Liar Ch. 02

Jessica had caught me speechless. It's a rare thing to hear a woman being so direct and up front about her desires. The funny thing is, I could tell she knew she had me. I must have been a sight; mouth agape and confused by her aggressive approach.

Processing in my brain the ramifications of being in the same room with a woman that I was investigating, I paused. It's not just inappropriate due to communicating. It's EXTREMELY inappropriate that we had been sexually intimate too. But she didn't give me long to think it through.

She put her hand flat against my chest and pushed me back against the wall. "For me it's a win win. I need a guy before I explode. And on top of that you're boy scout act is kinda sexy. So take your pants off before I change my mind." She shot a devilish grin at me, standing her ground.

God, I love aggressive women. No head games, no pretense, no wondering what it is that she wants. Just straight forward demands. I can deal with that. Suddenly the concept of right and wrong; duty and responsibility, went out the window. I picked up the process of taking my pants off where Jessica had ended.

Shoving my pants off my legs and stepping out of the clump of cloth that was now at my ankles, I leaned back to catch my breath. Jessica didn't waste time catching her breath. She dropped down to her knees in front of me and immediately grasped my cock in her hands.

I was unaware of how aroused I was. Maybe her whole 'I'm in charge and I like it' routine was more of a turn on than I had even imagined. Maybe it's the fact that this hot, former trophy wife, was now intently sucking me off. Damn, this girl could teach seminars on how to give a blow. And that's a seminar nobody should miss.

My head involuntarily fell back against the wall and I found myself staring at the ceiling as she pleasured me. I could feel the soft waves of her hair as I held her head in my hands. The rhythmic motion of her taking me in and out of her mouth was both electrifying and relaxing at the same time. I felt my hips moving in time with her strokes, almost as if they had a mind of their own.

Her hands began exploring me as her tongue twirled around the head of my cock. I glanced down to watch and found her eyes looking upward to me; gauging my approval. But she could tell; she knew that she had broken me. She knew I'd give her anything she wanted at this moment.

The warmth of her fingertips reached up between my legs and fondled my balls playfully. Suddenly she gripped my cock and tugged gently upward, exposing my balls to her mouth. The warm, luscious sensation of her mouth sucking one of my balls into her mouth was combined with the unique, pulling sensation of my core being pulled into her.

I spread my legs and rested back against the wall, drinking in the sensations. Cupping the back of her hair I felt the soft curls of her hair in my hand.

Far too soon for my liking, she stood upright. Grabbing me by the cock playfully she pulled. She was leading me like a dog on a leash. Her walk was sensual but still somewhat demanding. I was led to my soft leather easy chair and instructed to sit.

She walked back to the coffee table, her short skirt flittering behind her. Momentarily I felt exposed, wearing only my white dress shirt that was now just hanging on my shoulders.

Jessica took the whiskey glass and strode into the kitchen. I could hear her pouring more into the glass before she sauntered back into the den. The glow of ESPN reflected off her gorgeous frame as she stood in the doorway sipping from the glass.

"Can I get you anything else?" I mumbled awkwardly.

She walked over to me and offered me a sip of the whiskey. I took it. I was warm enough already but I sipped anyway.

As I handed it back to her, she grinned at me before asking, "Can I get YOU anything else?"

God she was so utterly incredible at the game she was playing. "Yes. Yes you can." I responded, trying not to let my voice crack at the thought.

She stepped away toward the coffee table and put the glass back down. Then she turned to look me over; seated naked except for my unbuttoned dress shirt.

With each step she took back toward me, she stepped out of her shoes. Then she started unbuttoning the little black sweater. She tossed it aside to the couch and peeled of the camisole, exposing her gorgeous breasts. She was small but firm and desirable. The white rings of her fleshy thighs that were exposed seem to sweep slowly toward me, grabbing my attention.

When she got to the easy chair, she climbed it. Her knees on either arm rest she climbed even higher. When she had positioned herself where she desired, she raised her little tartan skirt. Her perfectly trimmed mound was just inches from my face.

She grabbed the back of the easy chair and climbed even higher. She moved onto her feet with her knees pressed to either side of my head as she lowered that lovely mound to my face.

I knew what she wanted and hell if I was going to disappoint her. My tongue lapped up under her exposed mound and began digging into her wetness. I felt the tartan skirt drop on top of my head as she grabbed more tightly to the back of the chair.

Reaching up under the tail side of her skirt, my hands groped at her round, firm ass as I licked her sweetness. Her pelvic movements assured me that I was correct in assuming this was what she wanted. As if there was a doubt. Within moments she was riding my face, arching her torso upward and moving up and down in synchronization with my tongue.

For a few moments I just pressed my tongue into her and let her movements do the work. It seemed to please her. I figured she wanted to be in control so I'd let her. With each stroke, her hips moved more fluidly. From time to time I could feel her body shiver with amusement as she used my face for her enjoyment. Gripping her ass firmly, I pressed her hips into my face. The feel of her inner thigh muscles against my cheeks was phenomenal. I was immersed in her.

Her movements hastened. I felt her right hand leave it's firm grip on the chair to reach behind my head. She cradled my head into her lap and began grinding her hips into my face.

Suddenly she pushed away and fell back slightly. She went down to her knees on each armrest and lowered her face to mine. Grabbing my head she ravished me with kisses.

A hand fumbled and groped into my lap, grabbing my cock and pointing it upward. Her body weight fell toward me as she shifted. Then I felt it. The undeniable, utterly desirable, warmth of her wetness.

With the head of my cock pressed against her warmth, I could feel my cock being held in place by only the tip. Both of her hands returned to my face and she shoved her tongue into my mouth.

She gasped and softly moaned as she kissed me. The sensation of her whole body, melting slowly around my cock as she ever so gradually let her weight settle downward; caused my eyes to roll to the back of my head.

Pushing away from our kiss I could see her face clearly in the glow of the room. Her mouth was open and she had an expression of sheer indulgence that I almost let loose inside her. But I wanted to hold on; to extend this for more than just a moment in time.

Her left hand reached around behind my head and grabbed my neck. She leaned back so that she could settle in more deeply, dropping all her weight downward for a satisfying second stroke.

Her feet slid off the armrests and splayed off either side of the chair, stretching her open to take me in. I could see her firm torso but was restrained from the joy of seeing me penetrate her due to the bunched pile of tartan skirt that voided my view.

But it was fine. I didn't need to see how deeply I was penetrating her. I knew. I could feel her.

She grabbed the back of my neck and raised her self upward, only to drop down her full weight on my cock. I grabbed her hips and aided her in the motion, her legs flayed outward to either side of the chair with each stroke. She began riding me, dropping harder and harder with each movement.

Occasionally she would drop down and grind her hips from side to side for a moment before rising up again. My head was spinning as she used me like an amusement ride. The expression of sheer delight on her face was an indulgence to me.

Her eyes opened and she dropped firmly down, grinding her hips into my lap. She leaned into me and deeply kissed me as it happened. Her body shivered. Her thighs and hips convulsed as she achieved her orgasm.

I gripped her back and drew her torso to mine. She was damp with sweat and her skin was suddenly covered in goosebumps. A guttural groan came from her mouth as she released me from our kiss.

For a long moment she just sat there, my cock deep inside her as she drank in the sensations.

"I take it you had a little one there?" I whispered.

She grabbed my neck and kissed me again, pressing her tongue into my mouth. Letting go she grinned, "More than a 'little one'" she exclaimed.

Our bodies griped one another as her breathing slowly returned to normal. "Did you want a 'little one' too?" She asked playfully.

"I thought you'd never ask." I whispered in her ear.





Ross Has Some Answers

6:18 am. The coffee had finished brewing and I stood in the early light of a new day. Coffee in my home isn't a routine or procedure for getting a day started. It's a sacred ritual of life that should be taken seriously.

I use only freshly roasted beans, grind them daily, and make coffee that is strong and black. You don't mar the holy cup with sugar in it or deface it with creamer. You certainly don't desecrate something so pure and perfect with nut oils, extracts, or candies. There's an assigned place in hell for people who profane the hollowed nature of the cup.

Pouring the pure, dark elixir into my favorite coffee cup, I drank in the aroma of today's roast. I leaned back against the counter near the sink and sipped the first essence of awareness for a new day. The cold edge of the counter pressed against my back as I stood wearing only a pair of pajama pants that were barely tugged up above my hips.

A draft of warm air rushed against my bare feet from the furnace vent hidden snuggly under the cabinets. There's something pleasant about that spot. I glanced out the window at the new fallen snow that blanketed Charles Pointe; my little neighborhood of newly built condos and town houses.

Somehow a freshly brewed cup of Columbian coffee could invigorate me and bring me back to life again when nothing else will. As I sipped my coffee I glanced into the den where the night before I had experienced Jessica. 'Hell, we experienced each other a couple of times each', I grinned to myself.

Someone was heard running up onto the front porch; a banging on the door followed that would have awakened the dead. "MAX! MAX!" I could hear. It was Ross pounding on the door.

I gradually made my way to the door at a far less urgent pace than Ross.

"MAX!! You've got to see this!" He shouted as he heard the deadbolt turn, indicating my presence. Ross was bundled up as if we were under blizzard warnings. His deep southern upbringing made him a true weather wuss. Entering the door he shed the coat and gloves before yanking out a laptop.

"Okay, okay. What's so important that you had to come banging at my door so early?" I inquired.

Ross moved quickly into the living room where he sat down on a couch in front of the picture window. "I've got something I need to show you and I thought you'd want to see it without anyone else around." he replied. He pulled out a laptop and began clicking away at something on the screen.

He probably had created an elaborate PowerPoint presentation to explain his findings. It's his M.O. I took advantage of his distraction and went into the kitchen to refill my coffee cup. "Want a cup of coffee?" I yelled from the kitchen.

"No, I ran through a Hardee's drive through and got some on the way." Ross replied.

I cringed at the very thought of fast food coffee as I walked back into the room. The poor boy actually thought he had been drinking coffee when all he had was some awful, black mess from a drive through. "Okay so tell me what this is all about.

He turned the laptop around and pointed it at me to show me the screen. "See this? This is one of the files that was on Jessica Quinn's laptop. And this," he pointed to a long text file in another window, "this is the document that we extracted from the file." Ross explained.


"Yes, I get all that. I was kinda there when we found it." I mockingly replied while sipping more coffee.

"Don't be a smart ass." Ross dryly replied. "There's more. See this?" He clicked a few buttons and characters were highlighted.

He stood up with the excitement of his 'find'. "It was there the whole fuckin' time!" He said.

"Sit down and relax. What was there all the time?" I replied.

He sat back down with an impish grin on his face. "The whole fuckin' time there was a cypher message hidden in the document that was encrypted in the photo file!"

"How do you know that?" I quizzed.


"Look." He pulled the laptop back and too the image file into photoshop. With a few clicks of the glidepad he changed the image contrast and then noise. When he turned the laptop around again and the unmistakeable outline of a number appeared hidden in the image. It was a '7'.

"What the fuck?" I mused as he continued.

"That's what I mean. It was there all the time." He blurted out with his eyes wide as saucers.

"But how does that cause this text document to change. What did you highlight?" I inquired as he calmed a bit.

"Max. I was toying with the photos, trying to see if there was anything in the image we could use. I tried zooming in to see details in the image. I tried to find hidden meaning in the locations and the backgrounds. But when I hit the noise function the colors changed and this number appeared. The 7 had to mean something. I kept wracking my brain trying to figure out why there was a 7 hidden in the image. Then it dawned on me. Steganography!" Ross barely took a breath during his explanation.

"Stegwhatery?" I mocked back.

"A Greek word - concealed. But in cipher and cryptology it means a simple code hidden in plain sight. The image itself was a freakin key! The key for this document is '7'."

"So seven whats?" I asked.

"LOOK MAX!" Ross seemed to lose his patience with me, but I had never studied greek. "Every seventh word! It's a childishly simple cipher hidden in the text. We were so busy looking at the encrypted document, we didn't think to ask if the document itself was bogus."

The highlighted words in the document Ross was showing me formed sentences. They were still rough since the punctuation was missing but the text clearly was readable.

Ross started tapping firmly on the screen. "Don't you get it?? The document was a ruse to throw us off. It might even have been designed to intentionally frame Jessica."

While I focused on reading through the highlighted words and tried to make sense of the content, I could see someone pass by in my peripheral vision. A body wearing a white men's dress shirt passed down the hallway toward the kitchen. The distinguishable sound of a cup being pulled from the cabinet and fresh coffee being poured could be heard.

Ross glanced over my shoulder and down the hallway to the kitchen where he could see the movement of a white dress shirt and bare legs. "Shit Max. Sorry. I didn't realize you had company."

"It's okay. This is a pretty important discovery. Great work indeed." I said, still reading the text.

Ross leaned in toward me and whispered. "It's not Billie is it?"

I looked up and grinned for a moment. "No, it's certainly not Billie." I went back to reading the document.

"Good. Cause that would be really awkward if it was ......" He stopped mid-sentence as Jessica entered the room wearing only my white dress shirt from the day before.

Jessica came next to me and sat down on the armrest of my chair to look over my shoulder. She was gripping the coffee cup with both hands to get warm, blowing on the top of the cup. She tilted her head as she recognized the picture. "Hey, that's one of my photos." She said before taking a sip of coffee.

Ross fell back in the couch speechless. I looked up to see the reaction of young Ross. It was as I imagined. He was stunned. But like a deer in headlights, once the shock is over; panic begins.

The shock was over. "What the fuck?? Are you out of your mind, Max? She can't be here. She can't be anywhere near us! Have you lost your mind?" He ranted as he stood up and grabbed his coat and gloves. "I can't be here! I don't want to know about this! They said you were a nutcase at the office. Maybe they were right."

"He's kinda cute when he blushes." Jessica sarcastically stated.

"Are you insane? Do you not have any shred of logic floating in that brain of yours?" Ross slipped into panic mode.

"Relax Ross. It's okay. We only slept together once." I replied.


Jessica leaned over and whispered in my ear.

"Really?" I said to her. "Okay, I stand corrected. We slept together twice." I grinned; almost as much as she was grinning.

"Don't make a stupid joke out of this. You know you can get fired, or or or thrown in jail, or both!!" Ross muttered.

"She didn't do it." I stated dryly. My comment made Jessica raise her eyebrows a bit in mild shock.

"How do you know that?" Ross all but shouted back. "Just tell me. Is it because she 'swore she didn't? Does she talk in her sleep?" He made a grand, mocking swing of his arms as he spoke. "Or is it that she gave you some sob story?"

"Maybe it's that I'm great in the sack." Jessica mockingly replied. She feathered back the hair on the side of my head and kissed my forehead playfully.

"Enough you two." I stopped them both before explaining. "Didn't you read this Stegwhatery thing?" I asked pointing to the laptop screen.

"No, I just found that it made sentences. So I had the computer highlight every seventh word. It's not my job to interpret the content, just to find it." Ross calmly replied.

"Maybe you should read this part!" I turned the laptop around and pointed to a sentence toward the bottom of the second page.

".... Adam wants 150 additional women on trip next get Jessica out Europe ..." The awkwardly composed sentence was contrived and woven into the seventh paragraph of the document.







Just Friends

Two hours later Ross and I were standing around the workstation at FBI Headquarters. Ross was still drying off his pants where his cheap coffee had spilled. Maybe he'll think about it next time I say "buckle your seatbelt." My years of driving in DC and Philadelphia had rubbed off on me. Erratic and aggressive driving habits seemed a bit out of place in the much smaller community of Clarksburg.

Focused on scanning, cataloging and reading all the hidden messages in the files we had already scanned, cataloged and read previously revealed damning evidence against Adam Quinn. The real question was if Jessica was truly a part of this or if I was getting soft.

"Nothing rules her out in what I'm seeing here." Ross muttered as he threw a scratch pad with notes on the table next to the computer monitors.

"Nothing rules her in either." I shot back. Probably shot back too quickly. It sure sounded as if I was making excuses for the woman that I had just spent the night with.

"Okay, okay. Don't bite my head off. I'm only the messenger." Ross said, putting his hands up in a defensive move.

"Don't bite who's head off?" A voice came from the doorway.

I didn't turn to see who it was. I knew. It was Billie. I am getting soft. She had slithered to the doorway and was watching us. Somehow my normal spidy sense didn't catch the fact that she was there.