, I’ll think about it,”

“Good,” she said and then she stretched up and kissed him, slowly and sensually, her hand gently rubbing the stubble on his cheek.

They pulled away when there was a hard knock against her door.

Maria sighed. “I knew it was too good to be true,” she mumbled against his lips. She turned her head. “Yes?” she called out.

“Ria, your mutt wants in,” Sean’s voice called through the door.

Maria smiled to Michael, kissed him again, a kiss that promised more, and then sat up and pulled the comforter over them both.

“Come in, I’m decent,” she called out, settling herself against the pillows.

“That’s debatable,” he called through the door. “What about Guerin?”

“Oh, he’s completely indecent,” Maria smirked.

The door opened to show Sean wearing a disapproving look as he took in the two on the bed. There was a flash of white as Maria’s dog ran through the door, jumped up onto the bed, and then stood, stark still, a low growl emanating from him.

Sean laughed as Maria’s dog bared his teeth to Michael.

“Jacob,” Maria called softly, “Its ok.” She leaned forward with the comforter wrapped around her and stroked behind the dog’s ear soothingly.

Jacob took a step toward Michael and growled again.

“No, Jacob,” Maria chided, holding her finger out to him, and the dog turned to her. He sauntered between her and Michael and laid down, his eyes holding Michael’s skeptically the entire time.

“He can be a bit protective,” she said with wry grin to Michael.

“A bit,” Sean laughed from the doorway. “That dog is the best guard dog for your virtue that I’ve ever known.”

“Oh,” Maria said and beamed. “My virtue. I like that.” And then she laughed.
Michael lay stiffly on the bed watching the dog.

“He won’t actually bite me, will he?” he asked Maria, never taking his eyes off the dog.

“No, not really,” she said and she scratched her dogs ears again.

‘OK, I’ll be going now,” Sean said, and he turned, then walked off down the corridor.

“Thanks for closing the door,” Maria shouted after him.

“Get off your lazy ass, and do it yourself,” they heard from further down the corridor.
Maria mumbled to herself as she climbed out of the bed and sauntered over to shut the door. She looked back to see Michael eyeing her appreciatively. “How about we raid the kitchen now?” she asked with a smile.

“Good idea,” Michael said as he leaped from the bed. Maria found her clothes on the floor and pulled them on as Michael did the same.

“We could stop by Liz’s room to see about the test if you want,” she commented as she watched him. She wasn’t sure if he really wanted to take the test, but if he did, that could mean they would be doing this again. And she really wanted to do him again and again and again.

“Will she still be awake?” Michael asked looking at the clock.

“Oh please, Liz hardly ever sleeps,” she responded with a wave of her hand.

“Then I think it’s a very good idea, because the next time I’m inside you, I want it to be latex free,” he commented as he stepped closer to her.

“God, yeah,” she agreed as she ran her fingers through her hair, trying to bring some order to it and silently thanking the gods he had admitted there would be a next time.
Michael closed the distance between them, his hand reaching out for her arm, then drawing her closer to him. Instantly, Jacob sprang up from the bed and raced over to him, growling and snarling, his teeth snapping viciously.

Michael pulled his hand back quickly. “Shit, Maria,” he said, “What kind of dog is he?” as he eyed the dog nervously.

“He’s a Jack Russell, and he’s just a little wary of you, that’s all.”

“So, will I ever be able to touch you again with him around?” he asked seriously.

“Of course,” she laughed, and she held her hand out to him. After he hesitantly took it, she brought him to her into a kiss with Jacob only growling low in his throat.

When they broke apart, Michael looked down at the dog where he stood beside Maria. “So if you initiate, he’s ok?” Michael asked.

“Yes,” she said running her hand along Michael’s still bare chest, still in his embrace, “but if you hang around long enough, and touch me often enough, I guess he’ll get used to you.”

“So I need to touch you a lot to get the dog used to me, right?” he asked with a slow grin.

“Exactly,” Maria answered with a nod.

Michael held her head, softly, and whispered against her lips, “I guess I can do that,” and they kissed again to a low growl from Jacob.

They pulled back and watched each other for a second.

“I’m hungry,” Maria stated low.

“For food?’ Michael asked with a raised eyebrow.

“For now,” Maria answered with a sexy smile and a shrug.

“I think you’re insatiable,” Michael acknowledged with a laugh.

“And you say it like it’s a bad thing,” Maria replied with that pout.

“Shit, Maria, that pout should be illegal.”

Maria laughed. “You’re not the first one to suggest that,” she said as she stepped out of his arms and bent to pick his shirt up. She handed it to him, and he slipped it on but was unable to fasten it properly as there were several buttons missing.

“Let’s go,” Maria said as she turned to the door. Jacob made to follow her and she turned back to him. “No, you stay here,” she instructed and pointed to a plush dog bed over to the side of the room. “Go to bed.”

Jacob looked once more to Michael, growled low, then turned and walked dejectedly over to his bed, settling down with his head in his paws.

“You have him trained pretty well,” Michael noted as they left her room. “How long have you had him?”

“Since I was 14,” she answered as they walked down the corridor.

“And how long ago was that?” he probed gently.

Maria grinned at him. “I’m 23, Michael,” she said, knowing what he was asking without him actually saying it.

Michael nodded.

“And you’re 26,” she added.

“How did you know?” he asked.

“Oh, please, this is The Company. They probably have your bank details, social security number, password to your computer, and your inside leg measurement.”

“Shit,” he said with a weak smile.

“Uncle Mason probably knows more about you than you know yourself.” She stopped at a door and rapped quickly on it.

Michael shook his head, “I can’t believe you’re a Deluca.”

“Why not?” she asked turning to him while they waited for the door to be answered.

“You’re just so,” he searched for the right words, “small and delicate and soft and unassuming and…..”

The door opened to show the small brunette he had met earlier. “You can’t possibly be talking about Maria, because that’s just so not true,” Liz grinned at the two of them.

“Yeah, you forgot to say hot, sexy, stimulating, and insatiable,” Maria teased.

“Well that just goes without saying, doesn’t it?” Michael offered with a knowing smile.

“How about demanding, spoiled, bitchy and a pain in the ass?” Liz added with her own amused smirk. She looked at her watch. “Eight hours,” she paused, “that’s got to be a new record.”

Maria looked quizzically at her friend. “Eight hours?” she asked.

“Since you were last seen dry humping against a wall downstairs,” she countered with a snort of laughter.

“Shit,” Michael exclaimed. “We’ve been having sex for eight hours? It’s no wonder we’re starving.”

“And overstimulated,” Maria beamed.

“Too much information,” Liz said, waving her arms in front of her.

“We did have a two hour break when you fell asleep,” Maria remarked to Michael, patting him gently on the arm.

“Liz, would you please explain to this poor girl that recovering from a gunshot wound can seriously lower your performance levels?” Michael asked, his expression firm.

“Hey buddy, I know what it’s like to be shot,” Maria cried indignantly. “You just can’t keep up with me.”

Liz watched the two in front of her, her head turning from one to the other like she was watching a tennis match. “Ok, stop,” she cried out holding her hand up, “What can I do for you at this hour?”

“Can you give Michael one of The Company tests?” Maria asked.

Liz eyed Michael. “Do you think you need one?” she asked

“Well, we kinda had a non-latex moment, and Michael admits he may have had a couple since his last test,” Maria answered for him. “I checked out ok, right?”

“Right,” Liz said, answering Maria’s question before turning to Michael. “Ok, that’s not a problem.”

“Can you do it tonight?” Michael asked.

“Please,” Maria added.

“Maria,” Liz drawled with exasperation.

“Please,” Maria said with her puppy eyes and her pout.

“Ah,” Liz exclaimed with glee. “I’m immune to that pout, remember.”

“Shit,” Maria moaned. “We’ve gotta get some gay women in here,” she said only half in jest.

Liz shook her head at her friend. “Go and get something to eat, I’ll meet you there,” she said with a smile.

“Thanks, Liz,” and Maria pulled Michael away before she could change her mind.

Maria led Michael to the vast kitchen and started looking in the pantry as he wandered around the room.

“This beats the kitchen at the precinct downtown,” he said with a smile.

Maria waved a hand to him from inside the pantry.

“Michael, check the fridge,” she instructed him.

Michael turned and walked over to the wall of refrigerators that filled one side of the kitchen. “Which one?” he mumbled low.

He pulled open a couple until he called out, “Hey, Maria, over here.”

Maria came out of the pantry with a cracker hanging from her lips and an open box in her hand.

Michael eyed her munching on the cracker.

“What?” she cried, walking over to him. “I’m hungry, and it’s your fault buddy.”

Michael grinned at her, “Ok, I’ll take the blame,” he said and then pointed into the fridge.

Maria’s eyes followed his hand until she saw two large covered plates, one with a post it stuck onto its lid. She pulled it off and read the note.

Michael,
Three minutes on high in the microwave.
Don’t let that She-Devil touch my appliances,
Greg.


Maria laughed. “God, I love Greg,” she said pulling the plates off the shelf and over to the counter.

Michael watched her as she uncovered the plates and then smiled when she clapped her hands with glee, her body moving in a little dance as she caught a whiff of their meal.

“Do I need to worry about this Greg guy?” he asked as he took over and brought the plates over to the expensive looking microwave.

Maria looked at him quizzically. “What do you mean?”

Michael found the right buttons and, after the appropriate beeping, he turned back to her and said in a high pitch voice. “God, I love Greg.”

Maria laughed at him as she walked over to him and into his arms. “Michael, Greg is someone who can resist my pout,” she said before she placed a soft kiss on his neck.

“Eh?” Michael answered.

“He’s gay, Michael,” she added, her hand wandering beneath his partially fastened shirt. “But now I’ve got a secret weapon.”

“Yeah, and what’s that?” he asked, his voice strangely low at her touch.

“You,” she said grinning up at him.

“Me?” he asked, pulling back a little from her.

“Yeah,” she said turning slightly in his arms at his indication, and he lifted her onto the counter. “I don’t think he’d be able to resist anything you ask him.”

“What makes you say that?” he inquired, opening her legs so he could stand in between them.

“Oh, I don’t know,” Maria commented her eyes devious as she slipped open the few buttons that were fastened and pushed the fabric from his shoulders. “It could be your body,” she kissed his chest, “Or your arms,” as she dropped a kiss on each bicep, “Your ass,” as she grabbed a handful, “Your eyes,” as she kissed each eyelid, “Your package,” she grinned as she caressed him through his jeans. “But I bet it’ll be your lips,” she quipped, pulling his head to hers as she enveloped him into a deep kiss, pressing her body into his and getting as close as she could possibly get.
Michael laid a hand on her thigh and ran his hand up her smooth skin, slipping his fingers under the material of her shorts. He gripped her flesh hard as he tried to pull her closer.

“You know, Greg will kill you both if you have sex on his countertops,” Liz called as she entered the kitchen to see them kissing fervently, hardly a breath between their bodies just as the microwave pinged.

“That’s only because he isn’t getting any,” Maria said with a smile as she pulled away from Michael slightly, their lips almost touching still, With a cheeky grin, she added, “Maybe you can help him, Michael,” she added with a cheeky grin.

“No way, Blondie,” he said pulling further back. “I don’t swing both ways.”

Maria smiled at him as she again rubbed her hand along the stubble on his cheek, then replaced her hand with her cheek.

“You like that, huh?” Michael asked.

Maria nodded. “It feels good, very stimulating.”

“I’m not sure it feels as good in more ‘delicate’ places,” he said with a knowing smile.

“You’re right,” she countered with her own smile.

“Some of us would like to sleep sometime soon,” Liz coughed low in her throat as she snapped on a pair of latex gloves.

“Sorry,” Michael said, and he stepped away from Maria. He noticed the medical tray Liz had placed on the counter. “You gonna do it here?”

“Here is as good as anywhere, if you don’t mind?” she answered. “It won’t take long,” as she prepped the needle to take Michael’s blood.

He sat down at the breakfast bar and held an arm out to her.

“Do you…do you wanna put your shirt back on?” Liz asked, averting her eyes shyly.

Maria laughed. “Despite Liz being one of our best doctors, she doesn’t like to see our naked flesh,” she informed Michael, chuckling at her friend’s awkwardness.

“It doesn’t matter that she’s seen us all naked at one point or another.”

“Seeing you naked when you’re unconscious is one thing, when you’re awake it just seems wrong,” Liz said looking at Maria not Michael.

“Did you, or did you not help put Michael in the unit last night?” Maria asked.

“Yes,” Liz said.

“And was he as naked as the day he was born?’ Maria probed.

“Yes, but that’s different, that's medical. This isn’t,” Liz responded stubbornly.

“Are you not doing a medical procedure?” Michael asked with a light smile, and Liz turned to him.

“Yes,” Liz relented, huffing. “Don’t put the shirt on then.”

The microwave pinged again, reminding them their food was ready.

“Sorry, Liz,” Maria said smiling as she jumped from the counter to get their food. “I kinda ruined Michael’s shirt earlier. It won’t fasten anyway,” but she stopped and picked the shirt up from the floor and handed it to Michael who put it on anyway.

“Thank you,” Liz said with a smile to Michael and attached the tourniquet to his arm.
She positioned the needle against his vein, and Maria turned her back quickly.

“What’s wrong, Blondie?” Michael asked with a smirk, “Don’t tell me you faint at the sight of blood?”

“Oh, please,” Maria said, though her back was still to them. “I’ve seen so much blood it would make your head spin.”

Michael caught the fleeting look Liz gave her friend, a look full of concern and pity, and Michael raised his eye brow to her in silent question.

Liz gave a minuscule shake of her head, dismissing his silent question. “She hates needles,” she quietly offered.

Maria busied herself looking at the microwave. “How do you open this fucking thing?” she asked, frustration evident in her voice.

“And she hates to admit she has any fears,” Liz said with a small smile to Michael, to which he smiled back.

“Try the button that says ‘open’,” Michael called out to her.

‘The button that says open’,” she muttered under her breath, with a sarcastic tone.

“AH, I’ve found it,” she called triumphantly, and the door popped open.

“I did not see that,” Liz said, pulling the needle from Michael’s arm and placing a gauze swab over the tiny puncture wound. “And neither did you if you know what’s good for you and Greg asks,” she said to Michael as she lifted his wrist, bending his arm at the elbow to hold the gauze in place. She turned away and placed the tube of blood on the tray.

“Actually, it wouldn’t surprise me if Greg doesn’t have the place fingerprinted in the morning, just to make sure she hasn’t touched anything.”

“Is she that bad?’ Michael asked low as he watched Maria carefully bring the plates out of the microwave and over to the breakfast bar and then went in search of cutlery.

“You have no idea,” Liz answered Michael with a shake of her head. She held up a Band-Aid. “Are you allergic?” she asked.

“Don’t you know the answer to that already?” Michael replied with a smirk.

Liz returned his smirk and then peeled the back off the Band-Aid. “I was being polite.”

“Hey, Liz,” Maria called from over the other side of the room. “Do you have any idea were mien fuhrer keeps the cutlery?”

“Try through that door to your right,” Liz said as she attached Michael’s Band-Aid.

She then held up the cotton swab that looked like a huge Q-tip. “Do you want to go to the bathroom for this part?”

Michael looked at the swab and swallowed hard, he hated this part. He looked around the kitchen. “Nah, here is fine I guess,” and he started to open his jeans.

“Hey, I’ve found some,” Maria came back triumphantly waved the cutlery over her head. “What are you doing, Michael?” she asked when she saw him pull his dick from his jeans.

“Well, I thought I’d do Liz quickly on the counter while you were out the room, Blondie,” he joked.

“Ha Ha,” she answered him as she set the cutlery down on the breakfast bar. She turned and watched Liz as Michael presented her with his penis. Maria smirked at Liz when her eyes grew wide, and she flashed her eyes over to Maria. Maria raised her eyebrows quickly and winked at her friend.

“Oh my,” Liz said low, her throat dry for some reason, and she cautiously held her hand out.

“It’s not gonna bite you, Liz,” Maria said with a laugh.

“Shut up, Maria,” Liz said sternly as she gently clasped Michael’s penis.

“OK, stop,” Maria cried suddenly. Both Michael and Liz swung their heads up to look at her, confusion evident in their eyes.

“You can’t do that in here,” Maria told them, waving her hand to indicate the swab in Liz’s hand. “That’s just wrong on so many levels even I can’t comprehend it.”

“Wow,” Liz exclaimed, forgetting for a moment she was still holdjng Michael’s manhood in her hand. “Something Maria Deluca doesn’t approve of!”

“Oh, behave, Liz,” Maria retorted, pulling Michael up from the stool. “Take him to a bathroom. There are somethings I just don’t need to see,” Maria finished, pushing the two of them toward the door.

Maria listened as Liz grumbled something to Michael as she led him from the kitchen and to an appropriate place for such tortures, Michael, holding the fly of his jeans closed, chuckled as he followed.

She sat down at the breakfast bar and pulled the plates over to her, scrutinizing the portion sizes and finally settling on the bigger portion.

She decided she couldn’t wait for Michael and speared a huge slice of lasagna and lovingly brought it to her lips, her eyes closing in bliss as the flavors burst in her mouth as she chewed her dinner.

“The results should be back tomorrow,” Liz was saying to Michael as they returned. “I’ll call you as soon as I have them.”

“Let me give you my number,” Michael offered but then stopped, half-smiling at the doctor. “You’ve already got it. haven’t you?”

Liz just returned his smile and put all her trash on the tray. “You know, I think you are the first, Michael,” she said turning back to the two in front of her.

“The first what?” Michael asked with a raised eyebrow.

“The first to have his dick out in Greg’s kitchen,” she giggled.

“Just don’t tell Greg,” Maria said with a stern face. “He might ask for a replay.”

Liz laughed. “Enjoy your dinner,” she said as she left the two alone.

“I like her,” Michael said as he pulled the stool next to him out for Maria.

“Yeah, she’s great,” Maria agreed as continued to eat.

“This is pretty good,” Michael said his eyes wide as he chewed his food.

“Greg is an awesome chef,” Maria said with a nod as she took another bite.

She jumped off her stool and walked over to a fridge that looked like a massive wine cooler. She opened the door and, bending down, dug deep into the back of the cooler. A few seconds later, she pulled back, waving two bottles of Sam Adams in her hand.

“I knew I’d left these here,” she said with a dazzling smile.

“You’re telling me you don’t have a wine cellar?” Michael said, indicating with his fork to the huge wine cooler.

“Of course there’s a wine cellar,” Maria said as though he had been serious. “But we can’t keep running up and down the stairs every time we want a bottle of wine. And the beer is usually kept in the bar, but I stashed these…..”

“You have a bar?” Michael interrupted her, nearly choking on his food.

“Yep,” she said as she twisted the tops off the bottles and handed one to him as she took a sip of hers.

“Fully stocked?’ Michael asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Is there any other way to keep a bar?” she laughed.

“I guess not,” Michael laughed, taking a drink from his bottle.

“After we’ve completed a mission, you sometimes need a quiet drink,” she admitted. “And other times you need a loud drink and we hit the clubs,” she added with a slight wiggle in her stool that Michael took to mean dancing in the clubs as well.

They ate in silence for a few minutes. It was really the first time she had talked about actually being a member of The Company, and Michael still couldn’t quite grasp the fact that this small girl was a ruthless killing machine. Because technically, he knew that every member of The Company was trained to kill and kill mercilessly if needed.

“So, what do you do?” Michael asked, breaking the silence.

“Do?” she asked quizzically. “I do you,” she said with a smile, wriggling her eyebrows up and down.

Michael laughed.

“What do you do when you’re not working a mission or doing me?” he clarified

“Me?” she shrugged, not really wanting to go there yet. “I’m just a lowly Deluca woman. I don’t do much.”

Michael nodded at that and finished his lasagna. He noticed Maria pushing the last quarter of hers around her plate.

“Do you want that?” he asked pointing to her plate.

She smiled at him and moved her plate over for him. He grinned and polished her last piece off. When he had finished, she collect their dishes and took them over to the sink. “Do you think I’d be safe with the taps?” she asked with a cheeky smile.

“I think you’d be safe,” and he watched as she washed their two plates and cutlery and placed them on the drainer. He looked at the big wall clock and was shocked to see it was almost 1 in the morning. He knew he’d have to get moving and found he was reluctant to leave her.

Maria walked back over to him and stood between his legs, leaning into him where he sat on the bar stool. “I guess you’ll have to go soon?” she asked, unknowing that she was echoing his own thoughts.

“Yeah, I guess,” he said, wrapping his arms around her.

“You don’t have to,” she said, her head resting against his shoulder. “You can stay here and play with me.”

Michael groaned and turned her to look at him, stating quietly as he gestured to the house, “I have to go if I’m gonna seriously think about all this. I have to be away from it to think it over. And to be honest, Maria, you’re a bit of a distraction.”

“Really?” Maria grinned at him.

Michael reached out and tenderly moved a piece of stray hair back behind her ear. ‘Yes,” he said, his voice rough.

“Good,” Maria said beaming at him. Her eyes softened and she said, “I just don’t want this day to end.”

Michael held her face between his hands. “But if it doesn’t end, we won’t have tomorrow, or the day after or the day after that, and think of all the sex we’d be missing out on.”

“Well, if you put it like that,” she mumbled and kissed him long and deep with a touch of need in there, as well. She pulled away with a smile and walked over the phone by the door.

Michael watched as she pressed a button and then waited; her eyes on him all the time.

“Hi, Carlos,” she said into the receiver, “I need a car out front to take Detective Guerin home.” There was a pause. “Ok, thanks,” and she replaced the receiver. “Five minutes,” she stated to Michael.

“I could have taken a cab,” he said as he walked over to her.

“That’s not how we treat guests here,” she answered as she leaned into his embrace again. They stood there for a minute, Michael tenderly stroking Maria’s hair and her just holding on to him.

“I’d better go,” he whispered, and she nodded. They both turned so they could walk out of the kitchen.

They walked through the corridors to the front door, and Michael was amazed again at the size of the house. “If I do decide to join, do I get to live here?” he asked as they walked up to the door.

“That’s up to you,” Maria said and smiled at the man beside the door who Michael hadn’t even noticed.

“Going out, Miss Maria?” he asked pleasantly.

“Not tonight, Gavin,” she answered with a smile. “Detective Guerin is going home.”

Gavin nodded, and Michael noticed the gun hung in the holster under his jacket. He suddenly remembered his own gun that he had with him last night. Gavin turned to the door and punched a code into the keypad, then twisted the knob and the door opened.

Michael and Maria stepped through the door and Maria shivered slightly in the night air.

“It’s cold, Maria. Go back inside,” Michael said, rubbing his hands against her arms.

Maria just shook her head and looked up at Michael. He was shocked to see her luminous eyes glistening. “Hey,” he said tipping her chin up to him. “What’s this for?”
Maria shrugged. “Am I gonna see you again, Michael?” she asked quietly.

“Fuck, Maria, the United States Army couldn’t keep me from you,” he said honestly.

She smiled at that. “You wanna bet?” she asked with a mischievous grin.

“Let’s not put it to the test, ok?” he said, returning her grin. “Give me a couple of days, that’s all I ask. This is a big decision to make, ok?”

“OK,” she nodded and turned her head to see the town car roll to a stop in front of them. Michael looked at the car. “Should have guessed you’d have an armored car,” he laughed as he eyed the Lincoln BPS.

Maria grabbed his face and turned it back to hers, “You keep safe, Michael, or I’m gonna have to kick your ass,” she said, her voice serious.

“Yeah, you could always try,” he laughed, but he didn’t doubt in the least she could give him a good working over despite the height and weight difference. He’d seen her move, after all.

Michael closed the gap between them and kissed her, slowly and with such tenderness it made her heart ache.

She shivered again, and he wasn’t sure if it was from his kiss or the cold air. “Go inside, Maria,” he said softly, “and you keep safe. No more trying to get yourself killed, ok?”

“I wasn’t trying to get myself killed, Michael,” she whispered.

“Ok,” he said and kissed her lips softly again. “Thank you, Maria,” he said with honesty. “You know, for my life, not the sex.”

Maria smiled. “Thank you, Michael,” she echoed. “For my life and the sex,” she added with a sexy grin.

Michael laughed with her, then stepped away from her, running his hands down her arms until he held her by one hand, their fingers automatically interlacing with each other. He felt the need to move away from her before he caved and nailed her again against the car waiting for him.

He raised her hand to his lips and kissed her hand. “I’ll call you,” Michael said and she nodded, knowing he wouldn’t. She reluctantly moved her fingers and let his hand slip from hers and she took a step back, toward the door.

“See ya later,” she said and actually smiled at him, her fabulous smile, and Michael imprinted it onto his heart as he turned and walked to the car. The front passenger door opened quickly and a huge bulk of a man stepped out, quickly moved to the back of the car, and opened the door for Michael.

Michael turned back and smirked at Maria, and she returned his grin. He moved closer to the car and was mildly surprised when the huge man presented him with his own gun. With one last look to Maria, he slid into the car.

The burly man turned back to Maria. “Miss Maria,” he said with a slight indication of his head.

“Keep him safe, Eric,” she whispered.

“With my life,” he said, he climbed back in front of the car.

Maria watched as the car moved away. She didn’t bother to wave, knowing she couldn’t see if he waved back. She knew he would go ballistic if he knew that Eric would be following him for the next few days to keep an eye on him now he knew where The Company was housed.

She watched until she couldn’t see the taillights anymore and then she returned to the house.
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Pixie-Maria
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Re: The Company. (AU,All, mainly M&M, Adult) Chapter 6 11/0

Post by Pixie-Maria »

Hey you beautiful people, it’s update time.

Ginger: There are just something’s a girl does not need to know!!! :lol: :lol:

Sara: I think my Liz is pretty cool!!!

Carolyn: Yes, they certainly do.

Cardinal: The others will all appear in time, in fact……….read on….. Max was mentioned in the second chapter :D Yes, he does have an important decision to make. Wonder what he’ll do?


Chapter 6


Two days later Maria sat wearily at a table in the dining room. She had finished her light breakfast and was trying to convince her body to move so she could go to work.

The previous night, Sean and Maria were pushed to their professional limits on a hard mission. Maria admitted her concentration hadn’t been completely on the game, and she had collapsed into her bed at 3 that morning. It was now just after 8am, and she had a meeting at 9. She hated morning meetings, especially if she had been working her other job the night before, but this was the downfall of her surname and birth right.

“Hey, girl,” a voice called, and she looked up to see Tess and Isabel entering the dining room.

She waved to them as they walked over to the buffet-style carts that held an immense variety of breakfast foods and watched as they selected what they wanted. Maria rose up gracefully and moved to the espresso machine, made their coffees for them and brought them back to her table, sliding the coffee mugs in front of the two girls.

“Thanks, Maria,” Isabel said as she sat down, munching on a slice of toast.

“Tough night?” Tess asked, concern in her voice.

“Yeah,” Maria answered to the smaller girl. Tess was another agent like Maria, but she didn’t possess the special abilities that Maria did.

“So, I was talking to Liz yesterday,” Isabel started. Isabel’s role within The Company remained, as always, undefined. She had joined with her brother at his request but didn’t have the aptitude or the skill to become an agent, so she tended to help out wherever she was needed. She did spend a lot of time with Liz as a nursing assistant and personal secretary.

“Now, there’s a surprise,” Tess said with fake enthusiasm.

“And,” Isabel continued, ignoring Tess’ comment, “she told me that Maria’s new toy is huge.” Isabel’s eyes widened, her hands coming up in front of her, about a foot apart, over-exaggerating, as she repeated, “Huge.”

“Oh, Maria, are you holding out on the details?” Tess asked, her eyes swinging to Maria.

“A lady doesn’t kiss and tell,” Maria stated with refined dignity.

“Fuck that, Maria,” Tess said with a laugh. “You’re no lady, and the best part is the kiss and tell.”

Maria giggled at her friend’s statement. “Tess, if that’s the best part, you’re doing something seriously wrong.”

“Yeah,” Isabel added and then turned back to Maria. “So, you’ve kissed, now you’ve got to tell.”

“I really don’t have time to go into this right now,” Maria said with a glance at her watch. “I have a meeting in less than 45 minutes.”

“A fine excuse if I’ve ever heard one,” Tess whined. “Oh come on, Maria, those of us who aren’t getting any need to live vicariously through you.”

“Then go and fuck Kyle and have your own sex life,” Maria laughed.

“But that won’t help Isabel,” Tess exclaimed dramatically.

“It’s true,” Isabel said with a nod, her face deadly serious. “I’m probably gonna end up a dry old maid.”

“Never gonna happen, babe,” Maria said with a laugh. She loved hanging with her friends and cursed that she had to go to work. “Hey, we need a girls night out,” Maria announced, her eyes lightning up at the thought.

“Woohoo,” Tess exclaimed, throwing her fists in the air. “I love girls night out.”

“Yeah, and since Maria has a new flavor of the month, she might actually finish the night out with us,” Isabel agreed, her own lips curling up into a bright smile.

Maria didn’t want to think about Michael. He hadn’t called her, but she never really expected him to since she hadn’t given him her number, and she hadn’t called him, either, though she did have access to his number. He had asked for a couple of days to think over his options and she was respecting that. But she ached for him in a way she never had with any of the other men she had dated. And what was that anyway, were they dating? One day of incredible sex did not generally mean a deeper connection had been made.

“We need to get a body for Liz,” Maria said distractedly.

“What?” Tess asked, choking on her bacon.

“Liz,” Maria repeated, bringing herself back to the conversation. “She’s fed up with Max pussy footing around. I suggested she just go out and get laid.”

“In true Maria style, I guess,” Isabel laughed.

“Of course!” Maria joined in with Isabel’s laughter. “Oh, shit guys, I really gotta go. We’ll discuss plans later,” and she stood. “Later, babes,” she called as she left the room.

She sat in a chair by the front door waiting for her car to be brought around, her mood sinking again as her thoughts returned to Michael. She looked up as Sean stumbled down the corridor. He spotted her and wandered over to collapse into the seat next to her.

“Your leg ok?” she asked, closing her eyes briefly.

“Yes,” he replied tiredly. “How’s your shoulder?”

Maria rolled her shoulder carefully. It had been smashed several times against a wall during the fight with a target who was most reluctant to die quietly.

“I’ll be fine,” she answered. “I don’t have time for a unit bath at the moment. Liz said it would be ok to do it later.”

“Hey,” Sean said, knocking his cousin’s leg with his own. “Are you ok, M?”

‘I’m fine, Sean,” she stated again, though her eyes told a different story.

“Did you sleep at all?” he probed.

“Hardly,” Maria admitted. Sean knew his cousin, and he knew what was really wrong with her.

“He’ll come around, ya know,” he grinned.

“You don’t know that, Sean,” Maria returned, softly. “Maybe I just saved his life by a couple of days.” As far as she was aware, no one had refused an invitation to join The Company. She knew her uncle, and she knew that under that aloof, arrogant exterior, he was a cold-hearted bastard. Would he let Michael run free with his knowledge of The Company? Or would his body be found under the Santa Monica Pier? She sighed deeply. “Why won’t he call, Sean?”

“Did you give him your number?” Sean asked evenly.

“He’s a cop, Sean. He could get my number if he really wanted to,” Maria said, rubbing her forehead.

“Yeah, and then my Dad would have a coronary when he found out that your cell number had been traced,” Sean countered with a small smile.

Maria gave a soft snort in acknowledgement.

“He’s really got to you?” Sean asked, looking carefully at Maria.

“Yeah,” she admitted.

“Well, I never thought I’d see the day,” Sean quipped. “It’ll be ok, Maria. He can’t resist you.”

“Then why isn’t he here, Sean?” she whined dramatically, her eyes brimming with wetness.

“Hey, Maria,” he said seriously, “don’t, ok? You’ll ruin your make up.”

Maria ignored his lame attempt to make her laugh. “What will I do if he decides not to join?” she asked him.

“What do you want to do?” he countered.

“Abduct him and run away forever,” she said seriously.

“Then that’s what you’ll do,” Sean returned with all honesty.

Maria looked at him for a moment and then laughed. Sean smiled and then laughed with her, glad he had managed to get her to smile again.

“Miss Maria,” Gavin called from the door, “your car is ready.”

“Thanks Gavin,” she said with a sweet smile.

“OK, enough of this shit,” she said, slapping her legs and standing up. “Some of us have work to go to. Enjoy sleeping, Sean.”

Sean followed her up and kissed her cheek.

“Don’t work too hard, Ria,” he called as walked down the corridor to the dining room to grab some food before he went to bed.

Maria found her Bentley waiting for her out front, and she tossed her laptop, briefcase, and purse on the passenger seat as she slid into the driver’s seat, smiling at the young man who had brought it up from the garage. She was grateful she had asked them to lower the roof; she needed the air to wake her up.

She set off on a kind of autopilot as she drove into the city, her mind wandering over her last conversation with her uncle.

She had told him what Michael had said about the air stopping in the club when he had first seen her. That had brought into light that Michael might actually belong with them more than he realized.

There were only a few of them within in The Company who could stop the very movement of the air and who could manipulate the molecules, bend them to do their bidding. Michael would be a great asset if he could do this. Of course, all that was moot if Michael decided not to join them and then she’d…….. well, she didn’t know what she would do.

Thirty minutes later, she pulled into the underground garage of her building, smiling at the guard on duty and parked in her space close to the elevators. She gathered her three bags and headed for the elevator. She rode straight up to her floor, bypassing her urge to call in at the coffee shop, knowing Riley would get her whatever she needed.

“Morning, Anya,” she called to the young woman at the reception desk as she stepped from the elevator.

“Good morning, Miss Deluca,” the receptionist returned with a smile.

Maria continued down to her office.

“Morning, Riley, Kathleen,” she called to her two personal assistants. Riley dealt with all things concerning The Deluca Group and The Company while Kathleen made sure she kept on top of her charity dealings.

“Shit, Maria, you look like hell,” Riley exclaimed, taking in the appearance of his boss who happened to be 10 years his junior, but was looking every day of his 33.

“Thank you, Riley, for your kind words,” she said, sarcasm dripping from her.

“Party hard?” Kathleen asked. She, too, was older than her young boss by 13 years but these two never cared that Maria was younger than them. The simple fact was they loved working for her, and both tended to look upon her as a younger sister more than a boss.

“I wish,” Maria answered with a smile, “Work-related, didn’t get back ‘til 3am.”

“Shit,” Riley muttered low.

“I’ll see that shit and raise you a holy fuck,” Maria quipped with a laugh, “And if that’s not bad enough, I have that meeting in, like, 10 minutes.”

“I’ll get the coffee,” Kathleen offered, already on her way to the kitchen that they used.


“Thanks, Kathleen,” Maria said with a smile.

Riley followed Maria into her office. “Henry called again about that other venture he asked you to take care of.”

“Tell him I’m not a piece of meat,” she said seriously, nodding to the guard who was always stationed outside her office.

Riley just nodded at her answer, knowing that was what she was gonna say.

“You’re messages are ready for you,” he said, moving her chair out from behind the desk for her.

Maria nodded and sat down, placing her bags beside the desk. She picked the small squares of paper up and had a quick look through them. “They can all wait ‘til later,” she informed him and smiled as Kathleen placed a large coffee on her desk.

“Thanks, Kathleen,” she said with genuine gratitude.

They both turned and left Maria as she pulled a file from her briefcase.

“I’ll let you know when they get here,” Riley called from the door.

“Thanks,” Maria said absentmindedly as she re- read through the file, her hand wrapping around her large coffee cup automatically.


Two hours later, Maria returned to her office from the board room where her meeting had taken place.

“That was the most boring two hours of my life,” she whined as she perched on Riley’s desk, “with the most boring seven people I have ever met.”

“That’s the life of the high flyers, Boss,” he said with a smile.

“Well, do me a favor, and shoot me now,” she retorted, only half in jest.

There was a pause in their conversation and Maria suddenly yawned. “OK, I’m gonna crash in my office for a while. Hold all my calls and no visitors. I’ll be free for a late lunch,” she instructed as she walked to her office.

“Does that include everyone?” Riley called after her.

“Yes,” Maria said.

“Including both the bosses?” Riley probed.

Maria sighed deeply.” I guess not.”

“What about Sean?” Kathleen asked.

Maria thought about it. “Let him in, but that’s it, no one else,” She stopped at the door, thinking. She turned back to them. “Unless a Michael Guerin calls. I’ll take that call.”

Riley’s eyes flashed. “Ohh, baby got herself a new plaything?” he asked.

Maria thought about that for a moment. “That’s the million dollar question,” she replied and then closed the door behind her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Michael walked quickly through the lunchtime rush in the business district of downtown Los Angeles. He had returned to work that day, fed up with his ‘sick time’ and desperate to get back to normal.

He had done nothing but think about his new life options and was still unclear of what he was going to do.

He understood what The Company stood for but for all intents and purposes, The Company was illegal. He was a cop, an upstanding man of the community, and an all-round decent guy. These standards had been instilled in him by his father, and he wasn’t sure if he could turn his back on his upbringing and the prominent career he had started to carve out for himself.

He couldn’t get the image of Maria out of his head. He dreamt about her when he was asleep and fantasied about her when he was awake. He had given up that morning and rung the number that he had found in his jeans pocket. The call had gone through to the sprawling mansion that housed both Maria and The Company.

He was told Miss Maria was at work and had been given an address in the city. So now he found himself walking the streets looking for her place of work, which actually surprised him because she had told him she didn’t do much in the way of a proper job.

Michael stopped in front of a concrete plaza, exquisitely designed and surrounded by three impressive office buildings. He looked back at the piece of paper in his hand, double checking the address, and then looking back up he saw a sign that proved he was in the right place: Deluca Plaza.

Michael moved into the plaza and instinctively walked over to the center building. A huge sign indicated the building belonged to The Deluca Group. He strode into the building.

Michael wandered over to the large reception desk in front of a wide corridor that led to a bank of elevators.

“Erm, Maria Deluca, please,” he said to a receptionist, hoping he was in the right place. She looked up at him, and he watched as she raked her eyes over him, halfway between admiration and suspicion. Her eyes stopped on the badge clipped to his belt.

“Top floor,” she said with a smile and indicated with a hand past her to the elevators.
Michael thanked her and walked over to the elevators. He joined several people in one car and rode it up to the top floor.

There was only him and one other man in the elevator when they reached the top floor. The doors opened, and Michael followed the man out and was faced with another vast reception desk in a large foyer with a corridor running off each side of room.

Again, he asked for Maria Deluca and was directed down the left side corridor.
Toward the end of the corridor, he was faced with two more desks sitting in front of impressive double doors, facing each other; a man sitting behind one desk with dark short cropped hair and splattering of facial hair and a woman with golden blond hair pulled tightly behind her head sitting behind the other. Michael also noted the security guard standing beside the double doors.

Michael turned to the man. “I’m here to see Maria,” he said slightly gruffly.

“I’m sorry,” Riley said, looking the man up and down. He was dressed casually in jeans and a t-shirt with a leather jacket over the top, and he couldn’t help notice the police badge clipped onto his belt. “Ms. Deluca is unavailable.”

“Is she in there?” Michael pointed toward the doors that obviously lead to an office.

“Ms. Deluca is unavailable at the present, sir,” Riley said again. He looked down at an appointment book in front of him. “She’ll be available at 3pm, if I can take your name?”

Michael sighed, realizing he wasn’t going to get into the office. He ran his hand through his hair and said, “Guerin. Michael Guerin.”

He watched as the two secretaries looked at each other, Riley with a dawning grin.
“Of course, Mr. Guerin,” he said, standing up and moving from behind the desk. “I’ll show you through.”

Michael laughed in surprised that his name, not his badge, had actually opened the door. He followed the well-dressed man to the doors and the security guard looked him over and then nodded. Michael wondered if he knew about the gun he had in a holster under his jacket. He hoped so or he wasn’t any kind of security guard. Michael looked up at the door as the secretary guy knocked sharply on the door, his eyes widened at the shiny plate there.
Maria Deluca.
Vice President.
CEO of Acquisitions and Distribution.
‘Now that is a job title,’ he thought, bewildered.

Riley opened the doors to be greeted with music blaring excessively loud, and he indicated for Michael to enter.

Michael stepped into the huge palatial office and whistled low. There was a wall of windows directly in front of him on the opposite side of the room overlooking the skyline and a huge walnut desk that looked like it belonged in a museum sitting in front of the windows with a comfortable desk chair behind it and two oversized leather chairs in front of it. A wall of bookcases filled one side of the room with a selection of artifacts and books adorning it. On the other side of the room was a large sofa with Maria asleep on it. Michael noted three internal doors, one in between the bookcases and the other two on the side with the sofa. Near the wall of windows, just down from the sofa, there was a cabinet that Michael suspected held the stereo he could hear the music blaring from and probably and array of drinks and Impressive pieces of artwork were hung strategically around the room.

Michael and Riley both turned to the person sleeping on the sofa.

“How can she sleep with this crap blaring?” Michael asked low, though he didn’t know why. The music was loud enough the wake the dead.

“Maria can sleep anywhere, especially if she’s overtired,” Riley offered with a fond smile toward his boss. He walked over and lifted a small remote from the desk, and with a small flick of his wrist, the volume reduced to a respectful level.

“Which she is now?” Michael asked.

Riley wasn’t sure how much this rugged man knew about Maria’s life, so he decided not to comment.

“I’ll get her coffee,” he replied instead as he turned to leave before asking. “Would you like anything, Mr. Guerin?”

“Sure,” Michael said, his eyes intent on the sleeping woman. “Coffee, cream and sugar.”

When the door closed, he walked over to her curled gracefully on her sofa. She was wearing a soft beige skirt and a white silk shirt, and her shoes were laid out on the floor besides the sofa. He crouched down in front of her.

Maria stirred a little in her sleep as a distinctly masculine smell invaded her senses, and she smiled slightly, breathing in the scent hungrily. Then she felt a large hand on her hip, stroking gently. Her eyes drifted open, and her smile grew when realized she wasn’t imagining Michael being there.

“Hey,” Michael said softly when her eyes opened.

“Hey,” she said just as softly as he did.

“Why are you sleeping here and not in a bed?” Michael asked, his hand sweeping over her butt and back to her hip in soft gentle movements.

“Early meeting,” she answered simply, closing her eyes again briefly at the feel of his hands on her again.

Michael couldn’t resist anymore, and he leaned in to gently brush her lips with his.
Maria moved her hands around his head holding him to her, rolling slightly onto her back, pulling him with her and deepening the intensity of his kiss. It had been a very long two days and she’d missed his kisses so much.

They were so lost in their kiss they didn’t notice the door opening as Riley returned. He placed the coffee tray on the small table at the side of the sofa and it was this movement that startled the two out of their kiss.

”Coffee,” he stated simply, flashing a smile at Maria.

“Thank you, Riley,” Maria said, sitting up on the sofa, not in the least embarrassed about her passionate kiss with Michael.

“I’ll be going for lunch,” Riley told Maria. “Kathleen is still outside if you should need her.”

“OK,” Maria nodded, reaching for her cup. “Hey Riley?” she called out to the retreating figure. “Go nuts and use the group card.” Maria turned and handed Michael his coffee as he settled on the sofa next to her.

“Thanks,” Riley beamed, and then he turned to Michael. “You can visit again.” He left quickly before Maria could change her mind, closing the door quietly behind him.

“So, this is some impressive office for someone who is a lowly Deluca woman who doesn’t do much,” Michael said with a wry smirk.

Maria shrugged. “I guess,” she acknowledged as she took a grateful sip of the coffee
Michael watched her as he mirrored her and took a drink. “Shit, that’s good coffee” he exclaimed, smiling wide at his coffee cup.

“Yes, it is,” Maria agreed.

“Vice President, eh?” Michael stated his eyes on her.

“It’s just a title, Michael,” Maria sighed, with another shrug of her shoulders, pushing the pain that hit her when she moved her shoulder to the back of her mind.

“CEO of Acquisitions and Distribution,” Michael continued with a raised eyebrow.

“A glorified title for Shopping and Charity Events,” Maria laughed.

“Somehow, I doubt that completely,” Michael concluded, taking another sip of the wonderful coffee.

Maria tilted her head to him slightly, asking, “Why?”

“Because people who shop and attend charity events do not have early meetings, need two secretaries and a security guard,” Michael answered bluntly.

“You’re very observant, Detective Guerin,” Maria said with a grin.

“It’s my job,” he smirked deadpan.

“And they like to be called PA’s,” she added with a smirk of her own. “Especially Riley. It’s a guy thing, I think.”

Maria took another drink of her coffee, watching Michael over the top of her cup as he again looked around her office.

“I think you must be the youngest Vice President and CEO this town has ever had,” he said honestly.

“I think you’re probably right,” she agreed with a grin.

Maria leaned over and put her cup back down on the small table. “Where have you been, Michael?” she asked.

“Around……..thinking….,” he answered slightly distracted with the way her shirt glided over her body at her movement.

“And did you have any epiphanies or anything during this seclusion of yours?” she probed.

“I’m not sure, Maria,” he replied honestly, placing his empty cup next to hers.
She nodded, understanding. It was a lot to take in.

“I was worried about you,” Maria said quietly.

“I’m sorry,” Michael whispered, holding his hand to her check tenderly. “Did you miss me?” he asked, a sexy grin on his face.

“God, yes,” she answered simply and honestly.

“Good. I missed you, too.”

His thumb glided gently over her cheek, his eyes watching hers, and he felt the pull of her. Almost as if she was a siren, luring him into her arms, and he pulled back from her.

“I heard from Jason yesterday,” Michael offered, turning his head from her slightly, but, inevitably, his eyes demanded more and he looked at her again.

“Jason?” Maria asked, her brow knotting.

“Yeah, my partner,” he clarified. “The one who’s enjoying a private island at the moment.”

“Oh, is he having fun?”

“Yeah,” Michael nodded. “I think he wants to become the owners’ personal slave.”

“Oh,” Maria said, her features falling slightly. “I was hoping for a different personal slave.”

“Fuck, Maria, that island is yours?” he asked incredulously.

“It’s not called Bella Maria for nothing, you know,” she stated with a laugh.

“Holy shit, how much money do you have?” Michael asked, his face a picture of disbelief.

“Don’t you think that’s a little personal, Michael?” Maria remarked, narrowing her eyes slightly.

“Maria,” Michael said gently, a hand upon her knee, “I’ve had my face between your legs, nothing is too personal between us anymore.”

Maria laughed at that. “In that case, I have no idea, and when am I gonna get a repeat performance? I have a terrible memory, ya know.”

“You do, huh?” Michael said, that wicked grin back again. He leaned over to her, a hairs breath from her lips, “I’m only on a lunch break, ya know,” he whispered against her lips.

“Sex first, lunch after,” Maria mumbled simply.

“I can deal with that,” he said and he kissed her. “Where do those doors lead?” he nodded in the general directions of the doors when he finally let go of her lips.

“That one,” she pointed to the one next to the sofa, “goes to the bathroom. That one,” she pointed to the one a little further down, “to my file room, and that one,” she pointed over to the one on the far wall, “leads to my uncle’s office,” all the time barely moving her lips from his.

“The man I met?” Michael asked, dipping his lips to her pulse point.

“Uh huh,” she said, shuddering delightfully under his lips.

“Can we lock that door?” Michael asked again, trailing his lips lower into the deep V her shirt created between her breasts.

“Yes we can, but he’s hardly here anyway. He’s too involved with The Company,” Maria divulged, moving back slightly to give him more room.

“How about the windows, do they have blinds?” he asked as he began unbuttoning her shirt.

“No, but there tinted, and we’re pretty high up,” she answered as she pushed his jacket from his shoulders, her hands roaming over his t-shirt clad back.

He finally pulled her shirt apart and smiled.

“What?” Maria asked when she noticed he made no further movements.

“You’re wearing a bra,” he said, as he stroked the piece of white silk that barely covered her breasts.

“I’m at work, Michael,” she said as she popped the button on his jeans, then wound her hands back to his back and into the back of his jeans, grinning because he wasn’t wearing boxers.

“I’m wearing a white shirt. You wanted me to go without a bra? I think I would have given old Mr. Forsythe a coronary.” She giggled imagining how different her morning meeting would have been if she had forgone her bra.

Michael shrugged. “I’ve never seen you in underwear,” he said honestly. “It’s strangely arousing.”

“Really?” Maria asked, pulling back a little to look at him.

“Do you have panties on, as well?” he asked, dipping his head to lick the flesh peaking above the silk covering her breast.

“Of course,” Maria whimpered, his tongue dancing delightfully across her skin.
Michael groaned, and Maria chuckled. Who knew he’d be so turned on by the fact that she was wearing underwear?

“I thought men got more turned on when the woman didn’t wear underwear?” she asked him as she slid her hand round to the front of his jeans, rubbing against his erection.

“On or off, it makes no difference, Maria,” Michael said. “Just looking at you, and I’m standing to attention.”

He dipped his tongue further under the material and swept it across her nipple, earning an erotic moan from Maria.

“Here, or desk?” he asked against her breast.

“Ohh desk,” she answered with a smile, holding him to her.

He moved his hand down to her thigh and skimmed it up and under her skirt, marveling at the softness of both her skin and the material. “I take it this room is soundproof?” he queried.

“Why do you ask that?” Maria asked, moving slightly on the sofa to give him more room and his hand switched to her other thigh, this time on the inside, and Maria felt the wetness pool in her panties at the closeness of his hand

“Because I couldn’t hear the crap you were listening to out there,” Michael replied as he glided his fingers across the silky fabric, smiling when she raised her hips to meet his hand.

“Yeah, it is,” she said softly, then moaned again before continuing. “My uncle insisted on it just after I took over this office.”

“Thank God for that,” Michael said, and he pulled his hand away from her, lifting his head from her breast and smirking at Maria’s whimper.

He stood up and pulled on her hands for her to stand too. He looked at her a minute, with her lips a little swollen and her shirt hanging open, and he groaned when her skirt slipped back down her thighs. He lifted her with ease and she automatically wrapped her legs around his waist. Michael smiled when her skirt bunched up again, showing him her glorious thighs. He walked them over to the far door, his lips never leaving hers and his hand stroking up her thigh lifting the skirt as he went. When he reached the door, he steadied her against the hard wood, his lips again on her neck while she blindly reached down for the lock. He nodded back over to the double doors. “She won’t come in, will she?” he asked, and Maria took that to mean Kathleen.
“No,” she said simply, before kissing his neck. She lifted her head again when he hadn’t moved them “Desk, Michael.”

Michael flashed his smile that she was fast beginning to love, and he carried her over to the desk, sitting her down upon it.

“Wait,” she said and indicated for him to lift her again, which he did with an amused look on his face.

She turned her head to the desk and then moved her arm from his shoulder. She grabbed the paperwork and files that he had unceremoniously sat her down on top of and tossed them onto the floor behind him. “I need them clean,” she beamed to his raised eyebrow.

Michael shrugged at her and placed her back on the desk, kicking her big chair away with his foot, but not before adding it to the growing list of places he’d like to fuck the girl in his arms.

Maria reached for his jeans again and moved one of her hands inside cupping him tightly in her hand. She then moved the zipper down and it rasped against her hand. She was glad she had the foresight to cover him with her palm because she was sure if the zipper had caught his sensitive skin, things wouldn’t be going as smoothly as they were.

While Maria was intently opening his jeans, Michael had freed a breast from its material prison and taken her pert nipple into his mouth, sucking hungrily. He’d missed this too much. In the space of a day, this delectable young woman had worked herself into his heart and refused to leave.

“Hang on,” Maria said, and she removed her hand that was pumping him slowly. She reached over to the large desktop telephone and pressed a button that Michael assumed was the intercom to her secretary

“Kathleen,” she said breathlessly as Michael nibbled gently on her nipple.

“Yes, Maria,” Kathleen said, surprised. She hadn’t expected to hear from her boss for a while.

“Can you have a table waiting at The Palm for me?” Maria instructed as Michael moved her forward on the desk. Sliding his hands further under her skirt, he hooked his fingers around the sides of her panties and started to pull them down, Maria lifting her hips slightly to help him, her skirt bunching up high against her thighs.

“Of course,” Kathleen said with a smile, wondering if Maria knew she could hear the rustling of clothing being removed.

“Shall I hold your calls, Maria?” Kathleen asked cheekily, knowing the answer.

“Oh, God. Yes,” Maria said as Michael hand slipped between her legs.

Kathleen smiled. “I hope that was intended for me to hear,” she laughed into the intercom.

“Hold all her calls,” a male voice said over the system.

“Yes, Sir,” Kathleen said her grin growing wider.

Michael looked deep into Maria’s eyes. “I like her,” he said with a smile. “She called me sir.”

Maria removed her finger from the intercom. “Michael. Shut up and fuck me.”
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Re: The Company. (AU,All, mainly M&M, Adult) Chapter 7 11/1

Post by Pixie-Maria »

Hey Guys, thanks for reading and leaving FB!!

Carolyn: The whole reason for Max’s behavior will be explained in his storyline, give it time, girl!!

Katie: While he makes an appearance here, Max will be more involved in upcoming chapters.

Ginger: Yeah, all you Dreamers, be patient!!! :D Remember this is an M&M fic, but I will not leave you guys hanging.

Sara: Yeah, they are certainly hot! And, thanks.


Chapter 7.

Michael pulled his old, beat up Buick LeSabre up to the elaborate wrought-iron gates that were the guarded entrance to The Company house. He sat there for a moment before rolling down his window and pressing the button on the post-mounted intercom system beside the drive.

“Hello,” a metallic voice called.

“Is Maria home?” he asked gruffly.

There was a brief pause, then the gates slowly opened and the voice called, “Of course, Detective Guerin. If you would please drive to the front door, there will be someone to assist you.”

Michael nodded, not in the least surprised that whoever was manning the security room knew exactly who he was. He drove down the long twisting drive and watched as the grand house came into view. This was the first real look he had of the building, as he had been unconscious when he had first been brought in, and it had been under the cover of darkness when he had left.

The house was a sprawling, red brick mansion that sat upon what appeared to be acres of lush green land. The grounds, of what he could see, were landscaped to perfection. Grand trees lined the drive to the main house, and the closer he drove, Michael noted the spattering of color from various flowering shrubs. Vibrant wisteria crawled up over the far wall of the building.

The front of the house was graced with four magnificent white marble columns, with the solid wood door sitting in the middle and three wide marble steps leading to it.

He drove his car into the circular drive, stopping in front of the steps and as he switched the engine off, the door opened, and Gavin stepped out onto the top wide step.

“Gavin, isn’t it?” Michael asked, looking at him as he climbed out of his car.

“That’s right, Detective Guerin. Will you be staying long?” he questioned politely.

Michael looked sideways at him, “I’m not sure.”

“If you’d like to leave your keys, your car will be parked in the garage,” Gavin said, stepping forward slightly.

Michael looked at his car and then back to Gavin, shrugged his shoulders and handed his keys over as he entered the house.

“Is she home?” he inquired as Gavin closed the door and brought out a walkie-talkie from behind his back.

“Miss Maria is home, Detective Guerin,” Gavin answered with a knowing smile, then he held the walkie-talkie to him as Michael turned in a circle in the foyer and he heard Gavin ask for someone to come up and move his car to the garage.

“Are you ok, Detective Guerin?” Gavin asked when he noticed Michael hadn’t moved from the foyer.

“This is one big house,” he said shaking his head.

Gavin smiled at him and pointed down a corridor. “If you go that way, someone should be able to tell you where Miss Maria is.”

Michael slapped him comradely on his shoulder, “Thanks, Gavin,” and he turned to set off down the corridor he had indicated.

“Detective Guerin,” Gavin called, stopping him before he moved. “I’m afraid you’re gonna have to leave your weapon with me. Company rules.”

Michael debated this but eventually he shrugged off his jacket and unfastened his shoulder harness. He held the harness, holster and gun in his hand, his eyes on Gavin, as he reluctantly handed them over, breaking a serious police regulation. ‘Never let another handle your firearm.’

Gavin nodded to Michael as he received the items and Michael turned, grabbing his jacket from the chair where he had discarded it, and headed down the hallway before he changed his mind and demanded his gun back.

While walking he passed people he didn’t know and was eyed suspiciously. He assumed everyone knew everyone here, and he was a stranger walking freely around. He continued down the corridor, and he had a sudden strange sense of familiarity. As he passed a room, he looked in to see a huge TV and comfy couch; sort of a family room, he guessed. There were a few people lounging on the couches but none who he recognized so he just continued. Of course, he could ask any one of them if they knew where Maria was, but he doubted that they would tell him.

A little further down and over to his left, he found the dining room and popped his head in. There was a large group of people eating at oak tables but as his eyes scanned the area he couldn’t see Maria.

He was about to leave when he heard his name being called.

“Michael?”

He turned and smiled at the slight doctor who had taken care of him three days earlier.

“Hey, Doc,” he called out to her.

“Please, call me Liz, no one calls me Doc or Doctor,” she said with a small smile. “It’s just Liz.”

“OK, Liz,” he said, stepping more into the room.

“Do you want some dinner?” she asked, indicating to the row of food along the side of the room displayed in a buffet setting.

“Maybe later,” he said with a grin, remembering the delicious meal he had eaten the other night. “I’m looking for…”

“Hey, you must be Michael, right?” another voice called.

Michael turned to see another small girl with a mop of curly blond hair, practically bouncing on her heels as she came to a stop beside Liz, her tray laden down with food. She turned to look at Liz with her eyebrows raised in question.

Liz looked at her, rolled her eyes and nodded.

The other girl whistled low in her throat. “No shit!” She looked back to Michael. “No wonder the bitch wanted to keep him away from the rest of us.”

Michael smirked at her, and Liz turned back to him. “Michael, this is Tess. Tess, this is Detective Guerin.”

“Nice to meet you, Tess,” Michael said with a smirk.

Tess smiled at him and turned to walk to a table, Michael had no choice but to follow as she continued to talk to him. “This is just so typical. You do realize that Maria is using her status in this house to keep you away from the rest of us.”

Michael laughed. “Actually, it was me staying away. I think it’s pretty safe to say she wanted me around more.”

“And we don’t blame her,” Tess flirted as she sat down at a large table that had others already seated there. “If it had been me, I would have you chained up in my room.”

A guy at the table laughed. “If it had been you, Tess, you would never have gotten away with bringing him here in the first place,” he laughed. “Hi, I’m Kyle.”

“Right,” Michael said with a nod as he recognized the man. “Michael,” returned in way of introduction.

“Yeah, I remember,” Kyle said with a smirk.

“I think everyone knows who you are, Michael,” Liz informed him, sitting down next to Tess. “You’re quite the enigma around here.”

“Oh, please,” Michael quipped with a laugh. “I’m in a house full of lethal assassins, and I’m the enigma?”

There was silence around the table as they all looked at him in shock. Then Tess started to giggle, and then Kyle snorted and soon the people around the table were all laughing.

“I guess an outsider would think that,” Kyle remarked with a grin.

“We’re not all lethal assassins, you know,” Liz muttered quietly.

“Oh, babe, you just kill us in a different way,” a dark hair guy interjected, as Liz blushed profusely. He then turned to Michael. “I’m Max.”

Michael nodded and looked to the others.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Liz said looking embarrassed. “Let me introduce you.”
“That’s Kyle,” she indicated to the man he had met before. “He’s what we call an agent.” Michael bowed his head in understanding; agent could work as another word for assassin or operative.

“Max is also an agent,” and Michael nodded again to the dark haired man sitting beside Liz.

“Isabel,” and she indicated to a statuesque figure a little further down the table, “she’s Max’s sister and she helps out around the house.”

“Hi Michael,” the blonde said. “What she means is I’m the gopher.”

“Gopher?” Michael asked intrigued.

“Yeah,” Isabel replied with a smile. “You know, go for this and go for that.”
Michael laughed as the others at the table did.

“You’ve met Tess,” Liz nodded with a grin to the bubbly blonde. “She’s also an agent.”

“No, shit,” Michael exclaimed, his face showing shock. “Well, it’s no wonder you guys have an excellent track record.”

“Why do you say that?” Max queried, gazing suspiciously at the taller man.

“You have the most unsuspecting women doing the hard work,” he answered with a smile.

“Hey,” another guy said, “we work just as hard as they do.”

Michael recognized him as the other guy from the alley. Billy.

“Sure you do sweetheart,” Tess grinned toward Billy. She then turned to Michael, “I like you. You can stay.”

“I hate to break it to you, Tess,” Kyle countered, “but it’s not your decision.”

“Talking about that,” Michael interrupted. “Do you know where Maria is?”

“Forget about her, she’s too skinny and lacking in the boob department,” Tess said waving her fork. “Come, and keep my bed warm.”

“Tess,” Liz exclaimed her eyes wide.

“Thanks for the offer,” Michael laughed, “but I think I’ll stick with just one hellcat, if you don’t mind.”

“Good Luck with that,” Billy called.

“So, Maria?’ Michael probed.

“I think she’s outside,” a new voice called, and Michael turned to see an older man by the door staring at them.

Again, Michael was struck with an odd sense of familiarity as he looked at the older man.

“Thanks,” Michael said to the man who had yet to introduce himself. “And how do I get outside?”

“Come on,” he laughed. “I’ll show you.”

Michael turned back to Liz, and she smiled at him, so he guessed the new guy couldn’t be that bad.

“Thanks, Liz,” he said to her, and then he looked at the others. “It was nice to meet you all.”

“Will we be seeing more of you?” Tess asked with a gleam in her eyes.

“Not in the way you want to,” Michael replied with a laugh, and he turned to follow the older man out of the dining room. He vaguely heard Tess say, “Ain’t that the truth? Lucky bitch always gets the hot ones.”

“I’m not interrupting your dinner, am I?” Michael asked politely as they walked further down the corridor.

“No, it’s fine,” the man answered. “I’m Charlie, by the way.”

“Michael,” Michael said with a smile.

“Yeah, we’ve met, but you were unconscious,” Charlie provided.

When Michael looked at him in question, Charlie added. “I’m part of what we call the clean-up team. I dispose of the bodies.”

“Now there’s a job you can write to your parents about,” Michael chuckled.

Charlie gave a snort of laughter and led Michael out of a set of wide double glass doors.

“Wow,” Michael said as he took in the enormity of the green expanse in front of him. He stepped out on to a wide terrace. The stone under his feet seemed to glitter in the early evening light, and the balustrade that surrounded the terrace looked almost pure white. His eyes were drawn to the low setting sun glistening off a body of water that he could see in the distance. “I’ll say it again. This is some place.”

They strolled over to a set of marble stairs and descended down one side onto the paved area below

“That it is,” Charlie agreed. “The people who live here tend to forget that sometimes, but it never ceases to amaze me.”

“So, what’s the real story with all the people here?” Michael asked, his eyes focusing on a lone figure he could just make out far in the distance, sitting on what looked like a giant boulder.

“Everyone in this place has their own story, their own tragedy,” Charlie said gently. “That’s part of what brings them here in the first place. Don’t ask, they will tell you if and when they are ready.”

“And what’s her tragedy?” Michael asked, knowing full-well it was Maria sitting alone in the distance.

“Maria’s tragedy is an atrocity to us all,” Charlie replied cryptically, “and the only person who can tell you about it is her.”

Michael nodded at Charlie’s statement.

“I hear you’ve been offered a position here?” Charlie probed.

“Sort of,” Michael answered, “though nothing has been defined.” He looked to the older man; he would probably be the same age of his dad if he was still alive. “Do you think I should take the offer?”

“That’s not for me to say, Michael,” Charlie countered evenly.

“What will happen if I say no?” he asked one of the main questions that had plagued him since he had been offered the job.

Charlie shrugged his shoulders answering with a dry smile. “No one has declined before,” he answered with a dry smile.

Charlie watched the younger man as he gazed upon Maria’s form in the distance, and Charlie chuckled a little.

“She is something, isn’t she?” Charlie remarked.

“And the rest.”

There was a pause between the two men.

“If I don’t stay, will I still get to see her?” Michael asked.

“I couldn’t say. Maria is her own person, and she lives by her own rules,” Charlie smiled. “But, Michael, don’t make her the reason to stay. That’s not the way to start a relationship. Don’t put that much pressure on her.”

Michael nodded and started to walk the distance that separated him from the one thing that he wanted.

“Michael,” Charlie called and Michael turned back to him. “You hurt her, or you break her in any way, and you’ll have the entire Company out for your blood.”

Michael looked at the man and again had the fleeting sense of recognition.

“I won’t hurt her, Charlie,” he stated honestly. “And she’ll probably be the one who breaks me.”

“I think she already has,” Charlie laughed, and he retreated back into the house.

Michael walked the winding path toward Maria, and when he got closer, he could see her hair moving in the breeze, and his fingers ached to be buried within the silken strands. Her gaze was focused on the lake in front of her, and she was, indeed, sitting upon on a giant boulder, her knees pulled up to her, and her chin resting on them. She looked lost and alone, and Michael swallowed hard at the sadness that seemed to emanate from her.

“What took you so long?” Maria asked when he got closer, not tearing her gaze away from the nature before her.

“Oh, you know, traffic out of the city is horrendous,” he explained with a smile, “and I had to bypass Tess.”

“She try to jump you?” she asked, turning her head to him with a knowing smile.

“Nah, but she probably would have if she didn’t have her hands full of her dinner,” he replied with his smirk.

“Don’t worry, she does that with every hot bod that walks through the door,” Maria told him as he walked round to stand in front of her.

He watched her as she raked her eyes over him, and he got the distinct feeling she was undressing him right there, and he groaned when she unconsciously licked her lips.

“I can handle her, don’t worry,” she said, her eyes on his. “I can protect what’s mine.”
He raised his eye brows questioningly at her. “Yours.”

She scooted herself forward on the rock , her arms stretched out in front of her and her fingers flexing in the universal ‘come here’ gesture and he willingly stood as close to the boulder as he could get, between her legs. Maria wrapped her arms around his shoulders, holding him close. Her cheek lay next to his, his 5 o’clock shadow prickly against her soft skin, as she rubbed against him. “Mine,” she whispered, almost inaudibly.

Michael pulled away from her, and brought his hand up to her cheek and she leaned into his touch, her eyes closing.

“Maria,” he said tenderly, and she opened her eyes to look at him, the brilliant green drawing him into the depths where he wanted to reside forever. “Yours,” he agreed.
Maria smiled at his words. “Yours?” she asked, and Michael instinctively knew what she was asking him.

“Yes, you are,” he said and then kissed her deeply.

When he pulled away from her, Maria gave him her signature cheeky smile and stated, “So, have you decided?”

Michael couldn’t stop the chuckle that escaped him at the expression on her face, halfway between wanton sex goddess and mischievous pixie.

“Yes.”

“And,” Maria probed, her hands twisting into his shirt, and her delicate fingers slipping between the buttons to feel the skin of his chest. “Are you gonna stay?”

Michael moved back a little so he could take in her features again. He didn’t think he would ever get tired of just looking at her, and he found if oddly settling that he could envision himself doing it for a millennia.

“Michael,” she whined when he didn’t answer her and Michael could almost envision a mini-version of her with bouncy curls and that dreaded pout saying the same but with an added bonus of stamping her foot, and he laughed.

“What’s so funny?” she asked when he didn’t answer her but laughed instead.

“Nothing,” he answered, convinced he had seen his future daughter in her eyes. “Yes,” he said.

‘Yes, what?” Maria asked, confused. This conversation had taken a turn and wasn’t making any sense.

He inched forward so his lips skimmed over hers. “Yes, I’m staying,” he whispered, his eyes boring into hers, and he felt her lips stretch to her glorious smile.

“Really?” she whispered back.

“Really,” he answered and caught her lips again.

Maria pulled herself up in his arms, stretching herself fully against his hard body and plunging her tongue into his willing mouth, stoking his tongue in a most delicious way, and Michael couldn’t stop the groan from escaping him.

Maria pulled back first this time, her eyes closed as if still feeling the touch of his lips.

She opened her eyes again. “Great,” she cried and then surprised him by pushing on his chest, making him move back. When she could, she slid from the boulder to stand in front of him. “Training starts tomorrow,” she told him, and she turned, to head back to the house, pulling on his hand so he had to follow.

He followed her gladly. “Maria, I’m a cop. I don’t need training.”

“Everyone needs training, Michael,” she remarked, their fingers intertwining naturally. “Especially cops.”

Michael thought about that and decided to let it slide. ‘All assassin groups had their own way of training,’ he thought. “Who’s gonna train me?”

“The training team,” she answered simply with a shrug of her shoulders.

“Which consists of?” he probed as they reached the main house.

“Three, maybe four agents. Michael, just wait until tomorrow. You need to go and see Uncle Mason,” she said.

Michael smirked at her “And declare my intentions?”

“What?” she snapped quickly.

“Nothing,” he laughed at the shocked expression on her face. They might have acknowledged that they belonged to each other, but he could see it was too soon for declarations of everlasting love.

Maria looked suspiciously at him, then she escorted Michael to her uncle’s office, knowing he was in and that he would know Michael had arrived with his answer.
*~*~*~*
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Re: The Company. (AU,All, mainly M&M, Adult) Chapter 8 11/1

Post by Pixie-Maria »

As always, thanks to you all for taking the time to read this and for leaving feedback.

Katie: All the pairings will have some interaction, I promise.

Carolyn: No need to apologize, I’m just happy you are taking the time to read this. The next couple of chapters are already completed but the one I’m working on at the moment – I’m adding some M&L interaction just for all you lovely guys!!!!

Ginger : Thanks. Yeah, I wonder how it will ‘adjust’ to his new life. 8)

Sara: I love writing Tess as she is such a playful character at heart. Yeah, there stories will all be told throughout the story. Ha – got to keep the readers coming back for more! And Liz WILL have that conversation – eventually.



Chapter 8


“Are you ready?” Maria asked, looking at Michael nervously.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” he answered, but when she raised her hand to knock, he stopped her.

“Wait,” he said quickly, and Maria looked sharply at him, her hand held an inch from the door.

“A kiss for good luck?” he asked her with his smirk, which grew when she returned his smile and pulled him to her. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders, her hands delving into his hair as she brought her lips to his waiting ones.

Michael greedily took what she gave him, wrapping his arms around her waist as he pulled her even tighter against him. He stumbled a little when her slight body seemed to overwhelm him, and to compensate, he pushed back against her, maybe a little too much, and she crashed against the door frame.

Their lips never broke apart as Michael pinned her to the hard wood so she couldn’t move. Maria could only moan into his mouth at the feel of him so close. Their interlude at lunch definitely scratched the itch she felt since he had left two days ago, but her body was now demanding more.

Michael echoed her as his hands roamed down to her ass, and he pulled her lower regions to his own forcibly, which caused her to groan seductively. He forgot where they were and what they had come to do as his lips trailed down her neck to the soundtrack of Maria appreciative moans as she held his head to her.

Michael loved the feel of her skin, whether it be under his fingers or his lips. His digits dug into her behind, hard through her tight jeans, and his lips trailed back up to her luscious lips.

Maria kept her eyes closed and felt Michael everywhere at once, finding his lips and willingly let him have something she rarely relinquished: control. She felt her knees weaken at the softness of his lips which contrasted with the brutality of his tongue as he claimed her mouth as his, and she could only mutely give him what he demanded.

She felt like he had crawled inside her and taken up residence. And as much as that terrified the shit out of her, she never wanted him to leave.

The door to the office opened unaware to the couple as they continued their kiss, Maria’s hands under Michael’s shirt clawing at his skin until the figure who had opened the door muttered, “Shit. I never have a camera handy when they go at it like this.”

Maria vaguely heard her crude cousin but didn’t have the inkling or the willpower to stop Michael, neither his hands nor his lips, and whether Michael heard him or not, she didn’t want to find out.

Sean smiled as he watched his small cousin almost become lost under the giant body of Michael, but when he saw Michael’s hands disappear into the back of her jeans, he decided he’d had enough.

“If you’re gonna lose your clothes, can you hang on a sec while I grab my camera?” he asked loudly, hoping that he would penetrate at least one of their brains before the clothes really did come off.

“Sean,” a stern voice called from within room, and it was this, surprisingly, that Michael’s brain registered.

He reluctantly pulled back from Maria’s intoxicating lips and opened his eyes to see her breathing hard, her eyes still closed, and he groaned when her tongue slipped out, running across her lips as if to catch every taste of him.

“I hope this won’t take long,” he whispered to her, and she opened her eyes at his voice and gave him a small smile, her eyes telling him everything he needed to know. He grinned back at her.

“It would go quicker if you actually walked into the room,” Sean remarked sarcastically.

“Shut up, Sean,” Maria chided, her eyes still locked with Michael’s.

“I’m just saying,” he mumbled as he turned and walked back into the room.

“Maria, Michael,” Mason Deluca called from inside and again, this made them move apart from each other.

“Ready?” Maria asked.

Michael pulled his large hands out of her jeans, “Ready, babe.”

Maria reluctantly removed her hands from him and turning, she entered the office in front of Michael, Sean stepping back to let them in.

“Detective Guerin,” Mason greeted, standing from behind his large desk.

“Mr. Deluca,” Michael replied cordially and sat in the seat indicated. Michael noticed two other men in the room: Charlie, the man he had met earlier and another who he didn’t know.

“Can I assume by your presence here you have come to a decision about my offer?” Mason asked once Michael had settled into the chair.

“Yes,” Michael said simply.

“And by my niece’s reaction, I take it that you have accepted?” Mason continued, his eyes shifting from Michael to Maria, who was sitting Indian-style on an ornate mahogany side table in between Charlie, who relaxed in a wingback chair, and Sean, who was leaning against a bookshelf.

Michael turned in his chair to look at Maria and when she grinned at him, her eyebrow raised, he smirked at her and turned back.

“Yes, Mr. Deluca,” Michael decided to go with formal. “I would like to join your Company.”

Mason sat back, a smile on his face. “I’m glad to hear that, Michael.”

“Now,” Michael started, leaning forward a little in his chair, “Can I ask you some questions?”

Mason looked at the three behind his newest agent and then nodded.

“What exactly is The Company?”

“What is The Company?” Mason repeated. “How do I explain what we are?” he rhetorically asked the room. “I like to think of us as guardian angels, seeking justice in an unjust world, and protecting the city against the filth of the earth.”

“But most of the time, you kill these people. How is that bringing them to justice?” Michael inquired.

“Everyone has to meet their maker someday,” Mason responded.

“Why not bring them to justice by actually bringing them to the police and letting the justice system do its job?” Michael asked.

“Because nine times out of ten, that doesn’t happen,” Mason replied honestly. “The people we deal with have contacts just like we do. And in my opinion, the world is better off with them dead than them rotting in a prison.”

“You’re asking me to kill people?” Michael clarified calmly.

“Bad people, Michael. The things some of these people have done would make even your hair curl.”

Michael noticed the slight flicker of the man’s eyes as they flashed behind him and, instinctively, he knew that the older man’s thoughts were with Maria, and he felt her shift uncomfortably.

“But how do you know that?” he asked.

“Their names wouldn’t come across my desk if they weren’t better off dead .”

There was silence in the room as Michael digested what Mason had said.

“About your father,” Mason said, breaking the silence and Michael sat straighter in his chair.

“What about him?” Michael questioned suspiciously.

Mason looked at him for a moment. “Was there any speculation of foul play in his death, Michael?”

Michael looked shocked for a moment. His gaze steady on the man in front of him, but his heart rate increased rapidly. What was this man hinting at?

“My father died in a construction accident, Mr. Deluca.”

Mason moved forward and picked up a file on his desk. Opening it, he flicked through the papers that were filed there and then closed it again. He shifted in his seat and handed the file to Michael.

Michael leaned forward and took the file offered, flipping it open to reveal its contents. He was faced with pictures of his father, old pictures taken maybe 20 years ago, coupled with some of his mother, as well. There were pictures of his father standing proudly with three other men, and Michael recognized one of the men to be the younger version of the man sitting in front of him. His hand found one glossy print of his father, his mother and himself standing in front of a huge house, and he had the eerie feeling it was this house.

“What the hell is this?” Michael said, his eyes blazing.

“Your father, Michael,” Mason paused, “was once a part of this organization.”

Michael turned again in his chair to look accusingly at Maria. Had she known about this? Judging by the bewildered look on her face and the stiffness of her back, he decided this was news to her, too.

“No,” Michael denied, turning back to Mason, shaking his head. “My father worked in construction all his life.”

“Your father, Harvey Guerin, was once one of the best agents we had,” Mason watched as Michael shook his head. “He was a great man - a creative man - and he was feared.”

“That’s bullshit,” Michael said, standing up. “My father wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

Mason nodded. “When your mother got ill, it changed him, and when she unfortunately passed, he took you and left. He didn’t want this life anymore, and he needed to look after you. To be safe, for you. All you had was each other.”

Michael’s heart ached to hear this different side to his father, and he suddenly regretted all those hurtful things he ever said to him while he was growing up. His father had given up everything he knew just to keep him safe.

“Your father moved you both far from this life so that you could have a life. His greatest fear was that his luck would not hold out, and he would be killed while on duty and that you would be left alone, and at the mercy of others.”

Michael was shaking his head as the older man spun a tale he couldn’t believe. He sat back down, flipping through the file in his hands.

His eyes were inexplicably drawn to a smaller photograph that showed a 5-year-old Michael standing beside two younger children, both with crazy curly blond hair. They were all laughing at something, their eyes twinkling at the camera. His eyes shot up to Mason and then over to Sean and Maria. Michael flipped the photo and sure enough, there was confirmation written on the back. Michael, Sean, Maria. 1991.

He stood and took the photo over to Maria, handing it to her with a sad smile. He realized he hadn’t seen his daughter in her eyes earlier by the boulder; it had just been a memory of her, a memory hidden deep within him. Strangely, that thought saddened him almost as much as the fact that his father had lied to him.

Maria glanced at the old photograph, her eyes bulging, and she flipped it over in her hands, similar to Michael, to find the proof that it was actually her. She gasped when she saw the handwritten notation in the back of the image. Her own eyes darted to Sean, and then she climbed off the table and stalked over to her uncle, the photo in her hand.

“This is my mom’s handwriting,” she said, her voice hard and cold.

Mason nodded at her. “She took that picture.”

“And you knew who Michael was from the beginning, and you didn’t tell us,” Maria continued accusingly.

“Yes, I knew he was Harvey Guerin’s son when I first met him,” Mason said. “But you are mistaken, Maria, I don’t have to tell you everything.”

“Yes, you do,” she said her voice rising in anger. “This Company belongs to me as much as it belongs to you, and you can’t keep information like that from me – from us.”

“Maria, you are a child still….”

“No,” she flung back at him. “You send me out there to kill people, to take their lives in retribution, and yet you sit here and dare to call me a child. I risk my life on every mission you give me, and you can't even be honest. Well, fuck you, Uncle Mason. I’m not a child, and you know that.”

Mason sighed deeply. His niece was too much like her father. Add to that her mother’s flightiness and determination, and you had a formidable adversary without her extra abilities.

“Your father and Harvey Guerin were once good friends,” Charlie interjected gently before looking over at Michael. “The three of us were quite a team.”

“My father wasn’t a part of this Company,” Maria stated steadily, trying to rein in her emotions.

“That's true, but Harvey was,” Charlie said, “and he was my partner.”

“You were an active agent?” Maria exclaimed, unable to keep the surprise from her voice.

“Don't look so shocked, sweet cheeks,” Charlie answered her with a smile.

“My father was an agent?” Michael finally acknowledge, his voice unsteady.

“Yes,” Charlie said with a nod. “A damn good agent.”

“The best we had,” Mason added.

Michael was silent again, taking in all this new information and thinking of all the times his father had ripped into him when he had gotten into trouble.

Mason watched Michael as he sat back down in the chair. Maria perched herself on the arm of his chair, photo still in hand, and, as if unconsciously, Michael’s arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer.

“Michael,” he said, his eyes irrationally riveted to the couple in front of him, “has anything happened to you that you can't explain?”

“What do you mean?” Michael asked, his brow wrinkling in question and his eyes full of suspicion.

Mason looked at the other occupants in the room, and Charlie nodded slightly to him. “Have you ever wondered why our success rate is so high?”

Michael shrugged, “Good training.”

Mason smiled. “Well, apart from that.”

Michael shook his head, unsure where Mason was going with this.

Mason settled back against the leather of his chair. “There are some people who have the capacity to use the percentage of their brain that usually goes unused.”

Michael let out a snort. “The age old myth that we only use 10% of our brain?”

“No, that’s bullshit,” Mason acknowledged. “Of course we use more than 10% of our brains. But there is a small percentage of our brains that goes untapped. Those who can access this are usually stuck with the title of freak, like psychics, telekinetics or empaths.” Mason paused before continuing, his eyes intent upon Michael. “Some of our agents have this capacity, and through it, they have their own special abilities. They can move things: the air, specifically. Molecules of the air.”

Michael listened as Mason explained to him the uniqueness of some of The Company’s agents, his mind grappling the irrationally of it all. Oddly, he was reminded of the Marvel Comics he’d read as a child. People didn’t have such capabilities in the real world, did they?

“We use neurons to think,” Mason continued. “Most people can handle a small percentage of these neurons firing at once without suffering some kind of side effect. But not some of our agents and, as I suspect, not you. We have agents who can move the very air around them and manipulate the atoms to change the course of moving objects. They can stop the air from moving or move it to their advantage. We call these agents ‘Benders’.”

“Why not call them Jedi Masters?” Michael laughed.

Mason ignored that comment, but Sean muffled a snort of laughter.

“With this ability, they can control a bullet?” Michael asked, leaning forward in his chair slightly, his thoughts rushing back to the night he first met The Company agents and the ease with which Maria had shot three of those men in the alley.

“No, they can’t control a bullet,” Mason said, “but they can control the air around the bullet to change the trajectory of it.”

Michael looked at Maria, remembering the way the air stopped when he saw her in the club.

“They can close doors without moving,” he said, his eyes locked with hers, and she knew he saw her do that with the door to her room.

Mason noticed the look that passed between his niece and his newest agent.

“Maria, why don't you demonstrate?”

“Sure,” she said, and her eyes flicked a little and the chair Mason was in shot back across the room, slamming into the wall behind him. Mason’s eyes widened in surprise at the magnitude of power used against him. His brain registering that her abilities had greatly improved since he had last observed her training, and he filed away a thought to check in on her next workout.

Mason stood from his chair, brushed his clothes absentmindedly and brought his chair back to his desk.

“Thank you, Maria,” he said as he sat back down, and she smirked back at him.
Mason again shifted his eyes back to Michael.

“Your father was a member of The Company, a collection of the most powerful assassins the world has ever known,” Mason repeated, and Michael blanched at Mason’s statement. “Your father could do this.”

“What?” Michael cried out, disbelieving.

“Your father was one of the best Benders we had here at The Company. In fact, I have seen only one that surpassed his abilities,” Mason informed him. “Has anything like this happened to you?”

Michael thought about this. Had anything like this happened to him? An image burst into his mind; his partner, Jason, lying motionless on the floor beneath a teetering plane of glass. Michael’s heart fell when he realized he wouldn’t reach him in time. He unconsciously held his arms out, his mind laughing at him, ‘Like you can move him’, and Jason had slid a few inches out of danger. Then the image changed, and he saw Maria in the club where they had first met, his heartbeat had altered slightly; the air around him stopped and crackled with electricity.

Mason watched as Michael’s face told him what he needed to know.

“People live by the rules set before them. We take them on faith that they are right. But how many times in your life have you thought you had a better way? A way that is against the rules? Rules are made to be broken, Michael. No one was better at that than your father. Don’t you want to break the rules?

“Every day,” Michael said simply, his eyes lowering slightly.

He looked up again, quickly as another question entered his mind. “Are all the agents here Benders? Are they all able to do…….” He waved his hand as if to indicate what Maria had done.

“No, not all,” Mason responded. “It is an ability that only a select number of people have.”

Michael turned to Maria, “How many?”

“Nine,” she replied evenly.

“And how many agents?”

“Sixteen in total.”

“We try to partner our non-Benders with those with the ability,” Mason provided.
Michael again turned to Maria, “Who’s your partner?”

“I am,” Sean piped up from his position by the bookshelf.

“Maria and Sean are considered our best agents,” Mason said. “They are Deluca’s, and the Deluca family has been producing Benders for generations, though Maria is the first female to have the ability.”

“What can I say?” Maria quipped. “I’m exceptional.”

“That you are, my dear,” Mason returned with a fond smile. He turned his attention back to the young man.

“Michael, go have some dinner, and then get some sleep. Training will start tomorrow morning.”

Michael started to say something when Maria stopped him with a squeeze of her hand on his shoulder.

“I’ll have a room prepared for you,” Mason continued, but stopped at Maria’s look. “OK, I won’t have a room prepared for you.”

Michael heard Sean snigger behind him as he stood when Maria stood.

Mason held his hand out to Michael. “Welcome to The Company, Michael.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Across town, a tall, slender figure sauntered down a stark corridor. He had dark, thick hair and tanned skin. His features were sharp, and he was easily considered attractive to a random passerby as long as a person didn’t stand too close or look into his eyes. His eyes were cruel, calculating, and showed a glimmer of evil, almost echoing his black soul. His destination loomed in the distance, and he ran a nervous hand through his hair.

It had been a few years since he had been called in to a meeting with Nicholas Kivar. His last job had given him enough funds to hide away for a while, but he had lost the last of his money at a craps table in Vegas.

The phone call calling him back in could not have come at a more convenient time.
He knocked quickly on the cheap door, silently wondered why they always met in such dingy places. Kivar had money, prestige, and an office building downtown.

“Come in,” he heard and swiftly opened the door, stepping in and closing the door behind him.

“Pierce,” Kivar said evenly in way of a greeting.

"Pierce just nodded in response.

“Pierce, Mr. Black has decided to give us another chance,” Kivar revealed.

“Huh?” Pierce asked, shocked.

“He has requested our services again,” the other man explained. “In the same matter that we were contracted for eight years ago.”

“The same target?” Pierce quizzed, his eyebrows rising and a sly grin spreading across his face.

“The target you let get away!” Kivar replied sternly.

“And he wants me for this job?” Pierce was amazed. He had failed to complete the mission the first time around. He’d had fun, almost the best time ever on a job like this one. In fact, he had recreated that scenario a few times during the past eight years, always staying a few steps ahead of the local PD.

“He appreciated your creativity, shall we say?” Kivar said with an evil sneer.
Pierce’s eyes sparkled a little as his mind exploded with images from the time spent with their clients’ intended targets, and he returned Kivar’s look.

“He had just one request,” Kivar added, as if it was an after-thought.

“What’s that?”

Kivar moved quickly, his hands gripping fistfuls of Pierce’s shirt, and Pierce found himself slammed hard against the far wall, his head hitting with a thud, and before he could react, his boss was in his face.

“DO NOT mess up this time! Have your fun, if you insist, but the target must be eliminated.”

“Eliminated,” Pierce returned with a nod.
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Pixie-Maria
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Re: The Company. (AU,All, mainly M&M, Adult) Chapter 9 11/2

Post by Pixie-Maria »

Hey to everyone out there, wherever you may be in this beautiful world of ours.

Ginger: All will be revealed in time.

Katie: Yeah, I feel sorry for Michael. His world had been turned around.

Carolyn: Hey, you knew they would be crawling out of the woodwork soon, right?

Sara: Yeah, that was kind of a big chapter :D I think I got myself tangled up in knots writing it!!! :lol:


Chapter 9

The next morning found Michael sitting in the dining room, eating a hearty breakfast, and feeling quite apprehensive regarding his upcoming morning. He had an innate feeling this training would be completely different from his experience at the police academy.

He had no idea where Maria was. She had been gone when he had woken that morning, so after finding a pair of sweats and a t-shirt laid out for him, he showered alone in her gigantic shower. He vaguely had wondered what would become of his apartment and his job, though he recalled Mason saying in their initial meeting he may be able to keep his job. Would that be possible? Could he continue working as a detective for the LAPD, then spend his nights as a glorified vigilante for The Company? Could he see himself as a superhero?

He watched as the workers of The Company filtered in and out of the dining room as he started on his meal. The word must have spread around the large house that he was a new agent because no one looked at him in surprise. It was as if he was expected to be there.

He was halfway through his breakfast when Sean sauntered into the room. Michael watched as Sean quickly scanned the hall and spotting him, walked over to the table where he was seated.

“Are you ready?” Sean asked.

Michael looked up at him incredulous. “I’m eating,” he stated, pointing to his meal with his knife.

Sean just shook his head and indicated to a member of the kitchen staff who was standing by the internal door to the kitchen. The man hurried forward and quickly swiped Michael’s plate away from him.

“Looks like you’re done,” Sean smirked.

Michael watched as his breakfast disappeared into the kitchen. Putting his cutlery down, he slowly raised his coffee cup to his lips, purposely taking his time. His eyes lifted to Sean as he sipped the brew slowly, savoring every drop as Sean’s look got more and more annoyed.

Placing his cup back down, he stood. “OK, I’m ready.”

Sean promptly turned on his heel and walked out without insuring Michael was following him.

After a few twist and turns along the hallways of the house, Sean led Michael into a room that could only be described as a workout heaven. It was about the size of a high school gym with high oblong windows along two sides of the room. There was also a pair of double doors at the end of the hall.

The room held a vast array of exercise machines, several rows of weights, and a large area covered in mats. The room was surprisingly devoid of people, apart from three figures by the mats, and Sean was heading in their direction.

As Michael drew nearer to the designated area, he recognized Max from yesterday. There was another man, older with slightly graying hair, and Maria, who was sitting, straddling a weight bench. He guessed that explained where she had disappeared to. He raised his eyebrow at her. She just smiled sweetly.

The older man met him in the middle of the mats.

“Good morning, Michael. I’m Jim Valenti. I’ll be overseeing your training.”

Michael accepted his handshake and then turned to Sean and Max.

“So, are you guys gonna be training me?” he asked them.

“Yes,” Valenti answered for them.

“Why is she here?” Michael asked, tipping his head in Maria’s direction.

“For your training,” Valenti replied.

“What! You want me to train with her?” Michael knew that Maria would be involved with training new recruits, he just never expected her to be actively involved in his training.

“She will be part of your training,” Sean said with a sneer.

“Will you all please just stop talking about me like I’m not here?” Maria huffed.

Michael looked suspiciously at her, ignoring her outburst. What possible reason was there for Maria to be involved in his training? Surely they didn’t expect him to hit her?

“What part of the training?” he asked, swinging his head back to Valenti.

“That doesn’t matter at the moment,” he replied with a grin. “What matters is Sean.”

“Why?”

Michael didn’t get a chance to ask any further questions as Sean’s fist hit him square on his jaw. Immediately, the area felt like it was on fire, and he tasted the distinct metallic bitterness of blood in his mouth.

“Be prepared at all times, Michael,” Valenti told him as he heard Sean and Max chuckle low.

“I wasn’t ready,” Michael spat out, along with a mouthful of blood.

“I’m sure we could hold up a fight until you’re ready,” Sean quipped sarcastically, dancing around the larger man on the mat.

Michael brought his fists up as he mirrored Sean’s movements.

Both men were consumed in their dance, punches being made as they circled each other in the workout area. Some of the punches hit their marks, others fell short.

Valenti stood back, observing the fighters carefully and looking, waiting and watching for Michael’s weaknesses. He moved around the edge of the mat slowly, his eyes never leaving the two agents, until he was standing beside Maria, who was still seated upon the bench, her own eyes intent on the two fighting. Max stood to her other side, his stance wide, and his arms folded across his chest. He was also engrossed in watching the two spar.

“He moves pretty quick,” Valenti said to Maria.

“Too quick,” Maria noted, her head tipping slightly to the side, and then she winced when Sean’s right fist connected with Michael’s body just above his left kidney. “He needs to slow it down. To move with the air, not against it.”

“He doesn’t understand that, Maria,” Max said, turning and grinning at her. “You might need to show him how.”

Maria returned his smile and wiggled her shoulders up and down, as if excited to get started.

All too soon, Michael had clearly lost the fight, his face speckled in black-and-blue bruises and blood running from his nose, while Sean looked like he hadn’t taken a hit.

“Take five minutes,” Valenti called out.

Michael looked up and then collapsed onto the mat, lying flat on his back, his arms sprawled above his head, his legs apart.

He felt, rather than saw, Maria as she walked over to him and squatted down beside him. “Hey babe, how are you holding up?”

“I don’t know,” he breathed out. “You’re the one watching. What do you think?”

“I can’t tell you that,” she returned with a secretive smile. “That would be cheating.”

“And having him use his freaky superpowers against me, that’s not cheating?” Michael huffed.

“They’re not powers, Michael, they’re abilities. You can use it, too. You’ve just got to find your trigger,” Maria explained.

Michael sat up a little, leaning back on his elbows. Maria moved forward and wiped the blood away from his face. “You look hot when you fight.”

“Maria,” Michael gave a slight snort of laughter. “This is not the time for you to get all horny on me.”

Maria looked innocently at him, unaware that she was actually pouting.

“And don’t pull that pout out, either.”

“You’re no fun when you’re cranky,” she muttered as she stood and walked away from him.


Two hours later, and Michael was struggling to catch his breath, while Sean had hardly broken a sweat.

Sean sauntered over to his cousin, and she handed him a bottle of water from the cooler.

“He packs a pretty hard punch,” he said, absentmindedly rubbing his ribs.

Maria watched as Michael again rested on the mats. His lip was split in three different places, there was a cut above his right eye, red blotches all across his face, and Maria was sure that if she lifted his t-shirt, his body would resemble a black and blue zebra.

She stood, reached for another bottle, and walked back over to him.

“Am I dead yet?” she heard him croak as she drew nearer.

“Not yet,” she quipped as she again dropped next to him, this time sitting completely on the mats.

“Sit up, Michael,” she instructed, and she tried to help him into a sitting position.

When he was suitably sitting by himself, she held the bottle of water out for him. His eyes flicked over to her, and she rolled her own. She uncapped the bottle of water and held it out to his lips.

Once he had swallowed a little of the water, he licked his lips, coating them with the cooling liquid. “Even my eyeballs hurt,” he mumbled.

Maria tenderly ran her fingers over his sore, swollen face. “My poor baby,” she cooed.

“Am I done yet?” he asked hopefully.

“You haven’t even started,” she replied with a laugh.

“Oh, shit,” he said as he relaxed back against the mats again. “I don’t think my body will hold out.”

“Trust me, it will hold out. You will just become very familiar with the units.”

“This isn’t training, Maria. This is Sean wiping the floor with my ass.”

“It’s training Michael. It’s what we all go through.”

“Someone did this to you?” he asked her, shocked.

“Every day for two weeks,” she replied with a shrug. “I was a little stubborn!”

Michael growled at her answer. “Does he still work here?”

“Yes, Michael, and don’t go all caveman on me. I got my revenge, don’t you worry.”

“Good,” he mumbled, and they both turned their heads when they detected movement.

“Ok, pretty boy, let’s go again,” Sean sneered as he moved back into the middle of the mats.

“Are you joining in, M?” he asked his cousin, and he jumped around Michael, adrenaline coursing through
his body.

“Not this time,” she said as she stood then reached down to help Michael up.

Michael gratefully took her offered hand and let her pull him to his feet. He stood a little shakily at first then found his balance and slowly brought his fists up, eyeing Sean and trying to figure which side his opponent would come at first.

As much as he had been anticipating the hit, it was still a shock when it came.

Maria walked back to the bench, bottle of water in her hand. “I don’t think he’s gonna be able to take much more today,” she told Valenti.

“So I won’t be able to show off my skills?” Max dejectedly.

Maria shook her head. “Not today, Max. Sorry.”

“He’s done a lot better than I thought he would,” Valenti acknowledged.

“Yeah, almost three hours, and he’s still standing,” Max agreed.

They watched in silence again as Sean executed a roundhouse kick that caught Michael across his ribs, and he hissed in pain.

“Well, if you won’t be needing me, I have a report to file,” Max said, and he turned to leave.

“Hey Max,” Maria called out to him, stopping him. “Pull your head out of your ass. Liz won’t wait around forever, you know.”

Max looked at her quizzically and when Maria raised a knowing eyebrow at him, he nodded and left.


Half an hour later, Michael was again laid out on the floor.

“OK, I’m calling it for today,” Maria said, looking at Valenti. “I think he’s had enough.”

“Maria, don’t go all mushy on me just because you’re sleeping with the guy,” Jim said.

“I’m not, Jim,” Maria said indignantly. “It’s his first day. Give him a break.”

“And what do I say to the boss when he asks why he was done so early?”

“I know what I’d like to say to the boss,” she mumbled, still bristling from the fact Mason had kept vital information from her. She looked back at Jim to see his expectant look. Had he really expected her to answer his question?

She shrugged at him. “Tell him I pulled rank!”

“Aren’t I higher in rank than you?”

Maria smirked at him. “Only in age, old man.”

“Ok, Sean,” Maria called out before Jim could say anymore. “That’s it for today.”

Sean turned to her with a look of disgust on his face. “Ah, come on, Maria,” he moaned.

She just looked at him and shook her head as she walked over to the wall-mounted phone to make the call
to transfer Michael over to the medics.


Michael was sitting on the edge of the unit with a white robe covering him when Maria strolled into the room. She was dressed in a dark tailored trouser suit, the jacket held together with one button and he had a feeling there was very little clothing under it. She looked incredible.

“That’s not right, Blondie,” he called to her as she sauntered closer, her heels playing out an even staccato on the marble flooring.

“What?” she asked.

“You covering those legs. I’m sure it a crime. I may have to arrest you,” he smirked at her as best he could with his swollen, broken lip.

“That’s not the first time you’ve threatened to arrest me,” Maria laughed.

“Hey, got to get you in cuffs somehow.”

“I’m sure there are better ways,” she teased, knowing full well he had no chance in hell achieving that.

“You running out on me?”

“I’ve got to go in to the office,” she explained. “So when you’re done, why don’t you check the place out?
There are basketball courts out back, a pool in the basement. And a games room I’m told is pretty amazing. Sean will be around all day.”

“You want me to hang out with the guy who just beat the shit out of me!”

“Well, I’m sure Tess is around here somewhere,” she retorted.

“That’s ok, Maria. I think I’ll be safer with Sean.”

“I think you’re right. I’ll see ya later, ok?”

“Don’t work too hard.”

“Work too hard, I don’t think that phrase equates to me,” she replied with a smirk then she leaned over
and kissed him quickly. Then she was gone.

*****************************

The next day Michael was in exactly the same position with Sean using him as a human punch bag, though this time Michael seemed to have learned, and he anticipated the other man’s moves a lot easier and actually managed to land a few good hits himself.

“OK, stop,” Valenti called, and the two men stopped mid punch and turned to him. “Max. Your turn.”

Sean sniggered at Michael as he moved from the mats and Max took his position in front of the man he knew would become his partner.

Michael eyed him cautiously. “Can you do the freaky Bender thing?”

“No, I’m not a Bender,” Max responded.

Michael smiled at that, “Good.”

His grin soon vanished as Max began to pummel him, but Michael succeeded in returning some of his hits.

Valenti put a stop to their sparring as he walked over to them.

“You can’t think of a person’s ability when you’re in a fight,” he told Michael. “Just because Max can’t bend the air doesn’t make him any less of an opponent. Much like just because Maria is a girl doesn’t mean she can’t kill a man with her bare hands.”

Michael let these words register as he looked over to the small, delicate girl sitting on a workout bench. He had not doubt that she could do exactly what Valenti had implied, but it was still an incredible thing to him.

Valenti watched as Michael returned to dueling Max, then without turning his head said, “Maria.”

Maria eagerly jumped up from her seat and gleefully walked over to them.

“Don’t hurt him too much, Ria,” Sean jeered at her. “I’m sure you’ll want him to perform later.”

Maria stood in front of the guy who was fast becoming someone she could not imagine living without, and her mind struggled against her heart. It was impossible to feel this strongly for someone she hardly knew. She angrily pushed her thoughts away. This was not the time for personal reflection.

“You ready?” she asked him with a sly smile, her body swaying slightly with anticipation.

“I can’t hit you, Maria,” Michael said simply.

“You’re gonna have to because I’m gonna hit you, Michael.” She turned quickly on the spot, striking him with a roundhouse kick to the waist.

Michael recoiled from the hit, hissing, and moved away from her slightly.

“Come on, Michael, what are you gonna do if your target is a woman?” she taunted. “You can’t just pick and choose you know.” And she moved and hit him again, a little higher this time, striking his ribs.

“Shit, Maria.”

“Get angry if you have to, Michael,” she continued stopping her movement around him and stepping closer to him, their bodies an inch apart. “It’s okay. I trust you.”

She paused for a second, almost as if in thought. “You won’t really be able to hurt me, anyway.”

And she lifted her right arm, and hit her elbow into his face.

Michael lifted his hand to wipe away the blood that trickled from the corner of his mouth, still refusing to hit her.

“Just knock him out, M,” Sean called out from the side lines. “That will get him mad when he comes to.”

Maria knew she had to get through to Michael. He had to learn that in a fight, things may not always go the way he would like or expect.

“Sorry,” Maria said softly. “Believe me, this hurts me just as much as you.”

“What does?”

She gave him a sympathetic half smile then swiftly lifted her knee, and it connected hard with his groin.

As Michael doubled over with a loud groan with his eyes wide in shock, Maria sprang into action. She jumped into the air, her elbow bent as her left arm crossed her body, and she dropped her elbow onto the soft flesh between his neck and shoulder.

Michael fell to his knees as pain shot through his body, and Maria went for the knock out. She twisted her upper body to the left, bending her right arm slightly, and her fist collided with the side of his head, crunching with the impact as she manipulated the air to harden the blow. With a groan, Michael fell unconscious beneath her on the mat.

*****************

Michael drifted to consciousness after some time. He could feel someone moving gently on his left side and turning his head, he saw Maria moving gracefully through a series of exercises. He watched her silently until she turned and saw him.

“Are you ok?” she asked, never stopping moving.

“I guess,” he replied, pulling his body up into a sitting position. His rubbed the side of his head where her fist had collided with it.

“You pack quite a powerful punch.”

Maria halted, mid-move, and looked at him. She straightened up and walked over to him. “I’m sorry, Michael, but you need to learn. You can’t feel pity for an opponent.”

“I pity anyone who comes up against you,” he mumbled as she came to a stop beside him.

She stepped one leg over him and squatted down, coming face to face with him. Shrugging one shoulder, she gave him half a smile. “I wouldn’t pity anyone who faces me, Michael. They obviously did something that deserves punishment.”

Michael lifted one hand and brushed a few wisps of her fine hair from her sweaty forehead. He nodded his head in the direction she had been. “What was that?”

Maria shifted so she was sitting in his lap. “It’s yoga. It helps me focus. You should try it.”

Michael laughed. “I’m not doing any kind of pansy-ass movements.”

“They’re not pansy-ass, Michael,” she said with a huff. “It helps to center your body and spirit as well as to tone your body. You know, Adam Levine switched from weight-lifting to yoga, and his body is totally lust worthy.”

“Who’s Adam Levine?” Michael grumbled.

Maria shook her head at him. “Have you not heard of Maroon 5?”

“Is that like a new cult or something?”

“No, Michael. Maroon 5 is a band.”

Michael snorted. “Metallica. Now that’s a band.”

Maria shook her head. “Trust me, Michael Just give it a try.” And she stood, holding her hand out to him.

He clasped her hand and let her pull him from the floor.

As he scrambled to his feet, she added. “Ya know, there are also studies that say one of the benefits of yoga is better sex.”

“Let’s get to it then, Blondie,” he returned with a smile.

He stood beside her and mirrored her movements. He felt self-conscious and awkward and was glad there was no one else around to see him.

He followed her as she bent at the waist and placed her palms flat against the mat. Well, he tried to, grunting in the process. She stepped one leg back, her hands not moving and arched her back.

He tried to copy her movement, stretching his leg back and again, and another grunt escaped his lips.

Shifting his eyes, he caught her smirking at him and he was resolved to continue.

When she moved her bent leg to join her outstretched one, he shadowed her movement. From that position he quickly executed a couple of press-up, just to impress.

She chose to ignore him as she lowered her body to the mat and arched back, pressing on her hands and straightening her elbows.

His backbone protested as he mimicked her.

She curled her toes under, pressed her heels down into the mat, and lifted her hips, straightening her arms, and this time, he groaned. Not from any pain but from the suggestive pose she was holding.

“Michael,” she hissed. “Concentrate.”

“Easy for you to say,” he mumbled as he struggled into the same pose. His muscle’s started to tremble as she held the position for longer than she really needed to. A second later, he crashed to the mat, and Maria giggled as she lowered herself next to him.

“Not as easy as it looks, is it?” she asked.

Michael just shook his head.

“Come on, we’ll try something else.”

And she stood.

Michael sighed as he clambered to his feet, and started to follow her again.

Her next choice of movements seemed a lot easier, and Michael soon found himself lost in the controlled movements.

He watched as her hands moved slowly up and above her head, and his eyes were drawn to her long fingers, and his body shifted involuntarily until he held her flush against his front.

“Michael, I don’t think that’s an actually position!”

“It’s not?” he smirked as he brought his lips to her neck.

“No,” she answered, but she tipped her head to give him better access.

“Maybe we need to re-write the instruction manual.”

“Maybe,” she agreed, reaching for his hands and wrapping his arms around her.

He lifted his hand higher to cover her breast. “I like this kind of training better.”

“Willing to admit your technique needs to improve. I like that,” she giggled.

“I need to improve?” he asked, incredulous.

Maria turned in his arms. “Absolutely not.”

She reached up to kiss him, slowly, teasing him with her tongue.

He sank with her down to the floor, tugging her top off as they went.

“You do realize there are active cameras working in here?” she breathed out as his lips encased her nipple.

“We’ll get the tape later, Blondie.”
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Pixie-Maria
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Re: The Company. (AU,All, mainly M&M,Adult) Chapter 10 12/0

Post by Pixie-Maria »

Hey everyone. Thanks for reading, and hey, leave feedback if you want……

Sara: Yeah, I feel sorry Michael.

Cardinal: Welcome to ‘Bizarro World’. And your observations are very insightful.

Katie: Yeah I agree with you.

Carolyn: Thanks.

Ginger: HA, I think I’d go home too! Thanks.



Chapter 10

The next day was very much the same as the day before: Michael being pummeled by Max or Sean while Valenti and Maria stood by and watched.

Michael had asked Maria one evening while she was giving him a glorious back massage to ease his muscles after a day of fighting, why beating him to a pulp was part of The Company’s training?

Maria thought for a second before giving her answer. ‘To be able to control the things we are able to, you have to find your trigger. To find that you have to be open to the possibilities that anything is possible.”

“And I have to be near death to find that out?” he asked, his voice muffled slightly by the soft mattress of the bed.

“No, not near death, but…..” she searched for the right words. “Compliant, I guess.”

“I don’t need the crap beating out of me to be obedient.”

Maria smirked from her position astride Michael’s butt, then she leaned forward to place a gently kiss between his shoulder blades. “That’s good to know, Michael.”

Michael shivered at the feel of her lips on his slick skin. “Sorry, Blondie, I ache too much for any fun tonight, so get back to work.”

“Whatever you say,” Maria grinned as she returned to a sitting position and got back to working on his shoulders.


It was on the fourth day when Maria began to see a difference in the way Michael anticipated Sean’s actions, as well as making an impact with his own hits. She could almost feel the change in the air, the way it moved with him with ease. She had a feeling he didn’t realize what he was doing, that the instinct was taking over, and he was flowing with it.

On the fifth day, Maria informed Michael that they would be working on a different aspect of his training, and she led him to a building near the garage. She stopped briefly at the door to punch a security code in
the keypad set back in the wall.

“When do I get all the security codes?” Michael asked.

“When you have passed training,” was her short reply.

“Do you think I won’t pass?” he questioned her.

“Not in the least,” she replied with a smile.

When they entered, Michael was greeted with rows upon rows of weapons against two walls of the building. Beretta’s, Glock’s, Smith & Wesson’s and Walther’s lined one wall, all encased in what seemed like specially made displayed cabinets, without the glass and all held up on hooks. Another wall held an array of rifles: Winchesters, Barrett M82s, and shotguns Mossberg 500s and Benelli M4s. Along the bottom of all the rows of guns were box upon box of ammunition. Behind a wall of bulletproof glass and taking up three-quarters of the length of the long room were four firing lanes, partitioned at the shooting tables with blue screens. Not quite the same style of practice range he was familiar with but similar enough. Small ventilation outlets topped the far wall to control exposure to airborne lead and the ever-standard torso targets hung at the end of each firing lane. The only obscure thing that Michael could see were four butcher hooks that hung from the ceiling, one in each lane, about halfway down.

“Each agent has their own guns, but they are stored here,” and she indicated behind him to another room adjacent to the main room. Michael walked over to peer in and found an area of built-in gun storage systems, numbering 20 in all. Each door had a label attached, much like a locker, and squinting slightly, he could make out names.

“No weapons are allowed in the main house. You can pick which ones you want and The Company will provide whatever you ask for. You are expected to keep your own guns clean and in pristine working condition.”

She watched as Michael turned and walked back to her, making sure he was taking in what she was saying.

“During your time training you will make one bullet. What you do with that bullet is up to you.”

“I don’t know how to make a bullet,” Michael interrupted.

“That’s why it’s called training, Michael.”

“Do you still have the bullet you made?”

Maria bit her lip before turning away from him, and he almost missed the slight nod she made.

“Are you saving it for anyone in particular?”

“Yes,” she said steadily.

“Can I ask who?”

“The bastard who killed my parents.”

Michael walked over to her, his hand reaching for her, hating to see the obvious pain in her eyes. “Do you want to tell me about it?”

“This isn’t the time or the place, Michael,” she whispered but let herself be drawn into his embrace.
Maria was always reluctant to talk about her parents and their untimely death. In fact, the only person she did talk to about that time was Paul, their psychiatrist, and even that was under duress. The horrors that had befallen her that week hadn’t just almost killed her; they had nearly broken her, as well. She may have come to terms with what had happened, but she still found it hard to talk about, even after eight years.

The moment was interrupted by the door opening, and Max entered the room. He noticed how close Michael and Maria were standing and smirked at them. “Am I interrupting something?”

“Nothing that can’t be continued later,” Maria answered, quickly covering her discomfort with a small smile.

“Max is our gun expert,” she told Michael.

Max gave Michael a sly smile. “Pick your weapon.”

Michael walked over to the wall and felt that he had entered a gun shop downtown with a free pass to anything he wanted. He walked over to one gun, a Beretta, and lifting it he felt the weight in his hand and smiled. His fingers caressed the barrel lovingly, but he replaced the weapon to its spot on the wall and reached for another.

Whilst Michael was picking out a weapon, Max walked through to the smaller room and opened his storage locker, pulling out his favorite Beretta.

Fifteen minutes later, Michael held his fourth glock. He tipped the gun to the side and then the other, and felt the weight, as he had with the previous seven guns, and then held it up, arms outstretched and squinted down the line of fire. He brought it back, and his hand danced over the smooth metal.

“For Christ’s sake, Michael,” Max cried exasperated. “You’re gonna shoot with it, not make love with it.”

Max turned to Maria where she was perched on a table, filing a nail. “Is he always this attentive?”

“Always,” she confirmed with a smirk.

Michael was finally satisfied with the glock in his hand and he turned to Maria, returning her smile.

“Come on then, hotshot, let’s see if you shoot as good as you fight,” Max said, handing Michael a box of ammunition and ear protectors, then leading the way through the door within the bulletproof glass.
Michael was mildly pleased with Max’s words. No one had offered him any words of encouragement with his fighting skills and it was nice to know that someone thought he was doing something right.

They each took up position within the shooting booths, Maria remaining behind the glass, and Michael loaded the weapon before placing the ear protectors over his ears.

He was dimly aware of Max’s weapon discharging and watched the target in the distance but could barely make out the impacts.

When Max had finished, he pressed the button on the side of the blue screen, and his target moved forward on the ceiling track.

Michael was impressed as the sheet came into focus, with bullet holes splattered across the heart and through the head.

Michael lifted his own weapon and fired his rounds down the lane. When he was through, he brought his own sheet forward, to show equally outstanding marks, proving he had hit his target.

Following Max’s movement, he removed his ear protectors.

“Impressive,” Max conceded and Michael nodded his thanks, to which Max only smirked.

“Maria,” Max called and Michael turned to see that Maria had taken up position in the booth to his right.

She braced herself in an easy stance, lifted her arms, the small PPK sitting naturally in her hand, and, almost casually, shot off nine rounds.

Michael watched as her target sheet was brought forward. She had fired off the full magazine of her small gun, but only two holes appeared in the paper. One directly where the heart would be, the other in the middle of the forehead.

Michael looked disbelieving between the two of them as Maria smirked at him and Max laughed.

“Where did the other bullets go?” he found himself asking

“They all went through the same holes,” Max answered.

“That’s impossible,” Michael commented, looking fascinatingly at Maria. Even though he had come to the understanding that she could do remarkable things, to see the proof was amazing.

“There is no such word in my vocabulary,” Maria scoffed as she picked up Michael’s chosen gun and reloaded it. She handed it back, barrel first, and indicated with her eyes for him to repeat his shooting.

Michael turned back to face the target at the end of the range as Maria stood closer to him.

“Concentrate on the air around the bullet,” she instructed. “Fire one bullet.”

Michael did as she asked and hit his target perfectly.

“Now, aim for exactly the same position. Watch the cartridge; visualize it moving through the same hole. Don’t try to move the bullet, shift the air around it.” And she rose on her tip-toes so she could follow his line of sight. “Fire another round.”

Michael fired again, the shot ringing through the air as the round struck the paper half an inch too far to the side of his first mark, widening the hole.

He shook his head, disappointed with himself.

“Don’t try too hard,” Maria said gently. “Relax, let it happen. Try again.”


After three more reloads of his gun, Michael’s target sheet showed an enlarged hole roughly where the heart would be, indicating that Michael may not have passed the bullet easily through the same gap but had at least managed to push the cartridge in the right direction. He still didn’t have the finesse that Maria possessed, her bullet easily sailing through one opening, but he had made some progress.

Sean had entered the building while they were shooting, pushing a large, covered, stainless steel trolley in front of him, and he smirked when he saw Michael struggling to control the air.

Once there was a lull in the firing, he walked through the door separating the shooting range from the weapon store.

“Are we ready up the ante?” he questioned with a smile.

“I don’t think he’s quite there yet,” Max replied.

“What?” Michael asked, looking between the two of them.

“Ignore them, Michael,” Maria huffed, annoyed that her cousin had appeared. She was sure he was here just to try and intimidate Michael with the fact that he could control his ability whilst Michael was still struggling.

“I just thought he might like to know what he’s working toward,” Sean answered with an innocent look. He always managed to work that expression. Maria put it down to his baby blues and golden curls.

Michael’s head swiveled between the three of them. “What am I working up to?”

Maria sighed and waved her arm to Sean, telling him without words to do what he had obviously come here to do.

Sean beamed as he moved back into the outer room and pushed the trolley through into the firing range. He removed the white sheet that had been hiding the contents, revealing a huge slab of meat. In fact, when Michael looked closer, it looked like a side of pork: a whole side of pork, maybe three feet in length.
Max moved over to the firing lanes as Sean picked up the meat and carried it over to Max and between the two of them, they attached it to the hook in the lane that Michael was using.

They moved back to Michael and Maria, and Sean took up his position to shoot down the lane.

“He expects the bullet to go through the meat?” Michael asked Maria, astounded. Maria shook her head. “Just watch.”

Michael was fascinated as Sean brought his glock from behind his back, aimed, and fired one shot. He expected a spattering of pork meat, but it never happened.

Maria tipped her head in the direction of the carcass. “Go take a look.”

Michael cautiously walked down the lane until he stood in front of the meat. Not a mark was on it. He looked back to the three behind him, his face quizzical, then he caught Maria’s gaze, and she gestured again with her head, further down the lane.

Michael stood to the side of the pig remains and inhaled sharply when he saw a perfect hole in the target sheet, straight through the heart.

“Holy fuck!” were the only words he could think off.

He moved further down the lane until he was in front of the paper, his hand lifting and his finger poking through the hole.

He returned to the others, his face a picture of wonder.

“Can you do that?” he asked Maria, his eyebrow raised.

“Yes.”

“That’s how you did it in the alley. You hardly looked at those two you shot.”

She simply nodded.

“How?”

“How what?”

“How do you do it?”

“You feel. Feel the air around the bullet and then nudge the air to make the bullet go where you want it to,” she explained.

Sean smirked at Michael. “Wanna give it a try?”


Every shot Michael fired hit the meat. Maria tried to explain to him how to move the air, but she knew it was impossible to comprehend. It had been the same for her and Sean when they both had gone through their training.

Maria had been the youngest person The Company had ever accepted into its ranks, beginning her training at 19 instead of the usual 22. The agents were recruited from all over the country, and most of the current agents had been at least 22 years old before they had begun, some just having graduated college, while others, like Max, came from various professions. Max had been in the Army when he had been spotted by their recruiter.

Maria remembered her training vividly. It had been brutal and soul-searching. She had so many issues to overcome and was quite unwilling to take orders. The only thing that had spurred her on was her internal mantra – Revenge.

Michael needed to find his trigger, the one thing that would open his mind to the possibilities and abilities he possessed.

She moved over to him again and whispered to him, “Let your instincts guide you.”

Michael turned to her, taking in her words, and then tried again, his bullet hit the meat in the same place again.

“Maybe we should just pack it up for the day?” Max stated.

Michael’s answer was to reload his gun and aim again. Once again he hit the pork!

Maria moved without thinking, coming to stand in front of the carcass facing Michael before she realized what she was doing.

“Try again,” she said evenly.

“Move out the way,” Michael replied.

She shook her head. “Shoot the target.”

“You're crazy!”

“Maria,” Sean cried out, stepping forward slightly. “What the fuck are you playing at? Move out of the way.”

Maria looked straight at Michael, her eyes boring into his. “I trust you,” she said gently, almost lovingly. “Shoot the target.”

“Fuck. No, Maria, get out the way,” Michael hissed back, his arms still posed to shoot.

“Shoot the target, Michael,” she repeated, louder and a little harsher.

“Maria, get out of the way,” Sean yelled to her.

“Come on, Maria,” Max added his voice to the noise. “This isn’t funny.”

“Come on, Michael,” Maria teased. “Don’t let Sean get one up on you. Your abilities are bound to be better.”

“Hey!” Sean cried disgusted.

“Move. Out. Of. The. Way.” Michael ground out.

“No,” she smirked back.

“Maria, move,” Max tried.

Michael’s mind became scrambled as he listened to Maria, Sean and Max arguing the absurdity of her actions and placing herself willingly in harm’s way. The noise level rose and peripherally, Michael saw Sean move, and without thinking, he pulled the trigger.

Maria held her breath, her eyes still holding his, and she consciously held herself back from changing the air herself. She had faith in Michael and his ability, and if not, if he didn’t learn how to control the air that very moment, well, judging from the object hurtling toward her, death might be a blessing. Either way she was thankful of the time she had spent with Michael.

He watched as the bullet sped toward Maria as if in slow motion. He could see it spinning in the air, deadly, and accurate.

He saw the trust in her eyes, and his instinct took over. He visualized the air around the bullet, pushing it on one side, and he saw the cartridge move slightly. So he pushed again, harder, and then harder still. It moved, whizzing past Maria’s head, close enough to make wisps of her hair billow as it sailed passed and hit the wall to the side of the paper target.

“OK,” Sean said, nodding his head and patting Michael on his shoulder. “Didn’t hit the target, but at least you didn’t kill the girl you’re sleeping with.”

“That’s always a bonus,” Max added.

Maria hadn’t moved, but she smiled to Michael.

Michael placed his gun on the table behind the booth, took one more look at Maria and then walked out.

“Michael,” Maria called, moving quickly to follow him.

He didn’t answer her, just continued out of the building.

Maria pushed Sean as she passed him. “You’re such a dick, Sean. Why did you have to bring in the carcass?”

“I’m the dick?” Sean cried disbelieving. “You’re the one who stood in front of it and yelled at him to shoot
you.”

“Because you were making him feel inferior,” she yelled back.

“Who says he isn’t inferior,” Sean retorted.

“Jealousy doesn’t suit you, Sean,” Maria quipped, narrowing her eyes at him and she turned to go find Michael.



Michael paced by the edge of the lake, unbelieving of what had just happened. Granted, he had moved the bullet, but if he hadn’t, if he couldn’t, Maria would have died.

But she didn’t force him to pull the trigger, he had done that.

And she had faith in him. She knew he could do it. That’s why she put herself in danger.

He didn’t hear her approach and jumped slightly when she rested her hand on his back.

“Michael,” she whispered.

“I could have killed you,” he said simply.

“No, Michael. If the bullet had hit me, I would be in a unit now. There was no really danger for me. I’m not
a fool, you know.”

He turned to face her, his eyes steady as he looked at her. “I could have killed you.”

Maria saw the obvious pain in his eyes and she whispered. “I’m sorry.”

Michael reached for her and pulled her into his embrace, practically crushing her face against his chest.
Maria wound her arms around his waist and held on as he gripped her tightly.

“Don’t do that again,” he said against her hair.

She mutely shook her head in answer.

After a minute or two she pulled away and looked up at him. “Are we ok?”

Michael moved his arm and cupped her head lightly in his hand, the pad of his thumb sweeping over her cheek. He closed the distance between them and lightly pressed his lips to hers.

He didn’t deepen the kiss, just continued with tender, sweet passes of his lips which were driving her crazy. He was in control again and Maria fought with her inner demons as she pushed back against him, taking back that control as she held his head in her hands and took the kiss to where she wanted it go, thrusting her tongue into his mouth and hearing him groan in appreciation.
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