The Job:ii
413 Words
Before Aveline could respond, a voice broke through the hush like glass cracking in water.
“There you are, Mr. Langston.”
A woman approached—tall, sharp-cheekboned, wrapped in crimson silk. Her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes as she took hold of Cade’s arm with practiced ease.
Possessive.
Aveline’s expression remained poised, unreadable.
Cade’s jaw flexed, but he didn’t pull away.
“I was beginning to think you’d slipped out,” the woman said, then turned her gaze toward Aveline. “And who’s this?”
“A guest,” Cade replied simply. “Admiring the artwork.”
Aveline smiled with that kind of grace that says I could disappear or become unforgettable—your choice.
“Lovely meeting you,” she said smoothly. “I’ll let you both get back to... whatever this is.”
She turned, her heels clicking softly against the marble. Cade didn’t stop her—but he watched.
She could feel it.
Every step away, she knew the impression had been made.
This was just the begining .
Aveline’s fingers moved quickly over the hidden zipper at her side, peeling the silk dress away like a second skin. She stood before the mirror in her rented suite, backlit by the city’s distant lights, her reflection caught between two lives.
The heels came off.
The earrings next.
She wasn’t anyone’s distraction now.
She crossed to the antique desk near the window, opened a slim black laptop, and keyed in a six-digit code.
A screen flickered to life: No logos. No branding. Just a blinking cursor and a text-only prompt.
AGENT 37 – Status update.
She leaned back, thinking. Then typed.
> Encounter successful. Target made visual contact. No direct resistance.
Engaged in minimal conversation. Observed natural guarded behavior.
Noted female associate. Potential personal involvement.
Target profile confirmed — emotionally closed, hyper-aware, solitary.
Unreadable.
She paused… fingers hovering.
Then added:
> Interesting reaction to confrontation.
Observed microexpression: discomfort masked by sarcasm.
He watched me leave.
That last sentence — unnecessary. She knew it. But she sent the report anyway.
The cursor blinked again. Then a new message appeared:
Continue observation. Do not engage further unless necessary.
Maintain distance. Trust is earned, not taken.
And remember — he is dangerous.
Aveline stared at the screen.
She knew danger. She didn’t flinch from it.
But something about Cade Langston didn’t feel like danger.
It felt like temptation dressed in armor.
And she wasn’t sure if she was ready to resist it.
- Writer
