Sinful Addiction

Part 3 - What Can I Do For You, Mr. Barton?

The cold night air bites at Alexia's bare skin as she walks the last few blocks back to her apartment from the subway stop. Fumbling with her keys as she arrives at her apartment building since she can no longer feel her fingers due to the cool night air.

As soon as she steps inside she lifts her heel behind her and unclasps her shoes. Dropping back down to her regular height. She flings her heels over her shoulder as she begins the six-story climb.

Pushing open the door to her apartment she tosses her heels, keys, and purse onto the kitchen counter while unzipping her dress and letting it pool at her ankles before stepping out. Kicking it up behind her she catches it in her hand, one of the benefits of living alone—walking around in as much or as little clothing as you please.

Walking back to her bedroom she drops the dress into a hamper and flops down on her bed. She is met with a cracking sound, a sharp pain in her chest, then the feeling of blood trickling down her skin.

"Shit." Alexia's previously sleepy eyes are now wide open staring at a piece of a champagne flute lodged deep into her skin as she rolls onto her back, careful not to stick herself with any more glass. Taking a deep breath and pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration. "Fuck me! I just wanna go to sleep." She groans sitting back up and holding a random piece of clothing that was beside her against her chest to absorb the blood. Walking back out of her room she grabs the remote and clicks on the TV as she picks up her phone and dials Tony's number.

The relationship between Alexia and Tony isn't exactly traditional. He served with her parents in the Army quickly becoming like family. When they found out about her mother's pregnancy he was honored that they immediately came to him and asked if he would be the godfather and the moment she was born he was wrapped around her tiny little finger.

Always dropping by to see his goddaughter earning the title of Uncle Tony pretty quickly. He was the one who would spend hours teaching her mixed martial arts when she was young, often having phone calls forwarded to him from her parents so he could explain to her dance teachers why she would show up to class with bruised knuckles or where she would pick up a few choice words. 

Unfortunately, his role as godfather was cashed in on when her parents passed when she was only six. Those few choice words quickly became a part of her everyday vocabulary and only got stronger over time now she curses like a sailor and whenever someone tells her it's unladylike she looks at them with a beaming smile and kindly tells them to "Fuck off."

Moving in with Tony, he kept up the long hours of training to ensure that she would never have to depend on someone else and he would never have to worry about her everyday safety—this only made their relationship grow stronger. It's not very often that someone like Tony becomes the guardian of a child but they had no issues finding their dynamic. 

As she got older her fight training got more intense, and eventually progressed to the proper use of firearms and throwing knives. She loved every second of it. Often coming home from long hours at school and dance just to drag him out for target practice or sparring. To say the very least she has a well-rounded knowledge of—well, everything. 

Opening up an opportunity to work with him for a few years starting the day she turned seventeen, her logic being that if it is legal for a seventeen-year-old to enlist in the military then she should be able to contract with them. And she had already built numerous encryptions and codes that they could use and refused to do anything more until she was given the chance to earn her spot on their team. That, and she was in a little bit of trouble for a previous breach in their security system.

"Hello?" A tired voice picks up the line.

"Hey, Tony. Sorry, were you asleep?" 

"Nope, we are still in the air. What's up? Isn't it past one in the morning where you are?"