WSIM24B Ch. 02

- "You do?"

- "I thought that being partners, or teammates, meant that we had to keep a professional relationship. I didn't think that you would take me seriously if we were having sex."

- "I take you very seriously, Erika."

- "I know. You proved that to me at the lagoon. I just... I forgot. And I had to re-learn the lesson. I feel... so good now. Thanks to you. I feel confident, and energized, and I know that I can trust you."

- "You can." Okay, that alone was odd for me. When had a woman ever been able to trust me? I don't mean that I was going to steal their money - but relying on me? I was always looking for the next opportunity. Her friend, her cousin, even her sister, once.

But I thought that I understood what Erika meant. As her partner, I wasn't going to let her down. I would approach each challenge with the same intensity, the same tenacity as she did. Maybe it just came down to respect - I had more respect for her than just about any other woman I'd met, or had sex with. She deserved to know that. I just didn't know how to say it.

"You were right, too, though." I said. "I feel energized, too. Stress free. But I hope that I'm not too distracted, this coming week. Because the sex is amazing. I hope that I don't start daydreaming when we're being tested."

She laughed. "Somehow, I think you'll be okay - even if I have to punch you in the head."

***

We were okay. Better than okay, actually. We finished first overall in the final week. The trainers threw some outrageous curve-balls at us, but we absolutely smoked them, every time.

That Friday night, I would have rented a hotel room, if I'd had the money. Instead, we picked the lock on the custodian's room. She knelt on the hard floor and blew me; I knelt on the floor and ate her. Then we coupled frantically. There was an extra edge of desperation in it - there were only three months left in our training. Would we even see each other again?

She kissed me goodbye.

On Saturday, I was among the first to be shipped out. I ended back at the school, for two more weeks of mind-numbing training in research, hacking, and coding. If I made it into ISEC (which I was pretty sure of, now), and they assigned me to a desk to do this shit, I would probably end up shooting myself.

Then came moving day. I had a long journey to Camp 5, the inland site, next to the lake. We arrived late in the day, just as the trainees who'd gotten there sooner were having dinner.

- "Thorn!"

Well lo and behold. There was Jane, trotting over to greet me, her big breasts bouncing. She didn't stop until she practically collided with me. I had no other option but to catch her. She was definitely an armful.

Over her shoulder, I caught a glimpse of a big, dark guy glaring at me. He didn't look happy.

- "Hey, Jane." I said.

- "This is so awesome!" she said. "We can be partners again!"

- "That would be great." I said. "But who is that guy just over there?"

Jane looked around. "Oh." she said. "That's Ramon. He and I... kinda teamed up last month."

- "Kinda?"

- "Well, you weren't there, Thorn. And did you team up with anybody, last month? Somehow, I don't think that you were all by your lonesome. Were you?"

- "Jane - it's really nice to see you. But does Ramon expect to be your partner again?" Knowing Jane, she had probably signed him up the moment she arrived, or when he arrived.

- "These things are flexible." she said. "He'll understand."

I didn't think that he would. In fact, Ramon was already heading over towards us - and it wasn't so that he could congratulate us, or graciously cede his place with Jane. I gently moved her to the side, just so that she wouldn't be in the way.

Ramon was a big dude. Not so tall as me, but built like a power lifter.

- "What the fuck are you doing?" he demanded of Jane.

- "Thorn and I go way back." she said. "I met him a long time before you and I connected. So I was thinking that I should probably -"

- "Fuck no." he said. Then Ramon turned to me. "Get the fuck away from her, dickwad. Because I will literally fuck you up. You won't even see it coming."

That was good enough for me. I kicked him in the balls. Hard. As he bent over, and his head came down, I met it with a rising knee. He went down.

It was all over, in a matter of seconds.

The trainers appeared very quickly, and pushed me back, well away from Ramon and Jane.

Only then did it occur to me that I might have screwed up my ISEC training.

*****