Chapter Five: Rookie Mistake
All written works displayed are (C) K.E. Wright.
Tseng:
He records his own telephone calls? It seemed quite absurd and paranoid, but then again, Reno was the best assassin attached to our firm. That had to be one of the precautions he took.
I looked at the little rectangular object in my hand and plugged the headphones into it. I placed one green ear-bud in my ear and pressed play.
"Don't play with me, Reeve," Reno growled. "I'm calling, just like you demanded."
"Aw, you wound me! So what are you up to? Something naughty?" There was a hint of teasing in Reeve's voice.
"N-no!" Reno sputtered. His embarrassment was nearly audible.
Reeve laughed heartily. "Oh, Reno, the way you say that makes me think you are. Are you fantasizing about Tseng?"
There was a loud clatter and I realized he'd dropped the phone to the floor. "What the hell?" he yelled. "Why on earth would you say that, you pervert?"
"Oh, so you are, aren't you?" Reeve purred. "How often do you dream of him, hm? How often to you dream about him naked and at your mercy? How often do you dream about him taking you hard and rough?"
"Reeve!" Reno whined, his voice breathy, needy. "Don't do that!"
"Aw, poor baby. Am I teasing you?"
Indignant, Reno returned, "Fuck you, Reeve. I have a concussion."
"Oh, that's never stopped you from getting off before."
"Tseng's in my apartment, you shit," he growled. "So stop."
"What? Why? Are you fucking him now?"
"How can you even fucking ask that?" Reno demanded.
"You are aren't you? Naughty boy," Reeve teased.
"Bastard! Stop saying things like that!" Reno demanded, his voice trembling slightly.
"Or are you still touching yourself and pretending he's the one touching you?"
"Reeve! Stop it now," Reno barked. "Some days, I don't know why I even put up with you. You say such perverted things!"
"Oh, you like it, Reno. You're a bigger pervert than I am."
"I am not having this conversation. Talk to you when your mind is out of the gutter."
The recording ended there, but I could still remember the next words he had said: "Fucking perverted bastard. That is why I didn't tell him. He just found out this morning and he's already using him against me."
I, for once, did not know what to say. I always knew what to say; it was how I'd gotten where I was now. But one sexy-as-hell paranoid assassin had my tongue tied in more knots than a cherry stem.
I closed my eyes for a moment. How in the hell do I tell him?
He records his own telephone calls? It seemed quite absurd and paranoid, but then again, Reno was the best assassin attached to our firm. That had to be one of the precautions he took.
I looked at the little rectangular object in my hand and plugged the headphones into it. I placed one green ear-bud in my ear and pressed play.
"Don't play with me, Reeve," Reno growled. "I'm calling, just like you demanded."
"Aw, you wound me! So what are you up to? Something naughty?" There was a hint of teasing in Reeve's voice.
"N-no!" Reno sputtered. His embarrassment was nearly audible.
Reeve laughed heartily. "Oh, Reno, the way you say that makes me think you are. Are you fantasizing about Tseng?"
There was a loud clatter and I realized he'd dropped the phone to the floor. "What the hell?" he yelled. "Why on earth would you say that, you pervert?"
"Oh, so you are, aren't you?" Reeve purred. "How often do you dream of him, hm? How often to you dream about him naked and at your mercy? How often do you dream about him taking you hard and rough?"
"Reeve!" Reno whined, his voice breathy, needy. "Don't do that!"
"Aw, poor baby. Am I teasing you?"
Indignant, Reno returned, "Fuck you, Reeve. I have a concussion."
"Oh, that's never stopped you from getting off before."
"Tseng's in my apartment, you shit," he growled. "So stop."
"What? Why? Are you fucking him now?"
"How can you even fucking ask that?" Reno demanded.
"You are aren't you? Naughty boy," Reeve teased.
"Bastard! Stop saying things like that!" Reno demanded, his voice trembling slightly.
"Or are you still touching yourself and pretending he's the one touching you?"
"Reeve! Stop it now," Reno barked. "Some days, I don't know why I even put up with you. You say such perverted things!"
"Oh, you like it, Reno. You're a bigger pervert than I am."
"I am not having this conversation. Talk to you when your mind is out of the gutter."
The recording ended there, but I could still remember the next words he had said: "Fucking perverted bastard. That is why I didn't tell him. He just found out this morning and he's already using him against me."
I, for once, did not know what to say. I always knew what to say; it was how I'd gotten where I was now. But one sexy-as-hell paranoid assassin had my tongue tied in more knots than a cherry stem.
I closed my eyes for a moment. How in the hell do I tell him?
Reno:
I was curled up on the bed in one of the spare rooms. What in the hell had I been thinking, handing over a recording of that conversation of to Tseng?
Knuckles rapped lightly on the door. "Reno?"
"Go away," I mumbled, blushing and curling into a tighter ball.
He tried the doorknob and found I'd locked it. "You know I can pick the lock, right?"
"Try picking the deadbolt."
He sighed. "Reno, let me."
Sighing, I got off of the bed and unlocked the door to let him in. The good news was he didn't sound revolted, so it wasn't all alcohol and circumstances last night.
I went back to the bed and made myself as small of target as possible before calling out, "You can come in now."
The door opened, revealing a slightly disheveled-looking Tseng. Somewhere or another, he'd lost his suit jacket and released his hair. The dark silky strands fanned about his shoulders, loose and messy-looking like he'd run his hands through it a couple of times. "Reno," he started, "what do you remember from last night?"
I sighed. Oh joy. Let's talk about the night I don't remember half of. "Going out with Elena. Seeing you. Dancing. A large guy named Leeland finding you and me in an alley. Then… nothing."
"You remember that much?" he asked, almost like he couldn't believe it. "Well, Leeland found us in the alley behind the club. He was angry at Elena, who –after claiming she wouldn't share you– watched you walk out of the club with me. So he attacked us; he slammed his fist into my solar plexus and slung you against a wall." I could hear a slight smile in his tone as he continued. "Then I pulled out my gun and he ran off like a scared schoolgirl."
"So... we were together last night?" My heart slammed against my ribs, but my tone remained calm and even.
"What makes you think that might have happened?" he asked wryly.
"I woke up aching in a few choice places. I knew I'd definitely been the bottom, but I wasn't sure who I had been with." I couldn't very well have this conversation and not look at him, so I slowly uncurled my body. Then I turned so I could meet his gaze.
"Oh, Red, trust me: you spent time on top." He purred so sensually, seducing me with his tone and his eyes and his expressions.
"Oh? Cowboy or Reverse Cowboy?" I asked jokingly, even as my heart raced in my chest.
"I don't kiss and tell, Red. You're going to have to remember if you want to know that." His gaze searched mine.
I'll show you anything you want, I thought. Just tell me what you want.
My heart thundered in my chest and I reached out for him. "Well, would you consider refreshing my memory?" I asked softly.
He sat on the edge of the bed and leaned into me until our lips could almost meet. "Why would I want to do that?"
"Because I think it bothers you as much as it bothers me that I don't remember. Hell, I've been wanting you too damn long to not remember our first time." Then I closed the distance between us, my lips touching his and my arms pulling him to me.
He rolled on top, pinning me beneath him easily. Roles could be argued at length; it still didn't matter to me.
"What are you saying, Reno?" he asked softly against my lips.
"I want you. I've wanted you since the first time I laid eyes on you." I smiled softly and nudged his hips with mine, just enough for him to feel how much I wanted him. "I'm long-past being ashamed of the fact and long overdue when it comes to doing something about it."
He pulled back a little, his eyes widening.
Aw, how cute. I could still unnerve the hell out of him. It made me happy to see that I could still affect him like that.
"Reno," Tseng began. Then he sighed. "Is that why you went out of your way to be the biggest fucking tease I've ever met?" he asked me, a wry smile pulling at his lips. "You wanted me to want you as much as you wanted me? Well, wake up and smell the coffee, Red," he told me before jolting his hips downward and against mine. "I want you at least as much as you want me."
I pulled him back down against me and nuzzled my way to his ear. "Then show me," I commanded softly before licking the shell of his ear lightly.
He shivered and spoke against my skin, "Only if you'll show me as well."
Unable to contain a smirk, I rolled us over until I was on top of him. My fingers played along the row of buttons on his shirt until I reached the button of his pants. Teasingly, I traced the seam of his pants along the length of his cock before simply pulling untucking his shirt and sliding my hand beneath to touch the warm skin of his stomach.
His breath came out in a rush. "Tease."
"Oh, you like it, babe," I returned tauntingly.
After attempting a few of the buttons on his shirt, I released a frustrated breath. Then I ripped the shirt open, a few of the pearly buttons rolling to the hardwood floor.
"Two-thousand dollar shirt. Just saying," he murmured.
"I'll buy you a new one. Maybe in green. You would look hot in green." I grinned down at him. "But you'd look even better naked."
Intense chocolate eyes stared up at me, desire making them molten. "So would you."
I was curled up on the bed in one of the spare rooms. What in the hell had I been thinking, handing over a recording of that conversation of to Tseng?
Knuckles rapped lightly on the door. "Reno?"
"Go away," I mumbled, blushing and curling into a tighter ball.
He tried the doorknob and found I'd locked it. "You know I can pick the lock, right?"
"Try picking the deadbolt."
He sighed. "Reno, let me."
Sighing, I got off of the bed and unlocked the door to let him in. The good news was he didn't sound revolted, so it wasn't all alcohol and circumstances last night.
I went back to the bed and made myself as small of target as possible before calling out, "You can come in now."
The door opened, revealing a slightly disheveled-looking Tseng. Somewhere or another, he'd lost his suit jacket and released his hair. The dark silky strands fanned about his shoulders, loose and messy-looking like he'd run his hands through it a couple of times. "Reno," he started, "what do you remember from last night?"
I sighed. Oh joy. Let's talk about the night I don't remember half of. "Going out with Elena. Seeing you. Dancing. A large guy named Leeland finding you and me in an alley. Then… nothing."
"You remember that much?" he asked, almost like he couldn't believe it. "Well, Leeland found us in the alley behind the club. He was angry at Elena, who –after claiming she wouldn't share you– watched you walk out of the club with me. So he attacked us; he slammed his fist into my solar plexus and slung you against a wall." I could hear a slight smile in his tone as he continued. "Then I pulled out my gun and he ran off like a scared schoolgirl."
"So... we were together last night?" My heart slammed against my ribs, but my tone remained calm and even.
"What makes you think that might have happened?" he asked wryly.
"I woke up aching in a few choice places. I knew I'd definitely been the bottom, but I wasn't sure who I had been with." I couldn't very well have this conversation and not look at him, so I slowly uncurled my body. Then I turned so I could meet his gaze.
"Oh, Red, trust me: you spent time on top." He purred so sensually, seducing me with his tone and his eyes and his expressions.
"Oh? Cowboy or Reverse Cowboy?" I asked jokingly, even as my heart raced in my chest.
"I don't kiss and tell, Red. You're going to have to remember if you want to know that." His gaze searched mine.
I'll show you anything you want, I thought. Just tell me what you want.
My heart thundered in my chest and I reached out for him. "Well, would you consider refreshing my memory?" I asked softly.
He sat on the edge of the bed and leaned into me until our lips could almost meet. "Why would I want to do that?"
"Because I think it bothers you as much as it bothers me that I don't remember. Hell, I've been wanting you too damn long to not remember our first time." Then I closed the distance between us, my lips touching his and my arms pulling him to me.
He rolled on top, pinning me beneath him easily. Roles could be argued at length; it still didn't matter to me.
"What are you saying, Reno?" he asked softly against my lips.
"I want you. I've wanted you since the first time I laid eyes on you." I smiled softly and nudged his hips with mine, just enough for him to feel how much I wanted him. "I'm long-past being ashamed of the fact and long overdue when it comes to doing something about it."
He pulled back a little, his eyes widening.
Aw, how cute. I could still unnerve the hell out of him. It made me happy to see that I could still affect him like that.
"Reno," Tseng began. Then he sighed. "Is that why you went out of your way to be the biggest fucking tease I've ever met?" he asked me, a wry smile pulling at his lips. "You wanted me to want you as much as you wanted me? Well, wake up and smell the coffee, Red," he told me before jolting his hips downward and against mine. "I want you at least as much as you want me."
I pulled him back down against me and nuzzled my way to his ear. "Then show me," I commanded softly before licking the shell of his ear lightly.
He shivered and spoke against my skin, "Only if you'll show me as well."
Unable to contain a smirk, I rolled us over until I was on top of him. My fingers played along the row of buttons on his shirt until I reached the button of his pants. Teasingly, I traced the seam of his pants along the length of his cock before simply pulling untucking his shirt and sliding my hand beneath to touch the warm skin of his stomach.
His breath came out in a rush. "Tease."
"Oh, you like it, babe," I returned tauntingly.
After attempting a few of the buttons on his shirt, I released a frustrated breath. Then I ripped the shirt open, a few of the pearly buttons rolling to the hardwood floor.
"Two-thousand dollar shirt. Just saying," he murmured.
"I'll buy you a new one. Maybe in green. You would look hot in green." I grinned down at him. "But you'd look even better naked."
Intense chocolate eyes stared up at me, desire making them molten. "So would you."