"I don't have time to sire a
child, and the IMF is going to go back into Callahan hands anyway."
"Sir, there's plenty of women
in the IMF who'd be happy to have your child," one of the agents argued.
"I don't care. It's just a
waste of time, an unnecessary attachment. I don't need to give some deranged,
hormonal woman the opportunity to kill me."
"But just in case we don't
succeed, sir, it would be wise to have a back-up plan."
"True, but we are going to
succeed."
"You don't have to marry.
Simply sire a child."
"The woman will still form an
attachment to me and to the child."
"But if she has an attachment,
sir, it would prevent her from trying to kill you."
"No it wouldn't. I want you
to get my sister's child. He is the last Callahan male, whether he wants to be
or not."
"Still sir... we must be
careful. In case we should fail."
"Failure is not an option.
Even if you do raise a good point."
The man simply nodded.
"What are you waiting for?
GO!"
He got to his feet and left the office
hurriedly.
"Now...you."
The man got to his feet and a few
minutes later, a talented attractive brunette entered the room. "Sir? I
was told to come up here..."
"What is your name,
Agent?"
"
“Corryn.”
The brunette blinked. “E-excuse me, sir?”
“My companion…or…girlfriend if you
prefer.”
She glanced at the man. According to all the rumors, he didn’t much
want a relationship with anyone… “I’m… flattered, sir, but may I ask why?”
“Well… thank you…” There was a moment’s pause, as if she was
thinking. “You’ve decided you need a
successor.”
“The successor is going to be a
Callahan. Not one of my own.”
“You hope,” she said. “If things go according to plan. It’s in case they don’t.”
“I’ll go in and grab the brat
myself. The successor will be a
Callahan.”
“I’m not going to refuse you, if
that’s what you’re tiptoeing around.”
And that was true, Corryn thought to herself. He was nothing if not attractive.
“I wasn’t worried about you
refusing me.” He replied flatly.
“Well you’re a confident man.”
“Well I couldn’t have stayed in
the position I am if I wasn’t.” He looked her up and down. The agent who had selected her would be
rewarded, this woman was very attractive and seemed smart enough to be a
suitable mother.
“I’ll do what you want, on only
one little condition…”
He raised an eyebrow. “Which is?”
“I want you to at least pretend
you care about me. Just the first time
we… attempt. After that I don’t care.”
“Well you don’t seem like a woman
who would sleep with a man if he didn’t care about you. And if that’s it, fine.”
“Then we have an arrangement.”
“If that’s what you’d like to call
it.” He moved to stand right in front of her.
“Well that’s what it is, isn’t
it?” She asked quietly.
“Maybe. Who knows with these kinds of things, right?
I’m not exactly the company’s Casanova or anything.”
She stopped suddenly and looked up
at him. “You’re…” She trailed off, almost afraid he’d react
violently if she finished. She suddenly
found herself with a hand on his shoulder.
“You’re attractive enough to be,” she covered.
“It’s just… unusual for a man your
age to be a…” She trailed off again, still not saying the word for fear of how
he’d respond.
“Forming that kind of attachment
with a woman was never my top priority.”
“No… I’d imagine not,” she
agreed. The hand found its way from his
shoulder to rest in his hair.
“Not that I mean this is just
another assignment or anything….”
But it was, she thought to
herself. But it would not do to say
so. She hesitated for what seemed a long
moment, then gently kissed his cheek.
She kissed back softly, hoping he
wouldn’t be alarmed at her forwardness.
After a minute,
“That’d be nice,” she said
quietly, encouraged that he hadn’t let go of her yet.
“What do you want?”
“Anything’s fine.”
“Well I’m not much in the mood for
food at the moment, but we can get something if you’re hungry.”
“I’m not all that hungry either,”
she admitted. She had almost said she
knew what he was in the mood *for,* but imagined that would make him…
uncomfortable.
“Well I’m sure we could find
something else to do.” He paused. “We
don’t have to do this tonight, there really isn’t much of a time limit as long
as I have a son before I die.”
“So I guess it depends on how soon
you plan on dying.”
“I don’t really plan on dying,
I…umm…” He flustered, not really sure how to respond.
“I know. And I… well… this is going to sound… I’ve
never slept with a virgin,” she blurted out.
“Well there’s a first time for
everything, isn’t there?” He moved away
and sat down on the couch.
She winced and went to sit next to
him. “I didn’t mean that how it sounded…
I just… I almost don’t want to do it tonight because… I don’t want you to
regret anything. Though I suppose I’m
just an assignment right? Sire a son and
what more has to happen?”
“I’m not one for regrets, and I
don’t consider people to be assignments, for your information.”
“I know… I just… relationships are
complicated… and whether you want one or not, if you have a child, you’ll have
some sort of relationship with me. Even
if it’s only physical.”
“Complications are the things that
you’ll kill me for.” He muttered darkly.
“You think I’m going to kill
you?” She blinked.
“Well won’t you?”
“No… I… you’re going to father my
kid, I’m not going to kill you. Not to
mention that minor detail that you’re my boss.”
“Well that won’t matter much once
you have the kid.”
“Look… clearly you had some home
life… abnormalities?... but I’m not going to kill you. I swear.
If you want you can even have me searched before I walk into a room with
you.”
“I don’t want to have you
searched…and until now I never really thought of my childhood home as
abnormal.”
“Well… we grew up
differently. It was me and my siblings
and my parents, and we all lived together and no one hated anyone, dated the
enemy, or killed each other.”
“Yeah well my family was pretty
much the opposite. Exactly the opposite,
actually.”
“Well maybe… maybe this is an
opportunity for you. To have… a little
semblance of a personal life.”
Dylan looked at her. “I guess so.”
She paused a moment, realizing how
close they were sitting. Perhaps
something semi-familiar would… soothe whatever was going on in his head. She kissed him softly again.
Dylan’s thoughts about his family
flew out of his head when she kissed him.
He didn’t know what was going on, what she was doing to him that made
him forget everything else. He pulled
her into his lap and kissed her back a bit more eagerly.
Corryn was a bit surprised, but…
grateful. She’d never been much for
taking the initiative as far as this sort of thing was concerned… though she
supposed he was an exception.
Dylan stopped and looked at
her. “I’m…not quite sure what we should
do next.”
“I guess we just… let things go
where they do…”
“Well…do we…just wanna hop right
to it or like have some actual conversation and dinner first?”
“I think conversation and dinner
might be… wise.”
“Any restaurant you particularly
care for?”
“No… you decide.”
“Alright, go change and be back in
like ten minutes.”
“As I’m a girl and all, can you
spare half an hour?”
Dylan paused, remembering how long
it had taken his sisters in the bathroom getting ready for school. “Right…a half hour.”
“Thank you.” She kissed his cheek, then got up off his
lap. “I’ll be back.”
“Don’t take too long.” Dylan got
up and opened the door for her.
She returned after a while in a
short (though decent) red dress and matching shoes, her rather long wavy hair
left down. “Ready?”
“You look nice.” He said, offering
her his arm.
“Thank you.” She smiled at him a bit.
Dylan had changed his shirt and
put on his jacket as well. “How do you
feel about Italian?”
“I think that sounds like a good
idea,” she replied. “And you look nice
yourself.”
“Well I try.” He said, leading her
through the lobby of the building and out to the waiting limo.
“We’re being stared at,” she told
him, and it was true. A group of female
agents in the lobby had been watching them since they’d first appeared.
“Well if they say anything, I do
have the power to…get rid of them.”
“You’re a powerful man.”
“That’s me.” He opened the door of
the limo for her and helped her inside before getting in himself.
She stayed close by his side.
Dylan put an arm around her. “So…tell me about yourself.”
“What’s there to know? You’ve read my file…”
“Files don’t always provide every
bit of information and they’re rather impersonal.”
“Well… I’m 28, I went to college
and majored in Theater in the States… I got involved with the IMF when I went
to
“What happened in
“Well, I was in this little
village by
“Well it seems fate was on my side
in
Corryn blushed. “Thank you.”
Dylan pulled her closer.
As if entranced, she leaned in to
kiss him again.
Dylan ended the kiss quickly. “We wouldn’t want to get too carried away.”
“Right.” She forced herself to sit straight
again. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be. I’m just not interested in giving the agents
in the front seat a show.”
She laughed softly. “No, that wouldn’t be good at all.”
“Besides, I don’t want to share
you with anyone else.”
“Charming and possessive all in
one smooth motion.”
“Two of my best qualities.” He
replied, kissing her softly.
“I do believe you may just be
right.” She smiled.
The limo came to a stop in front
of a small Italian restaurant and the two of them got out.
After dinner, they found
themselves in Dylan’s quarters. “Dinner…
was really nice. Thank you,” Corryn told
him. They were seated on the sofa.
“You’re welcome.” He replied,
handing her a glass of red wine.
“You live all high-class… I’ll
admit, it’s a little intimidating.”
“Why?”
“I’m just… not used to it.”
“Well you should get used to
it. You get to live all high-class too,
now.”
“I guess I do.” She sipped at the wine.
“Would you like a tour?” He asked,
getting up and setting his glass down.
“I think that’d be nice.”
Dylan showed her around the small
apartment type space and finally led her to the bedroom. “And this concludes the tour.”
Corryn was suddenly aware of why
she’d been invited here in the first place.
“It’s a lovely place.”
“Are you uncomfortable or
something, because you’re kind of giving me a look.”
“No… just… aware of why you’re
being so nice.”
“I’m being nice because I actually
like you. Not because I want to sleep
with you.”
She smiled, encouraged by that…
and then she stepped toward him and kissed him softly.
Dylan put his hands on her waist
and pulled her towards him.
She realized after a moment that
her hands were in his hair and also that she didn’t remember putting them
there.
He backed up and sat on the bed,
pulling her down with him.
She seemed to answer it for him by
sliding his jacket off him. Her shoes
were still in the other room… but then she paused. “We don’t have to… if you’re not
comfortable…”
“If I wasn’t comfortable, I
wouldn’t have brought you here.” He told
her.
She stopped, remembering. “You just…”
How to put it and not offend him?
“Aren’t quite sure what you should be doing next?”
“Yeah…it’s not like I’ve got
backlogs to know this from.” He said, taking off his shirt.
She simply gazed at him. “I think we’ll figure it out.”