MARIEL

3~ What Would Recruit Thompson Say? ~

January 7th, 2019: Chicago, Illinois

The beginning of Stevie Wonder's Superstition blared through the surround sound speakers in the apartment bedroom.

Immediately, Tira Arcelin sat up. The blood pumped quickly through her veins as, eagerly, she pushed back the sheets and set her feet upon the floor. She turned on the nightstand lamp and stretched. Her wavy, blonde hair cascaded down her muscular back as she raised her arms into the stretch, and then she snatched her robe from the floor where last night's clothes had also been carelessly tossed.

The song continued to blast as she made her way to the master bathroom. Usually, standard ringing sufficed for her alarm in the morning, but after Eric Carter had introduced her to the catchy, rhythmic masterpiece of Stevie Wonder, Tira had decided that her alarm needed to change.

Brushing her hair to one side of her neck, Tira turned on the water and wet her toothbrush. Catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror, she noted the purple and blue bruise on the side of her neck. Her lips quivered into a tiny smile. It had been a while since this had happened, almost a year to be precise, and she finally felt free from the guilt of having left Olivia to start her new life in Chicago.

Life had been good. She rarely reported to Aleksey, and he did not contact her very often as well. Her leadership at the warehouse continued to enhance the abilities of recruits...at least for the ones that had not quit the program. Indeed, during the first week, many had quit from the physical performance Tira had demanded of them. Some left due to injury... of body and pride. Others could not withstand the mental demands required of them. However, she always bid them goodbye with respect, telling them that they would always have her respect for, at the very least, trying. However, nothing could compare to the respect she had for the recruits that remained standing in her program.

The white bristles massaged her teeth. She was not a dancer, but Tira found herself moving her body in rhythm to the song as it continued to play in the bedroom. Then, abruptly, the song stopped. In response, she turned her head towards the bathroom doorway.

Squinting sleepily, Miels stood in the doorway, clad in a white t-shirt and black underwear. Her black hair was disheveled at the top of her head from sleep, and she looked confused and pissed. "It's 3:50. AM. In the morning."

With the toothbrush in her foamy mouth, Tira stared at her. She then spat the toothpaste from her mouth. "It's time to workout. Get ready."

Miels stared back. "The fuck it's time to workout. Tira, you are driving us into the turf at 6:30 this morning with our physical training. You're joking, right?"

Tira swished water and then spat again. "What we're about to do is on our own personal time. It's called working out. What we do at the warehouse? That's called training. Preparing." She tossed the toothbrush into the steel container alongside the tube of paste. "Besides, anyone who stays the night with me should expect this in the morning."

Miels stepped aside as Tira exited the bathroom. "You should have told me that before you seduced me so late last night."

"Don't blame me for that. You were the one who sent that photo. You wanted this for quite some time." Tira withdrew spandex from her drawer and then stopped to guide her eyes over Miels' slender body with steady concentration. "I needed it too." She pushed the drawer shut. "But don't worry. It shouldn't have happened and it won't happen again."

Miels looked disappointed. "Hit 'em and quit 'em? That's your philosophy?"

"I shouldn't fool around with my recruits... it looks really bad." Tira pulled up the spandex, saw Miels, and then came forward and kissed her softly on the mouth. Immediately, Miels leaned in and, as their lips melted together, both women momentarily forgot what it was they were discussing. The morning was quiet as their kisses reminded them of the night before, and the blonde agent lost her cool demeanor as her fingers became entangled in the police officer's hair and pulled. The soft lips, the soft skin, the rush of excitement from a partner... Tira had missed this... so much. But, it was injudicious of her. She knew better than this.