TV Multiverse 68

When his plane landed, he didn’t stop to pick his luggage, as he had arranged with the airline for it to be delivered directly to Malibu. He didn’t want to risk his camera in such a fragile situation.

Carina picked him up at the airport, with a tuxedo already waiting for him in the backseat. He greeted her with a searing kiss, something she was happy to accompany, but she slapped his hand away when he started to explore.

“Calm down, tiger. The rest, you get after you help me pull the prank,” she said.

“As you wish,” he said as he sat on the backseat, changing while Carina drove away, though he made sure to turn the changing into a little strip show, the kind that made Carina bite her lip, clearly wondering whether to abandon the idea of a prank altogether.

He didn’t know the specifics of the prank, but considering he was required to wear a tux, it must have been somewhat complicated, not something she could easily reschedule.

At this point, he had multiple ways to get that information, but he let it happen. At this point, he was in control of almost everything in his life. He wasn’t complaining, but when Carina’s sudden appearance offered a change of pace, he was happy to follow her direction for once.

It helped that, at this point, he was confident he could keep himself safe without revealing any more than he intended.

Halfway in, they stopped, and Carina shifted to the passenger seat while he took the driver’s seat. “Are you sure?” he asked, as he knew how much she liked driving.

“I am,” she responded. “Tonight, I’m your airheaded companion that will get jealous halfway and disappear once you start paying more attention to a slutty blonde.”

“A slutty blonde, or the slutty blonde?” he asked.

“The slutty blonde,” she responded in good humor, even as she raised her phone. Unsurprisingly, it was Sarah. “Just play along and act somewhat reluctant. She’ll do the rest, and while she’s distracted, I’ll deal with the rest of her team,” she promised. “Be careful, she’s very good at conning people.”

He didn’t doubt her analysis, as from the show, he remembered just how committed Sarah could be in her seduction missions. He was more than happy to be the target of it and see if he could convince Sarah to push her limits.

Especially if Chuck had done something sensitive anytime soon.

“Did you arrange a room?” he asked. She smirked and slid a keycard to him. “Anything else I need to know about the mission?”

She shook her head. “The less you know, the better,” she said. He nodded, accepting it, mostly because at this point, he was confident he could handle the backlash even if it went badly.

Was he being reckless? Maybe, but how many times would one find himself a part of a real-life spy adventure with beautiful agents?

The drive was fun, but it got better once Carina unzipped his pants and gave him a little extra motivation. With the combined roar of the engine and the hum of Carina, the trip turned out excellently.

[Achievement complete. Perks of the spy world.

Challenge: Medium]

[+5 Agility

1 Random Silver Skill

1 Random Silver Reward]

His smile was considerably larger as he parked in front of the upscale casino, feeling rather satisfied with his reward in both ways. He picked the stat. At the same time, he checked his latest stats, curious where he was standing.

[Attractiveness: 400] [Graceful Movement] [Luminous Eyes]

[Strength: 275] [Impact Force] [Intimidation Aura]

[Endurance: 295] [Elevated Stamina] [Rapid Recovery]

[Perception: 285] [Tactical Awareness] [Lie Detection]

[Intelligence: 250] [Accelerated Learning] [Knowledge Synthesis]

[Agility: 225] [Quick Hands]

[Charisma: 145] [Negotiation Excellence]

He needed a little bump to his Agility to unlock another perk, and Charisma lagged somewhat behind, but ultimately, he was in a good state, confident enough to deal with some extra danger if needed.

“Remember to act like we have just met, and you’re supposed to not know my job,” she said as she fixed her dress. “We met at the airport, and you’re working for an international logistics company that can move dubious products. That’s the angle.”

He nodded. “Do I need to know any details?” he asked.

“No. Just act as if this is your phone. It’ll bait them,” she said as she passed a sleek custom-work phone to him. “Just be careful and don’t let the blonde sweep it beforehand.”

It was an interesting device. He suspected Carina knew Sarah was looking for it, and that was why it was the bait. He chuckled, realizing his little magic tricks would be very useful for it. “Don’t worry about it,” he said with a chuckle.

He was curious exactly where in the storyline he was interjecting, but ultimately, he was happy to leave it as a surprise as he walked into the casino with Carina. The moment they entered, Carina’s attitude changed, her acting turning fake. The distinction was subtle but noticeable to him.

She was in a mission mood.

He played along, letting Carina lead the chat while he looked around. Soon, he noticed the trio in a corner. Casey was dressed as a waiter, and Chuck was wearing a tux, looking surprisingly good for a nerd.

However, the real showstopper was Sarah. Even in the show, she was a spectacular example of beauty, yet the new reality he found himself in had her even more beautiful and flawless.

It helped that she was wearing a wonderful red dress that clung to her body, one that looked like it hid nothing … of course that would be wrong. He was able to identify three hidden weapons, a blade under her heeled shoes, a decorative clip in her hair that could easily be used as a weapon, and a thin line at the hem of her skirt that could be used as a garrote in a pinch.

Her little handbag probably had a gun hidden as well, but that was easier to deal with.

It was a proof of his confidence in his own skills that watching who might be the deadliest person he had ever seen excited him rather than being scary. Carina was dangerous, but Sarah was a bona-fide government assassin.

However, while examining how good Sarah looked, he didn’t miss the argument between her and Chuck. He couldn’t hear them, but from Chuck’s expression, it was clear that they had a disagreement about the necessity of a seduction operation.

His perception meant that he was very good at reading body language, meaning he didn’t miss the subtle vindictive glee in Sarah shaking her head, refusing whatever argument Chuck was trying to put on.

Meaning, they were in one of their many spats during what passed as courtship.

Ethan believed himself to be a good man, but he also believed that protecting the sanctity of others’ relationships was not his mission.

If Chuck were stupid enough to anger his sexy spy girlfriend — or pseudo-girlfriend — before a seduction mission, that was singularly his problem.

With Carina, they made a quick stop to take some chips. He could have easily used his own money, but when Carina used a mission account to exchange for a hundred thousand, he didn’t complain.

“Any game you prefer?” she whispered.

“Depends on what you want me to do? Win, lose, or just play for a long time?”

She hummed. “Do you know how to count cards?”

He nodded. “Depends on how you want me to do it, obvious or not so obvious?” He didn’t miss that her interest was growing stronger at his implied competence.

“Try not to alert the casino; the blonde will catch on,” she whispered.

“We’re dealing with a card shark,” he asked, acting as if he had no idea about Sarah. “I thought she was conwoman.”

“Both.” Carina just smirked as she escorted him to one of the high-stakes blackjack tables. He started playing while Carina flirted with him, doing her best to look like she was trying to seduce him, twice trying to steal his phone, both he ‘prevented’.

It was fun, as it was roleplaying with extra stakes…

At the same time, he played blackjack carefully. Admittedly, card counting was far simpler than what most people had thought. It was something he could achieve even before he had found himself in this new world, merely counting. It merely kept track of high cards and low cards, trying to remember their weight on the deck, as when high cards dominated, the player had a slightly higher chance to win, just enough to flip the casino advantage.

Naturally, it had many variants, most far too complicated for him to run in real time, but that was before he collected a lot of intelligence rewards, which turned him into a legitimate genius.

The true challenge was to hide that fact from the casino, with both the security and the tellers trained for exactly that, while also bypassing some of their simpler measures.

That was where his perception and acting talent came in…

Five minutes into the game, Carina loudly declared she would be leaving to powder her nose, but a whisper told him that he shouldn’t expect her back.

Whether he had a real mission or she planned to rely on Team Bartowski to block her return, he didn’t ask. It was her problem.

His problem was Sarah, approaching him the moment Carina had disappeared.

The best problem imaginable. A gorgeous blonde in a striking red dress, determined to seduce his secrets…

He made sure to notice her when she covered halfway, which was acceptable, as a lot of people in the crowd did so. She wasn’t just beautiful, but she also knew exactly how to play it. He couldn’t help but wonder exactly what his reward would be.

Even though he knew he would be going for the skills for anything above Platinum. She was a treasure trove for more than one reason.

“It’s a crime for a man as handsome as you to play alone,” she whispered as she slid to his side, taking the space left by Carina. “Don’t tell me you came here alone.”

Ethan made sure to make a double-take at her appearance, and glanced around as if he wanted to see Carina was around. He sighed. “I didn’t, but it seems that I have been left alone,” he said. Though, while he did that, he made sure to layer his performance. At the surface, he acted as if he were sad about Carina’s disappearance, something that Sarah could easily see through.

Underneath that, he radiated satisfaction. Which, to be fair, wasn’t entirely false. Sarah was amazing arm candy while gambling. Technically, it wasn’t his money, but it didn’t make playing any less fun.

Sarah played the airheaded casino girl perfectly, even while her casual questions successfully interrogated him. He gave her just the outline. He was here on business, and it was vaguely related to logistics.

The kind that moved big money and suspicious goods.

Amusingly, it wasn’t even wrong. Fashion was related to logistics, and it moved a lot of money. The best part, he could always say he hid his identity as a photographer because he didn’t want to deal with another overenthusiastic wannabe model … after everything.

At the same time, from his peripheral gaze, he caught Chuck, who had already removed his earpiece, which was a big mistake that could have potentially risked Sarah’s life, which he decided to punish properly.

“You’re good,” Sarah whispered after several rounds, her hands caressing his shoulders playfully.

“Oh, honey. I’m better than good. I’m amazing. The question is whether you can handle it.”

He put his hands on her thigh, squeezing gently, and she giggled in an airhead, silly manner. However, she also shifted slightly, making sure Chuck could see exactly where his hand was.

Chuck’s stiff chin suggested he could see that perfectly.

In the show, most of the time, Sarah did her best to limit the impact of her necessary seduction missions on Chuck, aware of the emotional impact it had on him. The fact that she was deliberately doing otherwise implied Chuck must have angered her, worse than usual fare.

Either Chuck got another girlfriend, and said something extremely insensitive to her.

He wasn’t one to miss such a beautiful moment from Sarah.

He kept his hand on her thigh, and when her legs parted invitingly, he moved up, but not too much, showing confidence without being too excessive in a public space.

Even rich casinos had rules.

However, the real trick was not his hand, but the way he rubbed his forearm against her belly, his deep knowledge of anatomy helping him to elicit some genuine reactions from Sarah.

All the while acting as if his focus was on his hands. Ironically, what he was doing was similar to his blackjack game, pulling a trick while making it look like he was doing something else.

It meant, he was maintaining three different acts at the same time. For the first time, he was putting his newly acquired skills and stats to a real test. It looked simple, but trying to trick floor managers, multiple professional spies, and onlookers at the same time, all while feeding each a different story, was not easy.

It was fun, he decided. It certainly wasn’t a way he wanted to live his life, but occasionally dipping his toes into the dangerous side of the world was certainly entertaining.

He stayed at the blackjack table for half an hour, slowly growing his initial hundred thousand to three hundred thousand, but it hadn’t been a steady growth, as that would be another way to reveal the way he was counting cards.

Instead, several times, he made mistakes to keep the casino from catching on to his tricks, making his winnings look like random luck rather than a carefully curated dance of numbers, mostly when Sarah ‘distracted’ him with a particularly outrageous word or whisper.

Casinos were never afraid of people winning big, as they expected that money to find its way back to them, eventually. Especially when the ‘big win’ in question was merely half a million dollars.

“You play dangerously,” Sarah whispered, her hands exploring, her actions still mostly to anger Chuck, who was still seething at the bar.

He couldn’t help but take that as a challenge. “Well, I like to live dangerously,” he lied, as that was the farthest thing from the truth. He liked danger only when he was good enough to contain it.

Luckily, he was that good…

He threw twenty thousand to the dealer as a tip, and took the rest with him.

“That sounds like a challenge,” Sarah gasped playfully.

“It is,” he said unashamedly, even as he stood up, his arm already around Sarah’s waist, lifting her in a playful, domineering manner. Sarah giggled, acting as if that move shocked her.

He could see that it did not. Sarah still believed that she was in full control of the situation. Admittedly, it was a fair assumption. She was one of the greatest spies in the world.

She was also more focused on angering Chuck than actually paying attention to his subtler tricks.

“How about a drink at the bar?” she whispered, even as she directed them toward the bar, closer to Chuck.

“Just one drink, then I need to go to my room and rest a bit,” he said. “The flight was brutal.”

“Rest?” Sarah asked, her tone just loud enough for Chuck to hear, her actions making it clear that he wasn’t the only one who noticed Chuck had removed his earpiece. “I was hoping you could help me exercise a bit? My hips are getting too large for my dress.”

He chuckled even as he caressed her ass, taking the open invitation, which made Chuck grip the bar painfully. “Sweetie, for you, I’ll rise from a grave,” he responded as they leaned toward the bar, and they ordered drinks.

Casey was the one who prepared the drinks, and he didn’t miss the glass already had some liquid before he poured the alcohol. Considering the situation, he had no intention of taking the risk.

He still grabbed the drink, ready to spill it. Luckily, Sarah also seemed to share the same opinion, and leaned in for a heated kiss before he could take a sip.

Knowing Sarah was too professional to ignore the mission, he decided Casey probably pulled that trick to spare Chuck’s feelings. Too bad Sarah disagreed.

[Achievement complete. Become an indirect vehicle to punish Chuck emotionally.

Challenge: Medium]

[+5 Agility

1 Random Silver Skill

1 Random Silver Reward]

[Bonus achievement complete. Netori effect in play]

[+5 Intelligence

1 Random Silver Skill

1 Random Silver Reward]

He went with the stats for both, happy with the general nature of the reward.

Seeing Sarah had no intention of interrupting the kiss, he kept his arm around her waist, and they started walking toward the elevator. When they reached the elevator, he noticed Chuck watching them in shock, but he didn’t feel much pity.

It felt obvious. If one wants to get into a relationship with a beautiful spy, he should first learn how not to anger her before a mission…

When the elevator doors closed, he started kissing Sarah even more heatedly, his leg slipping between her legs to tease her. He had a feeling that, ordinarily, it would be the point Sarah took back the control … but after flirting with him half an hour, even a consummate professional could find herself with skewed priorities…