"I went into social work. That was the first one. My parents were worried sick. They didn't want me around the seedier parts of life. To them, that sort of work wasn't for a woman, especially not a young one. But when it came down to it, every career choice out there has some less-than-desirable elements, which I pointed out as quickly as possible. Even though I shot down every suggestion they made, they were still incredibly disappointed with my choice. As far as they were concerened, I should have gone to school for an MRS instead of a Masters."

  I thought I'd heard of about every degree there was, but that one was new to me. "MRS?"

  "Otherwise known as a wedding ring." Distaste tightened her mouth. "A lot of girls go to college to husband hunt. Or at least, a lot I knew did."

  "And you weren't interested?" Somehow, that didn't surprise me too much, but it made me happy as hell.

  "I was much more interested in learning everything I could to make the world a better place."

  Okay, I had to play devil's advocate a little, and see if I could get a rise out of her. Those little flashes of temper she sometimes showed were hot as fuck. Maybe I'd get lucky. "There's a lot of ways to make the world a better place, though. Everybody from teachers to cops to politicians list that as a fucking career goal."

  The little smile surprised me. "True. But since I couldn't really become a superhero, I decided to be the next best thing. I'll save as many as I can, one kid at a time, from the bad things that go bump in the night."

  "Well, fuck. I was trying to provoke you into being slightly pissed, so I could enjoy the view. Instead, you come up with something with real meaning."

  She smiled and stood. "I know. So I decided to give you a different view." Her shirt came up and over her head in one smooth movement, then dropped to the floor, leaving me stunned with her beauty.

  Heat flashed to my groin, even though it had only been a few minutes. Fuck, this woman turned me inside out. I couldn't get enough of her.

  Sarah:

  The big house sat quiet, and mostly dark, as I led Crank down to the kitchen in search of food. It made me feel like a teenager sneaking around after dark, and I tried to control my giggles.

  Crank caught on quickly, and cracked corny, dirty jokes until he had tears of laughter streaming down my face. When I would have opened the refrigerator, he caught me around the waist and pulled me back against his hard body. "I fucking love to make you laugh." With a quick nip to my earlobe, he released me. "Now, feed me, woman. I need fuel."

  I turned to stare at him, a little startled by the change of tone. "Why?"

  "Because I need to fuck you again and again." He leaned in to tuck my hair back. "I don't fucking know what you do to me, but I can't get enough of you. Every taste leaves me starving for more."

  No appropriate reply appeared in my head in the next heartbeat, so I settled for the only coherent thought I could find. "Oh. Okay." The refrigerator yielded cold cuts, cheese, and fruit, while my brain continued on empty.

  Crank found a jar of what appeared to be artisanal crackers made from some whole grain, but without a label, we couldn't be sure. He lifted one shoulder, unscrewed the lid, and tried one of the irregularly shaped squares. "Okay, I don't know what the fuck these are made of, but they're incredible." He added a generous handful to our haul.

  In the absence of wine, we chose a cranberry juice blend. Glasses and napkins joined everything else on a wooden tray, which Crank insisted on carrying, and we made our way back upstairs.

  I never considered food even remotely erotic until that meal. Watching him eat flipped some sort of primal switch in me, or something. Crank ate the way he did everything else, including sex—decisively and without reservation. We'd eaten together before, but I never watched with such fascination. And all the while, those gray eyes held me mesmerized.

  Eventually, we finished, and when I would have taken the tray back to the kitchen, he stopped me. "It can wait for morning." He placed it carefully on a polished marble-topped table, which also held a large vase of fresh flowers. "Time to get to work."

  I felt so stupid for getting caught up in the romanticism of being with him. "Yes, it is." Maybe my disappointment didn't show too plainly.

  Crank put his laptop on the bed, and turned to face me. One thumb brushed over my lower lip. "Hey, the sooner we finish this, the sooner we can focus on more important things. Like the future."

  Wild horses galloped through my chest. Did that mean—

  "Come on, sit with me." He put his back against the headboard and patted the mattress beside him. "Once I'm in the system, it'll be faster if you guide me."

  The wild horses evaporated. "Of course." I scooted back beside him, but kept a little distance between us. This man confused me with the way he went from hot to cold so quickly. Which side was the real Crank? Would I even get a chance to find out before he rode off into the sunset?

  As soon as the laptop finished its startup thing, he opened a couple of programs I didn't recognize. "You know if there are any other guests here tonight?"

  The question seemed entirely random. "No, why?"

  "Because if there are, they might come knocking to tell me to turn it down." After a few low, eerie, opening notes, a driving beat filled the room with heavy bass.

  My eardrums recoiled in self-defense about the time a growling voice joined in. Reflexes brought my hands up to cover my ears.

  "Too loud?" Crank's shouted words barely penetrated the cacophony.

  I could only nod helplessly, and breathe a sigh of relief when he lowered the volume. "What on earth is that?"

  "Marilyn Manson. Guess you need to be eased into some things. What do you listen to?" The way his brow arched betrayed his doubts about my taste in music.

  "Pop. Taylor Swift is probably my favorite."

  "I ain't gonna even fucking pretend to know who, or what, that is. But I have some classic rock that might appeal to you a little more. You've heard Tom Petty before, I'm sure?" That brow arched again, clearly expecting a yes.

  I considered for a moment. "I don't think so. It doesn't sound familiar."

  His face fell. "You're kidding? You haven't heard Free Fallin', Mary Jane's Last Dance, or Won't Back Down?" He paused long enough for me to shake my head. "You been under a fucking rock your whole life?"

  "Maybe? I don't know. My parents weren't music lovers, and I wasn't really either. I just listened to whatever my friends were into." Okay, those words made me feel like a fool, like someone who just blindly went along with the crowd.

  He gave a little grunt. "Okay, then. Well, just so you know, I listen to everything from Hank Senior and Johnny Cash, to The Rolling Stones, Bob Seger, Pantera, Kid Rock, and Rob Zombie. So you'll hear a fucking lot of different sounds and eras of music around me. Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers hit big in the 80s, and their music is still relevant. Never know, you might even like it."

  After a couple of clicks on his screen, an entirely different sound filled the room. It felt clean and pure, and the singer's voice fit perfectly with it. "Okay, I think I like this."

  A satisfied smile curved his mouth. "Fucking told ya." With that issue settled to his satisfaction, he went to work, opening a browser window. His fingers flew over the keyboard and he clicked through screens so rapidly I had no chance of deciphering any of it.

  The longer I watched, the more my respect for Crank grew. Unless I missed my guess, this man had the skills to work for the government, combating cyber-terrorism and things of that nature. Doubt followed quickly. Why would a man with so much talent and skill squander it on petty crime? He'd mentioned work before, but gave no details. If he didn't work for the good guys, exactly who did he work for?

  The question burned in my mind, becoming more insistent with every sure keystroke. "You mentioned work before. What do you do? Like programming, or something?" It sounded intrusive, and lame, but I managed not to apologize for asking.

  "I do a lot of things, consulting mostly." His pace never faltered. "Sometimes it's coding, setting up a website. Other times it's security, or even banking."

  The reply piqued my interest. "Who hires a computer consultant for banking?"

  He glanced my way with a little grin. "Whoever has the money to pay, and wants to."

  A deliberately vague answer. Did that mean criminals hired him? Memories of crime documentaries flooded my mind, details of how mob accountants had been found dead, and others turned evidence and went into witness protection. "Are you in danger because of it?"

  His hands froze over his keyboard, and he turned to face me. "No. Even if, for some reason, they were unsatisfied with my work, they couldn't find me. I work from behind layers of encryption the NSA would have to work hard to get through. I don't even use a fake name. Instead it's a series of randomly generated numbers embedded within an avatar that looks like abstract modern art."

  I considered that. "But then how do you get paid?" Surely money had to change hands, right? And money was traceable.

  "Bitcoin routed through several anonymous accounts. Can't be tracked." He explained briefly how it worked. "You don't have to worry. No kill squads breaking the door down at night, or anything like that."

  I still had my doubts. "Okay, I think."

  He leaned in and stole a quick kiss. "I fucking love it when you worry about me." And just like that, he went back to work. The speed with which he shifted his focus startled me yet again.

  More questions flooded in, demanding answers, but I held off. The last thing I wanted was to make him think I questioned his integrity, or something like that. So far, he'd patiently explained things to me, but that could change. I already knew he possessed a deep sense of honor, and strong, unwavering morals. So what if his ethics were a little different from those of mainstream society? It didn't change who he was.

  After what seemed like hours, he spoke again. "I'm in. Ready to walk me through it?"

  "Of course." We spent the next hour with him entering the details of our fictitious case report.

  He took careful notes of everything. "In the morning, we'll go over all this with our girl until she knows it as well as she knows her own life story. You'll need to prepare her for what to expect, too. Fergus says she's never been in the system before. Runner will help prepare her, since he knows how it works from the other side." He clicked a few final checkboxes. "Okay, submitting now."

  My heart leapt into my throat as the little circle spun on his screen. "Oh, God, I hope this isn't a big mistake."

  Crank started shutting down his computer. "It's not. This is the cleanest, surest way to bring Sennit down. Now that it's rolling, we just have to follow through, and make sure it all goes exactly as planned." He set the laptop aside and scooted around to face me fully. "We'll fucking get the motherfucker, Sarah."

  I nodded. "You're right. It just seems counter-intuitive to me. My instincts keep wanting to go to law enforcement with what I already have, and turn it over for them to handle. But logically, I know that has zero chance of working." This went directly against my normal rule-following tendencies.

  "Not to mention, going to the cops would put you, and your family, at risk. Don't forget, he's already moved against you." A gentle finger tipped my chin up so I met his steady gaze. "A dirty cocksucker like Sennit will have a contingency plan."

  "Contingency plan?"

  "Yeah. He would know there's always a risk someone would find out. He'll have thought it out in advance, and have a plan to either discredit, or silence, anyone who stumbles across his dirty secret."

  "Oh. That's what he was doing with me." The now-familiar fear flooded my system with adrenaline. "I almost wish I'd never found out."

  Crank shook his head. "No you fucking don't. We don't know how many kids he's raped and sold over the years, but we do know it's more than a few. We also know there would be a fucking lot more before he stopped on his own. You want to make the world a better place, this is how you do it. You make sure that motherfucker can never hurt another kid." The ferocity of his words chilled the air. He took this as personally as I did.

  "I know. I guess I'm just scared. It's just...I'm trained to spot abuse, to remove children from unsafe situations. To think I have handed children over to this monster's depravity—"

  "No. Do not fucking go there." His fingers cupped my jaw roughly. "This is on Sennit's head, not yours. As soon as you spotted it, you investigated, and when it got too big for you handle, you called in help. No one could have done more." His touch gentled. "Now, I want you to forget about Sennit. I fucking need you again, Sarah." Eager hands removed my clothes and drew me into his lap.

  Just like that, my doubts dissolved. As soon as he touched me, I knew all I needed to know about him. I gave myself over to the force of nature that was Crank.

  Crank:

  Nothing in this world compared to waking up with Sarah all soft and warm in my arms. It made everything right, and I never wanted the moment to fucking end. I lay there, inhaling her scent and absorbing every single detail. I needed her burned into my mind forever, so I could never lose her, no matter what life brought at me.

  She eventually stirred a little, then stretched, all satisfied, like a cat with full belly and a fire to curl up beside. "Mmm. I need to get up."

  My hold tightened reflexively. "No, you don't."

  Her eyes fluttered open, and a soft smile curled her mouth. "Yeah, I do. Otherwise, I might pee all over us both."

  I grinned and held on a little longer. "That doesn't sound so terrible. But I guess I'll let you up."

  As soon as I released her, she bolted from the bed and dashed for the bathroom. A couple minutes later, the shower came on. I headed for the bathroom to take a piss, and hopefully catch a glimpse of her, all slick and wet.

  I eased the shower curtain back a little, and stood there, fucking stunned. How could one woman be that fucking beautiful? Suds rolled down her back and over her ass, teasing me. Throat too dry to make a fucking sound, all I could do was watch her.

  She turned to rinse her hair, and swept her gaze over me with a smile. "You like what you see?"

  I could nothing but nod.

  "Well, are you going to just stand there?"

  I didn't need to be told twice. I stepped into the tub with her and let the scented steam carry me to a different world. Dropping to me knees in front of her, I filled my hands with her ass and pulled her close. She opened her thighs for me a little when I licked her.

  If I thought her taste compared to paradise, the unique blend of both of us was something far beyond that. Yeah, I'd ate other women out after sex, but I could take it or leave it. This, the way her body mixed our come together, was a fucking drug. I would never be able to survive without it.

  I groaned into her, searching for more, and sent her over the edge. Her nails dug into my shoulders, while her body trembled over me. Reluctant, I drew back as her orgasm faded and the sensation became too much for her, and got to my feet.

  She leaned into me. "How do you always do that to me?"

  "Do what?"

  "Know exactly what I need, and when." A soft hand trailed down my abs, and lower, to circle the base of my hard-on.

  I gritted my teeth as she slid her fingers along my dick with delicious pressure. "I'm going to spend the rest of my fucking life giving you what you need."

  She paused for an instant. "Do you think it could work?"

  Unable to speak further, I leaned down and took her mouth in the deepest kiss I could manage while I arched into her hand. She responded, open and honest, and found just the right pace with her fingers. It didn't take long for me to come unbelievably hard. Rather than draw back in disgust, my Sarah held my cock against her belly while I fucking spilled myself over her silky skin.

  I finally managed to catch my breath enough to search for the washcloth she dropped when I came into the tub. Careful and gentle, I washed her while I thought about her question. Could it work?

  Absolutely, it could. Should it? That was a different matter. I was pretty sure she owned me, heart and soul, but could I be the man she needed? I never imagined trying to leave my sketchy-as-fuck life behind. As badly as I wanted Sarah, needed her, I wasn't sure I could make that kind of change. Lucky for me, she didn't say anything more about it while we finished in the shower, and got dressed. I needed to seriously consider whether I could do it or not, before I took things much further with her. She probably needed to think things over, too.

  Downstairs in the kitchen, we found Chancey at the big gas range, happily humming some tune I'd never heard, and cooking breakfast. She glanced up with a smile as we came in. "You're just in time."

  My stomach growled loudly. "Good. I'm fucking starved."

  Sarah gripped my arm a little. "Crank, language."

  Puzzled, I looked from her to Chancey, and back again. "Darlin', I really don't think the kid will come out telling everyone to fuck off, do you?"

  Her mouth twitched with humor even as she tried to look stern. "That's not what I meant, and you know it."

  I leaned down to claim a quick kiss. "I know, but it's fun to fuck with you."

  Across the room, Chancey sputtered with laughter. "Sarah, I think we had better feed him before he hurts himself."

  "I think you're right. Have a seat, Crank. I'll get you a coffee and help Chancey finish up."

  I followed orders and planted myself at the table where I could watch every move Sarah made. She brought my coffee, and leaned down for a kiss, and allowed me a little peek at her cleavage, then went over to the counter.

  The easy interaction between the two women told me a great deal about them both. They were already well on the way to becoming close friends. They chatted as they worked, laughing often, and once, Chancey stopped and grabbed Sarah's hand to place it on her belly.

  The look of wonder that spread over Sarah's face fucking blew me away. "Incredible! Oh my God, Crank, I felt the baby move!"

  Fuck, that expression on Sarah's face made me want to plant my baby in her belly, and watch her carry it. I took a sip of my coffee, and tried like hell to keep my face neutral. "You want kids sometime, Sarah?"

 

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