The next morning when she woke up, she was hoping that Mickey would be gone. Except, her hopes were dashed when she heard loud cursing coming from the kitchen. She hurried down there to see what the hell was going on. Lucas was still asleep but she wanted to get up before him to be able to make breakfast. It appeared that Mickey had decided he wanted to make breakfast, or something. He wasn't doing a very good job of it. She started to yell at him in Italian because she definitely didn't want him to understand that she was calling him a moron who she should have let bleed out the night before, it would be less of a mess to clean up, and shoved him towards the kitchen table. 

"Wait hey...hold up...hang on...what slow down!" He yelled at her as he moved towards the table, she was shoving at his back the entire time. She wasn't short, really, but she was pretty slender and he was definitely considerably bigger than her in height and size so this wasn't easy to do. She was sure he was just allowing it as opposed to her really pushing him against his will. He sat down and looked at her. "Good morning to you too." 

"Ugh you....pain in my ass!" She yelled and went back into the kitchen to clean up whatever the fuck he was trying to do that was now burned to the pan. "Fucking moron, get your ass shot then come here and interrupt my fucking birthday sex I swear to God..." 

"If you wanted birthday sex that bad you could have just-" 

"NOT FROM YOU!" She yelled, "Why the...how did you get shot anyway? Sticking your big nose somewhere it doesn't belong?" 

"Does it matter?" He asked. 

"Yes because I want to make sure no one tried to follow you." She said and ended up throwing the pan in the trash because it was ruined and easier to buy a new one. She got out a new pan and some eggs from the fridge because that was quick and easy, bacon as well. She was too annoyed to make anything more than that for the morning and it would be more than enough for all of them. 

"No one else came here last night so...." 

"You're leaving, after breakfast." She told him as she started to crack the eggs open and into a bowl. He chuckled and shook his head before grunting softly in pain and shifting to get his phone out of his pocket. She looked at him and then went back to what he was doing, getting focused on beating the eggs to spend some of her excess energy. She shut him out until the point he was standing by the counter and she noticed him out of the corner of her eye. He set his phone down and slid it towards her. She looked down at it. A text message from her father.

You can lay low with Galina for a bit, she'll take good care of you and you can protect her as well.

"Mother fucker," She muttered. For now, she was going to accept that, but as soon as breakfast was over she intended to call him as fast as possible and explain why she didn't want that and it wouldn't be a good idea. She didn't even live out in the Hampton's, this was just a vacation home. She had her own loft in the city, it was closer to where she attended school. Though she could commute from where she was to school, she didn't want to have to do that because of the traffic and how long of a drive it was. She didn't know who Mickey was trying to run from but if he had to lay low now, it was bad. Dangerous even. She didn't think this guy could protect her with a bomb strapped to his chest either. "I'm going to have a word with him after we eat." 

"Suit yourself but it won't work." He said and went to sit down again, "Can I get some juice or something?" 

"You have hands, and legs, and can clearly see the fridge with your eyes that definitely work. Get it yourself." She snapped at him. He grumbled under his breath and went to the fridge then pulled out a carton of orange juice, which he started to drink directly from instead of trying to get a glass. She was about to scream at him to stop but took a deep breath instead. He was probably trying to push her limits and she didn't want to give him the satisfaction. Besides, she preferred coffee with breakfast so it wouldn't matter. Lucas did as well. She went back to cooking trying to ignore him, even when he burped so loud it seemed to make the walls shake. 

"What are you making?" He asked, poking his head over her shoulder. 

"Eggs, I mean...fuck is that not obvious? I have literally one ingredient here other than the bacon." She told him. 

"Sorry," He laughed, taking the entire orange juice container with him to sit down at the table. He looked at her and she looked back for a moment before focusing on the eggs again. Normally they wouldn't have been so plain and boring but she didn't want to reward this guy for being an ass so she wasn't going to make him anything special. A moment later, Lucas came into the kitchen and pulled her into a kiss. This immediately melted her bitter exterior and she kissed him back, wrapping her arms around him for a moment as she did. "Who's this?" 

"Seriously?" She asked as she pulled away from Lucas, "This is my boyfriend, Lucas, and Lucas this is the fucking moron who got shot like an idiot and ruined one of my pans. His name is Mikey or something." She definitely knew it wasn't Mikey but she wanted to annoy him as much as he was annoying her in the moment. 

"Actually, it's Mickey but close enough." He said looking Lucas over almost like he was an instant threat. She didn't know why, seeing as how they'd only met once before and hadn't even gotten along when that happened. She told him to his face he was going to end up getting shot and he called her hot. He also didn't seem to care that she was the daughter of his boss who would definitely kill him for doing anything to her. "Nice to meet you." 

"Same," Lucas said and went to make himself some coffee, "Your father sure knows how to pick 'em." 

"Useful idiot," Galina said, then laughed, except she said it in Italian. Lucas laughed and leaned against the counter as he studied Mickey like he was also sizing the guy up. 

"I know one of those words means useful." Mickey said. 

"I see what you mean," Lucas told her, turning his head to speak to her momentarily before looking back. "What is it that you do then, Mickey? Drug mule? Getaway driver? Waste disposal?" 

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Mickey sneered. "Who the fuck is this guy and why does-" 

"He works for my father as well, just in a better position than you." Galina said, "That's how he knows you are below him." 

"Working my way up, it's only been a month." Mickey insisted. 

"Getting shot doesn't also usually get you a promotion." Lucas told him. They went silent then started to glare at each other before she broke the silence by holding a plate of food out to Lucas. 

"Please just...ignore him." She asked, "I'll get him out of here soon enough then we can head back to my place in the city." 

"Wouldn't count on that." Mickey told her. 

"I know how to handle my father better than you ever would." Galina snapped at him. She made another plate of food for herself then gave what very little was left over to a second plate. She picked them both up and headed for the table, setting the plate with the least amount of food in front of Mickey. She sat down across from him and Lucas came over with three forks so they could all eat and set them on the table. She grabbed hers and started to eat watching as Lucas moved back and forth to bring them both mugs of coffee. 

"You didn't answer my question," Lucas said, "What is it that you do?" 

"Jack of all trades," Mickey replied. 

"He's a gofer," Lucas laughed, "You were right...useful idiot." He said the last part in Italian as well. 

"Okay I know that can't be a good thing, whatever you keep calling me, but since I only understand half of it I'll pretend it is." Mickey told them. He started to eat hungrily, every once in a while drinking more juice. Galina was pretty sure he was going to finish it, just to spite them, or at least thinking that it would. She didn't know why he thought that would work. As long as he was drinking he couldn't say anything stupid which was nice for both of them. 

"Your father really told him to stay here?" Lucas asked, "There's no way that's a good idea." 

"I agree," She said, "But you know how I am with him, I can get him to change his mind." 

"Not if...well, you know how he is don't you?" Lucas replied. He was right about that. When her father had his mind set on something or whatever he wanted was important she never got a say. At that point, she couldn't really see how exactly Mickey was such a huge asset to the family that she couldn't talk her father into making him leave but she didn't know. She was privy to a lot of the information that filtered through but not all of it. Her father was training her to do a lot of things outside of the illegal medicine she was practicing so it was typically beneficial for her to know. 

"I will go take care of that right now, then, it'll be easy. I promise." She said, leaning over to kiss Lucas on the cheek before getting up to head out of there. 

"Good luck!" Mickey called after her. She tried to ignore the urge to scream at him again as she headed up to the bedroom where she had left her phone. She was hoping, beyond hope, that her father would change his mind but she had a sinking feeling that it wasn't going to be that easy. It never was.

*****

For some completely not at all surprising reason, her father really liked Mickey. He was still just a gofer, as Lucas had called him, but she knew why this was. He definitely turned out to be the type to take orders, follow them, never question anything about it and then collect money. If she had to guess, he wasn't much of a snitch either (if any) and he was probably desperate to work his way up the chain of command. Given that he was quite the bumbling idiot and had gotten himself shot in a month like she'd predicted, she didn't know how he was ever going to learn to be a hitman. The thing was that maybe, just maybe, his penchant for following orders without question would lead to him also being easy to train. That kind of concerned her. If her father didn't like him even slightly, he wouldn't be in this house right now. He wouldn't have even been sent here. No, he'd have been sent to the actual doctor or the doctor would have been sent to him. This was going to be a problem. 

She tried to explain to her father that she couldn't really watch him there or stay with him because of school. She was very close to graduating and she needed to make sure that she got there on time. City traffic was terrible and she would be better off at her penthouse. If he wanted her to work for the family and be good at what she did then he should be concerned about her grades and life so she could make it to graduation in the first place. He did agree to that but even worse, he told her to take Mickey to the penthouse in the city. It seemed like she wasn't going to be getting rid of this parasite any time soon. All of this angered her to a point of screaming and throwing her phone at the wall. It drew attention to what her state of mind was and brought Lucas into her room a moment later. 

"Looks like I'll be getting you another phone huh?" He asked. 

"It's not funny! He wants me to babysit that dumb pile of moron until he's better and I don't know why!" Galina snapped back at him, "Sweet Mother Mary help me to not kill him in his sleep." Lucas came over to her and pulled her into a hug. She struggled for a bit before just relaxing and allowing it because, for some reason, his hugs always made her feel better. This wasn't the life she had wanted, it wasn't exactly what he'd wanted either, but they both knew that they couldn't really be together if they didn't also play by the rules. Lucas was good at what he did, sure enough, but he had never gotten along with her father to the point where he wanted to approve of them dating. Since he wouldn't give any sort of blessings for them to get married, they were kind of still stuck in the dating phase. Lucas was attempting to win him over but nothing he'd done so far was working. 

"It'll be fine, I don't have to work until later tonight anyway. Your father wants me at the club to transport some cargo, take care of a few things." He said, "We do those runs at night because they aren't as monitored." 

"I know," She said, "He told me to take Mickey back to the penthouse. He's going to get into all my stuff, yours too." 

"We'll just lock him out of the master bedroom, how hard could that be? He couldn't find his ass with two hands and a flashlight." Lucas laughed. She chuckled and rested her head on his shoulder then closed her eyes. She sure hoped that he was right about that because she didn't need this asshole invading her life and privacy more than he already had, even if she was pretty sure the guy already knew how to pick locks.

*****

The move from the house in the Hampton's to the penthouse in the city hadn't been too bad. Lucas had forced Mickey into the back then they had just gone to ignoring him for the rest of the trip. It had only been a few hours, after all, and though Mickey had tried to make it as annoying as possible he gave up when he realized it wasn't working. When they got to her place, Galina took him to the guest room and explained to him that this was where he would be staying. He was not to go in any room with locked doors (or try to get them open) and he was to mind his own fucking business. She was only doing this because she had to, not because she wanted to, and he was going to have to learn that he was an unwanted guest. This didn't mean hospitality either. The building that her penthouse was in was one of the many properties in the city her father owned. It was secure and monitored. If the person or people who had shot Mickey were still after him they would know better than to try to get in here unless they wanted a massacre. 

When she had taken care of that, she gave him some more morphine, hoping it would make him less annoying (and cause him to pass out) then she headed back down to the kitchen where Lucas had made them both coffee. She took the mug that he held out to her and took a sip, only to find that a considerable amount of rum had been added to it. She normally wouldn't have minded but it was so early in the morning and she wasn't looking to get drunk at that point in time. She gave him a look. 

"Sorry, thought it would help relax you." He said and took the mug back. 

"I do appreciate the sentiment but I also have to watch that dumb turd upstairs and I think it's best if at least one of us is sober." She chuckled, "But you have all the fun you want, I know it takes a lot more to get you wasted." Alcohol wasn't her favorite thing in the universe, mostly because of the hangover it caused. Popping pills was far more preferable and easier to control and she could get them from just about anyone in the 'family' if she wanted them. It wasn't something she did often but she did it enough to know how to have fun. 

"Your father is a piece of work, you know that right?" Lucas asked and dumped her mug in the sink. He rinsed it out and then went to make her a normal cup of coffee without alcohol. She sat down on one of the stools at the island in the kitchen and rested her chin in her hands as her elbows rested on the surface of the counter. 

"Oh you don't say? The Godfather of the entire damn mafia is a piece of work." She replied with a smug little smirk. He laughed and turned to look at her running his hand over the skin of his clean shaven head. 

"I will marry you, no matter what annoying ass things he does to us to try to distract us both from that idea." Lucas insisted. 

"You think bringing Mickey here and making me watch him is a distraction?" She asked. 

"You don't think it is?" He replied. 

"Guess you have a point. I think he figures if there's another guy here I'll actually give a shit and not fuck you or something." She said, "You have a cigarette?" He nodded and got a pack out of his jacket, with a lighter, and slid it across the counter to her. She picked up the pack and got one out. 

"That's not true though, and you know it." Lucas told her. 

"Oh yeah I know," She said and lit the cigarette, taking a long drag, "However, I don't exactly like the idea of him walking in on us doing anything like that and you know he will because he was born to be that way." 

"So what?" He asked, "I'll just show him who really owns that ass." 

"Ha ha..." She rolled her eyes but smiled anyway, "You think some sort of macho display of dominance over me will put him in his place?" 

"Maybe...or he could possibly be way too stupid to understand that sort of thing." He smiled back at her and grabbed her new cup of coffee, moving to set it down in front of her. She reached for it after tapping off the ashes from her cigarette in a nearby ashtray and took a sip. "So...what do you want to do until he comes down here and starts bothering us again?" 

"How about a movie?" She asked. It was pure luck that her birthday had fallen on a Friday, so she wasn't really going to have to worry about anything for that day, which was a Saturday. It was kind of late in the day and she knew that she was going to be limited on what they could do. It wasn't a good idea to leave Mickey alone there so their options were watching a movie, watching TV, or playing a video game. Of course, the last option was sex but usually those activities turned into that anyway and it wasn't something she needed to mention. 

"Sounds good," He said and headed with her over to the couch. She hoped that they'd at least get a few hours of quiet before the obnoxious whining started again. There had to be a reason Mickey was there and her father was being so insistent about it. It wasn't like him to do this, in fact, he never had done this before, and that raised a lot of red flags. Still, without any sort of evidence to something being wrong, she couldn't start outright making accusations and that meant living in denial until the facts showed themselves. It was one thing she was very good at doing and had been her entire life.

It wasn't long ago when he knocked on the front door in the middle of the night looking for work. How he'd gotten past the guards at the gate had been a mystery but it was probably the only reason her father had hired him. His ability to do something like that. Of course, this was after a gun was held to his head, he was threatened repeatedly, and slapped around a bit because they'd thought he was tricking them. When it became apparent he was kind of stupid and didn't know much, it was then decided that he'd make a perfect courier. At least to start. It was discussed that if he was any good at it, maybe they'd give him a better job. This was done in front of him, just in Italian, and he stood there looking blissfully ignorant to the entire situation. She had been there, in the doorway, watching. He waited, patiently, until he was given a box and told an address to deliver it to. Just as secretly as he'd gotten to the door there. He was not to question what was in the box, open it, or do anything other than deliver it to the assigned area. He didn't question this, at all, and due to that, she knew her father was going to like him. A lot. Stupid and took orders easy.

"Galina, darling, show him out so he doesn't get lost." Her father told her. She didn't really like being part of this family, this entire situation, and the occupation of 'waste management' but she knew she didn't have much of a choice. There was really only one way out of this and it wasn't anything that would keep her alive. This guy was harmless and she already felt bad for him, knowing that he wasn't going to make it very far.

"Come on," She sighed, "Mikey was it?"

"Mickey," He said. “Just a nickname, my real name is-”

"Right don’t care," She muttered and headed away from her father's office, amazed that he'd survived in the first place. Either he actually was dumb or just very good at playing dumb. "You shouldn't have come here. This is very dangerous."

"Don't you worry your pretty little head about that." He chuckled, turning and grabbing her cheek to pinch it. He only managed to actually do this because she was stunned that he had the balls to try that on the cheek of the Mafia Don's daughter. She slapped his hand away from her quickly and backed up.

"You realize who I am right? Who that man is? What this is....the house you just walked into? All of that?" She asked.

"Sure but, pay is good so not going to turn down work where I can get it. No matter what it is." He told her and continued to head down the hall. She had to hurry to catch up with him because he was irrationally tall. Size alone would get him far in this if he actually knew how to fight or worse than that. She just didn't think he did.

"Is that what you think or do you actually think you're going to somehow work your way up to a better position here because let me tell you that-"

"What do you know about any of this?" He asked, sparing a short glance over his shoulder without pausing.

"Idiot, I'm the daughter of the...the guy you just talked to." She snapped, since it had been well trained into her not to use words like "mafia" or "mob" or "Don" if she could absolutely prevent it. He definitely knew why he was there, he'd gotten the calling card and he'd gone out of his way to get in and not get his ass shot. He stopped walking then turned to look at her, a blank look on his face as it looked like his brain was trying to connect one wire to the other and put it all together.

"Uh...oh...OH! Yeah right, that...you're hot." He smiled then turned and started to walk again.

"You're going to get your dumb ass shot you know, I give it a week. A month at most." She told him as they reached the door. He opened it up and turned back to look at her.

"I've heard that before, bet I'll surprise you." He said before leaving with a bit of a bounce in his step. Typically, before anyone arrived there or tried to get work she also tried to warn them about what they were entering into. Some of them were straight up psychopaths and she gave up easily enough on those types. Some were just very desperate and she was at least able to remind them that selling your soul to the mob wasn't the answer, prompting them to leave. This guy was stupid, didn't seem desperate, and she doubted he was a psychopath. A useful idiot, as her father would say, and because of that, she knew this wouldn't be the last time she'd be having to deal with him either.

*****

The night of her twenty first birthday was supposed to be a fun night and for the most part it was. Her boyfriend Lucas had gotten her an amazing set of diamond earrings for the occasion and her father had rented out the hottest club in the city just for her. Everyone who was anyone had shown up. Even though most of the time she really wanted nothing to do with the family business it was nights like these that reminded her how great things could potentially be. It was nearly two in the morning when she headed back to the vacation home in the Hampton's to be alone with Lucas. Not twenty minutes after they got there, were they interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Just ignore it," Lucas muttered, "No one is supposed to be here anyway."

"That's what concerns me," Galina sighed, reaching to grab his shirt to pull it on. She got out of bed and walked to the dresser, pulling a gun from the top drawer. "I'll handle this, it won't take a minute."

"Yeah, I'm sure..." He sighed and she knew he didn't believe her but he really had no reason to. If they were being interrupted this late in this house then it was going to be business. There were very few people who even knew where this location was. Men got sent to her, a lot, because she could take care of them. She was very close to graduating from nursing school and she was the best they had in way of care where someone also didn't have to go to an ER and report their injuries. There was another one available, a doctor, but if he wasn't around or couldn't be reached everything defaulted to her. She had a feeling she knew exactly what this would be considering that it had been exactly a month since she met Mickey.

She checked her gun to make sure a bullet was racked into the chamber before opening the door and aiming it right in front of her confidently. She was somewhat small, at least smaller than most of the men she knew and dealt with but she was expecting whoever it was to be considerably injured. She wasn't wrong about that either. There he was, right on schedule, and he had a bullet wound to his shoulder. His hand was clasped over it tightly and he was leaning against the side of the house with a grimace on his face.

"Hey so uh...they sent me here and...fuck it's you." He muttered.

"Yeah it's me." She sighed and lowered the gun, "Really? On my birthday?"

"Oh I'm sorry maybe I should have told them it was your birthday and they'd have waited to shoot at me until tomorrow." He hissed at her.

"Just...get your ass inside please." She growled. He glared at her and shoved his way into the house stumbling until he was in the kitchen and sitting down at the table. She stuck her head outside to look around, trying to make sure he wasn't followed, and then shut the door and locked it. "In the kitchen?"

"I'm not going to make it much further than this unless you can carry me and you definitely can't." He said. She rolled her eyes and started to turn on lights.

"Give me a second I need to get some supplies. I'm not exactly a nurse yet but I'm close so this is the best you're going to get if you are trying to avoid the ER." She told him.

"I'm sure those little fingers can dig a bullet out just fine." He muttered and rested back in the chair heavily. She grumbled under her breath about him being an idiot, again, and walked through the house. Once upstairs, she replaced the gun in the dresser drawer and went into the bathroom to grab her supplies. She'd done this a shocking number of times since she'd gone into nursing school. At first it was very unnerving but now she was used to it. The good news was that it looked like the bullet was lodged higher up in his shoulder and wouldn't affect anything vital. It would be a process of removing it and stitching up the wound. Something she could do even if legally she shouldn't be doing it. The only reason she'd agreed to staying and working for the family was if she could help people instead of hurt them. It was a blessing and a curse.

"What is it?" Lucas asked.

"Some idiot who got shot because he's a fucking moron." She said, "You know the routine."

"I do," He replied and reached for the remote to the TV, "Just wish it didn't cock block me so much."

"You think I like it? And I told you that you are entirely free to break up with me if you want but my father will probably have you taken care of for breaking my heart if you do." She told him with a smug look, because she was joking about that. He laughed and turned the TV on before starting to skim through the channels.

"Your father already doesn't like me so don't be too sure that won't happen anyway." He said, "Already check the brakes on my car consistently."

"Then he's probably not going to get you by having someone cut your brakes." She replied. "It'll only take a bit then I'll kick him out or shove him into the guest room, whatever is easier and we can finish our night in here."

"If you say so." He muttered.

"Alright then you can fuck me as hard as you want in the morning. You can even do it in front of this shit head for all I care." She told him and headed for the door.

"I'm holding you to that!" He called after her. She laughed and headed down the hall and down the stairs into the kitchen. Mickey was still sitting at the table looking dazed. There wasn't a ton of blood dripping at that point so she could only assume the bleeding had stopped, for the most part. She set her bag of stuff on the kitchen table and started to get things out of it. The very first thing she got out was a clean syringe and a vial of morphine.

"You allergic to anything?" She asked him.

"Not that I know of," He muttered, "Please tell me those are painkillers, good ones."

"Yeah, morphine." She said and loaded up the needle with a dose that was a bit high but wouldn't be dangerous for a guy his size. It would just pacify him enough that she could get the bullet out and usually that meant making at least a small cut in his skin to be able to get it free. She did not like being grabbed or slapped away while she was doing something like that. It just made her more likely to stab someone.

"Good." He whispered.

"Take off your jacket." She told him. He let out a pathetic whine then moved to do as she asked, wincing and groaning as he did. He was in a short sleeve shirt under that so it made finding a vein and cleaning his arm off easy. "This is going to make you-"

"I know, I've had morphine just hurry it up already." He snapped.

"Fine, whatever," She told him and shoved the needle into his arm, being painful about it on purpose. She injected him as quickly as she could, only being careful because she didn't need him to have such a rush from it that he puked on her, then pulled the needle back out. After that she went into the kitchen to wash her hands and make sure they were as sterile as possible before putting her gloves on.

"Oh fuck...that was...a lot of morphine." He moaned about a minute later.

"Going to complain even more now?" She called.

"No...oh no...no complaints this is...awesome." He laughed. She snickered softly, she had to admit he was kind of cute, at least when he was stoned. She wasn't sure she wanted to deal with him any longer while he was sober. She finished washing her hands and came back to the table. She pulled on her gloves and took her scalpel from the case.

"Take your shirt off." She said.

"Not going to buy me dinner first?" He muttered.

"Yeah not worth my time." She said, "Do something about whatever the facial hair is you are trying to pass off as a beard and we'll talk."

"Bitch," He grumbled and pulled off his shirt. She pulled a lamp over there to light up the area more easily and shoved him back into the chair before cleaning the area around the wound as best she could, and as fast as she could, before moving in to make the incision.

"Hold still and if you hit me or grab me so help me god I will jam this into your balls." She told him, holding up the scalpel so he could clearly see it.

"Kinky...I like that," He joked.

"You won't like it when I castrate you." She warned and pulled at the skin a bit to make the incision. Once she had, she grabbed some tweezers and yanked out the bullet. It was a small one. Looked like a .22 caliber. That made this much easier than had it been bigger. She grabbed some gauze and held it tightly over the wound, amazed that he hadn't made so much as a peep while she had done all that. Either he was trying to be tough, it was the massive dose of morphine, or both. She didn't know or care. All she wanted was for this to be over with so that she could get back to her boyfriend. "Hold that there I'll need to stitch you up."

"Yes, Mistress." He grumbled putting his hand over the gauze to press it into the wound tightly. She quickly changed her gloves, washed her hands again, and put on a new pair. She opened the suture kit that she had and slapped his hand away to begin stitching him up once he had moved enough to get in close. He did yelp and whine a bit as she did this, keeping his eyes closed tightly and head turned away. It was a longer process than getting the bullet out and she probably hadn't done a great job cleaning the area like she should have but she figured that she could get him antibiotics or just refer him to the actual doctor in the morning. She wasn't sure she cared at the moment. Her job was to make sure one of the men didn't die immediately, not long term care.

"There you go," She said when she finished. She cleaned up the area again and put a loose bandage over it.

"Thanks so...I'm crashing here." He said in the way that it wasn't a request or even a question. She didn't see how he was in any condition to drive or walk somewhere with how banged up and stoned he was so she just nodded in agreement.

"Couch is in the other room, guestroom is down the hall, do not come upstairs or I will shoot you in the face." She warned.

"Is that a promise?" He asked.

"You bet your ass it is." She told him. "Don't go in any room with a locked door and don't bother me for the rest of the night. If you aren't annoying I'll give you more morphine when I get up and probably breakfast, I guess."

"Thanks, you're pretty okay when you're saving someone's life." He replied then smiled stupidly at her.

"Sleep it off." She told him and patted his cheek. He got up and stumbled out of there, clearly headed for the other room. It was hard to tell if he was going to end up in the guest room or on the couch but it didn't matter to her either way. She cleaned up the mess in the kitchen and on the table then tossed out anything unsanitary or bio-hazardous. As she was headed towards the stairs she saw that he had, miraculously, made it to the doorway of the guest bedroom and was leaning against the frame heavily. "Sweet dreams."

"Galina....was it?" He asked after a moment as she made her way up the stairs. She paused and looked over at him.

"Yes?" She asked.

"A month and a day...so you were wrong." He laughed and opened the door to the guest room.

"No, it's been a-"

"One month...one day." He insisted and stumbled into the room. A moment later, the door slammed shut behind him. She paused as she thought about it. She could have sworn that it had been exactly a month but as she counted back to when they'd actually met, it had technically been after midnight. Just like it was now. He was just barely right about that. It wasn't a month and a day but it was over one month by just a few hours. She rolled her eyes and headed up the stairs anyway. So what if he was kind of right and he'd made it longer than she'd predicted? It was her birthday and she was going to finish off the night with a bang. He wasn't going to get in her way anymore. At least, she certainly hoped that was the case.

“Kicking you out or not we still need a safeword.” She told him, her hands gripping his arms, sliding up his biceps to his shoulders where they stopped so she could dig her nails in sharply. He hissed in pain and dug his fingers deeper into her hair, pulling back and tightening his grip as they both stared each other down, neither one of them willing to relent just yet. It was going to be one hell of a fight but she was looking forward to it.

“Tacos.” He said. She laughed, but that kind of made it the perfect safeword. She was fine with using it if that was what he wanted.

“Tacos it is then.” She agreed, and there they stayed, frozen in place, her eyes staring deep into his as she not only contemplated her first move but what his next one might be as well. He had the upper hand with how his body was straddling hers and the leverage he had with her hair. She knew she could play it dirty and knee him in the groin or something but she was trying to play hard to get, not ruin a good time. “Let go of me.”

“Why?”

“Because I fucking said so.”

“Make me.” He challenged. She growled, lifted her high heel clad foot and moved it around until it made contact with his skin. She didn’t do it roughly or with intent to hurt just enough to show him what she could do if she wanted. The end point of the stiletto came to a rest right under his knee cap and she slowly began to apply pressure. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“Wouldn’t I?” She asked and pulled her leg back abruptly like she was actually going to kick him. He flinched first and jumped back, letting go of her hair with a yelp and a breathless laugh, even though she hadn’t made contact with him, nor had she intended to. Luckily he hadn’t called her bluff, but that was only because he didn’t know her. Sooner or later her little tricks weren’t going to work on him but on the upside, his tricks would stop working on her once she learned them. “What now?”

“Run.” He whispered. No sooner than that had she gotten up and ran out of the room with a smile on her face. Already he was much more fun than the usual people she had over for a sexy rendezvous. She turned a corner and made it to the steps where she kicked her shoes off and ran up to the bedroom. Just as she was turning around to shut the door (trying to do it quietly) it burst in and she stumbled back. He caught her arm to keep her from falling back and flat on her ass, only to bring her in close and tight like a restraining hold.

“Fuck.” She muttered.

“What was that? Was that…fuck me master? Hmm?” He asked.

“You fucking wish.” She snarled. He laughed then easily picked her up and tossed her onto the large four post bed as easily as if she were a pillow. Probably to him she was because of their size difference. This didn’t stop her from sitting up and attempting to crawl off the bed but in a heartbeat he was on top of her, pinning her into the blankets on her stomach, one of his knees in the small of her back as he pulled her wrists behind her. “Let go! I will so make you regret this!” She warned, wondering what he would do. She was the type to keep going and going until she heard the safe word (that was if she ever did). Some people thought it was too much when she said let go or no or stop. She didn’t see it that way, they had established a safe word for a reason and as he continued to tie her wrists behind her back with the tie that was formerly around his neck she knew that he was going to be a great partner.

“Well, I’m sure you’ll have time to make me regret this eventually. Just not tonight, little bitch.” He whispered in her ear. She squealed, trying to kick at him as he lifted her again and laid her on her back. Her wrists tugged and pulled at the makeshift restraint around them but they were good. She wasn’t going anywhere. He stood up next to the bed, breathing heavily as he unbuttoned the cuffs of his shirt and started to roll them up to his elbow. She watched him, trying to catch her breath and figure out her next move. He hadn’t tied her legs down or together. As he took his eyes off of her to fasten the second sleeve in place just above his forearm she pulled herself up by rocking forward and using her muscular legs. Before she could even take a step she was grabbed by her arm and thrown back down like a sack of grain.

“SHIT!”

“Did you really think that was going to work?” He chuckled, quickly getting on the bed and over her, his large hand coming up to cup her cheek. She growled at him and he slapped her hard enough to turn her head to the side and create a real sting. Part of her was surprised and even pissed off that he would do that but a bigger part of her was aroused as hell.

“Having me tied down and unable to move doesn’t mean I’m submitting it just means you managed to properly restrain me.” She said,

“True but it’s a start. It’ll get you used to being put in your place.” He laughed and untied the belt around her waist, the one holding the robe shut. He wrapped the end of it around his hand and yanked quickly, pulling the whole length of it out at once. She cried out, annoyed, trying to kick at him but couldn’t get enough leverage. He yanked the silk robe open to expose the mini negligee, garter belt, and thigh high stockings. “Looks like you were ready for at least something to happen.”

“Bite me.” She snapped but he only laughed and then leaned down, using most of his weight to pin her there before biting into her shoulder hard enough to tear open the skin in a few places. She screamed out, half in pleasure and half in pain, her eyes rolling back into her head. His large hands were on her breasts next, massaging them through the soft fabric of the nightgown before moving lower. Once they got to the hem he shoved up the negligee to expose her belly. Shifting back, he sat down on her legs as best he could only to lower his head down to her stomach, licking and nipping at the skin above and then around her belly button. She hadn’t been this level of aroused in a long time and she knew it. Even worse, she had no way to touch him or grab his hair to make him do what she wanted.

“Seems that I’m winning.” He breathed hotly into her skin, “You aren’t struggling anymore.”

“Maybe I just know when to save my energy.” She replied. He glanced up at her with a smirk, grabbed her panties in his hands and literally ripped them open and off of her as if they were nothing but a thin wrapper. She gasped, surprised that he was strong enough to do something like that, a spark of arousal shooting right from her heart through her stomach and ending between her legs. “This doesn’t mean you won.”

“The war? No, but I did win the battle. Going to have to be quicker next time, Rika.” He snorted then easily flipped her onto her stomach, pulling her hips up towards him as she squealed and once again attempted to struggle (even if she could also admit it was a very lame attempt. He slapped her ass on one side then the other, and he wasn’t being playful or gentle about it either. “Calm down you fucking slut.”

“Make me!” She dared him, turning her head to the side so her cheek could rest against the pillow. He leaned forward and grabbed her hair again, shoving her face down into the bed as he shifted around behind her. She could hear him unzipping his pants and the rustle of fabric as he got his cock out. Though she couldn’t actually see him doing any of that she knew the motions and she knew the sounds. With his large hand still pressing her head into the pillow underneath she felt the tip of his hard cock teasing the wet folds of her cunt.

“You really want me to make you?” He purred.

“Give it all you think you got you fucking bitch.” She yelled back at him. He laughed, sounding very amused before he slammed into her from behind. She screamed out in pain and pleasure again. Though she wasn’t sure how big his cock actually was she was not used to this size (on an actual human, her toys were a different story). “Fuck!”

“That’s right…gonna give you a nice…good…fuck,” He panted jerking his hips and punctuating each word with his movement. She groaned then whined, hating that she had lost but loving it as well. Her only consolation was that he really hadn’t gotten her to be a submissive; he had just gotten her into the right position. He started to rock against her, thrusting in and out, moving roughly and quickly. The bed under them started to move and shake until it was banging as rhythmically against the wall as his skin was slapping against her own. She could feel the moisture of her arousal sliding down her thighs. His moans almost eclipsed hers as he rode her like a dime store pony. Hard enough that she feared the bed may break.

“Oh fuck…oh fuck!” She cried, her bound hands curling into fists, her perfectly manicured nails digging into her palms as she drew closer and closer to climax. He leaned over her to get his mouth and perfectly luscious lips near her ear.

“You gonna cum for me? Huh you little cocktease? Cum all over my cock like a naught little bitch?” He growled his breath hot on her skin. She couldn’t even answer, all she could do was scream as she hit her climax, starting to buck up towards him jerking heavily as he continued to slam into her. At some point his hand finding her clit to massage it and aid in far more than just one orgasm. It kept hitting her, the pleasure like a brick, slamming into her body, over and over and over until she heard him roar out as well. The motion of his hips became erratic, frantic even, and then they started to slow as he rode out the pleasure of his own orgasm. Once he was finished, she felt his cock slip out of her and then heard him collapse on the bed next to her. She opened her eyes and with a groan she managed to maneuver herself onto her back then roll to her side to face him, inching closer and closer until she could put her head on his chest.

“Okay that was really good.” She said her breathless voice against the fabric of his shirt. She glanced up at him to see a big dumb but satisfied smile looking back at her. He sat up just a bit and reached around to untie her wrists before laying back on the pillow like he had been. She slid a hand up over his chest then kissed him on the cheek. That was when she heard the buzzing of the intercom and the announcement of the food arriving (in Japanese). “Perfect timing…I’m starved.”

“That’s the food?” He asked.

“Mm hmm, can you do me a favor and go get it while I clean myself up?” She asked. He smiled and kissed her on the cheek before sitting up.

“No problem. I could eat after that.”

“Well don’t eat it all without me.” She told him. He patted her on the head in an oddly endearing way then got up from the bed and made himself decent before leaving the room and shutting the door behind them. She couldn’t help but smile to herself as she headed into the bathroom to get clean even though she knew she had to hurry. A guy that size would eat fast and most certainly not in small portion sizes.

By the time she arrived home that night from work she was kind of exhausted. Her day had been so busy she’d nearly forgotten about Ryker and what his whole deal was until she sat down to look at takeout menus. There were a lot of things she was good at in the business world but it had never left her with time to learn how to cook. She had a luxury penthouse where she lived, in the city. It was within walking distance to her job (should she ever want to do that and on nice days she did). The only staff she ever had was a cleaning service that came once a week and whoever it was who stocked her fridge and cupboards with food. She did hire professional chefs for dinner parties or any event she threw there but she didn’t have one on call all the time. She didn’t see the point when takeout food was quick and easy or she could always just microwave herself some soup. She wasn’t that much of a picky eater and she preferred western cuisine far more than anything Japanese. Her stomach growled as she thought about the last time she had a good cheeseburger. It had been months ago when she was in New York visiting Leila and taking care of some business at the DTI headquarters on the east coast of the states. There was one on the west coast as well, it was in downtown L.A. She guessed maybe it wouldn’t be that hard to keep up a relationship with Ryker since she always had excuses to travel to various countries.

Her phone rang, knocking her out of her little daydream about good American food and secondarily, Ryker. She pulled it from the pocket of her blazer and set it on the black marble countertop in the kitchen to answer, putting it on speaker. Since it wasn’t a number she recognized (nor did she have already programmed in her phone) she answered in Japanese.

“Uh…Rika?” It was Ryker’s very confused voice on the other end.

“Oh, hi there.” She laughed, speaking in English, “Sorry, I didn’t know this number and we are in Japan so…”

“Makes sense. You’ll probably catch me answering in Swedish from time to time. I know how it is.” He replied, “You mentioned something about drinks or dinner…” He was right, she had said something about getting together and it had been her little test to see how bad he wanted it. He was to call her and he did, ironically right when she was looking for food to order.

“Why don’t you come here? I mean, if you feel comfortable. We can order out.” She said, “I’ll treat.”

“You don’t cook?”

“Do you?”

“Not anything more complicated than cereal or soup.” He laughed.

“I’m kind of the same.” She said, “But, there are a ton of takeout places around here that are fast and good. I’m sure we can find you something you like. If you haven’t already eaten that is.”

“No, it’s why I called. I was hoping to eat with you, maybe get local cuisine or something I’ve never had before.” He said. It made sense, since she had lived most of her life in Tokyo she knew all the good spots and bad ones. Though she was in a bit of a rut ordering from the same ten or so places over and over again they all had extensive menus and amazing food. They were places that a guy like him would probably not find on his own and if he did, he probably wouldn’t find anyone who would speak English to him.

“Smart.” She said, “Well just text me your hotel information and I can have an E-car sent to pick you up.”

“Are you sure you want to pay for-”

“My city, my treat. Just remember that when I come visit wherever it is in Sweden you hale from.” She said, he laughed again and her phone buzzed with a text message alert. She switched over to look at it and found his hotel room and address. She assumed that the number he had used to call her from the phone in his room as it had a Tokyo area code. She would hopefully be changing that soon and getting his personal number, if things went as well as she anticipated during his dinner visit.

“Fair enough, but I’d rather treat you if we are ever out in L.A. I’m not sure you’d be very fond of traditional Swedish cuisine.” He replied. She snickered as she switched to the app she used for E-cars and started to enter in the data for his location. She opted for a luxury cab because it was larger, nicer, and would be more comfortable for him to sit in than one of the eco E-cars that ran throughout the city.

“I’m an adventurous eater but nothing about Swedish cuisine sounds appealing to me. No offense.” She said.

“None taken, trust me. I prefer American food much more even if it’s almost blasphemy to admit that.” He replied.

“Then we are on the same page with that. Give me a pizza or cheeseburger any day of the week.” She told him and finished the process to send a car to him with the push of a button on the app before her. “Car is on the way, the ETA is about ten or so minutes. It says it’ll take about fifteen to get to my place because of traffic. I’ll see you soon then?”

“Sounds good.” He replied and hung up. She smiled and walked over to the wine cooler built into the island counter of her kitchen. From there she pulled a nice bottle of red wine that she’d been saving for a special occasion. After opening it she grabbed two glasses from the rack hanging above and added a bit of wine in each. That would give it sufficient time to breathe before Ryker arrived. Leaving them in place, she hurried towards the stairs and up to the bedroom, she needed to shower and change into something much more appealing before he arrived.

*****

When she heard the intercom start ringing she walked over to it and looked at the security camera to see who was there. Though she wasn’t expecting anyone other than Ryker she didn’t want to let a complete stranger into the building, but it was him. He was holding a bottle of champagne. She smiled, even though she couldn’t see the label on it she assumed it would be nice and she pressed the button to open the door for him. He pulled it open and waved at the camera as he passed by it, out of sight and into the nearby lobby. They would direct him on how to get up to the penthouse suite where she lived. After unlocking the door and opening it a crack so he knew he was welcome to just come on in if he wanted she went to the kitchen to grab her glass of wine.

She’d gotten changed into a red silk negligee that was so short it was almost more of a shirt than a nightgown. Under that she wore no bra but a pair of matching silk panties and garter belt. With that she’d pulled on black thigh high silk stockings and slipped into a pair of black stiletto heels. Then she put her robe on. It was a kimono inspired design, also silk, completely black with red embroidered flowers entangled around it. It was tied at the front but left a bit loose up top to give some teasing imagery underneath for what might be to come later that evening. She absolutely wanted to give him the message that she was ready to play but did not want him to think that he was in control of her. It didn’t seem that he wanted to be in control to begin with, but with men like him it was hard to tell. Either he had the fetish for powerful women because he liked to submit or because he liked to break them. Both ideas intrigued her but she had never found anyone she felt comfortable submitting to. Even if she wasn’t opposed to the experience, it had yet to happen and she didn’t think Ryker would be the first but only time would tell with that.

“Hello?” He called out from the front door. She came around the corner to see him, taking a sip of wine as she did. He smiled as he poked his head inside and let himself into the foyer. She motioned for him to take his shoes off which he did, and it left him in his socks. He looked at the wrack of slippers across from where he stood, they were meant for house guests after all but it was Japan and he was over six feet tall. She didn’t have anything close to what his size would be. “So should I cram my feet into something that doesn’t fit or-”

“Socks are fine,” She laughed, “Remind me to pick up a larger pair that might actually fit you for next time.”

“You already think there will be a next time?” He asked, coming towards her and stopping mere inches from where she stood, looking up at him with her wine glass in hand. She smiled and took another sip before running her free hand over his chest and the three buttons of the black waistcoat he was wearing. He hadn’t worn a blazer making the look a bit more casual but she hungered for him anyway. Men in perfectly tailored waistcoats always got her going for some reason. It was the perfect look in her mind.

“I know there will be.” She told him then turned and started to head back towards the kitchen knowing that he would follow her. When she got there, she grabbed the second glass of wine from the island counter as he set the bottle of champagne nearby. She held the glass towards him and he took it.

“To new beginnings?” He offered a toast, lifting the glass slightly.

“To new beginnings.” She agreed and chimed her glass against his. She took another sip of her wine but he downed what was in his glass in one gulp. To be fair, the thing hadn’t been nearly full; it was just supposed to be a taste as she didn’t know ultimately if he would like it or not.

“Good wine,” He said. “So…about dinner.”

“We can order anything you like.” She said and pulled her phone from the pocket of the robe she was wearing. She unlocked it and turned it towards him, the app for delivery services was already up and running. “Take your pick, don’t worry about price.”

“What if I’d like to start with you?” He asked, as he took the phone from her hands. It was cute how they were so huge the phone looked tiny as he held it but in her own hands it looked huge. She was loving the size difference between them, it would make things all the better when he ended up on his knees begging for mercy. She was guessing that if he were to kneel it would bring him down to almost her exact height or just below it. He was definitely over a foot taller than she was.

“You do realize that what you want is very different from what you need and certainly not nearly as close as what you’re gonna get, right?” She asked, “Now, be a good boy and order some food. Just, no sushi for me. I don't like it.”

“No sushi? But-”

“But what? I’m Japanese. I know I’m Japanese. Not all Japanese people like sushi. No one said you couldn’t have it.” She reached up and patted him on the cheek and headed over to the couch to sit down. It took him a few moments to process what she had just said (she assumed) before she heard him coming in the same direction. He took a seat next to her so she could see the phone as he was looking through places to eat at.

“You choose, you’d know the places around here better than me anyway.” He said, holding the phone out towards her. She arched her brow and took it from him. It was hard to tell if he was just trying to be a people pleaser or skip right to the sex he thought he was going to have but it wasn’t too hard for her to choose pizza. She got something a bit more traditionally Japanese than American, figuring that he would appreciate the experience even if all she really wanted was a burger and some fries. He could deal with eel and mayo pizza. It was her favorite when she was in Japan anyway. She turned the phone off and placed it on the coffee table along with her glass of wine.

“Pizza, it’ll be here in thirty minutes or less. The place is close.” She explained and stood up. “Let me show you around while you’re here and feel free to make yourself at home if you want. My place is your place, if you make a mess the cleaning service will take care of it. Within reason.” She chuckled, but she was happy with the service she had found because they didn’t ask questions and they didn’t spread her business around. Something which was important for someone who was as kinky as her. It meant that things could get messy from time to time and she absolutely loved it.

“I can tell this is a penthouse, it’s amazing by the way.” He said as he followed after her.

“Thank you. I oversaw the decor myself but I also hired a decorator I liked so I guess I can’t take too much credit for it.” She said as they passed by the kitchen to an area that was far more like a bar and lounge. The floor hardwood, the furniture spread out with black leather covering. Behind the bar were mirrors and glass shelves backlit with ultraviolet bulbs making it seem to glow. It was supposed to mimic having her own private night club and at times it was exactly that depending on who she had to entertain.

“Woah,” He said once he saw the room with the lights dimmed to the proper level to make things seem as if they were floating on the shelves behind the black wood bar. The stools were covered with a blood red leather and attached to the floor. Two sections of the wall in the corner were all glass and overlooked the rest of downtown Tokyo. “Club Takashi I take it?”

“Oh yeah and shit can get wild up in here depending on the night, or the mood I’m in.” She said, turning her head to look up at him. “Which reminds me, we probably need a safeword. What do you usually use?”

“I don’t, I’m usually a dominant.”

“But you sought me out? Did you expect me to submit?” She laughed, the idea was quite absurd. She was no stranger to fetish men (or women) who got off on the power she held but it was rare she came across anyone who believed they were going to get something different than a dominant.

“I was hoping for at least a bit of a fight.” He shrugged. She laughed and turned around completely, putting her hands up on his chest. He was muscular, something that wasn’t easy to see because of his tall, lean form but as she placed her hands against him she could feel it. His pecs, his abs, her fingers traced downwards towards his pants.

“What if I told you to get the fuck out of my house instead?” She asked, glancing up at him. He grabbed her wrists in his hands tightly and she gasped. He started to walk forward which only forced her to walk backwards, stumbling over her heels until she fell backwards with a loud cry, landing hard on one of the leather chairs that sat on the outskirt of the dance floor. He got over her, straddling her but still standing. One hand switched to hold both of her wrists for just a moment before his free hand snaked back to grab her tightly braided bun like a handle.

“You won’t.” He hissed, looking right into her eyes as he said it. She was beyond mad, furious even, and yet she knew he was right. Well, if this was how it was going to be and he wanted a fight then there would be one. She wouldn’t hold back for him either. He would learn very quickly that challenging Rika Takashi was something one shouldn’t enter into lightly and by the time he left the next morning it would certainly be a lesson well learned.

Walking him through the labs as well as the creation process was interesting. She could tell that he wasn’t paying much attention to what she was explaining but he was drinking in all of the confidence she had while explaining it to him. How she motioned with her hands and understood the process just as if she were doing it herself. Most people didn’t know that other than being schooled in business and economics, she had a nursing degree. Not one that she ever practiced with but it helped her to better understand data, studies, medications, and other things that were important in running a medical technology business.

“In summation we grow the tissue artificially. It has amazing taste and the meat is quite filling but no fat and no calories. As to how that’s accomplished, well it’s a trade secret.” She chuckled as she motioned through the last window on the tour. It looked into a lab where samples were currently growing and at various sizes. The labels on them were technical and numbers instead of names but that didn’t mean no one knew who they belonged to. The intent was not to influence guests too much into making a decision on the spot if they didn’t want to.

“No fat and no calories? You mean everything I just ate-”

“All the meat products-”

“Okay, most of it…how in the world do you get that type of flavor with no calories?” He asked, sounding absolutely stunned. If she had an additional dollar for everytime she was asked that same question even after already explaining that it was a secret she could have been a billionaire.

“It’s a secret, as I said.” She repeated herself. “Right this way, Mr. Hellström.”

“I told you already, Ryker is fine.” He said.

“My apologies, being formal is force of habit I suppose.” She told him and used her keycard to open the next door. It took them into the main foyer of the building where the receptionists sat and there were a few people milling around as they got their day to day routine accomplished. They both stopped by the elevators and she used her key to call one down to the lobby for both of them. “I should probably mention that I was a big fan of Luna Cove. Season one, at least.”

“Were you?”

“Oh yeah, it got kinda bad after that then really bad in season three. I kept watching for some reason but…probably only because I liked you.” She laughed. The elevator doors opened and she stepped on first, him following close behind her. She once again had to use the key to be able to press the button for the very top floor. Security was high in her place of work for various reasons. Some of the testing they did was dangerous. Other things were secret and they couldn’t have blueprints copied or stolen. She wasn’t worried about her safety physically as much as she was worried about her empire and profit margins.

“I don’t disagree with you there.” He said. “I told them not to change the character so drastically but I was a nobody back then. Still kind of am now.”

“Not after starring in two Stephen King movies and making bank on that Butcher series.” She said, “Working with guys like Matt Masterson and Hugh Darcy? You’re a bigger name now than you think.”

“Am I?”

“In horror, yes, and it’s a pretty big genre. I wouldn’t underestimate the fans.” She smirked. He laughed and ran his fingers through his hair trailing his hand down over the back of his neck which he scratched kind of nervously. There was a moment of silence, his cheeks getting rather red with embarrassment before he turned to look at her again.

“You’re gorgeous, you know. If you don’t mind me saying.”

“Of course I know.” She laughed, “Sorry, it’s just that I figured out why you are here in the hall if you didn’t notice and if I didn’t think highly of myself I wouldn’t still be in this position. It comes with the territory.” The elevator doors opened and she motioned for him to step out ahead of her which he did. She followed after and they both took the short walk back to her private office from that point.

“I could tell you figured it out, I think I’d have been slapped or something otherwise.” He said, “The truth is I was never interested in giving your company a sample as much as I was in just meeting you.” She arched a brow, very amused by that statement and she walked over to the minibar. From there she pulled out a bottle of water from the fridge and motioned towards him with it. He shook his head and she opened it then took a few sips. He sat down on the couch where he had been before and tugged on his suit once again to straighten it out a bit.

“Me? Are you sure you aren’t confusing me with the actual owner of the company? Leila Dawson?” She asked. Even though she was the head CEO and by all accounts in charge of everything in the long run, she did not truly own the company. There was a woman (who also happened to be her best friend) who was the actual heir to the business. However, she’d never wanted to go into running it. From a young age her parents had tried to groom her to take over because she was their only child but she’d refused. She had insisted on taking a career path where she could actually help people instead of wallow in corporate greed. It was why she’d become a psychiatrist and lived in the United States. The thing about her was that she was also very attractive and growing up she drew plenty of media attention for her looks. Since she was so wealthy and by title she owned one of the most profitable businesses on the planet, it wasn’t as if she didn’t get photographed every so often (if she liked it or not).

“I’m not going to sit here and claim Leila is hideous but she’s not my type.” He said with a shrug. She came over to sit down across from him again and removed the vaping pen from her blazer to take a drag. After she did, she held it out to him and he took it to do the same. “I just have a thing for women in power.”

“So is this the part where I should be offended because what you’re really saying is looks aren’t important to you?” She laughed. He held the pen back towards her and she took it, manipulating it through her fingers casually as she watched him squirm. She could tell he was aroused, even still, just not as much as he had been when he’d cornered her in the hallway initially.

“That isn’t what I’m trying to say, at all. You’re gorgeous, you’ve already heard me say it, I’m not just blowing smoke up your ass.” He insisted. She took another hit from the vape pen and set it down on the coffee table between them. He leaned forward and rested his elbows above his knees trying to make direct eye contact with her. She allowed it. “I’ve read about you, Rika, I’ve studied your success. What you’ve done since taking over DTI in the wake of the death of Matthew and Kate is mindblowing.”

“Well finally we have someone who recognizes the genius behind the labcoat.” She snorted. “I’m just kind of surprised that a man like you would-”

“Man like me?” He asked, snatching up the vape pen from the table and taking a pull from it. “Care to explain that?”

“As you can imagine I have met my share of celebrities. Not just through this whole Cafe Idol business but at benefits, premieres, auctions, you name it. A lot of them are more looks than brains. You’re in the business, you should know what I mean by that.” She pointed out and reached for her bottle of water. He chuckled and nodded his head as he took another hit from the vape pen before setting it back on the table where it was before. “Don’t get me wrong, I always knew you were…or rather are a very talented actor but that doesn’t always translate to being intelligent.”

“Tell me about it.” He sighed, “I’ve met more than my fair share of bimbo actresses and though they are fun for a night-”

“They aren’t relationship material.” She said, “Yeah, I get it. I’ve had my share of bimbos and meat heads just for the good time. Money can outright buy you any kind of person you want for a night or two. My sex life isn’t lacking.”

“Nor is mine, physically but the more I read about you and the more I think about it, the more I need to dig a little deeper.” He said. If she was being honest with herself, or even with him, she knew she was already not in the market for a long term relationship. At least, that was how she felt. Since DTI was her number one priority that meant so was her career. She felt that meant if she dated it would be entirely unfair to someone who didn’t understand what her life was or didn’t agree with her level of loyalty to her own hard work. She wasn’t even forty years old yet, and since she never had any desire to have children (or even get married) she believed she was only at the beginning of what was to be an amazing career. If it had been any other man asking for this, or woman, person…whatever…she’d have told them to fuck off. This wasn’t just any person though. It was Ryker Hellström. Few other celebrities ever struck her with as much awe as he did. Even if she was just a box for him to check off on his fetish list, how could she deny it?

“I can’t say that I’m not interested, Ryker. However, I’m a very busy woman and my career comes before anything else. I find that people in general-”

“I’m an actor.” He cut her off, “90% of my year is filming on location and much like you my career is my top priority. We could both make it work if we both wanted it bad enough.” He wasn’t wrong about that, and him being an actor with a schedule like his would only benefit her. He wouldn’t expect her to be with him every night in bed or to always be around for cute couples dinners, events, or even anniversaries. Both of them had their energy built 100% into their line of work which already made them more compatible than anyone else she’d ever tried to pair herself with.

“You drive a hard bargain and I hate to admit it but you’re right. We could make it work if we wanted. The question is…do we want to?” She asked and then took a few sips of her water.

“Normally I would say no, I’m surprised you are entertaining the notion and aren’t already taken, to be honest. Coming here was a random whim and taking it this far was just a shot in the dark. I’m not going to turn back now, though. That would be stupid.” He laughed. She nodded and picked up the vape pen from the table. If he was feeling what she was at that moment then they were both on the same level. She didn’t believe she’d ever met anyone like him willing to be as understanding.

“Miss Takashi, your 11:30 is here.” Keiko said over the intercom before she was able to respond with what she had to say. She took one last hit from the pen and held it out towards him. He looked confused.

“Take it, I’m sure I’ll have it back by morning.” She said. The grin that spread across his face was beautiful, especially with how it made his eyes light up. She walked over to her desk and grabbed her card and an actual pen. On the back she wrote her personal phone number then turned back towards where he was seated and he was already up and moving towards her. As he took the card from her hand he leaned down to kiss her firmly on the lips. Only for a split second before breaking the touch to step away towards the door.

“I’ll be calling you, you know.”

“Of that I am sure.” She said with a nod. With a smile on his face and a bit of bounce in his step he opened the door and walked out of there. As soon as it was shut behind him she breathed a loud sigh of relief and leaned into her desk. Her legs a bit wobbly and her heart pounding. Was this really happening? Could a man like Ryker Hellström really be that into her? She guessed she would know if and when he followed through with his promise to call her. She had no way to contact him and even if she did she wouldn’t. He could either make the first step or hold his peace. She had business to attend to and as much as she did like him, she wasn’t ever going to allow romance to be a distraction from her work.

“I can honestly say that tasted far better than I expected it to.” Ryker told her after finishing up the sample tray that he had been given of the various celebrity flavors they had on hand. It was something that she always had ready to go for investors and clients just to give them an idea of what they would be getting into. She smiled at him, brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear. She had heard that line before, most people turned up their noses at the thought but once they actually consumed, it was another story.

“What is it that you thought it would taste like?” She asked.

“I’m not sure, just not…good.” He laughed and reached for his glass of wine. He took a sip as she reached for her own glass and raised it for a toast. He saw her and copied what she was doing.

“Well, here’s to new experiences.” She said, “And hopefully new investments.”

“Perhaps relationships as well?” He smirked, chiming his glass against hers. She laughed because she wasn’t sure what else to do. When it came to matters of the bedroom she had always been confident, never shy. She’d have classified herself as a dominant and she was into very unique and even taboo practices. However, she’d never been so blatantly flirted with by someone who was in his social class. Nor had she ever seen someone as handsome try to take an interest in her. It made her suspicious as well as intrigued, but if he thought flirting with her was going to get him something extra he was barking up the wrong tree. She knew how to separate business from personal pleasure. That was for sure.

“A client relationship, yes…unless you-”

“Let’s see where it goes from here.” He cut her off. She nodded and drank down the rest of her wine before setting the glass back on the table. Much like him, she had eaten from the sample tray provided and she was glad that he found it palatable. That was going to be the first step in securing a tissue sample in order to grow a product that was uniquely his own. Something she was sure she could make tons of money off of given his large online cult following.

“You know, when I sent the invitation to your agent six months ago I never thought we’d be meeting face to face.” She told him as she sat back in her chair trying to relax and keep her heart from leaping out of her chest. Just being there with him, across the table, it was enthralling. The way he spoke, moved, and even smelled had her hungry for far more than just a business transaction.

“Why is that?” He asked.

“Most…if not all of the celebrities I have gained samples from, haven’t responded in person. Nor have they wanted to come here themselves. As you know, I’m perfectly happy to entertain if they have the urge but most of them just wanted to sign the paperwork and get it over with. I guess I would say that it’s refreshing you have more integrity in your name than that.”

“I can’t be selling myself as a literal piece of meat without knowing how it works first and who’s going to be handling the cargo.” He said. “After doing my own research on the company, beyond what my people told me, I was intrigued. I’m still not entirely sure that I want to do it but you’re getting me there.”

“Good…good. No pressure either. You don’t have to sign today or do anything you don’t want. You’ll have plenty of time to think it over.” She explained then got up and motioned for him to do so as well. “I’m going to take you to the lab now, where the meat is created from the tissue samples we collect so you can see the conditions in which everything is held.” He nodded and stood up from his seat, tugging a bit on his suit before stepping forward and then following after her as she walked through the busy cafe towards one of the employee only doors.

Where they had been dining was the first floor of the office building where everything was done. The celebrity meats were only the newest invention in a long line of business ventures. It was why the company still held its original name of DTI, far more of its focus was on medical tech. Since this new endeavor had been risky enough she hadn’t already singled it out into its own business yet. The paperwork was being drawn up, though. It wouldn’t be long until she was running two companies instead of just one.

As they entered the restricted area, she felt Ryker’s hand on her arm. A firm enough grip to stop her in place and get her attention but not so tight that it was threatening or it hurt. She turned to look at him right when the door clicked shut behind them, tilting her head upward to meet his gaze as he looked down. He may have towered over her but it wasn’t anything she was afraid of. Sure he could probably pick her up and throw her across a room but she didn’t think he would. With the way she held herself there were a lot of times that she became far more intimidating than men his size. It all depended on the context.

“Yes? Did you have a question?”

“How many employees do you have?” He asked. She wasn’t exactly sure why he was interested in that and she wasn’t quite sure she knew the official number.

“For the building or worldwide?” She replied. The high tower in Tokyo was the main headquarters but the company was global. There were headquarters in other countries with other CEOs. She was just the highest ranking because when she’d started there, they hadn’t had other hubs. She’d been the one to expand things enough to be able to build and open them.

“Worldwide…” He whispered his voice getting gruff, even arousing. It only took a few seconds more for her to realize that this was turning him on. He’d possibly come to her in person over this reason. It wouldn’t have been the first time she met a man who was turned on by a powerful business woman and she highly doubted it would be the last. There was a huge fetish for it and she took as much advantage of it as she could. He moved her up against the wall in the narrow corridor where they were standing, pressing his body firmly against hers and there was no mistaking that he was aroused. She was starting to get there too. Watching men get hard for her just over her business leadership was hot. It was much better than the men who believed her to be weak or incompetent due to her gender. “You have a lot of employees.”

“Yes, I do,” She said, licking her lips slowly, “However, we need to get on with the tour. I do have an appointment in forty-five minutes that I have to be ready for.” He grabbed her arm and lifted it, twisting it to look at the watch on her wrist, probably noting the time. Then he brought her hand to his lips, kissing the back of it gently as he stared into her eyes.

“Maybe I want to use my time for something else.”

“And maybe I don’t mix business with pleasure…” She said, gently pulling her arm away from him. There was a soft involuntary groan on his end and he breathed out a heavy sigh before taking a small step back from her. She couldn’t say she wasn’t interested. In her wildest dreams she’d have never guessed that a man, an actor, she’d always been a fan of would ever see her in this way. Now that she was faced with the situation she could hardly contain herself. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to fuck him right then and there or take him to her office and let him bend her over her desk but she knew that she couldn’t. She also was going to have to remain in control, after all, that was one of the things men like him liked the most and why it had been so easy to get him to stop. “That doesn’t mean we can’t do dinner later, have a few drinks. I’m not all business, Mr. Hellström. I also know how to have a good time.”

“I don’t doubt it.” He replied, his voice still gruff, vibrating in a way that it seemed to make her body tingle.

“Then we’ll have to set something up, won’t we?” She smiled and reached a hand up to pat him gently on the cheek before turning to head down the hallway, making sure to swing her hips just a bit more than she normally would as he walked behind her. It was coming together now, why he’d wanted to come see her so badly in person. He should have counted himself lucky that she was of the same mind as him or it could have gone extremely bad on his end. The point was that it hadn’t, they’d clicked on the same level and they both knew what they wanted. She was sure to find a way to make it work out for both of them on multiple levels. After all, it was far more important to gain a new client. Lovers in that city were a dime a dozen but a new partnership with a man like Ryker was worth his weight in gold.

CHAPTER ONE

Lot 743 a rare gem worth the money for any collector

Cordelia was vaguely aware the voice was talking about her as she stood there in the skimpiest dress she’d ever worn in her life. She’d done everything she could to avoid being taken there but in the end it hadn’t mattered. There was something about her being some rare gem or breed or product or item...anything other than a human. Something she didn’t agree with or even understand. Something which had really only made her life considerably harder. Now she was here, being sold as property to the highest bidder. She’d have much rather been working back in the mines, just barely scraping by. She could do without the high life and the luxury if she had her freedom. It was gone now. She was no longer human. She would belong to whoever wanted her and that was that.

Blue eyes. Red hair. A genetic combination almost one of a kind. One in a million. Young. Guaranteed fertile and able to bear children. 24 years of age. In her prime. Let’s start the bidding at 100 thousand.

She blinked a few times, there was no one in this room with her. She was by herself, having been shoved in there moments earlier. After the government had figured out she was fertile, something she’d been praying wouldn’t come to pass, she was shipped off to a programming center. A place that was supposed to teach women like her how special they were. The other girls, they dreamed of going to these places. Were fed stories about how wonderful they were. That only the best of the best girls got to attend these “schools” to increase their status in life. She knew better. Though nothing was ever directly stated it was pretty obvious that it wasn’t a good alternative to hard labor. At least not in her mind. Thoughts which were confirmed once she got there entirely against her will.

500 thousand do I hear six?

Everything had been a bunch of propaganda from day one. How they were supposed to behave for their new husbands once they were assigned a home. How lucky they should feel when they were chosen. How they should feel proud that men wanted to spend that kind of money on them. The higher the bid the more important it made you. Then you were bound to do your job, be his mate, and have his children. It was the absolute purpose of a fertile woman. There was nothing more, nothing less. She knew so much of this was bullshit. Probably because she’d been rejected at a young age for the very traits they were searching for now. The genetically different. Healthy, beautiful, but trendy.

The elite upper class, borderline royalty compared to everyone else. They were the 1%. The world had changed drastically from what it was. She’d been lucky enough to be one to learn to read and write before it was decided red hair was not attractive. She was sent to a mining town. Told to forget about her future. She had no clue what happened to her mother, barely even wanted to think about her father. She’d seen both sides and she’d decided it was better to earn an honest living than pump out babies and be seen as nothing more than a breeder. She’d seen how they’d been. How they coveted looks over substance. How one year a big crooked nose was in vogue and the next they were supposed to be small and narrow. Now it was red hair and blue eyes but in a month...week...or year (who knew) it could be blond hair and green eyes. There was no way of knowing and this time...they may kill her instead of releasing her back to the mining town.

The bidding amount started to climb higher. She could see the ticker on the wall. Beads of sweat breaking out over her skin with the bright lights shining down on her. Her eyes shifting from camera to camera hovering in the air and circling her body. Scanning her to give prospective bidders a three dimensional holographic model to study. Though she had considered resisting, running, screaming, completely ruining this process she knew better. She did not want to go back to a programming center. As bad as this was, those places had to be worse. She’d learned very quickly to just pretend to agree. Be complacent. Let them think she was obedient. It was either that or risk losing not only her sanity but her self. Her sense of identity. If she lost that she would never be able to escape when the chance presented itself and she always needed to have that hope.

She’d been asked if she desired something to help her relax before the bidding started. That it could be stressful and it would not be good for her heart if she got worked up. Whatever the hell that meant. She’d accepted. Her mouth was dry and she was swaying on her feet a bit. She felt almost as if this was a dream. Sedated and unable to speak. The digital display kept climbing into the millions. Tens of millions. It hit one hundred million then held. Kept holding. She blinked a few times. This couldn’t be possible. She was not worth that much, no one in their right mind would pay that amount for her and even if they would...how did they have so much to throw away on something like this? This was no ordinary bidder this man...whoever he was...would be at the top. The upper crust of the already spoiled elite. She was screwed. There was a loud buzzer, then the sound of a bell. Under the digital price display a name shimmered into place, followed by a hologram of the winner.

Avery Ellington.

She nearly vomited when she found this out and stumbled back. Feeling like she’d collapse as her legs got weak and her vision got blurry. This was quickly rectified by a handler coming in behind her and grabbing her by the arm. She was pulled towards the opposite door. Unable to even speak. She could hardly breathe. Though she didn’t know many actual facts about the Ellington’s she definitely knew rumors. She knew enough to know that they were powerful. A family with control of most everything. Their names were even on a lot of the meals and supplies that she had purchased from day to day. They were leaders in the government; they were even like Gods to some of the dumber people who believed in the propaganda of the supreme overlord and his advisers. How in the holy hell was she going to an Ellington?

The panic kicked in, giving her a bit of an adrenaline rush and she attempted to jerk away, weakly. She was warned to mind her manners and she realized she was going to have to calm down. She had no choice and if this man wanted her he was going to get her. Hell, he’d get her dead body if she didn’t step into line. They didn’t care. Since she was no longer a human, just cattle, they only had to get her body to him. They didn’t have to do anything else and they especially didn’t have to be nice about it. She was quickly shoved into a metal crate. Something so small she could only fit on her hands and knees. She curled up, as best she could, thankful that she was tiny and barely over five feet tall. Being malnourished the majority of her life did not make her a force to be reckoned with by a long shot.

A door sealed over the opening of the crate. She now only had a few holes to let in air and light and maybe just barely see out of. She heard voices but they were low, muffled, possibly only not making sense because of the drugs. It was hard to tell. There was the sensation of movement. The crate being lifted. Loaded somewhere else much darker than the first room she’d been brought into. She heard a voice:

SHIP IT OUT

Another door shut. She was in complete darkness at that point. It was freezing. She heard the hum of something, possibly a motor but not that of a typical hover truck or personal car. This was more reminiscent of a train. Not one she’d have been used to taking but a much better built one. Smoother. At least it didn’t reek of vomit and body odor in here. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths before letting them out slowly. Reminded herself that she wasn’t going to suffocate in here, she could still feel the air flow, and this was only temporary. If someone paid that much for her it was unlikely they’d willingly let her come to too much harm if they could avoid it. For the most part. At least when it came to this family, maybe. Avery wouldn’t want his new toy damaged. This was it. This was all she got. It was simultaneously the first and last day of her life.

*****

When she had dozed off she didn’t know. How long she’d been out was also a mystery. The only thing that had woken her was the sound of the door opening and light hitting her face. Had she not been in the exact position that she’d ended up in, it may have missed her through that tiny hole. As fate would have it, she wasn’t that lucky. She heard footsteps and the beep of a device that was confirming identity. She was vaguely aware that this train was still moving. It definitely wasn’t stopped but it was possible that it had stopped at some point when she was out. The door to her crate raised up and the second one unlatched and opened.

“Get out,” A voice told her firmly. She knew better than to hesitate so she crawled out of the crate and got to her feet. Her eyes squinted as they tried to adjust to the bright light. She blinked rapidly, her brain slowly registering the fact that the man in front of her was Avery. He was over a foot taller than her, immaculately dressed, and even better looking than his hologram. “I see they didn’t clean you up very well.”

“Well I-”

“Was that a question? Were you supposed to respond?” He asked and grabbed her arm roughly. She shook her head.

“No, sir.” She muttered.

“Good. You only need speak when asked a question, and you will limit your answers only to what is necessary. No one here cares what you think.” He said and started to pull her out of there. He brought her through a door into a hallway of a train where she could finally see out of the windows that lined the walls. They were going fast. Far faster than any train she’d ever traveled on. All she could see was green. It was blurry, far too fast to comprehend shapes and specifics but it was green. Lush green. Forest green. Actual plants and wildlife. Not the artificial green of the city lights or the chemical burned sky where she was from. No...the streak of blue above that definitely told her otherwise.

She didn’t have much time to marvel at this before she was brought into a different car. A large one. Something that looked personally designed to live in for long term travel. Private and luxurious. There was a massive spread of food on a far table. She could smell it. Not only had it been recently cooked but it was all real. Not artificial meats and replacement protein powders. This was actual food. Her bone dry mouth started to water, but she didn’t have time for that either. She was brought to another door and Avery placed his hand over the security panel to read his print. It slid open to reveal an amazing bathroom.

“Strip.” He told her.

“Now?” She whispered which only got her a slap across the face.

“Yes sir, sorry...sir.” She said quickly and slipped out of the dress she had been forced to change into for the auction. Panties as well. They hadn’t bothered with a bra but if he wanted her naked this quickly then she could see why.

“You will get cleaned up. You will only take ten minutes. You will come out to my room, right here, to greet me when you are finished. You will not redress. You’ll need...inspection.” He said with an oddly perverted smile that she already didn’t like. Even if she had wanted to fight him it wouldn’t have been possible. He was twice her size. She just nodded and he let go of her arm so she could step into the bathroom. The door shut behind her and she heard a little electronic jingle as it locked. She stepped over to the mirror and looked into it. She really was a mess. They’d definitely done the best they could to make her look presentable for auction but she was still pretty visibly dirty as well.

A moment later, above her reflection, a digital clock displaying ten minutes appeared and started to count down. This hurried her to the shower stall where she started the water. Immediately she noticed that not only was it nice and hot but it was fresh. Clean. It wasn’t the well water she was used to. The stuff that smelled like minerals and sometimes sewage. They told them all that it was safe to shower in but she hadn’t always been so sure. This stuff ran clear and it wasn’t freezing cold or just barely warm. It was hot. Nearly scalding. She had to adjust the temperature to even be able to stand under it and start to clean herself up. Real soap too. Good stuff. Not the harsh bars that they also had to use for cleaning their clothes and just about anything else. Shampoo too. She honestly could have cried. Finally getting to be clean instead of itchy and uncomfortable. To a point where sometimes she could barely stand her own smell.

As she showered, took great care to make sure her waist long hair was as clean and smooth as possible, she watched the clock display on the mirror. The minutes ticking down. Driving her into more and more of a panic as the number got lower and lower. When she shut off the shower at the three minute mark, having rinsed everything off, there was a bright flash of warm light which dried her instantly. Including her hair. Something she wasn’t at all used to or even aware existed as a thing. She stumbled out of the shower in shock. Her stomach growled loudly. She looked at the door. The clock was down to a minute. She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. It was assumed that once the timer hit zero the door would unlock and slide open again. There didn’t seem to be a way for her to open it before that point. She knew that once it did, she couldn’t hesitate she couldn’t falter. She was already in a bad spot and being stubborn would only make it worse. She needed to make a choice and since she wasn’t yet ready to face her own death she had no choice but to accept her new life. The only thing she could do was hope that it wasn’t going to be nearly as bad as appeared to look. The clock wound down. There was a buzzing sound. The door slid open. She took her first step out…

********

Title: Birthright: Acquisition (Book One of Three)

Genre: Dystopian/Sci-fi Thriller

Age range: New Adult-Adult

Word count: 106,643

Author name: Nadia Valentine

Why your project is a good fit: Though my series is set in the future it deals with things that everyone can relate to currently. Classism, sexism, abuse, and political dictatorships going horribly wrong. The characters are diverse in age, race, gender, and sexuality. It features a strong female character who won't back down no matter what it takes.

The hook: Evil, Love, Politics, and Life....nothing is ever black or white

Synopsis: Lot 743, is a rare gem worth the money to any collector. Blue eyes, red hair. A genetic combination that’s nearly one of a kind. One in a million. Guaranteed fertile and able to bear children. The bidding will start at 100 thousand. Sold off to the Ellington household for a record amount of money, lot 743 is collected by her new Master and taken from the labor colonies all the way to Diamond Woods estates, where the upper class reigns supreme. Chosen specifically for her trendy genetics to ensure the best-looking baby (and boasting rights) to Commander Avery, she begins her journey into her new life as a breeder. Knowing she has no choice but to accept her new position she must find a way to survive, escape, or die trying.

Target audience: New Adult/Adult Females

Your bio: Nadia Valentine is an author of the romantic erotica type. She greatly enjoys merging elements of horror, science fiction, dystopia, and drama concepts to make the journey more exciting. She is a life long student of any genre she writes in as well as a professional of BDSM. When Nadia isn't working on her latest material she enjoys blogging, photography, film editing, and sitting at home enjoying a nice cup of tea with her cat.

Platform: This one? if you mean social media you can find me with 8K followers on Twitter @NaudyValentine

Education: Psychology. Currently in school to get a degree for Graphic Arts and Design

Hometown: Cleveland, Ohio

Experience: Sold a couple hundred books on Amazon. Have A few thousand followers on Twitter. Published 9 full length novels.

Personality/writing style: Quick witted, smart, sassy, but pretty chill with a wicked sense of humor. My writing style is just going for it, I'm not a plotter I let the characters tell the story.

Hobbies: Music, Video Games, Film Editing/Film Making, Screenwriting, Art, Fan conventions, Writing, Fan fiction, Horror movies (anything horror or sci-fi really)

I am unwanted on this planet. From birth I was given up for adoption. To parents who abused and destroyed any hope I had for a future. The abuse they put me through only set me up to become what I am now. Crippled by PTSD and OCD. Every step forward is two steps back. Any time I think I can get ahead I'm slapped down and reminded that I'm not supposed to be successful and happy. I'm supposed to be miserable. Always the stepping stone, never the destination. When I gain a foothold I lose it within the next step. There's no way for me to get ahead and after so long trying I don't know why I don't just allow myself to fall off this mountain and die.

"Miss Takashi, your 10:30 appointment has arrived," Her assistant informed her over the intercom. She looked up from her tablet where she was signing off contracts and promotions with the last client and sighed. It never seemed like there were enough hours in the day. Still, she was much happier with things being too busy instead of not busy enough. Her empire was booming, the company had tripled in value, and the patents were solid. Though there were many imitators there was only one inventor and she had the biggest corner on the market that anyone could claim.

"Thank you, Keiko," She replied then pressed the button to end the interaction. She stood up and walked over to the mirror by her door. The office that she held sat at the top of a high rise in the heart of Tokyo, where everything had started. What had once been a medical technology company, based in surgical ointments, medication, machinery, and prosthetics had become the first in history to offer a brand new and healthy diet. One that was not only tasty but trendy. Something that people were throwing money at hand over fist and waiting with their names on a list that currently was over two years long. Taking a look at herself, a chance to breathe and smile, was always important. Even success could be stressful, which was something that almost no one told you before getting into the game of business. She pulled a comb from her pocket to straighten out her hair. A sleek braided bun with a few strands to frame her face. A sharp look that made her appear older and wiser but in a way she could appreciate. Far too many people already didn't take a female CEO seriously, especially not in a place like Japan. Regardless of how competent she actually was to do the job, people always swore she must have gotten it based on her looks, connections, or what she did behind closed bedroom doors.

After fixing her blazer and the blouse underneath, she walked to the door and opened it to see a half-full waiting room. It was around then that she tried to remember who her ten-thirty appointment actually was. Things had been going by so fast it could have been anyone sitting there and she hadn't bothered to actually look at the name on the computer screen before standing up. That had been a mistake. She opened her mouth to address the small crowd when a man stood up upon seeing her waiting there. He was incredibly tall, but almost everyone was when it came to her five-foot and very petite frame. She did recognize him, though, it would have been hard not to. With how hot of a celebrity he was, currently and the fact that he stood out like a sore thumb among the other Asians in the room was a dead giveaway.

“Mister Hellström, glad you could make it.” She said, holding her hand out towards him as he approached. He towered over her as he took her hand to give it a firm shake, looking powerful in his perfectly tailor business suit. His light brown hair pushed back and his green eyes almost aglow with excitement. It was definitely a change to her daily routine talking to someone like him. She welcomed it. “You did not have to come in person, you know. All of this could have been handled over video or-”

“Maybe I wanted to see things for myself. If I’m going to sign up for something like this I would also like to know how it works. Can you blame me?” He asked. She smiled and shook her head, motioning for him to go ahead of her into the office. He smiled back and showed himself in, she was kind of amazed that he didn’t have to duck down to get through the door.

“Not at all. As with all of my clients the laboratories are open to you completely anytime you want to visit. I have nothing to hide.” She replied. “The processing and formula may be a secret but you will be allowed to see and learn about anything that’s not completely patent protected, of course.”

“Sounds good. I guess I’m just a bit nervous jumping into this. I don’t believe that because everyone else has that it automatically makes it a good idea.” He said as he sat down on the couch a few feet from her desk. She was glad to hear what he was saying because he made a good point. Celebrities, especially, were very quick to sign up for her program without considering the ramifications of it. In some ways that was good, because it made making money easier. In others, it was concerning. Only in the way that she knew if she were going to sign up for her own program she’d want to know what it was all about first. In fact, part of her wasn’t sure she’d actually become a client with all she knew. The product was safe, sure, but that didn’t mean there weren’t moral and ethical ramifications for creating it.

“An independent thinker, I like that.” She told him, “Can I get you anything to drink? Coffee? Tea?”

“Bottle of water?”

“Yes, coming right at you.” She said and headed to the mini bar area behind the couch. The office was set up almost like a lounge so when she entertained high profile clients like him they would feel relaxed and comfortable. Even if she was seeking to sign contracts and make a profit she didn’t want anyone to feel pressured. A lot of how she’d gotten business initially was word of mouth from the other big name celebrities that had signed with the company. Creating a stress free environment to discuss such a unique contract was key.

“How do we start this anyway? Is it painful?” He asked. She grabbed a bottle of water from the top shelf of her mini-fridge and headed back over to the couch as she held it out in his direction. He took it from her and she sat down in one of the chairs that matched the couch across from where he was. From the inner pocket of her jacket she removed a purple vaping pen.

“Do you mind?” She asked, motioning to the pen.

“Not at all.” He said, “In fact I should have brought mine, and would have if I’d known.”

“We can share if you’re not afraid of germs.” She shrugged, taking a drag from it before holding it out in his direction. He smiled and reached forward, taking it into his much larger hand making it look as though it were just a regular pen instead of an oversized fancy one that held nicotine liquid. “And to answer your question, no it’s not painful. Just an oral swab and that’s it.” He looked skeptical and took a drag from the vape pen before holding it back in her direction. She took it and tucked it back into her pocket. After a long moment he exhaled.

“Strawberry flavored?” He chuckled, meaning the taste of the pen. She nodded. “Well, in any case that’s interesting. That you can do so much with so little.”

“It’s not about doing a lot with a little. I could never replicate your tissue for this process or anyone else’s without having it first. You are the only source of that very specific DNA and unique flavor.” She told him. He nodded and opened his bottle of water, then he took a few sips before leaning forward and setting it down on the table between them.

“That’s right, flavor.” He chuckled, “Would I be able to have a sample of myself before it’s officially put on the market?”

“Of course. Your own samples will be free to you as well, as many as you want. You’ll just have to give us time for replication and creation. Depending on how in demand your flavor is, it could be a good waiting period.” She said, “In the meantime, I do have other samples ready and available to you now if you’d like to try some. Did you see any names on the list you were curious about?”

“Yes,” He said, “Though not as much as being curious as to why your name isn’t on it.”

“Mr. Hellström-”

“Please, Ryker is fine.” He interrupted. She smiled at him and took a deep breath. He was incredibly handsome in person. Far more than she could have imagined just from photographs so it was hard keeping her cool. There weren’t many celebrities out there that she was even a fan of because she had never seen the point but Ryker was on a whole other level. Maybe it was due to the fact that the vast majority of entertainment she consumed was the horror genre and he was one of the more popular stars within that form of media. Maybe it was just because he wasn’t Japanese, he was Swedish and almost exotic. Whatever it was, there was an energy about him that was almost addictive.

“Okay then, Ryker.” She said slowly, “The reason my name isn’t on it is because there’s no marketability for it. When people see names like Alice Copperhead or David Dufrain…they jump to open their wallets because those people are known to them. Watched on a screen or listened to via headphones. There’s almost a personal interaction between that and the fans. They feel they want to take the next step to ingest the greatness of who they admire. How many people out there do you think want to swallow down any given CEO, not just myself?”

“I guess I get it.” He said, “You aren’t famous to the general public more than you are to the world of business so there’s no point in putting yourself on the menu.”

“No, there isn’t. However, should there ever be a demand for it I’d be more than happy to take the plunge. Profit is profit.” She shrugged. That wasn’t entirely true but she knew if there ever came a day where there was enough pressure put on her she’d probably have no choice other than to put her money where her mouth was. She was lucky that wasn’t the case though.

“People really eat this stuff?” He asked.

“Like crazy. Depending on the celebrity some people are willing to wait years just to get their order filled. You are different because you are here, right now, at the heart of operations. With that I think we should begin the tour, starting in the Cafe and ending in the labs.” She said, standing up. He grabbed his bottle of water and took a few more gulps before capping it tightly and getting to his feet as well. “I certainly hope you are hungry because there is a lot to offer this morning.”

“I’ve only heard great things about the heart of operations here.” He said, “So…I’ve definitely brought my appetite and I’m glad you’ll be the one joining me.” She felt her face get hot as a blush rose on her cheeks. She wasn’t someone easily rattled, never had been, but boy was she falling for his charm and quickly. If any of this reflected what his own personal flavor was like, he’d be a top seller on the market instantly. Even more than their A and B list clients. All she knew was she couldn’t wait to sink her teeth into Ryker Hellström, that was if he agreed to be part of their meat market to begin with.