The Jock & The Wallflower

Fiona Chen eyed the steaming tea in front of her and gulped before looking at the woman wearing a pink jumpsuit, her boss. Fiona smiled and leaned against the velvet sofa she was sitting on.

“Tell me… when was the last time that you slept with someone?” Her boss, Catherine ‘Candy’ Jones,  lifted her brows. “Please don’t tell me it was four years ago?”

Fiona frowned in response. “Why is this relevant to me feeling bored?”

“Well… first and foremost, you are stressed. You don’t need the money and yet you worked all week. I told you, you can have the CEO position of WILD and WICKED anytime but you prefer to travel the world with your clients.” Her friend smiled at her before leaning against her velvet pink swivel chair that she had someone customized. 

Here they go again. No matter the topic, her friend would never stop including the topic of making her the CEO of their company. She had gotten tired of saying no to her.

“I told you… I am bored,” Fiona answered. To be fair, her life was really boring these days. Aside from the occasional body guarding, all she did was operate on some people who didn't want to go to the hospital. It was like a routine that was getting boring. “And please… you are making it sound like I am an escort or something.”

“Fiona… I really think you should find someone—a date. I don’t know a f*ck buddy. Just someone that could make you stay in one place for at least a month?”

“Nope. Too busy to deal with other people.” She was too busy with her own problems, she didn’t need more of those problematic men.

“You just said you’re bored?”

“I am bored! I need some excitement in my life. Apparently, holding scalpels all the time isn’t really that fun.”

“Then find someone to sleep with?” Candy’s auburn hair that looked like Fiona’s, moved as she tilted her head. 

“Good suggestion.” Fiona nodded. “But I don’t have the time.”

“You have the time to operate on some drug lords but you have no time to flirt with someone? Come on! Sex is part of our physiological need. It’s vital for survival.”

Fiona made a face. In the past five years, she has never slept with another person. Surely, this was proof that sex was not vital for survival. “I don’t like it.”

“You need a shrink.” Candy chuckled. “I mean… no offense but you can’t like me, alright? I will only break your fragile heart.”

Fiona held the tea in front of her. Smiling, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the aroma of jasmine tea— her favorite. Candy had been teasing her about her sexuality since she refused to sleep with one of her friends. Of course, she didn’t mind. “I have standards.”

 “Oh? Is it the typical tall, dark and handsome?”

“Tall… big and handsome,” Fiona said before she chuckled. “Someone smarter than me.” To be fair, the man that Candy introduced was a total douchebag who couldn’t stop talking about his Ferrari. Then he felt offended when he saw that she was riding a Bugatti veyron. Fiona would never forget the man’s face when he realized that she could afford something he couldn’t. “Alright, it's time to stop talking about d*cks. Do you have something for me?” she asked the woman who took her in while she was abandoned by her whole family five years ago.

“Seriously? You just— Fiona look— You are still carrying your suitcase from your other job. You need vacation.”

“My need for money is more pressing than a short vacation,” she retorted.

Candy snorted, unimpressed. “You have millions and you will turn twenty eight tomorrow, still you talk like you were twenty two. Can you at least…”

“Nope. Please remind me to change my accountant next time. I don’t want you knowing my finances anymore.” Fiona chuckled. Her friend was actually a brilliant accountant lawyer who has been taking care of her finances since they decided to start this company. She then put the tea cup on the circular glass table in front of her. Her green eyes stared at Candy’s dark brown ones before she smiled. “I’m bored. I need a job.”

Candy rolled her eyes and sighed. “What kind of job do you need this time?” The right to choose jobs was not because she was the co-owner of the company. It was because of her track record. A bodyguard who had an SS clearance was not something that many people could achieve at her age.

“As usual… the top secret ones,” Fiona said. Jobs like those were just the best. Those were the ones where she could pretend to be another person while guarding someone. And to Fiona, being another person was better than being Fiona Chen.

“I have one that would be perfect for you. But… the requirements are quite— ”

“Do I qualify?”

“Of course you do.” Candy grabbed a folder and was about to give it to Fiona but she didn’t accept it and just waived her hand.

“As long as it’s dangerous.” The harder the better. At this point in life, Fiona didn’t care about danger anymore. She wanted the thrill, the fun. These were the only things that mattered in her eyes.

“Crazy,” Candy said but it was clear that this was nothing new to her. After all, Fiona always wanted the deadliest mission, something that would make her forget everything. “The pay is huge but we neede to sign a confidentiality contract. The client is a millionaire from HongKong, young and— ”

“I can read the file before we meet the client. For now… I need a bath.”

“Who told you to come here just after you finished your… part time job?” Candy glanced at her suitcase. “Meet me two days from now in this address. It’s a private villa. The property is not under his name, security is thick so please… don’t bring any guns? Oh… and here you go—”

“A gift?” Fiona smiled, her mind was still focused on the fact that she couldn’t bring any guns in the meeting. Just the thought of walking around without her glock was already ruining her day. But she said nothing. She understood that some clients were much more demanding than the others. This was a part of her job.

“Tomorrow is your birthday. I know you won’t want to celebrate it with other people.”

“Oh. Then… thank you?” Fiona smiled, a dimple appeared on her left cheek. Then she accepted the gift and opened the pink box in front of her friend. “A vacation for two?” She arched an eyebrow.

“You need one.”

Fiona snorted but shook her head. “Thank you. I’m sure… I will use this soon.” After the job, Fiona was planning to take a six month leave anyway. Going to the Caribbean for two weeks was actually a very good plan.