The Seduction of Suki

The young, no-nonsense FBI agent woke up with a smile on her face as memories of the previous night came trickling into her mind. The girl of her fantasies might not be next to her in bed, but she was now in the next room, in a bed in her house. Close enough—and getting closer. She sat up with a yawn and stretched. One step at a time, she told herself. One step at a time. She knew she would get what she wanted. It was just a matter of whether what she wanted would come to her willingly or if she would have to take it. Either way, she would get it. She’d lost out on what she wanted too many times in the past. Because of her job. Because she wasn’t a hottie. Because she was this or she wasn’t that. Sometimes one really did have to go after what they wanted. Literally. Her only regret was that she wouldn’t be able to keep Suki permanently. On the bright side, she reminded herself, she would only get tired of the same old, same old after so many years anyway—maybe even after so many months. She would begin to desire change and variety. Having the same person around every day for the rest of her life would be like being forced to eat the same thing every day for as long as she lived, and she didn’t want that. She was used to getting up bright and early and was awake before Suki. Trying to be as quiet as she could, she made a pot of coffee and grabbed a sugar donut for breakfast. She knew it wasn’t healthy, and she knew she could stand to lose a good fifteen pounds or so, but she would worry about that later. Right now, she had more important things to focus on. When Suki emerged from her room, she slowly crept down the hall and into the kitchen hesitantly, almost as if she were afraid the boogeyman would jump out at her or something. Did she realize what happened last night? “Good morning,” Agent Hughes said with a wide smile. “And how are you this lovely Saturday morning? Did you sleep well?” Suki rubbed her eyes and said, “Yeah, I guess.” “You guess? Mattress too hard for you? Uneven?” “No. Umm…” “Yes?” “Has there been any progress on locating Ted?” “Afraid not. Just checked in with my partner, and he hasn’t gotten any more information than I have. Rest assured, though—we’ll get him.” “I appreciate you looking out for me, but I really miss my own place and my own bed. And it just feels weird not communicating with friends and family, even if it’s only been a day. It feels strange that no one knows where I am.” That was exactly why Agent Hughes had to make sure Suki had no access to the news, whether online or on TV—where she would learn she had been reported missing. Because it had only been a day, it wasn’t likely the media would have wind of her disappearance just yet, but in a day or two, for sure, Suki would hit the news. “What would you like to do today?” Suki looked caught off guard by the question. “What do you mean? I thought I had to stay here.” “You do, but that doesn’t mean you have to sit in a chair in the corner and stare at the wall. Let’s start with breakfast. I’ve got everything from donuts to eggs to muffins to toast.” Suki sat at the breakfast bar and said, “I guess an English muffin with some coffee would be nice.” “Oh, sorry, honey. When I said muffins, I meant blueberry muffins. I also have banana nut muffins. Oh, wait—there’s chocolate chip too.” “Then chocolate chip it is.” Suki remained quiet while Hughes fetched her muffin and poured her coffee, with the exception of thanking her as they were placed before her. “What time will Tracy be home?” Hughes knew that was coming, but she was prepared. She almost wished she’d never invented this fictitious kid, but she’d felt it would be easier to reel Suki in if she thought she had a daughter and that they wouldn’t be alone. “I’m having a bit of a problem with that,” she said, choosing her words carefully. “What kind of problem?” Suki asked. “Custody battle with her bastard father.” “That’s too bad.” “Bastard picked her up from her sleepover. Now, he does get her on weekends, mind you. The thing is, he’s threatening not to return her on Monday.” “That sucks. Is he in law enforcement as well?” Hughes struggled to think quickly. She hadn’t anticipated Suki asking about his occupation of all things, so she hadn’t thought of one. She decided a simple nod would be best unless she was pressed for additional information. “What are you going to do?” “Well, I’ll have to begin the usual legal proceedings one goes through in these kinds of cases.” “You don’t seem worried.” “Nah, not me. I know I’ll kick his ass in court easily.” Suki finished her coffee and muffin, and then Agent Hughes took a quick shower. She made it as fast as she could because she didn’t want to leave Suki alone for too long. The longer she did, the more opportunity Suki had to get into things she didn’t want her getting into. She stepped out of the shower and began to dry herself off. Once she was dressed in shorts and a tank top, it was time to get down to business. She needed to find out whether she would be given what she wanted—or if she would have to take it.