I wake up to the warmth of soft lips pressing against mine.
Reflexively, I kiss back, not even bothering to open my eyes.
You might be getting tired of hearing this, but her lips are truly addictive.
She giggles at my reaction.
"Good morning, Handsome," she whispers before kissing me again.
"Morning, Beautiful," I murmur back, playfully nipping at her nose.
"How did you sleep?" she asks, scattering light kisses across my face.
Her scent fills my lungs, warm and familiar.
Instead of answering, I wrap my arm around her waist, pulling her closer, while my other hand cradles the back of her head, guiding her lips back to mine.
She chuckles but pulls back slightly. "Hey… you haven't answered me."
"It was good," I say, kissing both her eyelids. "But the best part is waking up to your kisses."
Before she can respond, I claim her lips again.
As we kiss, I roll over, positioning myself on top of her.
I trail my lips down her jawline, then to her ear—making her giggle before moving down to her neck, sucking gently at her nook until a pink mark appears.
She sighs, running her hands along my chest.
Then—
"What's this?" she suddenly says, pulling her fist between us.
When she opens her palm, she screams.
A scorpion sits in her hand.
I react instantly, trying to swipe it away—
But instead of running, the scorpion locks eyes with me.
And jumps.
Straight onto my forehead.
Then—pain.
A piercing sting shoots through my skull.
"AAAAAAAARGH!!!" I scream, clutching my head as the venom floods my brain. My body convulses violently—muscles cramping uncontrollably.
"Babe! Baby! Wake up, Babe!"
Jennifer's voice cuts through the fog of my agony.
Her hands shake me frantically.
"Are you okay?!" Worry laces her voice, but strangely—there's no fear.
I jolt awake, ignoring my pounding headache.
"Where is it?!" I ask, ravaging the bed with my hands.
"What… what are you looking for, Babe?!" Jennifer asks, her voice panicked.
"The scorpion! The one that bit me! Is it gone?! Are you okay?! Were you bitten?!"
Jennifer stares at me, confused.
"What scorpion?" she asks, frowning. "There was no scorpion."
"There was," I insist. "You showed it to me! While we were kissing—you had it in your fist!"
Jennifer shakes her head. "No… there was nothing."
I blink.
"We… weren't kissing?"
She shakes her head again. "No. I was just walking out of the bathroom when I heard you scream."
My breath catches.
It was just… a dream?
My heart pounds as I scan the bed one last time.
Nothing.
No scorpion. No bite. No venom.
I exhale sharply, shaking my head to clear the lingering pain.
"I was dreaming," I murmur to myself.
Jennifer tilts her head. "What was your dream?"
I hesitate.
"I… I was bitten by a scorpion," I finally admit.
Jennifer chuckles—then quickly covers her mouth, trying to hold back her laughter.
"Sorry… it's not funny," she says, failing to suppress another giggle. "I don't even know why I laughed."
She coughs awkwardly, then walks up to me.
"Where did it bite you?" she asks, feigning concern.
Her hand gropes my crotch.
"Was it here?" she teases—then bursts into laughter.
I kiss her just to shut her up.
"You're going to regret laughing at me," I warn playfully, pushing her back onto the bed.
"Oh yeah?" She raises an eyebrow, eyes shimmering with excitement.
Her teeth graze her lower lip.
"And what are you going to do to me?" she challenges.
I smirk.
"I'm gonna make you late. Very late."
I start crawling over her, lips inches from hers—
"Oh, shit!" She suddenly shoves my chest, stopping me.
"I can't be late today!"
Her hands push against my chest as she scrambles away.
"I have a trial this morning!"
She pecks my lips before slipping out of my hold.
I groan. "I'll ride you to work."
She waves me off, already digging through my wardrobe.
"No. I have my car now. I can drive myself," she says, pulling out an outfit.
"Besides, you need rest," she adds, shooting me a pointed look.
"I'm feeling better already," I insist, stretching my hips. The pain isn't as bad as last night.
"Still," she says firmly. "Rest. Fully recover."
I pout but don't argue.
Instead, I just watch her as she gets ready.
Ten minutes later, she leans down, giving me a quick kiss.
"I'll make it up to you tonight, okay?" she whispers.
I kiss her back.
"That's a promise."
I set down my paper coffee cup and yawn.
It feels like I've been sitting on this bench forever—but when I check my watch, it's only been ten minutes.
I sigh.
Waiting is part of the job.
I've waited for hours to get the perfect shot. I've waited days to study a target's habits.
Waiting five more minutes shouldn't be a problem.
9:30 AM—that's the agreed time for my client's errand to meet me.
As always, I arrived fifteen minutes early.
But today…
Something feels off.
Everything feels slower.
The elevator. The traffic. The pedestrians. Even the coffee shop waiter.
It's not slow-motion slow. More like… dragging.
It irritates me.
I sigh again. Maybe Jennifer was right. I should be resting.
But this deal can't wait.
My absence for twelve days had already made my client nervous. That's why I needed to leave the medical facility—I had to reassure him that the job was done.
A man approaches me.
As he walks past, he pulls a paper from his pocket and, with agonizing slowness, hands it to me.
This guy is awful at being discreet.
I snatch the paper before anyone notices.
Once he's gone, I open it.
Two lines of digits.
32 and 091266.
The second set is my client's birthdate.
I smirk, toss the note into a trash bin, and stand up.
I head toward the locker area of the train station.
I find Locker 32 and punch in the code. The door clicks open.
Inside sits a large suitcase—almost waist-high.
I grab it and head to the restroom.
Once inside, I unlatch the suitcase.
The sight makes me grin.
Stacks of $100 bills—$2 million in total.
Everyone's hard work has been paid off.
My phone buzzes.
"Yes," I answer.
"Boss, you need to come." Bob's voice sounds urgent.
"I caught the culprit."
"Where is he?" I demand the moment I arrive.
But as I scan the area, I see no one.
Bob shifts uncomfortably.
"I… I'm sorry, Boss," he stammers. "He… got away."
My jaw clenches.
"What?! How the hell did you let him escape?!"
Bob swallows hard.
"He vanished," one of his men mutters.
I narrow my eyes.
"Vanished?"
The guy nods nervously.
"Yeah. He threw something—smoke went everywhere—then he was just… gone."
I exhale sharply.
This just got interesting.