Operation: Final Fantasy Ch. 02

"Really?"

He nodded and smiled, "Yes, really. It was like you rejuvenated me. How else could I have summoned the strength to turn into the Incredible Hulk, throw you over my shoulder and spank your cute little derriere?" Subconsciously he looked down her body, wanting to take a peak.

Trixie caught him staring.

"Bragger. Kiss me," she said, changing the subject on a whim.

Ryan wasn't expecting her to say that. He bent down to kiss her gorgeous red lips without hesitation. His eyes closed, "You'd be a great masseuse. I hope you do get your own business."

She wrapped him up in her arms and pulled him down on the bed, kissing him deeper.

"Promise me I get to be your first client?"

She knew he wasn't talking about prostitution. It was breathtaking to hear him say that. She nodded eagerly and smiled, opening up her bathrobe and seductively spreading her legs, "I promise."

Running his fingertips along her arms, he moved down her body until his head ended up in between her legs.

Trixie gasped, "W-what are you doing...?"

He kissed inside her thighs, soft little kisses, until he reached her dripping wet mound. Before moving his tongue into her, he said, "You told me to kiss you. You didn't tell me to stop, and you without a doubt didn't say where..."

---

IV

"Rise and shine, sleepyhead," Ryan kissed her gently on the cheek as she woke to the new morning day.

Trixie stirred; she was not a morning person by nature. She couldn't justify sleeping in on a beautiful bright Hawaiian morning, but she was still tired and grunted at Ryan. Let me get up when I'm ready, she thought, mumbling out a barely discernible, "Just a few more minutes."

"Not today sweetie. I let you sleep in yesterday morning. Not this morning. Besides, I ordered breakfast for us and it's here. I would hate for your Denver omelet to get cold."

Her ears perked up. Wait... did he say omelet? Wait, did he say sweetie?

She sat up and started to get out of bed, "How did you know? That's my favorite..."

He interrupted, "Because you told me. First day we met, when we talked about Challengers and Full Metal Jacket and just about everything else under the sun. That includes when I asked you about all of your favorite foods. I confess, it was not just a conversation starter, but I also wanted to see what you really liked. Remember?" He looked to see if it was coming back to her.

"I do remember. Thank you," She stood up holding the bed sheet against her and gave him a kiss. She pouted a little when she realized he was already in his business attire, "Are you going to eat with me?"

Ryan pretended to think hard, "Well, I suppose I do have a little time for you..." He smiled and pulled the dining room chair out for her to sit. He had already set the table. Speechless, she took a seat with the bed sheet still wrapped around her. She could tell he couldn't take his eyes off her. She considered dropping it to the floor and eating in the buff, but watching him covet and desire her as-is made her change her mind. I'll leave a little mystery and surprise for him. It'll drive him crazy and make him want me all the more later, she thought.

Both enjoyed breakfast together, and the time flew by too quickly. As he stood to leave, he said, "Well, wicked Trixie, I'm afraid I have to go."

She gave him a strange but amused look, "Wicked? I suppose last night I was but I've been on my best behavior this morning..." she trailed off, allowing him to fill in the blanks.

Ryan blushed, "Sorry, Lord of the Rings reference."

She snickered, "We used to have the trilogy sitting in my father's study along with all of his other books when I was growing up. I never read them though; you'll have to explain what you mean."

Ryan stuttered, "I... w-well, one of the characters, Gollum, was a little insane. He'd go around saying 'wicked-trixie-false' when he thought someone was trying to steal his ring. I guess... it just sounded catchy. And, as you mentioned, you do have a wonderful sense of wickedness."

Trixie snorted, trying unsuccessfully to stifle her laugh, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Ryan sighed, "Ok, look." He smiled at her like a kid who had just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. With his best sarcastic effort, he said, "Sure, you probably think I seem awesome, you envy my fast car, and my muscles are quite terrifying." He puffed out his chest and put his hands together, giving her his best bodybuilder flexing pose, trying not to laugh himself.

"But the truth is...," he winced as he said it. "Deep down, I'm kind of a nerd."

Trixie couldn't hold back laughing any longer; tears were coming down her cheeks.

He snickered. Ryan said flatly, "I can see you're in shock. Where's my 'no, Ryan, you're not a nerd at all', huh?"

It looked like she wanted to say something, but her mouth just hung open without forming any words.

He paused, "You know, I can't believe I'm telling you all of this. This is my own top secret information. I really shouldn't be telling you any of this."

"Sure you can. I'm a good listener."

He shook his head, "I've already ruined my reputation with you, what little I have anyway. I don't think you need nerd details."

She purred, "If you tell me... death by sex?"

He moaned and sighed, but a small curve to his lips appeared, "I know more than I should about medieval history and the world of fantasy. You know, warlocks and wizards and dragons and all of that. I spend a little too much time playing video games. I was even on the math team in high school."

Trixie didn't say anything, she just kept listening.

"My favorite movies are all the superhero ones, or sci-fi. And while I don't exactly collect comic books any more, I still have a huge collection I haven't been able to part with."

She surprised him with her level of attention. She seemed to be genuinely interested, but he figured maybe it was just her job. Still, he continued, "You know the movie that came out last summer, The Avengers? The one with the Invincible Iron Man, the Mighty Thor, the Incredible Hulk..."

She nodded her head as if she heard the words he was saying, but the look on her face showed she still didn't understand.

"Well before the movie, it started out as a comic book. One of my fondest memories of my parents before they died was the Christmas they bought me four older comics that you couldn't find in the stores any longer; The Avengers, numbers two through five. I had a lot of their comics before they bought those ones for me, but you have to understand the oldest one I had until then was number three hundred and something."

Inwardly Trixie felt sorrow when he talked about his parent's death, but she kept a soft smile on her face just for him while he went down memory lane.

"It really was a great Christmas. I still have them by the way; they're worth hundreds each. Number two is probably closer to a thousand, believe it or not."

Her jaw dropped, "Just for a comic book?"

He chuckled, "Comic books from 1963. I'm sure the movie helped boost their value, too. The first volume alone went until the late 90's and they ended at issue four-hundred something." He shrugged, "that helps make it valuable."

"Well, nerd or otherwise, you're an amazing lover."

His face beamed, "You're just saying that because you have to." He stood up from the table and kissed her lips. "But thank you for just saying that."

She felt slightly disappointed, but she didn't show it, "You're gonna be late, tiger. You better go."

"I love it when you call me that," he bent down to give her one more kiss. "Some mornings I'd just rather not go. See you for lunch at least?"

"You couldn't keep me away."

When Ryan left, Trixie slumped in her chair. She looked up at the ceiling, deep in thought. This might have been the first time Ryan left without having that thousand yard stare, the one that told her he was pining for some other girl.

Time to get dressed and go shopping, she told herself. She didn't realize it at the time, but it was subconsciously the only way she'd have a chance of staying occupied and getting Ryan out of her head.

Nerd or otherwise.

---

Rushing waves crashed at her feet as she strolled up the shoreline. The sun was getting ready to go down but there was still just enough light to enjoy the sand between her toes while walking further away from the beach crowds. She had planned on doing more shopping at Waikiki Shopping Plaza -- and had in fact told Ryan over lunch that was what she intended to do -- but changed her mind at the last minute.

It felt nice to be spontaneous, to have some control of her life and her schedule. And, she reasoned, she could go shopping any time back home. As for the warm sunny beach, she wouldn't have many more opportunities. It was getting a little cold and most people were leaving the beach and heading towards the bars or restaurants for a late dinner. Despite her pink bikini top and short white skirt, she didn't mind the cold.

Ryan? Trixie thought she saw him off in the distance, standing by himself while watching the ocean waves. Even though he was standing, he had a slightly slouched posture. He stood motionless. Ordinarily she wouldn't have given him a second glance, but even with his jacket draped over his arm he stood out like a sore thumb in his business attire out on the beach.

As she walked up behind him, she had planned on getting his attention until she saw something in his hand. It looked like a small wallet-sized photo. She couldn't see what was on the photo, although she had an idea.

She softly put her arm on his elbow. "Ryan?"

He jumped a little, as if startled back into reality.

Softly she asked him, "Ryan, what are you doing?"

He subtly slid the photo into his pants even though Trixie noticed.

"I thought you were at the conference."

He didn't say anything.

"There isn't a conference here, is there?"

Even though she was standing behind him and slightly to the side, he turned his head even further away from her. She heard him croak out a soft, "No."

She reached up to his chin and tried to turn his face towards her. There was a little resistance but she was successful.

Ryan's eyes were closed and dried tears had stained his face. Trixie let out a soft gasp and placed her hand on the side of his face, gently caressing his cheek.

His head gently turned away and out of her grasp, back towards the ocean.

The rhythm of her heart increased, beating faster and faster. She wasn't really sure what to do. He was clearly in pain but he wasn't being receptive. She felt her own tears reach the surface of her eyes and start to trickle down.

She held her hands up in the air, as if she wanted to touch and comfort him. Gently, she moved behind him and placed them on the back of his shoulders.

Ryan didn't push her hands off, but didn't embrace them either. Despite that fact, she still moved her hands up and down his shoulders.

After what seemed like an eternity, she felt him place his hand upon hers and pull it towards his chest. Trixie could feel his heart racing. She put both arms around him and nuzzled her neck up against his.

"Who was she," she asked meekly, unsure if it was the right time to ask him. Sitting on the sidelines and feeling helpless while he suffered, however, was something she could not do.

"M-my wife."

She froze. It felt like her heart had stopped.

It wasn't like she hadn't been with married men before, but somehow everything just felt wrong. She couldn't believe it. Ryan was one of The Married, after all. Her instincts had been wrong. So why was she hurting so much right now? Because she thought he was different and cared for him, or because she was tricked?

"And my son."

What did he say?! She felt her head spinning. Trixie realized that he must have thought she was asking about the picture, even though she hadn't seen it. Instead, she was asking who the woman was that he made love to every time he and Trixie were intimate.

He was more than one of The Married. He was a Family Man. Bringing a child into this made it a thousand times worse.

"Y-your ring finger. You were wearing your wedding ring up until you met me, weren't you?"

He nodded.

Without realizing it, she slowly started to relax her grip. This was becoming too much, too quickly.

Ryan must have sensed it, too. He cleared his throat, attempting to snap out of his stupor, "I-I'm sorry. I was trying to do something that... I thought I could do."

Trixie backed up a step.

Without turning around, Ryan said, "I understand if..." He choked, trying to find the right words. "Our contract. You... I... I mean, I will release you from it. Don't worry, I'll still pay you everything I promised. I'll book you the first flight back home."

Trixie was quiet, "Ryan, are you divorced?"

Without any hesitation, he said a simple word that physically made her sick.

"No."

He heard her sniffling and let out a small whimper before she turned and ran. Ryan lowered his head. He never turned around.

---

V

A million thoughts raced through her mind as stuffed her suitcase.

He said he'd pay you, so take his money and run from that cheating bastard. Don't let him drag you down with him.

It's not like you haven't slept with married men before; you're just being irrational because he's the one man that fooled you.

You knew he was thinking of someone else every time he slept with you! What did you expect? Did you think it was something as simple as a girlfriend he couldn't get over?

He'd never fool you on purpose; there has to be more to the story.

At least stay and finish the vacation; you'll still get paid and you can enjoy the rest of the week in Hawaii. You're a professional, and he's no different than any other client.

He's in pain, and he's treated you like a princess. No other man has treated you like that. Talk to him.

You're just a whore. He could never love you, even if he is different than any other client. Leave while you still can and get back to your normal life. Don't drag him down with you.

She screamed and threw the suitcase down on the floor. A couple pairs of shoes and a few skirts fell out through the small opening she neglected to zip all the way. She sat on the floor with her elbows on her knees and her legs sprawled out behind her, burying her face in her hands. She wept, shaking uncontrollably.

Composing herself, she stood up and straightened her skirt out. Clumsily picking up her suitcase, she threw her clothes back inside. She zipped it up and left the resort.

---

"At least let me drive you to the airport," Ryan said.

Standing by the curb with her back to him this time, she pretended not to hear him.

The awkward silence was a little too much for her. Crossing her arms, she told him flatly without so much as turning around, "No thank you. My cab will be here any minute."

Ryan ran his hands through his hair, "Please, it's the least I can do. I know I might not be Prince Charming, but at least allow me the opportunity to do something nice for you, so I can properly tell you goodbye?"

It took everything he had to suppress his frustration, "Don't let it end like this, please."

Well if it does, it's all your fault, she thought.

She sighed quietly to herself. You're supposed to be a professional, Trixie. He's just another client. She nodded, but crossed her arms even tighter, as if to guard herself, "Ok."

The drive to the airport was quiet. They didn't say more than a few awkward sentences to each other in an attempt to fill in time. Trixie looked outside the window at the coast line for most of the drive.

After parking his rental car, he walked her into the airport and up to the security gate.

"Well, this is it," he said. She saw him out of the corner of her eye fidgeting, starting to walk away and then stopping himself. He wasn't quite sure what to do.

Even though she was upset with him, she felt uneasy leaving things like this. She knew that if she was a true professional, like she claimed to be, she wouldn't be leaving anyway. For the first time since the beach, she turned around to face him, but couldn't look him in the eyes.

"I shouldn't be leaving like this," Trixie took a deep breath. "Maybe I'm even the one who should be apologizing. I don't know."

Ryan gave a somber kind of a smile, "No, don't. I should have told you everything up front. I should have known you had a rule about married men. That was my mistake."

Trixie felt a pang of guilt strike her when he said that; it wasn't exactly a rule she had. So why was she at the airport again, she wondered?

He continued, "For what it's worth, I haven't smiled in a long time. Not until I met you."

She looked up into his eyes and smiled when he said that. She blinked her eyes, trying to suppress the moisture forming inside them.

"You've been a great friend, Trixie. A great lover. I couldn't have asked for anything more. Thank you."

He continued, "Oh! I just realized that you never had a chance to take a ride in Charlene either. I was looking forward to that. I think she would have liked you."

She laughed, "Well, now that we're officially past the first impression stage, I have to tell you that my mustang would have kicked Charlene's ass in a race."

"Wow," he said with a straight face. "I didn't know they gave out crack as part of the spa package. Because my 470 horses could easily take your 412 pony, even if you were a NASCAR driver and I was asleep behind the wheel."

She shook her head, "It's not about the number of horses, it's about how you ride them." Trixie bit her lower lip.

Putting a hand up to her lips, he leaned in and whispered, "Honey, when you're talking about riding me, I'd agree with you. But your Mustang; not so much."

Trixie gave him a dirty look and they both ended up laughing.

"Tell Charlene I said hi."

He held out his arms. She gave a quiet laugh through her tears and stepped forward to hug him. He rubbed her bare naked shoulders, "Hey, before you get on the plane, make sure you buy a sweatshirt. It'll be a little bit cold in that bikini top when you get back home. Unless you really want the guys to check out your nipples. But I don't think that's what you had in mind." She laughed a little more.

Ryan chuckled, "I was going to stop by one of the gift stores here and pick you up one, but you were walking a little too fast for my pace."

"Sorry. I guess I was being kind of a bitch. That was nice of you to think about me, though. Your embrace will keep me warm enough, for now."

Trixie could tell he was smelling the fragrance in her hair, taking in every scent while he had the opportunity to hug her. She buried her face in his chest and took in his own scent. She didn't want to let him go.

He reluctantly broke off the hug. For a moment he stood awkward, staring at her like a kid in high school unsure of his next move. He lifted his hand up and lightly brushed one of her stray curls by her cheek and tucked it behind her ear.

For a moment, he leaned forward slightly, looking her fully in her beautiful blue eyes. Trixie half expected static electricity to arc between his eyes and her own given the amount of energy that formed between them. For a moment, she almost considered staying and trying again.

He stammered, "Goodbye, Trixie. I..."

But all he followed up with was, "Have a safe flight."

Ryan turned around and walked away.

---

Trixie was crushed. She watched Ryan walk away without turning around even once. She just stood there by the security gates with her jaw hanging open. It was unbelievable; she thought he would have at least kissed her goodbye. At least one last time. She wondered what went wrong. Not just with this one moment, but with everything. Especially since everything between them started out so right.