Present

Maybe the dress I packed shouldn't have been this one, especially considering the weather this time of year and the fact I hate the cold. Damn my stupid, horny brain for thinking it was a good idea. Why did I even pick this outfit? It looked better than the last time I wore it, due to me having put weight back on in the years since.

I wore the exact gold getup I wore three years ago, when Esmond had needed to take care of me because I was far too high to do anything. I always thought that I had wasted a perfectly beautiful outfit and thought that maybe I could wear it again during this mission we had set out to complete when I packed my suitcase.

What a fucking mistake that was.

At least the auction was inside. Hopefully, it would be slightly warmer in there. It had been a couple of days since Jacques told us she had located safe houses and warehouses. It was now boxing day, and we were about to get started on our plan. The one thing missing was new vehicles that wouldn't be attached to anyone involved. That meant going to an auction, throwing money at the auctioneer to buy out the stock before the event started, and throwing a little extra to not have registrations changed yet. Or ever.

Of course, I would have to check that the vehicles would meet my criteria; they had to go fast. Fucking fast.

"So, that dress..." Esmond said from the passenger seat as I drove barefoot, my high heels sitting on the floor next to his feet.

"Don't." I said, one hand on the steering wheel and the other resting on the gear stick.

"Just wanted to know if it was really the best choice, all things considered." He smiled, looking up at the sky where the clouds were a dark grey, ready to let go of snow at any second.

"It's not like I was thinking when I packed it in my suitcase, Esmond."

"Not with your head, anyway." He smirked. I glanced at him to give him a disapproving look.

"Well, it has less disastrous consequences than you thinking with your dick." I turned my eyes back to the road.

"What consequences would they be?"

"Do you think any of this would have happened if you hadn't of wanted to fuck me when you saw my picture? If you tell me you were thinking with anything other than your dick, I will call you a liar." A smile planted on my face.

"Well, I'd say it's a good thing. If I hadn't, then maybe we wouldn't be able to stop Queen. You might not even breathing." He said, which made my smile falter for a moment, but I couldn't let it affect the mood in the car.

"Wow, right for the kill there." I said with a quiet laugh, turning down the road to get to the event centre where the cars were being shown.

"Yeah, that might have been a bit much..."

"It's true though, I will admit." I whispered. He heard me.

"Um, so who were we meeting here again?"

"Leigh and Alexis." I said, shaking my head. He already knew that. He just wanted to shift the focus of the conversation. I wasn't complaining.

"Tall, scary looking man and tiny, nice looking woman." He said, pulling out his notebook and checking the short profiles he had on them.

"Well, Leigh might look scary, but he's the kindest person I've ever met. Alexis, however, might look harmless but-"

"Ex-French Marine, specialised in counter-terrorism, hostage rescue, urban recon. Fuck."

"Also, talented sniper and excellent hand to hand fighter. Anything combat related, Lex took point for it. She might be tiny, but don't let that fool you. She fought hard to get her position in the Parachute Regiment in the marines." I pulled into the car park and looking at the other sports cars already parked here. How disappointed they would all be to go home with nothing. "You need to impress them both, or they are going to think I am incredibly stupid for risking my life for you."

"No pressure..." He trailed off. I smiled as I parked the car, then turned to look at him.

"You'll do fine." I gave him a quick kiss as I reached for my heels. I went to pull away, but I felt his hand on the nape of my neck, squeezing lightly and keeping me against his lips. His other hand was suddenly on my exposed thigh, gripping me tightly, making me groan. "We don't have time, Es." I whispered against his lips. He sighed as he let go of me and let me put my shoes on.

"We have to get this over and done with, soon." His voice was husky, his eyes dark as they watched me.

"That's the plan." I said with a smile before getting out of the car, waiting for him to do the same. He took a few seconds, but I wasted no time in walking to the building. It was fucking freezing out here.

Once we got inside, we immediately started walking around, looking at each of the vehicles. I inspected the engines, getting strange looks from many of the sales associates as Esmond stood back and let me look.

"Will they be okay?" My eyes focused on a Hennessey Venom that I immediately walked over to. I smiled as I turned to glanced at him before returning my eyes to the current fastest car in the world.

"Oh, I think they will do just fine." I looked at the engine, checking that everything was in order. "This car has a record speed of two-hundred-and-seventy miles per hour. That's over four-hundred-and-thirty kilometres an hour." I stood up and looked him in the eyes.

"So, your car then?" All I could do was smile back at him.

"Jesus..." I heard a voice say over my shoulder. When I turned around, I saw Leigh looking at the Venom.

"Leigh!" I shouted, hugging the giant of a man before I turned to Lex, who looked like a child next to him. "Lex!" I then hugged her as well, pulling them both against me in a group hug where they hugged me back.

"So this is Esmond?" Lex asked, her hazel eyes locked on Es like he was a target. The only thing that eased the look was the fact her hair was down, so she wasn't completely in predator mode.

"Yes." I said. She nodded, her eyes easing up.

"It's nice to meet you, finally." She said, holding her hand out to Esmond, who shook it.

"It's nice to meet you too." Es responded, and I could see how firm the handshake was. The warning that passed through it from Lex to Es.

Hurt her, you'll be dead before you can even regret your mistake.