The Seduction of Suki

“My daughter is having a sleepover at her best friend’s house tonight,” Hughes told Suki once they entered her house. Looking around the place, Suki said, “Oh.” “Follow me. I’ll show you the guest room.” The house was a modest three-bedroom home that was slightly on the small side. It was very ordinary and basic, without any real frills. She followed the agent into a tiny bedroom with a full-size bed that nearly filled the entire room. One small chest of drawers adorned a corner of the room. “Just make yourself at home,” said the agent, stepping out of the room. Out in the hall, the agent allowed herself to crack a wicked grin. Things were going unbelievably well. It was about damn time things went her way, too. With Ted out of the picture, it would be assumed that he had something to do with Suki’s disappearance, whether or not his body was ever found—and she still believed it would be eventually. She knew she couldn’t keep Suki forever but looked forward to the fun she would have with her until she felt she’d had enough. Looking as delicious as Suki did, she wasn’t sure she would feel she’d had her fill anytime soon, but the longer she kept her, the riskier it would be. She would have to let her go soon enough. She hated to think that far ahead, however. Stay in the moment, she told herself, and enjoy it. When Suki stepped out of the room, she looked down the hall in one direction and then the other. “Settled in okay?” Agent Hughes asked. Suki nodded. “Yes, ma’am. I would just really like to contact my parents and let them know I’m okay. I can do it without divulging my whereabouts.” “No problem at all. The only thing is that I need to be the one to send the message, okay?” Again, Suki nodded, but Hughes could see it wasn’t without some hesitation. “I need to run the message through a special proxy that’s encrypted and all that, so it’s totally untraceable. Stuff I’m sure you know all about.” Suki smiled. “Here,” said the agent, leading them back into the living room and to a small table that sat in the corner of the room. On the table was a laptop, which the agent opened. “I’ll tell them who I am and that you’re in protective custody, but that no details can be provided to them until the guy is apprehended. At that time, when it’s safe for you to return home and reconnect with people, they’ll be notified.” “Okay,” said Suki. Hughes made a point of typing what she was saying into the body of an email where Suki could see it. “Tell them I love them and I’ll be okay.” “Okay. What’s their email address?” Suki gave it to her, and Hughes shifted at an angle as subtly as she could so the girl couldn’t see that she never hit send. Then she closed the computer and stood up. She checked the computer screen over. Suki looked hot in her short shorts and snug-fitting tank top. Her long, glossy hair shone like a brand-new coin. A shiver of anticipation ran down her body, and she could feel her desire growing. But she couldn’t rush things. She didn’t have to spill the beans just yet about some of the things she’d told her that weren’t quite true, as she didn’t want to proceed too fast. Enjoy the moment, she reminded herself. “There are unmarked officers who will be keeping an eye on the place when I’m home and when I’m not. Since it’s not a good idea to invite anyone over unnecessarily, as we would be doing if we ordered some food, for example, how about I cook us something nice?” Suki shrugged and muttered something in agreement. “What do you like?” she asked. “I’m not that picky,” Suki said. “Would you like some help?” “Sure,” the agent said with a smile. “We can do this together and have fun while we’re at it.” Suki didn’t seem to consider it fun, but she still needed to eat. “Do you like mushrooms?” Suki nodded. “Sure.” “I could whip us up a simple but filling dinner of mushroom canapés. It’s a mixture of mushrooms, cheese, mayo, and French-fried onion rings served on toasted rye bread.” “Sounds good to me.” After they ate and made small talk, the agent made a show of calling her “daughter” at her friend’s house. She later tried to engage Suki in some conversation, but Suki didn’t seem very chatty. She asked a few questions about apprehending Ted and about her fictitious daughter, but not much more than that. The agent realized it was a good thing she wasn’t really keen on the idea of a serious relationship; the more she thought about it, the more she realized that Suki would probably be boring as hell other than in bed. Suki might be a true nerd at heart and very helpful to the Bureau, but she was otherwise as lame as one could get. She basically sat on the couch like a lump while they watched a movie about a woman who was deceived into a man’s home under the guise of a babysitting job, only to find the man lived alone and that she would be held hostage as a sex slave. Oh, the irony, thought Agent Hughes.