77 to 99

 Writer's note: I am in the process of reworking some old fragments of a story idea from some time back, that I originally posted  installments under the title Midnight Sessions. Stay tuned for updates.....

77 to 99 

Just a few hours before, Samantha Monroe's life had been turned upside down, when she'd discovered her lover, Alex Maxwell, leader of the 77, dead following an execution-style murder. More importantly for all of the elite 77(Samantha included), their leader had been killed. Because of Samantha's personal relationship with Alex, she very well knew that a contract was out on her, too. 

From what she had observed at the time, she instantly knew who had ordered the hit on Alex. It had the equally elite 99's signature all over it. It was like they had left a bloody calling card for her....and the rest of the 77. 
In addition, she knew about the long-standing intense rivalry between Alex and the head of the 99, a man named Jason Masters. But Samantha knew that their rivalry might just be the key to her survival.

Only the 77 knew that while Alex enjoyed Samantha's company ....and appearance...well enough, that she was also the best the 77 had with regard to personal protection for Alex. She had yet to determine if Jason Masters knew something other than that she was Alex's mistress. If indeed he knew, then not only was there Alex's death to deal with, but also the fact that the 77 had a leak in its midsts. 

Jason Masters had heard back from his lieutenants that the raid on his rival's home had been successful and his bitter rival and several of his men had been killed. 

Unfortunately the man's mistress, Samantha Monroe, was not with him

 at the time and her whereabouts were unknown.

He instructed his men to find her as soon as possible.

Samantha Monroe knew that there was a price on her head. She knew better than to run immediately, as undoubtedly Jason Masters and his men would have any exit routes monitored, if not blocked, already....most likely that was in place before the hit occurred. 

Samantha decided on an unusual course of action: actually having the courage to go to Jason herself ....rather than having his men drag her there. She couldn't stay in hiding forever.

She showered off the blood and grime of finding Alex, and reminded herself that Alex himself would say to save herself. He would have done the same had it been her. It was the world they both existed in. It seemed to her that some different weapons might be inder to deal with Jason Masters. 

Samantha rifled thru the closet at the 77 safehouse that she'd narrowly escaped to after finding Alex, and selected a form-fitting emerald green velvet sheath, and matching green stilettos with feather pompoms. She felt that it showed all of her assets off beautifully. The color of her shirt dress darkened her eyes to emerald, and called attention to her burnished auburn tresses. Her only jewelry was a pair of tiny emerald and gold stud earrings. She wrapped an elegant, hooded black velvet clock, lined with emerald satin, around her. Samantha frequently dressed to impress when she was on 77 business.....it was kind of a signature of hers. It was one of the things that appealed to Alex, and maybe, just maybe, it might appeal to Jason Masters. 

Standing at Jason Masters' front door, Samantha Monroe took a deep breath, then rang the doorbell. 

Jason heard the doorbell as he was working on his computer and quickly switched to the security camera feed in his office. He stared at the screen with amazement when he saw Samantha standing there.

 "Well, I'll be damned.", he muttered, as he mashed the end of the cigarette that he was smoking into a monogrammed silver ashtray. But his eyes darkened, and he gave just the hint of a smile. 

Obviously his security detail would have stopped her and searched her before they let her pass. He was just surprised they hadn’t escorted her to the door.

He opened the door on the chain and saw one of his men standing at the side.

Taking the chain off, he opened the door wider, nodded to the man, then invited Samantha inside. He even stepped slightly aside, so that she could enter the room.

 

“Well, Miss Monroe, you took a chance by coming here. You do not lack courage."” he said. “You are fortunate to still be among the living. I gave orders to shoot on sight. I'll have to speak with my men about just exactly why that command wasn't honored, later."

He let his eyes roam over her body appreciatively. "But I can see, in this case, why they hesitated."

"Really, Jason?", she queried lightly. "Maybe they thought there was information to be gleaned by not simply killing me. Surely you can't think that their head was turned by a redheaded witch, can you now? That would be....well.....unthinkable, wouldn't it, Jason?" She reached out with a scarlet-tipped finger, and traced lightly along his jawline. 

 

“I assume they searched you before they brought you to my office door ?” ,Jason said, as his icy blue eyes flickered at her.

Samantha's lips curved in the hint of a smile. "I imagine they did, Jason. ", she said softly. "Why don't you search for yourself? Maybe they weren't thorough enough to suit you."

Oh, I don’t think I need to do that Samantha” he laughed. “If you had had so much as a penknife on you, you wouldn’t be standing here now “He gestured her to go and sit down.

"If you say so, Jason.", she replied. 

“So why did you take the risk of coming here ?”, Jason asked. 

Samantha could tell from his expression that he was truly puzzled by her appearance. In a way, that was good news. It meant  that he simply thought of her as Alex's mistress. She studied his face a little bit as she decided what words to say to answer him. Jason Masters was quite handsome, with his silver hair and blue eyes and chiseled jawline, in quite a different way that Alex Maxwell had been, with his dark hair and eyes. One was ice; the other fire. 

As she settled into the chair that he motioned her towards,  her sharp emerald eyes met his in an unwavering gaze, and she answered, "Self-preservation."

Her eyes flickered, making them look a shade darker, and she added, "Sure you don't want to search for yourself, Jason,? For the weapon, I mean. Why, if not, I might think that you trust me."

“Well,I suppose I could call the guys in and tell them to search you again in front of me, Samantha” he said. “I’m sure they would do a thorough search, exploring all the possible hiding places” he added, giving her a sardonic grin.

Samantha gave him the hint of a frosty smile, although the light of it never reached her emerald eyes. 

She nodded, and agreed, "I suppose you could do that, if you want to, Jason but that's kind of like having boys do a man's job, isn't it? "

At that point his face was unreadable, except for a clenched jaw. 

" I promise you that I carry no conventional weapons anywhere on me.  Search all you like."

Jason walked behind her chair and reached down to cup her breasts.

“Perhaps not conventional weapons, sweet  Samantha” he murmured in her ear,  squeezing her nipples “but these could cause a lot of problems if a guy wasn’t paying attention.”

Samantha squirmed a little in her chair; just enough so that her breasts were pressed more firmly within his grasp.

"Really, Jason??", she asked in a soft voice. "You honestly think that I could cause trouble for you?"

She laughed lightly, adding, "Are you paying attention, Jason?"

 “Oh, I’m paying attention all right, Samantha.” Jason said ,squeezing her breasts. "“With a body like this I can see how you were able to get close enough to a person to become so successful in your former profession.”

"Former profession?? How's that, Jason?", Samantha queried, even as she squirmed while he massaged her breasts. "There's nothing former about it.", she assured him. "I don't know where you could have gotten that idea."

"So....did you still want your men to search me? I thought you might want to do it for yourself."

“Oh, come on now,Samantha. There's really no need for such pretense between us.”, Jason said. “Everybody in my 99 knows that you were one of the top hit people in Alex's 77. Word on the street is that it was true until Alex decided you were more valuable elsewhere....like in his bed.”  Jason paused, then added, “However, we can discuss that later.”

"Alright, Jason.....if you'd like.", Samantha agreed. "It's your dime."

He reached for the zipper at the back of her  plush green dress and began to slowly pull it down. “All that talk about you wanting me to search you has got me wanting to take you up on the offer.”

She kicked off the green stilettos into the floor of his office. 

"So, are we going to your bedroom, or did you just want to do it across that big desk of yours, Jason?"