Here's another set of update, guys! Enjoy! Feel free to vote and comment.. 🙈😊
-----------------
She was drowning. Drowning and more than drowning as Camila forced her lips onto hers; fingers tightly wrapped in her hair, pulling down her head preventing her escape. She tried to fight her way to the surface, but each time she reached that level of awareness, she slipped further down; wrapping her hands into that beautiful hair as their tongues met, pulling the beautiful woman into her. Despite that desperate will to fight and survive, she nearly, so very nearly, gave herself utterly to that one beautiful moment of passion; surrendered herself to the depths, drowned herself in Camila Cabello.
'This is not good, Lauren, this is not smart at all.'
The thought ran through her rational mind as Camila's lips pressed onto hers once more; no, that's not quite right. It ran through her mind as they pressed their lips together. This isn't down to the brunette; this is Lauren's mistake as well. Finally accepting the truth, finally realizing the gravity of her error, she placed her hands firmly on her hips once more and gently moved her away. Pulling back from the kiss before they took it any further - before she fell any deeper into that black abyss.
"Lauren," she heard her say, a hint of hurt and confusion in her voice as she tried to step back into that embrace, tried to kiss her once again. She held her hips even tighter, and locked her arms, holding her at bay, saving herself. Despite the gloom in this cool lonely summerhouse, she saw her eyes open and stare up at her, almost causing her to break once more.
"Say something," Camila said finally, shattering the silence with that beautiful voice.
"I think it's time you went back inside, Camila. We'll talk about this in the morning."
'If you remember anything,' she thought as Camila lowered her head, hid her eyes from her and nodded. Lauren opened the door for her and watched her leave, not a word passing between them as she did so. Frankly, she was glad, her heart was still beating ten to the dozen, trying to signal the advance; yet, she was forcing it to beat the retreat. She's not sure she has ever made such a sacrifice in her life to date, giving up that brief moment of real passion. She can still smell her perfume in the air and she can still taste her lipstick on her own lips.
This is fucked up. This is totally, totally, fucked up. So much for professional distance.
Lauren tried to pull her head together as she closed the door behind her, throwing the bolts top and bottom, clicking the padlock back into place and removing the key. By the time she'd turned back towards the house, Camila was out of sight, probably already inside and no doubt being ushered towards her room by their servant Andrew. She felt a slight pang of loss as she realized she was on her own, but pushed it down hard, shoving it into that locked room in her mind where she never, ever went.
She stood on the summerhouse's little wooden porch and took a deep breath, holding it for a second, she steadied herself before clicking the switch in her hand; opening her mic to the rest of the team.
"Ok, ladies," she said with as much command in her voice as she could muster, "give me a sitrep."
"All quiet, Miss Jauregui," Andy's voice came over the earpiece. "Simon just reported that Miss Cabello has been taken up to bed, Miss Sofia and her date are tucked up already and Mr. and Mrs. Cabello are currently saying goodbye to the remainders of their guests."
"What, the party's over already?" she asked incredulously glancing at her watch.
"Yes, Miss Jauregui, these things don't usually go on all night, some of these folks are getting on a little."
She snorted in amusement; he's right, some of those folks looked like they would have trouble getting out of bed in the morning, let alone manage to stay up late. Still, old age comes to us all, if we're lucky that is; though the alternative holds no merits.
"Anything else I should know?"
"Mrs. Cabello was looking for you, Miss Jauregui, as was Ms. Hansen."
"What did you tell them?"
"Told them you were investigating a disturbance in the garden, Miss Jauregui, told them I'd call it in and you'd find them when you weren't as busy."
She breathed a sigh of relief, thanked him for his forethought, signed off and headed back into the house, taking the opportunity to do a quick patrol of the outside of the building on the way. Light blazed out of many of the windows of the huge house, making her movements easy; it did annoy her a little, though; the place was an environmental disaster area and she'd hate to have their electricity bill.
Still, when you're as rich as the Cabellos were, paying your electricity bill is probably the least of your worries.
Trying to avoid the front of the house if the guests were leaving, she ducked in through one of the side entrances and found herself in a long corridor, opulently decorated with doors to the left and right. She wasn't sure where in the building she was and so she moved quietly and carefully, trying not to disturb anyone that might be around. She could distinctly hear the sounds of snoring from one room and the unmistakable sound of fucking from the other.
Someone was having a pretty good time.
Fuck, she might just need to shower...probably with bleach and a wire brush!
o+o+o
Thankfully, the rest of her patrol of the interior of the house was unremarkable. Pretty much all of the extra staff and most of the guests had already left and things had definitely quietened down. She found Dinah and Normani sat at a table in a side room by the kitchens, a half empty bottle of wine and the remains of what looked like a small gateau in front of them.
"Hey, look who it is," Normani said with a smile on her face as she entered the room, "it's our very own spy in the sky."
She moved out a chair from under the table and gestured towards it, "take a seat, Lauren; looks like you could do with a rest."
"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked suspiciously.
"Nothing, but you look like a mess; long night?"
"Exciting, by the looks of things," Dinah said, leaning forward in her chair and smirking at her. "I see you found Camila then, Lauren.. or did she find you?"
Lauren sat down in the proffered chair and stared back at her, holding her best poker face, not giving anything away.
"I found her in the garden actually. She was a little sad, had a bit of a disagreement with her father; nothing to worry about, though. When I found her, she was just a little drunk, so I arranged for the staff to put her to bed."
"I assume she'll be terribly disappointed."
She frowned at the woman who smiled back at her, that fucking knowing smile again, the one she wants to slap straight off her face.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You have lipstick on your cheek, Lauren," she said, that smile turning into a full blown grin. She lifted her hand to her cheek to scrub away any marks.
"Your lipstick is pretty smudged, too," she continued. "Just saying, because you'd probably want to fix that before you see the Cabellos again."
"Well, well, Lauren," Normani laughed at her now frantic movements, "looks like someone else was having a little adventure in the gardens, huh, DJ."
"It wasn't like that," she said trying to defend herself at their matching smirks. "She was just drunk and upset. I let her rant for a while, she had a little cry and then she kissed me goodnight, that's all."
"Must have been a good kiss goodnight to have smeared your lipstick like that, Lauser" Dinah said as Normani passed over a little compact mirror. She flicked it open and took a look at herself reflected in the tiny oval of glass. Dinah was right. She did look a mess. She'd pretty successfully removed the lipstick on her cheek, if it was ever there, but her own was looking a real mess; smudged and smeared, a legacy of something she'd be better off pretending never happened.
"She's just a little confused, Dinah, that's all. She's just slightly emotional still with everything that's happened over the last few days. You know how that goes, we've all seen it; I'll deal with it,"
"Is that what you think, Lauren? just a bit of confusion?" Dinah said reaching into her bag and handing her a pack of cleansing wipes. She took one and nodded, using it to clean off her lipstick and wipe down her cheek.
"Well, I'm going to head off," Normani said getting up from her chair.
"Good night, ladies. Sweet dreams, Sarge," Normani said winking at her.
She watched her leave before sighing and turning back to Dinah who was sat, leaning back in her chair, one eyebrow raised.
"So Lauren, what did happen with little Camila, then?"
"Don't, Dinah, really; just don't. I'll fix it, ok; it was a stupid drunken mistake. We'll talk about it tomorrow and put it behind us."
"You sure, Lauren?"
"I'm positive, Hansen, it was stupid and unprofessional and it won't happen again."
"How is it unprofessional, Lauren, if she kissed you?"
Dinah's lips twisted as she said it, knowing she'd caught her; her face breaking into that playful grin, the one she suspected drove the guys or even girls crazy at whatever school or college she'd gone to in her youth. It didn't drive her crazy, though; not in the same way at least. She stared back at the woman for a second before putting her fingers to her forehead and brushing her hair back, the closest she could come to holding her head in her hands without actually doing it.
"Right, I get it; can't say I blame you, Lauren. Camila is a right little stunner, especially with that new hairdo."
She looked up at her in surprise; this wasn't what she was expecting at all. She was expecting a lecture, a dressing down so hard her teeth would shake. Instead, the blonde woman was still grinning at her.
"What, you think I'm going to bawl you out for it or fire you? Fuck, no Lauren. Look, Camila likes you; that's pretty obvious. Now, whether it's just rescuer's syndrome like you think or something else entirely, I don't know, but it is there and you're going to have to deal with it. I guess the question I should be asking you is, do you like her?"
"I don't know, Dinah. I mean she is pretty - pretty hot, in fact; but she's also been a fucking bitch for most of the time I've known her and let's face it, that's not been very long. Less than a week in fact."
"Answer the question, Lauren. It's a simple yes or no. Do you like her or not?"
"Yes, ok... I like her. Gods help me, I like her. I'm attracted to her. Of course, I am. So fucking what? It's not like it's going to go anywhere, is it? Fuck, Dinah, I work for her now; all I can ever be is her CPO. I told you, friendly without being friends. She's just a package. It can't go any further."
"But she's not just a package at the moment, is she, Lauren? And this isn't about just being friendly, is it? Right now, you have to decide something. You have to decide if you're going to be a stuck-up tight-ass soldier or are you going to give yourself a chance to see where it goes. Maybe even see where Camila wants to take it. You know you're probably right. It might have been the drink or her mental state or it might have been something else but if you don't give it a chance, how will you ever know?"
Dinah stood up from her chair and placed a hand on her shoulder, drumming her fingers against it, absently tapping out a beat.
"Maybe I'm not the best person to give you advice, Lauren, but all I can say is, if I had the same choice to make, I would go with my gut instinct."
She patted her shoulder, just once, before leaving her alone with her thoughts.
o+o+o
An hour or so later, she was on her way up to the control room, her mind still churning through the events of the day, when she was surprised by Mrs. Cabello who was backing out of a side room carrying a tray-laden with miniature bottles of drink.
"Good evening, Sinu, can I help you with that?"
She jumped in surprise and nearly dropped the contents of the tray onto the floor.
"¡Madre mía!, Lauren, you almost scared me half to death. What are you doing up and around at this time of night? Shouldn't you be in bed like everyone else?"
"Sorry," she said contritely, "I'm just heading up to the control room to check things out before turning in. Make sure everyone's gone that should have and that everything's locked down for the night. I'm really sorry if I scared you, Sinu, it was pretty stupid of me."
"That's all right, cariño, it's nice to see you so focused on keeping us all safe. I was looking for you earlier but Andy told me you were busy elsewhere."
"It's been a busy night, Sinu, lots to keep an eye on."
The older woman looked at her strangely and put the tray down on a convenient side table, pulling her into the room and closing the door. She can't help but feel worried like a prisoner dragged from their cell in the middle of the night.
"I wanted to talk to you, Lauren... about Camila."
"Oh?" she asked, trying not to sound guilty in any way, her heart pounding in her chest.
"Yes, she's quite emotional sometimes. I know she doesn't like to show it normally. Well," she said awkwardly, "unless she's being bitchy to people, that is, she can be a proper madam at times." She tailed off, her eyes distant.
"Anyway," she said eyes snapping back into focus, "what I wanted to say was, she seems to like you and I know she's a little angry at the moment. Nothing bad, you understand, just a little family disagreement. Anyway, I was wondering if you would keep an eye out for her, make sure she's ok; I haven't seen her all evening and I'm a little worried."
"There's really no need to be worried, Sinu. Miss Cabello is currently safely tucked up in bed; at least, that's where I've been told she is," she informed her, watching the relief drain into her face but still feeling that there's more to this conversation.
"Miss Cabello got a little drunk earlier and went AWOL, so I made it my business to track her down. Turns out she went out into the gardens to be alone. When I found her, she was pretty upset, but she's fine now."
"Oh, thank heavens for that. I'm so glad you joined us, Lauren. I just know you'll be good for my Karla. She's not the happiest person in the world and she doesn't make friends easily but I feel good knowing you'll be watching over her. You will do that for me won't you, Lauren? Watch over her? Stay close to her and make sure she's safe and happy. I don't get the chance to do that anymore, not since she moved away."
The sound of regret in Sinu's voice was palpable. This was a mother who cared, a mother who wanted nothing more than to know her daughter was safe and happy. She reminded Lauren a lot of her own mom. She doesn't do friends, doesn't have any friends anymore but she does like Sinu Cabello, she's a lovely lady; a true aristocrat, if not by birth then by nature.
"I'll do my very best, Sinu," she promised her faithfully before reverting to type, "after all, that's what Dinah pays me for."
It felt strange, the same old lines passing her lips; the same lips that not two hours before had been kissing her daughter. Sinu smiled at her, a warm encompassing smile that actually made her feel good.
"Well, hija, I shall be able to sleep tonight in peace then, knowing that you're on the job. Would you do me a quick favor, though, Lauren, before you go to bed? Would you mind popping your head into Camila's room as you turn in? I know Camila asked Alejandro to make sure that you had Sofi's old room so she'd feel safer with you close at hand. Would you mind, Lauren; make sure she's ok? Make a guilty mother feel a little bit better."
She nodded mutely. Venturing into the lion's den wasn't her primary plan for the night; still, hopefully, Camila would be fast asleep and she'd escape unscathed.
"Great, thank you, Lauren. I hope we get a chance to do some more shooting tomorrow, you really were an excellent teacher. Good night, mija"
"Good night, Sinu," she said as the woman left the room. She heard the faint rattling of glass as the tray full of bottles made its way down the corridor and breathed a sigh of relief. She'd been expecting a lot worse. She had the feeling that guilt had been tattooed across her face and she was thoroughly expecting to be hung for her crimes. After all, despite their politeness, the Cabellos weren't the most progressively thinking family in the world. Her file on their behavior towards their behavior told her that. She dreads to think what would happen if they believed that she was corrupting their daughter.
She slipped out of the side room and back down the corridor, following her original plan to enter the control room. All was quiet when she got there, the room was dark; Kevin has long since fucked off home leaving the systems on automatic, the recording lights flickering away as the cameras cycled through their views of the house and its interior. She sat in the large comfortable seat and idly flicked through the different camera feeds on the main monitor before hitting the PTT button on her comms kit.
"Andy, you still out there?"
"Where else would I be, Miss Jauregui?"
"Good boy, anyone still out there with you?"
"Yeah, Simon's still here, I've sent everyone else home. We're just checking the outside of the building before heading off ourselves. Andrew is getting ready to set the house alarm as soon as we're done."
"Nice work, thank you both; you guys did a stellar job tonight. I hope neither of you are planning on going anywhere. I need a good team to run this place and I think I may have found it."
"Well, I'm not planning on leaving, Miss Jauregui, not after flattery like that" Andy's voice sounded pleased over the earpiece.
"Me, too, Miss Jauregui, not unless you plan to kick me out."
"Are you kidding me, Simon?" she asked jokingly, "If I have my way, you're both getting a pay raise. I need competent trustworthy people to watch La Casa Cabello. Oh and quit the Miss Jauregui shit boys. The rest of the team either calls me Sarge or plain old Lauren. I don't really mind; whatever you're more comfortable with."
Ok, so it's a lie. She'd much prefer to be called Sarge again even though she knows that she has absolutely no claim on that rank anymore but it really did feel good being called it by Normani. It's like a link to her past, a past that she's still mourning the loss of.
"Ok, Sarge."
"Sure thing, Sarge."
The two men replied almost in sync. She couldn't help grinning as she pressed the button once more. "Great, guys, now if you're done, will you both fuck off home and get some sleep? I'll see you both tomorrow afternoon before I leave, ok? We'll have a quick team meeting. I need your opinions on how we're going to set up here to keep this place safe; you know, iron out the details of who's staying and who's going."
"We'll talk about it all tomorrow," she told them, relieved that she has made the right choice. "The three of us will sit down and make some decisions and I'll take it to my boss for the final call. If there's anyone else that you know and would personally recommend for this gig, please bring me some details tomorrow, ok? Just in case we need more bodies. Now if we're all done with talking, would you do me the honor of getting the hell away from here, going home and getting some sleep. Nice work boys, good night. Jauregui, out."
She listened to their goodnights before pulling the earpiece out of her ear and rubbing at the itching, sweating skin furiously. It doesn't matter how fancy those things are, they still leave you rubbing and scratching the area when you take them out. She's pretty sure that her ear would be irritating her for the rest of the night; it usually fucking does. Muttering to herself about inferior foreign plastics, she went around making sure that everything in the control room was definitely on automatic and that all the recordings were still working after she'd had her little play. Finally satisfied, she padded softly along the corridor to find the Cabello's manservant, Andrew, stood by the main entrance fiddling in a cupboard.
"Ah, Miss Jauregui, I was about to turn on the alarm for the night. I assume that meets with the new Head of Security's approval?"
"Thank you, Andrew, it's nice to know you've got things under control; I'll be off to bed, then. Can I ask you one final question, though?"
"Indeed, madam."
"Where would I find my room again?"
o+o+o
The man in the penguin suit showed her back up the stairs and along the wide corridor to her room. After carefully locking the door behind her, she glanced at her phone as she plugged it into the charger. One thirty-five in the morning blinked back at her. Damn, no wonder she was feeling tired; that had been one hell of a long day. She was glad that she'd managed to grab a nap on the chopper on the way here; otherwise, she'd most likely be seriously running on empty; more so even than she is right now. And right now, that bed looks like heaven.
She pulled the rest of her stuff out of her bag before crashing out; her military background taking over as she laid out her casual clothes for the next day and prepared her gym kit and her swimming gear ready for her morning exercises. She nipped into the bathroom and removed what was left of her makeup and brushed her teeth before heading back into the main room and slipping off her jacket, placing it on its hanger and putting it away.
It wasn't until she unclipped the radio unit that she remembered her promise to Sinu to look in on Camila and make sure she was secure. Carefully, she opened the connecting door to her room as silently as she could; letting out a silent prayer of thanks that it was still unlocked from when Camila had snuck into her room to leave her the dress that still hung from the silver, heart-shaped hook. Slipping off her shoes, she entered her room and quietly padded across the thick carpet.
Camila Cabello looked like something from a painting as she lay in that huge bed; the light from the doorway to her room reflecting off the white walls, creating a soft shading that lit up her sleeping features perfectly. She looked beautiful lying there, hair draped over the pillows in a dark cascade. The illusion was shattered as she got closer to her because on closer inspection, she could tell that the girl had been crying again; her face was streaked with dark lines, her pillows colored with the remnants of her makeup that had run. She resisted the urge to go over and kiss her awake; to wipe away the tracks of her tears, take her in her arms and tell her that everything would be ok. She resisted it because that's not her. She doesn't do that kind of thing. She's hard and practical and it's as simple as that.
She doesn't do emotions. She doesn't get attached... not anymore.
She walked over to the large solid door and put her hand on the huge brass key that stuck out of the lock. Slowly she turned it, easing across the bolt; making sure that the room was secure before walking back to her own. She'd barely gotten three steps when a tired voice called out to the room.
"Who's there?"
"It's only me, Miss Cabello... Lauren. I'm just locking up, that's all," she added quickly, in case she thought she was trying to slip into her bed or something. "Making sure you're safe."
"Lolo? Is everything ok?" Ignoring the nickname, she was more concerned with how shattered she sounded and she feels really guilty that she has woken her up. But time for Lauren Jauregui, stealth specialist, to make like a fucking ninja and get out of here. Slowly, she crept across the carpet, her feet making barely a whisper as she moved, hoping that sleeping beauty would return to her slumber.
"Lolo?"
'No such fucking luck, huh?'
"Everything's fine, Miss Cabello, go back to sleep."
"Camila," the drowsy brunette slurred, confusing her wondering who the fuck she was talking to, "you said you'd call me Camila."
"Go back to sleep, Camila, " she ordered her, holding back a stupid grin. "Goodnight."
"G'night, Lolo, sleep well..." she said as Lauren pulled the internal doors close.
She listened at the slight opening for a second, straining until she heard Camila's breathing even out and become more regular before it turned back into the soft snores she'd been making earlier.
Finally satisfied that all was well, she finished getting undressed, climbed into that large and comfortable bed and put the lights out.
-----------------
No smut, kids..... not yet..
Thanks for reading...! 😘😘😘