tabby

with a diplomacy I lacked. He would take the time to think over his comments before standing up for us, whereas I’d just jump right in... usually with my fists. The fawning and bullshit that went with being Team Jones would have landed me behind bars if I was the one who had to stand in front.
And as an added benefit, Bae had his pick of women when he wanted companionship without the stress of making the first move. While I just grabbed some of the leftovers. When they weren’t needed, it was up to him to turn them away with a grace that had them returning. If I attempted the same thing, we’d never get laid again.
The hall stretched before us. I’d been down this corridor before, but each time its vastness surprised me. Agents were the priority, but good tech made for good agents, so no expense was spared, and each time I returned, something new had been added. Various closed doors leading to classrooms lined the walls that we marched past. A passing glance in the various door windows revealed long desks with computers in some, electronics labs in others, and, as a complete surprise, what looked like a chemistry lab. That’s interesting. I wanted to find out more, but in my hesitation, Mr. Silva left me in the dust, forcing me to speed up my rolling gait in an attempt to catch up.
Mr. Silva disappeared behind a door into the large meeting room. Before it closed completely, I caught the murmur of several voices, too many for the small gathering I’d been promised. “Here goes nothing.” I took a deep breath, pushed open the door, and slid into the room.
People milled about in small groups around tables holding pieces of tech. These must be the items he wants me to examine. My gaze roamed around the room, taking careful note of all the nubile female bodies. Techno-geek females tended to be a little more reserved than their counterparts in the agent world, which suited me fine. I liked a woman who was prim and proper on the outside but a ball of fire underneath. So straight-laced techno geeks were my candy. Slow and steady made the conquest that much greater than the “wham, bam, thank you, ma’am” mentality. Although I wasn’t averse to that on various occasions. Stuck back here at the Academy indefinitely, I’d refrained from starting a long-term seduction in the hopes that we wouldn’t be here long enough for it to work. And neither did I contemplate having a one-night stand with one of the students just in case she became clingy. One burn had been more than enough to teach me a lesson.
Besides, when I closed my eyes at night, visions of a certain blue-and-silver-tinted-haired woman seemed to invade every dream. It drove me nuts and made me testy when I woke. She was not what I wanted.
Speak of the little kitty... I snorted. With a stealth born of long hours in training with Kasim, I slid along the back wall until I stood directly behind her. Not once did she look over her shoulder or move her gaze around the room. Definitely not agent material. The grin on my face grew. Bae had been right to push her last night.
“Can’t believe we have to give up class time to talk with him.” The object of my scrutiny pushed her hair behind her ear. “I mean he might have some valuable information to share, but I doubt they’ll”—she motioned to the gaggle of excited students who’d moved up toward the seating in front of a podium—“let us hear the important stuff. No. It’ll all be, ‘how many push-ups can you do? Is it true that you have, like, a ten-pack?’”
A high-pitched giggle made my heart race, and my body poised to fight before I noticed that the laughter came from a dark-haired woman who stood next to her. I bit my lip. This moment would be left out of my retelling of this meeting with the guys. There was no way that I’d admit to having been so focused on her that I missed the person standing at her side.
“It’s not that bad.” The silver-haired woman raised her eyebrows at her friend’s comment. “Okay. Fine,” her friend conceded. “It will probably be that bad. Just be thankful it’s only him. Can you imagine what this place would be like if all three of them were here?”
My little kitty smacked her friend’s arm. “Don’t even joke about that.”
“Aww. Come on. I’m sure you enjoy looking at them as much as the rest of us.”
I held my breath and leaned forward, waiting to hear her answer. Now we were getting somewhere.
Her shoulders slumped. “Fine. I agree. They are nice to look at.” Her friend snickered. “But class time is still class time. Instead of standing around waiting for his highness to arrive and fill us with his wisdom, I could be working more on the code. I want it to be able to run independently.”
Mr. Silva stepped up to the platform. My cover would be blown the moment he pointed to me. Instead, I wanted to control her shock at my eavesdropping. Again a picture of her upturned face with her mouth opened into a circle, perfect for sliding my... Not now, Arin. Get a grip. So I widened my grin, focused on how she said I was fine to look at, and stepped up behind her until her body heat warmed my chest.
“It’s nice to know you think I’m fine,” I whispered into her ear as I brushed my body against hers, slipping through the narrow space left between her body and her friend’s as I sauntered up to the podium. My grin widened as the rest of the students smiled at me. Little did they know that my smirk came from the surprise in her eyes and the minute flaring of her nostrils as she scented me.

4
Tabitha
Grrrrr. I ground