Jason didn't call Alicia until early afternoon. When he did, his instructions were minimal and final.
"We are leaving Aethel City in forty minutes. Pack a small overnight bag. I need to get you away from everything and everyone," he announced.
"This is Day Six, Alicia. I'm taking you to my private space."
Alicia didn't argue. After the raw emotional exposure of the Jazz Club, she knew he was forcing a final reckoning.
She packed only the essentials and her sidearm. She wore a simple, fitted denim jacket over a comfortable turtleneck, professional yet casual.
A high-end, discreet private helicopter landed near her apartment complex twenty minutes later. The sheer logistics of the arrangement—the speed, the privacy, the expense—spoke volumes about Jason's resources as an Elite Security CEO.
They flew for an hour over the sprawling cityscape and deep into the forested, mountainous territory that bordered Aethel City. The landing spot was a secluded, glass-and-timber cabin, nestled beside an alpine lake. It was the epitome of guarded luxury.
"Welcome to my decompression chamber," Jason said, leading her inside.
"No staff. No neighbors. No signals except the private satellite connection. Total security."
"This is extreme, Jason," Alicia murmured, her eyes performing an instant, involuntary security scan of the entire structure.
"It's Day Six. We established intimacy on Day Four, and trust on Day Five," Jason said, gently taking the small bag from her hand.
"Now we test whether that intimacy can survive complete exposure. You said you couldn't run on a tactical clock forever. Tonight, you don't have to."
Alicia nodded, accepting the challenge.
They spent the early evening doing something profoundly normal: cooking dinner together. They talked about favorite, silly memories—Jason revealed a prank he pulled on his college football coach; Alicia fabricated a story about a ridiculous fitness competition. The simple, shared domesticity felt like the riskiest adventure yet.
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Later, as the sun dipped and cast long shadows across the lake, they were sitting on the plush rug in front of the massive stone fireplace, the wine flowing freely, their conversation soft and meaningful.
Jason was tracing the line of her collarbone beneath the turtleneck.
Suddenly, a high-pitched, insistent electronic whine pierced the silence. It was the cabin's perimeter alarm.
Jason jumped up instantly, the Security CEO instincts taking over. "Wait here—"
He didn't need to finish the command. Before he had taken two steps, Alicia was on her feet. Her hand flashed to her hip, retrieving the concealed weapon with a fluid, blinding speed that was terrifyingly beautiful. She didn't pause to question; she moved. She took a low, tactical stance, covering the two main entry points in a single, seamless motion that spoke of muscle memory trained over years.
"Lights!" she commanded in a sharp, guttural whisper, her voice entirely different from the soft tones he knew.
"Jason, take the power panel in the hall—kill all exterior lights now! No silhouettes!"
Jason froze, not in fear, but in sheer professional awe. This was not the reaction of a woman who carries a gun for defense; this was the reaction of an elite operator.
He obeyed instantly, recognizing the authority and superior training in her command.
Seconds later, the cabin was plunged into total darkness, save for the flickering firelight.
Alicia moved soundlessly to a window, her eyes adjusting instantly to the low light.
"False alarm," she whispered after a moment, holstering the weapon and taking a deep breath.
"Security perimeter breach on Sector Three—looks like a large animal. Probably a deer crossing the tripwire."
She turned back to Jason, her posture still rigid, the tension only slowly bleeding away. She saw the look on his face. He wasn't scared; he was calculating.
Jason walked back to the fireplace, his steps deliberate. He didn't speak until he was standing right in front of her.
"That speed," he said, his voice low, holding her gaze.
"The instant tactical assessment. The command presence. The Security CEO in me recognizes that, Alicia. That's not the training of a private consultant. That's the training of a soldier. An elite one."
Alicia knew the moment was over. She had revealed too much. Her professional discipline had cracked under the pressure of the unexpected event.
"You're right," she admitted, placing her hand on the cold stone of the mantle. She didn't elaborate on the kind of training, but she offered him a sliver of the truth, something she had never told anyone outside her inner circle.
"Before my current venture, I was deep in military operations. High-level, black-ops style. The skills don't just turn off, Jason. That's why I'm always armed."
She looked away, bracing for his rejection.
Instead, Jason gently lifted her chin. His eyes were not cold, but alight with respect and intense interest. "You're capable. You're efficient. You're dangerous," he stated, not as a threat, but as a confirmation.
"I don't need the rest of the file yet, Alicia. I just needed to know the woman I'm falling for isn't lying about her core capability."
He pulled her into a long, profound kiss—a kiss that acknowledged the physical attraction, the new emotional vulnerability, and the shared, dangerous truth.
He held her tightly against his long-sleeved black shirt, pressing his body against hers.
The kiss was consuming, fueled by the adrenaline of the alarm and the relief of the confession.
They sank back down onto the rug, hands exploring, bodies pressed close, shedding their clothes in the dim firelight, their passion finally unleashed after six days of build-up. It was long, intense, and deeply intimate, stopping just at the point of fulfillment, leaving them both breathless and hungry for the conclusion of Day Seven.
They fell asleep tangled together by the fire, the sounds of the wilderness now replaced by the gentle rhythm of their own breathing.
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Alicia returned to Aethel City the next morning—Day Seven—feeling irrevocably changed. She immediately conferenced Kristen and Lucy, unable to wait.
"Day Six was... extreme," Alicia began, her voice still husky.
"We need details!" Kristen yelled.
"What was the venue? Did you kiss? Did you break the rules?"
"Jason took me to his private cabin retreat—secluded, only reachable by helicopter," Alicia confessed.
"It was beautiful. And yes, the rules were bent."
"Bent? Alicia, we need specifics. Did you finally—" Lucy started.
"No! But almost," Alicia cut her off quickly, her cheeks burning. "It was... intimate. But that's not the point. The alarm went off—false, it was a deer—and I reacted. Full tactical mode. I pulled the gun and took command of the cabin."
Silence. Even Kristen was stunned.
"You blew your cover," Lucy stated, her voice sharp with concern.
"I gave him a modified truth. I told him I was in high-level, elite military operations before my current job. He realized I was a soldier, not just a civilian," Alicia admitted.
"He wasn't scared, Lucy. He was impressed. And then... he accepted it."
Kristen let out a squeal of delight.
"He accepted the warrior! Alicia, he loves the real you! What happens now? What's the plan for Day Seven?"
"He didn't tell me," Alicia said, looking at the clock. "But I have to see him. I don't know if I can hold back any more secrets, girls. This is getting real."
"Welcome to love, soldier," Lucy said, sounding both worried and genuinely happy for her friend.