Witness Protection Ch. 01

Jessica awoke to the pleasant feeling of Anthony's warm tongue rolling around her right nipple while his fingers caressed her other breast. As she slowly stirred, she knew he could sense her excitement by the quickening of her breath, as he always could during these late night surprises. Without opening her eyes or speaking a word, Jessica spread her legs slightly and reached down between their bodies to stroke Anthony's already stiffened cock. He let out a low moan and sucked harder on her erect nipple, while his hand moved swiftly down between her legs to gauge her readiness. Finding her opening already slick with desire, Anthony rolled between Jessica's legs and quickly entered her. Jessica opened her eyes so that she could watch the ecstasy building in Anthony's face as he built up toward his orgasm. With his forearms under her thighs and his hands cupping her ass, Anthony spread her legs further apart and yet held her closer to him. He pumped in and out at a steady pace until he could feel Jessica's excitement building, quickening only so that they could cum together. He held her gaze as he filled her, their quiet, sleepy sounds the only ones in the dark room. In five minutes, they were both sleeping contentedly.

Jessica awoke again, but this time it was the sound of loud voices that interrupted her slumber. Squinting her eyes, she read the time on the alarm clock as 3:15. Anthony's roommate, Scott, was probably just getting in from his job as an intern at the local city hospital, but she thought it strange that he wasn't alone, especially because the new voice she heard was a man's. Needing a drink and a trip to the bathroom, Jessica grabbed Anthony's long robe from the hook behind the door and slipped it on. She stepped out of the bedroom, closed the door behind her, and blinked her eyes against the harsh brightness of the hall lights. The voices, including Scott's, were getting louder, and Jessica thought perhaps she should ask them to keep it down because Anthony had to get up early for work. As she walked down the short hallway, however, she changed her mind about speaking to them, because it seemed that their discussion was actually an argument, although nothing that they were saying was making much sense at first... still, she couldn't help but hear them.

"I couldn't do it tonight... the guy's in intensive care, there's a goddamn cop stationed outside his door for Christ's sake." Scott's voice, sounding more than a little upset.

"My father paid you a lot of fucking money to take care of this problem, Scotty. It's been four days and your time is up."

"So take back the money, Frank, it's still in the bag he gave it to me in, every penny, $5,000, I swear to God I haven't touched it."

Jessica nearly let out a loud gasp, but quickly covered her mouth with her hand and stepped backward into the bathroom doorway without turning on the light.

"Sorry, Scotty boy, but like I said, your time is up." Jessica heard the creak of one of the kitchen chairs and the rustle of a leather coat, then two more distinct sounds; a hard thud, and the sound of a skull cracking.

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Three days later, Jessica felt as if she was in a daze as she sat in the passenger seat of an unmarked car, heading toward what the police sergeant had described as a "safe house." That name would have made her chuckle if it didn't actually horrify her, because she may never be safe again in her life. Sitting beside her, driving her to this unknown destination, was Officer David James, the person in charge of keeping her safe until the inevitable trial of one Frank Lorenzo, the man she had never even heard of until he murdered Scott and stood less than ten feet in front of her hidden form in Anthony's apartment just days before. The police, however, were familiar with his handiwork and could barely hide their excitement at the idea that here was an eye witness that somehow got away. Frank had screwed up, and Jessica's odds at making it to the trial could only be improved with time away at this secret location, this SAFE house. Jessica snuck a sideways glance at Officer James, and wondered if the police department couldn't have spared a more experienced officer. He could not have been much older than her, and at 30, Jessica didn't see this as a comforting notion. Too bad there wasn't any time to check his references, she thought wryly, and spent the rest of the ride with her head against her window.

As they drove on, the buildings and houses gave way to long stretches of highway surrounded by trees that seemed to go on forever. Although the location was top secret, it was clear that they would not be located anywhere near civilization... another terrifying thought for Jessica, who didn't spend much time with nature.

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"You don't talk much, do you, Officer?" Jessica commented as they carried their belongings into the small, as she had guessed, cabin in the woods. There had been what would barely pass as a dirt road leading down a mile off the highway into the trees, and had it been later in the day Jessica would have felt as if she was entering a horror movie set.

Officer James turned back to look at her. "Well, Ms. Turner, you seemed preoccupied in the car, sorry. I hope I didn't make you feel uncomfortable."

"No more than this creepy place will, I'm sure," she mumbled under her breath as he unlocked the door and led her into the cabin. Looking around the living room and kitchen, she was glad to see at least that it was neat and clean, and that it appeared to be equipped with running water and electricity.

"Um, Ms. Turner, your room is right over here." He picked up the bags that she had put down on the couch and carried them into a room that was adjacent to the kitchen. The room was simple, with a bed, bureau, and nightstand. Officer James turned on the bedside light on the nightstand and set her things down on the bed.

"No windows?" she asked.

"Just not in this room, ma'am. For your safety. There is a deadbolt lock on the back of the door, and in the closet there is a sliding panel that actually leads to the closet in my room." He shuffled his feet and looked around the small room. "Is there anything I can do for you at the moment?"

"Yeah. Do NOT call me ma'am." She managed a weak smile. "Please call me Jessica, it's a lot easier than Ms. Turner and somehow seems less insulting than ma'am."

He chuckled. "Sorry. Just a habit I guess. In that case, you ought to call me David, if that's alright with you. We may be here for awhile, so I guess we should just try to make ourselves as comfortable as we can. I'm going to go out and walk the property and check the perimeter. Here." He handed her a small walkie-talkie. "These may seem somewhat juvenile, but it's the best way for us to keep in touch should anything, uh, happen. They each have a small chip in them that can be located pretty quickly." He looked at her uncomfortably, and she turned her eyes away. "Sorry. Believe me, I've done this many times before, and it never gets any easier for the person in your position. But you can bet I'm here to protect you with my life." He walked out of the room and shut the door behind him.

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Nearly two weeks later, Jessica was still adjusting to her new living situation. The trial had been set for six weeks from the date of Frank Lorenzo's arraignment, giving them just over a month more to remain in the cabin. While the cabin was equipped with a telephone and an Internet connection on a small laptop computer, Jessica wasn't allowed to use the phone, check her email, or log into any of her favorite websites for fear of being traced. There were also ample books, movies, and, thanks to a high powered satellite dish, television programs to keep the two occupied. Jessica and David were, however, becoming more comfortable with each other. They spent much of their time together, whether it was watching the tv or sitting quietly reading novels side by side. David, while making the best of this situation to keep Jessica feeling comfortable, was always on duty... his eyes may have been in a book, but his mind was constantly listening for sounds or anything out of the ordinary. He had told Jessica that he was good for this job because he was such a light sleeper, but in truth he barely slept at all, and that was just fine with him.

"Hey, are you even watching this show?" Jessica asked him, tapping at the back of David's head with the remote control. "I'd rather watch Friends, if it's all the same to you." She smiled and leaned back on the couch, changing the channel before he could answer.

"Oh no, not Friends again, no way. I'll have nightmares!" He reached out and grabbed for the remote, but she pulled it away faster than he could snatch it.

"C'mon, I let you watch your dumb cop shows! It's my turn!" She giggled and tried to slide the remote behind her back, but he lurched for it.

"Nooooooo Friends! Don't make me have to wrestle that remote from you and prove how embarrassingly weak you are!" David stood up and feigned a menacing growl. Jessica let out a little yelp and jumped up off the couch.

"If you can get it, it's yours!" She nearly fell down trying to run around the couch as he chased her, tripping over the phone cord as he came around. She laughed harder and made her way toward her bedroom, closing and bolting the door quickly.

In mere seconds, he was emerging through the sliding panel that attached her closet to his bedroom. She squealed with fright in between her laughter and sat on the bed with the remote behind her back. "It's mine! Mine!" David came toward her slowly, knees and elbows bent in a wrestling stance.

"Admit it, I win!" He grinned. Without giving her time to move, he tackled Jessica on her bed with her arms pinned behind her. He held her legs down with his thighs and grabbed her shoulders. She tried in vain to wriggle free beneath him, but to no avail. She gave up her struggle, still breathing heavy from the laughter, and looked up at him with a smile.

Without thinking twice, David leaned down and kissed her hard. She seemed surprised at first, but did not struggle. Jessica opened her lips to allow his seeking tongue to fit inside her mouth as his hands released her shoulders and moved down to hungrily grab at her breasts. She pulled her arms out from behind her back and grabbed onto his strong biceps, and he kissed her harder.

Just as suddenly as it had begun, it ended. David realized what he was doing and quickly stood back up, looking down at Jessica's surprised face. "I'm sorry, Jessica. I don't know why I did that. Oh fuck, that was completely inappropriate, I'm so sorry." He ran his fingers through his hair, looking distressed.

"Anthony..." she whispered with her eyes closed, because it was all she could think to say.

David unlocked the door and left without another word.

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