The Gray Man Ch. 11 - Sadie

Dear Reader,

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, events and incidents are the products of the author's imagination.

Constructive criticism, and feedback is truly appreciated. I would like this to be an interactive journey as much as this medium allows. Please feel free to send suggestions, ideas for future characters etc. I welcome the input.

I hope you enjoy these adventures as much as you enjoyed TJ - no worries, TJ will be back. I just need some time to explore some other areas of my darkness.

Also, if you'd like a character to inquire about Gray's services send me a description and we can work from there.

Keep Soaring,

Pelican

(¬‿¬)

TJ and Angela got moved into the large rental over the next couple of weeks. TJ was splitting time between an investigation on behalf of one of Gretchen's clients involving a couple of outside contractors under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. He was spending 9-10 hours a day in a plush office on the 12th floor of The Tower Building located on K Street.

He spent his days looking through records, tracing payments, looking at transactions and family members. By the end of the week he had gone from novice, to resident expert in pulling together information from a variety of public records--looking for evidence of ownership interests of 2 employees and their family members,trying to find out if bribes were being paid by foreign governments for purposes that would be deemed nefarious.

What made the investigation tricky was that the two employees were officers of the company. The CEO was concerned that the IT Director and the CFO were taking bribes. Trying to navigate company documents, emails, financial records of two C suite officers who were in charge of emails and financial records was a challenge.

Most evenings Gray went home, went for a long run, made dinner for he and Angela then dug into more of the client list from Louis and Elliot. Angela would get home, have supper, work with TJ on the list and then drag him to bed to ravage his body. Neither of the two had any complaints.

Saturday morning TJ and Angela took a morning run along the Potomac, showered, had shower sex, then met Gretchen for brunch at the Del Ray Cafe.

There were a couple of times in the conversation that Gretchen and Angi shared a knowing look and a smile which told Gray that there was a secret between them that TJ was not privy to. The looks moved between a shared joke and flirtation. It took years of training to keep TJ from reacting, he fought to just observe and try to get a bit of a grip on what they were sharing.

When the server took away their brunch plates Gretchen pulled three manilla file folders out of her briefcase. TJ looked at her a bit confused.

Gretchen smiled, "Your girlfriend has rules, Teej."

TJ looked at Angela who smiled sweetly. "Listen Ghost, if your cock is going to pound some poor MILF's pussy to oblivion and you are going to come home to me, I think it's only fair that I am part of the selection process. They also need to submit a recent STD test or it's a NOGO."

Gretchen added, "Also, since most request no condom and we can't be sure if they are truly on birth control, we have also included an addendum to the hold harmless agreement."

TJ nodded, "Fair."

Angi looked through the three folders, looking at pictures, careers, and reasons for requesting the "therapy." She studied each one before handing one of the folders back to Gretchen. "Recently divorced, wanting to get back into the dating world. She's looking for more than wild sex so she is a no-go."

TJ nodded as Angela handed TJ the two other folders. TJ took a look at both of them and passed one back to Gretchen. "Works at one of Elliot's clients and I don't want the investigation and the side hustle to cross my wires." He looked at the second file, "Ms Sarah Doyle or Sadie."

Gretchen nodded, "I didn't want to say anything, but do you know who Sadie Doyle is?"

Gray and Angela both shook their heads.

Gretchen smiled, "Sadie Doyle is the lead ballerina with the Australian Ballet. They will be at the Kennedy Center to perform La Bayadère."

Gray and Angela still looked confused, Gretchen sighed, "Chelpanova Olga tells the tale of Nikiya, a temple dancer, and her lover Solor, a warrior. They have sworn fidelity to each other, but the High Brahmin decided he wanted Nikiya to be his. She is eventually killed, but she and Solor are reunited in the afterlife."

Gretchen went on, "She's stunning, limber, 5'5", dark brown hair, an amazing dancer."

TJ smiled, "I love the orchestra, I love the theater, but I've never been able to get into ballet or opera."

Gretchen sang Sadie's praise, "She dances all over the world, sacrificed since she was a young woman, diet, discipline, and determination. She was counting carbs and calories long before that was a fad. A true artist who expresses herself with her body."

Angi joked and pulled the file folder away laughing, "Gretchen my dear, if you want this to happen, then you need to hush before my protective jealousy takes over."

TJ laughed and pulled the folder from Angi, "Expresses with her body huh, I might like this."

Angela looked at her love, "Fuck you very much, Ghost."

Gretchen pulled the folder back and opened it. "Five foot five, One hundred and thirteen pounds, with a 34 B bra."

Angi cupped her own tits and lifted them, "Oh, I got nothing to worry about then."

TJ shook his head as Gretchen went on, "A life of sacrifice and discipline, having to have complete control of diet, exercise, not to mention the business aspects of things. She wants to be forced, to be made to lose control. Her application says she's never had an orgasm with another person because she has always been terrified of losing control."

TJ nodded, "So, what's the plan?"

Gretchen read on, "The show will be here for two weeks. The company is staying at The Willard. As the principal of the company she will be in the Jenny Lind Suite. She will walk across the street to Pershing Park on Monday after arrival and leave the key taped to the bottom of the right corner of the bench in front of the Pershing Statue. She says, 'other than the first Friday where I will be hosted at a fancy evening hosted by the Australian Embassy' she wants to come in after a performance and have you waiting for her."

Gray nodded, "Fair enough."

Gretchen got a wry smile on her face, "She also says, 'if he can make me climax I will double the fee, I am a desperate woman who needs a night of complete freedom with someone who has no expectations of me other than to take what he wants.'

Gray smiled, "Maybe I'll bring pizza, force her to eat something good but not good for her."

Angi shook her head, "That's a dick move, no."

TJ pondered, "She wants to be surprised. Any way we can find an invite to the Australian embassy event?"

Angi looked at him, "She's going to blind drop the key, why the event?"

Gray furrowed his brow a bit, "She wants to be surprised, she said that night was off. What if someone from the dinner followed her back to her hotel, up the elevator, to the room and pushed her inside. She wouldn't be expecting that. If that doesn't work we still have another week to make something happen."

Gretchen nodded, "Let me see what I can do." The three paid their bill and went on their way.

Monday morning, Gray slipped to Pershing Park and picked up the room key. On Monday evening Gretchen acquired box seats for the performance of La Bayadère. Gray thought the music was exquisite and he actually enjoyed the performance. The athleticism and talent, combined with stage presence, and acting was impressive. Sadie was phenomenal, petite but strong. Her abs would put many fitness models to shame. Her strength and flexibility were like nothing TJ had ever seen.

As they were driving home Angela turned to him. "Okay, I'm a little envious."

TJ took her hand in his, "Nothing to be envious about Angi, to me, it's a mission - just like back in the day. I'm truly mission focused. It helps that she's attractive, but it's a mission."

Gunnery Sergeant lifted Gray's hand from the center console of the big suburban and kissed it. "Thanks, for the assurance. Sometimes a girl just needs to hear it." TJ chuckled, "Don't say it, do not say that I've gone soft," Angi chided him.

TJ smiled in the dark, "Not a word, nope, not a word."

Angela held onto his hand, "Just one word of caution."

TJ turned towards her at the red light, "I've always trusted your instincts Den Mother."

It was Angela's turn to smile, "Not instincts, just a word of caution. If Sadie has never had an orgasm, be ready to give some aftercare when she cums all over your cock. First, the size of that monster will scare the fuck out of her, looking at the bulges in those dancing tights of the guys today, you will terrify her. When she does cum on your cock, and I have no doubt she will, she will be scared of that too. We all get terrified the first time when our body overrides our brain, so be a little tender if that happens."

Gray continued to dig into Elliot. Thursday morning he was again sitting in his favorite diner when Sharpshooter walked in. TJ nodded to him as he approached with his same flamboyant ways, asking for his usual breakfast before he even sat down.

He pulled up his chair, "What's up, Ghost. Also, what's the rumbling out of Quantico that you and Den Mother are living together?"

TJ shook his head, "That didn't take long to get out."

Underwood chuckled, "You know the Colonel. The day you showed up to take her to lunch he was on the horn letting the old team know."

TJ laughed, "Why am I not surprised?"

Underwood went on, "So, you didn't call me here to tell me about you and Angi, what's going on TJ?"

TJ chuckled and used Mark's line on him, "What? Can't a friend invite a friend to breakfast just to catch up?"

Mark laughed, "As you said to me, bullshit. We can catch up anytime."

TJ nodded, "Fair enough," Gray went on to tell him about his trip to Benning, then looked at him seriously after their breakfasts were delivered.

"Mark, I need a favor," he said

Sharpshooter looked at his old friend, "I have a delicate situation and I need you to do some digging for me in a way that doesn't attract a lot of attention," Gray spoke softly.

Mark Underwood was a walking contrast. His mannerisms, his dress, his personality drew attention. He was loud, boisterous, and aggressive with his public display. Peel back the extroverted mask and you found the real Sharpshooter. He had a brilliant mind, understood tactics and strategy at the instinctual level. Some could learn tactics or strategy from a classroom. Very few understood both, and still fewer had the natural aptitude for it that Sharpshooter had.

TJ still didn't know what government agency he was with, he knew it wasn't the FBI because in DC you had to look the part of a fed. In the field, if you were part of your field offices weapons team, worked on a task force, or were undercover there were exceptions. In the shadow of the Hoover Building, you looked the part of an agent.

Gray also ruled out the CIA as they tended to focus their counter espionage efforts outside of CONUS (Continental United States). His guess was he was either working with a top line military unit like the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency Headquartered at Quantico. The National Security Agency out of Ft. Meade, Maryland, or most likely as an agent directly associated with the National Counterterrorism Center in McLean, Virginia

Mark looked at him as he took a bite of bacon, "I do owe you, what do ya got?"

Gray slipped him a small drive with all of the information he had on Elliot on it. Mark looked at it and slipped it into his shirt pocket.

TJ took a sip of coffee as he told him what he knew so far about Elliot, his dad, and the work he did. Finally he finished, "A person I know once said, "You know what you know, it's what you don't know that will get you killed."

Mark smiled, "I think I know that guy, I should write that down so when I write my book I can use that. Maybe the title even."

TJ smiled at his friend, "You aren't a SEAL, you won't be writing a book."

Underwood chuckled, "True, true. So, what's the sensitive part of this?"

TJ dropped his voice, "My cousin, Gretchen is a senior partner in the firm, the youngest of the partners. This is her life and her baby, and an espionage investigation would not look good on the firm."

Sharpshooter nodded, "End game?"

Gray thought, "Depends on what we find. Best case I'm a paranoid prick. Worst case is we find out who the next person of the food chain is, Elliot flips and goes into some sort of protection, or gets a job as an attorney with some intel agency that can keep him under wraps. Nuclear option is he gets perp walked out of Saban-Knight-Foster, clients bail and Gretchen hates me for ruining her career."

Mark nodded, "We won't let it go nuclear. I didn't save your worthless ass just to have you hated by your family." Mark smiled, "Maybe I should meet your cousin and she can properly thank me for saving you."

TJ smirked and surprised Underwood with the comment, "Maybe you should Shooter, maybe you should.

Thomas Patrick James (TJ) was the type of man that always had a plan, a contingency plan, and a fall back plan. Too many it looked like he was always 'winging it', which to the untrained eye he was. What most of the world didn't see were the late nights thinking through every possible scenario, the effort spent during the day to see where all of the pieces were and which way to shift based on conditions.

Even Angela wasn't aware of Gray's preparation until they had moved in together. Every morning around 2 AM she would roll over to find the space that should be filled by her lover was empty. She would get up and wander downstairs to find TJ sitting at the computer, or with legal pads in front of him.

Every time she went over and leaned over his shoulder, kissed him on the cheek and whispered, "Come to bed, you can work on this later."

Every time she heard, "Go on back to bed, I'll be up in a minute, just need to pull this thread."

On Friday morning she looked at him, she was concerned at how tired he looked. "Teej, you need to rest, you are killing yourself."

He poured his coffee, "This is Gretchen's life here Angi, her baby, her dream. I can't fuck this up or I would never be able to live with myself."

She stood on her tiptoes and kissed the tip of his chin, "She knows Ghost, we talked about the realities on our girls night. She won't blame you." TJ looked at her with a look that said more than any words he could speak. She spoke the words for him, "But you will blame you. Okay, if this goes tits up - just how worried I need to be about "never be able to live with myself?"

TJ slipped from in front of her and started to walk away. Angi grabbed his wrist and turned him around, "That's not going to happen Ghost, I fucking almost lost you once and I will not have that happen again - so tell that fucking demon inside your head to shut the fuck up."

TJ kissed her nose, "That's why I can't fuck this one up Angi."

When Friday night arrived TJ found himself walking into the Intercontinental at the Wharf as the new Australian embassy wasn't going to be officially opened until later in the year.

TJ was 'The Gray Man' on his best days he was 'Ghost.' This particular evening the last thing he wanted to do was blend in. He wanted to be seen, he wanted to be seen by Sadie.

Gray had returned to Brimble and Clark and met with Jerome to get the perfect tux for Friday. Most men would be in black tux and tie as it was a black tie event. He chose a white tuxedo jacket, it would be noticeable, which is exactly what he wanted.

He walked fashionably late. His white tux jacket stood out in the sea of traditional black. Sadie looked up and caught a glance of him as he walked down the stairway into the main ballroom. Dashing, handsome, experienced, sophisticated was her instant assessment.

He paused on the last step, taking measure of the crowded ballroom, a tall figure of a man...dressed very nicely in a pair of black slacks, a white shirt, black tie, and a white dinner jacket. His hair was short, though she could barely make anything else out as the light shining from behind him cast more of a shadow than anything.

As He began to walk into the room, she felt her heart pounding..."What is going on Sadie?" she asked herself. The ambassador's wife noticed her discomfort as well and she asked Sadie if she was feeling okay. It was apparent that the sight of this man, had awakened something deep within her. Her mind raced with all of those old mantras - no time, career, discipline. Yet her body was on fire, her pulse racing like a silly school girl.

She watched him move purposely to the bar, she was close enough to overhear his conversation with the bartender.

TJ ordered 'The Clint'. The bartender looked at Gray curiously. TJ smiled, "2 shots Campari. 1 shot vodka. Slice of orange. Soda water. In a tall glass with ice."

It was early, the bartender started to mix the drink when he asked in that distinctive Australian voice, "Sir, may I ask where in the world you heard of this?"

TJ smiled, "Bartending around DC this may be one to know. The drink is named after Clint Hill. Special Service agent that protected 5 Presidential families. He was in the motorcade in Dallas on November 22, 1963, assigned to protect First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Hill leapt onto the back of the presidential limousine in an effort to protect President and Mrs. Kennedy while shots were being fired. He is credited with saving Mrs. Kennedy's life."

The bartender nodded, "Heroic bloke."

Gray nodded, "Best of the best. Thanks for the drink."

The bartender chuckled, "Thanks mate for the recipe and the history."

Sadie almost trembled, his voice distinct and almost commanding even in his gentle presence. In that moment it was the sexiest thing she had ever heard.

Gray sipped the pink drink as his eyes took in the room. Sadie found herself smiling at this commanding presence of a man sipping his pink cocktail, almost daring anyone to challenge his presence. She was lost in observation when his green eyes wandered over to where she stood, a smirk on his face as he gave her a mischievous wink when their eyes met for the first time.

Gray walked towards her, confident in each step as he approached. Sadie's throat became dry, her heart now thumping so wildly in her chest, her palms sweating from anticipation of his very presence.

Sadie was the sort of woman no man could ignore, at least not for long. Dressed tonight in a long black gown with a slit that went midway up her left thigh, with her makeup perfect, her hair long and wavy draped over her shoulders with black sandals with straps that went up her calf that perfectly accentuated the arch of her slender, shapely feet. Her dainty toes were pedicured with a warm burgundy shade of polish.

She was quite accustomed to attracting attention, especially at events like these with uptight men and women. She was taken aback as the gorgeous specimen of a man walked right past her with a simple, "Good evening Ms. Doyle," as he passed. She could smell the light scent of his cologne as it wafted on the breeze left by his passing. Goosebumps raced up her arms at his mere presence and he knew who she was, yet he was still the great unknown to her.

Gray was seated at a table that allowed him a direct view of Sadie. His green eyes appraised her. She, a world renowned dancer, being feted at her nation's embassy. A diva, an inspiration to young ballerinas all over the world. Sadie had perfected the lift of her nose, the coquettish angle of her neck, and when she did so onstage audiences marveled. Yes she was proud, in control, disciplined. Yet, under his constant gaze she felt something stir deep within her. She knew what it must feel like to be prey.