Gaia's Champion Ch. 08

"Something wrong?" Luke asked.

"Just wondering how my aunt drinks her coffee when it's only warm. Coffee was meant to be drunk when it's piping hot, not this lukewarm nonsense that many people do here," she groused.

"You don't have to tell me that! I prefer my coffee hot enough to burn your tastebuds off! And strong too! None of the weaksauce shit that a lot of coffee shops pull!" he agreed. Karla couldn't help but smile at this! A man who loved his coffee the same way she did? That was rare!

"I'm glad we see eye to eye on that!" she giggled.

"If you don't mind me asking, Karla, what do you like to do for fun? You know, hobbies, pastimes, that sort of thing?" he wondered.

"Well, there are a few things that I like to do..." she began and started listing off several usual ones, which Luke had in common with her. They conversed back and forth, listing off favorite movies, foods, books and so on. Karla found this man both pleasant and engaging and wanted to get to know him better. But she knew that her aunt would be in soon.

"Luke, I don't mean to cut you off, but my aunt will be here soon. She's very much about staying on point concerning work and business. Can we continue this conversation later?" she asked him.

"Sure! When?" Lucas asked.

"Tonight? Over dinner?" she wondered tentatively.

"Hold up, are you asking me out?" Luke asked, floored that she was making the first move.

"You don't like assertive women, Lucas?" she asked, her voice pure honey.

"I don't like them. I love them!" he replied with a giant grin. Karla broke her composure for a moment and squeed in happiness. Moments later, they exchanged phones and dialed in each other's numbers, testing them via text. They just handed their devices back to each other when Carlotta walked in. The older woman glanced at her niece with a knowing look, before asking a one word question.

"Coffee?"

"Right there, auntie. Made the way you like it," she gestured before standing up, then seating herself behind her desk.

"Ah, Mr. Barton! I'm glad you are here so early! Please, step into my office," she told him as she walked into it. Luke followed her in, and at her gesture, closed the door behind him. He sat down after she did and waited for her to begin.

"So, Mr. Barton, I have looked over your resume and while it's good, I am more intrigued about how you were able to pull off your little gamble," she told him.

"Honestly, Jason pulled me into it, promising revenge on Brad. That guy had made my life a living hell years ago and did something to someone I cared about," Luke stated. Carlotta could tell that he was pained over the matter and let it drop. "But we knew that whatever was going on, he had to have had something to force your hand. That's why we went digging."

"You could have exposed everything, if they had safeguards in place. They showed that it was far more than anyone of your skill set could have managed," Carlotta stated in an almost berating manner.

"If there's one thing we knew about Brad, is that he was all talk, no walk. He liked to make it seem like he was holding aces, when all he had was fours. But even so, I took every precaution, just in case he'd changed his MO. He hadn't, and it was easy for us to get in and out without them knowing," he told her.

"He had no real safeguards in place?? How was it that he fooled me?" she wondered.

"That guy is good at using fear to get people to do what he wants. Unless you know more than he does and know him well enough to see that he's lying through his teeth, he can fool nearly anyone," Luke stated.

"More instances of personal experience?" she asked.

"You could say that."

"Well then, let's get down to business, shall we? Having had a look at your resume, and with what you have done for me yesterday, I would like to retain your services as an IT Consultant," Carlotta began.

"I would require you to sign a contract with me for a period of no less than five years. Your pay would be considerable, starting at one-hundred thousand dollars a year to start. There would, of course, be bonuses and benefits that come with the position," she stated.

"What kind of work would I be doing?" he asked, doing what he could to contain his glee.

"Mostly handling sensitive information and testing our systems against any form of attack. You would also be responsible for ensuring everyone's private lives, staying private. There would also be other duties, most of which would be minor, but they come with the territory," she continued.

"What kind of toys would I be playing with?" Luke wondered.

"Nothing but the best. You can only be at your best if you have the correct and best tools for the job. No expense would be spared in whatever it is you require," Carlotta finished. "What say you, Mr. Barton?"

"I'm in," he told her, doing everything he could maintain his cool. This was the job opportunity of a lifetime! On top of which, he would have a co-worker who could potentially be someone special in his life. Sure, it was just a date, but he and Karla clicked way too well for it to be just a fling!

"But I do have a few questions I would like to ask, if I may?" he queried.

"Of course!"

"Why me, when there are probably dozens of other people who have more accolades to their name, who you could employ?" he wondered.

"None of them, from what I have seen, possess your level of discretion. I would assume that Jason is also a discreet man?" Carlotta asked.

"I can vouch for that. If he's someone you treat right, there is no one more loyal," Luke replied. This answer made Carlotta smile, as truly loyal people were a rare find these days. She then switched gears, hitting Luke with a question that caught him off guard.

"So, what do you think of my niece? A beautiful woman, wouldn't you say?" Carlotta fired at him.

"Um... yes, she is," Luke stuttered, going quiet.

"There is no need to be bashful or try to play like you have no interest in her. I saw the looks you two were giving each other when I walked in," Carlotta chuckled.

"She is not only beautiful, but from what I can tell so far, a rare kind of woman that many men would kill to have," Luke told her earnestly.

"Let's hope that it doesn't have to come to that. The killing, that is," the older woman giggled, and Luke smirked at the thought of it. "Made plans for later have you?"

"Yes ma'am. We're going out for dinner later and don't worry, I'll be a perfect gentleman to her," Luke assured.

"I'm glad to hear it. But I do hope you know enough to put aside the gentleman when needed. Karla is my blood after all, and a Dressler woman's blood runs hotter than a man's," she stated with a quick pump of her eyebrows.

"Point taken," Luke said as he blushed. Being what Carlotta's former vocation was, he believed that she was being truthful with him. There was little doubt that Karla knew she had a body made for sex and knew how to use it. Though it wasn't one of the primary things on his mind, it was still there, tormenting him with what could be.

"So, when can I start?" Luke asked, switching the course of the conversation back to work.

"Given that some things will need to be processed and such, I would say Monday would be the best time to start. Be sure to give Karla a list of any items you need, laptops, programs, etc. We will have them ready for you on Monday, as well as all the pertinent paperwork," Carlotta told him.

"Excellent! I look forward to working for you, Ms. Van DerBrandt!" Luke stated as he rose.

He shook the hand she offered, and he walked out, but not before giving Karla a smoldering look as he left. Karla shivered at this and smiled dreamily, anticipating their date later on that night. Carlotta then walked out after he left, coffee in hand, and took a sip before speaking.

"Don't wear the poor boy out now. I still need him to do the job I hired him to do," Carlotta said with a quiet giggle. Karla looked up at her aunt with a smirk on her face as she clacked away on her computer.

"Don't worry, auntie. I'll leave him in one piece. Ish," Karla shot back. Carlotta snorted a laugh, some of the coffee she was drinking, coming out of her nose. She took a few minutes to right herself before cussing out her niece in Danish before going to fix herself another cup.

"Not my fault you have an overactive imagination, auntie. Maybe it's the curse of our bloodline, ja?" Karla wondered.

"Ja, I would say it is," Carlotta stated. She looked at her niece and could tell that she was definitely besotted with the man. How that had happened so quickly, Carlotta couldn't understand. Or maybe she did understand it. That moment she had met Mikkel all those years ago, had changed her in ways she didn't think was possible. She smiled and hoped that Mr. Barton was all that Karla hoped he would be.

******************************

Jason was just finishing up his lunch when he felt his phone buzz. He looked down and saw that it was Luke calling, so he picked up.

"Hey bud. What's up?"

"Dude, I was just offered the job of a lifetime and I took it!" Luke enthused over the phone.

"That's awesome, Luke! Congrats!" Jason replied, happy for his friend.

"I also snagged a date with Karla!" Luke bubbled, his enthusiasm bleeding through the line.

"Hah! Told you so! You realize I win that bet, right?" Jason snickered.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I'll get you your beer and we'll talk about the pre-order you want," Luke griped as he laughed. Jason could tell that even though Luke lost the bet, he was more than happy to pay up.

"Anyways, congrats on both things! We'll chat more later, bud! I gotta get back to work," he told his friend.

"All right. Have a good day! I know I am!" Luke sighed.

"Bye!" Jason laughed as he stuffed the last of his sandwich in his face. With lunch hour over, the crew got back to work with planting trees and cleaning up the dirt of rocks. Several holes had already been dug, and the crew were unloading the trees from the trucks to the ground.

Jason smiled and walked over, grabbing a few trees and walked them over, one by one, to the various holes that were already dug. He left a few trees for his crew to move about, not wanting to be a work hog. Though the ease at which he moved them had everyone looking on in approval. He could sense desire and lust rolling off the women in waves, especially Wendy and Karen.

He chuckled as he got to work with planting the furthest ones, needing no help due to his enhanced strength. Though he was gaining a fair bit of upper body strength because his weightlifting regimen, Gaia's power took it to a whole other level. His body and strength levels were on par with that of Thor from the Marvel movies. Sure, he may have lacked the control over thunder and lightning, but he was fine with that.

Having a natural affinity with all things that grew, and to influence them to grow, was more than an acceptable tradeoff. He'd always liked plants as a kid and would learn from his grandmother about plants and herbs. Jason loved learning about what they did, and which ones helped people, and which ones were dangerous.

As he planted each tree, he infused them with a small touch of Gaia's power, empowering them. Mainly to survive the winter, dig deep, and thrive. He smiled with each tree he planted, wanting nothing more than to see each one live. Though he'd been using his power sparingly, that didn't prevent him from experimenting with it.

Whenever Jason had a moment to himself, he'd come up with ideas on how he could use it. Some ideas worked and were practical, while others weren't and failed. Though with some of the failures, he figured he wasn't at the required power level to make it work. He made mental notes of which ones to try again when his abilities grew.

He was just finishing up the last tree from the workload he had taken onto himself, when a ball of light popped out of nowhere. As he shoveled dirt onto the roots, the ball of light dove right for his face, knocking him over and surprising him. He fell into the dirt with a heavy thud, groaning as he lay there.

"Hey mate! Ye all right?" Terry called out, as he had watched Jason fall.

"Yeah, I'm OK. Just slipped on a rock," Jason called out. He picked up one that was nearby and hucked it away from him, making it look like he was mad at the inanimate object. He picked himself up and dusted his clothes, while some of the crew looked on, Danika especially. Jason could feel concern rolling off her, and he wondered why that was. Shaking his head, he went back to his job, while scolding the ball of light.

"Having fun, Mina?" Jason groused.

"Yup! Making you tumble like a felled tree?!? Priceless!" she cackled.

"You're going to pay for that!" he growled.

Jason snapped out his hand as he tried to grab her, but Mina flitted out of his reach. She giggled some more, which only served to antagonize the man, and he made successive grabs, trying to snatch her. Each time, she moved at just the last second, narrowly evading his grasp.

Mina then changed up the game and flew right to his face and sat on his nose. She wiggled as she rested there, and Jason could tell that she wasn't wearing anything beneath her dress. He groaned ferally as his fairy lover teased him.

"You enjoy making me all hot and bothered, don't you?" he ground out as his loins tightened.

"Yup! Now that I have someone to tease, I have a few hundred years of catching up to do," she giggled.

Though what Phalmina didn't tell him was that she was getting all sweaty and lusty just from watching him work. She had left the glade shortly after waking up, following the bond to where Jason was. She had located him just before lunch and was enjoying herself as she observed her lover. She had little idea of what the whole draw of watching a man work was. But after seeing it firsthand, she understood completely.

"I can feel that you're really enjoying yourself, but aren't you worried that someone will see you out here?" he worried.

"Don't be such a mother hen. No one can see me, unless they miraculously have the sight as you do," she told him.

"So only someone with Gaia's gift will be able to see you right now?" he asked.

"Or if I want them to, and right now, I want no one to see how much I'm bothering you," she panted. Jason was about to rebuke for not telling him about this before, when Terry walked over, interrupting his conversation with Phalmina.

"Ye all right, mate? Ye took a bit of a tumble and... OI! Put that thing away before ye cause someone to lose an eye!" Terry said just a little too loudly. The comment caused everyone nearby to turn and see what the commotion was about. Their eyes locked onto Jason and his tented shorts, and while embarrassing, it also drew other kinds of attention.

Jason adjusted himself to try to make it less obvious, but the damage had already been done. The women present were staring, each one with lusty feelings running through them from what Jason could tell. Phalmina then huffed at this and flew off Jason and landed on Terry. She then did a few complex gestures with her hands and arms, then flitted back to Jason and sat on his shoulder.

"What? Are you jealous? You shouldn't be. Not with what you're packing between those legs," Jason jabbed.

"And how do ye..." Terry started, before he felt his own loins start to stir. He looked down with a comical look on his face to his own tenting shorts.

"Can't say I blame you for popping one. Working in close proximity to those three ladies," he said, gesturing to Wendy, Karen and Danika, "would be enough to set any man off."

Terry grinned nervously, but with the way the women were looking at him, was indicative of how they viewed his condition. Except for Danika, which was odd. She seemed to be looking back and forth between Terry and Jason. It was almost as though she couldn't make up her mind on which one to chase. Though Terry was certainly no slouch in that department, as his dick looked considerably bigger than what Jason had.

"Causing mischief among humans. My favorite pastime!" Phalmina cackled gleefully.

"I might have to punish you for that," Jason admonished her.

"Oh? How would you punish me... master?" she asked sultrily while wiggling her ass all over his shoulder. Jason chuckled and looked back at Terry, who had finished adjusting himself, but was being accosted by both Wendy and Karen. Both women were getting a bit too friendly with the man and rather handsy with him as well.

"All right, ladies break it up. We're here to work, not play hide the salami," Jason chuckled. They looked at him like it was the meanest thing he'd ever said until he continued. "If you want to fight over the man, do it after work. When you're off the clock, I can't tell you what you can and can't do. So, back to work and figure out what you'll do later."

The girls hmphed but did as they were bid and got back to work. Terry looked at Jason and them, going back and forth, as though he couldn't believe what just happened. He shook his head, bewildered at the chain of events.

"I swear mate, I don't whether to thank ye, or to punch ye in the face for cockblocking!" Terry told Jason.

"Well, figure it out and take it up with me later. In the meantime, you're welcome," Jason stated.

"For what?"

"The way that Karen and Wendy were looking at you, makes me think they would have devoured you right there if I hadn't stepped in. The way it's looking, you have your pick of either one. Play your cards right and you'll likely have a Canadian girlfriend soon," Jason told him as he went back to clearing away rocks.

Terry stood there like a lump on a log for a minute or two, processing what Jason told him. After mulling it over, he figured that Jason was right and got back to work, helping Jason with the rocks. Jason looked over to his shoulder where Phalmina was perched and discovered she was gone. Chuckling, thinking she had gotten to somewhere, causing more mischief, he went back to the task at hand.

The day passed by quickly, with everyone working hard and Jason pushing everyone to match him. Because of his Gaian gifted power, no one could hope to catch him, but Jason did not go full bore. Just because he had this power didn't mean that he should draw attention to himself. He kept his pace within the upper reaches of human limits, doing everything he could to seem like he was just turbocharged that day.

The end of the workday arrived before they knew it, and everyone headed for their vehicles. Terry was heading to his truck, finding both Karen and Wendy waiting for him. They picked up right where they left off, each one trying to outdo the other which the guys found amusing.

"Hey Jay, I don't understand why you passed up such fine women," Tomas told him, giving the redheaded man a playful rib.

"It's not so much that I passed them up, I just don't want to be greedy," Jason replied with a smirk.

"Greedy? How would that be considered greedy?" Kade asked, his accent thick in his speech.

"Let's just say I have a couple of ladies waiting on me and I want to make sure I have enough starch for them," Jason said nonchalantly.

"Really?? Who?" Russ asked him.

"JASON!" a familiar voice called out. He turned around to see Phalmina running to him full tilt, and she jumped into his arms. The moment they made contact, she pulled him into a full face sucking kiss, moaning the whole while. Everyone looked at Jason like the man was some sort of demigod, to have a goddess like woman such as Phalmina on him.

"It's good to see you too Mina!" Jason got out once she broke the kiss, letting the poor man breathe.

He was surprised to see her in her non fairy form and looking every part a modern girl too! She was wearing jean short cut offs, that ended just an inch or so below the curve of her ass, and a white AC/DC T-shirt, with no bra on underneath. She was wearing no socks either, but had a pair of old-style sneakers on, which made her look like the girl next door type.