Chapter 6: Mass Loyalty (part 2b)

Although Patrick Winston was an agent in the Central Intelligence Agency, the brutal and public nature of his departure from this life made keeping his position in the CIA impossible to keep secret. So instead of the silent treatment, as it does with so many of its employees who work abroad, the CIA held a private funeral to honor Patrick’s work and patriotism.

All of Patrick’s close relatives attended the funeral, which was especially somber given the knowledge of Patrick and Melinda’s demise. The care of 4-year-old Steven and 3-year-old Avery was given to Melinda’s sister, Emilia. Many of Patrick’s work friends and colleagues attended the funeral to pay respect to one of the best and finest men they had ever had the pleasure to work with- a testament to the quality of Patrick’s work and the positive impact his personality had on everyone he met.

Instead of thinking about how tragically his life ended, the eulogies focused on the times when Patrick inspired his coworkers to achieve amazing results, and all the times he went above and beyond what was required of him.

And yet the senselessness of the murder-suicide, so in contrast to the man’s life, sat in the back of the minds of everyone attending the funeral. It was an emotional event, with many tears shed.

“Hey, listen” Derek, a CIA analyst who worked with Patrick, said to Morgan, “I know there’s no official reception, but a lot of guys from work are going to this buffet we set up. Just to relax and get some closure on this whole thing. What do you think?”

“Well, I don’t usually socialize with colleagues”, the deputy director slowly responded.

“I know how you feel. It’s just ... people at work are wondering if this thing with Patrick is gonna happen to them too someday. It’d be great to see a leader like you assure everyone that we can move on from this.”

Morgan seemed reluctant, “Well, I guess I can make an appearance for a little bit. Just to improve the morale”, he smiled awkwardly.

“Exactly! The guys will be thrilled to hear it. They definitely look up to you, sir”, he said, shaking Morgan’s hand. “I can give you the address for the place. It’s a little bar we rented out, just for us. The name of the place is Release.”

“Say, I was expecting Jane Kerrigan to be here, since she was the Ukrainian Task Force leader before Pat. Any idea what happened to her?” Morgan asked.

“Huh, that is odd” Derek said with a puzzled look, “I’ll try to look into it.”

Morgan Utley was the CIA deputy director, putting him in charge of overseeing dozens of divisions, including the Eastern European division that Jane Kerrigan and Patrick Winston were in charge of. As expected for a man of his position within such a large organization, Morgan was experienced, polished, and of the highest professionalism. His 23 years of service had aged him, albeit gracefully, with short salt and pepper hair that was combed over in a very simple hairstyle. At 47 years old, he had some wrinkles on his often serious-looking face.

Married, with children that were already in college, Morgan was likely reaching the twilight of his career, with a very nice government pension awaiting him. Morgan was seen as a straight-shooter with few friends, and most of his socializing was done with other high-level officials in and around Washington D.C.

In comparison, John Haslip, who was the Eastern European deputy director and the man that Patrick Winston directly reported to, was seen as an older version of Patrick- ambitious and hardworking, a leader who could push his employees to achieve great things. Unlike Morgan Utley, who was self-disciplined and physically fit, John preferred to balance the stress of work with eating. At around 200 pounds and 5’8’’, John had a jelly roll that strained against the button down shirts he wore at work.

John, at 37 years old, had one failed marriage and was now in a 2-year relationship, with no plans for settling down.

“Gentlemen, welcome” Jack Harrison said to Morgan and John when they came in through the door to Release. John was very familiar with Jack’s work as an agent, having approved Jane Kerrigan’s request to send him into Moscow in the first place.

“Thanks, Jack. Good to see you again!” John said, shaking his hand. He couldn’t understand why Jane had been so worried about Jack ever since the Moscow mission- But then again Jane was always a little too invested in Jack, he thought.

Walking into the room, John, from experience, could instantly tell that it was a strip club- funny they didn’t mention that. There were no dancers on the stage, however, no DJ anywhere, and only one girl behind the bar. I guess I’m safe, he chuckled, thinking of his girlfriend.

John and Morgan walked towards the buffet, which was lined up against the near wall, to the right of the front entrance. Morgan filled his plate with mostly salad, while John grabbed two helpings of steak.

When they sat down at a table, they were joined by Derek.

“Hey, just wanted to let you know that there’s an open bar. Just ask Tiffany there anything you want, and she’ll make it for you.”

“Thank you, Derek” Morgan said.

“Anytime, sirs. Just relax and enjoy yourselves.” Derek took his leave, and the two men decided to make their way to the bar.

“Hi, welcome to Release. What’s your pleasure?” the blonde behind the bar asked. She had straightened platinum-blonde hair that rested on her massive tits, which were popping out of her low cut dress. She was also wearing a lot of makeup, which struck John as a little out of place for a place like this.

“A Tom Collins for me, please”, John said. He looked to his partner-

“Just a cranberry for me, thanks” he said. No, no, no John thought-

“Make that a Cape Cod” John said, reprovingly. “We’re at a bar, John. Have to blend in with the natives”, he said with a laugh.

Morgan smiled a little too, “I guess it’s alright to have a couple drinks with the guys. But I’m not planning on staying long.” A motion to the side caught both men’s attention-

Angling slightly away from the bar, Tiffany was mixing the Tom Collins in a shaker with both arms, and the hard jerking motions caused her breasts to jiggle. Both John and Morgan couldn’t help but look at her chest, and Tiffany gave them a knowing smile.

“Suit yourself, but I think I’m gonna stay for a while”, John said, laughing. Morgan shook his head and looked away, indicating that he didn’t enjoy viewing Tiffany’s tanned tits wiggling about as much as John did.

“Tom Collins and a Cape Cod”, Tiffany said, placing the drinks in front of the men. She had her hands on the inside edge of the bar, either side of her. Leaning over the bar with her chest, she cocked her head to the side and addressed the more interested-looking man, “So whaddya do for a livin’?” she asked.

“Well, I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you” John said. Tiffany and John laughed, and John peeked a look down her cleavage as he picked up his drink.

“That’s alright, mister. We’ve all got secrets” Tiffany smiled at John.

She’s really gorgeous, John thought. With those tits and all that makeup, she could pass as a porn star right now.

John reached into his pocket to pull his wallet out, and put a couple dollar bills on the bar. Before he pulled his hand away, Tiffany had placed her hand on his, only briefly, before giving him a smirk.

Oh, you’re in trouble, John thought as the moment passed and he returned with Morgan to his food. I should stay away from that one.

“Is this your new favorite place now?” Morgan asked him dryly.

“Yeah, Sarah would love it” he replied, sarcastically. Sarah wasn’t the jealous type, but if she knew John was at a strip club, it would be bad news for him.

As John and Morgan were eating their meals, some of the guys would sit down at their table to chat with them, mentioning how horrible it was that Patrick had taken his own life. Sometimes they shared stories and reminisced about the good times, sometimes they talked about their own work.

All of the agency men who talked to the deputy director and Eastern European deputy director were respectful, even bringing refills for their drinks. Morgan was grateful for the show of respect; John was grateful he wouldn’t have to go to the bar again and flirt with the bartender.

Before they were finished with their food, the speakers behind the stage came to life with hip hop music. Deputy director John Haslip was initially worried that the music was going to lead to strippers, but the worry was unfounded when no one came out to the stage. He eventually settled on staying and listening to the music, although it wasn’t the classic rock that he liked listening to. Suitable music for the younger crowd, I guess.

A few drinks in, and John was developing a pleasant buzz. He was now enjoying the vibrant music, just relaxing and having a good time, when his eye caught another woman, this one walking past his table with a tray of drinks.

“Damn”, he muttered to himself.

“What’s that?” Morgan asked, over the music.

John chuckled, “nothing.” In his happy-go-lucky state, John didn’t think twice about staring at the waitress’ ass- especially since it was so round, so tight.

“Mmmm” John hummed to himself, appreciating the loveliness of the woman’s backside. It was the biggest ass he’d ever seen, standing only a few feet away from him. If I could only grab it.

“I think it’s about time for me to go”, Morgan said to no one, since John was still booty-fixated. He felt as if the situation was slowly getting out of control, and that didn’t suit him one bit. He had done his duty to Patrick, and to these men, and now he could go.

Getting up, Morgan nodded towards John, whose eyes had returned to their table-

“Have a good night, John”, Morgan said, grabbing his plate.

“You too, sir”, John replied. He looked a little sheepish, and it took a second for Morgan to notice the waitress attending the table behind theirs.

“Behave yourself”, Morgan said. John couldn’t tell if it was a joke, or an order.

Walking away from the table, Morgan bumped into something-

“Oops!” came a cry. Morgan dropped his plate on the ground, and saw that the noise came from another woman.

“My apologies, miss” Morgan said. He leaned over to pick up the plate, and felt the blood rush to his head.

Woah, Morgan thought. Maybe those drinks were stronger than I thought.

The woman steadied him as he crouched down, and helped him back to his feet.

“I’m sorry, it’s all my fault” the woman said.

“No, no, it’s my fault. I wasn’t looking where I was going” Morgan said, embarrassed. He noticed that the woman long, luxurious brown hair that came straight down to her chest. She also had the most intense green eyes, which seemed to hold his gaze perfectly.

“You seem a little unsteady, sir. You aren’t thinking of driving, are you?” she asked, opening her eyes a bit more. Morgan felt like he was locked in, and the intensity of her eyes made him more agreeable-

“Well, maybe you’re right ... I’ll just have some coffee and wait it out for a bit.” The woman smiled a little.

“That sounds like a great idea. We don’t want anyone to get hurt, especially after what happened to Patrick.” She knows Patrick?

“I’m sorry, but we’ve never met. I’m-”

“Oh, I know who you are” she interrupted, placing a hand on the side of his arm, “You’re Morgan Utley, Deputy Director of the CIA.” Morgan was at a loss for words momentarily- “Oh, I see. How did you know Patrick?”

“We had a ... special relationship” she said, sliding her hand down Morgan’s arm before pulling it away.

Morgan was starting to get uncomfortable. “Well, it was nice meeting you...” he trailed off.

“Theodora” she said, placing her hand over his and bringing it to his face. If he got the hint, he didn’t show it, instead shaking her hand loosely and pushing it back towards her.

Morgan suddenly got the feeling he was being studied.

“There’s a coffee machine just over there” Theodora nodded towards the entrance to the back rooms, “I just saw some of Patrick’s friends getting their fix back there. I’ll show you.” She took a step in that direction, and looked back to make sure Morgan was following.

Something in the back of Morgan’s mind was warning him, telling him that there was something wrong here. He hesitated.

Theodora stepped in close to Morgan, so that her chest was just barely touching his. She leaned in towards the side of his head.

“I was Patrick and Melinda’s marriage counselor” she said into his ear. Morgan didn’t like how close she was to him. “I tried to help them, you know, in the bedroom department.” She leaned back and looked him full in the face, again with those searching eyes.

Morgan nodded his appreciation, understanding that Theodora had shared something secretive with him.

“C’mon, let’s get you some coffee” she said in a more relaxed, casual way. Her expression looked almost ... defeated.

I guess she was good friends with them, Morgan realized.

“Alright” Morgan relented.

Theodora led him to the back rooms, occasionally checking on him to make sure he wasn’t about to fall.

Admittedly, Morgan had to slow down his pace, or else he would’ve been stumbling about. The deputy director, stumbling drunk at a funeral reception! Ha! It was so unlike him.

This place is bigger than I thought. She led him down a corridor to the last door, opening it for him.

“You can wait in here, I’ll find someone who works here to get the coffee for you”, she said, lightly pushing him into the room from behind. Morgan turned around-

“It was nice meeting you, Deputy Director” Theodora said, sweetly, “I’ll make sure none of the boys bother you until you’re ready to leave” she said smiling.

“Nice to meet you too” Morgan quickly replied, getting the words in before the door shut in front of him.

“Can I get you another drink?”

John realized that someone was talking to him, and turned to see the waitress standing next to him.

Man, it’s getting hard to hear in here...

“Woah” John mouthed. Although not very tall, the woman’s height allowed her massive bosom to be nearly eye level to John. He quickly glanced up to her face.

“Um...” What was she asking?

She waited for a second, with an expectant expression. He saw her bending a little lower, and his eyes were glued to the changing view of her ample cleavage.

“Sorry, I didn’t hear you” she said. He took longer to bring his eyes away from her breasts this time around.

“Uh, yeah” he replied. The closeness of her breasts seemed to be dulling his mind.

“Okay, sweetie. Just stay right here” she said, patting his leg. She left before John could process what had just happened-

Was she coming on to me? Holy shit, those knockers. They were so full, and natural too...

He played over their brief encounter in his mind, trying to read the signs- No, she must be friendly to all the guys here. Just trying to get a bigger tip.

John was so buzzed, he hadn’t noticed the erection in his pants until he looked down.

Aw, shit. She’s fucking gorgeous, though. My girlfriend would definitely kill me if she saw me in here with her.

He saw a glass slide on the table, and the next thing he knew, the waitress was pulling a chair over towards him and sitting down.

“You don’t mind if I sit here, do you? My legs are getting tired.” The waitress slowly leaned back in the plush, red leather chair, and crossed her legs over. John stared at her smooth, bare legs, which were only covered about a hand’s length down from her hip.

I can almost take a peek at her underwear, he realized. Without realizing it, he took a mental note that he might be able to look up her dress when she uncrossed her legs.

Like the blonde bombshell at the bar, who was wearing a sleeveless V-neck dress, the brunette waitress sitting in front of John was wearing a dress to show off her cleavage, however this one had a skin-tight full body dress on. The dress was black, with small white designs that John couldn’t make out.

“Having fun?” she asked him, smiling.

I am now, he thought. “Yeah, I like it in here.” He noticed her vibrant red lipstick, which made her lips look plump and sexy, just like the rest of her.

She pulled on the hem of her dress, futilely trying to pull it down her leg, before stroking the top of her leg. “Looks like your friend left you behind. Seems you could use the company.”

John watched the motion before responding, “Yeah, he’s not a very gregarious kind of guy.”

The waitress had a surprised look on her face, “Ooh, big word. Are you really smart or something?”

John laughed it off, “No, I just work with a lot of smart guys.”

“Impress me- where do you work?” she asked, bringing her leg down, and crossing over it with the other. John looked down briefly, and saw a pink color that had to be her panties.

“Uh, the government” he replied, absentmindedly. Although his title was public knowledge, he wasn’t allowed to talk about it with strangers.

“Mmmm, maybe a spy or something?” she asked with sudden interest. She leaned forward in her chair.

“No, nothing like that.” She’s just playing me, he thought. Right?

She played with her wavy brown hair, shaking it with her hands. John watched as it cascaded over her shoulders, landing just above her breasts.

“Do you think my hair is too long?” she asked, innocently. She was pulling the locks down, smoothing them on her bust, while looking down at them.

Damn... “Uh, no, I think it’s great.”

“Thanks” she looked up at him. She stood up, and smoothed out her dress. “How do I look in this dress?” she said in the same tone as before.

John admired her wide hips and bust as she turned around, checking herself out.

“Amazing” he admitted. Her smile was pleasant to see.

“Aw, thanks sweetie. You’re such a sweetheart” she said, casually flipping her hand down in an embarrassed gesture. “I don’t know about the design on this, though”

John still didn’t have a good look at it, “Yeah, it’s kind of hard to make out.”

“Well, take a closer look and tell me what you think” she replied. She took a couple steps towards him, and sat down on the arm of his chair.

A pleasant perfume washed over him, filling his nostrils. Her breasts and cleavage were now mere inches away from his face, and he could not look away from their enormity.

“Do you like what you see?” she asked sweetly. John took another moment ogling her smooth, white breasts before remembering that he was supposed to look at her dress.

Little white lines. They were too small to see before, but now he could make out a pattern...

His eyes seemed to be drawn back to her bosom, which pressed against the fabric of her sexy outfit.

“Let’s go to the back so you can have a closer look” she said. John heard the words in the back of his mind, but he was mostly focused on her cleavage for some reason.

Morgan was sitting on the plush red sofa, which was in a short U shape, waiting for his coffee so he could leave and go home.

Knock, knock

“Come in” he said, impatiently.

Instead of Theodora, a tall slim girl walked into the small room with a tray in both hands.

“Your coffee, sir” she said. She walked over to the circular coffee table and set down the tray. Morgan noted that the young girl was an attractive redhead, with soft creamy skin and long bare legs.

“Thank you” he said, a little loudly. How old is she? And what’s she doing in a place like this? He wondered.

“I’ll be back to get you a refill in a few minutes” she said, before turning around and leaving.

Not a lot of time, he realized, looking at the 8 oz. mug in front of him. But the faster I drink this, the sooner I can go home.

The coffee was light-colored, yet very bitter at the same time. Morgan realized that he hadn’t mentioned how he liked his coffee, but it wasn’t going to matter at this point.

“Wow, this is weird stuff” he remarked to himself. He tried as best he could, but the coffee was too bad-tasting for him to finish.

“Hello again” said the redhead girl. She had another mug in her hand.

“Oh, no more for me, thanks” Morgan said, raising his hand up to stop her from bringing another.

She stood next to the coffee table, a perplexed look on her face-

“Did you not like it?” she asked.

Worst coffee I’ve ever had. “It’s not the worst. But I’m sure it’ll do the trick” he said with a close-lipped smile.

“Okay, sorry mister” she said, placing the next mug on the table. “I’m afraid I’m not very good at my job. You see, I’m working my way up here at Release, so I can pay for college. You won’t tell my boss about the coffee, will you? She gets really sore about unhappy customers.”

“Oh, you mean Theodora?” The redhead nodded her head sheepishly. “No, don’t worry about her. To tell you the truth, I’m happy you came in her instead of her.”

She gave him a warm smile, and sat down a couple feet from him on the sofa. “Oh, thank you so much, mister” she said, wringing her hands, “I’m not like the other women here. They’re so strong, and beautiful ... not like me.”

Morgan could not disagree more- “No, you are definitely beautiful, just the way you are.”

“You’re a really sweet guy, mister. My name’s Elena.” She thrust her hand out, which Morgan met with his own.

“Morgan. Pleasure to meet you.” She must be my daughter’s age.

“Do you mind if I stay here a bit, Morgan?” she asked.

“Not at all. Make yourself comfortable” he beamed at her. He really liked this girl.

“Great! I’ve been wanting to let my hair down all day!” she exclaimed. Reaching up, Elena pulled at the bun, releasing her hair in a torrent of shimmering bronze color.

Morgan watched in amazement as the sweet little girl seemed to get even younger...

“Theodora said I should keep my hair up, that men would find me more attractive.”

No, that’s terrible, Morgan thought. “I think you look very lovely with your hair down. And don’t let people boss you around, you’re a smart, attractive young woman, and you deserve people’s respect!” How dare they tell Elena how to look!

“Wow, I wish I had a father like you” Elena said, scooting over a little closer. “Do you really think I’m attractive?” she said naively.

Morgan couldn’t deny that he was developing feelings for this girl, in a platonic way. “I know you will make some man very happy one day” he said with the utmost confidence.

“I know” she said demurely, “But first I have to make it on my own, find my own way, ya know?”

“I know exactly what you mean.” Wow, such beautiful blue eyes.

“And if that means I have to strip, then that’s what I’ll do”

“Wait, what?!” Morgan yelled in surprise.

“I’m training to be a stripper, didn’t I tell you that?”

No way! “No, you didn’t!” Morgan said harshly. She can’t be a stripper!