Darrell Bain - Sex-Virus

The Sex Virus

by Double Dragon eBooks, a division of Double Dragon Publishing, Inc. of Markham Ontario, Canada.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author's

imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or

dead, is entirely coincidental.

Published by:

Double Dragon eBooks

PO Box 54016 1-5762 Highway 7 East

Markham, Ontario L3P 7Y4 CANADA

http://double-dragon-ebooks.com

Layout and Cover Illustration by Deron Douglas

ISBN: 1-55404-093-0

First Edition eBook Publication November 13, 2003

THE SEX VIRUS

By Darrell Bain

Dedication: To Geoffrey Kidd, who got the ball rolling.

CHAPTER ONE

The muted ring of the bedroom phone interrupted Dee. She removed her hand from her breast

where idle fantasizing had drawn it while reading a graphic romance novel; her nipple a firm mound under

her tee shirt. She reached for the phone wondering who could be calling this time of day, and also why

she had nothing better to do than read a trashy novel on her day off. It wasn't as if the FBI was giving her

many of them lately.

She listened for a moment, grimaced, and hung up. Another telemarketer. Why couldn't it have

been someone she wanted to talk to, like Jantz Preston or Mary Andrews? They were the only two at

the Houston regional office she had gotten to like in the few months since her assignment. And damn the

telemarketers, anyway. No matter how many laws were passed or how many barriers she put up some

still found loopholes into her system. Dee picked up her book again wondering what had compelled her

to seek out something like this. Her usual reading material ranged from science fiction to mysteries, with

thrillers thrown in for variety.

She stretched out with her head propped on pillows allowing her thick mane of wavy black hair to spill

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down over her shoulders. She twirled a lock around one finger. The book cover featured the standard

bosom-revealing heroine clasped in the arms of a larger-than-life, bronzed muscular man.As if any men

looked that way, Dee thought, turning back to the passage, trying to recapture the fey mood that came

over her more and more often lately.

...his hand stole to her breast in sneaky increments while he sent a questing tongue...

Dee again became absorbed in the lurid descriptions. Before she knew it she was mimicking the

male protagonist in the story, cupping and fondling her breasts while imagining he was doing it, except

that the character resembled Jantz Preston. Her breathing deepened and became more rapid. Suddenly,

Mary became the person she was fantasizing about: Mary with the blue eyes and loose blond hair she

saw at work, only now she was undressed, breasts swaying as she leaned over her. Dee became aware

of how forcefully she responded to the fantasy, and flung the book away and rolled onto her stomach.

Her breasts flattened, her nipples rubbing against their covering causing her lower body to react.

Her hips squirmed, pressing down against the bed in frustration. She felt as if the thermostat had been

turned up. She rolled back over, and closed her eyes trying to visualize Jantz in bed beside her. Damn it,

what did he see in Lisanne, anyway? Her hand crept down to the waistline of her white shorts. Her

fingers played with the hem of her tee shirt, inching it up until she felt bare skin. But again, it became

Mary she thought of and it was Mary's fingers she imagined sliding beneath the fabric of her shorts.

What on earth is going on?Dammit, I like men, not women!

Even as she tried to convince her mind to go in a different direction her hand slipped under her shorts

and moved down to her mons. She felt her soft crinkly pubic hair through the thin material of her panties.

Her hips moved in an upward thrust. Her thighs parted. She pressed down and stroked herself while

using her other hand to play with first one breast then the other, her book quite forgotten. She was

propped up enough so that she could see her image in the mirror attached to the closet door opposite the

bed. Watching herself stroking herself and handling her breasts gave added impetus to her fantasies.

Dee gasped reaching toward orgasm. She closed her eyes and forced the image of Jantz to

dominate her thoughts. Just as the impending climax was surging her into that indescribable out-of-body

sensation the doorbell rang, shattering the illusion.

"Oh, goddammit! Who can that be?"

She thought about pretending not to be in, but her inherent honesty prevented her from playing games

like that. She got up, made a quick adjustment of her clothes, and went to see who was there thinking

dark thoughts at the lack of eligible men who attracted her at this new office.

Dee gave no thought to security as she crossed the den and opened the door. The big apartment

complex on the northern outskirts of Houston was well protected; the tenants thoroughly screened before

moving in. Besides, many of them were government agents, a fact apparently known to miscreants

because she had seen no problems since renting her place.

Jantz Preston was at the entrance shifting his weight from one foot to the other when Dee pulled

the door open. His pleasant countenance held a hangdog look, but Dee brightened. She liked Preston.

Maybe too much. It was too bad he was taken.

"Hi Jantz. Lose your car again?"

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Preston was famous for his absent-mindedness, especially when he was involved on a case requiring lots

of thought.

"I may live that incident down one day, but it doesn't seem likely. No, I just drove up in my car.

It's Lisanne; I seem to have misplaced her. Have you seen her?

Dee frowned. "No, I haven't."And I don't want to.

Jantz shrugged. "I had to stay over last night to catch up on some stuff for a court appearance. I

tried calling, but no answer. And now the door is locked."

Dee grinned. "And you've misplaced your card again. Why don't you keep it in the glove

compartment of your car?"

"Because sometimes I lose my car." Jantz laughed, but it was a short chuckle with no mirth

attached.

Recent gossip had it that he and Lisanne hadn't been getting along. If he were lucky it would be

her instead of the card that was misplaced.And you're a bitch for thinking that.

"Well, come on in. Maybe I can remember where I keep your spare card."

Preston followed Dee inside her apartment looking embarrassed. Once he and Dee had gotten

to know each other at the FBI office he had given her a spare door card to keep for these occasions.

She went back into the bedroom and rummaged in a dresser drawer. While she sorted through the odds

and ends she remembered her recent fantasy and her face got hot. She found the card, but waited until

her color returned to normal before going out into the den. Jantz was standing there looking his usual

rumpled, good-natured self. If she didn't know him better Dee would have thought he might be farmer

trying to dress for a formal occasion. He was good looking despite his slightly dated suit and the need of

a shave. She handed him the card allowing a momentary fantasy of them together to flash through her

mind once more.

"Thanks, Dee. You're a good friend."

"Glad to help. Now, go find Lisanne, and try not to lose her again."

Jantz smiled his thanks and shuffled down the walk. Dee watched him turn the corner leading to

the units where he lived then closed the door. Her comp day off for working on Sunday had been

uneventful so far, but that was changing. It was late morning, but she decided on a glass of wine rather

than going back to her book. She poured it, sorted some crackers and cheese, and settled back into her

easy chair.

She had no sooner become involved in a downloaded movie than the doorbell chimed again.

Exasperated, she told the computer to halt and went to answer the door. Again, Jantz Preston stood in

her doorway looking even more rumpled as he ran his hand through his short brown hair.

"Dee, I hate to bother you, but can I ask you a few questions?"

Puzzled, Dee led him inside. "Is it too early for a drink while we talk?"

Jantz agreed. "Damn right. I mean, no, it isn't too early. A drink is just what I need. Scotch if you

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have it, bourbon if you don't."

"All I have is bourbon. I'll let you pour."

Jantz followed her to the bar dividing the kitchen from the spacious den and took the bottle of

Jack Daniels she handed him. Dee raised her brows as he poured a hefty dollop over a couple of ice

cube, filling the four-ounce glass almost full. She replenished her glass of Zinfandel and led him back to

the big lounger.

Jantz took a large gulp, and grimaced. "Lisanne left a note. She's left me, too."

"Oh, Jantz, I'm sorry. What happened-or isn't it any of my business?"

"Well...I was just wondering...have you seen her with any other women?"

Dee frowned. "Well, not really. Oh, I did see her at the pool last weekend while I was taking a

swim. She was talking to a woman, but I don't know her name; I've never seen her around here before."

"How were they acting?"

"What do you mean?"

Jantz swallowed more bourbon. "In the note she said she was going to live with a woman.

Damn, I never thought-" He shook his head and stared down at the drink clasped in both hands.

"Don't jump to conclusions. Maybe she's just staying with another woman."

"I'm not jumping to anything. She said she discovered that she prefers women. I just don't

understand. I know we weren't getting along that well, but I didn't think there wasthat much wrong with

the sex part. Listen, are you sure you don't know who that woman was? Did you maybe hear her name?"

Dee tried to be gentle. "Would it really matter? Apparently she's made a life-changing decision

and wants to be left alone."

He sighed. "Yeah, you're probably right. Hell, maybe it's my ego getting huffed up because my

girl friend has run off with a woman. Not but what we wouldn't have split up pretty soon anyway. It just

wasn't working." He leaned forward as if he wanted to say more.

"Is it anything you want to talk about?" Dee asked.

Jantz sighed, and leaned back on the lounger. "I don't want to bore you."

"I promise to stop you if I get bored." The day really had changed for Dee.

Jantz gave her the hint of a smile. "Thanks. You haven't gotten involved in office politics much. I

like you for that. So much of the bureau is going the wrong way, seems to me. I won't play games trying

to stay on the good side of Slater or Meridian, and Lisanne wanted me to kowtow like they were

goddamned royalty or something."

Dee didn't like Burley Slater, the SAIC of the office, and liked Seth Merridian, the regional

supervisor in Washington, even less, though she had only met him once. Slater was trying to pattern

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himself after the Ashcroft mold and it appeared Merridian would be content if the office spent all its time

on sex crimes instead of pressing national problems.

She nodded. "I don't blame you for not liking either one of those..."

"Fanatics?"

"Yes. To listen to them you'd think the whole country wanted to spend twenty-four hours a day

enforcing the abortion and pornography laws."

"And that's where the problems with Lisanne came in. Not only did she want me to suck up to

those..."

"Religious nuts?"

"Yeah. They're that, too. But whenever we were around them she acted like she believed in that

crap and…" Jantz stopped, realizing he might have stuck his foot in his mouth.

"Don't worry," Dee assured him. "I think it's crap, too. And a goddamned crying shame that it's

so hard to get an abortion anymore. And that cloning is illegal, and stem cell research is limited, and..."

Jantz laughed and waved a hand. "Stop. We're on the same wavelength. Anyway, that's why

Lisanne and I wouldn't have lasted long. We didn't seem to be on the same page, or even in the same

book. But I never had the least suspicion that she had lesbian tendencies. In fact, on the only occasion

the subject came up, she said something or other to put them down."

Dee formed a picture of Lisanne in her mind; short auburn hair, but that didn't mean anything. On

the other hand, Dee never felt comfortable around her the few times they'd been together. She lacked

sincerity, as if she were acting a part rather than relating to people. And that included Jantz. But with her

looks and body, any man might be smitten. She certainly was a dish.

"I can see why you're so puzzled if she felt that way about lesbians." Dee hoped she wasn't

blushing.

"Yeah, that's the kicker, all right. It doesn't make a lot of sense unless she had the genes and was

trying to repress her feelings by acting out. I don't understand it."

"Curiouser and curiouser," Dee said.

Jantz's glass was empty and she held out her hand for it when she got up to replenish her Zinfandel. He

handed it over and she took it to the bar. Dee could feel his eyes following her as she crossed the den

and smiled in spite of herself. She often drew admiring looks from men and it didn't bother her a bit. If he

only knew what had been in her mind earlier! In the meantime, it was a shame that such a nice guy had

been hurt…or had he been? She thought he looked more aggravated than dejected, and that gave

impetus to a wayward thought that they might get together once he got over the shock. It should make

her feel guilty, but somehow it didn't.

Jantz eyed the refill Dee handed him. "Thanks. I better make this my last one. I don't drink that

much, especially this early in the day. Besides, you've probably got other things to do besides listen to me

carp about Lisanne and the office."

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"I haven't been here long enough to know many people, so usually I stay home and read."

"I can see that," Jantz said, looking around at several full bookcases. "I like to read, too.

Another bone of contention at home. Or what was home. Lisanne would rather surf or play those silly

television games."

"How on earth did you two ever get together? It sounds as if you had nothing in common."

"Sometimes you don't know how these things happen. She certainly didn't turn out to be what I

thought she was. I think she might have thought it was romantic and exciting to live with a real live FBI

agent, and she was even talking about marriage." Jantz laughed. "I should have told her that investigative

work is much more boring than exciting. At least most of the time. "

Dee chuckled. "My time here sure has been boring. I've been doing background checks so

much that I'm starting to dream about social security numbers."

"Newbies always get the scut work. But we're getting in some replacements, so maybe Slater

will pull you off those." Jantz sipped his bourbon. "Just hope he doesn't partner you with me."

Dee was startled. "Why on earth not?"

"I shouldn't say anything, but hell, everyone knows it. Slimy Slater has me going undercover at

some of the clubs in Montrose. Talk about sleaze. I'll be damn glad to be finished with that and get back

to real work. If Slater gives me any, that is. Half the population of Houston is here illegally, and half of

those want to blow up something, and he has me chasing pornographers. Fagh!"

"When will you start something new, do you know?"

"Next month, or so Slater said. He reamed me out for not developing more leads, but the hell

with it. I didn't join the FBI to arrest interstate pimps."

"Why did you join?" Dee asked.

Jantz shrugged. "Hell if I know. Maybe because I got a degree in a field that's being stepped on

by our stupid government. No one in genetics was hiring, but the bureau was looking for bright young

graduates. I thought I could keep up in the field as an agent, or maybe move into the forensics lab. No

such luck."

"You're talking human genetics, I assume."

"Yeah. Since the ban on stem cell and embryonic research killed a lot of promising treatments

there aren't many jobs in the field other than government labs."

"Why aren't you in the lab here with that kind of training?"

"Slater keeps telling me that's where I'll be assigned as soon as there's an opening. I'm not

holding my breath."

Dee understood Jantz better now. They had gotten together several times for lunch once they

discovered they lived in the same apartment complex, and Dee had been invited over to his house, but

the frosty reception from Lisanne had stopped that from happening again. She smiled brightly at him.

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"I hope you get what you want. I talked to Mary Andrews once when I dropped DNA swabs by for

recruits. She seems like a nice person to work for."

Jantz nodded. The way the personnel at the Houston office interacted according to who was in

or out of favor with the brass made friendships problematic. "Mary is good people. A good scientist, too,

from what I've seen of her work."

Dee was glad to hear that. For someone new it was sometimes hard to judge. But Jantz was a

winner, even if he did have to put up with Slater. "Do you have any idea what you'll be doing when you

come out from undercover?"

He shook his head. "Not a clue, but I can probably forget about real work. Slater will probably

have you trolling for pimps and me for candymen if I know his befouled mind." He stood up. "I've bent

your ear long enough for one day. Thanks for listening."

Dee smiled. "Any time. Don't be scared to ask if you need anything."

"If we're both available for new work at the same time, would you like to, uh, maybe partner with me?"

He raised his brows.

"Oh, golly, yes! Everyone talks about how good you are."

Jantz nodded absent-mindedly. "Thanks. We'll see if we can work it out."

Dee walked him to the door. "I really am sorry. It will get better, believe me. I know from

experience. But let's save it for another time." Unaccountably, she leaned forward and kissed him, then

turned quickly and closed the door.

CHAPTER TWO

Dee spent the next couple of days at her desk tending to the stacks of paperwork required to

vet recruits, hoping that she and Jantz would soon be free to start working together. Wednesday she met

Mary Andrews for lunch at the cafeteria in the same building where the regional office was located.

Wednesday lunch had been a standing date with them ever since a chance encounter brought them

together one day when they sat at the same table.

Mary looked like the stereotypical dumb blond with hair flowing in waves to her shoulders

around a pretty face with full lips and china blue eyes. Today she was full of bubbles as she emptied her

tray of plates onto the table and pulled up a chair.

"You either have a new boyfriend or some juicy gossip, or both," Dee observed from the

opposite side of the table where she was seated.

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"Both," Mary said, with a laugh. "I don't have the new one yet, but I dumped Larry over the

weekend. That's not the real news, though. I have some juicy gossip." She leaned forward. "You won't

believe it."

"Try me. I love gossip."

Mary looked around then spoke in a low voice. "This is really unbelievable, but I got it from a

good source. Slimy Slater was down in the Montrose area cruising a she-male street, and apparently

picked one of them up!"

Dee was sure her mouth was hanging open. Slater was so vehemently anti-gay that this news

was impossible to believe. Finally she responded.

"That is hard to credit. Maybe it was someone who looked like him."

"According to my source he made an attempt to disguise himself, but the person who saw him

was close enough to see through it. But to be sure he ran a check on the license plate. It was him, all

right. No lie. Isn't that something?"

"That it is," Dee agreed. "But we all know he's a hypocrite, so maybe it isn't so surprising when

you think about it. God, he'll play hell living this down when it gets out."

"It's already out. I can't wait to see how he handles it at the department meeting Friday,

especially if someone pops up with an insinuation."

Dee unwrapped her tuna salad sandwich. "What happened with Larry?"

Mary shrugged, causing her loosely fettered breasts to do interesting things. Dee realized she

was staring at them and hastily looked up.

"I just lost any feeling for him over the last week or two. And frankly, he had already lost it for

me. No big deal. How's your love life? Meet anyone interesting yet?"

"Maybe," Dee said impulsively, thinking of Jantz. "But probably not."

"Are you working the weekend again?"

"No, guess I'm off that for a while. Why?"

"I don't have anything going on this weekend. Would you like to come over? We could watch a

movie or go out somewhere if you'd rather."

Dee remembered her fantasies from the previous day. It seemed strange now having Mary sitting

across from her with an anticipatory look on her face. She fidgeted while she waited for Dee to answer.

Dee shrugged. "Sure, why not? It's not like I have a string of men beating on my door. How about

Saturday?'

"Okay, what time?"

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"It doesn't matter. Afternoon? What's your apartment number?"

Mary told it to her. They lived in the same complex, but Dee had never been inside her place.

She wrote it down then looked up. Mary was gathering the debris of what little she had eaten and

preparing to leave.

"What's the hurry?"

"I've got a sequencer going that has to be looked at. I'll see you Saturday."

Dee thought her voice became huskier as she stood up and noticed that her cheeks and neck

had a pink tinge to them. She adjusted her lab coat, smiled, and was gone. Dee finished her lunch

ruminating about Mary and Jantz, but mostly Mary. And, also, there was a puzzle working its way to the

surface of her mind. While not a scientist she was an eclectic reader and recognized the tugs back and

forth in her mind meant something was trying to come together. It had happened before and she had

learned not to force it into her consciousness; it would pop into being eventually.

It would have been amusing if Dee could have known Mary was having problems concentrating

on her work because of thinking about her. So long as Mary could remember she had never been

attracted to women and now she couldn't stop from bringing up images of Dee; how attractive she was

with that wavy black hair, how well she filled out her blouse, and how much she liked to surreptitiously

watch the curves of her body as she walked. It was very disconcerting.

"Drat!" she said, as she realized she hadn't heard the buzz of a timed analysis for daydreaming

about a woman she hadn't even known a couple of months ago.

She salvaged the trays and set up the DNA analyzing apparatus again. This was the last set of embryos

confiscated from a fertility lab in Houston that Slater had come down on. It was a real shame. Slater was

straining the interstate commerce laws in this case, but she had learned not to let her personal beliefs

interfere with her work. No matter that she thought this case was a caricature of the law; she was still

responsible for accurate results. Mary was trying to match the cloned embryos with DNA from

out-of-state donors. It her opinion it was going to be thrown out of court, no matter what Slater thought.

While Mary worked in her alcove in the Forensics, Crime, and Identification Lab she was

vaguely aware of other technicians busy with varying tasks in similar alcoves. Chest high cabinets divided

up this large room, and workstations were interspersed with safety hoods. It was a step up from the old

lab in the center of Houston that required hours each day of fighting traffic on the Eastex Freeway to get

to and from work. Here she was only a half-hour's drive away even when traffic was bad. It made for a

lot less tension, but gave her analytical mind more time to play with thoughts other than testing specimens.

And lately she couldn't understand herself.

She had never married, but had a number of satisfying relationships. But now... Larry. She couldn't

understand why he was no longer interested in her, or her in him. He was nearly everything she wanted in

a lover; gentle, attentive, and with great stamina. But he had packed up and left over their mutual

unresponsiveness, and frankly, she couldn't blame him. And then this unaccountable interest in women.

Where had that come from? She knew that she didn't have the inclination genes, nor could she think of

anything in her upbringing that might have precipitated the feelings at this stage of her life.

Like now, Julie, the lab tech assigned to her brought in a rack of specimens and chatted briefly.

Mary found herself wondering what she would look like naked and turned away in embarrassment. As

soon as Julie left Mary went over to one of the refrigerators and took out a coke kept there against

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regulations, but since she was boss of the section no one complained. She touched the cold can to her

forehead and rolled it around to break up the unwanted images and get herself into working mode. After

a while she succeeded.

***

There was no meeting Friday. Slater had been summoned to Washington for reasons he wasn't

divulging, but Jantz heard the gossip like everyone else. He thought that his venture into the rough area of

Montrose in Houston must have reached Washington, and he was being called on the carpet. After his

no-show Jantz called Dee before she could get away wanting to know if she would like to have a drink

after work or on Saturday.

"Can I take a rain check? I have to wrap up all the reports on my recruits this evening and

already have something planned for Saturday. Maybe next week?"

"Sure. I'll be in touch."

"Make sure you do," Dee said.

Jantz felt a wave of disappointment, but perked up when he thought of how insistent she had

been about another time. Whistling, he closed shop and started to turn out the light. Who needed

Lisanne, anyway? The phone rang a summons he found impossible to ignore. Cursing, he turned back to

his desk. It turned out to be an old friend, Elgin Hasting, working as one of the Public Information officers

out of the main Washington office. They had gone through the academy together.

"Hey, Jantz!" he said. "Still chasing pimps?"

"Don't rub it in. At least I don't have to tell lies to the press every day. What's up with you?"

"Thought I'd give you a heads up. You're getting a new boss Monday."

"Really? Damn, that's great."

"Hell it is. I'm getting your old one."

"Slimy Slater? The way he's been acting you better get your spin machine in high gear. Have you

heard?"

"Yup. But have you heard?"

"Heard what?"

"Slater isn't the only one I'm hiding from the press. Guess who else got caught with his fly open?"

"I hope you're talking about the monster, but surely not?"

"Merridian the Monster, you got it. He's been acting funny lately; then yesterday he went

overboard at a press conference. He said that gays were being persecuted in America the Beautiful."

"Huh!" Jantz exclaimed. "The last I heard he was claiming that deviant sex, as he put it, was the

prime cause of pornography, loose moral values, and mopery and dopery on the highways."

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Darrell Bain - Sex-Virus

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