Just what I needed. A fucking cross-jurisdictional check in. And a sassy little FBI agent, no less. I’d noticed her two days prior; mostly because she was pretty, and she had a cute little short haircut that was totally my thing. Most guys love long hair, but shorter hair did it for me. A confident woman doesn’t hide behind her hair, and usually girls with a stylish short haircut would give you a run for your money. This Portia was no different. Twice since we’d been in contact that day, I thought she might actually punch me, and it was kind of a turn-on.

Her adorable haircut and slamming little body notwithstanding, her being sent to see where the fuck my investigation was going didn’t bode well for the longevity of my case. I knew it looked stalled for some time, but I didn’t think they’d sent anyone in to assess the situation for themselves. I racked my brain on the walk to my cover apartment, in the hopes that I could come up with enough viable reasons to keep my case open, because decisions were going to be made based on her recommendations.

When we approached my building, I opened the main door for her. “Thank you.” She nodded as she passed me.

“Up one flight, first door on the right,” I replied. I knew she knew where it was, that she’d probably been watching it for a few days, but didn’t really know what else to say. As we approached the door, she stilled, leaning toward it.

“What?” I asked quietly.

“You expecting company? There’s someone inside,” she whispered, placing her hand on her firearm.

Fuck. “Stand down. Don’t blow my fucking cover,” I whispered, drawing my handgun. It had to be one of Diego’s guys who thought it would be cool to just let himself in. “Go hide,” I demanded as quietly as possible.

“Not happening, Kelso.” She shook her head slowly. I knew she wouldn’t but I had to try. I’m pretty sure we both knew our next move was a game changer. They’d see her, and want to know who the hell she was. I knew that whoever was in the apartment, probably Robbie, wasn’t there to come after me; they likely just didn’t want to wait outside for me.

My next move was bold, but original. I grabbed Portia, pulling her into me, and kissed her fervently. In the same motion, I turned us toward the front door, using my other hand to open it, which caused us to enter dramatically. Pretending that I didn’t know someone was sitting at the small table in the kitchen, with a direct view to the door where we were standing, Portia seemed to be playing along, her strawberry lip balm hitting my senses.

As I opened my eyes, I pulled my gun, pointing it at the figure, and shoved Portia behind me. “What the fuck?!” I yelled.

“Sorry bro, I was tired of waiting outside for you!” Robbie stood, throwing his hands in the air. He was one of Diego’s boys, and my “friend” undercover. I lowered my gun at the same time Portia poked me from behind. Fuck, I forgot about her for a minute. Although, I could taste that strawberry, and it brought a smile to my lips. She peeked around me, and instinctively, I threw my arm around her. She was gonna have to go with it now.

“What the fuck are you doing here, man? Letting yourself in ain’t cool, bro. You’re lucky I didn’t shoot you.” I played my hard ass part well.

“You’re right, man, you’re right. I’m sorry. Obviously, you were busy,” he grinned, nodding in Portia’s direction. I didn’t like the way his eyes scanned over her. She was just another agent, but he was a scumbag, and he didn’t need to be looking at her that way.

“What do you want, Robbie? I am busy,” I said, visibly squeezing Portia to me. Thank fuck she knew what I was doing and was going along with it. Any other woman may have asked twenty questions, causing a scene of some kind.

“Yea, I, uh... “ He looked at Portia, not wanting to say what he had to in front of her. Realizing this, I let go of her.

“Why don’t you go freshen up while I talk to Robbie here for a minute.” She turned to face me, casting an angry glare. “Run along, I won’t be long,” I said with a more assertive tone, meeting her eyes. She forced a smile which was more like a sneer, and turned to walk away, when I smacked her ass. While I was making it look real, I was also fucking with her, which was kind of fun too. She spun around with a giggle, and in the moment her back was to Robbie, she flipped me the middle finger before making her way down the hallway to my bathroom.

It was a small apartment, so I’m sure she found the bathroom easily, and was probably leaned up against the door, listening. That’s certainly what I’d be doing if I were her.

“What do you want, man?” I approached Robbie, who I towered over. He was not only short, but also a few pounds overweight, and looked nervous, beads of sweat forming at his temples.

“Bro, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you’d have company. It’s the middle of the day,” he tried to explain.

“Whatever. Just tell me why the fuck you are in my home,” I demanded.

“Diego says the job is happening. He’s calling in the boys to get the plan together, finally.” He leaned toward me, whispering and glancing at the hallway. Presumably trying to avoid Portia overhearing us.

“Ok, so what’s the plan?”

“He wants us to get together tomorrow night and go over it.”

“He told you this?” I had suspected that Robbie didn’t get his information directly from Diego, but maybe if it really was go time, he had the in I’d wanted all along.

“Well no, one of his guys told me. He said to get my guys together, because it was going down soon, and we wouldn’t be pulling out this time.”

“Ok, let me know when and where. It’s about time,” I replied.

“Yeah yeah. I’ll send the meeting spot to your cell,” he said. Changing the subject, he wanted to know more about Portia. “So, who is she? She looks a little clean-cut for you, no?” He chuckled.

“She’s none of your business,” I replied.

“Well, she’s not gonna get in the way, is she? You know Diego doesn’t like strangers.”

“Yeah, you’ve mentioned that about eight thousand times, bro. She’s my girl. Just because I don’t let her around you losers doesn’t mean she hasn’t been around me forever. Why you so interested anyway?” I asked, my tone threatening. Some of the guys had been known to share their women with each other, and they’d offered me a turn on more than one occasion, which I found every reason in the book to turn down. If he thought I’d be “sharing” Portia, he’d be leaving my apartment with a broken nose.

“I’m just asking, bro. Calm down.” He put his hands up in surrender for the second time today, knowing what I was capable of. I’d established myself as a member of the crew with a penchant for bar fights, or for any reason to fight. “She’s hot. No wonder you been keepin’ her all to yourself, man. I get it. You’re not sharing. Understood.”

“It better be,” I replied.

“Yeah, yeah. Why don’t you bring her out tonight? A few of us are going to Lucky’s for a couple beers. You know, getting the band together.” Over my dead body. This guy needed to get the fuck out of my apartment. I was losing patience, and I knew that Portia wasn’t going to stay in that bathroom forever, when I heard the water running in the sink.

“We’ll see. I’ll hit you up later, man. Now get the fuck out. I have a lady to entertain this afternoon.” I winked, knowing his filthy mind would fill in the other details on its own.

“Alright, bro. Alright. I can take a hint. I’ll text you later. Have fun,” he said in a disgusting tone, as he let himself out. I put the chain on the door, and made sure all the locks were functioning. What kind of a shithole would be so easy for a two-bit criminal like Robbie to pick the lock?

I called out to Portia. “You can come out now.” I groaned audibly, knowing she was going to be pissed at my antics.

The bathroom door flung open, and she flew out, gun in hand. Scanning the room, she looked mad as hell, and sexy as fuck.