They stared into each other then and she felt that she was looking into her older-Cole's eyes, as well, into the man's eyes she would be with ten years from now. She felt like they were stealing a moment together, because the boys were being taken care of and they had a few minutes and they missed the times when they had all the time in the world with each other. This wasn't Angie's guest room anymore; it was their room in their house, their last refuge from the constant demands of family life -- not that they would give that up for the world, but they did miss this.

 

"For a first time," Cole said after a bit, his voice soft and deeply dreamy, "that wasn't bad."

 

The smile that came to her face was hers without a single impurity of contrived performance. It was just her, smiling at him. "Good," she answered, her voice now soft and purring. "Now, I need you. Right here, right now, so don't fight me."

 

He started to glance back at the door, "But--"

 

"The boys will be fine," she told him, her hand on his cheek, turning him back to her -- wondering exactly, which boys she was referring to, the bikers outside or the kids playing out in the yard with their visiting grandmother.

 

When his attention was on her again, she returned to pulling apart his pants and getting his cock out, "Just a quickie," she hummed playfully. "Up against the wall, maybe?" she offered with his cock now in her stroking hand.

 

She thought he would hesitate, that she would have to persuade him just a little bit more, but then he spun her and put her against the wall. He was so tall, she wasn't sure this position was going to work for them, but as she was thinking this, his cock found her opening and then his thrust lifted her up on her toes, "Oh dear god, yes!"

 

The spreading, stretching feeling his cock did to her was divine in this position. She lifted her ass and thrust back with his efforts to fill her completely. "Fuck yes! Oh shit, Cole! Fuck! You are so fucking good!"

 

His hand took a hold of her hair and pulled her back, arching her spine, lifting her breasts. It was just the right thing to do, at just the right time and she climaxed wildly, her eyes rolling like a panicked animal, "I love you! Fuck me, Cole! Fuck me! God I love you so fucking much!"

 

She was lost in climax when he was finally inside of her completely and pounding his hips into her firmly curved ass. His impacts clapped hard into the room and drove her savage with the visuals it gave her. "Give it to me! Please, Cole! I need it! Give it to me!"

 

He came hard, lifting her completely off the ground, sliding her up the wall, her head back and screaming.  Then he came out of he, and with such ease and familiarity that it felt like they had done this together a hundred times at least, he scooped her up in his cradling arms and stepped back to sit down with her on the edge of the bed.

 

Nicole curled and snuggled, but discovered that part of her attention was seeking the boys with her ears. They're fine, she told that part of herself, appeasing her mother-hen instincts -- we're all going to be just fine. And I'll make sure of that, today, Nicole promised.

 

The bikes roared to life and Angie and Nicole stood on the sidewalk, waving them goodbye. Then the two women went back inside. They chatted for a while in the kitchen, which was new for Nicole. Her life never brushed up against such domestic events before. She found it felt so good she had to force herself to leave, to make the excuse of checking her stocks in order to pry herself away and get back to the bedroom.

 

She couldn't delay this, though, and there would be plenty of afternoons to spend with Angie, who she already thought of as a friend. Once in the guest room again, she sat down on the edge of the bed and took several deep, focusing breaths, and called him.

 

"Nicole?"

 

"Yes, Gabriel, it's me. So how much? Let's talk," she said, her voice all business now and all of her negotiation skills rising. She felt that Max would approve.

 

Gabriel paused and, with slight confusion, said, "How much for what?"

 

"I'm not stupid, Gabriel, and you are causing strife. So, let's talk cash. What's it going to take for you to drop all this bullshit and leave me alone?"

 

"I don't understand," he said, his voice still sounding confused.

 

"Yes you do. You would understand perfectly if this were Lou on the phone," she told him.

 

"Lou? How do you know about Lou?"

 

"You're kidding, right? The whole fucking city of Chicago knows you have brought Lou into this childish infatuation with me. You have what? Fifty suits walking around your house? It is very obvious who you ran to, Gabriel. They know it, I know it, and now let's get back on topic. How much is it going to take, Gabriel?"

 

"You're serious," he said, his voice changing to firmer ground. "You want to settle with me?"

 

She let out a long sigh of exasperation, "Yes," she said as if discussing things with a petulant child. "How much?"

 

"One million," he said, and she could hear the snide smile coming through the connection.

 

She had it. As of yesterday, the buy-in she did on a biotech startup brought her up and over the top of her first million. But, if she just said yes now, he wouldn't take her as seriously when she showed up to pay and she needed him to see this as a business deal.

 

"Get serious, Gabriel. You wouldn't ask that for Antonio and Davis together. Start reasonable, or maybe I'll tell Lou why he's wasting resources – the real reason. Think he would enjoy finding out that he's been exposed like this over a call girl? Half-a-million."

 

"I don't give a flying fuck what that old spic thinks. He's been paid, up front, for the month. That was the deal. Fuck him. Eight hundred and I'll close it all down."

 

She almost sighed with relief. Gabriel just stepped firmly into the negotiation. He was going to take this seriously. Thank fucking God.

 

They hammered at each other, insulted each other, brought up secrets the other didn't know were exposed. But when Gabriel dropped to $750,000, she said, "Done."

 

"Excuse me?"

 

"I said done. I accept. I'll take a cab, drop off your money, and we are quits," she told him.

 

"You have 750k?"

 

"Yes," she said patiently. "Yes I do and now I don't, but I consider it money well invested. Would an hour fit your schedule, because I have a flight to catch."

 

"An hour? Yes. That will work. Tell the guards at the gate who you are," Gabriel told her, his voice all business now.

 

She did call a cab, after checking her stock values to ensure that something hadn't gone terribly wrong, but they were fine. To Angie, she said she was leaving to shop and then got in the cab before she could think about it too much.

 

At the gate, she began wishing she had stopped to pick up something a little nicer to wear. The guards were wearing five thousand dollar suits, for crying out loud. She was escorted up to the third floor of Gabriel's mansion, to his office. There, the guards left and closed the door. Gabriel was across the room and two of his regular goons were on each side of her, which made sense, considering he was in a war.

 

"Good to see you again, Nicole," though he said this without turning around to actually see her as she walked to the middle of what could have been a master bedroom.

 

She stopped in front of his desk, "I would like, if only for politeness' sake, to say the same, but I can't. Let's do this and get back to business."

 

He turned around to face her and she saw what was in his hand -- a syringe.

 

Strong, unyielding hands grabbed her arms and shoulders, and pressed her hard into the desk, making her drop her laptop, "What is that? What the fuck is that?" she said, barely noticing the hands on her. Her focus centered on the needle in Gabriel's hand.

 

"I think you know," Gabriel smiled. "Heroin. The whore trainer."

 

"You keep that filth away from me! Gabriel! Don't fucking do this!" she yelled, her voice was breaking and her panic rising.

 

"You don't have to worry. We’re just going to do some re-training on you. I've got ten years of very good experience with excellent results. I'm very good at this, Nicole."

 

"We had a deal! A fucking deal!"

 

"You aren't a power, Nicole and I don't negotiate with whores. I mean, really, what would people say?"

 

She was scared out of her mind. Over and over she witnessed the results of that drug in the hands of Gabriel. He would hook her and then break her. She wouldn't be a call girl any more. She wouldn't be able to think well enough to be one after he was done. She grabbed a hold of that last thought, "Fine! I'll come back! I'll come back willingly. I'll take up my clients again. But I can't if you use that on me. You know it won't happen. I'll never be able to take my clients with that filth in my veins."

 

Gabriel stopped.  He watched her for some time and then walked back to the window, "Well, that would take care of this stupid war and have you remain profitable at the same level," he mused. "But no," he said turning back around. "There's that driver of yours. It wouldn't work. He would still come after you and eventually he might even get you. I mean, the man took out Antonio in a close combat gunfight. You don't take a man like that lightly. It would be stupid."

 

"I'll call him," she panted, her fear nearly choking her. "I'll call him and break it off. I'll tell him I came back on my own. He'll have no reason to come after me."

 

Gabriel set the needle down on the desk and thought about that for some time. "You'll tell him that you don't want to see him? That you came back on your own?"

 

"Yes, yes, and no one can prove otherwise," she panted.

 

"Hmm, risky, though," he mused. "But all right. I'll take you back and put you back with your clients on the condition -- and I swear to you, honey, I'll so fuck you up if you try something -- on the condition that you make it so convening that even I believe you."

 

"All right, yes. Yes," she agreed, relief pouring out of her.

 

They let her up from the desk and she stood slowly. She begged the universe to somehow let Cole know that she didn't want to do this. She had no choice. She couldn't live with that shit inside of her, melting her Brian, taking her soul away, breaking her into a fuck-doll. She would at least be able to think after this and remain Nicole.

 

She calmed down, pacing a little with her phone in her hand, getting her voice and attitude, and memorizing lines.  Then she called Cole. Her heart shattered and, for a moment, she thought she was going to die, right there. Just fall down dead. You can't live without a heart; everyone knows that. She hung up the phone and droped it, utterly defeated. Then she was slammed back on to the desk and Gabriel picked back up the needle, "Well that makes everything nice and tidy," he said, and then smirked at her, "You really are a stupid whore."

 

"No, Gabriel! No! Don't do it! Fuck! Cole! Help!"

 

The needle hit her vein and a fog was suddenly in her Brian, taking the world of fear and panic away, along with herself.

 

"Now, isn't that better?" Gabriel asked her. "Don't worry about a thing. I can take care of all of this. And I do need to take care of all of it. Now that you are under control, we'll take care of Cole Porter next."