Lloyd's Angel Ch. 01

Author's Note

I'm a fan of novels and personally prefer longer form works. This story was composed and is intended to be read as single integrated narrative. However, I've split it into parts as a convenience for readers who may prefer to approach it in shorter chunks. The chronology jumps around, but you are meant to read the parts in posting order (and not strict chronological order).

As readers of my previous work probably know, the story sometimes has a tendency to take on a life of its own and I often indulge it. Readers looking for a quick succession of stroke scenes will want to look elsewhere. (The smut is in there; I just prefer to hang it on a coherent narrative.) I hope more patient readers ;-) will become engaged in the story and find Lloyd's journey engaging in its own right.

I have not written forewords for my other stories but, there as here, all people and places not mentioned in passing are figments of my imagination and do not represent reality. Illegal or immoral activity, outside the bounds of fiction, is not condoned.

My thanks go out to the writers and readers of the EMCA community. Your works, whether published stories or notes of appreciation, are inspiring.

Chapter 01: Night and Day

October 2010

It was shaping up to be another busy day. The remote vibrated discreetly in my pocket and I headed for the mall entrance. "On it," my partner's voice sounded in my earbud. Angela was there before me, courteously but firmly blocking the progress of a very flustered-looking middle-aged woman. I got there just at the end of the usual speech -- "do you mind if we make a quick search of your bag?" We all knew the request was for form's sake only.

The lady was looking distinctly ashen under her cosmetics when Angela produced the necklace from the bottom of her bag. Unboxed, and unadorned by any of the layers of carefully folded tissue that normally surrounded purchases, it sported only the small RFID tag that had triggered the door sensors. "I have no idea how that got there!" she stammered.

Angela looked frankly disbelieving, but she was always a hard audience. My read of the situation was that she probably was telling the truth. "I'm sure it was an honest mistake," I told her in my most comforting gentlemanly voice. "Vanessa is always leaving things on the counter, and it probably got caught when she was wrapping your purchases."

My partner looked briefly rebellious but followed my lead. "Thank you for your cooperation, Ma'am. We truly value your patronage; please visit us again soon."

Her brilliant smile startled the woman, who mumbled something unintelligible and hurried to put the incident, and us, behind her as quickly as possible. As we walked the necklace back to its rightful place, our minor disturbance was already forgotten by the other shoppers, just like the management preferred.

"Loss Prevention" was management's buzzword for it, and we were the store's best team, and a study in contrasts. Angela was young and dynamic and shit-hot; she wore her security uniform in a way that was 100% professional but put those fake-cop strippers to shame. I was forgettably (and intentionally) plain-clothes and old enough to be her grandfather.

We had good chemistry, but what management cared about was that our loss rate was less than half of anybody else's. When you were the flagship, most exclusive department store at the area's most upscale mall, that translated into serious dollars. The only knock against us was that we didn't like working with anybody else and only worked days. Angela was taking classes at night to earn her degree. I could have (and had) retired years ago, and took the job to avoid boredom; I saw no reason to screw up my nights.

The store manager didn't have any leverage, but probably consoled himself with the thought that our target demographic was rich enough that many of them didn't work, so we were busier during the days than most of the rest of the mall. Unfortunately, that traffic included the usual proportion of people who preferred to avoid paying for their merchandise.

Angela clearly suspected the lady was one of that demographic. "How do you know she wasn't lying to us, Lloyd?" she asked me again after we returned the necklace to one of the jewelry counters.

"I don't," I replied with a shrug, "but she struck me as genuinely surprised and upset -- and not about getting caught. I've had practice reading people since before you were born. Besides..." We recited the tired refrain together, she with an air of resignation, "...the customer always gets the benefit of the doubt."

It wasn't surprising Angela had pressed me on it; you didn't get far in this business without learning to play a hunch, and she suspected I had some trick I wasn't sharing. However, the fact that she was right didn't change matters. It wasn't something I could teach, and I wasn't entirely sure I understood it myself.

It was something I could do with my mind, although I didn't have a neat name for it. The best description is that I could sort of "push" at another person, and influence them. It wasn't a "your wish is my command" sort of thing; there was an odd, well, "twist" involved. Several, I suspected. Struggling with its application, and with the murky ethics of it all, had occupied me for several decades. Even if it seemed appropriate, it worked best at a simple emotional level; intellectual things usually required coming at the desired result sideways.

More detailed work was possible, but it was inordinately tricky and prone to outright failure, especially if I wasn't familiar with the other mind. They looked (or felt?) like fuzzy balls of static, and delicate work required teasing through them like a ball of tangled string.

The immediate point was that, although I couldn't read minds, I could sense the level of resistance I was getting when I pushed a person. When I'd thought *I hate shoplifting* at the lady with the necklace, it had been like missing a step on a staircase -- I was as sure as I could be that she'd already believed it and hadn't stolen the necklace.

Reminding Vanessa *I feel good when I return jewelry to the display cases immediately* was like pushing a finger through a sheet of tissue paper -- while holding it with the same hand. I usually tried to avoid messing about with people who didn't need it, but this wasn't the first time she'd forgotten, and some folks just couldn't resist an opportunity if they saw one. It was good if we got them at the entrance, better if we could intercept shoplifters still inside the store, but best if they never got an opportunity in the first place.

If only the shoplifters were our only problem. We headed to men's furnishings, in response to a report of a customer causing a disturbance. As I feared, it was the young asshole who'd been yanking our chains on and off for a month or so. Even without cheating I could see he wasn't serious about lifting anything, and he only turned up on our shift. My take was that Angela had a fan who'd seen that stupid toilet commercial too many times -- the one where the guy stuffs everything he can down the bowl in an attempt to score a service visit from the foxy plumber next door.

That plumber had nothing on my partner, even with the exasperated frown marring Angela's expression. The idiot had something, probably a pack of socks, stuffed down the front of his pants; Tim, the sales associate, clearly wanted to belt him but was playing by the rules that said, "Hands off and call security."

"I ain't got nothin'," smirked the slimeball when we got within earshot, "frisk me if you don't believe me."

I obligingly took a step forward.

"Not you, old dude!" he warned. "I'm not gonna let some random guy handle my junk unless you want a lawsuit. If the store wants to search me, I want a uniformed officer." All of us were perfectly aware that I was as fully accredited by the store as Angela, and that she was the only security uniform in the store at the moment.

Some people had it coming. "Fine," I growled. "If you'll accompany us to the security office?" Angela knew something was up, because his last few visits had ended with an escort to the door and a suggestion not to return that day. She silently led off, followed by the jerk and myself.

"I'd love to tap that," he confided, as we both watched her tight ass in the form-fitting uniform slacks.

She stiffened, still in hearing range. "Don't push your luck, punk," I warned him, but he was feeling invulnerable and in control.

That feeling faded a bit when we both accompanied him into our Spartan detention room. "It's for your protection," I sarcastically informed him. "You've waved your right to be frisked by a member of the same sex, but store policy requires an observer be present to ensure the inspecting officer does not behave improperly. You also have the right to have this inspection recorded," I concluded with a nod at the camera in the corner.

I could see him working the angles in his head, trying to decide if it was a trick question. I honestly didn't care, but he deserved to squirm. He finally decided to have it taped, which probably was smart if he thought we were going to beat the crap out of him.

I stepped out of the room and started the recorder, verifying it looked good and that the red light on the camera was illuminated. I also used the opportunity to give Angela a quick heads-up via the comm while he couldn't hear me. "Give him the works." She twitched. "Be nice, but be thorough -- at least five minutes."

Angela growled inarticulately in response but gave me a barely perceptible nod as I reentered the room. "Please stand with your legs spread and your arms out, sir," she told him, biting off the honorific as if it were an epithet.

"Don't try anything funny," I warned him, "she's a combat vet." Besides being true, I hoped it would keep him quiet and avoid unnecessary distractions. I leaned against the wall by the corner, where she wouldn't be blocking my view, and gave Angela a thumbs-up.

She moved in close and began running her hands slowly and carefully along one arm. She didn't touch him with anything except the palms of her hands, but Angela was nearly in his face, looked like a wet dream, and had good taste in perfume. I waited until the inevitable stiffening became visible, and then I started pushing.

This was a complicated one because I was trying to juggle several things at once. I knew he must be feeling arousal, and Angela's hands methodically working their way across his body. I left a space for those, and then wove around them desire and the sort of visceral sensations all men had -- the pungent musk of perspiration after hard exercise, the feel of stubble beneath your fingers just before you shaved, the feel of hard cock in your hand; who hasn't masturbated?

I pushed all of it to him, hard, and kept pushing. It was a lot of effort, and it was difficult to maintain the pressure and keep a physical eye on things at the same time. I knew I was getting to him when I felt the pressure start to fade and he started watching me instead of Angela, but I kept pushing anyway. Fucking slimebag.

Finally, Angela stepped back. "Don't move!" she told him, before speaking for the camera. "My inspection is completed. A foreign object appears to be concealed near the subject's genital area." She looked distastefully at his tenting crotch. "Lloyd?"

I had to let up on the pressure to talk, but I'd already worked out what I was going to say, which made things easier. "Sir, our policies strictly prohibit invasive searches by members of the opposite sex. Therefore, I am going to remove the object you have concealed in your pants."

I walked over to him, a little unsteadily, then brusquely pulled out his waistband with one hand, reached in to grab the plastic packaging with the other, and *pushed* as I withdrew it. I didn't quite have the socks clear before the punk exploded all over the inside of his pants. He jerked like I'd sucker-punched him, but the recording would make it clear neither of us had done anything of the kind.

"Angela, can you escort this gentleman off the premises?" I needed to catch my breath.

"Certainly," she replied with crisp enthusiasm. "Further, as an attempted shoplifter" -- the bag looked like it might not be suitable for returning to inventory -- "you are no longer welcome in this establishment. Please do not return." She marched him out while he was still poking ineffectually at his pants.

"Lloyd, what the hell was that?" Angela asked when she returned a few minutes later.

By then I was up to having a conversation, or at least avoiding one. "I guess you're just too hot to handle, Angela! Hell, if I were his age, I'd probably have that problem too. No offense intended, of course."

"None taken, of course," she rejoined, looking unsatisfied. "Should I feel offended that towards the end I think he was paying more attention to you than me?"

"Probably just worrying that I'd clock him if he got frisky," I quipped.

"Now I *am* offended," Angela said with a smile. "You think I can't take care of myself? You looked like you were getting winded just holding up the wall, Grandpa; everything all right?"

"Oh, fine; just not a spry as I used to be." I pushed myself back to my feet. "Let's get back to making the world safe for retail therapy, shall we?"

With luck, we'd never see sock-boy again. If I'd done the job right, he'd be too interested in getting felt up by other men to bother coming around here. I told myself it was good for the store, and good for Angela, and tried to put it all behind me.

The activity made it easy to do; maybe the official holiday shopping season hadn't started yet, but the decorations and holiday displays were up, and foot traffic was heavier than usual. We circulated randomly, and I dispensed a few light *I hate shoplifting* pushes at people that looked problematic.

I hadn't done a big push like that in a while, and I guess my adrenaline was still going, because I was a little wild that afternoon. Angela got a line on a girl we suspected of being a serial shoplifter; clever enough to never get caught, but always seeming to come out of the changing rooms with less than she went in carrying. While Angela was conducting an on-the-spot search, I pressed my back to the other side of the partition, located the static of the unfamiliar mind, and pushed *it makes me hot to leave my clothing in dressing rooms*.

Angela subsequently reported she hadn't found anything incriminating, but that the girl "was weird" without providing any details. I kicked myself, wondering why I'd passed on the usual reinforcement and wondering if the girl would actually stop stealing or just start trading outfits. Well, spilt milk.

The most exciting moment, for bystanders, came mid-afternoon. A guy at the watch counter tried a snatch and dash, with Angela in hot pursuit. In the open, she probably would have caught him; in the store, the gawkers stirred up by his passage got in her way and she was losing ground.

He was at the limit of my range when I pushed a frantic *I love to taunt people* but couldn't feel if it had any effect. Whether it was me or karma, he turned to look back at Angela and ran right into a newly-emplaced Christmas tree inside the store entrance. A gun I hadn't realized he had went skidding away, and my heart missed a beat -- what if he'd shot her?

Angela was on top of him before he could regain his footing, and it was all over after that. She had him on the ground and cuffed before I could even get there. My contribution was to collect the watch and gun before somebody else could. The onlookers applauded as she jerked him to his feet and we marched him back to our holding room to wait for the real cops to take him off our hands.

I tried to apologize, although I wasn't sure for what exactly, but Angela cut me off and told me she knew I wouldn't let her get hurt. It felt nice, if unrealistic. I'd already hurt her worse than she'd ever know.

Dinner was reassuringly normal. I gulped a couple aspirin for my headache, and flipped through another chapter of "Advanced Topics in Supply Chain Management" while I waited for the microwave to heat one of those allegedly healthy freezer meals, and then absent-mindedly consumed it.

After that, I sacked out in my recliner and listened to the classical station for half an hour or so while I just let my mind drift. Then it was time to get dressed for my night job. Ironically, although the surroundings were seedier than my day job, the dress code was much classier. The commute was better, too; I walked downstairs and the car was waiting as usual.

It whisked me, with only desultory conversation, to an uninhabited alley. I let myself in the back door, nodded to the staff in sight, and headed up to my office. If I'd gone in the front door, I would have had to navigate velvet ropes and bouncers to pass under a sign reading "HOME RUN -- Home of the Grand Slam Girls."

My office door boasted a small sign that read, "LP." It amused Danny, the owner, to use the same term the store did -- "loss prevention" -- even if the merchandise was different. I was already getting hard in anticipation as I opened the door and walked into the office, closing it again behind me.

"Boss," she greeted me, rising from the expensive chair. "Angel," I replied. The body was the same, and the perfume, but nothing else. She was my greatest creation, my worst failure, the fairest fruit of my gift, and a stark warning of its corrosive effect, all rolled into one sultry package.

Like a modern-day Jekyll and Hyde, two personalities inhabited the body before me, each ignorant of the other. Angela had a body built for sex; Angel frankly invited it. Angela was my partner; Angel my depraved toy. She stalked across the office to me, displaying herself for my enjoyment.

There was a lot to enjoy. Dark hair cascaded across one shoulder to fall just short of her breasts. As I watched she brushed it back with one hand to present herself, parting lips painted a deep ruby red to reveal a flash of white teeth and pink tongue. Her breasts, high, firm and beautifully shaped, rode exposed atop the ribbed bustier she'd chosen to wear this evening. The nipples capping them were rigidly erect and dark with rouge.

Angel's hands drifted to her hips and plucked the ties of her string bikini, letting it fall to the floor. It revealed a bare sex swollen and dripping with desire. She swayed close to me, limbs covered with opera gloves and dark lace stockings, balancing gracefully on the five-inch heels that enhanced her blood-boiling gait.

"Fuck me," she breathed in a husky voice that couldn't be mistaken for her alter ego's business-like soprano. I unzipped my fly, but she batted my hands aside and finished unfastening my trousers. Squatting gracefully, she inhaled my rigid organ until her nose was nestled in my wiry hair.

My balls churned and I shuddered with need, but she knew my body nearly as well as I did. She rose again and pulled me toward the desk, which not coincidentally was cleared. She leaned back against it, and the slight spreading of her legs and the molten urgency in her dark eyes was all the invitation I needed. I sheathed myself in her welcoming depths, both of us gasping with the intensity of the sensation.

I hissed, "Fucking slut," through my teeth as I withdrew slightly and forced myself into her again.

"I'll always be your slut," she sighed, her eyelids heavy with desire. I knew I'd go to Hell for what I'd done to her, but at the moment there was nothing the Devil could tempt me with that would outdo my Angel. I shot my load inside her, and she climaxed too, as she always did. She milked my rapidly deflating organ with her muscles, and then pushed me away so she could kneel and clean me with her kitten tongue.