The following is a spin-off of my three-part series, "Houston." To understand the full context of this story, I suggest you read that series as well. This story is set about a few months before the events of "
Revenge in Advance: The Briefing
," and includes an appearance by Oscar Warren, the main character in that series.
As always, constructive comments are always welcome and appreciated. Please refer to my profile for more on my personal policy regarding comments, feedback, follows, etc. (Yes, I do moderate comments. Please remember, this is a work of fiction, meaning that it is not real in any way, shape, matter or form.
...
"What? We're going to Washington, D.C. for our next job?" Houston asked, expressing both shock and surprise.
"Yes," John said. "Alpha One suggested that we take a day or two off while we're there to go see the sights. I understand you've never been there before?"
"No," she said. "I've always wanted to go. Do you think we can take a tour of the White House?"
"I'm sure we can fit that in the schedule," he said.
"Oh, honey, that's wonderful," she said, throwing her arms around him and hugging him tight. "So, when are we going?"
"Well, we're finished up here, so we'll stay the night, then fly there tomorrow morning," John said. "Alpha One has already booked our flight and we have a suite waiting for us at the Georgetown Graham. What do you think?"
"Oh my gosh, this is so sudden," she said. "Do we need to get anything from the house before we go?"
"I don't think so," John said. "We've got most everything we need already with us. If we need anything else, we can get it there. I do need to contact him when we get to our room, though. He'll need to brief us on the job."
"Okay," she said. "I'm so excited. I can't wait till tomorrow. You're the best, John Smith." she smothered his face with kisses before rushing into the bathroom to get ready for the night. He looked at her as she practically skipped like a schoolgirl into the bathroom.
She had come a long way since that fateful week they were forced to deal with Omega's plan to make her a sex slave. The training had done wonders for her as well. She was no longer the ditzy, somewhat gullible woman he married. The Houston he was married to now was very capable, confident and sure of herself.
That confidence extended to the bedroom, where she rocked his world every chance she got. Working with her by his side every day, he had come to love and respect her more than ever before. He heard the bathroom door open and looked up. When she came out of the bathroom wearing only a tiny see-through nightshirt, he had to remind himself to breathe.
She flashed a sultry smile and padded to him until she stood before him, her delicate, bare feet spread shoulder-width apart.
"God, you're so beautiful," he said. She smiled and slowly peeled off the nightshirt, revealing her naked body to him. He took in her B-cup breasts and her shaved pussy, and kissed her from head to foot, worshiping her delightful body before taking her to bed.
The next day, they flew out of Heathrow and headed for Washington. When they got there, John signed for the rental car their boss, Regis, had already reserved for them. This wasn't John's first trip to the nation's capitol, so he made the drive to the hotel with ease.
"Welcome to Washington, D.C., Mr. and Mrs. Smith," the clerk said when they checked in.
"Thank you," John said as he took the key to their suite. When they got their, John put his briefcase on the bed, opened it and, pulling out a scanner, checked the room for surveillance devices. Finding none, he grabbed his tablet, connected to the company's secure VPN and fired up his video messaging app. Houston sat next to her husband on the bed as he pinged Regis, also known as "Alpha One."
"Well, it's about goddamned time you two showed up," Regis boomed, his craggy face taking up most of the screen.
"Good to see you too, boss," John said. Regis chuckled in response.
"Yeah, right, Smith," Regis said. "Alright, listen up you two, because this is extremely important. We have reason to believe there's been a security breach at the highest level. Your job is to observe and collect evidence. I can't say too much more than that over this connection, even though it is secure. About two minutes after we're finished here, you're going to get a visitor who will explain what he knows."
"Who is he?" John asked.
"His name is Ryan Ogilvie," Regis said. "He's a staffer with the Senate subcommittee responsible for funding and oversight of Alpha Sector. He'll tell you what he knows."
"That's Foghorn Leghorn's subcommittee, isn't it?" John asked.
"Yeah, but don't let him hear you call him that," Regis said. "Not unless you wanna spend the rest of your federal career shoveling shit in Louisiana someplace." Franklin H. Legstrom was a very powerful senator from the state of Wyoming and had been in office for about 30 years.
The nickname, "Foghorn Leghorn," was the result of several things -- his initials and last name, for starters. Second, he loved to tout himself as a "good ol' country boy" and wore western-style clothing every chance he got. His campaign commercials typically portrayed him as a throwback to simpler times and showed him either on horseback with a rifle in his hand or on the porch of a simple country home picking a banjo -- even though he never really learned how to play one. He also tended to speak with a slight drawl, especially while delivering his campaign stump speeches.
The truth, however, was quite different. Legstrom owned a very large luxury home that sat on twenty acres just outside the city of Cheyenne, along with a luxurious home in Georgetown. And he was anything but "down home" or "country," despite the fringed jacket, expensive western boots and wide-brimmed hat he liked to wear. Those were just props meant to lull people into thinking he could be easily handled.
In short, Legstrom was a true kingmaker. Nothing got through the Senate unless he approved it. Even the President deferred to him on many things.
"Got it, boss," John said. Regis turned his attention to Houston.
"Houston, I want you to know that I'm very impressed with your progress so far," he said.
"Thank you," she said.
"No thanks necessary," Regis said. "You've done quite well these last few months. You're just the partner John needs. You've earned my respect and trust."
"I appreciate that, sir," she said, causing him to smile.
"So I want you take what I'm about to tell you in the spirit it's intended," he said. "In case you're not aware of it, Washington is a festering swamp filled with all kinds of snakes. Most of them are the two-legged kind that are especially attracted to beautiful young women like yourself."
"I can handle that, sir," she said.
"I'm sure you can," Regis said. "But just in case, we've provided you with a bit of... assistance. If you look in the drawer of your nightstand, you'll find a small case with some pills inside."
"Pills?" she asked. "What kind of pills?"
"The kind that will help protect you from date rape drugs," he said. "They're very fast-acting. All you need to do is slip one under your tongue. I suggest you do it about 15 - 30 minutes prior to consuming any liquid."
"Date rape drugs?" John asked. "Is there a sexual component to this case? What's really going on?"
"Like I said earlier, I can't get into it in any great detail over this connection," Regis said. "But there very well could be. Ryan will go into it in more detail. I want to make sure Houston is... protected, just in case. I'd hate to see her get compromised."
"If that's a possibility, then perhaps Houston shouldn't be here," John said.
