Thinking of her in her leather and lace

The following takes place between 5:00 pm and 6:00 pm, 24 hours before the interagency raid on the 'Leather and Lace' kink club in Los Angeles.

Events occur in real time.

Tony looked around the room as he took a sip from his drink. Things hadn't changed much since he was last here. The red neon lights. The array of tiny suites which were only separated from the bar by a thin, beaded curtain. The faint sounds of rattling chains and squeaky latex. It was as busy as he remembered it used to be early on a Sunday evening. The bartender remembered him, to his surprise, right down to his drink of choice.

As Tony looked down at what he was wearing, he realised that hadn't changed either. It reminded him how long it had taken him to feel comfortable wearing something as revealing and unpractical as tight leather pants with just a sheer shirt as a top, plus whatever accessory he was in the mood for. He had opted for just a few chains off his waistband that night, enough to fit right in with the crowd, but nothing too extreme.

He'd been looking around at the people there, still not sure he wanted to approach anyone, not yet, at least. He wasn't exactly sure what he wanted tonight if he was being honest. Ever since Nina had been arrested he'd come here many times, desperate to fill the void left behind by her betrayal, desperate for someone to dominate him the way she had. But when he started seeing Michelle, he cut back on his visits. He was certainly infatuated with her, which was precisely why he was taking things slow because he was so afraid of fucking up and losing her. In his eyes, she was way out of his league. They were nothing committal right now. It didn't help that they had such little free time with their work schedules. However, this side of him, the side of him that desperately wanted and needed someone to tell him what to do, a position previously only held by Jack and Nina -- although Nina's was the only one that had extended outside of work -- was something he wanted to keep private for now. Those relationships had been built on a foundation of trust. 

A foundation of truth.

It wasn't that he didn't think Michelle was trustworthy or that he thought she had bad intentions. He just wasn't ready for that level of vulnerability with her yet.

A woman of remarkable beauty and allure caught his eye at some point. When her eyes met his, her magnetic but cold gaze made Tony feel uneasy and intimidated, but not in a bad way. He wondered if he could gather enough courage to approach her, if he was mentally prepared for a no, but then a familiar voice called his name from behind him and as Tony turned around, he realised the regulars hadn't changed either throughout the years.

And that even time in a maximum security prison couldn't deter someone from her darkest desires.

"Tony? Is that you?"

"Nina." He said, giving her a small nod. "I didn't expect you to be here."

"Clearly." His shocked expression spoke for itself. "You thought I would still have to live in hiding? My pardon means I have no reason not to enjoy my life just like I used to." She paused for a moment and moved in closer, her hand resting on his tight as she leaned in to whisper in his ear. "Just like we used to." She reminded him, and how could he ever forget?

They used to be regulars there; Nina had introduced him to the place as soon as she had discovered the extent of Tony's submissive side and how he had never minded a little public humiliation as foreplay. It had been a big step, extending that intimacy to somewhere so open. But Tony had soon realised that in a place like this, everybody was just as raw and open as he was. It was a safe space. The only space where someone could explore the kinds of ventures that were generally considered strange and even taboo without judgement and fear. What had put him at ease most of all was the club's strong policies on consent. Despite the wide array of sexual acts performed here, some that Tony had never even heard of before his first night, nobody did anything without an explicit, emphatic 'yes'. The bartenders watched intently for drink-spiking or overly-aggressive patrons. And the people that attended generally respected that. After all, this wasn't the place for a casual one-night stand. His mind drifted to the first time he and Nina had come here. He could recall the exact numbered suite, what they'd worn, and what they'd done. It had been one of the most intense but incredible nights of his life. A night that had defined their relationship. A night where Tony had felt completely and utterly able to be himself.

To his embarrassment, his body was starting to remember too, and there was no hiding it, not when she had her hands on him and he was wearing nothing underneath the leather pants. "Oh, just like old times, I see."

"What do you want?"

"What do I want?" She smirked. "You obviously came here looking for something. I could entertain you for the evening..." Her hands slid painfully slow along his thighs. "Unless you're not here for that?" She added as she noticed his focus was somewhere else, and following his gaze she saw him staring at that woman again, a flash of recognition in his eyes like he had been trying to place her face for a while already.

Tony tried his hardest to ignore Nina's teasing because as he continued to get a better look at the intriguing woman -- without acting like some kind of pervert and risking getting the attention of one of the bartenders -- it suddenly hit him like a truck. He learned early in his military career that he should never let his guard down, even if it seemed like a hyper-vigilant mindset didn't seem appropriate in the context. That philosophy had served him well in both the Marines and then later at CTU. Getting urgent calls for meetings or missions at ungodly hours didn't faze him. Of course, it meant that he never could relax properly. It was hard to sleep. Hard to take a simple half-hour lunch break. Hard to go out for a drink without constantly thinking about potential entrance points and where he'd hypothetically take cover should someone gun down the door.

But at this moment, he'd never been so grateful for his inability to turn those instincts off.

He perked up at the sound of a loud, pleasured moan. Turning to its source, he saw a man chained to a wall. He was being branded with a hot iron by a woman clad in full latex. There were prominent red marks across his bare chest and abdomen. To the average person, they would look rather confronting. But all it did was trigger more memories for Tony. Memories he was desperate to relive. His fingers consciously slipped to the distinct mark on his solar plexus. It was a small but prominent reminder that he belonged to her. He'd told every other sexual partner who'd noticed it that it was just a birthmark. Not even because he was ashamed of it, but because he and Nina would never have what they used to.

Although, Tony was starting to think that wasn't quite true.

After all, she was a free woman now.

Nina chuckled lowly. "Remember when you were up there?" She moved her mouth near the shell of his ear. "You were so eager...even I didn't think you'd be brave enough to let me mark you permanently in front of all those people. And after...oh, what we did after was a different story, Tony-"

"I remember," Tony said thickly.

"Well, if you want...we could do it again." She murmured. "Just like old times."

The mere thought of that sent shivers down his spine. But it didn't just have to be a thought. He didn't drag himself here on a Sunday evening just for a drink. He'd gotten out of bed only an hour or so ago after working a fifteen-hour shift at CTU that finished at seven the previous morning. He hadn't slept a wink, his mind too filled with thoughts. Tony understood now that he needed something. Something that a simple hook-up couldn't satisfy. Maybe it was the stress. Maybe, it was a fucked-up way of dealing with latent grief and tension between him and Jack. Maybe, this level of raw intimacy was less of a want, less of a desire, less of an indulgence, and more of a need.

And now the solution to his problem was standing right in front of him.

The best part? He wouldn't have to feel guilty about what he was about to do with Nina because that wasn't the only thing he would get out of tonight. No, as soon as he was done here, he was going to call a meeting at CTU.

Because Tony knew without a doubt that he had to get close to the woman at the bar. And not because of her looks.

What he would tell himself later was that his actions were completely justifiable. That what he did was a necessary step to not blow his cover. That Nina's involvement was purely coincidental because he'd come to this club to look for any signs of criminal activity, he'd come to this club to follow up a lead, he'd come to this club for work purposes only. He would say he simply couldn't have passed up such a rare opportunity to get crucial intel. But deep down, he had to admit to himself that he wasn't strong enough to resist this. Memories he'd buried deep the day she'd been arrested were rising to the surface, and he couldn't deny how much every inch of his body had missed them.

"I'm here for that now."

The kiss took her by surprise, but she had no intention of pulling away. His fingers ran through her short hair, tugging gently to keep her close to him. Her hands crept lower, nails digging into the skin of his back. It stung a little, and he hoped she would draw blood, he hoped she would give him physical reminders of her power over him. His mouth slipped to her jaw and his movements almost became frantic. She hummed in approval as he started to suck at her neck. Just because he was going to let her do whatever she wanted to him didn't mean he couldn't mark her up a little too, to show how much he craved this with every part of his body. Every touch brought back a familiar sensation he'd yearned for, for so long. Tony also realised that this was more than just physical. He could have asked this of any patron of the club tonight. But he hadn't. Nina had come to him, and he wasn't denying her. In fact, he wasn't sure if he could deny her.

Which just affirmed to him that despite everything that had happened, this connection between them hadn't wavered.

"Seem like you still remember what I like." She chuckled, pulling back from the kiss breathily. "Luckily for you, I still remember too. And I've missed having my way with you." Tony's eyes darkened in interest, and his eyes went to the whip she was carrying, tied to her hip, and he remembered it. He knew Nina wouldn't hold back. She never had with him.

"Show me."

5:59:58...5:59:59...6:00:00

The following takes place between 5:00 pm and 6:00 pm.

Everyone in the room was staring at him. Tony had called this emergency meeting while heading back home this morning. He had spent the entire night with Nina at the Leather and Lace, something he might have regretted if he hadn't noticed someone else at the club, someone that was at the top of their terrorist watchlist. Tony took a deep breath. His fellow agents were going to have questions. He would have to try to make up some bullshit excuse for why he knew the club existed in the first place, let alone why he'd been inside of it. But hopefully, his key find would force people not to dwell on his private life for too long.

People muttered to each other, and Michelle gave him a small smile. Eventually, the talking died down, and Tony realised that he couldn't find his words.

Luckily, Jack was the first to break the silence. "So, what's this about, Tony?"

He felt everyone's eyes on him as he moved to the computer and opened a file. The screen was already projected on the wall.

Sidra El Shaer, it read, born in Al-Khalil 12/26/1981, considered armed and dangerous, approach with extreme caution.

"El Shaer is the main suspect in a wide variety of assassinations. From corrupt senators to double agents to cheating spouses in locations all over the country. She's incredibly elusive." With a slightly trembling hand, he changed tabs so the projector showed an inset of a map of Los Angeles, "but yesterday, I located her here," he said as he zoomed in on the satellite view of a building.

"What exactly is that place?" Ryan asked him, and Tony sighed, knowing he couldn't lie about it. "An establishment that focuses on adult entertainment." He admitted, feeling his cheeks redden in shame.

He tried not to look at any one person's reaction. They probably figured based on his body language that he wasn't exactly proud of knowing this. His eyes met Michelle's, and he was met not with a look of ridicule or disgust, but rather intrigue. Tony gulped. Maybe he wasn't ready to open up to her about it, but it sure as hell reassured him that she might actually enjoy this kind of thing too.

"If she's such a high-profile suspect, why hasn't she been arrested?" Michelle queried, thankfully changing the subject to make people stop snickering and whispering. "I mean, I get this club isn't exactly out in the open, but still...she's exposed."

Tony sighed. "Because technically, the government has no concrete evidence. Don't get me wrong, El Shaer is undoubtedly the person they're looking for. But she's a professional. She's covered her tracks incredibly well. No amount of investigating has yielded anything worthy of an arrest."

People hummed in understanding.

"However...if we were to get a confession from her, then it would be enough to warrant a proper investigation."

"That still requires arresting her, though," Jack stated. "And if she's a professional like you're saying, Tony, she might not break easily."

He nodded. "I agree. But if we can catch El Shaer or the staff at the club doing something, anything, then we would have free reign to use whatever interrogation techniques we see fit."

"So you're suggesting a stake-out, Tony?" Ryan asked.

"Correct. We could put some of our people inside and set up a perimeter. From there, we wait."

"Any idea what kind of activity we could bust her on?"

"Unfortunately, no," Tony answered. "For all we know, the business could be a legitimate front. But there's a chance she meets with her potential clients there. If we recognise anyone, the association might be enough."

This made the mission seem far less feasible now. It could be a huge waste of time. He understood that. But at the same time, if their cover was solid, El Shaer wouldn't expect anyone inside to be law enforcement and might let something slip. There was one more piece of information he had, though. One that he knew would get Jack's attention.

"I should mention that Nina Myers is also a regular patron." He added, switching the screen again.

To nobody's surprise, this set Jack off immediately. "She's what?"

"She has got a pardon, Jack."

"Yeah, but she'd know who El Shaer is from her time at CTU. The fact that she goes there can't be a coincidence. She's probably working for her-"

"Believe it or not, Jack, the crowd at the club generally isn't made of bad people." He said stiffly. "I mean, I go there, and I don't work for El Shaer."

Jack let out a breath, softening his expression. "Fine. We can't assume anything. But we can still use her for intel."

"That, we do know. If we can't get anything from the club, we might need to get close to El Shaer."

Ryan scoffed. "Well, it's a sex club, for once sleeping with the enemy here is actually a valid tactic."

Tony made a hesitant noise. "She's not your average woman, Ryan. She's known as one of the most intense dominatrices at the club. People beg for her attention. The kind of things she's into would rival our interrogation techniques in terms of intensity. So with all of that combined...this won't be easy. We can't spook her."

"Then I want in." Jack was quick to announce. "The stakes are too high here. I need to be inside."

Tony tried to hide the fact that that was exactly what he was hoping for.

"Jack, are you sure you have some fitting clothes?"

"What are you talking about? We're infiltrating a nightclub, not Milan fashion week."

There was a low chuckle, and Jack turned around to see it had come from Michelle. "Jack, it's called Leather and Lace for a reason. A plain t-shirt and jeans will attract way too much attention."

"I think we need to bring the FBI in on this," Ryan said as he flicked through the schematics of the club, clearly a little confronted by what he'd learned about it already. "We need to maintain a solid perimeter on the property. This place is like a labyrinth. There are way too many escape routes."

Chloe frowned a little, shaking her head at her laptop. "That might not be possible."

"Why?"

"They're still caught up with the investigation on the Cyprus recording. We might need to pull from other units."

He sighed in frustration. Things were still chaotic, as to be expected with such a huge case. The president had decided to use a slightly unconventional method in an attempt to maintain objectivity on such a sensitive investigation. Agents had been randomly reassigned to interstate units on a temporary basis, so they weren't working in their usual teams. This would hopefully make it harder for anybody to conceal evidence or misuse information.

"Wait," Tony said, bringing up El Shaer's file again. "It says the leading agent on El Shaer's case is Larry Moss. Chloe, is he working near LA by any chance?"

Chloe typed on her laptop before nodding. "Yeah. Usually, he works out of DC, but he was chosen for the swap. He's currently stationed in CTU Phoenix. We could get him here in about ninety minutes."

Ryan nodded. "Alright, I'll let him know and send a chopper. Everybody else, get back to your desks and start preparing for this raid."

5:40:44...5:40:45...5:40:46

Larry furrowed his brow as he saw Ryan Chappelle's caller ID appear on his phone. Given that the Cyprus recording had taken so much priority over the last few months, he assumed it was related to that. It wouldn't be the first time he'd gotten a call from an agent or director he usually had very little association with.

"We have a lead on El-Shaer. One of our agents tracked her down into a club here in LA."

His breath hitched in his throat. The mere mention of her name awoke something in him, something that he'd deeply buried since that awful day.

"A club?" He furrowed his brow, trying to get information here without being distracted by the thought of cuffing El Shaer personally and watching her get driven to prison. "She was somewhere so public?"

Ryan scoffed. "Not your average kind of club, Moss. It's called 'Leather and Lace'. It's a kinky sex club."

His eyebrows raised. He'd tried to track her down for years. Nothing like that had ever come up.

"How the hell did you figure that out?"

"Yeah, one of our agents is a regular patron there, apparently. Oh, and one more thing, you'll need to come appropriately dressed," Ryan explained. "You and Agent Dessler will be seated inside the venue. There's no better vantage point."

"Wait, what?-"

"This is a rare opportunity, Larry. We need all cooperation from CTU, the LAPD, and the FBI. So find something and get your ass to Los Angeles. We don't have a lot of time."

Larry stuttered as he went to protest again, but Ryan hung up.

Renee gave him a funny look when he put the phone down. "What was it?"

"That was Chappelle from CTU Los Angeles. They've got a lead on El-Shaer and want me to help."

Her eyes widened. "Larry, that's great! You could finally close the case. Why don't you look happy?"

"Let's just say the location is a little...unorthodox."

She furrowed her brow. "Where is she?"

"At a club called the Leather and Lace. It's one of those...weird kink clubs."

A cheeky look crept onto her face. "What? Like with the latex and the handcuffs and the whips-"

"Yeah." He did not look amused.

"So, what's the problem then?" She asked, wiggling her eyebrows. "I know you're pretty vanilla, Larry-"

"I'm stationed inside. Which means I need to 'blend in'."

Renee stifled a laugh. "Oh, you're going to have a ball, then."

"Speaking from experience, Walker?"

"We'll keep an eye on you, don't worry, Larry," She said with a smile.

"Yeah, you can watch me sit there bored shitless for hours."

"Oh, I don't know, Larry..." Renee murmured, placing her hands on his shoulders. "Maybe you'll get lucky."

He scoffed. "It's a high-profile mission, Renee. I'm going to be focusing on making sure we get El Shaer."

"Still...maybe you'll discover a kinky side you didn't know about."

5:59:58...5:59:59...6:00:00

The following takes place between 6:00 pm and 7:00 pm.

“This?”

He turned to see her holding up a banana-yellow thong and glared at her.

”Okay, fine, if you want to go commando…”

Larry sighed, trying to look for something that at the very least covered what was necessary to avoid being charged with indecent exposure. Renee had been incredibly eager to find a sex shop as close as possible to the CTU Phoenix office. Larry was somehow not surprised that the one she'd found was open twenty-four hours a day. He'd hoped to go alone at least, but she had insisted to the SAC that it was necessary preparation for a mission.

And unfortunately, the SAC had bought it.

“What about these?”

This time, she held up a pair of leather pants. 

“Just because the FBI is paying doesn’t mean you get to do your own shopping.”

”What do you mean? These are your size.”

He sputtered. “Renee, I don’t think I’m going to get into those pants, let alone get out of them.”

"Oh, don't worry, they've got breathing room." She said, turning them around to reveal two large holes where the back pockets would usually be. "Come on...they'll look good with the cowboy hat and boots."

Larry pinched the bridge of his nose. She was having way too much fun with this.

"How about we make a deal?" Renee said as she took a few steps towards him and placed the hat on his head. "You make my night and wear the damn pants." She murmured. "And I'll buy something from the lingerie section for you to see me wear when you get back."

His eyes darkened, and he snatched the pants away from her.

"Deal."

6:20:21...6:20:22...6:20:23

Jack took deep breaths before he splashed some cold water on his face. He had excused himself from the operations room and stormed off to the bathroom.

He was still coming to terms with having let Nina walk away with a pardon just a couple of months earlier, and now he was going to have to meet her again during a mission.

He tried to calm down. He reminded himself that he believed in the legal system that had allowed Nina to go back to living a normal life as if nothing had happened and that the most important thing he would have to focus on for the rest of the night was catching El Shaer. He would not let his hate for Nina jeopardize the mission.

Besides, he could handle noticing her in a room full of other people. If she wasn't involved in El Shaer's criminal business, there would be no need to interact with her, and if she was, then he'd get the satisfaction of bringing her in again, which he hoped would give him closure.

6:33:44...6:33:45...6:33:46

"Don't any of you have work to do?" He said gruffly. "For God's sake, I brought the three of you with me as my most trustworthy and reliable agents."

Larry stood on the helipad unimpressed, with his hands on his hips, while Janis and Renee took photos from every conceivable angle. By the end of their shopping trip, Renee had spent good tax-payer money on a brown, suede cowboy hat with a pair of matching boots, a studded, leather harness, as well as a bandana.

And of course, the assless leather pants.

Although, he had to admit the breeze from the helicopter was providing some much-needed cooling given how hot it was. 

The roar of the engine was deafening, but he could still hear them laugh. Sean let out a hyena-like cackle, and Larry flipped him off.

"Isn't one enough?" Larry asked.

"Nope," Renee said, grinning, before asking him to turn around. "Just want to make sure everybody in evidence gets a clear understanding of the mission. And I'm sure the execs will be very happy to see their favourite agent in action. You'll get that promotion in no time."

Larry shook his head and moved to step into the chopper, eliciting another snort from Sean, but stopped at the sound of Renee calling his name. The grin was still there, but her eyes showed concern. The same concern they always showed when one of them went out into the field.

"Be careful."

"Thanks." He said warmly, finding that his grumpiness had somewhat dissipated.

As he ascended, he watched as Renee, Sean, and Janis shrunk into tiny, indistinguishable dots on the roof of the building. Larry took a deep breath. Ridiculous outfit aside, this was a case that could make or break his career.

He just hoped that even if whatever he saw at the club scarred him for life, it would all be worth it.

6:50:32...6:50:33...6:50:34

Nina got into the same clothes she had been wearing the night before. She was a regular at the Leather and Lace on the weekends but tended not to go back on weekdays. That was until Tony walked back in there the night before. It had been good seeing him again, Nina admitted. She had missed him. Tony, and the badly hidden desire inside him to be dominated and subdued, to be taken care of and cared for, to be humiliated and brought to his lowest point so he could prove his undying trust. It was a lot, and that kind of connection wasn't easily broken, so she wasn't surprised that even after her betrayal, he would still look at her the same, with reverence and awe and respect, and with a need that they both knew only she could sate.

Tony wasn't the only reason she was going, though. Unfortunately, even though she didn't work for the government anymore, business had to come first. The call that she received from her contact not long ago indicated that something might be going down tonight at the Leather and Lace. So she would have to be careful.

Still, it was the hope of getting to relive the past night all over again that made Nina put in the effort to look her best, and once she was satisfied, she grinned at her reflection in the mirror.

She was going to make Tony's night one he wouldn't forget.

6:59:58...6:59:59...7:00:00

The following takes place between 7:00 pm and 8:00 pm.

Sidra stood behind the bar, watching as the first patrons of the night entered. Given that it was a weeknight, it would likely be slow to start with. The only kinds of people that might come were those who'd just clocked off work and needed a way to relieve their stress. Usually, this was the kind of night she'd elect to have a meeting with an associate. With fewer people around, it made it far more obvious to see if anyone was being followed.

Tonight, her mind was elsewhere though. She was still thinking about someone she saw yesterday. He was a regular. She knew his face but not his name, which was understandable given the taboo nature of the club. Most people went by aliases or avoided names completely. But last night, he'd given her a certain look. Not one of disapproval, but not quite one of admiration either. If she wasn't mistaken, it was recognition. And somehow, she didn't think it was for something directly related to the club. He knew something. And her gut told her that it could be incredibly dangerous if not taken care of as soon as possible. She took a deep breath. She was rarely caught off-guard, but she wouldn't dare show it. There was a presence she had to maintain here.

Which meant if she was going to get rid of this guy, she needed help.

7:11:34...7:11:35...7:11:36

Renee stood on the roof of the FBI building, watching the chopper get further up and away until she couldn't see its tail light anymore. She sighed, pulling at her shirt to try and create some airflow. If Phoenix was hot, then Los Angeles would be scorching. The weather wasn't going to be pleasant for any agent working tonight, let alone Larry who despised the heat and was wearing full leather. Despite all the fun she'd had teasing him and helping him prepare, she couldn't deny that that had been a way to dissuade her worries, and hopefully his too. Of course, she always hoped every mission would result in a successful apprehension, but tonight it was different. She knew just how personal it was for Larry. 

He and El Shaer went way back. She had been behind an assassination at an Israeli consulate seven years ago. The FBI had been there interrogating a crucial witness to a case that would bring down a very large organised crime ring the FBI had been desperate to apprehend. They'd known the witness was a probable target and guarded the property heavily. But not enough. Because El Shaer had gunned down the witness, killing several FBI agents in the process, including an old mentor of Larry's.

They had only been friends at the time, but through his grief and frustration, he'd opened up to her more, and they'd both become aware of their feelings for each other. Things had progressed slowly, though. Neither of them wanted to ruin their platonic relationship or risk their careers because of the hierarchy between them. But deep down they knew that they cared for each other more than most friends. Currently, they could describe their situation as some kind of friends-with-benefits arrangement. They trusted each other. They were open with each other. And they occasionally slept with each other.

So Renee couldn't deny that the thought of Larry in a place like the Leather and Lace fascinated her more than anything.

7:18:22...7:18:23...7:18:24

"-but yes, I'm going to be there too." She said, forcing a smile as she watched Tony move around the corner. "Don't worry Alice, I wouldn't miss your wedding for the world. I'm sure I can find a way to join you despite my work schedule. Yes, love you too. Bye."

"My cousin," she explained, a little too eager to share personal information, "they finally settled on a date."

But Tony was not paying attention to her words. He couldn't have even if he'd tried. "You-" He started, at a loss for words. "You're really, uh, looking the part." He settled for, in the end, and his obvious lust earned him a genuine laugh from Michelle, a sound that made him light up. "Glad you enjoy it." She grinned. "That's exactly the reaction I was going for."

"Are you going to let me see what you have there?" She teased him, and he smiled, bashfully as he took his clothes out of the bag he was carrying, and could see her eyes widen in interest.

It was nothing too special. A pair of leather pants, a mesh top, and a spiked harness. Ideal for blending in without ruining what little respect his coworkers had left for him. Tony placed them on the bench beside him before retrieving something else.

"You'll need this for your cover with Agent Moss." He said as he passed her the leash and collar.

She hummed in assent, pulling it taut to test out the length.

"What about you and Jack?"

"I've got another one, don't worry."

Footsteps sounded in the hallway and Tony glanced at his watch. They would have to leave soon. He moved behind one of the lockers to slightly conceal himself while he got changed. Michelle turned away to give him more privacy, but bit her lip at the sight of an array of bruises and what looked like whip marks on his back. They were also accompanied by red handmarks and scratches. It made her wonder just what exactly he and Nina had done. Not out of jealousy, they were only casual right now after all, but out of curiosity.

Tony checked that everything was in place and tested his comm before returning to where Michelle was. The way she looked him up and down sent a pleasurable chill down his spine.

”So is that last night’s outfit, Tony?” She asked, but he could tell there was something beneath those words, an unspoken question he couldn't quite get.

He furrowed his brow. "Yeah." He admitted, and she moved in closer, starting to walk in circles around him and lowering her voice. ”Is that what you were wearing when you slept with Nina?”

He froze. If he had been drinking something, he probably would have choked on it. "How...how did you know I slept with her?"

The corners of her lips lifted. "Well, you two have history. If you saw her in the club you used to go to together all the time, it makes sense that you would have spent time together. And I certainly didn't mark you up like that, but I'm more than happy to take you up on that another night. So, was this the outfit?"

“Well, uh…yeah, why?” He said, scratching his head, trying to look more nonchalant and not like he was incredibly interested in the idea of Michelle leaving bruises on him.

Unexpectedly, Michelle slapped his ass with a smirk. ”Makes sense. They fit you very nicely.” She lowered her voice. "No one could resist you in these."

He turned to face her, pulling her lips to his. She wrapped her arms around his neck, returning the kiss deeply.

"It's a shame we weren't paired with each other for this mission." Michelle breathed against his lips. "I think we could have done a very convincing job."

"Want a practice run before we leave?" He asked, smiling wryly.

He took her hands working at the waistband of his pants as a 'yes'. She walked them back towards a bench before sitting on it and pulling Tony so he was standing between her legs. He kissed along her jaw, down towards her neck and chest, while she clawed at his back. For a moment, she forgot about the bruises and froze when his moans sounded less pleasant and more pained. Tony shook his head, moving her hand right over one of the spots she knew from before was incredibly sensitive and reddened.

"Hurt me." He murmured.

Michelle was tentative at first, but when he let out a choked whimper against her shoulder, one that almost sounded like he was begging her to do what he'd asked, she grabbed at him with more ferocity, trying to communicate in every way that if he wanted her to hurt him, to mark him, to use him, then she would gladly oblige. She wondered how far this desire of his went. After all, if he was a patron at a club like the Leather and Lace, then it had to be more than just something casual or newly explored. Michelle had to admit this side of him had quickly become something she desperately wanted to indulge with him at another time. They'd taken things slowly so far, both of them too nervous to screw things up by the looks of it. And Tony clearly still had some element of his guard up, despite the moment they'd shared the day of the nuclear bomb.

But if she had the opportunity to take down his walls so he could give himself over to her completely, she'd take it in a heartbeat.

Tony bent down so he was on his knees before her, gently pushing her thighs apart. She sighed, lacing her fingers through his hair. But just as he started to move his head closer, the sound of Jack's voice in his comm broke him out of his train of thought. Michelle also likely heard this because she gave a discontent sigh, and placed a hand under his chin so he could look up at her.

"We should probably get going." He said, panting slightly while giving her a lascivious, obedient look.

"Yeah." She agreed, wiping away a trace of her lipstick around his mouth with her thumb as he stood up.

"You know, I went there yesterday to check the place out, figure if it was still as nice as I remembered." He said thoughtfully, grabbing her hand as she hopped off the bench. "Because I was planning on asking you to go there together." It might have sounded like an unusual request, but they weren't exclusive, and a place like the Leather and Lace would have been great for a date between fuckbuddies.

"I'll let you know what I think of it," Michelle assured him with a wink as she headed to the door. "We can always go back there together another time. Maybe after work." She added before leaving him alone in the locker room, and his heart started beating faster because it sounded a lot like a promise.

7:59:58...7:59:59...8:00:00

The following takes place between 8:00 pm and 9:00 pm.

Tony had figured out that Jack was the only person he knew who could walk into a kink club wearing the same clothes he would wear on a regular day; a pair of worn-out jeans, a plain white t-shirt, and a nice, real leather jacket. What Jack possessed that made him blend in here without too much effort was his commanding aura, the way he demanded respect with just a stern look, and Tony knew it was enough for him to pass as a man who'd enjoy even the worst depravity that could be found in a place like this.

Still, Tony had insisted on accessorising him, using their need to maintain their cover as a way to finally fulfil a long-term fantasy of his.

Jack had just secured one end of a very short leather leash to his belt loop, and as Jack reached down to clasp the other end to the tight dog collar he was wearing, Tony realised that maybe he was Jack's main accessory, and the idea did not bother him one bit.

"I don't know how I feel about this," Jack confessed as they practised walking, getting accustomed to it. Or at least, Jack was walking. The leash wasn't long enough for Tony to stand up, so he had to crawl on Jack's side like a dog, on his hands and knees. "Are you sure you don't have anything longer?"

Every accessory came from Tony's personal collection, and he had hand-picked everything for that night, everything was just as he had planned for it to be. So the short length of the leash that gave Tony just enough freedom of movement to go from crawling two steps behind Jack to being comfortable on his knees in front of him was something Tony was very aware of, and also very excited about.

"I told you, there was nothing else. And since it's the first time Michelle and Moss meet I figured I'd let them have the longer leash."

"Makes sense." He had to agree. "Still, isn't this degrading to you?" He asked, and Tony had to hold back a smile at the concern in his friend's voice. "That's the whole point of it, Jack."

There was something else that bothered him, something Jack wasn't sure how to bring up, nor if he should. Tony was wearing only a mesh top, and through it, it wasn't difficult to see the many bruises that covered his whole body. If it had only been a couple of hickeys Jack wouldn't have paid it any mind, but that wasn't the case. No, those kinds of bruises must have been caused by someone hitting him repeatedly, and given that Tony had admitted he'd spent the past night with Nina, Jack had no doubt she was responsible, and he promised himself he was going to make her pay for it.

8:10:11...8:10:12...8:10:13

Larry felt the temperature difference immediately when the chopper landed on the base. He was already sweaty enough from his nerves and the leather. It didn't help that everything was also so damn tight. A few of the agents waiting for him gave him confused looks as he stepped out, but he disregarded them. Larry grabbed his phone from his pocket and dialled Ryan's number.

"Chappelle, I've landed in LA." He said, yelling over the helicopter.

"Good. The alley where you'll meet Agent Dessler isn't too far from the landing site. I'll send the information to your cell. Agent Bauer and Almeida are already inside."

"Got it," Larry affirmed before hanging up and looking through the information.

8:13:09...8:13:10...8:13:11

Ryan slid his phone into his pocket.

"Have you got the security footage of the club ready?"

Judging by her grimace, he assumed the answer was 'yes'. He walked over to where she was and gave the screen a bemused look.

"Is that Jack and Tony?" He asked, pointing to a particular section of the screen.

"Mr. Chappelle, frankly, I don't want to zoom in to check. Whatever they're doing, it doesn't look very safe for work." She said, more flustered than usual. "But whatever it takes for them to maintain their cover, I guess."

"I need to know what our people are doing, Chloe." He rolled his eyes, grabbing the mouse from her and doing the job himself. "Oh, thank God. See? It was just the angle because Tony's on that damned leash. Get your mind out of the gutter."

8:20:08...8:20:09...8:20:10

"There she is." Tony spotted her in a small crowd that was watching a young man being impaled by an excruciatingly slow-moving fuck machine while a woman hit him with a riding crop.

"Tony!" She seemed surprised to see him there again, but also very happy about it. "Planning on being the next one up there?" She asked, amused. "I'm sure you could give us an amazing performance." The words he had planned to say died in his throat, and like always, he found himself too mesmerized by her charm to ever feel angry at her.

She smiled at realizing she had rendered him speechless, then her eyes darkened and her voice lowered. "I remember the time you rode that sybian in the middle of the floor, the whole club was watching, no one could take their eyes off you..." She reminded him, and he was fully under her spell now, captivated by her, willingly prepared to do anything and everything for her.

Only then did Nina turn to Jack, pretending she hadn't noticed him until right then, despite Tony still being chained to him. "Jack! I was not expecting you to be here too, but it's really great to see you." She looked between them. "And even better, you're here together!" She turned to Tony with a devilish amused smile. "Does this mean you finally admitted-"

Blushing terribly, Tony finally spoke up. "Just shut up, Nina." He said, but it came out less like an order and more like a desperate plea.

Having had her fun humiliating Tony, she decided to move on to the other man. "And look at you, Jack. I never would have thought you'd get over Teri so quickly, but I'm happy to see you out-"

Jack had been reading the place from the moment he'd stepped in there, and the whole time Nina had spent talking, he'd carefully been planning his reaction, and he had figured his behaviour would not raise any red flags in a place like this. So he was calm as he took a step forward, reached for her neck, and gripped it tight. Ignoring how hard the leash was tugging at Tony's neck, he dragged her towards the wall, then slammed her against it and kept her pinned there as he spoke, his voice dripping with anger but not loud, just cold and controlled.

"You don't get to say her name."

Watching the scene with a lot of interest, Tony could only sigh as he shook his head lightly; Jack had no idea just how much that must have turned Nina on, and him too. If he had planned on intimidating Nina, he had missed the mark by far.

Still, from the corner of his vision, Tony saw a bartender approaching them and knew that if Nina told her that Jack's attack wasn't something she had agreed to, they would get kicked out and banned from the venue, and they couldn't afford that.

"Jack, let her go," Tony advised him. "You don't want to make a scene, and we might need her."

"It's alright, Ashley." She reassured the woman, her eyes never leaving Jack's. "My boyfriends and I are just having some fun." She added, enjoying riling Jack up, knowing that neither of them was going to correct her to avoid attracting more attention to themselves. "Aren't we?" She teased Jack as she leaned in closer to him, claiming his lips with an almost furious passion, her hands reaching for his back and digging her nails into it enough to hurt him as she pulled him closer, hoping she might get a response out of him, but to no avail.

She had been looking for something with that kiss, something she'd been suspecting since she saw him standing there, uncomfortable enough that she could notice it underneath his stoic facade; after all, she had always been able to read him so well. And that night, Jack was not kissing nor reacting to her in the way a man looking for entertainment in a kink club would. No, he was detached and focused, which could only mean one thing.

"Let's sit down now. We need to talk."

8:45:01...8:45:02...8:45:03

"You're not here for pleasure." She was sure of it now. "At first, I hoped Tony had brought you here to help you loosen up, but that's not it. You're here on a mission."

Still, something didn't add up. "You," she added, looking down at Tony, "you weren't on a mission yesterday. But you must have seen something. That's why you got him to come with you today." She furrowed her brow, confused. "What are you up to?"

Jack stood up, not wanting to tell her even more. "You already know too much. Just stay out of this." Jack tugged on the leash without even thinking. "Come on, Tony. We're going."

"Jack, please. Think about the big picture here." Tony protested, refusing to move. "She's a regular here. She knows exactly how we can get to her."

Nina's eyes widened in interest. "Who are you targeting here?" She asked, and before Jack could stop him, Tony was already talking. "You know El Shaer?"

"Sidra? Of course, she owns the place."

"You know what she likes? What might get her distracted?" Tony continued, but Nina just laughed. "Yes. Women." She revealed. "I'm afraid this crashes your big plan."

Jack cursed under his breath. "We're going to have to tell Michelle." He told Tony, but Nina's bad news wasn't over yet. "Good luck with that." She commented. "No matter how beautiful this Michelle might be, Sidra isn't quick to trust. I've never seen her with anyone who hasn't been here before."

Tony looked at her, realisation in his eyes. "So you're saying..." Nina nodded. "I'm your only choice." She pointed out. "I'm a regular here, she'd trust me, and I could keep her entertained for a while, give you all the time to go around snooping."

"Goddammit." Jack cursed, and Nina smiled smugly. The ball was in her court, and she knew it. "I'm not refusing." She informed them. "It can be arranged. But it's going to cost you."

As she said those words, she reached out with her hand towards Jack's crotch, only to steer at the last moment towards his belt loop and unclasp the leash, freeing Tony.

"Tony, why don't you crawl over here and hump my leg like the desperate bitch in heat we both know you are?" She suggested, but she didn't turn towards him as she spoke. No, her eyes were still on Jack, eager to see if that was going to get a reaction out of him.

8:59:58...8:59:59...9:00:00

The following takes place between 9:00 pm and 10:00 pm.

Jack tensed as he watched Tony crawl towards Nina, not rushing, but rather moving slowly on purpose as if teasing her.

When he reached her, he straddled her crossed leg, an eager smile on his face, contrasting with Jack's distressed frown as he watched the scene in front of him with disgust, unable to process how Tony could still look at Nina as if she hadn't betrayed them all.

Jack tried to distract himself when Tony started to hump Nina's latex boot, but as much as he wanted to think of anything else, everywhere he looked people were all engaged in all sorts of sexual activities, and he couldn't deny it was eliciting a reaction out of his body. The whines and pleas he could hear Tony let out weren't helping either.

"It's okay, Tony. Show Jack how much fun we can have together." She teased them both by saying, then lowered her head and pulled Tony closer by his leash to tell him something that Jack wouldn't hear in the confusion of the loud room. "I know he wants you, you just have to convince him to let himself go. Tease him, Tony. Show him the best of you and make him jealous."

Jack had watched them closely, trying to read her lips, but Tony had been in the way so Jack had gotten nothing. Still, he couldn't have missed how much more vocal Tony got after that, really letting himself be heard in the chaos, and it made a lot of heads turn in interest, including Jack's, who couldn't take his eyes off him anymore.

Tony started moving faster at that, the implication in Nina's words making him harder. He started to grind against her with more violence in his movements, more desperation in every thrust of his hips, until the friction became too much for him to take.

Nina had planned to stop Tony before he could come, keep him on the edge without ever allowing him to reach his climax for hours, but after seeing Jack's reaction to him, how he had kept watching Tony with his lips parted and a desire in his eyes Nina remembered well, she realised she didn't particularly mind. She knew she could get him hard again pretty quickly should she choose to; besides, the humiliation of having made Tony come just by grinding against her in a public space and in front of Jack was well worth it.

"Is that all?" Jack asked, impatiently wanting to conclude the deal, but she just laughed at his naivety. "Oh, Jack. That was just the beginning. To let you know what I might ask of you, and how I expect you to behave: obediently."

Since Tony was still coming down from his orgasm, panting as he rested his head against Nina's legs, her hands running through his hair, Jack knew the duty of negotiating would fall on him.

"What's your price then?" He asked, already knowing he was not going to like the answer, and Nina smiled smugly. "You. Both of you. The whole night."

Jack scoffed. "If we spend the whole night with you, how are we going to find the time to go after El Shaer?" He asked her, and she gave him her best not-my-problem face. "Tomorrow, obviously. I'm not rushing our night together." She replied simply, straightforward as always.

"Jack, she might be right." Tony chimed in, finally lifting his head and turning to him. "Besides, if we come back we could look less suspicious."

He hated that he knew Tony was right. "You're sure she's going to trust you enough?" He asked Nina, and she smiled proudly. "Oh yes." She assured him, but there was something off about her brash confidence.

"You've done this before." Tony realised, and Nina smiled in confirmation as their eyes met. 

"What can I say, I don't always need incentives to want to be with a beautiful woman." She admitted. "But I sure do when you're asking me to help you bring down a criminal." She added, to make sure Jack wouldn't try to convince her to do it without getting anything in return since she was going to enjoy herself as part of the distraction.

Jack tried to think of anything he might do to not need Nina's help, then about anything else he could offer her instead, but in the end, after a long moment of silence, he concluded that there was nothing he could come up with, so he just sighed. "Fine." He gave in. "We agree."

As soon as the words left his lips Nina shook her head, a mischievous smile on her face. "Look at you, Jack. So committed to the dom part that you forgot Tony here has an opinion too." She reminded him, and with horror, Jack realised she was right. He had been thinking so much about what spending a night at Nina's mercy might mean to him but hadn't given Tony the possibility to refuse. After all, Jack had seen as they were getting ready for the night the bruises all over Tony's body, how could he even think Tony would ever want to-

"I agree too, of course, I do," Tony said, his voice full of need as he leaned up to nuzzle her neck, then he moved closer to her to whisper in her ear. "You know I don't need a reason to be okay with you having your way with me. I've missed you so much."

9:20:21...9:20:22...9:20:23

"Alright, got it. Thanks for the update." Ryan said as he ended the call, feeling incredibly tense at the thought of Jack and Tony cooperating with Nina Myers. Truth be told, he didn't trust either of them to be objective around her. But admittedly, if her intel was to be trusted, then she could be a valuable resource. And at least this time they wouldn't have to worry about getting the president involved.

"Michelle." He called, walking towards the exit of CTU where she stood talking on the phone.

She quickly turned her head, acknowledging his presence with a nod, before finishing her conversation and hanging up.

The AC was a little high in the office. She was wearing a CTU jacket over what he guessed was some kind of short dress, given the tights and shoes. Her hair was down, and she'd done her makeup more intensely. 

"Agent Moss has landed. He's waiting for you in the alley." He said, intentionally keeping his gaze level with hers. "Also, there's been a change of plan. Nina Myers is going to help Jack and Tony get close to El Shaer. They know each other, apparently."

"So what will Agent Moss and I be doing?"

As he opened his mouth, Michelle shrugged the jacket off her frame and revealed the rest of her outfit. He coughed to clear his throat, deciding to take interest in the ground. When he'd told her, Jack and Tony to put together an outfit, he thought they'd get dressed at the staging area near the perimeter, not inside of CTU. Ryan prayed that nobody from Division would decide to do a spontaneous audit within the next few hours.

"You'll still be inside keeping watch just in case things with Nina go awry." He said, flustered.

"Ryan." She said sweetly, taking a couple of slow steps towards him. "You look tense. Anything I can do to help with that?"

His head shot up to look at her, a clause from the CTU Code of Conduct already at his lips, but she immediately burst into laughter.

"I'm just kidding. I was trying to get into character before you came in."

He chuckled nervously. "Right."

"Unless you wanted me to?" She asked, lowering her voice again.

Just as he had started to relax a little, alarm bells went off in his head again, now completely unsure whether she was joking. He stood there, stunned, as she winked at him before walking out of CTU.

It was going to be a long night.

9:42:40...9:42:41..9:42:42

The place was at the same time better and worse than the FBI special agent had expected; better because his worst-case scenario included a lot more aggression, but people generally seemed very respectful and calm, worse because he had not expected to be so affected by what he was seeing.

The people he had seen walk in were all very eye-catching, and most of them had made comments about him as they passed him by in the alley, as well as some offers and a fair share of lewd requests. He blamed it on the ridiculous outfit he had been dressed in, to blend in, they had said. He wondered how many people within the DC office -- and out of the office too, likely -- had already seen the photos Sean, Janis and Renee had taken. If they ever had to follow up here, he would make sure somebody else went while he just ran point. At first, he thought of giving Renee a taste of her own medicine. But he then realised that she would probably somehow get enjoyment out of the experience. And to be honest, the thought of Renee in one of the outfits he'd seen in the figures walking past was far too intriguing.

He was brought back to the present as another woman came into his field of view. She wore a leather bodysuit, fishnet tights, and thigh-high boots, and Larry was already rehearsing some sort of lie to make her go away, no matter how into her he might be. He wasn't there for that, he was there for an important undercover operation, and wouldn't allow his libido to distract him. But despite his attempt to feign disinterest, she came right up to him.

"I'm flattered, but I'm waiting for someone." He said, deliberately looking away from any part of her body. The outfit did not leave much to the imagination.

She had to spell it out for him. "Moss. It's Dessler." She revealed, disbelief in her voice.

"Oh fuck." She didn't look anything like the picture of her he'd been given. "Agent Dessler, I'm so-"

But she was quick to shush him. "Do you want everyone here to know who we are?"

He stepped away, running a hand over his face and trying to stabilise his breathing. He felt incredibly ill-prepared for this. But this case was important to him. It was a huge opportunity to apprehend someone who'd been on the government watchlist for far too long.

"I'd say just call me Michelle, but that's not going to work here. You're going to have to call me Mistress."

His eyes widened. He was going to what now? He'd had his fair share of strange aliases, but this was new. There was such a commanding tone to her voice, it made him shiver. Technically, he out-ranked her on this operation, but he wasn't about to question her.

"If we're going to sell this, there are a few ground rules you're going to have to follow. First of all, from the moment we walk in you do everything I say, when I say it. You want something, you ask for my permission. Second, you don't speak unless spoken to."

He looked apprehensive, and not just because of the mission. This was clearly already a lot for him.

Michelle softened her voice. "Look...obviously, we have a cover to maintain here, but I won't make you do anything you're uncomfortable with. We'll have a safeword. If, at any moment, you want me to stop or change what I'm doing, just say 'deep sky', and I'll stop. I promise."

Her words were reassuring and sounded genuine. He took in a breath. There were plenty of people on this mission. Just because he was going to be a little incapacitated by his nerves, it didn't mean he was going to be in danger. He'd been in far riskier situations. It was a sex club, not a mercenary hideout or quarantine zone. And more than that, Michelle would have his back. That's why they were together, right?

"Alright." He was really starting to feel sweaty now. "Can't believe I'm wearing full fucking leather on a summer's night in Los Angeles. El Shaer couldn't have owned a nudist beach? At least I'd be comfortable."

While he complained, she pulled out the leash and collar she'd brought with her. His eyes widened. "Oh, and one more thing. You're going to wear this."

“What the hell is that?" He exclaimed, pointing to it. "I didn’t agree to this!" She held the collar towards him. "Nope. No fucking way.”

“Well, you’re not going to be able to act like you know what you’re doing, so let me help cover for you.”

He went to protest again and make some remark about why he had to be the one on his hands and knees here. But the fact was, she was already putting on a decent act as a dominatrix here. Her voice, her demeanour, her mere presence. It made it very hard not to listen to her.

Larry groused, snatching the collar and putting it around his neck. She gave him some slack on the leash to allow him to kneel beside her comfortably. They'd chosen the alley to meet up in since it was away from the security cameras of the business, as well as any traffic cameras. Still, he knew for a fact at least one analyst at the FBI office in Phoenix would be looking at the cameras inside. Likely Sean or Janis, so God help him.

"Good boy," Michelle said sweetly.

The phrase caught him by surprise but admittedly didn't make him as uncomfortable as he thought it might.

“From there, it’s simple. When I pull on it, you come back to me.” Michelle tugged on it as an example, and he nearly lost his balance. He huffed.

"Ready to go in?"

Larry rolled his eyes. "Yes, Mistress."

9:55:56...9:55:57...9:55:58

Jack took a deep breath as Nina led them down the hall to one of the private suites. The music of the club faded away and was soon replaced by the sounds of loud, ostentatious moaning.

"Oh, in just a little while, that could be you, Jack." She said with a smile.

The hallway was seemingly endless and got progressively darker. He didn't like this from a tactical point of view, and he sure as hell didn't like this from a personal point of view either. Tony, on the other hand, was very quiet. He'd already made it very clear that he had no issues with Nina's offer. It made him wonder just what exactly he and Nina used to do here. Whatever it was, the thought of doing it again seemed to take hold of Tony's entire focus.

He just hoped that at some point, Tony would remember why they were both here.

9:59:58...9:59:59...10:00:00

The following takes place between 10:00 pm and 11:00 pm.

"Was this where you two hooked up yesterday?" Jack found himself asking as they entered the small suite, a part of him wanting to know all details, to be able to picture it.

Tony looked down, and Nina just met his eyes with a smug smile. "What makes you think I haven't had him out there for all to see?" She asked, then leaned closer to him to whisper in his ear. "You saw us before. That's what he likes, you know? Being taken in public. Humiliation makes him harder than anything else."

"Then why are we in here?" He asked, suspicious. "Because you wouldn't like that. And despite what you think, I actually want you to enjoy tonight." She sounded considerate, gentle almost, and Jack had to turn around, wanting to avoid those blue eyes he knew he could easily drown in. It would be simple, effortless for him to let her talk him into trusting her again.

"Besides, I'm much more possessive of you. Our first time together after years apart isn't something I want to share. It's far too intimate." Those words didn't help, and Jack cursed under his breath as he realised her seductive tone had gotten a response out of his body.

Jack was disgusted by himself. It was one thing to agree to spend the night with her for the sake of a mission; it was another thing completely to enjoy it.

Suddenly her hands were on his shoulders, and he had to fight the instinct to grab her and turn around, before breaking both of her wrists in one sweet movement. "You're tense." Nina pointed out, but what else was she expecting? "You need to relax." She suggested, her tone coaxing. "I'm not going to hurt you if that's what you're afraid of." She assured him, and then her eyes shone with a dark light. "Not unless you beg me to do it."

"Tony? Help him out of those clothes, wouldn't you?" She suggested, hoping he wouldn't shy away from the touch of his friend. It was obvious the two of them had grown closer since her time at CTU, but it was just as clear to her that Tony wanted more from Jack, and who knew, maybe before their time together was over, Nina would help Tony get what he wanted. The more she thought about it, the more she realised how desperately she wanted to see them together.

Tony got to his feet and reached out tentatively as if Jack was a scared wild animal that could sprint away at any time. But Jack's only reaction when Tony's hands reached for the hem of his shirt was a full-body shiver followed by a deep inhale, Jack closing his eyes as his heart sped up. He grabbed the bottom of his shirt and started lifting it, Jack helping him, and as his shirt was discarded to the floor, their eyes met, and they saw on each other's faces the same mix of fear and excitement they were feeling.

It was Jack that took the first step closer, pressing his bare chest against Tony's mesh-covered body, but after leaning in so close that he could feel Tony's warm breath on his lips, he hesitated to go further. There was something Jack needed to know before doing something he'd regret.

"Tell me you're not just doing this for her."

"I'm not." Came Tony's reply, his voice trembling with need, and now that he had his answer, nothing was holding Jack back.

There was something hesitant in their kiss at first, something soft and curious that quickly turned into a want for more, and their hands started wrapping around each other, further exploring each other's bodies, growing less and less tentative and more demanding.

Standing close to them, Nina was not immune to the sight of the two of them giving in to a passion they'd been fighting to keep hidden for so long. Still, she wanted to see much more. "That's enough foreplay, boys." She declared, and her voice broke the spell, startling them. "Tony, keep going, and get your clothes off too."

Tony didn't waste any time in taking off his clothes, happy to get out of his sticky pants, but even happier to be getting on his knees in front of Jack, who, now that had Tony just where he wanted, was looking at him with a plea in his eyes, a silent beg.

But as much as Tony wanted to take Jack in his mouth and show him exactly how good he could be, he knew better than to go against Nina's orders, so he held back and just stripped Jack of his remaining clothes. His eager hands undid Jack's pants quickly, then lowered them down, glad that he had insisted Jack skip underwear altogether just like he had suggested to the others.

After that, he looked up again, and as their eyes met, they were aware they'd never been that vulnerable around each other, having taken off their masks as well as their clothes.

But that moment was short-lived. "Thank you, Tony. You can leave him to me now." Nina's voice broke the tension that had formed between them, and Jack turned towards her to see she was closing a cabinet, holding a bottle in her hands. "Jack, go lie on the bed. Face down."

She squeezed out a good amount of oil in her hands, then rubbed them together to make sure that it wouldn't be too cold on his skin. "That's it, relax. Nobody's going to hurt you tonight. You can let your guard down."

Nina's hands were on him now, moving in circles all over his back, moving up to his tense shoulders and neck, then lowering down until she was kneading his ass, and Jack's unmarred skin looked like the perfect blank canvas that, by the end of the night, she was going to cover in all sorts of bruises and bites.

10:22:03...10:22:04...10:22:05

Even though they'd been sitting there for a while -- well, Michelle was sitting, he was currently kneeling on the floor and being used as her footrest -- Larry still felt the same mixture of worry and curiosity he had while he'd waited outside for her. The mission objectives were still somewhat vague. There were a lot of assumptions here. They had to hope that either someone who worked at the club, ideally El Shaer, would do something incriminating, or that Nina Myers could get Jack or Tony to rendezvous with her. Larry knew El Shaer better than anybody else on this case. She was too smart to allow herself to get taken advantage of. Even if the club was somewhat under-the-radar, she wasn't the type to lower her guard. This also meant that unless she and Nina were very close, Jack and Tony were unlikely to get anywhere near her, let alone disarm and cuff her.

He then noticed the woman in the less illuminated corner of the room who was staring at them. He realised it had been a very long time since he'd seen her. The case at the Israeli consulate had been many years ago. Criminals often changed their appearance, he knew that. But whatever he'd been expecting to see was not nearly as breathtaking as the sight before him now.

Michelle bit her lip, not taking her eyes off her either. She looked between them briefly. Larry looked away, finding her gaze incredibly unnerving. He doubted that she might recognise him, but even then, he wasn't sure if he could meet her eyes even if he wanted to.

"That's...that's El Shaer, right?" He asked, just to confirm that he wasn't going crazy.

"Yeah."

"God, she's..." He struggled to place his words and maintain a professional tone of voice. Larry cleared his throat. "She looks different from the photo."

"Where do you think you're going?" He asked as he saw Michelle getting up.

"I want to keep an eye on her, maybe we can actually find evidence of crimes happening here."

"You can't just leave me here like this!" Larry protested, suddenly scared.

She turned to him at that, a devilish smirk on her face. "No, of course not. You might run off." Having said that, she grabbed his leash again and pulled on it, enjoying the muffled sounds of protest coming from him, then guided him close to a knee-height metal ring that emerged from the wall and began to secure the leash to it. "Now this," she commented, "is much better. But still not enough."

She opened the pair of handcuffs she'd been wearing on her belt and then threw them at him. "You know what to do. Behind your back."

They weren't scene handcuffs, Larry could feel by weight alone they were the real deal. He wouldn't be able to get out of those easily, should he need to. He eyed her suspiciously. "Relax, nobody's going to do anything to you unless you want them to. The club makes a point of consent." She reminded him, but he still wasn't convinced.

"Larry, do you trust me?"

Sighing, he did as she had asked and cuffed himself. "I do." He admitted.

"I won't be away for long. Try to have fun in the meantime."

10:31:47...10:31:48...10:31:49

Jack hated to admit that it felt good, but it did, and with his eyes closed, he was taken back to a simpler time, to a hotel room with a view of the Santa Barbara beaches, the sight of a burning sun slowly lowering into the deep blue ocean. The roles had been reversed then, it had been Nina lying down and Jack's strong calloused hands on her.

He had no idea when he had started letting out his moans, but he didn't want to stop now, not when every sound earned him a whispered encouragement from Nina. "It's okay, Jack. There's no need to hold back." She reminded him. "It's just us here, no one to judge you for enjoying yourself."

Jack's eyes opened at those words and immediately looked for Tony, and she could tell he didn't believe her. 

"Stop this." He growled through gritted teeth. "You want to use me all night, do it. But don't you try to romance me like nothing ever happened between us." Jack's anger was plain in his voice, and Tony was sure that if it hadn't been for the deal, he would have gotten violent.

But Nina didn't seem threatened by his temper coming back, only slightly disappointed. "As you wish." She nodded, placing the oil back in the cabinet. "Just remember Jack, you asked for this." As she turned around to face him again, she was holding something that changed the mood of the room completely, going from gentle, romantic seduction to a much more commanding atmosphere.

"Here's what we're going to do." She explained, holding up what looked like a gag with a phallic mouthpiece, eliciting two different reactions. Jack paled and froze, while Tony's eyes widened in awe. "One of you is going to wear this and will also get a blowjob. The other one, well... I won't be the one doing the blowing."

"So, Jack. What do you think?" Nina teased, and he met her eyes, sceptical.

"You're letting me choose?" He asked in disbelief, and she nodded.

She knew Tony wouldn't mind either role because both would still have him in a position of service, which was exactly why Jack was going to hate them both. Regardless of whichever one he chose, he would not enjoy it, and he'd regret not letting Nina take care of him.

Still, Jack's choice surprised her. "I'm not wearing that." He replied, sure of his decision. "If I can go through this night without ever bringing you pleasure, I'll be more than happy." He spat out with disdain.

Nina raised a single eyebrow. "You're telling me you hate me more than you hate the idea of sucking off a man?" She questioned him, wanting to call his bluff, and Jack paused at that question. It wasn't that simple. In fact, it was much more nuanced than what Nina was painting it as because this wasn't some random man. This was Tony.

"Yeah." He answered in the end, meeting her eyes with a challenge. "So let's get this started. I'm not afraid of this."

10:59:58...10:59:59...11:00:00

The following takes place between 11:00 pm and 12:00 am.

Michelle took another glance behind her, checking that nobody had followed her. Larry, she wasn't exactly worried about, mainly Jack or Tony. She also looked up towards the locations of the security cameras, confirming this was the blindspot she'd deduced from the schematics. Letting out a breath, she opened the door to the small storage room. It was almost pitch-black in there.

"Don't move." A woman murmured.

Something sharp, likely the blade of a knife, moved to the hollow of her throat. At the same time, a hand crept slowly around her waist, and Michelle melted under her touch, unable to contain her smile. It had been a long time.

"You missed me that much?" She breathed, feeling the woman's lips on the nape of her neck.

The woman chuckled, removing the weapon. "How about I show you?"

Sidra backed Michelle against the wall, planting her hands on either side of her before starting to grind against her. Their lips crashed together, and Michelle draped her arms over her shoulders. They kissed frantically with an intensity representative of the time they'd spent apart. Of course, there'd been countless burner phone conversations, but with tightened security at CTU, Michelle hadn't had the chance to meet up with her in a while.

"The mission is a go," Michelle said, briefly pulling back from the kiss. "Four agents inside, and a strong perimeter outside. CTU. FBI. LAPD."

"What are they trying to do?" She asked, cupping Michelle's breasts through her bodice and starting to make circles over her nipples until they grew hard. Michelle let out an approving hum and Sidra smirked.

"They want an excuse to bring you in. They're going to use Nina to get to you."

She scoffed. "Oh, that'll never happen."

"They will also try to bust you or your staff for something petty so they can then get a confession out of you."

Sidra laughed a little. "That's cute if they think they're going to get anywhere with that."

"I know...I know...you're smarter than that. And we've got a plan." Michelle paused, tenderly thumbing at Sidra's cheek. "But still be careful, okay?" 

She nodded, moving her lips to Michelle's neck and starting to suck lightly. "How much time have you got?"

Michelle shook her head. "Enough."

"Good." She said sweetly. "Spread your legs."

Michelle eagerly obliged and allowed Sidra to deftly undo the clasp of Michelle's bodysuit, before pulling her tights down and pushing the black thong aside. Michelle barely had the chance to breathe before she brushed her thumb against her clit. She shuddered as her fingers stroked her slowly, spreading her wide.

"God, you're already so wet," Sidra murmured.

"All for you." She whispered throatily.

In one swift motion, Sidra slid her fingers inside of her, as deep as she could. Michelle bucked her hips forward in time with her motions whilst grabbing onto her shoulder for support. She met her eyes in the dark, feeling entranced by her gaze, as always. Sidra continued to pump her fingers, harder and faster now, making Michelle whine desperately and tip her head back. Sidra stilled, smiling as Michelle stood there panting impatiently.

"Shh," Sidra whispered before moving her other hand from her breast to her throat. She squeezed her neck lightly, which elicited a muffled groan from Michelle. "Unless you want everybody to know how needy you are?"

11:17:30...11:17:31...11:17:32

Nina was gentle as she fastened the latch of the gag on the back of Tony's head, then had him lay down on the bed with his knees at the edge of the mattress, while Jack knelt between his legs. Nina reached for the small bottle of lube on the nightstand and poured it over the dildo that continued past the leather latch and doubled as a gag to keep Tony quiet. She angled herself so that she'd be turned towards Jack, just in time to see how his expression changed from one of reluctance to one of resignation.

His eyes closed as he leaned in closer, hoping that by not looking at what he was doing he might get to distance himself from the experience. Reminding himself he had no reason to be scared, Jack took Tony in his mouth, feeling how he got firmer at the feeling of his warm mouth around him alone.

It took Jack a moment to get used to the feeling of it, and then he started moving back and forth, still unsure about what he felt about the whole affair. But after he had made peace with the reality of the situation, Jack started to really put some effort into it. After all, even though it was his first time sucking a cock, he had one himself, so he knew what felt good. He just had to apply himself, and apply himself he did; by the time Nina reached her orgasm, she could see that Jack had left all shame behind and was now passionate about servicing Tony, enjoying how he could get a reaction out of Tony with just his mouth, how with a swirl of his tongue, he could get Tony's leg to start shaking, and when Tony's moans - despite being muffled by the dildo shoved in his mouth - became louder than Nina's and Jack could hear them clearly, he felt something building up in his chest that he soon identified as pride.

Nina could have watched Jack go at it for hours, but she had a lot planned for the rest of the night for them. She dismounted from Tony's face, then rested a hand on Jack's shoulder, pushing him lightly away from Tony, earning a whine of protest out of the latter, but she ignored him and focused on Jack, who had come out of his trance now, and was looking down to avoid her eyes.

"That was impressive," she taunted, "you're a natural at this."

Jack didn't expect to hear Nina praise him. Nor did he expect to feel the newfound pride in his chest to grow, despite her slightly degrading tone. Then again, he couldn't exactly say that going down on Tony or watching Nina use him like her own personal sex toy had been part of his mission plan in the first place.

It was at this point that Jack knew he was in this far too deep to consider any of it as justifying his cover.

11:29:39...11:29:40...11:29:41

Larry was starting to relax. Michelle had been gone for a while now, but no one had approached him, making him feel quite secure.

"Well, howdy cowboy." A voice came from behind him, and Larry sighed. He had definitely spoken too soon. And he certainly regretted letting Renee give him a themed outfit.

Larry looked up to find someone staring at him, a hungry look in his eyes. The man was certainly attractive, but there was something about him that made Larry pause. He had been ready to come up with an excuse, sure at this point that anyone would respect a no, especially if he let them know that he was there with someone already, and a part of him struggled to admit he quite liked that, the feeling of being just Dessler's property.

But he couldn't deny that there was something exciting in the idea of letting this man do anything to him, the taboo element of it making Larry extremely excited.

"Howdy to you too. Looking for some fun?" He found himself asking, voice shaking and heart beating faster and faster in his chest.

11:31:50...11:31:51...11:31:52

"Chloe, you're working the El Shaer case, right?" Janis said, holding the phone close to her ear to hear her better.

"Yeah, why?" Chloe replied. "I didn't think you were called in on this."

"I'm not. Just whatever you do, don't look at cameras eighteen, twenty, or..." She perused the grid of security camera screens and cringed. "Nope. Not twenty-one either. For at least ten minutes."

She could hear her typing. "I appreciate it Janis, but I've already seen enough naked people. One more probably won't make a difference."

"Yeah, but you're not going to have to work with most of them."

There was a pause. "Wait, it's one of our-"

"For your own sanity, don't look, Chloe. Trust me."

She groused. "Oh, gross. Thanks."

"You're welcome."

Janis hung up the phone and glared at Sean. "Could you stop laughing so fucking loudly?"

"Sorry, just thinking about how Larry's going to have to have a side hustle making cowboy porn once the FBI finds out about this."

"They're not, Sean. Just go get Renee, would you?"

11:38:07...11:38:08...11:38:09

Renee sighed, glancing at the shopping bag beside her feet. She had to admit she was very satisfied with what she'd found, and couldn't wait to show Larry when he got back. After his chopper had left, she'd gone back inside and decided to make use of the fact that the office Larry had been given temporarily for their stay in Phoenix was available. If she was being honest, she'd barely gotten any work done, her mind too occupied with the thought of how Larry might react at seeing her dressed up.

She perked up at the sound of rushed footsteps before Sean appeared at the doorway.

”Renee, you’ve gotta see this.”

He didn’t sound worried or tense like he usually did when there were updates on a case. In fact, he looked both intrigued and like he was about to burst into laughter again.

“What is it?”

11:41:45...11:41:46...11:41:47

Sidra lowered her hand from Michelle's throat and started to rub her clit in a circular motion, without losing pace with her other hand. Michelle whimpered, her legs already trembling. Sidra murmured encouragements in Michelle's ear and it was her undoing. She breathed heavily, desperately pulling Sidra in for another kiss. Sidra lifted her fingers to Michelle's lips, pushing her thumb into her mouth. She sucked each fingertip, one by one, moaning as she tasted herself, and not breaking eye contact as she did so.

Michelle took a second to reposition the bodysuit and wipe her mouth with the back of her hand. It was hard without a mirror, but nobody in this place would give her a second look if she was a little disordered.

"I should get back." She said with a smile, but Sidra stopped her by grabbing her hand.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"He'll get suspicious," Michelle explained.

She dragged her back to where she stood before, swapping their positions so Sidra leaned against the wall this time.

"Well," Sidra said, placing her hand firmly on Michelle's shoulder. "You better finish me off quickly then."

The tone of her voice was just too tempting to resist, so Michelle let Sidra push her to her knees. She unzipped her pants and felt Sidra's hand slide into her hair. Michelle grazed her teeth along the inside of one thigh and then the other, chuckling as Sidra pushed her closer to where she wanted to be. Her tongue then dragged slowly back and forth, lapping at the wetness that had already formed. Just because they were on a timeframe didn't mean she wasn't going to tease her a little.

Michelle then pushed her tongue inside of her repetitively, trying to go deeper with every probe. Sidra moaned, and Michelle murmured against her in encouragement. She pulled back to look up at Sidra, licking her lips and meeting her heavy-lidded gaze. It was a shame they didn't have more time. If it were up to her, she'd spent all night doing this to her, pleasing her, tasting her, making her come over and over again. Especially knowing that Sidra would be very happy to requite her for her efforts. Michelle continued her motions from before, feeling Sidra push her centre against her face. She let out a surprised gasp and pulled her hair when Michelle started to suck at her clit.

It wasn't long before Sidra came with a full-body shudder and pulled Michelle to her feet, tracing around her wet lips and chin with her tongue. Michelle grabbed at her ass, bumping their hips together as their mouths met.

"We'll pick things up later." She said with a slightly commanding tone. "Somewhere with a bed, where we can do this properly."

Michelle purred, stealing one last kiss. "Sounds like a plan."

11:59:58...11:59:59...12:00:00

The following takes place between 12:00 am and 1:00 am.

Renee didn't know what she expected to see, but she certainly had a question -- or ten -- for Larry when he got back to Phoenix.

But more than that, she was very keen to explore this newly revealed submissive side of him further.

Janis looked over to Renee, finding that her eyes hadn't left the screen in quite some time. Her mouth was slightly agape. Her cheeks were a little flushed too.

"Okay, I don't know about you, but I've seen more than enough of our boss today." She shook her head. "But clearly, you haven't. So I'm going to send this to your screen. And we're never going to talk about this again."

12:03:22...12:03:23...12:03:24

She left the room, carefully checking for Jack or Tony, and approached the corner where she had left Larry. She noticed the figure standing there but could only see their back. What she had a perfect visual of, however, was Larry's face as he took the stranger's cock deeper into his mouth, his eyes closed in an expression of ecstasy as he bobbed his head, lost in the rhythm of it. The other man had a strong grip on his hair, pulling tighter with every movement.

She decided not to interrupt them, just enjoying the sight of them, and despite having just had a wonderful orgasm just minutes earlier she could feel her clit pulse just from watching Larry on his knees, hopelessly devoted to the act of pleasuring him.

Suddenly the man pulled out and started stroking himself fast, finishing on Larry's face and partially on his mouth, his bruised lips still parted as if waiting for his load.

The man smirked down at him, satisfied, then cupped his chin and made him look up to meet his eyes. "What do you say?"

"Thank you, sir."

"Good boy."

That was the second time someone had called him that in just a couple of hours, but Larry could no longer deny just how much he liked it.

"I'd reciprocate, but it seems we have company."

"Mistress, I- I-" He didn't know what to say as she moved behind him to get the end of his leash and wrap it over her hand again, the familiar pull making Larry feel secure once again.

"I'll leave you to her." The man looked her up and down with an approving smile. "I'm sure she'd be more than happy to help you out."

He walked away, and Larry found himself gazing off into space, wondering if what he'd just experienced was real or simply a very enjoyable dream. Larry realised he must have been very deep in thought because Michelle just laughed.

"Didn't think you were into men, Moss." She said, swiping around his mouth with her thumb before licking it clean. "Was he that good?"

"Didn't think I was either," Larry admitted. "Did you catch sight of El-Shaer?" He asked after a beat, deciding to change the topic as she let him return to his original position, kneeling beside her. He realised that he hadn't even protested, just done as she'd asked.

She tutted, shaking her head. "She went into what looked like a private office. Too suspicious for me to follow her, even if she did just think I was interested in her."

Michelle then sat back down on the couch and noticed that Larry was giving her a discerning look.

"What?"

"Did...did you just get laid...while you were following our lead?"

She re-adjusted the corset of her bodysuit. "What? You can, but I can't? We're maintaining a cover here."

That was fair, he supposed. "Were they good at least?"

Michelle smiled wryly, humming in assent. "Damn right, she was."

12:15:13...12:15:14...12:15:15

Nina was quite pleased with herself. It seemed that despite his initial insistence on not having any fun, Jack had surprised even himself by enjoying blowing Tony, so much so that she was convinced he wouldn't try to fight her anymore.

She returned to the bed from a quick trip to the cabinet. She had taken out all the sensory deprivation tools she would need. Nina had tried on the noise-cancelling headphones before and knew just how effective they could be, and so were the blindfolds. Jack had already been dealt with, and now Nina was fitting the blindfold over Tony's wide, trusting eyes.

She had been waiting for this moment, when they would both be oblivious to the fact that she was planning on having a friend join them.

A figure came in through a secondary door, and Nina smiled. "Did you manage to see much through that peephole?" She asked.

"Yeah, I enjoyed watching you take control of these two." Both of them were whispering, not wanting to risk Jack or Tony hearing them, even with the earplugs. "What did you have in mind now?"

Nina smiled as she took two strap-ons out of the cabinet. "I'll go easy on Jack." She figured, picking something for him that was smaller but still big enough for him to feel it. "But Tony can take more and likes it better when it hurts a little. So you can use this one. " She suggested, handing out a bigger one. "I'm sure you're going to enjoy him just as much as he's going to enjoy you."

12:27:24...12:27:25...12:27:26

Tony had been enjoying the rough penetration for a while before he felt sharp nails digging in and scratching his back so much that he bet it was going to leave more marks behind. The pressure on his already bruised back was painful, but he enjoyed that, especially since it was paired with a nice strap hitting his prostate. Still, Tony got distracted from that nice sensation by a realisation. He had just been with Nina the night before, and he did not remember her nails being that long, or that sharp, for that matter. And now that the suspicion had entered his mind, a few things started to make more sense, like the earplugs and the blindfold, but also the pace that was much more gentle than he ever remembered Nina being with him, and that was when he knew.

"You're not Nina."

Suddenly the movement stopped, further proving to him that he was right. If he hadn't been, Nina would just have ignored him.

Nina froze at Tony's words and turned towards her friend, neither of them sure about what to do now.

After the initial shock of it, Jack had visibly started to enjoy the penetration, so much so that now that Nina had stopped, he whined in protest, unaware of what was happening around him.

It was Tony who broke the silence, his voice tentative. "Nina, are you still here?" He wondered, and immediately she rested her hand on his back, caressing him, and he reacted immediately, the tension in his muscles relaxing and his expression turning from one of distrust to one of relief. "Then it's alright, we can continue." He assured the both of them. "Because your friend here is very good at this."

12:54:50...12:54:51...12:54:52

It looked like Michelle's mind was still somewhere else. Larry acknowledged the fact that his mind was too. He was still thinking about him. Thinking about how with just a few simple words, Larry had been ready to do anything and everything just to please him. And in public, no less. He wondered what kind of things the man might ask him to do behind closed doors, and just how much Larry would let him do to him. 

Larry then remembered the man suggesting something about Michelle taking care of him. They hadn't discussed explicitly what they might do in the club, other than her being in charge of him. He didn't know just how far she would go to blend in. Or at least, blend in with him. It was one thing to fuck a stranger in this place, but another to fuck someone she might have to work with again.

"About..about what that guy said..." Larry started. "You don't have to-"

"What if I wanted to?" Michelle asked curiously. "Would you let me?"

A crease formed on his brow. "To solidify our cover?"

She shrugged, giving him a sultry look. "If that's what you want to tell yourself."

12:59:58...12:59:59...1:00:00

The following takes place between 1:00 am and 2:00 am.

While he knew stake-out missions didn't always have explicit time-frames, he wished he'd known in advance that he would spend most of it kneeling on a hard and unfortunately sticky floor. He was never wearing these pants again. No matter how many times he might try to wash them, some things just wouldn't come out. It didn't help that the heels of Michelle's boots were digging into his back roughly.

"God, my knees are killing me," Larry grunted under his breath. "The FBI better cover all the fucking chiropractor appointments I'm going to need after this."

Michelle wondered if making a drinking game out of every time he complained would have been a better strategy. At the very least, it would have made it more tolerable for her to listen to him and probably shut him up earlier.

She hushed him, trying to sound sympathetic rather than like she was about to pull the leash hard enough to choke him -- and not in a sexy way.

“People are looking at us weird.”

He turned to her -- or as much as he could at least when she was resting her feet on his back -- with a bewildered look. “Why? I’m wearing full leather and a ball gag for Christ’s sake.”

“Yeah, but we’ve spent the whole night talking and holding hands like it’s our first date," Michelle said quietly. "And even though we've both had our fun, separately, I haven't once made you do anything. That’s not how they roll in this place. Come here.”

"What?"

Michelle moved her legs so her feet were on the floor and tugged on the leash gently. "Come here."

Larry was a little wary but certainly glad to finally take a seat next to her on the couch. Unfortunately, it was still just as sticky as the floor. But he disregarded that factor pretty quickly when Michelle suddenly pivoted to sit on his lap. She yanked the leash so she could grab his face and pull his lips towards hers. Larry returned the kiss eagerly, realising the fantasies he'd been conjuring in his head all night had been more than just coping mechanisms. It seemed like now she would actually act on her offer of finishing him off after he'd pleasured the other man. Maybe she knew exactly just how flustered he was from not being able to touch himself, and had left it so long on purpose purely for the sake of torturing him, of showing him who was in charge. There was something he liked about it, about having to beg for release from Michelle.

Her body pressed into his intently, and he was grateful the lighting of the club made it hard to see because the leather pants were not doing him any favours here. Tentatively, he moved his hands to her waist, and she covered them with her own. She dragged his hands higher to her chest, and he started to knead slow circles there. Michelle pulled on the leash again, and his mouth fell to her collarbone. He started to suckle, softly, gradually moving down to nuzzle her boobs. Larry realised he wanted nothing more than to give her everything she wanted, to serve her just as he had served the mysterious stranger earlier.

"I could let you off your leash for this, but I'm not sure you want me to." She murmured.

The experience had awakened something in him. That was for sure.

Always keeping his leash short, she made him lie down on the soft velvet couch. She had thought about unzipping his pants and riding him, but then she realised she'd rather drive him insane with need. Michelle positioned himself over him until she could feel his hard cock pressing up on her, then she started moving, the friction created by her rhythm earning her a whimper from Larry. He hadn't expected that. His hips bucked up in tandem with hers. She took one of his hands and positioned it between her legs so she was pushing her clit against the heel of his hand. The friction from the tight pants was almost painful at this point. He wanted nothing more than to rip them off and at the very least do this on a bed where they had more space. But Michelle clearly had no intention of moving to another room.

"We're really going to finish this here?" He asked breathlessly.

"Yes. Michelle rasped near the shell of his ear, sending a chill down his spine. "I want everyone to know you're mine."

1:28:01...1:28:02...1:28:03

Nina uncuffed them and removed their blindfolds. The pegging session seemed to have left them both satisfied, and Nina had to admit she had missed seeing that happy expression on Jack's face. 

As soon as Nina had taken off the piece of cloth that covered his eyes, Tony looked around, but Nina's talented friend was nowhere to be seen. He was a little disappointed, after all, he had wanted to thank them for the very pleasurable experience.

"So," Nina started, coming back from the ensuite bathroom, now dressed in one of the provided robes, two others in her hands, "we won't have to leave the room for another few hours. What do you say we get some sleep?"

Jack and Tony turned towards each other, neither of them sure if that was the right thing to do. But the offer sounded tempting, both of them feeling quite sleepy post-orgasm. Besides it was way too late for them to try to get Nina to honour her end of the deal and go distract El Shaer now, so after having exchanged one glance they agreed without needing to talk about it that there was no reason for them to decline Nina's offer.

They were both sore, so she helped them get into the soft satin garments before laying in between them, her arms wrapping around Tony's waist as Jack's hands tentatively reached for her hips. It had been a long time since they had fallen asleep in each other's arms, but Jack shut out the voices in his head that told him it was a mistake, determined to enjoy it while it lasted.

1:28:01...1:28:02...1:28:03

Larry's eyes rolled back into his head, and he leaned in as much as he could so their mouths could meet again. His eyes briefly met Michelle's and it made the whole experience so much more exhilarating. There was an intense ferocity about it all that drove him wild. But he paused when he noticed something a little surprising but certainly not unwelcome in the corner of his gaze.

"Oh." He said, pulling away from the kiss.

"What is it?"

Larry seemed to be looking past her. "The guy from before."

"What about him?"

The man wasn't even trying to be discrete about it, just standing there with a hungry grin on his face, his eyes still captivating, and Larry didn't break eye contact as he spoke next. "He's watching." He told Michelle, not sure how he felt about that, about being so exposed during such an intimate act. He wanted to know how she felt too.

"I don't mind," Michelle revealed, "but you can always ask him to leave. I'm sure he will."

"I don't think I want him to." He admitted.

"Let him hear you, then." She murmured. "Put on a proper show for him, I'm sure he'll love it. Not like he doesn't already know how much of a slut you are."

Larry daringly met the gaze of the man he'd pleasured earlier, letting out another moan as Michelle continued to grind against him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the blinking light on the security camera. He wondered if Renee was looking at the footage as she'd suggested. It was an idea that oddly turned him on. The thought of Renee watching him.

1:34:18...1:34:19...1:34:20

Renee hoped to God that nobody would need her for anything important any time soon. Because at this rate, the throbbing between her thighs wasn’t going to go away. Watched him give a stranger what looked like the best head of his life had been one surprise, but watching him get used by the woman who'd kept him leashed and subservient all night was another. It made her both jealous and incredibly eager to replicate the experience with him when he got back.

Her legs shook as she quickly got up to shut and lock the office door. She bit her thumb as she continued to watch Larry’s face intently. But the moment he made direct eye contact with the camera, Renee decided she was past the point of no return and started to unzip her pants as fast as she could. She sighed as she felt how wet she was and wish Larry knew that she was enjoying this just as much as he was.

1:59:58...1:59:59...2:00:00

The following takes place between 2:00 am and 3:00 am.

Larry couldn't even restrain his whimpers at this point. Michelle had already come more than once, but he still wasn't there yet. She'd purposely slowed the speed of her motions to make a point of how much she was in charge here. Right now, she was lazily circling her hips over his crotch.

He tried to speak, but the words came out incoherently and pathetically.

"What was that? I didn't hear you?" She asked with a devilish grin on her face.

"P...Please." He uttered.

"Oh, you're so desperate, aren't you?" Michelle said with a demeaning tone. "You don't even care that all these people are watching or that I haven't even touched you properly. You just need it that bad."

Larry whined. "Y-Yes."

"You've been so good, you know that?"

Without pausing her agonisingly slow motions, she swiftly undid the bottom of her bodysuit and allowed him to feel her between her legs.

"See how wet you've made me? See how much it turns me on to hear you beg for it?"

He started to apply pressure with his thumb against her thrumming clit, and she moaned deeply. Larry tried to work faster, more intensely, knowing that the more he pleasured her, the faster she would grind against him and hopefully give him what he'd been yearning for. It must have been enough for Michelle because after coming again, she switched gears to focus all of her energy not on asserting her authority but on rewarding him for his efforts. She murmured encouragements against his mouth, using her hands to stroke him through his pants. He could feel it now. He was so close he was almost ecstatic.

When he finally got his release, he felt it in every inch of his body. Like he'd been reborn. And when he eventually came down from his high and noticed the approving smirk of the man who'd watched them, he realised that his release hadn't only been pleasurable for him. It was an arousing thought. He just hoped he'd be able to act on it with his pants off.

"You were magnificent." Michelle purred, kissing him softly as she reclasped her bodysuit. "Let me go get you a drink."

He hummed slightly giddily at her praise, watching as she walked over to the bar. Larry finally felt like he could let his whole body relax after quite literally hours of built-up tension. He felt liberated. Like a new man. And he certainly had a few things he wanted to try with Renee when he got back. In fact, he was already thinking about tracking down a club in DC just like this to take her to Or maybe even in Phoenix, why wait?

Michelle returned with what he assumed was some kind of spirit mixed with Coke. She sat beside him, letting her legs rest over his lap, not bothering with the leash this time, to his delight. The condensation of the glass was cold on his fingertips. He felt incredibly warm. Likely due to some combination of the lights, the fact that his outfit wasn't very breathable, and the weather. He was pretty sure he'd still feel this hot even if he hadn't just had sex.

"Cheers." She said with a smile. They clinked their glasses, and he took a sip.

"Scotch and Coke?" He asked.

She hummed in assent.

They continued to sip their drinks, watching the club silently. It was a little quieter now. El Shaer was nowhere in sight. Jack, Tony, and Nina weren't either. Nobody had given them any updates.

But no news was good news, he supposed.

2:24:24...2:24:25...2:24:26

Tony woke up to the feeling of something cold wrapping around his wrist. As he opened his eyes, he found Nina straddling him, her hands tightening the cuffs slightly more than he was comfortable with, but he still smiled at her. "You're not even going to wait for me to be awake before using me again?" He asked, voice still sleepy. He had fallen asleep satisfied and content, and had slept well next to Jack and in Nina's arms, better than he had in a long time. If he could, he'd never want to fall asleep in any other way.

"Oh, believe me, that's a tempting offer, but I'm afraid we don't have time for that." She revealed, much to his confusion, but as he opened his mouth to question her, she moved fast and forced something past his lips, the same gag she had enjoyed riding on his face the night before. "Sorry, but I couldn't let you try to scream for help. I'm sure you understand."

Tony didn't. "What's going on?" He tried asking, but all that came out were muffled sounds. Nina chuckled, amused, and if at first, Tony had tough she was just starting a quite hot roleplay scene, as she spoke next he knew he had been terribly mistaken. "You seriously thought that I had left the criminal life behind?" She asked, shaking her head. "You're much more naive than I expected."

She dangled the keys to his cuffs in front of him mockingly, knowing they were well out of his limited reach, then rested them on the nightstand. "Oh, so close, yet so far." She teased him.

"At least Jack here never believed I had changed."

Tony turned around to see his friend unmoving, cuffed to the headboard with the pink velcro cuffs the club provided, and he started to panic. "Relax, he's okay." She reassured him, amused at his worry. "He'll wake up in a couple of hours."

"Why didn't you drug me too?" He wanted to ask her, but the sounds that came out of him were unintelligible, and she just smiled at his pathetic attempts to break out of his restains, enjoying watching the panic in his eyes, but as he jerked around, trying to break out of the handcuffs, he realized that, unlike with Jack's, she'd used on him the very ones he'd brought with him to apprehend El Shaer or any potential associates.

"I know it's hard, Tony." She said sweetly. "But don't worry, I'll leave you something to keep you company." His eyes widened at the sight of the large dildo in her hands. She pressed a button on it, eliciting a low buzzing sound, before turning it off again.

He just looked at her with disbelief. She wouldn't. 

Surely, she wouldn't.

Nina crawled across the bed and pushed him onto his side, or as much as she could while he was restrained at least. He let out a muffled groan as she reached down, grabbing at his sore and sensitive muscles. He tried to use his body weight to push her back, but she pre-empted this by using her other hand to hold him down. As she pushed the toy inside of him, Tony was relieved as he noticed that she had had the decency to lube it up before she inserted it. 

"Shh, don't struggle, we both know you love this," Nina whispered.

He hated the fact that she was right.

2:52:35...2:52:36...2:52:37

"Wait..." He slurred, placing a hand on her forearm. "I don't feel too well."

"Let's go drink these somewhere more private then," Michelle said sweetly. "You can lie down in one of the suites while I look for her."

He nodded, placing a hand on his forehead. "Where?"

"When I was getting our drinks, I saw El Shaer walk out of her office at the back." She pointed behind her. "I'm sure if there's any sound evidence of criminal activity, it's going to be in there. Obviously, Jack and Tony's plan to use Nina didn't work very well."

"Lead the way." He said weakly.

When she helped him up, he felt a wave of dizziness. She was quick to support him. It was only the second drink or so he'd had tonight. And nothing he hadn't had before. He wasn't usually this quick to get drunk.

"What...what did you give me?" The words sounded like they came from behind him. 

"It was a scotch and Coke, I told you."

He said something unintelligible and continued to follow her. At some point, she stopped to walk beside him, obviously knowing that he was drunk. He started to stagger, and she moved his arm to wrap around her shoulders. By the time they got to one of the private suites, he was leaning most of his body weight on her. She was stopped suddenly by a hand grabbing her bicep.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" The man said angrily, spinning her to face him. "El Shaer has strict rules at the Leather and Lace. You don't do anything with anyone who can't say yes, understand? You want me to go find her and tell her..." The bartender trailed off suddenly.

Michelle said nothing, simply staring back at him.

He immediately pulled his hand back. "I'm so sorry, Miss Dessler. I didn't recognise you."

Larry's eyes were already half-shut, she wasn't too worried about him hearing her conversation. And even if he did, what was he going to do about it? "Just do me a favour and make sure nobody comes by here, alright?"

The bartender nodded fervidly. "Of course. I understand."

They walked inside the dark bedroom, and Larry all but collapsed on the bed. His head felt warm and fuzzy. Every part of his body started to feel numb, creeping from his appendages to his core. He blinked rapidly, desperately willing himself to stay awake. Michelle's hands were on him suddenly. They moved to his pockets, taking out what she guessed was his gun, badge, and phone, along with a piece of paper he didn't recognise. She looked at it with a thoughtful smirk before returning it to its original place. Her fingers also retrieved the comm unit from his ears.

He tried to speak again but could barely move his tongue.

Michelle hovered over his face. "Oh, Larry." She smiled at him as she saw the sedative was kicking in completely. Michelle leant down to press her lips to his, lacking the intensity she'd had before. Now, it almost felt...sorrowful. "It's a shame it had to end like this. I've had so much fun playing with you."

"Michelle..." He whispered thinly, and it made her pause. It was the first time he had called her by her name. "Michelle, please...deep sky."

So he had remembered their safeword after all. Her heart broke a little at the desperation in his voice, and for the first time that night, she pitied him. "I'm sorry." She told him as she cupped his face, and it was genuine. Larry had been lovely to her the whole night, which made her mission that much harder. 

2:59:58...2:59:59...3:00:00

The following takes place between 3:00 am and 4:00 am.

"Okay...this is weird," Chloe said, furrowing her brow. "I haven't had eyes on Jack, Tony, Michelle or Agent Moss for nearly fifteen minutes now."

Ryan moved over to the screen. "What about Nina or El Shaer?"

She shook her head. "I haven't seen them either."

"Surely they're still on the premises, though!"

She shrugged. "I-I don't know. LAPD hasn't said anything. But none of the private suites have cameras, so maybe they're just in there."

"All of them?" Ryan said in disbelief. "For God's sake, the point of this mission was to catch El Shaer, not for our entire tactical team to get laid. Just let me know as soon as you get an update."

3:06:04...3:06:05...3:06:06

Nina stood at the doorway with a smirk. She was surprised that they'd trusted her so much. Well, not Tony, but Jack, for certain. She was also surprised that she'd enjoyed the night far more than she'd expected. It made her nostalgic for the times she'd spent with both of them before her arrest. The deal was initially only intended as a tactic to get them into a vulnerable position that would allow her to incapacitate them. Nina also had to admit she was very glad that no violence had been necessary, no guns had had to be drawn.

She closed the door behind her and the bass lines of the club's music filled her ears. It was quieter now than it had been before, but judging by the multitude of closed doors in the hallway, Nina was sure there were still plenty of people going at it. This place never slept. She paused for a second, before pulling out her phone and looking through the schematics she'd been sent so she could determine which route would best avoid being seen by the security cameras. CTU would be watching checking as it was, but especially now since they wouldn't have seen Jack, Tony, and likely Agent Moss for some time.

When she got to the arranged meeting place at the back of the club, finding Sidra working on her motorcycle, she greeted her with a smile.

"Is it done?" She asked, standing and wiping the oil off of her hands.

"Yes, I've tied them both up."

"Well, I should hope you've done a good job. I've seen their files. I don't doubt they could get out of a pair of cuffs."

She shook her head, walking towards her and resting a hand on her waist. "Don't worry. With the way I've left them, especially Almeida, they won't be going anywhere for a while."

Sidra covered her hand with her own. "Maybe you'll have to show me." She said lowly, leaning in to press her lips to Nina's. Just as she started to reciprocate, they heard someone clear their throat behind them.

"You better not be starting anything without me," Michelle said, leaning against the door.

"Not like you haven't already been busy with your toy." Nina quipped.

"Speaking of, have you taken care of your...problem?" Sidra asked.

Michelle nodded, moving towards them and placing Larry's things next to what she guessed were Jack's and Tony's. "He'll be out for the next...few hours or so."

"Good. Once we're out of here, I'll make sure you're both rewarded for your loyalty." The huskiness of her voice sent a chill down Nina and Michelle's spines.

3:18:11...3:18:12...3:18:13

Ryan's phone rang suddenly. He didn't recognise the number but felt compelled to answer it.

"This is Ryan Chappelle. Who am I speaking to?" He demanded.

"Ryan, it's me." The voice was familiar.

"Michelle, what the hell is going on? Where is everyone? Why haven't you been responding to your comm? Why hasn't anyone been responding to their comm?"

"I...I don't know." She stammered. "Something's up with the connections. It must be part of El Shaer's security system, probably triggered by the amount of traffic since we've got three agencies trying to access her cameras. I might have a workaround though, let me give you a backup channel. Is Chloe there?"

"No, she's trying to check in with LAPD."

She let out a breath. "Okay, fine. We can do it remotely since your phone is on CTU's network."

"Alright. Tell me what to do."

Michelle proceeded to tell him a sequence of numbers to press. It was very intricate: some needed to be held for longer, and some needed to be pressed simultaneously. He did it as quickly as he could, hoping for some kind of confirmation. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw one of the analyst's monitors start to freeze.

"Michelle...I don't think it's working. Chloe says it's affecting us somehow."

"It'll take a second to reload everything, that's all. Don't worry, I'm sure Jack and Tony will respond soon."

3:36:03...3:36:04...3:36:05

"Ready?" Michelle asked, standing behind Sidra and provocatively pressing her body against hers, knowing that with her hands cuffed she couldn't do very much to act on it.

"Oh, I am so making you pay for this later." She breathed.

She smiled, kissing under the shell of her ear. "Can't wait."

Nina met her eyes. "You sure this will work, Michelle? Aren't they going to wonder where Jack, Tony, and Agent Moss are?"

She nodded. "It has to. I'm sure as soon as I mention your involvement, they'll assume the worst, and want someone they trust to take care of it. And Ryan would never let Jack or Tony handle you directly." Michelle turned to Sidra. "Just like the FBI won't want Larry so close to you. Trust me, we're going to walk right out of there. Just do exactly as I say."

3:39:44...3:39:45...3:39:46

"Michelle's apprehended El Shaer and Nina Myers. Turns out they were working together after all." Ryan said with a pleased tone that Chloe rarely heard from him.

"Wait...Michelle caught both of them? On her own?" She asked, sceptical.

Ryan gave her a confused look. "Yeah. She slipped into El Shaer's office and found evidence on her computer that Nina has been selling her classified schematics."

"And then she just found El Shaer and Nina together?"

He shrugged. "Well, Jack and Tony already established that they know each other. Given the location, it's not exactly a far stretch if they were sleeping together."

"But she didn't call for backup, don't you think that's a little weird?"

"Probably just because of the comm reboot she initiated. You're missing the point, Chloe. We have two high-profile suspects in custody." He said, clearly excited by the career prospects this would open up for him. "Nina's going back to prison, and the FBI can finally close the case on El Shaer."

"What comm reboot?"

He furrowed his brow. "When she called me, she talked me through a method to reset our comm system. She said something about El Shaer's security system trying to block our connection."

"Mr Chappelle...whatever she made you do, I don't think it's helped. I think it's making things worse."

3:52:40...3:52:41...3:52:42

Michelle walked out through the club's back entrance, immediately piquing the attention of Harry Bosch and the LAPD officers standing near him. Some of them drew their weapons.

"Stand down." He ordered, before looking at Michelle. As with most of the other colleagues she'd spoken to tonight, he was choosing to very carefully not look below her eye level. "Good work, Dessler. Do you need an escort back to CTU?"

She shook her head. "It's fine. CTU isn't far from here. Moss, Bauer, and Almeida are still inside looking through her computer. I think they said they could use some help locking the place down to interview the other bar workers and patrons."

He agreed and then said something into his comm.

Bosch let her walk right past him, shoving Sidra and Nina in front of her, and Michelle had to force herself to hide her glee.

3:59:58...3:59:59...4:00:00

The following takes place between 4:00 am and 5:00 am.

The first thing Jack became aware of as he woke up was a sense of deep satisfaction, followed by a frown on his face as he heard the pained pants that came from behind him, accompanied by something rubbing against his thigh that he couldn't quite identify. He could also hear a droning, continuous hum, it almost sounded like a lawn mower.

Memories of last night, some of which he denied vehemently, gradually returned to him. Slowly, he went to move, but panic shot through him when he realised that his wrists were restrained. He looked up and saw something unexpected; velcro cuffs were securing him to the headboard. Hot pink ones.

Annoyed and confused by Nina's umpteenth way of humiliating him, he decided to turn around and face her, but the sight he was met with was not what he had been expecting.

Tony lay next to him, bound with much more secure cuffs and wearing the same gag from a few hours earlier that Jack was sure he was never going to forget. As Jack had moved, the rubbing against his tight stopped, and Tony was now looking at him with panic in his eyes, as if caught doing something he shouldn't have.

Now Jack could finally place the low buzzing sound he was hearing and had a pretty good idea where that vibrator must have been hitting Tony for him to be that desperate, a pleasure point deep inside him Jack had only just experienced having stimulated for the first time, but definitely not the last. 

Jack looked down to see Tony's painfully hard cock still resting against his tight, and it reminded Jack of the scene he had witnessed the evening before, when it had been Nina's leg that Tony had been riding. Jack smiled devilishly.

Tony tried to say something through the gag, but Jack didn't have to understand his words to figure out why he sounded so panicked. "It's okay, Tony." He reassured him, tone gentle. "Keep going."

He shook his head, still trying to communicate but without success, and Jack realised that if he wanted to convince Tony to put his pride aside and come humping his thigh, he'd have to sound a lot more commanding.

"Tony. I wasn't asking." He said, his voice dropping an octave and sounding threatening, not unlike what he sounded like during interrogations. "That was a direct order from your superior." Jack had no idea where that last line had come from, but it seemed to do the trick because Tony couldn't resist a direct order. He put his whole body into it, grinding against Jack while he encouraged him not unlike he had heard Nina do to him, and it didn't take him long to come all over Jack, the sight of Tony so desperate making him harder than he remembered ever having been without physical stimulation.

"Move closer." He ordered Tony, and he could see in his eyes a hope that died quickly as he realised Jack wasn't going to ask him for help to get out of their restraints but rather was starting to pay Tony back in the same coin, his now fully hard dick rubbing against Tony's muscled thigh, his rhythm erratic and punitive.

Jack tugged at his cuffs until he broke free of them, the weak velcro straps giving in easily, and now that he could move more freely, he lay in front of Tony. His strong arm wrapped around his waist and he positioned himself exactly where Jack wanted him, making sure he kept him in place as he started moving so he was thrusting in between his thighs, the friction enough for Jack to come quickly with a grunt, his head resting against Tony's chest as his breaths evened out, and his heart started to beat less frantically.

Finally, he moved to get the latch of Tony's gag open, after having considered for a moment if he wanted to ride it, having just discovered how much fun penetration could be. If only he had been younger. He sighed, knowing he wouldn't be able to get it up for a long time. Time they didn't have.

But what Tony had to say as soon as the gag was out was going to kill whatever libido Jack still had. "She played us, Jack. Nina was working with El Shaer all along."

4:25:50...4:25:51...4:25:52

Tony had explained to him what Nina had done as Jack worked to get him out of his CTU handcuffs, and two sentiments grew heavy in Jack's chest as he listened. Anger towards Nina and towards himself for having believed her while she was just playing them, but most prominently guilt for having ignored Tony as he had tried to speak, to warn him. But instead of realising something had been wrong Jack had kept on going, unbothered. He should have known from the minute he woke up that something was wrong. He'd fallen asleep on a stake-out, he'd let himself relax, he'd let himself become vulnerable. And while it had jeopardised the mission...he couldn't deny how good it had felt to let himself trust someone.

Jack looked away as Tony took the vibrator out and finally turned it off, and kept avoiding his gaze as he got dressed.

"Let's go, we have to find Nina before she can screw up what's left of this operation."

But Tony stopped him, wrapping his hand around Jack's wrist. He knew Jack would rather skip that conversation, but Tony felt it was needed. "Jack... For what it's worth, you didn't do anything I didn't want." He confessed truthfully. "Yes, if you had uncuffed me immediately we might have gained some time, but- I'm happy you didn't. I enjoyed it."

Tony's words had been very much needed. Jack had started doubting, horrified by himself, if Tony had really wanted it or if he had just forced himself on his friend, so to hear that Tony had no regrets made Jack feel much better about the whole ordeal.

"I'm glad to hear that, Tony." He said genuinely.

4:29:30..4:29:31...4:29:32

Tony desperately searched for his comm unit, his cell phone, anything, that he could use to get in touch with CTU, but to no avail.

"Damn it, Tony. She grabbed everything off of me."

"Have you seen my phone?"

Jack rolled his eyes. "Have you looked up your ass? Maybe she left that there too."

He snorted at the joke, but it was clear that neither of them were unhappy with the outcome. Jack also continued to check for his things but came to the same conclusion. With no time to look into a mirror and see just how dishevelled they looked, they ran back into the hallway of dingy suites and then the main room. One of the bartenders was wiping down a table. There were very few people around, and they were all either customers or staff. He couldn't spot Michelle or Agent Moss either.

"Where could she have gone?" Tony asked.

"Forget Nina," Jack said bitterly. "Where's El Shaer? Michelle and Larry were supposed to be looking out for her."

He shook his head, deciding to return to the hallway while Jack made his way over to the bartender to ask for the phone. Given that they didn't have their badges on them, that was going to be a problem. All of the doors were open except two of them: the one where they'd both woken up and another one presumably in use. Whoever was in there could be the only witness they had left. Tony pressed his ear to it, finding he couldn't hear anything. He knocked loudly, announcing that he was a federal agent. Still no response. Tony shoved his body weight into the door, unsurprised to find that it opened with ease.

When his eyes fell upon an unconscious Larry, he cursed under his breath. He too had been tied to the headboard. There were lipstick marks, hickeys, and scratches all over his bare chest. His leather pants were barely intact. The question was, who had done this to him? Had Michelle been incapacitated too? If so, then where was she? Tony tentatively checked for a pulse. He was relieved to find one, but Larry didn't stir, confirming his suspicions that he definitely wasn't just asleep.

Tony stepped out into the hallway, watching as Harry Bosch, an LAPD detective he'd worked with before, walk in through the front door. Jack was quick to meet up with him and explain the situation. Bosch gave Jack a very judgemental look and said something to his comm.

"Bosch, have you got ammonia inhalants on you?"

He offered Tony the same shrewdness. "Yeah, why?"

"Come here."

Tony led Jack and Bosch into Larry's room.

He snorted. "Jesus Christ, is that Moss?"

"We don't have a lot of time, he might be our only witness," Jack said impatiently.

"What do you mean? El Shaer and Myers are already being taken back to CTU."

Jack stilled. "What?"

"Agent Dessler called it in half an hour ago, we've been removing the perimeter and collecting evidence."

The words sounded optimistic, but this only confirmed to Jack that things had gone very wrong with this mission. He snatched the salts from Bosch and moved closer to the bed. Jack waved the container under Larry's nostrils while Tony tried to undo the cuffs that he knew for a fact were not the cheap, flimsy kind sold by a sex shop. He woke up with a jerk, desperately whipping his head around.

"El Shaer's gone," Jack said firmly. "What the hell happened, Larry?"

"Michelle..." He took in a breath. "Michelle drugged me. She spiked my drink."

"What?" Tony exclaimed in disbelief.

Jack was just as shocked but soon realised that that could only mean one thing.

"We've been set up." He huffed. "Nina and Michelle are working for El Shaer. They knew that if they distracted us, then she'd have a clear path out of the club."

"Shit..." Larry uttered, trying to sit up. He placed a hand on his head as he felt a wave of dizziness. "Shit."

"Michelle would never-"

They both turned to glare at Tony, and he shut his mouth.

Larry got to his feet slowly, feeling the mattress creak as he leaned on it for support. As they stood there trying to gain their bearings and figure out what to do, Larry put his hands in his pockets, only to realise there was something in one of them. He furrowed his brow. He remembered Michelle had gone through them and taken his comm unit and badge, so why would she leave anything for him?

His heart started speeding up as he took out the piece of paper he was sure now was a note from Michelle. He was hoping for an explanation or at least anything that could work as a lead.

But as he opened it, his hope died quickly when he read what was scribbled on it, a phone number followed by 'Call me ;) -David'

Larry cursed. The man must have slipped it into his pocket while they were going at it, and it made sense for him to not have noticed when the man's other hand had stroked him through his leather pants. Especially not someone as adept with his hands as him.

Still, Larry knew that Michelle must have found it when she'd taken his things. He knew she had probably left it on him because she had no use for it, but he liked to imagine that maybe she had taken pity on him and had decided to let him keep the one good thing that had happened to him that night.

4:37:13...4:37:14..4:37:15

Ryan's comm beeped suddenly. It looked like Michelle's reset had finally started to work. Although Chloe certainly seemed to think the system was still lagging.

"Ryan, it's Jack."

"Jack, where the hell have you been?" He asked, annoyed. "Michelle got Nina and El Shaer, you're supposed to be on your way back by now."

He huffed and Ryan started to wonder whether it had been too good to be true.

"It was a set-up. Michelle was working with Nina and El Shaer. Wherever she's going, it's not CTU."

He felt the same churn in his gut he'd felt when he'd gotten the call that Teri Bauer and half of the CTU security team had been killed. But despite the stringent hiring processes he'd insisted on implementing, it had happened again. Ryan told Jack to get back in touch with the other agencies to re-establish the perimeter and then hung up the phone.

"What's happening?" Chloe asked.

"We've been played!" Ryan called. "Chloe, get into Michelle’s files. See if there’s anything in there that could give us a lead!”

”I…I can’t!” She exclaimed. “It’s completely corrupted!"

4:40:01...4:40:02..4:40:03

"Chloe, have you still got them?" Jack shouted into the phone he'd borrowed from Bosch.

"I'm trying! Whatever Michelle did to our system, it's really slowing us down." She said, annoyed. "They've gotten off the highway and turned onto a dirt road heading out towards the hills."

Jack drove frantically, weaving between trucks and cars as quickly as he could while peak-hour traffic started to grow. Tony and Larry were both on the phone. From what it sounded like, Larry was trying to get help from the FBI, but whoever Tony was ringing wasn't picking up. He was probably trying to call Michelle, hoping that she would have some kind of explanation.

"There they are!" Larry suddenly shouted. "The black Chevy."

He swerved, accelerating as much as he could towards the car. Without any more obstructions, they shortened the distance between them very quickly. If he could just get close enough to hit their bumper, they'd spin out and then they'd all be going back to CTU in handcuffs.

But his eyes widened when Nina and El Shaer stuck their heads out of the side windows, both holding pistols. They both fired quickly, creating spidery cracks over the windshield. The glass was bulletproof, so he wasn't worried about it breaking, but it severely impacted his vision. He didn't know which direction to steer the car in to avoid their shots.

"Try and shoot back!" He shouted.

"We're trying, Jack, the guns are locked in the trunk!" Tony responded.

There was a large pop sound, followed by a high-pitched hissing, and the car started to veer.

"Damn it!"

Just as Jack started to regain some semblance of control of the car, another tyre got hit, and Jack had no choice but to slam on the brakes. As he turned off the engine, Tony and Larry got out of the car, desperately running and chasing them down, despite knowing that they had absolutely no way of catching up with them. Jack got out too, feeling the rising sun beam down on them and watching the black SUV speed off far, far away from any main roads. With the dense foliage in the area, Chloe would likely lose them on satellite. Larry continued to sprint towards them before stopping to catch his breath and coughing due to the large cloud of dust left behind. He called out to them futilely before placing his hands on his hips. Tony let out a string of curses in Spanish.

They stood there, stupefied, for some indefinite period before Chloe's voice came crackling through the receiver.

"I have a call from Nina Myers. She wants to talk to you."

"Put her through," Jack said gruffly.

"You know, Jack, I really enjoyed our night together." She said with a sultry voice that just made him mad. "Oh, and did Tony enjoy the present I left him?"

Tony looked away as she said that.

"I should have known not to trust you."

"Yeah, you really should have."

Jack squeezed the phone tightly, picturing it was Nina's throat, but now knew that unfortunately, if he really was choking her, it would actually bring her more enjoyment than fear. He went to say something to keep her on the line, to try and salvage the mission but came up empty.

"What's Michelle got to do with this?" Tony added, walking closer to him. Larry hadn't moved.

Jack knew that she wouldn't respond, and Tony likely did too, but Jack suspected that he already knew the answer, he just wasn't ready to accept it yet.

"Well, boys, I'd love to talk some more, but I better get going. Five more seconds, and you'll be able to trace me."

Never had a dial tone infuriated Jack so much in his life. He wanted to scream, curse, and throw the damned phone as far as he could. But he didn't, he just stood there paralysed, the realisation that Nina had played him again finally sinking in. 

"I'm sorry, Jack," Chloe's voice sounded distant through the speaker, "we've got nothing."

4:59:58...4:59:59...5:00:00