A long black sedan came to a stop before a high-end apartment building. The back door was opened, and a brown-haired man extricated himself from between the two eager female companions at the back with him. He inhaled the hot night air which was still less hot than the air he had just freed himself from, before he buttoned his messy shirt, hiding the chest with obvious traces of workouts.
The smile on his face was wide, as he waved at the two sexily clad embodiments of temptation in the car.
"Sorry, I can't keep you company tonight, so see you later, Caitlin, Vinnie. Love you, girls."
The two women showed their disappointment, before they smiled and waved back at him.
"See you later, Alex. We love you too. Remember to rest well."
The smiles directed at Alex were full of warmth, before transitioning into teasing invitations, as the blonde deeper in the car, Caitlin, pulled the unoccupied lips of her companion, the black-haired Vinnie, toward herself to claim them with untamed hunger.
The back of the car heated up to the temperature it had earlier, as despite the absence of the third pair of hands that had left, the two pairs still there did their utmost to climb all the peaks and explore every alley, every valley. Alex laughed, and closed the door of the car, but not before receiving a flirty wink from Caitlin who opened her eyes to glance at him.
He shook his head, and watched the car leave, before he turned back and walked into the building behind him. In the lobby, the young lady and the man at the desk greeted him as he walked to the elevator:
"Welcome back, mister Lenner."
He nodded with a wisp of an indifferent smile at the corner of his lips, unashamed of the marks on him, before he stepped into the lift, and pressed the button for the last floor.
*Ding*
The door opened, and Alex walked out of the elevator, taking only a few steps to arrive at the door to the only apartment on that floor. The decor inside was a blend of tasteful artistry and sober luxury, with priority given to comfort.
Alex threw his keys aside, and took out his phone, sending a voice message into the group with his friends:
"Just got home. I have almost been wrung dry by those vixens, so now I only want to sleep after a good shower. Don't bother me even if any of you got lost on the way back home."
He smiled, and threw his phone onto the bed, before he stepped into the shower to relax under the sprinkle of warm water. He didn't take too much time, and came out of the shower not long later, a towel around his waist.
His exposed body was not sculpted, but it showed how well he had taken care of himself, with subtle lines tracing the muscles beneath his skin and adding to charm. He was already handsome, but with his healthy body, it was no wonder he came back sandwiched between two living, breathing temptations trying to eat him up at the back of the car.
It was a pity. If only his skin was not marred by scars from old wounds! One went from the front of his left shoulder to his back, running down to the triangular tip of his shoulder blade, and almost reaching the side of his ribs on the left side. Another scar was on his chest, going toward the left side from just beside the sternum. Fortunately, they now only added a roguish element to his charm, having faded a great deal after existing for so long.
His hair still dripping wet, he came to the large screen hanging on the wall facing the bed, and opened the cupboard below it. He typed a passcode on the digital lock of the safe inside, and pressed his finger on the scanner, before he opened it. There were documents inside, money, bank cards and other things inside, but all on the lower floor. On the top floor, there was only a small wooden box, one barely the size of a palm.
It looked like an antique, dull, but beautifully carved, as it sat quietly and alone. Even then, despite its underlying simplicity, it seemed to have the power to pull attention toward itself, and in its own way, clamor that it existed.
Alex's calm deep brown eyes looked at the box as he took it out, and turned to look outside. He didn't see the full moon, but he did see the glow it was reflecting as it reached its peak for the month, before he held the cover of the box and pushed it up. Or at least he tried. And he failed. He showed no surprise, nor any disappointment. He calmly put the box back down, and closed the safe. Then, throwing some casual t-shirt on, along with wide and comfortable pants, he dried his hair, and threw himself onto the bed. He exhaled all his satisfaction for the good evening he had enjoyed, before he controlled his breathing.
Soon, he totally relaxed, and in the silence, even the movements from his breathing became barely perceptible. There was only the glow of the city, and the moon to accompany him, as well as the light breeze coming in through the small gap opened by the sliding door of the balcony to bring the curtains to life.
_ _ _
_ _ _
An hour ago, at the same time as Alex threw his phone onto the bed and went into the bathroom, a phone lit up with a message a few meters above, on the rooftop.
"He is back and alone. One hour later, you know what to do. Don't disappoint."
The message felt chillier than the breeze of the dead of night on the high rooftop. They made the slim female hands holding the phone hold back in hesitation. They hovered above the screen, before the suppressed sound of an exhale came, and a response was typed:
"Understood."
With that, the phone was turned off and tucked away, before the woman decked fully in black, with even her head covered, put on gloves of the same color as the rest of her attire.
One hour later, she took out a thick dark rope from the backpack she was carrying, tightly secured it to the rooftop and to the harnesses she was wearing. After a deep breath, when all the preparations were done, she looked down from the edge of the roof, exhaled, and jumped off.