180 Degrees-Tae & Vicky's Tomorrow 03

When the bathroom door opened, I tensed a little, not sure what to expect. I imagined she wanted to yell at me some more, to tell me how careless I'd been, to tell me to go back into witness protection. I imagined she had a lot to say. Except she didn't say any of that. She didn't say a word. I heard her approach me, felt her hand on my arm, turning me around roughly to face her, and then her lips were covering mine.

I was stunned, but only for a moment. My body recognized her, the feel of her, the taste of her, and it responded before my brain caught up. I inhaled of her, deeply, enjoying the sweet feel of her lips, even as they angrily crushed mine, brutalized mine, devoured mine.

Her hand slid behind my head, pulling me closer to her, her lips softening just a bit...now tasting...enjoying. I slipped my arms around her waist, pressing my body to hers, absorbing her strength, her warmth. She sighed, releasing my lips, her forehead resting against mine.

"God, I was so fucking worried about you."

And those words meant more to me than anything else she could have said...almost. I absolutely melted against her when she kissed me again. The heat, the tension in my body as I felt her hands on me...my breath caught. Her lips grazed my chin, making their way to my neck, nibbling in a way that brought me up on my toes. There were delicious sensations spreading throughout my body and I closed my eyes, giving myself over to her. I think she knew when I let my guard down completely, because her hands were suddenly everywhere, touching me, stimulating me, arousing me. I moaned, deep in my throat, as she walked me backwards, laying me down...lying down beside me.

I let her do as she pleased as she lay half on me, kissing, licking, nibbling, biting...my nipples ached by the time she pulled down the neckline of my dress and took one into her mouth, my back arching. She moved my panties aside and slid two fingers into me...deep...hard...my body following her lead...moving against her...with her...my chest tight...my body taut and willing.

I clung to her, afraid she would disappear again, thrilled she was with me now, as she drove me hard and fast toward an orgasm. I shifted so I could feel her, opening the front of her jeans, sliding my hand against her, my fingers sliding into her. She moaned as she brought her lips back up to mine, her fingers bringing me closer and closer as she kissed me senseless. I couldn't concentrate, could not focus on whether or not I was pleasing her, but she was moving against my hand, inviting my fingers to delve deeper...my thumb brushed against her clit, causing her to suck in a breath...it was close, the release I sought, the release I so desperately needed. It would be agonizingly sweet...it would be wonderful. Still, I was not ready for it when it slammed into me, my keeling wail bringing a smile to her lips as I moved beneath her. I didn't recover quickly, but it was fast enough to prevent her from cooling down. My hands resumed their task, pumping deeply into her, toying with that bundle of nerves that was every woman's downfall. But she didn't go quietly into the land of oblivion. She took me with her, her fingers going deeper, her strokes smoother, her manipulations of my body far superior. Within moments we were both panting, violently, as we climaxed, clinging to one another. I lay back, spent, as our breathing slowly returned to normal. Then she pulled me against her, her arm tightly curved around my waist, and we slept.

*

Her voice woke me, deep, throaty, right above my head as she spoke on her cell, her arm still around my waist, holding me close.

"Yea, I got her...she's okay...Yea, they found him...no, it was clean. They got it all back...hmm...I haven't told her yet, probably in the morning. Yea...okay."

I shifted slightly as she disconnected and placed the phone on the nightstand.

"Hmmm...where you going?" She asked huskily, pulling me closer.

And before I could answer, those talented hands were bringing my body to life again. Her lips, her tongue, those wonderfully long, wonderfully nimble fingers...she shifted our positions, licking a path down my body, and I suddenly could not think, could not process a thought...the feeling of her mouth at my core...licking...stroking...savoring...driving me nuts. I cried out as she hummed...teased...sucked...blew... my fingers grasping desperately at the sheets as she kept me on the edge, teasing me, torturing me, until moments later, when I was almost completely unraveled, she allowed me to explode in her mouth.

I felt like limp noodles as she shifted again, her lips covering mine. I could taste myself on her, slightly salty, slightly sweet...mixed with her delicious flavor...it was intoxicating. She let me rest, at least I thought she might, but then I felt her lips on my throbbing nipple, her fingers between my thighs...and the thrilling ride started again.

She kept me there, a prisoner to her lovemaking, for hours. Getting her fill of me as if she'd been starved. She breathed me in, drank from me, feasting on my flesh, demanding everything from me. I was in heaven, lying against her...beneath her...sweaty...my body thrumming...it was absolutely wonderful.

She ignored my rumbling stomach, at least the first few times. But when the noise grew more insistent, she smirked and pressed her lips against mine, slapping my ass gently.

"Come on, I better feed you."

She pulled on her jeans and tee as I found my horribly wrinkled dress and slipped it over my head. She held the door for me and we went to find something to eat.

*

She took me to a diner not too far from the hotel...another creepy déjà vu experience. Hadn't we been here, in pretty much the same place, just months ago? And as I forked overcooked eggs into my mouth, I wondered what would happen this time around. Actually, I was wondering what hadjusthappened. She'd gone from being angry with me to spending hours making sure my body would remember her for a lifetime. Not that it needed any additional help doing that. And she had just handed over $250,000 for me. That thought stayed with me for a moment.

"What's going to happen to Gerry?"

She sipped at the lukewarm coffee they'd delivered along with our mediocre late night breakfast and watched me, setting the cup down and raising a brow.

I looked down at my plate for a moment, no longer hungry. I hesitated for another moment, trying to figure out if I wanted to press this issue. And decided yea, I did.

"I heard you on the phone," I offered.

She ignored me again, casually glancing past me to take in whatever sights the tiny, dingy diner offered.

I stared at her. Just stared and stared...until finally she looked me.
"Did they hurt him?"

She shook her head, amazed. "This guy mean something to you?" She finally demanded, "because it's not clear considering this guy just sold you out to the highest fucking bidder. Do you think he would have cared if it was Marcos instead of me? And you're worried abouthim? Really?"

When she put it like that, I agree it sounded nuts. But he'd been nice to me...well, at least until he served me up to someone who might have wanted to kill me.

"Tae, please...just tell me."

She sipped at her coffee again, but still didn't answer. Finally I sighed, changing tactics.

"What happens now? To me?" To us I wanted to add, but didn't.

"You go back to New Mexico. Go back into Witsec."

I shook my head. "No. That puts your family at risk again."

She didn't respond, watching me silently again until I started to squirm.

"Your father is dead because of me. I'm not going to let that happen to you, or your grandfath-"

"My father made his own choices. We know the risks when we choose this life." She interrupted, her voice harsh.

Her words took a moment to sink in. I couldn't figure out what about them bothered me...and then it dawned on me.

"We?" I repeated. The word weighed on me. I had cost this woman her life. Her career. Jesus, what had I done?

She didn't respond, just watched me, once again silent. I sighed and closed my eyes.

"I'll do better next time. I won't use the name they gave me. I won't date a correction officer."

"Next time?Really? You're going to run again?"

I could hear the anger in her voice...and the trace of hurt. I sighed, not sure what she wanted from me. Not sure what I was supposed to say or do.

I watched as, for the second time this evening, she stood, her movements stiff with anger, and tossed some bills on the table, waiting impatiently for me to stand and follow her. I did, following her from the restaurant and back to her car. This time she was parked under a street light and I saw she was driving some type of Mercedes. Definitely nothing like her Toyota. And she seemed different from the woman that had driven that Toyota. Quieter, angrier...closed off to some extent. She shut the car door after I slid into the passenger seat and we rode the short distance back to the hotel in a tense silence. Once inside, my nerves were so frayed I turned to face her as soon as she locked the door.

"I don't know what you want from me. I'm trying to do the right thing, trying to keepyousafe for a change. Why are you so upset with me?"

"Because I'm not going to let someone I love do that again," she snapped. "I won't let you sacrifice yourself for me."

She was angry, frustrated, exhausted from her attempts to protect me. And for a moment, that's all I could hear in her voice...until it dawned on me. And then I didn't care about any of that. That word...that word...had she really said it? Had she really just said that word?

"What did you say?" I whispered the question, my voice tense, my chest tight.

She hesitated, as if suddenly realizing what she'd said. Then she moved past me to stare out of the window, not answering.

I waited. Afraid to say anything. Afraid I'd made it up, so desperate to hear it that I'd willed it from her even though she hadn't meant it.

Finally, she turned and looked at me.

"Jesus Christ, what the fuck do you want from me Vicky?" She demanded, her voice rough.

"The truth," I begged softly.

She moved closer, standing before me. The anger was gone and there was resignation in those stormy, grey eyes.

"I returned a kilo of cocaine to you, risking my job. Then I quit the force to be sworn in as a U.S. Marshal for you. And now? I tracked you to this Godforsaken tiny little town and paid $250,000 for you. What more do you want from me Vicky?"

I could hear it in her voice, soft now, inviting me in, inviting me to believe. I had to listen past the sarcasm and the defenses, but it was there. I just needed...I needed to hear it again.

"Please," I begged again, softly...desperate.

She closed the distance between us, her eyes holding mine captive as she pulled me to her, her lips inches from mine. And then she whispered, "I love you Victoria Longman."

And I closed my eyes. I just stood there in the warmth of her embrace with my eyes closed and my heart hammering in my chest for just a few moments. I took a deep breath before opening my eyes to meet hers.

"I love you too."

I smiled as I said it, watching as she raised a brow, a slightly teasing smirk on her lips.

"Okay, so now what?"