Title: Chains
Author: Amazon X
E-mail: yankeestarbuck@yahoo.com
Website: http://yankeestarbuck.tripod.com
Feedback: Always necessary, flames used to light my incense
Category: AU, Erotica, S-M
Rating: NC-17
Summary: What happens when Mulder and Scully ask the Gunmen to infiltrate an S-M club?
Archive: Tell me where my babies live, keep my 'nym.
Disclaimer: I don’t own ‘em, I just love ‘em, not hurting nobody and not making any money.

Notes: The world of sadomasochism is actually a world of intelligent people who are just into heightening
pleasures they find mundane to new levels. They hurt no one and they truly love each other. Sanguinarians are
of the same vein, that they are all creatures that wish to make each other feel good. Be advised, this is a
subject close to my heart, though I do not live in this world. Thank you to the bestest Beta-reader the Goddess
ever put on the planet, Everly Dawn! Without her, I can't get a damn thing done. She is talented and wonderful
and I love her to bits!



**************

Lone Gunmen HQ

Byers just shook his head. Frohike had a twisted little smile on his face. Langly was giggling and Jimmy…he
just couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“You mean, they sell secrets from this club?” he asked, shocked.

“Yes, Jimmy,” Mulder explained. “The owner, Chin Li, is a former soviet operative from China, but he’s a
‘business owner’ now. They think we won’t follow the case into an establishment like that. The only problem is,
we need two operatives that he doesn’t know. So…I need your help.”

“Again,” Frohike reminded him. He shook his head, turned to his right and said, “Jess, would you like to
accompany me to the club?”

Jessica looked up. She looked up and turned to face the crowd in front of her.

“No.”

Mulder looked directly at her.

“I need your help. Please?” Mulder begged. Jessica looked into the puppy eyes for the first time and fell for it.

She bit her lower lip. Her long black hair was pony tailed behind her and she reached for it to twirl around her
fingers nervously. All she was to them was distraction for their damn operations. She liked Langly and all, but
this was beginning to get weird, living there and them continually asking her for help. They were getting
demanding.

“OK, what do I have to do this time?” she asked, resignedly.

Mulder smiled and Scully felt pity for the young girl. She’d heard the story from Frohike. Jessica was only
about 23 years old, kicked out of her house by parents who were too traditional to understand why a young girl
wanted a career and not a family. She’d followed Langly back from the gaming convention under the pretense
that she just “wanted to talk and stuff,” but it was obvious how she felt about Langly. Frohike took pity on her. 
She was as skinny as a bone. And after Frohike discovered she was squatting in a warehouse down the alley,
he let her move into the attic storage space. She didn’t have much room up there, but she had a roof and a
bathroom. She used their laundry and cooked for them, when they bought the food. She was convinced she
could get a high paying job, finish college, and then be a rich single girl. But if her mooneyes got any bigger
she’d bore holes in Langly’s back.

Mulder laid the plan out. Jessica listened, then she sighed in defeat. Yves stepped forward, increasingly
interested in the plan. She was quite fond of the girl, knowing she kept the boys grounded in reality, since they
tended to drift off in their own world sometimes. She put her hand on Jessica’s shoulder and said, 
“Fear not, sweet, I will costume you both.”

Jessica looked at her. She was kinda scared of the woman. But Yves was nothing but nice to her. As Mulder
elaborated on the story, Jessica stopped him.

“Do you think that they’ll actually believe that I’m with Frohike?”

Everyone turned to her, plain faces, as if what she suggested, Frohike being her dominant, was perfectly
believable. But Frohike could see the look in her eyes. Despite how beautiful she was, he thought of her as
his sweet little niece. By the statement on her face, it was obvious that he wasn’t the Gunman she had in mind.

“Yeah, you’re right, there. It’s not going to work. Langly, you go,” Frohike said.

The tall blonde swung his head around, splaying his hair down his back. He looked wide-eyed at Frohike for
even mentioning it.

“No way, man, you are not getting me with her in that freaky club. Forget that shit right now.”

Jessica was sitting behind Langly on the worktable, so he didn’t see her head fall. Frohike could tell Langly’s
careless statements hurt the girl. Everyone in the room noticed. It brought the mood down a note.

“Long hair, you’re going and that’s it. Don’t make me tell you again,” Frohike insisted.

Langly was taken aback by Frohike’s forcefulness. He assumed the old pervert would want to do this himself. 
He’d love to get his hands all over Jessica. But he didn’t seem to want to do this. Langly turned to Jessica
and said, “Looks like it’s up to us.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

They listened carefully as Mulder laid out the floor plan and gave them a description of the operative. Langly
would do all the talking, posing as CIA out for profit. Frustrated civil servants with time and information were
what Li wanted. After going over the instructions a few more times, Mulder and Scully left the warehouse to
secure the situation on the bureau's end. Yves followed them out the door mentioning something about
returning with costumes, make up and hair supplies that she’d need to get the two dressed for the part.

“You’re not putting any make-up on me!” Langly yelled as the door shut behind her.

Frohike turned to him and declared in no un-simple terms, “Look, punkass, you’re looking the way we tell you
to look and saying what we tell you to say, you got it?”

Langly looked back at him with open contempt.

“Yeah, fine, whatever.”

Yves returned with two gym bags. She handed one to Byers and said to him, “Dress Langly. Make sure he
wears it!”

Byers pushed Langly up the stairs and into Langly’s room. Byers closed Langly’s door and locked it.

“You are not getting out of here until you’re in that outfit,” Byers warned, with as much strength as he could
offer. He wasn't in the mood for a battle of wills with the world's blondest brat.

“No fucking way, Narcboy, I am NOT dressing like one of those freaks.”

“Langly, this is for a case. Mulder needs our help. And if we intend to use him as a contact and possibly a way
out of trouble in the future, should we need him, we should keep him placated. Am I clear?”

Langly reluctantly began undressing. He was a little embarrassed about dropping his pants in front of Byers,
but Byers had some level of modesty and turned away, looking through Yves’ bag. He handed Langly the
black boxer briefs.

“Why do I need these?” Langly whined.

“You don’t think you need underwear?” asked Byers, incredulous.

“I thought my shorts were just fine, thank you.”

“Langly, I think Snoopy boxer shorts would be a little out of place in the club where you’ll be working.”

“Who’s gonna see ‘em?”

Byers smirked at him. “You never know, do you?”

Langly didn’t like the leather pants or the leather vest Byers told him to wear. He didn’t like the little silver
chains hanging all over it. He felt like he should have a shirt on, not fond of his bare chest showing. The pants
were too tight. He did like the motorcycle boots he was given. But he was none too happy with his
roommate's superior attitude and mirth at the whole situation.

Byers folded Langly's discarded jeans and t-shirt to leave on the bureau in the room, on top of the mound of
disassembled electronics lying around. Byers wondered how the younger man lived in such a mess. He
turned to see Langly looking at himself in the mirror with fear and trepidation in his eyes.

"Langly, how is it that you can think nothing of wearing a medieval knight's costume for your role-playing
tournaments, dressing in tights at times, yet this is beyond your scope of tolerance? I don't understand that."

"Man, there's no one screwing at a D&D tourney. People are there for the battle, not the sex."

Byers snorted a small laugh. "I've seen the serving wenches, Langly. There's plenty of sex on display at your
'battles'. More than you're willing to admit."

Langly contemplated Byers' words carefully. Role-playing, that's all this was. He could crawl into his character
and pull this off. He would have just have to keep the notes in his head, instead of in his book and there was
no dice in this game.

He looked himself over one last time and decided it would do. Byers led him to Yves for the next phase, the
cosmetics. He sat on a chair in the kitchen, next to the window, for natural light. Yves slathered on moisturizer,
then foundation in an impossibly fair shade, almost white, yet matching his skin tone. She powdered him off,
eliciting a ridiculously overacted amount of coughing. She looked heavenward for strength and continued. 
She pulled out a black eye liner pencil and said, “Look up so I can draw in your eyes.”

“Fuck no, you’re not putting that shit near my eyes!”

Langly jumped out of the chair and scrambled to the other side of the kitchen. Yves stood with one hand on her
hip and the pencil in the other hand, looking strangely like his mother had when she wouldn't eat his peas as a
child, he thought.

“Langly," she explained, "most of the men in this particular club do wear cosmetics. Nothing ridiculous, mind
you, but it adds a certain level of ferocity and…how can I put this…narcissism? The dominants are very into
themselves, thus they have submissives to cater to them. Am I making sense?”

“Yeah, fine, whatever,” he said, again. It was his mantra of defeat.

Sulkily, Langly flung himself back into the chair and tipped his head back. Yves slid his glasses off again and
began lightly drawing around his eyes. She brushed on mascara, making her unwilling client blink to excess.

“All right, already, Yves, enough. What’s next, blush? Lipstick?” He was tired of this attention from her.

“No, dear, pale is the key. And I think you’ll benefit from a natural mouth.”

Langly stood, exasperated, and stalked from the kitchen. He tromped down the stairs, causing Frohike, Byers
and Jimmy to turn to him. They instantly erupted in hysterical laughter. Langly turned abruptly and walked
toward the stairs.

“That’s it!” Langly shouted. “I’m washing all of this shit off my face!”

Frohike ran to him, grabbed his arm and shouted, “Don’t you dare! You two are leaving in a few hours. Get
back here and get to work learning your damn lines.”

“My lines?” he asked, surprised at the thought of printed dialogue.

“I took the liberty of writing a few things that may be of help to you, the lingo and all.”

Langly shook his blonde mane as he snatched the paper from Frohike to read it. Byers was glad this one was
beyond him.

Jessica endured being dressed and groomed by Yves with the patience of a nun. Jessica didn’t like the way
Yves had made her hair wavy, but it looked like Yves’ own hair, which was probably the best way for Jessica to wear it in that situation. Then the make-up came and the color of choice was black. Even the paste Yves used for lipstick was black. It dried so that it wouldn’t smear and looked matted. 

Jessica could handle the make up Yves had put on her, but she did not want to walk around, though, in a black
leather strapless bra that was buckled tightly in the back with two huge belts, a leather thong and black
stockings that were held up by a garter belt worn on the outside. The only protection offered by Yves' costume
was a motorcycle jacket. It was a man’s cut, below Jessica’s waist to her hips. But it was little consolation. 
Her rear end still showed prominently. The final indignity came in the form of a studded, black leather collar
adorned with a ring in the front.

“What’s the ring for?” Jessica asked.

“It means you are submissive. To Langly, of course. He has the leash.”

“A leash? No, this is stupid. And this bra is too big for me. I’m flat-chested, remember?”

“You are not. Small, yes, but not flat. Dear, there are all types of women in the world. Buxom women…”

“Like you?”

“Well...yes…and smaller women. Not every woman in the world is something out of a Harlequin romance
novel.”

“I have no boobs, no hips, I’m as skinny as a rail, whatever the hell that means. My mother said that. My legs
are too skinny, my knees are bony, my wrists are tiny, and I’m just not beautiful. Not like you.”

“Yes, you are quite beautiful. All women are, don’t let anyone tell you the opposite. Being thin isn’t a crime. 
Being big isn’t either. I’ll tell you a secret. When I was a schoolgirl, I had a terrible weight problem.”

Jessica’s eyes popped open wide.

“Why yes, don’t look so surprised. I was huge, bigger than all the boys put together. My brothers all teased
me. I was known as ‘Plum Puddin’ to everyone. It was humiliating. And I sought to change that. But if I ever
gained that weight back, I think I would be fine with it. I think I would just be who I was and go on with it. And
that’s the truth.”

It wasn’t. But there was no sense in her telling the girl she was just being ridiculous. 

Jessica had a lot work to do after the costuming was completed. Yves and Frohike went over the behavior to
exhibit in the club. Langly was mock proud of being the dominant. He held the leash in his gloved hands, smile
wiped across his face. He looked at Jessica who was petrified at what she was supposed to do.

“Langly, get that shit-eating grin off your face. Remember, people who live like this are actually in love with
each other. They don’t do this to humiliate each other, but to prove that they trust each other deeply. Jessica,
you have to trust Langly, that he won’t hurt you. And you need a safe word. So choose one that the both of you
will recognize as the point to stop.”

Jessica looked at Frohike.

“I can stop him?” she asked, with hope and disbelief mingling together.

“Of course you can, dear. He can’t just beat you senseless. And he’d better not try." Frohike flashed a heated
look in Langly's direction, surprising the young man. "Pick a word," Frohike said, encouragingly.

She looked around and looked at his workspace for inspiration.

“Ramones. That’s the safe word.”

“You got that, Langly? You hear her say that, you back off. Clear?”

“Yeah, I’ll be nice.”

“No, you can’t. Be firm, but kind. And Jessica", he continued, turning to her, "do whatever he tells you to do."

He paused a moment, looking at the reluctant couple. "Are you guys ok with this, all clear with the
instructions?”

Both nodded. Jessica didn’t like the way Langly looked at her, like she was going to screw everything up, she
wondered fleetingly. But at least he wasn’t ogling her. Or did she want that?

Yves handed Langly the keys to her Mercedes. She gave explicit instruction not to harm it. Byers fitted
Langly’s vest with a pin that was not only a listening device, but a camera, cleverly hidden by the design of a
skull with onyx eyes. But Langly wouldn’t be able to hear them; they would only hear him. Langly held his hand
out to Jessica who took it.

“You ready, Sics?” he asked her.

She hated that name. He called her that when she first got there. At the time she was invited to stay at the
warehouse, she hadn’t eaten in a couple of days and after ramming two cheese steaks down, it all came back
up. She had been mortified. That was when Langly decided on that atrocious name. He said it was a play on
her name, but she knew better. 

He never thought before he spoke. Words usually just fell out of his mouth. He never thought the reason why
she was so uptight at her period was because of severe cramps - she was emptying a bottle of ibuprofen each
time. No, he just continued to make fun of her by circling days on a calendar he'd printed with a red magic
marker so he would know when to tease her even more. Just once she’d liked to punch him in the stomach so
he would see how it felt.

She nodded to him, screwing up her courage, and they walked out to the car. It was a cold February night-- it
made her all the more aware of her lack of clothing. She sat on the cold leather seat and as soon as Langly
had the car on the road, she turned the heat on. He looked at her and smiled.

“Relax, Sics, this will be all over soon.”

“Stop calling me that.”

“What, Sics? Sorry, just a joke.”

“It’s not, it’s stupid.”

“Look, I’ll stop. What should I call you tonight?”

“Jessica.”

“No, you need a fake name, like Frohike said. Call me by my D&D name, Lord Manhammer.”

That name for him had always struck her as funny. Jessica giggled. Then it became stronger. Soon she was
laughing hysterically. He looked at her and said, “All right already, it’s not that funny. I’ve had it for years, OK?
Just make with the name, would ya?”

“OK, call me Ariel.”

“Like the Little Mermaid?”

“Yeah, so? It’s a real girl’s name, too,” she stated, defensively.

“It’s OK. Now, you gonna be alright with me callin’ the shots? I won’t hurt you, you know.”

“You’d better not.” She was firm on that point.

“I won’t. Relax.” Brat-mode was in high gear for him that night, she thought.

They drove on in silence to the club in silence, on one of the nicer avenues in Baltimore. Langly parked the car
in the lot and looked at Jessica before they got out. He took the leash and attached it to her collar. She
looked at him with saucer sized brown eyes.

“Hey, don’t get asthma on me, we gotta go in.”

Jessica took a deep breath and braced herself for the cold. Langly gently pulled her by the collar out of the
driver’s side, as per Frohike’s instructions. He’d fitted the fake fangs on his upper and lower teeth, and they fit
perfectly, not seeming to want to slip. Sanguinarian, my ass, Langly thought. These people were fucking
vampires, no matter what they thought. Sick fucks, and he had to pretend to be one of them. They thought they
were cool and mysterious. This was a far cry from anyone at a gaming convention. He was almost scared of
whether or not he could pull it off.

Langly pulled Jessica a little, causing her to stumble a bit on her stack-soled boots, adding 4 inches of height
to her. And yet she was still small next to Langly. She looked at him with frightened eyes, but being at the door
of the club, he was already in character and sneered at her with feralness that scared her. He must be loving
this, she thought.

Langly paid the admission price and pulled her into the dimly lit club. It wasn’t as dark as he thought it would
be. Frohike warned him about that, since many of the followers of this circle were exhibitionists, thus they
came out of their homes. He pulled Jessica over to a small booth and pulled her to his face, “Ariel, I would like
a beer.”

He was in full character. She nodded gently, but he yanked the leash, “What do you say?” Another of the
worked out lines.

“Yes, Lord Manhammer.”

She took the money he held out and walked to the bar. Surprisingly, no one looked at her. She was sure all
eyes would be on her. But the clientele of this bar were more interested in other things, like the women or men
they were dragging around on their own chains. She purchased the beer and walked back, wishing she could
have her own drink.

She set it down and looked at the Asian man that had joined Langly. He looked her up and down.

“Very nice, Mr. Manhammer. She is exquisite.”

Jessica smiled. Langly took his glove and lashed it across her thigh.

“Did I say you could smile?”

Jessica put her head down and frowned. He really was loving this. Langly’s face remained still, not wanting to
do these things. Jessica looked genuinely hurt. He’d have to apologize after the mission. She was a cute kid,
and even though she was a decade younger than him, he kinda liked her. And she was brave, especially to let
him humiliate her like this.

“Mr. Manhammer, we were discussing the transaction.”

“Yeah, so?”

Langly was starting to ease in, getting comfortable. He sat back, arms out against the back of the booth. It
was circular and he liked sitting in the middle, turned toward his host to film him and capture the sound. Li was
a bit chatty while Langly sipped the beer that Jessica had put in front of him. He stared Li down. Li did not
look away.

“I will offer you adequate compensation and you will provide for my need. Is that agreeable?”

Damn, Langly thought. Too vague for a wire recording to hold up. He had to engage him more. Langly
absently twirled the leash around his fingers, hoping to turn the conversation to something he could wind back
to the case at hand. He needed to keep the man talking. He was staring at Jessica.

“Your slave is very beautiful. How obedient is she?”

“Quite. But only to me.”

Langly was definite on that subject and his statement reflected it. Li raised his eyebrows. He leaned forward
and suggested, “Why don’t you show me?”

“No, not now. She’s not in need. Why don’t you tell me what you’re looking for and I’ll tell you if I can help you out.”

Down the street in the in the mobile command post, there was a collective shout of “Bingo!” “Good going,
Langly!” came afterwards from Mulder. He called in the back up, anticipating taking Li when he left the club. 
But Langly needed to keep Li talking. 

Langly turned to Jessica and said, “Ariel, go get me something to munch on. Pretzels. Now.”

“Yes, dear Lord Manhammer.”

If she played along, she could keep him nice to her. He wouldn’t have to do anything to her to act like the other
people around. As she walked to the bar, she noticed the rest of the club was dimly lit. The decorations
consisted of chrome, and lots of it. Cages, bars on the walls, and the booths, which was becoming hard on
her knees as she knelt next to Langly. She saw the lights fading in and out in the ceiling. There were dancers
in some of the cages, and some had couples in them, making love, doing things Jessica didn’t care to see in
public.

She decided not to get the pretzels, but decided to get peanuts, so that there would be some conflict. Maybe
the man would trust Langly more if she were to be disciplined. She knew she was risking things, but this man
kept coming back to her. In order to help Mulder, this is what Jessica felt she needed to do.

She walked back and handed the bag to Langly. He looked at it, then her.

“I asked you for pretzels. What the fuck is this?”

“I thought you would like these better,” Ariel lied.

“You thought wrong. What the hell is wrong with you? Mr. Li is gonna think I don’t know how to handle you!”

“Teach her, Mr. Manhammer. I would like to see how well you handle her impudence.”

Langly swallowed hard as he shoved Jessica out of the booth. He was hoping that she would just follow his
instructions and they could get out of there without having to display their “affection” for each other. But she
had to go and open her fat yap. Women, will they ever learn? He pushed her ahead of him to the small
staging area and up onto a riser. There were several around. The other platforms featured men being
disciplined by leather and vinyl-clad dominatrixes. Jessica was the only sub female on display, and a crowd
was beginning to form. Langly pushed her to the chrome-pipe bench and said, “Lean forward and show me
that ass.”

She leaned over and grabbed the end bars that were bent to make the bench. She closed her eyes and
waited for Langly to touch her the first time with the paddle she saw him pick up. Jessica felt it slide on her
skin. She could see Langly in the reflection of the chrome, looking down at her, then looking over at Li, who
was standing in the front row.

After teasing her a bit, Langly brought the paddle back and gave her a solid smack. She let the shock ripple
through her. It stung a bit, but nothing terrible. She turned slightly and could see Li’s eyes glazing over with
pleasure. She would let Langly work on her a bit before making him stop. Again, Langly hit her with the
paddle. She moved with it. A third and a fourth smack made her cringe. But she could see Li getting more
and more excited with the display. Again and again, the paddle connected with her behind and it began to
seriously hurt. Jessica held the chrome with white knuckles. After more than a dozen blows, she flipped her
head around and whispered, “Ramones.”

Langly stepped back and dropped the paddle, not deviating from his powerful stance. Jessica slowly stood up
and could feel the skin on her bottom burning. Langly grabbed her right arm by the wrist and yanked her from
the riser. Jessica could feel her shoulder pop out of the socket. She followed behind Langly, trying to get her
shoulder back into place, without drawing attention to herself. Langly slid into the booth and pulled Jessica
behind her, pulling her arm back out of position. She fought to get it back in again, and Langly could see the
anguish on her face, but quickly dismissed it. She knew the ligaments were bruised. He turned to Li and said,
“OK, so, have we a deal? I have the disks outside.”

They stood together and walked out of the club. Langly again, pulled Jessica, but by her left arm this time, and
headed toward the van. The agents came swarming out of every corner of the parking lot. He jumped into the
back of the van, pulling Jessica along with him and he slid the door closed. Frohike took off into the night and
left the chaotic scene to Mulder and Doggett.

Langly knelt up behind the seat and said, “Did we get it all?”

Byers turned to him and said, “Yes, it was perfect. But, did you have to be so vicious with Jessica?”

“I wasn’t vicious, was I, Jess?”

Langly turned to her and saw her leaning on her left elbow, on the side of her left leg.

“You ok?”

“No, I’m not. I think, um, I think I’m bruised.”

“Langly, you idiot! Frohike, pull over, let me check Jessica,” Byers commanded.

“No!” she shouted. “I’m fine, I’ll be OK. I just wanna go home.”

Frohike pulled back onto the highway and lead-footed it back to the warehouse. After a phone call from Byers
on his cell, Jimmy was waiting outside with a blanket for Jessica to wrap herself up in. He helped her into the
offices, then up to the living space. She stood by the couch, just keeping the blanket wrapped around her,
standing there, staring at the floor. It was a few minutes before the four Gunmen followed her up the stairs. 
Langly walked over and asked, “Jess, hey, are you OK?”

“Yes, but I think I wanna lay down, on the couch.”

She walked over to the couch and lay on her left side, facing outward. Langly stood in his spot looking at her,
wracked with guilt. Byers and Frohike came up the stairs. Byers walked up to the couch and squatted next to
her.

“Jessica, I know this may sound…odd…and forward, but may I see your bruises?”

“No, Byers, I’m OK. I just wanna rest, OK?”

Byers nodded. He continued to look at her and said, “You were very brave tonight. What you did, getting Li’s
confidence and putting your…”

“Ass?” she asked, cutting him off.

“Well, yes, on the line like that…I’m very proud to call you a Gunman.”

“I am? Really?”

She sat up on her elbow and looked at the other three standing behind Byers. All were nodding. Byers
stepped back and let Langly kneel before her. She looked at him, then dropped her eyes.

“Jessica, I’m so sorry I hurt you. Does your shoulder really hurt?”

“Not that bad. My arm pops out of the socket all the time, but this hurt a little. I’ll be fine.”

“And your…well…”

“Ass?” She giggled at their collective avoidance of that word.

“Well, yeah…are you OK?”

“I will be. I’m tired.”

“Yeah, well, I’m gonna go change and I’ll come out and sit with you, OK?”

“Sure,” she said through a yawn.

Langly stood and went to his room. Jessica put her head down on the throw pillow and the rest of her
housemates walked out of her line of vision. She closed her eyes, trying to get comfortable in the restrictive
clothing. She pulled the blanket around her and could feel the room getting fuzzy.

Langly quickly discarded the leather torture-wear for comfy gray sweatpants and his Bob Marley t-shirt. He
walked out to the living room and saw Jessica asleep. She looked so peaceful, even with all the garish make
up still on her face. He sat in front of her, stroking her hair. Cute kid, he thought. She was so young, but still
really sweet. He embedded his hand in her thick black hair, and put the other on her waist, as if to hug her. 
Heavy with fatigue, he laid his head beside hers and listened to her breathe. 

More guilt hit Langly for his actions that night. She was brave tonight, he thought. She put her ass on the line,
just like Byers said.

He’d gotten too carried away. He hurt her…twice. He’d have to make it up to her. That was why he
suggested they make her a Gunman. She was willing to go all the way for the story, to put it all out there for
what she believed. She was definitely all about what they stood for and he was proud to call her one of them. 
Soon enough, he was breathing steadily with her, asleep.

In the morning, Langly stirred, having gone numb in his legs from sitting in cross-legged all night. He stretched
like a cat, nudging Jessica slightly. She woke with a start, but smiled when she saw Langly sitting in front of
her. It was still early, with no one else awake, dim light in the space.

“Good morning, Jess.”

“Hi. How’d you sleep?”

“Like crap, you?”

“About the same. I have to get out of these clothes, they’re killing me.”

“Yeah, c’mon, I’ll unhook you.”

She looked at him with wary eyes, but led him to her room anyway. She faced away from him, dropped the
blanket and revealed her beautiful behind again. It was thankfully absent of bruises, Langly thought as he
reached up and slipped the two belts open on the leather bra. Jessica let it fall to her bed. She stood with her
back to him, her arms coming up to wrap around her naked breasts.

Langly was appalled at the angry red slashes on her skin from the rough leather. He reached out and with
gentle hands to smooth the marks away. His touch was gentle and soothing, and Jessica let her head fall
forward. She let her arms down and she was so lost in the moment that she was surprised to feel Langly’s lips
touch her shoulder, light and soft. His lips were warm, she noticed as he kissed her neck and leaned around
her to kiss her cheek. Jessica turned and stood before him, revealing herself. He’d been looking at her
naked bottom all night, he might as well get a good look at her completely, she decided. She took a step
back and slipped the g-string to her ankles.

Langly’s blood pressure shot up looking at Jessica. She’s 10 years younger than you, Ringo, don’t do this,
he thought. She’s a kid, Ringo, leave right now! You don’t have anything to prove, Ringo, you aren’t a virgin
like Frohike likes to tell people, get the hell out of there! But his feet wouldn’t move. He stood there, looking
at her, feeling himself react to her.

“I know I’m flat. It’s OK, you can go. I know you don’t want to do this and…”

He quieted her with a kiss, a searing, completely encompassing kiss. His arms slid about her, pulling her
close to him. He’d known she liked him, for quite a while by this point, but Langly tried to keep her at a
distance, not wanting to go on this mission in the first place. He pulled his lips away and looked down at her.

“Jessica, I should go.”

“Don’t…stay.”

“If I stay, I’ll make love to you. And I’m not good enough for you.”

“Ringo, you’re why I’m here. I read The Lone Gunman before I met you. I looked for you because of your
picture. You’re so…beautiful.”

Her eyes got that far away look that Langly always wanted to see, always wanted to be reflected in and he
kissed her again. He leaned down and reached under her to swing her up in his arms. He walked to her bed
and lay her down gently. The light in the room was dim enough to be romantic, just the way Jessica wanted it
to be. He pulled his t-shirt over his head, throwing it across the room. He crawled up on the bed with her,
looking into her eyes. Kissing her, running his hands down her arms, gently touching her breasts, Langly was
so totally engrossed in Jessica, he barely noticed her shaking.

He pulled back and said, “Are you OK, Jess?”

“Yes. Well…no…I’m…”

She turned her head away. Langly turned her back by the chin and asked, “You’re what?”

“I…I’ve never done this before. I’m a virgin.”

Langly dropped his head to the bed. He looked up at Jessica with saddened eyes. She turned away and
pulled her sheet up over her.

“I’m sorry I disappointed you.”

“No, Jess, no…I…I don’t want to ruin your first time.”

“No, it’s OK. I’m sorry I wasted your time…”

Langly put his hand on her shoulder.

“You’re not wasting my time. Jessica, I just….your first time should be special, not wasted on me. You should
save it for your husband.”

“For as long as we’ve known each other, I’ve wanted you to be my first.”

Langly saw the honesty in her eyes, and it was always a turn on for him. He leaned in and gently kissed her
lips. Jessica let the sheet fall and lay back with Langly’s gentle pressing, giving in to the waves of simple
pleasure. He was on top of her, holding her, kissing her, running his hands over her. Jessica lay there, just
enjoying this man being with her. She wasn’t prepared for him to remove his sweatpants. Looking down his
body, she saw him, hard and proud. It wasn’t what she thought it would look like.

“What’s wrong, Jessica?”

“I’ve never seen a naked man before.”

Jessica buried her head in the golden strands gathered on his shoulder. His hair was softer than hers, she
noticed, baby fine and gentle. Langly reached for her hand and slid it down his body. She wanted to pull away,
knew she probably should pull away, but let him lead her to himself. She wrapped her small, gentle fingers
around the shaft, amazed at the heat emanating. Langly dropped his body to the bed, reveling in the feeling of
a woman touching him. He rolled onto his back, to give Jessica full access to look and touch him. Gaining
more confidence by the moment, her other hand followed, roaming over his chest, stomach, and shoulders. At
that moment, Langly knew he had let it go too long without having the company of a woman. The truth was
good; sex was better.

Surprisingly, Jessica was brave and curious. He thought her mouth on his body was glorious. She left a wake
of wetness, both from her lips and tongue across his skin. She was small and delicate, next to Langly’s
long-limbed body, and the contrast of her dark olive skin and dark hair left Langly a pale golden god next to
her. Langly slid his arms around her body and pulled her against his chest. She lay her cheek on his shoulder,
not looking into his eyes.

“You’re beautiful, you know that, Jess?”

“No, I’m small and flat.”

“Breast size isn’t important.”

“You like all those girls that have those big, fake…”

“And the girls are fake, too. They’re not here, kissing me, warm in my arms, are they?

He could feel her face heat in a blush against his skin.

“Look at me, into my eyes.”

She turned to gaze at him and his eyes had turned dark blue with passion. His hand found it’s way into her hair
and he pulled their faces together. Langly kissed her thoroughly, his tongue roaming through her delicious
mouth. Feeling the growing need to be closer to her, he rolled her onto her back and ravaged her mouth
more. Langly ran his hands down her body, and rested one on her breast. Jessica pulled her mouth away and
tried to move from under him. Langly released her immediately so she could sit up. He didn't want her to feel
she was being forced to do anything she didn't want to do. In his eyes, she was completely in control.

“Did I do something wrong?” he asked, concerned.

“No…I…they…my…”

Langly touched her cheek and turned her face to him. She lowered her hands clutched across her chest
slightly. He reached out to her right breast, cupping it as he spoke.

“Jessica, you’re beautiful. Your breasts are beautiful.”

He leaned down to kiss the nipple, then took it in his mouth to gently suck and pull at it, teasing her other breast
with his fingers. He was gentle, and she lay back again, trustingly giving him full access to her. His mouth was
more than happy to play with her skin and worship what she thought was an embarrassment. Jessica could
feel him throbbing on her thigh and knew she needed to be with him - it was scary, but strangely made her feel
at ease to be acting on pure instinct. Langly felt her moving beneath him, spreading her legs for him. With a
growl of anticipation, he moved between them, touching her with himself. His eyes closed in concentration,
trying to maintain some semblance of control as he felt how wet she was, how hot her flesh had become.

The first initial contact shocked them both, Jessica gasping, Langly groaning loudly. Jessica was surprised it
didn’t hurt, as she thought it would. He was warm inside her, filling, stretching but not hurting her. She slid her
arms around him, pulling his face down into her neck, craving more, wanting to know what else she was to
learn this morning.

“Jess, oh God, that’s so good…”

His breath on her skin was a tender, warm caress. His first stroke inside was as much an effort to contain
himself as the first time he had ever done it. He moved slowly, trying to let it all sink into him, pressing his
mouth into Jessica’s neck and trying to enjoy every tantalizing moment.

“Oh, you are so beautiful…so delicious…Jess, this is so good…”

Langly wasn’t aware of what he was saying, words were just falling out of his mouth. It was all coming from his
heart. Jessica wound her hand into his hair and stroked the wavy blonde locks. As he thrust into her, she
could feel him growing even larger inside her. She knew he would come, and squeezed him tight, pushing him
over the edge.

“Oh, shit, yeah…” he moaned as he came hard. He pumped a few more times before collapsing on her body. 

Jessica lay there a few moments, not knowing what to do.

“Ringo? You OK?”

He raised his head and looked into her half-closed eyes that were sleepy with satisfaction. He moved off to
the side and gathered her into his arms, pulling her close to him. He lay a soft kiss on her forehead, and she
relaxed. He still cared for her. But…was that it?

“I’m fine, Jess, you?”

“I guess.”

“You guess? You didn’t like that?”

“I think I did. I’m not sure.”

Langly was puzzled.

“What do you mean you’re not sure?”

“Well, isn’t something else supposed to happen? Like to me?”

Langly closed his eyes, letting the breath leave him. He didn’t count on it not happening for her. He thought
she would be young enough that it would.

Then again, she was inexperienced enough that it didn’t.

“I’m sorry, Jessica. I’m really out of practice. I should have concentrated a little more. I’m sorry.”

She smiled a bit.

“It’s OK.”

“No, it’s not.”

He kept her from arguing by covering her mouth in a kiss. He pulled her too him, both sweaty and sticky from
passion. His hands were active again, roaming her body. As rusty as he said he was, Jessica thought he
knew exactly where to touch her to heat up her flesh. He was inching his hand down, as he worked her mouth,
making her dizzy. She shuddered in expectation of his hand on her, his fingers sliding in where something
else was just a few minutes before.

In his mind, Langly had forgotten how sweet third base could be for the woman he was with. Remembering his
happier times in college, when he was more active than lately, he found what he was looking for, that little part
that most men overlook. He grinned as his actions caused the familiar buck in Jessica’s hips.

“I see you like that,” he cooed in her ear.

“Yes,” she breathed.

Another gentle swipe across it and she moved against him, rubbing her face in his neck. He stroked her
slowly, letting her set the pace with her hips. While moving together he kissed her deeper and deeper, his lips
moving to her neck and shoulder as he continued to work her towards the edge. Her pulse raced under his
mouth, and she gripped his shoulders. He knew she was close. One more kiss and she pulled away from his
mouth, screaming, “Yes, oh God, Ringo!”

She bucked in his arms, under his insistent caress, bringing her fully through. He smiled against her shoulder,
pulling her tight into his embrace as she came back to Earth. They were quiet for a few moments. Finally,
Jessica looked up at him and said, “That was…”

“Yup. Nice?”

“Very. Oh, God, you know what you’re doing.”

“Wouldn’t think it, though, would you?”

“Um…no.”

He snickered.

“Yeah, and that doesn’t even cover my oral skills.”

“Oral?”

“There’s plenty of time for that.”

He sighed heavily.

“You tired, Ringo?”

“Yeah, kinda. Didn’t sleep so well on the floor.”

“Me neither.”

Langly ran his hand over her behind.

“How’s this?”

“Fine. Did you hear me complain?”

”Not once. God, you’re so beautiful.”

Langly felt the heat of her blush against him, again. He kissed her and pulled her to his chest, rolling onto his
back to sleep. It was morning, but they had nothing planned for that day. They drifted off, heartbeats in sync.

********

Byers walked out of his room into the kitchen. The delicious aroma of Huevos Rancheros and fresh brewed
Sumatran blend all but dragged him from his warm bed. He wrapped the bathrobe around him, ran a fast hand
through his hair to calm the cowlicks and walked to the table. Frohike, wearing his favorite apron, “Screw the
kisses, pay the cook,” was dishing out breakfast to Jimmy.

“Good morning, gentlemen,” Byers said, quietly. He poured a cup for himself and sat at the table. Jimmy
looked at him, a small grin creeping to his mouth. Byers looked back.

“Is something wrong?” Byers asked, genuinely puzzled.

Jimmy asked, astonished, “You didn’t hear it?” 

“Hear what? I slept soundly. Did something happen?”

Frohike dished breakfast to Byers, shaking his head with a giggle. “Jessica went off like a shot.”

It took a moment for the veiled words to sink into Byers head. He wasn’t quite sure until he saw Jimmy blush. 
Then he blushed, himself. Langly?

“Are you sure, Frohike?” Byers asked.

“He went off first, like a damn A-bomb. Then again, she was an H-bomb.”

“Oh.” Byers blushed deeper. They never spoke about their sex lives, or lack thereof, in serious words. It was
easier to make jokes about their lack of companionship. But this was something Byers wasn’t prepared to
think about. Everyone knew Jessica liked Langly. But who knew that shy little girl would give in to him? Then
again, who knew the dizzy blonde would catch the hint?

“They must be sleeping,” Frohike offered. He didn’t know what to think. It was about time Langly found
companionship, but Jessica was a sweet kid. And she didn’t need to be hurt. But just because he was
careless, didn’t necessarily mean he was hurtful. And he had better not be. Jessica had more than a few men
who were protective of her in this household. Only an idiot would hurt her and expect to get away with it.

Later that morning, almost noon, Langly walked down into the offices. He was wearing a fresh t-shirt and
jeans, his hair still wet from the shower. Jessica was still absent. Frohike looked up first, then Byers, and
lastly, Jimmy walked out from an alcove of storage. They looked at him. Langly looked back.

“What the fuck? What did I do?”

Frohike shook his head and went back to his work. Byers sighed deeply.

“Just be kind to her,” Byers instructed.

Langly blushed in embarrassment.

“How’d you know?”

“It’s a small warehouse, Langly. Were you her…”

“Yeah, I was. And…I could tell. Look, I was nice to her. I will be, you know.”

“Please do,” Frohike said. “She’s a good kid. We like her. She’s gonna stay, but from now on will ya keep it
down you two?”

Langly smiled. He went back up the stairs to the bedrooms to find Jessica. He saw the bathroom door slightly
ajar, fresh steam pouring out. He walked over, poked his head in the door and said, “Jess?”

“Yeah?” She sounded startled.

“They know.”

“Shit!”

“Hey, relax. It’s cool. They don’t care, you know. They’re not gonna mess with you about it. It’s business as
usual for them.”

Jessica relaxed a bit.

“So, um…what’s going on?” she asked tentatively, rinsing the shampoo from her hair.

“You wanna go to a movie tonight?”