Chapter 4: Don't Push Your Luck

Well, this Op went to shit quickly. This was supposed to be Sev’s first real job, and already she had a gun to her head. There had to be a way to salvage this situation. 

“Is this always how you treat your visitors?” Sev said, giving Marion her most winning smirk.

The woman scoffed and kept her gun aimed directly between Sev’s eyes. “Visitor? Intruder, you mean.”

“I’m only an intruder if I'm unwanted,” Sev said, turning her charm up to eleven. “Am I…unwanted?”

Marion rolled her eyes, but Sev noted the momentary delay and the hitch in the woman’s throat. Maybe if they'd met under different circumstances, in someplace loud and dimly lit, someplace where inhibitions were low and desires were laid bare, wanted is exactly what she'd be. Unfortunately, those were not the current circumstances. “Get up, pack your shit, and follow me,” Marion commanded. 

Sev did as she was told, smirking the entire time. “So I am wanted, then.”

“Don't push your luck. You're coming with me because I need answers.” The blonde pulled her beautiful locks behind one ear—a practiced mannerism, by the look of it, one that revealed a bit of neck that made Sev’s knees wobble. She might have woken up in someone else's bed this morning, but she suddenly wished it had been Marion’s.

“Fine,” Sev said. She retracted the cable hardwired into Marion’s computer and cut her icebreakers loose. Then, she considered her options. She still had her quantum jaunt. She could slip free of Marion if she were lucky. But did she want to? The Op was a bust either way. If she stayed with Marion, maybe she’d at least get answers. Perhaps even a lead on a much bigger Op. It was perhaps the only way to stay on Ravi’s good side. 

All right. Sev would follow Marion then, at least for now. She had to hope that Suzuki and Talys could get out on their own. No doubt Reddick was already downstairs busting some skulls trying to extract them.

“Can I at least contact someone real quick?”

“Absolutely not,” Marion said. “I know you’re with a crew. ‘Aiko Tanaka,’ was it? As if I didn’t know this guest list inside out.” Sev pursed her lips and said nothing as she continued gathering her tools. “The other, I gave the slip just outside. See, I know this old hotel in and out. Better than you can possibly imagine.”

“Well, aren’t you savvy, Ms. Bordeaux?” Sev teased, although she was genuinely impressed. Suzuki could be very convincing when she wanted to be, and Talys was eagle-eyed. That Marion was able to elude both of them was impressive, to say the least. Seven got her programs in order, then turned to face Marion and her gun once more. “I’m all done, and if you’d care to get that thing out of my face, that would be wonderful, thank you,” she monotoned.

“If it’s all the same, I’d rather not. You’ve been rooting through some pretty sensitive files, so I can only assume you were sent here by somebody who wants me taken down. Now, get up against the wall.”

I’d like to take you down, Sev thought, just not in the way you’re thinking. “I don’t know who hired us. That’s…compartmentalized.” She did as she was instructed, pressing her body up against a nearby wall. She could jaunt through it right now with just the flick of her wrist. She could escape. Why wasn’t she?

Marion took several steps away, gun still trained on Sev. She heard the sound of a drawer opening and shutting, then footsteps coming closer. The next thing she knew, Marion had grabbed her arms, contorted them behind her back, and was tying them together skillfully with a cord of silken rope.

Sev’s cheeks burned. It’s not like Marion could possibly know what Sev enjoyed. That was absurd. And yet…this kind of rope…left in a drawer in the direction of the suite’s bedroom…

“Why Marion, I had no idea,” Sev teased.

“Shut up and stand still,” Marion ordered.

“Yes, ma’am,” Sev responded automatically. This was bad. Sev should be plotting an escape route, not following her captor’s every command. But she just couldn’t help herself. “Where we headed?” she asked once the knots were complete. She gave her arms a tug or two to test them out. Marion knew what she was doing back there. Sev might be able to slip out of them given enough time, but that seemed rather unlikely given the circumstances.

“Just follow me,” Marion said, placing her firearm inside her purse. Who brings a gun to a conference, anyway? Seven considered what that likely meant. Marion knew she was a target. She’d mentioned a “Harper” and a betrayal. Perhaps she even knew a crew had been hired to steal from her. They never even had a shot at this, did they?

“My pleasure,” Sev said, her eyes wandering up and down Marion’s back as the researcher led the way. Her dress was backless, allowing a generous view of Marion’s delicate shoulder blades. “For what it’s worth, you’re looking awfully gorgeous tonight,” she ventured.

“Don’t push your luck.”

She followed close behind as Marion moved to the entrance of her suite, then cracked the door open and peeked out into the hallway. After a moment, she hurried out into the hall and motioned for Seven to follow. “Come on,” she said quietly. “And don’t you dare try to give me the slip.”

Ah, but in order to give her the slip, Sev merely needed to resist the seemingly insatiable urge to do everything Marion said. They hustled to the end of the hall and Marion stopped at the corner, listening carefully. Then the moment passed and she slipped around the corner, tugging on Sev to follow.

Where the hell was Talys? She’d moved out to the hallway to intercept Marion, but now she was nowhere to be found. “Hey,” Sev whispered to her captor. “I don’t suppose you know where the hot blonde in the ponytail went after you so skillfully eluded her? The hot blonde other than yourself, that is.”

“Shut up and walk,” Marion commanded. 

That sounded like a no. Sev continued following until suddenly, Marion rushed through a nearby door and pulled her in. It appeared to be some kind of supply closet—shelves flanked them on either side, filled with cleaning supplies, bedsheets, and the like. Marion shoved Sev up against a wall and listened closely, her eyes trained on the door.

Sev’s eyes were less trained on the door, but she tried not to get too distracted by the beautiful woman pinning her against the wall. “What are you doing?” she whispered.

Marion shushed her and held up a finger. In the distance, she heard heavy footsteps and doors opening one at a time. She caught the sound of chafing leather, clattering plastics, and other heavy gear. Combat boots and plasteel armor. Rifles, too, she wagered. These weren’t hotel security. They were a kill team.

“They’re going door by door,” Sev whispered urgently. “They’re going to find us.” Marion looked around frantically, but Sev remained in control, despite her heart battering her chest. “Quickly. Untie me. Let me do what I do best.”

“I’m not untying you,” Marion whispered back.

Sev rolled her eyes. “If they open this door and spot us, it’s over,” she said. She didn’t know who hired them, but there was something big going on here, something much bigger than their intel suggested. If she had to guess, they probably were after Marion, not Sev—but that didn’t mean Sev wouldn’t get caught in the crossfire.

Marion shook her head. “I can’t chance it. That’s a quantum projector on your belt, yes? You jaunted into my room. If I untie you, you jaunt right out of here.”

Point taken. But if she didn’t do something, they were both dead. Her heart raced as doors slammed open closer and closer. “Okay, follow my lead.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Something that makes people very uncomfortable,” Sev said with a smirk. Then, she projected her voice toward the door and let out a moan. A loud, sensual moan that could only mean one thing.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Marion whispered fervently.

“Just trust me,” Sev whispered back. “They’re looking for someone trying to escape, not two people fucking in a closet.” Then she let out another long moan, raising the pitch of her voice somewhat. “Ohhh god…Ahhnn…” 

Marion just stared at her and blinked, her cheeks turning a lovely shade of red. “I can’t believe I’m doing this…” she whispered, then let out a long sigh. Finally, she joined in with a moan of her own. It was just a bit too fake, but at least a second voice added some believability to the ruse.

“Come on, you can do better than that,” Sev said quietly.

“I’ve never done this before,” the woman replied with a roll of her eyes. 

“Then let me give you some inspiration.” Sev wrapped her leg around Marion and pulled her closer, causing the two of them to crash into the wall. A broom clattered against the opposite shelf, rattling it and its contents. At the same time, Sev leaned over and pressed her cheek against Marion’s, breathing onto her neck.

Her gambit worked perfectly. Marion let out a much more believable gasp and a yelp of surprise as she pinned Sev harder against the wall. “So it’s like that, then?” Marion whispered.

“It’s like that. Now sell it,” Sev replied. She closed her eyes, letting the physical sensation of the two of them pressed up against one another fuel her imagination. Nearby, more doors crashed open, and she could now hear the squad chattering amongst one another. “Mmmmm, yes…” she said loudly. 

The sounds Marion made grew louder and more believable as Sev moaned next to the woman’s ear. If she didn’t know any better, she’d think Marion was getting just a tad turned on. Seven certainly was, at least. Even if it was for the benefit of the people outside, having Marion’s breasts pressed up against her, hands on her waist, her lips just inches from that lovely neck…she could imagine it happening for real, and goddamn was it a nice thing to imagine.

Marion finally moved her hands, placing them on Sev’s hips and grasping tightly as she pressed her harder against the wall. “This better fucking work,” she growled.

“Sounds like you still need some encouragement,” Sev whispered. She knew just the thing. As her lips gently met the woman’s neck, she slipped her other leg between Marion’s thighs. Marion shuddered and let out a cry of pleasure as Sev’s knee shifted up to press against her most sensitive spot. God, hiking up that dress felt good. Seven definitely wouldn’t forget this Op anytime soon—that is, if she survived.

And neither would Marion, she thought. That last whine of hers was definitely genuine. And with her lips pressed against Marion’s skin and no objection in the air, they were starting to blur the line between ruse and reality. And just in time, too. She heard the squad reaching the door as Marion began grinding against Seven’s knee, her moans now all too believable. Sev held her breath and tugged against her restraints. A second passed. And another. There was some chatter just outside the door. A couple laughs. And then, mercifully, the footsteps continued, and the next door that slammed open was on the other side.

Marion stopped immediately and withdrew, giving Sev the glare of a lifetime. “I can’t believe you did this,” she groaned.

“We’re not in the clear yet,” Sev whispered, leaning forward. Her lips were tantalizingly close. 

Marion’s grip on Sev hardened. Her eyes flitted down to Sev’s lips, then back toward the door. Finally, she lunged forward and her lips crashed into Sev’s, the kiss urgent, needy, fiery. She took control, moaning into her mouth as her tongue slipped into the kiss. She wrapped her arms around Sev’s head and kissed harder, pushing the back of her head up against the wall, harder still, biting her lower lip just hard enough for it to hurt, until finally the footsteps faded.

Then Marion took a step back and slapped Seven across the face. 

It stung like hell. But all she could do was smile. “That good, huh?”

“You smarmy bitch,” Marion said, although the way her chest rose and fell with heavy breaths, the way her upper chest and face flushed with color, told a different story. She pulled her dress back down below her hips, giving Seven the very briefest glimpse of her long slender legs and scarlet laced panties that matched her dress in color. Then she took a moment to compose herself and cleared her throat. “I truly cannot believe that worked.”

“I told you,” Sev replied. “People don’t generally want to crash a good party when they hear one.”

“We got lucky,” Marion said.

“Well, not yet.” Seven winked. “But I’m down after this if you are.”

To Sev’s amazement, Marion actually grinned at that. “Let’s get out of this goddamn hotel first, yeah?”

And despite wanting ever so much to stay in this broom closet with her mark, Sev nodded. It was time to get the hell out of here.

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