The Seduction of Suki

Suki eventually had a bad feeling about helping Agent Hughes out after work. Well, maybe it wasn't exactly a bad feeling, but it wasn’t a good one either. She tried to tell herself she was being silly, but for some reason, as much as she admired certain traits about the agent—such as her confidence and tough-appearing demeanor—there was something a bit intimidating about her. Then there was the fact that she still sensed Hughes could possibly be attracted to her, even though this was another thing she tried to tell herself she was being silly about. Not only did Suki believe she was a very ordinary-looking girl, but not every lesbian was attracted to every woman they saw, either. But she had already given her word that she would be there, so she headed to the department at the time she had promised. Agent Hughes smiled when she spotted her, almost as if she were a little too happy to see her. Suki didn’t know the magnitude of Hughes’s computer problems either; if it was that serious, anyone might be happy to see her if she could fix it. The agent rose from her chair and studied her intently as Suki threaded her way through a series of desks to where Hughes stood. Agent Hughes was dressed in a stylish off-black pantsuit with a cream-colored blouse. “Good afternoon, Miss Suki. It is my pleasure to see you.” She gave a quick bow. Suki smiled and realized the agent might simply come off as intense with everybody. “Still can’t get the monitor to display?” “Nope. Not at all. Tried to reboot, but nothing happened.” “Is everything saved?” The agent frowned in confusion. “What do you mean?” “Everything on your computer. Make sure it’s all saved. I’m going to need to reboot the system.” “Oh!” Hughes slapped her forehead with the meaty part of her palm. “How could I be so stupid? When you asked about rebooting, I thought you meant the monitor.” “No. The whole system needs to be shut down and restarted. That’s usually the cure for display issues, but if that doesn’t do it, I’ll investigate further.” “Okay then, let’s do it.” Hughes reached for the laptop that was connected to the monitor and quickly tapped a few keys. “We need to power down the monitor as well.” “Okay.” “Don’t restart the monitor until the computer has fully rebooted.” “Yes, ma’am.” Suki waited alongside the agent, aware of her presence so close that their arms nearly brushed. “Yay!” exclaimed Hughes when the monitor once again displayed the FBI's logo. “There you go,” Suki said with a smile. “I feel like such an idiot. I should have known this was all it would take.” “It’s no big deal. I’m glad I could help.” “And I’m glad I could keep you out of this crazy heat we’ve been having.” Suki was glad for that too, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to spend much time with the agent. “You ready to go?” Suki nodded. They didn’t speak much as they made their way to the elevator and down to the lobby. Suki waited by her bike until Hughes pulled her truck around. Leaving the vehicle running, the agent jumped out and quickly lifted Suki’s bike into the back of the truck. “Thank you so much again,” said Suki. “No problem. Hop in and buckle up.” The agent still didn’t say much as they pulled out of the parking lot and into heavy traffic. Suki almost felt a bit uncomfortable but didn’t know what to say to break the silence or if she should, since she didn’t want to appear too friendly. Then the agent fired off one question after another. “You hungry?” “Getting there.” “Want to grab a bite to eat before I drop you off?” “I would, but I promised my roommate we’d order a pizza and watch this movie she’s been dying to see with me.” This was complete bullshit, but she didn’t want to spend time with the somewhat imposing agent and give her the wrong idea. As much as she tried to tell herself she wasn’t interested in her that way, she had a hard time believing herself. “You always lived in this area?” “Born and raised,” Suki said with a nod. “You like it?” Suki shrugged. “It’s all I know.” “Heard from your boyfriend?” For a second, she considered saying she had and that they were determined to make things work, but she didn’t want to lie too much. “No, but I probably will at some point.” “Sorry for sounding so personal, but do you even want to get back together with him?” “Maybe,” Suki lied. At least it was the kind of lie that couldn’t be proven. “Why do you ask?” The agent pulled up by her building, put the vehicle in park, and looked directly at her. “Guess I might as well be upfront with you.” “Yeah?” “I don’t know if you ever do women, but this one finds you kind of cute and wouldn’t mind getting to know you a little better.” Suki gave an uncomfortable laugh, hoping her discomfort didn’t show. “I’m guessing you’re strictly dickly, though.” This time, Suki laughed with amusement at the agent’s choice of words. “Actually, I’ve experimented with my ex a bit. We added a woman a few times to spice things up, and it wasn’t that bad. The truth is, as kind as you are, there’s a chance he and I could patch things up. If we don’t, I don’t know that I’ll be ready to start a new relationship anytime soon.” The agent looked upset, and Suki quickly told herself not to feel bad. Being honest was the correct thing to do. “I’ll keep you in mind, and of course I’ll always come to your rescue whenever I can if you ever get into another computer jam.” Hughes turned to gaze straight ahead out the windshield but then looked back at Suki. She gave a tight smile that seemed forced. “Okay. Thanks for the help.” “And thank you for saving me from the heat.” They both exited the vehicle, and Hughes pulled Suki’s bike from the back. After Hughes roughly sat it down on the ground and left, Suki secured her bike on her balcony and realized she had never actually given the agent her address.