#tech tuesday

"I don't know what you're talking about," you mumble, trying to pretend to work on your laptop.

"Oh? So you're not DarkAngel2000? And you and your buddy, TheHumanTorch69, didn't get your asses handed to you so bad you had to go on the run again?"

"Who are you?" you seethe.

"I'm Jack," he smiles. "But you probably know me as 'The Wolf'."

Your brain buffers for a minute at this news and its implications.

"He's innocent in all this," you whisper. "I'll give you the logs showing I threatened to dox him if he didn't help me."

"That won't be necessary," Jack smiles. "I'm here for you. The pain in the ass that keeps almost blowing my cover." Your brain buffers again and he chuckles. "Seriously, no poker face whatsoever."

"Not used to in-person," you grumble.

"I figured. It's a weakness we're gonna have to work on."

"I'm not working for those monsters."

"Neither am I. That's the reason I'm here."

He leans in close and, despite your caution, you do the same.

"I'm working undercover for Interpol on taking these guys down," he tells you. "And your antics are putting me at risk. Yourself as well because, if you continue pushing like you are, I'm going to have to give those monsters the means to find you or they'll know I'm not the coldhearted bastard they think I am."

"How can I trust you? You've been known to never work for governments, preferring the highest bidder approach."

"I had a...we'll call it an Ebeneezer Scrooge moment," he shrugs. "Got me to turn over a new leaf. And if you don't trust that, which I wouldn't blame you for, you can ask your buddy Johnny. He's being approached by an agent today to see if he'll join up."

"He won't," you blurt out. "He's a loyal company man."

Jack shrugs. "His loss. But you'll see that I'm telling the truth."

"Just maybe not the whole truth."

Jack gives you a contemplative look before shaking his head. "Well, either way, if you accept my offer, I won't have to give you up to save my ass for the greater good of breaking the infrastructure these guys run on. A goal I know you share. You'll also get benefits like a government protections so you won't have to look over your shoulder so often. Might even get a decent night's sleep."

"Not even trying to offer me a steady income."

He laughs at that. "Not only are you the 'moral crusader' type so money wouldn't influence, I know you've got your own revenue stream. Otherwise you wouldn't be where you are now."

"I need time to think."

"Of course," he nods as he slides over a slip of paper. "If you accept my offer, by at that IP address on that date for a little play fight. Make the monsters think I've kicked your ass."

In another part of the world, Johnny is sitting at a sports bar, sipping his drink, thinking about his partnership with you, when his thoughts are interrupted by someone sitting next to him.

"Johnny Storm?" the blue-eyed man with grayish brown hair asks.

Instead of answering, Johnny gives the man a confused look. Sighing, the other man reaches into his jacket and pulls out a badge.

"I'm Agent Leon Kennedy with Interpol. Are you Johnny Storm, a.k.a. TheHumanTorch69?" he sighs out that last part.

"Am I in trouble?"

"Not yet," Leon answers sharply. "But you and your friend, DarkAngel2000, are getting there."

"Who?" Johnny's instincts tell him to play dumb.

Leon lets out another tired sigh. "Don't do that, kid. You're too smart for the dumb act to be believable. And you don't want to be found guilty of impeding an investigation."

"Sorry, sir," Johnny blushes.

"Your loyalty to your friend is admirable," Leon concedes. "She's currently being approached by our undercover hacker with a similar offer I've been asked to give to you."

"She's not in trouble?"

"Depends on her answer. And you are currently not in trouble, but that could change depending on how things play out."

"What's going on?"

"Obviously I can't say much because it puts the mission at risk," Leon explains. "But what I can say is that the two of you are putting our inside man at risk."

"The hacker we barely got away from? And clearly didn't actually get away because you're here?"

The corner of Leon's lips rises. "Like I said, too smart for that 'play dumb' act to work."

"I don't want to get into trouble with the law..."

"But you don't want your friend to burn," Leon nods in understanding. "Speaking from experience, be careful to whom you give that loyalty to. Regardless, I have been authorized to offer you a job. You've got skills we can use to bring down awful people. It'll pay a lot more than your current job, probably better benefits, too."

"I like my job," Johnny mumbles.

"And I'm not going to force you to quit," Leon counters as he steps out of his sea. "I'm just giving you an offer. And a warning."

"Both are appreciated."

That night, the two of you chat in the safety of your private server.

DA: If I go to that server, you're staying away.

HT: Like hell I am. What if you need me? What if it's a trap?

DA: Then I guess it's a good thing I didn't tell you the IP address or the date.

Johnny fumes for a moment. He's grateful you're looking at keeping him out of danger, but he's not okay with you taking all the risk.

HT: I could always tag along, stay hidden or something, until you know for sure.

DA: That's not too bad of an idea. You're not touching that address, but I can tell you the date and send you an SOS if trouble comes up. Like it did last time.

HT: We barely got outta there last time and, technically, we still got caught.

DA: If it's a trap, I'm not letting you get caught up in it. Besides, they already know who you are and where you live. If it's a trap, they'll think you took that agent's advice and stayed away.

HT: At least tell me the day so I can make sure to clear my schedule.

DA: Deal.

You let out a sigh of relief. Truly it's for the best that, if it all goes to shit, it all falls on you.

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"Smart," Walter nods.

"You're a lot more okay with this than I thought you'd be," Faye comments.

Walter shrugs, "I know what you're thinking but I'm trying to not be the overprotective dad type. You've known this boy, you've told me about him, and your friends are going with you. Unless he does something, anything that makes you uncomfortable, I will do my best to let him be."

"That's very mature of you Walter," you praise. Turning to Faye you add, "but I'm still going to make sure you've got a can mace in your purse."

"Thank you!" she exclaims.

"Did you tell your mother about this date?" Walter interrupts.

Faye's happy demeanor immediately drops and you hear a quiet, "no."

"You're going to have to," Walter asserts.

"But she always gets so...weird when I talk about boys. She goes on long rants about 'not wasting my life' or whatever."

"And she'll be even angrier if she finds out about a secret relationship," Walter warns. "So you will need to tell her. Understood?"

Faye gives you a pleading look but you shake your head.

"Don't look at me. I'm siding with him, and not just because he's your dad."

"Okay," Faye mumbles.

"Thank you," Walter lets out a relieved sigh.

And that's why, when he sees the spread of chocolates on the coffee table, he knows you need to talk about something difficult.

"Maestro," he barks out.

You quickly come out of the bedroom, wearing one of his favorite negligees. Communication was rough for the two of you so making it feel like a scene, a realm where the instant you said "stop" everything would stop, made it feel much safer. Made it easier to talk.

"Sir," you acknowledge, keeping your face tilted down.

"Sit," he gestures to the couch.

Immediately you run to your spot on the couch and sit. Even though you set this up, even though Lloyd is following your cues, it's a scene. He's the one who makes the demands and you wait for him to speak before you do anything.

As eager as he is to get you talking about what's bothering you, Lloyd knows he has a part to play. It's a part he's played many times now. A part he takes pride in playing to perfection. Instead of immediately moving to his side of the couch, he freshens up. Regardless of if this ends up in sex or not, he wants to be ready and look and smell good for you.

Stepping into the living room, Lloyd lets himself smile a little at seeing you sitting perfectly still, being a good girl for him.

When he sits next to you, he gently caresses your cheek and you lean into his touch ever so slightly.

"There's my good girl," he purrs, pouring himself some brandy. "You remember how this works?"

"Yes, Sir," you reply clearly, keeping your gaze directed at the table. You're nervous, but you know this needs to happen. You need to tell Lloyd about your hesitations. This was the safest way you could think to do so.

Lloyd picks up one of the chocolates and gently presses it against your lips. You breathe in and your senses are full of the mocha caramel goodness. But you don't open your mouth to taste it.

"Good girl, Maestro," Lloyd smirks. "Always behaving for me. Now, if you want this chocolate, you gotta tell me what's on your mind."

"I...I owe you an explanation, Sir," you confess, cheeks heating from how vulnerable you feel already.

"An explanation about...?"

"Why I kept turning down your proposal."

"Good girl. Open your mouth so you can get a sweet treat."

Opening your mouth, Lloyd sets the chocolate on your tongue and you let out a soft moan at the flavor. Lloyd really does get only the best things. But that's why you need to talk to him.

"You keep moaning like that you're gonna end up with a salty treat pretty quick," Lloyd teases. You know he's smirking, but you keep your gaze aimed at the table.

Looking over the spread, Lloyd picks up another chocolate and takes a sniff.

"Mmmm. This smells so damn sweet, but I know your pussy is even sweeter."

"Thank you, Sir."

Lloyd places the second chocolate against your lips. This time you breathe in a raspberry chocolate combination that has you salivating.

"So what's this explanation?" he coos.

For the first time you hesitate, needing to work yourself up to it. You set this up to help you feel safe even when at your most vulnerable. You can do this for Lloyd.

"You're too good for me," you whisper, tears forming in your eyes.

Lloyd tenses. He's been called a lot of things in life but never "too good" for someone. He wants to ask what you mean but he has to wait. He has to keep up the act, remind you that you're safe.

"That's something I never thought I'd hear," he admits with a smirk, pushing the chocolate into your mouth.

The flavors explode in your mouth and provide a welcome distraction from how frayed your nerves are feeling. One of the things you love about Lloyd is that, so often, neither of you has to say anything for the other to understand. But this isn't something that he can intuit. This is something you need to say out loud.

He grabs another chocolate, without bothering to look them over, and gently places it against your lips. Chocolate with hints of coffee fill your senses.

"So how the hell am I too good for an angel like you?" Lloyd's voice is firm but you can pick up the hint of desperation. He wants to understand but he can't until you tell him.

"I...you...I'm...Suzanne was right, Sir," you whimper. "I barely graduated high school. Only went to community college. You're a Harvard grad making big money as the head of legal for a big company. I...I'm just..."

Lloyd removes the chocolate from your lips as the tears start pouring. Carefully clamping his hand on the back of your neck your shoulders slacken a little at the familiar touch.

"Breathe, Maestro," he gently orders. "Deep breath in through your nose...Now out through your mouth."

He talks you through the breathing until you're feeling steady again.

"I think my good girl deserves two chocolates for that one," Lloyd smiles, gently patting your hair. "Though, after all of this, there will be a few spanks because Suzanne is never right."

"Yes, Sir," you sniffle, your heart growing at the care Lloyd is giving you. At how he's keeping up the act, treating this like a scene. Just like you need.

As you're eating the two chocolates Lloyd gives you, he keeps his hand rubbing up and down your back. He's thinking about how to proceed. He knows he's not "too good" for you, but you seem to think differently. How is going to convince you? Will you let him build you up or will you retreat into yourself at the compliments? He knows how weak you get for praise in a scene, but this is something more important. More intimate.

When you've finished the chocolates, Lloyd gently grips your chin and makes you look at him.

"You've gotten to know me pretty well these past two years or so, Maestro. So I know you know that I am not a man who 'settles'. I do not cut corners. I do not skimp. I do not just accept what I'm given if I think I deserve more." Lloyd leans in close, "so when I say I want you, you better believe it's because I think you're the best of the best. And, on the off chance you still can't bring yourself to believe it, I will happily start doing some positive reinforcement training. Because no one talks bad about my good girl, my Maestro. Not even you."

"Thank you, Lloyd," you whisper as the tears keep spilling.

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