Levitate, p.6
Levitate, page 6
“You can clean.”
“So you would trust me if I came back and told you I never had an opening to search his room or, if I did, that I hadn’t found anything? You’d take my word for it? Or would you wish you’d done it yourself so you could be certain?”
Cassiane didn’t respond, ceding the point by looking away.
Timo smirked. “That’s what I thought.”
Con said, “How do you intend to get her hired? How do you even know if they’re hiring?”
“The answer to both questions is the same,” Timo said. “There’s going to be an open position because we’re going to create it.”
Chapter Six
There were two options. One was cheap but morally questionable at best, while the other was a bit more costly. Timo was reluctant to employ the former unless it became absolutely necessary.
Con went back to the hotel in the late afternoon. There was a stone walkway to the courtyard which allowed her to bypass the lobby, and moving with confidence spared her from any curious glances as she proceeded into the main part of the building. Housekeeping was the first room on the ground floor. She knocked and, after getting no answer, twisted the knob and let herself inside. She’d been expecting something as large as a normal room. What she got instead was a glorified closet packed full of cleaning supplies, freshly-laundered linens, towels, toiletries, and anything else the guests might require.
It was the day after her first surveillance mission with Cassiane. She’d gone back to the hotel at sunset and watched three women in matching grey uniforms leave at the same time. They moved like they’d been on their feet for hours and looked forward to finally resting. She took their pictures and went back to her rooms to develop that film, as well as Rudin’s picture. The images were now hanging in the secret room underneath Dr. Lippert’s office.
Today, she sat outside until the three housekeepers - the same ones from the day before, she was glad to see - had pushed their cart to the far end of the second floor hallway. She assumed that would give her enough time to get in and gather a little information about which woman would make the best target. It was technically possible to follow all three housekeepers home if she recruited Timo and Cassiane, but if there was a chance to streamline their efforts...
The door opened and bumped into her shoulder. The housekeeper leaned in, obviously assuming something had fallen to block the door, and Con took advantage of her distraction to pull the other woman inside. She kicked the door shut with her foot, clapped a hand over her mouth to silence the scream which was already beginning to sound, and pressed her new captive against the wall. She pinned her there with her body and leaned in so their faces were close together.
“I don’t need to hurt you,” Con whispered. “I don’t want to hurt you. You’ve done nothing wrong. Your only sin was that the wrong person chose to stay in the hotel where you happen to work. Just bad luck. It could cost your life, or it could only cost your job.”
Tears shimmered in the woman’s wide, green eyes. Con glanced down at the name tag pinned to the front of her blouse.
“I want you to walk out of here, Ella. I want you to find another job. I know it will be difficult. I know it may cause hardship for your family. But so would planning a funeral, hm? And if you truly love this job, I believe your position will be available again sooner rather than later. So what do you think, Ella? Can I let you leave this room? Because I would really... really like to let you leave this room.”
Ella nodded slowly. Con smiled.
“Good girl.”
She released Ella’s mouth and took a step back. Ella remained against the wall as if she had become a part of it.
“Go on, then.”
“The man who owns,” Ella said in halting, accented German. “The...”
Con said, “The owner? Manager?”
Ella nodded. “He likes us. He likes to be touching. Not me. Not yet. The younger ones. He only steals money from me, so far.”
“I see.”
Ella looked at her again. “So fuck this place. But whatever you are doing, be careful.” She smoothed her hands over her uniform and gestured at the back wall. “May I get my purse?”
“Of course.”
Con stepped aside and put a hand in the small of her back, gripping the pistol tucked into her belt as she watched the young woman. Ella took a purse off a hook and stooped to retrieve her coat from the floor. She sighed and turned to face Con.
“Are you one of the good guys?”
“I think I am.”
“That’s what they all think,” Ella said. “Are you going to hurt people?”
Con didn’t know how to answer that, so she chose to be as honest as possible. “We will hurt less people than our opponents plan to hurt.”
Ella smiled. “I like that answer. And in that case, I wish you luck.”
Con stepped aside to let Ella leave. She stepped over the threshold just enough to confirm she continued off the property and didn’t try to warn her coworkers or the handsy boss, then slipped out of the housekeeping room. She used a different route, one which took her to the alley running behind the building so she wouldn’t run into Ella. She wasn’t entirely certain how she’d stumbled into the best option for getting rid of a housekeeper to create a position for Cassiane, but she wasn’t going to tempt fate by examining it.
The important thing was to let Cassiane know before someone else swooped in to take the job and they had to go through the whole thing again.
#
The rest of the building was so silent that the sound of Timo’s shoulders hitting the wall sounded seismic. Cassiane was vaguely aware of the bookshelf’s rattle but focused more on pressing as much of her body against Timo as possible. Timo had fistfuls of Cassiane’s shirt, holding on near the collar as she allowed herself to be pinned. She spread her legs and Cassiane stepped forward, hips angled forward so Timo could settle against her. Timo opened her mouth in a gasp and Cassiane took advantage with a quick, teasing thrust of her tongue.
The night before, they’d quietly agreed they wouldn’t go home together. There was no need to let Con know about their relationship, and it was easier to abstain than sneak around. At least that was what they believed when they made the plan. Cassiane went back to the ghost station room to avoid temptation by sharing a bed with Timo, and spent the night tossing and turning. In the morning she dressed and ascended to the office just as Timo was unlocking the door. They faced each other across the office for a long, silent moment, and then Timo whispered, “Fuck,” and flew to her.
And now Timo’s hands had relaxed enough to start unbuttoning Cassiane’s blouse, while Cassiane was focused more on tugging up Timo’s skirt. She moved her hand down and spread her fingers across Timo’s thigh, squeezing it to feel the firm muscle through her stockings.
“It was just one damn night,” Cassiane muttered before covering Timo’s lips again.
“I guess... we... mm... took it for granted.” Timo shoved the shirt off Cassiane’s shoulders and bent down to kiss and lick her neck. “Tell me how you want me.”
She gathered handfuls of the skirt’s thick material and pulled until it bunched around Timo’s hips. She leaned in, her lips brushing Timo’s ear.
“I’m going to get on my knees and put my mouth on you. I’m going to use my lips and my tongue and my fingers to make you scream. Are you wet?”
Timo’s eyes were closed. “Uh-huh.”
“Give me the words, Timothea.”
“I’m wet, Cassiane. For you. Please.”
Cassiane brought her hand up to Timo’s face, slipping two fingers into her mouth. She watched eagerly as Timo sucked them, each swipe of her tongue making Cassiane’s stomach twist. Finally she pulled them free and knelt down to follow through on what she’d just said she would do. The skirt was already out of the way, so she was only delayed by the stockings and underwear. She heard something rip as she pulled the underclothes down around Timo’s thighs, but she didn’t waste time by investigating. She wet her bottom lip and leaned in.
Timo’s body went stiff. Her hands slapped against the wall and she muttered a curse. She didn’t understand her own intensity. She’d gone longer than a day without sex, for crying out loud, even in a relationship. But something about Timo was different. Maybe that would fade, maybe they would find a balance or it would fizzle out. Whatever happened, she was going to enjoy it as long as she could.
When Timo got close to orgasm, Cassiane teased her by moving to lick her thigh. Her shirt was now hanging open so she could also kiss and lick around her navel. Timo whimpered at these diversions at first but, once she realized what was happening, responded by grabbing Cassiane’s hair and holding on tight. She tried to direct Cassiane, who responded by moving her mouth farther away from where Timo wanted it to be. In spite of how much it hurt when Timo’s hand tightened and her hair was pulled. Maybe even a little because of it.
“Oh, god, please,” Timo finally grunted, her voice tinged with desperation and anger. “Let me come. Make me come.”
Cassiane didn’t know how she could refuse, so she let Timo push her head back into position. She used her tongue and fingers to finally push Timo over the edge, savoring each moan and stifled cry as she felt Timo’s legs tense on either side of her head. She kept at her attention until Timo pulled her hair again, moving her away this time, and slumped against the wall with a shaky exhale. Cassiane stood and pressed their bodies together, kissing Timo deeply, letting her taste herself.
“Take my clothes off,” Timo said as she pushed them away from the wall.
Cassiane obeyed. The blouse fell first, landing on top of the shoes Timo had just stepped out of. By the time Cassiane laid back on the couch, Timo was naked from the waist up. She paused long enough to push her skirt and underclothes off, then focused on removing Cassiane’s clothes. Cassiane cupped Timo’s cheek, her thumb trembling as she let herself be undressed. When she was naked, Timo climbed onto the couch and put one hand between their bodies, the other braced on the arm of the couch. Their faces were lined up so Timo saw the tightening around Cassiane’s eyes as her fingers began to stroke.
“I think you like that,” she whispered, her lips close enough that they brushed against Cassiane’s mouth.
“I like it very much.”
Timo circled Cassiane’s mouth with her tongue, then copied the move with her fingertips. Cassiane squirmed underneath her. Her fingers quickly became wet.
“I think you missed me last night...”
“Yeah.”
Timo smiled. “Give me the words, Cassiane.”
Cassiane grunted. “I missed you last night.”
They kissed and Timo built a rhythm with her tongue and fingers. Cassiane lifted her lower body off the cushion to meet each thrust, moaning into Timo’s mouth.
The office door opened and Con came into the room. “I don’t know if I should knock or wait in the...” She stopped short and then immediately began her retreat. Her hand dropped from the door knob and then began blindly groping for it again to pull it shut behind her. “Jesus, I didn’t... I’m...”
Timo was staring at the blonde woman, mouth agape, but Cassiane was too close to worry about being caught. She grabbed Timo’s wrist and guided her hand.
“Close the door,” she said.
“Right. Yes.” Con ducked back into the waiting room. The sound of the door slamming behind her was like an explosion.
Timo put her head down on Cassiane’s shoulder. “Fuck, shit.”
“Sh. Don’t stop. Keep fucking me.”
“She could be running to make a report right now.”
Cassiane said, “I’ll care about that in thirty seconds. Right now...”
Timo bit her bottom lip and stared into Cassiane’s eyes, thrusting with her whole body. Her movements were ragged now, angry, and Cassiane pressed the back of her head into the couch cushions in response. Their bodies came together with the sound of slapping, the couch groaning under the strain of their renewed activity. Cassiane spread her legs farther apart, one dropping onto the floor and the other curled around Timo.
“Yes,” she moaned. She stared into Timo’s eyes, wide and dark and unblinking. “Yes, yes, yes...”
She finally came, stretching out her neck and her fingers sliding across Timo’s sweaty skin to pull her closer. They kissed and the tension seeped out of Cassiane, letting her sink into the cushions. Timo dragged her hand up Cassiane’s stomach to her throat.
“Now can we discuss this dire situation we’ve found ourselves in?”
“We don’t know how dire it is yet.”
Timo looked toward the door. “She could be contacting Control right now. Telling them we’re deviants.”
Cassiane patted Timo’s shoulder to make her get up. She pushed herself off, and Cassiane sat up and retrieved her clothes. She pulled her pants on without bothering to find her underwear first.
“I can tell you exactly what is going through that girl’s mind. She’s sitting out there thinking about Rudin, and the mission, and the impossibility that Control can get another team into Berlin with the current time table. She’s thinking that reporting what she just saw could cause the entire mission to be scrubbed. Rudin will be successful. The Soviets will have their anthrax for whatever their goddamn plot is, and thousands of people will die.”
Timo looked at her, hopeful but skeptical.
Cassiane put on her shirt and buttoned it as she crossed the room. “She’s smart. She’s not going to endanger the mission. But I’ll have a conversation with her to ensure she sees things the same way.”
#
Con had her back to the door, eyes squeezed shut, one hand over her mouth while she pressed the other between her legs. She hadn’t just seen that. She hadn’t just walked in on a display of... of... But it was no use lying to herself. She could still hear it through the wall. They hadn’t even stopped because they were caught. Her cheeks burned and she pressed the heel of her hand against the crotch of her pants. She was breathing heavily, her voice rising with a series of meager squeaks as she rolled her hips against her hand.
People don’t really do that. She repeated the mantra she’d made up when she was a teenager. That is fantasy, it’s made-up, no one actually.. no woman...
Skin slapped against skin in the other room and Con’s squeak became a moan. She was about to flee when she heard voices. Not moans, not sexual grunting, but a conversation. And one of the voices, the deeper one, was coming closer. She pulled her hand away from her crotch and stepped quickly away from the door. She swiped at the tears in her eyes, well aware there was nothing she could do about the burning in her cheeks, and squared her shoulders. She turned to face the door as it swung open and Cassiane stepped outside.
They stared at each other. Cassiane’s clothes were haphazardly thrown on. The shirt was untucked and improperly buttoned, and it was clear that she wasn’t wearing a bra under it. Her face was red and shone with sweat, her hair mussed and tangled. She was still catching her breath. Con returned her stare, certain she looked like a rabbit facing down a wolf.
“One of the housekeepers walked off the job today,” Con said, breaking the staring contest. She looked at the carpet instead, memorizing its pattern of black checks on a field of brown.
Cassiane blinked. “Okay.”
“You should get to the hotel as soon as possible to inquire about the position. They may have a waiting list of people who need jobs, so you may only get in if you’re actually there in person ready to begin today.”
“I understand.”
Timo appeared behind Cassiane. She had taken more time to dress and therefore seemed more normal than her partner.
“Good work, Con.”
“Thank you.” She managed to keep her voice from cracking. “I’ll... I should go... get some lunch. And then I’ll drive Circe, uh, Cas-Cassiane to the hotel for the job.”
Timo nodded.
Con turned and fled the room, eager to remove herself from the situation now that it had been defused. She had no idea how she was going to look either of them in the eye for the rest of the mission, but the important thing was the immediate danger was over. They could focus on the important things. Everything else would, and should, remain on the periphery.
Chapter Seven
Con had calmed herself by the time she returned with sandwiches, though she seemed relieved to see her companions were both dressed. There was a moment of silence where all three of them seemed to be waiting for one of the others to bring up what had happened, but none of them spoke up. Finally Con just held up the bag as a peace offering.
“I got one tuna, one chicken, one ham and cheese. We can fight over them. I have no preference.”
They sat around Timo’s desk to eat, and she opened her bag to take out three Lucky Strike cigarette packs. She stood them in a row in the center of her desktop.
“I spent last night making these. I was going to explain this morning before I was... distracted.”
Con looked away, but Cassiane grinned. She had nothing to hide, and even less to be ashamed of. She found Con’s bashfulness amusing. Timo held up one of the packages.
“I got these from a street vendor last night, took them to my apartment, and mixed the tobacco with some powdered methaqualone.”
“What?” Cassiane said.
“Quaaludes,” Con said. “Where did you get that?”
Timo shrugged. “I’m playing a psychiatrist. My cover requires me to be prepared.”
Con raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
“Circe will take these with her into work. When she has an opportunity, she’ll swap out the packets in Rudin’s room. They take effect quickly and last a few hours, so we won’t have to know the moment he’s succumbed. I added enough to each cigarette that he’ll be in a pliable state. The beauty of this is that it solves the problem of how we’ll get him out of the hotel. He won’t be fully unconscious, but he’ll be in a near-comatose state. We can just tell him to come with us and he’ll follow wherever we take him.”
