The Gray Man Ch. 01 - Nadiya

He walked outside to find a Raven Black Cadillac CT4-V. "Nice ride, Ms. Foster" TJ watched as his cousin walked to the car. He noticed that she held herself much differently dressed in a fitted suit than she did in her jeans and flannel shirt back home. She didn't walk, she sashayed with a slight swish of the hips instead of a simple walk. He felt he was going to learn a lot about his cousin.

After a quick stop for coffee at Slipstream it was a 12 minute drive to Brimble and Clark. TJ realized that it would have been faster to walk the mile than it was to drive and park, but Gretchen was the boss.

TJ realized when he walked in that he wouldn't be buying anything off the rack, so Gretchen took charge.

"Jerome, as you can see my cousin needs a serious wardrobe upgrade. We need one suit in black, gray, and blue, shirts and a few ties. Also a topcoat." Gretchen said as she smiled.

Jerome looked TJ up and down with an appreciative eye that may have been more than professional. His voice almost purred, "My, my Ms. Foster, you do present a challenge, but I've always enjoyed a challenge."

TJ wondered who the hell this woman was. This was not the little girl that climbed trees, went snowshoeing with him through the woods, or felt at home at the end of a ski rope behind a boat.

Jerome pursed his lips and stepped around TJ to check all of the angles. "With those shoulders, he certainly won't be wearing a slim cut." As he walked around TJ he tugged on his loose fitting clothes, "48 long jacket, 38X32 pants." Jerome turned to Gretchen, "I have some ideas, come with me madam." And off Jerome went with Gregchen in tow. TJ stood and watched until Jerome called over his shoulder, "Well, we need you too, come on." TJ followed along, completely out of his comfort zone.

"Jerome," TJ commented, "I have had some friends shop here. They rave about your ballistic suits. If we can lean in that direction it would be helpful."

Jerome nodded, "Ah yes, actually that may make it a bit easier."

Gretchen looked at her cousin, "Ballistic suits?"

Jerome smiled, "One of our specialities Ms. Foster. We take great care outfitting those who need to have freedom of movement even while elegantly dressed."

Jerome took TJ's measurements with great delicacy, his eyes more than once dropped to the sizable bulge down TJ's thigh. When he was satisfied he brought out suits for Gretchen's approval. She picked 3 suits and Jerome approved. TJ looked at his cousin, "Do I get a say?"

Gretchen laughed, "Yes you do, you can say Thank You when I pay the bill." The laughter rolled over Jerome too. Gretchen gave TJ a push to the dressing room. TJ couldn't remember the last time he owned a civilian suit. He owned Dress Blues and 'Pinks and Greens', the Army dress uniform but not a civilian suit.

TJ stepped out of the dressing room.

"Mmmm," said Jerome. "Turn around, please?"

TJ did a little turn.

"Damn TJ, look at you. If you weren't my cousin..." she let her voice drop

TJ tried on the other suits while Jerome took great pleasure with his chalk, promising Ms. Foster that the alterations would be complete by the time they had picked out shirts and ties.

Gretchen picked out tailored athletic fit shirts, a few ties and socks. As promised the suits were tailored by the time shopping was finished. TJ disappeared back into the dressing room, slipped on his new clothing, walked out and did a turn.

"Oh my," Gretchen said as Jerome looked wistful. Gretchen went on, "We will run across the street and get shoes and we will be good to go."

Gretchen pulled out a corporate card and paid the bill which was more than TJ made in a month even with hazardous duty pay before he retired.

TJ picked out a pair of black and brown wing tipped dress shoes and appropriate socks before he and Gretchen departed for her offices. Today TJ Gray had to fill out the needed paperwork for his day job.

Gretchen had lunch catered in as TJ went through all of the paperwork and met others in the firm. After that was finished they disappeared into her office as Gretchen pulled out a portfolio of the six prospects that had already sent information to the PO Box.

As Gretchen flipped through the various applications TJ kept coming back to one in particular. A staffer at the Ukrainian Embassy. With the war she couldn't get home, it was difficult for her to stay in touch with her family. She was an economic and trade attache'. Nadiya wrote, "It is impossible for me to date given the current world realities. The stress in the embassy is paralyzing and I am afraid if my preferences were known it could be used against me or my family."

TJ smiled, "Her," he said simply.

Gretchen looked at her cousin, "Okay, why?"

TJ looked at his cousin. "Mutually Assured Destruction. She's putting as much at risk as I am. Get more information."

Gretchen laughed, "What happened to me being the boss?"

TJ smiled, "You are my handler, I pick my target. If the client prefers a female touch I'll leave that to you." His cousin smiled at him but said nothing, TJ chuckled, "That's not a no."

Gretchen opened her computer as TJ looked at her, "What are you doing?"

Gretchen clicked her mouse a few times, "I'm sending a reply to our friend."

TJ shut the lid to her laptop, "Not from here, I don't care how many proxies you have in here. This is a major DC Law Firm - you have your own server or at least server space. Even with a VPN your inhouse techs will have access if pushed."

Gretchen paused and looked up at him, "You are good at this off the grid thing."

TJ smiled, "I earned the title GRAY for a reason Gretch, it kept me and others alive in places that only people in this town with Need to Know clearance have ever heard of. I'm going to contact a former CIA friend of mine to get me an encrypted burner phone and computer. I will probably need cash for that transaction."

Gretchen stood up and went to a safe in her office and opened it, "Three grand, a small investment for a startup."

TJ laughed, "I'll see you at the apartment around 7."

TJ made a couple of phone calls and by 3 he was sitting in the back office of a small computer repair shop near the gate to Joint Base Andrews. 10 minutes and $3000 dollars later he had 2 encrypted phones and a computer with 5G access for both in the name of Gray Industries.

He drove by the Ukrainian Embassy on his way to the apartment and saw a woman that matched the picture TJ had seen of Nadiya. TJ quickly got out of his car and walked towards her. Everyone who was worried about being followed expected folks to be watching from cars or following them. If you knew who your target was and they didn't know who you were walking towards them provided a large amount of intel. A trained agent could identify scent, maybe voice, could even detect their situational awareness.

TJ measured up the Ukrainian Embassy Asset as he walked towards the embassy. She was tall, 5'9", closer to 5'11" in heels. She had dark brown hair pulled back into a tight bun, dark brown eyes that were aware of her surroundings if not overly anxious about them. She was wearing an off white winter skirt and matching jacket. Her coat was open allowing TJ to see what looked to be an expensive deep red silk shirt, and a pearl necklace. She was slim and moved with purpose. As they drew closer TJ noticed her makeup was light and he guessed her age to be her early 40's. If Nadiya had any awareness that she was being sized up, she didn't show it.

That evening back at the FOB (Forward Operating Base) as TJ was now thinking of the apartment Gretchen and TJ had dinner. Gretchen fired up the computer and transferred a few documents from her phone. She looked at TJ as the computer was humming away, "Hold Harmless Agreement, an NDA, a financial instruction to move money to an offshore bank, and a fantasy checklist."

TJ laughed, "Swiss bank account, really cuz?"

Gretchen looked at TJ over her glasses, her strawberry blonde hair framed her face. Men who had seen that look across a table or in a courtroom said that she reminded them of Beth Dutton before she ruined your day. "You are good at the ghost part of this, let me do what I do, okay." She took another bite of the Thai food they had ordered, "Tell me about how you do what you do?"

TJ paused mid bite. "Do you mean gather intel or what? Honestly, I can't say much about my capabilities as an intelligence gatherer. Truly, I'm classified."

Gretchen cocked her head, "You are classified?"

TJ chuckled, "More or less. I can't say where I was, what I did, or how I did it without clearance from the highest levels. Just know that being gray wasn't just an honorific or title, it's how I stayed alive. Most places that I operated if I had been captured the United States would deny that I existed. I was a rogue troublemaker."

She nodded, "So how do you become invisible?"

TJ laughed, "I'm never truly invisible. The goal is to be forgettable. Most people want to be seen, be noticed, stand out in a crowd. My job was to be the most forgettable person you run into during the day. It's about the Reticular Activating System (RAS). The part of the brain that responds to anything that stands out. How the brain works is that it basically blurs all the stimuli it's used to into the background until the RAS is stimulated. For example Seeing a family member usually blurs into the background--like this morning. No offense but when I see you my brain doesn't fully notice you. The reason is that I know what you look like. This morning though I saw you differently as we walked to the car. You weren't my cousin in jeans and a sweatshirt sipping wine by the fire. You were dressed differently, you smelled different, you moved with authority. My brain noticed. Our brains use more energy than any other part of our system so the RAS allows us to conserve energy by using what is known instead of analyzing everything all the time. When we encounter anything faster, louder, or brighter than ordinary, that's when the reticular activating system signals you to pay attention."

TJ paused, "So, my goal is to be forgettable. To be so familiar that everyone thinks that I've been there forever. I have been blessed with a great memory, I see in pictures."

Within minutes the computer DINGED. Gretchen looked down, "We have mail."

TJ shook his head, "Already?"

Gretchen laughed, "I think our girl is a bit needy." She pulled her glasses down on her nose, "Interesting. She frequents the Adams Morgan area where she can blend in, enjoys Madam's Organ and Idle Time Books. Her fantasy is to be 'taken in a limo while the driver watches in the mirror.'"

TJ's brow furrowed, "That could be a problem. Depending on how much you trust your driver."

Gretchen chuckled, "Or I am the driver. I have a friend who owns limos who owes me a favor."

TJ shook his head, "Okay, that still doesn't deal with the fact that you need a chauffeur's license to drive one of those."

The cousin threw her head back and laughed, "I have one of those, one of the odd jobs to pay my way through Georgetown Law."

TJ's head shake was more pronounced, "You are a woman full of surprises."

Gretchen lifted her wine glass as TJ did the same, when the glasses clinked she bowed her head, "As are you cuz, as are you."

TJ spent the rest of the week wandering through the Adams Morgan neighborhood, stopping at Madam's Organ, eating at the various restaurants especially near the Cuban Embassy. TJ had a serious weakness for Cuban food. The neighborhood was quirky and eclectic which made it even easier to blend in.

Gretchen and Nadiya communicated and arranged payment. TJ's mind was rocked when he discovered that Gretchen had negotiated a $7500 payment for this little adventure. The plan would be for Friday night during a blues show at Madam's Organ. ChrisTJ wasn't sure how the plan would play out, he just instructed Gretchen to stay close to the limo and be ready for his call.

Friday afternoon TJ showered, even giving his cock a pep talk. "Dude, $7500 is a lot of money depending on your performance." TJ dressed in a gray suit, pink shirt, black wingtips. He didn't wear a tie which would help him blend in with a Friday evening blues club dinner crowd.

The venue was small and crowded as Kofi Boakye was playing. The wonderkid jazz and blues pianist, with a smooth drummer and a bass player were jamming and it was wonderful. The plan was that TJ would slip Nadiya a playing card during the evening. If the card was the King of Hearts, she was to wait 5 minutes and leave, walking south. As TJ was aware, plans often fail. This plan failed due to the beer fueled lust of some Fratbro's from Georgetown.

The four gentlemen each approached Nadiya at one point during the evening. As the beer flowed the courage grew. At a break between sets Nadiya stood to go to the restroom and when she returned the four lads had taken over her table. She tried to politely excuse herself but they didn't seem to want to take no for an answer. TJ watched and waited until the largest of the young men reached out and grabbed her by the wrist.

TJ covered the diGrayce between the bar and her table in two seconds as he grabbed the hand of the aggressive college prep who probably had more money in his daddy's trust fund than TJ would make in a lifetime.

TJ looked down at him, "The lady is with me. Kindly remove your hand."

Beer can be a wonderful thing, beer can also cause you to do stupid things and in this case the beer goggle courage seemed to be winning the battle of sensibility in the young men. The large lad stood, easily outsizing TJ. "I've been here all evening and the lady has been alone, now she is with us. Move along, pops."

TJ smiled, his pale green eyes became narrow slits as he gently ushered Nadiya behind him. "You see son, that's not going to happen. This nice lady is leaving with me, the only question that remains is will you boys go home for Christmas to be with your families, or will your families be coming here to have Christmas with you all in the hospital. Answer quickly, I am not a patient man."

Three of the Fratbros realized the situation and began to back away, the large one thought he still had a fight in him. He moved forward and poked TJ in the chest, "I was the heavyweight state wrestling champion in high school, pops."

Faster than anyone could see TJ had taken the large lad by the hand and awkwardly bent his wrist in a way that wrists don't normally bend. He quickly sat down to try to relieve the pressure as TJ growled, "And I've killed men all over the world, now apologize to the lady."

Hearing his three friends run off along with the pain in his wrist crushing through the beer fed bravery the young man stuttered, "I.. I.. I'm sorry."

TJ let go of his wrist and turned to Nadiya as he scooped up her coat, "Come with me."

As he led her through the club she whispered, "I am waiting for someone."

TJ put his hand in the small of her back, "I am that someone. Our limo is waiting." As they walked south towards the alley TJ pulled out the King of Hearts and placed it in Nadiya's hand. "I'm Gray," he said as the limo stopped and TJ opened the door and ushered Nadiya inside.

Nadiya was pushed into the limo as she heard footsteps running behind them. The door was slammed shut and the car sped away from the approaching gang. Gretchen growled, "That's not very invisible, Gray."

Breathlessly Nadiya replied, "Those boys were going to hurt me. You rescued me."

Gretchen put her hand over her shoulder, "Hand me the card you were given." Nadiya handed the card to the driver slowly. "Do you wish to continue?" she asked. Nadiya lowered her gaze, blushed and nodded. Gretchen called back again, "I need to hear the answer, ma'am."

Nadiya sat straighter, "Yes, I wish to continue."

Nadiya was indeed 5'9", this evening her long brown hair was free from the tight bun TJ had observed earlier. She was slim, TJ guessed 34 B breasts with a slim waist and hips. It was obvious in the way she moved that she was athletic, but the life of an embassy staff person had made her a bit softer than she wished to be. She still managed to swim and play some pickleball but it was nothing like the gymnastics training from her youth. She was wearing a silken blouse with a more plunging neckline than normal, her short skirt was cut a few inches above her knee showing a delicious amount of her shapely thighs and calves. TJ couldn't blame the Fratbros from taking an interest in the stunning woman.

TJ turned to the stunning beauty in the seat next to him. Nadiya leaned in to kiss him and TJ pushed her away. He pulled her over his knee with one firm tug, her skirt rode up her shapely ass as TJ brought his hand down against the creamy white curve of her butt.

Gretchen heard TJ spanking the embassy maiden as he chastised her, "What are you doing out in public inviting advances from boys," he growled as his right hand came down on her ass. Gretchen adjusted the mirror and saw Nadiya's skirt hiked up, her thong pulled tight into her ass crack, and her silk stockings held up by a garter. Gretchen wasn't a lesbian or into BDSM but watching TJ blister this woman's ass was causing a river to flow in her own panties.

TJ slipped her thong aside and plunged two fingers into her soaked pussy. Nadiya cried out as TJ continued to scold her, "Why is your pussy dripping wet? The thought of those college boys cock or getting spanked like a slut?"

Nadiya tried to answer but everytime she did TJ would change what he was doing with his fingers causing her words to be lost in a breathless moan. Nadiya's head was swimming, things were moving way too fast and she was tumbling between fantasy and reality as TJ's fingers were causing her hips to buck of their own accord. When his thumb slipped under her and brushed her clit she exploded, screaming as the orgasm ripped through her body.

TJ didn't even let the orgasm finish before he spanked her again, "Pathetic, cumming so fast on a stranger's hand. Typical slut," he growled as he unceremoniously dropped her on the floor of the limo and unzipped his pants.

Gretchen watched in the mirror as his monster cock came into view. If she thought it was impressive underneath his pants, nothing prepared her for what came into view. It hung from his body like a proud predator, long and thick, with a large mushroom shaped head.

"Oh my God," She said as her eyes grew big as saucers. "How big is that thing?" She continued when she saw his massive cock.

"Only boys measure, men know. Now move your ass over here and start sucking it!" Gray said, grabbing Nadiya around the back of the head and pulling her towards his cock.

"No way, I can't! It is too big!" Nadiya exclaimed.

"I'm not asking and I'm not telling you again. Get over here and suck my cock, or I'll zip tie you and fuck your throat, your choice." Gray smiled as he pulled zip ties from his jacket pocket.

Gretchen wasn't sure where the fantasy play acting and real world reality was blurring for TJ. Nadiya slid her head towards TJ and picked up his cock cock that was resting on the limo seat between his legs. The weight of it alone was impressive to her, and she knew she would have some fun tonight. Nadiya did her best to take the cock between her lips, having a small mouth now had its disadvantages. Gray's cock was stretching her lips and still she could barely get the head into her mouth.

"OH God" TJ heard a moan from Gretchen as Nadiya took the head of his cock into her mouth.

Gretchen laughed from the front, "Such a good little bitch. Suck that cock."

Nadiya leaned slightly forward and put her hands on his hips, opened her mouth wide and tried to swallow his huge tool. Her mouth hurt from the effort of stretching it around the penis she now worked on, but she was determined that he was not going to make her gag as she sucked his pole.She stroked him with both hands as she bobbed her head up and down his blood engorged shaft, working to produce as much saliva as she could to keep him lubricated as she tongued and sucked his dick.