Chapter 1

A bright light shone through the window, waking Shaundi up. Crawling out of bed, she brought her hand to her head. A bottle of vodka sat on her nightstand.

"Ow," she moaned softly. "What happened?"

She scanned the room. She was at her house, and everything seemed in order. After taking a quick shower, she got in her Voyage, and drove to Pierce's apartment. He was waiting outside, frustrated.

"What took you so long?" Pierce asked.

Shaundi just grinned. "Overslept. Now get in, Boss got some work for us."

Pierce closely followed Shaundi into his office. The Saint's leader reclined on his chair, smoking a cigar. He smiled at the sight of his lieutenants coming in.

"Got something for us?" Pierce asked.

"Of course," he said calmly. "I need you two to get some guy taken care of. Guy's been bald talkin us for quite a while, and I want him gone." With a wave of his hand, the saint dismissed them.

As both got into Pierce's Bulldog, Shaundi looked at him.

"You feelin alright?" she asked.

Confused, Pierce asked, "What you mean?"

"Well, every time you're around the boss, you seem distant." She placed her hand on his shoulder. "Come on. Talk to me."

"It's just…it's just that whenever I come up with a plan, he always thinks I stole it from you. I feel unappreciated."

"Well, someone appreciates you." She reached up, and her soft, red lips touched his. "I really appreciate you. Now come on, we got someone to waste."

Driving off, Pierce tuned to the classical music station. Shaundi fell asleep. He looked at her, admiring her body. Keeping one hand on the wheel, he reached out and grabbed her breast.

"Mmm," she said in her sleep. "That fells good." She then placed her hand between her legs. Shaundi now moaned louder. "Mmm, Pierce…"

A smile came onto his face as he accidentally hit the gas pedal. The Bulldog accelerated, and ran someone over. As luck would have it, it was the one they were tasked to eliminate. Shaundi, awake, looked out the window.

"That the guy?" she asked.

"Oh yeah," Pierce responded.

"At least we got the job done. Now let's get out of here. How bout' we got to your place? It's not far from here?"

After they completed their assignment, both went back to Pierce's penthouse. Shaundi sat on the couch watching TV as Pierce brought in two cold beers.

"Another job well done," Pierce said as he handed the beverage to her.

She took a gulp before responding. "Tell me something, you like working for the boss?"

"I guess so."

"And yet he's got eyes on me, and completely ignores you. Doesn't that bother you?"

"What are you, a psychologist? But to answer your question, yeah. I mean, I came up with the casino plan and-"

"No you didn't. I mean, you did, but Gat and the boss thought of something else."

"True. I mean, it's just so fucking annoying." He turned to Shaundi. "What about you? What's your place with him?"

"I guess he likes me," Shaundi said. "I've seen the way he looks at me, like some slut, even though I am. That's probably the reason why he favors me over you." She reached out and grabbed Pierce's hand. "I'm sorry."

"I ain't you fault. I just messed up is all. Maybe we could-" His words were stopped mid-sentence when Shaundi kissed him. She stood up, removed her clothes, and led Pierce into the bedroom.

The next morning, Pierce and Shaundi lay on the bed, covered only by a thin blanket.

"Hey, Shaundi?" Pierce said.

"Yeah?" She asked.

"What are the chances of me getting some mutant STD?"

She looked at him, stroking his cheeks. "You used a condom, so I'd say 1 in a million." Shaundi left the bed, covering herself with a blanket. "I'm gonna go get some coffee. You want anything?"

"No thanks." As she left the room, Pierce wondered if this was the start of a beautiful relationship.